The world's greatest heroes maintain a vigilant guardianship of Earth from their base on the moon. When the planet is threatened they are immediately dispatched to deal with whoever their enemy might be. When villains see the approach of these men and women their blood freezes and their limbs go numb with fear, for these are no ordinary heroes they face! No, for this group consists of the best of the best! It is the one, the only, Justice League of America! And within its ranks are the greatest heroes the universe has ever seen!

"The Face of the Enemy"

Issue #286

By Ralph L. Angelo, Jr.

Deep in Antarctica, a hidden, domed building stands solid against a raging snowstorm. Inside the huge, domed structure a battle rages!

Just not in the way you would think, gentle reader...

"Are you finished yet?" Catalyst roars angrily at his unseen accomplice.

"Not yet, these things take time. I keep telling you that. Now take your green armored behind out of my lab. I'll let you know when I'm done. I've told you that already half a dozen times."

Catalyst reaches down and grabs the much smaller man by the collar, lifting him up until they are eye to eye.

"Watch your tone with me, Dr. Psycho," Catalyst growls, "You're useful to me, that's why I've kept you here as part of my project. Would you like me to return you to the outside world? Especially the world outside THIS structure? It's a long, long walk back to what's laughingly called ‘civilization', and personally I doubt you'll make it a half mile. Oh, and by the way don't try to use your psychic powers on myself, I made sure I was shielded against your abilities before I freed you from Belle Reeve."

The dwarf sneers at the man holding him in the air effortlessly, then softens his demeanor, "Let me finish here. I'm almost done, I won't fail you. Just give me time. These things, done on this scale always take time.

Catalyst lets the little man down easily then walks away. "Do your best, Psycho. I'm not sure how much time we have. If we can make this work, we will be masters of this world."

"I won't fail you, Catalyst."

The green armored villain turns back to Dr Psycho, and from behind his opaque face shield speaks, "For your sake, you had better not." Then walks away through a sliding steel door that opens automatically at his behest.

Dr. Psycho stares daggers at the metallic form of Catalyst long after the steel doors slide shut as another figure suddenly appears from the shadows behind him. "He's gone, do not despair my friend. We will succeed, Psycho. Between the two of us none of these fools can deny our commands."

"Yes, Psi-Mon and it is my fondest wish to make them all squirm for what they've done to me, but especially the oh so pretty one..." As he speaks he fondles a mass of long black hair belonging to a woman whose face is hidden from view.

Out among the seemingly endless snow and ice, a golden globe of energy encase two men and a woman, while another man flies them across the frozen wasteland. Flying with them in formation are three more heroes, one woman and two men.

"This is some big area to search, guys." Firestorm the Nuclear man mentions as they speed along.

"Gee, and I thought Nightwing was the detective." Gold'n laughingly mocks.

"You thought wrong, Gold'n." Nightwing answers from within the bubble of energy, "Batman's the detective, and he taught me everything I know, but me, I'm more of an adventurer who does a little detective work, its more of a hobby then what I would call my greatest strength."

"Oh, sorry." She sheepishly replies, red-faced.

"No reason to be Gold'n." Nightwing answers nonchalantly.

"Yeah he's just kiddin' with ya Goldie." Guy Gardner offers, as his yellow Qwardian ring keeps Zatanna, Blue Devil and Nightwing encased and safe against the elements as the entire group speeds along above the frozen ice.

"Less chatter heroes, more keeping our eyes and minds on the mission at hand." Captain Atom chides.

"We don't even know if they're here or not." Firestorm counters.

"We'll never find out if we don't keep focused either." Captain Atom replies.

"Stop arguing boys." Zatanna intervenes, "I'm trying to scan this area with my mystic abilities and so far I seem to be blocked somehow."

"Someone's blockin' you? That's gotta be some bad mojo to trip you up, lady."

"Yes Guy, it would have to be. Not to pat myself on the shoulder at all, but someone would have to be of Dr. Fate's level of magical prowess to be able to befuddle my powers like this. I'm not sure I like where this is headed."

"Neither am I." Nightwing answers. "We have to be ready for anything at this point."

"Can you belabor anything more obvious boss-man?" Firestorm replies with a grin. Then quickly adds quietly, "Too bad Zee can't follow where the mojo block is coming from."

"WAIT! Stop and put us down Guy." Zatanna shouts.

"Hey Zee I'm sorry I didn't mean anything by that." Firestorm apologizes innocently.

Zatanna smiles and kisses him on the cheek. "You're brilliant, Firestorm, has anyone told you that?"

"Uhh, no, not really." He replies quizzically.

"Do you think you can do this?" Captain Atom asks.

"We are about to find out, Captain."

Zatanna sits cross-legged on the frozen ground as the icy wind whips around her in the sub zero temperatures. She is seemingly oblivious to it all as she closes her eyes and begins to focus. "Srewop fo thgil pleh kcolb-nu ym thgis dna wohs em erehw I nac dnif eht eno ohw skees ot dnilb ym renni eye."

"How the heck does she figger out how to do that?" Guy asks aloud.

"Got me, flat top. I'm still trying to figure out what she just said." Firestorm answers.

Without turning to face them, Nightwing speaks "She said ‘Powers of light, help un-block my sight and show me where I can find the one who seeks to blind my inner eye.' Now quiet down you two I want to see what happens here."

"How'd he do that?" Firestorm asks Guy who just shrugs in reply. Nightwing looks over his shoulder at them and scowls.

"NOW I see the resemblance to the Bat." Guy mocks.

Nightwing shushes him again, obviously annoyed this time.

"Something IS happening." Gold'n whispers, cold breath escaping her mouth as vaporous tendrils as she speaks.

"I hate magic." She adds as a second thought.

Blue Devil looks at her and smiles kindly, as the air in front of Zatanna begins to swirl and coalesce, changing into a whipping frenzied bolt of air and ice and snow, shaped like an arrow and pointing in a direction off to their west, disappearing in the distance.

"That's our answer guys." Nightwing states plainly. "Let's go follow it and find our friends."

"You heard the man, let's go." Captain Atom agrees as he takes off.

"I can't believe this is happening." Gold'n mutters aloud. As she rockets through the sky.

"These things DO happen kid, better get used to the unpredictable if ya gonna make it in this business." Gardner answers.

"Unpredictability is one thing, but our friends were taken so fast they never saw it happen? How do they do that? That's just-just horrible! That's one part of it I don't think I'll ever get used to." She answers as they fly along at an incredible pace.

"Believe it or not kid, yer better off NOT getting used to the horror of something like this. It keeps you human." He replies.

"I can't believe I'm getting a talking to from Guy Gardner, and in a good way." She muses.

"Why not? You think I'm a jerk? Like everyone else does?" He asks seriously.

"N-no I don't mean it like that. But you don't have the best reputation, that's all."

"Good. I like that. See blondy this is how it is: I keep these poozers (To borrow a phrase from my buddy Killowog) on their toes, not knowin' what to expect from me and the rep gets out there that I'm an unpredictable jerk. Now the bad guys, they either think I'm easy pickin's as heroes go, or they think I'm someone that's too crazy ta mess with. Either way it works in my favor."

"And meanwhile he's probably one of the best guys to have on your side." Captain Atom Interjects.

Guy turns towards him in flight, surprise written all over his face. "Hey Cap, comin' from you that's a pretty big compliment."

"You're welcome Guy." Atom replies with a slight smile.

Guy salutes him with a smile of his own, then turns back to follow Zatanna's arrow.

Minutes later the arrow ends, pointing straight down at a frozen plateau.

The group of heroes lands, and looks around.

"There's nothing here." Firestorm states flatly.

"Or so we are to believe." Zatanna answers.

"Yeah I feel it too, Blue Devil looks at Zatanna and nods."

"Feel what?" Gold'n asks

"Mystic resonance. Someone here is trying very hard to block our sight"

"Okay so lets give them something else to be concerned about." Guy announces as he creates a huge yellow fist and punches the ground with it hard enough to feel like an earthquake. Zatanna is knocked from her feet, but Firestorm grabs both her and Nightwing and flies them upwards safely.

"Knock-knock." Guy smirks. As he prepares a second punch of his tremendous golden fist.

"You fools couldn't just leave, could you?" A voice from beneath the ice asks as the surface cracks and explodes about them, starling them all!

Suddenly half a dozen villains emerge in a mystic bubble, all are known to the substitute JLA.

"Giganta, Black Hand, Killer Frost, Major Force, a Rocket Red and one other..." Zatanna announces as she stares at the last member of this group, a woman dressed in a flowing black floor length dress. Her pale white skin set off by her jet-black hair and almost see-through eyes.

"Ah you recognize me do you not Dear Zatanna?"

"How could I not Tala? I should have known your evil stink the moment this confounding spell occurred."

"Yes, yes, but you did not, did you? Always the poor second rate sorceress, never the master." Tala chides, as both women begin to circle each other their hands glowing menacingly.

"Yeah and that's not Killer Frost either, That's Frostbyte!"

"Hi Ronnie." The evil woman smiles as she stares at him, her mouth dripping icicles. "Long time no see. Too bad you won't be seeing anything in a minute."

"How's your boyfriend, Dr. Zero? Still alive and kicking I presume? Or maybe he did me a favor and kicked off?"

"He's...around. He's just not here or part of this endeavor. Have no fear though, he still has an interest in you."

"Good when I put your sorry butt in jail you can hold a spot for him in your cell. This way you two can reminisce forever Frosty, or should I say Dr. Jacobs. Dr Bernadette Jacobs, since we're on a first name basis I mean."

"Enough talking, let's smash them!" Giganta announces as she shoots up to twenty feet in height and pounds the ground where Nightwing was an instant before.

"Sounds good to me." Black Hand answers as he shoots his energy beam projecting power rod at Guy. "I hate this guy." The villain announces as he attacks the former Green Lantern.

"Yeah, you ain't my fav either ‘Hand."

High Above the ice two figures circle and attack each other again and again. Blue Devil and the Rocket Red dodge and attack, the Red firing missiles at Blue Devil, and the Devil dodging them, by the skin of his teeth, his trident's jet exhaust blazing a trail across the sky.

"What's up with you? I thought you rocket Reds were Russia's good guys? Its armored protectors?"

"Fool, it was far more profitable for me to steal the suit I had, override its safety features and elude my governments attempts to re-capture both me and my suit and to use the suit for my own, as you would say, ill gotten gain."

"So your a bad guy."

"I am as you Americans say, an entrepreneur."

"No, you're a rat bag thief, and a loose cannon and I'm going to put you down like the crazed rabid animal you are!"

Suddenly Dan Cassidy streaks directly for the Rocket Red, energy flying from his trident sparking and exploding all over the armor! Like a rock the Rocket Red slams to the ground, disappearing beneath the ice!

Nearby, Gold'n fires her energy beams into Major Force, who brushes them aside angrily. "Little girlie, I'm going to break every bone in your body, then gnaw on them while you watch."

"I don't think so, you animal." Captain Atom shouts as he pounds Major Force with a thunderous right cross as he flies into him at incredible speed.

Force blasts Atom away, unleashing his own energy beams. "Don't worry Nate, I'll make sure I save some of her for you."

"Do us both a favor and grow up you twisted monster." Gold'n yells above the din of battle as she repeats Captain Atoms move and flies in, but with both fists held together, and swinging powerfully from right to left she pounds Major Force across the jaw, sending him sprawling over the ice.

He lands with a loud thud, then fingers his jaw tenderly. "Not bad girlie, I'm going to enjoy breaking you into itsy bitsy pieces."

"Really? Then you better do a lot better job then you're doing now, killer. I'm not some powerless girl who's going to be murdered and stuffed into a refrigerator by you. What? You're surprised, monster? I read stuff about you. I do my homework on all the villains I can. There's plenty of stuff on the Internet about freaks like you. You want me, sicko? Come and get me."

She suddenly glows brighter as Force gets to his feet, and then rubbing his jaw once more, he charges her, like a bull, head down and growling incoherently. Gold'n braces herself, glowing ever brighter, like a star!

Major Force leaps at her, arms outstretched and clawing and at the last possible instant Gold'n rockets upwards as Major Force runs headlong into Captain Atom's fist!

The punch is like thunder! As Gold'n arcs above and turns downwards, slamming into Major Force at blinding speed, both of them disappearing beneath the ice amid a thunderous roar of breaking and shattering ice!

"Gold'n!" Captain Atom shouts as he begins to dive beneath the ice after her, but suddenly, fifty feet from where she disappeared, Gold'n punches through the ice floe with a beam of energy and drags Major Force's unconscious form to the surface with her where she dumps him unceremoniously.

"Good work, Heroine!" Captain Atom congratulates.

She smiles and nods, embarrassed.

Nearby, Nightwing ducks another of Giganta's pounding fists, leaping lithely over it, to kick her in the jaw as she leans down to grab him.

"You should give it up now, lady. Your friends are all falling like they have glass jaws."

"It doesn't matter, little man. I'll still get to crush you." She pounds the ground again, and again and again! Each time missing Nightwing's leaping form! Each strike she lands with more anger and less restraint, until suddenly the ice she's on breaks free in a perfect circle around her! She stands surprised as Nightwing throws his cable line around her legs and between his pulling on it, her own fight to remain balanced and the chunk of ice's flopping around the water beneath it, she suddenly tumbles in with a shriek!

Blue Devil grabs the line from Nightwing and flies upwards, hauling the freezing and suddenly very human sized Giganta out of the water. Wordlessly Nightwing walks up to her and punches her across the jaw, knocking her out as she hangs upside down from the line wrapped around her legs.

"I'm not taking any chances." He tells Captain Atom, Gold'n and Blue Devil.

Across the ice from them Guy Gardner and Black Hand battle back and forth. As Guy fires everything from a barrage of spikes to huge fists, to two hands clapping together trying to ensnare Black Hand who continuously either avoids Guys attacks or absorbs his energy with his power rod. "Give it up, Gardner, your Lanterns ring can't hurt me, I just keep absorbing its energy."

"Yeah fruitcake, I noticed that. Funny thing is you must be colorblind."

"What?" Black Hand asks in obvious surprise.

"Well ain't you noticed, my ring shoots yellow energy and not green? In fact the way your rod is startin' to glow I'd drop it real fast if I was you."

"What? Noooo!" Black Hand throws the rod from himself as it suddenly explodes.

"I guess that thing wasn't made to hold Qwardian yellow energy, was it Blackie?" Guy bops Black Hand on the head with a huge yellow boxing glove, knocking him out.

Firestorm turns the air around Frostbyte into a steel box that she immediately freezes and shatters. "Ronnie, Ronnie, Ronnie, how many times are we going to play this same game over and over. You trap me, I freeze your traps to the absolute coldest point they can be and break them like they were glass. When are you going to learn?"

"You're right, I give up. I can't beat you. You need heat to survive and you draw it out of men by kissing them and freezing them solid. I've had enough. Come and take me."

The black clad Frostbyte leaps at him and plants her lips on his, seeking to draw all the warmth out of him. Only problem is, nothing happens, she keeps trying to drain him, then she tries to pull away, but he's too strong and holds her there, as he continues to build heat, and funnel it to her! Frantically she tries to break their kiss, but Firestorm holds her there, his flaming hair now glowing and raging like a nuclear inferno! The ice around them melts to water as the leaguers nearby run or take to the air! Suddenly she pulls her face away and screams! Her eyes glowing like icy flame she suddenly drops into a heap in his arms as they float in place above the ice. He immediately encases her in a block of liquid nitrogen ice and submerges it into the frozen sea beneath them.

"Remind me to get that later." He says to Guy with a wink, who guffaws a little.

"Your turn now, Tala. Your friends have all been defeated, it's just you and me." Zatanna growls.

"Not so little one. A good demoness always knows when to cut and run. Or should I say a bad demoness? It matters little. We were only here to delay you, until the main event was ready, which it is now. Goodbye little one. If you survive this, the drinks are on me next time you come to the club." In a puff of fire and brimstone Tala disappears, leaving a perplexed Zatanna staring at the smoke that marked her passing.

"She got away." Captain Atom states as he lands next to Zatanna. "No matter we got the rest."

Suddenly and without warning the ice floe convulses yet again, only this time as it does a domed structure suddenly appears before the teams eyes! Its cloaking field obviously turned off the villains base is now in the open for all to see.

"I don't like the look of this."

"You shouldn't, Nightwing" A voice answers as a figure exits the doorway of the domed edifice, bright light from within blocking the view of who it is momentarily.

Gold'n takes to the air instantly "I know that voice, that's Catalyst!"

The green armored clad villain stands before them, arms across his chest and laughs, yes, but I'm not alone. I hope you didn't think these pathetic losers were everyone in my Injustice league, did you? Guess again I brought some friends..." He trails off as new figures pile out of the domed building behind him. "Allow me to introduce my friends, Tomorrow Man, Amazon, Speed Demon, Saturnian Star Stalker, The Green gladiators, The Nightmare, and Mechano-Man."

"Oh no", Gold'n breathes, "That's Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Martian Manhunter, two Green lanterns, Batman and Steel!"

"What has he done to them?" Zatanna exclaims almost too low to hear.

"It doesn't matter. We have to save them, free them from whatever thrall he has them in, and we have to do it without hurting them." Nightwing states with seething anger.

"Too bad they have no such compunction concerning you fools." Catalyst replies, "Injustice league, kill them all!"

To be concluded!

Send complaints and adulation to CptMarvell@aol.com