This is not the romantic Victorian metropolis we’ve come to know at the end of our 19th Century. Rather, it is a steampunk world that H.G. Wells or Jules Verne would have imagined.
The last fifty years have brought advancements in just about every aspect of human endeavor. The world has harnessed the might of steel and the power of steam. Men have conquered the skies, the seas and energies never dreamed imagined. It should be a time of peace and great celebration. But as the world’s technology progresses, so does the vermin that infest and prey upon the weak. People can no longer live free or without fear. Pirates, crime bosses and gangs now control London and other capital cities throughout the world. And, the infestation is spreading.
They strike from the air with their powerful lighter-than-air warships and descend upon the cities of the world without warning. They attack our ports with ships of iron, which can submerge beneath the waves, free from any counterstrikes. Governments promise protection, however the underworld juggernaut have placed many of their puppets within the ruling class and pay them to look the other way at these raids.
So, I seek vengeance for the cities that we have lost…but not without a price. My life as Lieutenant Colonel Brenden Winter of Her Majesty’s Secret Intelligence Service is gone forever. I have faked my death, so the ones I love cannot be harmed by my actions. My dear wife Emily and my son Jon, who recently just reached the fine age of eleven, have been grieving my passing for close to a year. However, I have made arrangements, through secret trust funds, to give them both a comfortable life.
I have been reborn to protect them and others like them. I am now Dr. Heywood Atkinson, local physician in East Finchley, North London. My modest offices overlook St. Pancras Cemetery, not that this is any sign of my medical abilities. However, I can now hide in plain sight and plan the destruction of these evil organizations.
I am not alone in my mission. Colleagues, friends and agents throughout the city, who share this taste of freedom, have pledged to fight these criminals at every turn. Our resistance is growing. Together, we have made unity our armor and technology our weapon.
Deep below the sacred grounds of St. Pancras we have constructed a base of operations, the likes of which I am sure, that even our enemies would be quite jealous. Battle armor able to withstand any bullet, volta-blades capable of slicing through the thickest iron and chemicals with the ability to melt human flesh are but some of the defensive munitions we have created. Our enemies have seen the wrath of this weaponry and we are bringing the might of this decisive destruction to their very steps.
So, I have chosen to live in the shadows and to wear a mask of an avenger. My armor and weapons are but a prototype for a series of outfits that will give the resistance an edge, the likes of which our enemies have never seen.
I have become the city…every street, every alley, every shadow. I am both protector and executioner.
They fear me, and, they have renamed me. They call me…The Archangel.
