JSA: The Face Of Evil

By Bruce Wayne

DISCLAIMER: Most of the characters portrayed in this story are copyright by DC Comics, an AOL/Time/Warner company. They are used without permission for entertainment without profit by the author.

CHAPTER 9

Selina Kyle looked out the rear window at the cars and trucks filled with 55 Nazi gunman who were now chasing them. Batman was driving the presidential limousine and first looked in the rearview mirror to see the same thing that Selina saw. He then looked at the speedometer -- it was holding at ninety.

Two pickup trucks and a car were actually gaining on Gotham City's Caped Crusader and the Catwoman, who now had charge of the President of the United States in the armored vehicle.

Men armed with assualt rifles and submachine guns were packed in the rear of the pickup trucks shooting at the limousine.

Batman punched his foot against the gas pedal, but there was no more speed in the limousine. It was carrying too much armor plating, and it handled poorly, compared to the Batmobile. It had taken a long time to get the specially armored Cadillac up to highway speed.

The nearer of the two pickup trucks was closing in on them.

"What are we going to do?" Selina asked.

"Something usually turns up," Batman replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she insisted.

"We'll have to wait and see."

"What?! I thought you had a plan?" she sneered.

"I always do," he answered.

Selina turned to look out the back window. Suddenly, there was a bright greenish glow that seemed to seperate the presidential limousine from its pursuers.

A beam from the ring of the Green Lantern began to develop into what appeared to be green brick wall blocking the middle of the road. The Nazi vehicles were going too fast and were too close to avoid the immovable barricade.

One of the pickup trucks exploded into several fragments, and the other truck swerved dangerously, cutting sharply to the right side of the road before slamming into the makeshift wall. Bodies were pitched from the open bed like trash blowing in the wind. The car came up fast and couldn't avoid the barricade. It smashed to a stop.

The other cars and trucks in the Nazi convoy saw what happened and were able to slow down enough to avoid the same fate as the three lead vehicles.

Batman brought the limousine to a stop and looked back to see what had happened. After momentarily looking at the wreckage, he picked up the radio microphone from under the dashboard. "Attack force -- move in," he said.

***

"Let's go!" Dr Mid-Nite shouted the words as he jumped into the Jeep beside Wildcat. "Hit the gas, Wildcat!"

Wildcat already had the Jeep in motion, turning off the small side trail onto the dirt road. Following the heroes were Military Police in a number of other Jeeps.

Dr Mid-Nite raised a hand microphone to his lips. "Come in, Atom. This is Mid-Nite. Go for it. Repeat, go for it!"

"We're coming in, Doc, ol' buddy!" came the reply from the radio. Putting the microphone down, the Atom looked to his companion in the appropriated car from the town. "Step on it, 'rific! I'm not gonna miss this," Atom shouted.

"Right you are, Atom," Mr Terrific laughed, cutting the wheel sharp right, swerving down the road at a high rate of speed.

The Atom slammed his right fist into his open left palm with a resounding smack. "Let's give 'em hell!"

***

Batman looked at the remaining portion of the Nazi armada behind him. He could see a Jeep with the familiar figures of Wildcat and Dr Mid-Nite approaching from behind. He knew that the Atom and Mr Terrific would arrive soon, as well.

Green Lantern gently floated to the ground, maintaining the conjured green wall between the presidential limousine and the Nazis.

The Caped Crusader told the President and Selina Kyle to stay in the car as he got out to join the Emerald Warrior.

Wildcat stopped his Jeep at the rear of the Nazi column. Dr Mid-Nite and himself jumped out of the vehicle and immediately began to engage with the nearest thugs.

"Let's go!" Green Lantern shouted to Batman.

One Nazi gunner jumped from the bed of a pickup and ran. Dr Mid-Nite clipped the fleeing man. The body sailed from the blow and bounced onto the hood of the Jeep, then crashed in front of the wheels. The man was down for the count.

A dozen of the Nazis were together, fighting as a unit, hand to hand with Batman and Green Lantern. The Caped Crusader ran to the left flank of the criminals as Green Lantern kept his position between the limo and the Nazis.

One ... two ... three of the thugs were dropped by Batman in quick order.

One Nazi attempted to attack Batman with a bayonet while another jockeyed into position to fire his rifle. Green Lantern's power ring took care of the rifle by melting it into a puddle.

Batman snapped out with a karate chop to the back of the bayonet man's head. The neck snapped with an audible crunch and the man fell to the ground unconscious.

The Masked Manhunter stepped forward on his left foot, pivoting ninety degrees, until he was between Green Lantern and the second Nazi. He was in fluid motion, and he felt the would-be gunman fall away as his boot hit the man's chest.

The Atom and Mr Terrific had joined Wildcat and Dr Mid-Nite at the rear of the column. The Atom wasted no time getting into the battle. He took out two gunman with a couple of devastating punches.

Dr Mid-Nite and Wildcat teamed up to teach two more Nazi riflemen a lesson they soon wouldn't forget.

Mr Terrific pressed his advantage and disarmed a pistol-wielding man and kicked the man in the crotch. "Not exactly 'Fair Play,'" he thought to himself. As his adversary doubled over, Mr Terrific unleased a vicious face slash with the back of his hand to the nose of the Nazi. The thug fell at his feet, and Mr Terrific stepped away, searching for a new opponent.

Army vehicles were now approaching the scene of the carnage. Their job was to mop up and take custody of the prisoners.

Batman looked around. There was no more fighting. Wildcat let go of a body and it sagged to the ground like a sack of onions.

Dr Mid-Nite stood still, bodies flanking him.

Green Lantern looked around, his eyes flickered from the side to side, seeing no more opponents.

The situation in and now near Reddington was under control, thanks to the efforts of the JSA. False-Face, Batman thought, was next.

***

Batman stood beside one of the tanks. His Justice Society teammates were surrounding him. Selina Kyle had returned to the town to attend to the welfare of the nuns and the children. It was a side of her that the Gotham Avenger had never seen, a human side.

The crimefighters were alone now with the President of the United States.

In the distance stood the Air Force sergeant with the nuclear codes that were referred to as the "football."

"Gentlemen," said the President. "I've seen what I need to. They had me trapped -- your Miss Kyle got me out of that. And you all got us out of that mess in the school. If anybody should take charge of whatever operation we can mount against False-Face to free those present at the joint session, it should be you gentlemen."

"I know a lot of people in the government who aren't going to like that," Batman replied.

"I'll tell you something, Batman," the President smiled. "When my administration took office, I was faced with two choices. Either participate in a doomed popularity contest and bring back rack and ruin to the greatest nation on the face of the earth, or do what I thought was right for the American people, the American system of government. I chose the latter --" and he grinned. "I was elected to elect that, if you get my meaning, and I haven't regretted it yet. Right now, the right choice is the Justice Society of America. You've dealt with False-Face, defeated him before --"

"We only stalled him, Mr President," Dr Mid-Nite interrupted. "He got away from us in Gateway City, then in London and again in Florida."

"But you stopped him," the President said. "And I'm going to gamble on all of you doing it this time. You can have all the support you want, all you need, all I can give you. We can't accede to False-Face's demands, whatever they'll be. We can't let him walk away from this either. Alive or dead, he's got to be stopped."

"He'll never be taken alive, Mr President. But maybe we can stop him," Batman responded.

"You'll have carte blanche."

The Atom chimed in, "Gee -- thanks. Can I have a credit card, too?" He laughed at his own joke, such as it was.

The Justice Society of America had been charged with the most important task in the history of the American government -- to save it from a man who held it hostage, a man who seemed almost inhumanly evil.

***

"Is that you, Colonel Flagg?"

Colonel Sam Flagg stepped closer to the closed-circuit television camera in the temporary war room he had set up in the Ways and Means Committee office. The irony of the choice had not been lost on him at the time.

He could see False-Face on the black-and-white television monitor. The man looked identical to the vanished -- and, Flagg presumed, dead -- under secretary of agriculture.

And False-Face could now see him, he knew, through a similar closed-circuit setup that the villian had insisted be installed.

"Yes," he told the camera, looking at his monitor to see False-Face. "I'm Colonel Sam Flagg, retired. I'm a case officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. I've been working on your case."

"Good. Please rest assured that dealing with an inferior does not offend me. I'll take things appropriately slowly for you." False-Face smiled.

Flagg gritted his teeth. Right now, he was in charge of efforts to stop this Nazi maniac until some final plan was formulated.

"I'm glad it doesn't bother you, False-Face. "I'll do the best I can to keep up with you."

"Excellent. I'm glad to hear that. Should I momentarily forget your name while we speak, I'll simply call you 'idiot' -- I'm sure you've answered to that many times. Is that correct?"

False-Face was waiting, Flagg realized, for the answer he wanted. Flagg gave it to him. "I've been called that before, False-Face."

"Good, why don't we proceed, then. These are my demands. Please don't forget any. If they are not met promptly and to the letter, many people will die in various parts of the world. Millions of people will die. I will read a list of names shortly. After that I will read a list of atomic weapons sites throughout the United States and the Soviet Union. The men whom I name will soon arrive at these locations. They are to be given control of these installations. Once these locations are completely under the control of my personnel, the hostages in Reddington will be released unharmed. For I will dominate the entire earth through the threat of the ultimate atomic holocaust. Were you able to follow that, idiot?"

Colonel Flagg raged inside. "May I make a personal note, False-Face?"

"By all means, please do."

"I hope I live to piss on your grave."

False-Face only laughed, then began to read his list of names. Six reel-to- reel tape recorders recorded it all, in addition to two stenographers. Colonel Flagg stood there listening hoping that the costumed heroes of the Justice Society of America could make it back to Washington in time to stop this Nazi madman.

To be continued ...