We left our jobs as teachers as soon as the last bell sounded and we headed home to prepare for Hurricane Wilma. There were many silent prayers and verbal wishes for safe passage and school cancellations. Hurricane breaks are like snow days in Miami, and students and teachers alike were hoping for a few days off. 

As part of my storm preparations, I always pick up some new cards to play with from the local comic shop. Since the Justice League of America set was not yet available, I started digging through three large boxes of assorted clearance-priced stuff. I found a gem—a full set of DC Vertigo trading cards from ten years ago. Nina and I both fell in love with Shade, The Changing Man immediately. We decided to use his cards as prizes in our private Vs. System hurricane tournament. We played a Shiny Purple format using Wild Vomit versus Curve Sentinels. She trounced me six games straight, even when we switched decks. We played until we fell asleep.

All of Miami knew that this was the day to make final preparations for Hurricane Wilma. Nina and I spent the daylight hours in the local trailer parks helping to secure shutters and stockpile supplies. When the sun went down and everyone was set, we returned home and resumed our hurricane tournament. I gained some ground by winning a few games with Senator Kelly, but she still held a 9–6 match advantage.

I start my Sundays by waking at dawn to write these articles. With a dangerous hurricane bearing down on our city just days before Halloween, I was more inspired than ever. I had a vision of a Halloween Party alternate Vs. System format. I poured it into the computer. I shared some ideas with the community on the forums to solidify the concept. I revised and finished the article and sent it in before Hurricane Wilma had a chance to cut our power. Three hours later, the storm hit us hard.

We learned, once again, to be careful what we wish for. School had indeed been cancelled, but the destruction from the storm was unexpectedly brutal. Nina and I woke to a green dawn of bursting power transformers and howling winds. Every one of our windows shrieked like the ring wraiths that hunted Frodo Baggins. The howling lasted all day. We live on the fifth floor of a six-story condominium, and we watched in anxious wonder as another fifth-floor home caught a roofing tile from the other side of the lake. The flying hunk of clay hit our neighbor’s sliding glass door at over one hundred miles per hour, and then Wilma was inside their home. Luckily, the residents of the damaged apartment had evacuated the day before, so no one was injured. We watched for hours as the storm ripped trees from their roots in the concrete and turned our city into a wasteland. Nina and I were safe, and the only damage we received was a bit of rain under the windows. We had no electricity and it was unsafe to travel streets full of snapped power poles and broken trees. We made sure all our family, friends, and neighbors were okay; everyone made it through in one piece. We resumed our Shiny Purple tournament by candlelight while we listened to the news on a portable radio. We finally collapsed, exhausted, well after midnight. The score was now tied at twelve games apiece.

School was cancelled for the entire week. Celebrations would have been in order, except for the fact that over three million homes were without power and had suffered heartbreaking losses. Of the 2,600 traffic lights in Miami-Dade County, only eighteen survived. A controlled chaos took over our city as we started the recovery process. With our friends and family all safe and secure, Nina and I decided to leave the scene and enjoy our unplanned Halloween break in and around Orlando. Since the Justice League of America Sneak Preview tournament in our area was surely going to be postponed, I would still be able to play with the new cards! We made our way north and settled in for a few days of fun and family.

We woke in the late afternoon, finally fully rested from the storm. We visited our daughter and son-in-law in Titusville. We played with clay the rest of the day, then went to a famous local restaurant for the specialty of the house, fried mullet. That night was the first time in three days that I had access to Vs. System information, and I saw my own preview of Scarecrow, Fearmonger online for the first time. I checked in quickly at VsRealms.com to tell everyone I was alright, and then I went to sleep.

Nina and I went over to Winter Park to paint a mural on our niece’s wall. I had online access again, and the Justice League of America FAQ had just been released. Mike “MadTitanFan” Jiles had posted a thrilling idea involving John Stewart, Emerald Architect and Ultra-Humanite. I was getting really excited about the Sneak Preview, but our friends in Fort Lauderdale needed our help. Gasoline was impossible to obtain, and their generators were running low. We made plans to deliver some relief fuel on Friday.

We drove from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale and then back again to attend the Justice League of America Sneak Preview tournament on Saturday.

The day had finally arrived! I was on pins and needles in nervous wonder about the possibilities of the first Vs. System Dr. Fate card. I was not disappointed. Although I did not pull the card, Dr. Fate holds my new favorite artwork of all the Vs. System cards ever printed. I actually like it better than Koriand’r ◊ Starfire. I had a fabulous tournament and I took excellent notes, but I am out of time for this week.

I started writing at dawn, then drove back to Titusville to type this on my daughter’s computer. It seems good to me. I hope you enjoyed the ride. Tune in next Monday for my Sneak Preview tournament report. I need to lie down now.

Rian Fike is also known as stubarnes in the VsRealms.com community. If you have some wild wonderful weather stories to share, give him a shout at rianfike@hattch.com.