Snake

SNAKE

Creator: Richard Hughes

Author: Michael Vance

Characters:

Greta Hoffmeyer (Tzeitl Katzenberger)

Typhoid Mary (From Typhoon Mary)

The Admiral (James Bridges)

Amy Smith

Jack Flash

Alphonso Longfellow

Hank Catchum (The Hack)

Dr. Joseph Eacobacci

Dr. Max Riegelmann

Hanz Shroeder

Lt. Sam Manning

Ben Alashee

Carlos Valentine

Giovanni “Hammer” DeSalvio

Ben Aloshee

Greta Hoffmeyer is the top agent of the counter-espionage Ballensschlange, known as Cobra. She is a woman whose long, blonde hair cascaded to perfect, gently rounded shoulders. Her large, deep blue eyes penetrated to the depths of your soul. She has high, rosy cheekbones, and flawless almond skin, and full strawberry lips. Her jaw was heart shaped. Greta was the top agent of the counter-espionage unit, Ballensschlange, known as COBRA. Her real name is Tzeitl Katzenberger. Because of her many were tortured and murdered by the Gestapo.

Snake: She stood, legs spread apart like ramparts, wearing a black unbuttoned overcoat that fell to her ankles. It fluttered open with the wind. She spoke like the hissing of a snake. Her balled fist rested on her ample hips, her head tilted back and she laughed like a man. A dark blue material open between her breasts, held closed by leather drawstrings, accented her torso. Leather flames of lighter blue rose up from her waist and spread to her ribs, and what looked like fish or snake scales were embossed in the bustier. Leather armlets covered her forearms up to, but just short of her elbows, and were also laced closed. Her black leather tights ended in boots, which ended just above her calves. In her left hand, she held a five-foot long quarterstaff that ended in something resembling a snakehead. Coiled on her left hip was attached a blacksnake whip, and she has dart gun. Long brown hair, restless in the wind, danced like leaves blown in the wind. Her face was hidden by an expressionless Kabuki mask, almond smooth, with the image of a cobra coiled around her left eye down her cheek to the tip of her chin. She speaks in riddles, quoting famous and infamous people. She refuses to kill. She is perhaps seeking redemption from her evil days as a Nazi spy during WWII. Now in America, in the early 50s, her goal is to stop crime, and protect the innocent.

Typhoid Mary: A drunk had called her “Typhoon” Mary, because she moved like a fierce storm when in action. She was built like a wooden beer keg dressed in a floral shift. Brown hair cut short in a man’s crew cut. Ruby-red lips, and her cheeks heavily rouged. Her uneven teeth were brown from tobacco stains. She is the madam of The Lonely Hearts Club, a brothel. Mary is also an operative of Snake.

Amy Smith is Typhoid Mary’s daughter, but not a prostitute. She works as a police dispatcher in the 9^th Precinct. She wore a starched, off-white, long-sleeved blouse decorated with the appropriate police badge and stripes. The dark-blue, pleated khaki pants spoke of neatness, not the disaster that was her life. She is thirty-one, with bleached blonde hair that has dark roots. Her large, deep-blue eyes, high cheekbones with flawless skin and full lips are completely opposite of her mother’s image. Her jaw is heart-shaped. She is also an operative of Snake.

James Bridges, nicknamed The Admiral, is a blind black man. He was dressed in a second-hand wrinkled suit that had once been black and creased, with cuffed pants. His close-cropped hair was sprinkled with gray, his mustache unevenly trimmed. He lives in the flophouse at 241 Bowery, The Sunshine Hotel, and carries a tin cane, as he walks the streets with a cane. He was once known as The Preacher. He is also an operative of Snake.

Herman Jones, nicknamed Jack Flash is a Korean War veteran. Both legs were blown off in North Korea. The left side of his face was crushed and poorly repaired. His left eye was larger than his right, and his dirty, stringy hair hung from beneath a nautical cap to his shoulders. Now he scoots along the street on a square of plywood on tiny wheels, begging for handouts. He appears mentally damaged, and words he speaks are not true words. But he is also an operative of Snake.

Alphonse Longfellow is a tall individual dressed like a cheap burlesque magician. He is also of the streets, and may have once been a magician. He, too, is an operative of Snake.

Hank Catchum, The Hack, drives a taxi. Also a Korean War veteran, he has a steel plate in his head. He now serves Snake as a chauffeur in his rundown taxi.

Jason Aldridge was a five foot six police officer, intelligent and brave, he graduated with honors, and one of the best shots on the police force. Snake accidentally kills him when a crook dodged a dart meant for him, and struck the cop in the eye.

Sam Manning, a police officer with the 9^th Precinct.

Doctor Joseph Eacobacci’s daughter was kidnapped, but rescued by Snake. Now he wants to treat the woman he thinks is crazy. He is a huge man, standing six foot four, and weighing 300 pounds. He looked more like a stevedore or lumberjack. He could have even been a dockworker or professional wrestler than a successful psychologist. He has brown hair, and a Fu Manchu mustache that hung halfway down his throat. He carries a pearl-handled revolver. Whether he wanted to or not, he becomes an operative of Snake.

Leo Rosenbaum is a reporter for the Tog Morgan Zhurnal (The Morning Journal). He is a slight man, with narrow shoulders, and wire-rimmed glasses. His neatly parted and groomed hair did nothing to enhance his nondescript face. The long face looked like Groucho Marx, sans mustache, though his physical appearance was not unpleasant. Whether he wanted to or not, he becomes an operative of Snake.

Annabel Rosenbaum is Leo’s wife. While under the protection of Snake, she is badly beaten. Snake has her removed to Typhoid Mary’s brothel for better protection.

Dan is a big, tough bartender at Sammy’s Bowery Follies, a bar in the Bowery. He works for Snake as an operative.

Carlos Valentine is a lieutenant of the DeSalvio mob. He has close-set eyes, a cauliflowered left ear, and slicked back black hair.

Giovanni “The Hammer” DeSalvio is the head of the DeSalvio crime family. He looked like a harried middle-aged store clerk. His hair is brown, cut short, and crested with a substantial cowlick. His right hand is a prosthetic, flesh colored, and forever clinched.

Snake’s Nest of Vipers: The apartment is in the flophouse, The Sunshine Hotel. In a small room, a four by six cubical really, they called pigeon coops. They sat on the edge of the mattress and pushed a hidden button on the wall, then the bed began to sink. They descended into a fully furnished apartment. A wall papered with rich floral design was to the right. On a chest-of-drawers an Art Deco picture frame held a photograph of two little girls – all pony tails, ribbons, and smiles. On the wall behind the chest-of-drawers was mounted a group of four Chinese masks made of porcelain – a laughing blue Kabuki mask, a yellow Kabuki mask of fear, blue one of sorrow, and a white one of indifference – a Kabuki mask identical to the one Snake wore when in full regalia. A small phonograph player was next to the chest-of-drawers, its dark cherry-wood lid opened with a record ready to play. Against the wall to the left was an upright piano, where Alfonso Longfellow’s slim fingers glided over the keys. The melancholy chords of Beethoven’s Fur Elise swelled up to fill the apartment.

One novel has been released so far, SNAKE: Nest of Vipers, published by Airship 27 (2015)

The Challenger

The Challenger

Creator

Jeff Deischer

Characters

Challenger

Billie Elliott

Doc Mooney 

Junior Bond

Vincent Lawrence 

Justice Jones

Hollister Martin

Challenger appeared to be around thirty years of age. He was above medium height, though he was not a giant by any means. His features were somewhat thin: gray eyes that were little more than slits, narrow nose, thin lips, high cheekbones and narrow jawline. His skin was tanned, but not dark. He had a broad, high forehead. Above his lean, placid face sat a shock of red. Challenger was broad-shouldered and lean-hipped. He was dressed in a plain navy business suit. This was padded in such a way as to be unnoticeable; it concealed a special belt beneath, with small padded pockets that held a variety of gadgets Challenger used in his work of helping others. There was great power coiled beneath it, even in repose; Challenger gave the impression of a great cat ready to pounce.

Challenger lived up to the rumors about him. It was said he’d been done a great wrong long ago, and had, as a result, dedicated his life to helping others in the same position. The source of his vast wealth, no one knew. He did not accept remuneration for his services.

There had been much speculation about his identity, in the short time since he’d first appeared, several months earlier. Some said he was a soldier who’d been pronounced dead in the World War, which had ended the year before, and hid his identity for reasons unknown; others that he had something to hide. No one but three of his five assistants knew the true identity of Challenger.

Challenger was also known as Jonathon Alexander. This was little used. It was also an alias.

Challenger had falsely been convicted of a crime some twenty years earlier. In prison he had met Paul Alexander, the father of the true Jonathon. The son had been killed by criminals and the father sent to prison for the murder. Having hidden away an untold fortune – which was what the criminals had been after -- Paul Alexander promised half of it to Challenger in exchange for help escaping. The old man had died in the attempt, leaving the money to Challenger -- who assumed the son’s identity to bring his killers to justice. Then he went after the men who had sent him to prison

 Challenger had brought them to justice -- a justice, at any rate. It was during this time he had acquired his first three aides, all of whom had known him before. The four dedicated themselves to helping others who were unable to help themselves against great evil. In the months since that time had Challenger Island been established.

Challenger Island was little more than a rock jutting up out of the waters of New York City’s East River. Atop this crag sat a factory. Long since abandoned, it had recently been refurbished by the man known as Challenger.

 The factory building, which was located on the north side of the tiny island, was vaguely semi-circular; it was arch-shaped, with a raised spine. This structure had been transformed into a hangar and boathouse, having been extended some fifty feet out over the water towards Manhattan. The administrative building was a long rectangular box that shot out perpendicular to the long axis of the factory, running towards the south, and served as Challenger’s headquarters. It contained a large laboratory that abutted the hangar-boathouse, offices at the south end of the building, and, on the second storey, living quarters. Atop this building perched a small tower which was the nerve center of Challenger’s operation; it consisted of a single large meeting room. From this little tower rose a powerful radio mast.

A motorcycle whizzed along nearby, not altogether at the behest of its driver, a young woman. Dressed like a World War I aviator, with fur-lined leather jacket, leather cap and over-sized goggles, she guided the machine as best she could along the icy road.

In the sidecar, a man gripped the rim of the compartment as tightly as he could. Sitting down low in the sidecar, he had something of the appearance of a child, at first glance, due to his small stature -- and the fact that he was passenger to a woman driver. But he was no youth. He was easily old enough to be the athletic young woman’s father. His plump face was red and frozen in a grim expression, more from a determination to survive the journey than from the temperature. A gaudy red scarf was wrapped around his lower face, and an ancient derby perched precariously atop his bald pate, threatening to become dislodged with every jostle of the motorcycle. Without looking at his companion, he asked grimly, “Are you going to drive this thing year round, Billie?” His voice was slightly nasal, had a naturally gruff whine to it.

 “It was summer yesterday, Doc,” snipped Billie Elliott laconically. “This is the first time I’ve had to drive this thing in snow.”

 Doc Mooney, the old man in the sidecar, did not reply. It appeared to take all of his concentration to hold on for his life. Despite being bundled up for the weather, the little man shivered, more out of spite than cold. He wasn’t happy unless he had something to complain about, Billie knew, so she took his comment in stride.

 As her rescuers unbundled, Tammy Lott got a better look at them: Billie Elliott was an attractive young woman with straw-colored hair that was cut in a short bob, in the style of the flappers in the twenties. Her features were delicate, elfin, with large chocolate brown eyes, narrow nose and pleasant mouth.

Old Doc Mooney stood exactly five feet tall, was a bit stocky and bald as they came. His ears, nose and mouth were all a little bit big for his face. Everything except his eyes, which were small and bright. His head and hands seemed too large for his small frame, and all these features combined to give him a sort of a cartoonish appearance.

When it slowed to a stop inside the boathouse, the tug carrying Tammy Lott, Billie Elliott and Doc Mooney was met by another of Challenger’s assistants. He was a blond young man dressed in a plain dark blue business suit. He stood waiting on the dock when the ferry pulled up to it; Billie had radioed ahead from the ferry that they were on their way over with a guest.

As Tammy Lott stepped from the ferry, the man on the dock -- a rather handsome young man who smiled broadly at her, Tammy now saw at this close distance; she estimated his age to be close to hers, just over twenty-one -- proffered a hand. “Hello, I’m Bill Bond,” he said as he helped her onto the dock, watching her intently with keen eyes. “I’m one of Challenger’s assistants. Everyone calls me ‘Junior’.”

 It was only after examining him did Tammy Lott see the other two men in the room, Challenger’s remaining aides.

One was a tall, distinguished-looking gentleman who had something of a foxy face, long and lean with a narrow nose. He was rather bony and dressed in an expensive-looking suit. Offering his hand, he said smoothly, “My name is Vincent Lawrence. A pleasure to meet you.”

Vincent was an attorney, one of the nation’s best, and reading people was part of his business. When he read pretty Tammy Lott, he saw someone who was scared.

The other man was huge. He stood over six and a half feet tall, and was nearly three feet wide. Everything about him was big -- shoulders, hands, feet. He was a Negro. He nodded politely to Tammy as she looked up at him. “I’m Henry Justice Jones,” he said in a rich, deep voice.

Challenger’s final aide, Professor Hollister Martin was not present; he had been detained in the city, teaching a History class at Metropolitan University.

“Excuse me,” said Professor Hollister Martin. Bespectacled and possessing formidable gray eyebrows and a beak of a nose, he somewhat gave the appearance of an owl. He had a bit of a paunch, which stuck out both above and below his belt, which was tightly cinched. No word but “soft” described him so well. As a museum curator, he had been the victim of a master criminal, and had joined Challenger’s band to help prevent this from happening to others. “I’m new to all this, but shouldn’t we be looking at motive? That will help us narrow down our list of suspects.”

The Challenger and his assistants have appeared in the novel The Winter Wizard and the short story “Challenger and the Fellowship of the Flame”, in the collection The Little Book of Short Stories, both by Jeff Deischer.

Turquoise

TURQUOISE

Creator: John French

Characters

Donna Cahill

Detective Darryl Larkin (Top Detective)

Colonel Bishop (Police Commander)

Max Hammond (Crime Scene Tech)

She suddenly appeared during a catastrophe, rescuing victims. Dropping out of the sky like a comet, she moved faster than anything normal, just a blur of blue and green, moving heavy pieces of roadbed, tearing open car doors like paper. One lucky witness caught her in a video, but her face was a blur, and the blue-green costume like a comic book super hero. The figure was feminine.

The mayor wants her identity in order to control her for his purposes, and forces the police commander, Colonel Bishop, to assign his top detective, Darryl Larkin, to uncover her identity. The police don’t want to reveal her identity, but they are forced to do their job. Bringing in their best crime scene tech, Max Hammond, it doesn’t take long to find the clue they need. But Max finds a way to block the power-hungry mayor, and Donna Cahill remains the city’s protector, with only three men aware of her identity.

This is another short-run series by author, John French. Only two short stories were published that I am aware of:

1)   “Turquoise” DOUBLE DANGER TALES #25 (2/99)

2)   “Betrayal” DOUBLE DANGER TALES #27 (4/99) 

The Interceptor

THE INTERCEPTOR

Creator: Peter Darley

Characters:

Brandon Drake (The Scorpion/The Interceptor)

Balinda Reese

Tyler Drake-Faraday

Alex Dalton

Captain David Digswell

Deborah Beaumont

Agent Andrew Wilmot

Brett Fleetwood

Charlton Faraday

Emily Drake (Sister Veronica)

Senator Garrison Treadwell

Nicole Hawke (Jodie Madison – Siren)

Mai Ling Cheung

Han Fong

Agent Cynthia Garrett (Assassin)

Brandon Drake was with the 82^nd Airborne in Afghanistan on a combat mission when he was wounded in the head. Senator Treadwell had him returned to a special laboratory where he was preparing a Black Ops operation against America. Drake had been called The Scorpion because of his fearlessness and viciousness against the enemy, and the senator that fighter in him to work against America. Project Scorpion wiped Drake’s real memories from him, and implanted new information on a fake life. But the project went wrong, and Drake now has a conscious, becoming The Interceptor and wanting to help instead of kill. He learns the senator’s plans, and steals special equipment and a flying car, and sets out to stop the special teams from carrying out their missions against America.

The Interceptor: In the corner was a metallic silver chest. He unclasped it and tore it open with desperate speed. He reached inside and took out the Kevlar pants and jacket, feeding himself into them as fast as his hands could move. Next, he took out the boots and put them on, which was the most time-consuming aspect to ‘suiting up.’ The buckle straps had to be secured along both ankles and calves, but it took him less than a minute. After putting on the armored gloves, he grasped the tool belt from the silver chest and secured it around his waist. He skimmed it with his hands to ensure all of his weaponry was attached to the individual compartment—two state-of-the-art machine pistols, the sonic force emitter, the laser cutter, and a spider cable, among several other potentially useful devices. Finally, he took the helmet and brought it up to his head. As he was about to put it on, he froze with an almost-sixth sense that someone was in the van with him. Looking to the right, huddled behind the Turbo Swan, was a sight that caused his heart to sink into despair.

Belinda Reese was the secretary to the CEO of Carrington Industries, one of the industries Senator Treadwell had targeted for his team to hit. When The Scorpion strikes he’s too late to save the building but rescues Belinda and takes her with him before the assault team can capture and kill her. They remain together, falling in love.

Tyler Drake-Faraday was adopted by billionaire Charlton Faraday as a lad. He didn’t know he had a brother until the end of Season One, when he watched Brandon’s trial of. He contacted him in prison, and they planned his escape two years later.

Alex Dalton is a pal of Tyler, and they often get into plenty of mischief together, and Alex is always ready to assist whenever needed. He also works for Tyler’s father.

Captain David Digswell is Tyler’s personal pilot.

Brett Fleetwood is Tyler’s personal physician.

Emily Drake is Brandon and Tyler’s sister. Instead of being adopted, she was placed in a convent, where she grew up and took her vows as Sister Veronica. Asking Rome to forgive her vows and let her go, they refuse, so she escapes from the convent in Season Two, only to be picked up by a white slavery gang. She’s about to be sold when Brandon learns of her existence, and they go in search of her.

Nicole Hawke was the only girl to escape the clutches of the white slavery gang, and has been hiding under the name Jodie Madison, when one of her friends contacts her secret codename – Siren – about the possibility of the gang being taken down by Brandon. She returns to L.A. to provide them with information that will help them rescue Emily.

Deborah Beaumont is the secretary to the head of SDT (Strategic Detection of Terrorism).

Senator Garrison Treadwell is a rogue, wishing for war between America and other countries. He is killed at the end of Season One.

Agent Andrew Wilmot was one of Treadwell’s lieutenants, and eventually assumes head of SDT, and continues the search for The Scorpion for his own purposes.

Agent Cynthia Garrett is Wilmot’s lover and special assassin when he wants someone killed.

Mai Ling Cheung and Han Fong run the Chinese Tong and white slavery gang. Mai Ling is killed at the end of Season Two, but Han Fong escapes.

Turbo Swan is a flying jet car, called a jet pod with alloy shell, tough metal, but extremely lightweight, designed by Treadwell’s Mach Industries. Worth in excess of a million dollars. A  sonic force emitter gun is also among his equipment.

Americans consider Brandon Drake, aka The Scorpion, a hero, and a comic book was created featuring him as a super hero, but called INTERCEPTOR.

There are three stories in the cliffhanger series.

1 Hold On! Season One

2 Go! Season Two

3 Run! Season Three