The Deep

Carolyn Trainer, the aptly-named Lady Octopus, sat at Marvin Hutchins’ desk. Hutchins was the warden of the Deep, a superhuman prison located beneath the waves of the Pacific. As a prisoner of the Deep for five months, she had spent most of that time staying under the radar. She had struck up friendships with some of the guards who worked with her and had managed to catch them off-guard.

“What are we waiting for?” The question came from a man in a yellow and red exoskeleton. Stuart Clarke had been a business owner but during a period of economic hardship, he lost his company and all his money. Using the exoskeleton he had been developing, he went on a crime spree to steal enough money to pay off his debts. Unfortunately, he was defeated by the original Champions, something he still harbored a strong grudge against them for. “The Deep is ours and now that we’ve got this new group under our control, it’s time we move to the next phase.”

“Not that simple, Mr. Clarke,” said Lady Octopus. “Prisoner transports run on a tight schedule. We keep to that schedule to avoid raising any suspicion before we want to.”

“Why bother when we’ve got the human Acme hole here?” asked Rampage.

He was referring to Jonathan Ohnn, who hadn’t been as respected as some of his cohorts. Despite his ability as the Spot to create portals, he was viewed as nothing more than a screw-up. A frequent punching bag for Spider-Man or any other hero who came along, he hoped to get a fresh start in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, shortly after he arrived, his attempt to hold a movie set hostage was thwarted when it turned out to be a film Wonder Man was working on.

“Making portals that big gives me a headache,” said the Spot. “I can send maybe one at a time.”

“That’s what we’re counting on,” said Jackson Day, the fourth involved in the scheme, and a crucial factor in Lady Octopus’ plan. As the Corruptor, his sweat glands exude psychoactive drugs which allow him to subvert an individual’s will. It was through the Corruptor that Lady Octopus had been able to fully subvert many of the guards.

“What do you want me to do?” asked the Spot.

“Ock and I have been plotting this for months,” said the Corruptor. “First, we need something to provide us with a sufficient distraction on the mainland. That will facilitate our own escape.”

“What distraction?” asked Rampage.

“I’ve already informed some of the guards under my thrall to bring him up here,” said the Corruptor. He smiled as he heard the sound of the buzzer which indicated someone was outside the door.

Lady Octopus looked at the monitor which displayed the closed circuit feed outside the Warden’s office. She nodded at the Corruptor. “That’s our new friend right now.”

She pushed a button which caused the automatic door to open. Lady Octopus’ mechanical arms carried her from the Warden’s seat and set her down before the open door. Two guards entered, flanking a man-beast wearing heavy iron shackles.

With a mane of yellow hair and a chalk-white face, he bore a strange resemblance to a lion. Except his massive frame also possessed large feathered wings, a scaly hide and a serpentine tail. His body was clothed in a red, form-fitting bodysuit and he glared up at the villains with red, catlike eyes.

“Johnny Horton, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” she said.

“Why don’cha cut to the chase, lady?” asked the creature before her.

Lady Octopus smirked. “Would the Griffin like to come out and play?”

DEEP BLUE SEA

Part II

By Dino Pollard

The Champion Building

Justice was the only Champion who didn’t go with the rest of the team to the Deep. The reason behind that was, as acting leader of the team since Night Thrasher’s mysterious disappearance, Vance Astrovik had to meet with two men who were concerned about their current operations.

And as he stood in the lobby of the Champion Building, watching as his guests entered the front doors, he started to grow nervous. One of the men wore a white suit with a black shirt. Nothing out of the ordinary, except for the blond man’s massive feathered wings and light blue skin. The man who followed him stood out far more. He was tall and burly, with curly brown hair and a full beard. And his garb of a sash and tunic would probably get him arrested for public indecency. Of course, no cop would be stupid enough to try.

“Mr. Worthington,” said Justice, extending his hand to the winged man. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Warren Worthington the Third just stared at Justice. He didn’t seem too amused. His companion however, the mythological demigod Hercules, was far more jovial. He gave Vance a hearty slap on the back, one that almost knocked the young mutant on his face.

“Ho, friend Vance! The Scion of Zeus is gladdened to see such a stalwart Avenger once more!”

Justice steadied himself with his telekinetic powers, briefly speechless from Hercules’ overly enthusiastic greeting. “N-nice to see you too, Herc…” He cleared his throat. “If you’d like, we can go inside now.”

“That sounds fine by me,” said Archangel.

Justice led the two former Champions to an elevator and selected the top floor. It opened to a large war room complete with a table in the shape of a giant C. It had been Rich Rider’s idea, one which Night Thrasher grudgingly agreed to. Ironic as Rich was the first of these new Champions to depart.

Archangel sat at the table without even waiting for an invitation. Hercules followed suit and Justice sat across from them. “Would you guys like anything to drink? Coffee? Water?” He glanced at Hercules. “Beer?”

A smile spread on the demigod’s face, but Archangel spoke before Hercules had opportunity. “Let’s cut to the chase, Vance. If you’ve been paying attention to the papers, I’ve had a lot of problems lately. The X-Corporation is in something of a bind right now, some of the board members are under scrutiny, others are off doing their own thing. And now, imagine my surprise when I find out that someone’s formed a new Champions team in LA—which is strange, seeing as how I own the Champions name.”

“With all due respect, Mr. Worthington, the X-Corporation’s current troubles are entirely your fault,” said Justice. “You were secretly funding your own private mutant militia, did you think something like that wouldn’t get noticed?”

“Watch your tone, Vance,” said Archangel.

“Friends, I believe we can find a solution,” said Hercules.

“You may own the Champions name, Warren, but you haven’t done anything with it in years. We had a chance to do something good out here and so we did. No one was using the Champions name so we took it for our own. If we knew that there would be a trademark problem, we would have contacted you.” Justice sighed. “As it is, this team may not last much longer anyway.”

“Why be that?” asked Hercules.

“We’ve already lost a few members,” said Justice. “Namorita and Darkhawk left after a difficult case involving MGH. Then we lost Nova, although the Nova Corps provided us with another representative for now. And Thrash…well, Thrash just disappeared on us. Because he’s been unreachable, the Taylor Foundation is now threatening to cut our funding.”

“Is that so…” muttered Archangel.

“So if you want the Champions, they’re yours,” said Justice. “I don’t have any interest in fighting over a name, either with powers or lawyers.”

Archangel linked his fingers together as he thought about what Justice said. He glanced at Hercules and then looked back to Justice. “Maybe there’s a way we can help each other, Vance.”

“What do you mean?” asked Justice.

“Your team has made a good name for yourself and you’re getting a lot of positive press. But you need someone to fill the Taylor Foundation’s gap,” said Archangel. “The X-Corporation has pretty deep pockets, and we’re in need of a public relations boost. We could easily solve both our problems.”

“So what? You’re offering to buy us out?” asked Justice.

“I guess that’s one way of looking at it,” said Archangel.

“The Lion of Olympus would stand with you as well,” said Hercules.

“After losing Nita, Darkhawk and Thrash, we could definitely use the extra muscle,” said Justice. “But this all depends on my team. I need to run it by them first.”

Phil Urich sat in his apartment tinkering. Years ago, he stumbled on a secret warehouse once owned by Harry Osborn, one which contained a lot of experimental gear Osborn planned to incorporate into his Green Goblin arsenal. Phil was accidentally doused in a new version of the Goblin formula and an experimental mask. Separately, they weren’t much use, the formula only bestowed superhuman strength, stamina and speed when it was activated by an unknown catalyst in the mask’s circuitry.

The formula had also enhanced his intelligence somewhat, just as it had done for others who had ingested it. And ever since his mask was damaged in battle with a Sentinel, Phil had spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to repair it. He’d spent the past few years studying engineering, paying close attention to scientific journals and reading up on the schematics left behind by both Harry and Norman Osborn in his former lair.

It was a singular goal that forced Phil to finally do something meaningful with his life. And now, as he looked upon the mask once more, he knew he had finally achieved that goal. He brought the mask to his face, and upon contact with his skin, the catalyst activated the formula.

And the Goblin cackled.

The Deep

Lightspeed examined the walls of the cell, but whenever she tried to teleport, she got no response. “No use,” she said, glancing at her teammate. “How about you, Angel?”

Firestar shook her head. “My microwaves aren’t responding. The Spot dropped us into this power dampening cell. But what happened to Mickey?”

Turbo lay face down with her head in Silhouette’s lap. Silhouette examined the device the Corruptor had planted on the back of Turbo’s neck. “Can you move?”

For a few brief seconds, Turbo gave no response. Then she said, “no. The suit’s not responding at all.”

“It must be that device,” said Silhouette. “The power dampeners wouldn’t have any effect on you since your abilities all come from your suit. And it looks like Trainer planned for that eventuality.”

“Remind me to congratulate her after I kick her ass,” said Turbo.

“There has to be a way out of here,” said Lightspeed. “Villains are able to break out of these places all the time, I’m sure we can find some way to do it, too.”

“Fortunately we’re not alone,” said Firestar. “Remember, Vance is still out there. And I’m sure once we don’t check in, he’ll come running.”

“Assuming Trainer hasn’t already provided a distraction,” said Silhouette.

“Hey guys, anyone notice that we’re missing someone?” asked Lightspeed.

Bernie Dillon awoke in a cell. The gas Rampage had hit him with was a hallucinogen of some sort, although now the effects seemed to have worn off. He sat up and placed his hand on the back of his helmet-covered head.

He had only been a member of the Nova Corps for a short time and during that period, he took over Rich Rider’s position on the Champions. And then on one of his first jobs out, he gets taken down in record time. It was more than a little embarrassing.

“Finally awake, I see.”

Nova turned to the sound of the voice and saw a man approaching from the shadowed portion of the cell. He had dark skin, white hair and glowing red eyes. Nova recognized him, he was there just before Bernie succumbed to Rampage’s attack.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for this, Nova,” said the Corruptor. “You’ve stood in my path for far too long.”

“What?” asked Nova. “I’ve never seen you before in my life—and trust me, I think I’d remember someone who looked like that.”

“Oh?” asked the Corruptor as he knelt down by Nova’s side. “So you don’t remember me, huh? Sorry, but that won’t save you. Not after all the humiliation I suffered at your hands.”

“Oh, I get it. You think I’m the other Nova. Well, sorry to disappoint you, but he’s off in space. I’m filling in for him down here.”

The Corruptor grabbed Nova’s neck, making contact with the exposed skin beneath Bernie’s helmet. The chemicals secreted by the Corruptor’s body seeped into Nova’s bloodstream, instantly infecting him.

Bernie felt his inhibitions crashing down, one by one. His mind swirled with emotions and he wasn’t able to process or control a single one of them. He screamed, gripping his head tightly. The Corruptor stood over him with a smile before his eyes flashed red.

“That’s enough of that,” he said. “Now stand up.”

The pain subsided and Bernie found himself completely under the thrall of the Corruptor. He did as the villain ordered, slowly standing to his feet. The Corruptor grinned wickedly at his new puppet.

“We’re going to go pay your teammates a little visit now.”

The Spot’s portal had dropped the Griffin right in the center of Los Angeles traffic and instantly, cars began to swerve to avoid him. One skidded out of control, careening towards him. The Griffin swung his massive tail, flipping the car over in the process. He picked up another car and chucked it into the distance.

“Damn, but does it ever feel good t’ cut loose,” he said with a grin. Before he could really get into his rampage, however, something struck his scaled hide, bouncing off it and clattering to the pavement. The Griffin used his bird-like foot to pick it up and examine it. It was a razor-sharp object in the shape of a bat wing.

“The hell…?”

The Griffin was knocked back several feet by an exploding pumpkin bomb. He shook off the daze, looking up into the air. A man dressed in a green costume with a fright mask on his face and a purple hood and cape crouched on a bat-shaped glider.

“Osborn?” asked the Griffin. “The hell you doin’ out here?”

“Wrong Goblin!” he said as he dived towards the Griffin.

The Griffin’s wings lifted him off the ground and he moved with a speed that the Goblin didn’t anticipate. The man-monster’s claws raked across the Goblin’s chest, scraping against the protective weave.

However, the attack disoriented the Goblin enough that his glider started to spin out of control. He struggled to shift his stance and balance the glider once more. Once he righted himself, the Goblin unleashed the one weapon in his arsenal that was unique to him over all other Goblins—the Lunatic Laugh.

As the Goblin cackled, the laugh’s sonic intensity forced the Griffin to clamp his hands over his ears. It screwed with his equilibrium and the Griffin plummeted to the ground. The Goblin dove again, jumping off the glider at the last instant and allowing it to barrel into the Griffin.

The Goblin flipped in the air and with a signal on his wrist pressed, the glider returned to him quickly and caught him as he fell. He hovered back to the Griffin, standing over the creature with a smile on his grotesque face.

“Guess you’ll think twice before you start rampaging in my town again,” said the Goblin.

The Griffin suddenly lunged up, grabbing hold of the Goblin’s glider. The Goblin struggled to maintain his balance and shake the additional weight, but the glider had trouble responding to him. The Griffin, aided by his wings, pulled himself onto the glider and tore the Goblin free. The Griffin jumped to the ground, holding the Goblin under him and slamming the young hero against the pavement.

“It’s called playing possum, ya idjit,” said the Griffin. “They didn’t teach you that at superhero school?”

“Hey gruesome!”

The Griffin turned and saw a bearded man in a trench coat walking towards him. The man’s eyes seemed to burn and he held a flaming chain in one hand. In the other, he sported a shotgun.

“Who are you supposed to be?” asked the Griffin.

“The name’s Ketch,” he said, his eyes burning with Hellfire.

CHAMPOUTS

The concept of Scott’s Champions run actually came from me. I thought it would be cool for the former Warriors to band together once again. But I didn’t want the to be called the New Warriors. Having a group of seasoned veterans, some of whom have gone on to be Avengers, calling themselves the New Warriors just seemed strange to me. It’s like Cannonball, Wolfsbane, Sunspot, Moonstar and Karma getting together again as the New Mutants or Nightwing, Donna Troy, Arsenal, Wally West and Tempest getting back together as the Teen Titans. Just doesn’t make much logical sense when these characters have grown beyond that.

So what to call a new team? Well, Champions was open and all the original members were committed to other titles (with the exception of Hercules). Scott eventually had to back down from the title though, and I was tempted to come in and close up the arc he began, “Deep Blue Sea.” And as I started to think about the team, I got ideas for a new team. And I realized that calling this group Champions when they had no connection to the previous team wasn’t my best idea. A better one would have been to call this group The Loners after Marvel’s recent series or even just the Warriors.

I came up with a way to bring this group closer to the original concept of the Champions, while also finding a way to wrap up Scott’s arc. I’ve got some interesting things in mind for this group. One of the things I always thought was cool about the original Champions is that with their bizarre line-up, they can really fit in almost anywhere. They can go up against mutants, gods, supernatural threats, crime lords, terrorists, you name it. And you’ll get to experience that. You’ll also get to see some classic, underused (and at times, poorly utilized) villains pop up. The Griffin is just the first of many who will pop up over the course of my run.

As for the Champions themselves? Over the next few issues, you’ll see the team go through changes. Some members will leave, but a few will stick around in some role and then new members will come onboard both in this arc and in the beginning of my next arc.

-Dino