| As a soldier in Vietnam, Tyler saw
the horrors of war first-hand and encountered all of the brutal tricks of
rebels fighting a superior adversary. He came to understand that resolve
and determination are greater weapons than B-52's and Agent Orange. He saw
the jungles pounded with tons of bombs. He saw comrades die from snipers
and pungee sticks and he learned the ways of rebellion. He came to see that
wars go on for no apparent reason and that they end for surprising and
inexplicable reasons.
After the fall of Saigon he
was discharged but found that civilian life held no challenges for him. He
tried looking up war buddies and found them burned out and trapped in menial
jobs, which demeaned them in body and spirit. The world had moved on and
left him - but he was determined to catch up!
Traveling to Mexico he made
contact with a mercenary organization, which he found to be surprisingly
well armed and financed. For ten times what he made as an American soldier,
he became a warrior for hire in the bitterest battles in Central and South
America.
It was here that he first
encountered Donovan, the camera-toting journalist. At first Tyler was amused
by the reporter, a man who fought with words and pictures as his weapons.
What Tyler lacked was the sophistication to realize that Donovan's stories
could cause political ripples capable of affecting even hired mercenaries.
Tyler found himself paid off and escorted out of El Salvador. He crossed
the border back into the country and joined the rebels, at a sadly reduced
rate of compensation, determined to undermine the health and well-being of
his former employers. It was unprofessional to mix business with a personal
vendetta but in this case he chose to make an exception. He saw Donovan once
more and they exchanged words, each attacking the other's chosen profession.
He called Donovan a professional bleeding heart and they were on the verge
of putting down their respective tools of the trade to engage in a more personal
combat when the U.S. backed government forces attacked. Tyler decided to
settle up with Donovan after the war, knowing that no matter what the reporter
wrote, the rebels had better things to do than read American newspapers.
He expected the conflict to be over soon, as Central American wars seldom
last long. Something would give.
Then the Visitors arrived.
Suddenly worldwide attention was focused upwards and political intrigue cooled
while people wondered what the super beings would bring to: 1) unseat the
repressive ruling class or 2) crush the nagging efforts of revolutionaries
who were interfering with the struggling commerce of an emerging nation.
The Visitors made their intentions clear soon enough when their ships began
picking up any stray humans they could find, no matter their political
affiliation, and spiriting them away.
News of the first blow of the
resistance in the U.S. was carried on short wave transmitters and Tyler knew
that in a war of global scale, he'd be a free agent working for himself on
home soil. He was less than thrilled to discover that the rebels were led
by Mike Donovan, his old nemesis. Their long-delayed bout came to a head,
with Donovan just managing a victory. Tyler respected that, if not Donovan's
unrealistically slow and careful plans. Donovan wanted to win without any
loss of human life, which Tyler knew was impossible. Tyler understood that
in battle one had to cut one's losses and add up the casualties later. Donovan
refused to accept any casualties as being a planned ingredient in an attack.
Tyler reluctantly followed orders, proving that his cruel methods were more
often near the mark.
When the war with the Visitors
seemed to be won, Tyler went into private security, running his own company.
Nathan Bates hired him to free Diana but Tyler agreed only if he could have
her when Bates was finished. Tyler's hatred of Diana demanded only one price
- her torture and execution at his hands. But Bates played Tyler for a fool
and when Diana escaped, Tyler vowed revenge on Bates although he never revealed
his role in freeing Diana and turning her over to Bates. He knew that the
resistance wouldn't understand. Tyler felt personally humiliated and vowed
to kill Bates.
When Bates was finally killed
in a Visitor attack, Tyler felt that it was time to move on to other cities
where the resistance needed more help than it did in Los Angeles. The U.S.
had largely become a lawless zone where the weak fell prey to the powerful,
and the powerful often collaborated with the Visitors - a situation Tyler
could not tolerate. So with Chris Faber, they headed to Chicago escorting
Robin Maxwell and Elizabeth the Star Child to a free zone. Ham presumably
now works with the Chicago Resistance. |
