Showcase: Injustice Unlimited

Dishonor Among Thieves

by Libbylawrence

Every community has a seemingly deserted old building that through natural ruin and whispered rumor slowly becomes the local haunted house. In a rural area of upstate New York, the Hawthorne House had gained a reputation as one such house of secrets. The once stately Gothic style manor was now a rotting, decayed relic nearly buried by the jungle-like foliage that threatened to engulf it. However, some civic minded locals thought it might qualify as a historical landmark and the ensuing battle among community boards and various interested parties had left the building in a state of perpetual “municipal limbo.”

The sultry young woman who stood outside its rusty spiked gate and looked up at the looming manor house didn”t know any of these facts. She didn”t care either. She merely ran one white gloved hand across the fence and placed her high heeled thigh high white boots on the lower rails as she swung on the metal and then vaulted effortlessly over the fence.

She crossed the wide yard with the grace of an athlete or perhaps more accurately with the feline agility of a born predator.

Artemis Crock idly pushed one thick lock of her heavy platinum blonde hair away from her eyes as she accessed the scene.

“I don”t think they”ve added a bit of security to this dump since the last time I was here. Then again, I never did take those two for the caution types. With their powers, they sure don”t need guards and electrical wiring to deal with trespassers!” she thought with a wry grin.

She was a pretty girl with a keen mind that was all too often underestimated because of her somewhat brassy demeanor and her all too evident physical prowess. Still, Artemis was not the type to ponder such things. She was the daughter of her unusual parents in manner as well as in birth. Action was her primary goal and she embraced all things active and thrilling with little regard for what others thought about her.

Artemis noticed a loose board as she approached the steps and started to sidestep it when a tremor shook the ground beneath her boots and she leaped upward to grasp the porch”s upper awning as the ground split open and snaking vines erupted upward!

She perched on the narrow structure and grinned.

“Not fast enough by half!” she said in a mocking tone.

Her smile faded as she heard something from within and she rolled away seconds before a barrage of tiny projectiles exploded around her!

“Thorns! Poisoned no doubt! I can smell the toxin! Mother once used something similar!” she thought as she dived through an open window and spun away to confront two very strange figures!

The duo had the shared good looks of siblings possibly even twins and the brother and sister shared something even more unusual. They wore brief leafy green costumes and had green hair and eyes.

The brother stepped forward protectively even as his lithe sister”s green painted lips pulled back in a smirk. She clearly accepted his protection but she felt she had no need of it.

“What do you want here?” demanded the man.

“Easy, Sumac, she”s no threat to us!” replied the woman.

“That”s right, Oleander! I”m a friend or at least an ally. Remember?” said Artemis as she nonetheless, slipped one hand down to her hips where an assortment of weapons hung from a low belt.

Oleander and Sumac exchanged glances as the defiant Oleander placed both hands on her hips and said, “Yeah, we remember you and that”s why we didn”t let Baby have her way with you.”

Artemis frowned and said, “Baby? I know there are no animals here. I would have noticed them. Of course, with a pair of Horticultural Horrors like you, any pet would be of the green and growing variety!”

Sumac nodded proudly and said, “So what? You know all about us but we know you too. You”re the oldest child of the Sportsmaster and the Huntress. Mr. and Mrs. Menace as the tabloids called them back when they were fighting punks like Wildcat and Black Bird.”

“Black Canary, dear!” corrected Oleander.

She stepped closer and said, “So, “Miss Menace”, what brings you here to our little arbor of anarchy?”

Artemis said, “I”ll make it brief since I”m sure this Baby of yours is ready to swallow me like some Venus flytrap from Mars “if you”ll excuse the expression! I need your help!”

Sumac narrowed his eyes and said, “OK, we”ve called off our killer plant. Start talking!”

2

Artemis recalled her last encounter with Sumac and Oleander. It had been the result of a business arrangement. While her infamous parents were notorious for crimes ranging from robbery to kidnapping, the Platinum-Blonde Plunderer was equally well-known in underworld circles for mercenary work. Thus, she had accepted a commission from a rather bizarre client several months ago.

She had been summoned to a large old house near Gotham City. She now remarked to herself that it had not been that different from the Hawthorne House lair she currently found herself in.

Months ago, Artemis had entered the eerie house to find the interior had been converted into a huge greenhouse. Plants lined every wall and she could barely make her way deeper into the interior because of the almost oppressive presence of the vines, potted plants, shrubs, and green growing things.

“Come out, come out wherever you are! I”m wearing my Miracle-Grow perfume!” she joked.

“Very droll but I fear humor is but one of many human experiences that I now know only from memory. I simply don”t feel much of anything anymore!”

Artemis whirled as a vaguely female figure emerged from within what appeared to be a humanoid sized pod.

The woman no longer had hair or nails or skin. She seemed to be a living plant in the shape of a human. Flower petals took the place of hair and her movements seemed more like a tree swaying in a breeze than the normal motions of a human.

“I am Nightshade or am I Poison Ivy? I can no longer recall such details from my past life!” whispered the eerie creature.

Artemis nodded and said, “Sure. You”re infamous. You fought Batman, Red Robin, the Huntress! You and I met briefly when my mother assembled a gang of female crooks.”

Artemis wiped one hand across her eyes as tears welled up in them.

“You”re like some kind of mobile pollen factory!” she gasped.

Nightshade drew back and said, “I am sorry. I no longer can control the wonders my altered body produces.”

Artemis stepped backward and said, “You”ve changed greatly since we last met. You look “uh”lush?”

She smiled ruefully as she grasped for the right word.

Nightshade showed no emotion as she resumed her story.

“I was”am Pamela Isley. I was a student of the man known as Ramulus. He was the first Nightshade. He made me what I was. I was able to control plant life and I used those powers for personal gain. I also used an almost inhuman amount of personal charisma to battle Batman and others on an even playing field. I didn”t age. I thought Ramulus had blessed me. That changed months ago when I started to change into what I am now. I am losing my humanity. The chemicals that altered my body chemistry long ago are robbing me of all humanity.”

Artemis said, “I”m no scientist. Are you hiring me to kill Ramulus? I think you”re too late. He died fighting Sandman or that”s what I heard in a bar. I think it was Bludgeon who told me or maybe Eviless. I forget.”

Nightshade shook her fronds and said, “No! He is not my target. I want you to capture his children. They are called Sumac and Oleander. They were jailed but escaped not long ago. I can sense them. We are akin in many ways.”

Artemis nodded and said, “I can do that for the right price but wouldn”t it be easier for me to just kill them?”

Nightshade trembled and said, “No! I need them alive! I want their blood- their equally tainted blood- to use as a means of my own restoration. I can draw upon their body chemistries to regain my lost humanity. They have power but they are still clearly human!”

Artemis nodded and then shrugged.

“Creep city, but I”m your girl if you meet my price!” she said.

After receiving a partial payment and an address, Artemis had made her way to Hawthorne House for the first time.

She had approached the old house with a confidence born of a certain awareness of her own abilities. Artemis Crock was no shrinking violet.

Before she could reach the broken pavement that led to the front porch, the girl heard a grinding noise.

She flipped acrobatically through the air and landed in a catlike crouch as a mechanical tumbleweed nearly bowled her over.

“Metal plants? Weird. I know Nightshade said these punks had power over real plants!” she mused.

She whirled around and fired a crossbow bolt with precision and speed.

The shaft had an explosive head and it destroyed the tumbleweed even as another artificial menace sprang into view.

Metallic vines erupted on all sides and Artemis only managed to avoid them because they were somewhat rusty and their coils made a noise as they lurched at her.

She spun, twisted, ducked, and flipped until she had cleared the “minefield” of vines.

“This is getting old really fast!” she thought as she fired crossbow bolts and shattered the strange creations.

She rolled beneath a whirling metal blade and rose up to crash through the nearest porch window.

“A swinging scythe? I guess they weren”t creative enough to maintain their plant motif.”

Before she could do more than adjust to her new environment Artemis found herself gasping for air as a spore erupted into her face.

“I can”t breathe!” she thought as she writhed across the floor and fought to clear her lungs.

A man stepped closer and kicked her side as a female watched from the other side.

Artemis lashed out with both legs and brought the startled woman crashing to the ground.

As her eyes streamed with tears, she gripped the woman by her leaf green hair and slammed her face to the ground.

“Stop!” screamed the man as he moved closer.

Artemis noticed the pair were twins and were dressed in costumes that gave them the appearance of wood nymphs out of myth.

She wiped her face against the woman”s long green hair and inhaled deeply as the spores faded away.

“”I figured if you couldn”t concentrate, your freaky spores will dissipate!” she said.

The man jumped at her only to receive a swift punch in the nose.

He drew back as something that resembled sap appeared below his nose.

“You witch!” he grunted.

Artemis rolled nimbly backward and held her crossbow to his fallen twin”s neck.

“Surrender or I”ll make her wilt!” she cried.

Sumac, for that was his name, raised both hands and said, “Don”t hurt her!”

Artemis smiled coolly and said, “I won”t if you do as I say. You two clearly have super powers. Tell me, why the metal plants?”

Sumac said, “This old dump belonged to our old man. He used it and the metal plant traps before he gained his own super powers. They”re nearly scrap anyway.”

Artemis smiled wickedly and said, “They are now that I”m done with them! You two don”t have to end up like your broken toys though. When your sister wakes up, we”ve got some traveling to do.”

Thus, later, Artemis had marched the bound siblings into Nightshade”s house where the twins seemed to exult in the abundance of plant life around them.

Oleander pursed her lips and whistled in appreciation.

“This is like some kind of botanical Disneyworld!” she whispered.

Sumac said nothing as he tensed his muscles against the bonds that held him.

Artemis said, “Nightshade, come out! I have your specimens!”

Nightshade rose up slowly out of the verdant greenery around the odd trio and said, “Excellent! The children shall pay for their father”s sins!”

Oleander and Sumac stared at the monstrous looking creature and kept their thoughts to themselves.

Artemis posed defiantly and said, “Swell. They”ll rue the day etc. etc.. Now, what about my money?”

Nightshade shuddered and said, “Your payment shall be of a more final nature!”

She seemed to sing in a strange tone that reminded Artemis of wind through a tree.

As plants loomed up around them, Artemis cursed and then deftly ripped the bonds away from the captive twins.

“OK, as we planned it back at your place, take over the plants!” she cried.

Sumac grinned as he and his sister darted forward and exerted their united will power to control the attacking mutated plants.

Oleander laughed almost girlishly as she felt their more vigorous natures overwhelm Nightshade”s own mental control.

“What a rush!” she said.

Nightshade cried out in a loud but emotionless manner.

“You betrayed me!” she cried.

Artemis said, “Yeah, see, I may be a super villainess but I can”t sell out two weird but human types to a refuge from the “Little Shop of Horrors!”

She whipped out her crossbow and aimed at the trembling Nightshade.

“This may sting”a whole lot!” she said with a smirk.

As her bolt struck Nightshade, the altered woman shuddered and began to stiffen as a white substance coated her wilting body.

“Freon should sap her strength. Pun intended!” she announced.

Oleander said, “Thanks! I know you said you helped us turn the tables on her because she was so inhuman and all but we all partner up with some freaks in this line of work. It”s inevitable. Why”d you help us pretend to be captured so we could get in and take over her pets? We sure don”t have money.”

Artemis said, “You”re young. You”ll make more valuable allies than that withered old weed. Anyway, you owe me! Maybe, I”ll collect someday!”

She had departed and left the twins to do with Nightshade as they pleased.

Now, in the present, she faced the twins and said, “You owe me. I helped you take down Nightshade. Now, I need to assemble a team of my own for a job. The job is dangerous but it could give us all a lot of money and power! Are you two, in?” she said.

Oleander spoke for her brother.

“Yeah. We”ll sign up. Sounds like kicks and it”ll clear our debt!” she said.

Artemis smiled and relaxed.

“So, what about this Baby of yours?” she asked.

Sumac grinned and said, “She”s all around you!”

He gestured and the dirt floor parted to reveal rows of strange plants that were shaped like a woman.

“We call her Baby. You knew her as Nightshade. After we thawed her out, we decided to do a bit of cultivation on her. She was a terrible woman but she makes a terrific crop! Mindless, obedient, and easy to replant.”

Oleander winked and said, “She”s the perfect plant!”

Artemis nodded and thought, “These kids are totally crazy. Too bad they are exactly the kind of help I”ll need if I”m to get what I really want!”

3

A suave man with graying hair and a distinguished manner frowned as he fingered an odd looking monocle and adjusted it nervously.

“I suppose I have no choice but to forsake the pleasure of your company for now. I need to monitor the others constantly since none of them can be trusted. Even Alanna only serves me out of her desire to gain more of my optical technology!” he said.

“Don”t worry, my love. We will be together soon. I will secure the means by which we can be more to one another than we are now. The same fate that brought you into my life will help me achieve total victory over any obstacle!”

He sighed and then a grimly determined look came across his face.

“I will assemble our minions and justice- the justice that must surely govern those who love as we do- will be served!

Had any observer been watching Jonathan Cheval (The Monocle) as he spoke, they would have assumed the brilliant inventor turned criminal had been totally alone. They would have only been partially correct.

Elsewhere within his spacious mansion, other more colorful costumed figures entertained themselves in various ways.

A handsome man in black casually shot arrows into a tiny target without bothering to do more than glance in the direction of his target. Every shaft struck the bull’s-eye or the end of a previously fired arrow.

“Are you bored honey? Surely seeing your man execute such flawless feats of marksmanship stimulates you even though we are a married couple!” he said with a roguish grin.

A pretty woman in a white fluffy mini skirt and brief white top laughed with pleasure and said, “Now, Connor, you know I love everything you do but then again, since I can match your every shot with my own darts, why should I be especially surprised by your talent?”

“Goldie, we need to face it, we need to have kids so they can be astonished at out skills. After all, we know how good we are, don”t we?” said Connor Hawke the Black Arrow.

Goldie Mallory Hawke (Dart) nodded as she stepped into his embrace.

“Our fathers were the best at their respective pursuits in their day. We are the best of our generation and our kids will be equally great. Don”t you just love genetics?” she giggled.

“Oops! Sorry, Stephen, I guess genetics is a sore subject with you!” she said to a muscular man who sat brooding in a darkened corner of the room.

He replied in a guttural growl.

“Very funny. Nearly as funny as an open grave!” he said.

Black Arrow smiled ingratiatingly and said, “Now, now, old man, you mustn”t be so surly. Your unique gifts make you the strongest one here. Why, sheer brute force has its place, right alongside superb marksmanship!”

A lovely woman in a striking purple costume that left her legs bare above high heeled boots said, “I never thought of you as a peacemaker but then you did start off your criminal career by posing as a dead hero”s son. I suppose you do have certain p.r. abilities.”

Black Arrow smiled and said, “I posed as the late Green Arrow”s fictional son but my real father the Archer dueled with Superman no less so I aspire to great or should I say, ignoble things?”

He thought, “And as for you, Harlequin, you are not the woman you pretend to be. You don”t claim to be the original Harlequin but I have my doubts that you are even the second or third woman to use that nom du crime! I know for a fact that the second or third Harlequin is working elsewhere with the Dummy no less! Underworld gossip says so. You may have the power and the figure for the role but you are all new to the part!”

The Harlequin shook her flowing white hair and smiled as if she could read his thoughts but she said nothing.

She was trying to avoid sharing anything about herself with her new allies since she had a contempt for them that she only partially managed to conceal.

At that moment the Monocle entered and cleared his throat to attract their attention.

“It is time to act. I see our newest recruit has arrived!” he said.

He stepped aside to reveal a lithe woman with long platinum blonde hair and a pink and white costume.

“May I present our final ally? The lovely and lethal Artemis!” he announced.

She shifted her weight from one leg to another and smiled seductively.

“Charmed I”m sure!” she said.

The Harlequin frowned as she stared at the huntress and then thought, “What in the world? Maybe, I can use this to my advantage. None of the others, even Monocle seem to have noticed what my special glasses revealed. Or does Jonathan know and is he testing us? Am I in over my head?”

4 The Harlequin kept her concerns to herself as she watched Artemis mingle with the other villains.

“None of them have noticed what I have. I suppose I”ll just keep quiet for now. I need these losers if I”m going to achieve my own goals!” she thought.

She frowned as she observed the others.

“Black Arrow may be smarter than he seems to be but his ego is so large that he doesn”t seem to be able to get beyond admiring his own skills and making out with his adoring wife.”

She watched the couple as they kissed passionately and showed no concern about being watched.

She stared at Stephen and shook her head. He was nearly flawlessly handsome but there was a darkness about him. Perhaps, it was because of the source of his own powers.

“His father”s condition made him what he is today. I suppose I could say something similar. I am the woman I am today because of my own father”s actions and what he did to my mother,” she thought.

The Monocle cleared his throat again and said, “I hate to break up this little gathering but we must act if we wish to secure the target. My contacts and the hours spent employing my optical monitors around the country have led me to a decision. We must claim our prize today if we are to eliminate unwanted opposition!”

Artemis smiled and said, “I”m a girl who enjoys a bit of opposition. Mother always told me to play hard to get!”

Black Arrow and Dart laughed while Stephen glowered at all of them with equal amounts of malice in his gaze. Clearly, he didn”t like anyone.

Black Arrow swaggered forward and said, “Fine, old man, lead us to our chariot!”

The Monocle said, “Excellent! I appreciate your spirited ways, son!”

The team hurried into a small aircraft and made their way into the city.

Monocle piloted the craft and admired its smooth handling.

“Buying this from Sky Pirate was a stroke of genius. He certainly doesn”t need to stylize every vehicle with a Jolly Roger theme in order to design a proper craft. This beauty is remarkably effective!”

Dart giggled and said, “Monocle, you lack showmanship! I like a bit of flash and glamour myself!”

Black Arrow nudged his wife and said, “Sounds like us, eh? Flash and glamour!”

Artemis rolled her eyes but said nothing unless she was spoke to.

She didn”t like the way Harlequin was staring at her from behind those weird illusion casting glasses.

“Can she see through me? I can”t act until the time is right even if she is on to me!” she pondered.

Soon, they closed in on a rather modest apartment in the Greenwich Village section of the city.

Dart crossed her legs and leaned forward as she said, “Is this it? She doesn”t use her powers for herself does she? If I had her abilities, I”d live like an heiress!”

“Your late father named you well, Goldie. You do crave the finer things in life!” remarked Monocle.

Stephen said, “Don”t you know appearances don”t count for anything? Look at me? I look like an Adonis, don”t I? However, I know the truth. Beneath this perfect body is what my cursed father doomed me to be! A savage! A killer! A monster!”

Monocle said, “Easy, son. Easy. We accept you as you are. You have a place here with us. None of us care about your special nature.”

The Monocle adjusted his eye glass and said, “She is inside. I detect a heat signature and the item we want!”

Black Arrow grinned and reached for his bow.

“Allow me to announce our arrival!” he said.

He climbed out on the deck of the hovering craft and took aim before firing an arrow that sailed through the open window of a modest apartment and released a cloud of gas.

“That should subdue her but it won”t take long to dissipate. We can snatch and grab her in a matter of seconds!” he said.

The Monocle said, “Harlequin, Dart, keep your eyes open for police or super heroes. Her friends may be closer than we think. Their breed travels in packs all too often!”

Dart winked as she saluted him and said, “Aye aye, sir!”

Harlequin scanned the skies.

“I hope my father does show up! Why not punish him here and now!” she mused.

The Monocle said, “Artemis, I want you to go in and get her with Stephen when the gas clears away!”

“Why wait! As the only son of the Monster, I”m immune to such petty things as toxic fumes!” roared Stephen.

Stephen leaped off the deck and executed a perfect acrobatic flip to grasp the window edge and swing himself inside.

He wore a simple black jumpsuit but his expression was fixed in a terrible scowl.

Artemis cursed and then followed him by copying his exact motions.

She held a small mask over her nose and mouth and ran inside.

Through the clearing gas, she saw a pleasantly decorated apartment with many large framed photos lining the walls.

“She”s good. I can”t let them hurt her. Maybe, I can make them think she has escaped on her own if I take down the Monster fast enough!” she thought.

She ran forward but before she could do more than adjust her special wig, she saw the amazing Monster charge back into view.

He ignored the fading fumes as he emerged from within the apartment with a female figure slung over one shoulder.

He bounded back aboard the craft and said, “I have her!”

Artemis followed reluctantly. “He was too quick for me. Plus, she didn”t put up a fight. The gas must have taken her by surprise!”

Black Arrow thought, “The beast has the beauty!”

“Artemis” touched her own crossbow but stopped.

“This isn”t the time or place for a brawl. I can”t take them all down without a little help. My own allies are too far away. I was stupid to act on my own but I was so blasted cocky. I thought I could show the real Artemis how a heroine should act!” she said. The group flew off as Dart and Black Arrow secured the lovely young woman they had kidnapped. She was pretty with reddish-blonde hair. She wore a pair of white pajamas. Her feet were bare. Had she been awake, she would have studied the odd group with the trained eye of a gifted photographer.

Alex DeWitt groaned softly as the villains flew off.

“She”s coming around! I guess her ring shielded her from some of the gas!” said Dart.

Black Arrow nodded and said, “She is a pretty thing. Not in your class, dear, but still attractive in her own right!”

Dart casually stuck the woman in the leg with a dart.

“Another sedative will keep her calm.”

The Monocle said, “Guard her closely. Her power ring could bring disaster upon us all!”

Harlequin looked closely at the drugged girl and thought, “A power ring. I wonder if things had been different for mother if that ring might have been mine? Would I have been Corona instead of Harlequin?”

The Monster brooded as he looked down at the captive Alex DeWitt.

“Her beauty is impressive but beneath it all, she is no better than anyone else. We”re all monsters beneath the skin!” he thought.

The Monocle smiled as he thought, “My love, her ring will bring us together at last!”

5

Meanwhile, a woman with bright blue hair and a blue body stocking, typed furiously on the keyboard in front of a monitor.

“Paul, I have her! The tracer you sewed into her costume is on-line again! Artemis, the real one, is closing in on the gang”s HQ. Too bad for her the gang has already left. She is too late!” she said into a small headset with a speaker.

A male”s voice replied on the other end of the circuit.

“Affirmative. Good work, Blue. Keep monitoring her signal! I don”t want anything to happen to her. You know what she means to me.” he said.

The mystery-man sat in a large room in a ranch in a lonely region of California.

He grasped a cane and pushed himself to his feet before moving across the room to another desk.

Although he had a severe limp, he also possessed something of grace in his movements. He had clearly learned to move with his handicap and minimize its effect on his speed.

He glanced down at an old photo of a vivacious dark haired woman and a handsome man with keen eyes marked by intellect and determination.

“I lost you both so early. I can”t do much for you except try to carry out this crazy plan!” he sighed.

“Even so, you”re both beyond my help in your own ways!” he thought.

He returned to the communication device and said, “White, do you read me?”

Elsewhere, a woman with stark white hair responded. She wore a solid white body stocking that covered her from neck down.

“I read you, Paul. I”ve lost her signal. Bela”s tracer is dead. Either, they”ve blocked it automatically via some security system or”!”

“Or they”ve discovered she”s not the real Artemis. I know. Keep trying to find her, White.”

He sighed again.

“She”s like a daughter to me. Yet, she is so impulsive. Why”d she take action into her own hands? I think I was getting through to Artemis.”

He nodded to himself and sat back down.

“Sit and wait. That”s all I can do. How I wish I didn”t have the desire for thrills and action my parents had.”

A gray haired man with a pencil thin mustache entered the room and watched the other man with concern in his own eyes.

“Buck up, son. The game is not over yet. I was in worse scraps back in the day and made it through and that was before I met the golden gorilla! She”ll be OK!” he said.

Paul nodded and said, “Thanks, Bill. I hope you”re right!”

6

Back at the base Monocle had been using, the real Artemis Crock had assembled her own uneasy allies.

She glanced over at Oleander and Sumac. They had been fairly obedient but she knew that her promises of wealth held them more than any real sense that they owed her for helping them defeat their female foe.

The brassy redhead in the red croupier”s costume with fishnet hosiery was easier to understand.

Hazard (Becky Sharpe) was a third generation criminal. Her grandfather was the infamous Gambler and her own entry into the criminal world had been spurred on by a desire to please him and rouse him out of a brief depression that had temporarily rendered him inactive. He was better now and the girl was making her way on her own using her own remarkable powers to alter chance.

“She is no killer. I can use that. After all, I don”t want my gang to slaughter the Monocle”s group. I may have to work with some of them again after this mess is sorted out!” thought Artemis.

Hazard said, “Sorry, honey, I guess we missed them. You got us here too late.”

A lively woman with short brown hair combed into bangs stood nearby. She wore a light blue tunic with matching hosiery and a darker navy cloak with golden zodiac symbols decorating the rich fabric.

She was eager to please and anxious to make a good impression.

“Zabora, calm down. They”ll think you”re a nerd if you don”t act cool!” she told herself.

She assumed a confident demeanor although in truth, she was still nervous.

“The stars are in our favor. We”ll be ready for them upon their return!” she vowed.

Oleander said, “Can that chick read the future?”

Sumac said, “Who cares? She”s hot!”

Artemis knew Zabora Zodiac (Alchemy) was another second generation adventurer.

Her father had been a lesser know JSA foe known as Professor Zodiac. Zabora seemed all too eager to assert family pride.

“If my folks had failed to become infamous then I”d have a lot to prove too!” she thought.

She frowned as she realized what she had thought.

“That”s stupid. I am my own woman. I don”t need to live in their shadows.”

She said, “We better search the place again. I think I took care of all security devices but I might have missed something!”

Oleander and Sumac glanced at each other and Oleander said, “You know, that”s not necessary. The place is empty.”

Artemis said, “How do you know?” A slightly smug Oleander said, “The plants told me!”

Hazard said, “Don”t worry none, Sugah. We”ll come up Aces this time!”

Artemis nodded and smiled briefly before starting to examine her weapons.

She wanted to be ready for anything. She had a life to save.

The pink and white clad beauty sank down into a chair and remembered how she had begun this wild exploit.

7

A few weeks before Artemis had been relaxing after pulling off a successful job for a retired mobster near San Joachim, California. The old man had hired her to throw a scare into some of his younger relations who had been “getting too big for their britches” as the elderly gangster had put it.

Artemis had enjoyed the job for several reasons. She had a certain contempt for non-costumed criminals and she enjoyed roughing up the swaggering macho jerks. She also liked the large payment she had received and she smiled even as she recalled the final bit of icing on the cake.

“I totally trashed that would be super heroine El Castiga. I whipped the Whip you might say!” she joked.

She had barely begun to unwind in her apartment when she stopped to sort her mail.

“Well, well!” she muttered as she read an elegant invitation.

“You are cordially invited to join the newest version of Injustice Unlimited. Your services are especially desired and you will be well compensated. Should you wish to join, you will find certain instructions have been placed in a coded ad within the Underworld Railroad,” she read.

She sank down on a sofa and linked her fingers across one knee as she rocked backward for a moment.

“The Underworld Railroad is the premiere trade publication for villains seeking work. Since I didn”t just get directions in this card, I guess the mystery-man behind the scene wants to recruit several potential gang members. The cards alert us to the ad and the ad tells us where to go! Pretty standard stuff.”

She picked up a small magazine and ran her fingers down several columns until she spotted the coded ad. She had memorized the code long before since variations of it had been used since her childhood.

“The Monocle. Why I thought he was dead! Still, any geezer who battled Hawkman himself is worth serious consideration. They didn”t come any tougher than Carter Hall in the old days!”

She knew Carter Hall was the famous Hawkman since his son had revealed as much on a televised press conference for the heroic group Infinity Inc..

“Pretty stuck on yourself, huh, Princess of Plunder?”

The words came from a woman lurking in the shadows of the apartment.

Artemis had back flipped into a battle stance before the shadowy redhead could do more than assume a stance of her own.

The woman had red hair and wore a tight white and blue-black leotard with a stylized blue headpiece that protected her head but left her face uncovered. It was something like a modified tiara. Her costume was cut along a mid-rift pattern and left her stomach bare.

“Who are you and how”d you get in here?” demanded Artemis as she aimed her crossbow.

The other woman laughed and said, “I”ve been trained by the best. I was able to bypass your security with ease! But, don”t make me spank you, Princess. I come in peace!”

Artemis said, “Say your peace before I leave you in pieces!”

The woman smiled and raised both hands in a placating gesture.

“I”m Bellatrix. I am here to bring you to a mutual friend although perhaps, I should say, I want to bring you to meet someone who wants to be your friend!”

Artemis eyed the Bellatrix with an appraising stare.

“Clearly she”s fit and skilled but I could take her. I”m sure of it! It might be more fun to prove it than to meet this so-called friend!” she thought.

She lowered her gaze and smiled briefly before leaping at the intruder and connecting with a spinning heel kick that flattened Bellatrix.

Before Artemis could attack again, the redhead grabbed her ankle and yanked her to the ground.

They grappled furiously without either woman gaining a clear advantage.

“You are good, Trixie!” purred Artemis.

Bellatrix scowled and said, “And you”re no better than I”d heard!”

Artemis lashed out with a quick jab to the nose that temporarily slowed her opponent and allowed the platinum blonde predator to prick her foe with the tip of a bolt.

Bellatrix gasped as she began to weaken.

“You drugged me! You sorry vixen!” she whispered.

Artemis grinned and said, “I may be a vixen but I”m not the least bit sorry!”

Later, when the narcotic had worn off, Bellatrix had awakened to find Artemis sitting confidently nearby.

“Now you know which of us is the cat and which is the mouse!” said a cocky Artemis.

Bellatrix sat up and regained her feet.

“You cheated. I should have known you would not have relied on your own physical prowess against me.”

Artemis frowned as she replied, “Whatever gets the job done!”

Bellatrix said, “You sound like your mother.”

Artemis said, “You know my mother? Just who are you?”

Bellatrix said, “My name is not secret. I”m Soseh Mykros. My father was a scientist who raised me to be a genetic perfection able to mimic any physical skill I see. His best friend is the man who wants to meet you.”

Artemis said, “A lot of men want to be my friend. What makes your guy so special?”

Bellatrix stared hard at the younger woman and said, “His name is Paul Kirk. Heard of him?”

Artemis hesitated and then said, “Paul Kirk was an adventurer, wildlife expert, traveler, and super hero named Manhunter. He died long ago!”

Bellatrix said, “Let me be more specific. I want you to meet Paul Kirk Jr. The son of the hero you referred to!”

Artemis nodded slowly and her expression changed to one of grim acceptance.

“Lead on!” she said.

The two women had watched each other warily until they reached their destination.

“Nice vehicle you have here. Did Kirk buy it for you? Is he your sugar daddy?” asked Artemis as they disembarked from a sleek aircraft.

Bellatrix said, “Get your mind out of the gutter. He is like a father to me. He helped raise me. As I said, my late father Dr. Mykros was his best friend. They worked together to build something noble and fine. Not that either quality would be familiar to you!”

Artemis admired the ranch-like compound that loomed around their airstrip.

“Paul Kirk Jr. must be loaded. I knew his father was wealthy but I didn”t know he had this kind of money!”

Bellatrix said, “This compound is but one of their holdings. In truth, it is owned by the group Paul formed with my father. The organization is called the Council!”

Artemis pursed her lips as she said, “Aren”t you being a bit free with the data?”

Bellatrix said, “While I will allow Paul to do the talking, I will merely add that we do not fear you!”

Artemis nodded as she resumed her normal sultry walk. She was impressed by this mysterious Council but she had to hide it. That was her way.

She allowed Bellatrix to usher her inside the compound”s largest building where an attractive woman with stark white hair and a white body stocking greeted them.

“Welcome, Artemis. Mr. Kirk will see you immediately.”

Artemis grinned and said, “Well, at least that babe knows her manners!”

Bellatrix said, “White? She is a real lady when she”s not carrying off a mission in some exotic spot. Red is the one with the bad temper!”

Artemis shrugged her shoulders.

“White? Red? Really clever codenames!” she said with a sneering grin.

She started to turn to face her guide when a tall man with handsome features stepped forward and led her deeper into the room.

“Leave us, Bellatrix. Thank you!” he said with a gentle smile.

Bellatrix nodded and said, “If you need me, I”ll be outside!”

He waited until the door closed and then he said, “Welcome, Artemis. I am so happy to meet you. In another life, we might have been so much more to one another than we are now.”

Artemis said, “What are you saying? I came because I”ve heard about your father all my life. I mean, I”ve pieced together a lot about him and Mother told me more when she was drunk one time. Your father was my mother”s first love. That doesn”t really link us!”

He sighed and extended one hand. In it, he held a photo of a lovely dark haired woman and a man who looked much like himself.

“Mother? You”ve got a photo of her with your father? My father never allowed mother to keep such mementos. He flew into a rage anytime Paul Kirk was mentioned! And that name came up more than once during their fights!”

Paul Kirk said, “Artemis. Paula Crock, your mother, was also my mother. I was born in 1946. My father was Paul Kirk the Manhunter. They loved each other deeply. I know this from all I”ve researched. Their friends have told me as much. They were parted by a cruel twist of fate. An evil woman used your mother for her own gains. She in turn was something of a pawn of an evil immortal named Mars. In short, my parents were separated by no choice of their own.”

Artemis said, “You”re my half brother? Incredible!”

8

Paul took her hands and she made no effort to resist him.

“I”m sorry to break it to you so roughly. We”ve lost so much time. Let me explain more fully.”

“Originally, your mother was a super heroine called the Tigress. Her own mother was a thief turned witch who eventually became the Enchantress. She had little to do with raising Paula. That lack of direction led to Paula”s embracing a life of thrills and danger inspired by my father”s jungle exploits.”

Artemis nodded slowly. She had only met her magical grandmother a few months ago and the fact that the weirdly preserved woman looked so young was but one of the many things she found hard to accept about the elder woman.

Artemis said, “Mother wasn”t a heroine. I mean she had a thing for Paul Kirk and she might have helped him out some during the war. A lot of costumed types did their part against the Axis.”

Paul said, “She was a heroine. Believe me. That makes it all the more tragic that magic warped her more than once into becoming the hardened criminal who later fought Wildcat among others.”

Artemis said, “I know all about her criminal career. Where do you fit in it?”

Paul Kirk Jr. said, “After the war, my parents settled in Africa where they were happy. They made friends there and they might have enjoyed true bliss except for the separation that came about in 47 when I was less then a year old. A woman called Gudra took my mother away by magical force and put a spell upon her. My father left me with one of his closest friends and went out in search of his abducted lover. He never found her. Death found the Manhunter before he ever located Paula Brooks. A rhino killed him. He had faced death at the hands of Nazi killers, aliens, and super villains but one of nature”s own ended his life by chance.”

Artemis said, “I”m sorry. Really. So, why didn”t mother try to find you?”

Paul said, “I don”t know. I think she tried but that magic Gudra used upon her transformed her in more ways than one. She was maddened for a time. She”d been turned by Norse magic into something called Diana the Wild Huntress. That faded but she didn”t snap back to normal. She became the criminal Huntress and served jail time. I think by the time she got out and tried to find me, I was beyond her reach.”

Artemis felt a tear trickle down her cheek and she gritted her teeth in frustration.

“I was taken deep into the jungle by M”Bantu when my father left me in his care. He knew magic had been at work at their camp and wanted to get me to safety. I was raised by several caring people. One of them is here on my compound. His name is Congo Bill. You have heard of him of course?”

Artemis nodded and said, “Sure. So, by the time she regained her senses, mother was already a criminal, her lover was dead, and you were lost to her. That explains why she became what she is today. I love her. I love my father too but I know they both have a real hard streak. I guess they”ve raised me and my sister to have that same ruthless edge.”

Paul nodded and said, “I was wealthy. I had friends. I loved life in Africa but I wanted more. I befriended a scientist named Dr. Mykros. We shared altruistic goals and wanted to unite our resources to make the world a better place. We funded and created a covert group called the Council. We vowed to fight the kind of crime and injustice we both hated. We did good work and it was remained secret. Our allies or agents came from diverse walks of life. You met one of them. Bellatrix is Mykros”s daughter. I helped raise her. She is zealous to say the least!”

Artemis said, “Is that woman called White another agent?”

He nodded and said, “She and two other women grew up together. Their grandfathers were business partners after the war and were special agents during W.W. II. Red, White, and Blue were their codenames. The women use the same codenames to honor the legacy!”

Artemis said, “What do you want with me? Are you bitter that mother raised me and not you?”

He shook his head even as the young woman began to weep.

“I want to help you. I can”t change my mother. I know that. I”ve never tried to see her even. I”ve made a study of her. I know she is beyond my help. You are not! I want to offer you a place on my team. I want to see you work for the common good! Use your skills to help the world. I want you to work by my side. I want you to carry out what once could have been our mother”s role in the world. I”d like you to become an agent of the Council!”

Artemis was suspicious. She loved her father deeply and in no way was she ready to reject him for another father figure even one that claimed to be her half brother. Still, as she looked at the forty something Paul Kirk Jr. and felt his emotional sincerity, something touched her and she wept as he embraced her.

Later, she said, “This is a lot to take in. I”ve been asked to join another criminal team. The data is in this ad.”

Paul said, “Take your time. I won”t rush you. I”m confident you will make the right decision. I know you”ve worked with Starman II and you feel something for him. He”d be thrilled to know you”d changed your direction in life!”

She said nothing as Kirk led her toward the waiting White who in turn led her to a room where she could rest and think.

Artemis sank down on a bed and placed her face in her hands.

“This is too much for me! I”ve never taken things that seriously. Being the woman I am has always come so easily. Things like right and wrong were the last things on my mind. Paul Kirk Jr. is not my father and he”s certainly not taking the place of my real Dad. So, why am I even thinking such thoughts? Am I trying to convince myself that I couldn”t change sides?”

She sighed and reclined on the bed. The room was quiet but her mind remained troubled for much of the night.

The next morning Artemis awakened to the sound of heavy footsteps in the hallway.

She jumped across the room and rolled to a stop beside her crossbow and other weapons.

As she crouched with the weapons ready and aimed, a quick knocked echoed before the door opened to reveal a worried looking Paul Kirk Jr.

“Artemis, there is a problem! Bellatrix has left. She took your documents concerning the next job you were considering. Yes, she explained all about it in her note!”

Artemis frowned and approached him as she pulled a sheet around her shoulders.

“Paul, are you saying that psycho wants to turn bad?”

He shook his head and said, “No, she wants to infiltrate this gang you”ve been invited to join. The fact is, she says she”s going to pretend to be you! Among our many facilities here, we have a complete wardrobe, arsenal, and disguise section. The man who funded my operations here is the greatest master of disguise that ever lived.”

Artemis gasped as she moved toward her costume.

“That little idiot will get herself killed! I”ll get her back. I”m not promising anything more than that but I”ll bring her back safely or die trying!”

Paul nodded grimly and turned to give her privacy.

Now, in the present, Artemis sighed heavily as she waited for the return of the Monocle”s gang and the source of her problems- the faux Artemis- Bellatrix.

9

Hazard (Becky Sharpe) was more than a bit concerned about Artemis. She felt a certain affection for the other woman based upon their past association together. She also liked the fact that she saw signs in the platinum blonde predator of a softening. Artemis was not as lethal as she once had been. Hazard had long ago vowed to never kill in the pursuit of her criminal activities and she liked the idea that Artemis might be coming around to her views as well.

She smiled to herself. Things usually worked out well for her. Oh, she had suffered more than one defeat in her past but her powers were stronger now and something beyond the facts at hand made the redhead feel like she could not lose!

She wasn”t sure what to make of the others.

Alchemy was almost too nice to be a super villainess. She was the kind of woman who could very easily have been a heroine or maybe a housewife. Zabora was clearly a rookie in more ways than one. Hazard decided to look out for the eager younger woman.

As for Sumac and Oleander, she liked them but she couldn”t decide which of them was really in charge.

Oleander was smarter but Sumac seemed determined to protect her at any cost. That kind of devotion was admirable.

Sumac hurried into the room and announced, “They are coming back! The plants outside have alerted me!”

Artemis said, “Everyone get into your positions as we discussed. As I told you all, I want the fake Artemis taken alive since I have plans for her of my own. As for the others, subdue them but try not to kill them.”

Oleander said, “Spoil sport!”

Alchemy nodded slowly and took several deep breaths to calm herself. This would be her first battle.

Meanwhile, outside the house, Monocle had the Monster carry Corona out of the ship as Black Arrow, Dart, the fake Artemis, and Harlequin followed.

The Monster gazed down at the still girl in his arms with a look that softened his normally angry expression.

“She is pretty. I know she”s as rotten as all of humanity beneath that creamy complexion but even a brute can admire looks like hers!” he thought.

Black Arrow grinned as he watched the blond man.

“He likes her. Our psychotic Adonis may have a heart after all!” he thought.

“I can use that to my advantage in the future!” he mused.

As for Bellatrix she had assumed the role of Artemis in order to capture the gang and impress Paul Kirk. She looked up to him and was in fact devoted to him and his crusade above any other consideration.

As the group waited for Monocle to relay a special signal that would open the gates, Harlequin frowned.

“When we get inside, I”m going to expose the fake Artemis. I can”t afford to have any unknown quantities around when I make my own move!” she thought.

The group entered the old house only to be attacked from all sides!

The Monster dropped Corona as his perfect lips drew back into an animalistic snarl.

“Treachery! I should have known!” he growled.

The Monocle shouted as pellets exploded in their path and a strange gas filled the air.

“Can”t breathe! The very air is changing to some poison!” he gasped.

Indeed, Alchemy had hurled some of her transformative pellets and changed the oxygen to a tranquilizing gas!

The real Artemis spotted her double and as the two women recognized one another, Bellatrix cursed and ripped off her wig to reveal her normal red hair.

She kicked out at Dart and caught the other woman by surprise.

Her abrupt actions startled all the combatants except for Harlequin who caught her gaze and made her see everyone as Artemis.

“That should rattle her!” she thought.

However, Bellatrix merely punched the nearest Artemis with enough force to leave her stunned on the floor.

“Jerk! I know anyone close to me is a foe. Your illusion bit won”t help you!” she cried.

Black Arrow dodged her and fired an arrow at Alchemy that blew her fumes away by an attached fan!

He stepped protectively over his wife since he knew she was the one Bellatrix had knocked out.

“Witch! I”ll make you a red haired pincushion!” he said.

The Monster leaped at Sumac and began to batter the plant manipulating youth with both fists.

Sumac grunted in pain and released a barrage of thorns into his attacker who ignored the projectiles and continue to beat the green clad man.

Oleander sent a snaking vine out to choke the Black Arrow but he managed to dodge her with an impressive show of agility.

His smug grin faded as he regained his feet and found Oleander perched seductively on a thick stalk that threatened to crush his helpless wife who lay beneath it!

“Drop the bow, Robin Hood or I”ll smash your bride!” demanded Oleander.

The Monocle fired blasts of laser intensity energy at the attackers but the real Artemis avoid him by spinning through the air in a series of acrobatic twists and flips.

She landed nearby and caught him with a spinning heel kick.

He grunted in pain and grasped for one of his trick monocles only to scream as Alchemy doused him with pellets that melted his cloak and left him unarmed.

Hazard grinned and said, “Ain”t that the worst luck? He stepped right into the gas!”

She knew her own bad luck creating powers had helped spell Monocle”s sudden defeat!

Harlequin glanced at Hazard and caused the redhead to shudder as the image of her own grandfather the original Gambler appeared before her eyes and fired an antique pistol at his own skull.

She screamed and drew backward even as the real Artemis belted Harlequin in the jaw.

Bellatrix grinned coolly as she realized Artemis had indeed switched sides!

“Nicely done, Princess!” she said as she blocked a punch from the Monster and rammed her knee into his stomach.

As good as she was, Bellatrix couldn”t match the Monster”s raw strength!

He grabbed her and slammed her into Artemis.

They collapsed to the ground as the brutish Stephen Rogers brought both fists down to the ground and created a tremor that rocked Alchemy off her feet.

Even as Oleander bent over the fallen Sumac, and Hazard fought to shake off the frightening images that had finally faded from before her eyes, the battle ended!

At a whispered command from the Monocle, Corona raised her hand and blasted the invaders with her power ring!

The Monocle smiled grimly as he surveyed the scene.

“We have won, beloved! They little suspected that on the way here I used my monocle to hypnotically bind Corona to my will. They never expected to be attacked by the one they came to rescue!”

The Monster said, “What about the two women who are dressed like Artemis?”

The Monocle said, “I don”t know the imposter”s reasons for coming here or who she is. Still, I can enslave them both as I did with Corona. In fact I can control all those who dared invade my home!”

He smiled and touched his ragged suit.

“But first, I must do what I sought to do all along!”

“Beloved, soon you will be free!” he whispered.

10

Artemis groaned and sat up slowly to find herself trapped inside a glowing golden energy sphere. Next to her sat Bellatrix-now dressed in an abbreviated version of the blue-black costume she had been wearing when Artemis first met her. Apparently, she had been wearing it under the pink and white Artemis costume.

Bellatrix whispered, “Rise and shine, Artemis. If I”d known you were

actually going to join our cause so swiftly, I might not have taken action out of your hands!”

Artemis scowled as she replied.

“I haven”t joined any cause. I”m here to get you to safety where I can knock some sense into you!” she said.

“Sorry, ladies, but neither of you will be going anywhere!” said Black Arrow as he approached the energy globe that held them.

Dart leaned on his shoulder and smiled maliciously as she tapped on the globe.

“Corona is Monocle”s personal slave girl and her ring is almost as good as Green Lantern”s. It created this prison.”

Harlequin lounged nearby and thought, “What does she know about Green Lantern? If she ever crossed his path, he would have placed her in jail before she could have batted those fake eye lashes!”

The Monster sat alone and brooded. He was angry and most of his anger was directed at himself. This was not a new sensation to the troubled man.

Artemis blinked as she gazed through the golden glowing energy sphere and spotted Oleander and Sumac.

“They are caged as well. I wonder if that energy really has robbed them of their powers? If not, I may have an ace up my sleeve!” she thought.

Hazard and Alchemy were across the room in their own cage. Alchemy was not moving.

“They must have drugged Zabora. I suppose they couldn”t risk having her turn her alchemical powers loose on them!” she thought.

Hazard caught her glance and winked.

Artemis smiled as she nodded slightly toward her friend.

“The Monocle caught us by surprise by having Corona attack us like that but I”d wager even her power can”t be stretched too far not if her mind is trying to resist his hypnotic control!”

At that moment, the Monocle entered the room. He was dressed in an immaculate new suit and he led the entranced Corona by one hand.

“Ladies and gentlemen, you have been allowed to retain you wits and will in order to witness what will spell the greatest victory any villain ever achieved. I will shortly have the means by which I will rule the world and the irony is that my conquest began when my own heart was conqueror!”

Black Arrow exchanged an amusement glance with his wife as they listened to their leader.

“I have spent years mastering all forms of optical science. Every lens and prism imaginable has known my scrutiny. Finally, not long ago, while experimenting with the prismatic principles of certain gemstones, I made contact with a sentient being! She was as seductive and regal as any queen from the childhood fables my old nanny used to read to me. She was a ruler of the Seventh Dimension and her essence had been separated from her body. However, her enemies could not destroy her entirely and she regained sentience and in time, her mind was able to contact my own when I hit upon the exact spectrum in which her mind had been contained!” said the Monocle.

Dart grinned and said, “A queen in a magic mirror, no less?”

Monocle raised one eyebrow and nodded slowly.

“Not an entirely false analogy, my dear. Perhaps, such imprisonments formed the fabric from which our ancient fairy tales were spun! In any event, my queen and I fell in love with one another. Ours was a communion of the mind and was infinitely more intimate than any tawdry affair of the flesh!”

The Monster snorted in obvious contempt even as he glanced over at Corona with something of admiration in his dark eyes.

The Monocle ignored him and concluded his speech.

“I assembled you all to help me attain Corona since I had determined that her ring could liberate my lover and restore her to this realm!”

The Monster said, “You promised us power. When do we get our share? Seeing your love life prosper doesn”t do a thing for me!”

Monocle said, “When my queen is free, her own awesome powers will enable us to dominate this world and when we rule, my loyal allies will in turn be rewarded. Perhaps, I will give you Italy? Would that please you?”

Artemis thought, “He”s crazy. Clearly, any broad with such power wouldn”t keep him around a second after getting free.”

Bellatrix hissed, “We have to stop him! He”s bad enough with only mortal punks to serve him. What happens when he gets the services of some super witch?”

Artemis said, “He won”t. Let him talk. I”m thinking!”

Bellatrix said, “Now I know we”re in trouble!”

The Monocle spoke louder as he produced a multi-faceted gemstone.

“Now, Corona, I command you to use your ring and all your enslaved will power to free my lover from within this gemstone!”

Corona nodded and raised her hand to reveal a glowing power ring.

Her golden energy bathed the gemstone and the room grew brighter from that glow.

Moments passed but nothing happened.

The Monocle grew increasingly impatient as he ordered the young woman to concentrated harder.

“This gem is crafted to have the exact refraction necessary to bring the Seventh Dimension into our realm. You must use it as a conduit for your power and build a bridge to this dimension!” he said in an increasingly desperate tone.

Artemis raised one hand and signal to Oleander and Sumac.

“If they can still control plant life from within that cage, then my earlier plan will work!” she thought.

Before the Monocle”s gang had returned to the house, Artemis had ordered the twin plant masters to reach out to the growing things around and beneath the house and exert a specific kind of nurturing control.

“Now!” she cried as a female shape began to materialize out of the gem!

Oleander and Sumac strained and slowly their efforts bore fruit!

The floor shuddered and then shattered as massive plants erupted out of the ground and began to break through the house”s foundation!

As the house shook, Corona”s light dimmed for a moment.

The Monocle frowned as he realized his dilemma.

“By ordering her to use all her will power so fully, I may be giving her the means by which she can also shake off my mental control!” he thought.

“Bring her here! Ignore every other concern!” he shrieked.

Black Arrow said, “Those green freaks are doing this! I”ll make them sorry they ever sprouted in my direction!”

He and Dart began to fire their weapons of choice at the caged twins even as Harlequin rushed forward to intercept Bellatrix and Artemis as they leaped out of the now fading energy constructs that had held them!

Bellatrix tackled Harlequin with her eyes shut and the two women crashed to the floor.

Artemis caught the Monocle with a crossbow bolt and he staggered backward clutching his gemstone.

“Stop them!” he gasped.

Sumac roared with anger as his plants slammed into the Monster and drove him Across the room!

“Hey, Pretty Boy, this for the beating you gave me before!” cried Sumac.

The Monster twisted aside and then flipped away to land near Corona.

She was sweating heavily as her will power drove her ring to bring forth the strange other dimensional woman from within the gemstone.

Hazard half dragged Alchemy to join her friend.

“You helped this along, didn”t you?” asked Artemis.

Hazard grinned and said, “I figured if I concentrated all my bad luck vibes on Monocle something would give! Didn”t know it would result in Corona”s losing control over our cages!”

Artemis shoved her friend aside as an arrow narrowly missed her throat.

She spun around and fired her own crossbow at Black Arrow who cursed as the shaft expertly struck his hand and caused him to drop his bow.

Dart had more success in her own attack as she caught Oleander in the eye with a dart.

The plant girl screamed and fell to the ground as her brother turned from the Monster and rushed toward her side.

Bellatrix had started to choke Harlequin as the smaller woman fell beneath her more aggressive foe.

However, dwarfing all other aspects of the fight, one female figure loomed above them as a dark haired beauty in a cloak and black costume that left her arms and legs uncovered became all too real!

Monocle smiled broadly and extended one hand toward her.

“My love! At last you are a reality!” he said.

She smiled coldly and turned toward Corona whose golden energy was fading before a sapphire glow that radiated from the strange woman.

Corona blinked rapidly and pressed one hand to her head.

“I saw it all like some nightmare but I couldn”t resist!” she said.

She frowned as her golden glow evaporated in the wake of the other-dimensional queen.

“Her glow saps my ring”s power!” she said.

Artemis noticed all the combatants had become motionless as the purple glow grew ever brighter.

“I am the Star Sapphire- Hereditary Matriarch of the Seventh Dimension! I am the ruler of this realm from this moment onward!”

The Monocle said, “I”ve longed for this moment!”

Star Sapphire said, “You have served me well. You shall do so again as shall all members of the frail sex!”

Harlequin gasped as she shoved Bellatrix off her chest.

“All the men! They”re in a trance!” she said.

Indeed, Black Arrow had left his wife to stare in awe at the Star Sapphire. The Monster hovered near Corona but only had eyes for the alien queen. The Monocle was silent and clearly had lost his free will to her as had Sumac who no longer tried to aid his injured sister.

Artemis said, “What did you do? Every guy in the place is suddenly yours to control? I thought that only happened when I entered a bar!”

Hazard said, “Artemis, she”s giving ME a bad feeling!”

Star Sapphire said, “All males are naturally inferior. All males are subject to my every whim. So has it always been when I am at full power. When those who have dared to oppose me robbed me of my material form and my mind, I floated as one lost for what seemed an infinity. But, in truth, I was merely refining my natural powers. I owe them a debt of thanks for they inadvertently put me in closer communion with the well-spring of my power than I had ever known before!”

Artemis had never heard of the alien queen but she did know of a teen girl who called herself Star Sapphire. If there was any clear connection between the two, she was unaware of it.

“The girl called Sapphire never had power like this!” she mused.

Star Sapphire smiled again and said, “As for you, as members of the greater sex, you have no excuse for your actions and since you clearly oppose me, you must die!”

A purple fire erupted from around her into a nimbus that blinded all of them and left Artemis to try a desperate tactic!

“The heat alone could kill us! Corona, you can”t shield us from her. She seems to sap your ring”s energy but can you get us to safety?”

Corona was shaken and hesitant but she nodded as she tried to focus her power ring”s energies.

Hazard shrieked, “Maybe I can help! We got to stop her! She”ll kill us all! She”ll kill us!”

Alchemy was silent and still. She sat slumped forward at Hazard”s feet and tried to shake off the effects of the drugs she had been given.

As Hazard”s fear became panic and her probability altering powers went wild, Corona”s will reached out to touch her ring and command it to shield them from the power that threatened to destroy them!

A blinding flash of gold filled the room and Artemis knew no more!

11

When the glow faded, the Star Sapphire found herself strangely weakened.

She leaned on the enslaved Monocle”s arm even as Black Arrow rushed forward to support her. Sumac stood nearby with an equal amount of adoration on his face.

“That witch severed my connection to my natural power source! I still control these lesser beings but I am nearly crippled by loss of true communion!” she said.

Nearby, Dart, Bellatrix, and Harlequin remained free of her spell.

Dart ran over to her enslaved husband and tried to get his attention.

“Connor, darling? What did she do to you?” she cried.

The blond archer made no reply. His will was no longer his own.

Bellatrix glared at Harlequin as they watched each other warily while also trying to keep Star Sapphire in view.

Harlequin thought, “This serves no purpose of mine! All I wanted was to get enough power to confront my father. This madwoman wants to rule the world. I”m not crazy enough to help her! The Monocle may have equipped me but I don”t owe him a thing now! I helped him get Corona. My debt is paid!”

She concentrated and her illusion casting powers cloaked her part of room with the illusion that she was still immobile! In truth, she slipped out of the room and raced out of the ruins of the old house.

She stopped at the edge of the estate and glanced backward.

“Now what do I do? I can”t let her take my father like she took those others. I want him fully aware of the facts before he meets his fate!”

With a toss of her flowing white-blonde hair, the purple-clad mystery-woman hurried away from the scene of battle! She had a lot of thinking to do.

Back inside the house, Bellatrix watched as Dart”s husband ignored her pleas.

Star Sapphire laughed coldly and said, “I do not know what happened to the others but I will make them pay for injuring me as they did! When the brazen woman in fishnets changed probability, I lost most of my power. Still, with an army of enslaved men to serve me, I will quickly regain all I need!”

Dart whirled to face the other dimensional queen and shrieked, “You man-hungry tramp! Let my husband go or I”ll rip your eyes out!”

Bellatrix hesitated as she balanced her weight on her heels. She could leap in either direction but for the moment, she didn”t know which action to take.

“I don”t know what happened to Artemis. She came for me. I can”t let her death be in vain. I owe it to Paul to avenge her or rescue her if she is alive. Can the babe in the fluffy skirt help me or is Dart just dead weight?”

She made her decision as Star Sapphire”s cold smile turned cruel and Black Arrow slapped his bride to the ground with one blow.

The Monocle”s lens emitted a stinging energy beam that left her stunned on the floor.

By that time, Bellatrix had dived out of the room and rolled to safety.

She crashed out a window and swung up and over the broken porch rails to dash away.

“I couldn”t risk being caught by that group. I have to warn Paul and get his help in order to take down the Star Sapphire. Goldie Mallory sealed her own fate when she decided to follow her crooked father into a life of crime!” she mused.

Inside the house, Star Sapphire turned to her pawns.

“Come, we must secure the aid of other men of power. Where once I could dominate a world of males with a thought, I must now enslave them one by one. As for those craven women, they can never hope to oppose me.”

Her laughter echoed through the ruins as the odd group departed and left the battered and stunned Dart behind in the rubble.

Perhaps, somewhere within his altered mind Black Arrow yearned to check on his wife but if so, that urge was deeply suppressed.

12

Elsewhere, when the golden glow from Corona”s ring faded, she found herself in the shadows of a massive golden Obelisk.

Artemis, Hazard, Alchemy, a stricken Oleander, and the Monster clustered around her.

“What did you do? I felt like my guts were being ripped out!” growled the Monster.

Artemis whistled softly.

“We”re not in Kansas anymore!” she said.

The Obelisk loomed over a massive chamber that while dominated by the huge structure, was not entirely devoid of other objects or beings!

Eight golden armored men and women, all marked by shaven heads and slightly unusual eyes stood at each side of the Obelisk. As they circled the newcomers, they withdrew jagged weapons that resembled stylized lightning bolts from their quivers.

Corona said, “I willed the ring to protect us. It seems to have pulled us inside and through to some other dimension!”

She frowned as she recalled a past adventure in which the ring”s original programming had almost imposed the “mindset” of its intended owner Sinestro upon her. She had resisted and with the help of Green Lantern she had reset the ring until it conformed to her own mind. However, there was no denying the ring was still linked to its place of origin and apparently, if only because Hazard altered probability, was an avenue to that dimension!

“Qward! We”re on a planet called Qward. It was sealed from our own universe or so we thought!” she cried.

“Indeed, intruders, you are on Qward and we are the celebrated Thunder Guard. Your deaths shall be swift but not painless!” announced the leader of the Qwardian troops. His helmet rested upon a bald head but the helm had ornate wings on each side to proclaim his rank.

Hazard sputtered, “Out of the frying pan”!”

She concentrated and a blazing bolt of energy erupted from the weapon of one of the attackers before he could throw it! He yelped in pain and grabbed his injured hand.

The Monster said, “I don”t care who these twits are. If they want to fight, then I”ll give them all the bloodshed they could want.”

The handsome fiend dived into their midst and began pounding away at the Thunder Guard even as Artemis disarmed another with a well-place crossbow bolt!

Alchemy was still shaking off her own injuries but she had several tricks of her own and the lithe girl shook off her soporific drugs she had been given and stood her ground.

“I hope that armor is enough like normal metal for this to work!” she thought.

Zabora tossed powder at the nearest Thunder Guard and to her relief, the alchemical substance began to decay and dissolve the golden armor she wore.

Oleander was still in a state of shock from her own injuries. She lay in a ball on the ground and made a soft keening noise.

Artemis high kicked a Thunder Guard and elbowed a second one in the face as she tried to make sense of what had happened.

“This is another dimension! That isn”t so weird to me. I mean I visited one once with Starman and Granny. Still, I want to go home before this gets any uglier!” she mused.

Corona raised her own ring and blasted a new group of guards as they entered the huge chamber.

“Thank goodness my ring followed me after it passed us all through its interior into this place! I suppose it always had the potential ability to return here like some homing device but without Hazard”s added power, it couldn”t breach the barriers!” she thought.

“I know I”m not still inside the ring. It now matches my own mind and I sure never dreamed up this place!” she said.

The Monster was pummeling a guardsman and his face reflected his inner anger.

“Bah! These fascists are no better than the ones back home!” he said.

Corona flew upward toward the massive Obelisk and inhaled sharply.

“Something about that thing triggered some response from my ring. Did we come here by chance or did that giant structure draw us here on purpose?” she thought.

Meanwhile, as more troops rushed to join the fight an unseen figure watched from the shadows.

She wore a simple gray tunic and had very closely cut black hair. Her movements were stealthy and graceful and her expression was one of fascination.

“Beyonders! Those beings come from beyond our world! I have read of such worlds in the forbidden books my father secured in the Keep. I little thought I would ever gaze upon them though!”

Artemis barely dodged a bolt of blinding energy as it shot over her shoulder.

She flipped forward and sprang to safety but she was growing tired and she knew that her odd group could not defeat what had the potential to grow into a whole planet”s army!

“Get us out of here!” she bellowed.

Corona still hovered high above. She had been drawn to the Obelisk for some reason known only to the inner workings of the ring.

“Qwardeen shall never fall to the likes of you!” screamed a Thunder Guard.

“Heed the words of the Master Thunderer!” replied another guard as she brandished her own bolt.

Hazard danced away from an exploding bolt only to fall over the still form of Oleander.

“Honey, hang on! We”ll get you help!” she said as she touched the fallen plant elemental and wished for something to go their way.

As if on cue, Oleander sat up and a greenish substance sealed over her damaged eye.

“What did you do?” asked Hazard as she led the girl to a hiding place.

Oleander spoke slowly at first and then her pitch and pace increased.

“The Green! I made contact with this dimension”s natural world! It exists out there and it has begun to heal me! I feel like a new woman!”

Hazard nodded as she wondered again if it had been the added touch or boost of her own powers that had enabled Oleander to accomplish something she had not necessarily been able to do on their own world?

The Monster roared as a newcomer shot him with a ray gun.

He collapsed in pain as the armored man laughed harshly.

“No man can defeat a Destroyer!” he said.

From her own hiding place the dark haired Qwardian woman watched and frowned as she saw the rank of the newcomers.

“The Master Thunderer has summoned the Destroyers! These Beyonders are truly lost now!” she thought.

13

Back on Earth, Bellatrix had managed to escape to a place of cover in the nearby woods and to her relief; some unexpected allies had managed to track her down.

She smiled as she saw several unusual figures emerge from a small flying craft.

“Bella, it took the combined efforts of Blue and White to locate you. Where is Artemis?” asked a very tall blonde woman who had commanding crystal blue eyes. She stood around 6 foot 3 and wore a brief pink bodysuit that left her arms and legs bare except for very narrow decorative pink bands that wrapped around each leg slightly above her knees and went around each arm above the elbow. Her feet were covered by pink slippers. “I don”t know, Bombshell. She vanished along with Corona. We”ve got a bigger problem. An alien queen named the Star Sapphire is loose. She was the object of Monocle”s whole routine. He wanted to liberate her. Well, he did and she might just be strong enough to rule this planet! Men can”t resist her!” replied Bellatrix as she glanced up at the daughter of the former hero who had been known as Dan the Dyna-Mite.

Nearby a strange figure made out of gleaming red metal lurched forward. It was a robotic being with a block shaped head and a deeply inset eye lens. A metallic voice echoed from within its broad chest.

“Don”t worry. It”s me, Red. Dr. Morrow knew I couldn”t stand being bedfast so he whipped up this beauty. I call him Cyclone!”

Bellatrix frowned and said, “Red, are you inside that machine?”

The robot shook its head and said, “No! I”m back at home base. My mind guides the robot”s body from there. I”ve got two broken legs. I”m not reckless enough to actually go out on a case in that condition!”

Bellatrix grinned and said, “Well, yeah, you are that reckless. Still, if your lovesick scientist can build something like that for you, all the better!”

Red said, “It isn”t just a robotic body. It can generate and control wind. I call it Cyclone! It is roughly like the original Red Tornado the other Morrow built years ago! You know the Morrow who is a criminal? The one that ended up on that other Earth? Not like my sweetie!”

Bombshell yawned and said, “I”m bored. Have your junior women”s club chat later! Lead me to the bad guys so I can smash their heads in!”

Bellatrix nodded and said, “She”s right. We need help. I think we better have Paul called in the JSA!”

Before she could continue her story, Bellatrix was interrupted by the pilot of the craft. She was also blonde but wore a red, white, and blue costume with a domino mask. Her codename was Americana. Her father was the publicly presumed dead mystery-man once called Mr. America. In truth, Tex Thompson was alive and well and was Paul Kirk Jr.”s secret benefactor.

“I”ve picked up a news report. The Monocle and his gang have made the news already. They are rampaging through Gotham City. Green Lantern is battling them!”

“Let”s move!” yelled Bombshell.

14

In Gotham City Green Lantern (Alan Scott) had found himself battling the Monocle”s gang without initially realizing there was more to the odd group than met the eye.

“Give it up, Monocle! You can pull out all the gimmicked eye pieces you want, my ring will match them all!” vowed the stalwart hero as his power ring flashed with emerald energy and blocked multiple energy beams that radiated from a lens held by the enslaved and silent Monocle!

“Good thing I was here on business. With so many of Gotham”s local heroes occupied with other matters, this group of felons could have escalated the danger level beyond that which the local police could have handled!” he mused.

He slapped Black Arrow to the ground with a giant emerald hand even as he willed a massive pincushion to absorb all the villain”s expertly fired arrows! GL flew higher to avoid a barrage of spiny thorns hurled his way by the enslaved Sumac.

“That young punk has the right type of power to pose a problem for this aging ring slinger!” he thought.

He referred to the fact that wood could penetrate his miraculous ring creations like no other substance could!

Still, he was capable and posed a threat to the foes even with his ring.

He demonstrated this fact by swooping down suddenly and connecting with a stunning punch that staggered Sumac.

“Well done! You”ve occupied him long enough for me to take over!”

The words came from the Star Sapphire as she stepped forward and a pinkish glow began to cover the Emerald Gladiator!

He frowned and shook off the energy as his own remarkable will power exerted itself against the alien queen”s impressive powers!

Green and pink energies ebbed and flowed as each combatant exerted his or her will.

Star Sapphire could control most men but GL was shielded in more ways than one but experience and by the will power that led him to victory time and time again!

“Sapphire, you won”t take my mind! My ring automatically shields me from your control. I made sure of that by making a specific precautionary command after the last time you almost took the world by storm!” said Green Lantern.

The alien queen laughed and said, “For a lesser being, you do rise to the challenge! You”d make an excellent consort!”

GL said, “It would never work! You”re dark and remember”.the dark things can”t stand the light!”

As he repeated part of his old oath, his power ignited the air around them and Star Sapphire drew backward.

At that moment, Sumac struck from the rear! A woody stalk erupted from the ground and knocked GL into a building.

His will faded for a moment, and Star Sapphire”s pink glow grew brighter!

He struggled to regain his feet but before he could so a newcomer stepped over his fallen body.

She was a lovely woman in a striking purple costume that left her legs bare above high heeled boots. Long flowing white hair framed her face along with the odd glasses she wore.

“Harlequin? How in the world? You”re not..!” began Alan Scott.

The newest Harlequin hesitated and then whispered, “I”m not the original? No, I”m someone far closer to you. I”m your daughter!”

GL stood up and said, “I don”t know how you got those glasses but you”re clearly not one of my old foes nor are you my child! I take paternity claims pretty seriously!”

She said, “I can”t hide us from her power for long but I can buy us some time! Don”t use your ring. Just run with me!”

She led the battered hero into the broken building and his mind raced as he tried to form a plan.

“Daughter or not, I have to regain my wits long enough to stop Star Sapphire. This new Harlequin and her bizarre claims can wait!” he mused.

Outside, Star Sapphire cursed as she found no trace of the hero.

“He has eluded me! Still, after I control an army of males, I can hunt him down!” she thought.

In an alley two blocks over, Harlequin gasped as GL gripped her arm.

“Now young lady, just who are you?” he demanded.

She opened her mouth for a moment then closed it firmly and concentrated.

For a moment, the illusion of white hair vanished to reveal a young woman with straight brown hair and eyes that were hauntingly familiar to GL!

“Great Scott! Irene Miller?” he muttered.

“No! I”m her daughter! Alana. I was named for you” the man who broke my mother”s heart and left her to raise me alone!”

GL said, “You clearly know my real name so I won”t quibble with you. I cared for Irene. You look just liked her but I can”t be your father. You”re what? Thirty- something? I haven”t seen your poor mother since the late forties! We parted on good terms. We just weren”t meant for each other. She understood that!”

Harlequin resumed her illusory guise and said, “You”re a liar! I”ll have to make you confess the truth!”

GL watched the world shift around him as her illusions changed the alley into a primeval forest where trees loomed around him and threatened to crush him!

He closed his eyes and concentrated until all the alley was bathed in a green glow that burned away the image of the fake trees and revealed the truth!

An angry, frightened, and troubled young woman in a purple costume was the only foe he faced. She couldn”t create wood or deserts. She could merely project images of them! He had faced such power before and he could handle it.

He raised both hands in a placating gesture even as his willed one tendril of green power to snake down and around the girl and push her glasses off.

He caught them with one hand and pulled her closer with the other hand.

“Honey, I don”t know what makes you think I had a child with Irene or how I could supposedly be your father when you are so much younger than any child I could ever have had with your mother would be, but I cared for Irene. I mourned for her when she died a few years ago. I”ll get you the help you need!” he said.

Alana Miller nodded slowly as the force of his presence did something even his ring could not do. It brought reason to her troubled mind. There was much more to Alan Scott than his ring. He was one of the first and the finest of the Golden Age mystery-men and his light still shone was a beacon to those who followed his heroic path. The sheer nobility of the man burned through the fog that cloud her mind and in a way, she saw the light!

She sobbed in his arms as he led her away.

“I never knew my real father. Mother talked about you all the time. When she died, I was so angry. I felt so lost! I just decided you were my father! I knew she never stopped loving you. You were famous and rich and then I found out your secret from reading her old diaries. I sought help from the underworld. I paid all I had to connect with someone who led me to Monocle. He gave me these glasses!”

GL said, “Shhh. It will be OK. We’ll make it OK!”

He held her for a moment and then resolved to use all his wealth and connections to do just that. He”d help the troubled young woman. He owed that much to the memory of her mother- one of his first loves.

15

On Qward, as Artemis and her odd group faced the on-rushing Destroyers, the Monster also faced something more mysterious. He tried to make sense of his own feelings.

“I don”t understand this place. At first I was an angry as ever but it seems like the longer I stay here, the better I feel. If this place is as far from my supposed home as it seems to be, I may be better off here. I think I could learn to like it here!” he thought.

In truth, the troubled Stephen Rogers was not the only “outworlder” who was experiencing odd sensations.

Oleander was radiant as her injuries healed and she exulted in what she had called communion with the natural world.

Alchemy was calm but something within her urged her to get home and return to a totally different lifestyle.

“I”m not meant for the costumed life! I should go back to college or get a job!” she thought.

Hazard felt equally strange as something compelled her to focus her own remarkable powers upon the obelisk!

Artemis ignored all sensations or inner voices. She merely fought furiously with the approaching attackers.

Corona tried something entirely different. She talked to her ring.

“Ring, what is the purpose of that Obelisk? Why am I drawn to it?” she cried.

The ring replied in a mechanical tone that was her own voice devoid of emotion.

“The ancient master of the Qwardians sealed that which he despised within the Obelisk. It is that imprisoned force that calls to you and seeks to manipulate you all toward its own purposes!” replied the ring.

Even as her friends were being overwhelmed below, Corona yielded to the force within the Obelisk and blasted away at the Obelisk as Hazard strained to use her own probability altering powers on the outcome of Corona”s efforts!

The complex shuddered and quaked as if it was alive as the Obelisk cracked open and a golden globe emerged and engulfed Corona!

The Monster gasped as he witnessed the event! He was attracted to her and in spite of his gruff protestations to the contrary, he didn”t want to see her harmed!

Artemis lashed out at an armored Destroyer and then whirled as a noise clattered to her rear.

She saw a female figure standing over a fallen Destroyer!

Clearly, the other woman was Qwardian but she had saved Artemis from one of her own!

“Thanks!” replied Artemis in a startled tone.

The woman nodded grimly and said, “Your battle skills honor us all! I could not see you fall to a sneak attack! I”m Kima.”

Artemis said, “You aren”t going to be too popular around here after that!”

Kima dropped to her knees and said, “I know! That is why you must take me with you!”

Before any of them could even move, the golden energy globe that had completely encased Corona swooped down and carried them away at blinding speed!

Inside the gleaming sphere, the huddled group listened as a voice came from within the walls of the shape that contained them. Corona could not be seen except as a dimly female outline made of energy.

“I am the Starheart! Eons ago the Qwardians attempted to banish all magic from their military-minded and precisely balanced world, that energy was too great to be diminished by human efforts and thus, it was merely contained within that Obelisk! It took the arrival of one with power akin to its own nature to awaken and finally free it!”

Hazard said, “You”re that voice that spoke to us in words or tried to alter our feelings. What do you want from us?”

The Starheart said, “I want nothing but to repay you from liberating me! I have been trapped for so very long!”

Artemis said, “Corona”s power couldn”t shatter that thing on its own nor could her ring awaken you. I don”t think it is magical! The Monocle said it was from some other dimensional world! ”

The Starheart boomed out an answer.

“The Qwardians made her ring with their science but in truth, what they call man”s science differed little in nature from the universal magicks that formed me!”

Hazard whispered, “I did it! My power made her ring”s energy just the right combination of things to spring you!”

Starheart said, “I will return you all to your universe! That much, I may do for you!”

The Monster said, “What did you do to Corona?”

The Starheart said, “She is my host! I can not release her! She stays here!”

The Monster said, “I”m not leaving either!”

Alchemy spoke up in a timid voice.

“Could you find another host on the Earth in this universe? I mean is there an Earth within this universe? Seems like my father once spoke of heroes from another Earth who battled him along with some JSAers?”

The Starheart glowed brighter and said, “You speak wisely. I will find the Alexandra DeWitt of the Earth that exists here! She will be my host and I will liberate your Corona upon finding her!”

Artemis groaned as the sphere changed direction.

“A girl tries to make some easy money and she ends up on a quest out of some 1950″s space opera!” she thought.

16

As the glowing sphere materialized on Earth 3 within the Qwardian universe, each of its occupants had his or her own thoughts about their situation.

The Monster brooded as he glanced furtively at the gleaming Corona. He was uncomfortable with his attraction to the photographer turned heroine but he also had certain plans in the back of his troubled mind.

“If there is an Alexandra DeWitt on this other Earth then she might accept me as well. She can”t have a Justice Society to influence her. From what little we”ve learned from this Starheart, this universe is some kind of darker mirror version of our own. The darkness found in all humanity is closer to the surface here! It makes it my kind of place!” he thought.

Nearby, Alchemy clutched her hands tightly together. In truth, she was scared and now regretted ever donning the costume she wore.

“I wanted to become a name in this business! I wanted to bring my father the infamy he deserved. I didn”t want him to be a forgotten villain. Now, I feel guilty about leaving his memory to fade but all I want is to be home again. No more costumes. No fancy names. Well, not that Zabora is exactly as common a name as Debbie but my feelings are the same. I want to be a normal woman without any danger in my life!” she thought.

Hazard frowned as she fingered a run in her hosiery.

“Now isn”t that bad luck!” she thought with no trace of irony in her thoughts.

Becky Sharpe didn”t realize it but her powers were growing and as probability itself shaped itself to her own whims, the redhead accepted remarkable events as it they were commonplace occurrences. Her Southern charm only enabled her to make the bizarre seem more “down home” and reasonable and she liked it that way.

“When this is over, Artemis and I have to talk. I want to know what that girl was thinking when she turned on the Monocle. She surely won”t be welcome at the next super criminal Christmas party!” she thought.

Oleander sat rather demurely as she delicately preened her leafy hair and relished her own recovery.

“When I get home, Sumac and I can use my newfound potential and take the underworld by storm!” she thought.

If she was now more plantlike than before, no thought of Poison Ivy”s own grim fate darkened her avaricious thoughts. She merely envisioned revenge on old foes and newly acquired wealth in her future.

Corona was still submerged within the Starheart”s power. Her body was not her own nor was her amazing will power but her mind was free and she made good use of the enslavement she was experiencing.

“This Starheart is like a Qwardian version of the force that fuels GL”s own power ring. I could learn from it! Maybe, I could become as proficient with my ring as Alan is with his own! I mean these Qwardians made the ring I”ve been using! Maybe, there”s a user”s manual!” she thought.

Artemis said nothing. She wanted to end this adventure. Thrills and giggles were fine in the course of normal business but Artemis Crock was not the kind of girl to welcome paranormal or extra-dimensional side trips that derailed her mercenary instincts.

“Paul Kirk Jr. sure messed up my life. He had the nerve to place me in a position where I actually had to take a stand. I don”t like that and I may never recover from what briefly taking his cause has done to my standing in the underworld.”

She bit her lip as she imagined her mother as she had been long before.

“A heroine? Mother was on the side of the good guys. Isn”t the glory they get almost as good as the money I earn? The thrills feel the same. Then again, what would Dad say? What am I going to do?” she thought.

The Starheart “spoke” again and its words echoed in their minds.

“This Earth is tainted in many ways. It was ever a fitting match for the Qwardians although originally it occupied its own universe. One known as the Time Keeper sacrificed his nearly limitless power to thrust Earth 3 into Qward”s dimension and in doing so retroactively alter its own history. However, I existed before such cosmic games began and I recall the beginning time!”

Kima shook her head and said, “Nothing like this is in my father”s hidden books. He was a Master Thunderer. He knew things denied to all below his rank. To learn such wonders is what drove me to leave my world. A desire for knowledge above a passion for violence is what ever disgraced me among my kind!”

The globe dimmed slightly to reveal a shabby apartment where a beautiful blonde woman worked over photography equipment.

“She really is another Corona! This is wild!” gasped Alchemy.

Oleander said, “Look at the pictures on her line! She must specialize in taking blackmail photos! She”s not a fancy artist like her goody good double is!”

Artemis crouched in a feral position as she reached for her crossbow!

“She”s not alone in there either!” she whispered.

Indeed, a burly man in a dark suit slipped up behind the distracted Alexandra Dewitt and fired a gun at her back!

“You won”t get hush money outta Big Jim Gordon again! Nobody messes with his gang, sister!” vowed the fat man as he stood over her body.

The Monster roared as he dived forward and passed through the glowing sphere to tackle the mobster and choke him with brutal force!

“You killed her! You filthy worm! She might have been the only woman I could have loved!” he cried.

The Starheart enveloped the fallen woman and left a dazed Corona behind.

“What in the world? Did I just witness my own death?” whispered Corona.

Alchemy said, “My father said there were counterparts to almost every being on these multi-versal worlds! He figured he had one on the other Earth those Justice League heroes came from. His was called Dr. Alchemy.”

Hazard smiled broadly and said, “I declare! Nothing is what it seems to be here! I think she’s OK!”

The other Alexandra sat up and glowed with the Starheart”s radiance.

“Where am I? she said softly.

Alchemy gently touched the Monster and urged him to leave the badly beaten thug for a moment.

“Look! Something is happening! The Starheart healed her!”

The Monster”s eyes widened as he saw Alexandra DeWitt of Earth 3 standing healthy and unharmed.

“How did you do that?” he said in an oddly gentle tone.

The other Alex spoke in a voice that was like that of the Starheart.

“She was dying but my life force merged with her own! She will live and I will know something ever cherished by all but unknown to me. I will know what it means to have humanity!”

The altered woman raised her hands above her head.

“This will greatly diminish my own powers but before they fade, I will thank you by returning you to your original place of entry!”

Artemis said, “Hold it! I think we need to make one more stop before you send us back! If this place really does have doubles for many people from back home, I know one I have to meet!”

17

Thus, thanks to the combined efforts of Corona and her counterpart the Starheart dominated Alexandra DeWitt of Earth 3, a suddenly thoughtful Artemis crouched outside a small house in the Civic City of this alternate planet.

“It looks nice. I might have mocked this kind of scene before but maybe I”ve grown up some over the last few years!” she mused as she peered through a window and then casually removed recently delivered mail from the box on the front porch of the small but pleasant house. She glanced down at the name on one letter.

“Mr. Carl Crockowski. My Dad never changed his name here. Of course, from what I”ve gathered via the power ring based searches of various computers, the Carl Crockowski of this planet never became a crook. He works with disadvantaged kids and is a high school coach!” she thought.

She sighed as she stealthily moved to the rear of the house and spotted a pretty woman with dark but graying hair working happily in a kitchen.

“Mother? That must be Paula Crock”Crockowski of Earth 3! She”s just a housewife. Happy, fulfilled but not a criminal! On a world where things are all backward, my folks are normal citizens living an honest domestic life!”

She shook her head and ran one hand through her long platinum locks.

“I guess Mom and Dad were meant to be together. I mean she”s not with a Paul Kirk on this planet. No villainess separated her from Kirk. She just ended up with Dad. I mean, she married the version of Dad that lives here. Seeing this, makes me more confused than before. It makes me realize that had they made other choices, my parents could have had all this. They could have raised me and Kathie as regular kids. I”d always known that but seeing a real honest to goodness happy homemaker version of Mother drives the reality home!”

She waved to a hovering Corona who lifted her on a golden platform and flew off as Artemis glanced back at the rapidly shrinking house with something like regret in her crystal blue eyes.

“Was that what you wanted to see?” asked Corona.

Artemis nodded and said, “Yes. More to the point, it was what I needed to see!”

Corona frowned to herself.

“I”m only with this bunch because some of them or some of their foes kidnapped me. Since then, I”ve actually met my evil twin and we”ve both been possessed by that cosmic force! My double is starting to regain some of her own faculties. She talks like me and not like an all-knowing energy being but the whole ordeal has been too much to take in at once. That”s why I”m going along with these crooks instead of trying to take them in! There will be time for that when we get home and the Star Sapphire is taken down!” she thought.

The other Alexandra, now calling herself Starheart, didn”t fully understand what had happened to her either. In truth, that journey of self-discovery would take its own course later on. She merely exulted in two seemingly contradictory sensations. She relished being full of new power beyond her widest dreams and she savored being a flesh and blood woman! This duality came from the fact that the Starheart was slowly merging with the woman until the final entity was becoming both more and less than the sum of the parts!

The Monster watched her and made no effort to conceal his attraction to her.

“I”m staying here!” he said.

“I think on this strange new world I might be Steve Rogers instead of just a Monster!” he declared.

Starheart said, “I”m glad. I”d like to repay you for what you tried to do when I was shot.”

Hazard said, “I think we can go home now. I feel like we”re ready!”

Alchemy shrugged and said, “What do you mean? Your hunches aren”t like mine. Yours carry real weight thanks to your powers!”

Hazard winked at her and said, “Sugar, the chances that two super beings like Corona and Starheart would attract attention from someone else with their kind of power were pretty strong to begin with. I just helped nudge them along so one particular cosmic gal would notice them!”

She gestured to where a female figure was appearing on the horizon.

Artemis scowled as she peered into the distance.

“Becky, I hope you know what you”re doing!” she whispered as she recognized the flying figure!

18

Meanwhile, back on Earth, a battle was raging between Star Sapphire and her pawns and the Council’s female agents.

The Matriarch of the Seventh Dimension was relentlessly marching forward through Gotham City and her enslaved allies were using all their own resources to hold off Bellatrix, Americana, Cyclone, and Bombshell!

Star Sapphire laughed and said, “Clearly, your puny dimension can only spawn females who are as weak as your lesser gendered beings!”

Americana flipped acrobatically out of the line of fire as the Monocle’s special lens flared with energy and ripped a jagged line in the pavement!

The blonde had been trained by her father the elusive Tex Thompson but she had specialized in the type of covert disguise or espionage missions that he had so excelled at over the years. This type of direct combat was new to her and in truth she was unhappy with her progress.

“I’ve dodged and occupied the Monocle for long enough! I’m really just a costumed acrobat who can use a whip! That job description doesn’t equip me as a world beater!” she thought as she dived forward into a tight roll.

She lashed out with her extendable whip and knocked the lens off Monocle’s face.

He grimaced but did not cry out in pain from the lash since his will was not his own.

Before he could replace his lens with a duplicate, the girl in red, white, and blue was on him and a stinging punch left him stunned at her feet.

She smiled in relief for a second before being struck by a barrage of thorns created by Sumac!

Before the projectiles could prove lethal in their speed and number, Bombshell jumped over the fallen patriot and began to batter her way forward through the spray of sharp thorns!

“This is a joke! My skin can shatter them before they even penetrate!” she bellowed as she grabbed the plant-man and pulled back one powerful fist!

He opened his mouth and spat a cloud of spores into her face and she dropped him in surprise.

“Can’t breathe! Can’t even see!” roared Bombshell.

She smiled through her tears and slammed both hands against the ground.

An explosion shook the ground and left Sumac injured and still.

Bombshell wiped her face with the back of her hand and said, “I didn’t need to see you to blast you to kindling, you walkin’ tree!”

Cyclone, the robot controlled by the agent called Red, flew skyward and raised its hands to emit tightly focused gusts of air that deflected Black Arrow’s equally lethal arrows!

He ignored the results and mechanically aimed and fired again and again!

Finally, Cyclone said, “The robot is still too stiff for me. I can’t get anything accomplished!”

Bellatrix cursed and hurled a piece of pavement at Black Arrow!

Thanks to her remarkable ability to mimic any physical feat that she had witnessed, she could throw with the same precision Black Arrow possessed. The fragment of ground struck his hands and caused him to drop his bow.

Before he could grab it again, Bellatrix had leaped through the air to land on his chest with both feet.

She rolled forward and elbowed him in the back of the head before grabbing his hair and pulling him off his feet.

She jabbed his throat and left him in her wake as she continued to move closer to Star Sapphire!

“I have to shut her down! She is the puppet master!” mused the redhead.

Bellatrix never got her chance since a crowd of enslaved men surged out of the nearby subway system to charge at her and her friends.

Paul Kirk Jr. frowned as he watched and listened to images and sounds fed to him via the monitoring devices in the abandoned sky craft that were operated by Blue and White.

“I feel so helpless! If only Tex, Bill, Lance, Giovanni, and the dozens of others who work for the Council could help them! All our male agents would merely fall under her spell though! That is why I’ve had to make do with our only female agents!” he said.

Still, as he gripped his cane, he pondered how if nothing else was a constant in his life, his ability to impatiently wait and watch was still present.

Americana staggered toward the sky craft as she kicked free of the grasping hands of three enslaved citizens.

“I can’t fight back with my full prowess. I can’t hurt helpless innocent folks!” she said.

“Just sit there and look pretty, Little Lady, the JSA is here now! In fact we been watchin’ you via GL’s ring! Better than cable!” yelled a man in black as a second group flew into view.

“Wildcat! Green Lantern! The Atom!” said Paul Kirk Jr. as he recognized the newcomers on his video screen!

GL had left Alana Miller with Doctor Mid-Nite since he knew his friend could possibly do the troubled girl some good until he could rejoin her and talk over everything that had led her to adopt her costumed role.

“Charles is not a mental health specialist but I couldn’t ask for a better or more compassionate physician to attend to her!” he thought.

He shielded the women with his ring’s energy sphere as Wildcat collared the fallen Monocle and jerked him to safety.

“I guess we can’t let this punk get walked on. No need to ruin people’s shoes!” he said.

Atom grinned and said, “You’re all heart!”

He frowned as he helped the towering Bombshell to safety.

“I saw what you did back there! Just who are you?” he asked.

The blonde heroine said, “Funny you should ask! My father was known as Dan the Dynamite! He sort of had powers like your atomic punches!”

Atom said, “Of course! I knew I had witnessed something similar to your powers before! But, I don’t have those powers anymore! I just get by with my natural skills!”

Bombshell nodded and said, “Yeah? But, why are you glowing?”

She referred to the fact that both Wildcat and Atom had a faint green glow around their bodies.

The Atom said, “It is GL’s power. He internalized a bit of it for us before we got here. He knew what we were going to face!”

He frowned as he surveyed the scene.

“If GL’s ring scans fail to shield us from her power, Ted and I might be forced to switch sides!” he mused.

“Too bad Diana, Kara, or even Shiera isn’t around!” he thought.

The quick-witted physicist nodded slowly and then yelled toward the robotic being that looked so eerily like the original robotic form of the second Red Tornado, “Cyclone? That is your name, right? Draw all the oxygen toward you!”

Red obeyed as best she could. Her ability to use the robot by remote was limited but she was game for anything and she began to accomplish what the Atom had suggested.

The crowd began to fall aside as they gasped for air! It was working better than merely battering the mob could ever have done!

GL nodded in approval as he tried to contain Star Sapphire in a bell-shaped construct!

“This may limit her powers too. If she can’t see or hear…!” he said as he rang the bell-like prison!

Pink energy broke through his creation as the alien queen returned to view.

“Paltry. Your efforts are weak!” she cried.

Bellatrix said, “How come Wildcat and Atom aren’t under her spell?”

Wildcat said, “GL used his magic ring to give us immunity. Kinda like a super human booster shot! You didn’t think this green shine was sunscreen did you?”

His brash words belied his true thoughts.

“Alan said he didn’t think his ring could block her power for long. We have to wrap this up fast!” he thought.

Suddenly, the sky parted for a moment as a group of flying figures stepped out of strange opening in space!

Artemis, Hazard, Alchemy, Corona, and Oleander dropped to the ground as the space warp closed behind them to reveal one glowing woman!

“Star Sapphire? Another one?” sputtered Bombshell!

Artemis yelled, “She’s on our side!”

Wildcat said, “Which side would that be, Chickie?”

Hazard said, “She is a good Star Sapphire from what you’d call Earth 3′s universe! We managed to summon her.”

GL flew toward Corona and said, “Corona, what is all this? Why are you with these criminals?”

Corona said, “Long story! Just trust them for now!”

Star Sapphire scowled as a woman who looked much like her approached and emitted her own pinkish glow.

“Sister, what brings you here? There is only room for one Matriarch! And yet you are not truly one of my kind! You are more like the other Sapphire I briefly used as a host body!” she said.

The black haired woman in a brief pink costume shook her head.

“I am Carol Block of the world some of the heroes of this place designated as Earth 3! My alien gemstone came from a noble race of warrior women who sought to enlist me as their earthly champion! I was brought here by one called the Starheart!”

GL frowned and said, “Starheart? It can’t be!”

Atom said, “Remember, on Earth 3 bad is good and vice versa!”

Wildcat nodded and said, “Looks like the leggy babe in pink might just be able to handle our fishnet wearing enemy!”

The two Star Sapphires grappled as pink energy exploded around them!

“Your gemstone is close to the energy signature of my own but my power is far greater! I’ll drain you dry!” hissed the Seventh Dimensional Queen.

The good Sapphire gritted her teeth and ignited her own energy nimbus until she could not see anything but a blinding glow.

Corona followed GL’s lead as he led her forward.

“Come on! We have to help her!”

Corona obeyed even as she wondered what would become of her reformed double back on Earth 3.

“Will we ever be able to return there?” she wondered.

Suddenly, she shuddered as if in one final communion with the Starheart from Qward’s space.

“No! Don’t fight her! Carol, trust me! Let her have your power! It is the only way!” she yelled.

Carol Block nodded and stopped fighting!

The warring energies subsided as all the pink energy cascaded into the Star Sapphire of the Seventh Dimension!

She gloated in victory until her expression changed and she cried out in shock.

“It hurts! By the cosmos! What is it? You’re killing me!” she shrieked.

Corona said, “The energy from Qward’s Star Sapphire is anti- energy. She’s being poisoned with every bit of power she steals!”

GL swooped up as the women fell from the sky.

He reached for the dazed Carol Block only to pass right through her as she vanished.

“What happened to her?” he cried.

Strangely enough, his ring spoke to reply.

“She is back on her world. The mixture of cosmic energies and probability altering power that enabled one such trip has faded. There will be no other journeys between realms by such means again!” it said.

Corona drew closer and held out a purple gemstone.

“This is all that is left of the evil Star Sapphire! I think her body entered the stone!”

GL said, “She couldn’t stand the energies from that anti-matter universe. She retreated into the gemstone as she did once before. I’d say Dr. Fate can make sure she doesn’t exit again for many a year!”

As the former pawns of the alien queen revived, Oleander and Sumac slipped away as the sister helped her brother depart.

“Lean on me, Sumac. You’ll be fine!” she whispered.

As they passed by Artemis, she said, “We’re even. Don’t ask us for help again unless you can pay!”

Artemis started to raise her crossbow but lowered it silently.

She made her way toward Bellatrix.

“If you ever try to pose as me again, I’ll leave you to a slow death!”

Bellatrix said, “My little ploy forced you to join the right side. That’s all that matters!”

She extended one hand toward the others.

“What about you all? Join the Council?” she asked.

Hazard said, “I’d like that.”

Alchemy said, “No thanks! I want to be a normal student or wife again. I hope the Monster will be happy on Earth 3 with the other Alexandra!”

Artemis nodded and said, “Me too. My bigger concern is Kima. She saved my life back on Qward. Why didn’t she join us when we were brought here?”

Corona landed nearby and said, “Starheart said Kima’s destiny was to found on yet another Earth! I’d say she ended up there in some way.”

Bombshell grinned and said, “Well, Monocle and Black Arrow will be happy in jail once they wake up! Since our agents picked up Dart earlier, she can wait on her hubby in her own cell.”

The Atom said, “You did good back there. We want to hear more about you though. All of you!”

Epilogue 1

A distinguished looking blond man smiled in recognition as a younger woman in a pink dress approached him through the gates of Thomas Wayne Park.

“Alana, I”m glad to see you looking so well!” said Alan Scott.

Alana Miller nodded and said, “Thank you. I feel better than I have in I don”t know how long! Getting to know you and Molly and talking things over with the doctor your friend Dr. McNider suggested I see, has changed my life!”

Alan nodded and placed one hand on her arm in a fatherly, protective manner.

“I”m delighted to hear that. Now, come on, and let an old man buy you some lunch. Jeannie-Lynn will be joining us. You”re going to like her!” he said.

Alana smiled warmly and said, “I bet I will!”

Epilogue 2

Paul Kirk Jr. was feeling happy for a number of reasons.

“I am glad Atom and the other JSAers believed that my team was nothing more than a small assembly of would-be super heroines. I trust the Justice Society but for now I”d rather the world didn”t know about the Council or just how extensive it is!”

He looked up at Bellatrix and added, “And I”m thrilled to have Artemis on our side now!”

Bellatrix nodded and said, “She may be worth the trouble you took after all!”

Later, Artemis sighed as she stared out a window at the Kirk compound.

“I don’t know exactly what kind of influence the Council has. I know Bombshell’s dad has some real pull with the top brass. Anyway, I was happy to accept the conditional pardon they offered me. I might just like being a heroine.”

She smiled as she added.

“And if I don’t, there’s always work for a girl like me!”

 

The End