The Evil Long Forgotten

Chapter 14

By Christopher W. Blaine

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DISCLAIMER: All of the characters and situations contained in this story are ©2004 by DC Comics Inc. and are used without permission for non-profit, fan related entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2004 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in any manner, in part or as a whole, without the express permission of the author.

Baron Blitzkrieg faced the monitor of the portable communications device. It was set-up in the darkest corner of the estate in a room that had once belonged to a servant…or was it three? The Baron could not remember for it had been so long ago and people like that never meant much to him to begin with. He was patient as he waited for the connection to be made and occupied his thoughts with the current situation.

His benefactor's hired mercenaries had been unable to defeat Wonder Woman, but that did not surprise the Baron. She was of Amazon stock, the same as her mother, just as was Troia. They were a superior being, a true race of super women and in that aspect he gave them grudging respect. They were what the Reich had wanted to aspire to, though in more masculine terms.

But the Reich was long gone and those dreams would have to wait for another day. His master's people busied themselves with the business at hand, segregating the women from the men (it kept the men nervous, especially when moans of pain and ecstasy could be hear coming from other parts of the estate!) and setting up perimeter guards. The Baron knew, from the detailed files he had been given of the estate and its security, that the guard force was not due to be relieved for two days, more than enough time to take care of his needs.

The screen flickered to life and the smooth and austere features of Ra's Al Ghul took form. "Greetings my friend," the villain said in perfect English. "I trust you are happy with the way things are proceeding?"

The Baron bowed his head. "As always I am in your debt," he said with true humility. Unlike Hitler, Al Ghul truly gave to his loyal followers. Hitler had only taken until there was nothing left and then he demanded the souls of the German people. He had taken a proud and robust nation and reduced it to nothing more than rubble and shattered dreams. He had allowed weak-minded fools to seduce him into making mistake after mistake until it did not matter. The fire still burned in the Baron's bosom even after so many decades.

The betrayal of the German people by their beloved leader was almost too much to bear. He had truly believed and that had been his downfall. "The estate is secured; it is fortunate that our Russian friend was so knowledgable in my family's history. So obvious was this clue that it would have passed my scrutiny for certain."

Ra's nodded and sipped from a glass of wine. "I have learned, especially in my dealings with the Detective, that sometimes hiding the truth in plain sight is much better than the greatest lie."

"I would have thought the estate destroyed by now," the Baron continued, feeling the need to explain how it was that he had not come up with the answer. "The Seraph had almost put the answers together, but his notes were incomplete. He knew of the estate, but he never realized that my uncle brought my cousin here to rest."

"And the Russian diplomat provided the final piece to the puzzle?" Ra's asked, but with a tone that indicated he already knew the answer.

"Yes," the Baron admitted. "I honestly believed my uncle had been killed after the war and that the Allies had found my cousin and used him for some damned experiments…" The Baron balled his hands into fists and shook with rage at the thought.

The man on the screen betrayed no emotion. "We are both fortunate that your uncle was resourceful enough to his son prior to the Allied invasion. We have before us an opportunity unlike any other in the modern age." He paused to take another drink. His palette wetted, the master criminal continued. "Do you know exactly what it was the Japanese discovered in that meteorite that crashed in the 1920's?"

The Baron considered the question and then shook his head. Science had never been his best subject in his schooling. In fact, he really could not say how it was that his own powers worked, only that they did. When Ra's saw the puzzled look on his face, he gave a gentle chuckle. "I did not expect you to; at the time the Japanese did not know, despite the best efforts of the Emperor's scientists. That was one reason why they turned to your nation for help."

"We were making great advances in human development," the Baron said with a nod. "But, to be honest, the Japanese were no fools, even though they were…are an inferior race…"

Ra's shook his head. "My dear Baron, these notions you have of racial purity have to go away. How many times have I told you that it has nothing to do with genetics, only will. Those with the will shall survive and dominate those without."

The Baron accepted the admonishment without comment. Too many times he had suffered embarrassment as his new master offered him lessons on the true meaning of life. He still struggled to come to grips with the new philosophy that he knew was right. The bias he had felt in the past no longer mattered; it was based on simplistic beliefvs of racial purity. Ra's al Ghul had taught him that the hierarchy of life was not based upon genetic code, but on willpower. "I ask that you only tell me the secret, so that I will begin to understand."

"Kryptonite, my dear Baron…the one element that is absolutely deadly, no matter what, to Superman. Your cousin was exposed to that element and as such, he is a living nuclear furnace that is fueled not my Uranium, but by Kryptonite." Ra's smiled and the Baron could not help but mimick the expression. To think that some several decades in the past that the key to the destruction of the greatest threat to their movement had been created was unimaginable. "You understand now why I am so interested in your plight."

"With my cousin's help, we would be able to strike a killer blow to the world of super-heroes."

"Indeed," Ra's added with a final drink from his glass. "It would decimate the Justice League of America and after them, the rest of the costumed adventurers. Superman died once already and returned from the grave. If he were to be utterly defeated, his body ravaged by the lethal radiation borne on his hoeworld…"

"They would know he would not be coming back. Fear would creep slowly up their spines to eat away at their brains and their courage. He is the rallying point for this new breed of heroes," the Baron added, suddenly understanding. The fact that Ra's al Ghul had not particular interest in him at the moment meant nothing. He understood the necessity of a strategic alliance and he had proven his loyalty time and time again. Unlike Hitler, his new benefactor would not toss him away like yesterday's rubbish so quickly. "I had no idea," he offered.

"The benefits of modern technology and well-placed spies. Wonder Woman apparently asked Superman to query the Japanese about the mineral samples," Ra's said, indicating that he had new information. "Superman will be on his way soon to meet up the Amazon whore."

The Baron blanched at the comment. "I do not see the Amazons in such a light. They are warriors who adhere to a code that is ancient and true."

"You warrior types always amuse me, with your sense of honor. " Ra's again chuckled but then his mood turned deadly serious. "I have provided you with the opportunity to rescue your cousin, do not fail me," he warned.

"Failure is not an option," the Baron told him just before the screen went blank.

The driver had brought them to the location that Stephen had specified and had gotten out to trot down to a small restaurant. Red Star had wanted to follow, complaining that he very rarely got to eat so well. Wonder Woman asked the driver to pick up the Russian hero a T-shirt as well as a sandwich.

A half hour later Stephen pulled up in a non-descript government car and parked next to them. As he got out, Wonder Woman folded her arms over her chest and put a hard look on her face. Her new friend was acting very strange and she wanted some answers. "All right, what is this all about?" she asked as the agent approached.

Stephen nodded to the shirtless Red Star, but said nothing. He knew about the battle that they had been involved in earlier and he did not want to go over it again. "I apologize for my behavior, but there was a reason," he offered.

"It's getting late in the day and the two of us have not slept in almost 24 hours," she said, not bothering to add that she really did not need to sleep as often as a normal person. She wasn't sure about Red Star but she suspected that his own stellar powers kept him constantly refreshed. "We are hours late in meeting Troia and Henry at the estate," she told him.

Stephen nodded. "There is a problem," he confessed. "I believe our communications were being tapped. In fact, I strongly suspect that there is a traitor within my own organization. I tried to initiate a scrambling program during our telephone conversation but it did not work, which is why I ended up hanging up."

"Why is it that you think this?" Red Star asked.

"As I stated before, I left to research Baron Blitzkrieg. We have detailed records dating back from the 1950's on possible sightings of him. We know, for example, that a man matching his disfigured condition was seen in South America for many years. He had surgery to improve his features, but as he aged it only made matters worse."

Stephen leaned against their car and then looked up into the sky, as if looking for something. "Blitzkrieg was then sighted by Israeli intelligence agents in France in the 1970's. He was in the company of a man named Akbar Sallam, an industrialist who owned several arms manufacturing facilities."

Wonder Woman looked at Red Star, remembering his comment that the Russians believed that Blitzkrieg had survived the war. Stephen continued. "Sallam was an alias for a man who has been on several nations' intelligence watchlists for years. His real name is Ra's Al Ghul…the Head of the Demon."

A door opened in Wonder Woman's mind. "Merciful Minerva, it all makes sense!"

"Da, it appears that my government was on the right track," Red Star proclaimed with some pride.

"I also found a file on this Atoman project," Stephen announced. "It was buried in our archives and it was what took me so long to get back to you. It was barely a single paragraph, but it essentially indicated that a young SS officer named Heinrich Melch was selected for the experiment."

"The assistant's son and the Baron's cousin," Wonder Woman concluded.

"Yes," Stephen replied. "My theory is that the Baron somehow wanted to either convince his cousin not to participate in the experiment, sparing him the life that the Baron led, or else wanted to get him to run away with him."

"Run away?" Red Star asked. "To where?"

Stephen shrugged. "It was not a large state secret that Baron Blitzkrieg was not happy with Hitler's handling of the war in the later years. In fact, he was put on a death list that was supposed to have been used by Himmler per Hitler's instructions. Himmler delayed action because he saw a potential ally in the Baron."

"So why was the Seraph murdered?" Wonder Woman asked.

"I think I can answer that," a familiar voice said from above. All three looked up to see Superman floating down. A smile crept across Wonder Woman's face as her friend landed next to them, a file folder in his hand. Stephen immediately held out his hand.

Superman took it and gave him a hearty handshake as the agent introduced himself. Red Star also offered his own greeting. Then Superman's demeanor turned serious. "J'onn contacted me about asking for some information from the Japanese government. They were reluctant because of the nature of the information. Experiments in radioactivity on living things would not set well with the current Japanese society, given the horrors of the atomic bombing of their nation."

Everyone nodded their agreement. "But, they did pass on to me what information they had. Most of the records, oddly enough, were destroyed when the main lab in Nagasaki was destroyed. The Seraph had stumbled upon a research project, this Atoman Project, that had never been fully revealed. It would have been the subject of an entire book by itself, considering the implications. The Japanese tried to create a, pardon the pun, super man for themselves, but they lacked the expertise to make it happen. They turned the research over to the Germans who did."

"A nuclear man?" Red Star asked, astounded. "Such a person could have turned the tide of the war. Imagine if the Axis powers had someone like Captain Atom or Firestorm at the head of their army?"

"And the Seraph discovered what?" Wonder Woman asked. "None of this is information worth dying over." Then she remembered her brief phone conversation with Troia the day before. "There is something radioactive buried on the Melch estate," she whispered.

"If the Baron survived all of these years…"

"With Ra's Al Ghul's help," Red Star added.

Superman's eyes went wide. "Al Ghul?"

"His cousin is still alive," Stephen said, snapping his fingers. "That is what this is all about! The Seraph found the notes and it directed him to the Russian diplomat, who knew about the Melch estate!"

Wonder Woman looked at Superman. "My sister and Henry are in trouble! Al Ghul has behind this all along, using agents and possibly even Baron Blitzkrieg himself to shadow us, keep us preoccupied. We have to get to the estate!"

"You two fly there," Stephen offered. "I will take Red Star in my car!"

"My lunch…"

Wonder Woman did not reply but instead leapt into the air, Superman following close behind.