Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.creative,alt.comics.lnh
From: lucke@plains.NoDak.edu (Kyle Lucke)
Subject: LNH:Captain @M #1 (Premiere Issue!)
Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 00:19:47 GMT



			     FROMAGE STUDIOS PRESENTS:
				  Captain @M #1          
				  "Up and @M!"

Author's Note:  For those unfamiliar with MUSHes, further notes are contained
after the issue.
                                
                                   ----< >----

			            Darkness.
			       A pinpoint of light.
		      A gradually expanding rainbow of colors.
			       Daylight rushing in.

                                   ----< >----

Nathan opened his eyes.  A clear blue sky swam into his view.  He pushed
himself up, and looked around at his surroundings.

He had been lying flat on his back on the roof of a building in what appeared
to be downtown Net.ropolis.  He stood up, dusting off his Loonited States
Alt.Force (LSAF) uniform with his hands, and looked around the roof.  It was
bare.  No unconscious bodies, no weapons, nothing.  That was a good sign.
There were also no steps to be found.  Hm.

Nate walked over to the side of the building, and looked down.  Aha!  A fire
escape.  Just the thing.  Nate leapt the short distance down to the fire
escape landing, and climbed down the metal ladder into a dingy alleyway.  The
walls of the alley in which he found himself were relatively clean of
grafitti, so he must be in a decent section of the city.  Probably somewhere
near LNHQ.

"Figures," he mumbled aloud.  ++At least I'm not where he left me last time,++
he continued in his head.  ++I can do without another gang encounter.++  Nate
walked out of the alley and spotted a phone booth.

He walked over, picked up the receiver and dialed the number only he knew.  A
nasal voice answered, "Yes?"

Nate spoke into the phone.  "This is Eden.  Location unknown.  Trace please."
Static briefly echoed in Nate's ear from the phone.

The nasal voice was replaced by a warm, soothing voice.  "Nate.  This is
Doctor Floyd.  The phone's clean."

"Good.  Man, Mer has *the* most annoying voice.  Why'd he answer?"

"I was preoccupied with some research.  What was your situation this time?"

"Woke up on a roof.  No one in sight.  No bodies.  No clues.  Nothing."

"Bad neighborhood?"

"Nothing like last time.  Sheesh, I thought I was going to have to init the
transfer immediately after waking up there."

"Lucky we had that man so close in the cheese shop, eh?"

"Yah.  Thank Gouda!"

"Always have to be cute, Nate?"

"I try, Doc, I try."

"OK.  Trace is done.  You're a block north of LNHQ on Byrne Avenue.  We'll
have a car there in 10."

"Good deal.  See you in a few, Doc."

Nate replaced the receiver, and sat down in a bench.  ++Times like these, I
wish I had a kid sidekick,++ he thought to himself. ++This waiting sucks.++

                                   ----< >----

Captain Nathaniel Eve walked into the laboratory exactly one hour later.
Doctor Sigmund Floyd, Nate's superior officer in the LSAF, looked up from his
research and grinned at him.  "Well, Nate, you were gone for exactly 2 weeks."

"Great.  Hook me up to your machines, and do your tests."

"Well, while you were gone, Megaton and I managed to finish the bioscanner."
Dr. Floyd held up a small device covered with blinking LEDs and a small
screen.  "No more machines.  Very Star Trekesque, no?"

"Sure, Doc.  Do your thing."

Floyd began to wave the scanner up and down around Nate's body.  [Sure, it's
obviously a Star Trek tricorder.  I said that.  Sue me. --Writer]  "The
tricor--I mean-- the bioscanner says you're in perfect health.  And you've
aged normally since the last change."

"Well, I guess that's good.  I lived two weeks, and don't remember anything.
I though you said I'd start to remember more?  I'm starting to remember less!"

"I know.  I'm just not sure at this time.  There's so much to take into
account.  Dr. Fred Franklins thought the technology was too uncertain.  If the
legendary Mr. Thingy wasn't sure about what we've come to call the TinyFugue
Project, how can *I* hope to have all the answers?"

"Because *you* did this to me!  You turned me into a virtual amnesiac!  I lose
hours, days, even weeks of my life, and I never know how long it's going to
be!  And what do you tell me?  You aren't sure.  You feed me the line about
Mr. Thingy.  Dammit, Doc, you're my friend!  When are you going to make
contact with Captain @M?  When are you going to talk to this person who uses
my body?  You just had two weeks to do so, and you did nothing!"  Captain Eve
stormed out of the lab.

As the door slammed shut, a hidden panel retracted and a figure also wearing
a LSAF uniform walked out, a smile upon his face.  "So the good Captain
doesn't remember foiling the mugging, or what followed?"

Doctor Floyd looked at the general guiltily.  "Oh, I'm sure he knows he foiled
the mugging.  But he doesn't know about tha bank robbery, the jewel heist and
the dairy bombing he stopped in the two weeks he was Captain @M."

The general smiled.  "Good.  But most importantly, he doesn't know we met with
@M for quite some time these past two weeks, does he?"

The doctor grimaced.  "Nossir, he doesn't.  He *is* bound to find out, you
know."

"Don't worry so, Doctor.  You've already told me the MUSH powers come with a
personality that assumes total control, leaving Eve's mind a blank.  
Hell (TM), you've even told me his body changes into what you've termes @ms.  
The stuff the original @M was made out of.  We're completely safe."

"I suppose so, sir.  I hate doing this to him.  I still say we should bring
him in on this."

"And you know my feelings, Dr. Floyd.  And you have your orders.  And I'm the
boss."  The handsome blond general smiled.

Floyd frowned.  "Yes, General.  You are the boss."

Just then, Merlen Megaton, Floyd's assistant rushed in.  "Emergency in
Net.ropolis!" he whined.  "Contact Captain @M!"

Floyd pushed the panic button, and typed in a quick message.  Captain Eve's
beeper should be going off now.  Floyd began to feel even guiltier.

                                   ----< >----

On the roof of the building housing the TinyFugue Project, Nate's beeper began
to go off.  He read the location of the emergency off the LED screen, and
wrote a note to Captain @M telling him where the emergency was.  He'd go.
That had been established many times before.  "Damn!" Nate yelled aloud.
Today was his mother's birthday, and he had promised to call.  He'd do it
after the @M thing, he promised himself.  Assuming he got back in time.

Nate closed his eyes, and began to concentrate.

++<@desc me=Silvery coating, @ symbol and yellow glowing eyes; 
   @name me=Captain @M; connect.>++

And Nathaniel Eve disappeared into what Doctor Floyd called the Quota Field in
a flash of silvery light.  And the hero known as Captain @M was left standing
in his place.  @M read the note left for him, and closed his glowing yellow
eyes.

The silvery, metallic skin of his forehead wrinkled in concentration,
++<@tel num(1212 Waid Street).>++

Captain @M disappeared into the Quota Field, ready to foil the robbery in
progress.

                                   ----< >----

Back in the lab, Mer Megaton was monitoring the situation at Waid Street.
"@M's on the scene!"

The general smiled.  "Was there ever any doubt?"

                                   ----< >----

Captain @M walked up to the NPD officer in charge of the robbery and hostage
situation.  "Hello, officer, I'm Captain @M.  How may I assist you?"

The officer glanced at @M.  "'Bout time you got here."

Captain @M looked surprised.  "You knew I was coming?"

"Yeah, we called LNHQ an hour ago.  Receptionist said they'd send someone
over."

"Ah.  A misunderstanding.  I am not with the LNH.  I am a solo net.hero."

"Whatever.  There are five inside, armed with semi-automatics.  Can you take
'em?"

"Certainly, officer, never fear."  With that, @M concentrated, ++<@tel
inside>++, and disappeared into the Quota Field.

The NPD officer turned to his partner.  "What's that make, the fifteenth new
guy this week?"  His partner nodded.

                                   ----< >----

			       ++<@set me=Dark>++

                                   ----< >----

Invisible, @M exited the Quota Field inside the First Net.ional Bank of
Net.ropolis.  Four of the robbers were watching the hostages, with the fifth
in the vault, getting the loot.  ++Better take out the guys with hostages
first,++ the hero thought.  Luckily for our hero, they were all clustered
together along the wall.  

++Not the sharpest knives in the drawer,++ @M thought. ++<@create
Giant-Bulletproof-Glass-Bubble; drop Bubble. @tel villains=Bubble.>++  
Captain @M's MUSHpowers took effect, and the would-be robbers were trapped.  

++Four down.  Now for the one in the vault.  <@set me=!Dark>++  Captain @M
appeared in front of the hostages, quietly assuring them they would be okay.
Then he walked into the vault.  "Stop thief!" the captain yelled.

The villain whirled, firing his gun at the Captain.  As fast as thought, the
MUSH hero leapt into action.

++<@create Shield>++  Bullets ricocheting off his shield, Captain @M leapt at
the thief, throwing an uppercut which connect soundly with the thief's chin,
knocking him out.  ++<@dest Shield>++  Captain @M's shield disappeared back
into the Quota Field from which he created it and he picked up the villain.

"Huh.  One punch.  Not bad."

                                   ----< >----

Captain @M emerged from the building, dragging the robbers behind him.
Cameras began to flash and reporters began to question him.  After all the
questions were over, Captain @M went to dinner with an attractive young
reporter named Alison Andersen.  The evening was marvelous, and @M promised to
call the reporter the next time he was in town.  He finally teleported her
back to her apartment well after three in the morning.

By the time @M was alone and seated on a building's roof thinking about the
past few hours' events, the sun had begun to rise, and @M's eyes began to
close.

                                   ----< >----

			            Darkness.
			       A pinpoint of light.
		      A gradually expanding rainbow of colors.
			       Daybreak rushing in.

                                   ----< >----

Nathaniel Eve opened his eyes to a beautiful sunrise and immediately knew
he'd missed his mother's birthday.  "Damn it.  And damn that Captain @M."

                                   ----< >----

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

This character came about while talking with Josh Geurink and Dave Van Domelen
on Legion Outpost.  (Thanks guys!) I wanted to start a new series, having 
reached a creative block with CHEEEZ Corps, and this is what happened.  
A net.hero with MUSH powers.  For those unfamiliar with MUSHes, here are 
some of the MUSH-type references which crept into Captain @M:

1. Well, his name, obviously.  The '@' character begins many/most of the
commands in a MUSH, and so found it's way into his name, among other things.

2. The Quota Field stems from something on a MUSH called quota.  Every player
on a MUSH may create a certain number of objects.  This is called a
player's quota.  This series is partly a ripoff of Captain Atom, as anyone
familiar with him can tell, and Captain Atom's Quantum Field naturally evolved
to Captain @M's Quota Field.

3. The @desc command in a MUSH is used to describe how your character appears.
(i.e. his DESCription.)  So that's what the little command during Eve's
transformation into @M is.

4. Same with the @name command.  It's names your character...

5. @tel is a command on a MUSH which allows a character to teleport.  Same for
@M.

6. @set me=Dark is something that wizards (guys who run the MUSH, more or
less) can do to make themselves invisible.  Same for @M.

7. @set me=!Dark would make a wizard NOT Dark.  In MUSHcode, !==NOT.  Similar
to coding in C.  

8. @create and @dest are how you create and destroy objects on a MUSH.
That's also how Captain @M creates his tools to fight crime.

9. And finally, the reason Eve never knows how long he'll spend as Captain @M
arose from the simple fact that it's so easy to waste huge amounts of time on
a MUSH and never really realize it 'til you log off.  That's when it hits
you.

So, I hope you enjoyed it.  I had fun writing it.  See you next issue.

--Kyle

Captain @M, Nathan Eve, Merlen Megaton, Sigmund Floyd all 
copyright 1995 Kyle A. Lucke.



-- 
------------------------------------+-------------------------------------
          Kyle A. Lucke             | "No one in the world ever gets what
      Computer Science Major        |  they want, and that is beautiful."
  lucke@agassiz.cas.und.nodak.edu   |         They Might Be Giants
------------------------------------+------------------------------------
