Fan Fiction ❯ The Blackhawk Chronicles 00: Origins ❯ Chapter 1

The Blackhawk Chronicles
By Archangel Bloodraven

He was running. Running blindly. For the first time in his existence, he was afraid. He didn't know where he was going or why, yet a single word screamed in his consciousness.

Citadel.

He knew he would be safe there. He couldn't say how he knew or even what Citadel was, but it was safety and that was all he needed to know.

Suddenly he stumbled. His pursuers drew closer...

***

Xavier Falcon sat bolt upright in bed drenched in a thin film of cold sweat. "Lisa?"

"Are you all right Xavier?" The feminine voice asked as the lights came up to a cheery half glow and the air conditioner kicked in. Since his parents death two years ago, the twenty- seven year old had lived alone at Falcon Crest, the ancestral home of his family since 1875. His only companion was Lisa, the artificial intelligence that ran the house and one of Xavier's best friends. "Your vitals were way off the charts."

"I just had that damned dream again of Citadel." He snarled, twisting the satin sheets in his long slender hands. "Again"

"Doesn't it scare you?"

"Nothing ever scares me, Lisa. You know that."

"Look X, you know I'm not one to meddle in your affairs, but I'm worried about what this might be doing to you."

"Ordinarily, I'd agree that it's not your place, but something has to be done. I have to find this Citadel and find out what it has to do with me." With that he swung out of bed and crossed to his computer terminal. He shuffled through the small pile of program discs before producing the one he wanted. "Run it." he said, loading the disc.

"Shadowripper?" Lisa said, running the custom search program Xavier had created as a teen even as she was objecting. "Isn't that a little intense, I mean..."

"Ripping apart every computer both public and private? Yes, it is intense, but weighing the invasion of privacy against my continued sanity, the choice is clear."

"Well I can see you're committed. A full internet search?"

"No. Somehow, whatever I'm looking for is here in the city, in Metroplex. Restrict the search to the Metronet." He said, as his ebony cat Phoenix, sensing her master's distress, sprung lightly into his arms. "Search term is Citadel."

"Even so a full search could take anywhere from sixty to one hundred twenty hours."

"Just do it." He sighed, settling back onto the bed with Phoenix cradled in his arms purring softly.

"Incoming call." Lisa said.

At this hour? He thought incredulously, then brightened as he brushed the last traces of sleep from his stormy blue gray eyes.

"Falcon Crest, Lisa Falcon speaking. How can I help you?" She asked as the main view screen changed from a painting of the family crest to reveal a fair young woman with long brunette hair.

"Hi Lisa. I didn't wake you up did I?"

"Of course not Meliana. You know I don't sleep, but you look like you could use a few more winks yourself."

The girl, Meliana, waved it off. "I don't suppose Xavier is awake, is he?"

"Mel, we've known each other since we could toddle. First we were best friends and then we fell in love. What makes you think I wouldn't be awake to talk to you?"

"You know that dream I told you about, about Citadel?"

"Me too." Xavier said running his fingers through his shoulder length black hair. "I don't think this a coincidence."

"Do you think it means something?"

"I don't even know baby." He sighed. "Lisa, the news please."

A moment later the holocast activated, catching the news woman in the middle of a broadcast. "- Multi millionaire Xavier Falcon will be on hand tonight to turn over this generous donation. And in local news the gang of arsonists known as the Blaze Boyz once again eluded capture while leaving a series spectacular conflagrations in their wake. The Metroplex Police Department refused to comment. That's the news for April 18, 2257. We'll be back with weather after these messages."

"Mute." Xavier growled, crossing to a punching bag. "I'm getting real tired of hearing about those guys." He snarled striking the bag.

Thump!

"The police force is a joke."

Thump! Thump!

"The fire department is totally reactive."

Thump! Thump!

"And these juvenile delinquents."

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

"Are running around."

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Thump! Thump!

"With cutting edge technology."

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

"Burning our city to the ground!"

In his rage, Xavier unleashed a brutal flurry of punches, kicks, and combinations, culminating in a double axle kick that split the bag open spilling the industrial ball bearings to the floor.

"Easy there cowboy. I think you got him." Mel said with a troubled frown. "But I understand what you mean. We could really do some good for this city if we weren't always expected to be at this gallery opening or that costume ball. I know that between the two of us, we could create a top of the line weapon and computer system. We turn that over to the police and our troubles are over."

"Why?" Xavier asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Why give it to the police, when we could use it ourselves? We'd already know the ins and outs of the equipment and its limits. We could take back the city ourselves."

"What are you saying? That we become vigilantes? That we should work outside the law?"

"That we may have to work outside the law, because the law isn't prepared to handle threats like the Blaze Boyz."

"It would never work."

"Yes it could. I know you don't share my passion for history, but in the twentieth century there was a comic book series called Batman. The main character, Bruce Wayne, was a wealthy socialite like us. He was also the dreaded Batman, but no one suspected that because no one would suspect that a millionaire playboy in his position of power would actually be out trying to make a difference himself."

"Right. They would expect him to be giving large sums of money to the police. Not creeping through the night, but 'Zavier, that's a comic book. Besides, the Board of Directors accounts for every paper clip in every building of Falcon Industrial Technologies, same as in Andrews Computer Technologies. We'd never be able to get the equipment and materials we'd need without raising some serious alarms."

Xavier sighed, coming down from his rush. "I guess you're right. Look, I'm running a search for Citadel now. You want me to send you the results?"

"Yeah, would you?"

"Meliana, you have a meeting with Mr. Takimoto in an hour." The AI voice broke in from off screen.

"Thank you Alejandro." She said briskly, switching to her business mode. "My clothes-"

"Everything is in readiness, Miss Andrews."

"You're too good to me." Meliana said.

"What are you doing going in before sunup?" Xavier asked.

"Takimoto Security International wants to drop a very lucrative contract in my lap, and if that means I have to keep English and Japanese hours, than so be it. But I'll still be there for Laser Battle Tryouts."

"Are those today?" He asked surprised.

"Yes Xavier." Lisa said. "The NRO Extreme tryouts start at 3:00 pm."

"You're going out for No Rules Observed as well?"

"Of course, Lieutenant." He smirked wryly.

"Lieutenant? I'm going for captaincy this year."

"Good luck in getting past me." He taunted. "You better go. I gotta get ready anyway."

"All right. Hey Falcon?"

"What baby?"

"What if there are others like us?"

***

Deanna Van Pier had given up on sleep as she started a Metronet search.

"Citadel. Citadel. What's a citadel?" She mused aloud as her fingers danced across the terminal.

"Citadel. A castle, fortress, or other heavily secured place."

"Huh? Oh! Sorry Victor. I was talking to myself."

"Talking to one self is a sign of mental instability." The disembodied voice drifted from the speakers.

"Perhaps." Deanna mused absently, waiting for the results.

"It's also the best way to have an intelligent conversation." The computer replied laughing. Deanna thought a moment before she started laughing herself. She was laughing so hard she missed the search results, and was displeased when she returned to them.

"No matches found in the general Metronet? No!" She growled, smashing her hand into the desktop and through the duraplex screen. "Oh my gosh, are you all right Victor?"

"I'm fine. Are you all right? I'm detecting severe lacerations and blood loss from your left hand."

"Lights at fifty percent Victor." A new voice said crisply.

"Of course Cynthia." In a moment the room was filled with a rosy glow bright enough to see by without hurting the eyes.

"Sorry about the console Mom." Deanna said, blowing a blond bang out of her face as she absently plucked the glasslike shards out of her hand.

"It's not the console I'm worried about." Cynthia said, wrapping a handkerchief around her daughters hand.

"I'm a fast healer." Deanna said. "Don't even hurt."

"Doesn't even hurt." Her mother corrected absently. "Why'd you break the monitor?"

"It's silly really. A search I was running came up empty."

"Must have been a pretty important search to make you wanna break a monitor with your bare hands." Cynthia said. "Maybe I can help."

"Okay mom, just try to stay open minded." She said, before relating her dream and search.

When she finished her mother looked grave and pale. "Wait here." She ordered striding briskly out of the room and sliding the door shut behind her.

Once she was sure her mother was nowhere near, Deanna crept to the door and slid it open an hairs breadth as her keen hearing carried her parents whispered conversation to her ears.

"It's time Richard."

"No Cyndi. We can't tell her. She's not ready."

"We have to. You and I both know that in her mind, the safest place will always be Citadel."

Her parents knew about Citadel? This revelation so shocked Deanna that she almost tumbled backward.

"But why now?"

"Because she's afraid, Richard."

"She's never been afraid, Cyndi. She can't be."

"Metroplex is all she's ever known and now the Blaze Boyz are trying to burn it to the ground. That would get some kind of reaction out of her, because it scares the hell out of me." Cynthia said in voice as cold and hard as ice. "Now if you're not going to tell our daughter the nature of her existence then you better call Her," The word carried an odd emphasis as though referring to a god. "and let them know what's going on, because I'm going to tell her as much as I know. She deserves at least that much."

Deanna tried unsuccessfully to scramble back to her bed as her mother opened the door. For a moment the two stared at each other, then Deanna choked out two words that conveyed her whirlwind of emotions.

"You knew."

"I'm sorry." Cynthia said gently.

"You're sorry?" Deanna bellowed incredulously. "You've got a secret you've kept from me for the last sixteen years and you're fucking sorry?" Deanna yelled hurling herself into her mother who wrapped the young girl in her arms as she thrashed a while then fell still sobbing.

"I should have told you sooner, for what it's worth." Cynthia said. "What would you like to know?"

"Everything," She sniffled. "starting with Citadel."

"All right. Citadel is your past, present, and if you wish it so, your future."

***

Trevalian Hawke groaned in frustration as he encountered yet another firewall. "Whatever happened to the good old days of moats and alligators?" He grumbled.

"This is the twenty first century, Trev." The computer informed him. "We live in an age..."

"...Where knowledge is power. I know Tristan." He finished tiredly. "I've heard you and my parents say it a thousand times." He stabbed a key triumphantly and the firewall vanished only to be replaced by a security encryption.

"I can't penetrate." The computer said. "It's too dense."

"Show me everything." Trevalian demanded.

"But..." Even as Tristan protested she began scrolling the encryption across the screen knowing that the teen would remember everything, for that was his blessing or his curse.

"Thank you Tristan." He said, dashing off his homework answers in a matter of seconds before heading for the door. "I will understand Citadel even if it destroys me." He said slipping out.

"I hope it doesn't come to that." Tristan said worriedly, as she forwarded the log of the night's activities to Trevalian's parents and Her.

***

"Yo 'Nique! 5-0's coming, so if you're gonna do it you gotta do it now!"

"Come on girl!" Martinique St. James laughed flipping her visor down. "You can't rush an artist." With that she gunned the engine on her motorcycle and tore off into the Dead Man's Jump. It had been five months since the last time she had attempted this, when she had totaled her bike and broke ninety percent of the bones in her body. It had taken her that long to scrape together the money she'd needed after the two weeks in the hospital while her body knitted itself back together. But it was worth it to rebuild her bike.

People often asked her why she risked her life the way she did. Most people were told that she didn't know or wasn't sure, but that was a lie. She was searching for the ultimate rush. Perhaps it was an illusion, or a myth, like the Holy Grail, but she searching for it all the same.

That and Citadel.

She forced her thoughts away from that enigma and back to the matter at hand. She flew down the slope grinning as her bike left the ground and sailed through the air with the freedom of a bird. She savored the rush and the collective pause in the breathing of the crowd before she leaned back and let her rear wheel hit the rock face and grab purchase as she leaned forward to force her front wheel down as well.

"What a rush!" She shouted tearing up the cliff face full throttle. She was vaguely aware of the cheering of the crowd and the chanting. My name! She realized. They're chanting my name! She thought gleefully as she began to lose momentum and fall back.

She waited until she was forty-five degrees off the rock. "It's showtime!" She shouted firing the new plasma boost rockets she had installed, flipping off the wall of rock leaving a brilliant pattern of blue and gold in her wake as she rocketed up the vertical slope and over the edge, skidding to a stop next to a police cruiser throwing up dust and gravel.

"Martinique St. James-" The female officer approached her with a pair of handcuffs ready.

"I know." 'Nique sighed, taking off her helmet and laying it on the ground, a moment later dropping the keys to her cycle beside it. "I am under arrest for..." She trailed off expectantly as she slowly removed her leather jacket.

"Reckless endangerment." The officer said as Martinique showed her the back and front of her jacket. The officer nodded and reached for the cycle's exhaust pipe.

"No! No!" The younger girl said grabbing her hand. "Zey are still hot. Take from here." She placed one hand between the handlebars and the other just behind the front wheel. "I will help." Without batting an eye she stripped off her thick leather gloves and grabbed both exhaust pipes. "Heave!"

The officer, despite her shock, heaved the heavy vehicle onto the roof of the cruiser as she tried to ignore the sizzling of Martinique's flesh. "Why are you doing this? Cooperating with me, I mean?"

"What good would it do me otherwise?" 'Nique asked. "All I want iz a chance to get my bike back when this done. It iz my finest creation."

"You built this?" The officer stared in disbelief. She ran a hand over the chrome and steel. "I'm impressed."

"Zank you." Martinique said blushing as she picked up the handcuffs and offered them to the detective. "But you still have a duty to perform, officer..." Again the expectant pause.

"Martens. Dawn Martens." She scratched her head. "Look uh, why don't you go let your fans know you're okay, then I'll take you down to the station." Martinique turned to the edge of the cliff. "Hey kid?"

"Oui, Officer Martens?" She turned to find that Dawn had removed her dark glasses and badge.

"Off the record, that was one hell of a jump."

***

Steven "Dread" Knight strapped on his laser blades, descended from the twentieth century rollerblades, and cut out of the scene before the cops arrived, but not before he saw 'Nique complete her jump.

"Great job girl." He whispered as he blazed down the asphalt leaving a trail of silver and green streaks behind him. God I love this! He thought gleefully.

His glee turned to horror as a child's shriek reached his ears. Disregarding his own safety, he vaulted over the guardrail and dropped fifty feet to a lower level yanking a young girl of about five or six out of the path of an oncoming low rider as he skidded into the next lane of traffic.

"Hold on, little one." He murmured as they ducked under a tractor trailer and vaulted over an oncoming minivan before skidding to a stop on the opposite side of the street. "Are you all right?" The girl looked at him then nodded silently. "What happened?" He asked as he set her down.

Silently she pointed at a blue ball that rolled to a stop, then to herself. With a startling insight, Steve realized this girl was deaf. "It's your ball?" He asked slowly so she could read his lips. The girl smiled and nodded. "Did you chase it into the street?" The girl shook her head and bounced the ball. As she tried to catch it she leaned forward into the street. "Ah! You tried to catch it before it went into the street and you stumbled in front of the car." The girl nodded frantically with an ear to ear smile. "What's your name?"

"Her name is Karen." A female voice said. "And I'm Ashley, her mother. Who are you?"

Steve listened for a moment to the approaching wail of the sirens. He preferred to avoid the cops even if he didn't do anything wrong. "A good Samaritan." He said, ruffling Karen's hair before he blazed away down a ramp to a lower level.

***

"Adair Phoenix, you are charged with disobeying a direct order to evacuate a fire that was deemed by your superiors as unsalvageable. How do you plead?"

The crimson haired man stood defiantly before the tribunal. "Guilty as charged sir."

A brief murmur rippled through the assembly of firefighters only to be silenced by a gavel banging. "Order! Adair, do you have anything you wish to say before this tribunal passes judgment?"

"Only this, your honors. Not one of these men in this room today knows why I became a firefighter, but today I'm going to tell you. I lost my youngest sister to a fire. That's the thing about fire. It's almost alive. It ravages land, buildings, lives, and most importantly people. The land will grow back, the buildings can be rebuilt, the lives with time will go on, but the people are gone forever. I promised my little sister that I wouldn't let what happened to her happen to anyone else. Yes I disobeyed orders but if I hadn't there would be another little girl in her grave. Yes I disobeyed my superiors, because if I didn't and I left that little girl to die, alone and frightened, I would have to answer to my own conscience and my little sister's memory, and neither of them would let me look at myself in the mirror. Did I disobey orders? Yes. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat."

The makeshift courtroom exploded into cheers that took nearly five minutes of gavel pounding to silence.

"Mr. Phoenix, you have served this station well, and indeed the entire Metroplex Fire Department. But despite your good intentions, this is no minor infraction that I can just overlook. This time you only placed your own life in peril but no one can tell when that could change. Adair Phoenix, it is the judgment of this tribunal, that your tenure as a officer of the Metroplex Fire Department be terminated effective immediately and all privileges and responsibilities associated with that office terminated."

The assembled firefighters gasped in surprise, but Adair just donned a pair of sunglasses. "So that's the way it's gonna be." He turned and walked away unclipping his badge as he went. "Just remember, it's not about doing what you're told." He paused at the door and flicked the badge over his shoulder to land on the table before the tribunal. As he slipped out the door his disembodied voice drifted back.

"It's about doing what's right."

***

Robyn Hood came in just as the sun was peeking over the horizon.

"And just where were you all night?" Her mother snapped.

"Hustling the greedy to give to the needy." She said hanging up her jacket. "How much do you need?"

"You know I don't like you staying out all night."

"And I know it's not easy being a proud single mother." Robyn retorted. "I can take care of myself." She said drawing the nickel plated nine millimeter from the small of her back and the switchblade and butterfly knives from her boots.

"You're neglecting your studies, aren't you?"

"I do all my homework before I leave at night. And my grades are a consistent B average with an occasional A if I'm in a good mood or wanna really tee off the teacher." Robyn headed upstairs with her mother trailing behind. "That is what you've always drummed into my head isn't? Don't attract attention?"

"Don't make this about me."

"But this is about you, mother." Robyn said as she changed into fresh clothes. "If you didn't keep me on such a short fucking leash I wouldn't be compelled to go out at night to live."

"You have a full time job and your senior year to worry about. You need to do more sleeping and less hustling."

"I don't need sleep." She snarled grabbing her bag. "I dream of Citadel." She mumbled.

Her mother grabbed her arm and locked her with a panicked gaze. "Stay away from Citadel. They destroyed your father and they'll destroy you too."

***

"You okay Mirage?" The auburn haired boy said as the platinum haired girl beside him began shallowly breathing again.

"Yeah Drake." She managed while coughing.

"I suppose we are on real names now aren't we." Drake Steele said as he pulled the car over to the curb. "But we have a problem."

The girl, Silver Castaway, swallowed another lungful of air. "What would that be?"

"We go out to these fight clubs, I 'kill' you and collect the payoff. The problem is we're running out of fight clubs."

"That leaves us with two options. Change our appearance, which wouldn't work because our moves are way too specialized, or change our con." Silver said. "And frankly, there's something that's been troubling me, and you too. I can tell. Spit it out."

"I'll tell if you tell." He said. "On three. 1...2...3..."

"Citadel." They said in unison.

***

"Hey 'sis wake up."

"This had better be good Isis."

"It is. People are looking for Citadel."

Nemesis sat up. "Is it them?"

"I believe so. At least two, Falcon and Hawke." She paused as an intercom chirped. "Talk to me."

"An update on the situation. A general Metronet search was ordered from the terminal of Deanna Van Pier, subject Citadel."

"This is Nemesis. I want the welcome presents sent out, but see to it that Robyn Hood gets hers personally. I think Jasmine may still be bitter after all this time."

"Understood. Any additional orders?"

Isis tapped the mute button. "Trevalian made it through the defenses to the level one encryption."

Nemesis nodded and tapped the button. "Tighten up net security. We had a breach to level one encryption. That is all."

"This is so cool!" Isis bubbled over with excitement.

"I know." Nemesis said her normally restrained facade vanishing in her joy. "Soon all of Prospero's children will be united once again."