Secret Origins: Law’s Legionnaires

Soldiers of Victory

by CSyphrett, Starsky Hutch 76 and Doc Quantum of the Time Trust

Prologue 1
by csyphrett_us

Texas.

He moved gracefully across the rooftops from years of training. He was a shadow among other shadows as he went from one skylight to the next. Finally he paused at one of the skylights, seeing what he expected to see.

The man tried to pull the skylight open gently. It was locked against intruders on the roof. He slapped a glass pane gently, but precisely. His gloved fingers pulled the piece of window out silently. A twist of the latch and the huge window creaked open to let him slip in.

Now inside, he dropped silently on a catwalk. He descended to the floor of the warehouse using the pallets stacked under the walk. He paused to listen to the group of men who were loading several crates on the back of a yellow truck.

Should he interfere, he wondered, or follow the men to their chief? He knew his adopted father would follow.

The man waited for the men to finish and begin shutting the warehouse. Then he rushed forward and slid under a closing bay door. The man pulling the door shut did not even hear his gliding footsteps or the roll under the metal barrier. He leaped from the bay before the last man turned and saw him. He slid under the truck and secured handholds for the journey ahead. He hoped he could finish this in time to make the yearly barbecue “Uncle” Greg threw on his ranch.

He waited silently as the truck rolled along streets, and then on the highway. He listened to the road hum below him as the vehicle sped on its way.

Finally the truck rolled to a stop after passing through a gate. He dropped to the ground quietly. One quick move and he was standing in a concealing shadow. He paused to listen and evaluate as he was taught.

The men from the truck were busy unloading the crates from the warehouse into a new warehouse. Of course, the first warehouse was a Customs warehouse, so what he had witnessed was illegal.

He decided he needed to see what was in those boxes before he called the cops. Maybe he was jumping the gun. Evidence of contraband would be needed for any type of conviction.

He crossed behind the men like a ghost and passed them. He waited for them to deposit a crate, go back for another one. He gently pried open the top of the crate, the smell of coffee wafting in the evening air. He searched the crate rapidly with one hand. He pulled a bag of white powder to the surface. He closed the lid gently.

He stepped into some concealing shadows as men came back into the area where he had been searching. One of the men opened the crate that had been searched. He pulled his pistol without thinking.

“Who’s been in the stuff?” he asked, quietly.

“No one,” said one of the truck loaders. “It’s been sitting here since we unloaded.”

“Someone’s been in the shipment,” said the man with the pistol. He aimed the pistol at the unlucky truck driver. “Who?”

“Actually, it was I who searched the box,” said the concealed man. “I had been curious as to what was in it for a while. Now I know.”

The man with the pistol searched the shadows with the weapon, but could not see the speaker among the shadows. A thin piece of steel flew out of the darkness and sank into the man’s arm. He dropped the pistol in shock and pain.

“No guns please,” he said, stepping into plain sight.

“It’s a mask,” said the leader, clutching his arm. “Get ‘im.”

He smiled under his full mask. He knew he was better trained than these oafs. The fight lasted as long as it took for each man to be intercepted and hurled in a direction by his trained hands. He produced a set of ropes and secured each man quickly and surely. The leader had tried to vanish out the door while he was occupied with the underlings. He scaled the crates and ran with the man until he could leap down in front of him and secure a choke hold. He used another set of rope to secure this one and dragged him back to his men.

He grabbed a cell phone from one of the men, and called the police department and reported strange lights from the warehouse. He made sure to puncture the bag and spread its contents around a bit before he left.

He waited on top of the warehouse for the police. He had caused a small interruption in business, but that was fine. Greg Sanders, his adopted father, would have been able to meet the police at the door. He did not enjoy that type of reputation yet. He was just another mask in the crowd, so to speak. He hoped his anonymous phone call would at least get the cops enough cause to search the rest of the boxes. He pulled his gauntlet down to check his watch. Ten minutes gone before he saw the first blue lights.

The police paused long enough at the locked gate to cut it open with bolt cutters to the chain that kept it locked up. The patrol cars rolled up to the open door of the building. Police men rushed inside with guns drawn.

He was pleased to see one of the cops test the white powder with a thumb. He was equally pleased that the police men did not believe a story that they had walked in on someone planting contraband among legitimate shipments.

The man used a telephone wire to escape the building and the perimeter of the fence. Once away from the police activity, he jogged back to the city.

Daniel Victor Leong was pleased with his first solo foray as a vigilante. He wondered what his dad or Uncle Greg would think about his choice for a vocation.

***

Daniel Leong jogged through the early morning streets. He passed from shadow to shadow like a ghost. He had learned well at the hands of his teacher.

Leong’s father had been a hero nicknamed “Stuff, the Chinatown Kid,” of all things, in the ‘forties. He worked almost exclusively with the hero known as the Vigilante. His father used to tell him stories of riding with his Uncle Greg and occasionally working with the Seven Soldiers of Victory. His only regret seemed to be not being there when the Soldiers had been trapped in their respective past eras for so long. Almost as if he blamed himself.

Then Uncle Greg had returned to the present. Victor Leong cast off his regrets and was happy to see his one-time partner and true friend returned to the living. And then the Dummy came along.

Daniel Leong was an orphan. He joined his Uncle Greg on bringing the villain to justice. Danny liked stopping the bad guys, and became Stuff Junior for a while. He soon realized that he needed more training, however, and set off on his own to learn what people could teach him about the secret life he was he was going to live.

Prologue 2
by csyphrett_us

Wilhelmina Gunn walked the streets of New York in her blue uniform and sour expression. Her partner, Benny Watts, walked by her side silently.

“Look at this guy,” Benny said, indicating a young man across the street.

“He can’t be that stupid,” growled Wilhelmina.

The young man rushed forward and grabbed a purse off the shoulder of an old lady, accelerating away. Wilhelmina took off right after him. Watts was a distant third and huffing and puffing after one block.

A patrol car rolled up beside the struggling Watts. “What’s going on, Tub?” asked Ray Croft.

“Purse snatcher — huff — Billy the kid — huff — that way,” said Watts. Croft nodded to his partner, and the car accelerated ahead.

Vinnie Corso cursed as he ran. This was his third run here and some flatfoot was trying to keep up with him. He looked over his shoulder. She was hanging in back there. Time to go for his foolproof escape route. Vinnie headed into a subway entrance and took the steps three at a time. He jumped the token gate and headed right for the train. He slid his hand in to prevent the door from closing. He boarded with a grin. Stupid cop, he thought, no one catches Vinnie the Flash. He settled in for his ride to his next purse snatching.

A pair of blue-clad legs stopped in front of Vinnie’s peripherial view while he was counting the money from the old lady’s bag. He looked up, starting to tell the bystander to move on. He flinched, however, when he saw the angry glare directed at him. Vinnie tried to stand up to get away. The cop brought her arm across his neck, slamming him hard against the safety glass. The snatcher was still trying to get his breath back when something tried to jam up a nostril.

“One excuse,” said Wilhelmina Gunn, “and the train gets some more graphitti.”

Vinnie felt something warm on his leg. He rode to the next stop silently and was glad when some other cops came to take him away. Anything to get away from that nut. Who would have thought she would jump on a moving train?

***

“Officer Gunn,” said Captain August. “What in the world were you thinking, holding a suspect at gunpoint on board a crowded subway car?”

“I didn’t want him to try to get away, sir,” said Wilhelmina in a matter-of-fact voice.

“Handcuffs wouldn’t have worked, you suppose?” said August.

“He’s a slippery customer,” said Gunn.

“Take a vacation, Gunn,” said the Captain. “I don’t want to see you for a week.”

“Yes, sir,” said the officer. Gunn left the office, unsure what she would do with all that time.

“Hey, kid,” shouted Tubby Watts from across the room. He was the only one who called her that to her face. “Bolander said to give you this.” He waved an envelope in the air.

Wilhelmina walked over and took the letter. She opened the envelope with a single rip of a thumb. She read the contents, smiling at the end.

“Good news?”

“I’m going to Texas, Tub,” Gunn said. “I’ll see you in a week.”

***

Wilhelmina Gunn grabbed her bag from the overhead luggage rack and got off the plane as fast as she possibly could. She hated the cramped quarters, and she hated most of all the people who were stuck with her on the flight. It was almost as bad as riding the subway back home.

She walked into the terminal, feeling much better. Two old guys came up from behind her, talking about the good old days. They seemed to be gun nuts of some kind, but she tuned them out. Nothing worse than some old farts talking about the glory days.

A young man stood at the entrance to the airport with a sign. Wilhelmina noted her name was on the sign as well as a “LAWTON” and “MORRIGAN.” One of the two old guys waved at the man, and he nodded. What kind of shooting contest would let these guys in?

“I’m Billie Gunn,” Wilhelmina said to the driver.

“Danny Leong,” said the guy with the sign. “The car’s out front.”

He didn’t offer to take their bags as he almost glided ahead of the trio. He threw the sign away at the next garbage can. Danny opened the trunk of the Lincoln he had driven to pick up the mismatched guests. He carefully packed the traveler’s luggage and shut the lid.

“Uncle Greg is going to throw a dinner for everyone tonight,” said Danny. “The shoot-out will start tomorrow in the morning. Any costume and mask is welcome, if you want to wear it.”

“No costume for me,” said one of the old men. Wilhelmina had thought he was smiling at first, but she realized his face was drawn up in a rictus.

“No need to drag out the tuxedo for me either,” said the other old timer.

“Miss?” Danny said.

“I don’t have a costume,” said Wilhelmina. “This is the first time I have been to one of these things.”

“Don’t worry about it, kid,” said the grinning crotchity old man. “Queen Arrow doesn’t have much of one herself.”

“Don’t start, Cully,” said the other.

***

Wilhelmina Gunn had never seen so many people with firearms in one place before. Additionally, there were numerous people with bows and quivers of arrows.

Greg Sanders had been greeting guests the whole day since the trio arrived, and dinner was being prepared for the numerous guests that had been asked to the ranch. He approached the head of the dining area outside the main house with a genuine smile of welcome.

“Hello everybody,” Sanders said. “This is the fifth annual Heroes Shootout, so most of you know the itinerary for the contest. For those of you who don’t, the events consist of stationary shooting, mobile shooting, quick drawing, and single and duel combat shooting. I regret to inform ya’ll that some of the invitees, such as Queen Arrow, Arrowette, and others had personal business to attend to this year. I hope all of you will make Billie Gunn welcome, since this her first time here. Good luck tomorrow, but I think the Vigilante Cup is staying home with me this year. Enjoy the festivities.” Sanders smiled as he went to check on dinner.

Wilhelmina was suddenly determined to beat the other attendees out so she could win the trophy, even though she had not been interested in winning moments before Sanders’ speech. That Vigilante Cup was going home in her bag just so she could wipe the smile off Sanders’ face.

Chapter 1
by starsky_hutch76

Stellar Studios, Los Angeles.

Sly Pemberton walked into the large room at Universal Studios, carrying his cosmic converter belt over his shoulder. His gaze shifted over to the far right end of the room when he heard a thud. It was the sound of an arrow striking a target.

“Late night target practice, Roy?” he said to the archer in question.

“It’s not like I have much else to do on a Saturday night,” the young man known as Red Arrow said, pulling another arrow out of his quiver to take aim at the target.

“Why not?” Sly said, tossing his converter belt down on the work bench. “You’re young, single, and living in one of the most exciting cities in the country. You should be out having fun!”

“Well, technically I may be young. But according to my birth certificate, I should be drawing social security in a few years. I can’t even relate to people who are supposed to be my age according to how I look. I dunno… I guess some of us are better at adjusting than others.” He let the arrow fly, and it landed in the bullseye next to the first.

“Ouch,” Sly said.

“Speaking of being better at adjusting, why are you here tonight?” Roy said. “Aren’t you engaged now?”

“She’s on a stake-out. Another ‘I think my husband’s cheating, so I want you to follow him to prove I’m not paranoid’ case. At least, that’s what she calls them,” Sly laughed. “I’d hoped to see her, but that’s the price you pay, dating a private eye.”

“I’m sure she says the same thing about dating someone in our line of work,” Roy said.

“I’m sure,” Sly smiled as he opened the front of his converter belt and began to tinker with its insides.

“That thing on the blink?” Roy asked.

“Just a routine check,” Sly said. “I want to make sure it stays in perfect working order. It’s pretty sophisticated technology, and I’ve been having to do some pretty unsophisticated things with it. I came close to losing all functions except flight! I wouldn’t want to go through that again. Flying is fun, but you can only do so much with it in a fight.”

“Say,” Roy said thoughtfully as he took aim at the target again. “Your girl’s name is Jonni Thunder, isn’t it? Any relation?”

“Not that I know of,” Sly said.

Sly looked up from his converter belt for a second when a ghostly image appeared in front of him, clad in the rags of a familiar costume and older than the last time he had seen him. “Wing?!!” he exclaimed. The image suddenly faded from view.

“Did you say something?” Roy asked, turning back from his archery practice.

Chapter 2
by csyphrett_us

Texas.

The next day the attendees assembled at the shooting range with their weapons. NYPD street cop Wilhelmina Gunn had not seen so many masks and costumes since the Crisis, when New York had become “Hero Central.” Looking around, she saw that, besides herself, the two old guys named Lawton and Morrigan she had seen at the airport the day before and Danny Leong were the only ones in civilian clothes. The old guys had brought their weapons of choice, too. All she had was her service .9mm, but she was determined to out-shoot everyone else.

Danny went to the announcer’s booth as a line assembled at the targets. “The first contest is the stationary target. Contestants are to shoot at the bull’s eye three times and then step out of line to wait for the next round. Cully Morrigan will shoot first.”

The old man with the grin stepped up and Wilhelmina found out how hard a goal she had set herself when he BLAMBLAMBLAMed three perfect bull’s eyes in a row with an old Colt .45. “Brother,” she said to herself as the longest day of her life started.

By the time the single combat round had come around, Wilhelmina was in the top fifteen and was glad to be there. She had held her own so far, but what she needed was a high score through both combat alleys. Who would partner up with her? Everyone else seemed to have already buddied up with someone.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She pushed her nervousness away. Then she stepped into the Hogan’s Alley, ready to shoot anything that flipped into place. She came out the other side in the top ten.

They clapped her on the back when the score was read out over the PA.

Chapter 3
by doctorquantum

England.

The clang of steel against steel was heard in the large hall, interrupted by the occasional grunt and labored breathing as the two opponents continued to thrust their swords for what would have been killing blows, had not their armor been protecting them.

Whatever this may have looked like from an outsider’s perspective, this was definitely not a game. As any and all who are trained in a discipline know, whatever that discipline may be, it is necessary to practice regularly in order to not only improve with time, but to keep the improvements you’ve previously accomplished.

As with all disciplines, battle by sword needs to be practiced. Thus these two figures, likely sweating under their armor and masks (which appeared nevertheless much lighter in weight than they should have) kept going at it for well over an hour without a break. This was a daily routine at this household.

The smaller figure, watching the other for signs of weakness, saw a rare moment of opportunity and took it, swinging the sword to a point of indefensibility.

“Dost thee now surrender, varlet?” the smaller figure shouted, the sound echoing throughout the hall.

“I do now surrender,” said the deeper voice of the other figure, the sound of someone who was well pleased by another’s work. “I do object to your calling thine own father a ‘varlet,’ however.”

“I was caught up in the spirit of the moment,” was the response, as the smaller figure removed her helmet to reveal a smiling, youthful, red-haired maiden, as her father would call her, having been born to another age, and as she would refer to herself, having also been born in that bygone age which did not exist in history and existed nonetheless, even if only in legend.

“You are your father’s daughter,” said a third figure, stepping into the hall from an adjacent door. She was the girl’s mother, although she hardly looked old enough to have reared a girl of two-and-twenty years. One look at her husband, the girl’s father, however, revealed that the entire family was one that was very youthful, in both appearance and energy.

Sir Justin, called Justin Arthur, was no youth, however. He was well over a thousand years old, although he had spent most of that time frozen in a glacier until it had thawed in the early 1940s. He had been called the Shining Knight, and although since then he had lived for several more decades chronologically, although in different time periods, he had more or less aged extremely slowly, so that he looked not all that much older than the day he thawed out in 1941. He looked to be a man of about 30, no more, no less.

His wife, Danette Reilly Arthur, heir to the Reilly fortune, looked the same age as her husband, even though she had been born over 60 years earlier. She, too, aged extremely slowly, and had also lived in various other time periods since the Year of Our Lord 1946.

The young lady, bearing a close resemblance to both of her parents, particularly her mother due to her fiery red hair, was their pride and joy, and the consummation of their love. She was as capable a knight as her father had ever been, and as capable a heroine as her mother was.

Her full name was Justine Brandywyne Arthur, called Brandy by all, and she was the daughter of two worlds, two legacies.

Her father, Sir Justin, had become the Shining Knight many centuries ago, and was still youthful, as was his steed Winged Victory, a horse with wings. Perhaps it had been the enchantment of Merlin which had kept the horse so young after all these years. Perhaps the same enchantment which turned his dull coat of armor into the shining, indestructible one he now wore had done the same for him.

Brandy’s mother, for whom she had also been named, was Danette Reilly, the socialite daughter of steel tycoon “Emerald Ed” Reilly, a self-made millionaire who was tragically killed in 1942. Danette herself gained powers over flame granted to her by a chance mystical bolt fired at her by the magic-based villain Wotan. She thereafter took the name Firebrand, after learning of her then-incapacitated brother Rod’s own mystery-man career, and was known as “Brandy” by her friends in the All-Star Squadron, where she and Sir Justin had met. She, too, had remained young for all the decades since she first became Firebrand, likely due to the mystical energy which granted her those powers.

The young Brandy had inherited both of her parents’ legacies. From her father she received the training of a knight, something extremely rare for women in the days of Camelot, as well as her own suit of armor mystically enchanted by Merlin at her birth. She received her mother’s flame powers as well, allowing her to fly through the sky in waves of flame, and have complete mastery over the flame she controlled.

She called herself Knightfire…

Chapter 4
by starsky_hutch76

“Are you sure you didn’t just get your head in a little too close to that belt of yours while you were working on it?” Roy Harper asked as they stepped behind the console of the security center of Stellar Studios. “Radiation can do funny things to a guy.”

“I know what I saw,” Sly said. “It was him! Wing!”

“He’s dead,” Roy said. “We’d all like for him to be back. Especially after the way he sacrificed himself for everyone when he had never even been made an official member of the group. But he’s gone, and we have to face it.”

“You, of all people, should be more open minded after all we’ve been through in our time,” Sly chided. He hit the button to rewind the tape from the camera monitoring the worshop area, and an overhead shot of the large room came into view on the monitor.

On the screen, Sly, still in his Patriot costume minus the mask, looked up from working on his cosmic converter belt while Roy continued to practice archery with his back turned to him. Suddenly, a ghostly image came into view of a costumed figure. His costume was ragged, and he only appeared to be a few years older than the last time Sly and Roy had seen him even though several years had passed.

“Wing!” Roy exclaimed.

“What did I tell you?!” Sly said.

Chapter 5
by csyphrett_us

Wilhelmina Gunn hoped someone would partner up with her without her asking. One by one, archers and gunmen went into the combat alley, and ranks changed just like that.

“I don’t have a partner,” Greg Sanders said. “I was wondering if you would help me out.”

“Sure,” said Wilhelmina. “I seem to be short a partner too.”

“Thanks,” said Sanders with a smile.

“Did you plan that?” asked the policewoman, suddenly suspicious.

“Nope,” said Sanders, smiling wider. “I was hoping to get Queen Arrow as my partner this year.”

“Your turn, Sanders,” said the gruff Cully Morrigan, from behind them.

“So it is,” said Sanders, drawing his red bandanna up to cover the bottom of his face. “Ready, partner?”

“Right behind you,” said Wilhelmina, checking her pistol before she entered the shooting range.

“The kid’s good,” said Floyd Lawton as he watched the scoreboard. Quick fingers checked his revolvers without thought. He and Morrigan were the last in line.

“She’d have to be to get invited to the ceremonies,” said Morrigan, wiping sweat from his curled lip.

Danny Leong announced that Billie Gunn and the Vigilante were in the lead when the two cleared the other side of the Hogan’s Alley.

“Throw in the towel?” asked Floyd, seeing Wilhelmina smile. It was the first smile he had seen from her since they had arrived in Texas.

“I’d rather get my face worked on by the Joker again,” said Cully, drawing his Colts. “Let’s get it over with.”

Chapter 6
by starsky_hutch76

“I can’t get ahold of Lyta, either,” the former Star Spangled Kid said with aggravation as he sat the phone down. He was fully clad in his Patriot uniform and held his mask in his other hand, as if anxious to get into action. “Not that she’d do much good in the field right now, anyway. She’s pretty far along.”

“Hector is such an idiot,” Roy Harper said. “Is he just going to let his own kid go without a father? I can’t believe Carter and Shiera are his parents.”

“The good genes don’t always get passed down,” Sly said grimly.

“Ain’t that the truth. What about Rick or Beth?” Roy asked.

“They’re at his dad’s place in the Pocanos, still on their honeymoon. No phone or wire to reach them, and his signal device is switched off. Obviously, they don’t want to be reached. Anyways, Beth’s pretty far along, too.”

“Arty?”

“Somewhere between here and Atlantis. Even if I could reach him at that depth, all I could do is say ‘Swim faster!’”

“Jesse?”

“In family counseling with her folks. I kinda hate to bother her,” Sly said thoughtfully.

“Yolanda or Norda?”

“Both on reserve status. Hardly ever in the state anymore. Now’s no different.”

“Jade and Obsidian?” Roy asked, exasperated.

“Off with the JSA Reserves. And Brainwave’s off on a family matter,” Sly groaned.

“I don’t believe this! What’s the point of having a team if you can’t pull them together in a time of crisis?” Roy snapped.

“You’re telling me? Believe me, it’ll definitely be a topic at the next meeting. Wait!” Sly said, snapping his fingers. “What about Nuklon or Ray?”

Roy sighed. This one he knew about. “Ray’s been pretty much obsessed with finding Arsenal since she embarrassed him. Nuklon went with him as back-up.”

“That stupid kid!” Sly growled. “I told him to wait until we could all come with him. She’s obviously got some pretty heavy backing.”

“Well, I don’t think he has any leads, anyway. But as soon as we get back from whatever this turns out to be, I think we should find him.”

“Agreed,” Sly said.

“So what does this leave us with, boss man?” Roy asked.

“Our second option. When you think about it, it should’ve been our first. We need to get the Seven Soldiers of Victory back together again.”

Chapter 7
by doctorquantum

In the year 1946, Danette Reilly, alias the second Firebrand, was killed in an explosion eerily similar to that which claimed the life of her former lover, Terrence Curtis, alias Cyclotron (who left Danette and Al Pratt in charge of his then-infant daughter, Terri Kurtzberger, the mother of the Infinity Inc. member Nuklon). It was a moment the Shining Knight would carry with him for many painful years, and throughout those years he would live with the memory of the helplessness he felt, for he could do nothing to save her life. He had always considered it ironic that they had put off discussing marriage until after the War ended. They had figured that there would be time enough for that in peacetime. But who could have foreseen that they would survive World War II intact, only to be killed by an enemy after the threat of war was over?

In 1949, when the Seven Soldiers of Victory were lost in time, the Shining Knight lived for a time in the days of Genghis Khan, his memory almost completely gone. He had served under the great Mongol conqueror for a few short weeks before the Sandman, along with the Earth-One Superman and Metamorpho rescued him from this time period and restored his memory in doing so. Unfortunately for him, the memory of the loss of Danette came flooding back, and he could do little about it.

And then a miracle happened.

For the first time the legendary Merlin brought Sir Justin back home to Camelot in the 6th century of Legend, through the use of a unique arcane magick. And he made it possible for the Shining Knight to travel from the age of King Arthur to the 20th century and back. Sir Justin lived for a time in the 1950s, where he mentored a young man dubbed “Sir Butch of Beeler’s Alley.” Next, he spent some time in the Old West of the late 19th century, running into Mark Twain along the way. He also went into the future… and discovered something that would change his life forever.

He met one of his own descendants, a girl with red hair who bore such a close resemblance to Danette that he was soon convinced that somehow, in some way, she must have survived. And although she had died many decades earlier, her survival was still in his future. Such is the paradoxical nature of time travel.

In an adventure almost too impossible to believe, the Shining Knight travelled back in time to the moment when Danette died in that explosion in 1946 and rescued his fair damsel in distress.

The star-crossed lovers could not return to the present. She would still be believed to be dead until 1985, after the so-called Crisis on Infinite Earths, when their friends in the All-Star Squadron would be told of her amazing survival. Thus, the young couple swept themselves back in time to the days of Camelot.

On the steps outside of the royal palace in Camelot, the two were wed by none other than King Arthur himself. And they lived happily ever after…

Their daughter Brandy was born within a year of their wedding, and she was raised in the England of the Legendary 6th century. She was a strong-willed child, however, who had the heart of a warrior, and she refused to become the typical damsel of that era. She chose to become a knight, instead, one of an extremely rare breed of female knights, and she was personally tutored by Sir Gawaine as well as her own parents.

The end of Camelot was coming, though, and Sir Justin knew that history could not be changed. He had read the chronicles of King Arthur’s day, as scripted by Sir Thomas Malory, and he could see the tide changing for the worse. It would soon be too dangerous for his family to stay any longer. Brandy was of age and was given a choice whether to stay as a knight in a doomed kingdom or to join her parents in the 20th century. With a great deal of regret, the three left the 6th century for seemingly the last time and rejoined the modern world.

They were reunited with several of the surviving members of the All-Star Squadron, who were pleased to learn that Danette was alive and well, and even more pleased to see that she and Justin had married and had a child. Their legacy would continue.

It had been less than two years since they’d returned, but already Brandy was becoming accustomed to modern ways. She enrolled in a private school in England where the family lived for most of the year (they also lived on the Reilly estate on Long Island), and she had made several friends while continuing to practice her skills and abilities with her parents.

Knightfire, as Brandy called herself, was one of the most unique individuals on the planet, having been raised in an extinct culture as well as possessing powers few others could even dream about.

Chapter 8
by csyphrett_us

Wilhelmina Gunn watched the old men come on like a scene from a western movie. Gee whiz, she thought as Lawton and Morrigan dropped anything that came in their sights.

“Pretty good,” said Sanders, tugging at his bandanna. “I’d've hated to run into them when they were in their prime.”

“Who are they?” said Wilhelmina, as Lawton put three cardboard villians down with a single bullet.

“Floyd Lawton used to go by the handle Deadshot, a long time ago. He had a run-in or two with the Batman back in the ‘fifties. Cully Morrigan used to work for a guy named Adam Blake. I heard Blake vanished when the JSA came out of retirement. No one knows for sure. He just closed up shop one day and never came back. Anyways, they still can shoot, can’t they?” Sanders, said with a smile. “Let’s go congratulate them on a good job. They’ve earned the cup.”

Sanders walked over to the two men, shook their hands, and said a few words as Danny Leong announced the winners of the Vigilante Shootout to the contestants.

I wanted that cup, thought Wilhelmina as she turned to go and pack her bag. She could still catch her plane back to New York if she hurried and got a cab to pick her up. Deadshot? Well the name fitted the aged shooter, thought Wilhelmina as she walked to the main house. A former villain and a mercenary.

“Hey kid,” said a gruff voice from behind her. Cully Morrigan walked quickly to catch up with her.

Chapter 9
by starsky_hutch76

After finding themselves in a new, unfamiliar time, the Seven Soldiers of Victory had gone their separate ways. They all had to commit to the business of rebuilding their lives. Things such as the camaraderie they had once shared became secondary. Slowly, they all lost contact with one another.

Even Sylvester Pemberton and Pat Dugan, who had once been very close, had lost contact with one another. The Star Spangled Kid became a part of the Justice Society of America. Stripesy retired, and Pat Dugan was leading a normal life. First as a husband and then as a father.

This all changed when Lee Travis died. The remaining Seven Soldiers were reunited. There was no villain to beat or disaster to avert. They were just men saying goodbye to an old and dear friend. They all confessed regret at the way they had lost track of one another and promised to do a better job of keeping in touch in the future.

Sly and Pat, at least, kept this promise. They would get together every now and then to discuss old times. Sly showed Pat what it was he and the Infinitors were doing at Stellar Studios. Pat took on the role of mechanic for Infinity, Inc., helping him to maintain the tools of the hero trade.

It was this role which led him to come to Stellar Studios the night Patriot and Red Arrow were confronted with the ghostly apparition of Wing. They were still discussing it animatedly when he walked into the work area carrying his tool box.

“What’s this about Wing?” he said, surprising them.

“He… he was here,” Sly said.

“That’s impossible,” Pat exclaimed.

“I thought so, too,” Roy said. “I had my back turned when he saw him, so I didn’t believe it at first. But then we went back and looked at the security footage and there he was.”

“Let me see it,” Pat said.

Patriot and Red Arrow took Pat to the security station and replayed the footage for him. On the monitor, Wing appeared before Sly as he worked on his cosmic converter belt while Roy practiced archery.

Pat sat in stunned silence for a second. “I don’t believe it…”

“Yeah, we didn’t either,” Sly said.

“What do you think the story is?” Roy said. “Where is he, and why did he appear here now?”

Pat sat thoughtfully for a second. “I think I have an idea. Let’s go back to the work area.” Once they were back in the work shop, Pat turned to Sly and said, “Let me see your belt.”

“What?” Sly said.

“Let me see your belt.”

Sly unhooked his cosmic converter belt and handed it to Pat. The mechanic popped the front off and began working with the insides.

“What are you doing?” Sly exclaimed. Without the belt, he’d go from being Patriot to any average guy. It had been a long time since he’d had to function as a hero without powers.

“Trust me. I know what I’m doing here,” Pat said. “I have a good idea why Wing appeared to you.”

He sat the belt down on the work bench along with his tool box. He opened the tool box and pulled out a device with a frequency meter, along with a couple of other tools. After hooking the meter to to the belt, he walked over to the area where Wing had appeared.

When Pat approached the area, the needle began to darting back and forth wildly. Huge bursts of static errupted from its speaker.

“Just as I thought,” Pat said. “Wing was able to home in on your belt. Whatever work you were doing to it approached the right frequency, and he was able to use the brief opportunity to try and send us a message.”

“Now the question is, what was he trying to tell us?” Sly said, scratching his head.

Chapter 10
by csyphrett_us

Wilhelmina Gunn turned at the call of her name. Cully Morrigan was grinning at her in that strange way of his. Floyd Lawton stood behind him, hands polishing one of his revolvers with a cloth.

“We were wondering if you were staying for the speeches later,” said Morrigan. He seemed uncomfortable.

“I was thinking about heading home, now that the contest is over,” admitted the policewoman.

“What Cully is trying to say is he was impressed by your skill and wanted to shoot the breeze with you before we head back to Gotham,” said Lawton, spinning the revolver back in its holster. “You’re the only one here that he feels comfortable talking with besides myself.”

Morrigan shot his companion a dirty look. “I’m having problems relating to the Green Arrows of the World,” the former adventurer admitted.

A connection zipped through Wilhelmina’s mind. “Deadshot! Didn’t you shoot Power Girl a couple of years ago?” she exclaimed.

“Is she still alive?” Lawton asked with a smile.

“Well, yes, she is,” said the policewoman.

“I think if I’d have shot her, I wouldn’t have hit her in the shoulder unless I wanted to,” said Lawton. “I haven’t tangled with a mystery-man since ’55-’56, and I never worked for hire like that sap the Humanite hired. I only wanted to be the top man in Gotham, and a jail sentence revealed to me how much a dream that was.”

“Then who was it in the mask?” asked Gunn, curious despite herself.

“Someone named Burkowitz.”

“Lefty Burkowitz?” asked Morrigan.

“That’s right,” said Lawton.

Morrigan laughed all the way back to the house to the bewilderment of his companions.

Chapter 11
by starsky_hutch76

Pat, Roy, and Sly stood in the workshop at Stellar Studios and pondered their situation. A previously thought dead teammate was alive and asking for their help.

“If this thing with Wing has anything to do with our last case together as the Seven Soldiers of Victory, then it’s too much for just the three of us,” Pat said. “And from the energy readings I got, I’d say it does. This reeks of the Nebula Man. You’d better call in the rest of Infinity, Inc.”

“Way ahead of you, Pat,” Sly sighed. “Roy and I already thought of that. No one’s available.”

“No one?” Pat exclaimed. “Not even the reserves?”

“Most of them have their own crises they’re dealing with now.”

“So we’re on our own?” Pat grimaced.

“No, but it is time to unite the old team,” Sly said. He picked up the wall mounted phone and began dialing.

Chapter 12
by doctorquantum

The telephone rang suddenly at the Arthur Estates.

“Hello?” said Danette as she answered the telephone. “Oh, hello, Sylvester. How are you? We’re doing fine, ourselves. Brandy and Justin are just out riding right now. I can get them for you. OK. I’ll call him in right away. Yes, you too. Talk to you soon!”

Danette placed the receiver next to the telephone and walked over to the rear balcony, where their housekeeper was tidying up the dishes from their midday brunch. She then called her husband in from the fields where he and Brandy were just getting back from riding out in the rolling hills of the English countryside.

Sir Justin was pleased to hear the news from Syl and immediately suited up after he got off the telephone, all-too ready for a new quest once more after being out of action for so long.

“I’m off,” said Sir Justin as he headed for the stables where Winged Victory awaited him.

Brandy cleared her throat and frowned at him. “Father,” she said. “I am going with you.”

It was not a difficult decision to make for the Shining Knight. “Thou art strong-willed, my child. I cannot hold you back from your destiny any longer, I fear. You may join us in our quest.”

The young woman had already begun suiting up in her enchanted armor, which was made especially in mind of the mystical flame-powers she inherited from her mother.

Danette Reilly-Arthur smiled at this brief exchange between father and daughter.

“Wife? Wouldst thou care to join us?” said Sir Justin.

“Well, it sounds to me like this is more of a Seven Soldiers of Victory party. I think I’ll wait until the next All-Star Squadron reunion to get back into action. Uh… but you could give me a ride to Long Island? There are some matters of business at Reilly Steel that I need to take care of.”

“Of course, m’lady,” the Shining Knight responded, and kissed his wife’s hand.

Chapter 13
by csyphrett_us

Greg Sanders watched the trio head towards the house, smiling in spite of himself. Old Billy would have been proud of his descendant today.

“Uncle Greg?” said Danny Leong, silently at his elbow. “Someone named Sylvester is on the phone for you. He said something about getting the team together.”

Sanders frowned as he went to the announcement booth and picked up the phone.

“Hello,” he said calmly. “Nice to hear from you, Sylvester. Tell Roy he missed some serious shooting today. Right. Wing? Are you sure? Pat is. I’ll be out there in a few hours. Private plane. Right. See you.” He hung up the phone slowly.

Lee Travis and Wing. He hadn’t thought of them in a while. Inseperable companions, they were a force to be reckoned with in the old days. They had lost Wing to defeat the Nebula Man and save the world. The combined JSA and JLA had acted to rescue them and had pulled them forward in time. Then Lee had developed a cancer and gave his life to save Gotham. Both were true heroes. Now it looked like Wing may have been alive all these years instead of dead. Sanders shook his head to clear the unruly thoughts away.

First he had to get to L.A. and hook up with Sylvester, Roy and Pat as soon as possible. Then they would find out what was going on. “I have to go out of town, Danny,” said Greg to his adopted son as he headed up to the main house. “Something has come up. Could you present the cup tonight?”

“Are you going to need help on this something? My equipment is in my room.”

Sanders paused to think a moment. “You’re right,” he said. “Get everything and meet me at the hangar. I’ll get someone else to present the cup and explain everything. I’m sure everyone will understand the suddenness of things.” Danny nodded as he ran off.

***

Wilhelmina Gunn came out of her room with her packed bag. Lawton and Morrigan were all right for old killers.

Danny Leong came out of his room with a carry all in his hand. A long baton was tucked into the handles. He hurried off without a word.

“What’s going on?” Wilhelmina asked as she hurried to follow the slim driver.

“Uncle Greg and I are leaving on some unexpected business. He’s going to get someone else to present the cup so we can go as soon as possible.”

“Need a hand?” Wilhelmina asked as she fell in beside the young man.

“I don’t know. Uncle Greg just said we’re taking his plane,” said Danny. He increased his pace to pull away from the cop.

Wilhelmina increased her own speed to keep up. You’re not brushing me off so easy, buddy, she thought.

“Ready to go, Danny?” Greg Sanders said as he fell in step with the hurrying couple.

“We sure are,” said Wilhelmina, in her best western drawl.

“I don’t remember inviting you,” said Danny with a frown. Sanders frowned also.

“Wait a minute here,” said Wilhelmina. “My great gran’pa rode with a Vigilante in the ‘forties. So if anyone has the right to play at the Vigilante, it’s me.” She indicated Sanders’s clothes with a sweep of a hand.

“Excuse me, young lady,” said Sanders with a huge grin. “I am the one, the only Vigilante. I think I have more right than anyone else to wear this get-up.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” Wilhelmina said. “You’d have to be over eighty.”

Sanders laughed at the hyperbole and explained, “I had a case of time displacement.” A tense moment passed. “Well, if you want to ride with us,” Sanders finally said, “you’re welcome. It’s going to be hard and dangerous, and you might get killed, but if it’s OK with you, it’s OK with me.”

Wilhelmina came to a dead stop. Outrage was written large on her expressive face. “Whose leg are you trying to pull, buddy? I work for the New York Police Department, and I don’t give out tickets for meter violations.”

Greg and Danny looked at each other. “OK, you’re in.”

Chapter 14
by csyphrett_us

Greg Sanders led the way to the private jet he kept on the ranch. He stowed his bag behind the pilot’s chair as he sat down and began warming up the plane.

“So where are we going?” asked Wilhelmina, sitting behind him. Danny took the co-pilot’s chair silently.

“California,” said Greg. “A friend of mine is in trouble, and we’re gonna bail him out.”

“What kind of trouble?” asked Wilhelmina as she strapped in.

“Don’t know yet,” said Sanders. “Something about seeing an image. Sylvester wasn’t really clear, or maybe I misheard. Sylvester Pemberton is the friend we’re bailing out,” he said to forestall the next question.

“The guy who runs Stellar Studios?” said Wilhelmina. “How do you know him, or is that a secret?”

“We’re old friends,” said Sanders. “Maybe he can put you in a movie after this is done.”

“That’ll be the day,” said Wilhelmina.

The plane coasted down the runway and leapt into the air gracefully. Sanders pointed its nose west as he pulled the yoke back to climb to a cruise altitude.

Greg Sanders and Danny Leong took turns piloting. Sanders took the time to brew a pot of coffee in the jet’s galley as he pondered the particular problem he had been informed of by Sylvester and Pat. Those two had been partners forever and a day. It was no wonder this latest piece of business would be discovered by the two of them.

Sanders had also heard that Roy Harper was out there with them as part of Infinity, Inc. He smiled to himself. Sylvester was the only one of them who had not hung up his spurs when they returned to the present. Now Lee and Oliver were both gone. Billy Gunn too. But Wing was still alive, and it was time he was brought home from wherever he was.

Chapter 15
by starsky_hutch76 & csyphrett_us

The three men stood upon the tarmac of the small private airfield as the plane quickly became more than just a small dot upon the horizon. From their body language, it was obvious all three of them felt uncomfortable.

Unlike survivors of disasters such as an airplane crash or tornado, the Seven Soldiers of Victory weren’t brought together by their pitfall of time displacement. Just the opposite, in fact. Upon finding themselves in a strange new world, they went off in separate directions in a mad scramble to regain their lives. There were guilty feelings about losing touch, and as the time had stretched on those feelings had intensified, making it even harder to do something as simple as pick up a phone.

The death of Lee Travis had made that even more difficult. Everyone at the funeral felt remorse at not having spoken to him before the end. Most of them hadn’t even known he was sick. There was some consolation about the fact that he had gone out on his own terms, though it was small comfort. Promises were made to do a better job of corresponding, but the circumstances that had separated them in the first place were still there. They all had their own lives.

Of course, things were different now and changing rapidly. Lee was dead. Oliver, too. And the one person they had come to accept as dead was alive! Alive!

Their attention remained focused upon the sky as they waited for the plane carrying Greg Sanders to come in for a landing.

“Looks like the fellows are here to meet us, Danny,” Greg Sanders said as he brought the plane in for a landing.

“They don’t look happy,” said Wilhelmina Gunn from a third seat behind the pilots. She had stood up to get a look and quickly sat back down. The rushing landscape and the height had given her a touch of vertigo.

“We have clearance,” Danny said.

“Right; let’s start our list,” said Sanders, referring to the necessary tasks for landing a plane that every pilot went through.

The metal bird smoothly touched down on the runway. It glided to a stop within a few yards of the waiting men. The door opened out into steps.

Greg Sanders stepped out first, smiling slightly.

“Hello fellows,” he said. “It’s been a while.”

Chapter 16
by starsky_hutch76 & csyphrett_us

The moment Sly had been anticipating was here. Reuniting with Roy and Pat hadn’t been difficult when circumstances had pushed them back together. Roy had been a kid like him when they were with the team. And Pat was, well… Pat. Greg, though, was a seasoned vet and couldn’t help but remind him of Lee. He looked over at Roy and then Pat and saw they were waiting for him to make the first move.

“Too long,” he said, stepping forward to take Greg’s hand.

“The Star-Spangled Kid,” Greg said, grinning broadly as he clapped him on the shoulder. “Dang, it’s good to see you again.”

“Actually, it’s Patriot now,” Sly said, his aprehension melting away.

“So it is,” Greg said. “And a darn good name it is, too.” He pointed up to the aircraft as Daniel Leong stepped out. “Stuff’s changed his name, too…” A brief look of sadness came over his face. “Well, he’s not the same Stuff you remember. He’s his son. He eventually grew out of his old name and goes by Dragonmage now.” The man in question stepped down the stairwell and joined them, shaking hands with Pat, Roy, and Sly as Greg introduced him.

Followed by Daniel Leong was Wilhelmina Gunn. “This is Wilhelmina. She’s the great-granddaughter of my other old partner, Billy Gun. One heck of a good shot, too,” Greg said with pride.

Sly’s breath caught in his throat, because she was easily one of the most impressive-looking women he’d ever seen. She walked down the stairwell with an athletic grace he’d previously only seen in the Huntress.

“Help you with your bag, there?” Sly offered, gesturing to the army duffel bag slung casually over her shoulder.

“No, that’s OK. I’ve got it,” she said cooly, looking at him as if she were sizing him up. He got the picture she wasn’t the type of girl who appreciated acts of chivalry. She and Kara would get along real well, he thought.

“Um, yeah…” Sly said, pointing to the stretch limo idling nearby. “Well, guys, the ride’s over here, ready to take us back to the studio. We can rest up while we’re waiting for Sir Justin.”

***

Wilhelmina Gunn had winced when she was introduced as Wilhelmina. She had choked back the sudden urge to hit Sanders in the back of his cowboy hat wearing head.

Now she looked out the windows of the limo at the streets of L.A. She half-listened to the conversation going on around her. She was the outsider here, and she didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.

Still, she took some comfort that they had allowed her along. Sanders wasn’t someone who budged according to her Gramps, and Danny looked as movable as a rock. She knew if the answer was no, it would remain no, despite any pleas.

She wondered when she would meet this Sir Justin.

Chapter 17
by starsky_hutch76

The dungeon was cold, wet, and dank to the senses. Old moss seemed to cover the even older-looking stone walls. What appeared to be rats would crawl out of the holes within the stonework and skitter back inside. None of this, of course, was real: not this dungeon, nor the castle above it. It was all a product of the fractured mind of the Nebula Man. Even the prisoner who dwelled within the dungeon, though not his creation, was subject to his whims.

Wing sat sullenly within the dungeon of this castle, waiting for help that might never come. His uniform hung in rags upon his now large frame. Once he had been so scrawny that people often mistook him for a kid. Now he stood well over six feet tall, and his body rippled with muscles. He was the Nebula Man’s prisoner and a super hero, so he had been made to look the part. Wing was also certain that the Nebula Man couldn’t stand to think he had been beaten by a pipsqueak.

Countless times he had escaped from the dungeon. The end result was always the same: him in the dungeon, once more the Nebula Man’s prisoner. Wing came to realize that it was a game to him. It was a game that could last literally forever in this realm outside of time and space. The thought was too much to bear, so he had summoned what remaining power he had left from the battle that had brought him there and used it to try and contact his friends. He hoped they would be able to find him now that they knew he was alive.

“So… you were successful?” a voice suddenly boomed from above. The dungeon was suddenly swept with wind as the Nebula Man spoke.

Wing was aghast. He knew?

“They shall be here with you, and the sport shall be even better…” The voice said. “They… your friends wronged me somehow… I don’t remember how… what they did… you did something worse, I know… just not what it was… so hard to remember…”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” Wing called out.

“In any case, they will be here soon. And then they can join you in repaying your debt to me.” The Dungeon grew silent and still once more, and Wing knew the Nebula Man had turned his attention elsewhere.

A feeling of horror came over Wing. It had been another game. One of his sick, twisted, damn games! And he’d been so desperate for a glimmer of hope that he’d fallen for it and drawn in his friends! He knew, though, the alternative was far worse. Should the Nebula Man grow bored with the games or, even worse, regain his memory and sanity, there was no telling how dangerous he would be.

Chapter 18
by starsky_hutch76

The limo pulled through the front gates of Stellar Studios and then headed for the biggest building on the lot. Pat, Roy, and Sly had soon discovered that, once reunited with Greg Sanders, it was just like old times, and the limo was filled with the sounds of laughter as they recounted their adventures together. The laughter, of course, followed them as they left the limo and went inside.

“What have we gotten ourselves into?” Billie Gunn said to Daniel Leong as they trailed behind the men. “Think it’ll be like this for the whole trip?”

“God, I hope so,” Daniel said.

“Really?” she said, squinting quizzically.

“Of course,” he responded. “Hearing them speak of their adventures as the Seven Soldiers of Victory makes me feel, at least for a little while, closer to my father.”

“Oh yeah,” Billi said, embarrassed. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Daniel said.

“Your father was the first Stuff, right?” she asked.

“Right. He was killed by the Dummy, so Greg took me in and treated me as if I were his own son.”

“Yeah, I keep hearing what a great guy he is,” she said.

“Well, he is,” Daniel said.

***

“Life seems to be treating you pretty good, Sly,” Greg Sanders said, looking around as he, Pat, and Sly entered the spacious lobby.

“Yeah, the kid’s doing OK, all right,” Pat agreed.

“I’m lucky everything was still waiting for me,” Sly said.

“Same here,” Roy agreed. “Ollie was lucky that Queen Enterprises had kept going in his absence. I was such a fish out of water. I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

“Not all of us were so lucky,” Pat said. “Took me quite a while to get back on my feet.”

“I wish you’d called me,” Sly grimaced. “If I’d known…”

“Sly, don’t beat yourself up on my account…” Pat started.

“Wow! So this is where all those big classic movies were made,” Billie said, oblivious to the tense mood she’d cut short as she entered and sat down her duffel bag. She pointed to a movie poster on a wall. “Abbott and Costello meet the JSA! I’ve seen that!”

“Yeah, a lot of big names have come through here over the years,” Sly laughed. “Including one we all know.” He reached behind the information counter and pulled out an item he’d hidden for the occasion. It was a 6 foot cardboard cut-out of Greg Sanders in a quick-draw stance. He was dressed in a brown buck-skin jacket with fringe along the sleeves, a silk shirt, with large lapels, opened to reveal most of his chest as well as a gold chain, bell bottomed jeans, a rodeo style belt buckle, and a brown suede cowboy hat. By his feet was the logo ‘McCaliber, P.I.’ “I’m sure everyone remembers America’s favorite P.I. from 1972 to 76,” Sly laughed.”

“Where in tarnation did you find that?” Greg chuckled.

“Nice sideburns,” Billie laughed.

“Hey, even a cowboy’s gotta eat,” Greg laughed. “And there wasn’t much call for singing cowboys anymore. They did let me sing every few episodes, though, if McCaliber happened to be in a club or was trying to expose a crooked record exec. I just had to get used to shootin’ at hippie drug dealers and mafia sidewinders instead’a the desperadoes I used to have show-downs with.”

“Hey, I loved the show,” Pat said. “I caught it every week. Now my kid’s hooked on it now that it’s in syndication. I even picked him up a McCaliber doll at the flea-market…” He suddenly looked distracted. “Hey, did you guys just hear a horse… and wings?”

“Justin’s here!” everyone exclaimed at once.

Chapter 19
by starsky_hutch76

All eyes were on the entrance to Stellar Studios as Sir Justin landed astride Winged Victory. Everyone began to move forward when they were all at once startled by the arrival of a second armored figure astride a winged stallion built entirely of flame. As soon as the second knight, obviously female, landed, the stallion flickered away and she landed to her feet.

“Whoa,” Sly said, watching her as she landed.

“Ain’t that something,” Greg said as the last flames died away.

“I’m guessing that’s his daughter,” Pat said.

“Yeah,” Red Arrow agreed. “And you don’t have to be Batman to figure out who the mother is.”

Greg Sanders walked up to Sir Justin with his hand outstretched in greeting. “Howdy, stranger! I aint seen you in a coon’s age! And this purty young filly must be you yung’un!”

“Aye, friend Greg,” Justin said, clasping his hand. “Tis indeed my daughter, Brandy.”

“Or as I’ll be calling myself in action: Knightfire,” she added proudly with her English accent.

“She insisted upon accompanying me upon this perilous undertaking. And since her mother sided with her, t’would be folly to refuse,” Sir Justin said.

“I’ve been there,” Pat laughed, thinking of his own wife and child.

“There was no way I was going to miss the excitement,” the armored girl said.

“You’ve got that right,” Billie Gunn agreed.

“Well, now that the gang’s all here, let’s get down to business,” Sly said.

“Aye, let’s. The discovery that our comrade in arms is alive has fired my very blood for action,” Sir Justin said, withdrawing his sword. “And I have a length of cold steel I wish to share with his captor.”

“That’s my dad,” Knightfire said. “Always with a flair for theatrics.”

“We’ll all get a shot at whoever or whatever is behind this. That’s for certain,” Red Arrow said. He turned to Patriot and said, “Sly, lets take everyone on over to the viewing room and let them see what we saw.”

The group assembled in one of the many viewing rooms at Stellar Studios. Patriot hit a remote control, and the recording from the security cameras played, displaying once again the phantom-like presence that had visited once before.

“That’s Wing, all right,” Vigilante said. “A durn sight bigger’n he used to be, but it’s him.”

“Aye,” Sir Justin said. “Verily, it looks as if our lost friend is asking of us the boon of freedom.”

“Well, we’re sure as hell going to give it to him,” Pat said. A murmur of agreement passed through the group.

 

 

Chapter 20
by starsky_hutch76 & csyphrett_us

“So now that we are all assembled,” Sylvester said as they exited the screening room, “let’s take a couple of minutes to go over the situation. As you saw, Wing has been appearing here in the studio. Roy and I believe that he is still alive. And from the reactions of the rest of you, I’d say it’s unanimous. Pat seems to think that the cosmic belt is helping him to get here sporadically. The plan is to go where he is and bring him back. Any questions?”

“One: Are you nuts?” Wilhelmina asked. “You don’t even know what you’re going into.”

“It’s what we do, lass,” the Shining Knight said. “If courage be madness, the world wants for madmen.”

“So, any questions other than that?” Sly said with a smile.

“When do we go, pard?” asked Sanders, strapping on his pistols.

“As soon as everybody’s ready,” said Sly.

“Let us be about it then,” said Sir Justin, standing beside his daughter.

The group dispersed to take care of any preparations. Wilhelmina dumped her jacket with her bag and wandered out of the room. She knew this was a raid, and all she had was a service gun and a backup. Some vacation this was turning out to be.

Every studio had a props department. She went in search of it. Maybe they would have something she could use. She wasn’t walking into a gun fight with a crummy knife.

***

“Time to suit up,” Pat said, heading to a large trunk.

“That’s pretty big for your Stripesy togs,” Patriot said.

“That’s because they’re not in there,” Pat said. He opened it to reveal an impressive red, white and blue battle suit. It consisted of a chest plate, helmet, boots, gloves, and other high tech armaments. “It’s just a little something I put together with Bailing wire and chewing gum.”

“Yeah, right,” Patriot said. “You’ve never been one to do things halfway.”

“Where we’re going, today wouldn’t be a good day to start,” After slipping on a blue bodysuit, he put a part of the armor around his forearm and flexed it. An impressive looking gun popped out of a hidden compartment. “Seems to be in working order,” he said. He continued suiting up.

“So what do we call you when you’re in action now?” Patriot asked. “Stripesy doesn’t exactly describe you anymore in that high tech gear.”

“I thought I’d pay tribute to our pal and fellow All-star Squadron member,” he said, slipping on the helmet with transparent faceplate. “You can call me Americommando.”

Chapter 21
by starsky_hutch76 & csyphrett_us

“What’s the deal, Danny?” Wilhelmina Gunn said, standing at the back of the group. She kept Danny between her and the winged horse. Horses were not on her list of favorite animals. Of course, she didn’t like any animals all that much.

“Pat has his machine ready to go, Billie,” said Danny, pointing to a round box with a pole sticking out of it. “So we’re ready to go too.”

“You have to be kidding me,” she said, jacking a round in the Jatimatic.

“Stay close and keep your eyes open,” said Danny, holding two batons in his hands.

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” said the police woman.

Pat flipped the switch on the contraption he had cobbled together — based on plans for the JSA’s transmatter cube — to trace Wing’s quantum signature from his visits to Stellar Studios. Green lightning flared to life around the top of the pole in the middle. The lightning started marching around in a circle, hovering in the air. A picture formed in the center of the circle.

“We’re going there?” said Wilhelmina, eyebrows raised as she gestured to the menacing landscape on the other side of the portal.

“You can always stay behind,” laughed Danny.

“Yeah? Well, you can always go to the devil,” said Wilhelmina, vehemently and coldly.

Danny drew back, startled by the look on her face. He had forgotten how bad her temper was until it resurfaced through her veneer of civility. It wasn’t a mistake he was likely to make again.

Sir Justin led the way on the back of Winged Victory, guiding it down the raised platform. His enchanted armor gleamed in the shifting green light. The winged horse stepped through the portal, eying it warily. The fact that it went through the crackling rift was a credit to its rider. Knightfire quickly followed.

Americommando and Red Arrow stepped through next, while Patriot hovered above them. The ace archer had his bow drawn and ready with an arrow. Americommando’s weapons were also at the ready.

“Let’s go,” said Greg Sanders, behind the red kerchief of the Vigilante. He walked through the door in the air, hands on his belt buckle. He seemed to be whistling under his breath.

Wilhelmina unfolded the safety lever of the Jati, as she and Danny walked through the gleaming circle together. She took a deep breath at the landscape stretching out in front of her.

Velvety skies were poked by pinholes as it reached from horizon to horizon. The ground was cracked red stone with a layer of swirling dust on it. A small mountain reached up from the flat plain. It appeared to be the only landmark within sight.

The adventurers started forward.

Chapter 22
by starsky_hutch76 & csyphrett_us

“Ah, Wing,” said the Nebula Man, his voice seeming to come out of thin air. “Your rescuers are here finally.”

There was a sudden jerk and Wing felt his manacles pull him into the wall. The stone became semi-liquid, squeezing him through its substance and carrying him out of the dungeon. He emerged slowly from the floor, still chained to it by the cuffs around his wrists. His captor stood at a strange television screen, studying the unfolding scene intently.

“It seems there are eight soldiers now, Wing,” the Nebula Man said. “How good of your partners to bring more company with them. More playmates for our games.”

Wing recognized the Shining Knight and Vigilante right away. Another was an archer dressed in red, making the prisoner think that he was Roy Harper. He was an older Speedy than when he’d last seen him in 1948 when they had first encountered the Nebula Man. Two others were dressed in red, white, and blue. He figured they were the former Star Spangled Kid and Stripesy. The other three were unknown to Wing.

“The one woman without a costume might make a suitable object of interrogation, don’t you think, my friend?” the Nebula Man said, waving his hands.

***

The eight soldiers of victory approached the mountain in the middle of the plain. A castle straight out of nearly every fantasy epic ever made rested on the peak of a precipice in the distance. It looked like those that could fly would have to carry those who couldn’t.

As the heroes paused to come up with a plan, winged creatures suddenly descended from the heights. Dark fur bristled as the flying monkeys descended on the group with clubs in their hands.

“It looks like we’re not in Kansas anymore,” Patriot said.

“At least they’re not throwing crap,” Americommando growled as the dropping creatures fell on the adventurers with high pitched screams. He held up his arm and an electric current shot out at the three approaching him.

Billie Gunn opened up with the Jati, spraying the sky. She had separated from Danny to get some room to move. Suddenly the ground opened up under her feet and sucked her down. None of the others noticed she was gone in the commotion.

Chapter 23
by starsky_hutch76 & csyphrett_us

“Flying Monkeys? Real Wizard of Oz-style flying monkeys?” Red Arrow exclaimed, aiming an explosive arrow at one and firing. The monkey was engulfed and then disappeared from sight.

“I don’t think these things are real,” Patriot said, seeing what had happened once Red Arrow’s projectile struck home.

“They’re probably a construction of the energy of this dimension,” Americommando said.

“Cool,” Knightfire said, creating a crossbow of flame. “That means the kid gloves are off. She fired three times and took out three flying monkeys in bursts of flame.

“‘Cool’?” Sir Justin exclaimed at her, smiling. “Daughter, thou hast attained a surprisingly good knowledge of colloquial modern ‘English’ and American slang in the last year since we brought you to the 20th century.”

“Hard to get by at school without it, Dad,” Knightfire said, grinning.

The Vigilante ducked as a Baton sailed past his head. “Lose something, son?” he said, tossing it back to Daniel Leong.

“Thanks, pops,” Daniel Leong said, as he caught it and spun around with the same motion to stike the same flying primate who’d knocked it out of his hand. “And that’s Dragonmage when we’re in action.”

“Right, pard’ner,” Vigilante chuckled as he fired above him at more of the airborne army.

Dragonmage leaped over one monkey, twisted below another, and swung one of his batons as hard as he could against the skull of a third. The flying monkey squeaked as it hit the ground. He used it as a springboard to catapult himself out of the immediate fighting. He surveyed the scene quickly before he became entangled with more of the strange troops. He realized instantly that Billie had vanished during the fighting. He grimaced under his war paint. There was only one place she could have gone.

Dragonmage used a monkey to vault upwards. He landed on a small shelf, which he used to leap upwards to a small hand hold, and he parleyed that into a swing to the top of a projecting boulder. He started climbing up the side of the mountain as fast as he could grab it with finger and toe holds. Hopefully the others would keep the monkeys busy while he moved ahead.

***

Billie Gunn looked around her, disoriented by the sudden change. A young man in a tattered uniform was chained to the floor, and a thing that was hardly a man regarded her. The chained man opened his mouth to shout something. The policewoman didn’t stop to dwell on her situation. She cut loose with what she had left in the Jati-matic.

The bullets hit the thing that looked like a man squarely in the chest, making him flinch, even though he was unhurt by the enfilade. There was but a split second to act. Billie Gunn shifted her aim, pulling the trigger. The chains on the captive came loose in a sparkling display.

“I see you are more resourceful than I gave you credit for,” said the Nebula Man, wiping the bullet wounds away with ease.

Wing leaped from his spot, displaying the skill his masters trained had given him him years before his arrival in America. Swinging with locked hands, he sent the creature to its knees. Another spinning roundhouse kick sent the energy being flying backward in surprise.

“Run!” the hero exclaimed.

The two of them ran from the room as the Nebula Man climbed to his feet. He laughed quietly at their efforts as he watched them flee. The game was afoot.

“What’s going on?” said Billie Gunn said, shoving Wing around the corner. “Twenty-five words or less.”

“He controls everything in this dimension, hates the Soldiers of Victory, and wants to play with us before he kills us,” said Wing, taking a deep breath. “How’s that?”

“Clear and concise,” said Billie, scanning the halls. “You Wing?”

“Yes,” said the hero. “Who are you?”

“Billie Gunn,” said the police woman.

“Billy Gunn is an old man, not a dame,” said Wing.

“He was my great-grandfather,” she said, leading the way down the empty corridor. “Don’t get too personal, buddy. I just rescued your butt from the Wicked Witch of the West.”

“I’m not out of here yet,” said Wing, following behind her slowly. “Where’s Lee? I didn’t see him earlier.” The sounds of his unanswered question echoed ominously in the corridor.

***

Dragonmage scaled the mountain’s side quickly. Regions that would seem far too steep or without a visible hand hold he managed to scale effortlessly. His goal was the top of the wall, and nothing would keep him from it. All he had to do was scale the last few yards and then get a grip on the large stones that seemed to make up the substance of the wall.

When he finally reached the top, he looked back at the enormous distance he had gone. In a short span of time, he had spanned a distance that it would have taken a normal man hours to cover. But then, he was not a normal man.

As he began to scale the castle, he felt the false stone shift under him. He recognized the forming of a hand, trying to seize his body. He pushed away from the stone, using it to lever himself upwards in a flip. Other hands grew out of the mountain. He leaped upwards, riding the hands like steps.

He reached the top of the artificial mesa. The hands tried to hold him there. He flipped over the growing hands, seizing the outer wall of the castle. He started climbing with his usual skill. The wall shifted, trying to embrace his hands and feet. He moved quickly, relentlessly towards his goal.

He flipped over the top of the wall and then slid down the other side, holding himself against the stone. He hit the ground and rolled head over heels to his feet. He was inside; now all he had to do was find his lost allies and their singular enemy.

Chapter 24
by starsky_hutch76 & csyphrett_us

As soon as the last of the monkey forces was defeated, the group noticed that two of their number was missing. “Tarnation!” Vigilante exclaimed. Danny and Billie have plum disappeared!”

“There’s only one place they could have gone,” Patriot said, pointing to the castle.

“So what are we waiting for?” Americommando said. “Our reasons for storming the castle just tripled.”

The remaining Soldiers of Victory proceeded towards the castle. The air was ominously still.

“It can’t be this easy,” Red Arrow said. “He’s not simply going to let us waltz up to the castle after one scuffle.”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, a new defensive force moved into place with a clatter of hooves and a rattle of armor. The troops were made up of figures out of a fantasy epic: black knights, dark elves, trolls, ogres, dwarves, and goblins.

“Looks like they’re playing our song, Dad,” Knightfire said, creating a sword of fire.

“Then by all means,” Sir Justin said, raising his sword. “Let us dance.”

***

The Nebula Man watched the three screens floating in the air in front of him. He smiled slightly. He seemed to have underestimated the younger members of this assemblage of his old enemies. The veterans had also learned some new tricks in their time back in the real world. He winced as the Vigilante lassoed a group of flying goblins together, guiding them into the ground. It was time he showed them that he had learned a few things as well during his stay in this realm. He waved his hand across the screen. “That should make things interesting for them.”

He turned to the screen where Billie Gunn and Wing moved cautiously forward. He changed the layout so that they would wander until he wanted to see them again. He then turned to the second screen to find the green-and-black-clad intruder gone. “Fast devil,” he said ruminatively.

***

Sir Justin, the Shining Knight, had battled evil across the centuries as a hero of the round table. He had beaten numerous foes of every stripe. Still, he was unprepared for the thing that rose out of the ground between the heroes and the portal. He was half-turned in his saddle when the massive ball of fire washed over him and Winged Victory. His steed crashed into the wall of the mountain hard.

“A seven-headed dragon,” said Patriot, ducking a beam of ice from another head.

“Don’t that beat all,” said Vigilante, throwing himself behind a jutting rock as a bolt of lightning came crashing towards him.

Knightfire landed beside her father, quickly examining him. She was not sure he had been unhurt. His golden armor and enchanted horse were invulnerable to harm under normal circumstances. She did not want to find out that this strange place was the exception to the rule.

“I am unhurt, daughter,” said the fallen hero, levering himself to his feet, shaking his head to clear it. “Just shaken.”

Yet another of the dragon’s heads opened its gaping maw to fire a stream of acid at Americommando as he tried to take aim with the weaponry he had built into his armor. He was forced to fire the jump systems to leap clear. The acid cut a furrow in the ground behind him as the head rotated to keep him in its sights. He landed and leaped again as the dragon ran out of steam.

The dragon lurched forward, beating its wings in a cloud of dust. The Soldiers tried to regroup as its seven heads blasted at them with its various deadly breaths.

***

The Nebula Man reconfigured his center screen, trying to focus on the roaming Soldier loose in his stronghold. He caught his new foe leaping into an upper gallery bordering one of the halls where he created troops to drill and maneuver. If only he could control the substance of the real world as well as he did that of his own, he pondered. What terrors he could unleash with his thoughts. But such ruminations were for a later time. For now, he needed to stop this lone intruder. Once that was complete, he would then deal with the rest of his old enemies.

Upon the center screen, the green-and-black-clad man bounced along the gallery, using each landing to bound against the opposite wall. The Nebula Man judged the spot he wanted ahead of the hero. He pointed at the screen. The wall became soft under his influence. He waited for the inevitable.

The green-and-black-clad hero hit the wall and sank out of sight. He had been going so fast that he vanished almost instantly. A finger snap later and the wall hardened into solidity. That took care of that little problem nicely. The Nebula Man turned his attention to Billie Gunn and Wing. It was time for a reunion.

He waved his hand at the floating screen. The hall behind the duo began to flow like a river. The streaming fluid swept the pair of adventurers up and into a staircase that he turned into a funnel into his throne room.

The shape of a wide evil grin crossed the Nebula Man’s face. It didn’t get any better than this.

Chapter 25
by starsky_hutch76 & csyphrett_us

Dragonmage tried to push back out of the solid stone he found himself immersed in. The stone returned to its rigid state as he strained against it. He was frozen in place with but a few minutes of air trapped in his lungs. He had to escape before he suffocated.

He forced himself to remain calm in spite of his situation. Dragonmage closed his eyes, concentrating on what he felt around him. The stone was solid energy, without the usual gaps he would have felt in real matter. Still, it held something he could manipulate with his training.

He touched his stone prison calmly, looking for a loose end to grab and unravel. It was harder than he was used to, but manageable. He touched the right piece of quanta with his skills. The stone’s energy warped under his small influence. It was enough to allow him to draw back an arm. Green flame encircled his fist. He lashed out, channeling his chi down his arm, through his fist, and into the walls of his makeshift prison. The wall exploded outward in a small concentrated area.

Dragonmage opened his eyes. He saw the hole and gave a slight smile. He slipped his arm out of the hole. Slowly he squeezed the rest of his body after the arm until he was back in the hallway once more. He rose to his feet, taking a deep breath. He closed his eyes again, feeling his surroundings. Then he started leaping down the hall, a corridor over from the one he had been traveling in. He needed a way to get close to the Nebula Man. Then he would work his magic again.

***

Wing and Billie Gunn found themselves carried into the throne room as if a raging river had swept them up. When they finally landed unceremoniously before him, they found themselves in very different attire than what they had worn before.

“What the hell?” Billie Gunn said, brushing herself off and discovering she was no longer in her militaristic attire. Instead, she wore a feminized version of the Vigilante’s outfit: the double-breasted shirt was tied off above the waist, the pants were now a pair of tights, the kerchief was no longer a mask but a decorative piece. Instead, a bandana mask from underneath which her shoulder length auburn hair flowed replaced it. Her Jati-matic was now replaced by a pair of six-shooters she wore upon her hips.

Wing was equally shocked as he rose to his feet. “Why have you dressed me as the Crimson Avenger?” he gasped.

“You are his natural successor, are you not?” the Nebula Man said. “It seemed fitting that you wear the suit now.”

“His successor?” Wing asked.

“Oh? Did you not know?” the Nebula Man said. “Well, how could you? Here. Let me show you.” The Nebula Man waved his hand over the center screen and Lee Travis’ last moments played as he piloted a boat filled with explosives away from the city he protected. Wing’s jaw dropped in horror as the boat became a ball of fire, lighting up the night sky.

“Lee!” Wing exclaimed in horror. The Nebula Man threw his head back in laughter.

Chapter 26
by starsky_hutch76

“We can’t keep this up forever,” Patriot said as he blasted away at the hordes of energy constructed mystical beings while also trying to avoid the blasts of the dragon’s heads.

“No kidding,” Knightfire said, throwing up a flame shield to block a blow from a troll’s battle axe.

“Maybe we can hold out forever,” Red Arrow said, firing off three explosive arrows to take down three flying goblins. “It seems like I should’ve run out of arrows a long time ago, but every time I reach back, there’s one there waiting for me.”

“Tis passing strange,” Sir Justin said, bringing the butt of his sword down on an ogre’s head. “Tis as if reality is the subject of fancy here.”

“You mean I want an arrow, so I’ve got an arrow?” Red Arrow said, pulling out another and knocking a black knight off his horse.”

“Now that yuh mention it, I reckon I shoulda run outta bullets fer muh shootin’ irons a long time ago,” Vigilante said.

“If that’s the way this place works, then why aren’t we already where Wing is?” Knightfire asked. “After all, we want to rescue him, so that’s what we should really get.”

“Because that mangy polecat Nebula Man still runs the show, darlin’,” Vigilante said.

“Right,” Patriot said. “Otherwise Wing wouldn’t even need rescuing.”

“I think I know a way to take care of our rather large problem here,” Americommando said, gesturing at the seven headed dragon.

“Well, I’d sure be interested in hearing it!” Patriot said.

“These things are constructed from the energy of this dimension,” Americommando said. “If we reverse the polarity, they’ll fall apart.”

“And then we take the fight to our enemy!” Sir Justin said enthusiastically.

“That’s the idea,” Americommando smiled.

“Let’s give it a shot,” Patriot said, adjusting the controls on his belt.

“Here goes nothing,” Americommando said as they jumped out from behind the rock where they’d been taking cover.

“Hey Sparky!” Patriot shouted. The dragon turned with all of its heads and was about to fire as they both leveled their arms and fired twin bursts of energy in its direction. The dragon let out a roar from all of its throats and then vanished.

“Yahoo!” Vigilante exclaimed. “That big, scaly varmint didn’t know what hit ‘im!”

“Ready for a little pest control, Pat?” Patriot asked Americommando as he eyed the rest of the army.

“You know it, Sly,” Americommando said. “And if they were really alive, I’d say they’ve got to be feeling like those cartoon roaches in the bug spray commercials.” They began blasting away at the trolls, ogres, elves, and other imaginary soldiers of the Nebula Man’s defensive force, causing them to disappear one by one.

***

The Nebula Man, watching it all, gave a curse. “No!”

“Looks like we’ll have company very soon,” Wing told him.

The white slits that served as the Nebula Man’s eyes narrowed with anger. They weren’t playing by his rules.

Chapter 27
by starsky_hutch76 & csyphrett_us

Billie Gunn tugged at the mask on her face angrily. She attempted to swat the cowgirl hat off her head and gave an angry growl as it hung around her neck by the drawstring. The Nebula Man started to give a titter of laughter and then stopped as she stuck one of the six shooters in Wing’s chin. “Let us go,” she said. “Or I’ll blow your playmate away.”

“What kind of heroine are you?” the Nebula Man and Wing asked at the same time.

“I’m not a heroine at all,” said Billie Gunn grimly. “What’s your choice? I don’t have all day.”

“That’s no way to treat the new Crimson Avenger,” the Nebula Man laughed. “Besides, what makes you think I would give you a working gun?”

The cop pulled the other pistol and fired it into the villain. He stumbled back from the impact. He straightened himself, rage on his face. “Seems to work fine to me,” she said, smiling gleefully.

“I’m going to rend you to pieces for that,” said the Nebula Man, pointing. A wave of light ripped up the floor as it cut a line across the room.

Wing pushed Billie one way as he leaped the other. Pieces of the marble floor flew like shrapnel as the pair rolled to their feet. The Soldiers readied themselves as energy crackled in the air.

“You two don’t have a chance against me,” the Nebula Man said confidently.

***

Dragonmage crossed a gallery, leaped across a set of balconies, and paused over the Nebula Man’s throne room. He tensed as the Nebula Man faced off against the missing members of the group. He admired Billie’s guts but considered her bluff ill-conceived. At least, he hoped she was bluffing.

“You two don’t have a chance against me,” he heard the Nebula Man say.

Dragonmage leaped, summoning his inner self in a green ball of flame around his fist. His only thought was striking as he sailed silently through the air. He drove his fist, channeling all of the trapped chi against the back of the Nebula Man’s head. The villain was driven through the air. Green fire danced under his skin as he flew into a wall.

“Danny?” said Gunn. “Danny! You never said you could do that.”

“You never asked,” said the Dragonmage, letting the chi flow through his body again. “Let’s get out of here. Oh… nice costume, by the way.”

“Shut up,” Billie snapped.

“It’s not going to be that easy,” said the Nebula Man, picking himself off the floor. “This realm and everything in it, including you, are my playthings. None of you are leaving here alive.” The Nebula Man gestured, sending a wave of light at his three opponents. It was a simple opening gambit to see what his enemies could do. Wing leaped the wave with a perfectly timed flip forwards. That vixen threw herself behind a support column. He had lost sight of the one the woman called Danny. Where had that one gone?

A foot to the side of the head answered his query as he was sent sprawling. He gestured, and two warriors of his own began to rise from the floor. They would put a stop to that one while he dealt with the other two personally.

Dragonmage had bounced into a shadow, becoming virtually invisible against the wall. The two champions waited patiently for him to make the first move. Both wore painted ceremonial masks with demonic visages. The light played across the bronze demon horns of their masks as the two peered about. The taller one wore a red karate gi and black boots. His companion had a simple black coverall with red boots and gloves. A wide array of traditional Japanese weapons adorned their suits.

Dragonmage took a deep breath, relaxing his fear away. He pressed the homing beacon built into the inner arm of his costume. All he had to do now was buy time.

Chapter 28
by starsky_hutch76 & csyphrett_us

Billie Gunn took aim with the six shooters. She wasn’t a fighting machine like Danny. Even Wing had better moves. She did have one talent they couldn’t match, though. She could shoot a quarter out of the air. Heck, she could even part Washington’s hair down the middle! Well, maybe not that.

She pulled the revolvers’ triggers. The Nebula Man grinned. She had missed him by a mile. He realized he wasn’t the target when one of his bodyguards fell over. He fired a beam of energy at her as she scrambled for better cover.

He was so concentrated on her for that brief moment that Wing easily tackled him, causing him to land on his face. The false stone ripped at his face as his head was driven into the ground three times. He flexed his mind momentarily. Wing flew off of him and slammed into the wall before he could compensate enough to land on his feet.

Billie Gunn rushed out, shooting at the Nebula Man to cause enough of a distraction for Wing to recover and move out of the way. She hid her dismay as the bullets became flowers in midair. Manacles shot up from the floor and clamped around her legs. She stumbled to the floor in a clanking of chains.

The Nebula Man no longer smiled in the pleasure of a challenge. These people were taking all the fun out of the games. He growled in genuine fury.

***

Dragonmage leapt from the shadow in which he was hidden and spun through the air. His foot missed as the warrior in red moved a fraction of an inch. He landed at the end of his spin, turning into a sweep. The warrior in the demonic mask hopped the extended leg, floating in the air.

Suddenly, it became all too apparent that this was no ordinary warrior the Nebula Man had summoned. Light raced up his body as he uttered an incantation. As he spoke the words, an expanding ball of flame rushed outwards at Dragonmage. He flipped over it, letting the attack go into the floor. The ball of flame kept going, blasting through any obstacles until it hit the outside wall. The outer wall collapsed as the fireball kept going into the ground of the dimension.

Dragonmage leaped into the air without hesitation, grabbing the legs of the bodyguard, and flung him into the ground. He pressed the attack, finding every punch ducked or blocked as he struck with blinding speed. No matter how fast he moved, his foe moved that much faster. Finally, the creation tired of the game and punched Dragonmage halfway across the room. He rolled when he hit the ground and lay unnaturally still.

Chapter 29
by starsky_hutch76

After the final soldier in the Nebula Man’s grotesque army was defeated, the path was clear, leaving the Soldiers with a clear route to the castle. “Like I was saying, the flyers will have to help the non-flyers get up there,” Patriot said, pointing towards the castle on the mountain. “Sly or I could carry someone and someone could go on horseback with Justin or Brandy,” Americommando said.

“No offense, darlin’,” Vigilante said to Knightfire who sat upon a flaming steed, “but I think I’ll ride with yer pa.”

“None taken,” Knightfire laughed.

“I can give you a lift,” Patriot said. “The field I generate will make you practically weightless.”

“Well, in that case, I’m more than willing to let you carry him,” Americommando said.

“Hey, I’m not that heavy,” Red Arrow laughed.

“Enough with this idle banter,” Sir Justin said. “Let us venture forth and rescue our friends!” With that, he took to the air with Vigilante sitting behind him on Winged Victory. His daughter followed.

“You heard the man,” Americommando said, firing up his boot jets and taking to the air.

“Hey, wait up!” Patriot said, rising into the air with Red Arrow. He quickly realized that, while he might be the distinguished leader with Infinity Inc., to his old friends from the Seven Soldiers of Victory he was still the Star-Spangled Kid.

As they flew up towards the castle there was a rumbling, and the ground far beneath them began to shake. Huge chunks of the earth below pried loose and flew at them.

“On your guard, Soldiers!” the Shining Knight cautioned, dodging around a flying chunk of ground.

Another chunk of ground flew towards Knightfire, but she generated a giant battering ram of flame that flew at the meteor, smashing it to bits. “The whole world has become a weapon!” she exclaimed.

Chapter 30
by starsky_hutch76

Americommando and Patriot threw up a shield of maximum strength to protect their group from the chunks of rock and earth flying in their direction. As they sailed up the mountain, huge chunks pried loose and flew at them. As the chunks hit the shield, they exploded in bursts of light as they reacted to the reversed polarity and disappeared.

“The mountain is crumbling away to nothing!” Red Arrow exclaimed.

“That don’t mean nothing!” Vigilante shouted over the quickly fading rumbling barrage from the back of Winged Victory. He pointed to the castle that was now floating in mid-air as the last chunk of land disappeared in a burst of light. “Look!”

“It looks like that Rene Magritte painting,” Patriot said. “The one with the castle on the floating rock over the ocean…”

“You mean ‘Castle in the Pyrenees,’” Vigilante said. “Danged if it don’t,” Vigilante said. Everyone stared at him in surprise. “What?” Vigilante said. “Just cause a fella’s a cowpoke don’t mean he ain’t got any culture!” This drew a laugh from the entire group.

As they reached the castle, they noticed the enormous hole in its side. “Looks like Danny and Billie are giving that sidewinder hell,” Vigilante said proudly.

“That they are, friend Greg,” the Shining Knight said. “That they are.”

“The hole’s starting to close in on us,” Patriot exclaimed, pointing at the opening that was growing smaller like a rapidly healing wound.

“Well, then, we’re about to open it up again,” Americommando said, firing a round of explosives at the opening. As the explosives detonated, it quickly doubled in size. “We’ve got to be quick,” he said. “They’re not going to hold the door for us.”

Americommando, Patriot, and Red Arrow quickly flew through the opening, followed by Sir Justin, Knightfire, and Vigilante. As they went from one level to the next, they fired at the openings that sought to close before they could pass through.

Everything imaginable within the setting of an enemy’s castle came at them as they flew in the direction of the throne room. Rising floors and falling ceilings sought to crush them. Spikes, spears, and arrows flew in their direction. Frankenstein monsters, werewolves, and vampires came at them from the shadows. If there was a story with it involving a castle, it was there to meet them on the path… And they were ready for it.

As they blasted through the final wall, they suddenly found themselves in the enormous throne room. “The Nebula Man!” Patriot said, pointing towards the enormous figure standing before the throne.

“Who else did you expect?” the shadowy form said, spreading his arms dramatically. “Welcome to my humble abode… And to your doom.”

Chapter 31
by starsky_hutch76 & csyphrett_us

The Soldiers surveyed the scene before them. Obviously there had been a skirmish before their arrival. Far from angry or upset, the Nebula Man looked as if he was delighted to see them.

Danny was down in the corner. There was no way to tell if he had been killed by the flash-quick demon fighter. “Danny!” Vigilante cried out. “Yuh no good scallywag! If you’ve hurt him, I’ll fill yuh full o’ lead!”

“I’m not dead yet, uncle,” Dragonmage said calmly. He launched himself from his shoulders in a seemingly impossible 90 degree angle. As he came back down, he spun in a circle, connecting both feet with the heads of both demon warriors, sending them flying.

“If that don’t beat all,” Vigilante said both proud and impressed.

Wing, clothed in the Crimson Avenger’s costume and mist, leaped across the room. His foot struck the one of the demon warrior’s heads as it rose and advanced for another attack. The Chinese hero’s blow rippled through the construct, warping it with the amplified impact of his blow. The gaudy mask shattered, clothes dropping to the ground as it gave up the ghost.

“Glad you people could make the party,” Billie Gunn said, tugging on the chains of the manacle the Nebula Man had formed around her ankle. “Someone want to help me out here?”

“Certainly, my lady,” Sir Justin said, swooping by on Winged Victory. With a swing of his sword and the clanging of severed iron, she was freed.

“Interesting costume choice,” Knightfire said, looking Billie up and down. “I thought you hated all things ‘cowboy.’”

“I do, and it wasn’t a choice!” Billie said bitterly. “I’m not a drugstore cowboy like my great-gran’pa… or a cowgirl. I hate looking like this, and I wish I were in something else!” With that, her clothing changed itself, and she suddenly found herself in military issue cargo pants, combat boots, sports bra, and her NYPD baseball cap turned backwards on her head in its usual fashion. The six-shooters became .45s. “Now this is more like it,” she said in surprise.

“How did you do that?” Knightfire exclaimed.

Red Arrow, who’d witnessed the transformation, offered his explanation. “It must be the same as my quiver always having enough arrows. If the want is strong enough, this place makes it a reality!”

“The want was strong, all right,” Billie said.

“No! No! No!” the Nebula Man exclaimed, voicing further irritation at their failure to play his games correctly. “You’re supposed to be the sidekick!”

“I’m nobody’s sidekick,” Billie Gunn said, raising her .45s and firing in his direction.

Bullets weren’t capable of hurting the Nebula Man, but he didn’t particularly enjoy their sting. “Not this time, woman,” he said, waving his hand to create an invisible shield to block the round of fire. “My turn,” he said, turning his palms in her direction. Twin blasts issued from his hands that sent her diving for cover behind the column. “Mustn’t forget your friends, though. Here. These should keep you busy.” Two more bursts issued from his hands. These bursts of energy formed two seedy looking hoodlums who looked as if they’d stepped out of a crime drama.

“You’re dead, fuzz!” one of the hoodlums said as they pulled out their pistols and began firing in her direction.

The air bubbled around the Nebula Man. More constructs emerged, leaping at the soldiers with abandon. The heroes veered from the sudden attacks.

Winged Victory carried Sir Justin upwards as the evil Mordred flew at him on the back of his own winged mount, sword slicing the air in a corona of sparks. A giant mechanical wheel that looked like something from a sci-fi movie rolled over Pat Dugan, grinding him into the floor with a crunch of armor against marble. Sylvester Pemberton found himself dodging eye beams from Baron Blitzkrieg, a patriot of the Third Reich.

Greg Sanders found himself dodging slugs from a scar-faced man in Confederate gray as he looked for his ward. He saw Billie taking cover from guys who looked like thug extras from his old McCaliber series. Beside them was a red cloud like one of Lee’s. A swarm of pinstriped ’30s gangsters were unloading Tommy guns in the cloud. There was no sign of Danny anywhere. He’d suddenly disappeared after his first impressive display against the demon-masked warrior. Time to put an end to this fight fast, he decided as Red Arrow and Robin Hood fired arrow after arrow at each other. He took aim and fired his pistols, trading his gunfighter for Roy’s archer with a snapping of arrow and bow.

Billie Gunn ducked behind a column as glowing bullets ripped the air around her. Guys from Little Caesar blasted into the cloud around Wing. She couldn’t tell if he had been hit or not with that red smoke covering everything. She spotted the Vigilante throwing the archer challenging Red Arrow for a loss with a shattered bow. Red Arrow instantly turned and fired an arrow with a boxing glove on the end of it at the gunfighter in gray before he could react to the new threat.

She decided to imitate her older compatriots and trade with Wing. She burst from her column, delivering round after round of gunfire as the fake gangsters as she dove behind another column in the row. The classic thugs collapsed, tommy guns firing wildly in the air.

The red cloud enveloped the energy-contructed gangsters. Loud cracks and groans flowed out of the mist as fast as the flying bodies. They shattered against the stone floor like breaking glass. The fog cleared for a second to reveal the smiling Wing, confident in his role as the new Crimson Avenger.

Danny Leong had been trained to be like a shadow, to move as swift as any predator, and to strike at any exposed weakness. His training had enabled him to focus his chi and release it as natural energy. Such training had come at a price… a steep price. But because of the training, he could set his mind to a task and accomplish it faster than any other. His mentors said he was a credit to them.

The Nebula Man was too enthralled by the battle before him to notice the approaching Drangonmage. Watching as Patriot blasted to pieces the miniature war wheel bearing down on Ammericommando, he never saw Danny draw on his chi as he prepared to use it.

“Uf-da!” The words rolled like thunder across the battle field. Green energy sliced into the Nebula Man, punching through his back and out of his chest. Green light shined out the silhouettes that served as his eyes and mouth as he shattered into separate pieces, ripped apart by the move known as dragon dancing in the air.

The surviving nebula constructs paused at the development. They were like puppets now bereft of strings. The pause was long enough for the remaining constructs to be wiped out by the Law’s Legionnaires.

“Is it over?” Patriot asked as he dropped to a landing. “It can’t be that easy.”

Dragonmage struggled to take a breath. He felt the air stir around him. He knew that the Nebula Man was not beaten, just delayed by his sudden action. All the local matter was bending grotesquely to the center of the room. Brick and mortar melted and flowed. Tapestries slid across the floor. All seemed to ooze in one direction as a large, menacing shape began to form.

“I think he is mad,” Danny said, his face devoid of statement.

Chapter 32
by starsky_hutch76

The roof of the castle opened, the hole growing larger and larger until it shrank away to nothing. The mass in the center of the throne room grew by leaps and bounds as well. As it grew, the large form began to take shape.

“We’ve got trouble,” Knightfire said.

“Yeah,” Billie agreed. “Big trouble.”

As the mass transformed, it began to look like a giant replica of the Nebula Man Dragonmage had destroyed only seconds earlier. Its cracked veneer was alive with a crimson glow that spiderwebbed across its stony surface.

“You continue to try my patience,” he thundered once his mouth was formed. “I create villains, you fight them. Is that concept so difficult for you people to comprehend?”

“We’re not here to play your games,” Patriot said. “We’re here to bring home our friend!”

“He’s not going anywhere!” the Nebula Man said. “And niether are you!” With that, he brought his hand down as if swatting a bug.

At the last second, Patriot dove out of the way. “I don’t think he’s playing games anymore!” Patriot exclaimed.

“We’re 9 Davids to one Goliath,” Americommando said, looking back at the giant Nebula Man as he flew out of the way of a fiery bast. “Even still, I don’t like the odds.”

“Yeah,” Red Arrow said. “And it’s not like we have a sling to take him down with.”

“Well, we’ve got your bow and arrow,” Patriot quipped. “That’s almost as good.”

“Funny guy,” Red Arrow said. “We’ve got ‘Son of Kong’ coming down on us, and he’s cracking jokes. Who does he think he is? Robin?”

“Even Dick doesn’t do that anymore,” Americommando said. “But Sly has a point.”

“Huh?” Red Arrow said, trying to figure out if he should be offended.

“Last time we faced him, we took him out with a Nebula Rod, but it’s not like we could reach him at that size even if we had one.”

“Yeah, so?” he said, looking up at the giant who continued to blast away as patriot, Americommando, and Knightfire generated shields.

“Remember that trick Billie pulled a second ago? Maybe a Nebula Rod wouldn’t work, but if we whipped up a Nebula Arrow, it just might!”

***

Greg Sanders held his ward up with an arm around the younger man as the throne room and castle beyond seemed to merge with the Nebula Man. He was slightly amazed that his ward seemed to be dispassionately analyzing their enemy through the fatigue he was showing. Danny had said once that he had given something away in his training to be one of the best fighters on earth. He had never said what, but the Vigilante thought it was the ability to feel like other people felt.

“We need a weapon that will hurt him,” Danny said, breathing energy back into his body, growing steadily stronger. “We need the Nebula Rod.”

“First, we need to get you out of here,” said Greg, carrying his ward away from the growing battle. “The fellers are already working on a copy of the Rod with this reality control thingy.”

“You’ll…” said Danny, voice no longer trembling, “…you’ll need a distraction while you and the others do what you can.”

Danny shook off the support of his mentor, tightening his hands into fists. He moved forward, wandering if he would survive this to go in the annals of the Masters. “Stop, Nebula Man,” Danny said in a clear voice, cutting across the energy fields being flung in the vanishing great hall. “I have a wager for you. If you can beat me, we’ll stay and be your toys. If I can beat you, you let us leave to go back to Earth.”

“Are you crazy?” came a chorus from around the room, followed by a “What the #%#@?” Vigilante’s heart leapt up into his throat at the thought that his ward might be sacrificing himself for them.

The Nebula Man smiled, energy flaring from his eyes. Finally, someone knew how to play the game. “One on one with you?” said the stony giant, his smile stretching to a grin, fire broiling along his hands. “Done and done, flea.”

Danny waited calmly for whatever would happen next. Whatever it was, he would be ready. All his senses were alive to whatever attack may come.

The Nebula Man started with a wall to keep the other Soldiers of Victory out of the immediate way as he readied to destroy this green clad irritant. Then he would bring him back to have more fun with him. That would show these upstarts he was the supreme power. He glared at the Dragonmage. This one would be the first feel his wrath. Then he would turn his attention to those others. He would destroy them then remake them… Over and over. The games would continue for all time.

He brought his fist down against the ground, splitting it open in a wave of blue energy and flying stone. The fissure reached for the fighter hungrily behind a tidal wave of stone. The wave crashed down as the cracking floor hit the half destroyed wall and blew it out in the courtyard beyond.

“That’s that,” the Nebula Man said, turning his head to face the Soldiers. “Get ready to play for the rest of your lives.”

“You have not won yet,” said a voice that was at once pleasant and cold. “You have not even begun to fight.” The Dragonmage stood next to the fissure in the floor, arms crossed. Except for the rents in his costume, he seemed untouched by recent events.

“How is he doing that?” Red Arrow gasped.

“Tis sorcery?” Sir Justin said, staring at his friend’s ward as if seeing him for the first time.

“Who cares,” Patriot said. “He’s providing the distraction we need. Everyone just concentrate. Think of the Nebula Rod.”

“But with an arrow’s head and feathers,” Red Arrow added.

The soldiers gathered in a circle, closed their eyes, and concentrated. The space in the center between them began to glow. After a few seconds, the shape of an arrow slowly began to form.

“You are a huge irritant,” growled the Nebula Man, stretching out a hand. “Why won’t you die?” The Dragonmage waited silently, giving no sign that he considered himself in any danger.

“This is my dimension. I make the rules. And I say you will die now!” commanded the Nebula Man, unleashing a beam of energy that ripped up everything in front of it. The protective wall he formed in front of the Soldiers cracked from the output. When the smoke cleared, he scanned the impact area for pieces of the fighter to turn back into his plaything. He frowned when he couldn’t find a trace.

“Damn, you suck,” said Billie Gunn, laughing in amusement.

The rattled Nebula Man turned on her wrathfully. “Perhaps I should turn my attentions to someone without any ninja tricks, then, woman!”

“Why should I care?” Billie said defiantly. “You’ll just bring me back like you did Wing.”

“There are 9 of you,” the Nebula Man said. “I can spare one that’s becoming overly annoying.” He raised his hand as if about to bring it down to bear on her.

“You missed me,” said the implacably cold voice of Danny Leong, causing the giant to turn in frustration and pause when he couldn’t see the speaker.

This was all the distraction Red Arrow needed. He grabbed the nebula arrow from the space in which it floated, lined up his aim, and sent the arrow soaring. As the arrow flew towards its target, it grew in stature as it approached the Nebula Man. By the time it shattered the Nebula Man’s shield, it was the appropriate size and scale. The nebula arrow struck him dead-center in the chest, sending bolts of energy flying in all directions.

The Nebula Man’s face was a grimace of horror and pain. Lightning crackled from the wound as he grabbed it with both hands. “No… nooo… NOOOOOOO!!!” He exploded again, this time with a blinding force that enveloped the castle and beyond. The Soldiers of Victory turned their heads away, lest they go blind from the light. As the waves of energy washed over them, they were knocked flat and rendered unconscious by its force.

***

The 9 Soldiers of Victory awoke. They were sprawled across the pavement in Stellar Studios, smoke rising from their clothing.

“We made it, Sly said, rising to his feet.

“Yeah,” Red Arrow said. “We should be thankful we appeared here and not miles up in the air.”

“The way I feel, I’m not sure we didn’t,” Pat said. “Must be my age creeping up on me.”

“Thou aren’t old, friend Pat,” Sir Justin said. “I am old. And today, I feel every year.”

“Aw, there’s no need to compete, you two,” Brandy laughed. “You’re both old.”

“And thou art young and insolent,” Sir Justin said, pulling her hood down over her face playfully.

“We’re home!” Billie said, standing up. “I thought we were toast.”

“Aw, shucks, girl, you’ll get used ta it. After a while, I’ll reckon you’ll be used ta purt’near anything,” said the Vigilante.

“This means you’re not gonna try and leave me behind any more?”

“I’ve seen ya shoot, and I’ve seen how ya handle yerself in a scuffle. I’d have ta be plum loco.”

“Put her there, ‘pard,’” Billie said, doing an imitation of his drawl.

“Tarnation, girl,” Vigilante said. “Family don’t shake hands. Family hugs!” He grabbed the startled Billie up in a bear hug, lifting her off her feet.

“So what do we call this team when it gets together now?” Americommando said. “There’s more than seven of us.”

“So when has that ever been a problem before?” Red Arrow said, grinning.

“Now that I’m back, don’t think I’m going back to being an unofficial member,” Wing said. “The new Crimson Avenger’s gonna want full membership.”

“Me too,” Brandy said.

“Why are numbers important?” Dragonmage. “The Soldiers of Victory still has a nice ring to it.”

“And there’s always the other name the papers used ta like to call us,” the Vigilante said. “I always kinda took a shine to it.” Everyone else nodded in agreement.

“Law’s Legionnaires it is, then,” Patriot said. And a legend was reborn.

Epilogue
by starsky_hutch76

“I’ll get you, Seven Soldiers of Victory,” the boy growled, holding up his Nebula Man action figure.

“Never,” he said, holding up a Crimson Avenger action figure. “Because Soldiers of Victory is what we are! That means we always win!”

“We’ll just see about that,” he made the Nebula Man action figure say. “BZZZHHH!!!”

“Look out, friend Lee! He hath fired a nebula ray!” he said, bringing in his Shining Knght and Winged Victory figures for a quick rescue. “No one tries ta fry my buddies! Pow! Pow! Pow!” he said, lifting a Vigilante action figure.

He waved the Nebula man figure dramatically. “Agh! You got me! I’ll–”

“Michael, time for dinner!” a voice from down the hall suddenly called out.

“Aw, mom!” the boy said, setting his action figures down. “I was playing with my new toys!”

“You can play with them after dinner,” the boy’s mom said. “Now come on. I made your favorite. Lasagna.”

“Lasagna? Oh boy!” the boy said enthusiastically, jumping up and leaving the Nebula Man action figure by the Tyler Toy Company package. Once he was out of the room, its eyes glowed a bright crimson as its mouth fixed into a malevolent grin.