Amalgam's WWII team of champions! THE ALL-STAR WINNERS SQUADRON!
Roll Call!
Super-Soldier*Leader
American Belle*Co-leader
Aqua-Mariner
Human Lantern
Union Jack
The Whiz
This story is set in the great Amalgam Golden Age.
Written by Thndrblt01, edited by Mikel Midnight
"Nightmare in . . . Blood!"
Outside of Nuremberg, Germany/August 26, 1942
Lord Theodore Knight stared outside of the window of the train as he passed through the German countryside. It almost was so beautiful that you could not tell that a war was going on. Knight was a tall, well-built man with lightly greying brown hair, and was wearing a respectable suit and a brown derby hat. The scenery started to become more visible and Ted could tell the train was coming to a halt. He stretched his head out the window and saw a train station swarming with Nazi soldiers. Knight closed his window and hurriedly picked up his satchel. Loud German voices came from down the hall as Knight jogged along the hallway and out of the car. As he did, the train started to move. A soldier spotted Knight out of the corner of his eye and called them all through the train after Knight. Come on boys, let's play, thought Knight. He quickly climbed up the ladder and onto the top of the train. Wind blew into his face as he crawled along the top spying at the ground below. A farmer's wagon slowly passed the train and Knight desperately sprang off the train onto the soft hay inhabiting the wagon.
Nazi officers were just ascending to the train crown and looked around in astonishment at no sight of Knight. Upset with themselves and what their superiors would now do, they commanded the engineer to stop the train and they exited. Knight was now far, far away from the train and felt an aura of temporary safety fall upon him. I'm glad those Germans couldn't catch up with me and if they did, what would happen to the world, pondered Knight as the cart rolled along the dirt road toward Frankfurt to distribute its goods. He felt his muscles ache from the fall. This is a young man's game with no place for old fools, he thought, as he burrowed deeper into the hay.
The eternal darkness of night was upon the Buchenwald concentration camp. Prisoners screamed in agony at the tortures subjected to them by their harsh jailers. "On your knees verrdammt Amerikans!" shouted Klaus, the executioner of Shack72. He turned toward a lone American private lying on the ground. "You shall be the first to die at my hands!" Klaus' hands gripped the private's neck. "I see how weak you Allies are! The Aryan will rule with an iron fist and crush every craven soul who dares step into our way! Prepare to meet your God, fool!" declared Klaus. Tears formed in the young man's eyes as the life was choked out of him by the second.
"Mein Herr! Maybe you would like to face me instead of a sick man, you powerful man, you!" Klaus turned to see a man in a yellow costume with a metal helmet on his head: the speedster known as, THE WHIZ!
Klaus spat toward the Whiz. "A true Aryan bows to no man, no matter his abilities. Face my wrath!" shouted Klaus as he charged the Whiz. The Whiz quickly stepped aside and Klaus fell face first into a broken cot which further collapsed under his weight. The Whiz silently sped around Klaus and tied and gagged him with ropes used for hanging prisoners. "MMMMM HGFF MM S!" uttered Klaus with his gag on.
"That takes care of your buddy boy," commented the Whiz, looking mournfully at the dead private. "Now, back to business." Jay Stewart sped across the camp and into a small building near the corner of the camp. He looked through the windows to find no one in the tiny structure. Jay went in, cautiously but quickly, and searched though the file drawers. He scattered papers everywhere, looking for the right one. "Aha! Looks like Mrs. Stewart's little boy just hit the jackpot!" he whispered to himself. With a small chuckle, he cleaned up the mess he made and went to the door. BAM! Jay fell to the ground with a thud. He turned to see a large man standing over him. He moved as fast as he could to get up. "Hey, who the hell are you buddy?" he asked, but only receive a kick to the jaw. This guy is beginning to become a major pain, thought Jay, "Now, my silent adversary, it's time for my fleet feet to dance on your face!"
"I think not, Herr Stewart," responded the dark figure.
"Wow, pretty boy can talk! And you know my name, but I don't have the pleasure of yours. Care to enlighten me?" asked Jay.
"It is not your concern right now fool. My Fuhrer has given me orders not to let you leave these grounds. I promised to follow them. By any means necessary." The man's voice was cold as ice and sent chills up Jay's spine. "Surrender or I wi-LLAHHHHH!" The figure fell to his knees and into the shadow of the building.
His scream surely will attract attention soon. I better check on him and get outta here as fast as my legs can carry me, thought Jay. He stepped into the darkness of the building only to find it uninhabited. I was sure he fell here, where could he go? Jay didn't care though, so he started to leave.
"Herr Stewart, don't leave now. The fun hasn't begun yet," the man's voice said, but Jay couldn't find where it had come from. "Now, to make good on my promise." The figure leapt out of the darkness onto the golden speedster. Jay fell to the ground and saw a hideous face staring at him in the darkness. The figure pierced Jay's neck with his glistening teeth. A searing pain shot through Jay as he slowly passed out. The figure dropped the hero's limp body to the ground and wiped the blood off his mouth. "What delicious blood that hero has. I wonder how Super-Soldier's will taste after I defeat his precious All-Star Winners Squadron?!
"They will all fall at the feet of . . . Baron Blood!" said the man. He lifted up the Whiz's body and disappeared into the darkness once more.
"The Whiz has been gone too long," said a worried Super-Soldier as he paced across the floor of the U.S. embassy in England.
"Maybe that impulsive buffoon got lost on his way to the camp. He can't even find his way around our clubhouse in Metropolis!" replied Jim Scott a.k.a. the Emerald Beacon of Justice, Human Lantern. He turned back to his game of solitaire he was playing. "One more king and I win it all . . . " Suddenly, Super-Soldier's foot kicked at the cards, scattering them in all directions.
"This is no time for jokes, Lantern! Peoples' lives are at stake and one of them is your friend. We need those plans he was sent to acquire. The war could be lost if it gets into the wrong hands," shouted Super-Soldier. He shook his head and turned away, frustrated.
"Gee, Clark. I didn't mean anything by it. Hey, where's Belle and Fish-Sticks?" Lantern asked while picking up his cards.
"American Belle and Aqua-Mariner are trying to dig up any information on the Nazis' secret leader in charge of 'Project: Starlight.' So far, they have had no success. If the Whiz doesn't return with the Starlight plans soon, the entire world may be in jeopardy!" said Super-Soldier.
"Clark!" cried a women's voice coming from the hall. In stepped American Belle followed by Namor, the Prince of Atlantis. "I think we've found something. A man named Von Strucker. He was a scientist for the German Secret Service before the war, and designed some heavy duty weapons. He disappeared after Hitler came into power. My informants have told me he's been working on a weapon that can cause the user to make objects of light and also make them fly! If the Axis produces these in great quantities, the Allies will fall for sure!" Belle's voice was filled with fear. "Has Jay returned?" She turned to Super-Soldier.
"He hasn't returned and I fear for the worst. We've waited too long. If we don't save the Whiz and get those plans, the Allies are done for. And that is not going to happen. Not on my honor," replied Super-Soldier. "All-Stars! To the All-Star Winners Flagship!" he proclaimed as they all went to the Curtis ascender, specially modified by Aqua-Mariner's Atlantean technology.
"I think I'll meet you there by other means Clark," said Aqua-Mariner, "Planes and I don't agree too well. I'll stick with the water."
"Just meet us at the hidden air base near Frankfurt." said Super-Soldier. Even though Super-Soldier talked without fear, he was afraid for the Whiz. If Jay had been hurt, those Krauts won't live to regret it, he thought as he boarded the plane.
The plane touched down onto the runway and slowly came to a halt. The heroes stepped out, looking around for Aqua-Mariner. "That slowpoke!" cried Lantern. "I'm gonna get him about this for a long time," he said to himself. Suddenly, Nazis swarmed the air base and surrounded the All-Star Winners. Aqua-Mariner was heard fighting a group of Nazis in the distance.
"Surrender Amerikans! Or else." said one Nazi holding a bull-horn.
"Never. I'll never surrender to scum like you," said Super-Soldier with a look of pride in his face.
"Very well. Auf Weidersehn." the Nazi said. Gunfire rained from all sides of the All-Star Winners.
Just in time, Human Lantern set up a shield around everyone, made of mystic flame. "It's time to show those Nazis what hero really means," uttered Super-Soldier as he flew above the shield, charging in to surprise the Germans. The shield-swinging soldier swiftly flew everywhere, clasping every machine gun and clumping them together into a large ball. He tossed the ball to the incoming Aqua-Mariner, victorious from his fight, who rolled the ball at the wall of Nazis without their guns. Not knowing what hit them, the Germans fell like ducks in a row. Belle lifted up soldiers who scattered away and threw them into a corral complete with a trough, made by Human Lantern. The Nazis fell face first into the mud. "I guess that takes care of those fools," said Super-Soldier, "now to find Jay. Belle, you and I will search the countryside north of here; Namor, you and Jim will search south. Let's move!" shouted Super-Soldier.
"Come on whelp. Let's go," said Aqua-Mariner with a tone of dislike in his voice.
"'Come on whelp. Let's go,'" mimicked Lantern. He then laughed out loud and followed Aqua-Mariner.
Super-Soldier and Belle flew over the German landscape looking for the camp where the plans were supposed to be kept. "Look!" said Belle as she pointed toward a lone camp in the middle of nowhere. As night began to fall, they could make an easier entrance. They landed next to an artillery shed. "We should split up, so we can find him quicker," Belle said to Super-Soldier.
"No, it's too dangerous! I can't risk losing another of my team!" Clark said.
"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself," she said with confidence. With that she walked away. Clark should stop worrying all the time, thought Belle, as she walked down a dark alley.
"Guten Abend, Fraulein. Nice weather we're having, isn't it?" said a voice from the shadows.
"Who. . . said that?" Belle said looking around. She swallowed loudly.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Lord Jonathan Knight. But you may call me. . . BARON BLOOD!" He leapt upon Belle and sank his teeth into her neck.
