AFTER THE CRUCIBLE # 9

And Lo, There Shall Come Issue # 9

By Barry Reese

Jason Troy, aka the Fly, circled Washington, DC. His powerful wings generated more than enough lift to keep him airborne for hours -- which was a good thing, since he'd been more or less hovering for most of the morning. Something still ate away at him, as it had ever since the Shield had chosen to lie to both the government and the American people about the Comet. How can we do this? Lie like that, to protect a man who killed thousands. Man, it makes me feel as dirty as can be.

"Penny for your thoughts, Jason?"

The Fly whirled about and felt a frown descend upon his features. Rob Connors, the erstwhile Comet, hovered nearby. His visor glinted in the morning sun. "Comet. I'm surprised to see you here -- I figured you'd still be on your goodwill tour...."

If the Comet noticed the Fly's sarcastic tone, he didn't respond in kind. "No -- I did Oprah yesterday and that went pretty well. Overall, the American public seems to understand that it was Kalathar behind the destruction of Evergreen."

"Only it wasn't, remember?" The Fly pointed a finger at Rob's chest. "You did it."

The Comet hung his head. "I was sick, Jason. I know that -- but I'm honestly much better now. And I want to make amends for all the things I did. But I have to be free to do that. I think that Steven made the right choice, even with the lies involved. I can do a lot more for the world with the Crusaders than I ever could behind bars."

"Hmm. Look, it's almost time for the meeting... We're not going to solve anything here, that's for sure." The Fly buzzed away, a determined look on his face.

Left behind, the Comet could only squeeze his eyes shut in a vain attempt to block out the memories that threatened to overwhelm him. He saw Evergreen as it was before... and as it was after. "Damnit. Maybe he's right...."

Steven Barnes, the latest man to call himself the Shield, dropped the folder onto the meeting room table. He glanced at each of the Crusaders in turn : the Fly, the Comet, the Jaguar and Steel Sterling. "Crime is down 35% since our return to active status. Public opinion polls show that, since the revelation that the Comet wasn't responsible for Evergreen, approval ratings for superhumans is once again on the rise. I'd say we're doing a great job."

The silence that met his statements seemed to drag on for quite some time. Finally, Steven sat down and tilted his head. "Okay. What's wrong?"

Maria, in her amazonian form as the Jaguar glanced at her husband, Jason, before answering. "We agree that the Crusaders have done some wonderful things, Steven -- but there's been growing tension within the group for the last month. Jason and I think that it would be best if we took a leave of absence for awhile...."

The Shield blinked. "What? But... we need you. Both of you. Your country needs you...."

"It's not like we're retiring from adventuring, Steven. Both of us plan to fight crime as much as possible, around our schooling and jobs."

"Then why...." Steven shook his head, feeling the weight of the world around his shoulders.

"Because we don't approve of your recent decisions." The Fly crossed his arms. "You should have put the Comet decision to a vote. We're not a dictatorship."

Rob held up a hand. "Hold on, Jason. If you guys are leaving because of me, then I'm out of here. I don't want anything else on my conscience."

Maria cut off Jason's reply. "It's not just you. There are other reasons -- the biggest being that I'm pregnant."

Steel Sterling broke out laughing. "That's great! I can't wait to see what the baby will be like! Fangs and wings?"

The Fly and the Jaguar took the ribbing good-naturedly, though Jason was ready to jump down the Comet's throat if he dared take a shot. The energy-powered hero wisely elected not to.

After the congratulations died down, the Shield stood up. He wasn't nearly the leader Joe had been, but he tried to muster his best now. "Okay. As of today, the Fly and Jaguar are on leave. This leaves us with only three active members. I hate to say it -- but maybe it's time for a recruitment drive...."

One Month Later, Outside Crusaders HQ

The latest man to wear the mantle of the Black Hood stood amidst a crowd of reporters, just as eager as they to witness the unveiling of the new Crusaders lineup. A tall, lithe man with reddish hair, Gregory Green fingered the weapon in his pocket -- and waited.

A buzz went through the throng and the Black Hood narrowed his eyes as the brightly clad heroes came forward. The Shield stood in the center, flanked on each side by two of his teammates. To his left, Steel Sterling and the Fox. To his right, the Comet and Darkling -- who, according to rumor, was a heroine on loan from an otherdimensional group of Crusaders.

"Thank you for coming to the unveiling of our new lineup. I know that the tabloids have been running wild with guesses, so I thought it best to introduce the group officially. Most of you should recognize Steel Sterling and the Com--"

"FOR EVERGREEN! VENGEANCE IS MINE!"

The Shield looked up to see a vision from the past -- the Black Hood, now garbed in the mystical executioner's mask. He turned quickly to his teammates -- after all, they'd somewhat suspected that a villain might take this opportunity to strike and had planned accordingly. "Comet, to the air. Fox and Darkling -- crowd control. Sterling, you're with me!"

The group started to move into action, but the Black Hood drew forth a strange gun. Energy trailed from its muzzle, and several of the Crusaders recognized it -- more by instinct then anything. "Let this weapon of the Crucible* be the one which destroys you, as it should have done the first time! Powered by your own energies, Comet -- and more than enough to kill you!"

(*It's issue nine and I've mentioned the Crucible how many times? Why have you not read this yet?)

The energy blast burst outwards, striking the Shield and Steel Sterling, who had moved to a defensive position. The energy blast sent them both careening backwards and the Black Hood turned it towards the object of his hatred, the Comet. "Your turn, killer."

The Comet snarled, energy blazing about his hands. "No! No one else will suffer for my sins! No one!"

The Comet met the next energy blast with one of his own, the twin energies swelling as they touched. The fireball quickly blossomed out of control and the Comet could only stare in horror. "NO!"

The energy swirled larger and larger, taking on a life of its own. The Comet's energies had always seemed endless and now, combined the future-science of the Crucible, took on full potential.

The crowd screamed.

The Comet tried desperately to absorb the mushrooming energy.

The Darkling did the only thing she could -- grab as many innocents as possible and teleport them away.

Steel Sterling wondered once more, What am I doing here?!

The Shield's last thoughts were I did it again. I screwed up.

And then it was all over, as the energy exploded so brightly that people miles away stopped what they were doing and stared skyward.

NEXT ISSUE : Psst : There isn't one! Don't tell, we'll all see how it takes for anyone to notice! ;-) Seriously, though, look for a Crusaders Annual in the future which will feature not one, not two, but three stories! We'll find out where the Crusaders were during their pre-Crucible disappearance, whether or not they survived this issue and what kind of baby the Fly and the Jaguar will produce!

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Welcome to the final issue of the Crusaders. I know, I know -- you thought I'd do this series until issue 50 or more, right? Well, I've found myself wanting to cut back a bit on my writing and this series seems the one most deserving of "death." I don't feel it's ever found its niche at FDC but it certainly had some nice moments, I think. There are still one or two dangling subplots to be addressed (such as the survival of the group as a whole!) and, when I finally get around to doing the Crusaders Annual, I'll deal with them there - as well as reveal what the Crusaders were doing before their return in the Crucible. Sorry to condense so much into this one issue, but I hope you enjoyed the series as a whole.

See ya in the funny papers!

Barry Reese