Crime Syndicate: The Crimelords!

[lawrenceliberty]

The Crimelords
By libbylawrence
The Crime Syndicate and their enemies face threats from two different alien sources!


1
Power Ring and Ultra Man exchanged evil grins as they silently approached a rather petite young Japanese woman as she made her way down one of the avenues that spiraled outward from the central platform of the Shibuya Train Station in Tokyo. The victim was very pretty and was dressed in a stylish dress designed by Rei Kawkubo. Everything about her demeanor suggested culture, discernment, and of greatest interest to the gangsters, wealth!
Ultra Man adjusted his sunglasses and leather jacket and he and his partner glanced over to where they had parked their motorcycles. No one would dare to touch them since everyone in the area feared the Bosozuko riders who had dared to name themselves after members of the infamous Crime Syndicate!
Power Ring was short and stocky but he was eager. He reached out one gloved hand for the young woman’s arm only to gasp in pain as she spun around and kicked him in the stomach! He staggered backward only to receive a second stunning blow as he agile girl followed up her first move with another swift and impressive strike! Ultra Man cursed and charged at her as she crouched in anticipation!
Before he could touch her, she flipped through the air and over his head. Before he could turn around, she knocked him cold with one blow to the head.
She looked down at the fallen thugs and smiled with satisfaction.
“That never gets old!” she thought.
Applause echoed from above and she looked up to see a man in a black costume with an ornate and stylized mask shaped like a bird with large eyes and a gold beak.
He glided down on the wings that were built into his costume and said, “Secret! Himitsu! You are more lovely than ever before!”
She smiled and said, “Raptor, you say that to all the girls. I think you try to overcompensate for all the time you spend with the other members of the Triad. How are Barracuda and Vulpine?”
Raptor said, “They are fine but forget about them! I have come here to summon you homeward! Your esteemed foster father La Mano Aporto wishes for you to join others in his League of Assistance for a special mission!”
The young woman smiled eagerly. “I will be pleased to see my father and our home once more.”
Raptor (Gunther Chadwick) frowned beneath his mask. He knew that she really wanted to see her father’s most esteemed agent the Red Hood. She had always had a crush on the heroic man and she clearly had not lost her ardor for him.
Himitsu hesitated and then broke the awkward silence. “I was sorry to hear about the death of Art Brown- Mr. Clue. He was a good man!”
Raptor shrugged and said, “Yes, but death is always waiting in our line of work. He knew that when he joined us. His daughter is eager to carry on his work.”
Himitsu thought of how the mysterious and seemingly immortal La Mano Aporto had created a vast network of super heroes around the world. The wise and compassionate man inspired great devotion in all of his agents and as his foster child, the bright and skilled Himitsu wanted nothing more than to please him!
“Sharon Brown is a smart young lady. As I said, it will be good to be home again!” she said.
2
The real Ultra Man scowled in surprise as he glanced once more around the strangely familiar environment in which he had awakened following a massive explosion on the planet Qward!
“Krypton? Everything about this place reminds me of Krypton. The furniture and the design of this room and even the writing on that corny decoration over there all seem to be authentically Kryptonian!” he mused.
He looked down at Owlman and noticed with satisfaction that his friend was slowly recovering as well. Neither of them had been hurt by the energy that swept over them when they were attacked by the evil General Fabricant of Qward!
“I don’t see the others! Did they die? If so, why do I seem to care?” he thought.
He looked over at the robotic servant who had entered the room moments before to announce that he was safe and welcome in Argo City!
“You called this place Argo City. That was one of the cities on my lost home world. Is this some kind of hoax? If you think you can play games with me, you are sadly mistaken!” he cried.
Owlman stood up and said, “Kel, we need to hear him out. This is far too sophisticated to be a mere trick. My mental powers are enough to assure me that no one is trying to delude us with some illusion!”
Ultra Man grinned and said, “So you were awake all the time? That’s typical of you. You are always a step ahead of everybody! I’m glad you’re okay though! I guess my body shielded you from the blast!”
Owlman nodded and said, “I suspect we were both transported away from Qward before the shockwaves of the explosion could reach us. I believe we are about to meet our unknown benefactor!”
He frowned as he looked down at his own costume. “This belt seems to be an environmental protection device. I think it is altering the gravity or some aspect of this environment around me!”
Ultraman frowned as he said, “Yeah? Something is way off. I don’t have my powers! I didn’t even notice when I first woke up!”
The small droid chirped in reply.
“You are correct. The belt is a necessary addition to your equipment because our gravity and other environmental factors would be detrimental to your Earth-born ally and your remarkable powers are also lacking due to this location’s artificial simulation of Krypton’s gravity and sun!”
Ultra Man said, “I don’t like being powerless! I don’t ever want to go back to being the way I was before I reached Earth again!”
Owlman thought, “Kel characteristically ignored or gave no thought to the larger significance of the droid’s statement. Apparently, we have reached some lost colony or otherwise surviving remnant of his lost home planet! If this much of Krypton lives, we may actually be among what could potentially be a city full of super powered beings! I am not certain what this development will mean for my own plans either!”
The droid said, “I am sorry for your distress and confusion. When Krypton exploded, certain structures within Argo City survived intact due to their confinement within a protective environmental dome! This dome was designed by my creator. He is your host. He is the ruler of this small asteroid!”
Owlman smiled coldly.
“By all means, take us to your leader!” he said.
As they followed the droid the World’s fiercest duo came out into long halls that led past spacious rooms with ornate art work and highly advanced technological devices. Conservatories and greenhouses were adjacent to labs and art galleries.
Ultra Man said, “This really is Argo or some part of it! It is like being back home again. I don’t like the way it makes me feel!”
Owlman said, “Easy, chum. This mysterious host must be a genius and he apparently means us no harm!”
They began to encounter men and women of various ages. They were all smiling benignly and were dressed in the traditional garments associated with the lost planet Krypton. The men wore headbands that indicated their various castes while the women wore brightly colored short dresses.
The duo climbed a steep flight of stairs that led into a beautifully decorated reception room where courtiers lined the walls and seemed to listen attentively if not reverently to every pronouncement from their leader who sat rather awkwardly on a throne!
He was an astonishing looking being for several reasons. He wore a blue and red costume that matched Ultra Man’s own garb and his features actually matched the villain’s own except for the fact that the ruler’s eyes were bright with intelligence and humor but his facial features and body were cruelly distorted. His back was swollen and his legs were twisted and gaunt. His neck seemed to be permanently bent toward the right.
“What kind of freak is he?” thought Ultra Man as he stared at his distorted double!
“Do not be alarmed! You are welcome here! I have yearned to see you in person after watching you from afar via my monitoring devices for far too long! This is a day for rejoicing! Although we have never met, Kel-LL, we have a bond that can’t be broken! While my good subjects refer to me as King Krypton you may call me by my true name of Kor-LL for we are brothers!” he cried in an oddly weak voice.
“Great Suns!” whispered Ultra Man in surprise.
3
Ultra Man rushed forward toward Kor-LL and said, “What kind of trick is this? I don’t have any brothers and if I did they sure wouldn’t… !”
Owlman interrupted his friend and said, “Kor-LL, we appreciate the way you rescued us and took pains for our comfort but you must understand that this is a bit of a shock. Kel grew up without any hint that he had any siblings!”
Ultra Man nodded slowly. He said, “If you are my brother why didn’t you try to contact me years ago? Why didn’t my…our…father tell me about you?”
Kor-LL smiled and stood up. He came forward and said, “I am sorry. I was too abrupt with you. Our father had many enemies and so he kept us separate to protect us. He hid me in an estate he secretly owned in Argo City. His aides cared for me and he nurtured my intellectual curiosity by leaving me alone with access to many technological resources! I watched you from various monitors around the planet but father was so worried about my safety that he never allowed me to leave the estate and he seldom visited since he feared one of his foes might track him here and harm me!”
Ultra Man smiled bitterly and said, “Yeah? That sounds like the high and mighty Jur-LL. He really knew everything except how to be a father!”
Owlman said, “Kor-LL, your father’s enemies did catch up to him. He was betrayed by one of his own aides. That’s how Kel was caught and launched into orbit in a form of suspended animation. When the planet exploded, his rocket was propelled to safety.”
Kor-LL said, “I know! I saw the whole thing. I was able to save this little slice of Argo City by activating an environmental protection dome that I had created. I saw one of father’s aircars heading for the city. I waited until it landed on the grounds and then activated the dome. I thought it would be a pleasant surprise for him! He would see the fruits of my own genius and be impressed. Needless to say, my dome saved our home and all within it when the planet exploded. My robots have provided us with all the labor we need to keep our home safe. “
Ultra Man said, “Wait a minute! Our father escaped along with our bratty cousin into some kind of mind zone! He outlived Krypton but he sure didn’t do so by hiding under your precious dome!”
Kor-LL said, “Dear brother, you misunderstood me. In my pleasure at this joyful meeting, I failed to make myself clear. Our father’s aircar landed here and I sealed the dome right before the quakes started and our world died its premature death; however, the driver was not our father but one of his minions! Had I realized the driver was not father but was someone else, I would not have activated the dome and we might all have perished!”
Owlman said, “It was a fortuitous error on your part!”
Ultra Man said, “So you and the people who were in this manor at the time the dome went up have been living here ever since the planet blew up? What made you decide to beam us here at that specific moment? I’ve been in plenty of rough spots before and you sure didn’t make yourself known to me!”
Kor-LL raised his hands in a placating gesture and he said, “I only completed the teleportation ray after I saw your enemy Luther make use of something similar on the planet Rann!”
Owlman said, “You spoke of monitors. Can you show us what happened to Superwoman and the others on our team?”
Kor-LL almost clapped his hands with pleasure.
“I certainly can! Your partners in crime escaped with help from the Egyptian goddess! Sadly, I lost all contact with Qward after that!” he said with a sigh.
Ultra Man said, “I’m not much for family. I don’t know how to react to learning about you. I can’t just become some beloved sibling at the blink of an eye.”
Kor-LL said, “We will become close. We will have years in which to get to know one another. I even brought your friend here so you would not feel so alone while you become accustomed to life here. My subjects call me King Krypton but you will be treated like royalty as well!”
Kel-LL grinned and said, “I could get used to that! I bet there are things here that could wipe old Luther off the Earth too!”
Owlman followed the duo as they entered a dining hall and he frowned as he adjusted the special goggles in his mask.
“Something is very wrong here. Even if I buy his story, Kor-LL is clearly deranged. Perhaps the isolation or the weird circumstances of his life have warped him. While all these subjects seem to adore him and they can’t lose their smiles. I almost think they’re under some spell. I can’t detect any radiation or any mind control device but there’s a chalky substance all over the place. It can’t be detected except by my microscopic scan but it coats the whole palace!” thought Owlman.
“I think this return to Krypton is a bit too idyllic to be real!” he thought.

4
In the spacious Italian villa of La Mano Aporto or the Open Hand, the seemingly immortal benefactor ushered his adopted daughter Himitsu, Red Hood, and Red Raven into a communications center.
“I have already dispatched the Triad to deal with a dangerous gangster in Bludhaven. The Tattered Man and the Cretin haven been spotted there and I fear some kind of super mob is forming there. I wanted you three to watch this disturbing video that shows another of my agents in peril. I think rather than aid Raptor, Barracuda, and Vulpine, you may need to deal with a new threat of a larger scale!” said the graying man as he sat behind a massive desk and spoke to his allies in a hushed tone of voice.
Himitsu (Tatsu Toro) was now fully costumed. She wore a gray costume with red protective greaves over each leg and a mask with the rising sun on its center above her eyes. A word hung across her back and her lower face was covered with a concealing white powder much like that used by the celebrated geishas of an earlier age.
She stood close to the Red Hood (Thomas Wayne Jr.) and his teen partner Red Raven (Lance Bruner). She had grown up with the Red Hood and she did indeed have romantic feelings for her heroic man.
They gazed in silence as a disturbing scene played out on the video screen.
“This was taken in Nigeria in the large city of Lagos where my agent Mohammed Ibn Bornu keeps order in spite of the oppressive regime that threatens to destroy the progress made there prior to the civil wars of the middle 1980s. I’ll let the footage speak for itself!” said The Open Hand.
They watched as a heroic man in a white turban and a green and orange costume with short sleeves and dark boots rode across the sky on a gleaming metallic steed! The man was muscular and golden bracelets adorned each arm. A scimitar hung from a belt near his tunic and he held a long golden spear across the saddle of his robotic mount.
He seemed to be patrolling the busy city and he was greeted with cheers from many onlookers from below. He had in fact created a name for himself by defeating many of the pirates or drug trafficking “campus cults” that terrorized the region. Now, however, the young champion was about to be attacked from a much more dangerous foe!
A high pitched giggle echoed out through the speakers as a green hued youth with a strange raised ridge across the top of his head rode into view on a orange creature that resembled a mutated horse with extra limbs. The boy wore a yellow costume with purple trim and boots. He struck Mohammed Ibn Bornu from the side and the Nigerian hero fought to retain his position on his own flying steed.
He swung out with his golden spear and electrical energy crackled down its shaft and caught the mocking attacker in a nimbus of energy.
The green boy seemed to ignore the energy and he casually slapped the startled man off his robotic horse with one cruel blow! As the stunned hero fell through the sky, his horse responded to an automatic signal and swooped down to catch him before he could be harmed.
The leering alien youth rode onward and directed a red beam from his eyes downward in front of his path. The heat beams burned across the ground and swept through anything they came in contact with although no people were harmed since the startled citizens had fled from the frightening invader!
The Red Hood said, “Was Ibn Bornu hurt badly?”
La Mano Aporto said, “No. Other agents of mine tended to him. He was knocked out with one glancing blow though. The alien has super powers including amazing strength!”
Red Raven slammed his gloved fist into his other hand and said, “I’d like to teach that punk some manners!”
La Mano Aporto said, “You’ll have your chance, my young friend although I have more to tell you. He is not alone. I have additional videos for you to watch! This next encounter happened earlier in Mexico City where my agent Princess Tlaca met another alien invader with equally troubling results!”
The monitor screen showed a brilliantly sunny day in Mexico City where two striking figures wrestled furiously high over the crowded city streets.
Princess Tlaca who was also sometimes known locally as Xiuhtecutli, was a lovely young woman who claimed to be the embodiment of the Aztec sun goddess. She flew effortlessly overhead with a golden glow surrounding her body. She was dressed in a brief purple and orange costume with ornate bracelets and heavy golden jewelry. She struggled as a taller blonde woman in a white and green costume with a short green cape grappled with her.
“You are strong but you are not as strong as I am! I admire your spirit but that admiration will not prevent me from doing what must be done!” said the condescending blonde.
Princess Tlaca had attacked the flying woman after spotting her rampaging through the heart of the city. She had managed to drag the blonde into the sky where no civilians could be harmed but the proud Mexican heroine was already losing the battle. The recorded image blurred as the blonde moved at super human speed and struck the other woman repeatedly! Princess Tlaca’s golden glow faded as she fell out of the sky and crashed to the ground below.
The blonde woman smiled coldly for a moment and then glanced downward as a beam of energy blazed from her blue eyes and burned a strange path across the city streets below!
La Mano Aporto said, “Almost the same thing happened to one of my North American agents Seneca. In spite of his ability to change his size, the heroic champion was easily bested by a mocking alien who also left a scorch across the ground near their battle.”
He gestured to a scene in which a giant Native American was tossed across a field by a muscular man in a brown and yellow costume. The victor had a brown mustache and a stern expression. He was balding but he clearly possessed incredible power in spite of any slight sign of age.
“I lack any video evidence but my sources have informed me that multiple other alien invaders have appeared around the globe and have followed his example in blasting the ground with various energy beams!”
“Why? Are they trying to show off or something?” asked the Red Raven.
“Easy, son. I think our leader has more to tell us if you’ll settle down!” said The Red Hood.
The ancient leader of the League of Assistance said, “Do not curb his youthful enthusiasm. We will need such zeal to keep us going if this invasion of five is as bad as it seems!”
Red Hood said, “What do you mean, sir?”
The old man said, “The heat beams burned a particular symbol in the ground at each site of an alien encounter. As shown from above, you may see they take the form of the stylized U that serves as Ultra Man’s emblem! I fear these aliens represent an invasion of evil beings from his home world!”
At that moment, a young man in an elaborate cloak and a red and green costume appeared in the center of the room.
“Sir, I thought you should see this immediately!” he said.
He adjusted the monitor screen until it showed what appeared to be some kind of press conference.
“It is being covered by almost every network!” he said.
La Mano Aporto nodded and said, “Thank you, El Dorado. This is timely indeed. Those odd beings are the aliens we were discussing!”
Red Raven said, “Listen, they are making some kind of statement in flawless English!”
El Dorado said, “No, they are speaking in Spanish!”
Red Hood said,” I think through some kind of universal translation device or innate power they are enabling all listeners to hear them in their own native language!”
The five aliens stood before assembled reporters and addressed the crowd of listeners with an easy confidence.
The balding man in brown and gold said, “I am Zartox of Valeron. “
The blonde who had beaten Tlaca said, “I am Aluma Alynai of Staryl.”
The giggling green youth who had bested Ibn Bornu said, “I am Goli of Durim and this is Quisto!” He caressed the weird orange creature who served as his steed.
A blond man in a green costume waved to the onlookers and in doing so displayed a large gauntlet which covered most of one arm. “I am Don Avon of Belgor!”
The final alien was a striking woman with long white hair, pale blue skin, and a bright leotard of red, white, and blue.
“I am Tamara of Ganelon!” she said in a musical tone of voice.
Zartox said, “We have come here from our respective worlds with a single goal. We will dominate this world and punish all who oppose us. We will meet all challenges and we will triumph in the name of the one who brought us together in the first place. We owe everything to one man and it is in his name that we have come to rule you! We are the Ultra Man Revenge Squad and we mean to teach you all that your past opposition to him will not go unpunished!”
La Mano Aporto turned to his own allies and said, “It is much as I feared. They may not be Kryptonian but they do represent a threat on the level of Ultra Man himself!”
Red Hood put one arm around Himitsu and said, “They may be an even bigger threat than the Crime Syndicate themselves!”
5
Over the next few days the Ultra Man Revenge Squad constructed a massive Fortress in the mountainous area just outside of the Metropolis. The group had been challenged by military and police forces but none of them had been able to even slow down the super human aliens. Zartox was more than capable of defeating nearly any attacker on his own. The arrival of the five aliens bent on vengeance against a world that had rejected their hero had stirred strong emotions in more than one observer.
The Martian Warlord known as J’imm J’onzz was deeply worried about the newcomers and what their arrival might mean for him. It could be said that the chalky white alien was even paler than usual. The solitary being was certainly not homesick for the Red Planet as Earthlings called his former home. He hoped he would never see Mars of any of its remaining natives ever again!
“I’ve never needed anyone! I didn’t need the caregivers in the orphanage nor did I need the friendship of that odd baby alien who was brought there when I was a child! I certainly do not need the Crime Syndicate!” he thought.
He had been a soldier on his home world but he had lost all rank there and had been condemned to death after his actions unleashed a deadly plague via a stolen biological weapon called the Blue Flame which nearly wiped out most of life on Mars. He had imagined that his life was over at that point. He could still feel the chill of his prison cell and he knew exactly how many days of life had been left to him at the time of his remarkable departure from Mars through no means of his own devising.
“Mars has no interplanetary travel. I certainly had no hope of ever escaping from my cell much less from the planet itself! How could I have imagined a Earthling genius would pluck me at random from my cell via a teleportation device!” he thought.
Dr. Alexander Luther, sometimes known as the armored hero the Defender, had used such a machine to bring him to Earth in order to enlist his help in battling a green Martian from another timeline or some alternate reality. He had been struck by the teleportational energies by chance. The beam that plucked him from death row to safety on Earth could have struck anyone else.
J’imm scowled as he recalled his hated superior officer the beloved hero Captain Blanx. He truly hated the sanctimonious champion! He shook his head as he also recalled the sultry spy named Bel Zus who had betrayed him to Blanx and enabled his capture after the Blue Flame debacle! How he would love to kill her! No, he had no regrets about being removed from Mars.
He had helped the Crime Syndicate defeat Luther’s other enemies the alternate reality Lawless League only to end up trapped along with Ultra Man, Owlman, and the rest in a weird other dimensional along with their foes by a crafty Dr. Luther!
He didn’t share Ultraman’s pathological hatred of the old genius. He could almost laugh about the way the red bearded scientist had duped them all. After all, he owed Luther his freedom and his very life. Oh, he had managed to escape from that “phantom zone” with his new team but he had certainly not escaped from that nightmarish zone unscathed!
He had joined the Syndicate readily and enjoyed being with them since they were more like true allies than his fellow Martian soldiers had ever been but he had also relished being able to hide out on earth via his shape changing powers. He created numerous fake identities for himself around the globe and routinely killed notable figures in order to assume their lives and acquire their respective wealth or status. When his allies had planed their assault on Qward, he had learned of their plans via a routine mind scan of the rather oblivious Johnny Quick. He formed his own resolution to avoid the whole mission by retreating into one of his secret identities until the whole thing ended.
Now, he sat on a terrace on a large estate in Argentina and as Xavier Marcos a wealthy playboy he sipped a cool drink and pondered his future.
“I could not join them because I am afraid to ever leave this world! My enemies on Mars could come for me if Blanx’s Project Star-Ride has been completed or someone with the means of alerting them to my presence might spot me during any trip away from Earth!” he thought.
“And yet you have never feared death before! You wished for it when you took the Blue Flame!” said a voice in his head.
“You have no right to question me! How I wish I could free myself from you!” he shouted.
“You have used my form more than once. I think you envy me my power!” said the mental presence.
J’imm “screamed” at the voice which had tormented his thoughts since he first escaped from the Phantom Zone! “You do not belong here! You were created by Johnny Thunder when he used stolen magical energy to create the Lawless League! You and Hypernion and Speed Freak and the rest should have remained phantoms when Luther used your own dimensional projector to trap you all in the limbo of the Phantom Zone!”
“Thunder retroactively made us all real along with all we ever loved or hated! That is why Luther was able to use Hypernion’s own projector against us! In any case, when you and your allies escaped from the Zone, I was able to merge my own mental essence with your own! I will eventually dominate you completely!”
J’imm screamed in anger and gasped for breath. The voice was gone again but he knew the other Martian Murderer from the Lawless League would whisper in his mind again if he dropped his guard.
He said, “I will drive him out of my mind in time! I can’t add to my troubles by going to Qward nor can I face those swaggering Revenge Squad members! All of them come from outer space. Any of them could tell my people like that self-righteous Captain Blanx where to find me!”
He closed his eyes and pressed his palms against his skull as he felt a slight whisper echo through his mind again!
He shuddered and then his vision cleared and he nodded to himself.
“I have been a fool! The only way to protect myself is to destroy this Revenge Squad before they ever leave Earth! I do not know if the Crime Syndicate will ever return from Qward or not but I have ways of securing other allies!” he said.
If the voice in his head laughed, for once J’imm did not hear it!
One of his secret identities operated a crooked cult Mars Gate that was designed to enable him to manipulate wealthy seekers of alien wisdom into giving him anything he wanted in exchange for the alleged divine wisdom of the cosmos! In that role, he had befriended a young runaway named Chrissie Reynolds. She had been different from all of his other cult members in that he had developed genuine affection for her to his own shock. She had nothing to give him except for her love and he had surprised himself by refusing to take advantage of the troubled teen!
He flew away from Argentina and approached the girl at the Mars Gate commune in the Southwest U.S.A.. She smiled as he approached in his paternal Jim Jones guise. She had short black hair and wore a black leather jacket and faded stone washed jeans and boots.
“Hey there, you!” she said in her customary affectionate manner!
He smiled and placed both hands on her shoulders.
“And how are things here in our little kingdom, my child!” he asked.
Chrissie said, “We’re alone out here! You can drop the Brother Life routine! This sure ain’t Zandia!”
J’Imm laughed and said, “The others are working the fields or seeking donations in town. I see you are roaming the desert as always my little Nomad!”
Chrissie said, “Yeah! It is too quiet when you aren’t around! A girl could like totally die from boredom!”
He said, “I have come to end your boredom. You alone know my true nature. I also know about your powers. I need them. It is time for you to help me reclaim this planet for myself!”
Chrissie grinned wickedly and said, “You’ve helped me develop my abilities so much! I can’t wait to use them! So, who are we going to kill first?”
“That’s my girl!” said J’imm.
Later, in one of Star City’s most luxurious mansions, an amorous blonde in a brief pink nightgown pouted as the bearded blond man next to her stared off into space.
“When I was a dancer I didn’t have any trouble keeping a guy’s attention! What’s on your mind, Lover?” asked Dana “Silk Canary” Lance.
Oliver ”Deadeye” Queen pulled her closer and said, “Sorry, Pretty Bird. When Quick tipped me off, I thought I was pretty smart when I had us sit out Big Blue’s invasion of Qward. Now, that the others may have disappeared for good into that crazy world but we sure haven’t got an easy path to take over here!”
Silk Canary stroked his chest and said, “Honey, just because your pal Johnny Quick and the others are gone and may not return doesn’t mean, we have no friends.”
Deadeye said, “I know but it burns my bow to finally be free of Owlman and Ultra Man only to have a whole squad of Ultra powered aliens show up and try to cramp my style!”
“You are not alone! I have gathered some new allies and with you help we will kill these newcomers!”
The lovers looked around their seemingly empty bedroom only to see the Martian Warlord appear in front of them.
“Don’t do that invisible act!” shouted Deadeye.
The Martian Warlord nodded and said, “I do apologize. Still, my feelings are the same as your own. I wish to rid of this Revenge Squad! May I count on Deadeye and the Silk Canary to join my new team of liberators?”
Deadeye grinned broadly and said, “Yeah, Fright Face, you just hit the proverbial bullseye!”
6
Within their Fortress the members of the Ultra Man Revenge Squad watched as their leader Zartox brooded over an odd device with an elevated monitor.
“We owe everything to Ultra Man! All of us would have rotted away in the Galactic Prison if he had not liberated us! We’ve had years in which we could have repaid him but we waited too late! If only I had consulted my probability calculator before he died! I could have saved him!” he said.
Aluma said, “Your hyper power fuels that machine. It is not always accurate just as we are all capable of normal human errors! Ultra Man has long been my ideal mate and I do grieve for him but none of us could have guessed a being of such remarkable power like him could truly die!”
Tamara approached and spoke in her oddly musical voice.
“The machine predicted his death and we arrived too late to save him. We may still punish those who either rejected him or attempted to betray him! His surviving allies will suffer at our hands!” said the blue hued woman as she stroked her own long platinum hair.
At that moment a weird group of costumed men and women charged into the Fortess!
“How did these misfits bypass our security?” gasped Don Avon as the young man with long blond hair hurried forward to join his allies.
“Our leader is a genius! He makes miracles look easy!” said a gleaming humanoid who abruptly replicated into two duplicates made of the same flickering energy!
The gold and red costumed men wore cowls with raised red fins or crests on top. Red capes flowed down each man’s back. They passed directly through any item of décor that came between them and their foes!
“We are Triple X and you will soon regret the day you crossed Dr. Atlanta and his Monster Society of Good!” said the trio in sync.
Don Avon swiftly adjusted the large gauntlet that covered most of his right arm! Energy flashed from the alien device and the colorful trio of energy wraiths shattered into molecules!
“Three? You clearly should have sent hundreds if you hoped to stop the Don Avon the Chosen One!” he quipped.
A giant chalk white brute roared in anger and hurled himself at the alien youth.
“Hiram Goldman smash!” he bellowed.
“Smash this, you freak!” cried Aluma as the beautiful blonde tackled the inhuman golem and flew through the roof of the Fortress with him in tow!
She battered him at super speed as they soared into the upper atmosphere!
He fought back and his own might was enough to slow her down but she had no weakness to his magical origin and she ignored his struggles much as she had those made by Tlaca earlier!
Goldman did not breathe so the lack of oxygen seemed to have no true effect on him nor did the friction of their flight harm him. Still, he could not fly and when the sultry blonde hurled him into space, he floated off helplessly!
Meanwhile, below in the Fortress, a smiling shark-man called Great White attacked Tamara but she dodged his clumsy lounge and connected with a spinning heel kick that shattered his front teeth!
She blasted him with an orange beam from her eyes and laughed almost girlishly as his white skin began to burn!
At that moment, an alluring woman sailed forward on a ramp of solid ice. She wore a filmy dress of an old-fashioned design and high heeled boots. Her hair and her lovely features were inhumanly white. The air around her was chilled and Frost Queen raised one dainty hand to generate more ice.
The giggling alien boy named Goli laughed as her effort to contain him failed. He was immune to the cold she produced and as she struggled to stop him from grabbing her, his orange pet slammed into her from behind. She fell hard as the beast reared up and threatened to bring its hoofs down on her.
Zartox shoved the beast aside as Goli scowled in dismay.
“She is fair. I would not kill one who possesses such beauty!” announced the muscular alien in brown and gold.
“Nor would I kill any of you!” said a small man in a white lab coat and black pants who entered the room and aimed a wide mouthed weapon at Zartox!
“My suspendium will merely place you in suspended animation!” said the grinning Dr. Atlanta!
The weapon crumbled to dust in his grasp as Zartox stared at it.
“Molecular disassembly is merely one of my powers! I could have done the same thing to your body, little man!” he cried.
Dr. Atlanta yelped in pain as Zartox casually knocked him aside with one hand.
“Are these pathetic creatures the best Earth offers in defiance of our star-born might?” asked Zartox.
“Perhaps, we will meet your exalted standards!” cried El Dorado as he teleported into view in a cloud of sparkling light and swirled his cloak around his body.
He grasped Goli’s orange steed and vanished in another blinding flash of light! Seconds later, the Mexican champion and his alien captive materialized over the Hood River in Oregon!
He dropped the beast and vanished again.
“Surely even that alien monster will be delayed by the distance we travelled!” he mused.
Back in the Fortress a whining Goli was grappling with a newcomer in gold and purple armor.
“I am the living embodiment of the great Osiris! As I rule all of Egypt so do I seek to extend my glory until recognition of it reaches even unto your benighted soul. I will teach you to fear my power!” he said in a stentorian tone.
He glowed with yellow energy and his super strength sent the alien brat tumbling through the air!
Himitsu flipped forward through the air and confronted Tamara as the alien beauty looked on in haughty contempt.
Himitsu lashed out with her gleaming sword and nodded grimly as it sliced through the shocked alien’s leg!
“My magical blade may even wound this alien!” she thought with renewed confidence.
Tamara screamed in pain and grabbed the mystical blade with both hands! Even as she began to bleed, she also slowly pulled the weapon out of Himitsu’s hands.
Zartox was busy battling the super strong giant called Seneca and clearly the Native American champion was eager for a rematch! He fought with his characteristic taciturnity. With every moment he grew larger and he towered over the alien powerhouse!
Aluma had not returned to the interior of the Fortress after dispatching Goldman. The alluring blonde had been assaulted by a teen girl in a brown and gold costume who crashed into her on a flying hunk of ground!
“You may look like some Space Trek Beauty Queen but I am true royalty and Princess Tara Markov will use the good earth itself against you!” declared the European heroine known as Terra.
She concentrated and an avalanche of solid rock slammed into Aluma and buried her beneath tons of soil… for around three seconds!
The blonde alien erupted from the soil and closed in on the girl who tried to dodge but fell to the super swift foe!
Nearby, Red Hood and Red Raven slipped into the area and stealthily approached the device called the probability calculator.
The duo worked as a team and needed little in terms of spoken communication. They attached two adhesive backed explosives to the shell of the device and darted aside as the bombs exploded!
The machine itself was not made of any particularly durable substance and as it yielded to the force of the blast, the hyper energy within flooded the room and caused all within to collapse.
Red Hood glanced around the room and nodded approvingly. As he had instructed his allies prior to their entrance in the Fortress, they had avoided proximity to the alien device or had positioned themselves so that their foes were between them and the odd machine.
Now, all of the aliens had been stunned by the hyper energy itself!
Red Raven laughed happily.
“We did it! You picked up all we needed about what that thing was from the bugs good old Dr. Atlanta placed in here before he confronted Zartox! You knew its alien power source could even hurt those super men and women!” he cried.
At that moment, Goli blasted the boy from behind with his heat vision and the teen hero’s charred skeleton fell to the ground before the shocked eyes of his partners!
“No!” yelled Red Hood as he stared in horror at the remains of his late protégé!
Aluma streaked forward as a white and green blur and knocked all of the League of Assistance out. None of them were prepared for her blinding fast assault since they were all frozen with shock at the way their young ally had abruptly died! She tossed a stunned and battered Terra to the ground.
Zartox regained his feet and said, “I would not have willingly killed them without giving them a chance to surrender but I see we have no choice. They would only oppose us ceaselessly in order to avenge their fallen comrade!”
“Look here, Buck Rogers, I like a good hero killing as well as the next guy but you can’t do anything else until you deal with us!” declared Deadeye as he and his new team entered the Fortress.
Aluma smiled and said, “Very well. We shall be more than happy to slay you all in the name of the great Ultra Man!”
7
Deadeye grinned in his normal cocky manner. He felt no fear. He relished the sheer thrill of being in action. He also glanced over at the allies he and the Martian had assembled.
“I think we got a good shot at teaching these punks to stay in their own cosmic backyard!” he thought.
Ever since Oliver Queen had embezzled a fortune from his hapless employer, he had lived a charmed life. He had enjoyed the proverbial life of wine, women, and song. In or out of costume, he and his drug addict ward Roy had relished their hedonistic lifestyle for years. While both the man and the teen had sobered up eventually due to the demands of their perilous life of crime, they still savored thrills for their own sake.
“Being sober makes it easier to enjoy living on the edge. I’m no crusader but I’m glad the kid and I kicked our habit!” he mused.
Now, he aimed his bow and glanced left and right at his new allies.
The Silk Canary (Dana Drake Lance) waited warily. The blonde bombshell wore her brief pink costume with fishnet hosiery and her long black wig. She adored Deadeye and had a deep seated desire to kill anyone associated the law enforcement. She blamed all cops in general for the death of her late gangster father and while Zartox and company were fellow killers, she had no problem venting a bit on them in the absence of any heroes!
“We can rub out Dr. Atlanta and his gang when we finish with the aliens!”she thought with a bright smile on her face.
Nomad (Chrissie Reynolds) wore a solid black jumpsuit with gaudy feathered earrings, clanging bracelets and an array of tacky costumed jewelry. She stood near the hulking figure of the Martian Warlord.
The white hued alien grinned cruelly and rubbed his hands together. He was ready for combat. He no longer had any fears! He even anticipated ridding himself of the other Martian in his head after he triumphed over the invaders.
A handsome Puerto Rican youth clad in a solid black costume with red trim across the chest, the wrists, and the top of his boots stood by Nomad’s side. He admired the girl’s figure and he adjusted his reflective visor as he assumed an air of bravado.
Vibrax (Rick Ramone) was a mutant and his remarkable ability to generate vibrations of various levels of strength and precision had made him the leader of more than one Los Angeles street gang. Beneath his cocky manner were depths of potential and sensitivity that even he had not yet discovered.
The Blue Fox (Marni Maksai) was a sultry black woman in a brief blue and white leotard with a fox emblem that hung from a pendent around her neck. She crouched in a predatory manner to one side. She had been raised as the beloved daughter of a ruthless warlord who had carved out his own private kingdom in the heart of the African nation of Zambesi.
The Cyborg Superman (Harry Henshaw) was a young man whose entire body had been laced with steel until he was more machine than man. He wore a red and blue uniform with a hood. He was nervous but he was also strong and nearly indestructible so he had nothing to truly fear.
The Martian Warlord said, “You claim to be Ultra Man’s allies but you never even met him! When the authorities of his home world launched him into space in suspended animation, his rocket’s flight path opened a space warp that brought rubble from his exploding home world into the path of a prison craft in which you were all restrained! The wreck enabled you to escape. You only owe your freedom to him due to a cosmic fluke!”
Tamara clutched her injured leg and said, “He read my mind! I feel so violated!”
Zartox said, “We owe Ultra Man our thanks. It is true we should have come to offer him our loyalty and support years ago but we delayed. Still, we would have stood by his side when you fled!”
At that moment, El Dorado teleported back into the cavern and instantly moved from one fallen ally to another. He teleported all of the fallen heroes to safety and then collapsed.
“I have liberated my friends and our valiant fellow champions so we may resume our fight against those fiends when we have rested. I fear nothing we can do will truly enable us to defeat them!” he thought.
Back inside the Fortress, moments later Goli’s orange steed broke through a wall and joined the giggling boy.
“Now, this is going to be good!” cried the green youth.
The Revenge Squad charged at the newcomers even as the agile Blue Fox felt the Martian Warlord’s mind link her own with the strange thoughts of the orange alien beast.
She smiled seductively and then leaped straight at Aluma! She matched the blonde blow for blow and laughed with pleasure as she tapped into the alien animal’s own powers!
She ducked under Alum’s swing and connected with a flurry of punches that contained the raw power of the alien animal!
Aluma gasped as she fell backward and found herself on the losing end of the fight! She was strong and fast and smart but she lacked the brute strength of the beast that now fueled Blue Fox’s own power to mimic the abilities of animals!
“J’Imm’s mental link enabled me to copy that thing’s power. Normally, I can only copy Earth animals! This feels wonderful!” exulted Mari as she clawed, kicked, and battered Aluma!
Nearby, Goli screamed in horror and rage as his beloved pet shuddered and then died at his feet!
He sobbed furiously and pounded the ground with his fists as he clutched his dead pet to his chest.
The green youth mourned for the only thing he had ever loved and he did so while the pet stood nearby and gazed at his master with a confused expression on its face!
Goli could neither see nor hear his pet. All of his senses had been clouded by Nomad’s illusion projecting power. He truly lived through the death of his pet although the alien animal was unharmed and stood inches away from the sobbing boy!
Nomad laughed merrily as the alien boy fell deeper under the spell of her illusions!
“The little punk is going to give himself a stroke!” she laughed.
Meanwhile, Tamara was already weakened by the magical wound Himitsu had inflicted upon her leg. She limped forward only to fall hard as the Cyborg Superman pulled her into a crushing embrace and began to snap her ribs!
“This will be over soon, Babe!” said the sneering youth!
Silk Canary screamed and the force of her Canary Cry slammed into the orange animal near Goli’s side and drove it to its knees! It possessed sensitive ears and her sonic blast hurt the creature!
As the Martian Warlord elongated one arm and knocked the crying Goli out, Zartox ignited him with heat vision!
The alien roared with pain as Deadeye smothered the flames that darted across his body with a chemical foam arrow!
“Hold on, J’imm! We’re winning!” cried the Ace Archer!
J’imm groaned and then slowly regained his feet. The burns would heal and he was too ruthless to give up while life remained in his body. He frowned as he wondered if in some manner he now also had some of the other Martian’s strength and courage. He silenced the voice in his head and studied the combat scene!
Don Avon aimed his gauntlet at the villains and sent a blue bolt of energy straight into Zartox’s back!
He gasped as he realized he had been deceived by one of Nomad’s illusions! He turned to see the girl vanish!
“I can locate you with my gauntlet!” he shouted.
He screamed as the Blue Fox abruptly severed his arm above the elbow with her claws!
She rolled out of his path and kicked his severed arm with the attached power gauntlet aside.
The Martian Warlord connected with a punch that knocked the blond young man out.
Zartox had already recovered from the beam that had struck his back. He saw all of his allies had met defeat while he had been strangely unable to respond during the whole fight!
“What have you done to me?” he gasped.
Vibrax grinned and said, “I shifted you out of sync with this timeline, Dude! It made everything happen at a different rate of speed to your altered perceptions! My chronal vibes shifted you until you could not realize it!”
Zartox said, “I will rip you apart!”
He flew at Vibrax and then vanished as he and all of his fallen allies disappeared in the wake of Vibrax’s raised and outstretched arms!
“Well done, young man!” said The Martian Warlord as he realized what Vibrax had done!
“It was nothing any sensational dude like me couldn’t do!” boasted Vibrax.
Nomad said, “What did you do to them?”
Vibrax shrugged and said, “It was simple, Chica! I vibrated them all into a limbo between our dimension and another one. They won’t get back here until we are ready to retirement!”
Blue Fox said, “They possess super speed. They could find the right vibrational pattern to get ack here any second!”
Vibrax said, “Don’t sweat it, Gorgeous! I planted randomly changing vibes in each of their bodies. They can’t find the way back to our dimension because their bodies won’t stop shaking to an internal tune all my own! I set them up so they won’t be able to ever match the right vibes to return here!”
Deadeye said, “Far freakin; out! We did it! We took down a bunch of super thugs without any help from my former partners in peril!”
Silk Canary smiled and said, “We don’t need them anymore!”
Cyborg Superman frowned as he said, “They are back! I picked up news bulletins on my artificial ear. Power Ring, Johnny Quick, Super Woman, Microbe, and some killer looker named Isis appeared in the heart of Metropolis minutes ago! No sign of Owlman or Ultra Man!”
The Martian Warlord said, “Deadeye, Silk Canary and I have our problems with the others. Even though some of them have returned from Qward, I suggest we keep this little assembly a secret. When we choose to make them aware that a new team of villains now exists to challenge or supplant them, we shall do so but not until that moment!”
Deadeye said, “Yeah, Martin! I like it. We will keep them in the dark and then when we’re ready we’ll let them know a new and improved Crime Syndicate is in town now!”
Laughter filled the cavern as the new allies made their plans!
8
Meanwhile, in the domed Argo City, Ultra Man had found himself enjoying life back on a facsimile of his lost home planet. He started to smile more often and he no longer made any references to either returning to Earth or using the resources of Kor-LL’s city against Luther or his enemies.
Owlman casually scanned the thoughts of the two siblings and he was somewhat astounded to find that Kor-LL’s story seemed to be genuine and his affection for his sibling was equally real.
“He may be deranged or delusional to the point where his thoughts do not reveal deception since he truly believes or remembers events the way he tells them. I don’t like the way Kel has embraced his lost brother either. Something seems wrong here. That odd chalky dust is everywhere and my own tests do not reveal anything. I can’t identify the substance nor can I deduce why it is all over this city!” he thought.
Finally, while the brothers were drinking and dining one evening, he slipped away and made his way down an aisle that led to what clearly seemed to be a hidden passage. He had located it after studying the complex from all angles. Opening it was simple enough for someone with his talents.
He made his way down a staircase that led into a passageway that opened up into a narrow hall that ended at a doorway. He frowned as his powerful mind detected another strong intellect within the cell.
He peered through a wire screen that covered part of the door and he saw a tall, powerfully built old man with white hair and a beard.
The occupant of the cell glared at him for a moment and then his expression changed as he realized this masked visitor was clearly not the run of the mill Kryptonian.
“Who are you?” he asked.
Owlman said, “You may consider me to be a seeker of wisdom. Who are you? You appear to the only prisoner in a community oddly united by devotion to their leader!”
The old man approached the door and said, “Once my name carried a certain mystique. I was notorious and then I became merely a public servant of sorts. My name is General Oz.”
Owlman nodded slowly. “Surely such a peaceful community has no need of an old soldier!”
Oz laughed bitterly and he replied, “True enough. I had already gained a name for myself as one who betrayed his world in order to acquire personal power. I served myself and one another and that kind of ambition and greed is never popular among idealists!”
Owlman said, “You served the so-called Crimelord of Krypton- Jur-LL! You also betrayed him didn’t you? You turned him in to the authorities in exchange for a pardon! You came here afterward seeking to claim his hidden resources for yourself! It was your arrival that led to Kor-LL’s activation of the dome! He thought you were his father because you were piloting one of his crafts!”
Oz said, “You know me well although your accent betrays you as someone not from this world!
Owlman grinned as he said, “And I assumed my mastery of your language was flawless!”
Oz said, “I have been imprisoned here for years! The master of this lost city is a madman! You must sense that. You are clearly a man of some discernment!”
Owlman said, “He has good reason to hate you. He idolizes his father and sees you as a betrayer.”
Oz said, “And yet he owes his little kingdom and his happy subjects to my genius!”
Owlman said, “I’ve noticed the people here are uniformly blissful and docile. There are no raised voices or even mild expressions of discontent. There is also a chalky substance everywhere. Is it some kind of mind altering drug?”
Oz laughed and said, “Now you are thinking small and you showed such potential earlier!”
Owlman frowned in concentration and then smiled coldly.
“I was limited by my lack of familiarity with Kryptonian science! Your thoughts reveal the truth about this place! If it was possible I’d say your thoughts reveal a type of mental gloating! You created the residents of this place didn’t you? Kor-LL and you are the only living beings here except for Ultra Man and myself! The microscopic chalky substance is some residue from the artificial beings that comprise Kor-LL’s mindless subjects!” he said.
Oz smiled broadly and he said, “Excellent! You are correct! Shortly after my arrival here and Kor’s activation of the environmental dome, Krypton exploded and launched this piece of land into space but the process was hardly a smooth one! The environmental controls failed and the atmosphere proved toxic! It killed everyone here shortly after Kor activated the dome. The dome itself can kill as well as safe! I saved his life and my own because I had access to enviro-suits in the hover craft that brought me here. We managed to restore a safe atmosphere in time but by then everyone else had perished!”
Owlman said, “And yet your pseudo- men lack any will or depth. They are mindless and unquestioning like the perfect soldiers!”
Oz agreed and said, “That was ever my purpose in creating them. They were to be my personal army with which I would claim some other world as my own; however, I underestimated that freakish Kor-LL and he trapped me before I could make use of my humanoids!”
Owlman started to reply when the building shook from a powerful impact of some kind! He turned and raced up to the surface as the walls cracked and rubble rained down on all sides!
He reached Ultra Man and Kor-LL as the brothers determined the source of the tremors!
“It was some kind of meteor. The dome deflected it but the impact caused a massive earthquake!” said Kor-LL.
Ultra Man said, “Where have you been? I’d wager you’ve been skulking about in the shadows, no doubt, Old Chum!”
Owlman nodded and said, “Something like that. You seem comfortable enough here. I’m surprised that restless nature of yours hasn’t led you to tear this city apart by now!”
Kor-LL said, “My brother loves it here. Besides, he has no power under the environment of the dome. You should have realized that!”
Ultra Man said, “I never thought I could be happy without my powers but being here in what could have been my original home had things been different, makes me content!”
Owlman gazed at his friend intently and then said, “I’m glad but the pessimist in me expects trouble around every corner!”
Ultra Man approached his friend and said, “You’re bored. You love a challenge. We’ll find some soon enough!”
Owlman nodded and said, “Sure. You’re right.’
He walked away and then slipped down the hall until he had reached the small room in which the environmental controls for the dome were housed.
“No guards but then Kor-LL doesn’t need them with Oz locked up and everyone else here just a mindless android!” he mused.
He studied the control panel and then his keen mind enabled him to discern the nature of the device and its possibilities.
“I’m sorry, Chum but I have to put an end to this fool’s paradise. I need your power on Earth!”he said.
He adjusted the controls and waited. He didn’t feel any noticeable change in the temperature or the gravitational pull but then his special belt kept him immune to such changes or so he hoped.
He looked around and nodded in approval as the ordinary “citizens” began to crumble into the same chalky powder he’d found earlier.
“I figured the right settings would dissolve those things! None of them were truly alive so this is hardly murder!” he thought.
He waited and then he heard the rush of footsteps as Kor-LL charged into the room confronted him.
“What have you done? How could you kill my people!” he wept.
Owlman said, “They were not real to begin with. You knew that once but you preferred to block that truth out of your thoughts so you could enjoy your role as a king!”
Kor-LL said, “You’ve betrayed my brother! You’ve turned against your friend!”
Owlman said, “I notice you didn’t bring him here. You don’t want him to realize that this kingdom of yours is nothing more than one sad madman’s fantasy! I want better things for him!”
Kor-LL shuddered as Owlman made a final adjustment to the controls.
The deformed “king” clutched his chest and collapsed at the dark caped man’s feet.
“I am sorry but you had to go for the greater good! My belt which you so kindly provided shields me from the change in atmosphere! It’s a shame you didn’t think to wear one yourself!” he said.
“This should make the atmosphere earth-like even down to the type of artificial solar energy that lights and heats the dome!” he said.
He raced away from the stricken man and found Ultra Man’s prone form a short distance away.
“Had to risk hurting you to stop him!” whispered Owlman as he looked down at his friend’s still form.
He calmly placed a green glowing rock on Ultra Man’s chest and waited until the man began to breathe slowly and haltingly.
Moments passed and then Ultra Man groaned and began to stir.
Owlman slipped the kryptonite back in his belt and helped his friend sit up.
“What happened?” gasped Ultra Man.
Owlman said, “Another meteor hit the dome and this one damaged the environmental control, unit. I’m afraid the change nearly killed you. My belt saved me and I was able to revive you in time once I adjusted things so you’d be empowered once more!”
Ultra Man said, “I feel my old strength again! I can’t believe everyone else died!”
Owlman said, “Kel, they were not real. They were artificial men probably created by your father. I mean this was his old hideout, remember? We were fortunate they teleported us here from Qward out of some programmed order to preserve Jur-LL. They thought you were your father and I was close enough to you to be carried along by the beam!”
Kel blinked slowly and touched his head with one hand.
“Yeah, yeah. Of course. Funny, I thought I remembered someone else here. I guess the pressure got to me.”
Owlman stared at him intently for a moment and then said, “Sure, that’s it. It was only natural that seeing a remnant of your old home had to disturb you. I’d say you were hallucinating before I revived you!”
Ultra Man nodded and said, “Of course. Let’s get out of here.”
He failed to realize that Owlman had deliberately blocked his memories of his late brother nor did he know that Owlman had caused the destruction of the pseudo-men himself.
Owlman thought, “This way will hurt less. Your brother was just one more obstacle that I had to remove in order to eventually achieve something worthwhile. I will need your power to reclaim Earth from our so-called allies when the time is right. I couldn’t let you stay here no matter how much it made you happy!”
The World’s fiercest duo climbed into the hover craft that had brought Oz there long before and flew off toward Earth.
Little did they know that the quakes had also freed the ex-soldier from his cell and he had escaped from Argo City in another craft before Owlman had adjusted the dome to slay Kryptonians.
Oz relished his new freedom and as he guided his craft through space the crafty criminal made plans all his own!
Epilogue
By the time Ultra Man and Owlman reached Earth, their Crime Syndicate allies Super Woman, Power Ring I, Johnny Quick, Microbe, and the Mighty Isis had also returned from their time on Qward.
At Owlman’s suggestion, Ultra Man had agreed with his friend not to tell the others about Argo City or the possibility of Kryptonian technology that could be salvaged from the empty city. They would keep the secret of the doomed dome city to themselves.
Deadeye, Silk Canary, and the Martian Warlord also said nothing about their new allies Blue Fox, VIbrax, Cyborg Superman, and Nomad. They merely claimed to have defeated Zatox and his group with use of the other-dimensional projector Luther had last used against them and the Lawless League.
“I was able to reconstruct the projector and I used it to trap them. They called themselves the Ultra Man Revenge Squad but while they claimed to owe their freedom to the arrival of your own ship years ago, I read their minds and learned they were really intergalactic cops sent to trick you and capture us all!” said the crafty alien.
Ultra Man said, “I wish I had had a chance to get my hands on them!”
J’Imm nodded readily. His lie had worked and he had also preserved the secret of his new formed team of villains.
Even as the villains schemed and plotted against one another and the world as a whole, a group of sorrowful heroes in the League of Assistance mourned the death of young Red Raven.
As La Mano Aporto conducted the funeral service, The Red Hood and Himitsu stood silently by the grave stone.
“I should have protected him. I’m to blame for his death!” said Red Hood.
Himitsu took his hand and said, “You could not have anticipated everything eventuality. I sometimes feel as though heroes are destined to lose on this world no matter how well their intentions are.”
Red Hood said, “I don’t know about that. I only know my father said his mission would possibly change things for us all and while he alerted me that he was back, things only seem that much darker!”
The End