Superman

Ghost Dance

by Goose Gansler

It was Sunday morning, and the Kent family was gathered around the kitchen table as usual. They had already attended an early church service and were sitting down for their traditional family brunch. That is, everyone but Clark was sitting. This week, he was in charge of frying up the eggs in bacon grease.

The family had been enraptured by CJ’s tale of his battle as Superboy against R-Ban, the claimed son of the Clark’s old foe, U-Ban. “Ceej left the naughty boy on the planet,” the two-year old Mary proclaimed through a layer of cornbread crumbs on her mouth,

“Yep, he was a naughty boy,” CJ smiled. He had not been forward to going to school on Monday. Because of R-Ban, everyone had blamed CJ for the injury to Smallville star quarterback Pete Ross and the subsequent loss to county rival Midvale. However, he had devised a plan to reclaim his good name at Smallville High. A quick trip to Keystone City was all that he needed.

“But he’s not on the planet anymore,” Clark said from his spot hovering over the stove. His gaze had been focused with super-vision on that far-off world. Now the eggs were in danger of being singed.

“What’re you saying, Pa?” CJ asked. “It’s a red sun world. No Kryptonian from this universe could have gotten off that world. I know you guys would still be somewhat suped-up, but he couldn’t have jumped out of that star system.”

“A spaceship would be the most reasonable explanation,” Alex said with a wry smile. The boy, who to the world was Lois’ orphaned nephew Alexander Lane, was taking a break from his responsibilities as the Monitor of this universe. ‘Aunt’ Lois had convinced him to join them at church for the past few weeks, and there wasn’t much she couldn’t convince him to do when she put her mind to it.

“That makes sense.” Clark scooped up the eggs from the griddle and onto a waiting serving plate. “His father U-Ban or his uncles Mala or Kizo could have been watching the entire time from wherever this Krypton-Beta they established is. They could’ve sent a ship to rescue him.”

“Darn,” CJ sighed. “I should’ve locked him up or something there.”

“If R-Ban’s elders have interstellar spacecraft, then they presumably would have the weaponry to deal with any type of makeshift prison that you may have fashioned on that uninhabited planet”

“Don’t worry about it.” Lois tousled CJ’s hair. “The important thing is that you’re OK and that you got the best of him.” Sometime she worried that CJ tried too hard. He was a lot like his adoptive father in that regard.

“Ma’s right,” Clark agreed. He put down the plate of eggs next to the one piled with bacon. “Now he knows, and U-Ban as well, that you’re no pushover. Plus they now realize that there’s three of us – you, Cousin Kara and me – here on Earth. I haven’t seen them for over thirty years. I don’t think there’ll be a follow-up anytime soon.” Clark sat down and looked grim. “Still, I’m concerned about this Krypton-Beta that the Triumvirate rules. Knowing the brothers’ megalomania, I can’t imagine that they’re reigning over a lifeless planet. And that poor Thoronian woman that U-Ban took to be R-Ban’s mother. Maybe I ought to check in with my old friend Halk Kar on Thoron. Maybe he knows something about it, maybe others were taken as well.”

“Now wait just a minute there, Mr. Kent,” Lois said firmly. “Don’t you be thinking about starting some intergalactic wild goose chase for U-Ban and his brothers. You don’t even have a clue where this Krypton-Beta might be.”

Clark had to nod his head. “That’s true. The universe is a big place. Even I’ve only explored a small fraction.”

Alex, for his part, wondered if there was any information in ‘Uncle’ Clark’s memory that wasn’t already in the Monitor’s files. It was a possibility, since the original Monitor had focused so much of his attention on the Earths of the Multiverse. That could be a discussion for another day.

“C’mon everybody, eat up,” Clark exhorted. “Don’t tell me my eggs are no good today. My super-senses tell me they’re just the way my Ma made them.”

CJ was eating up his brunch ravenously. “Pretty good, Pa. Now can we go out on patrol?”

Clark shook his head. “Don’t’ you have an American Literature and a Chemistry quiz tomorrow?”

“Aw, c’mon, Pa,” CJ sighed in disagreement. “What good are those?”

“Well, I may not be the detective that some of my JSA colleagues are,” Clark replied in turn, “but I can tell you that having a well-rounded education is worthwhile to the crimefighting life. Knowing chemistry can help defuse a super-villain’s weapon, knowing literature can help decipher a madman’s clues.” Clark put on his most genial smile. “Furthermore, my Pa made me finish high school and go to college, even though every hour I spent in class and study was on less hour to spend working on the farm. And let me tell you, the Great Depression was no picnic when you’re trying to eke you a life on a farm.”

CJ folded his hands and admitted defeat. “OK, OK. I get it. Just don’t get to the point of how you had to plow uphill both ways through the snow.”

“Is you use your heat-vision, Daddy?” Mary spoke up, her words slurred by all of the food stuffed into her mouth. “Heat vision makes snow go bye-bye.”

“Your daddy was telling a joke, Mary,” Alex reached over and gave her a little tickle.

“Oh, OK,” Mary smiled. “Ha ha ha! Then a confused look came over her face. “Why was it funny, Daddy?”

Chapter 2 After the boys had helped clear the table and wash the dishes, Clark put down the Gazette’s sports page and headed from the kitchen to the living room. Lois was there holding Mary on her lap. She was trying to teach their daughter how to play cat’s cradle. Mary was a little frustrated trying to learn it at normal speed.

“Well, I’m off,” Clark announced. “I think I’m going to head east today. Maybe extend the patrol as far as St. Louis.”

“Be careful,” Lois said coyly.

Clark feigned indignation. “Be careful?!? I’m Superman. What could hurt me?”

Lois extricated her fingers from the yarn and gave it back to Mary. “Hmm, let me see.” She started counting on her fingers. “There’s kryptonite, magic, another Kryptonian, a sharply worded newspaper column … ”

“Point taken.” Clark gave Lois and then Mary a kiss. “Just don’t tell the bad guys I’m so vulnerable.”

Moments later, the barrel-chested Man of Tomorrow cut a familiar figure through the Smallville sky. He flew at a leisurely pace so any onlookers could clearly tell that it was the Man and not the Boy of Steel. The local talk was full of about how both heroes had seemed to set up shop here after the time of red skies, but so far the City Council had resisted efforts to add to the “Welcome to Smallville” signs anything about it being the official home of those two heroes.

Superman’s flight path took him over countless acres of farmland, areas that were very similar to his own property. Even after having spent all of those decades in Metropolis, he was still a small-town farm kid at heart. “Granted, one that can bend the course of mighty rivers. Speaking of which …” Superman was now over the Kaw River which wound a long path from Junction City to Kansas City.

His super-vision picked up the expected river traffic, fishers, swimmers, and wildlife. What did garner his attention was some smoke coming from a bend about five miles from his current position. The smoke was black, not something someone would associate with a campfire. It was also coming up only periodically, not in a steady stream. But what was most remarkable was that the smoke puffs had a definite shape. They were in the form of a bat.

Leaning slightly, Superman adjusted his course and headed towards the bend. With his super-vision, he could see two shawl-covered figures huddling over the fire. They were using a specially-cut blanket to create the shape and adding something to the flames to produce the color.

Superman came to a landing about thirty yards behind the pair. “Hello,” he called out. “Looks like you’re sending up some kind of bat-signal.”

“Indeed we are,” the larger of the two men stood up, pulling his shawl, which was covered by Sioux patterns, close to him. His dark hair was matched in color by the bat-shaped mask he wore. His associate was draped in a similar shawl, but his head, except for his hair, was covered by a green cowl.

“If you’re trying to contact Batman, I’m afraid that my friend passed away a few years ago,” Superman noted.

“We know that he has reached the Happy Hunting Grounds,” the larger man answered. “He is there with the intended recipient of our message. Your presence here would appear to be my father’s answer.” He let the shawl fall from his body, revealing a grey bodysuit accented by blue boots, trunks, and gloves as well as a scalloped yellow cape. Emblazoned on his chest was a bat symbol fronted by a red circle with a yellow ‘B’ inside. “I am the second Chief Man-Of-The-Bats, and this …” He pointed to the younger man outfitted in a yellow, green and red costume almost identical to the one the Robin wore when the ex-Boy Wonder became a full-time member of the Justice Society. “He is my son, the new Raven.”

Chapter 3 Superman recalled the tale that Batman had told him of these Native American homage heroes. Apparently the Mantle of the Bat had continued in the Plains as well.

“There is bad magic about,” Raven explained. “And were praying for a sign from Grandfather for help.”

“He has led you this way.” Chief Man-Of-The-Bats took up the yellow shield with a bat symbol in the center that had been resting at his feet. “Our entreaty has been answered.”

“Well, I suppose.” Superman rubbed his head sheepishly. He had never been a big fan of magic, but after years of experience with Dr. Fate, the Spectre, and the accursed Spear of Destiny, he knew better than to discount it. Still, he had felt no compulsion about coming this way today. Was it coincidence or was it something else? “Anyways, I’ll be glad to help. What’s the problem you’re facing?”

Raven slid his bow over his shoulder and strapped a quiver to his leg. “There is a group who take after a longtime foe of Chief Man-Of-The-Bats. We think they plan a Ghost Dance in order to bring him back.

“They are called,” Chief Man-Of-The-Bats said grimly,” the Black Elk Lodge.”

After that revelation, Superman joined Chief Man-Of-The-Bats and Raven as they walked back to their headquarters. Their Batcave was a massive cavern about two miles from where the duo had been sending up their smoke signal. As they walked, Superman noticed with his super-vision that there was an Indian reservation not too far off.

“I’m assuming that the members of this Black Elk Lodge live on the reservation?” Superman asked.

“Yes, Chief Man-Of-The-Bats replied. “That is the Kaw River Sioux Reservation. Black Elk, when he was among the living, plagued the reservation for many moons. My father, the original Chief Man-Of-The-Bats, stopped him at every turn. Eventually, Black Elk’s schemes led to his own death. But that has not stopped others from following his dark path. They formed the Lodge to honor his infamy and continue his … work.”

“Are you members of this tribe as well?” Superman wondered.

“That would be a reasonable assumption,” Chief Man-Of-The-Bats answered non-committally. “But our secret identities are very precious to us.”

“Of course,” Superman nodded and continued to walk. “By the looks of your costumes, it would seem that you’re a big fan of Robin’s fashion sense.”

“He is a good friend, and we have received his blessings to wear costumes based on what he wore,” Chief Man-Of-The-Bats explained. “When my father died, I did not want to be Chief, but meditation revealed to me that there must be a Chief Man-Of-The-Bats. However, I am not my father. I could not aspire to be the Chief he was. So I donned this costume, one that paid tribute to him but shows that I am not him, but the original Raven.”

“When Grandfather died,” Raven suddenly added, and Father would not be Chief, I set out to make my own mark. I became the Flying Fox. But when Father accepted his responsibility, I put the Flying Fox garb aside. Chief Man-Of-The-Bats needs a Raven at his side.” He smiled. “But I’m a little too old to run around barelegged in green shorts. Hence, this later costume of Robin’s.”

They finally reached the cavern entrance. Raven reached out a pulled down a seemingly innocuous vine hanging along the outside of the cave. Superman traced it with his X-ray vision and saw an elaborate mechanism that unsealed a previously unseen opening in the cave. The three heroes headed inside.

Once they were past the secret door, the cave opened up into a wide space. It was very reminiscent of the Batcave with which he was well-acquainted. There were trophies such as a gigantic stuffed bison and a huge Indian-head penny. There wasn’t much in terms of machinery but the place was electrically lit. He could hear the faint hum of a generator with his super-hearing. There were stacks of books and oversized local maps along the walls.

“Impressive operation you have here,” Superman noted.

“It can’t compare to the real Batcave, I’m sure,” Raven replied as he handed over to the Man of Steel some notes on the Black Elk Lodge.

“It’s enough for the job we have to do,” Chief Man-Of-The-Bats added. “And right now, our job is to squash this Lodge.”

Superman rifled through the notes and got up to speed on what Chief Man-Of-The-Bats and Raven had discovered and deduced about the Lodge. “Do they really think that they can raise Black Elk with a Ghost Dance?”

“They may be maniacal,” Chief Man-Of-The-Bats said dryly, “but their magic is strong. Otherwise, we would have put and end to them out by now.”

Raven smacked a green-gloved hand into the other. “They’ve got the entire reservation cowed. But with your help, we’ll find where there lodge-house is and put and end to this Ghost Dance.”

“Well, if their magic is genuinely real,” Superman bit his lip. “I may not be as much help as you might think. Magic and I don’t go well together.”

Chief Man-Of-The-Bats slapped Superman on the shoulder. “It will be our spirit that will carry the day for us. We are all men, after all, but a strong spirit can defeat any evil.”

“When you put it that way,” Superman smiled. “I guess I have nothing to fear.”

Chapter 4 Before heading out, Superman made a quick call back to Smallville on the family’s untraceable number. He let Lois know that he wouldn’t be home for supper. The patrol of the Kaw River Sioux Reservation wouldn’t start in earnest until nightfall. Once darkness descended, the Indian Avengers – Chief Man-Of-The-Bats and Raven – would be able to move more freely in search of the Black Elk Lodge.

When night did fall, Chief Man-Of-The-Bats and Raven stalked the housetops of the homes on the reservation while Superman surveyed from above. The Man of Steel was looking for any suspicious activities while the Indian Dynamic Duo was looking for some suspicious characters.

After an hour of reconnaissance sat perched on a rooftop, Chief Man-Of-The-Bats pointed out to Raven a man walking quickly through the streets. “See him? That’s Tommy Flying Horse. What’s he in such a hurry for?”

Raven nodded. “And why is he carrying that wood? His house is in the other direction.”

Chief Man-Of-The-Bats pulled out a pair of mini-binoculars from his utility belt and peered at Tommy’s nervous form. “That looks like chopped up saca tree. That’s no good for heating a house, but is good for …”

“A ceremonial fire for a Ghost Dance,” Raven continued. “We’ll have to follow him.”

Chief Man-Of-The-Bats nodded and replaced the binoculars. He now took out a flashlight with which he signaled Superman above. The Morse code message let the Man of Tomorrow know that there was a source to be followed. Chief Man-Of-The-Bats indicated the quarry by directing the beam momentarily at Tommy Flying Horse.

Oblivious to the pursuit behind him, Tommy reached an old dilapidated house on the northernmost branch of the riverbank. He knocked on the door and it swung open. He stepped inside and the door was quickly closed behind him.

Not too far away, Superman dropped softly from the sky next to the hidden Chief Man-Of-The-Bats and Raven. The house before them looked as if it had been built in the early days of the Reservation. Its architecture, at least what was left of it, was definitely before the turn of the century.

“I was expecting something a little more impressive,” Superman noted.

“Looks can be deceiving, especially when dark magic is involved,” Chief Man-Of-The-Bats replied. “As I’m sure you must know.”

“Speaking of looks, how about I take an x-ray one?” He focused in on the home, but he couldn’t get past the outer wall. Everything appeared to be a phantasmagoric blur when he tried to peer inside. “That’s rather peculiar.”

“Let me guess,” Raven said. “No luck getting inside?” He pointed to the dirt around the house. There was a white circle that wrapped all the way around it. “A magic circle.”

“Of course,” Chief Man-Of-The-Bats noted proudly at his son’s observation. He played his flashlight quickly over the line. “See how all the footprints do not intersect it. Everyone was very careful not to break the circle. Hard to say how many, though.” He turned off the flashlight. “I’d guess at least fifteen people have gone inside recently.”

“So probably all the members are there,” Raven said. “They’ll probably start soon.”

At that moment, the air was filled with a low rumble,, There were vibrations coming from the house, and dark, sinister smoke began floating up from the chimney.

“They’ve started the Ghost Dance. We have to go in now,” Chief Man-Of-The-Bats said determinedly.

Chapter 5 The trio of heroes moved quickly with Superman in the lead. Superman felt something like a small electric shock as he stepped over the magic circle’s edge. He tried the door, but it was locked. He exerted a slight amount of superhuman force but the doorknob would not turn. “Magic, he sighed.

“Let me try,” Chief Man-Of-The-Bats said. He turned back to Raven. “Break the circle. Perhaps some good spirits will be able to come to our aid.”

Chief Man-Of-The-Bats took hold of the doorknob and twisted to no avail. “It’s enchanted, but I can deal with this parlor trick.” He pulled out a tube from his utility belt and poured it on the lock. “Pure water from the Kaw. It can wash away minor magic.” It did. When he turned the knob, the door opened.

Raven now rejoined them, having messed up a sizeable portion of the circle’s circumference. “The air smells better already,” he smiled.

Superman couldn’t feel the electric tingle from the circle anymore, but there was a sense of evil coming from inside that didn’t take Dr. Fate to notice. “OK, let’s go in.”

Chief Man-Of-The-Bats opened the door fully to see the sinister scene inside. There were a dozen men in loincloths covered with ghastly painted design on their skin. They all surrounded the makeshift campfire that was where the original coal stove must have been. The smoke from the fire went up what was left of the stove’s piping up to the chimney.

There were three men standing on the opposite side of the room from the front door. They were similarly dressed and painted but their heads were covered by masks made from horned elk heads.

The middle elk-masked man pointed at the entering heroes. “You’re too late, Chief Man-Of-The-Bats. This Ghost Dance began long ago. We only had to add the last of the saca wood to the fire. Behold, he who will be the Savior of the Sioux is reborn!”

A spectral shape began forming in the fire and the smoke. Slowly it congealed into human form, although its naked skin was darker than obsidian. Antlers could be seen coming from the side of his head. As he turned, one could see that they were not a part of some headdress, they were a part of him. His eyes opened and they burned with a hellish red light.

“Is that …?” Superman asked, although he knew what the answer would be.

“It is Black Elk.” Chief Man-Of-The-Bats gripped his shield tightly as Raven fitted an arrow to his bow.

Chapter 6 The Ghost Dancers of the Black Elk Lodge looked up from their frenetic dancing to see that they had been successful. The spirit of Black Elk was in their midst. The dilapidated house was filled with whooping and yelling in celebration. The three heroes – Superman, Chief Man-Of-The-Bats, and Raven – were grimly silent.

The Lodge members now arranged themselves in front of the fire, positioning themselves between Black Elk and the heroes. The three elk-masked members came and stood beside Black Elk and the flames.

“Ah, the real world,” Black Elk hissed. His voice sounded otherworldly. “I have missed it.” His eyes focused on Chief Man-Of-The-Bats and Raven. “And my first sight is this?” he exclaimed with disdain. “My nemeses are here?”

“They came too late, O Great One,” answered the leader of the Lodge. “We of the Black Elk Lodge had already pierced the veil and brought you back from the Happy Hunting Grounds.”

“Where I was,” Black Elk snickered, “was anything but happy.”

“Return to your punishment,” Chief Man-Of-The-Bats declared firmly. “This world is no longer for you.”

A wry smile formed on Black Elk’s face. “So the brave has finally become Chief, eh, Little Raven? Your words are strong, but is your spirit?”

“You’ll find our spirits are strong enough,” Raven said. He took close aim, intent on driving an arrow through Black Elk’s heart.

“Ho,” Black Elk laughed fiendishly. “And who is this pup who has become a raven? Yet another son of Mighty Eagle? Yes, I now know what I thought to be true all those years. Secrets of this world are laid bare in the next.” His attention now turned to Superman. “And we have a guest – the Man of Steel.”

“I may not fully understand what’s going on here,” Superman replied, “but I know that your presence here is an abomination.”

“Such harsh words of greeting,” Black Elk mocked. “I have come in answer to the entreaty of these brave Sioux. I come to establish justice for the Sioux nation, to take back what was ours. And you call me an abomination.”

“That day is passed.” Chief Man-Of-The-Bats flipped his cape back. “Your days are passed.” He pulled out a feathered war-stick and let out a yell.

At the sound, Raven let his arrow fly. His aim was true but the result was ineffective. The missile passed through Black Elk’s ectoplasmic form.

Superman stomped forward towards the Ghost Dancers, bracing himself for what he presumed to be a painful magical encounter.

Black Elk looked down to where the arrow had pierced his chest. The ectoplasm that comprised his body had in fact been torn by the arrow, but it quickly reformed. “Your eye is sharp, little Raven,” he mocked. “Your arrow – not enough.” He raised his hands. “Forward, my Lodge. Destroy those who stand against us, who stand against the true destiny of the Sioux!”

“You’re insane,” Superman said as he stepped toward Black Elk. “You’re going back to whatever nether realm that death held for you.” The determination in his eyes gave pause to the Dancers who stood between him and Black Elk. He clapped his hands, and the resulting sound wave sent most of the Dancers tumbling. “My code is not to kill. You’re already dead. Don’t expect any quarter!”

“None is expected, none will be given, alien,” Black Elk said snidely. “You, who pretend to be a white man, but are more different from them than we, the rightful rulers of this land!”

Superman stepped past the downed Dancers. “We don’t have rulers. Everybody rules this country. It’s a democracy.”

Chief Man-Of-The-Bats and Raven quickly followed behind Superman as the Dancers were beginning to stir. They took up a defensive position behind the Man of Steel. “While you confront Black Elk, we will make sure the Dancers do not interfere,” Chief Man-Of-The-Bats proclaimed. He swatted with his war-stick at a Dancer who was trying to rise to his feet. Chief Man-Of-The-Bat’s shield then put the Dancer down on the floor again.

Superman scanned Black Elk with his super-vision. He couldn’t make sense out of what the ectoplasm that composed the fiend’s body. There wasn’t anything beneath the ectoplasmic skin. Black Elk’s body was pure ectoplasm.

After winding up, Superman delivered a devastating right cross that sent Black Elk flying across the room. The villain smashed into a wall and melted into a phosphorescent green puddle on the floor. Superman looked at his fist in mild amusement. “I wasn’t sure I’d even be able to touch him, much less finish him off so easily,” he thought. He walked towards the remains. He was only partially surprised when the puddle began to bubble and reform into Black Elk.

“A mighty blow,’ Black Elk hissed with disdain, “but not enough to destroy me!”

Superman rubbed his knuckles. “There’s more where that came from.”

Meanwhile, Chief Man-Of-The-Bats and Raven were engaged in a acrobatic battle with the Ghost Dancers. The Duo was a flurry of motion as they put down their opponents with stick and bow. Raven, for his part, was careful not to hit anything vital when he let his arrows fly. Not that he had much opportunity in the chaos of the battle to fit an arrow. More often than not, he was swatting at the Dancers with his bow.

The Dancers were by no means amateurs when it came to fighting, but Chief Man-Of-The-Bats and Raven were experts. As knives came flying at Chief Man-Of-The-Bats, his shield deflected them all.

Superman began to grapple with Black Elk. The evil spirit seemed the Man of Steel’s match when it came to strength. The pair strained against each other like two sumo wrestlers, neither moving as tremendous force was being applied by each of them.

“I’ve only just been revived,” Black Elk mocked. “And already I can go toe-to-toe with you. Once I master this new form, I will be unstoppable.”

Superman gritted his teeth and increased his efforts. “There’s more to a battle than pure strength.” After Black Elk matched his efforts, the Man of Steel let up and moved to the side. Without his resistance, Black Elk stumbled forward. Superman quickly took advantage and put Black Elk into a full-nelson hold.

Black Elk strained against Superman. The fiend’s face began to run with ectoplasmic sweat. Then he realized that he did not need to break Superman’s hold in order to escape it. He chided himself for thinking in terms of his now buried and rotted physical body. His new ectoplasmic form didn’t have the old physical limitations of the flesh. Accordingly he let himself dissolve slightly and he slid out of Superman’s grasp.

He reformed out of Superman’s reach and laughed. “You’re right. It’s not about strength, it’s about power.” He extended his hands and ectoplasmic energy erupted from them. The jagged bolts smashed against Superman and sent him reeling.

“The stuff burns!” Superman thought as he stumbled to regain his footing. “Not pleasant at all.” He filled his lungs deeply and buffeted Black Elk with a blast of super-breath. Ectoplasm tore away from Black Elk’s body, but once Superman’s gale ended, the bits reformed with the evil spirit.

“Superman!” Chief Man-Of-The-Bats called out amidst his won struggles. He was using his shield to pin one of the Dancers against a wall. “I fear even you can’t overcome an evil with physical might.”

Raven leapfrogged over one Dancer which allowed him to kick two others with either foot. He then whirled around to clobber his unwitting assistant with his bow. “Evil can be washed away. Like we did outside.”

Superman understood the reference and smiled. It certainly was worth a try. He was only tiring himself in this battle and Black Elk seemed no worse for wear. He launched himself forward and rocketed towards Black Elk at super-speed. Instead of striking the spirit, he simply grabbed Black Elk as he passed. He paid no mind to the wall that he smashed through with his unwilling passenger.

Black Elk tried striking out at Superman, but in a matter of seconds, the Man of Steel had already arrived at his destination – the banks of the Kaw River. Superman unceremoniously dropped Black Elk into the rushing water. The spirit plunged through the water’s surface, creating a hideous cloud of vapor upon impact. Hovering over the river, Superman watched as Black Elk’s form struggled to the surface.

Black Elk’s ectoplasmic body was being dissolved in the water of the river. His face was contorted in rage as he searched the sky for Superman. When he finally spotted the Man of Tomorrow, he unleashed a blast of supernatural energy. This time, Superman had plenty of time to avoid the assault.

“Chief Man-Of-The-Bats was right,” Superman thought. “Now to finish the job.” Exerting his super-breath, he generated a massive wave in the river. The water rushed towards Black Elk and the crest smashed into the spirit with thunderous impact. His ectoplasmic body was torn apart into millions of pieces that quickly dissolved into the river.

Superman returned to the house to find Chief Man-Of-The-Bats and Raven ensuring that the Ghost Dancers were firmly secure in rope bindings. The unholy fire had also been quenched.

“Black Elk?” Chief Man-Of-The-Bats asked as he noted Superman’s return.

“The Kaw River destroyed him. Even my super-vision couldn’t find even the slightest trace of his body. I didn’t know ectoplasm was so water soluble,” Superman replied with a smile.

Raven chuckled. “It wasn’t a scientific principle that did Black Elk in, it was a sacred principle. The Kaw is sacred to our tribe. Its purity will wash away any evil.”

Superman nodded. “I’ve seen enough in this world to not doubt it, even if I don’t understand it.” He looked around at the Ghost Dancers. “What will you do with them?”

“We’ll contact the reservation’s authorities,” Chief Man-Of-The-Bats answered. “They may not have committed any crime in the white man’s eyes, but the tribe put a prohibition on the Ghost Dance a long time ago. They will face Sioux justice.”

With that Superman took to the air. He waved to Chief Man-Of-The-Bats and Raven. “It was a pleasure to work with you. I hope our paths cross again soon.”

 

The End