Post by redsycorax on Feb 13, 2022 1:14:01 GMT
AN EARTH-FOUR ELSEWORLDS STORY: This particular story and others labelled likewise occur in an alternate timeline to the first Tiffany Sinn story and because of this, some characters have different trajectories than their counterparts within the primary Earth-Four timeline.
Tiffany Sinn faces a resurrected menace from her early days as a secret agent- and it is one that she thought she had ended forever one dark day in Saint Louis, twenty years ago...
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SAINT LOUIS, 1966:
"Stay back, you fools! You cannot stop me! Today St. Louis, tomorrow the world! That is my motto and I shall make it come true despite your meddling!" Alfred Swift screamed at Tiffany Sinn and Terry Terrell on the distant ground below, clutching the high-energy laser weapon that he had developed as a tool of the National Socialist Party of America, which he led and which sought to destroy a major American city to demonstrate their power and fanaticism. Although the couple below him looked like ants to his gaze, the bullets that shot past him from their CIA-issue pistols were real enough. Fortunately, Swift had anticipated what was going to happen and had decided to arm himself in preparation. That woman in the yellow tailored suit was formidable and too good a shot to take, but her colleague in the blue suit looked far less experienced. All right, then. And with that, he took careful aim and shot Terrell near his chest, felling him:
"Make your shots count, Tiffi, or... UGGHHHH!!!"
"Terry!" Horror and adrenalin gave Tiffany Sinn strength beyond normal as she dragged her fallen partner behind an adjacent statue, screening them from further attack from the madman atop the Saint Louis Arch. Tiffany knelt: "Ohhh...Terry? How bad is it?"
With gasps for increasingly difficult breath, Terry managed: "It's bad, Tiff. I won't make it.. forget me and get that kook... before thousands of innocent people fall victim to his madness. Please, Tiff, I..." And then his head fell back, lifeless. Tiffany got up, tears streaming from her eyes.
She thought to herself: He's dead. But...there's no time for mourning. Swift will pay for this, even if it costs me my life. But I'd better stop vowin' and start fightin'! And with that, she stepped out of cover, as Swift's eyes widened. How was this possible? That woman must be made of iron inside. More with bravado than with conviction, he waved a fist and raved at her:
"See! How can man hope to prevent the rebirth of the glorious Third Reich when he is so easily stopped by human nature?! Even now, as you kneel by your fallen colleague, I am preparing a single blast which will destroy the entire business district of this city! You are powerless to stop me! Heil Hitler!"
Unfortunately for Swift, he had underestimated the calibre and professionalism of the woman who was now confronting him. His taunting had an unintended side-effect, however, as Tiffany focused her attention on the terrorist atop the Saint Louis Arch and levelled her gun, thinking to herself: If I don't stop him now, the cost of urban renewal is going to be astronomical once that laser machine becomes operational. And because of her steely self-discipline and focus on the immediate need at hand, her aim was true and fatal. Alex Swift tottered and then clutched his heart, and then fell from his position atop the Saint Louis Arch. He was dead long before he hit the ground several hundred feet below. Tiffany stood over the remains of the madman and his machine, smashed on the ground before her, her pistol still smoking from the necessity of her action. Her stomach clenched as she looked down:
Another Reich falls. Dreams of power do ugly things to some men...and for others, they build a better tomorrow for all of us
That wasn't the end of it, of course. The CIA managed to insure that Tiffany's identity was kept out of the papers, and Terry Terrell was given a full flag-laden funeral for his sacrifice in the line of duty. Tiffany comforted her fallen comrade's family and immediate colleagues, sharing their tears and grief as she told them that their son, brother and grandson had died a true hero and that his murderer would hurt no-one else. They embraced her, thanked her for her courage, self-assurance and prompt response in acting to insure their Terry had not died in vain. It made her feel a little better at the events in Saint Louis.
Unfortunately, there were other consequences. She was waiting when Rex walked out of Leavenworth- straight past her.
"Rex? Rex, what is it?"
"Get away from me, Tiffany! I never want to see you again!"
"What the hell do you mean? After I rescued you from East Berlin? This is how you repay me?!"
"You killed my brother. You shot him down in cold blood."
"Rex, your brother was a neo-Nazi terrorist and had already murdered a fellow CIA operative. He was carrying a weapon whose use would have killed thousands. I had no choice. He would have done it, too. He was insane. He isn't worth your compassion or grief."
"Try explaining that to my family!"
"I don't regret what I did, if that's what you mean. I was serving my country. I saved people's lives. Of course you're upset, but we can talk this out."
"No. No, Tiffany, we can't. Not with an attitude like that. Forget we ever met."
"Rex! Rex!" But he continued to ignore her pleas until he rounded a street corner and was lost to her.
NEW YORK: 1986:
And that was the last time Tiffany Sinn saw Rex Swift alive. In the intervening two decades, he resigned from the CIA, only to return to active duty as the Soviet threat mounted in the late seventies and early eighties. However, Tiffany's action had led to her rapid ascent through the service but the cost was ephemeral relationships and one-night stands. She never let herself get involved that deeply with a man again, not after what had happened with Rex Swift and Terry Terrell. As she hit her forties, she was appointed to oversight and government liaison with LAW and the Sentinels of Justice.
But her work that day had other consequences. Unbeknownst to her and to the Central Intelligence Agency, Alfred Swift had a girlfriend, Emily Pearson, who shared his fanatical philosophy and who was pregnant at the time of his death. And although they later realised who must have been involved in assisting them, Rudolf Wolk ("The Smiling Skull") an old adversary of Judomaster and Sargant Steel, resurfaced in Paraguay and enabled Pearson to bring her son up in relative comfort and an atmosphere of intensive neo-Nazi indoctrination. In 1986, Emily Pearson died of breast cancer- but not before extracting a promise from her all-too-willing son to avenge his father's putative 'martyrdom' in pursuit of the nightmare creed that had taken his father's life. To do so, Martin Swift vowed to exterminate all of the metahumans that Tiffany Sinn had at her disposal, before taking down the queen serpent herself.
And he struck sometime during the evening. Sargant Steel was there as Tiffany ran toward the alleyway: "Sarge? What is it? More to the point, who is it?"
"Rest easy, Tiff. He's not one of ours. Although he was a meta. I'm not sure you'd want to look at his body anyway. There's not much left. Whoever did this is a cold-blooded psychopath."
"Sarge, do you have any idea how many people I've seen die in the course of action and how many murders I encountered before that as a private investigator? Let me see..."
Although she grimaced as the body was uncovered, and although they'd never met, Tiffany was horrified at the identity of the cadaver on the pallet, beneath the shroud:
"Dave Crandall- the former Nature Man. But...how could this have happened? He was a powerful action hero when he was in his empowered state. Damn it, there should have been a security detail assigned to safeguard him from this sort of nightmare. I'm going to butt heads in Langley over what was allowed to happen here. He was entitled to expect protection as a former action hero, given his former enemies might have done exactly something like this."
"There's something else, Tiffany. He seems to have been tortured."
"Dear God. What a senseless, brutal act. What else, Sarge? Is there something you're not telling me?"
"See for yourself. You're originally German, so you speak the language..."
Tiffany's blood ran cold as she read the motto: Ich werde die Welt von diesem Abfall reinigen- or, translated: I will cleanse the world of this offal. And the swastika carved across Nature Man's chest was unmistakable. And then she saw the plant clipping alongside his corpse and her heart leapt to her throat. The threat implied was to one of her own.
Solanum dolcamara. One of the varieties of ...
"Nightshade! Eve!!" Heart hannering, she ran toward the Sentinels of Justice compound, only to hear a dull explosion as a telltale curl of smoke and flame arose from the motorway outside...
MOUNT SINAI HOSPITAL: LATER:
The membership of the Sentinels of Justice stood in the waiting room, almost unable to believe what had happened. It was the first time that one of them had been targeted like this and it frankly scared some of them. Nate Adam was barely holding it in and the air around him sizzled. Judomaster sat, his head in his hands, and Blue Beetle stared anxiously at the door, willing Eve to recover, to be well. Sargant Steel and Tiffany were deep in conversation with the Question in a corner of the room:
"What do you mean, I'm confined to headquarters? I have analytical and forensic skills that could be useful in catching the scum who did this to Eve."
"Vic, there was an Ayn Rand paperback left at the scene of the car bombing. First, Nature Man is murdered in cold blood. Next, Nightshade is targeted at headquarters, her father's car is bombed, Senator Warren Eden," Tiffany closed her eyes and let a single tear escape from them as her voice shook, "Senator Eden was killed in a terrorist attack. Fortunately, Eve phased into the Nightshade Dimension just in time, but she was half-caught in the blast and severely injured."
"What did you just say?" Judomaster asked, shocked out of his reverie.
"About Senator Eden, Rip?"
"No. No, about that Ayn Rand paperback. Blazes. Somehow, this fits. One of my old enemies used exactly the same taunting modus operandi back in the war years. But...it can't be him. He died when his Atlantic Ocean headquarters was shelled by US Navy artillery fire."
Tiffany snapped out of her painful reverie: "Rip, is it possible that this assailant could have been disabled in the process, instead of killed outright? Because I was wondering about the wheelchair tracks at the corner of this picture."
The Question nodded: "I assume you're talking about the depth impression of the wheels imprint? As if, say, the individual associated with them were not engaged in using the trashcans in the alleyway for disposal of their lunch or dinner?"
"This is why you're confined to headquarters,. Vic. We need you here. If anyone goes out in the field on this one, it's me. I owe this to Eve. Whoever murdered her father and tried to kill her will pay for this. It was my responsibility to protect her and I failed."
"Don't you dare beat yourself up over this, Tiff. Whoever did this is a depraved psychopath with no semblance of empathy or mercy when it comes to taking human life-"
"Ted, you're a genius!" Tiffany suddenly exclaimed.
"I have my moments. So when do we head out and get the vermin who did this to Eve and her dad?"
"More importantly, though, Rip, who are you talking about first?"
"The Smiling Skull, Rudolf Wolk."
Sargant Steel and Tiffany exchanged glances: "This cannot be a mere coincidence."
"Yes, Sarge, you're not wrong. Something's just clicked. Remember I told you about the incident in Saint Louis, back in '66? Alfred Swift, the neo-Nazi terrorist who tried to use a laser-powered superweapon to blow up the city and who killed my fellow agent Terry Terrell before I took him down? He's dead, I know that much. And suddenly, after all this time, the Smiling Skull resurfaces? Do we have any additional data on Swift that could be useful, Sarge?"
"Such as?"
"Either evidence that he was part of an organised neo-Nazi faction...or that he had close interpersonal relationships."
An hour later, Sargent Steel re-entered the waiting room with xeroxed pages of a classified intelligence report on the Saint Louis incident. Just as he did so, Senior Registered Nurse Betsy Crane walked through the operating room foyer, stripping off her surgical mask. Tiffany ran over to the haggard but still relieved sister:
"Betsy! Eve...?"
"She pulled through. She'll need some time to recover, but she still has her limbs, motor and neurological function. As for post-traumatic stress, we won't know that until she wakes up. Which she will, but she's sleeping off the anaesthetic right now."
"Thank you, old friend. Knowing that she had the expertise of an experienced professional during surgery was an asset. I owe you one."
"Rip? What is it?" Judomaster had put down his bulky cellphone.
"That was Tiger, from his dojo. There's been another killing discovered. Our...namesakes...the former "Glorious Sentinels". Crunch. Cindy. Rick. Again, they might have stood a chance if they'd been forewarned about the risk to their safety. Their bodies were cold, so it must have been before the assailants murdered the former Nature Man and tried to kill Eve. And there was an old seventies ecology symbol near the site, as if alerting us to the identity of the next target."
"All right, how did they do that? Crunch, Cindy and Rick were former action heroes. They might have handed their equipment over to the Guardian a few years ago, but they still had combat experience and they kept in practice. They should have been able to fight them off." Sargent asked.
"It looked as if Rick had been cryogenically deep-frozen, Cindy had been shot in the head and Crunch's neck had been snapped. From Tiger's description, whoever killed them knew their individual weaknesses and decided to prey on them in order to demonstrate that no-one is beyond their reach. Sick, sick bastards. It's like Dave- those three had retired from active action hero work. They were no threat to anyone, so why target them? What is it, Tiffany?" Judomater replied.
"Forensics tell us that they were killed within seconds of each other by an enhanced laser weapon of some kind. That would fit in with the laser weapon used against Saint Louis twenty years ago. Sarge? What did the intel consult show up?"
"Your hunch was right, Tiffany. When SLPD checked out Swift's living quarters, there were clear signs that they were shared. By a nursing mother and an infant. It looks like Swift had a wife or girlfriend and a child from that relationship. And there was an air ticket stub registered to... Lineas Aereas Paraguayas. The Paraguayan national airline."
"In other words, Swift's wife or girlfriend and child were able to travel to Paraguay, widely known to be a sanctuary for fleeing Nazis when the Third Reich collapsed. And where the Smiling Skull could have hidden safely in the interim. Sarge, have our CIA contacts pulled any data from Paraguayan newspapers?"
"Right ahead of you, Tiffany. They sent back copies of the obituary columns from two conservative Paraguayan dailies, La Nacion and La Debate. In it, they circled a particular item. The funeral of a woman named... Emily Swift nee Pearson. Beloved...wife of ...Alfred Swift, American Patriot (deceased) and...mother of Martin Swift... this column paid for by...blue blazes. paid for by ... Rudolf Wolk. The Smiling Skull's actual identity." Sargant read, translating the columns from their original Spanish.
Tiffany grimaced, repelled at the unctuous and deceptive description and phraseology used: "How dare they label that terrorist a 'patriot'! It makes a mockery of all the good, upright men and women who defend our country from exactly the likes of him. All right, Sentinels. Vic, pull in all of the significant personal relationships of all of the Sentinels of Justice. Given how depraved Martin Swift may be, he has shown no hesitation in killing others in pursuit of his monstrous and perverted creed. My guess is that Swift is probably relying on the rest of you being alone when he targets you. Rip, with me. Ted, we'll need your Scarab ATV. Nate, you ride shotgun. I think we need to assume that Swift probably has access to Nazi wunderwaffe - 'miracle weapons' - through his mentor, Wolk. Sarge, although Vic probably won't admit it to the rest of us, he and the others need protection and that's where you come in. All right, everyone. I'm coming with you on this one. Eve is a friend and so are the rest of you. I have your backs."
"Never doubted it for a moment, Tiff. Now, let's get going." Nate Adam said, as the Sentinels prepared to head out and as the Question and Sargant Steel headed back to their headquarters, after they had arranged for the uplift of the loved ones, partners and children of their complement.
EN ROUTE:
"Ted, did any of you know any of the action heroes who were killed?"
Blue Beetle gazed at the Atlantic Ocean below: "It's difficult to remember, Tiff. The original Sentinels were a fairly ephemeral action team back in the sixties and they broke up after a handful of adventures together. But that doesn't mean it's hunting season on us. They didn't deserve to die that way. Nobody does."
"It's psychological, really. Swift and Wolk wanted to kill the original Sentinels to show the rest of us that they meant business. In other words, they deliberately set out to victimise an inexperienced group of novice, transient former action heroes for no other reason than depravity, malice and fear. And then moved on to Nature Man, because they'd identified a point of vulnerability in Dave Crandall's metamorphosis to his paranormally endowed identity- what is it?"
Ted Kord pointed to a blinking light on the Beetleship's control panel:
"Looks like someone's requesting a meeting with us. Okay. It looks like one of them is Nature Woman, Nature Man's former offsider and embodiment of different natural principles, apparently. Wow. Hey, Tiff, you won't believe the other one."
"Try me."
"Jewelee? Of Punch and Jewelee?"
"What on Earth does she want? This is a serious mission. Is her idiot husband with her?"
"Negative on that, Tiffany. I checked up her recent recorded activity and she hasn't been seen with Punch for over the last year or so. In fact, she was sighted working alongside the Image." The Question's voice crackled on the radio link from distant New York.
"Be careful but set the craft down, Ted. If Nature Woman wants to join us, then of course she can. She's mourning the death of her brother and coeval embodiment of the environment. She needs us and we need her. And escort Jewelee onboard. I want to talk to her. Something Eve told me after the last time they tangled with each other... Nate, keep an eye out for any surveillance from Wolk and Swift and scout ahead. Rip, I want you and Ted to stand point in case Jewelee tries to ambush us."
"You're still letting her onboard? Don't underestimate her, Tiff."
"Which is why I want you and Ted here, Rip. However, if my hunch plays out..."
LATER:
"All right, Julia. What's this all about?" Tiffany said, with a pistol clenched in one of her crossed hands, flanked by Blue Beetle and Judomaster. But Julia Covington, formerly the action villain and thief who was known as Jewelee, was visibly transformed.
"Ms. Sinn, I...I... realise that I have no right to ask this and you'd be perfectly within your rights to ship me off to Langley or somewhere else, but...I have nowhere else to go."
"So where's Clyde, Julia? You two are usually bookends." Ted interjected as Tiffany held up a cautionary hand.
"Rip, I think you'll especially want to see this." And in a corner of the room, a past conflict between Nightshade, Punch and Jewelee played out. But this one was specially edited. At length, Tiffany called:
"Freeze image. Now, both of you, tell me what you see." And then, Blue Beetle and Judomaster saw the same thing. When Jewelee interacted with Punch, there was an undercurrent of fear in her facial expression and body language. She seemed nervous and intimidated when she was around her husband ans as for his corresponding body language and interactions with her, there were moments of aggressive contradiction and grabbing and manhandling his wife, as if she would otherwise escape.
Rip's expression was grim: "I think I can see why Eve spoke to you, Tiffany. Julia...Jewelee, I am so sorry. It happened to me too. It's why I learnt martial arts in the first place, to protect my mother, my young brother and sister from...that. Of all people, I should have seen it."
Tears were falling from Jewelee's eyes: "Oh, thank God. After all these years. Someone finally believes me."
Tiffany reached out and grasped Jewelee's hand: "Julia, honey, Eve came to me shortly after she noticed exactly the things that were apparent in that CCTV record. She came to me because I helped set up an inter-services network for former wives and girlfriends of Vietnam vets who...were traumatised by what they'd seen and done and who... took it out on their partners and children back home, subjecting them to domestic violence because they couldn't articulate their own suffering. I want you to know you're safe here. And if you want to cross the morality barrier, we can make sure that you never have to see that abusive piece of garbage Clyde again."
"I do. I've been intimidated and forced into this act for years. And then, the Image action villain kidnapped me. He had no idea he was actually doing me a favour getting me away from Clyde. And worse still, I think mistaken impressions about what I did have led two of my nieces to take up the same path. I...wouldn't blame you if you don't trust me, not after what I've done. But I'm here. I want to help. I heard what happened to Dave. Carla... his sister, Nature Woman... was heartbroken at what they'd done to him. We talked about it. She's angry and confused, but she deserves this chance to fight alongside you and prove her mettle."
"Would you be willing to pair up with Judomaster here, Julia? Under the circumstances and given the gravity of this threat, I intend to welcome any assistance offered. Jewelee, you have combat expertise and proficiency. There are some things that women can't hide from other women. I know you're on the level. Ted?"
"I think I owe you an apology, Julia. God, I had no idea Clyde was a filthy woman abuser like that."
"Nate?"
"If Rip and you have personal experience of this sort of thing and you're putting your life on the line by helping us this way, Julia, it would be foolish of us to stand on our past interactions. All right. And given your hardware, welcome onboard. Tiff? I've just sighted what seems to be a remodelled aircraft carrier. Blazes. They're opening fire. Moving to intercept position. Over and out."
"Nate, covering fire. Vic, Sarge, did you get that, over?"
"Affirmative, Tiffany. Oh. and the President and Secretary Weinberger called. Senator Eden was a close personal friend of Mrs Reagan and he was equally horrified to hear about what had happened to Eve, Nature Man and the original Sentinels. He's offered any additional air support we need and access to targeting satellites." Sargent Steel said on the other end of the line.
"Affirmative in reply, Sarge. However, I do not want members of our brave armed forces to share the risk on this one. I...may be responsible for Martin Swift's corruption. I killed his father, Alfred Swift, a neo-Nazi terrorist, in Saint Louis twenty years ago. Obviously, he wants revenge. The blood of David Crandall, Cindy Carson, Crunch Wilson and David Strong is on my hands."
Nature Woman walked in, shaking her head:
"I heard that, Ms Sinn. Don't do this to yourself. Alfred Swift would have murdered thousands in Saint Louis if you hadn't taken matters into your own hands and taken him out. I realise Martin Swift was raised to do this and it's probably too late for redemption in his case, but the real monster in this situation is Rudolf Wolk. He escaped justice and he should have died when that platform collapsed in his Axis headquarters, but he didn't. He's been brainwashing Martin Swift for years, poisoning his mind and building his resentment and hatred. You are not to blame for this. You were only doing your job."
"Incidentally, it looks like he's up to his old wartime tricks, too. There are several ranks of Nazi android infantry and airborne waiting for us."
"Carla, you have your brother's empsionic abilities. Is Wolk using any wunderwaffe that could represent a threat to any of us assembled here?"
"I guessed you'd ask that, so I hijacked a fly within the carrier and he's been merrily buzzing around the ceiling. No fusion dampeners that could take out Captain Atom. No corresponding alien weaponry that could challenge Jewelee's complement. No electromagnetic pulse weaponry that could disable the Beetleship."
"Good. Rip, you've had combat expertise against Wolk, you're tasked with taking him out particularly. Martin Swift...is to be left to me."
ATLANTIC OCEAN:
Witness the Sentinels of Justice in action as they descended on the mid-Atlantic Nazi base. Captain Atom raked the air with blasts from his humanoid energy form body, tearing apart the potential airborne threat to his colleagues. The Beetleship wove amongst the ground fire, dropping electron grenades amidst the infantry, who shorted out and fused against the onslaught. It was obvious that there had been an overemphasis on robot ordinance and deceptive economies of volume and brute force. Not to be outdone, Jewelee joined in the effort, lashing out with enhanced sting strings and taking out any of the robot horde that got too near Judomaster as he concentrated on his primary mission. Nature Woman's empsionic abilities marshalled the very forces of animal and plant insurgency against their mechanical assailants. Bacteria congregated in the robots innards, causing further short circuits, while sharks dismembered any Nazi robots who were unfortunate enough to enter the undersea theatre. Shrieking birds of prey descended on the faces of other robots, their extended claws raking their eyes, as hordes of wolves snarled and leapt at others.
Abruptly, Jewelee exclaimed: "Captain Atom, look out!" She extended one of her strings and the consequence was a shattered bazooka projectile:
"Thank you, Jewelee. For being here, fighting alongside us."
"Incidentally, Cap, is your real name Jewish?"
"Er, yeah. Why?"
"My mother's maiden name was Kantrowitz. So I have another reason to loathe what those two murderers stand for." After some minutes, it was obvious that the tide of battle had turned in the favour of the Sentinels. From the entrance way to the vast vessel, Tiffany called: "We're in! Okay, Vic and Sarge, what are things like on your end? Can you send us a schematic of the vessel's layout?"
Sargant replied: "Positive on that, Tiffany. Configuration matches one of the old Nazi carriers. In which case, Wolk and Swift should be three floors up, on the bridge."
"All right, Rip, Jewelee. Let's end this."
ENDGAME ONE: JUDOMASTER AND JEWELEE VERSUS RUDOLF WOLK:
As Judomaster battered down the door to Wolk's cabin, a bullet headed for him- until a sting string deflected it, causing it to ricochet into the outside corridor. For the first time in over forty years, Rip Jagger and Rudolf Wolk stared at each other with unmitigated loathing. Jewelee raised an eyebrow:
"No oil panting, is he?"
"It's over, Rudi. Stand down, now. You killed four people who had given up their duties and responsibilities as action heroes. They had every right to expect our protection and we let them down. But you are the chief architect of their deaths and you will pay for their senseless, brutal homicides. Go on, make a fight of it."
"Hello, Judomaster. Still as youthful as the day we last met. Well, there's a final time for everything. I can pay you back for this at long last." And then, unexpectedly, Rudolf Wolk arose from his wheelchair:
"What a cheap party trick. Exoskeleton. I might have guessed."
"You might want to ask the fraulein to leave us. This is no place for a woman."
"Oh, please. Sorry, gruesome, he's my team mate and that attitude is as old as Noah's ark."
"Then please, keep out of my way as I count coup on your colleague in turn."
Judomaster glanced at his partner: "You have anything that could assist us in this situation?"
"Oh, yes. And it'll be a pleasure. Rudolf, you're really asking for it."
"Then share your doxy's fate!" Wolk snarled, moving rapidly toward Jewelee, who responded by pivoting and darting forward herself, adjusting her mass through her antigravity shoes and slamming hard into his midriff, as Judomaster aimed for his face:
"Neither of you will leave this room!"
"I've missed you too, Rudi. But let's face it, you're as rusty as the materials you scavenged for those tinker toys you sent against us. What's the matter, Nazi blood money from the Holocaust not paying well these days?"
"You dare trivialise the glorious days of the Third Reich?!"
"Has he always been this pompous?" Jewelee asked she repeated her earlier manoeveur
"And again! Have you thought about setting this to music when this is over and done, Jewelee? Perhaps a riff on the evergreen "These Boots Were Made for Walking?" Because those boots are sure as hell walking all over that pathetic, bitter old man." Judomaster laughed as he elbowed the Smiling Skull in his face. As a thin tendril of blood started to flow from his nose, the Skull grinned malevolently:
"By now, my young companion will have avenged his martyred father."
'Martyr?' Like your delusions of kitsch grandeur about the Third Reich, that is not how I'd describe that poor kid. Well, you'll have years to regret it, Skull. Capital punishment is too good for you. You can rot in a cell until the end of your miserable life."
"I will not be taken alive!" But by now, the effort on Wolk's battered exoskeleton and the frail, elderly crippled frame beneath it were starting to tell. Grimly, he realised that his last sentence would probably now be a self-fulfilling prophecy. He increased the feed to his faltering exoskeletal limbs as Judomaster and Jewelee closed for his coup de grace.
ENDGAME TWO: TIFFANY SINN VERSUS MARTIN SWIFT:
"Swift! Give yourself up! It's all over!"
For the first time, Tiffany caught sight of the young man, with his shaved head, Nazi tattoos and wild demeanor. He was obviously on methamphetamines, which figured. No doubt his conniving mentor Wolk was responsible for that, too, on top of ruining Martin Swift's life.
"I don't want your pity or your mercy! I am an Aryan warrior, one of the racial elite! I will prevail!"
"Martin? I'm sorry about what I had to do to stop your father. But he left me no option. He was a terrorist. Please. Throw down that gun. End this without more bloodshed."
"How does it feel to exterminate the members of a warrior family, Miss Sinn? Because that's what you've done. My father, a martyr to the holy cause of racial purity. My uncle, dead in the endless battle against communism due to the faustian bargain made to destroy the holiness of the Third Reich? My mother, who had to live out her days in a corrupt South American cesspool with inadequate healthcare because you murdered her husband."
"Does it mean nothing to you that your father would have slaughtered thousands in Saint Louis that day? And that your precious Third Reich was led by a syphilitic madman who didn't even have the guts to die alongside the last fanatical remnants of his dystopian nightmare?"
"You will die, Tiffany Sinn. And at last, my father's martyrdom will be avenged and the glorious Reich will live again! Hel Hitler! One Fuhrer, One Nation, One Holy Reich!!!"
And in that instant, Tiffany Sinn knew there could be no compromise or quarter given. Almost inaudibly, she whispered: "I'm sorry, Rex. Wherever you are now, I have to do this. I hope you can forgive me but I have no other option. But my love, I tried. God only knows, I tried."
Tiffany Sinn and Martin Swift fired at the same time. But one of them was an experienced and disciplined secret service agent with two decades of expertise and precision behind her and the other was a wild-eyed, gesticulating, drug-addled young man whose mind and whole life had been perverted for the sake of a revenant, malignant philosophy and a nightmare that had slaughtered millions of innocents and had brought the country that had embraced it down in fiery ruins. And for that reason, Martin Swift's eyes glazed over, sightless and his violent rhetoric stilled at last. As his body slammed to the floor, Tiffany Sinn holstered her pistol and turned her back on the end of another madman's dream. As she entered the corridor, Judomaster and Jewelee pushed the drooling, nodding ataxic form of Rudolf Wolk, returned to his wheelchair:
"Swift?"
Tiffany shook her head: "It was either me or him. I tried to convince him to turn his back on his old life but the poison this evil old man cankered him with ran far too deep for reason to reach. Well done, both of you. And Julie, I'll see to it that you get a full presidential pardon for your past crimes. As of now, you've proved yourself as a trusted partner who fights alongside us. Welcome to the Sentinels of Justice."
The Natural came into the corridor: "Ted's got a message from New York. Eve's regained consciousness."
Tiffany bit her lip. Now came the hard part.
EPILOGUE: ARLINGTON US NATIONAL CEMETARY:
President Ronald Reagan cleared his throat and began his memorial speech: "My fellow Americans, we are assembled here today to honour five cherished Americans, one of whom had a praiseworthy life of public service and patriotism and whose daughter carries on her brave, irreplacable father's legacy. Nightshade, your country joins you in grieving for this precious, vital intellect so abruptly and cruelly taken from us all, but most especially you, his courageous and valiant daughter, so worthy of her father's legacy. Warren, old friend, rest in peace. Both Nancy and I will miss you and I promise you, we will regard Nightshade as if she were our own flesh and blood.
The other task I have today is acknowledging that as a country, we have failed these four other heroic Americans who lie in these flag-draped caskets before us today. David Crandall, Richard Strong, Cynthia Carson and "Crunch" Wilson may not have been as celebrated as our Sentinels of Justice assembled here today, but in their time, they fought to make their communities safe from crime, protecting our verdant natural environment from harm and protecting our national security. They had retired from active duty, it is true, but the Central Intelligence Agency had a solemn obligation to protect these valiant individuals from reprisal and harm from malignant former adversaries and third parties. It failed. Director Bob Casey has resigned effective immediately. And as a country, we have also failed these good and virtuous souls who lie before us today. In the heat of the struggle against totalitarian communism, we have forgotten that the ends do not justify the means when it comes to tolerating an older but just as malignant evil. I have spoken to both Houses of Congress and the leaders of the Democratic and Republican parties alike. I refuse to name the terrorists who slaughtered these men and this woman in cold blood but I can assure you, the United States will never again tolerate the other evil empire's hateful, violent and perverted progeny. Fascism and neo-Nazism have no place within the United States of America and I swear that I will not rest during my remaining days in office to insure that this horrific event will never be repeated."
Some distance away from the others, the Natural stood, lost in her own private grief for the brother whose loss had torn a gaping wound in her own life. For all her newfound power, she could not save him from the evil that had engulfed him that day several weeks past. And although animals gathered around her to reflect their empathy and solace, she kept her solace and private grief to herself.
As First Lady Nancy Reagan held a sobbing, grieving Eve Eden close to her, Tiffany Sinn and the members of her agency escorted the caskets to their graveside, there to be buried alongside other heroes. Their deaths had been wanton and nihilistic acts of brutality and horror, but they had also galvanised a country to recognise and repudiate an older, resurgent evil which should have died in a madman's sordid, secretive funeral pyre forty-one years before. Had those four individuals been asked if they deserved their final resting place beforehand, they might have denied that they were of commensurate valour, courage and morality to the others laid to rest in this storied final resting place. But that day, that valour, courage and exemplary lives served as a beacon and keepsake for others and changed the course of one of the mightiest nations on the face of the Earth.
Overcome by grief and the tragedy of the event, Julie Covington wept freely and honestly, unafraid at last to show her true feelings. Then she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder as she turned to face Rip Jagger, his own face drawn in sorrow and pain for the commemoration of those lives so cruelly taken. Quietly and almost imperceptibly, their faces moved toward one another and the two Sentinels kissed one another hesitantly at first, then with growing realisation and relief that neither need ever be alone again.
THE END
Tiffany Sinn faces a resurrected menace from her early days as a secret agent- and it is one that she thought she had ended forever one dark day in Saint Louis, twenty years ago...
++
SAINT LOUIS, 1966:
"Stay back, you fools! You cannot stop me! Today St. Louis, tomorrow the world! That is my motto and I shall make it come true despite your meddling!" Alfred Swift screamed at Tiffany Sinn and Terry Terrell on the distant ground below, clutching the high-energy laser weapon that he had developed as a tool of the National Socialist Party of America, which he led and which sought to destroy a major American city to demonstrate their power and fanaticism. Although the couple below him looked like ants to his gaze, the bullets that shot past him from their CIA-issue pistols were real enough. Fortunately, Swift had anticipated what was going to happen and had decided to arm himself in preparation. That woman in the yellow tailored suit was formidable and too good a shot to take, but her colleague in the blue suit looked far less experienced. All right, then. And with that, he took careful aim and shot Terrell near his chest, felling him:
"Make your shots count, Tiffi, or... UGGHHHH!!!"
"Terry!" Horror and adrenalin gave Tiffany Sinn strength beyond normal as she dragged her fallen partner behind an adjacent statue, screening them from further attack from the madman atop the Saint Louis Arch. Tiffany knelt: "Ohhh...Terry? How bad is it?"
With gasps for increasingly difficult breath, Terry managed: "It's bad, Tiff. I won't make it.. forget me and get that kook... before thousands of innocent people fall victim to his madness. Please, Tiff, I..." And then his head fell back, lifeless. Tiffany got up, tears streaming from her eyes.
She thought to herself: He's dead. But...there's no time for mourning. Swift will pay for this, even if it costs me my life. But I'd better stop vowin' and start fightin'! And with that, she stepped out of cover, as Swift's eyes widened. How was this possible? That woman must be made of iron inside. More with bravado than with conviction, he waved a fist and raved at her:
"See! How can man hope to prevent the rebirth of the glorious Third Reich when he is so easily stopped by human nature?! Even now, as you kneel by your fallen colleague, I am preparing a single blast which will destroy the entire business district of this city! You are powerless to stop me! Heil Hitler!"
Unfortunately for Swift, he had underestimated the calibre and professionalism of the woman who was now confronting him. His taunting had an unintended side-effect, however, as Tiffany focused her attention on the terrorist atop the Saint Louis Arch and levelled her gun, thinking to herself: If I don't stop him now, the cost of urban renewal is going to be astronomical once that laser machine becomes operational. And because of her steely self-discipline and focus on the immediate need at hand, her aim was true and fatal. Alex Swift tottered and then clutched his heart, and then fell from his position atop the Saint Louis Arch. He was dead long before he hit the ground several hundred feet below. Tiffany stood over the remains of the madman and his machine, smashed on the ground before her, her pistol still smoking from the necessity of her action. Her stomach clenched as she looked down:
Another Reich falls. Dreams of power do ugly things to some men...and for others, they build a better tomorrow for all of us
That wasn't the end of it, of course. The CIA managed to insure that Tiffany's identity was kept out of the papers, and Terry Terrell was given a full flag-laden funeral for his sacrifice in the line of duty. Tiffany comforted her fallen comrade's family and immediate colleagues, sharing their tears and grief as she told them that their son, brother and grandson had died a true hero and that his murderer would hurt no-one else. They embraced her, thanked her for her courage, self-assurance and prompt response in acting to insure their Terry had not died in vain. It made her feel a little better at the events in Saint Louis.
Unfortunately, there were other consequences. She was waiting when Rex walked out of Leavenworth- straight past her.
"Rex? Rex, what is it?"
"Get away from me, Tiffany! I never want to see you again!"
"What the hell do you mean? After I rescued you from East Berlin? This is how you repay me?!"
"You killed my brother. You shot him down in cold blood."
"Rex, your brother was a neo-Nazi terrorist and had already murdered a fellow CIA operative. He was carrying a weapon whose use would have killed thousands. I had no choice. He would have done it, too. He was insane. He isn't worth your compassion or grief."
"Try explaining that to my family!"
"I don't regret what I did, if that's what you mean. I was serving my country. I saved people's lives. Of course you're upset, but we can talk this out."
"No. No, Tiffany, we can't. Not with an attitude like that. Forget we ever met."
"Rex! Rex!" But he continued to ignore her pleas until he rounded a street corner and was lost to her.
NEW YORK: 1986:
And that was the last time Tiffany Sinn saw Rex Swift alive. In the intervening two decades, he resigned from the CIA, only to return to active duty as the Soviet threat mounted in the late seventies and early eighties. However, Tiffany's action had led to her rapid ascent through the service but the cost was ephemeral relationships and one-night stands. She never let herself get involved that deeply with a man again, not after what had happened with Rex Swift and Terry Terrell. As she hit her forties, she was appointed to oversight and government liaison with LAW and the Sentinels of Justice.
But her work that day had other consequences. Unbeknownst to her and to the Central Intelligence Agency, Alfred Swift had a girlfriend, Emily Pearson, who shared his fanatical philosophy and who was pregnant at the time of his death. And although they later realised who must have been involved in assisting them, Rudolf Wolk ("The Smiling Skull") an old adversary of Judomaster and Sargant Steel, resurfaced in Paraguay and enabled Pearson to bring her son up in relative comfort and an atmosphere of intensive neo-Nazi indoctrination. In 1986, Emily Pearson died of breast cancer- but not before extracting a promise from her all-too-willing son to avenge his father's putative 'martyrdom' in pursuit of the nightmare creed that had taken his father's life. To do so, Martin Swift vowed to exterminate all of the metahumans that Tiffany Sinn had at her disposal, before taking down the queen serpent herself.
And he struck sometime during the evening. Sargant Steel was there as Tiffany ran toward the alleyway: "Sarge? What is it? More to the point, who is it?"
"Rest easy, Tiff. He's not one of ours. Although he was a meta. I'm not sure you'd want to look at his body anyway. There's not much left. Whoever did this is a cold-blooded psychopath."
"Sarge, do you have any idea how many people I've seen die in the course of action and how many murders I encountered before that as a private investigator? Let me see..."
Although she grimaced as the body was uncovered, and although they'd never met, Tiffany was horrified at the identity of the cadaver on the pallet, beneath the shroud:
"Dave Crandall- the former Nature Man. But...how could this have happened? He was a powerful action hero when he was in his empowered state. Damn it, there should have been a security detail assigned to safeguard him from this sort of nightmare. I'm going to butt heads in Langley over what was allowed to happen here. He was entitled to expect protection as a former action hero, given his former enemies might have done exactly something like this."
"There's something else, Tiffany. He seems to have been tortured."
"Dear God. What a senseless, brutal act. What else, Sarge? Is there something you're not telling me?"
"See for yourself. You're originally German, so you speak the language..."
Tiffany's blood ran cold as she read the motto: Ich werde die Welt von diesem Abfall reinigen- or, translated: I will cleanse the world of this offal. And the swastika carved across Nature Man's chest was unmistakable. And then she saw the plant clipping alongside his corpse and her heart leapt to her throat. The threat implied was to one of her own.
Solanum dolcamara. One of the varieties of ...
"Nightshade! Eve!!" Heart hannering, she ran toward the Sentinels of Justice compound, only to hear a dull explosion as a telltale curl of smoke and flame arose from the motorway outside...
MOUNT SINAI HOSPITAL: LATER:
The membership of the Sentinels of Justice stood in the waiting room, almost unable to believe what had happened. It was the first time that one of them had been targeted like this and it frankly scared some of them. Nate Adam was barely holding it in and the air around him sizzled. Judomaster sat, his head in his hands, and Blue Beetle stared anxiously at the door, willing Eve to recover, to be well. Sargant Steel and Tiffany were deep in conversation with the Question in a corner of the room:
"What do you mean, I'm confined to headquarters? I have analytical and forensic skills that could be useful in catching the scum who did this to Eve."
"Vic, there was an Ayn Rand paperback left at the scene of the car bombing. First, Nature Man is murdered in cold blood. Next, Nightshade is targeted at headquarters, her father's car is bombed, Senator Warren Eden," Tiffany closed her eyes and let a single tear escape from them as her voice shook, "Senator Eden was killed in a terrorist attack. Fortunately, Eve phased into the Nightshade Dimension just in time, but she was half-caught in the blast and severely injured."
"What did you just say?" Judomaster asked, shocked out of his reverie.
"About Senator Eden, Rip?"
"No. No, about that Ayn Rand paperback. Blazes. Somehow, this fits. One of my old enemies used exactly the same taunting modus operandi back in the war years. But...it can't be him. He died when his Atlantic Ocean headquarters was shelled by US Navy artillery fire."
Tiffany snapped out of her painful reverie: "Rip, is it possible that this assailant could have been disabled in the process, instead of killed outright? Because I was wondering about the wheelchair tracks at the corner of this picture."
The Question nodded: "I assume you're talking about the depth impression of the wheels imprint? As if, say, the individual associated with them were not engaged in using the trashcans in the alleyway for disposal of their lunch or dinner?"
"This is why you're confined to headquarters,. Vic. We need you here. If anyone goes out in the field on this one, it's me. I owe this to Eve. Whoever murdered her father and tried to kill her will pay for this. It was my responsibility to protect her and I failed."
"Don't you dare beat yourself up over this, Tiff. Whoever did this is a depraved psychopath with no semblance of empathy or mercy when it comes to taking human life-"
"Ted, you're a genius!" Tiffany suddenly exclaimed.
"I have my moments. So when do we head out and get the vermin who did this to Eve and her dad?"
"More importantly, though, Rip, who are you talking about first?"
"The Smiling Skull, Rudolf Wolk."
Sargant Steel and Tiffany exchanged glances: "This cannot be a mere coincidence."
"Yes, Sarge, you're not wrong. Something's just clicked. Remember I told you about the incident in Saint Louis, back in '66? Alfred Swift, the neo-Nazi terrorist who tried to use a laser-powered superweapon to blow up the city and who killed my fellow agent Terry Terrell before I took him down? He's dead, I know that much. And suddenly, after all this time, the Smiling Skull resurfaces? Do we have any additional data on Swift that could be useful, Sarge?"
"Such as?"
"Either evidence that he was part of an organised neo-Nazi faction...or that he had close interpersonal relationships."
An hour later, Sargent Steel re-entered the waiting room with xeroxed pages of a classified intelligence report on the Saint Louis incident. Just as he did so, Senior Registered Nurse Betsy Crane walked through the operating room foyer, stripping off her surgical mask. Tiffany ran over to the haggard but still relieved sister:
"Betsy! Eve...?"
"She pulled through. She'll need some time to recover, but she still has her limbs, motor and neurological function. As for post-traumatic stress, we won't know that until she wakes up. Which she will, but she's sleeping off the anaesthetic right now."
"Thank you, old friend. Knowing that she had the expertise of an experienced professional during surgery was an asset. I owe you one."
"Rip? What is it?" Judomaster had put down his bulky cellphone.
"That was Tiger, from his dojo. There's been another killing discovered. Our...namesakes...the former "Glorious Sentinels". Crunch. Cindy. Rick. Again, they might have stood a chance if they'd been forewarned about the risk to their safety. Their bodies were cold, so it must have been before the assailants murdered the former Nature Man and tried to kill Eve. And there was an old seventies ecology symbol near the site, as if alerting us to the identity of the next target."
"All right, how did they do that? Crunch, Cindy and Rick were former action heroes. They might have handed their equipment over to the Guardian a few years ago, but they still had combat experience and they kept in practice. They should have been able to fight them off." Sargent asked.
"It looked as if Rick had been cryogenically deep-frozen, Cindy had been shot in the head and Crunch's neck had been snapped. From Tiger's description, whoever killed them knew their individual weaknesses and decided to prey on them in order to demonstrate that no-one is beyond their reach. Sick, sick bastards. It's like Dave- those three had retired from active action hero work. They were no threat to anyone, so why target them? What is it, Tiffany?" Judomater replied.
"Forensics tell us that they were killed within seconds of each other by an enhanced laser weapon of some kind. That would fit in with the laser weapon used against Saint Louis twenty years ago. Sarge? What did the intel consult show up?"
"Your hunch was right, Tiffany. When SLPD checked out Swift's living quarters, there were clear signs that they were shared. By a nursing mother and an infant. It looks like Swift had a wife or girlfriend and a child from that relationship. And there was an air ticket stub registered to... Lineas Aereas Paraguayas. The Paraguayan national airline."
"In other words, Swift's wife or girlfriend and child were able to travel to Paraguay, widely known to be a sanctuary for fleeing Nazis when the Third Reich collapsed. And where the Smiling Skull could have hidden safely in the interim. Sarge, have our CIA contacts pulled any data from Paraguayan newspapers?"
"Right ahead of you, Tiffany. They sent back copies of the obituary columns from two conservative Paraguayan dailies, La Nacion and La Debate. In it, they circled a particular item. The funeral of a woman named... Emily Swift nee Pearson. Beloved...wife of ...Alfred Swift, American Patriot (deceased) and...mother of Martin Swift... this column paid for by...blue blazes. paid for by ... Rudolf Wolk. The Smiling Skull's actual identity." Sargant read, translating the columns from their original Spanish.
Tiffany grimaced, repelled at the unctuous and deceptive description and phraseology used: "How dare they label that terrorist a 'patriot'! It makes a mockery of all the good, upright men and women who defend our country from exactly the likes of him. All right, Sentinels. Vic, pull in all of the significant personal relationships of all of the Sentinels of Justice. Given how depraved Martin Swift may be, he has shown no hesitation in killing others in pursuit of his monstrous and perverted creed. My guess is that Swift is probably relying on the rest of you being alone when he targets you. Rip, with me. Ted, we'll need your Scarab ATV. Nate, you ride shotgun. I think we need to assume that Swift probably has access to Nazi wunderwaffe - 'miracle weapons' - through his mentor, Wolk. Sarge, although Vic probably won't admit it to the rest of us, he and the others need protection and that's where you come in. All right, everyone. I'm coming with you on this one. Eve is a friend and so are the rest of you. I have your backs."
"Never doubted it for a moment, Tiff. Now, let's get going." Nate Adam said, as the Sentinels prepared to head out and as the Question and Sargant Steel headed back to their headquarters, after they had arranged for the uplift of the loved ones, partners and children of their complement.
EN ROUTE:
"Ted, did any of you know any of the action heroes who were killed?"
Blue Beetle gazed at the Atlantic Ocean below: "It's difficult to remember, Tiff. The original Sentinels were a fairly ephemeral action team back in the sixties and they broke up after a handful of adventures together. But that doesn't mean it's hunting season on us. They didn't deserve to die that way. Nobody does."
"It's psychological, really. Swift and Wolk wanted to kill the original Sentinels to show the rest of us that they meant business. In other words, they deliberately set out to victimise an inexperienced group of novice, transient former action heroes for no other reason than depravity, malice and fear. And then moved on to Nature Man, because they'd identified a point of vulnerability in Dave Crandall's metamorphosis to his paranormally endowed identity- what is it?"
Ted Kord pointed to a blinking light on the Beetleship's control panel:
"Looks like someone's requesting a meeting with us. Okay. It looks like one of them is Nature Woman, Nature Man's former offsider and embodiment of different natural principles, apparently. Wow. Hey, Tiff, you won't believe the other one."
"Try me."
"Jewelee? Of Punch and Jewelee?"
"What on Earth does she want? This is a serious mission. Is her idiot husband with her?"
"Negative on that, Tiffany. I checked up her recent recorded activity and she hasn't been seen with Punch for over the last year or so. In fact, she was sighted working alongside the Image." The Question's voice crackled on the radio link from distant New York.
"Be careful but set the craft down, Ted. If Nature Woman wants to join us, then of course she can. She's mourning the death of her brother and coeval embodiment of the environment. She needs us and we need her. And escort Jewelee onboard. I want to talk to her. Something Eve told me after the last time they tangled with each other... Nate, keep an eye out for any surveillance from Wolk and Swift and scout ahead. Rip, I want you and Ted to stand point in case Jewelee tries to ambush us."
"You're still letting her onboard? Don't underestimate her, Tiff."
"Which is why I want you and Ted here, Rip. However, if my hunch plays out..."
LATER:
"All right, Julia. What's this all about?" Tiffany said, with a pistol clenched in one of her crossed hands, flanked by Blue Beetle and Judomaster. But Julia Covington, formerly the action villain and thief who was known as Jewelee, was visibly transformed.
"Ms. Sinn, I...I... realise that I have no right to ask this and you'd be perfectly within your rights to ship me off to Langley or somewhere else, but...I have nowhere else to go."
"So where's Clyde, Julia? You two are usually bookends." Ted interjected as Tiffany held up a cautionary hand.
"Rip, I think you'll especially want to see this." And in a corner of the room, a past conflict between Nightshade, Punch and Jewelee played out. But this one was specially edited. At length, Tiffany called:
"Freeze image. Now, both of you, tell me what you see." And then, Blue Beetle and Judomaster saw the same thing. When Jewelee interacted with Punch, there was an undercurrent of fear in her facial expression and body language. She seemed nervous and intimidated when she was around her husband ans as for his corresponding body language and interactions with her, there were moments of aggressive contradiction and grabbing and manhandling his wife, as if she would otherwise escape.
Rip's expression was grim: "I think I can see why Eve spoke to you, Tiffany. Julia...Jewelee, I am so sorry. It happened to me too. It's why I learnt martial arts in the first place, to protect my mother, my young brother and sister from...that. Of all people, I should have seen it."
Tears were falling from Jewelee's eyes: "Oh, thank God. After all these years. Someone finally believes me."
Tiffany reached out and grasped Jewelee's hand: "Julia, honey, Eve came to me shortly after she noticed exactly the things that were apparent in that CCTV record. She came to me because I helped set up an inter-services network for former wives and girlfriends of Vietnam vets who...were traumatised by what they'd seen and done and who... took it out on their partners and children back home, subjecting them to domestic violence because they couldn't articulate their own suffering. I want you to know you're safe here. And if you want to cross the morality barrier, we can make sure that you never have to see that abusive piece of garbage Clyde again."
"I do. I've been intimidated and forced into this act for years. And then, the Image action villain kidnapped me. He had no idea he was actually doing me a favour getting me away from Clyde. And worse still, I think mistaken impressions about what I did have led two of my nieces to take up the same path. I...wouldn't blame you if you don't trust me, not after what I've done. But I'm here. I want to help. I heard what happened to Dave. Carla... his sister, Nature Woman... was heartbroken at what they'd done to him. We talked about it. She's angry and confused, but she deserves this chance to fight alongside you and prove her mettle."
"Would you be willing to pair up with Judomaster here, Julia? Under the circumstances and given the gravity of this threat, I intend to welcome any assistance offered. Jewelee, you have combat expertise and proficiency. There are some things that women can't hide from other women. I know you're on the level. Ted?"
"I think I owe you an apology, Julia. God, I had no idea Clyde was a filthy woman abuser like that."
"Nate?"
"If Rip and you have personal experience of this sort of thing and you're putting your life on the line by helping us this way, Julia, it would be foolish of us to stand on our past interactions. All right. And given your hardware, welcome onboard. Tiff? I've just sighted what seems to be a remodelled aircraft carrier. Blazes. They're opening fire. Moving to intercept position. Over and out."
"Nate, covering fire. Vic, Sarge, did you get that, over?"
"Affirmative, Tiffany. Oh. and the President and Secretary Weinberger called. Senator Eden was a close personal friend of Mrs Reagan and he was equally horrified to hear about what had happened to Eve, Nature Man and the original Sentinels. He's offered any additional air support we need and access to targeting satellites." Sargent Steel said on the other end of the line.
"Affirmative in reply, Sarge. However, I do not want members of our brave armed forces to share the risk on this one. I...may be responsible for Martin Swift's corruption. I killed his father, Alfred Swift, a neo-Nazi terrorist, in Saint Louis twenty years ago. Obviously, he wants revenge. The blood of David Crandall, Cindy Carson, Crunch Wilson and David Strong is on my hands."
Nature Woman walked in, shaking her head:
"I heard that, Ms Sinn. Don't do this to yourself. Alfred Swift would have murdered thousands in Saint Louis if you hadn't taken matters into your own hands and taken him out. I realise Martin Swift was raised to do this and it's probably too late for redemption in his case, but the real monster in this situation is Rudolf Wolk. He escaped justice and he should have died when that platform collapsed in his Axis headquarters, but he didn't. He's been brainwashing Martin Swift for years, poisoning his mind and building his resentment and hatred. You are not to blame for this. You were only doing your job."
"Incidentally, it looks like he's up to his old wartime tricks, too. There are several ranks of Nazi android infantry and airborne waiting for us."
"Carla, you have your brother's empsionic abilities. Is Wolk using any wunderwaffe that could represent a threat to any of us assembled here?"
"I guessed you'd ask that, so I hijacked a fly within the carrier and he's been merrily buzzing around the ceiling. No fusion dampeners that could take out Captain Atom. No corresponding alien weaponry that could challenge Jewelee's complement. No electromagnetic pulse weaponry that could disable the Beetleship."
"Good. Rip, you've had combat expertise against Wolk, you're tasked with taking him out particularly. Martin Swift...is to be left to me."
ATLANTIC OCEAN:
Witness the Sentinels of Justice in action as they descended on the mid-Atlantic Nazi base. Captain Atom raked the air with blasts from his humanoid energy form body, tearing apart the potential airborne threat to his colleagues. The Beetleship wove amongst the ground fire, dropping electron grenades amidst the infantry, who shorted out and fused against the onslaught. It was obvious that there had been an overemphasis on robot ordinance and deceptive economies of volume and brute force. Not to be outdone, Jewelee joined in the effort, lashing out with enhanced sting strings and taking out any of the robot horde that got too near Judomaster as he concentrated on his primary mission. Nature Woman's empsionic abilities marshalled the very forces of animal and plant insurgency against their mechanical assailants. Bacteria congregated in the robots innards, causing further short circuits, while sharks dismembered any Nazi robots who were unfortunate enough to enter the undersea theatre. Shrieking birds of prey descended on the faces of other robots, their extended claws raking their eyes, as hordes of wolves snarled and leapt at others.
Abruptly, Jewelee exclaimed: "Captain Atom, look out!" She extended one of her strings and the consequence was a shattered bazooka projectile:
"Thank you, Jewelee. For being here, fighting alongside us."
"Incidentally, Cap, is your real name Jewish?"
"Er, yeah. Why?"
"My mother's maiden name was Kantrowitz. So I have another reason to loathe what those two murderers stand for." After some minutes, it was obvious that the tide of battle had turned in the favour of the Sentinels. From the entrance way to the vast vessel, Tiffany called: "We're in! Okay, Vic and Sarge, what are things like on your end? Can you send us a schematic of the vessel's layout?"
Sargant replied: "Positive on that, Tiffany. Configuration matches one of the old Nazi carriers. In which case, Wolk and Swift should be three floors up, on the bridge."
"All right, Rip, Jewelee. Let's end this."
ENDGAME ONE: JUDOMASTER AND JEWELEE VERSUS RUDOLF WOLK:
As Judomaster battered down the door to Wolk's cabin, a bullet headed for him- until a sting string deflected it, causing it to ricochet into the outside corridor. For the first time in over forty years, Rip Jagger and Rudolf Wolk stared at each other with unmitigated loathing. Jewelee raised an eyebrow:
"No oil panting, is he?"
"It's over, Rudi. Stand down, now. You killed four people who had given up their duties and responsibilities as action heroes. They had every right to expect our protection and we let them down. But you are the chief architect of their deaths and you will pay for their senseless, brutal homicides. Go on, make a fight of it."
"Hello, Judomaster. Still as youthful as the day we last met. Well, there's a final time for everything. I can pay you back for this at long last." And then, unexpectedly, Rudolf Wolk arose from his wheelchair:
"What a cheap party trick. Exoskeleton. I might have guessed."
"You might want to ask the fraulein to leave us. This is no place for a woman."
"Oh, please. Sorry, gruesome, he's my team mate and that attitude is as old as Noah's ark."
"Then please, keep out of my way as I count coup on your colleague in turn."
Judomaster glanced at his partner: "You have anything that could assist us in this situation?"
"Oh, yes. And it'll be a pleasure. Rudolf, you're really asking for it."
"Then share your doxy's fate!" Wolk snarled, moving rapidly toward Jewelee, who responded by pivoting and darting forward herself, adjusting her mass through her antigravity shoes and slamming hard into his midriff, as Judomaster aimed for his face:
"Neither of you will leave this room!"
"I've missed you too, Rudi. But let's face it, you're as rusty as the materials you scavenged for those tinker toys you sent against us. What's the matter, Nazi blood money from the Holocaust not paying well these days?"
"You dare trivialise the glorious days of the Third Reich?!"
"Has he always been this pompous?" Jewelee asked she repeated her earlier manoeveur
"And again! Have you thought about setting this to music when this is over and done, Jewelee? Perhaps a riff on the evergreen "These Boots Were Made for Walking?" Because those boots are sure as hell walking all over that pathetic, bitter old man." Judomaster laughed as he elbowed the Smiling Skull in his face. As a thin tendril of blood started to flow from his nose, the Skull grinned malevolently:
"By now, my young companion will have avenged his martyred father."
'Martyr?' Like your delusions of kitsch grandeur about the Third Reich, that is not how I'd describe that poor kid. Well, you'll have years to regret it, Skull. Capital punishment is too good for you. You can rot in a cell until the end of your miserable life."
"I will not be taken alive!" But by now, the effort on Wolk's battered exoskeleton and the frail, elderly crippled frame beneath it were starting to tell. Grimly, he realised that his last sentence would probably now be a self-fulfilling prophecy. He increased the feed to his faltering exoskeletal limbs as Judomaster and Jewelee closed for his coup de grace.
ENDGAME TWO: TIFFANY SINN VERSUS MARTIN SWIFT:
"Swift! Give yourself up! It's all over!"
For the first time, Tiffany caught sight of the young man, with his shaved head, Nazi tattoos and wild demeanor. He was obviously on methamphetamines, which figured. No doubt his conniving mentor Wolk was responsible for that, too, on top of ruining Martin Swift's life.
"I don't want your pity or your mercy! I am an Aryan warrior, one of the racial elite! I will prevail!"
"Martin? I'm sorry about what I had to do to stop your father. But he left me no option. He was a terrorist. Please. Throw down that gun. End this without more bloodshed."
"How does it feel to exterminate the members of a warrior family, Miss Sinn? Because that's what you've done. My father, a martyr to the holy cause of racial purity. My uncle, dead in the endless battle against communism due to the faustian bargain made to destroy the holiness of the Third Reich? My mother, who had to live out her days in a corrupt South American cesspool with inadequate healthcare because you murdered her husband."
"Does it mean nothing to you that your father would have slaughtered thousands in Saint Louis that day? And that your precious Third Reich was led by a syphilitic madman who didn't even have the guts to die alongside the last fanatical remnants of his dystopian nightmare?"
"You will die, Tiffany Sinn. And at last, my father's martyrdom will be avenged and the glorious Reich will live again! Hel Hitler! One Fuhrer, One Nation, One Holy Reich!!!"
And in that instant, Tiffany Sinn knew there could be no compromise or quarter given. Almost inaudibly, she whispered: "I'm sorry, Rex. Wherever you are now, I have to do this. I hope you can forgive me but I have no other option. But my love, I tried. God only knows, I tried."
Tiffany Sinn and Martin Swift fired at the same time. But one of them was an experienced and disciplined secret service agent with two decades of expertise and precision behind her and the other was a wild-eyed, gesticulating, drug-addled young man whose mind and whole life had been perverted for the sake of a revenant, malignant philosophy and a nightmare that had slaughtered millions of innocents and had brought the country that had embraced it down in fiery ruins. And for that reason, Martin Swift's eyes glazed over, sightless and his violent rhetoric stilled at last. As his body slammed to the floor, Tiffany Sinn holstered her pistol and turned her back on the end of another madman's dream. As she entered the corridor, Judomaster and Jewelee pushed the drooling, nodding ataxic form of Rudolf Wolk, returned to his wheelchair:
"Swift?"
Tiffany shook her head: "It was either me or him. I tried to convince him to turn his back on his old life but the poison this evil old man cankered him with ran far too deep for reason to reach. Well done, both of you. And Julie, I'll see to it that you get a full presidential pardon for your past crimes. As of now, you've proved yourself as a trusted partner who fights alongside us. Welcome to the Sentinels of Justice."
The Natural came into the corridor: "Ted's got a message from New York. Eve's regained consciousness."
Tiffany bit her lip. Now came the hard part.
EPILOGUE: ARLINGTON US NATIONAL CEMETARY:
President Ronald Reagan cleared his throat and began his memorial speech: "My fellow Americans, we are assembled here today to honour five cherished Americans, one of whom had a praiseworthy life of public service and patriotism and whose daughter carries on her brave, irreplacable father's legacy. Nightshade, your country joins you in grieving for this precious, vital intellect so abruptly and cruelly taken from us all, but most especially you, his courageous and valiant daughter, so worthy of her father's legacy. Warren, old friend, rest in peace. Both Nancy and I will miss you and I promise you, we will regard Nightshade as if she were our own flesh and blood.
The other task I have today is acknowledging that as a country, we have failed these four other heroic Americans who lie in these flag-draped caskets before us today. David Crandall, Richard Strong, Cynthia Carson and "Crunch" Wilson may not have been as celebrated as our Sentinels of Justice assembled here today, but in their time, they fought to make their communities safe from crime, protecting our verdant natural environment from harm and protecting our national security. They had retired from active duty, it is true, but the Central Intelligence Agency had a solemn obligation to protect these valiant individuals from reprisal and harm from malignant former adversaries and third parties. It failed. Director Bob Casey has resigned effective immediately. And as a country, we have also failed these good and virtuous souls who lie before us today. In the heat of the struggle against totalitarian communism, we have forgotten that the ends do not justify the means when it comes to tolerating an older but just as malignant evil. I have spoken to both Houses of Congress and the leaders of the Democratic and Republican parties alike. I refuse to name the terrorists who slaughtered these men and this woman in cold blood but I can assure you, the United States will never again tolerate the other evil empire's hateful, violent and perverted progeny. Fascism and neo-Nazism have no place within the United States of America and I swear that I will not rest during my remaining days in office to insure that this horrific event will never be repeated."
Some distance away from the others, the Natural stood, lost in her own private grief for the brother whose loss had torn a gaping wound in her own life. For all her newfound power, she could not save him from the evil that had engulfed him that day several weeks past. And although animals gathered around her to reflect their empathy and solace, she kept her solace and private grief to herself.
As First Lady Nancy Reagan held a sobbing, grieving Eve Eden close to her, Tiffany Sinn and the members of her agency escorted the caskets to their graveside, there to be buried alongside other heroes. Their deaths had been wanton and nihilistic acts of brutality and horror, but they had also galvanised a country to recognise and repudiate an older, resurgent evil which should have died in a madman's sordid, secretive funeral pyre forty-one years before. Had those four individuals been asked if they deserved their final resting place beforehand, they might have denied that they were of commensurate valour, courage and morality to the others laid to rest in this storied final resting place. But that day, that valour, courage and exemplary lives served as a beacon and keepsake for others and changed the course of one of the mightiest nations on the face of the Earth.
Overcome by grief and the tragedy of the event, Julie Covington wept freely and honestly, unafraid at last to show her true feelings. Then she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder as she turned to face Rip Jagger, his own face drawn in sorrow and pain for the commemoration of those lives so cruelly taken. Quietly and almost imperceptibly, their faces moved toward one another and the two Sentinels kissed one another hesitantly at first, then with growing realisation and relief that neither need ever be alone again.
THE END