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Post by Dr Dread on Jul 11, 2006 22:58:44 GMT -5
Secret Society of Super Villains Book 2: Issue 3
"LUTHOR'S LEAGUE OF SUPER-VILLIANS"
Written by David Peattie Edited by DrDread
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Post by Dr Dread on Jul 11, 2006 22:59:38 GMT -5
Inside the walls of the Sinister Citadel, the Wizard and Funky Flashman were stunned into silence. One of the founding members of the Secret Society, the serpentine slimeball called Copperhead, had slithered back into their midst, after being freed from prison only days before by a mysterious benefactor. That benefactor had followed Copperhead inside, and it was he who had Flashman and the Wizard stupefied.
Thinking that perhaps he hadn't been heard, the man repeated his last utterance.
"Your Secret Society isn't a secret anymore…and I'm taking it over!"
The Wizard finally found his tongue, and said the name that was on everyone's lips: "Lex Luthor!"
Yes, it was indeed Lex Luthor, one of the wealthiest men in the world…and easily one of the most ruthless. Parlaying a brilliant scientific mind with financial wizardry and a heart of stone into a vast personal fortune, in public Luthor played the role of a philanthropist, a raconteur, a man about town whose industries provided jobs and security for millions. But in private, Luthor was a man whose sole love was power, and whose only real joy was in wielding it to crush the spirits of others. It was a tightrope that he walked because it thrilled him, excited him.
For years, in his home base of Metropolis, Delaware, Luthor had been secure as the most important and powerful man in the city. But that had changed when the heroic Superman chose to make Metropolis his home; now, Luthor found himself only second-best, and it rankled and soured his soul. To make matters worse, when he had callously allowed a terrorist threat against him to go unchallenged so that he could see Superman in action for himself, the Man of Steel had seen to it that Luthor was arrested and jailed. Oh, his lawyers had gotten him out in short order and had seen to it that he never saw the inside of a cell again…but the humiliation he suffered burned within him.
Luthor had decided, long ago, that the only fitting punishment was that Superman would have to be destroyed utterly. He had devoted himself non-stop to that pursuit ever since. But countless attempts at achieving this foul goal had failed, and so now, he had apparently turned to others for assistance.
By now, Funky had regained his composure, and his ingratiating bearing.
"A most impressive entrance, my good man!", he enthused. "Allow me to welcome you to our humble abode! I'm sure you'll find everything here in the Sinister Citadel to your liking…"
"Spare me your sales pitch, Flashman," Luthor said wearily as he surveyed the place. "I'm already sold!"
"But of course, Mr. Luthor!", Funky said obsequiously. "A man of your eminent intelligence cannot help but see the wonderful worth of our erudite organization! Cigar?"
As he said this, Funky began handing a cigar…an imported Cuban variety that was not only illegal, but which cost more per box than a brand new DVD player…to Luthor. The bald business mogul held it contemptuously between two fingers, and snapped it in half, rendering it unusable.
"I. Don't. Smoke.", he advised.
"Oh…well…yes, yes," Flashman stammered. "An admirable quality!"
Before Funky's kissing up could become even more disgusting than it already was, the Wizard stepped forward to move things along.
"Just what can we of the Secret Society do for you, Luthor?", he asked. "As its leader, I can…"
"I thought I made myself clear, Wizard," Luthor cut in. "I am taking charge!"
As the Wizard absorbed this in stunned fury, he noticed Flashman lighting up a new cigar of his own, and looking utterly unconcerned about Luthor's proclamation.
"Funky," the magical malefactor demanded, "are you going to let him do this? You promised that I would be the Society's main man…you promised!"
"But, Wizard, old chum," Flashman replied between puffs, "if you expect me to keep all my promises…how could I make so many of them?"
Luthor listened to this exchange with a bemused expression on his face. Although Flashman's toadying had started to grate on him, at least the man knew his place. And watching the Wizard bluster about how badly he was being treated was satisfying in its own way, too. But now, the Wizard was getting ready to address Luthor himself.
"You may be a hot number in Metropolis, Luthor," the sorcerer said hotly, "but I'll wager that the super-science your techno-wizards supply you with can't hold a candle to my mystery magic!"
If Luthor was concerned about the pending threat, his demeanor didn't show it.
"I'm assuming that is supposed to be a challenge," he said calmly, making a show of examining the glove on his right hand, "and I respond with a flick of my wrist!"
Pressing a stud hidden inside the glove, Luthor activated a force beam projector wired within it. The beam shot out and zapped the Wizard, knocking him back on his keister.
However, the Wizard was not long in recovering. As he rose to his feet, he gestured with his hands to cast a potent spell.
"Since you seem to enjoy sitting, Luthor," he gritted, "I'll make it very cozy for you!"
At the mystic's bidding, the lounge chair Luthor had seated himself in began to twist and writhe like a boa constrictor. Luthor shot to his feet, but the animated furniture stayed with him.
"The chair," Luthor spat, "magically gripping me!" He continued to struggle, and at first, it seemed the chair was winning. But through sheer force of will, the Metropolis Mogul managed to fight free.
"I…did not…free Copperhead from jail…just to come here and wrestle with a piece of furniture…", he declared. But even as he freed himself from the chair's grip, it continued to leap at him and harry him.
"…and I mean to put an end to this nonsense…and you with it!", this last directed at the Wizard. Finally, Luthor pressed another stud in his gloves that gave him a measure of super-human strength temporarily, and used this increased might to smash the chair into splinters. He was about to do the same to the Wizard, when Flashman interceded.
"Gentlemen, gentlemen!", he said hastily. "This dastardly display of fantastic fisticuffs…it must cease and desist! We are all dishonorable men, after all!"
"Sure, Funky, sure!", the Wizard gasped, his exertions having winded him. "Tell Luthor to sit down…"
Luthor, though, was having none of it. He lunged forward and swung both his clenched fists at the Wizard's head, intending to drive it down between his shoulders. But the mystical menace managed to turn aside, so that it was only a glancing blow and not a fatal one.
"This is most distressing, my dear reptilian rogue," Funky told Copperhead. "They'll make a shambles of our citadel!"
"Aw, c'mon, Funky!", Copperhead chided, clearly enjoying the show. "What's a little hatred between friends?"
As he said this, Luthor took advantage of the Wizard's hesitation to deliver a fierce uppercut, which knocked the menacing mage into the nearby swimming pool. His life was saved only by the fact that the temporary super-strength charge in Luthor's gloves had run its course, leaving him with only his normal human strength.
"Nicely executed maneuver, Mr. Luthor!", Funky gushed as he applauded loudly. "Now, shall we get down to business?"
Meanwhile, the Wizard coughed and sputtered as he pulled himself from the pool. A now sympathetic Copperhead came to render assistance…and to get answers to something that puzzled him.
"Why didn't ya use a magic trick to keep ya outta the pool, Wiz?", he whispered.
Too dazed to lie, the Wizard told him. "I…I tried, Copperhead, but nothing happened!"
If Luthor heard any of this exchange, he gave no sign. Instead, he addressed himself to Funky's wish to stop wasting time and get down to brass tacks.
"From what I've heard, Flashman," he declared, "you're able to recruit almost anybody into your ranks…so I want you to get me two men: Felix Faust and the Matter Master! They will assist me in my final attack on Superman…since his powers are useless against magic!"
"Ah, yes," Funky said, understanding at last dawning. "Malevolent magicians…after a fashion! We can obtain their services…but may I query as to the necessity, when we have a sorcerer in residence?"
Pointing to the Wizard, who was still towelling off, Luthor sneered. "You're referring to that as a sorcerer? I've seen Faust and Matter Master in action…and they're the ones I want! But if your associate is willing to apologize, he can go along with them!"
Realizing that for now, at least, he no longer had the upper hand, the Wizard chose the better part of valor.
"All right, Luthor," he said meekly. "I'd like to bury the hatchet…"
"…right smack in the middle of your chrome-dome!", he finished to himself.
Luthor, however, had already lost what meager interest he had in the Wizard and was in the midst of order-giving mode.
"Enough talk, gentlemen," he said with finality. "I want action! Get me my team, and dispatch them to Sapporo, Japan! Part of the new Superman movie is being shot there…and I intend to write my own ending to the film…by setting up my arch-foe and defeating him, right in front of the cameras! Now, get me a tv hook-up to watch them on as well, and we'll be all set!"
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Post by Dr Dread on Jul 11, 2006 23:00:01 GMT -5
Some hours later, at the Japanese movie set where a film version of the Man of Steel's adventures was being made…and which Superman himself had agreed to participate in, as a special celebrity stuntman…actor Gregory Reed, who was playing Superman for the most part in the movie, had just gotten into costume and was about to head over to make-up. A key grip was going over the next scene with a crowd of extras who'd been hired for the day.
"When is Superman supposed to arrive, Mr. Reed?", an assistant director asked.
"Not until tomorrow," Reed replied as he made some last-minute adjustments to his head-mask. "He'll be flying in for the super-stunts after we film the rest of the scenes!" Reed sounded weary to his fellow crewman, and with good reason. He was privately beginning to wish he'd never agreed to both direct and star in this project.
"We're ready to roll, Mr. Reed!", a cameraman reported.
"Which means it's time for my head-mask," Reed sighed as he put it on.
As this was taking place, three men skulked in the shadows nearby. One was the Wizard; the other two were even more garishly dressed.
The first of these two wore navy-blue robes and a matching veiled hat, similar to those of ancient Egypt. The hat had a gold band encircling it, with a black background and mystical symbols etched into it. This was Felix Faust, a sorcerer who had done battle with the Justice League on numerous occasions.
The other man's outfit was also designed to invoke thoughts of mysticism, but was green in color, and accented by a red cape. The man's hat, conical in shape, had astrological symbols sewn into it. This was Mark Mandrill, aka the Matter Master…an old foe of the various men to call themselves Hawkman over the years.
The three men had arrived only seconds ago, and upon seeing Reed in his Superman costume and mask, came to the erroneous conclusion that he was their target.
"There's Superman," Faust told the others. "Now to magically lure him into action, though I haven't the faintest idea why!"
"Faust," the Matter Master said dryly, "When Lex Luthor tells you to do something, you don't ask! Allow me to begin…with a wave of my wand!"
So saying, Mandrill withdrew from his costume's pocket a small stick, several inches in length, the tip of which seemed to glow with an unearthly energy. This was the Mentachem Wand, a tool made from a mysterious substance Mandrill had discovered years earlier that gave him complete mental control of the atoms of all matter, both organic and inorganic. With the wand, Mandrill had become the Matter Master, and could do virtually anything he could think of…it was that powerful.
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Post by Dr Dread on Jul 11, 2006 23:00:30 GMT -5
As the villains prepared to make their move, things were mostly quiet on board the Justice League satellite, stationed in orbit 22, 300 miles above the Earth. In the satellite transporter room, a changing of the guard was taking place as the Cowled Crusader from Gotham City emerged from the teleporter.
"Evening, gents!", he said to the room's other two occupants, indicating that the Dark Knight was in a better mood than he was most times.
"Right on schedule to relieve me, Batman," Hawkman noted dryly.
"Which means," Capt. Comet chimed in, "we can head to Hawkman's rocket for a taste of Thangarian goulash!"
The Winged Wonder smiled as he heard this. Born Fel Andar on the distant planet Thanagar, in the Polaris star system, he had come to Earth to infiltrate the ranks of the world's super-beings and thus help pave the way for an invasion of the Earth, wherein the Thanagarians would join the Dominators, the Khunds and several other races who had become more and more worried that the Earth super-beings would ultimately take over the entire cosmos. Or at least, that's what the Dominators had said when they first proposed such an alliance. Andar wasn't sure he believed them, but since he'd come to Earth, he'd seen first hand just how powerful some of these Earth metahumans were, and he felt that keeping them under close watch was definitely worth while.
Upon arriving on Earth, Andar had approached certain individuals in the civic government of Midway City, Illinois, and told them that his real name was Paran Katar, and that his mission was to study Earth's police methods. Paran Katar was actually the name of a councilman on Thanagar of Andar's acquaintance; no doubt he would appreciate the humor of Andar's using his name in his cover story. Katar himself had in fact come to Earth many years ago on a more peaceful mission, and had made friends with some of the Earth's heroes of the 1940's…including Carter Hall, the original Hawkman. By using both the Paran Katar and Hawkman names while on Earth, Fel Andar felt he was bringing things full circle.
To further the deceit, Andar had also taken a wife while on Earth. Her name was Shiera Halloran, a former gymnast and aspiring actress. Against her better judgment, she also claimed to be from Thanagar, and that her name was Shayera Hol. She often joined her husband in crimefighting, using the name Hawkwoman.
Captain Comet had gotten some psychic vibes from Fel Andar that he wasn't everything he claimed to be, but was unable to get a clearer picture because of Andar's use of a device called the Absorbascon. Using the Absorbascon, it was possible for a Thanagarian to read the minds of other sentient beings, and it could also be used to establish blocks that were effective against other mind-readers. Andar had done this as soon as he learned that one of the Justice League members was the Martian Manhunter, whose species had natural mind-reading powers. It worked against Captain Comet just as well.
Once Batman had stepped out of the transporter, Hawkman and Comet entered it and the Pinioned Paladin set the controls for his Thanagarian spaceship. Moments later, the two men materialized inside the craft, stationed in orbit above Midway City. As Comet took advantage of the downtime to relax, an argument between the Hawk-couple began.
"Katar," Hawkwoman said archly, "I told you I would cook the dinner!"
"Shayera, dearest," Hawkman replied with a touch of condescension, "I promised Captain Comet a Thanagarian delicacy…and you must agree that I am the culinary master of this household!"
Shooing his Earth-born spouse out of the ship's galley, he continued, "Now, please, leave me alone while I prepare it! Join the Captain in watching the evening news broadcast!"
Suffused with annoyance, but unable to sway her husband, Hawkwoman finally left the room in a huff, and planted herself on the sofa next to Comet, who pretended to be engrossed in the news cast but who couldn't suppress a smile at the domestic tiff.
"Hmmph," Hawkwoman snorted. "Men!"
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Post by Dr Dread on Jul 11, 2006 23:00:58 GMT -5
Just then, though, both Comet and Hawkwoman had cause to forget everything else, as the newscast turned grim.
"…Superman movie seems headed for disaster along with the annual Snow Festival in Sapporo, Japan…as a giant avalanche rumbles from the mountains towards the city!", the anchorman said excitedly.
As this was going on, Hawkwoman muttered something under her breath that Comet didn't catch. He turned to address her, his mind barely registering the scene of chaos on the tv screen…which showed two American tourists running from the freight train of snow, as well as a bearded man in a tuxedo.
"I beg your par…", Comet began, when suddenly his attention snapped back to the tv. "THE WIZARD!"
Recognizing the sorcerer as another of his former teammates, Comet explained to his lovely companion, "I'll bet dollars to dwarf stars that means the Secret Society somehow caused that avalanche!"
With that, he turned and darted for the ship's airlock. "Sorry I can't stay for dinner," he called over his shoulder. "I've made a personal vow not to rest until all my former compatriots are back in prison…and I mean to keep that vow!"
"Wait!", Hawkwoman called as she rose from the couch. "I'll go with you!"
She reached for her face mask and pulled it on; the rest of her costume…a distaff version of her husband's…she'd been wearing already.
"Katar will be busy cooking for at least an hour," she noted.
"…we can capture the Wizard and be back before chow-time!", Comet finished, clearly pleased with the idea.
As the two left the airlock and headed into the vacuum of space, Comet paused only long enough to note, "Shayera, you are a most exceptional woman!"
"On the contrary," she demurred, "I am just pinch-hitting for my husband…as you Earth-men would say!", she was careful to add.
And so, enclosed in a bubble of air held in place by Captain Comet's mental powers, the pair crossed the void to Japan! Ahead of them, at their destination, the villainous causes of the disaster were puzzled.
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Post by Dr Dread on Jul 11, 2006 23:01:38 GMT -5
"I don't understand!", the Wizard muttered. "Why hasn't Superman flown into action?"
Indeed, it looked to them as if the Man of Steel was frozen with fear. He simply stood in the path of the avalanche as if rooted to the spot. Of course, the villains still didn't realize that the costumed man they saw was not the true Superman, but rather movie star Greg Reed.
"Perhaps he's using his super-vision to slowly evaporate the avalanche," Matter Master speculated.
"Nonetheless," Felix Faust put in, "orders are to get him moving…which I intend to do now!"
Gesturing with his arms, Faust intoned, "Lobacz, Fromp and Vinboggin…create double-doom…a two-headed dragon!"
Magical energy surged from the mage's fingertips, and in seconds, the beast he'd asked for materialized out of thin air. A dragon? Yes, more than enough to stir a super-hero into action…but to the villains' dismay, not the one they'd hoped for.
"Look!", the Wizard cried, pointing upwards. "Up in the sky!"
"It's a bird," Faust said dispiritedly.
"That's no bird, fool," Matter Master squawked in alarm, "that's Hawkwoman!"
"And the accursed Captain Comet!", the Wizard added in disgust.
Sure enough, the Winged Wonder Woman was swooping down out of the Japanese sky, mace in hand, ready to take on the dragon single-handedly. Captain Comet soared into view only a few seconds behind her.
Back in San Francisco, at the Sinister Citadel, Luthor and Funky Flashman were watching the show via the remote tv-hook-up Luthor had demanded. The Metropolis Mogul was far from pleased.
"What kind of a sham is this?", he spat angrily. "Where's Superman?"
"Remain relaxed, friend Lex," Flashman soothed. "The magicians' criminal conjurings will lure him into action immediately!"
"They'd better," Luthor said, clamping a lid on his impatience. Inwardly, though, he was still seething; if those interfering other heroes prevented his anti-Superman plan from bearing fruit, someone would pay…in spades.
And, back in Japan, those two interfering heroes were circling the mythological beast confronting them.
"Dragons never evolved naturally," Comet pointed out. "This big fellow must have been magically spawned!"
"Well," Hawkwoman observed, "whomever summoned you up…it's time to put out your fire!"
With that, she swung her mace in a mighty arc, bouncing it off the jaw of one of the dragon's two heads. As that head reeled from the blow, the other turned to face her, and a gout of flame roared forth from its mouth.
"Melting my mace," Hawkwoman told Comet as she almost dropped her now molten weapon, "and almost roasting me!"
"The Wizard's not that powerful!", Comet assured her. "There must be other magicians working with him!"
Ducking underneath the dragon head's fiery breath, Comet rocked the beast with a right cross.
"As some of the cleverer super-heroes would say," he joked, "this should put you on ice!"
But before he could move in to land another blow, the second head recovered its wits and unleashed a blast of ice-breath at Comet, sheathing him in a block of ice several inches thick. Caught fast, he began to plummet from the sky like a stone.
"Frozen solid," he thought. "Only one way to get out of this deep freeze!"
Twisting, he angled his fall towards the dragon head with fiery breath, knowing that the beast would interpret this as another attack and respond accordingly.
"I'll use his brother's quick thaw!", Comet told himself. The ruse worked: the first dragon head blasted Comet with more fire, which melted the ice in seconds, leaving Comet himself unhurt.
Meanwhile, Hawkwoman was still flying in circles around the dragon, looking for an opening of her own.
"Not much of this mace left," she mused, "but maybe I can use it anyway!"
Swooping in close, she wedged the mace's handle into the mouth of one of the dragon heads, preventing the reptilian monster from closing its mouth and swallowing her whole. She then flew back out of its reach, just in time to avoid being struck by the crunched mace as the dragon spit it out back at her.
"So much for the realism of the movies!", she reflected.
It was then that Comet came up with an idea.
"Hawkwoman!", he cried out. "Start flying in a circle…like this!"
The mutant hero then began flying in ever-faster circles around the two dragon-heads, with Hawkwoman following his lead. As they'd expected, the dragon heads kept them in sight at all times, twisting their necks to keep up, until they had finally worked their long reptilian coils into knots and were facing each other. Furious, they spat fire and ice at each other impotently.
"Now," Comet said with satisfaction, "they can do each other in!"
Sure enough, the unrelenting blasts of fire and ice took their toll, and the dragon melted away as if it had never been at all.
In the Sinister Citadel, Luthor was beside himself with outrage.
"Is that it?", he roared. "Is that all those incompetants are going to do? Master magicians…HAH!"
"Calm yourself, my good man," Flashman hastily said. "You must learn to tolerate the trivialities of your compatriots!"
"Compatriots?", Luthor echoed incredulously as he rose from his chair. "What have I got in common with any of you?"
"Why, Lex," Flashman said, removing his toupee and false beard. "We both agree…that bald is beautiful!"
"Good Lord!", Luthor choked, momentarily startled by this revelation. He soon recovered, though. Why should it matter to him if Flashman was bald and chose to disguise it with over-the-counter cosmetics? A fool was a fool, regardless of his or her plumage.
And, on the other side of the globe, it was once more the Wizard's turn to take action.
"Can't understand it," he said. "Superman's letting those two do all the work! I'll put him right in the middle of the action! Presto!"
Thus, magically, the ground underneath actor Reed's feet sprouted up, making him stumble.
"What the..?", Reed asked as he struggled to keep his feet.
"A tiny volcano?", Faust demanded of his former Crime Champions partner.
"S'funny!", the Wizard admitted meekly. "I was shooting for one a bit larger!"
Up came the Mentachem wand. "Allow me to add the needed dimensions," the Matter Master offered.
"…while I make a fitting addition to this Snow Festival! Drazriz, Vort and Asderfice…turn the lava all to ice!"
As the Mentachem wand did its work, the volcano the Wizard had created grew to become several stories high. And thanks to Faust, when it erupted, blocks of ice spewed forth instead of molten lava, raining down on the buildings and people below.
As Reed finally lost his footing and fell backwards down the slope, Hawkwoman swooped in and caught him.
"Need an assist, Superman?", she asked.
"But…I'm not…", Reed stammered in protest.
"I know, I know," she replied. Didn't anyone around here have a sense of humor?
Captain Comet, for his part, was already flying over the volcano and using his telekinetic powers to stem the damage.
"I can mentally change these ice-spears to snow," he thought, "enabling the crowds to get safely away! But the best way to stop this thing is to find its source!"
Which was something that his partner in peril was about to do. Holding onto Reed's hand, she allowed him to "fly" next to her as the real Superman would do. From this vantage point, they spotted their adversaries at the same time.
"Hawkwoman," Reed said, "I may not be a real super-hero…but I know a super-villain when I see one! And those three aren't a part of our movie cast!"
"That's calling them, 'Superman'!", Hawkwoman agreed. "One of that trio is my old foe…Matter Master!"
So saying, Hawkwoman flew over the evil trio's heads and landed just in front of them, causing them to stop short in their efforts to flee the area.
"Hawkwoman…and Superman!", the Matter Master cried.
Felix Faust thought quickly. "I'll magically drain Superman's powers! Prigozy, Ghast and Crymonzay…take the Man of Steel's powers away!"
Hawkwoman smiled as she heard this, and snatched away the Mentachem wand before her old foe could use it. "Want to sit this one out, Superman?", she asked her partner.
"Not me, Hawkwoman!", Reed replied. "I'm just as powerful as I ever was!"
This was completely true. Since Reed wasn't the real Superman, he'd been unaffected by Faust's spell. He just hoped that the real Superman was too far away to be affected by it as well.
"My wand!", the Matter Master cried impotently.
He lunged for it, but Reed backhanded him, forcefully enough to knock the makeshift mage back. Hawkwoman snapped the Mentachem wand in half, rendering it useless. As the Matter Master fell, she grabbed his hat, and advanced on Faust.
"No more spells for you, Faust," she began.
"Lobacz, Grum and …" the sorcerer intoned, frantically trying to get the spell out before the winged woman got too close. He didn't make it.
Hawkwoman stuffed Matter Master's hat into Faust's mouth, cutting off his incantation.
"…because, as you Earth-people say, I'm going to take this hat and stuff it!", she finished. And once he'd been silenced, she cracked him one in the jaw to knock him out and seal the deal.
"Ha-ha!", the Wizard laughed, thinking that the Man of Steel had simply gotten lucky with his ill-fated comrade. "What threat is a powerless Superman to me?"
But now that he'd had a taste of crimefighting, Reed was enjoying it too much to back off.
"You've got your foot in your mouth, Wizard," he observed as he did a cartwheel, "so why not add both of mine?" And with this, he launched himself so that his booted feet caught the Wizard squarely in the jaw.
And, moments later, Captain Comet flew back from the now-dormant volcano, only to see that he was no longer needed.
"I figured I'd play cavalry to the rescue," he told his friends, "but it appears you didn't need my assistance!"
"No, Captain," Reed confirmed. "This situation is all wrapped up!" So saying, he and Hawkwoman finished tying up the three villains. The police were already on their way to pick them up.
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Post by Dr Dread on Jul 11, 2006 23:02:24 GMT -5
Back at the Sinister Citadel, Luthor's anger would no longer be contained.
"Of all the utter incompetance!", he fumed. "That wasn't even the real Superman they were battling! I've had too much of this idiocy…and this Secret Society!"
He rose, turned off the tv set and pointed an accusing finger at Funky.
"I'll make sure you never con anyone again, Flashman!", the hairless hotshot declared.
"Now, hold it, Lex," Flashman reminded him, "you picked that bunch!"
As the infuriated Luthor advanced on Flashman, Copperhead stepped in and coiled his body around the hot-headed magnate, keeping him from moving any further.
"It was your own misjudgment which resulted in this flamboyant fiasco!", Funky continued, grateful for the reptilian rogue's interference.
"So," Copperhead added, "why don't you just cool off and walk out of here…and we'll all forget you've ever been here?"
"ARRGH!", Luthor cried as he fought to free himself. "All right, let me go…before I release myself…the hard way!"
Copperhead obliged him, slightly amused at his ineffective bluster and ready if Luthor should try another double-cross. But he kept his word and stalked towards the door, blasting it into smithereens with his glove's force-projector instead of just opening it.
"I'll get back at them another way!", he promised himself. "Soon as I get far enough away, I'll let the San Francisco police know what's going on up here!"
A clever idea. But two can play that game. Back inside the Sinister Citadel, Funky was already on the phone to the police.
"That's right, officer," he said hurriedly. "An extortionist that looks like Lex Luthor! He's leaving the Loman Building right now!"
"A good master criminal never goes anywhere without a handy disguise," he thought, even though he normally didn't think of himself as a criminal. "So I'll just walk out like any other businessman and…"
He made his way through a street-level exit, only to find himself surrounded by police officers, guns drawn and pointed at him.
"Hold it, 'Luthor'!", one of the cops said.
"Don't even twitch," another one added, "or we'll perforate you like swiss cheese!"
It didn't take long for Luthor to realize what had happened, or who was behind it.
"That double crossing so-and-so!", he seethed. "I'll kill him!"
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Post by Dr Dread on Jul 11, 2006 23:02:46 GMT -5
Watching from a window high above, Flashman and Copperhead sighed sympathetically.
"Poor Lex," Funky said wistfully. "What a blow to his public image…and being captured by a police department regular, too!"
"At least," Copperhead reminded him, "they'll never believe anything he tells them about us!"
Just then, the nearby telephone rang. Funky moved to pick it up.
"A shame we lost the Wizard in this escapade!", he sighed again. As he put the phone's receiver to his ear, he was astonished to hear a familiar voice issue from it.
"I am not lost, Funky," the Wizard said on the other end of the line. "Merely out of town for the moment…and you'll be seeing me soon!"
"Wizard?", Flashman gasped in shock. "How..? No, never mind; I've got a frankly fantabulous brainstorm to spring on you…so use utmost speed to return to home base!"
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Dr Dread
Staff
The Odious-1
Posts: 1,547
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Post by Dr Dread on Jul 11, 2006 23:03:21 GMT -5
As this exchange was taking place, miles overhead, aboard Hawkman's rocket, Comet and Hawkwoman had only just returned, and seated themselves back on the sofa; on the tv screen, the newscast was still in progress, but was now reporting on the happy end to the attack in Japan. As they watched, Hawkman entered the room, carrying a tray with an odd-shaped kettle on it. The kettle was giving off an appetizing aroma.
"Dinner's ready," the winged wonder told them, "And it didn't take that long at all!"
Suddenly, his attention focused on the television, which was showing footage of Capt. Comet and Hawkwoman as they fought their battle.
"And thanks to the teamwork of Hawkwoman and Captain Comet," the Japanese anchor-man was saying, "the trio of super-villains were quickly rounded up! From Sapporo, Japan, this is Hiro Yoshita, GBS News!"
"HUH?", Hawkman cried dumbly, as his wife and houseguest grinned.
Unfortunately, the spirit of celebration was not to last long.
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Dr Dread
Staff
The Odious-1
Posts: 1,547
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Post by Dr Dread on Jul 11, 2006 23:03:46 GMT -5
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