PROLOGUE
It was a dark night in Altham City as a man, his wife, and his son walked out of a movie theatre and turned a corner, on their way home looking for a cab.
"Taxi! TAXI!" the man called out. None of them would stop for him.
"Well maybe if we cut through this alley way we can get to the street across from here and find a taxi there." he said to his wife. They began walking down the alley way while sounds of boxes falling over, mice scratching, water dripping and air conditioners humming were heard. There was no end to the alley way in sight and as the man looked back, he couldn't see where he and his family had come in either.
"Maybe we should just go back, George." said his wife.
"I don't think so." said a voice that none of them recognized.
"Who's there!?" cried George looking through the shadows hoping to find the person but also hoping to not find him.
"Get 'em boys." said the voice as 7 men came jumping out from the shadows surrounding the man and his family. 3 of the men grabbed George's wife and 4 other men grabbed George himself. His son was left standing there holding a box of popcorn as a tall man came out from the shadows. He wore a long black trench coat and had his brown hair slicked back. He had the look of evil burned in his eyes as he walked up to George's son.
"Hey kid," he said. "What's your name?" The boy replied in a shaky voice "My nnamme iss BBBrent." As he spoke, a dark cloud covered the moon and all went dark.
"Brent, I want you to remember one thing... The song of the devil rattles the dead man's bones and in this song, the devil is singing your tune."
"RUN BORT!! RUN!!!" cried Brent's dad. Suddenly his mother screamed and he heard both his parents fall to the ground. The clouds passed and Brent saw his parents lying there, not moving. Police sirens start ringing in the distance and one of the shadow man's people started to get worried.
"Come on Tiger! We gotta get outta here!" the henchman said.
"Hold on, I gotta take care of the kid." Tiger replied as he pulled out a gun and aimed it at Brent.
"No man! The cops are almost here! We gotta leave NOW!" Tiger stood there for a few seconds staring into Brent's eyes.
"You're lucky kid. See you next time." Tiger told Brent as he put down the gun and ran back into the shadows. The moon was bright now and Brent just stood there above his parents in the illuminated alley way where two deaths had just occured. Brent then lay over his mother's body crying. Suddenly he stood up with a very angry look in his eye. He looked up towards the sky and spoke.
"I will have my revenge.... I WILL HAVE MY REVENNNNNGE!!!!!!" Brent yelled out into the night. For most children this would be the end. But for Brent Crayne, this was only... The beginning.
Chapter 1: The New Hero In Town
20 Years Later
Two men were running down a street with a woman's purse they had just stolen. They headed down one alley way and then the next. They jumped through a wooden fence and crashed through garbage cans. One of the men, wearing a long dark coat and a winter hat with his dirty blond hair sticking out from the underside climbed up the fire escape of one building. His friend, a man with short black hair and a thick winter jacket started climbing up behind him. They reached the first floor and looked down to see no one following them. They then continued up 3 more floors and reached the top of the building. They looked around to see smoke coming from ventilators and pipes sticking up through the roof. Large blocks stick out from the roof and the moonlight shone upon some puddles covering the area. The two men proceeded along the roof and sat down in the corner of two large air ventilators. Smoke rose from the top and the one blond haired man starts to worry.
"Hey man, I don't think we shoulda done that. I've heard STORIES man!" Said the blond man.
"Don't worry, we looked back and no one was following us. We're in the clear!" replied his friend.
"But the stories man! I heard 'em from the guys who know! They tell about some big black monster that appears out of no where and just attacks you!"
"It's ok, we're safe." said his friend. Suddenly they heard a can rolling across the roof.
"WHAT WAS THAT!?" said the blond man.
"It was... probably the wind. Yeah, the wind." said his friend who was also beginning to get worried. Things began to get too quiet. Then, all of a sudden, the light shining on the two men dissapeared and they looked up not to see clouds covering to moon, but to see a dark figure standing over them in the smoke with his cape covering the light. The two men yelled and ran out of there as fast as they could. They ran across to the other side of the large roof they were on and looked back. Nothing was there. Just as they were beginning to calm down they heard something flying in the air. They turned around and just as they did the dark figure swang down from the darkness and crashed into the two men causing them to go flying across the roof and slamming into a wall.
"WHO... WHAT are you MAN!!?" cried the blond man. The dark figure stood in a shadow for a moment and then emerged. He was wearing an all black costume with a long black cape. He had a yellow utility belt on and a mask covering his face. As the two men noticed the symbol of a Crane on the dark figure's chest, he replied to their question...
"I'm Bortman."
"Oh maaaaan!" says the blond man as Bortman jumped up in the air and kicked the men down to the roof again. He picked up the brown haired man and punched him with incredible strength. He went flying across the roof and Bortman then kicked the blond haired man into another wall. He picked the blond man up by the neck and held him there dangling in the air for a few seconds.
"I want you to tell all your friends that Bortman is always watching. Don't forget it." Bortman said in a slow deep voice as he then threw the blond man across the roof with his friend. Bortman then pulled out some rope from his utility belt and tied the two men together and hung them from a flagpole on the side of the building. The clouds covered the moon once again as Bortman stood on the roof staring at the men who dangle from the pole screaming for help. The clouds leave and as the men looked up to see the man who tied them up... They saw nothing but smoke.
***
The next day in a large building in the middle of Altham, one of the cities biggest gang lords stood in his office talking to the two men who met with Bortman the previous night. "Why, why, WHY? Why is it that whenever I want a job done YOU people keep on SCREWING it up!? I send you to do a small job and you come back babbling about some guy dressed up in a halloween costume who tied you to a flag pole! What am I suppose to do with you two? You're lucky I got you out of jail. I could have left you there screaming about your monster but I didn't. And you know WHY? YOU KNOW WHY Derik?? XANDER? I'll tell you why. Because I want you two to be on my team for tonights little party going on at the chemical warehouse. We are going to pull the biggest robbery in the HISTORY of Altham city. The people will never forget the name of the Tiger after tonight. I built my empire on the money of this city and I'm not about to stop because of your... What did you call him again? Oh yes, BORTMAN. Well if I were you I'd be hoping that this BORTMAN doesn't show up tonight or else you know who I'll be feeding him first? Yeah, you two. You know he won't like the fact that your out of jail. Now get out of my face you idiots. I must plan for tonight. Nothing, can stop me. Not even Bortman."
***
Later on that day at Crayne manor, Brent Crayne sat on his couch watching the news when something interesting caught his eye.
"Last night police found two burgelars dangling from a flag pole on a building in downtown Altham. There were no suspects on who did this but the men were convicted of robbery. During their arrest they were mumbleing about something or someone called "Bortman". Could Altham have some sort of super hero on their hands? Only time will tell. Next on the news..."
Brent smiled and then called for his butler.
"Robfred! Could you get me the newspaper please?" he said.
"Yes sir, I'll fetch it for you right away." replied Robfred. Brent Crayne was one of the richest men in Altham. He owned Crayne Enterprises and his father before him owned a newspaper. The Crayne family had a rich history and were known for being the most generous people. Brent had grown up without his parents for many years and was raised by his butler, Robfred.
"Here's the paper sir." said Robfred as he returned from the kitchen. "I see you had quite the eventful night last night."
"Yes I did Robfred. Tonight though, will be quite different. I got word that someone was planning a robbery on the chemical warehouses. I'm going to have to be prepared to stop them at all costs. Nobody knows what could happen if these criminals can create a chemical weapon."
"Well sir, I would greatly appreciate it if you would come back this time without destroying the Bortmobile."
"I'll try. No guarantees though!" said Brent as he got up off the couch and walked over to the grandfather clock up against one of the walls. He opened up the glass door covering the face of the clock and moved the hands to say 4:00. A bookshelf then began moving and it opened up to reveal an elevator that went down into the undergrounds of Crayne Manor.
"I'll be back in time for dinner" said Brent as he stepped into the silver elevator and hit a button which then closed the bookshelf and went down into the darkness of Crayne Manor. Robfred then picked up the newspaper and bag of chips Brent was eating. "Kids." he said as he left the living room and went to clean up the rest of the house.
Chapter 2: Enter Bortman
Brent Crayne stood in the silver elevator as it went down into the depths of the ground. When the elevator stopped it bounced a bit and then the large doors opened. Brent stepped out into the darkness.
"Lights on." he said and as quick as he said it, big lights flooded the area and lined the thin road which a long black car sat. Brent looked around a bit and then walked into a room. He opened up a door and walked inside where he found his rows of Bortman costumes. He grabbed one, put it on and walked back into the open area. He pulled a small device from his utility belt and talked into it.
"Bortmobile on, Bortcomputer on." he said and then walked over to a massive screen which lighted up with the picture of a crane on it. Brent hit a button on the keyboard and a huge amount of information scrolled down on the screen. Brent quickly looked at it and then walked over to the Bortmobile. He hit a button on his controller and the roof slid open. Brent jumped into the car and everything lit up. The roof closed and he hit the gas. The car went whipping around the turns in the Bortcave and then he was at a long tunnel. Bortman hit full speed and was out of there and swinging around the turns outside on the forest road. In a matter of minutes the Bortmobile took him into Altham city and he was on his way to the chemical warehouses.
***
"Derik! Get your butt up here and blast this door open!" yelled Tiger to his henchman, Derik.
"Yes sir.. coming right away!" replied Derik as he climbed up the steel steps inside of the chemical warehouse. The whole building was dark with small lights shining upon the big vats of green goo. Tiger, his two henchmen Derik and Xander and about 10 other men ran around the building looking for a safe of some sort that Tiger had a feeling would be useful to him. Derik walked up to a thick steel door that Tiger had found and attached a small explosive to it. Everyone stood back and it blew the door off it's hinges. After the smoke cleared Tiger stepped inside and saw what he was looking for.
"Yes... YES! This it it!" Tiger yelled with joy. "Xander, open this safe." Xander pulled out a crow bar from his jacket and found a good spot in the corners or the safe to jam it into. He pulled and pulled with all his strength to get the door open but he couldn't make it budge.
"Idiots! I have IDIOTS working for me!" said Tiger as he pushed Xander away from the safe. Tiger grabbed the crow bar and pulled with a force that ripped the door down in a matter of seconds. Smoke started pouring out of the safe and Tiger figured it hadn't been opened in a while. He waved his hand inside the large silver box and cleared away the smoke. Tiger looked inside and saw something that made Derik and Xander scream like babies and run away.
"Hi there, I'm Bortman and this just isn't your lucky day." said Bortman from inside the safe as he grabbed a bar attached to the roof of the safe and swung out to kick Tiger into the crowd of men behind him. Bortman stepped out of the safe and picked up Tiger. He took a swing at him and sent Tiger flying out the door to the room. Bortman then grabbed one of the men in the room and threw him into the safe. He picked up the door and crashed it down ontop of the other men lying on the floor. A few of the men got up and Bortman dropped a small black ball onto the floor. It started to spray smoke into the room and nobody could see where they were going. The sounds of the men who got up being knocked back down could be heard but nothing else.
Bortman slid quietly out of the room expecting to see Tiger but he didn't see anyone. He stood there silently for a few seconds and then heard footsteps climbing up the steel stairs. He walked over to the railing and looked up. He saw Tiger running up the stairs so he pulled out of his utility belt, the Bortrope. He swung it a few times and then threw it up to the roof where it wrapped around some rafters. Bortman swung out into the open and then climbed the rope rapidly. He went up and up and caught sight of Tiger once again. He was running up the stairs and didn't see Bortman climbing the rope after him. Tiger reached the end of the line when he saw an open window just a few feet from his position. He took a run for the window and just as he was about to jump out Bortman swung from the rafters and knocked him down and over the railing of the walkway. Tiger gripped the railing with one hand as he was dangling above a large vat of the green goo.
"Help me! SAVE ME!" Yelled Tiger. His hand then slipped and then he caught onto the walkway floor. Bortman quickly reached for Tiger's hand and just as he got there Tiger slipped again. His hand let go of the walkway and he began to fall. Bortman whipped out the Bortrope again and threw it down after Tiger. It just barely attached onto his pant leg and ripped it. Tiger bounced a bit just above the green goo and could hear the ripping of his pants. The Bortrope wasn't holding and Tiger's pant leg was almost ripped down to the foot.
"Hold on! I'll pull you up!" Yelled Bortman to Tiger.
"Sorry Bortman, but it looks like the buck stops here." said Tiger just as his pant leg ripped the whole way and he went falling into the vat of green go. Bortman stood up looking down at the vat but saw no body rise to the surface. All was silent as Tiger's men started running out of the building. Xander and Derik stood behind for a few seconds and then got an idea. Derik picked up a large wrench and took a swing at a large control panel. The wrench slammed into it and steam started shooting out of pipes all around the building. The controls we going crazy and Xander took a swift kick at another machine which made it go berzerk too. They started laughing and then ran out of there with the other men. Bortman still stood up there and then heard the sound of the pipes ready to burst. He quickly went over to the open window and slid outside into the darkness.
***
Just as quick as Bortman left the chemical warehouse, Tiger's body rolled around in the sewers under the cheimcal plant. He fell down the passageways and went through tunnels. By the time he was at the end of the path, his body and face were all deformed. His skin had been turned a completely white color, his hair turned green and a big grin swept across his face. Suddenly as he was laying on the side of a small stream, he started to laugh. He laughed and laughed and laughed. He just couldn't stop laughing and he got right up after the wild ride he had just taken. He brushed himself off and walked up the hill laughing all the way. He grabbed a tree at the top of the hill and swung around it a few times laughing harder than he had ever laughed before! Then, he stopped and looked out towards Altham City. He saw the sky scrapers and lights and cars and lifted his arms up in the air as if he was reaching for the sky.
"Ohhhh yeah! Ladies and gentlemen of Altham city, I have been RE-BORN! Tomorrow will be a new day and we'll call it the day of.... The day of... Ah, the day of the JOKEGER! Hahahaha!" He laughed and laughed and ran down to the street below. He ran infront of on coming cars as they honked their horns he just looked at them and laughed. Tiger had really gone insane and he had a plan brewing in his head for the destruction of the one who made him this way... Bortman.
***
The next day the sun was shining in through the windows of Crayne Manor and Brent Crayne got up for the day and sat down in the kitchen as Robfred gave him his breakfast. Brent turned on the television to catch the mornings news.
"Last night, Comissioner Timo and the police of Altham were baffled by what they found in the chemical warehouses in downtown Altham. A large safe had been broken into and the area looked like a fight had broken out. Nothing was stolen thanks to someone who got there before the police. Whoever you are, the people of Altham thank you. Next on the news, a man was killed last night in his laboratory at Altham university. Professor Any Cool was killed when something went wrong in an experiment and his lab exploded. No other casulties were reported but the body of Any Cool has yet to be found..."
"Your scrambled eggs sir." said Robfred as he placed the plate of eggs infront of Brent.
"Thank you Robfred." repiled Brent as he shut off the television and ate his eggs. Just as he was about to scoop some good breakfast into his mouth someone rang at the door.
"I'll get that sir." Said Robfred as he walked out of the kitchen and down the hall to the front door. Brent heard Robfred open the door and then the voice of a lady. He got up quick, wiped his mouth off and ran out to greet his girlfriend for a day of shopping.
***
The day so far seemed to be going well for Brent Crayne but later on that night things took a turn for the worse as Derik and Xander plotted together about what to do without Tiger.
"Man, what are we gonna do!? We got nothing without him and sooner or later that Bortman thing has to find us!" said Derik in a scared voice.
"Well, we can just hide out here at home base. Bortman will never find us here!" Replied Xander.
"I'm not so sure about that." said a voice coming from the shadows of Tiger's office. "From what I've seen this Bortman is a pretty quick guy." The voice started to sound like someone Derik thought he knew.
"Oh, c'mon guys! You know who this is. ha ha ha ha ha! It's ME! Tiger!" Said the man as he stepped out of the shadow and into the light. He was now wearing a purple jacket with red tie and green shirt. His lips were bright red and smile was up to his ears.
"Tiger, MAN! We thought you were like dead! Hey, what happened to your FACE!?" said Xander with a shocked expression.
"Heh heh heh, I guess you noticed. Well boys, I thought it was time for a change. When I went through that green crap it CHANGED me! I'm a changed man now. Here, smell my flower, Xander." he said as he moved over to Xander. He reached inside his jacket as Xander was bending down to smell the flower and sprayed his face with some liquid.
"Ow! My face man! MY FACE! WHAT DID YOU DO!? AHHHH!!" Yelled Xander who was in lots of pain.
"Oh it's just a little concoction I like to call PURE ACID!" Tiger said as he broke out in laughter. Xander then lay on the floor holding his face in his hands.
"You know, It's times like this that I wish I had a camera." Said Tiger again as he started to pick up Xander. He grabbed him by the collar and sat the boy down in his chair.
"Xander, buddy, pal, it was good workin with ya but now that I look at my watch... Your time is UP!" exclaimed Tiger. "You see, it's quarter to 1... 2... 3!!" just as he said three his watch face opened up and a large boxing glove poped out and slammed Xander in the face. He went rolling across the floor on the chair and was heading right for the window. Just before he could go shooting out Tiger grabbed the back of the chair.
"Oh please! You thought I'd really let you go like THAT!?" Yelled Tiger as Xander looked out in fear while still holding his face.
"Well Xander, you don't know me too well. The way I like to do things is clean, and to the point. That's why I'm keeping the chair." said Tiger as he started cracking up again and picked Xander up off the chair and threw him out the window from the 13th floor. Xander went flying down to the ground and hit the sidewalk right infront of an old lady walking by with her groceries. "Whoa! That was close! Almost nailed the old lady! I'll have to make sure I time it better next time. How about we fix that Derik?" he said as he looked in Derik's direction and laughed.
"I'm just kidding buddy. I always knew you were my main man. That's why I'm promoting you to SIDEKICK!"
"Uh, thanks boss." said Derik in a worried manner. "So what are we gonna do now Tiger?"
"Well first of all lets stop with the TIGER thing. From now on it's THE JOKEGER! Unless you wanna end up like Xander I'd suggest you don't forget that."
"Yes sir Mr. Jokeger sir."
"And for seconds, lets get rid of that thorn in my side that I like to call BORTMAN! He killed me once and I think it's time for some PAYBACK!"
"Sure boss, but how are we gonna find him?"
"Oh we're not gonna find HIM. HE's gonna find US! Listen up my boy and you may pick up a few pointers." Jokeger said as he broke out laughing once again and pulled some pins out of his pocket. He threw them on the floor and then went running around the office singing.