Chapter I: The Flag Family Part 1
Captain Steven Bartholomew Rodger Allen continued to increase the speed of his treadmill, pushing it to its maximum velocity. But for a man who could break the sound barrier in under a second, the exercise machine made it seem like a light jog to the soldier lost in time. Allen's past flashed before his eyes as his frustration increased. He could see every one of his brothers in arms fall at the hands of the Axis Powers, see the face of every foe he ever fought, and finally, he saw his fateful battle with the dreaded Anti-Watcher, whose destruction had caused him to hurtle through time and space until he finally reached the year 2016. An angered shout erupted from Captain Allen's mouth as bolts of lightning shattered the treadmill to bits.
With an exhausted sigh, Steve Allen stepped over to the next treadmill to restart his exercise. Steve almost punched the settings in before he noticed the tall, built figure watching him from the shadows. The figure stepped into the light to reveal herself as a middle-aged African American woman in a black trench coat and an eye patch over her left eye.
"Those things are expensive, you know." She said at last. "Captain Steve Allen, I'm Amanda Fury, Director of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division."
"I know who you are ma'am." Steve replied as he stepped off of the treadmill. "Sergeant Jack Fury's daughter, right?"
"That's correct, Captain. And I'd like you to help me the same way you helped him." Amanda took out a manila folder from a pocket inside of her coat and handed it to the soldier. Steve opened it to reveal pictures of different men and women. "It's called the Justice Legion of Avengers Initiative. A program my father tried to start in the late 1950's. Believe it or not; a world without the Flag scared him."
Steve flipped through page after page of different people in the folder, trying to determine whether what he saw was true or not. Back during the war, the Flag fought with the Human Lantern, Aqua the Sub-Mariner, Hyperman, and his best friend Wally Barnes, the newspapers called them the Justice Society of Invaders. But this younger generation of heroes was questionable at best.
"What does Kent think about this?" Steve asked.
"Hyperman is all for it." Amanda smiled. "It seems that running into you after seventy-something years has given him a new lease on life."
Steve looked down at the pictures once again with a skeptic look on his face. "How can you be sure that these people can work as a team?"
"Because getting people to act outside of their own self-interests is what I do for a living. I may not be a fancy super soldier, but if you come with me, I'll show you a few surprises."
"With all due respect ma'am," Steve handed the folder back to Amanda, "I just traveled through time from World War II into the twenty-first century. I doubt there's anything that you can do that'll surprise me."
"Ten bucks says you're wrong…" Director Fury joked before realizing the super speedster still wasn't interested. He was about to walk out the door when she called out to him. "Captain Allen… Steve, we need you. The world needs you. And I don't plan on making the same mistakes my father made."
In the blink of her eye, Amanda was now face to face with Captain Allen. Fury had served in Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq without the slightest trace of fear, but the gust of wind that Allen created sent a chill up her spine. At least now she had confirmed that the Flag's breath-taking speed was still intact.
"What are you talking about?" Allen's voice went deep and intimidating as his body continued to vibrate intensely.
With a deep sigh, Fury pulled another folder out of her trench coat and handed it to Allen. The folder contained a photo of a young man and several forms describing the details of Project: Flag Rebirth. The man shared several physical traits to Steve, except that his hair was black, his eyes were brown, and an unpleasant scowl spread across his face.
"His name was Zolomon Walker." Fury stated. "He was crippled in a police shooting after ten years on the force. My father offered to not only give him the ability to walk again, but to make him as fast as you are." Fury took the folder from Steve and flipped to a picture of a glowing blue cube. "I'm sure you remember the Cosmic Cube?"
"I remember that it caused plenty of damage…" Steve grumbled. "I thought that the Cosmic Cube was destroyed."
"That's what the government wanted you to think. The truth is, my father convinced your friend Howard Jordan to try and unlock its secrets. He thought that one of those secrets would be Patricia Erskine's super-soldier formula." Fury looked at the ground as if she were a child being scolded. "They thought they had finally created a copy of the formula to turn Walker into a new Flag; a U.S.Accelerator What they got was a super-fast psychopath who disappeared shortly afterwards, but not before he killed fifty-two staff members, twenty-seven police officers, and one hundred-plus civilians."
Steve looked at the photographs and the files of the initiates one more time before looking at Fury. Perhaps this was his second chance. He may not have been able to go back to his own time, so why not establish a new one in this time? Suddenly, an alarm sounded from Fury's pocket, she took it out to see that an armed robbery was in progress not too far from them. Before she could even look up, another gust of wind blew the doors of the gymnasium open, leaving Director Fury alone.
"Show off…"
As Steve raced down the streets of Central City, New York at five hundred miles per hour, he removed the circular shield from his back. Pressing a button on the star emblem opened a secret compartment, revealing a blue bodysuit with red gloves, red boots, and a red mask. Red and white stripes wrapped around his abdomen, and to complete the look, a white star with a lightning bolt in the center was proudly located on the chest.
The Flag reduced his speed once he caught up with the robbers. Much to his shock, they plowed through the vehicles in front of them just to get away. Acting quickly, the Flag dashed ahead of them and began to move the civilians out of their cars and rush them to the safety of the sidewalk. Next, the Flag gathered up fragments of glass from the shattered car windows and laid them out in front of the robbers' car tires.
The car screeched to a halt, leaving the criminals temporarily disoriented. They reached for their weapons and exited the car, randomly firing in every direction. Many of the civilians screamed in terror before the shooting ceased and nobody was harmed. The Flag suddenly appeared right in front of the robbers and opened his hand. Before anyone knew it, the surrounding area was filled with the sound of light metal tapping the ground. The Flag had caught all of the bullets in mid-air, just to get back into shape.
"We surrender." The criminals chimed in unison as they dropped their weapons.
"Music to my ears." The Flag smirked. At the sound of the approaching sirens, the Flag dashed back towards the gymnasium. But Director Fury had already left. The only remaining trace of her was the two manila folders along with a note.
Let me know when you decide. 555-6789
The Next Day
Steve tightened his grip on the strap that held his shield onto his back. He checked to make sure that the cost was clear before he finally entered what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. As he closed the door behind him, he was suddenly greeted by the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. She was dressed in a white skin-tight suit with black boots and gloves. Her body was in peak physical condition, her red hair hung down past her shoulders, and her green eyes sparkled as she extended her hand to greet the super-soldier.
"I'm Sharon West, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." Her voice was just as beautiful. "Are you Captain Allen?"
"I... um, uh…" Steve never really knew how to answer that question. All he could do was give a firm nod as he tried his best not to blush. This woman was absolutely stunning.
After the introductions, Agent West led Steve to the back of the warehouse, where they entered a secluded elevator. Once the doors were closed, a bright green light passed over them and a metallic feminine voice came from the speaker.
Identities confirmed: Agent West, Sharon; Captain Allen, Steven
"That's Aya," Sharon explained, "an A.I. invented by one of your new teammates; Mr. Tony Jordan."
As the elevator descended, Steve saw dozens of scientists and soldiers rushing around the premises. Steve was colored impressed; the laboratory of Dr. Erskine never had any equipment like this. When they finally reached the bottom, Steve jumped in surprise at the person who was waiting for them.
Hanging from a thin cable was a young man in a blue body-suit with a red lightning bolt running down from his shoulders to the top of his abdomen. He wore a red mask that covered half of his head, leaving his long brown hair exposed. The only facial features that anyone could see were his eyes covered by large, transparent goggles.
"Whoa… you're really here!" the young man let go of the cable and flipped onto the ground. "It's true what Firehawk said; the Flag is joining our team!"
"Flag, this is Speedster-Man." Agent West introduced with a smile. "We brought him onboard because he shows powers similar to yours. We were hoping you'd be able to mentor him. Your assignment for today is to get to know him better, because if you agree to be a part of this, you'll be seeing him very often."
"I've heard about you." Steve said with a cocked eyebrow. "Aren't you a little young to be involved in something as dangerous as this, son?"
"He's only a reserve member, Flag." Sharon explained. "He's part of a special program that trains those with super-powers who are underage."
"And besides…" Speedster-Man waved his hand. "I've fought plenty of bad guys already! I've even captured them and left 'em for the cops!"
"Hmm… I accept." Steve smiled. "Meet me outside at approximately fifteen hundred hours. I'll be in my street clothes."
"Yes sir!" Speedster-Man leapt into the air out of the excitement.
"We'll see what he's made of…" Steve turned to face Sharon as Speedster-Man rushed off. "Hopefully, I'll get to see him become the kind of man this team will need. And hopefully, I'll see you again soon, Agent West…"
"Uh, well, I'm not exactly joining the team," Sharon said, "but we'll definitely see each other again."
As Sharon walked away to attend her regular duties, Steve couldn't help but watch as her hips swung back and forth with every step she took. Blushing brightly, Steve forced himself to block out the dirty thoughts that went through his head. The Flag needed to be a symbol for the American Dream, he didn't need any distractions.
Later outside of the base, Steve was greeted by a young man with the same hair and voice of Speedster-Man. He appeared to be no older than fifteen, and his voice cracked every time he spoke too quickly, Steve assumed that was his way of concealing his identity.
"Hi, we met inside, I'm Bart Parker…" Bart extended his hand to greet the speeding super-soldier.
"Steve Allen." Steve shook his hand, returning the greeting. "If what I've heard about you is true, we should get along just fine."
"So, you've read about me in the papers?" Bart grumbled. Ever since he first became Speedster-Man, the infamous W. Walter White, publisher of the Daily Times, had been trying to convince New York that Speedster-Man was a menace. If the Flag had actually read anything that the newspapers said, he was going to be hard on the young hero-in-training.
"I have read the papers, yes," Steve began as they started to walk down the street, "then I started talking to the real people. The police, the firemen, and the people you save. They've told me how you rush head on into danger to help anyone you can. How you save people without asking for reward, praise, or even thanks. It doesn't matter what the publishers or the politicians say just to get people on their side, the real people of this city know who you really are, and now I do, too. So, I know that I can count on you to work with me to improve this great country, and fight for the dream I've always had for it."
For a moment, Bart didn't speak; he just lingered on every word Steve had said. Finally, he smiled brightly and spoke in a genuine tone. "Okay, forget the mentorship program… can I just go on ahead and be your full-time side-kick?"
Steve smirked at the boy's grateful smile as the continued to walk. Bart had never heard anyone express so much faith in him before joining S.H.I.E.L.D. His Aunt Joan and Uncle Jay used to tell him stories about the Flag, but getting the chance to actually meet him had proven to be a worthwhile experience. Suddenly, Bart froze in his tracks as a familiar sensation buzzed in his head.
"Steve, look out!" Bart tackled Steve to the ground as an explosion shook the entire street. The civilians screamed in horror as they fled from the source of the explosion. Standing in the middle of the street, was a man dressed in a purple body-suit covered by a purple parka. His face was concealed by a skin-tight mask, and he held a strange gun in his hand. Pointing the gun at a nearby car, he pulled the trigger, sending a stream of blue energy directly at the vehicle. In an instant, the car began to freeze over until the compression caused it to explode.
"Flag, my old foe!" the villain bellowed. "I know you're here somewhere! Come out, and face the man you didn't have the stomach to kill before! Come out, and face the wrath of Baron Zero!"
"It's not possible…" Steve muttered as he looked upon his old foe.
To be continued…
