A Duel at Dawn, a Duel at Dusk
April 28, 1941
Kent Nelson stepped through the portal into the Tower of Fate, the Helm of Nabu held against his waist. The broken perspective of the endless staircases and walkways no longer disoriented him. It was a home that demanded to be taken on its own terms.
"Inza? Are you here?' he called.
She had spent more time here as of late. Between her studies of ancient history and the research they performed on the various mystical challenges he faced, it made sense. Inza had a knack for magic and though her skills were only a pale shadow of Kent's prowess, he knew that she would close that gap with time. To the extent any mortal mage's abilities could compare to the avatar of a Lord of Order.
There was no response. She was probably asleep, next to a pile of books in the library. Kent worked his way through the Tower. He could travel through it more rapidly, but he enjoyed the sensation of walking, in spite of his fatigue. The last week witnessed a minor demonic incursion in South America, a lost alien god passing through the astral plane close enough to affect the dreams of humans and the theft of a sacred Hindu text by his enemy the Octopus. The latter was the reason why Kent's costume smelled of garbage, as the man had his secret lair underneath a dump, where the fight inevitably spilled out when the fool tried to use the incantations in the book. He was in desperate need of a shower, a shave and some sleep.
Kent reached the library. Inza wasn't there, though books were left out of place. He checked their bedroom. When she wasn't there he put the Helmet on. The Tower could sense her within it. Why couldn't he pinpoint her location? He searched all over for her. The upside-down gardens. The halls of inquiry. The gem portals. The palace of sunflowers. The universal antennae. Nothing.
His heartbeat sped up. The Tower had its dangerous locales, but Inza was no fool. There had not been a problem before. He tapped into the helm's magics, to seek her out. It was if he could only chase an echo.
Kent returned to the library. He took a closer look at the books she was reading. There was something wrong with the titles, even those written in ancient or inhuman script. They were gibberish. He went to pick up one of the tomes. His hand passed straight through it.
An illusion.
With outstretched arms and a voice that rolled through the tower, Doctor Fate cast a rite of dispersion. Everything around him faded, till he was floating in the middle of a dark expanse. It was still the tower, but there was a malign presence within it, one that sent a shiver down his spine. Kent followed his senses and rose to the top of the tower, through the roof.
A cascade of blackened lightning sparked around him at his destination, forming a force field of imprisonment. The lightning arced off and tried to ensnare his limbs, but he knocked it back with a simple spell of protection. He permitted the dome to remain for now.
Inza was above the tower, suspended by restraints of eldritch force. Her clothing was torn, her hair wild. Wotan hovered next to her clad in his dark red and green, his cape flapping wildly in the wind. Even from where he stood, Doctor Fate could see the crimson pupils that burned out of black sockets.
"I see you decided to keep your pet," said Wotan.
"You've made a grave error coming into my home Wotan. And an even graver one threatening her."
Cease this speech. Strike him now.
Kent listened to Nabu. He formed a duplicate image of his body, allowing it to take his place within the field of lightning. He moved through the Tower roof, emerging below Wotan with a beam of golden magic. Wotan deflected the blast, following it up with his own salvo of energy. Kent spun his hands in a circle, producing a portal that redirected the magic back at its owner.
He flew straight for Inza, but Wotan intercepted him. The two grappled in the air around the trapped woman.
"I know you've been hunting me Fate," said Wotan. "I thought I'd spare you the trouble."
Wotan snapped his fingers and a portal opened below Inza. Kent could see a firestorm raging within. The restraints vanished and she fell to its opening.
Ignore her, Wotan cannot be allowed to remain in the Tower.
Nabu tried to take over, but Kent resisted. Kent broke free from the melee, diving to Inza. He caught her in his arms as they passed through the portal. Wotan's glee behind him turned to anger as Doctor Fate yanked his enemy through the portal as well, using a cord of golden light.
Both sorcerers immediately put up protective barriers as the flames engulfed them.
"I'm sorry Kent. I don't know how he got into the tower."
"No need for that. Stay close. This will get dire."
The flames continued unabated. Perhaps a dimension of fire, or a plane of the many hells or within a star. It mattered little. Neither opponent could risk a full assault without breaching their own protection.
"You're getting sentimental my old foe," said Wotan. "Nabu would have never risked it all for a single soul."
The fiend made his play. He formed a serpent out of the inferno and set it on Doctor Fate, slipping through his own portal as he did. Kent flew straight into the serpent's mouth, leaping through his own portal after Wotan.
They continued this running fight across countless dimensions. Fate and Wotan exchanged spells beneath the corpses of dead gods, under the grand castles of the gem lands, along the backs of continent sized space turtles. They fought through Hell, Hel and Hades. Wotan was always able to be one step ahead, taking full advantage of Kent's need to protect Inza.
It was on the ashen planes of Entropus that Doctor Fate caught up. Wotan moved to his next escape, when Kent summoned a phalanx of golden spears, two of which pierced his foe's side.
Wotan cried out in pain and retaliated with an eldritch shockwave that shattered Doctor Fate's defenses. He and Inza were blown backwards, knocking up plumes of ash in the grey wasteland.
Doctor Fate regained his footing, quickly checking to see that Inza was alright. He hurtled after Wotan before the sorcerer could flee. He rammed into the man's back and the two tumbled down a mountain of ash.
End it here.
Wotan ended up on top, hammering his fists down on Doctor Fate's head and chest.
"Such excellence and we end up fighting like beasts," Wotan roared.
Fate caught the man's fist and wrenched him off, like the Atom taught him. He summoned layer after layer of ankhs to bombard Wotan with. The fiend was able to block some, but the onslaught was working.
Do not let him recover.
Wotan bellowed. He clapped his hands together. Doctor Fate struggled to keep his footing as a vast form rose from the ash heap below, some occult beast of rage and malice, given form by his enemy's powers.
"You can't stop what's coming Doctor Fate. Order has had its time to govern. Chaos will reign."
Kent shielded himself from the assault of the ash beast, but his magics struggled against the concentration of chaos and the inherent entropy of the land.
"This is a mercy killing. Better to die here, than to see your world die, all because of your failure."
Doctor Fate had his arms over his head, his shield the only thing between the ash monster and him. Everything within him cried out to surrender. His body, his mind, his soul. All of it begged for release from the pain.
He spoke the words through the agony. The chants of the old lords. The ones that brought order from the chaos. He chanted even as Wotan gloated and he could feel his limbs wither from the ashen decay.
Doctor Fate pushed upwards. An ankh that dwarfed Wotan's construct surged forth, vaporizing the sorcerer's beast. His foe sailed through the air, crashing somewhere near the top of the heap where the fight had begun.
Fate found Wotan up to his torso in the ash, his left limb missing. One of Wotan's eyes was gone, the other still possessed of all the hate he could muster. His green skin was ashen.
Finish him.
Doctor Fate pointed his arm at Wotan.
"Kent….Kent," said a voice. Inza.
She was stumbling toward him. There was something wrong. Her skin was pallid, her hair de-saturated in color.
"I don't know...if I can…" said Inza. She stumbled and fell to her knees.
The ash. This place. It was antithetical to life. Wotan and Doctor Fate were preserved by their powers, but Inza was paying the price.
Kent lowered his arm and started for her.
Ignore the girl. Finish Wotan.
He was back in front of Wotan without a choice.
"Heh, heh," said Wotan through split lips. "I may enjoy your failure anyway."
Fate's arm shook violently. Inza had fully collapsed, her face buried in the ash.
She is but one life. Wotan threatens the existence of Order itself.
Kent took a step away from Wotan. It felt as though he were towing the Earth. He took another.
Kent! This is beyond your affections. Wotan has plagued the world for millennia. Think of your vow!
His eyes fluttered, as Nabu seized control.
No, not this way. Kent took another step. He visualized breaking out of the place Nabu put him when he lost control. Over and over. Wotan howled with laughter behind him.
He will go on to bring ruin to everything. The blood of billions on your hands!
Nabu stood in front of Kent Nelson, clear as when he first met his teacher all those years ago.
I cannot let you continue.
Kent marched on, every step a herculean achievement. He walked through Nabu, no more solid than Wotan's illusion.
You will regret this choice.
He reached Inza, cradling her in his grasp. If she breathed it was too faint to be heard. Doctor Fate fell through a portal into the Tower. He did not look back at his foe.
"Was I dead?" said Inza. Her voice was weak, her skin paler than usual.
"Not quite," said Kent, as he sat at her bedside.
It had been three days since his fight with Wotan. Her recovery required much of his magical expertise, as well as a few favors he now owed to various parties.
"Everything looks yellow right now."
"That would be the medicine. It's not meant for humans, but I changed the mixture."
"Excuse me?" Inza tried to sit up.
"No, no. Rest. You've lived through an ordeal that no human has been through."
"Hm...I wonder how many firsts I've got the…honor of notching on my belt."
Kent chuckled. "I'll be here for you. Till you're truly better."
Inza closed her eyes. "How much did you sacrifice to save me?"
"What?"
"It's faint, but I remember you had Wotan at your mercy. Did you let him go?"
Kent debated what to say, but settled on the truth. "I had to. To save you. A moment longer and I would have lost you."
Inza slid her hand to his. He took it. "What will that cost you?"
"Nothing. Nothing I can't afford." The truth to an extent.
Inza slipped back into sleep. Kent stayed at her bedside.
He ignored the Helmet of Fate as it stared at him from across the room.
May 2, 1941
The writing in the sky appeared at 7:15 AM, during Alan's commute through Manhattan. Derby was complaining about how much money he lost at last night's poker game, while Alan rehearsed what he was going to say in the meeting today. He was back in New York for a few weeks to run the GBC branch. He caught a reflection out the car window. There it was written in red fire for all to see.
I challenge Green Lantern to a duel above the Statue of Liberty. 9:00 PM. Come alone or your city burns.
The rest of the day was a blur, any semblance of normality thrown out the window. His coworkers at the GBC pivoted their coverage to putting people on scene to report whatever was going to happen that night. For his part, Alan avoided the calls from his teammates. He couldn't be certain about anything with the threat, but he wasn't willing to risk the city if this mystery opponent could back it up.
Which is how Green Lantern arrived above Ellis Island, his eyes fixed on the airspace around the Statue of Liberty. Too much of the job required walking into things he knew were traps. At least he had the experience.
"American," shouted a voice.
Green Lantern took stock of his challenger. The man wore a costume eerily similar to his own. The cape was shorter, the collar of a militaristic bent. That and the color scheme was red and black. A domino mask covered his face. A crimson ring sat on the man's left hand, an identical lantern on his chest.
"I was worried you would prove a coward," said the Red Lantern. His English was marked by a healthy Russian accent. Better than Alan's Russian.
"What's the point of this?" Alan maintained his spacing. He let a thin layer of green fire coat his body.
"You serve your country. I serve mine. And the Soviet Union has ordered me to bring you down."
A spurt of red flame raced around Green Lantern. He firmed up his barrier. Red Lantern hadn't rushed in yet.
"This is foolish. We're not at war. I don't even work for my government," said Green Lantern. The red flame wasn't getting to him, but he didn't like the reaction it was having with his own powers. It was as though dozens of fiery needles were pricking at his skin.
"Do you take me for a fool?" Red Lantern changed tactics. He formed a hammer that smacked Alan, sending him hurtling downward. So he knew how to make constructs.
Green Lantern pretended to be falling. The bait worked as his adversary followed him down. When the Red Lantern neared, Alan spun into a barrel roll, creating a paddle wheel of fire around him that struck the Soviet over and over.
They split off from one another. Green Lantern fired a lancing ray of flame that Red Lantern met with his own. The pressure built in his head. The pinpricks persisted.
"You have more experience, American. But, you are not so strong."
"Try me."
Red Lantern cut his beam off, sliding around Green Lantern's as he rammed him. They fell toward the ocean. The Russian wailed on Alan, his fists wreathed with flame. Alan did his best to retaliate, but the other man was bigger and stronger.
They hit the water and plunged deeper. The ocean bubbled and boiled around them. Green Lantern got out from under the Soviet, but the man grabbed him in a chokehold. There was no escaping the fact that he was a better fighter than Alan. Fish fled the brawl, as gouts of green and red flame erupted off of them, burning in spite of their aquatic arena. Green Lantern plucked his foe off of him with a pair of pliers. Red Lantern countered with pure blasts of crimson flame. They reached the ocean floor.
Alan became aware that his ring felt like it was burning him. Every time he resisted the crimson energy, it seemed to heat up. It was too risky to continue the conflict down below. His movements were sluggish even with the assistance of the ring and if it broke he would drown.
Green Lantern produced a ring of green flame that encircled him as he flew to the surface. Red Lantern assaulted the barrier without hesitation. There was no doubt that this man would sacrifice his own life if it meant winning the day.
He breached the surface and gained altitude, scanning below for the red glow. Alan was dismayed to see ships on the water. They were either in the wrong place at the wrong time or here to observe the fight.
Too late, the red glow reappeared beneath one of the small boats. Red Lantern exploded from the water, carrying the vessel under his power.
"Leave them out of this," said Green Lantern.
His entreaty was met with the boat and its crew being thrown at Alan. He exhaled and shot out a cushion of green.
Red Lantern granted him no respite as a flaming knife slashed at Green Lantern. He evaded the first swipe and blocked the other with a blade of his own. Alan could tell his was weaker, his attention split.
"The great hero lives up to his reputation. Why not drop them? Save yourself?"
More knives appeared. Alan blocked them all. He tried to lower the ship, but his willpower was being taxed at all angles. Red Lantern turned up the intensity of his crimson flame. A symbol floated above the man's forehead. An eye.
The shields were breaking. He was going to drop the boat and die. Maybe not in that order.
There was a warble that rose to a thin, high pitched noise. A blue beam struck Red Lantern on the chest, which sent him flying off. The pressure abated.
"Your time is through, villain!"
A man in a red costume with green trunks, a red cape and a yellow star on his chest hung in the air beside Green Lantern. A golden staff was aimed at Red Lantern still, its tip aglow. His finned mask revealed his face.
Ted Knight?
Ted Knight was in New York for Doris's birthday. She had spent the last month hinting to him that a change of scenery would be nice. Ted felt guilty, particularly since his nocturnal activities had meant more time away from her. So they left Opal for the Big Apple.
She was the one that saw the message in the sky as Ted overslept in their hotel room. It was not meant for him, but he couldn't allow such a threat to be met by one person alone. Doris had plans to meet her girlfriends and Ted took the opportunity to change into his new persona and fly to the Statue of Liberty.
Starman had scarcely arrived in time to save Green Lantern from an overwhelming assault by the man with the red flames. A blast from the cosmic rod deterred the villain, for now.
"Your time is through, villain!" shouted Ted. He found that being as bombastic as possible eased his nerves.
Green Lantern was staring at him, while lowering the boat to the water.
"Starman. A pleasure to meet a fellow crime fighter," said Ted.
A cone of red energy ripped between them. Starman did an evasive loop, to gain height over their foe.
"I warned you to come alone," said the villain. He turned and flew towards the skyline of Manhattan.
"We've got to cut him off," said Green Lantern, already on his trail.
Starman left Green Lantern for the direct chase, maintaining his own altitude. He locked his eyes to their foe. Ted ran the numbers. It was hard to figure distance and speed on the spot. No choice but to eyeball it.
The cosmic rod coursed with power. Starman made his shot. The beam struck true, as the villain plummeted from his path. There was a splash as Red Lantern struck the water. Green Lantern followed his target below.
Starman waited above, anxious as the minutes ticked by. At last a green light rose till the hero popped out. Alone.
"Where's our friend?" said Starman.
"I couldn't find him," said Green Lantern.
Ted swallowed. He didn't want to be a murderer.
"We'll keep searching."
Green Lantern felt he combed every inch of the water around the islands. Not a trace of the Red Lantern. His ring jittered on his finger. Whatever reaction Red Lantern prompted it wasn't over. He was on Ellis island, wringing water out of his cape, while Starman floated above. While Ted floated above.
"You don't think he's…"
"Dead? I seriously doubt it," said Green Lantern.
"Good. I'm no killer." The voice Ted was using was dramatic. Something about Ted's features were different enough that a person wouldn't be likely to recognize him in this getup. Makeup? Inserts?
"Thanks for the save back there. Those men on the boat would be dead without you. More than likely me as well."
"My pleasure, Green Lantern. Couldn't let a fellow crimefighter down," said Starman.
His companion ascended higher. "If you'll excuse me, my work demands me elsewhere."
"Wait," said Green Lantern. He regretted it.
"Yes?"
Alan wanted to tell Ted who he was beneath the mask, but another part of him told Alan it would be a mistake now.
"I'll tell my comrades in the JSA about you. We may have a place for a hero like you," said Green Lantern.
"I appreciate the confidence," said Ted as he took to the skies.
If Alan hadn't been so busy watching him fly off, he might have noticed the crimson ember dip below the horizon line.