Unlimited Tiger Crisis

Issue #1

Pulling Out the Stops

Barnaby Brooks Jr. hotly pursues the last henchman of a serial diamond thief. He's been in a sour mood after Sky High took the points for defeating the fat, bratty mastermind himself.

Couldn't be helped. A simple NEXT type disadvantage, he tells himself. Just like when Sky High safely exploded that bomb in the hotel. A type disadvantage.

The butler made it all the way past the bridges into the periphery city, but Barnaby is closing in. He lost sight of him a while ago, but Barnaby's suit picked up the signal from the tracer he planted on that jetpack.

This section of Sternbild is a wreck. Every third building is boarded up and covered in graffiti. The wayward pedestrians have a hard and weathered appearance as they shamble from gated liquor stores, dingy bars, and brazen strip joints. So this is where shining Sternbild hides its ugly side. Great. Agnes isn't going to like how this looks on the camera.

The Hero sighs. "Honestly, what a waste of time."

The signal stops.

Odd… who in their right minds would want to stop on Shank Street? Barnaby pushes away the niggling doubt. Mooks weren't exactly known for their grand foresight. He grumbles a bit more. At this rate, the muggers won't leave anything for him to arrest.

A few minor traffic scuffles later Barnaby arrives at the shady looking street. He sees a dented stop sign laying nearby. I knew I had the right of way at that intersection.

One brief, highly advanced suit scan locates the mook.

He's on the ground.

Unconscious.

With his jetpack wrapped around him.

...Huh. I'll give the muggers credit for originality.

He approaches the butler and his confusion escalates. Laying next to the constrained thief is the bag of pilfered loot from the museum.

This was no mugging. This is Hero work.

Did Dragon Kid kill steal again? Probably not, she would stick around for a victory shot.

Rock Bison then? No, that man couldn't catch criminals to save his life.

Sky High is too busy getting his big pat on the back for being the hotshot Hero of the day (no, he's not bitter AT ALL) , Blue Rose is off looking pretty, Fire Emblem wasn't in the area, and Origami Cyclone might as well be a cardboard cutout for all he does.

Barnaby's brilliant mind churns through the facts of the ever-growing mystery. Nothing but his Hundred Power can twist a jet pack like that, so whoever did this either has a million dollar mech suit like him or is a super powered NEXT.

"Ugh…" The groan snaps Barnaby out of his reverie. Time to sate his curiosity. He folds his arms and puts on his best Menacing Interrogator Pose. "All right, who apprehended you?"

Jeeves the butler thief processes the question and says with quite some dignity "I believe it was the stop sign, good sir."

Then he keels over and falls back asleep.

this is not my day.

His PDA suddenly crackles and Barnaby winces at the fire of Agnes Joubert's reprimand. "Hey, what gives, Brooks?! You were supposed to wait for us to capture your catch! And look - you destroyed the last traffic sign in the area ! Whose check do you think's going to cover that?!"

"I didn't do this, I found him knocked out and tied up with his own jet pack!" A second too late Barnaby realizes just how ridiculous this whole situation sounds. The executive producer of Hero TV sounds supremely unimpressed , her voice dripping with disapproval. "Very funny, Brooks. Maybe you should be marketed as a fun jokester character instead." Yeah, because I have such a lighthearted personality. "The others are all up here at the Golden Stage cleaning up the stragglers, and unless a ghost came and wrangled up the goon for you, you have a bill and a strongly worded letter from the Justice Department to look forward to."

Barnaby grits his teeth. So not only does he lose whatever meager points he scraped, he has to bear the mark of property damage on his record?!

This is unforgivable…

No matter who it is, how long it might take, he will hunt after the perpetrator and bring the hammer of justice down upon their head. No one frames Barnaby Brooks, Jr. for a misdemeanor and gets away with it.

[LATER]

It wasn't too long before the police were shoving the goon into the back of a police van, after Barnaby pried off the jetpack.

"Thanks for you for your help, Mr. Brooks! I-it's such an honor to work with a real Hero, sir!" Said Hero flashes a celebrity smile. "It's no problem, officer."

The second the cameras turn away, the smile turns serious. "Do you have any idea who was behind the criminal's apprehension?"

"Huh? Could have sworn Hero TV said it was you." With a bitter expression, Barnaby shakes his head. "They gave me credit, but the suspect was already tied up by the time I found him."

The officer laughs, "Oh wow, sir, that's a good one!" Barnaby's eyebrow twitches. I'm just the King of Comedy today, aren't I…

"I'm sorry, officer, but do I look like I'm joking?"

That shut him up.

"O-o-o-okie dokie, it wasn't you. S-sorry. But who else but a Hero… could …have …?" The officer trails off and looks back at the wrecked sign and mangled jetpack.

He gasps. "I-I think this is a 333!"

Barnaby's gaze sharpens. The police know enough about mysterious mook nabbers to have a code for it? "A 333?"

The officer surveys the scene with an astounded look. "I've only ever heard rumors about this! Oh man...ah!" He sees Barnaby's piercing stare. "A - a 333 is code for ... um ... gosh, I've never actually needed to check before, I don't know the actual definition..." He sees Barnaby's foot tapping. "L- let me check!" The greenhorn pulls out a tiny book that somehow looks thick enough to contain an abridged Tolstoy novel. "Here we go! It's a 'Suspected person of intervention in the apprehension of suspects'."

That clears things up.

The officer pales at the stony look on the Hero's face. "W-well, I'm just a newbie, and I'm usually stuck around the Silver Stage, so I don't know a lot, but the boys at the Bronze Stage and the periphery use that code whenever they think this one weird guy was involved in a crime scene!"

Weird guy involved in a crime scene. Absolutely nothing good can come of those words.

"Ah shoot, I didn't mean for that to sound so bad! They say he just stops bad guys so we can catch them and I don't think I was supposed to tell you that."

"Could it be a free agent Hero?" It's unlikely at this point in the season, but it's better than the alternative. The officer shakes his head. Barnaby feels a headache coming on.

"Nah, it's not Hero TV business. No one ever talks about him 'cept through rumors."

Barnaby looks at the wreckage once again and sighs. If this is not an official Hero, that only leaves one unpleasant conclusion.

There's a vigilante on the loose. An unregistered NEXT running around doing as he pleases.

This is really not my day.

"I understand. By the way, does this 'suspected person of intervention' go by any other name?"

"U-um, it's not official or anything, but at the station a while back, one of our interns came up with a kitschy nickname that stuck, and some small-name magazine even printed it in an article! I think it's something like..."


Bronze Tiger: Myth or Reality?

"Gah, why'd they come up with such a lame name?! Wild Tiger is way better! Bronze Tiger just makes me sound like an Olympic runner up."

Top Mag employee Kotetsu T. Kaburagi scowls petulantly at the article. It's one paragraph long, with a blurry picture and stuck on a page plastered with ads.

The part-time vigilante understands the importance in keeping a low profile, but every now and then a little recognition is nice, even if it's just a little blurb in his own company's magazine. Hey, it's worth the risk! It's not like anyone reads Top Mag anymore… Kotetsu hangs his head and sighs.

And now I'm depressed again. I blame that annoying, flippy haired Hero newbie. I mean, he doesn't even wear a mask! Doesn't he know the power of a domino mask!?

At that moment, his employer Ben Jackson walks in and interrupts Kotetsu's internal rant.

"Hey boss, nice article! Gotta take an issue with the name, though. I mean, those officers sure try, but they just don't get hero names!"

Ben gives him a tired half-smile, then his face turns somber and he sighs. "Kotetsu, I'm afraid I have some bad news."

[ONE EXPLANATION LATER]

"Bought out?!"

"We aren't doing too well, you know. Top Mag couldn't seriously compete with the official Hero magazines on the racks. I figured in a few years we were going to end up folding. Apollon media bought up our license for the sake of clearing some space for another Barnaby Brooks Jr. special magazine."

Kotetsu couldn't believe it - another freakin' magazine for that new primped up pretty-boy Hero?

He supposes Apollon wants to exploit their investment's no mask policy while he's still fresh.

"Apollon decided to cut us some slack and hire any umm..." he looks at the paper in his hand, "'...disgruntled employees into appropriate positions befitting their skill levels'."

Kotetsu grit his teeth at the sheer smarminess of the message. "They drive us out of business, then turn around and make us work for them? Who do they think they are?!"

Ben shakes his head in resignation. "I think they want to keep a friendly public image now that they have their new Hero. At least they're offering a compensary pay raise."

"If they think for a second that I'm gonna take them up-!"

"Kotetsu," Ben's voice is gentle, but firm, "it may seem humiliating, but you've got to think of your family. You need to support them somehow, and Apollon is offering both decent and immediate pay. No other option is really open now, so I strongly recommend you swallow your pride and take them up."

Kotetsu mulls over Ben's advice. He pulls a hand over his face and grimaces.

"What about my real job? It's gonna be like going behind enemy lines, ya know."

Ben's expression is more serious now. "It's not going to be easy, Kotetsu. They won't give you as much leeway as I do, so you'll need to cut down on your 'non-smoking breaks' and 'extended lunch hours'." Kotetsu grins sheepishly at that.

"Never give them a reason to suspect you. Never leave too conspicuously, and don't ever use your powers in the open, at all if you can help it. Everyone has forgotten that Kotetsu T. Kaburagi is a NEXT; any reminders could lead to an investigation. It wouldn't take long to see that Kaburagi's old identity Wild Tiger had the same power as Bronze Tiger. The last thing I want to see is you getting arrested by the same Heroes you love so much."

A heavy pause follows.

Kotetsu shifts and stands slightly straighter. "Thanks boss. I know the risk. I won't get caught," Kotetsu unconsciously fingers his ring, "I made a promise."

"I sure hope so, Kotetsu. There are a lot of people who'd be very sad if you were gone."

Kotetsu gives a crooked half-smile. "You sure about that?"

"I'm very sure," Ben says firmly.

There's a long silence between them.

"I guess this is goodbye, then?"

"We'll see each other around, don't worry."

"Gonna miss being around one of my best fans."

"I'm not gonna miss the heart attacks you give me every time you split apart a car."

They laugh for a while.

Kotetsu and Ben stop at the door and face each other. Their handshake is warm and genuine.

"Remember to shake people down for tips, cabbie."

Ben grins genially.

"And you remember," Ben's smile softens, "that you'll always be a hero to me, no matter what anyone says."

Kotetsu suddenly has to look away and tug his hat over his eyes. "Geeze, isn't that the cheesiest line I've ever heard, boss..."

Ben claps a hand on his shoulder.

"Good luck, Tiger."


A small, blurry figure flies close to some dilapidated buildings.

Suddenly, from the rooftop before him, someone swings a long octagonal object into the flying figure's face.

He drunkenly drifts to the ground.

The other blurry figure hops down next to him and tosses aside a stop sign. For some reason, Barnaby has to restrain his hand from slapping his forehead. He could just sense the terrible pun the man had uttered.

Blurry Guy #1 pulls out what could be interpreted as a gun. He looks just about ready to fire, still tilting.

The air around Blurry Guy #2 seems to be wavering, and though the black and white image doesn't show it, Barnaby knows it glows blue.

He waits…

And at that moment, an 18-wheeler rolls by in front of the camera. Doesn't that just figure

By the time it passes, only the hog-tied butler remains.

Barnaby closes the footage. He's lucky the incident took place near the one working traffic camera in the area.

A possible vigilante with NEXT powers. That makes things troublesome.

If Barnaby just knew his NEXT power, he can pull up Blurry Guy #2's file in a nanosecond and have him arrested.

If he knows the NEXT, he knows the man.

"Ack! 'Scuze me, sorry, I'm so sorry!"

Some idiot ran into a secretary and scattered her papers. His bumbling attempts at helping is causing a commotion. Barnaby hates commotions, especially during suspect-investigation time. The man shuffles sheepishly into Lloyds' office. I really hope he's getting fired.

He forgets the disturbance and makes his decision.

Barnaby needs more evidence before he could go to anyone; he'd rather not bother Maverick with only vague police codes, indistinct footage and a tabloid article from a failing magazine.

Barnaby needs to see the mythical Tiger in action with his own eyes.

Now that Barnaby's aware of his existence, Bronze Tiger couldn't hide for long.

You'll show up sooner or later.


"Well, Mr. Kaburagi, in light of your previous work experience and glowing recommendation-"

And your company's dick move ...

"- we at Apollon media are pleased to announce that you qualify for the position of Dynamic Interactions Specialist."

... sounds kinda nifty. Might not be so bad here after all! "Thank you, sir, though I'm sorta confused. Um ... what exactly am I gonna be doing around here?"

Alexander Lloyds gives a smile that's an impressive mix of both smugness and condescension.

"You'll be performing a wide variety of miscellaneous tasks throughout all our departments," Kotetsu feels his brain churning to keep up with the amount of b.s. coming out of Lloyds' mouth, "that includes transportation of intra-departmental documentation,"

Messenger boy.

"personalized asset assistance,"

Coffee boy.

"corporate property consignment and registration,"

Delivery boy.

"and operational task management."

Monkey boy.

"Does that clear things up?"

"So ...in other words ... I'm the odd-job guy."

"Like I said. A Dynamic Interactions Specialist."

They stare at each other, a battle of wills with only one winner. Kotetsu pulls in a deep, deep breath.

"So when do I begin?"

Lloyds smiles his friendly shark grin.

"I believe we're going to get along beautifully, Mr. Kaburagi."


Kotetsu's impressively misleading job title is courtesy of bullshitjob dot com, whose Bullshit Job Generator can make any job sound like your dream job!