The sun burns bright in the outside auditorium. "Mount Kilauea, the most explosive volcano in Hawai i," the dapper little man continues his lecture. "The inhabitants of that small island live in constant fear of its explosion. We have recreated it here, for your pleasure, using lava shipped over directly from the island ... and I can assure you that, although in miniature, this model volcano can be every bit as dangerous as the original."
What bullpuckey, the man thinks, as the audience leans forward in interest. "In the past, the Hawai i an natives used to perform ritual sacrifices to appease the gods, so that the volcano would not explode. Of course, with the coming of civilization, they abandoned that barbaric ritual ... and so live with the constant danger of eruption. We hope, with our little display today, to appease those old gods."
He dons a welder's mask, and reaches into a bag at his side to pull out a handful of vegetables, and tosses them into the model volcano. They explode and burn impressively, and the audience ooohs appreciatively.
He gestures with his cane, and the victim, masked and clad in a theatrical purple and yellow costume, strides out from his trailer to thunderous applause. A pair of young women enter from the wings and proceed to bind the man in heavy chains, affixing a heavy padlock. Encasing him in a heavy trunk, they padlock that as well, and then the little man assists them in wheeling the trunk up the platform which ascends over the volcano.
Gently, they ease the trunk over the edge and it falls into the model volcano. Lava splashes and gurgles as the object sinks, and the little man and the two assistants run for cover. The audience mumbles amongst themselves, and just when it seems like the wait might be too long, the miniature volcano erupts. Several female onlookers scream, to the delight of the presenter, and they can feel the immense heat of the lava at it splatters across the auditorium floor. As the smoke clears, the victim is standing atop the scaffolding, hands raised as if to embrace the crowd as they rise to their feet in cheers.
"Mister Miracle, ladies and gentlemen!" says the little man, "Mister Miracle!"
Later, in the changing room, the man slips out of his mask and cape, tossing them casually into a clothes trunk. "Good work Oberon," he says to the announcer. "I trust nobody got burned?"
Oberon scoffs, "Nah, you calculated it right to the inch ... as always. Let me get back to you and see if I can find any good restaurants in this hellhole."
"Sounds good, pal," says the other, brushing out his brown hair and wiping clean his bare chin. "I need a shower first though ... even though releasing that fire extinguisher we've hidden inside the trunk keeps me from getting burned, flying up through that fake lava still leaves me pretty grimy by the end of this set."
Oberon nods, "I'll get right on it. I'll let the girls know, too."
As he watches his friend leave, he feels the presence of another person in the room. He whirls around, expecting to see a reporter or a groupie, and is perplexed by the sight of the tuxedoed, turbaned man before him. "Thaddeus Brown, you are needed."
Mister Miracle narrows his eyes. "And who might you be?"
The intruder bows his head. "I am Lando. Some call me a master of magic."
The man runs through the Cole City arcade, weaving through the crowd, and finally into the hall of mirrors. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small case, opening it and using it to peer behind him. He spies pursuing him, a bald pursuer with a wide face and buck teeth, wearing a trenchcoat over a black suit and a bow tie; on his face he is wearing glasses with square frames and mirrored lenses. The man quickly reaches into his pocket and fires behind him, grinning with satisfaction as he sees the bespectacled pursuer crumple to the ground.
He turns, and walks over to his fallen pursuer. "The mirrors ... how could you ... " the other man gasps out.
"It takes one Mirror Man to fool another," the standing man says. "That foolish Plastic Man couldn't trick me for long, and neither could you. You ought to have shot me in the back rather than luring me into my own domain. Enough chitchat, it is time to report back to my leader." He reaches out to the nearest mirror before him, and places his hand against it to pass through, only to find his hand flattening against cold hard glass. "That's odd," he says.
Any further words are silenced as a colorful figure drops on him from above. He and Mister Miracle struggle, before he manages to discharge his gun into his opponent's belly. He rises up, glaring at the fallen figure. "I have no idea who you were, pal, but you shouldn't mess with the pros. Now, if I can just figure out why I can't enter into the mirror realm, I can leave this mess behind me."
"You can not because I have willed it," says Lando. "You shall never leave this place unless it is to pay for your crimes," he gestures towards the two corpses on the floor.
"I don't think you can meet my price," says the Mirror Man as he raises his gun again.
"Paid in blood," says Lando, as he gestures magically and Mirror Man's gun goes flying out of his hand. The latter runs into the arcade, and Lando follows, only to lose himself among the multiple images of the hall. "This is what I'd brought you here for, showman," he mutters to himself, "You played your hand too early." He gestures again, and the mirrors in the hallway begin to crack, one by one. His pursuit is interrupted by a thunderous sound, and he looks upwards to see the roof of the maze thrown off as if by a hurricane, and a tuxedoed, top hatted man glaring down at him. "William Asmodeus Zard," observes Lando, "I wondered whether you'd show your face."
The Wizard chuckles, "If it isn't the so-called Master of Magic. Are you ready to play in the big leagues, little Lando?" As Zard gesticulates, Lando finds himself tossed helplessly about in the air. Lando tries desperately to form a counterspell but is unable to gather his thoughts within the tumult. Zard's hands crackle with electricity as he raises them above his head. "And now for the home run," he cackles.
Lando readies himself for the blow, when Zard suddenly finds his wrists cuffed together, interrupting the spell. "What?" he starts to turn around, when a burlap bag is slipped over his body and quickly knotted at his ankles, and Mister Miracle kicks him off the roof onto the dusty ground below.
Lando levitates down to the ground, and with a quickly chanted incantation, paralyses his foe. "I thought I'd seen the last of you," he says to his erstwhile teammate.
"I'm sorry I jumped the gun a bit ... pardon the expression ... I guess I'm an amateur at this mystery man business." Mister Miracle grins ruefully, "But you should have known better, too ... escaping death is what I do, and a bulletproof vest underneath my bodyshirt is the least of my tricks."
Lando nods, "I won't underestimate you again." He looks at the shattered hall of mirrors. "But we still have to finish the job. And ... hope the rest of our allies do their part."
Mister Miracle says, "Let's go then. Although if these costumed clowns want to knock each other off, it's all the better I'd say."
Lando purses his lips. "As with mundane gang wars, it's those caught in the crossfire we worry about." He beckons towards the wounded amusement park visitors, caught by Zard's storm. "I will help them until medical services arrive. You chase down Mirror Man ... I will catch up with you when I can."
Captain X, Flying Fox, and Guardian Angel soar towards Gateway City in a v-formation, with Jenny taking the lead. *>BZKZT<* Captain X radios, "Fan out, east and west and I'll take center point ... we'll flush these birds out." *>BZKZT<* Guardian Angel radios, "Roger, squad leader, over and out." Flying Fox gives him a thumb's up sign and the three arc to cover the city in an aerial search.
As he scans, Flying Fox mutters to himself. The Vulture Cult had last
been seen in his own home city of
*>BZKZT<* Guardian Angel radios, "Crusader One, Crusader Two, I think our bogies have found -me- ... awk!"
"On our way!" The foxplane veers west and reunites with the other members of his squad. He spies Captain X's and Guardian Angel's planes being harassed by a group that flies around, dressed in giant vulture flying suits. From below, onlookers point and gape at the bizarre aerial dogfight.
Flying Fox swoops in, aiming his guns at the vulture's wings, attempting to force them to ground if possible. As several of the cultists break off from the main kettle and approach the foxplane, the pilot does a mid-air spin which strikes them down with his wings.
Captain X curses as he finds his viewscreen blocked, and senses his attackers are attempting to sabotage his aeroplane. He sets Jenny on autopilot and climbs out of the cockpit, balancing adeptly as he engages in a turkey "vulture" shoot, armed with his twin revolvers.
Guardian Angel arcs and dives, attempting to shake off his attackers. Some are tossed off, but the remainder successfully damage one wing and he starts to fall into an uncontrolled spin. Gritting his teeth, he fights to keep control of the vehicle and steer it away from the city center, but finally is forced to eject. *>BZKZT<* "Crusader One, Crusader Two, I am abandoning craft." He spreads his glider wings and takes the battle hand-to-hand.
Flying Fox curses, and dives after the tumbling plane. The foxplane extends a grapplehook, and he manages to catch the plane before it crashes into the busy city streets. The weight drags him down even as he desperately steers both planes into one of Gateway's numerous bodies of water, barely managing to eject before his vehicle, too, is lost. Swimming to the surface and dogpaddling to shore, he stares upwards in despair as Guardian Angel, in fierce personal combat, is electronomized.
Captain X fights on, Jenny circling overhead, but finds himself overwhelmed
by force of numbers as new Vultures swoop in to replace those downed by
his bullets. He growls in despair, when the through the skies he sees
shimmering, colored lights resembling those of the
She smiles, "Someone told me that my old friends in the Crime Crusaders Club needed a hand." The wolf leaps at the Vultures, savaging them with his fang and knocking them off the plane as they tumble underneath his weight.
Nelvana leaps aboard the shimmering lights, dancing up to speak to Guardian Angel. "Hail the Vulture King," the boy chants, his eyes glazed over, as he reaches to attack her.
She shifts backwards, surprised, as he wrestles with her. "I can see your will is not your own," she whispers, and glowing lights pass before the boy's eyes, disrupting the electric process which had disrupted his thoughts. Guardian Angel blinks, "Who ... ?" as the woman dances away at the speed of light, lights fluctuating among the faces of the Vultures as she passes by them one by one. Some recoil in fear as innocent men find themselves suddenly airborne, and as they fall out of sheer disorientation, the wolf catches them on his back and guides them atop Jenny. Some, those who were true cultists, fight on, and they fall either to the wolf's jaws or Captain X's deadly shot.
Captain X, his aeroplane becoming overburdened with the added weight, gently guides Jenny to land on a rooftop. Flying Fox and Guardian Angel join him in greeting Nelvana. "I'm afraid the Vulture King himself is still at large," Captain X says.
Nelvana nods, "He's been controlling his victims from afar. I can trace those transmissions as I can any form of light. I will lead you to help these poor men, and deal with the mastermind myself."
Flying Fox gives the woman a quick salute, "I had only heard of you before, Nelvana, I must say we were pleased of your help."
She gives him a casual returned salute, "It was a pleasure," she says, and with another shimmer of light she and the wolf are gone.
The skies above Star City are lit with fire. Two dark figures, their faces smudged with soot and their faces weary, stare at the spectacle with dismay. The man wipes away the line of sweat from underneath the rim of his top hat, and turns to the fire chief. "Fred Farrell, isn't it? Any word?"
Fireman Farrell holds up a map, pointing with his gloved fingertip. "The
center of the arson appears to be on
The King nods, as the Witch clutches his arm. "We'll be fine."
The Witch commandeers a taxicab and the pair roll in, the King tracking on a map. "My god, block after block going down, it's like being in the center of an inferno." She veers around emergency vehicles heading in and out of the effected area. Closing in on the center, she maneuvers onto the sidewalk, coming to a sudden halt. The King glances upwards, "What?"
She points, and the pair sees a man wearing a silver helmet with rivets which line along the top and form a 'Y' in front of his mouth. It has wire-screened earpieces, and is sculpted to appear aflame on top. His costume is a blue jumpsuit with light colored gauntlets. Facing him is a red-headed man, who is carrying an oddly-designed gun and laughing maniacally.
The gun fires a stream of flame at the helmeted man, whose uniform parts through it as easily as if it were interwoven with asbestos. The helmeted man turns at the sound or the taxicab as it arrives, and tosses a handful of tiny silver capsules at the vehicle and another at his assailant. The King and the Witch run from the vehicle before it incinerates, the explosion knocking them off their feet. "This ought to burn you up," the man says as his unfortunate opponent immolates on the spot, the screams echoing through the city block.
The King swears under his breath at the grotesque spectacle, and aims a dead shot at the other, only to see the bullets deflected by the man's armored jumpsuit. The Witch's gas grenade throw the him off his feet with its concussive force, though his helmet's air filter also keeps him protected from inhaling her sleeping gas.
"I'm glad you were here to see me take out that second-rater who also used the name of the Blaze," the man says. "But now you're really making me hot under the collar." Another volley of flame capsules, and the King and the Witch scramble quickly out of the way.
The King whispers, "Cover me." The Witch glances into her small side purse, "I only have a handful of those grenades, love, better make it quick." She reaches into her purse. "Save one for me," the King says before he runs back to the taxicab
"Look out -- here I go!" The Witch knocks the Blaze down with another grenade. "Come on, baby, light my fire," says her opponent, readying another handful of flame capsules, only to have them scattered by another concussive blast. The King slips off his cloak, wrapping it around his arms to protect himself from the heat as he picks open the lock to the trunk of the smoldering car.
The Witch continues her barrage, finally down to her last grenade. She brandishes it threatningly. Save one for me, she thinks to herself. The Blaze senses her hesitation and grins and he aims a flame capsule at her, "What's hot and what's not?" She shrieks and rips off her cloak as it catches fire.
The King jumps on the Blaze from behind, brandishing a socket wrench he'd grabbed from the taxicab trunk. He pries off the Blaze's faceplate. As the man struggles to free himself, the King slams him repeatedly in the face with the wrench, until his opponent crumbles to the ground.
The Witch walks over to the pair. "Save one for me?"
The King grins ruefully, "I, er, rather assumed that his jumpsuit gave him heightened strength, and thought once I tore his helmet off you could gas him. I guess it wasn't one of my better strategies."
She scowls. "My cloak is completely ruined, and the rest of this dress will probably have to be repaired, if not replaced entirely."
He shrugs. "Sorry, love."
The Witch grumbles. "Let's contact Fireman Farrell and let him know we've found his arsonists. And then we can help with the rest of the rescue
crews."
The King gives her a slight salute, "Aye aye, ma'am."
The man curses in German as he tears off his mask. "I don't know how you uncovered my disguise here," he says in heavily accented English, "but that ancient armor is no match for the weaponry of the Reich." Adroitly dissembling his briefcase and slipping a Mauser-Schnellfeuer over his shoulder, he commences firing at the armored figure which had pursued him.
The figure advances relentlessly through the lobby of the
The unknown German soldier backs away, still firing. "Why don't you fall?" he shouts in frustration. The armored figure raises its sword, only to find its arm's progress impeded by a pair of looped cords which appear around its forearm. Rotating its sword in a manner impossible for a human wrist, it slices through the cords and impales his victim.
"I'm disappointed in you, Sam," says the Bolt as the robotic Black Knight turns to face him. "I thought we had an agreement."
The Black Knight scoffs, "An agreement? I helped you save the world, don't make more it it than that. I'm pursuing my own business now." The artificial eyes scan the undersized man and his partner. "It took Johnny Quick to take me down last time, I don't expect a pair of bows & arrows will much stand in my way."
The Spider narrows his eyes. "Speedsters like that are overrated." He notches his bow, drawing it back, and directs an arrow at the robot's right eye. The sword rotates up, snapping the arrow in two, and begins a regular circling around like a propellor. The Black Knight begins to advance on the pair, whirling death in its path.
"That's good control you've got there," notes the Spider, as he and the Bolt let fly another pair of arrows which are blocked by the blade. It comes crashing down in front of the Bolt, who manages to block it with his own sword, barely managing to make time to escape as his defensive weapon goes flying across the room.
"The Black Knight has been programmed to protect itself automatically, far faster than any normal human can approach it," says the voice of Sam Kirby. The sword swing towards the Spider, who dodges out of the way. The Spider whispers, "Automatic ... predictable ... occupy him," to his teammate, who nods silently. The Bolt sends another arrow towards the Black Knight, which is again blocked by the same whirling motion.
The Bolt continues his flurry of arrows, all blocked by the whirling blade. The Spider stands as if spellstruck by the clockwork motion, measuring the timing exactly as he notches a pair of arrows. He lefts them fly, and the shafts are snapped in half even as their momentum carries the two silver 'Spider's seals' straight into the robot's eyes.
The Black Knight comes to a halt, electricity sparking from its eye sockets. "I don't know how you managed that," says the voice of Sam Kirby, "but the Black Knight doesn't depend on eyesight alone, not with his stereoscopic hearing which provides radarlike accuracy." As if to prove his point, the robot hurls his sword straight at the Spider. The blade misses the Spider as he ducks quickly backwards, but snaps his bowstring in twain. As the Bolt send arrow after arrow bouncing off the Black Knight's metal armor, the robot grabs the Spider with one hand and picks him up into the air.
"You've ... yet to feel ... the Spider's sting," curses the mysteryman. "And now for my next trick," says the voice, "squashing the Spider." The metal arm begins an inhumanly circular swivel at the elbow, and begins to pummel its opponent.
The Bolt desperately attempts a distraction, leaning in to raspberry the robot. He fires another arrow at the swiveling ball joint, and the elbow jams in place. The hand clutching the Spider releases him to remove the arrow.
The Spider grins through a bloodied face at the Bolt as he removes a spare bowstring from around his belt loop, "I knew we were better off as a team." He kicks the Black Knight's sword across the room, and with a single motion fires an arrow at the robot's knee joint. The Bolt follows through, and as the robot attempts a charge, it finds itself paralyzed by a hail of perfectly directed arrows from the ace archers, all of its joints jammed.
As they approach the downed robot, the Bolt opens up its chestplate and removes the wires which control the robot's mobility. Sam Kirby's voice sounds annoyed. "I hope you're proud of yourselves, you know how long it takes me to build one of these? Enjoy your victory while you can, I'll have another one out to hunt you down, and this one won't be so vulnerable."
"Maybe," says the Spider. Rearranging the robot's control mechanism, he sends a surge of power back to the source, and the pair hear an anguished cry before the sound cuts off as a surge of energy explodes Sam Kirby's control board. The Spider sneers down at the silent machine. "Maybe when you get out of the hospital."
Leviathan-like, the immense form of the Nautilus parts the waves outside of the city harbor. The hatch opens, and Neptune Perkins climbs up the ladder into the free air, just as the spectral form of the Gay Ghost passes intangibly up through the submarine's hull to join him.
"Where to first," asks Neptune Perkins. "Federal City is a big place." "I received contact from freeman Tom Gentry whilst thou wert piloting thy craft," says the Gay Ghost. "The brigands we seek hath been sighted in the Opal district."
Neptune Perkins raises his arms in a 'pick me up' gesture as the Gay Ghost raises skywards, the two of them passing over the port of souls and into the city proper. He looks down as they float towards the commercial district. "You do know where you're going?"
The Gay Ghost nods, "I didst consult a map." He reaches with one arm into his waistcoat to pull out a scroll of paper, which he hands to his teammate.
Neptune Perkins awkwardly unscrolls the sheet, turning the map to and fro with his free hand. "Keith ... this map dates back to the time when the city was a Puritan settlement ... "
The Gay Ghost grins. "Hush," he says, as the pair drift downwards to the city street intersection of Robinson & Harris. Neptune Perkins points their way to the art-deco style building on the northwest corner, which appeared to be a central bank. "There's an obvious target," he says. "So it's just a matter of picking off the winner from this horrible gang war."
As they enter the bank, they immediately spot the customers and bank tellers slumped down and glassy-eyed. A pair of men clad in odd costumes, one a featureless blank grey and the other pink and wearing a complicated helmet, stand by the back safe shoveling money into large bags.
Neptune Perkins says, "The Crime Crusaders are here, stand down and surrender ... wait, you two are working -together-?"
The man in the grey snorts. "I convinced The Veil, here, that we have more in common than we do with our employers. After all, neither of us belong here anyhow ... we're both retcons."
The Gay Ghost draws his sword. "Thy words are senseless prattle," he says. "Thou wouldst be best served to follow my friend's advice and surrender to us."
The man in pink shakes his head, "My friend The Veil had the right idea ... he knew the two of you would come to interfere with us, which is why I donned my best asbestos suit." He raises a handful of silver capsules, and tosses them at Neptune Perkins, "A gift, courtesy of my former ally The Blaze." As they ignite, Perkins finds himself forced back as he feels the heat sapping his strength. "And for my next trick ... " the man flips a switch on his belt buckle as the Gay Ghost lunges towards him, and his helmet begins to flicker with hypnosis-inducing lights. The two Crime Crusaders slump in place.
The man in grey walks over to the Gay Ghost. "I wasn't sure that would work. I didn't know you could hypnotise a ghost. I'll give you a call next time I run into Captain Triumph." He shrugs, and intangibly passes through the bank's wall safe to gather up additional loot.
The man in pink looks up as heat from the flames activates the ceiling sprinklers. "I can certainly use your tactical skill next time I go up against Starman," he mutters to himself.
"Not hardly," says a voice as The Veil feels a strong hand gripping his ankle. Neptune Perkins drags himself up to stand. "Did he really arrange to shower water on a man most at home in the seas?"
The Veil struggles as Neptune Perkins removes his helmet, smashing the embedded lights. "Lousy luck," the Veil complains, "it was just lousy ... oof," as a powerful fist takes him on the chin.
The man in grey re-enters the room, staring down at his fallen comrade. "Nitwit," he mutters, ignoring Neptune Perkins as the Crime Crusader's fists pass through him. All around the bank lobby, the Capitol City inhabitents come to slow awakening.
The man in grey looks up to see the Gay Ghost's sword an inch from his face, "'tis time to surrender now, methinks," says the Earl of Strethmere.
The Veil raises a hand experimentally, touching the point of the blade and grunts his dissatisfaction as he draws his finger back as it fails to pass through the ghostlike weapon. "You think you're so clever, you take this whole caper so seriously. Think it over ... three gangs, each with identically named costumed criminals who are supposed to have a grudge against one another? None of this is real ... it's a clever idea developed by a fanatic. It's not even canon! The 'Crime Crusaders Club' ... pfah!
The Veil shrugs and raises his hands in surrender. "Still, I have no desire even in this context to be run through with a sword. It's a fair cop."
Neptune Perkins glances at his teammate, "Do you have any idea what he's talking about?"
The Gay Ghost shakes his head, "Senseless prattle, nothing more."
In the large Gotham City factory building, the machines are quiet for once. Guns and rifles, and all sorts of explosives are arranged throughout in various stages of construction. Outside the main office center, Hauptmann Deutschland stares down at the two men who had called themselves the Golden Mummy, their banadages wrapped around each other's throats in a deathly union.
The Thinker rolls himself over in his wheelchair to examine the bodies. "We may have been the underdogs in this competation, but we did well. A shame we had to lose this one at the last minute, and that The Veil betrayed us. But with you as my strong right arm, we can still accomplish much."
"It's not that simple, I'm afraid. You're under arrest," says a voice from the shadows as a quartet enter the room. One is a good-looking man with medium length, red hair, and with dark, shadowed eyes. His clothes are functional: a brown-orange pullover sweater, a Captain's cap, and loose-fitting dark brown trousers. Another is a dazzling blonde woman with shoulder length, mildly curled hair. She is dressed in an evening gown and wears expensive jewelry, looking as if she has rushed here from some social occasion. Another man is dressed as a stereotypical riverboat gambler, in a red overcoat, yellow vest, and blue striped pants. His white hat is set off nicely by his pencil-thin black mustache. Finally there is a man who wears the traditional ninja costume, though it appears to be dark green, rather than black. Only his eyes are visible through his balaclava. He carries a two-handed sword and a double bladed, curved dagger.
The Thinker hisses, "If it isn't agents Falcon, Fleur, Hazard, and
Kana ... I didn't think the
Falcon raises an eyebrow. "You have impressive sources if you can give our codenames so easily. All the more reason to bring you in."
The Thinker chuckles, "The game's not over yet." He nods implicitly towards Hauptmann Deutschland, who grins nastily. "My pleasure," he grins, and raises his spear to the intruders.
Kana draws his sword and leaps forward in a single movement, silent as the wind. Spear meets shield in a clash which echoes throughout the building as the two men begin a dance of death. Kana's movements are the more controlled and graceful, but Hauptmann Deutschland matches his speed with a casual power of his own. Eventually, the magic of the Walkure wins out, as the ninja's blade shatters against the iron spear. Kana draws his dagger but the spear impales his wrist.
Like lightning, Hauptmann Deutschland turns towards the
The Thinker's mouth falls open. "No ... it's impossible ... " Hazard smirks. "You gambled, and lost." From outside, there is the sound of thunder. "Fenton and the rest of our friends are putting an end to those cheap thugs you called a gang. Time to pay the price. You should have known the house always wins."
The Lady in Evening Clothes scowls, "Let him go."
The Coin stands up to regard the colorfully garbed trio standing before him. "I'd think you'd be grateful, he's an old foe of yours, isn't he?" His victim gags, asphyxiating with his throat and nostrils clogged by silver coins. "Midway City is my turf, and until I manage to take down Hawkman and Hawkgirl, I certainly don't plan and surrendering to a group of third-raters like you."
Minuteman glances at Wonder Girl, who just shakes her head. "No offense to the Hawks," he says, "our pal Neptune Perkins would sing their praises highly enough, but you don't really think you can take down the three of us all by your lonesome?"
The Coin moues, "Maybe, maybe not ... fortunately I'm not all by my lonesome." He looks up into the clear blue skies. "Hear that?"
The Lady in Evening Clothes feels a chill down her spine as she hears a familiar buzzing sound slowly pervade the city streets. She whispers to her allies, "I can't believe it ... he's working with the Queen Bee ... " Astride a giant bee at her side, flying as if he were her consort, is another man she recognizes: ".. and the Scarlet Ghost."
As the Scarlet Ghost dismounts, he visibly appraises the speaker. "Ah, the woman who assisted me the other night," he says in his thick Russian accent. "A shame we seem to be on opposite sides, this time."
The Lady in Evening Clothes just shakes her head. "We were never on the same side, Ivan Ilyanov. Yes, I know who you are. You took advantage of me to kill that poor old man, and nothing more."
The Queen Bee leans in a leisurely manner across her flying mount. "There are no innocents in this war ... and from what we've read about your past, you of all people should know that."
The Coin looks around as the bees begin to smash through Midway store front windows, Charters Inc and the House of Jewels falling prey first as the jewelers' valuables are ransacked by the hovering insects. "You should have stayed on our side of the law," he agrees, "the pay is much better, for one thing."
The Lady in Evening Clothes raises her gas-rifle. The Coin hurls a silver coin at her which strikes the weapon, sending an electrical charge through it. She shouts out her dismay and drops the rifle, and is caught by surprise as her opponent lunges at her. "You never were much of a fighter, from what I know. Make it easy on me and let's get this over with quickly, shall we?"
Minuteman runs towards the Scarlet Ghost as he sees the villain readying what appears to be a death ray aimed at The Lady in Evening Clothes. "Give me that!" He says as he tries to yank it from the villain's hands, but after a brief tugowar his opponent knocks him flat on his back. "I'll add you to my short list, foolish child," he sneers as he activates the device.
Wonder Girl rises up, floating on air currents as she attempts to swat out the giant insects. She manages to down one of them, but as others close in to attack she finds her aerial stability threatened by the wind shifts of multiple wings.
The Lady in Evening Clothes leans into a half-crouch, sweeping a leg under The Coin. "Maybe that was true when I first started out," she says as she wraps her hands under his chin to slam the back of his skull against the concrete. "I've been studying judo with a friend of mine since then. I think it firms the thighs, don't you agree?" She slams his head again just to make her point as her opponent finds himself unable to free himself from her grip.
Minuteman grumbles as he swallows a tab of Miraclo, "I'd hoped to save this." He leaps up and intercepts the death ray, the Scarlet Ghost stepping back and protecting his eyes from the intense diffused energy as the discharge is blocked by Minuteman's torso. "You might bother Sandman with this, but not me," says the lad as he pulls the device from his opponent's hands easily, knocking the criminal to the ground. Looking upwards at Wonder Girl's plight, he leaps onto a nearby fire escape ledge and begins firing the ray at the bees, disintegrating them.
Wonder Girl grins down at Minuteman as she recovers her balance. "Thanks for the help." She rises up into the skyscape, steadying herself, and plunges down, striking one of the giant bees and grabbing another to whirl around and toss at some of its hivemates. She gives a startled shout as she sees a bee approaching out of her peripheral vision, and loops around to avoid its stinger, landing on its back.
"Can't be any harder than riding kangas," she says while attempting to force it towards the scowling Queen Bee.
The Lady in Evening Clothes breaks off from The Coin and runs over to seize her gas rifle again. Her opponent rises to his feet angrily, only to fall to the ground again under the influence of the violet-smelling mist, "kaff, kaff!" She looks down at her unconscious foe. "As fun as that was, I don't think I'd have stood so well without the benefit of surprise," she thinks to herself.
Minuteman grins back at Wonder Girl, firing away at the hovering bees as he bounds from rooftop to rooftop. With the last landing he feels the impact through the padded soles of his boots. "Time's up," he thinks to himself, and settles down to continue firing. Three more bees fall to the death ray before he whirls around to see a bee almost upon him. He readies the device to aim, his curse truncated by the swordlike stinger as it pierces him through the chest. He winces in pain as the venom courses through his body, and as the stinger is withdrawn he stumbles off the roof, falling to the concrete below.
Wonder Girl hovers closer to Queen Bee, but finds her mount unwilling to obey her commands at the last minute, and it bucks underneath her. "Did you really think to turn my own pets against me?" snarls the older woman. "You have done enough damage to the hive already." She beckons, and the remaining bees start to concentrate their attention on the Amazon.
The Lady in Evening Clothes affixes a spare canister to her gas rifle. "Drusilla!" she shouts out, "grab some insectide!" The girl dives off her mount and swoops down to grab the weapon. "Thanks, Eve," she says as she returns to the air, gassing bees left and right as she carves a path to their creator. The Queen Bee attempts to hover out of range, but Wonder Girl maneuvers over to her, dosing her full in the face and sending her to the land of dreams. Leaderless, the remaining bees fly aimlessly away.
Wonder Girl heads off in pursuit, but glancing down she spies Minuteman's body below. "Jimmy?" she says, her voice tinged with fear. As she heads down to examine him, a glowing ball of light appears around him for a moment, and then disappears along with the body of Jimmy Martin. The girl lands in his place, The Lady in Evening Clothes running over to accompany her.
"Jimmy?"
Jim Anthony kneels down, lockpick at the front door of the luxurious Gotham mansion. His lips purse in satisfaction as he hears the tumblers click into place. Domino and Tom Gentry stand behind him on lookout, guns at the ready.
Genius Jones, his helmet pressed against the door, listens intently. His eyes snap open and he turns to Jim Anthony. "Bomb."
Jim Anthony grabs the boy, and the two men and the woman run and dive down, barely ahead of the ongoing explosion. "I think we've just rang the doorbell," he says.
Domino brushes a lock of hair away from one eye. "I told them they ought to have sent my squad, rather than depending on you amateurs," she says angrily. "Still, what's done is done. I'll guard the door, you three carry on."
Jim Anthony nods solemnly, and the three men continue on into the front room.
"Search the house?" Tom Gentry asks.
Jim Anthony purses his lips, eyeing the surroundings. "Baron von Zorn believed that the computing device the Thinker uses to plan his crimes would have to be immense. It's probably not going to be in one of the upper rooms; there must be a hidden entrance to some sort of sub-basement."
The trio gingerly search through the ground floor, rifling through books and examining the backs of paintings. Genius Jones pipes up, "Hey, I think I found something." As the other two join him, he says, "Here," tap tap tap, "this wall sounds different."
Jim Anthony scans the wall, and takes hold of the grandfather clock to move it out of the way. He urfs, "It's bolted in ... "
Genius Jones opens up the glass casing to examine the pendulum. "There's a lot of extra stuff in here," he observes. The boy looks up at the clock face dubiously, and Tom Gentry pulls up a chair for the boy to stand on. As he lifts himself up and touches his helmet to the clock face, he begins to slowly move the hands of the clock in a slow circle. As the clock reads 12:52 he hears the sound of a latch releasing. He jumps off the chair as Tom Gentry pulls the clock face back to reveal a sliding pole. "Voila!"
In the deep basement, the Thinker furrows his high forehead, as he paces back and forth before the room-filling computing mechanism as it whirs and clicks. He curses as he hears the trio descend into his lair. "My super-human thinking machines developed a foolproof defense! Foolproof!"
Jim Anthony pats Genius Jones' on the head affectionately, "Fortunately we have a super-human thinking machine of our very own." Genius Jones grins a goofy smile.
The Thinker starts typing furiously away at a futuristic-looking typewriter. "I will not be outdone by that cripple who stole my name and his superstitious Nazi lackey!" He is interrupted as Tom Gentry shoots him in the leg, and he falls to the ground with a howl, clutching it in agony. "It looks like you're a cripple, too," says the freckled aviator.
"Don't play games with us, DeVoe." Gary Trouble glares angrily at the man.
Golden Glider complains, "We agreed to collaborate with you in this egomaniac scheme of yours, but you told us nobody would be hurt!"
The Thinker smirks, "One can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs," he says with a shrug.
A siren sounds. The Thinker looks up in alarm. Gary Trouble says, "It looks like your someone's found a way to unlock your hidden Keystone fortress and is trashing your stupid mechanical guardsmen. Don't look to us to be your ast line of defense anymore."
Energy crackles across the Thinker's helmet. "Found a way ... nothing. You leaked this location of this site! I'll get you for this, Tunney. The Injustice Society never forgets one who betrayed its own."
Golden Glider says, "We'll look forward to it." She opens up a hatchway to the open air, and the brightly colored pair soar out into the daylight sky.
The Thinker glares at them, as the reinforced door which seals off his inner sanctum begins to melt. He turns away and begins to set the controls for his escape mechanism. A bolt of light strikes to his right, a ball of flame to his left. He doesn't turn, glancing at the reflection of the intruders in the metallic sheen of his control panel; the finheaded shape of his attacker immediately recognisable. Starman, he mutters, fine. "If it isn't the Justice Society of America," he says loudly. "Fortunately, I was prepared for you." He reaches for a lever at his waist.
A giant hand suddenly appears from between his legs, blocking his way to the lever, and he recoils in shock as a blank-carapaced face appears before him. "We're not the Justice Society," says Plastic Man, "and you could never prepare for us." The Thinker turns, to see the Black Condor, Captain Triumph, Quicksilver, the Ray, and Wildfire assembled before him.
Quicksilver whirls behind the Thinker, handcuffing him.
Captain Triumph shakes his head at the befuddled villain. "I regret not attending to my old foe The Veil in Federal City, but I'm just as happy to help in taking down his boss. That's it for your petty gang war, DeVoe."
TH-TH-TH-THAT'S ALL, FOLKS!
APPENDIX
Batman foes are assumed to be retconned as Dr. Mid-Nite, Wildcat, or Flying Fox foes; Green Arrow's opponents may have encountered Golden Arrow or the Tigress.
Gang One:
The Thinker (All-Flash #12). Clifford DeVoe, member of the Injustice
Society
Black Knight (More Fun #73; Johnny Quick foe) - strong, dressed in all-black
plate armor.
The Blaze (World's Finest #7; Green Arrow foe) - carried tiny silver "Flame
Capsules" that were tiny incendiary bombs of significant power. He
liked to make fire-related comments, i.e. "This ought to burn you
up."
Coin (Flash #32; Hawkman foe) - clever thief; uses coins to distract &
for gimmicks - heated coins, electrified, etc.
Golden Mummy (Steranko; Hawkman foe) - powers?
The Queen Bee (Adv. #70; Sandman foe) - uses real giant bees to commit
crimes.
Scarlet Ghost II (SMT #50)
The Veil (Adv. #75; Starman foe) - has hypnosis-inducing lights and an
"asbestos suit.".
The Vulture Cult (Comic Cavalcade #7; Wonder Woman foe) - a group that
fly around, dressed in giant vulture flying suits; led by Vulture King.
Vulture King (Comic Cavalcade #7; Wonder Woman foe) - leader of Vulture
Cult; has machines that "electronomize" (make people into mindless
slaves).
The Wizard (All-Star #34).
Gang Two:
Thinker (Batman #52) - genius who uses "super-human thinking machines"
to plot his crimes.
Black Knight (Unknown Soldier's Who's Who entry) - the Unknown Soldier's
Nazi counterpart.
The Blaze (Detective #95; Batman foe) - red-haired pyromaniac.
The Coin (Adv. #46; Sandman foe) - powers?
Hauptmann Deutschland by Jess Nevins - he carries a large shield
Mirror Man (Detective #213; Batman foe)
The Queen Bee (Batman #84) - makes Batman think she controls giant bees,
whose existence remain in question by the end of the story...
Scarlet Ghost I (SMT #49)
The Wizard (Columbia Pictures 1949; Batman foe) - hires hoods to capture
remote-control weapon from US government
Vultures (Sensation #8; Gay Ghost foe) - a bunch of outlaw fliers wearing
orange flying costumes with skulls on chest.
Gang Three:
Thinker (Detective #125; Batman foe) - arch-criminal in wheelchair; owns
and runs factory that produces arms for the underworld.
Golden Mummy (Blackhawk #53) - powers?
Hauptmann Deutschland by Bob Gansler - a top-level athlete armed with
a mystical spear, supposedly of Walkure (Valkyrie) origin
Mirror Man (Plastic Man's Secret Origins Issue) - powers?
Queen Bee (Steranko; Blackhawk foe) - woman agent/spy.
The Veil (Animal Man #7; Captain Triumph foe) - invisibility,intagibility.
Vulture (Modern #52; Blackhawk foe) - powers?
Vulture (Doll Man #1) - can fly.
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