Shield Story

SHIELD:2004
Act one
1944. The world is at war. A lonely harbour is dimly lit. Three husky men are hiding themselves in the shadows. They move slowly along the docks onto the small ship that is tied up to the dock. The one who appears to be the leader opens up his partners backpack and places it on the side of the ship.

“We have 30 seconds to get out of here” said the leader in a German accent.
“You boys aren’t going anywhere” said a voice from behind, as the Shield and his boy partner Dusty spring into action.
The Shield threw the leader into the harbour and then banged his two partners heads together, while Dusty took the bomb off the side of the ship and threw it into the water.
“Well that was easier then normal, eh, Shield?”
“Yeah for once it was, Dusty. I wish all of our cases could rap up this easily” answered the Shield while the two hero’s changed back into there civilian identities.
The two heroes went home. Dusty went to bed while Joe Higgins sat in a chair facing his window. He sat there gazing out at the moon lit sky, wondering what tomorrow might have in store for him.

2004. The world is at war. A war with terrorism. There is a lab, in Washington DC, a lab that only the highest ranking officials know about. It employs 18,000 people. No two sections no what the others are doing. Everything is kept top secret. In the middle of this lab there is an office for one of the government’s most secret police forces. At this second there is a meeting of very important consequences taking place
“Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. I have called this emergency meeting, because we have a situation that could effect every man, woman and child in the United States. We have been informed that one of our operatives have been kidnapped and is now being used to attack our military in all of it’s forms. We need a solution. Myself and the President feel that the only solution, that is justifiable is, Project Flag. Is the suit working yet?” the general sat down at the head of the Table awaiting an answer
“Sir, the suit it’s self hasn’t ever stopped working. It is the test subjects that aren’t compatible with it. I only know of one man who could truly be able to handle the power of the Shield armour.” Said a blond woman in her mid 20’s
“Well then Dr. Philips, go get him.” Replied the general.
“Sir, with all due respect I don’t think you know who I am talking about.”
“I do know, and I said I want you to go get him.”
“Sir, Joe Higgins has been dead for years, and even if he wasn’t he would be far too aged to be able to handle it.
“Well then go get a younger version of the late great Joe Higgins.”
“Are you serious? How do you propose we do that? Go back in time? I think you’ve spent too much time reading your son H.G Welles stories”
The general laughed, while the others around the table just sat and stared at him.
“My dear Dr. Philips, do you really think I would suggest such a thing if it was not possible? No my good doctor, all things are possible when you have the power and wealth of the greatest nation on the planet behind you.”
“Okay let’s say we go back in time, how do we convince the Shield to come into our time?”
“We offer him the one thing no red blooded American can resist” said the general smiling.
“And what is that sir?
“A beautiful woman in need of help” said the general smiling widely at Dr. Philips.

1944. Joe Higgins slept sitting in the chair he sat down in hours ago, until he was awaken by a woman’s screaming. In what seemed to be a single motion, Joe Higgins disappeared and the Shield emerged. Since it was late he didn’t bother waking up Dusty. He ran down the fire escape and saw a young woman being attacked by a group of young men. The Shield moved and acted quickly laying out one of the men with a stiff punch to the jaw, then another in the same fashion, then another and another. He kicked the last one in the stomach, then gave him a swift upper cut. He looked around and found himself eye to eye with a beautiful blonde woman dressed in clothes that looked oddly out of place.
“Are you alright Mrs…….?” The Shield asked while moving a little bit closer to the woman, who didn’t seem upset at all.
“I am fine, but I am in need of your help. My name is Dr Mary Philips, and I have been sent here to bring you to my office. My superiors need you, America needs you, I need you.”
“Well what exactly is the problem?” asked the Shield, crossing his arms.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t explain right now. I need you to come with me for a little while. Please Shield, if I could explain I would.”
“Why should I trust you? How do I know that all you are telling me isn’t a trap?”
“You don’t, and you won’t. I am just asking you to trust me.”
“Okay, I will go with you. But if you try and betray me, and believe me I will be watching you, if you betray me there will be hell to pay.”
“Okay Shield come here and take my hand.” Philips held out her hand and the Shield took it into his own. Philips then began to turn a dial that was built into her wrist watch. The Shield and Philips disappeared with a blinding light into……..

2004. The Shield looked around shocked at what had just happened. A minute ago he was standing outside his apartment, now he was outside a building that wasn’t his, it looked newer, cleaner and higher.
“Where am I? What happened?” asked the Shield.
“We have traveled through time. I know it will be hard for you to understand. We’re in the year 2004. I really should let my superiors explain why we have brought you here”
“2004? And we all thought the world was going to end in 2000.” Said the Shield in a hushed amazed tone.
“So did we.” Said Philips laughing. Philips and the Shield got into her car that was parked up the street and they started to drive to the office.
“Ms Philips may I ask you something?”
“It’s Doctor, not MS. Go ahead.”
“Do you live on the moon?”
“Do I what?” asked Philips trying her hardest not to laugh.
“Well you are a doctor, so you must have a lot of dough, so do you have a big fancy house on the moon? I mean I just saw this movie at the cinema the other day and all the people lived on the moon”
“Well, Shield, we…… we don’t live on the moon. We haven’t even been to the moon in my life time.”
“So where do you live?”
“In an apartment in downtown Washington, close to work”
“What exactly do you do, besides go back in time?”
“Well I suppose you could say I work on you. We’ve spent the last four years trying to make your amour work, but we still have been unable to. It seems like only you and the people around you can make it work.” Said Philips pulling her car into the lab. “Try and keep a low profile okay Shield”
“I’ll try” said the Shield stepping out of the car
As soon as the Shield revealed himself from behind the car, a crowd of people arriving for work gathered around the Shield.
“Is that who I think it is” asked one
“What’s with the mask pal this isn’t Halloween!” shouted another.
“Come on Shield we have a meeting to get too” said Philips pulling her charge through the crowd. They managed to get onto an elevator alone.
“Was that keeping a low profile?”
“Sorry. The whole mask and costume thing is a little hard to hide”
“Why don’t you just take it off?”
“I am trying to keep a secret identity here Doctor”
“Shield your ID is common knowledge besides, even if people did see you without your mask on, they don’t know who you are.”
“My secret is out?” asked the Shield in disbelief
“Yes Mr. Higgins it is. You wrote your biography. Told the world who you were”
“Am I…….?”the Shield started to ask but was unable to finish his sentence
“I’m afraid so. You died around ‘89”
“Oh. So where is this meeting, should I get out of this thing before we get there?” asked the Shield not wanting to continue talking about his own death.
“We’re almost there, and I don’t think you need to change for these guys”
The elevator opened up to reveal the meeting room, in the middle of which was a large table surrounded by men in suits, including the general who sent Philips into the past.
“Doctor Philips, please sit down, and you can’t be anyone other than the Shield.”
“Yes sir, I am. Can someone please explain to me why you have brought me here?”
“Well Shield, this organization has spent a large portion of the last twenty years trying to recreate the experiment that gave you your powers. We failed. None of our test subject could control the power held in your suit. Many of them died because there systems overloaded. And now more then ever we need the Shield to help us defend America from it’s enemies. America needs you.”
“What exactly is going on, why do you need my help so badly?”
“Because Shield one of your contemporaries have been brainwashed and turned against our great nation.”
“Who?” asked the Shield leaning forward in his chair.
“Harely Hudson. Firefly.”
To be continued…….



The Shield and Firefly are property of Archie comics