Post by DocQuantum on Jun 17, 2017 19:38:35 GMT
The Brave and the Bold: Starman and Patriot
Blood Brothers
by Doc Quantum
Chapter 1
From the Shade's journal:
By the end of 1986, Ted Knight had been missing for over a full year, and his oldest son David had filled his shoes ably, not only as Starman but as president of Knight Technology Inc. In his red and green costume, David looked identical to his father, and only those close to the Knight family even knew that the Starman that now protected Opal City was not the same Starman that had done so for decades previous.
David was outwardly content to carry on in his father's absence, but though he knew he was only playing the role of Starman until his father's eventual return, he couldn't help but take some pride and ownership in the role. He found himself asking the question: if his father returned today, would David give up being Starman? Could he give that up? He tried to reassure himself that he would, but inwardly there was some obvious doubt.
His time with the children and protégés of the Justice Society in Infinity, Inc. had helped him train as a traditional super-hero, brief though it was, but he knew that a Starman's place was Opal, so his time with that team was cut short. Still, he had grown closer to his father's friend Sylvester Pemberton and had also made a steadfast friend in Prince Arthur of Atlantis, making the effort several times to rejoin his comrades in arms in California on occasional cases or social events.
As for Sylvester Pemberton, he was struck by the idea that a Starman's place was also in the Justice Society, and he'd begun to wonder if David -- a few years older than most of his Infinity Inc. teammates -- was ultimately meant for the greener pastures of the Society. But how could he arrange things so that the stuffy, intractable Society would take in its first new member since the 1970s? How could Starman succeed where the other children and protégés of the Justice Society had failed so miserably just three years earlier?
When the opportunity to take part in a Justice Society case arose, Sylvester Pemberton took this as his chance to ingratiate the new Starman with the Society.
***
Opal City:
For the past few days, the man had been on the trail of a very slippery character dressed in animal skins. This figure could disappear into the shadows, disguise himself to look like almost anyone, and travel more swiftly than should have been possible. He had only been detected once so far, but he had already caused a great deal of trouble.
So far, the trickster god known as Loki had conspired with a couple of vampires in an attempt to get Thor drunk, then halfheartedly tried to drown two street gangs, which was when the man had learned of his presence and had begun tailing him. (*)
[(*) Editor's note: See The Sandman: Asgardians Anonymous and Hawkman and Hawkgirl: Thunder in Flight.]
After that, the man watched as Loki had informed the Strike Force that a great treasure could be found at a certain factory, while simultaneously manipulating a young blond man named Donald Bard into choosing this moment to become a new super-hero called the Mighty Thor. (*) The battle between the real Thor and the faux Thor would have ended in a fatality, if it hadn't been for Doctor Mid-Nite.
[(*) Editor's note: See Doctor Mid-Nite: Mid-Nite Thunder.]
Then the action moved to Gotham City, where Loki set fire to the old Sprang Arms Hotel. (*) But the Trickster of Norse mythology seemed content to merely watch with admiration when Harley Quinn took on Thor. (*) The man could only suppose that Loki saw something of himself in the Joker's daughter.
[(*) Editor's note: See The Huntress: Legacy and Red Robin: Father Issues.]
After that, Loki had traveled to Opal City. The man wasn't sure what the Trickster was up to, but there was one thing he was sure of: Loki wouldn't stop at merely being an occasional nuisance. He was building up to something much, much bigger. And when he finally made his move, the whole Justice Society of America would be needed.
Michael Holt lowered his binoculars. Thanks to Odin, Loki was unable to detect his presence while Michael watched the Trickster wander among the street people as if he were one of them. The man was happy to be alive once more, but being in a new body with strange new memories really took some getting used to. (*) One thing that had taken him completely by surprise, for instance, was that he was now black.
[(*) Editor's note: See Showcase: Thor: A Thunder God Among Us.]
It was only a few days ago that he had awoken in a hospital emergency room, victim of a suicide attempt on the night of his wife's funeral. Michael Holt had been pronounced legally dead on the operating table for several minutes before he abruptly came back to life. Not long after, he escaped from the hospital and made his way out, though he was still reeling from his injuries, which had prevented him from taking direct action against Loki so far.
But he was not the same man he'd been before. The only thing left of the old Michael Holt were his memories, and though they were coming back to him slowly, they remained hazy and incomplete.
He remembered feelings of despair over the loss of a wife and an unborn child, killed by an embezzler who'd forced his car off the road mere days ago. He remembered a life spent in academia and being a prodigy with a brilliant, inventive mind put to work building his own software company, CompuWare, from the ground up. He remembered how his business manager had wiped out CompuWare's liquid assets and had subsequently killed his wife and nearly killed him as well. He remembered going to her funeral and fell to despair, not wishing to live life without her. He remembered a bridge and freezing cold water, and then nothing. (*)
[(*) Editor's note: See Miss Terrific: Something New Every Day, Chapter 1: Meet Michael Holt.]
But those memories, while familiar, were not his own.
It was a struggle, but he was not a man of many talents for nothing. Eventually, he began remembering the life he'd led before finding himself a living reincarnation. He had been a child prodigy as well, and he had lived with thoughts of despair as a young man that had brought him to the brink of suicide, until he found his life's purpose. (*) He'd been a hero, yes, but more importantly he'd touched the lives of many children over the decades, including a young Michael Holt himself. He'd turned a simple boys' club into a charitable national organization responsible for giving hope to numerous boys and girls in need over the years. That had been his life's purpose.
[(*) Editor's note: See Mister Terrific, Sensation Comics #1 (January, 1942).]
He'd also married and had children of his own, an adopted son named after him and a beautiful, red-haired daughter. Despite retiring from costumed crime-fighting to pursue a life in academia, he still donned his heroic costume whenever his brilliant mind and physique was needed. And then, just as his aging body and mind had begun to fail him, an old enemy murdered him using the body of one of his oldest friends as the weapon. It was an ignoble death unbefitting such a noble life, but thanks to that he had now been given another chance at life, and a chance to see his children once more. (*)
[(*) Editor's note: See "The Murderer Among Us: Crisis Above Earth-One," Justice League of America #171 (October, 1979) and "I Accuse," Justice League of America #172 (November, 1979).]
His name had once been Terry Sloane, and he had been the hero known as Mister Terrific. Now he had to get used to being Michael Holt, a different man entirely. It was not easy; he wondered if it ever would be.
***
"I'm glad you could drop by, Sly, but I'm not sure I'm the right person to help you out. After all, I'm not a JSA member."
David Knight was dressed in his father's Starman costume and was watching with concern as the mighty god of thunder tramped through the Knight family home, inspecting everything around him with amusement. "Uh, could you not touch that Ming vase, please, Thor?"
The thunder god's anger briefly surfaced, and he glared at the young man for a moment before he caught himself and muttered, "Aye." But as he walked away, the Ming vase he'd been looking at teetered on its stand and began to topple over.
"I've got this," said Sylvester Pemberton, using his cosmic converter belt to catch the vase in a force-field, propping it back up. "Now, don't be so hasty, David. I'm just a JSA reservist myself, these days -- too busy with Infinity Inc. to be anything else -- but I thought you might be able to provide the 'thunder god among us' with some insight into following in a parent's footsteps."
"I can hardly see how that would be helpful," said David, puzzled. "I--"
"Hey! Get the hell out of my room!"
David sighed. "I see Thor's stumbled upon Jack's room."
"Was that Jack?" asked Sylvester. "I haven't seen him for far too long."
"You might not want to see him at all," said David with a hushed voice. "Ever since our dad disappeared a year ago, he's been worse than ever. If he's not acting like a moody teenager, he's causing trouble." David then went on to describe in detail what he'd had to deal with in the past week alone. It was obvious that Jack resented his older brother for having to play at being both a substitute parent and a substitute hero, but that fact didn't make things any simpler.
"I keep telling you that you have to be more understanding about your kid brother," said Syl. "It's bad enough that he lost his mother when he was just a child, but now he's lost his father, too. You're the only one he's got left."
"Don't remind me," said David. "Anyway, Jack hasn't made it any easier for me to sympathize with him. I've tried to step up and be a good big brother to him, but the little bugger makes it so hard to even like him. I think he resents me. Why do you think I was so eager to leave Opal City and spent some time in L.A. with Infinity? I needed to get away from Jack for a while. Anyway, we should probably go check on those two. Jack's liable to make Thor want to murder him in a minute or two."
However, when they reached Jack Knight's room and opened the door, they found an unexpected sight. Thor, god of thunder, was sitting cross-legged on the floor and holding several cards in his hand.
"Uh... What's going on here?" asked David.
"Davey, m'boy!" replied the teenager. "Pull up a seat. You're just in time to see me take Thor for everything he's got!"
David narrowed his eyes. Jack really knew how to get under his brother's skin in the most subtle ways, and one of those ways was to pretend to be overly cheerful. Oh, brother, he added silently.
"Ho-ho-ho, thou wilt regret thy words, boy!" said Thor, grinning as he looked at his Uno cards.
"Anyone ever tell you, Thor, that you have the worst poker-face imaginable?" said Jack.
"What was that?" replied the thunder god.
"Nothin'."
"Hello, Jack!" said Sylvester Pemberton, trying to match the teenager's apparent mood.
"Oh... hey," replied Jack without looking up.
"Uh... how are you doing?" asked Syl. "It's been a while."
"Fine," muttered Jack.
"Jack seems like his old self," Sylvester said to David under his breath. "Still doesn't say more than two words to me at a time, ever since I first borrowed your father's cosmic rod ten years ago and took his place in the JSA." (*)
[(*) Editor's note: See "All-Star Super Squad," All-Star Comics #58 (January-February, 1976).]
"To tell you the truth, I think he resents you even more than he does me," said David. "But you should see him any other time, when we don't have company. He and those pot-head friends of his are a nightmare to deal with."
"What are you two whispering about?" said Jack. "You're not telling any tall tales about me, are ya, Davey?"
"Not at all," said David, doing his best to keep his annoyance at a minimum.
"Well, then, sit back and witness my victory over this sorry-looking booze-hound," said Jack. "Uno. That means I've got just one card left, Thor. But which color is it?"
Thor looked at his hand of cards, peered over at the back of Jack's last card, and carefully placed down a red eight.
Throwing down a Pick-Up-4 card, Jack rose to his feet and shouted, "Ha! Take that, thunder god! Now pay up."
"Churlish knave!" retorted Thor, throwing down all of his cards in frustration. Reluctantly, he reached into his cloak and pulled out a single gold coin, which he gave to Jack. Uno, the misbegotten god for whom this game had been named, was truly a god of misfortune.
***
Michael Holt knew Loki was up to something, but he wasn't sure what. All he knew was that he had to summon help before Loki could hurt anyone else through his mischief. If he was still in Gotham City, he could have used the Bat-Signal, but Opal City had no such equivalent, as far as he could recall.
The injuries Michael had sustained during his suicide attempt mere days ago would keep him out of the game for a while, but there was nothing stopping him from contacting others. And since he was in Opal City, that meant contacting Starman.
He wondered if Ted Knight was still in the same relatively good shape he'd been in seven years earlier, when he'd last been alive as Terry Sloane.
Blood Brothers
by Doc Quantum
Chapter 1
From the Shade's journal:
By the end of 1986, Ted Knight had been missing for over a full year, and his oldest son David had filled his shoes ably, not only as Starman but as president of Knight Technology Inc. In his red and green costume, David looked identical to his father, and only those close to the Knight family even knew that the Starman that now protected Opal City was not the same Starman that had done so for decades previous.
David was outwardly content to carry on in his father's absence, but though he knew he was only playing the role of Starman until his father's eventual return, he couldn't help but take some pride and ownership in the role. He found himself asking the question: if his father returned today, would David give up being Starman? Could he give that up? He tried to reassure himself that he would, but inwardly there was some obvious doubt.
His time with the children and protégés of the Justice Society in Infinity, Inc. had helped him train as a traditional super-hero, brief though it was, but he knew that a Starman's place was Opal, so his time with that team was cut short. Still, he had grown closer to his father's friend Sylvester Pemberton and had also made a steadfast friend in Prince Arthur of Atlantis, making the effort several times to rejoin his comrades in arms in California on occasional cases or social events.
As for Sylvester Pemberton, he was struck by the idea that a Starman's place was also in the Justice Society, and he'd begun to wonder if David -- a few years older than most of his Infinity Inc. teammates -- was ultimately meant for the greener pastures of the Society. But how could he arrange things so that the stuffy, intractable Society would take in its first new member since the 1970s? How could Starman succeed where the other children and protégés of the Justice Society had failed so miserably just three years earlier?
When the opportunity to take part in a Justice Society case arose, Sylvester Pemberton took this as his chance to ingratiate the new Starman with the Society.
***
Opal City:
For the past few days, the man had been on the trail of a very slippery character dressed in animal skins. This figure could disappear into the shadows, disguise himself to look like almost anyone, and travel more swiftly than should have been possible. He had only been detected once so far, but he had already caused a great deal of trouble.
So far, the trickster god known as Loki had conspired with a couple of vampires in an attempt to get Thor drunk, then halfheartedly tried to drown two street gangs, which was when the man had learned of his presence and had begun tailing him. (*)
[(*) Editor's note: See The Sandman: Asgardians Anonymous and Hawkman and Hawkgirl: Thunder in Flight.]
After that, the man watched as Loki had informed the Strike Force that a great treasure could be found at a certain factory, while simultaneously manipulating a young blond man named Donald Bard into choosing this moment to become a new super-hero called the Mighty Thor. (*) The battle between the real Thor and the faux Thor would have ended in a fatality, if it hadn't been for Doctor Mid-Nite.
[(*) Editor's note: See Doctor Mid-Nite: Mid-Nite Thunder.]
Then the action moved to Gotham City, where Loki set fire to the old Sprang Arms Hotel. (*) But the Trickster of Norse mythology seemed content to merely watch with admiration when Harley Quinn took on Thor. (*) The man could only suppose that Loki saw something of himself in the Joker's daughter.
[(*) Editor's note: See The Huntress: Legacy and Red Robin: Father Issues.]
After that, Loki had traveled to Opal City. The man wasn't sure what the Trickster was up to, but there was one thing he was sure of: Loki wouldn't stop at merely being an occasional nuisance. He was building up to something much, much bigger. And when he finally made his move, the whole Justice Society of America would be needed.
Michael Holt lowered his binoculars. Thanks to Odin, Loki was unable to detect his presence while Michael watched the Trickster wander among the street people as if he were one of them. The man was happy to be alive once more, but being in a new body with strange new memories really took some getting used to. (*) One thing that had taken him completely by surprise, for instance, was that he was now black.
[(*) Editor's note: See Showcase: Thor: A Thunder God Among Us.]
It was only a few days ago that he had awoken in a hospital emergency room, victim of a suicide attempt on the night of his wife's funeral. Michael Holt had been pronounced legally dead on the operating table for several minutes before he abruptly came back to life. Not long after, he escaped from the hospital and made his way out, though he was still reeling from his injuries, which had prevented him from taking direct action against Loki so far.
But he was not the same man he'd been before. The only thing left of the old Michael Holt were his memories, and though they were coming back to him slowly, they remained hazy and incomplete.
He remembered feelings of despair over the loss of a wife and an unborn child, killed by an embezzler who'd forced his car off the road mere days ago. He remembered a life spent in academia and being a prodigy with a brilliant, inventive mind put to work building his own software company, CompuWare, from the ground up. He remembered how his business manager had wiped out CompuWare's liquid assets and had subsequently killed his wife and nearly killed him as well. He remembered going to her funeral and fell to despair, not wishing to live life without her. He remembered a bridge and freezing cold water, and then nothing. (*)
[(*) Editor's note: See Miss Terrific: Something New Every Day, Chapter 1: Meet Michael Holt.]
But those memories, while familiar, were not his own.
It was a struggle, but he was not a man of many talents for nothing. Eventually, he began remembering the life he'd led before finding himself a living reincarnation. He had been a child prodigy as well, and he had lived with thoughts of despair as a young man that had brought him to the brink of suicide, until he found his life's purpose. (*) He'd been a hero, yes, but more importantly he'd touched the lives of many children over the decades, including a young Michael Holt himself. He'd turned a simple boys' club into a charitable national organization responsible for giving hope to numerous boys and girls in need over the years. That had been his life's purpose.
[(*) Editor's note: See Mister Terrific, Sensation Comics #1 (January, 1942).]
He'd also married and had children of his own, an adopted son named after him and a beautiful, red-haired daughter. Despite retiring from costumed crime-fighting to pursue a life in academia, he still donned his heroic costume whenever his brilliant mind and physique was needed. And then, just as his aging body and mind had begun to fail him, an old enemy murdered him using the body of one of his oldest friends as the weapon. It was an ignoble death unbefitting such a noble life, but thanks to that he had now been given another chance at life, and a chance to see his children once more. (*)
[(*) Editor's note: See "The Murderer Among Us: Crisis Above Earth-One," Justice League of America #171 (October, 1979) and "I Accuse," Justice League of America #172 (November, 1979).]
His name had once been Terry Sloane, and he had been the hero known as Mister Terrific. Now he had to get used to being Michael Holt, a different man entirely. It was not easy; he wondered if it ever would be.
***
"I'm glad you could drop by, Sly, but I'm not sure I'm the right person to help you out. After all, I'm not a JSA member."
David Knight was dressed in his father's Starman costume and was watching with concern as the mighty god of thunder tramped through the Knight family home, inspecting everything around him with amusement. "Uh, could you not touch that Ming vase, please, Thor?"
The thunder god's anger briefly surfaced, and he glared at the young man for a moment before he caught himself and muttered, "Aye." But as he walked away, the Ming vase he'd been looking at teetered on its stand and began to topple over.
"I've got this," said Sylvester Pemberton, using his cosmic converter belt to catch the vase in a force-field, propping it back up. "Now, don't be so hasty, David. I'm just a JSA reservist myself, these days -- too busy with Infinity Inc. to be anything else -- but I thought you might be able to provide the 'thunder god among us' with some insight into following in a parent's footsteps."
"I can hardly see how that would be helpful," said David, puzzled. "I--"
"Hey! Get the hell out of my room!"
David sighed. "I see Thor's stumbled upon Jack's room."
"Was that Jack?" asked Sylvester. "I haven't seen him for far too long."
"You might not want to see him at all," said David with a hushed voice. "Ever since our dad disappeared a year ago, he's been worse than ever. If he's not acting like a moody teenager, he's causing trouble." David then went on to describe in detail what he'd had to deal with in the past week alone. It was obvious that Jack resented his older brother for having to play at being both a substitute parent and a substitute hero, but that fact didn't make things any simpler.
"I keep telling you that you have to be more understanding about your kid brother," said Syl. "It's bad enough that he lost his mother when he was just a child, but now he's lost his father, too. You're the only one he's got left."
"Don't remind me," said David. "Anyway, Jack hasn't made it any easier for me to sympathize with him. I've tried to step up and be a good big brother to him, but the little bugger makes it so hard to even like him. I think he resents me. Why do you think I was so eager to leave Opal City and spent some time in L.A. with Infinity? I needed to get away from Jack for a while. Anyway, we should probably go check on those two. Jack's liable to make Thor want to murder him in a minute or two."
However, when they reached Jack Knight's room and opened the door, they found an unexpected sight. Thor, god of thunder, was sitting cross-legged on the floor and holding several cards in his hand.
"Uh... What's going on here?" asked David.
"Davey, m'boy!" replied the teenager. "Pull up a seat. You're just in time to see me take Thor for everything he's got!"
David narrowed his eyes. Jack really knew how to get under his brother's skin in the most subtle ways, and one of those ways was to pretend to be overly cheerful. Oh, brother, he added silently.
"Ho-ho-ho, thou wilt regret thy words, boy!" said Thor, grinning as he looked at his Uno cards.
"Anyone ever tell you, Thor, that you have the worst poker-face imaginable?" said Jack.
"What was that?" replied the thunder god.
"Nothin'."
"Hello, Jack!" said Sylvester Pemberton, trying to match the teenager's apparent mood.
"Oh... hey," replied Jack without looking up.
"Uh... how are you doing?" asked Syl. "It's been a while."
"Fine," muttered Jack.
"Jack seems like his old self," Sylvester said to David under his breath. "Still doesn't say more than two words to me at a time, ever since I first borrowed your father's cosmic rod ten years ago and took his place in the JSA." (*)
[(*) Editor's note: See "All-Star Super Squad," All-Star Comics #58 (January-February, 1976).]
"To tell you the truth, I think he resents you even more than he does me," said David. "But you should see him any other time, when we don't have company. He and those pot-head friends of his are a nightmare to deal with."
"What are you two whispering about?" said Jack. "You're not telling any tall tales about me, are ya, Davey?"
"Not at all," said David, doing his best to keep his annoyance at a minimum.
"Well, then, sit back and witness my victory over this sorry-looking booze-hound," said Jack. "Uno. That means I've got just one card left, Thor. But which color is it?"
Thor looked at his hand of cards, peered over at the back of Jack's last card, and carefully placed down a red eight.
Throwing down a Pick-Up-4 card, Jack rose to his feet and shouted, "Ha! Take that, thunder god! Now pay up."
"Churlish knave!" retorted Thor, throwing down all of his cards in frustration. Reluctantly, he reached into his cloak and pulled out a single gold coin, which he gave to Jack. Uno, the misbegotten god for whom this game had been named, was truly a god of misfortune.
***
Michael Holt knew Loki was up to something, but he wasn't sure what. All he knew was that he had to summon help before Loki could hurt anyone else through his mischief. If he was still in Gotham City, he could have used the Bat-Signal, but Opal City had no such equivalent, as far as he could recall.
The injuries Michael had sustained during his suicide attempt mere days ago would keep him out of the game for a while, but there was nothing stopping him from contacting others. And since he was in Opal City, that meant contacting Starman.
He wondered if Ted Knight was still in the same relatively good shape he'd been in seven years earlier, when he'd last been alive as Terry Sloane.