F.L.A.G Revealed!

“Freedom, Liberty, and Glory!”

Chances are that if you have been up to no-good in the greater Metropolis area lately, this was the last thing you heard before falling under an onslaught of red, white, and blue fury.  For weeks now, reports have been coming in of costumed adventurers all decked out in star-spangled long johns thwarting crime across both Metropolis and Gotham City.  Even as recent as this weekend, The Daily Planet broke a story concerning their activities on Gorilla Island.

For many readers (we do read your comments) their actions have been seen as an intrusion into the caped-community by the United States government.  Some just aren’t sure what to think.  Info has been scarce and opinions have been plentiful, until now.  Yesterday, this Daily Planet reporter—after a rigorous security check—was granted a brief interview with three of the founders of this mysterious new group.

I arrived at the corner where the meet was supposed to occur a little suspicious and more than skeptical, but also very curious to find out more about F.L.A.G..  After feeling as though I were being watched for several minutes a ghastly apparition materialized in front of me.  Introducing himself as the Ghostly Avenger he ordered me to relax in a cold-gasping-tone and in what felt like seconds we were somewhere in the sublevels of what felt like an old building in the Midtown District.  This is at best a guess as I was subjected to a “mental block” by the telepathic F.L.A.G. Operative during my transport from the meeting spot to the site of the interview.

The room was nondescript.  Blank walls, very bright lights, and a table with four chairs were the only accoutrements to be seen.  I turned to my escort, a question poised at the end of my lips, only to find him gone.  A little uncomfortable I paced along the wall.  After a brief wait a screeching metal door on the far side of the room opened up, bathing the small space in even brighter light as three more figures stepped across the threshold.

Working for a major newspaper in a place like Metropolis you see a lot of capes; but right off the bat something struck me as different about the three red, white, and blue figures that walked into the room.  I immediately recognized them from the previous piece we had run about their involvement in preventing the Gorilla Missile Crisis.

At first glance Rick Tacular was the dominating physical presence.  He stood shoulders above the rest, but I quickly sensed in his gait and posture that he is of a jovial nature in spite of the raw power at his command.  Air Force was the calm and cool one of the three—this is not a man to be trifled with—serious to the core; and then there was Soldier.  Even as he extended his hand to meet mine in a sincere greeting he asked me to be seated in a manner both commanding and kind.  I made note of his world-weary blue eyes as he removed his blue eye-wear, motioning for the unoccupied chair behind me.  I complied, turning on my digital recorder.

The Daily Planet: “Gentlemen, thank you on behalf of The Daily Planet and the citizenry of Metropolis for granting this interview.  I know we have a lot of curious people who are anxious to learn more about F.L.A.G..”

(Soldier had a genuine smile, albeit a small one, on his face as he began to speak.)

Soldier: “We appreciate the opportunity to clear the air on a few important matters.  It’s important to us that the citizenry understand who we are and what we’re all about.”

DP: “Alright then, let’s get right to it.  The question that’s on everyone’s mind lately has been about the nature of your involvement with the federal government.  Is F.L.A.G. a government sponsored super group?”

Rick Tacular: “Let me say, unequivocally and clearly, that F.L.A.G. is not affiliated with, sanctioned or sponsored by the United States government in any capacity.  We are a wholly independent group.  If and when we were to work with the government it would be because our goals overlapped.  We are dedicated to freedom from tyranny, liberty with responsibility, all for the glory of our fellow Man.”

S:  “It’s true.  Our charter clearly states, ‘It is in the hopeful pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness for all within our reach that we guard against all enemies to the these hallowed virtues –for when the citizenry fails to guard the nation, the republic itself will no longer be an indivisible force for Freedom, Liberty, and Glory!’”

DP:  “Then why the overtly military inspired code-names?  You have to realize that with handles like Soldier and Air Force people inherently assume the connection.  Soldier, by definition, means direct involvement with a military branch.”

Air Force: “You want someone to perform a job with precision? Without making an error? You want a Soldier. The Air Force. Next question.”

S:  “That is true, but soldier also means one who champions a cause or has military experience and skill.  We don’t time right now to get into all the details, but the name Soldier best embodies what and who I am.”

DP:  “So, if you’re not ran by, affiliated with, or sanctioned by the U.S. government why use the patriotic lingo?”

RT:  “The government itself is not always patriotic, per se. We wear the red, white, and blue for the U.S. and its people, not for the bureaucrats and politicians.  We at F.L.A.G. are all-inclusive.”

DP:  “I’ve seen several of your various members in action now.  It seems to be a fairly diverse group.  Do you give preferential treatment or require applicants to adhere to a certain patriotic sentiment?”

RT:  “We have ex-military, Native Americans, aliens, and even spectral entities in our group.  Everyone is welcome if they believe we all can make the world a better place by adhering to the basic tenements of F.L.A.G..”

DP:  “What about the rumors that you have children on your roster?  It has been confirmed that at least one teenage girl has been seen with your allies.”

S:  “In order for someone to join our active roster they must submit to a rigorous series of tests in order to prove their control, resolve, and ability to handle the dangers that come with the job.  We don’t send ‘children’ into battle, however, we do help young adults channel their abilities in a constructive manner and provide them with instruction and protection as they develop.”

RT:  “F.L.A.G. is family and kid-friendly.  We have a few married couples, and my own family, on the active roster.  The teenager you refer to is my daughter.  We do have a kid's program that helps teach them to use their powers responsibly, my daughter’s a part of that group.”

DP:  “You guys go into some pretty intense situations.  There are rumors floating around about some of your operatives and their methodology.  Specifically you, Air Force, recently you have come under direct fire from the media about possible placement as a ‘government assassin’.  What do you have to say about that?”

AF:  “You want to know if they're true or not... the stories about me. Did you ever notice with stories like that, everyone says they heard it from someone who was there. But then when you ask ‘that’ person, they say ‘they’ heard it from someone who was there. It's nothing new, really. I bet if you went back two thousand years, you'd hear a couple of centurions standing around, yakking about how Tertius lopped off the heads of some Carthaginian prisoners.”

S:  “Look at the circumstances surrounding our development as a team.  We came together in a time when we were needed most.  The Justice League, Justice Society, and Teen Titans were stretched thin.  Brainiac had just invaded, heroes were popping up all over because of the Exobyte Event, but so were villains.  Just because someone gains these incredible abilities doesn’t mean they are automatically a hero.  We are, we’re here to be a hero team.  We’re here to stand up and defend the nation, and the world, from all threats—regardless of their origins.”

DP:  “So what you’re saying is that the ends justify the means?”

S:  “What I’m saying is that F.L.A.G. came together in a time of war and invasion.  Our brave compatriots gathered to stand against an impossible threat and we’re still here.  We’re not here to dictate justice, we exist to preserve it.”

RT:  “We want to inspire and protect the innocent, not frighten them.  Our end is peace and the betterment of all mankind.”

S:  “Look, think about our name, F.L.A.G..  It’s more than just an acronym we thought up one day when we were trying to come up with something to put on our letterhead . . .”

DP:  “Wait, you have stationary?”

S:  “. . . ahem, a flag more than anything else is a symbol that people rally to in a fight for a given cause.  That’s what we are.  That’s what we embody.  That’s what we represent.  We’re a militia of citizen soldiers—citizens first, soldiers second.  In the Revolutionary War it was the militia that changed the course of the war—in the two centuries since that great conflict not a lot has changed.  When push comes to shove it is the everyday citizen that must ultimately decide the fate of all the ideals our forefathers fought to protect.  The only difference is that we have traded in our muskets and bayonets for meta-human abilities, some of us have done so at great personal cost.”

AF: “We've fought bravely, proudly for our country. We're a special group. We've found in one another a bond, which exists only in combat, among brothers. We've seen death and suffered together. I'm proud to serve with each and every one of them.”

DP: “Preliminary statistics are showing an incredible excess of exobytes in our atmosphere.  Clearly not everyone among the populace that has been affected has decided to follow in your footsteps and fight the good fight.  Why do it?  Help them, help me understand.”

RT:  “Because I can, I have the ability and it’s the right thing to do.  I fight and do what I can for those who can’t, or even won’t.  Just because others won’t doesn’t mean I shouldn’t.”

AF:  “When all is said and done and I go home people'll ask me, ‘Hey, why do you do it man? What, you some kinda war junkie?’ You know what I'll say? I won't say a damn word. Why? They won't understand. They won't understand why we do it. They won't understand that it's about the men next to you, and that's it. That's all it is.”

DP:  “Some groups that have been popping up lately seem to be adorned in matching costumes, but not you guys.  Why is that?”

RT:  (laughs) “I've tried to get our members to adopt a singular uniform for the League, which has, to date failed.  And yet, that's what F.L.A.G. stands for: individual freedom and liberty.  So, it all works out perfectly, regardless of my meddling.”

S:  “Those within F.L.A.G. who choose to adorn the red, white, and blue do so with pride; but in a League which, at its core, is all about liberty—a dress code seems counter-productive.”

AF:  “Plus no one could get Overcast to wear red pants.”

(Laughter, which was interrupted by a beep.  Soldier silenced it, pressing a button on his gauntlet.)

At this point Soldier stood to his feet—Rick and Air Force following suit.

S:  “I’m sorry son, but duty calls.  I hope, with your help, people will better understand what F.L.A.G. is here to do.”

DP:  “Thanks for your time.  Do you guys have a card or a website if I have any further questions?  How can I reach you?”

As I asked the last question Rick and Air Force disappeared through the blinding white light, exiting through a door I never saw open.  Soldier looked at me with a half-grin and chuckled.  As he did, the room around me—which I had assumed to be an interrogation room disappeared.  I squinted from the sudden change in my environment.  I was standing on the roof of the old building in Little Bohemia that The Daily Planet had been working out of ever since Brainiac bottled our building in the initial invasion.

Another question formed on my lips, but before I could speak Soldier winked at me and disappeared over the edge of the thirty-story building in a streak of red, white, and blue—the illusory Ghostly Avenger in his wake.