JSA: Land Of The Thuggee
By Bruce Wayne
Justice Society of America created by Gardner Fox
Dedicated to ME, who has taught me more about being philosophical than anyone.
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 5
"I still find this so very hard to believe," Colonel Sangh said, shaking his head with dismay. "How could Sergeant Din be a Thuggee? We checked his background most carefully before accepting him into the Criminal Investigation Department."
"No personnel checks are fail proof," Hawkman replied as he stood beside the CID colonel's desk. "You're always going to get a few paranoids, psychopaths and secret fanatics."
"This is terrible," Sangh said, literally wringing his hands like a spinster waiting for the telephone to ring. "I'm no longer certain I can trust the people in my own department."
"Colonel," Hawkman said, "you must be suspicious of virtually everyone, including people on your side or in your organization. They're in a position to cause you the most harm."
"Well," Sangh said with a sigh, "I certainly wouldn't blame you if you didn't trust us now."
"Whatever gave ya the idea we trusted ya to begin with?" the Atom replied as he paced the floor of Sangh's office like a caged lion.
The local police had arrived at the Peacock's Plume a few minutes after the battle with the Thuggees had ended. One of the cops spoke English, and he agreed to let Hawkman call CID headquarters. When Sangh and his men showed up, the police happily relinquished the case to the CID. Cops throughout the world have one common trait -- they do not want to get involved in a political incident.
After tearing the tavern apart looking for clues, the CID cuffed the losers of the fight and took them to headquarters. Hawkman and Atom flew back to Sangh's office. The CID colonel seemed terribly embarrassed by the incident. The conversation with the Justice Society pair in his office did nothing to ease Sangh's distressed attitude.
"Please don't take offense, Colonel," Hawkman urged, once again trying to help the CID officer save face. "But we have to be suspicious. If you ever want to talk to someone about being suspicious, you should talk to our colleague who is called Batman."
"I just never imagined such things happening within my organization," Sangh admitted.
"Which is exactly why ya were vulnerable to infiltration," the Atom growled. "I just hope the guys you assigned as guides and translators to assist the other members of our team don't turn out to be Thuggees, as well."
Starman, Hourman and Wonder Woman had flown to Calcutta to investigate the murder of Fred Knapp. Two CID agents had accompanied the larger JSA group to Calcutta. Both men were bilingual, speaking Hindi and English. Lieutenant Tagore was also a helicopter pilot, and Sergeant Sar Ray was born and raised in the Bengal region. Hawkman fould little comfort in this information since the Thuggees traditionally recruited most of their members from Bengal.
The telephone on Sangh's desk rang and the colonel hastily answered it. He smiled with relief when he recognized the voice of Lieutenant Tagore.
"The other members of your team are in Calcutta," Sangh told Hawkman. "Should I tell the lieutenant to put one of them on the phone so you may speak with him?"
"Please," Hawkman replied.
Sangh handed the phone to the American.
"Hawkman here," he said into the mouthpiece.
"This is Starman," the voice announced. "We haven't had much luck here. Nobody knows anything about Knapp's death that hasn't already been reported to the police. The most detailed information was Susan Knapp's report to the cops, and it wasn't worth a damn. She described the assassins as 'Indians.' Lot of help that is. The police found the Jeep that the phony guide had used to set up the Knapps for ambush. The vehicle had been stolen a couple of days earlier from a legit tour-guide service. Whoever stole it had enough sense to paint the Jeep a different color, change the license plates and wipe off fingerprints."
"Apparently the Thuggees have learned to appreciate a few changes since the 1840s," Hawkman commented. "I don't like talking freely on an open telephone line, but we've had an incident here. Our CID guide led us right into an ambush."
"Wow," Starman rasped. "Didn't take long for --"
"If the CID men with your group are within hearing," Hawkman said sharply, "be careful what you say. Either one or both of them could be Thugs. For that matter, this line could be tapped. Better get back to New Delhi. I don't like us being seperated like this when the villains are stalking us. Divide and conquer is not just a slogan, it's good strategy."
"Okay," the hero from Opal City said. "We'll head back pronto."
"Be careful," Hawkman warned.
"Right," Starman confirmed. "See you in New Delhi."
Hawkman returned the black receiver to its cradle.
Really, Hawkman," Colonel Sangh said wearily, "don't you think it's a bit excessive to talk about the phones being tapped? After all, we're dealing with a religious cult, not an international spy ring."
"We can't be entirely sure what we're dealing with just yet," Hawkman replied. "But we certainly can't underestimate the Thugs. They've managed to carry out fifty-three murders without being apprehended by the police or the CID. They managed to slip at least one agent into your organization who wasn't detected until today. Cult or not, they function like a highly sophisticated organization that is capable of anything."
"Good point," the Atom agreed. "But ya realize those guys in the Peacock's Plume didn't use guns."
"A sacrifice to Kali has to be without shedding blood," Hawkman explained. "I told you about the legend."
"Right," Atom replied. "They have to kill with a yellow scarf."
"In the past the Thuggees have killed other Indians as well as foreigners. This time, it appears the cult has been selecting only outsiders from the West."
The Atom mused, "The followers of Kali might have decided that Americans are devils such as those mentioned in the legend."
"That wouldn't explain why they're killing Europeans and Britons," Colonel Sangh commented.
"Resentment against the British is hardly new in India," Atom replied. "As long as the Thugs are huntin' down devils, why not include the English devils of the past? You guys haven't gotten along too well with the French, either -- of course, nobody else does. The Thugs might have added them to the list. The other Europeans who were victims might have been mistaken for another nationality."
"That's possible," Hawkman admitted. "But there could be more to this."
"You mean somebody is pullin' the Thugs' strings for another reason?" the dimunitive fighting ace remarked. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time somethin' like this happened."
"If you'll forgive me for saying this," Sangh began, "you two are jumping to conclusions."
"We're not reaching any conclusions just yet," Hawkman corrected. "But we are considering some possibilities. Perhaps you could do us a favor, Colonel."
"A favor?" Sangh said with a sigh, aware that he had little choice about obeying any "request" the JSA might make. "What is it, Hawkman?"
"Please find out the locations of temples and worship halls dedicated to the goddess Bhowani," Hawkman said. "I doubt that any Thuggees would openly worship Kali, but the goddess is also known under several other names that aren't usually connected to the cult of stranglers."
"I'll see what my people can come up with," Sangh answered. "But there are probably hundreds of such temples scattered throughout India and none of them are necessarily connected with the Thuggees."
"I realize that," Hawkman confirmed. "But have your people do a check for anything that may have been reported as unusual activity at any of these temples. Traditionally, the Thugs would chant themselves into a frenzy and then slip into some sort of self-hypnosis. Their priests would carry an odd- looking pickax with a silver blade. They'd communicate using sign language and code phrases. Perhaps some of their people got careless in public. If you don't turn up anything suspicious with Bhowani temples, run a check on temples dedicated to Shiva."
"Shiva?" Sangh glared at the American. "Shiva is one of the great Hindu triad. There are literally thousands of temples erected in his honor."
"I know it's quite a task," Hawkman nodded. "Shiva is the god of destruction and recreation. The Thugs believe Kali to be Shiva's daughter. Her powers are supposed to be quite similar to his. It's possible they'd use the father's temple to worship their goddess."
"Anything else?" Sangh asked, almost afraid to voice the question.
"Yeah," the Justice Society of America chairman replied. "I want you to contact Mister Waldo and pass the same request to the CIA. They like to keep records on everybody and everything. Let's see if the CIA has any interesting oddities that your section might not have on file."
"Or better yet," the Atom added, "if both CID and CIA have reports of strange activity at the same temple."
"Where will you two be?" Sangh inquired.
"We've got a few other things to check on our own," Hawkman said as he moved toward the door. "Don't worry. We'll get in touch with you, Colonel."
"I'm sure," Sangh said, his voice filled with resignation.
^J^ ^S^ ^A^
Hawkman and the Atom met the other members of the Justice Society of America when they returned from Calcutta. They told their teammates the details concerning the incident at the Peacock's Plume. The heroes of the JSA were crimefighting veterans. They had experienced other missions that seemed to go sour as soon as they began, but that did not make them feel any better about the way things seemed to be going so far in India.
"Great Hera," Wonder Woman muttered, expressing everybody's sentiment. "Who would have thought the evildoers would have agents inside the Indian CID?"
"I should have considered that possibility before Sergeant Din led Atom and me into a trap," Hawkman replied. "After what we experienced with False- Face, I should have suspected something like this might happen."
"Hell, Hawkman," Starman sighed. "You're not Nostradamus. We don't expect you to be able to see into the future like Sandman. We don't even expect you to be perfect all the time."
"That's right," the Atom added. "You're almost always right, Hawk. To tell ya the truth, it gets a bit annoying at times. Though ya still ain't as bad as Batty and Mister Terrific."
Hawkman smiled, warming to the comradery of his teammates. The Justice Society was his family. He would gladly lay down his life for any one of them.
The members of the JSA put their lives on the line every time they set out on a case. Any one of them could be killed before they completed their assignment in India. But they were crimefighters and this was what they were born to do, as surely as an artist is meant to paint and a writer is meant to write. And none of them would have wanted it any other way.
The four men and one woman conversed inside a deserted airplane hangar at a military airstrip on the soutskirts of New Delhi.
"Maybe we shouldn't deal with the CID at all," Hourman suggested. "If the Thugs managed to get one agent inside Sangh's outfit, they've probably got other moles in the organization."
"Well, Lieutenant Tagore and Sergeant Sar Ray didn't lead us into a trap in Calcutta," Starman remarked.
"They haven't yet," Wonder Woman replied. "I don't care much for that rude Mister Waldo, but I think I'd feel a little more secure if we were just working with CIA on this case. But there might be double agents inside the CIA, as well.. Any organization that gathers covert information in a foreign land has to use native 'cutouts.' That means there are a lot of Indians on the CIA payroll. Besides, the Thugs aren't the only people who know how to put a mole in place."
"I think I know what you mean," Hourman commented thoughtfully. "It's funny that all the victims of the Thuggees have been nasty capitalists from the decadent West. I don't care if these guys worship Kali and use silk garrotes instead of bombs and guns. The Thuggees are still acting like murderers being manipulated by an expert puppet master."
"If that's true," Starman mused, "Who do think it might be? Anyone we know or have been up against before? How about the Thinker? Or Ultra-Humanite?"
"I doubt that the Thinker is responsible," Hawkman said. "This is not his style. He's more involved, not so much pulling strings. He's more 'hands- on.'"
"How about Vandal Savage? It's like him to stay behind the scenes and manipulate underlings," the Atom declared.
"Okay," Starman said. "Let's assume for a moment that Vandal Savage is behind this Thuggee business. Why?"
"To have an army of fanatical assassins to do his bidding," Hawkman began. "India also has lots of internal problems between Hindus and Moslems and militant Sikhs who want a seperate country. This country is not in very good political or economic condition. Perhaps Savage figures he might be able to carve out a little real estate of his own. If the murders that the Thuggees commit can drive a wedge between the West and India, his chances of being able to take over some Indian territory look pretty good."
"It'd be a sly move," Atom added. "With Western nations unhappy with the Indian government, no one is likely to come to their aid if Savage and an army of Thugs takes over some territory."
"That could lead to a very dangerous situation," Wonder Woman remarked. "A country run by a rogue."
"We might be blowing this whole thing out of proportion," Starman said. "But we'd better take care of these Thuggees PDQ -- just in case we've guessed right."
"Merciful Minerva," Wonder Woman groaned. "And we can't trust the people we're forced to work with."
"We can't operate entirely on our own here," Hawkman responded. "We're pretty much deaf, dumb and blind here without help from insiders. We don't have any choice. We have to work with the CIA and the Indian CID. We just can't trust them too much."
"What about questioning the prisoners being held at CID headquarters?" Hourman suggested. "Abdul and the other Thugs?"
"Abdul is in a state of severe shock," Hawkman replied. "I'm afraid the Atom and I bashed him a bit too hard. The other fellows weren't hurt much."
"I'll get Lieutenant Tagore to translate for me," Wonder Woman announced. "Any of the prisoners I question will be compelled to tell me the truth thanks to my golden lariat."
"Well," the Justice Society chairman began, "let's get something to eat before we go back to the trenches."
"Hey, I wonder if it's okay to drink the water here," Hourman said.
"We'll let you drink and watch what happens to ya, buddy," the Atom said jokingly.
"Nice to have friends you can count on," Hourman said.
^J^ ^S^ ^A^
Wonder Woman examined the Thuggee locked in cell in the basement jail of the Indian DID building. After trying for several minutes, the amazing Amazon decided that even with the magical lariat, the man was not going to tell her what she wanted to know. None of the prisoners had told her anything she didn't already know.
"Lieutenant Tagore tells me that the men just sit on the floor of their cells and meditate," Wonder Woman told the other members of the JSA as she joined them in a small officers' lounge. "They chant softly, repeating 'Kali' over and over. They won't answer any of my questions. It's like their minds don't belong to them. They won't even tell the Indian authorities if they're hungry or thirsty. I think the Indians have been a little rough with them, but that didn't work or the CID isn't tell us what they said."
"The guys are fanatics," Hourman commented with a shrug. "You can't compel a true zealot that way."
"My magical lariat has always worked," Wonder Woman repeated. "But the subjects do appear to be demented. They even claim to have seen the goddess Kali, or maybe it was a statue of Kali the goddess had brought to life. Tagore tells me the men weren't sure which it was. They said Kali's arms were moving like an octopus."
"They're nuts all right," Hourman remarked.
"We might have another decent lead, thanks to the record check by the CID and the CIA," Hawkman put in.
"Which they wouldn't have done if you hadn't twisted their arms," the Atom growled.
"The CID had a police report from Bombay filed away," Hawkman told Wonder Woman. "A begger apparently heard voices chanting inside a Bhowani temple. Although it was late at night, the begger decided to enter and ask for alms. Inside, according to this fellow, the temple was full of worshippers. When he called out for alms and extended a palm, somebody grabbed him from behind and began to throttle him with a cord."
"Sounds like somebody doesn't like to be disturbed," Starman commented.
"The begger said a number of other Bhowani followers approached," Hawkman continued. "Some of these carried yellow cloth knotted at the center. However, a voice suddenly shouted to the assailants to release the begger. Naturally he bolted from the temple and went to the police. Nobody took his story very seriously."
"He was poor and from the wrong caste," Wonder Woman said grimly. "I'm surprised the CID bothered to keep the report."
"I think they still had it on file by accident," Hawkman replied. "Probably forgot the throw it out ... fortunately for us."
"Didn't the CIA also have something on the same temple?" Starman asked.
"Yes," Hawkman confirmed. "But it isn't as dramatic. Just a few entries in a log about a large number of Bhowani followers congregated in the place between the hours of ten p.m. and four in the morning. CIA thought it might be a covert political rally of some sort, but they weren't terribly interested, either."
"Well," Hourman said with a grin, "sounds like maybe somebody should look into it."
"We will," Hawkman answered. "But keep in mind that these people might be perfectly innocent. No stormtrooper tactics. We'll find out if these fellows are Thuggees and handle the situation accordingly."
"We understand," the Atom assured him. "Let's go and pay these guys a little visit."
To be continued ...
By Bruce Wayne
Justice Society of America created by Gardner Fox
Dedicated to ME, who has taught me more about being philosophical than anyone.
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 5
"I still find this so very hard to believe," Colonel Sangh said, shaking his head with dismay. "How could Sergeant Din be a Thuggee? We checked his background most carefully before accepting him into the Criminal Investigation Department."
"No personnel checks are fail proof," Hawkman replied as he stood beside the CID colonel's desk. "You're always going to get a few paranoids, psychopaths and secret fanatics."
"This is terrible," Sangh said, literally wringing his hands like a spinster waiting for the telephone to ring. "I'm no longer certain I can trust the people in my own department."
"Colonel," Hawkman said, "you must be suspicious of virtually everyone, including people on your side or in your organization. They're in a position to cause you the most harm."
"Well," Sangh said with a sigh, "I certainly wouldn't blame you if you didn't trust us now."
"Whatever gave ya the idea we trusted ya to begin with?" the Atom replied as he paced the floor of Sangh's office like a caged lion.
The local police had arrived at the Peacock's Plume a few minutes after the battle with the Thuggees had ended. One of the cops spoke English, and he agreed to let Hawkman call CID headquarters. When Sangh and his men showed up, the police happily relinquished the case to the CID. Cops throughout the world have one common trait -- they do not want to get involved in a political incident.
After tearing the tavern apart looking for clues, the CID cuffed the losers of the fight and took them to headquarters. Hawkman and Atom flew back to Sangh's office. The CID colonel seemed terribly embarrassed by the incident. The conversation with the Justice Society pair in his office did nothing to ease Sangh's distressed attitude.
"Please don't take offense, Colonel," Hawkman urged, once again trying to help the CID officer save face. "But we have to be suspicious. If you ever want to talk to someone about being suspicious, you should talk to our colleague who is called Batman."
"I just never imagined such things happening within my organization," Sangh admitted.
"Which is exactly why ya were vulnerable to infiltration," the Atom growled. "I just hope the guys you assigned as guides and translators to assist the other members of our team don't turn out to be Thuggees, as well."
Starman, Hourman and Wonder Woman had flown to Calcutta to investigate the murder of Fred Knapp. Two CID agents had accompanied the larger JSA group to Calcutta. Both men were bilingual, speaking Hindi and English. Lieutenant Tagore was also a helicopter pilot, and Sergeant Sar Ray was born and raised in the Bengal region. Hawkman fould little comfort in this information since the Thuggees traditionally recruited most of their members from Bengal.
The telephone on Sangh's desk rang and the colonel hastily answered it. He smiled with relief when he recognized the voice of Lieutenant Tagore.
"The other members of your team are in Calcutta," Sangh told Hawkman. "Should I tell the lieutenant to put one of them on the phone so you may speak with him?"
"Please," Hawkman replied.
Sangh handed the phone to the American.
"Hawkman here," he said into the mouthpiece.
"This is Starman," the voice announced. "We haven't had much luck here. Nobody knows anything about Knapp's death that hasn't already been reported to the police. The most detailed information was Susan Knapp's report to the cops, and it wasn't worth a damn. She described the assassins as 'Indians.' Lot of help that is. The police found the Jeep that the phony guide had used to set up the Knapps for ambush. The vehicle had been stolen a couple of days earlier from a legit tour-guide service. Whoever stole it had enough sense to paint the Jeep a different color, change the license plates and wipe off fingerprints."
"Apparently the Thuggees have learned to appreciate a few changes since the 1840s," Hawkman commented. "I don't like talking freely on an open telephone line, but we've had an incident here. Our CID guide led us right into an ambush."
"Wow," Starman rasped. "Didn't take long for --"
"If the CID men with your group are within hearing," Hawkman said sharply, "be careful what you say. Either one or both of them could be Thugs. For that matter, this line could be tapped. Better get back to New Delhi. I don't like us being seperated like this when the villains are stalking us. Divide and conquer is not just a slogan, it's good strategy."
"Okay," the hero from Opal City said. "We'll head back pronto."
"Be careful," Hawkman warned.
"Right," Starman confirmed. "See you in New Delhi."
Hawkman returned the black receiver to its cradle.
Really, Hawkman," Colonel Sangh said wearily, "don't you think it's a bit excessive to talk about the phones being tapped? After all, we're dealing with a religious cult, not an international spy ring."
"We can't be entirely sure what we're dealing with just yet," Hawkman replied. "But we certainly can't underestimate the Thugs. They've managed to carry out fifty-three murders without being apprehended by the police or the CID. They managed to slip at least one agent into your organization who wasn't detected until today. Cult or not, they function like a highly sophisticated organization that is capable of anything."
"Good point," the Atom agreed. "But ya realize those guys in the Peacock's Plume didn't use guns."
"A sacrifice to Kali has to be without shedding blood," Hawkman explained. "I told you about the legend."
"Right," Atom replied. "They have to kill with a yellow scarf."
"In the past the Thuggees have killed other Indians as well as foreigners. This time, it appears the cult has been selecting only outsiders from the West."
The Atom mused, "The followers of Kali might have decided that Americans are devils such as those mentioned in the legend."
"That wouldn't explain why they're killing Europeans and Britons," Colonel Sangh commented.
"Resentment against the British is hardly new in India," Atom replied. "As long as the Thugs are huntin' down devils, why not include the English devils of the past? You guys haven't gotten along too well with the French, either -- of course, nobody else does. The Thugs might have added them to the list. The other Europeans who were victims might have been mistaken for another nationality."
"That's possible," Hawkman admitted. "But there could be more to this."
"You mean somebody is pullin' the Thugs' strings for another reason?" the dimunitive fighting ace remarked. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time somethin' like this happened."
"If you'll forgive me for saying this," Sangh began, "you two are jumping to conclusions."
"We're not reaching any conclusions just yet," Hawkman corrected. "But we are considering some possibilities. Perhaps you could do us a favor, Colonel."
"A favor?" Sangh said with a sigh, aware that he had little choice about obeying any "request" the JSA might make. "What is it, Hawkman?"
"Please find out the locations of temples and worship halls dedicated to the goddess Bhowani," Hawkman said. "I doubt that any Thuggees would openly worship Kali, but the goddess is also known under several other names that aren't usually connected to the cult of stranglers."
"I'll see what my people can come up with," Sangh answered. "But there are probably hundreds of such temples scattered throughout India and none of them are necessarily connected with the Thuggees."
"I realize that," Hawkman confirmed. "But have your people do a check for anything that may have been reported as unusual activity at any of these temples. Traditionally, the Thugs would chant themselves into a frenzy and then slip into some sort of self-hypnosis. Their priests would carry an odd- looking pickax with a silver blade. They'd communicate using sign language and code phrases. Perhaps some of their people got careless in public. If you don't turn up anything suspicious with Bhowani temples, run a check on temples dedicated to Shiva."
"Shiva?" Sangh glared at the American. "Shiva is one of the great Hindu triad. There are literally thousands of temples erected in his honor."
"I know it's quite a task," Hawkman nodded. "Shiva is the god of destruction and recreation. The Thugs believe Kali to be Shiva's daughter. Her powers are supposed to be quite similar to his. It's possible they'd use the father's temple to worship their goddess."
"Anything else?" Sangh asked, almost afraid to voice the question.
"Yeah," the Justice Society of America chairman replied. "I want you to contact Mister Waldo and pass the same request to the CIA. They like to keep records on everybody and everything. Let's see if the CIA has any interesting oddities that your section might not have on file."
"Or better yet," the Atom added, "if both CID and CIA have reports of strange activity at the same temple."
"Where will you two be?" Sangh inquired.
"We've got a few other things to check on our own," Hawkman said as he moved toward the door. "Don't worry. We'll get in touch with you, Colonel."
"I'm sure," Sangh said, his voice filled with resignation.
^J^ ^S^ ^A^
Hawkman and the Atom met the other members of the Justice Society of America when they returned from Calcutta. They told their teammates the details concerning the incident at the Peacock's Plume. The heroes of the JSA were crimefighting veterans. They had experienced other missions that seemed to go sour as soon as they began, but that did not make them feel any better about the way things seemed to be going so far in India.
"Great Hera," Wonder Woman muttered, expressing everybody's sentiment. "Who would have thought the evildoers would have agents inside the Indian CID?"
"I should have considered that possibility before Sergeant Din led Atom and me into a trap," Hawkman replied. "After what we experienced with False- Face, I should have suspected something like this might happen."
"Hell, Hawkman," Starman sighed. "You're not Nostradamus. We don't expect you to be able to see into the future like Sandman. We don't even expect you to be perfect all the time."
"That's right," the Atom added. "You're almost always right, Hawk. To tell ya the truth, it gets a bit annoying at times. Though ya still ain't as bad as Batty and Mister Terrific."
Hawkman smiled, warming to the comradery of his teammates. The Justice Society was his family. He would gladly lay down his life for any one of them.
The members of the JSA put their lives on the line every time they set out on a case. Any one of them could be killed before they completed their assignment in India. But they were crimefighters and this was what they were born to do, as surely as an artist is meant to paint and a writer is meant to write. And none of them would have wanted it any other way.
The four men and one woman conversed inside a deserted airplane hangar at a military airstrip on the soutskirts of New Delhi.
"Maybe we shouldn't deal with the CID at all," Hourman suggested. "If the Thugs managed to get one agent inside Sangh's outfit, they've probably got other moles in the organization."
"Well, Lieutenant Tagore and Sergeant Sar Ray didn't lead us into a trap in Calcutta," Starman remarked.
"They haven't yet," Wonder Woman replied. "I don't care much for that rude Mister Waldo, but I think I'd feel a little more secure if we were just working with CIA on this case. But there might be double agents inside the CIA, as well.. Any organization that gathers covert information in a foreign land has to use native 'cutouts.' That means there are a lot of Indians on the CIA payroll. Besides, the Thugs aren't the only people who know how to put a mole in place."
"I think I know what you mean," Hourman commented thoughtfully. "It's funny that all the victims of the Thuggees have been nasty capitalists from the decadent West. I don't care if these guys worship Kali and use silk garrotes instead of bombs and guns. The Thuggees are still acting like murderers being manipulated by an expert puppet master."
"If that's true," Starman mused, "Who do think it might be? Anyone we know or have been up against before? How about the Thinker? Or Ultra-Humanite?"
"I doubt that the Thinker is responsible," Hawkman said. "This is not his style. He's more involved, not so much pulling strings. He's more 'hands- on.'"
"How about Vandal Savage? It's like him to stay behind the scenes and manipulate underlings," the Atom declared.
"Okay," Starman said. "Let's assume for a moment that Vandal Savage is behind this Thuggee business. Why?"
"To have an army of fanatical assassins to do his bidding," Hawkman began. "India also has lots of internal problems between Hindus and Moslems and militant Sikhs who want a seperate country. This country is not in very good political or economic condition. Perhaps Savage figures he might be able to carve out a little real estate of his own. If the murders that the Thuggees commit can drive a wedge between the West and India, his chances of being able to take over some Indian territory look pretty good."
"It'd be a sly move," Atom added. "With Western nations unhappy with the Indian government, no one is likely to come to their aid if Savage and an army of Thugs takes over some territory."
"That could lead to a very dangerous situation," Wonder Woman remarked. "A country run by a rogue."
"We might be blowing this whole thing out of proportion," Starman said. "But we'd better take care of these Thuggees PDQ -- just in case we've guessed right."
"Merciful Minerva," Wonder Woman groaned. "And we can't trust the people we're forced to work with."
"We can't operate entirely on our own here," Hawkman responded. "We're pretty much deaf, dumb and blind here without help from insiders. We don't have any choice. We have to work with the CIA and the Indian CID. We just can't trust them too much."
"What about questioning the prisoners being held at CID headquarters?" Hourman suggested. "Abdul and the other Thugs?"
"Abdul is in a state of severe shock," Hawkman replied. "I'm afraid the Atom and I bashed him a bit too hard. The other fellows weren't hurt much."
"I'll get Lieutenant Tagore to translate for me," Wonder Woman announced. "Any of the prisoners I question will be compelled to tell me the truth thanks to my golden lariat."
"Well," the Justice Society chairman began, "let's get something to eat before we go back to the trenches."
"Hey, I wonder if it's okay to drink the water here," Hourman said.
"We'll let you drink and watch what happens to ya, buddy," the Atom said jokingly.
"Nice to have friends you can count on," Hourman said.
^J^ ^S^ ^A^
Wonder Woman examined the Thuggee locked in cell in the basement jail of the Indian DID building. After trying for several minutes, the amazing Amazon decided that even with the magical lariat, the man was not going to tell her what she wanted to know. None of the prisoners had told her anything she didn't already know.
"Lieutenant Tagore tells me that the men just sit on the floor of their cells and meditate," Wonder Woman told the other members of the JSA as she joined them in a small officers' lounge. "They chant softly, repeating 'Kali' over and over. They won't answer any of my questions. It's like their minds don't belong to them. They won't even tell the Indian authorities if they're hungry or thirsty. I think the Indians have been a little rough with them, but that didn't work or the CID isn't tell us what they said."
"The guys are fanatics," Hourman commented with a shrug. "You can't compel a true zealot that way."
"My magical lariat has always worked," Wonder Woman repeated. "But the subjects do appear to be demented. They even claim to have seen the goddess Kali, or maybe it was a statue of Kali the goddess had brought to life. Tagore tells me the men weren't sure which it was. They said Kali's arms were moving like an octopus."
"They're nuts all right," Hourman remarked.
"We might have another decent lead, thanks to the record check by the CID and the CIA," Hawkman put in.
"Which they wouldn't have done if you hadn't twisted their arms," the Atom growled.
"The CID had a police report from Bombay filed away," Hawkman told Wonder Woman. "A begger apparently heard voices chanting inside a Bhowani temple. Although it was late at night, the begger decided to enter and ask for alms. Inside, according to this fellow, the temple was full of worshippers. When he called out for alms and extended a palm, somebody grabbed him from behind and began to throttle him with a cord."
"Sounds like somebody doesn't like to be disturbed," Starman commented.
"The begger said a number of other Bhowani followers approached," Hawkman continued. "Some of these carried yellow cloth knotted at the center. However, a voice suddenly shouted to the assailants to release the begger. Naturally he bolted from the temple and went to the police. Nobody took his story very seriously."
"He was poor and from the wrong caste," Wonder Woman said grimly. "I'm surprised the CID bothered to keep the report."
"I think they still had it on file by accident," Hawkman replied. "Probably forgot the throw it out ... fortunately for us."
"Didn't the CIA also have something on the same temple?" Starman asked.
"Yes," Hawkman confirmed. "But it isn't as dramatic. Just a few entries in a log about a large number of Bhowani followers congregated in the place between the hours of ten p.m. and four in the morning. CIA thought it might be a covert political rally of some sort, but they weren't terribly interested, either."
"Well," Hourman said with a grin, "sounds like maybe somebody should look into it."
"We will," Hawkman answered. "But keep in mind that these people might be perfectly innocent. No stormtrooper tactics. We'll find out if these fellows are Thuggees and handle the situation accordingly."
"We understand," the Atom assured him. "Let's go and pay these guys a little visit."
To be continued ...