Roll Call
Jovial Johnny Thunder and his Magnificent Thunderbolt! The Amazing Amazon, Wonder Woman! The Winged Warrior, Hawkman! Sandman, Master of Dreams! Atom, the Mighty Mite! The Sixty-Minute Cyclone, Hourman! And guest-starring the Rough and Ready Wildcat and Starman, the Master of Gravity!
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The war rages on across the world, as the Axis powers spread their reach farther each day, and things grow darker for the Allies. Even on the home front of the United States, where the battles seem so far away to the average person, dangers grow ever more powerful, so dangerous that even arch-enemies can find themselves allied with...
The Justice Society of America!
"Axis Power! Part 1"[/center]
The clacking of high heels disturbed the silence of the lightly-wooded park, a steady clack on the brick path. The woman who made the noise was powerfully-built, incongruously clad in a silken dress of pale green, bountiful black hair pulled tight into a bun, and her hard black eyes glanced around warily as she stole her way through the quiet landscape.
“Thank you for coming, Your Majesty,” another woman said as she stepped from a shadowy path, and gave a brief bow of respect. “Though I did not expect to see you in anything so informal or...personal. I feel almost over-dressed.”
Queen Hippolyta, ruler of the hidden Amazons of Themyscira and known to the rest of 'Man's World' as Wonder Woman, glanced over the other woman with steely, suspicious eyes. Dressed in a formal woman's suit, with trousers and trim suit coat of black, the woman cut a scandalous look for her time. “We're not here for fashion talk, Baroness. You played a dangerous card, asking for this meeting under terms of nobility, so let's get this over with.”
Baroness Paula Von Gunther nodded again and smiled coyly. “Of course,
Vunder Voman,” the Nazi spy master replied with an exaggerated German accent. “I knew I could count on your noblesse zwingt. You make such a good soldier in the ranks of Order. It is a shame you chose the allegiance you did. Your Amazons could help us bring this war to a quick conclusion. It is not too late.”
Hippolyta frowned, her fists clenched tight, and she stepped threateningly close to the German. “Is
that the only reason you arranged this meeting? If so, you made a foolish mistake.”
“Nein,” Von Gunther hastily replied, holding her hands up to try and calm Wonder Woman. “Not at all. I come to you without the knowledge of my masters back home. They would be furious at this, but I knew that you were the only one I could bring this to.”
“Bring me what?” Hippolyta continued to look suspicious, but there was an anxious edge to the Baroness's voice now that alarmed the queen.
“The Gundestrup Cauldron was stolen a few days ago,” Paula replied in a flat tone, expecting that to explain everything. When Wonder Woman continued to stare at her, arms folded over her chest, waiting for more, the Nazi realized it wouldn't be enough. “It's an ancient silver cauldron, with a number of pictographs on it. The Nazis liberated it from the Danish and the Thule Society took control of it.”
“You're not here to recite Nazi conquests, certainly?”
“Recht,” Paula confirmed. “The vessel was stolen from them. They have hushed it up, such a thing would be utter an utter embarrassment, but I know. I know many things,” she added with a sly grin. “I believe that the cauldron's engravings can unlock magical secrets, as do the Thule members. They have failed to unlock these secrets, but whoever stole it, he must know.”
“And so why are you here? You think the Allies stole it? That it was brought to the United States? This government is woefully unprepared for mystical conflict, they'd be ignorant of such things,” Hippolyta countered quickly.
“They are not as prepared as the Reich, but do not think they have no department focused on such things,” Paula said in a cryptic voice. “That's unimportant now though. I believe that an outside agent stole the cup, and I believe this agent, whoever he is, or she is, has brought it here to use its magic.”
“Why bring this to my attention? Surely, such a thing would only hinder this country and help your own cause,” Wonder Woman said, confusion on her face now. “Why risk yourself for this?”
“Because whoever has the cup intends to use it to raise the only thing symbolized on the vessel that remains untouched by this bloody war, and in so doing, could begin a catastrophe,” Paula answered in a nervous hush. “My masters want a Thousand Year Reich. You and your allies may hate the idea, but it would be peace for a millennium. Your allies want democracy for all, a foolish dream, but if it did succeed, it would mean peace. This other agent wants to unleash havoc and chaos, and plunge us into an Age of Ruin.”
“You're not providing me this information to act upon,” Hippolyta said slowly, as she realized where the Nazi was headed with her speech. “You're here to recruit me to help you.”
“I can't do it alone. I haven't the physical prowess. You can't do it alone, you haven't the occult mastery. Together, though, women of the world, powerful and intelligent,” Paula suggested with a wicked grin. “Your Majesty, you only get the information by working with me. You have no way to compel my secrets truthfully. And time is growing short.”
Hippolyta frowned, her eyes narrowed as she looked over the slender, cocky German spy.
Something to compel the truth from people, she mused thoughtfully.
I should definitely look into such a thing. “Very well, Baroness. Your word of honor as a noble, given to royalty, that you will not betray me while on this mission.”
“Such an opening you leave me, Wonder Woman,” Von Gunther cooed.
“Not at all. I want you at your most honest while we battle this agent of evil, and if you know that your oath ends the moment we have stopped him, then I am most likely to gain such honesty. I have been a queen for many, many centuries now,” Hippolyta explained, unblinking, looming over her foe.
“You have my word, Your Majesty. Allies through thick and thin, while we battle this menace,” the Baroness swore, and gave a low bow. “Now, we need to get to Ohio.”
New York CityFor the third time, John Tane, the young man better known as Johnny Thunder, read the telegram in his hands. His face shone with excitement, and he stood up quickly, paced around with his thoughts whirling and then flopped back into his battered chair in his rundown apartment and read the telegram in his hand for a fourth time.
John-
My name is James Bourne. Believe we are branches of the same family. Both come from Jonathan Tane in Mesa City. Would love to meet you to discuss this more. Meet you at the train station in Peebles Ohio in two days.
Johnny's face hurt from the broad smile that wouldn't go away, and he bounced back out of the chair and dashed into the small bedroom. He grabbed the battered suitcase and started to toss clothing into it. He dashed about the tiny, dingy apartment in a blur as he packed. He sniffed at one shirt and wrinkled his nose, tossing it into a corner. He pulled out a pair of pants, found it passed inspection and tossed that into the case. The bare, peeling walls stared down at Johnny as he excitedly made his preparations.
When the extra energy had waned at last, Johnny paused to look at the top of his worn, tired bureau. It was flat and empty, save for a comb, his wallet and keys, and his sheriff's badge. His eyes grew wistful at the lack of anything personal in his dingy apartment and he sat down on the corner of his bed, a thumb tenderly rubbing over the surface of the silver star.
“Family,” Johnny said softly, his heart pounding with hope and anxiety. Johnny knew well enough what people thought of him, and how his strange behavior left him with no friends. None except for the genie in this strange-looking kind of 'lamp' he held in one hand. And the genie, the Thunderbolt, had to be his friend. He knew what the Justice Society thought of him too, though none of the others realized it, he was sure. The JSA kept Johnny around for comedy, he knew that. And deep down, he suspected they were keeping an eye on him because of the power of the Thunderbolt. It wasn't like Flash and Green Lantern, who'd been friends before the group; Doctor Fate and Hawkman, who were respected colleagues at some high-falutin' college; Atom and Hourman and Flash who'd play poker into the wee hours; or Sandman and Doctor Fate would discuss weird things into even more wee hours. No, they kept him around like a kid they all grudgingly liked, and because he commanded one of the most powerful beings in the universe.
Now he had this telegram, though. “A family,” Johnny murmured again, and then began to pack with renew fervor.
MetropolisAl Pratt rubbed his thick, callused hands in nervous preparation before he pushed open the door and entered the grimy, greasy, sweaty building. He looked around as his eyes adjusted to the semi-light inside, so different from the warm spring day out on the streets. A cacophony of thuds, slaps, grunts and clinking metal rang through his ears as he suppressed a smile. He did shiver in delight at the feeling though. There weren't many places the diminutive muscle man felt at home, but a gym was always one of those places. Especially this gym.
“Grant!” Al started over toward an old worn boxing ring erected to one side of the large, high-ceilinged room, eyes focused on the man to whom he'd just called. The owner of this place, Grant's Gym, was in the ring, in his trunks, and currently going through the training paces with another man, a person Al didn't pay any particular attention. Another of those handsome, untouched rich boys was all Al saw as he neared the ringside. No, all his attention was focused on the heavyweight champion of the boxing world, Ted Grant. “Grant! We need to talk!”
The trainer called a pause to his new student, and turned to face the newcomer. “Heya, how's it goin', Al? Still keepin' up the exercise, I see,” he called down to his former boxing student as he leaned heavily on the ropes.
Al said as he stared up at the boxing legend, with his bent nose and cauliflower ear. He saw flecks of gray starting to filter into Ted Grant's hair and found himself wondering just how many more years this man had left for fighting, in the ring, and now out of it, as he discovered the other night. “We need to talk, Ted.”
“Huh?” The other man looked over from the ring corner he rested against. Tall and handsome, tousled brown hair and tanned skin, this man had movie star features and an easy smile as he looked over at the two others.
Al darted his gaze over at the guy. “Wasn't talking to you? Did I say your name? No. So butt out while I talk to the champ here.”
“Actually, ya did say his name, Al.” Ted Grant waved the other man over and draped a heavy, muscled arm over his shoulders. “This here is Ted. Ted Knight, ta be more accurate, right?”
“That's me. Sorry, didn't mean to interfere. Maybe I should just come back for my next session tomorrow, leave you two alone?” the other Ted asked in an easy tone of voice.
“Nah, stay. I think you and this fella here should chat,” Grant answered with a puckish look. “See, Al, what you don't know, is that this guy has come here for the...uh...'special' training? Y'know, like you got. And Mr. Sloane got? And...”
“Right. Got it.” Al looked closer at the other Ted now, and rubbed his square jaw. “You're that guy from down in the Opal, that rich astronomer guy, right? And you're in the business? So that makes you Starman?”
Ted Knight gave a shocked look at the casual discussion of his secret identity, staring up now at the other Ted, who's broad grin remained in place. “Calm down, pal. Ya don't understand. I'm not just a heavyweight champ and trainer to da stars. I'm Wildcat, and apparently, I've kinda started becoming the trainer to the mystery men.”
Al nodded as he watched Knight look back down at him. “I'm the Atom,” he finally admitted in a low whisper, as he leaped up onto the ring curtain, corded arms wrapped onto the ropes for balance.
“Holy--” Ted Knight looked from one to the other and then started to laugh. “Here I thought I was being all smart about getting some self-defense in should things go haywire with the gravity rod.” He held a smooth, tanned hand out to Al, who shook it roughly. “Nice to meet you. Not just another colleague either, you're in the club.”
“The club,” Al snorted. “Good one. Yeah, well. I wanted to have a chat with Grant here, but tell you what, I'll stick around and let you finish your session, maybe give some pointers from experience, and then the first round's on me.” He jumped back down to the floor.
“Hey, that's got me sold,” the champ said with an eager nod.
“What can I say? Sure thing.” He turned back to his trainer. “Now I'm definitely getting my money's worth.”
“Ooo, yer gonna pay fer that crack,” Ted Grant laughed as the training picked up in intensity.
Metropolis Symphony HallCarter Hall sipped at the glass of wine as he stood off to one side of the large foyer. The charity performance was the start of the Metropolitan high society season, and a personal highlight for the archaeologist, being a lover of classical music. It was an event Carter looked forward to each year, and this season would be Shiera's first, something he looked forward to introducing to her. So it bothered him when he found his finger tugging at his starched collar, shifting broad shoulders in his tuxedo (he should have realized he'd have bulked up and need a new suit), and warily watching the crowd around him. This was not his normal reaction, and he disliked it greatly. Moreso because he had no idea why it was happening.
“Excellent performance so far, wouldn't you say?”
Carter's head pivoted quick, and stared down at the slender, reserved man smiling back at him. “How on Earth did you do that?”
The bespectacled man shrugged and smirked. “It's tough to bring nightmares down on the wicked if you have squeaky shoes,” Wesley Dodd replied. “You doing okay? You look unhappy.”
“Sand--” Carter coughed out the rest of Wesley's alternate identity and then swallowed the rest of the wine in his glass. “I have to say, seeing you outside of work is a marked change...”
“Wesley. Wesley Dodd.” He held his hand out and shook Carter's. “Nice to have a colleague around. The usual level of vapid discourse usually tires me more than the late evenings these revels bring.”
“Should I ask how you knew?” Carter replied with a chuckle. He shook his head, relaxing, accepting the situation. He glanced around for Shiera Saunders as he talked.
“Probably not, Carter. So, I'll ask again, and feel free to answer either or both questions. Would you agree we've had an excellent first half this evening? And are you doing alright?”
“I'm fine,” Carter said curtly, then looked back at Wesley. “No, that's not quite true. I feel out of sorts here. And that's odd, because I'm a big supporter of this event.”
“Hmm. Could it have to do with you getting in touch with your...other side?” Wesley suggested. “I couldn't help but notice that Carter Hall's reputation contrasts greatly with your behavior as our chairman.”
“Could be. I feel different in my...work clothes,” Carter admitted with a heavy sigh. “I think different. Often. But let's not talk shop tonight.” Again Carter started to look around.
“Dian's taking care of her, while we get to know each other,” Wesley said as he snatched up two more glasses of wine and handed one to Carter.
“Dian? Taking care of who?”
“Belmont. And Shiera. I assume, since you've moved into a rather scandalous living arrangement, she's our Lady Hawk?” Wesley asked with a wink.
“Who's Dian Belmont? And yes,” Carter replied and sipped more wine. “And what do you mean scandalous?” He caught the incredulous look on Wesley's face and shrugged. “Right. Well, there's no hanky-panky going on. I'm an honorable guy, no matter what's being said.” He smiled as he spotted the young lady in question, chatting animatedly with a lush black-haired dish of a woman. “There she is. With someone.”
“I'm not judging, my friend, definitely not,” Wesley said as he looked in the same direction and gave a satisfied look. “That's Dian. My lady-friend. And believe me, Carter, I've nothing to say on the matter of you and your friend. I'm no hypocrite.”
Carter looked back at Wesley, then back to Dian. Then repeated the visual comparison, and repeated it again. “Her? And you...?” He looked at Wesley with increased respect. “Thanks, Wes.”
“My pleasure. Our pleasure. We both kind of figured a country girl like Shiera might appreciate a friend in the big city. Not an easy adjustment to make. Such a sharp alteration in life. Such sudden new viewpoints, ideas,” Wesley said, answering more than just the obvious. “I know what it's like to be haunted by the mission, Carter. Don't be a stranger. Don't hold it in. That will do no one any good. You and Shiera should go to supper with Dian and I after the concert. We can all talk some more.”
“Sounds good, Wes,” Carter said and clapped a strong hand on the smaller man. “Sounds good.”
Peebles, OhioJohn Tane couldn't have been happier with the last two days. While there wasn't a lot to the village of Peebles, his cousin James Bourne (“Call me Jimmy, Johnny”) was friendly, outgoing and as excited about having family at long last as Johnny himself. They'd talked up the family tree as far as Jimmy had sorted it out so far, and spent hours catching up on what things had been like growing up. Jimmy loved to hear Johnny's stories of the Big Apple while Johnny enjoyed hearing about life on the farm.
It was on the third day that Jimmy took Johnny out to see the only real point of major interest in the whole of Adams County, the Great Serpent Mound. As they picked their way along the trail up to the sprawling, intricate mound, Jimmy said, “I find it so strange to hear you talk so sadly about being alone when you're the youngest of seven brothers, Johnny. I can hear it in your voice though.”
“Yeah, six older brothers, and every last one of them pretty much wanted nothing to do with me, or with the area of town we grew up in,” Johnny answered softly as he looked at the long, narrow, low-built mound of earth, bright green from young Spring grass. “They moved out as fast as they could. And when Mom and Pop passed away, none of them really worried about keeping in touch with me. I was always the weird one. Not that we understood why, not at first. I didn't really get it, not until I followed...well, whatever it was, out to Arizona and found this.” He pulled on the red suspender and showed off the sheriff's badge.
“That's it then? That's where he resides?” Jimmy asked in an awed, hushed tone.
“Yup!” Johnny beamed with pride as he gazed at his cousin. “Well, I don't know if he lives in there or not, but it's what I rub to call him up. Hey, maybe it'll work for you. Give it a try. Just remember the magic words, 'say you', and rub.”
Jimmy Bourne struggled mightily to resist rolling his eyes at the way Johnny strangled the powerful magical words. He was too close now to let such snobbery cost him phase one of the plan. “Nah. I don't think so, otherwise, the whole prophecy of seven sons and seven sons wouldn't really make you Johnny Thunder. Right?”
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” Johnny answered with a nod as he stopped for a moment. “Did I mention the prophecy to you? I don't remember mentioning a prophecy.”
“Part of the whole genealogy research, cuz,” Jimmy quickly answered. “C'mon though, I might not be able to activate it, but you can, so show me. Let's meet the ancestor, and show me what makes you the mightiest JSAer.”
“Me? I guess. Yeah. I guess you're right. Though really, Doctor Fate and Green Lantern are pretty tough too,” Johnny demurred as he pressed his fingers to the cool metal.
“Ah, but really, the Thunderbolt's power is limited by what you command,” Jimmy added with growing glee in his voice. “Come on, Johnny, show me!”
Johnny stared oddly at his cousin, noticed how Jimmy's face contorted with impatience and anxiety, but let the fingers stroke the smooth metal. “Say you, Thunderbolt, come out and play!”
Jimmy clapped in triumph as the purplish-pink bolt of lightning roared from the badge and took the form of their cowboy ancestor between them.
“Master John, what's up?” He stopped and stared at James Bourne, as Johnny watched the aura of sparking energy that surrounded the Thunderbolt get sucked toward the twisting, three-foot high, thirteen hundred foot long mound.
“You!”“Me, genie, and thank you,” James said with cackling that chilled both mystical being and his master, as Thunderbolt felt diminished by the way his excess power bled off to the mound. “Thank you very much. And Johnny, don't you worry. Not one bit. Thanks to you and your Thunderbolt, I will show you without question that you are the mightiest member of the Justice Society!”
As James laughed, the earth rippled and shuddered, a serpentine coil rolling down the length of the mound as it freed itself, and reared up. A massive snake, hundreds of feet long and five feet wide, lashed about, reveling in its sudden freedom of movement and the mouth opened and roared silently as it sought its first target. And all the while, James continued to laugh.
Appleton, New JerseyDespite the late hour, a light still burned in the complex that made up Bannermain Chemical Company. The occupant of the still-lit lab was Rex Tyler, “Tick Tock” to his co-workers and secretly Hourman to his comrades in the Justice Society of America, and he feverishly worked at the Miraclo formula he carefully hid from the world.
His face was a mask of frenetic effort as he again and again ran formulae on his chalkboard and tested combinations out in the beakers and burners that surrounded him. He eventually collapsed into a chair and deflated, his head dropping to his chest.
He looked at the blank page of his project diary and shook his head. He scribbled briefly onto the paper,
The refinements to Miraclo aren't working out. The original formula was already incredibly potent. Too potent. The Compound X bound to my system that protects my physiology from Miraclo, also dulls the full effect of that amazing chemical. It would seem that there is no way to refine Miraclo, indeed no need to refine it further. It is Compound X that needs to have improved synergy with Miraclo. But it's already bonded to my system, there is no way I know of to improve the formula in my body already. I can't let this be as powerful as Hourman can become though. I can't! Too many people depend on me.Rex Tyler looked up from his notes and trembled with frustration, with a sudden rush of adrenaline. He heard the pencil snap into pieces in his hand and he stared at it. He threw the broken pencil away in disgust and stood up suddenly, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. It had been two days since he'd last been the Man of the Hour, since he'd raced over the rooftops and felt the wind rush across his face. And a day since he'd last taken one of his doses of Miraclo and felt the power surge through his veins.
Too long since my city's had my attention, Rex mused inwardly as he opened up a hidden compartment in his desk and pulled his costume out.
Much too long. Been cooped up in the lab. Need to get out, to clear my head, stretch out.Moments later, he bounded from the building with his yellow cloak fluttering in the breeze behind him as he sped into the city itself. “Too long since Hourman's been on the job!” he said loudly to no one, heart pounding with excitement.
Peebles, OhioThey heard the screams first, and then watched as dozens of people raced past them as fast as they could, terror etched on their faces. “It would appear we've arrived too late,” Wonder Woman mused as she and Baroness Von Gunther ran against the thinning tide of villagers.
The earthen animate snake rose above the tree-line in the distance and then lunged down suddenly, tearing through woods and buildings with equal ease, followed by the Thunderbolt desperately attempting to curtail the rampage. “Damn,” the noblewoman cursed as the two women continued to run toward the battle. “You had best hope your physicality is up to holding this beast in check while I determine the counterspell to end this.”
“Johnny!” Hippolyta cried out as they reached the scene of destruction. Johnny Thunder was battered and dirtied by the battle, as he watched the Thunderbolt fail to have any effect on the rampaging serpent. “What's happened? How are you unable to contain this? I thought your genie could do anything?”
“Yeah, well, ya see, Polly, it's kinda my fault, and its T-bolt's energies mixed up in there, and I think that means he can't really hurt it,” Johnny said, face red with embarrassment.
“Dummkopfheld!” Von Gunther cursed the young man as she turned her attentions on the monster. “Quick then, Your Majesty, strike, and strike hard, while I try to locate the cauldron and attempt to undo the magic.”
“Oh no, no, no,” James Bourne said as he approached the trio. “Nonono,” he said further as his features blurred and melted, skin taking on a green tinge, and hair turning slick and dark green-black. “No!” He stated one more time as the black of his pupils flooded the entirety of his eyes and he flung his hand upward, a red bolt of energy hurtling at Von Gunther. It struck her hard and flung her away to land in a heap as Wonder Woman and Johnny Thunder turned to face the man.
His Lincoln green cloak fluttered in the wind, hung over a tall, gaunt form garbed in blood-red. He glared at the heroes and let energy crackle along the length of his effeminate fingers. “I will
not have my ritual undone at this stage, especially not by some fool Aryan worshiper. You are, of course, Wonder Woman, permitted to battle my pet. I urge you to, in fact. For I need that for phase two.”
“Jimmy?”
The figure laughed at Johnny's question and shook his head. “No such person, Tane. I just needed your genie to complete my summoning. Don't call me Jimmy. Call me Wotan. And call on your precious Society, so that I may at last have Doctor Fate!”
To be continued!
