Arrow Hawk: Birth of the Hockey Avengers

A good fifteen minutes later, the robots are finally defeated. Portal and Red Wing are still missing but the successful heroes gather together by the platform.

Arrow Hawk and Sabrebow high-five one another and slap an annoyed-looking Chaos on the back. Zvezda elbows Arrow Hawk and scolds him. Scorpion and Star Vision watch them, amused. Iceshot stands flexing and playing around with his ice powers on the palm of his hand. Showtime and Captain Blackhawk are still batting their eyelashes at one another.

“Good work heroes, and a huge thanks to Gabe and Vladdy for coming. Where's John though?” Zvezda commends, curiously.

“He vanished with Red Wing—” Captain Blackhawk remarks.

A loud scream echoes toward them. And then Portal suddenly appears by the group. Red Wing isn't with him.

“John, where's Red Wing?” Zvezda asks.

“Lost him. He slipped from my grasp as I was teleporting. I tried to get back here as soon as possible. I'm sorry.” Portal dips his head.

Zvezda steps over to him and pats his shoulder. “It's okay, at least you helped CB out.”

“Yeah, thanks man. I was starting to feel exhausted from all the fury I felt.” Captain Blackhawk combs Showtime’s curly blond locks with his fingers. “I owe ya one, buddy.”

Portal nods but he faces Zvezda, still looking spooked. “Also, I ran into another guy...”

“Who?” Zvezda questions.

“Me.”

Zvezda turns to look at the platform and spots someone who resembles a doppelganger of Mister Sinister. He has a red glowing diamond shape mark in the middle of his forehead. He is in all black and red and it is like the NHL has produced a villain prototype for the Blackhawk. Out of his tight-fitting black vest's sleeves, he has a pair of midnight black wings.

This is Thomas Vanek or Vanek.

“Eric Strum?” She instinctively balls her fingers up to the sides of her.

“More like a reincarnated Thomas Vanek!” Captain Blackhawk curls one of his wings around Showtime, who shoves it away and gives his boyfriend a glare. The blond raises his hockey stick up at ready.

“Jonny Boy's got it. I'm Vanek, but I had to take on Strum's appearance. I think I like it, it's much more...me. I was always just known as the "brains" guy of the Legend of Doom, but this new look makes me look like so much more! Now I'm a leader...and I'm going to end the NHL once and for all.”

“Like hell you are!” Chaos snaps, planting his feet firmly on the ground and getting ready to shoot off some of his “chaos”, which is his ambient energy conversion and plasma emanation.

“Oh look another blondie...and a Russian no less. You should calm down, Chaos...” Vanek puts his finger to his head. Chaos instantly relaxes and drops his head. “Good boy, Vladdy.” He smirks and drops his arm.

“How did you escape the pit? You were trapped under the rink...” Zvezda inquires, standing tense and at ready.

The villain faces her, looking calm and casual. He is unafraid and a little cocky. “Well actually, I was the only one to escape. When the rink closed up, I used my ice powers - kinda like Landy Ice Boy there - to get out and escape. I made it seem like I was dead. But I hid in the bench and let you all think you'd won. But I walked out and took on a disguise. Meanwhile, I plotted my revenge and came across Justin Abdelkader and Derek Dorsett, two willing subjects to help me out. We were able to meet up...and we gained powers. I took on Strum's identity, including his powers and appearance. So, I don't have my ice powers anymore...but I'm much stronger.”

Showtime scoffs, “I can see that you have the telepathy.”

“And you appear to have changed as well...my how different you are now Patrick Kane, much braver and feistier.” Vanek glowers at the blond, who raises his stick up as a response. Lower your hockey stick, Kanerboo. You can't hurt me. I have power over you. Showtime lowers the stick, blinking. Vanek grins. “It's not just telepathy I have, as you might remember, I also now possess telekinesis and can teleport, just like Portal there. How traumatized are you from our little run-in, Tavy?”

Portal frowns at the villain. Zvezda is shocked. How has he been able to get Strum's powers? There is something he isn't telling them. And it isn't exactly good.

Vanek has become a copy of Eric Strum, a genetically altered human with superhuman physical and mental abilities. He has the ability of flight as well as telepathy, which he is able to use to manipulate the minds of others in various ways and is capable of energy projection through telekinesis. He can also exhibit the ability to teleport. And as he is already developed and strengthened with his powers, he learns that he can regenerate and be virtually immune to injuries, which help him to remain quite immortal (he has a form of Injury Immunity).

Vanek has always been crafty and shifty and similar to the Riddler. He is never known for possessing any spectacular powers, however he is extremely smart with plans and creating strategies. Though he did manage to possess one power: the power of ice through cryokinesis. He could freeze people, like he'd been able to freeze Kaleta in place during the great battle in Russia (when Jonny had first gotten his powers), but unfortunately his power did not work on the heroes. He was regularly used for plans and schemes instead.

Sure he's always longed to be more than just the guy with the "brains", he wants to be apart of the plan. He wants more action, craves it, wanted to try out his ice powers and not just be the brains behind the operations.

But Vanek had been called on to handle Black Hawk and look into her, while Strum helped out. He was promised that if he worked hard, he's be rewarded the chance to be a part of his own plan. And that was enough for him.

But now...now he is just as he had said, more powerful. And he's apparently recruited Justin Abdelkader to be Red Wing and Derek Dorsett to be Canuck.

“Why did you capture Val and Nikita?” Zvezda snaps.

Vanek faces her. “That was all Quick Save and Canuck's doing. And Red Wing sent the robots. Did you have fun?”

“That's not an answer!”

“Careful sweetheart, if you tempt me enough, I can always make you regret it.”

“Try taking on all of us then. You may be powerful, but you were never smart and you still aren't. You're not the brains, you're pathetic!”

“So, you're going to tempt me, huh?”

“Hockey Avengers, now! Attack!”

Vanek smirks as Star Vision and Chaos blast their energy at the villain, while Iceshot shoots ice at him. Zvezda joins them by blasting him with her cosmic energy. Scorpion whips his guns out and begins shooting at him. Captain Blackhawk blows fire at him, once again fueled by his anger (but it is controlled enough that he doesn't transform). Arrow Hawk and Sabrebow shoot arrows at him and Showtime raises his stick up, with Portal standing at his side. They stop and see that Vanek is still standing there, cackling.

“Good try. There's something you forgot though...I can heal!” Vanek sneers.

With that he brings his arms up at his sides and uses his telekinesis powers. He lifts up robot and car and street debris and then flicks his hands inward so that they fly at the heroes.

Portal moves quickly and is able to teleport everyone to safety...

Notes

Next up: Hockey Avengers, Retreat!