SON OF LIBERTY

A City of Heroes Story

by Shawn M. Franklin

CHAPTER ONE

"The Son of Liberty."

The thoughts of William Andross swirled around in his head, like a swarm of angry bees. The buzzing was almost painful. The memories certainly were. Or, he thought, that could be where that Hellion hit me with the crowbar.

This last week had been Hell. On Monday, a gang of Freakshow had almost beaten him to death in a backalley in Talos Island. On Wednesday, a 5th Column detachment nearly broke into the Infinity Corps database, and it took a hell of a fight to clear the fascists from their bunker in Steel Canyon.

But this was the worst.

William Andross, known to his Strike Force companions as Flagwaver, shifted uncomfortably on the small, hard shelf that passed for his bed. He was cold. Colder than he'd ever been. He lay on his back, and cast his gaze at another small metal shelf above him, where another inmate of the infamous Ziggursky Prison snored loudly. The smell of the 6x10 cell filled Flagwaver's nostrils. It was a stale smell. The smell of a bedridden invalid who couldn't control his functions anymore. The smell of death.

And death lurked everywhere inside the "Zig". Everywhere, the eyes of hundreds of incarcerated criminals had followed his every move. Waiting. Watching for a sign of weakness. Of fear. Anywhere he went, he heard them.

"You see that new guy?"

"Heard he's a mask."

"A fuggin' cape? In the Zig? What'd he do?"

Like wildfire, the word that a hero had been sentenced to the Zig spread to the ears of every criminal. Everyone heard. From the lowliest pursesnatcher, to the so-called archvillains locked up in the Zig's infamous Rogue's Gallery, had gotten wind of the arrival of Flagwaver, a member of the hated Infinity Corps. All of them had the same thought on thier small minds.

"Payback."

Twice, someone had tried to end his life. The first, had been his previous cellmate. He tried to choke Flagwaver to death in the night with his sheets, and earned a beating for his trouble. The second attempted to shiv him in the cafeteria. A broken arm for that one. He'd been in this pit for only two days, and already, the jackals were trying to take thier shot at every criminal in Paragon City's wet dream.

A powerless hero.

Flagwaver scratched at the heavy tritanium collar around his neck. The damned thing itched like mad, but that was the least of it. No. The worst of it, was the inconvienience of the collar's ability to strip him of his powers. The Zig was known as the world's foremost superpowered correctional facility for a reason. With this less than fashionable accessory around his neck, Flagwaver's ability to project raw concussive energy from his hands was absent. He felt naked. Alone.

The clothes left him with the same feeling. Drab, orange jumpsuit. Sandals. Flagwaver missed his costume, deeply. He turned over on his bed, and cast his gaze to the small picture taped to the far duracrete wall. A picture of his family met his gaze. Flagwaver himself looked back at William Andross. They seemed to be two separate men in this moment. The red, white and blue, star-spangled uniform seemed to belong to a total stranger. The eyes most certainly did. They were eyes of a hero on top of the world. Someone who was happy to risk his life in the defense of his home, Paragon City, and her citizens. Someone who was a hero to the eyes of many.

How could this have happened?

Will turned his eyes from himself, and swept it to the others in the picture. There was The Suspicion, his arms folded across his chest, giving Will that trademark smirk of his behind a pair of black sunglasses. Flashfreeze stood next to him, the young hero in the icy blue costume who always called Flagwaver, "Sir", despite his repeated attempts to dissuade Flashfreeze from doing so. Behind him, with a soulful look, stood Crimson Diva. Will always wondered what could make a woman as beautfiul as she look so sad and tragic. He always meant to ask her. Now, as Diva looked back at Flagwaver from the duracrete wall, he felt he might not get the chance.

And then, there was his mentor, National Guard. The towering wall of red, white and blue stood mightily over the rest of the Infinity Corps Strike Force. Flagwaver held back a cry of shame. How would you see your student now, I wonder? Locked up like some kind of pickpocket. You must be so ashamed. The picture gave no answers, but National's hard gaze penetrated deep into Flag's mind. He couldn't stand his mentor's gaze any longer. He shifted uncomfortably once again.

Next to Flagwaver stood his reason for being in Infinity Corps in the first place. The hero known as Civil Liberty held a jovial smile on his face as he saluted the camera while resting an arm on Flag's shoulder. Will considered Civil his best friend. Whenever the chips were down, Civil was always there to keep him going. Flagwaver couldn't count the number of occurences that he and Civil had dispensed justice side by side, almost as brothers. It was Civil who invited Flagwaver to join the Infinity Corps to begin with. Since then, Infinity Corps had become his family, and Civil, closer than any brother.

A lump formed in Flag's throat as he gazed upon another in the picture. He squeezed his eyes shut, and formed the word aloud, but his voice was barely above a whisper.

"Hallimeda."

The radiant heroine stood in the foreground, with her brilliant smile stealing the spotlight. Garbed in the deepest blue outfit, her bright sea-green eyes seemed to drain away the palpable despair of the Zig. Flagwaver stared at her picture the longest. She had been there for him more times than he could count. She had lobbied for him to join her when Strike Force had been formed out of Infinity Corps' best and brightest, with her at the helm. It had been Hallimeda who always greeted him with her trademark, "Hallio!" She was a healer of incredible skill as well. She had brought him back from the brink of death many a time. To Flagwaver, she was...

Flagwaver sighed heavily. It didn't matter how he really felt about Halli now. He tried to tell her on multiple occasions, but the words never seemed to come. Here now, in the Zig, Flagwaver wished he could tell her everything. But he never could. Now, he might not get a chance. Besides, I know she doesn't feel the same. How could she?

I was just another soldier.

Flagwaver turned away from the picture, and buried his face in his pillow.

The villains of the Zig had gotten thier wish.

The fear of what tomorrow would bring ate a hole into his stomach. After it all; The bloodthirsty gangs, the undead monsters of the Vahzilok, and the terrifying psychotics of the Freakshow didn't frighten him.

But now, it was different. He had no power here. He had no friends. No mentors.

No Hallimedas.

Truly, the villains of Ziggursky Prison had they wanted.

William "Flagwaver" Andross...

...was afraid.