Talyesin's Tales

Previously on Squirrelman - Sins of the Past:

While combatting an alien invasion, the Crimefighters' League teamed up with a new crimefighting team from Japan, the Magical Girl Zodiac.

During the battle, Squirrelman inexplicably passed out...




Starring!

Matt Mattheson ......... as Squirrelman
Kimmy Sinclair ................ as Ragdoll
Rick Duncan ........................... as Ace
Lisa Dumont ................... as Physique
Anna Kimble ................. as Darklight
Stephanie Cooke ............. as Blue Jay
Jay Allen ........................ as Red Bolt
Mike Washington ............. as Dragon
Trevor Andrews ............... as Phenom
Jessica Wagner .............. as Rapunzel
Katie McCormick ............ as Superia
Hank Scott .................. as Powerband
Wayne Masters ... as Midnight Avenger
Jill Suzuki ........................... as Naiad
Steven Rand ............... as Showdown
Hannah Cohen ................... as Psifire
Kyle Drake ........... as Troubleshooter
Jackson Archer ............ as Moonbow
Alistair Crombie ............. as the Mole
Cricket ............................... as herself

with

Max Mattheson ....... as Captain Hero
Missy Mattheson ........ as Squirrelgrrl

and

Reed Sterling ................ as Doc


I wake up in the med lab of the Sterling Spire, head pounding. Kimmy's sitting next to the bed with this incredibly superior smirk on her face that in no way hides the concern in her eyes.

"Ah, Matt," Doc says, from the foot of the bed. "Good, you're awake."

"What happened?" I ask, looking around. Missy and Max are here, too, heading toward me from where they were sitting in the corner. Missy's got my gift for poker faces, looks like, because it's really obvious she's worried sick about me. She gives me a hug I return one-armed, because the other arm's got an IV sticking into it.

"Well, aside from the minor concussion you suffered when you tried to catch Lisa, you're badly overtaxing your healing abilities and exhausting yourself," Doc tells me.

"Great, but what I meant was, what happened with the Xerxian hiveship?"

"Can you give him something for his overdeveloped sense of responsibility?" Kimmy asks.

"If I could do that, every criminal mastermind and evil genius in the world would want to get their hands on it," Reed grins, then gets a thoughtful look on his face. "I suppose I could whip up some kind of chemical inhibitor that would act on the neural pathways and hormonal -"

"Doc."

"Right, of course."

"So, what happened?"

"Ohmigawd Daddy, it was so totally thrills," Missy says, then launches into one long word that sounds like it really should be several much shorter words. Sentences, even. I'm about to call in Red Bolt or Phenom to translate for me, but instead I say, "Honey. Honey! Daddy has a really bad headache. Slow down. In normal English, please."

"We totally kick their hinds, Daddy. And I got all the Zodiac Girls' holovids, and they promised to vid me in the future. Once I get back that is."

"That's great, baby," I smile at her. Then I turn to my son, who will hopefully answer the question. "Max, sit rep."

"All nominal, Dad. The Magical Girl Zodiac knocked out the engines of the hiveship. The Crimefighters' League minimized the damage wrought by the crash, diverting the ship into the plaza in front of the Spire instead of directly on top of it. Then the 101st showed up to help with the mopping up, and the Zodiac Girls returned to Tokyo."

"Casualties?"

"You and Mom, of course. Physique suffered mild burns on her back from the missile explosion. No other Crimefighters were seriously injured beyond mild cuts, scrapes and bruises."

"Thanks."

"No prob."

"Wait," I say. "How long have I been out?"

"Only a couple hours," Doc answers. "Once I determined the nature of your injuries I felt it was best to allow your healing abilities to take care of them. You'll have to take it easy for a couple days."

"Doc, I'm fine."

"You got hurt, Matt" Kimmy smirks. "Deal."

Swell. My own words back at me. "Fine. What time is it?"

"Past midnight."

"Okay. Everyone's fine, the city's safe?"

"Yes to both."

"Any word from Mole or Cricket?"

"No, nothing."

"Okay. That's our first priority - see if any of the team are up to going looking."

"I'm on it," Max says, leaving.

"Okay then. I'm going to get some shut-eye."

"I'll be right across the hall if you need anything," Kimmy tells me. She gives me a kiss, Missy gives me a big hug, they head out. Doc gives me a look.

"Nice to have family," he says with a smile.

"Yeah," I nod. "Wasn't quite prepared to have an adult son and a teenage daughter just yet. Figured we'd, you know, get through the pregnancies and the diapers and all that."

"You will," Doc says. "You're just getting a preview. Try to get some rest. I'll see you in the morning. If there's anything, push the buzzer and I'll be right in."

I nod, sleepy already.

I wake up, a hand shaking my shoulder.

"What's up?" I ask. I can't see who it is, it's too dark.

"I apologize for the intrusion, Mr. Mattheson," says some old guy whose voice I don't recognize. Not-quite-British sounding. New England, maybe - Connecticut, Rhode Island, I dunno. "Unfortunately, I needed to speak to you, and this is the most opportune time available to us."

"Oh yeah?" I ask, reaching for the buzzer. "How's about we turn on some lights?"

"Of course. I've disabled the buzzer, but you're welcome to attempt it if you like."

"That's real generous of you," I say, pressing the buzzer anyway. I'm not getting any kind of twitch from this old guy, but better safe than sorry. "Who the hell are you?"

"Forgive me," he says. The light over my bed comes on. He's old - mid-eighties at least - well-dressed, expensive suit. Thick white hair. Leaning on a cane. "My name is Fleming. Terrence Fleming."

"Why do I know that name?"

"Perhaps you're familiar with some of my youthful exploits, when I didn't quite understand that fame and espionage are mutually exclusive."

"No, that's not it. How'd you get in here?"

"You'd be rather astonished at the places I can get into, young man. And out of, of course."

"Sure. Look, not to be rude, Mr. Fleming, but what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"May I sit?"

"Be my guest."

"My thanks," he says, sitting on one of the chairs along the wall. My bed light doesn't quite reach his face now, so all I can see is his silhouette in the dark, his gnarled old hands folded over the head of his cane in the light. "I've found at my age that standing for any length of time becomes inordinately taxing on my reserves. Time is not kind, Mr. Mattheson."

"Wait," I answer, remembering something Doc said. "Fleming. Agent I-something, right?"

"Ah, yes. The Infamous Agent I-5, at your service. So my exploits do precede me."

"No, I still haven't heard of you, except in conjunction with Annie O'Day and Doc Steele."

"Indeed? How fortuitous, then, that it's those very people about whom I wish to discuss."

"Really."

"Quite so. I understand you're trying to find Gus."

"Gus?"

"Augustus Octavian Steele. Gus to those of us in our... cadre."

"Okay, sure. Yeah, we're looking for Doc Steele. You're well-informed."

He gives a little bow of his head at what he takes as a compliment.

"I have it on impeccable authority that Gus is back in Action City," he says. "I thought you might like to know."

"Thanks. Why tell me?"

"Information always comes with a price, Mr. Mattheson."

"Imagine my surprise."

"The cost of this information is a question."

"A question. What question?"

"I think it would serve you well to ask this question of my... one-time colleague."

"You want me to ask Doc Steele a question?"

"I do."

"What question?"

"Ask him, what really happened in Tunguska."

"What happened where?"

"Tunguska. It's in Siberia."

"Okay. Why?"

"Tunguska ... was the last place I ever saw him. The last time The Seven were together. And now there are only two."

"Mind explaining any of that?"

He looks at me for a good long while. I'm about to ask him again, when he says, "You're caught up in it now. You deserve to know. Doc Steele, Annie O'Day, Atya, Mycroft Greystone, Lord Phillipston, the Wraith and I were, in the early thirties, known very simply as The Seven. Not really known by anyone but ourselves, you understand. Indeed, I should be very surprised if anyone knew we were even associated. Rather like a secret club. A different time, you see. Very different.

"Nevertheless, we called ourselves The Seven. We were dedicated to truth and justice and the triumph of the human spirit over the forces of darkness. We fought crime and chaos and evil, separately and together, in the dark days before the advent of costumed crimefighters.

"The Wraith was the first to go, disappearing without a trace, winter of '39, I recall. Greystone and Phillipston went in the War. Atya was lost in the early seventies. I'm not quite sure when, I was rather busy myself at the time. And now, dear sweet Annie... We all of us loved her just a little, you understand. Now Steele and I are the only ones left. And only he can tell you what happened in Tunguska."

"That's very educational, Mr. Fleming, but I'm sorry - I don't see why it's of any importance to me to find out what happened in Tunguska."

"I believe that the events which took place in Tunguska are the very source of all the troubles that now plague you."

"What happened in Tunguska is responsible for my concussion?"

"Don't be obtuse, Mr. Mattheson."

"Sorry, sarcasm is generally my default setting."

"Indeed." He stands up, walks over to my bed.

"You're in pretty good shape for someone who's what, a hundred?" I say.

"One-oh-seven this October," he answers with a little smile. He offers me his hand to shake. I take it. His grip is surprisingly strong for someone so old.

"Good luck to you, Mr. Mattheson."

"Thanks."

"Hey, Fleming? Why the spook-show? Late night meetings, sneaking in, all this? Why not just call me up and say, 'Doc Steele's in town, you should ask him about Tunguska'?"

"Old habits die hard, Mr. Mattheson." He give me a little mysterious smile. "I can never resist the urge to be cryptic."

He heads for the door, leaves without saying anything else. The second the door closes I throw off the blankets, rip out the IV and jump for the door. By the time I get there, throw open the door, and look out into the hall, he's gone.

I cross the hall, open Kimmy's door, say, "Kimmy wake up!"

She's out of bed in a blur of blankets, rushing toward me.

"Matt, what is it, what's wrong?"

"Get Reed on the horn, we've got an intruder."

"What?"

"Do it!"

She hits the intercom and says, "Intruder in the Spire!"

The lights in the hall switch from low white to bright red, and Doc's voice comes over the intercom. "Kimmy, what is it?"

"I dunno, Matt says he spotted an intruder."

"Matt?"

"He was in my room, old guy, claims he's Terrence Fleming."

"I'll run a sensor sweep. Stay where you are."

Kimmy moves to my side, hugging me, holding me up more than I like to admit.

"Sensors aren't spotting anyone, Matt. Are you sure you saw something, that it wasn't a trick of the light?"

"Doc, the guy and I talked for ten minutes. He disabled my buzzer."

"I'll be right there."

"What did he want?" Kimmy asks me.

"He said Doc Steele was in town, and that I should ask him about Tunguska."

"Tongue-what?"

"Someplace in Siberia, apparently. Something about how what happened there is the source of all our troubles."

"How'd he get in?"

"Well, if he is the Terrence Fleming, then he's one of the world's best spies. Slipping in an out of here shouldn't be easy, but it's not impossible."

Doc comes out of an elevator at the end of the hall, carrying some kind of scanning device, running it up and down as he walks along the corridor. He stops at a door, pushes it open.

"So how'd he get out, Doc? Personal teleporter?" I ask as Kimmy and I head over.

"Took the stairs, it seems," he answers, pointing.

"Well, come on, he can't be far. He's over a hundred," I say, moving past Reed to go down the stairs. Reed grabs my shoulder.

"Matt, you should be in bed," he says. "Don't worry about it. The boys are already checking all the exits, and Curt is checking the security systems. We've got it under control. If need be, we'll wake the rest of the Sterling Squad to search room by room."

Considering how shitty I feel, just from getting out of bed and walking around a bit, he's right.

"Okay Doc," I say, even though I don't want to. "Let us know if you find anything."

"We will," he answers. "Try to get some rest."

Kimmy and I head back to our rooms. She gives me a kiss and I say, "I don't sleep that well when you're not in the bed with me."

"Me neither," she says, then follows me into my room, climbing into the med lab bed with me. It's not designed for two, but we don't care.

The next time I wake up, Kimmy's not beside me, and it's day. I'm about to get up when Doc comes into the med lab.

"Morning, Doc."

"Afternoon, you mean," he grins.

"Really, wow. Any luck last night?"

"No sign of the intruder," he says. "Did he say why he was here?"

"He came to tell me that Doc Steele's in town, and that I should ask him about Tunguska."

"What about Tunguska?"

"You've heard of it?"

"There was a Discordant rupture there in 1909. It flattened a kilometre of forest, according to the reports of Siberian lumberjacks in the area a month later. But what has it got to do with Doc Steele?"

"That's what Fleming wanted me to find out. He said he believed Tunguska was the source of all our present troubles."

"Did he now. Interesting."

"So was there anything at all? Nothing on the security sensors?"

"The security sensors were tampered with so that they never went to active scanning once we went on alert. Ingenius, really. If he'd shut down the sensors completely, it would have tripped an alarm. Instead, he simply ensured that when you reported an intruder, the sensors didn't cycle up, remaining on occasional, passive sweeps rather than concentrated, committed scans."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning he could time his exit in concert with the passive sweeps to escape without incident.

"Wow. Anything else? No other emergencies crop up while I was out?"

"Well, there's a group of Councilmen who are blaming the Crimefighters' League for the damages caused by the invasion."

"What?!"

"I wouldn't get too worked up, Matt. There's always someone somewhere blaming a team of costumed crimefighters for the damages caused in metahumanic battle. That's why we get insurance."

"The League isn't insured yet, Doc. Too much has happened too quick. I filed the paperwork but they never got back to me."

"That's... problematic."

"You're telling me. How much are the estimated damages?"

"Somewhere around a billion dollars."

When I can breathe again, I say, "Will they take a check?"

"I don't believe it's a matter of fiscal responsibility, Matt, so I wouldn't worry too much."

"So what then?"

"According to the press release they issued, they're claiming the aliens were attacking the League, not the City, and the ensuing damages were a direct result of that."

"That's ridiculous."

"I agree."

"So, what? We issue a press release of our own?"

"I think you might want to talk to a lawyer first. Any kind of response may seem like an attempt to cover up responsibility."

"Swell. Listen, I feel a lot better. Can I get dressed, at least?"

"Of course. No patrolling until tomorrow night, though. You need another good night's rest. You and Kimmy both."

"Right, okay. Any word about Mole or Cricket?"

"Nothing, I'm afraid."

One of the twin's voice comes over the intercom. "Dad?"

Reed heads over and answers, "Go ahead, son."

"We've got some visitors."

"Oh?"

"There's a bunch of crimefighters here in the Lobby."

"Well, send them up to the main conference room."

"Okay."

"Did they say what they wanted to talk to me about?"

"Actually, they're here for Squirrelman."

I look at Reed. He glances at me and shrugs.

"I'll meet them in the conference room," I say, loud enough to hear me on the other end.

"You got it."

"Think they're here to bring me in as the leader of the Crimefighters' League?" I ask Reed.

"I've no idea, but I aim to find out."

"Yeah. Any of the League here?"

"Kimmy, Lisa, and your kids, of course."

"Okay. Can you ask them to meet me there?"

"Of course."

Reed leaves me to get changed. Once I'm in my outfit again, masked and tailed, I pull on my League jacket and head up to the conference room. Ragdoll, Physique, Squirrelgrrl and Hero are waiting for me outside the doors.

"What's going on?" Ragdoll asks.

"Let's find out," I answer, throwing open the doors.

Inside there's maybe ten crimefighters talking quietly amongst themselves. I recognize them all - the Ultras in green and yellow; Decibelle, thin little brunette, in red and blue tights and jacket and skirt; Nightwoman, pale and tragic, in basic black, long straight black hair; Redeemer in red and black, arms crossed, his power-gauntlets glowing faint red; Speed Queen, all in gold; Diamond, curvy, strawberry blonde hair, in diamond-patterned blue, and her partner Lightbringer, glowing greenish white.

"Hi there. What can I do for you folks?" I ask, trying to be businesslike. If they're going to try and arrest me or whatever, I'm in no shape to fight them, but I don't want them to know that.

"It's about the Crimefighters' League," Ultraman says.

"Figured it might be," I say. My mouth's really dry for some reason. A billion dollars is a lot of money. Even for Wayne.

"We were wonderin' if y'all were still recruitin'?" Decibelle asks.