AFTER THE CRUCIBLE # 4

"Crossing the River"

By Barry Reese

CRUSADERS ROLL-CALL : Shield, Jaguar, Fly, American Shield and Steel Sterling

Classic superhero fun for the whole family!

WHAT HAS COME BEFORE : While the evil Brain Emperor continues to bide his time, the mighty Crusaders journeyed to Atlanta, Georgia to investigate a powerful new drug plaguing the Southeast. While attending a rock and roll festival, the Crusaders met the mysterious Caregiver, who has pumped the American Shield full of a drug called Kel, which is made from the blood of something called a Star Spawn. Now, the Crusaders must fight one of their own!

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHT

The American Shield backhanded Jaguar fiercely, sending a spray of blood from her lip. "Accept the vision, Champions. The Star-Spawn are ascending!"

The Fly blinked in anger and fear as his wife fell to the ground. "Uh-oh. Something tells me this isn't going to be fun at all.... You okay, honey?"

Jaguar gratefully accepted the Fly's hand as he helped her to her feet. "I'm fine -- better than he's going to be when I'm finished with him!"

The Fly tried to restrain her, but failed. Over the years, she'd gotten more and more feral -- there were times during their banishment* that he feared she'd lose her humanity altogether. He watched as she circled the American Shield, her lips drawn back in a snarl. Be careful, Maria. Don't let the Jaguar control you, you control it....

(*Again, this will be dealt with in the upcoming Crusaders Annual!)

The Shield watched as his friend Michael moved forward on unsteady legs. He narrowed his eyes and barked, "Remain where you are, soldier! Whatever the Caregiver gave you, you can fight it!"

The American Shield tilted his head as if staring at an unfamiliar insect. "Fight it? Why would I fight it, Joseph? For the first time in years, I have no pain -- I'm free. Freed by the wonderful touch of the Star Spawn."

Steel Sterling threw himself in front of the Shield as Michael discharged an energy blast at his friend. Steel grunted as the force staggered him.

Inside the small trailer, the man known as the Caregiver carefully closed the small cooler that had held the Star Spawn. He could hear the sound of combat outside and he smiled. For so long he'd protected and nurtured the tiny beast but now it was obviously time for the world to accept the true word of the Spawn. It had been more than mere luck that had brought Michael Barnes to him, he knew -- it had been Fate. He lifted up the small, brownish-gray creature and felt its tentacles close around his throat....

Meanwhile, the American Shield's forcefield repelled the Fly's sonic attack as the Crusaders circled their teammates. "I don't want to hurt any of you -- but you have to be made to see the light. Try the Kel Solution and then tell me that I'm wrong!"

The Shield lunged forward while the Jaguar smacked the American Shield hard in the chest. Joe Higgins wrapped up his friend in a bear-hug and brought his lips close to Michael's ear. "Stop it, Michael! Think of your wife and children! No matter what garbage he's pumped you full of, you know this is wrong! We'll help you but you have to stop fighting us."

The American Shield shook his head, spittle flying from his lips. His eyes rolled back in his head as he shouted "No! I'm better, I'm stronger! I can hear the Star Spawn in my blood, singing to me. You don't understand, Joe -- you don't.... AAGH!"

Joe Higgins, a trained soldier almost since birth, gaped in astonishment as his friend suddenly plunged into a seizure. Letting him go, he watched in mute horror as Michael fell to the ground, twitching wildly. "Michael...?"

Steel Sterling dropped to his knees beside him, wedging something between Michael's teeth. "It's a seizure -- my cousin has them. If we're not careful, he could bite right through his tongue...."

The Fly hovered in the air above them, his wings buzzing. "I bet it was the combination of that Kel Solution and the pain medications he's normally on."

"It is a shame -- I had such hopes for him. I think am too old to be the Wordbringer. I had hoped to only be the Caregiver, instead. But, sometimes life forces us to take on new roles...."

The Crusaders turned to see the Caregiver stepping from the trailer, some octopoid thing wrapped around his neck and shoulders. The old man's eyes were pitch black, though tiny specks that resembled stars flashed in them. The Jaguar growled, "You should have run when you had the chance, Caregiver."

So suddenly that no one had time to react, the Star Spawn twitched, plunging one of its tentacles down the Caregiver's throat. He closed his eyes in bliss, saliva oozing from his stretched lips as the alien's tentacle undulated in his throat. When he spoke, his voice was cold and emotionless. "The day of the Caregiver is past. It is time my message was spread to the masses. It is the time of the Wordbringer!"

THE COMET DOME, FORMER SITE OF EVERGREEN, WASHINGTON

Maxx-14 moved robotically through the ruins of Evergreen, his cybernetic eye scanning the debris for any sign of whatever the Brain Emperor desired. The telepathic mutant who led the Malevolent Legion had been very vague about why he'd brought his followers to the so-called Comet Dome, but he'd been insistant that his minions search the city. Maxx-14 didn't really care how or why the Brain Emperor wanted to use the Dome -- he only wanted to avoid the fate that had claimed his predecessor, Maxx-13. In other words, he wanted to both survive and be successful, two things his predecessor had failed at.

Maxx-14 strode outside the old city limits, into the desolate region that had once been covered by a thick woodland. The Comet's attack on Evergreen had been a fierce one, eradicating all traces of life within miles of the city. Maxx-14 used the internal scanners at his disposal to check once again for radioactivity in the area, but found only trace amounts -- the "new" Comet had apparently kept his word when he'd promised to cleanse the Dome's interior.

His mind was occupied with thoughts of a slow death via radiation poisoning when his foot collided with something metallic. Looking down, he saw what appeared to a rectangular piece of metal jutting from the Earth... its surface was dotted with arcane symbols and the metal itself appeared to be very unusual.

He bent down and ran his hand along its surface. He noted that it definitely extended beneath the ground. Gripping its edge with his mighty strength, he pulled it as hard as he could. It slid forward slowly, forcing him to use all the cybernetic strength at his disposal. He stopped in amazement as he realized what he'd found. "A spacecraft...."

He looked at the now exposed wing and blinked. He touched his communicator. "Brain Emperor... I think I've found what we've been looking for."

WASHINGTON, DC - CRUSADERS COMPLEX

"Hello?" Darkling's words hung in the silent meeting room, her tired breathing the only answering sound she received. A refugee from an alternate universe, she'd recently learned that this world held its own version of the Crusaders -- a group to which she belonged on her own Earth. Using her mystic scrying ability and her teleportation cloak, she'd homed in on their headquarters, only to find it abandoned.

Darkling stared in wonder at her surroundings. It was far different from the headquarters her own Crusaders used, but it had a similiar "feel" to it. She stepped over to the meeting room table, smiling at the small insignias that adorned each. The Shield...the Fly...Jaguar...Steel Sterling... and the Shield again. That last one brought a hesitant look to her face. On her own world there had been two Shields in the Crusaders as well -- Joe Higgins, the original Shield, and Lancelot Strong, the brave young man who had adopted the mantle during Joe's long period in suspended animation. Lancelot, however, had died in battle... could he live on in this reality?

With a weary sigh, she sat down in the Jaguar's chair and let her head rest on the table top. How long had she floated in the void between realites, her mind wiped clean by the Brain Emperor's attack? It could have been years, even decades, on her own world.

A sudden beeping made her sit up and take notice. She recognized the flashing red symbol on the monitor screen that rose from the center of the meeting table -- a government transmission was coming through. Not even considering the fact that this wasn't her world, she reached out a hand and activated the display.

The man who appeared onscreen was thin and pale, with thick glasses that made him look bookwormish. He blinked when he saw Darkling. "Are you with the Crusaders?"

Darkling made the decision to fake her way through it and nodded. "Yes. A new member -- I'm called Darkling."

The man harrumphed. "Well, you folks need to inform us of these kinds of things. We have to make sure your registration is up to date, you know...."

Darkling shrugged, not sure what kind of registration he was referring to. "I think the Shield is taking care of it."

"Very well. Inform the rest of the team that we have a major security breach at the Comet Dome. We have surveillance footage of several known felons entering the Dome -- in the company of a man we believe to be the Comet. I don't have to tell you how serious this could be."

Darkling tried to keep her features neutral, but it was hard. Why was the Comet of this world working with criminals? It was obvious from the way the man before her said his name that he hated even saying the word 'Comet.' Until now, it hadn't really occurred to her that this world's Crusaders might not be as trustworthy as her own.... "We'll investigate as soon as we can."

The man nodded, his image fading as a surveillance photograph took its place. "Here is the clearest photograph we have -- perhaps you can identify those that we cannot."

Darkling couldn't keep her shock from showing this time. She did recognize most of them, even the Comet in his odd uniform, but the one who stood out the most to her was their obvious leader -- this world's Brain Emperor. "I'll make sure it's top priority...."

She turned off the transmission quickly, standing up to rub her shoulders. Should she wait for the Crusaders to return? It might be too late by then -- no matter what was up with the Comet here, the Brain Emperor was obviously just as dangerous on this world as on her own. In the end, the decision was easy. She was a hero. She was a Crusader.

Wrapping her cloak about her, she teleported away. Her destination : the Comet Dome.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHT

The Festival of Light was quickly degenerating into chaos. As the Wordbringer launched his assault on the Crusaders, the battle spilled out into the crowd, despite the Crusaders' best efforts. The Wordbringer strode forward, the Star Spawn still buried deep in his throat. Energly crackled from the old man's fingertips and his eyes bulged with power. "Listen to me, my children -- the Great Old Ones are reawakening and shall soon stride the Earth once more. I am the herald and the messenger. I shall prepare your bodies and minds for the horrific pleasures to come!"

The Fly dodged another energy burst, his wings buzzing as fast as they could. "You're a sicko, pal! Any funky religion that expects me to let some octopus stick his tentacle down my throat is NOT something I want to join!"

Jaguar, carrying the now still form of the American Shield, evaded the frightened hordes of concert goers as best she could. A small first aid station was just outside the event area and she hoped that someone there could help Michael. She looked into his sweat-covered face and prayed.

Steel Sterling and the Shield were both attacking the Wordbringer in their own ways -- Sterling had plucked up a small tree and was using it as a makeshift club, while the Shield was channeling his energy blasts at the possessed old man. "Wordbringer! If you have some sort of message for the world, this is the wrong way to go about it! Stop this and we'll hear you out!"

"You lie, Shield. As all men do. I am the Wordbringer, the amalgamation of Star-Spawn and human. I have lived a thousand lives and seen the madness that dances at the heart of all reality. You and your kind were born to be slaves and slaves you shall be -- you shall learn to embrace the pain that awaits you...."

The Shield lunged forward, backhanding the Wordbringer. He pulled his punch for fear of hurting the old man's body, but the impact was still enough to send blood spraying from the Wordbringer's mouth. "You're insane -- humanity will never be slaves to anyone. The human heart was meant to be free -- and if you and Kalathar* are the sort of aliens we can expect to meet when humanity moves into space, perhaps we should plan to stay home...."

(*Kalathar fought the Crusaders in Crusaders # 1-3, published by !mpact.)

The Wordbringer tried to stand on unsteady legs. "Kalathar and his ilk are as nothing to us. I fell to Earth many months ago, found by the old man whom you know as the Caregiver. I let him partake of me and I opened his mind to a new awareness. I can do that for all humanity! I can prepare you for the coming of madness!"

The Fly directed a sonic attack at the Wordbringer, his wings beating together so quickly that the force drove Wordbringer back. "Just shut up! You act like you're some alien version of the Second Coming but all you do is talk in riddles!"

The Wordbringer screamed suddenly, the tentacles flailing wildly. His neck bulged and sagged rhythmically. He fell forward in a heap, his death rattle making the Fly's blood run cold.

The young hero swallowed hard and looked at the Shield. "Um... did I do that?!"

Steel Sterling knelt beside the fallen body. "I don't think so. It looked like tremendous stress being put on his body. I think it just... gave out."

The Shield rubbed his chin. "I don't like this. What if he's right -- what if there are more of these things out there?"

The Fly landed beside him. "Then I guess we'll have to kick their butts too...."

The Shield couldn't resist a smile. The Fly's enthusiasm was contagious. "I hope it's as easy as you make it sound, my friend."

THE COMET DOME, FORMER SITE OF EVERGREEN, WASHINGTON

The Malevolent Legion, along with the Comet, looked at the now exposed alien vessel. The Brain Emperor could barely contain his glee. "Finally. Everything he said was true -- inside this ship are the treasures of an alien race. Technology far superior to our own... The secrets of the K'balla* will be ours!"

(*The alien race who gave the Comet his powers and who kept the town of Evergreen under surveillance, as seen in parts of the Comet series.)

The Comet watched in silence. He could care less what the Brain Emperor planned to do with this technology -- as long as he got the help he needed, all else was unimportant.

The Brain Emperor used his mental powers to open the craft's hatchway. It swung open to reveal an alien interior. He moved forward, his bearing like one who had just conquered the world. His fellow Legionnaires, including the Comet, followed.

In the shadows, Darkling crept forward. What have I stumbled into? Seven deadly supervillains, the Comet and an alien spacecraft.... One thing's for sure. I'll need help for this. Once again sealing herself into her cloak, she started to whisk herself away. At the last instant, however, she felt her mind explode in pain. Darkness overhelmed her and she fell forward, her cloak opening a doorway to limbo.

Shaking her head in an attempt to clear it, she looked about herself and gaped. From here, she could sometimes see other dimensions and realities. She had feared that she might never be able to return home because her memories were so jumbled and confused. But now they were once more restored -- the sight before her shocking her back to full understanding. Before her were two Earths, one that she knew instinctively was her own, and the Earth she had just left behind. The dimensional partitions between them were weakening, allowing a bit of each universe to leak into the other. That's why I ended up on that other Earth. I just floated right into that reality while unconscious in the void. A cold realization hit her. But if those two Earths merge... one, or both, will be destroyed!

NEXT ISSUE : "The Crusader Crisis" begins! The Crusaders must find out how and why their Earth is about to merge with another, while the Malevolent Legion moves closer to their goal of world domination! Guest-starring the original MLJ/Red Circle Crusaders! In the grand tradition of the JLA/JSA crossovers, the Crusaders of two worlds unite! Be here!