In the sub-sub-basement of Toronto Maple Leafs Tower there is a 420,000,000 BTU boiler. If you want to look behind this boiler you’d need to stand so close that the heat would start to singe your skin. If you can bear that long enough to search the ground you will find a small red button that can be reached with a toe. If you push this button, the wall behind the boiler will open revealing a well-lit stairwell leading down. If you manage to navigate past all the dead ends and traps to the bottom of the stairwell you will find Kyle Dubas sitting in front of a large bank of computer monitors displaying the empty streets of Toronto at night.

The central monitor is the largest, showing three shadowy figures standing on the beach by the lakeshore. A light flashes three times from the water. The shadowy figures flash their own light twice in response.

“Dion, it looks like the ship is about to come in.” Kyle speaks through a headset that transmits directly to a small ear piece mounted in Dion Phaneuf’s helmet. “They are on the beach about a kilometer east of the ferry dock at Queens Quay.

“Great.” Dion says. He has been circling above the city for hours waiting for the American smuggler’s shipment to arrive. They’ve been selling guns to several rival street gangs in the city and using their influence to start conflicts between their customers. That stops tonight.

Dion spots the smugglers from high above right where Kyle said they would be. He dives down headfirst at them, adding his own power to gravity’s force. At the last possible instant he kicks his feet around and lands with a meteoric impact. The shockwave knocks the five smugglers off their feet. The two who were pulling their boat ashore splash into the water. One of these smugglers is first to his feet. He takes one look at The Captain in his suit and flees. Before Dion can pursue, two of the three from the beach rush The Captain with knives drawn. Their attack is coordinated and deadly, showing years of training and battle together. They don’t even get close.

Dion sidesteps a thrust to his belly and lashes out with his elbow, shattering the attackers extended forearm. With his other hand he catches the wrist that would have delivered a slash to his neck.  His grip breaks bone but he twists hard to break the arm further. The Captain’s roundhouse kick catches both broken armed smugglers in the head sending their unconscious bodies sailing through the air to knock down their comrade who had been slower to recover.

The other smuggler in the water clears her pistol and aims. Dion is on the beach in front of her as she looks down her sight, but he is behind her before she can pull the trigger. As gently as he can, The Captain bonks her on the head knocking her unconscious. Dion carries her to the beach and casually tosses her on top of the other knocked out smugglers. Only then does he notice that the fourth smuggler is not down. The bullet hits The Captain right on the heart and bounces off his armour with no effect.

Dion is angry. Elisha always knows when he gets shot, and she hates it. Before the smuggler can fire again Dion rushes forward and twists his head completely around.

The fight is over so quickly Kyle barely has time to process what he has seen. As always watching The Captain in action is a dreadful and awesome experience. As a reflexive compulsion Kyle mutters under his breath as though the words were a spell. And maybe words do hold the power to create.

“Dear God and Lord Stanley, thank you for bringing us together here in Toronto and please help Steven Stamkos find his way home.” The sigh he lets out is more of a release from tension than an expression of any frustration.  “What now Captain? You should probably kill all of them.” Dion makes no move. There is only silence and the water gently lapping the shore. “You can’t just leave them for the cops. They’ll tell stories man.”

“It teaches them.” Dion answers. With both hands he grabs his lower jaw and pulls. With a grisly grinding his mouth stretches until it extends below his bellybutton. An endless star scape fills The Captains maw. Awkwardly he drops the smugglers corpse into the gaping void and his jaw slams shut with a wet snap. Kyle knows to protect himself from the horrible sound.

“The fifth smuggler is still on foot. He is running North. I see three options. A: You chase and capture him. B: Follow him to his secret base and stake the place out for a bit, so we can finally have some useful intel on these guys. C: Forget about all this stuff and just be Dion. You got shot tonight man. Elisha’s going to be pissed. Besides, training camp starts in two days.”

“That would be A.” Dion says. Then he leaps several hundred meters into the sky.

Flying low Dion spots the smuggler running along the dimly lit streets. Ahead The Captain finds an alley to land in and as the smuggler runs past he grabs him and pulls him into the darkness. Dion is about to speak when he notices that he accidentally knocked the smuggler out. He drops the body and pulls a small spray-paint can from his boot heel. He sprays a blue ‘C’ on the wall and secures the smuggler before he takes off into the night.

Kyle does not need to be told to contact the authorities and the police have been dispatched before Dion has landed at his secluded gazebo in the park grounds behind Toronto Maple Leaf Tower. He removes his gloves, mask, and helmet first and takes a long sip from his beer fountain. He removes the rest of his armour and hides his Captain suit in some tall grasses. This is unnecessary. No one would intrude on Dion’s sanctuary. The habit of secrecy is not easily broken.

For the remainder of the night The Captain meditates naked in his gazebo. The chill in the September air eases his muscles. As he sits and breathes his mind wanders to the things he loves the most. Elisha. Justice. Hockey. As the sun rises he dresses in his everyday workout sweats. He does a few laps around the park ground at full speed before heading to the practice facility. Keeping his abilities hidden will be the hardest part of the day, as always. Dion loves the challenge. To bring his super human speed and strength to the ice would not just sully the game he loves. It would separate him from his brother Maple Leafs. This is not an option.

Dion is at the gym two hours before the informal practice is scheduled to begin. He is not the least bit surprised to see he is the last to arrive. Every man on the roster and several hopefuls are already working hard. With a smile Dion finds an empty weight station and gets to work.