Shannon gazed up at the portrait of her father. He was dressed in his uniform, a design based on the American flag. It still made Shannon proud to see him in it.
In the 1970's a young military historian was selected for a secret government project. The meek scholar was subjected to various experiments and injected with arcane chemical compounds. The end result was the Hero known as Captain Patriot.
In the midst of a troubled decade, Captain Patriot became a symbol of hope and American values. He was the one who could always be counted on to do the right thing.
Shannon let her eyes drift down to the plastisteel case below the picture. Inside was the convex impervium disk of his shield. Technically, it belonged to the government but the official story was that it was lost. The shield that Captain Patriot weilded had become an icon on its own. It was a symbol that had become even greater than the Hero who carried it. Captain Patriot's dying request to his daughter was almost out of character.
"Don't let them give it to some noob".
Shannon was shocked. Her father had a reputation of being friendly and helpful to young Heroes. Even when they were astoundingly stupid, he would take the time to show them the ropes. But in his eyes the Shield was more important than him and he didn't want it to fall into the hands of someone who could do more harm than good.
Shannon respected her father's wishes and so the Shield was "lost".
She opened the case and lovingly slid her arm through the straps. The slight weight felt comforting on her arm. She gave it a few experimental swings and thrusts before punching in a code on the simulation room control panel.
Yes, the memorial to her father, one of the greatest Heroes of Paragon, was also an advanced combat simulator. Kings Row came to life around her. She put both arms through the straps, wearing the shield like a backpack and took to the sky. She had inherited her father's speed and strength, making her a Natural Hero. But she favored her antigrav belt over her father's old Harley.
From her aerial vantage point she easily spotted a group of Trolls moving into Skul territory. She raised an eyebrow. Trolls rarely left their own territory. A group of Skuls was already moving in to confront them. This was the kind of thing that could easily get out of hand and get people hurt.
Just before the two groups clashed, Shannon landed right in between them. She bashed the lead Jutal in the face with the shield and treated the Bone Daddy to a mouth-full of red boot. The rest was just mad melee. Storm Kick Thunder Kick Shield Bash Crane Kick!
The last Skul made a run for it. She resisted the urge to throw the shield at him. It was very aerodynamic and flew very well. When her father was young in his career, he used to throw it a lot. He even started pulling stunts like bouncing it off of objects before hitting the target. That is, until he nearly decapitated his sidekick.
She reached down to the white stars that ran down both of her legs. They weren't just for show. The soft material stiffened into a solid blunt point shuriken and she flung it at the thug, catching him behind the knee. He staggered just enough for her to make her next move. Holding the shield in front of her, she flew directly at him in an aerial charging attack. All he saw was a rapidly expanding blur of red, white and blue before stars exploded inside his head.
The simulation ended and Shannon returned the shield to its case with reverence. Maybe one day she'd petition the government for the right to carry it on the streets like her father, but for now...
She stretched her arms and legs a bit and bumped the difficulty slider up to "Unyielding". Now for a real workout!
Shannon gazed up at the portrait of her father. He was dressed in his uniform, a design based on the American flag. It still made Shannon proud to see him in it.
In the 1970's a young military historian was selected for a secret government project. The meek scholar was subjected to various experiments and injected with arcane chemical compounds. The end result was the Hero known as Captain Patriot.
In the midst of a troubled decade, Captain Patriot became a symbol of hope and American values. He was the one who could always be counted on to do the right thing.
Shannon let her eyes drift down to the plastisteel case below the picture. Inside was the convex impervium disk of his shield. Technically, it belonged to the government but the official story was that it was lost. The shield that Captain Patriot weilded had become an icon on its own. It was a symbol that had become even greater than the Hero who carried it. Captain Patriot's dying request to his daughter was almost out of character.
"Don't let them give it to some noob".
Shannon was shocked. Her father had a reputation of being friendly and helpful to young Heroes. Even when they were astoundingly stupid, he would take the time to show them the ropes. But in his eyes the Shield was more important than him and he didn't want it to fall into the hands of someone who could do more harm than good.
Shannon respected her father's wishes and so the Shield was "lost".
She opened the case and lovingly slid her arm through the straps. The slight weight felt comforting on her arm. She gave it a few experimental swings and thrusts before punching in a code on the simulation room control panel.
Yes, the memorial to her father, one of the greatest Heroes of Paragon, was also an advanced combat simulator. Kings Row came to life around her. She put both arms through the straps, wearing the shield like a backpack and took to the sky. She had inherited her father's speed and strength, making her a Natural Hero. But she favored her antigrav belt over her father's old Harley.
From her aerial vantage point she easily spotted a group of Trolls moving into Skul territory. She raised an eyebrow. Trolls rarely left their own territory. A group of Skuls was already moving in to confront them. This was the kind of thing that could easily get out of hand and get people hurt.
Just before the two groups clashed, Shannon landed right in between them. She bashed the lead Jutal in the face with the shield and treated the Bone Daddy to a mouth-full of red boot. The rest was just mad melee. Storm Kick Thunder Kick Shield Bash Crane Kick!
The last Skul made a run for it. She resisted the urge to throw the shield at him. It was very aerodynamic and flew very well. When her father was young in his career, he used to throw it a lot. He even started pulling stunts like bouncing it off of objects before hitting the target. That is, until he nearly decapitated his sidekick.
She reached down to the white stars that ran down both of her legs. They weren't just for show. The soft material stiffened into a solid blunt point shuriken and she flung it at the thug, catching him behind the knee. He staggered just enough for her to make her next move. Holding the shield in front of her, she flew directly at him in an aerial charging attack. All he saw was a rapidly expanding blur of red, white and blue before stars exploded inside his head.
The simulation ended and Shannon returned the shield to its case with reverence. Maybe one day she'd petition the government for the right to carry it on the streets like her father, but for now...
She stretched her arms and legs a bit and bumped the difficulty slider up to "Unyielding". Now for a real workout!