Alexander Tempest had done a more than excellent job. With Amanda's help, they had downloaded blueprints out of the armor of Twencen hero "Steel". Based on those blueprints Alex had built a new suit of armor. The internal circuitry had come from a weird battle harness that had been found a few meters from the original armor. It was reinforced with some of the Kryptonian circuitry from the containment suit.

Now the armor was more than the original designer had ever hoped for. The base armor was composed of three layers of micro thin Promethium/Titanium mix armor. A skin-tight magnetic force field reinforced this. The force field responded to an encepliographic cybernetic mesh that was built into the helmet. This allowed strength far beyond that "Of mortal men". The whole thing was laced with the weaponry he had not released to the government yet.

The armor still held to its original design with mild color changes. This suit was solid black, with red highlighted trim on the calves and forearms. The helmet appeared still to be that of a bald man with only to red glowing eyes standing out on the stark black. The eye slots, which had several sensors, allowed Alex to view the world as a god. Four bolts on the shoulder plates held the flowing red cape in place.

Yes this must have been how it felt. The "S" Symbol had been remolded to match the more "lightning" like one on the Kryptonian's containment suit it's color still silver. It too was red. As he cruised above the streets of "New Seattle" a small alarm went off in his helmet. He tuned it in to the JL Band.

["Team leader this is Alpha unit."] Came a voice Alex recognized at the back of his mind.

With the response his suspicion was confirmed. ["The Doctor is listening Soundwave, proceed."]

["We have the rioters cornered,"] Soundwave continued, in the background Alex could detect cries for help and food. ["Shall we take them out?"]

[Dear Gods.] Alex thought, homing in on the signal and altering his vector. [He'll kill them too.]

["Confirmed Soundwave."] Came the reply.

Mentally Alex thought of channeling more power into his boot jets. And like clockwork, the armor responded.

--------------------------------------------
SEATTLE, THE LOWER SECTOR
--------------------------------------------
Soundwave hovered on his sound propelled surfboard. His obviously cybernetic left arm brimmed with reflectors that would focus the deadly sonic frequencies that it could release. Silver armor covered his chest, lower legs and arms. The rest of his body covered in a neon green sound absorbing skinsuit. He looked down at the crowd of fifty people cowering in a dead end alley. "It would appear that the powers on high have determined that you are not fit for the right of consumption." He smoothly spoke out as he panels on his arm shifted and slid in preparation for focusing of the sonic waves that were to come.

One among the crowd shouted. "You don't deserve to be called League!"

A bolt of lighting turned the protester into a smoldering corpse. Shockwave, Soundwave's brother, calmly spoke from beneath his helmet mask. "Anyone else want to exercise your 'FREEDOM OF SPEECH'" the sarcasm dripping from his voice. Electrical arcs still danced upon his cybernetic right arm.

He was answered by a voice so deep it would make that Vader guy's skin crawl. "I DO!"

Soundwave and Shockwave turned to see a strange sight. Standing at the alley's entrance three feet off the ground was a man clad in a dark steel black armor. Red-eyes, a silver lightning shaped "S" forged on his chest. A red cape flowing gently in the updraft of his boot thrusters.

As Soundwave called the report in to his boss, Shockwave moved forward, electricity arcing off his closed fist. "Who the hell are...."

The armored intruder opened his right palm. A bolt of energy cut Shockwave off mid sentence. The energy was pure force denting Shockwave's armor and hurling him severl meters backwards.

Soundwave glided over and took his shot. Frequencies of high pitched ultra sonic sound streaming off his arm slamming into Alex hard. Knocking him back. As his internal gyros corrected himself, Soundwave used the distraction and took the high road. Headed for the transport that had dropped him off.

Alex stopped to check on the crowd. "Is everyone alright?" His deep voice rumbled.

"We're fine." One replied.

"Who are you?" Asked another.

The face of the armor smiled. "A friend." With that Alex again took to the sky. [Soundwave will not get away. ]

----------------------------------------
JUSTICE LEAUGE CRUISER: SEATTLE AIRSPACE
----------------------------------------
Terrance McMurrey sat in his chair at the command post of the J.L. Cruiser. The only true Meta in the group he was team leader. This was much to Soundwave's disapproval. His powers and tactics had earned him the code name Blitz. And now as Soundwave headed back home with his tail between his legs. Terry was gonna have to show him why. As he formed over with a steel layer, refracting light he faded from view. The hatch to the cruiser opened and an invisible presence exited.

Soundwave looked over his shoulder at the black red-caped figure gaining on him. The problem with having equipment powered by sound was that you were limited to its speed.

Alex watched readings stream across his eyes, beamed directly to his retina by micro fiber optics so he wouldn't miss any important information. The trajectory had been calculated all that it required was the extra boost of speed. As if on cue, the thrusters jumped him forward, his left arm came back as he kept his right one outstretched. He flew down towards the ground, and then he arched back upward towards Soundwave. Then just as he was in reach, he swung.

Soundwave had expected his pursuer to attack him, but it still surprised him when his sonic board snapped in to and a fist came up from the center of his disabled board.

Soundwave crashed to the ground, not being high above it as he was flying low it was an easy landing. . Behind him he heard the boot jets of his pursuer cut, and a thud as heavy steel sank into the earth. He turned and looked as the armored vigilante seemed to smile at having "thrashed" Soundwave's tunes.

With a voice that Soundwave felt came from the center of the earth, the armored man spoke. "Your going down, Soundwave. TODAY."

Before he could act on those words Alex was slammed into by something from the left. Something his sensors had missed. As he regained his footing and turned to look in the direction he had been blindsided from.

Soundwave stood the nozzle on the side of his visor making a small puff noise as it shot a small projectile at Alex. The object clung to his armor, and began to emit sub sonic vibrations and sounds. Sending shards of pain into Alex's back and side.

Then he was again slammed into. Knocking him further from his target, further from his revenge, and staggering him further. The pain reached into his leg, making standing slightly difficult.

Soundwave spoke a command into the mike attached to his visor, and the disc attached to Alex's armor exploded. Ripping through the first and second layer of armor. The displays, beamed directly to his eyes via Fiber optics ran red with warnings. "Not so high and mighty now are you tin man?" He taunted.

[You may be invisible.] Alex thought, [but not silent.] The armor had been redesigned to emulate the Twencen hero of legend. So he upped the amps on his hearing processors, until he had the heartbeat off to his left, racing as if it were about to speed up again.

[Target] Alex thought. In response, the sensors in the armor homed in on the invisible foe, drawing an imaginary outline around him so that Alex could 'see' him, at the same time they also locked in on Soundwave.

Soundwave looked at his armored foe as the man tried to get to his feet. "Any last word fly boy?" Soundwave asked.

Alex smiled beneath the faceplate. "Fire."

His armor responded automatically, arms moving with precision a human could not accomplish. Pulses of electromagnetic force leapt from both his hands short circuiting Soundwave's armor and weapons, and jarring the invisible foe out of hiding.

He stood prepared to take Soundwave out of commission when Blitz let loose with a blast of heat from his eyes, melting the already damaged right ribcage of Alex's armor.

Alex turned. Blitz smiled and his eyes glowed as if to send another wave of heat. Alex pointed his gauntlet-covered fist and made a downward jerking motion. There was a small puff of air as a missile like projectile flew towards Blitz. The "missile" caught Blitz offguard and the glow in his eyes faltered for a second.

The missile split into four separate missiles each trailing a microweave metallic net. The net caught Terry up and the momentum took him backwards until the mini missiles embedded in the wall fifty yards behind him.

Terry was about to tell his foe how this wouldn't hold him when the surge of electricity coursed through his body.

Alex turned his attention back to Soundwave, only to find him gone. Cursing under his breath he heard sirens. He sent the mental command to his armor and soared into the sky.

----------------------
EPILOUGE I
SECLUDED MONITOR ROOM
LOCATION: CLASSIFIED
----------------------
The Monitor Womb ran almost 200 feet deep into the surface. Surrounding the array of chairs where several monitors. Martian and New Genesis technology merged into one. Of the seven chairs only one contained a body.

Seated in the only occupied chair was a man who had built himself to perfection several times over. His costume failed to hide the strength this body carried. Not that it was an imposing suit, solid black from head to toe with a flowing black cape. Beneath his cowl, the man smiled.

The monitors displayed situations from across the world. The turmoil in Germany, but the battle in Seattle heightened his interest.

In a soft low voice he spoke a command. "Enhance grid seven Alpha."

In response, a monitor floated up before him and displayed the image of an armored man combating two Justice League members. Staring at the molded metal mask his eyebrows arched beneath the skintight mask. "Fascinating."

Leaning back in the chair he issued another command, his voice never faltering. "Display file: Tempest, Jonathan Alexander."

The monitor before him went to a split screen mode. One side held a frozen image of the armored man, the other a complete Bio and picture on Alexander Tempest.

"Superimpose and cross reference."

The images of Alex's face and his armored alter ego became grids. The grids became three-dimensional and floated through space to line up on one another. The computer responded in a voice with a heavy English accent.

"It would appear to be a seventy-five percent match sir."

"Yes that it would." Justice replied never breaking his calm tone. "But he needs a test befitting the symbol he wears, he needs to EARN it."

"He intends to oppose the entire League sir I would suppose that would be test..."

He interrupted the computer. "Well then." His fingers danced out in space before him. Just beneath his fingertips a force generated control panel appeared. He quickly entered a code that brought a display on a monitor behind him to life. On the display a map highlighted the northeast seaboard. One dot of light centered on a harbor in Rhode Island flashed.

"One last bit of business." Another panel appeared in thin air under his graceful fingertips. A second window opened in the air and Blitz appeared before him.

[-"Sir I didn't expect to hear from you."-] Blitz stammered.

"I know." The man in black paused. "Terry you are no longer in charge of team 505." He made a slight wave of his hand in the air which distracted Blitz from seeing him press one final button.

[-"But sir I...."-] Blitz began to gag on his own bile and collapse to one knee then slumped forward blood and bile oozing from his mouth.

Soundwave came into view. "Know that this is the price of failure Team Leader."

["Very Well sir."] Soundwave's fear was apparent.

And once more, the man in black smiled.

--------------------------------------------
3 DAYS LATER TEMPEST TOWER
--------------------------------------------
The morning news, UN controlled as it was shined a different light on the battle in the suburbs.

["Authorities are still searching for the armored vigilante responsible for the death of note Justice League Member Dr. Terry McMurrey, code named "Blitz". League member Soundwave was present and gave this report."]

["He was on us without cause. Seemed to have some Soy with me."] Soundwave commented. ["When the doc got in the way, he toasted him."]

Alex turned it off. Adjusting his tie, he walked out of his study, into his office. He buzzed his secretary.

"Chris, is my Oh-Eight-hundred here?"

["Yes sir, shall I send her in?"] Came Chris' curt reply.

"Yes please do."

Brittany Stevens entered Alex's office smiling like a cat stalking its prey.

[It's going to be a long day. ]

---------------------------------
TEMPEST INDUSTRIES HQ SECRET LAB
EARLY EVENING
---------------------------------
Alex exited his private elevator. The elevator ran from his design lab here below his building, to his office. He walked crossing a vast chamber looking at the armor in its repair "bath".

He was rather proud of the bath. Any damaged material was submerged within a dense electrolyte saturated liquid. millions of nanites programmed with the design specs of the said equipment were released into the bath, and set about rebuilding it to it's prime specs. Yet another secret he had held from the League.

Alex reached the bed he kept here, and collapsed. Above him he touched a small stud in the roof of the alcove the bed rested in. A panel slid open and the face of his sister greeted him.

Amanda smiled as she jokingly faked annoyance. "Yes Brother?"

"I love you too sis." Alex smiled. "What do you think?"

Amanda appeared to glance at something on her end. "I think this new coating should be somewhat energy reflective. Pure lasers will have a problem but I'm not too sure about Plasma or heavier energy."

The screen split and specifications for an energy reflective polymer scrolled by. "I've already uploaded it into the 'bath'." She smiled.

"Great." Alex said halfhearted. "That should do the trick. When you coming home?"

"Should be back in a few days." She replied. "Why miss me that much already."

"It's just lonely sis." Alex said as his voice trailed off. "Just lonely."

He reached up and turned off the com unit. Rising he walked over to the "bath" and watched as the armor knitted itself back together.

----------------------------
EPILOUGE II
HAPPY HARBOUR RI
----------------------------
Deep in a cave on the coast, something stirred. As the humanoid form looked at the back of its hand, a green emerald was embedded there to focus energy. The gem began to glow with power. In the abyss of it's computerized mind a voice it found familiar, yet oddly new echoed, imparting instructions. The computers in its mind had been given the identity of a human who could help it achieve its goal, and the location to find said human. Finally after ten minutes it stepped out of the trophy case that contained it and spoke.

{MISSION PARAMETERS: Neutralize Target designate Alpha-Zeta-One. Sub-designate: Tempest, Jonathan Alexander}

{PRIMARY SEARCH VECTOR: Seattle WA.}

{Subject Designate: AMAZO: Online}

----------------------------------------------------

Well that's the action Packed Issue 2

Any more comments send to aexusiai@juno.com

----
and now lets get
"TO THE HEART OF IT"
-----

From: MSR77@aol.com
Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1999 15:01:45 EST
To: exusiai@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Heart of the Storm: DCF #1Comments

I just read Heart of the Storm: DCF #1 and I must say it's looking to be one of the best series from DCF. It was nice to see someone will probably be using the Steel armor since he is an interesting character and it will be interesting to see someone like him in DCF. I'll be looking forward to the next issue and keep up the good job!

Mike Rehor

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