Chapter 18.
VLADIVOSTOK, USSR
(AUGUST 1, 1941)
Captain Ivan Solnechnyy-Svet, of the Sed'Moy Partizan Reyndzhery (7th Partisan Rangers) saluted General Grigori Dikiy-Chelovek.*
"Welcome back, Tovarisch Captain," said the latter. "How went your mission to Tunguska?"
"It was initially touch-and-go, Tovarisch General," replied the somewhat younger man. "The Nazis sent a detachment of Waffen-SS, along with the Dark Circle scholars, as security. During the battle that ensued, one of the eggs recovered from the derelict vessel hatched with the strange creature inside it attaching itself to the face of Tovarisch Sergeant Matvei Rodor! But we ultimately prevailed, thus securing a most unexpected prize!"
He gestured to the two men standing behind him, who pushed their prisoner forward.
"This is Tovarisch Arnold Thurmann of Austria. Former research assistant to Herr Doktor Schimmel, the Nazi cryo-biologist. Being a closet anti-Nazi, he wishes to defect to our service. And, as proof, he will now exhibit a block of his former employer's unique variety of 'dry ice'. Tovarisch Fries?"
The captain nodded for emphasis. Upon which the prisoner put on a pair of thick gloves and removed the aforementioned block from a rather bulky knapsack. Yet, it was not so much the dry ice, itself, that attracted the general's attention, but rather the exotic-looking creature inside it!
"Bozhe moi!" he exclaimed. "What...? Where...?"
"This..." replied the captain. "...is what hatched from the late sergeant's chest."
SOMEWHERE OVER KAZAKHSTAN, USSR (1962)
The last thing Doc Savage remembered was ordering his men to raise their 'grease guns' (M-3 submachine guns, modified to shoot Doc's sedative-like 'mercy bullets') in order to bring the fight between Khan Noonein Singh and the strange saurian biped to an immediate halt. But, just as he was about to give the order to open fire, a strange high-pitched sound began. One that caused his men to drop their weapons and cover their ears with their hands! That ploy proved unsuccessful, however, as each of the Fearless Five slowly dropped to their knees and, then, fall flat on their faces.
Till only Savage, himself, was left standing.
The Man of Bronze did his best to drown out that sound with his own trademark meditative trilling. It was no use, though. He, too, lost consciousness. The next thing he knew, he found himself waking up aboard a Soviet Antonov transport plane judging by the sound of the engines. Shackled to a starboard-side passenger seat in between two East German mountain infantry commandos.
Each one armed with an electric cattle prod.
"Don't worry, old friend. Those are merely to subdue you without firing bullets that might cause this plane to crash from depressurization."
Doc Savage immediately recognized that voice.
"John Sunlight?!"
The man sitting directly across him smiled most fiendishly.
"Das ist Oberst Sonnenlicht- -kommandant von alpenjager- -fur dich. Oh! And, seated to my right? My adjutant; Kamerad Hauptmann Wildemann. Technically, your aunt!"
"My what?!"
The woman smiled just as fiendishly. "I am your father's half-sister. Born in Shanghai, China, thirty-one years ago, to Vandal Savage and Talia Ibna Ra's Al Ghul."
GOTHAM CITY, NJ
(JUNE 27, 2001)
The scream uttered by Lorelai Circe-Lance (alias Scandal Savage) drove Commissioner Gordon and all his GCPD subordinates, quite literally, to their knees. But, to her, that was merely gravy. The meat of her effort being the cracks that suddenly appeared up and down the ice block encasing Khan Noonein Singh. Which was followed, almost instantly, by the ice block disintegrating in the same manner as the champagne glasses she used to playfully shatter at cocktail parties in her honor!
Only then did the superhuman Sikh fall to his own knees. Yet, even then, it was only for a few seconds.
"Singh, my love!" exclaimed the sensuous septuagenarian as she ran to his side. "Are you alright?"
"Nyssa?" he replied, slightly dazed. "Is that really you?"
"Yes, beloved. But now is not the time for lengthy reunions. We must flee to someplace more suitable."
"Agreed. And I know just the place."
At which point he picked her up as if he were about to carry her over some post-nuptial threshold... and leapt high into the air. Back in the direction of Camp Second Chance!
Meanwhile, at that aforementioned location, the Terrific Trio was discussing their next move.
"Even if you know a way to bypass the security on their top-secret elevator," observed Robin. "...don't you think we'll stand out in these costumes?"
"I've already covered that contingency," replied Batman with a cryptic smile.
"Why am I not surprised?" muttered Batgirl.
It was at this point that the Dark Knight flipped open his cellular Bat-phone with the built-in two-way audiovisual transceiver.
"Ready, Zatanna?"
"Whenever you are," replied the Princess of Prestidigitation.
Whereupon Batman pointed the phone in the direction of the Teen Wonder.
"Nibor emoceb neerG tereB tnaegres."
After that, he pointed it to Robin's right.
"Lrigtab emoceb CAW tnarraw reciffo."
Finally, he pointed it at himself.
"Namtab emoceb lluf lenoloc htiw eciffO fo rotcepsnI-lareneG."
Seconds later, the Teen Wonder and the Distaff Daredevil were looking at themselves in dumbfounded amazement. That is till Batman snapped them out of it by handing them white name tags with black lettering inscribed on them.
"Batgirl? You're Warrant Officer Katherine Kane. Robin? You're Sgt. Matthew Grayson III. And I... am Colonel Thomas Deveaux."
Robin could not help frowning. "You named me after Carl Ottosen's character in 'Reptilicus'?"
Batman half-smirked. "I'm a sucker for synchronicity."
As was usual, in situations like this, it was Batgirl who finally cashed the reality check. "Enough banter! How do we get into the top-secret facility from here?"
"Follow me and observe."
The two younger costumed characters did as instructed. They entered the shower facility, whereupon the Dark Knight went over to a square container marked 'Liquid Soap Dispenser'. There, he did some minor lock-picking. Following which, he once again withdrew his cellular Bat-phone. The reason why quickly becoming obvious as soon as he had punched a certain sequence of numbered buttons.
"Facial recognition and voice print identification required," intoned a synthetic female voice.
Batman immediately replayed one of the images recorded back in the fake fire watch tower.
"Flagg," replied the voice of the faux-forest ranger. "As in 'Grand Old...'!"
"Facial recognition and voice print confirmed," intoned the voice. "Access granted."
A second later, the floor of the 'shower' began descending straight down. At which Batman looked at his junior partners. "Now, the hard part begins."
tbc
Special Notes:
Yen Sin and Wu Fang: of the many campy Fu Manchu imitators that sprang up in pulp magazines, during and after the late 1930's, these two (created by Robert J. Hogan and Donald Keyhoe, respectively) are among the best remembered. Not the most popular or politically correct, mind you! Just well-remembered.
Phyrox plague: the name given to some kind of infectious disease mentioned on the STAR TREK: TNG third season episode 'Allegiance'. And, following the captain's log entry, I thought to myself. "Why would a fire ox be declared top secret?" That question still remains unanswered to this day. So, I felt free to extrapolate.
"...hive-minded parasites...": the droch-like antagonists of the ST:TNG season 1 episode "Conspiracy."
"...the sensuous septuagenarian..." Lorelai Circe was played by Joan Collins on a third season two-parter of "Batman '66." Twenty years later, of course, she became more famous playing the scandalous Alexis Carrington on "Dynasty: The Original Series."
Tbc
ANGLO-RUSSIAN GLOSSARY
Ivan Solnechyy-Svet: literally 'John Sunlight' (Doc Savage's canonical arch-enemy).
Dikiy-Chelovek: literally, 'wild man' (as in, 'savage').
ANGLO-GERMAN GLOSSARY
"That's Colonel Sunlight. . .to you."
ANGLO-ZATANNA GLOSSARY
Simply spell everything forward. ;-)
