LNH: Classic LNH Adventures #52: LNH Triple 10

Arthur Spitzer arspitzer2 at gmail.com
Sun Mar 11 14:43:45 PDT 2018


In this weeks reposting of stuff you can find in the eyrie archive
https://archives.eyrie.org/racc/lnh/
we have the last issue of LNH Triple Play


All good things come to an end, and so must Joltin' Jeff
McCoskey's LNH Triple Play.  I mean at the end of the issue
is the promise of an issue eleven involving some epic with
the Hooded Ho'`od Wins that were running around at the time,
but probably due to Jennifer "Mistlock" Whitson dropping off
for a bit and by the time she returned to writing more issues
of Misfits, Jeff was too busy writing stuff for the Omega imprint
to go back and do that issue or issues.

But as issues go, this is certainly a fine ending for a great
series.  We have Golden Man in a tale probably inspired by
Kurt Busiek's Astro City series.

So here it is..


              _						
             | |      Classic			
             | |                      =
             | |      ____    ____    _    ____    ___
             | |__   | [] |  | [] |  | |  | [] |  | _ \  

             |____|   \__]    \__ |  |_|   \__/   |_|\_\
                                 ||
                                |_|  OF NET.HEROES

                                     ADVENTURES #52


                         =====================
                          LNH Triple Play #10
                         =====================





From: jjmcc at ix.netcom.com (Jeff McCoskey)
Subject: LNH:  LNH Triple Play #10
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.creative,alt.comics.lnh
Date: 10 Feb 1996 00:41:31 GMT


---' `---' `---' `--- //////////|||||||||||||||\\\\\\\\\ ---' `---' `---' `---
 Pseudo-Random House |////////||||||LLLLLLL||||||\\\\\\\|    
	COMIX	      >//////....  (       )  ....\\\\\<   NO SPECIAL BLURB!
___   ___   ___   ___|....  	guest-starring      ....|___   ___   ___   ___
///`v'///`v'///`v'.	          GOLDEN MAN               .`v'\\\`v'\\\`v'\\\\\
///////////...		    	  ||       |                     ...\\\\\\\\\\\\
///////..			  ((_______)                          ..\\\\\\\\
////_______			   `------'		    	     _______\\\\
///(       )			 ____     _______		    (       )\\\
///        |			|    |   |   _   \	           /        |\\\
  || HAITUS|          _______   |    |   |  |_)   )                REVAMP LASS  
  ||       |         |   _   \  |    |   |    ==='   ____          ||       |
  ((_______)         |  |_)   ) `===='   `==='      |    |         ((_______)
   `------'          |        \        ..   	    |    |          `------'
          __________ `===='`==='     .'   `.	    |    \     ______ 
         |          |               : (LNH) :       `======   |      |
         |          |               `.     .'                 |  --.='
         `===    ==='  _______        ` ..'      ____    ____ |  ==' .
             `=='     |   _   \   ____      ____ \   \  /   / `======'
                      |  |_)   ) |    |    /    \ \   `'   /
                      |    ==='  |    |   /  /\  \ `=    ='
                      `==='      |    \  |   `'   |  `=='
                                 `====== `==='`==='
                         ...                           ...
                             ...      _______      ...    
                                  .. |       | ..
                                     |  #10  |
                                     Winter 95
                                       \   /
                                        `v'



{Cover is a beautifully painted scene of Golden Man over Net.ropolis.
 In the foreground, Hiatus looks fearful, about to run.  A young woman
 looks up, bemused.}


********************************************************************


			  Net.ro City


********************************************************************

Part 1	"Golden Dreams"


	In my dreams, I fight.
	My pulse thunders in my ears.  A blow crushes my ribs -- if not
for my invulnerability, Deja Hulk would make stew of my innards. 
With a lightening move, I slam a backhand into his misshapen face. 
The blow sends shudders up my forearm, but I can tell by his groan it
was more telling to him.  He gathers my golden cape in his thick
paws.  The world is a blur as he whips me around, then flashing pain
as I crash through a building's wall into a typical business lobby. 
I ignore his onrushing threat and strain to support the entire
building until the lobby empties of innocents.  He smashes into me as
the last innocent leaves, bringing down the building on us both.
	It is agonizing.  It is exquisite.
	Abruptly, I awaken.
	The maddening silence of the LNH alert has not stirred my
slumber.  It is simply the rebellion of a body having slept too long.
	My physique is fit and powerful.  My mind is clear of angst,
romantic entanglements, and psychoses.  My powers rival those of any
in the Legion, up to and including Kid Kirby and Continuity Champ.
	Yet muscles that can move buildings without tearing gas mains
are sluggish and slow to don my golden uniform.  To the populace of
Net.ro City I am Golden Man.
	To writers I am unknown.

		===============		===============

	I take to the sky, my comm.thingie at full volume.  Though I
can hear a student snore in Dave Thomas U from across the nation, I
leave no opportunity for a call to arms to miss me.
	None do.  At 11am, a cat is stuck in a tree.  Thirty seconds of
coaxing Tabby into my arms, one minute of explaining who I am to the
LNH fan who owns her.  Zero punches thrown.

	11:20am.  A fire breaks out in an abandoned tenement.  One
minute to extinguish the blaze with Golden Breath, one minute to
explain who I am to the Net.ropolis Fire Department.  Seven minutes
to determine that the blaze has no taint of arson or illegal
activity.  Zero punches thrown.

	11:30am.  I get a coffee at a local newsstand.  Explain to
several bystanders who I am.

	12:05pm.  All hands emergency call to the LNH.  I am first to
arrive -- my Golden contrail fading before the message is complete. 
Ultimate Ninja explains some new threat to the Looniverse, involving
an entity named Never-Won or something.  Several names are mentioned
to form a team for this important mission.  I allow myself to glow
Golden as the team is selected, striking a pose I know to be
dramatic.  Instead, he decides to adopt a wait-and-see attitude. 
There is always hope, but a betting man would be foolish to waste
money on it.  A writer is involved, and hence I am not.  Zero punches
thrown.

	1:30pm.  I finish a long, slow lunch.  No one sits with me,
though I am not bad looking, nor grim 'n' gritty.  My only contact is
explaining who I am to an LNHer who knows everyone.  Fan.Boy does not
sit with me either.  Despite Cheesecake-Eater Lad's 'Mr. Paprika
Cheesecake,' zero punches thrown.

	2:10pm.  I wander the halls of the LNHHQ.  Beautiful heroines
pass me continually -- all untouchable.  Organic Lass fiddles with
her wedding ring, lost deep in thought.  Ordinary Lady breezes past,
on the way to meet Innovative-Offense Boy.  Suzy Sorority sneaks from
Frat Boy's room, not even mustering an embarrassed lie.  I fondly
remember Judak, Tour Guide Girl, Lurking Girl.  All with writers. 
All with lovers.  Counting one frustrated blow to the wall, one punch
thrown.

	4:20pm.  A three car pileup on the Beltway jams traffic.  Two
minutes to clear the cars.  Thirty seconds to fly one victim to a
hospital that accepts his HMO.  As I explain who I am to the doctors,
another at the crash site dies of his injuries.  I am explaining as
fast as I can.  Another two minutes for the remaining victims, eight
minutes to conclude no foul play in the wreck.  Still only one punch
thrown.

	5:00pm.  I eat dinner at Net.Hero Cafe -- an eatery festooned
with Net.Hero trivia and overpriced chicken dishes.  Eight minutes to
explain to the maitre d' who I am, thirty minutes to get served,
sitting as I am alone in the back.  The table reserved for visiting
heroes is taken by Shokk the Electric Man.
	My heart jumps as I notice a dusty, framed old newspaper with
headline reading Looniverse Adrift!  The patrons at that table seem
oblivious to it, instead mesmerized by a goldfish bowl with a faux
Binky.  I wait for my bill for forty minutes, eventually dropping
money and leaving.  I cannot even short tip, as I get no change. 
Still only one punch thrown.

	6:10pm.  An altercation in an alley.  I consider landing to
assist, but I recognize the antagonist as a supervillain.  The scene
smacks of drama and character development.  It smacks of writers. 
Sure enough, the victim fights back with super powers.  Only a
glimpse of Golden Vision and I see it's an Origin in progress.  I fly
away.  Two punches thrown by the new character, still only one by me.

	8:00pm.  I am not tired.  My perfect physique broke a sweat
only once today, in aftermath of the Mr. Paprika Cheesecake.  But
there is nothing left to do.  I remove my golden uniform.  Save for
the dead bugs, there is nothing to clean from it -- no blood,
gristle, or criminal-genius chemicals.
	I toss and turn for nearly an hour, the comm.thingie on my
night stand still turned to maximum.  Eventually I drift off to
sleep.

		===============		===============

	Antiochus's armored fist crashes downward upon me.  Tarmac
chunks rend my golden uniform as I am driven underground.  I bear hug
one huge metal finger, and burrow towards the giant robot.  As I take
to the air behind him, he upends with an earth-shaking impact.

	I fight in my dreams.


		===============		===============

Part 2	"A Little Revamp"


	Net.ro City is a great town.  Sure it's got different rules
than our home of Misery Ridge.  But for a young woman, fresh out of
school with big ideas and bigger dreams, it's just the kind of town
to widen one's perspective.
	Besides the most important rules are the same no matter where
you go.  Keep your ears open.  Keep your mouth shut.
	My sister was the first one to settle here.  She took our
family heirloom, left Misery Ridge and its moody, brooding evil for a
more tangible, sensible corruption.  Here in Net.ropolis.
	I didn't begrudge her the theft.  Heck, a little older and
I'd'a taken the Revampire's Amulet myself.  She was older, she had
first crack.  Who says there's no honor among thieves?
	Well just so much anyway.  Not enough to prevent me from
crashing in her attic without telling her.  Not enough to keep me
from spying on her when she returned late at night.  That was really
the problem, I guess.
	I wasn't stupid.  I knew who Hiatus was right away -- a member
of the feared Brotherhood of Net.Villains.  The last petty crook that
got in the Brotherhood's way was never heard from again.  I was
sensible, I hid when he broke into my sister's place.
	But I kept my ears open when he started talking.

	"Reva?  Is it you this time?  Mr. Homage keeps asking about
Revamp Lass and, well, I've lost track of which is Catalyst Lass and
which is you.  You can drop the masquerade -- the LNH can't hear."
	He was talking to someone.  "They'll hear for sure -- the bars
closing behind you."  Sounded like an LNHer.
	"No, really!   They'll never find out you're a spy!  You don't
need to act!  Don't make me....(whaaaaaann).  Dammit.  Well maybe the
_other_ Catalyst Lass is Reva."

	I held my breath until I heard Hiatus leave.  In my sister's
living room, a woman looking like Catalyst Lass lay in hiatus on the
floor.  But I knew what I heard.  This could be Revamp Lass in
disguise, some campaign of Mr. Homage's to plant a spy in the LNH's
midst.
	Revamp Lass.  I had heard Revamp Lass' secret.
	My sister was Revamp Lass.

		===============		===============

	Keep your ears open and your mouth shut.  Not a problem.
	Ok, actually big problem.  Knowledge was the worst kind of
loot.  You could only turn it into money if you talked about it, and
then you violated rule two.  And it invariably came down to how much
money you could get depended on how wide you'd open your mouth.
	This was the kind of problem you needed a wine cooler to
settle.  I headed for the _Bent Quarter_, a local thug hangout down
by the Sound.
	"Hey Ears, whaddya hear?" called out a coarse thug as I
entered.  He reached out to grab a part of me with a hand I knew
_right_ where it'd been.  Bad enough I was female in this business. 
I hadda have straight teeth too.
	I smacked the disgusting paw away.  "I hear prostitutes give
you change back."  Should be enough to fend off all but the most
brazen suitors.  This time, it was.
	For when it wasn't, I packed a ceremonial knife I'd nicked back
in Misery Ridge.  Good for excising Things Man was Not Meant to
Conjure and disemboweling persistent suitors.  Thankfully, I hadn't
needed to do either yet.
	"Wine cooler, Ears?"
	"If you're out of Zima."  A hush fell on the bar.  When you're
listening all the time like me, these hushes are about the loudest
thing there is.  Ordering Zima's tended to draw them, but this
silence was different.  Less disbelief, more fear.
	I snuck a peek behind me.  It was him, Hiatus!  He looked sad
and pathetic, but his Brotherhood belt buckle might as well have said
"Under protection of Mr. Homage."  Safer than a badge in this side of
town.  Safer than an LNH comm.thingie.  Had he heard me?
	"Barkeep, tab me.  Gotta bolt."
	"Yeah Ears, whatever ya say.  Can I help you Mr. Hiatus?"  I
barely heard his response as I scooted for the back door.
	I gasped for breath in the alley, my heart pounding.  Why would
Hiatus drop into the _Bent Quarter_?  Had he heard me?  Was my
information perishable?  I hadda cash in quick.  But how?
	Of all the ways to use this new knowledge, Mr. Homage was the
least likely.  I could hear it now.
	"That's right Mr. Homage, if you don't pay me, I'll tell the
LNH you've got a spy in their midst."
	"Amusing, child.  You make me smile.  Now let's go for the
belly laugh -- Grim see if she is funnier being blown to bits with
plastique.
	Brr.  Not the kind of Big Noise I was hoping to make.

		===============		===============

	Next day, answers didn't come any easier.  The sun shone over
Net.ro City, but I couldn't care less.  All I'd come up with was to
turn myself over to the LNH, maybe get a reward for revealing the
spy.  Right.  I could hear that conversation.
	"Yessir, Mr. Ninja, I have it on authority that Catalyst Lass
is being substituted with Revamp Lass on regular intervals as a spy
in your midst.  Me?  Oh, I'm just a concerned citizen."
	"Well thank you citizen.  It's your type of civic-mindedness
that makes what we do..."
	"Yeah, yeah, hey, if it is Revamp Lass, she may have stolen a
family heirloom of mine.  I don't suppose you could return the
Revampire's Amulet without having it analyzed by Occultism Kid?"
	"Strange request citizen, why don't you wait here in the
detention wing...?"
	Yeah, Reva was my sister, but that got her first crack at the
Amulet.  Now we're even.  But the LNH wouldn't likely be that stupid,
and I'd never heard them to pay a reward.  Sounded like it left me
really only one option.

		===============		===============

	I waited in my sister's living room, hidden behind the couch. 
Catalyst Lass/my sister lay on the floor, Hiatus' glowing green
effect still on her.  My ears were open and my mouth shut.  I could
tell because I was safe and poor.
	The back door opened and Hiatus walked through mumbling to
himself.  "Once and for all find out who is....unh."  A body fell,
next to the first out there.  There was quite a quiet, then a heavy
sigh.
	"Reva, Reva, what am I going to do?  I can't even tell you
apart side by side.  If you ever meant to spy on the LNH, you've been
revamped long past it.  I wish we'd told Mr. Homage in the beginning
-- but we can't tell him now.  I don't even know if _you_ even know
yourself to be Revamp Lass anymore."
	The poor sap was hung up on my sister.  There're a long line of
ex's back in Misery Ridge that could've warned this puppy dog off. 
Only problem is whatever scam she was running on this sucker seems to
have backfired.  Too bad for her -- music to _my_ ears.
	Homage didn't know anything about this situation. Which was
just what I needed to hear.

		===============		===============

	Took a few days, but he came back.
	I 'innocently' (Yeah I still know what it means.  I do
crossword puzzles don't I?) opened the door when I knew Hiatus was
mooning over my sister's bodies.
	I struck first in the surprise department.  "Reva are you home? 
I...oh!  Who are you?!"  If little sisters are good at nothing else,
we're good at false, innocent surprise.
	"I am Hiatus of the Brotherhood of Net.Villains!"  His voice
cracked as he tried to sound impressive.  Sap.  "Who are you?"
	"I'm Reva's sister, Renee...what have you done with her?!?"  Man
would sis laugh if she saw the waterworks I generated in this act.  Right
before she smacked me.
	"Her...her sister?  Then perhaps you can, uh come here now!"
	I did a stutter-step/citizen-afraid walk to the bodies.  The
sap was right.  My sister had been transformed into a copy of some
LNHer.  But neither one had the Revampire's Amulet.  I didn't like
the sound of that.
	"Choose carefully.  If you can pick your sister, you will live. 
Otherwise you die."  Right.  This guy probably closes his eyes before
swatting flies.
	"B-but they look so alike.  Perhaps if I had my family heirloom
-- it's presence would let our sisterly love shine through."  I knew
sis was out of it when that claxon of hypocrisy didn't wake her. 
Heck, that even rang false in my ears.
	The Net.Villain hissed as he brought the Amulet out of his
pocket.  "This damned thing?  It cursed her in the first place!  Now
it can save her?  Take it!"  The sap tossed me the Revampire's
Amulet, just like that.  She must have told him what it was.  I don't
remember which Catalyst Lass I chose, but I made it convincing.
	Next stop, far from Mr. Homage and the Brotherhood.  Poor Reva. 
She never knew when to keep her mouth shut.

		===============		===============

Part 3	"Renaissance"
	 _
	(_)nce upon a time there an average looking young woman who
possessed a piece of jewelry older than many civilizations.  It was
the color of congealed blood in candlelight, its burnished silver
scrollwork artistic yet unsettling.
	 
	|-|er story is that it was a family heirloom passed from mother
to daughter at a touchingingly detailed coming of age ceremony.

	|-|er story is a lie.  Three months ago she stole it from her
sister, who had stolen it from her mother.  In those three months she
had debated using it as had her sister, and come to no conclusion. 
She is no closer to a decision now than three months ago.

		================		===============

	I watch them fly by.  The LNH, with their flight.thingies --
you could set your watch with their sonic booms tolling the hour it
seems.
	I hadn't even considered the consequences when I nicked the
Amulet from that Brotherhood sap.  It was in my family, just seemed
like I should have it.	I'd meant to bolt from Net.ro City without a
backward glance, but I screwed up.  I stopped to think about it.  Now
I'm at a crossroads.
	Sis had used it to become a Net.Villain, but what did that get
her?  A skin-tight costume.  Well, she'd always had the figure for
that.  It'd got her money, with the Brotherhood.  Who doesn't want
that?  But it'd also got her turned into a Catalyst Lass carbon-copy
and she may never be the same.  She may not even care.
	Me, I care.  I like peeling off a slice for myself when nobody's
looking.  I like grabbing what ain't mine -- always seems a little
sweeter.  And the only way to support that kind of lifestyle is to
steer clear of the LNH.  Which ain't so easy if you become a super-
villainness, no matter how far you keep from Net.ropolis.  Even
Misery Ridge isn't immune to spandex.

		===============		===============

	Acrid smoke shocks me awake.  It's far earlier than usual --
well before noon.  With my lifestyle there's no running-about in
cheap lingerie/"Dudly save me"/pressing hands to cheeks.  I'm ready
to bolt at the drop of a hat.  Amulet in pocket, boots on, cap over
face, and I'm ready to drop out the window to the dumpster out back. 
	The sun hurts my eyes, golden rays like lances.  My eyes are
used to nighttime.  I shade them to get a better view.  That's when I
spot him running away.
	Hiatus must have finally decided Reva wasn't coming back, and
had to torch any evidence he might've left when he was playing round-
robin Catalyst Lass.  He doesn't know I've been living here on the
sly, and probably tramped out anything that might point to him.  The
licking flames will consume the building in moments, taking my last
refuge in this town.  I got no choice but to move on, and me without
a plan where to go to.
	Alll right.
	Hiatus, you're a Net.villain.  You'll be my decision.  You stay
out of jail, out of a Net.Hero's hair for one day and I'll follow my
sister's footsteps.  You get nabbed, and I'll go back to Misery Ridge
and petty larceny.  My human coin toss.
	I drop into the dumpster and follow him.  Behind me, sirens
start approaching.

		===============		===============

	His first stop is a meeting at the _Bent Quarter_.  Even early in
the day, it does a good business.  What can I say, they're my kinda
people.
	The guy he meets looks like a balloon animal gone bad.  That's
gotta be RobGoblin.  I almost laugh out loud seeing him try to
squeeze into the booth.  Their voices are hushed, and they seem to be
plotting something.  Suddenly the bar doors flip open.  The harsh
daylight silhouettes a man in a flapping coat, holding a large staff.
	"Once I would have thought it bad form to drink before noon..."
	"Crap, the Dvandom Stranger!" peals out someone, and the bar
clears out.  RobGoblin gets tangled in the table, trapping him and
Hiatus.  This is gonna be the shortest decision process on record.
	The newcomer steps out of the light.  "Dvandom Stranger?  Hell
no, I'm the Phantom Walker.  And I just want a drink.  Anyone lose a
yardstick out front?"  He passes my human coin toss and nods with a
smirk.  "You gentlemen keeping your noses clean?"
	They nod and rush out.  Well, score one for the villains.

		===============		===============

	I manage to slip through the Brotherhood of Net.Villain's
security systems.  Looks like Revamp Lass used the Amulet as her
pass, and Captain Coredump hadn't managed to successfully compile the
new security codes yet.  Works for me, gets me in to an air vent while
Hiatus has an audience with his new boss, Lagneto.
	"Frankly, Hiatus, I'm not concerned with your emotional
problems.  The Brotherhood asked me to step in and run this as a
business.  That's what I'm doing.  Revamp Lass became either Hell
Catalyst or Catalyst Lass -- get over it."  Tell 'im.  I have.  "Now
get out and turn a profit or I'll have to research some of Mr.
Homage's old performance counselling procedures."
	Maybe I should amend my success criteria for Hiatus.  He's
gotta stay alive too.

		==============		===============

	Ugly Girl and Girlwatcher make quick work of the jewel
thieves.  Hiatus was staking out the joint for a robbery of his own
when it got hit by these amateurs.  Did they forget what city they
were in?  A daylight robbery?  Nice call Mr. Bell.
	Anyway, the LNHers (or near-Legionnaires, or ex-Legionnaires,
who can keep 'em straight?) make short work.  As they lead the
thieves to their waiting flight thingie, Girlwatcher looks right at
me!  Even though I'm hidden across the street, behind a dumpster,
dressed like a bum!
	Then he looks on, unsuspicious.  For once I'm glad I'm not the
looker my sister was.  One of the thieves drops a sack as they toss
him into the plane.  It lands right at Hiatus's feet and nobody notices
but me.  The LNHers fly off.  The crowd leaves.  Hiatus beats feet
with a fortune in jewelry.
	Unreal.  The guy is a nervous sap and it just falls into his
lap.  Maybe there is something to this game.  If nothing else it puts
you in the right places for this kinda stuff to happen.

		===============		===============

	Back at the _Bent Quarter_, he's living the good life. 
There's a crowd of goon wannabes hanging on his every word.  Some of
them as good looking as the guys my sister used to date.  To hear
Hiatus tell it, he planned the operation from start to finish, and
outwitted the heroes to get away!
	Suddenly the doors bang open.  I'm beginning to understand why
the doors on these kinds of places are never shiny and new looking. 
Ugly Girl and Girlwatcher stalk in.  The place drops silent.
	"Did you think we wouldn't notice the missing jewels?  You can
save yourselves a lot of trouble if the one responsible comes clean
now."  Girlwatcher smashes his fist into his palm.  He must have seen
Ultimate Ninja do something similar once.
	Nobody looks at Hiatus.  He's still a member of Homage's
organization.  Maybe Ultimate Ninja could loosen some tongues with
Homage's threat hanging over them, but Girlwatcher?  Nah.
	The Barkeep nods to one of the men at Hiatus's table.  The guy
gulps, stands up, then breaks for the back door.  They're on him, of
course.  Ugly Girl kicks him really hard where we girls all learn to
kick first.  There's no fight after that.  With some menacing looks
to the crowd, they walk out again with their prisoner.
	"What's that all about?" I ask a thug at the next table.
	He smiles with three teeth.  "This place can't afford ta cross
the Brotherhood.  Bartender picks who gets beat on instead."
	"But he'll go to jail."
	"Nah, they got nothin' on 'im.  Beatin's the worst part.  That
was a nasty kick he got, but 'least with the Legion he gets ta keep
'em..."
	Incredible.  Hiatus stumbles through the morning, has no plan,
yet he makes money and the underworld covers for him just because
he's a Net.villain.  Well he hasn't got through the day yet.

		===============		===============

	By dusk, his fortunes haven't changed.  He's fenced the
jewelry, boasted some more, kicked into the Brotherhood kitty and
kept some off the top for himself.  Without taking a punch.  And he
still hasn't noticed he's been followed all day.
	Whoa, spoke too soon.  I got careless and got too close, and he
heard me.  He turns too fast, dumps my covering trashcans aside and swats
me across the face.  I tumble to the pavement, hiding my face under the
cap.  He gives another kick to my stomach, knocking the wind out of me.
	"Why are you following me?!  Don't you know who I am?"  He
sounds more scared than I am.  Makes him kick that much harder
though.  I roll away.  The Revampire's Amulet will let me fight back
at least equal to this turkey, probably better.  I upend him, then
chop at his ribs.  When I finish my roll I'm looking at the darkening
sky between buildings.
	There's a golden contrail up there, headed by a man in gold
tights.  An LNHer for sure.  Now Hiatus is sure to be caught --
attacking a girl in an alley?  They make you turn in your spandex if
you don't stop that.  Hiatus tries another attack, but I backhand him
twice, my eyes on the incoming net.hero.
	The gold trail dissolves as he stops flying forward.  Then he
darts off in another direction, chased by his golden tail.  Amazing!
I know he saw us!  With a motif like that he had to be one of the Big
Boys.  But he just flew away!
	I look over at Hiatus, mounting another attack.  He recognizes
me and stops.  This Villain couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag
without using his 'hiatus beams.'  He can't plan, he's a boaster, and
he's got insecurity that would fill a vault.  Plus he's lucky and has
the protection of the Brotherhood.

	I can do better than this.

	He speaks to me.  "You're Revamp Lass's sister, aren't you?"
	I smile to him.   "No.  I'm the _new_ Revamp Lass.  Now, what do
you know about Never-Won...."

                ===============         ===============

        NEXT:  The Hooded Ho`'od Epic begins -- featuring all the Hoods
		to date, and any more that crop up between now and then.
		Potentially a _Misfits_ crossover!  Potentially not!

                Coming in April/May.

                ===============         ===============
Triple Players:

        Golden Man .....................via Public Domain
        Hiatus..........................via Drizzt
        Revamp Lass.....................via Drizzt

        Deja Hulk.......................via Martin
        Antiochus.......................via Dave Van Domelen
        Catalyst Lass...................via Public Domain
        Hell Catalyst...................via JJMcC
	Phantom Walker..................via Jamas Enright
        Ugly Girl.......................via Chris Gumprich
        Girlwatcher.....................via Chris Gumprich
	RobGoblin.......................kuaxe at kuhub.cc.ukan.edu
	Lagneto.........................via Jef Kolodziej



{Continuity Note:  Parts 1 and 3 occur during Underwear Unleashed.
		   Part 2 occurs prior to LNHTP#9}


special thanks to:  Kurt Busiek for stoking the superhero fan in me that's
		been dormant since Robinson's _Golden Age_.  And for key
		snatches of narration.

==========
Next Week: Possibly the Saviors of the Net?
==========

Arthur "Same Classic Channel.  But Same Time?  Probably not." Spitzer




More information about the racc mailing list