View source for The Chicago Incident

“Stop right there!” A voice commanded, booming off the mostly collapsed, Pre-[[Plague]] buildings that lined the dimly lit alley.

 
The only possible target of the command, a heavyset man in an overcoat leaning up against the wall, was busy picking at his finger nails. When he heard the voice, he stiffened up like a board. He stood up straight and sucked his gut in. He told himself not to be scared, the voice only sounded like it came from a giant because of the echo. He’s a [[Bruno]] that means no one is going to mess with him.


“Who’s there? I don’t think you know who you are talking to!” The man in the overcoat yelled back.


“Is this 2901 E. 101 Street?” the booming voice answered with a question.


“Yeah, it is. Who’s asking?” the man in the overcoat asked.


“Oh good. I thought I had the wrong street for a second. So this is the right place,” the voice answered. The speaker stepped forward into the one light source in the alley.


The [[WormLight]] near the man in the overcoat was dim, the bacteria needed more sugar, there were only a few left alive. They emitted a ghostly white glow. Still, it was enough light to reveal that the man the overcoat was right to be afraid; the voice did indeed belong to a giant. 


It was hard to see the giant man’s features, his dark skin blended into the night sky, but it was clear that he was over seven feet tall. When he moved it looked like granite statue had somehow come to life. Veins and capillaries covered his muscle bound body like a series of rivers and creeks. His enormous feet pounded the pavement like an elephant, betraying the man’s inhuman weight. The man-statue looked all the more terrifying dressed in black combat boots, green camouflage pants, a white tank top, and a red beret that would have look silly on any less terrifying man. The clothes barely contained the giant’s gargantuan frame.  


“It’s you, it’s really you. I heard about you on the radio. You’re [[Captain Freedom]]” the man in the overcoat said with awe.


“That’s correct. Now you can double your money if you answer the 2nd trivia question correctly. Listen carefully the 2nd question is; what is being stored inside the warehouse behind you?” [[Captain Freedom]] asked while doing his best impression of a game show host. It was not very convincing. 


“I don’t know anything about that” the man in the overcoat answered and stiffened his upper lip. It was the only stiff part of him. The rest of his body trembled like a mouse, betraying his fear.


“Judges? No I’m sorry that isn’t what we were looking for. We were looking for, [[Tranq]]. But thanks for playing” [[Captain Freedom]] responded.


“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” overcoat man replied.


“You’re right, but I think the [[Tranq]] dealer I just busted with a thousand hits does. He told me that there’s a distribution center here. People don’t usually lie to me when I’m holding them upside-down by one leg. I’m not going to have to do that to you am I?” [[Captain Freedom]] asked genuinely.


“You don’t have to do anything like that. I don’t want any trouble. I know better than to mess with you. Just go on inside, I won’t make a peep” the man in the overcoat said sheepishly.


“I’m sorry that’s not good enough, I’m going to need to hear you say it. Say that there’s [[Tranq]] in there” [[Captain Freedom]] commanded.


The man in the overcoat looked down. He was humiliated but was still trying to hold on to his last shred of dignity.


“Say it!” [[Captain Freedom]] yelled like he was admonishing a dog.


“There’s [[Tranq]] in the warehouse” the defeated man said.


“There, now that wasn’t so hard was it? See I’m not really that bad a guy, unless you are a liar or criminal scum. At least you’re only one of those. Now let’s go check the warehouse. Why don’t you lead the way?” [[Captain Freedom]] said while shoving the man in the overcoat towards the door to the warehouse.


[[Captain Freedom]] waited until the man opened the door and then gave him another shove into the building.


“After you” [[Captain Freedom]] said politely as he followed the overcoated man inside.


It was difficult to see inside the warehouse. The only source of light was the faint glow of the moon, bleeding through two dingy skylights. It was only enough light to cast shadows. [[Captain Freedom]] could see well enough to realize something wasn’t quite right. There was none of the hustle a bustle a [[Tranq]] depot should have had had. There wasn’t much of anything inside the depot at all. [[Captain Freedom]]’s steps echoed in the empty space like it was a cavern. 


“What is going on here?” [[Captain Freedom]] demanded of the man in the overcoat. He made his demand while holding the man five feet off the ground by his coat collar. 


A light went on in the warehouse. It illuminated two figures standing in the center of the warehouse, a man and woman, each in their mid-twenties. They were dressed identically an in all black; black leather boots, black pants, black overcoats, and black sunglasses. Both had their heads shaved, except for a single patch of black hair that was styled into a spike.


The light came from a piece of metal in the woman’s hand. It glowed like a torch, illuminating the couple and also a set of three chairs nearby. 


“Please don’t blame Bobby. He didn’t know we were in here. He’s been ordered never to look inside. As far as he knew, this really was a [[Tranq]] depot” the woman in black explained.


“Neat trick with the light, lady. What is this place then, if it isn’t a depot?” [[Captain Freedom]] yelled in response. His voice boomed off the walls of the warehouse like from on high. 


“A place to talk. Please come and sit” the woman yelled as calmly as she could while still being heard.
[[Captain Freedom]] shoved Bobby, to indicate he should walk in front, and then the two walked over to the couple in black and the chairs.


“Do you mind if Bobby takes his leave? We have important matters to discuss, matters that are way above his pay grade” the woman in black asks.


“I’m not in the habit of letting criminals go.” [[Captain Freedom]] answered, and then he turned to Bobby and pointed to one of the chairs “Sit!”


Bobby listened and sat down. [[Captain Freedom]] remained standing as did the couple in black.


“I’m surprised to hear you’re such an absolutist. Especially considering you are a criminal yourself. I don’t see a [[Mark of Differentiation]] on your hand. Don’t’ you know the law, the [[Different Acts of 1986]] say we are all supposed to turn ourselves in to [[Section 26]] so they can poke as a prod us and make sure we are safe for the community” the woman in black said.


“I don’t go around pounding on kids who are truant from school either. Letting scum go who help sell poison to those kids is another story. Now what did you want to talk about?” [[Captain Freedom]] shot back.


“I’m sorry; I think we may have gotten started on the wrong foot, let’s start over. Let me introduce myself, my name is [[Lydia Romano]] and his is my brother [[Robert Romano]] and you are?”


“[[Captain Freedom]]” [[Captain Freedom]] replied dryly. 


“OK, [[Captain Freedom]]. I represent the [[Bruno]] family; I think you know about them. The higher-ups in my organization have noticed your activities and they asked me to come here and talk to you about compromise. Compromise you see is how society works; it’s what made this country was built on. You want my house, I want your money. We compromise on a fair price that we both agree to, that way you get the house you want and I get the money I want. Society, doesn’t work unless people agree to seek a compromise. Do you see what I’m saying?” [[Lydia]] asked. [[Robert]] stood by silently staring at [[Captain Freedom]].


“I see what you are saying. This is when you offer me money in order to stop what I’ve been doing. It won’t work. I’m not interested in money. I want the [[Bruno]] family out of the [[Chicago Metro Area]]” [[Captain Freedom]] replied sternly.


“Now that is exactly what I thought you’d say. I even told me bosses that. I said that if this [[Captain Freedom]] guy wanted money, he’s strong enough that [[Ultracorps]] would pay him a fortune to do a dozen different jobs. If money was his goal, he wouldn’t be busting up our drug dealers but leaving their cash, smashing up our casino but leaving the house money for the cops, and he wouldn’t be looking for warehouses just to crush whatever [[Tranq]] he finds inside” [[Lydia]] said.


“She’s telling the truth. I heard her tell em” the heretofore silent [[Robert]] finally chimed in.


“Thank you [[Robert]]. I told them, but they don’t understand, they can’t understand. They only understand money. It’s their language. That fathom that some people aren’t motivated by dollars. But that’s why I prepared a second argument. You see, I think you might have the wrong idea about us. I think you hear about us breaking someone’s legs or burning down a store that doesn’t pay us, and you think we’re in the violence business. You think we are out here to hurt people and cause havoc. You’re wrong, when we do those things; it’s bad for us too. That’s the system not working. We don’t want to break anyone’s legs or burn down their store. We want them to be happy and healthy and paying us what they owe. We’re after money not violence. Really, we both want the same thing, less violence” [[Lydia]] continued.


“Is that how you see it? Cause I see it as you pushing addictive poison on poor people who don’t know any better. I see it as you terrifying innocent shopkeepers into giving you money in exchange for nothing but the right not to be burned down. I see it as you running casinos with rigged games just to exploit what little money hardworking people have. Hurting people seems to be all you do” [[Captain Freedom]] replied.


“You might see it that way, but if the [[Bruno]] family was gone, the worse kind of scum would move in, the kind that robs your grandma and rapes your sister. We don’t do that. But I’m not worried because that because we aren’t going anywhere. And that leads me to my third and final appeal, a threat” [[Lydia]] said sternly while glaring at [[Captain Freedom]].


“A threat? Threats don’t work very well on me. Being bullet proof makes it awful hard to threaten.” [[Captain Freedom]] said as he wiped some sweat from his brow. Did it just get hotter in this warehouse, he wondered?


“Yes well like I said, violence is not what we like to use, but it still has its place when all else fails. We might not get exactly what we want, but at least we send the message to the next person. Are we going to have to use you to send that message?” [[Lydia]] asked.


“I think you are” [[Captain Freedom]] said and he lunged towards the woman. He moved like the wind. No one that large should have been able to move that quickly. It wasn’t fast enough, though. [[Robert]] moved like a bolt of lightning, grabbing [[Lydia]] and moving her safely away from [[Captain Freedom]] before the large man had moved more than a few inches.


“You’re pretty fast” [[Captain Freedom]] said and wiped another huge wad of sweat off his brow. He Why he was so hot? he hadn’t exerted himself very much yet. “But, I’ve gone up against [[Speedster]]s before. You guys always seem to tire out before I do.”


As soon as the words left his mouth, [[Captain Freedom]] dove at the couple in black. He moved as fast as a world-class athlete. It was as slow as molasses compared to the man in black. [[Robert]] easily moved his sister out of the way of the charging bull. [[Captain Freedom]] kept after the couple, chasing them all over the warehouse. Whenever he got close, the man in black would move the duo safely away and the dance would repeat. 


Bobby in the overcoat thought he saw his chance to escape the madness. He figured the freaks wouldn’t notice if he slipped out the back. He got up from his chair and made a B-line towards the door.


“I told you to stay!” [[Captain Freedom]] yelled. Bobby nearly fell out of his shoes he stopped so hard. Bobby was afraid of [[Captain Freedom]] before, now the giants entire body had turned a terrifying shade of red that could be seen even on the man’s dark skin. He looked like he must have been painted with fire.


“What’s taking so long? “[[Robert]] demanded. It was the question of a man who wasn’t sure how much longer he could continue. He had turned red himself and he was breathing deeply and rapidly.

 
“I don’t know. He should be a pot-roast by now” [[Lydia]] fired back, annoyed. She had her own pile of sweat on her eyebrows, they were wrinkled with concentration. “I didn’t think anyone could take this much heat.”


It suddenly occurred to [[Captain Freedom]] just what was going on here. He was not just fighting the [[Speedster]] [[Robert]], his sister [[Lydia]] was also a Different. She was some kind of Energy Producer, and right now, she was making enough heat to cook [[Captain Freedom]] in his shoes. He’s got to stop her before that happens.


He ran over to a pillar that was holding up the warehouse ceiling. He reached out with his massive hand and grabbed the column, his fingers sunk into the solid [[B-crete]] like a loaf of bread. Then he pulled, ripping out a portion of the pillar. Chunks of the roof fell around and on top of [[Captain Freedom]]. He stood there, his own human column, as the [[B-crete]] chunks shattered on his massive shoulders. He ignored the hundred pound hail around him and focused on his target, [[Lydia]]. He hurled his piece of column like massive stone javelin, strait at the woman who was cooking him alive.


The column moved though the air as fast as a bullet, which, unfortunately for [[Captain Freedom]], was still slower than [[Robert]]. The [[Speedster]] moved [[Lydia]] to safety in a blink, although without the same margin of error as his earlier dodges. Emboldened by his near-miss, [[Captain Freedom]] picked up pieces of the collapsed roof and started hurling them at the couple, rapid-fire. The [[Speedster]] and his female cargo dodged every throw, but each chunk got closer and closer to its target, [[Robert]] was tiring. 


A flash of fire halted the volley of projectiles. [[Captain Freedom]] was briefly engulfed in flames as his body became hot enough to ignite his clothes. The tattered remains of the fabric fell to the ground. [[Captain Freedom]] stood, unscathed by the flames.


“Doesn’t seem like you got the juice, toots. Haven’t you heard of this thing on the radio called the news?” A stark naked [[Captain Freedom]] asked. “If you listened, you’d know I save twenty people a week from fires. It’s going to take a lot more to burn me than it takes to fry my clothes.”


“That’s fine. I’m a human micro-wave, the longer I cook you the hotter you get. Eventually, you’ll burn, and then everyone will know what happens when you take on the [[Bruno]] Family” [[Lydia]] said as her eyes narrowed with focus. 


[[Captain Freedom]] restarted his barrage of [[B-crete]] chunks. [[Robert]] continued to carry the couple away, but he was moving and slower with each throw. Luckily for him, the throws were coming further and further apart, however, because the heat was starting to take is toil on [[Captain Freedom]]. Breathing was getting harder and harder. 


Suddenly, it got even worse, the hair on his body erupted in flames. Fire briefly engulfed the giant’s head. He stood now, naked, bald, and beet red, he would have looked like a newborn baby, if he wasn’t a seven-foot tall mountain of muscle. The mountain suddenly felt as vulnerable as that baby. He had faced many threats since he had started calling himself [[Captain Freedom]], but until now, nothing had seemed like it could actually hurt him. Presented with the real possibility of death, [[Captain Freedom]] seemed to decide discretion was the better part of valor.


“Bobby, release!” [[Captain Freedom]] yelled to the still frozen man in the overcoat. Bobby snapped out of it and ran off. He wasn’t sure which direction he was headed, but he knew it was away from these freaks.


[[Captain Freedom]] took off running himself, straight at the doorway he came in from. He didn’t take the time to fit his massive frame through the door; instead, he smashed through the door frame, and the wall that surrounded it, like it was tissue paper. Once outside, he stopped on a dime and pressed himself flat against the outer wall of the building, right next to the hole he had just made. He waited.


Once he heard the sound of wind coming, [[Captain Freedom]] lounged towards the opening. He was slower than he wanted to be, but still fast enough to catch the tip of [[Robert]]’s overcoat with a few of his powerful fingers. [[Captain Freedom]] held tight to the [[Speedster]], who let go of his sister. [[Lydia]] crashed into the wall across the alley. [[Captain Freedom]] held onto [[Robert]]’s jacket like a leash. [[Robert]]’s legs scuttled and shuffled on the ground as the man tried to run free.


“Stop struggling or I’m going to have to hurt you!” [[Captain Freedom]] yelled. 


[[Robert]] didn’t listen, he kept trying to wriggle himself free of his tight-fitting coat. He was starting to slip out. Seeing that [[Robert]] was about to escape, [[Captain Freedom]] swung the man into the wall of the warehouse. Between the force of the swing and the [[Speedster]]’s struggling, [[Robert]] splattered against the wall like a bug. The sound of his bones breaking echoed down the alley. He was not getting up.


“I didn’t want to do that” [[Captain Freedom]] said with slumped his shoulders. He took one glance at the remains than had to look away.


“You bastard!” [[Lydia]] screamed as she got to her feet. Blood trickled down her forehead from a blow she had taken during the fall.


“Please just give up. I don’t want to hurt you too” [[Captain Freedom]] pleaded. 


“You killed my brother. You’re going to fry!” [[Lydia]] screamed.


The woman in black stared intently at [[Captain Freedom]]. Her face began to shake and turn red. Blood started flowing from her head-wound like someone had opened a dam. A fire burned in her eyes and she turned that heat on her brother’s killer.


[[Captain Freedom]] took a step towards [[Lydia]], and then felt an immediate surge of heat. Hotter than anything he had ever felt before.  Still, he pushed on, even though it felt like he was walking on the surface of the sun. If he could just get his hands on her, he could end the burning with one swing.


Just as he was about to close in on her, [[Captain Freedom]] was stopped in his tracks. The heat had finally managed to penetrate his outer-layer of flesh. Blisters formed and quickly popped, leaving behind only agony for [[Captain Freedom]]. The man screamed out in pain but still took another step towards [[Lydia]]. As he did, the liquid in his eyes finally reached its boiling point. They exploded nearly in unison. [[Captain Freedom]] dropped to his knees, screaming in pain.


“It’ll all be over soon” [[Lydia]] said reassuringly.


Somewhere deep within [[Captain Freedom]], there was still the will to continue the fight. Blind, he lunged at the sound of [[Lydia]]’s voice. She barely made it out of the way of the desperate dive.


[[Captain Freedom]]’s momentum carried him into the wall of the warehouse across the alley. He crashed through the wall. Confused, he began waving his arms widely, taking out more chunks of the wall with each swing. Finally, a section of the ceiling collapsed on top of him. The giant was buried under the rubble.


Still not satisfied, [[Lydia]] maintained her concentration, pushing the alternating waves of magnetic current she generated, into the pile of rubble. Soon, the pile of rubble erupted in flames. [[Lydia]] hoped it was a funeral pyre for the Great [[Captain Freedom]]. 


A muffled scream shattered that hope. The scream grew louder until finally the giant man clawed his way out of the flaming rubble like a phoenix rising from the ashes, screaming the news of his rebirth. Now it was [[Lydia]]’s turn to be afraid, it did not seem like anything can stop this man. She succumbed to her own fear and started running away down the alley.


“You aren’t getting away that easy! I’m going to use you to send my own message!” [[Captain Freedom]] yelled like a man possessed. He was possessed, by rage. His desire to kill [[Lydia]] might have been the only thing keeping the giant on his feet.


[[Captain Freedom]] took off running after [[Lydia]]. She was easy to follow. Most of the buildings in this area had been destroyed by The [[Plague]]s. This part of the [[Chicago Metro Area]] was virtually abandoned, especially at night. The only sound that could be heard was the noise of [[Lydia]]’s feet pounding the pavement and [[Captain Freedom]] chasing after her.


The giant’s body was so hot; his feet melted and ignited the pavement as he ran. A trail of flames followed the path he was running. [[Captain Freedom]] could not see, but that did not slow him down. The giant stepped over 5 foot tall piles of old concrete that got in his way like they were grass in a field. The man was an unstoppable force, and he was not going to stop until he got to [[Lydia]].


[[Lydia]] made it out of the alley and onto the main street. She tried to lose [[Captain Freedom]] by running up a few blocks and into another alley but the giant was able to stay after her. She looked over her shoulder and saw him gaining on her. Between his crimson body and the trail of flames that followed him, it looked like [[Lydia]] was being chased by Satan himself.


Realizing she couldn’t out run him, [[Lydia]] went into one of the abandoned Pre- [[Plague]] buildings that lined the alley.  It used to be an apartment. She found an old closet and hid inside. She was confident that the blind man could not find her in there. 


[[Captain Freedom]] followed the sound of [[Lydia]]’s footsteps to the door of the building she hid inside. He didn’t hear anything else.


“Do you think you can hide from me!” [[Captain Freedom]] screamed and charged into the side of the building. 


He went through the outer wall of the building and just kept charging, busting though the tattered remnants of the abandoned buildings inner walls with ease. Soon the building started coming down all around him. Using the sound as cover, [[Lydia]] was able to make it out of the closet and back out onto the street before the building collapsed on top of her. She sat on top of a pile of rubble and waited.


[[Captain Freedom]] soon stood up from under a pile of rubble. He was so hot; he was a human tinder box, remnants of the house burned all around him.


“You still alive?” [[Captain Freedom]] asked.


His urge to kill was still strong. He spent five minutes digging through the pile of rubble, trying to make sure she was dead, spreading flames as he went. Somewhere in the melee, [[Captain Freedom]]’s lungs were burnt; the giant man struggled to take a decent breath as he dug through the rubble.


It was the flames that ruined [[Lydia]]’s game of possum. The rubble burnt all around her, but [[Lydia]] waited as long as she could, hoping [[Captain Freedom]] would either give up or drop dead.  Finally, she was faced with the choice of burning alive or risking being heard by [[Captain Freedom]]. She chose to take the risk.


[[Lydia]] started crawling though the pile of old wood and concrete as quietly as she could manage. She’s not careful enough, and falls trips over a chunk of the roof, making a big crash.


“There you are!” [[Captain Freedom]] yelled and charged towards the sound.


[[Lydia]] got to her feet as quickly as she could. Using the last bit of strength left in her legs, she started running out of the alley, towards the main street. As soon as she turned the corner, she was greeted by a site she never thought she’d be happy to see, police officers, a half-dozen of them.


“Stop right there!” A stern faced officer yelled to [[Lydia]].


“Officer, thank God. There’s a madman after me” [[Lydia]] replied.


She didn’t have the officer’s attention however, because he’s focused on the half-ton flaming mountain of a human being that was barreling down the alley towards the group of officers. Instinctively, the officer raised his gun and shot at the charging threat. [[Captain Freedom]] did not know that the gun-shot came from a police officer. If he could see that, he would have just ignored the man, the bullet did bounce harmlessly off his chest. But [[Captain Freedom]] cannot see, so he just assume the shots are coming from [[Lydia]]’s backup, he trampled over the policeman like a charging elephant, crushing the man under his giant feet.


The other officer’s witnessed this and immediately began opening fire. [[Captain Freedom]] was confused, there were so many people, so many gunshots. There was no way to pick out [[Lydia]]’s footsteps in the crowd. 


Seeing her chance to finish her job, [[Lydia]] turned her focus from escape to attack. She concentrated on [[Captain Freedom]], manipulating the magnetic fields her body generated in order to heat her target.


[[Captain Freedom]] felt the heat. He felt his skin began to boil again. He felt his lungs struggle to breathe super-heated air. He knew how this was going to end. There was no way he was going to be able to find [[Lydia]] now. He knew it was going to hurt. He couldn’t stand the thought of the pain.


[[Captain Freedom]] raised his fists above his head. He let out a deafening scream, then he pounded down his fists, letting go with every ounce of strength he had left in his singed body. His fists pounded the pavement.

== * ==

The shockwave that [[Captain Freedom]]’s blow generated destroyed over 15,000 buildings. After the fire and famines that ensued, approximately 500,000 people were dead.  


[[Captain Freedom]] was found deceased in the rubble a few weeks later. He had succumbed to his burns. The woman in black was found 15 feet from [[Captain Freedom]]; her bones shattered by the shockwave.


On May 12th 1996, 6 weeks after the [[Captain Freedom]] incident, the United States Congress and Senate unanimously passed the [[Different Acts of 1996]].