Chapter 3

Diana returned to her apartment in the Watergate Complex South, oblivious to all the news coverage about it being the fifteenth anniversary of the infamous history-making break-in. Instead, upon taking off her blue blazer and non-prescription glasses, she once more brought her telepathic radio out of its hiding place and plugged in its headset. Thereby she got in touch with the Martian Manhunter, currently on monitor duty aboard the JLA satellite.

Naturally, he needed no mechanical augmentation to establish a telepathic link with her. Nor did it take much real time to explain what it was she was calling him about.

"Hmmmm! Your description, though somewhat vague, most closely matches that of the average Tybaltian."

"Tybaltian?" she echoed.

"Yes. During the Molluscan occupation of Mars, the higher-ranking among our conquerors were served by extra-planetary aliens of diverse origin and was all-too frequently demonstrated willingness! There were many Tybaltians among the latter. On their home world, they're a race of green-complected humanoids with larger-than-Earthling craniums. But, only half as tall as the average Earthling."

"And, could one of these Tybaltians have come to Earth during the Molluscan tactical probe of 1898?"

"Quite possibly. On Earth, they'd have near-Kryptonian levels of strength. Plus, it is relatively easy to alter their physical appearance through bio-genetic surgery, thus potentially allowing them to resemble any Earthling regardless of height, age, pigmentation, or gender."

"So, it's more than possible one of them could have been aiding Germany, behind the scenes, as early as the international arms race _preceding_ the First World War!"

"I'm afraid so. Do you wish my help in further researching the matter?"

"Thank you; but, not just yet."

The Martian Manhunter smiled. "In that case? This is J'onn J'onzz, signing off."

As Diana put the telepathic radio back in its hiding place, for the second time that day, she wondered how she was going to tell J.J. everything she had just learned. Little did she realize, however, that Col Nick Fury, director of SHIELD, was unwittingly saving her that trouble.

J.J. was beamed down to the SHIELD Helicarrier from the JLA satellite alongside Captain America and Spider-man. When they finished rematerializing, they found Executive Assistant Director Maria Hill waiting for them.

"Right this way, gentlemen," she said. Yet, while her tone was courteous, her lack of any salutary preamble indicated to all three visitors that the matter must be an urgent one.

Their unspoken hunch proved right. For, as they entered Nick Fury's office, they saw that they were not his only visitors. Sitting to the colonel's far left was a blond-haired man who appeared to be the same age as Fury. But, as he was wearing a white shirt with black tie and khaki pants with matching jacket folded on his lap, they knew right away he must be a Federal agent of some kind.

And, again, their unvoiced speculation proved correct.

"Gents? Take a load off while I introduce you to my old CIA buddy: King Faraday."

Agent Faraday merely nodded as the others took the proffered seats. When that had been accomplished, Fury got right to the point.

"This is your ball, King. You get it rollin'. "

Faraday nodded. "Tell me, Captain. What do you remember concerning... Der Roter Kreise?"

Cap squinted in minor puzzlement as he instinctively translated the term for the other two.

"The Red Circle? Just what was covered in my very first intelligence briefing. That it was the code-name for an elite unit of the Imperial German Army's research and development division during World War I. That it was headed by Dr. Friedrich Krueger. And that its surviving former members became the nucleus of Hydra via their assimilation into the Thule Society in 1933! But, why should that interest the CIA?"

"Because I recently received word, from one of my moles in East Germany, that the KGB has formed a new Red Circle! And that their first assignment will be the 'reclamation' of Blackhawk Island."

"Blackhawk Island?!" echoed J.J. incredulously.

"You've heard of it?" inquired a very puzzled Spidey.

The young SHIELD agent nodded. "It's an outlier of the St. Pierre Island Group that, while located off the east coast of Canada, technically still belongs to France. The Blackhawks occupied it, as a base of operations, during the European Theater of World War II. And, even though they abandoned it, after V-E Day, in order to conduct aerial operations in the Pacific Theater, they left a lot of their buildings behind, with all of them getting renovated, and turned into a military history museum, ten years ago. And that was according to the last will and testament of Janos 'Blackhawk' Prohaska, himself!"

"I don't get it," the webslinger confessed. "Why would the KGB want to 'reclaim' a barren piece of rock like that? In fact, how could they lay any claim to it, at all?"

"They're exploiting some obscure technicality within the Franco-Russian Rapprochement of 1892," replied Faraday. "As to your first question? That's what has the Company concerned. But we can't go in, officially or otherwise, because the DGSE* have outright forbidden it! SHIELD, however, answers only to the UN."

"And that's why you three will be going to Blackhawk Island right after this little coffee clutch adjourns," added Fury. "Jackson? You'll be technically in charge. Cap? You'll act as guide, seeing how you visited the place back in '43. Spidey? You'll be the scout."

The webslinger could not resist what he said next. "Aye-aye, Admiral!"

Fury pointedly ignored him as he asked if one of the other two had any- -serious- -questions before dismissing them. Whereupon, J.J. raised his right hand.

"Sir! Do we know who the KGB have put in charge of this new Red Circle?"

Fury looked at Faraday who nodded. Prompting the former to remove a photographic blow-up from a certain beige folder. The photo was then handed to J.J. who saw that its subject was a bald-headed man, of indeterminate age, who appeared to be meditating while wearing some kind of verdant unitard.

"Meet Emil J. Krellik; nee Hans Krueger; alias the Scarlet Skull. His old man not only founded the original Red Circle. He might also be the one responsible for your great-granddad's disappearance!"

tbc

GLOSSARY

DGSE (Directorate-General de Securite' Exterieur): French equivalent of the CIA.

Scarlet Skull: one-shot enemy of the Golden Age Daredevil at Lev Gleason Comics. Real name never revealed.