Chapter 7: Pow! On the Chin
While Canary and Kriglo brawl, Batman does the same one story off. The adhered octopus announces its unmitigated ire. If amble ejected ink could write a poison pen letter, the beast would. It also gurgles garrulously.
Over its eight shoulders, Batman peers apprehensively. Two Martians, a moment ago, descended toward the JSA site's center, and they carried a cylinder within a contraption between them. Brilliant Batman recognized the cylinder as one containing a Yellow Comet chunk. The team's trophy room contains other pieces of Yellow Comet that must not meet the Martians' mass. The Caped Crusader readies a Batarang and rope. He shall send it past the stuck cephalopod, and he will swing after the parlous pair.
However, the attack-octo is not having ol' Bats escape. Tenaciously, the hardcore creature rips its flesh free from the hardwood floor. Bounteous blue blood, as octopi have, spreads the slats around the seething sea monster in the swelling smoke. Blue blood Bruce shakes his head in a blaze's blistering heat. Perhaps, a blue blood need be dark knight. He is in Carter Hall's living quarters, and he spies Hawkman's battle-ax hung on the wall. A gory bestial arm impudently biffs Batman. The Dark Knight darts for a deadly double-blade.
Downstairs, Wonder Woman has a Kriglo hog-tied on the carpet. The lout lies ligatured by the legendary Magic Lasso. He is under the red boot leaning upon him. An Amazon looms and evaluates. The remarkable woman wonders whether her truth-detector will work on this weird wight or not.
She assays, "Spider-savage, why do you besiege the civilized space of the Justice Society? What do you seek? What would you steal, as you did from Dr. Mid-Nite? What grand scheme pursue you?"
"What? What syntax schooled were you in?" the snared smart aleck resists her.
Wonder Woman scowls. She shoots another question more plainly.
But, the Spider-Man, ready to break, does not exactly answer. A sphere of silence reaches the area, so he seemingly just flaps his lips—while Wonder Woman strains to hear him. Then, Diana astutely realizes what is happening. Someone (somewhere) plays Harpocrates, god of silence. Wily warrior Wonder Woman has to tip the tiara; it is a good battle tactic.
In the silence, Black Canary and her foe fight around the bend. Silently, the Kriglo cracks her with a big backhand and crashes her into the wall, which crumbles a bit. Plaster cracks expansively. Pictures also fall with a stifled thud while their glass soundlessly shatters. With melodramatic mummery, Canary curses loudly and does her karate cry.
The Kriglo chortles, visibly. He knows that he is simply a decoy while two comrades do their work atop the vault. Fortunately, the whole site is deaf to their activities too. Although, unbeknownst to Canary's Kriglo, Batman, Robin, Flash, and Starman all saw the two aspiring sackers rappel in.
Abruptly, Black Canary crane-kicks. As abruptly, an agile Spider-Man snatches her, at the hips, in mid-air. He slams her into the ceiling, and it feels hot on her scalp. The sneering scoundrel lowers her to his eye level. Leaning in, the leering lunk laps his long, lurid tongue around his lips as about though to lash the lady lasciviously. But, he actually intends to have lunch, perhaps. Twin lengthy, thick tusks extend from Martian monster's maw, and xiphoid, sanguineous fangs slobber on Black Canary's bosom as though he would lance Dinah and leech her.
Unimpressed, Black Canary rolls her eyes. She simply front snap-kicks beneath the churl's chin hard, and the big spider-bozo releases her. Instantly, the irked alien punches. Dinah's expert judo deflection drives the jumbo jab into the armory's solid-steel vault door, almost imprinting it. The malevolent, macho Martian screams "like a little girl". His heroine opponent hops like a ninja past his nape. She mounts his neck and socks him in the mug repeatedly and unmercifully.
One floor below, a cluster of blackout bombs barrage keening, keyed-up, combative cats (although, no one hears them). Their patented nightvision cannot penetrate the nebulous nimbus. Dr. Mid-Nite neatly makes for a secret passage from the meeting hall to the next story.
Meanwhile, having bundled a ball of birds, Starman surveys the vicinity outside for villainous gizmos. Some unsound stinker has turned off the sound around Fox and Gardner. Starman spots the problem. An avant-garde console operates before his friend Flash who examines the unorthodox implement's instruments intently. The thing must stifle sound in a specific area. So super-smart Ted Knight speculates. He sees a frowning Flash about to affix insulated gloves, undoubtedly fetched from somewhere afar, to touch the galling gadget. Garrick is a good scientist, and he could crack the controls. However, Knight is a super scientist too, and he sports a simpler solution to a sticky wicket. He simply crushes the troublesome widget with his Gravity Rod. Normal noise returns to Gotham's noonday streets, plus some battle din.
Up in the attack saucer, two Kriglo observe. One orders, "Shoot Starman and slay him."
Down below, Wonder Woman has not killed her Kriglo captive, but she sure has k. him comprehensively. In the cone of silence, he was not answering questions well anyway. So now, he is a speechless Spider-Man sprawled across the hall. Amazon heels hike over his conked carcass quickly, for Diana hears dueling around the corner.
Dinah does melee with a mean, mammoth Martian trying to maul her. Mobile and hostile, Black Canary dodges one punch and delivers another. Deftly, Dinah Drake drops under a wild backhand, which breaks a wall. Full of pep, she pops back up and pummels perpetually for a period. However, the hefty, hardy hulk but headbutts her back amply harder than she can hit, and the bold heroine falls on her butt. Then, a heavy hand pins her.
"Hag!" comments the contentious Kriglo poised to squash her like a pest.
"Hera!" hollers someone behind the bug being.
Wonder Woman whips her Magic Lasso and rings the reprobate creature about the collar. The formidable fighter flexes, and the flashy fetter forcefully raps the reined rapscallion through the ceiling. Plaster and embers excruciatingly enter his eyes, and he cries "aaaah".
Then, out of hazy air, Dr. Mid-Nite arrives and energetically attacks. Rapid-fire fists tenderize an arachnid torso. The dazed spider-man drops to the deck, once lasso slacks. Black Canary appreciates the aid and expresses such.
"You're welcome, sister," say both Diana and Charles, in their chosen idiolects.
Dr. Mid-Nite, Black Canary, and Wonder Woman wonder what happens next. For instance, who else needs help in the building?
Two stories above, Batman does not. He has things in hand. For example, one gleaming black glove holds Hawkman's battle-ax bespeckled in blue octopus blood. The Dark Knight has dexterously chopped his chippy challenger to calamari chowder chunks. Bloody boots cross the charnel. Batman chucks the ax aside, and he drops twenty feet straight to two Kriglo saboteurs.
Two hundred pounds plops upon a Spider-Man's back. But, the Martian mutant is a strong steed, so he simply swears, startled. He gives Batman the evil eye. Batman stares back sternly. He snatches something from his utility belt.
The saddled Kriglo speaks, "You have no deviceful means that match a Martian's own, mere man. You cannot stop us."
"That's what they all say," states Batman.
The Kriglo clarifies, "Even if you defeat us, this duo, you will not stop our entire ilk's success."
"Yes," adds the other alien, "You see, 'the die is cast', to quote your Caesar."
An index appendage indicates the device at furry arachnid feet. Batman saw it lower past a moment ago. It is now magnetically, and adamantly, attached to the armory's exposed top. Curtly, the Kriglo taps it. The apparatus activates. Inside an ovoid sphere, encased in a stainless-steel skeleton, a shard of celestial matter, the Yellow Comet, buoys itself and comes alive sizzling, scintillating, shuddering, spinning like a dynamo. Batman's black mask absorbs the colorful coruscation, and the Detective's mind analyzes the awesome event unfolding. A weird whir builds as before an overload blast. And, Batman assesses that a bombastic explosion occurs ere long.
"I would need a strong arm indeed to rip that anchored widget free," thinks Wayne to himself.
Forthwith, Wonder Woman crashes up through the floor. A true warrior instinctively knows where the action is. Call it Wonder Woman's intuition.
"And, I could use other allies to combat a couple of Kriglo creeps while Diana and I deactivate the damn device," says Bats aloud.
Straight away, Dr. Mid-Nite boosts Black Canary by the boot through the floor breach. He bounds up like a basketballer himself, and the heroine helps haul him through the hole. High-flying Hooty would be proud of his hopping handler. The assembled Society indicate—to spider-scamps—"surrender".
Batman makes a third wish, "I could use Starman to sling the explosive into space."
Dr. Mid-Nite shakes his head, "Sorry, Ted went outside."
"You shall soon wish that you were to the outer limits," a spaceman shakes a finger, "You see, we two Kriglo crew are on a suicide mission. We will not survive the imminent explosion—and neither will you."
"Suicide is never the solution," states Dr. Charles McNider, "Trust me. I have seen too many good soldiers not see their people's promising futures. Please, defuse the bomb." The hero and physician had to try something on such severe short notice.
"Pshaw," escapes a sinister, spidery smirk, "Noble sacrifice seeds my sect's delivery to Venus. We two soldiers would die twice over to take our people to the promised planet."
The heroes are curious what this statement means. However, no inquiries can cut the air, for a violent eruption of energy cuts the air instead. Thunderous tumult resounds. Blazing bolts shoot skyward. Yellow Comet current courses to all sides and streams through six (temporarily) paralyzed parties, radiation wrapping them rigorously. Most significantly, raging relucent rays drive downward, pulsating and penetrating, through carbon-steel and any wards that Dr. Fate has ever applied. The cosmic comet equipage seemingly approaches atomic critical mass. Heroes gasp.
Meanwhile, outside, grand Starman goads Flash and Robin to invade the invaders' "airship" overhead—after its guns targeted and nearly grazed the Astral Avenger. Knight's Gravity Rod could catapult them into the "belly of the beast". Robin does not grouse; he agrees on going. Grinning, Flash agrees to go too, for Flash has squelched the Spider-Men of Mars before. A flick of the wrist fantastically flings Flash and Robin into the flying object.
Fifteen fathoms below the vessel, charged Yellow Comet connects to captive comet chunks in the armory (before Magic Lasso, Batarang, or blackout bomb can intercede). Their collective energy incinerates carbon steel and collapses the vault's cap inward. Atop it, two courageous Martians char, cook, and melt into chaos.
Superheroes react swiftly. They have only short seconds. Batman and Dr. Mid-Nite dive through the hole in the floor. Wonder Woman wraps-up Black Canary tight and turns her solid back to the searing blast. Kaboom! On Society sanctum's third story, an inferno instantly erupts impressively.
"Great, further fire in this building!" fusses Mid-Nite facetiously to Bats, "Where's Firebrand when you need her?" One All-Star Squadron member alludes to another.
Stone-faced Bruce barks, "Head for the marble meeting hall downstairs!" The two sprint for the secret passage that Doc used recently.
Above, catastrophic concussion knocks coupled heroines across the carpet, hotly consumed. The blast quakes the entire brownstone building. Briefly, Wonder Woman lies stunned, and Black Canary is supine and senseless surrounded by flames. All around, frightful Fire People begin to form like phantoms fixed to fetch two haughty heroines to Hades.
In the near heavens, the Man of Speed and the Boy Wonder bounce, bop, and blink about a consternated Kriglo desperately trying to both assail and dodge them. His colleague Kriglo continues piloting the flying saucer. They all battle and bide in the bridge. But, the combatant creature keeps attempting to herd the heroes away from the captain, so close to mission accomplishment. The bug protector punches at Robin. His swipe misses. Perhaps, he can cut Flash, in twain, with a Thark sword as the Crimson Comet clips by. The speedster swipes the blade, stealing it. And, the stolen steel sails into the saucer ceiling. The disconcerted Spider-Man shoots a webline out his butt, but it successfully snags no one. So, rascally Robin simply rings a Batarang off a Martian's brow.
Flash zooms for the pilot. However, a force field abruptly (and jarringly) halts Jay, for his advanced adversary has AI, artificial intelligence, attached to a "TV" camera. It automatically activates in a jiffy, a trillionth of a second. Bounced back, Flash flops supine and stunned. The pilot presses an instrument panel button. Metal bands spring from the floor and secure Flash flat.
The fiendish flyer shoves a thrust lever forward. He gives Flash a sinister smile, fangs and all, "Have you ever seen a tractor beam, baboon? Well, you are about to as it steals the Justice Society blind!"
"Actually," Garrick casually grants, "I have. Starman has similar telekinetic technology. He should be on his way up to show you thugs."
Beady eyes narrow and stare daggers—above exposed fangs.
However, Flash is wrong. A Knight in red satin is not immediately on his way. Rather, Starman alights in Fox Street, far from overhead action. Before him, a fire rages throughout JSA headquarters, and he wants to save fine colleagues—should they need the assist.
And, they just might. For instance, the mighty Amazon Wonder Woman rises woozy and wobbly within smoky and smoldering halls. The searing air could really cook the constitution out of any normal lady. It probably is enervating and probably is about to blemish Black Canary unconscious on the charred carpet. Collecting herself, the Amazon prepares to evacuate her hurt sister.
However, heinous hindrance appears in the awful atmosphere. Eerie, infernal apparitions arrive from the infringing flames, and conflagrant ghosts encircle Wonder Woman. Certainly, she recognizes the formidable Fire People (see All-Star Comics #49). They are incorporeal and cannot be simply clobbered. They are ultra-hot and can sizzle even superhuman sinew. They are immortal and can be banished but not definitively defeated. Like demons ten, they ardently dance around a defiant Diana—until they advance. Her Magic Lasso whips rapidly in a loop such that gale-force winds push the Fire People flat against the hall walls.
However, their collective mind communicates between members, and the Fire People form a counterattack. They initiate its execution, but. . . . .
Concurrently, while Wonder Woman engages pawns, the saucer's tractor beam targets the opened armory. It captures and pulls precious plunder skyward, in a progressively successful smash and grab. The same weapons bay that recently dropped an enhanced octopus now accepts commandeered capital cargo. Seemingly, only armory items secured to their shelves (Mr. Terrific's good idea) are spared the steal. Otherwise, the Justice Society's scariest secret weapons and confiscated adversary artifacts are "klepped" by Kriglo.
All Kriglo who have not been killed currently creakily and semi-consciously get up. To use the colloquial, Wonder Woman and Black Canary—Dr. Mid-Nite too—really kicked the crap out of them. The dinged dastards drag their aching carcasses toward escape, their caper nigh concluded. The surrounding blaze stings, scorches, and bites. Smoldering Kriglo carp that they are sick of suffering burns and getting crisped. The stewed Spider-Men slip out busted windows, egress the inferno, and stickily wall-crawl up the burning brownstone's façade.
Opposite this scene, another evil-doer escapes, despite injuries. Prof. Jennings lies pummeled and prone atop an edifice. Momentarily, by both Martians and mystery men, he is abandoned and ignored. However, by Gotham's noted miscreants, of which there are many, the man is not. From the shadows, a fellow with a motley suit and a maimed face assesses.
"He appears to be a mad scientist of some kind," states Two-Face, "At least, that is what I see after hubbub awakened me from mid-day slumber." Like many renegades, Two-Face rests during the day and does his sordid deeds at night.
"Sure, boss," an abreast thug backs Harvey, "That's what I see too. A mad scientist."
"Plus, we seen him fighting Robin, soes ya gotta figger that he's on our side of the law," adds the thug's identical twin at Dent's other shoulder, "We should help him; he could be useful to us."
Two-Face holds-up both hands to halt his helpers, "Well, wait half-a-minute. I'm of two minds about it. He does seem a good sort, trying to slaughter Robin and all. But, we also don't know this guy, and I don't trust easily."
"Sure, boss," a sinister sycophant backs Harvey, "Plus, he has a goatee and an ectomorphic body type. What would distinguished criminologist Dr. William Sheldon say?"
"I don't know," Two-Face fetches a pocket piece, "Were William wise, he may say do this."
"Let the coin decide!" Dent declares, "Heads, we kidnap him. Tails, we kill him."
The scarred quarter spins high for a second—or two. It lands. They look. Dent's men Min and Max remove Jennings. They jog, jocularly jostling him, toward their hideout just off JSA headquarters. Call Two-Face crazy, but he is clever enough to hide in plain sight. Also, half of him wants to reside near a hall of justice (he is a disgraced DA, don't you know).
From the ground, Starman spies not gangsters' sneaky snatch. His sights have been on the Society's burning residence—mostly. For a moment, he sized up the flying saucer and considered attacking it. Its tractor beam filches booty. However, Flash and Robin are already assailing the alien operations center. And, Starman sees a certain insurance item in the beam. You see, mainstream humanity will not dream up the broadcast satellite for another decade. But, genius Ted Knight has one constructed today, and clever Batman suggested to secret it amongst the armory stores should said stuff ever be stolen. Thus, even if Robin and Flash fail to foil the Martians, gallant Knight's Gravity Rod will guide him to wherever a certain radioactive signature goes.
Therefore, Ted takes to saving teammates. Batman, Black Canary, and Dr. Mid-Nite are not fireproof. They could frightfully fry. So, Starman soars up, swoops through a second-story window, and searches posthaste for imperiled super friends. Immediately, cyclone winds strike him and send him skidding backward. However, the Astral Avenger waves his amazing wand about and deflects both brutal wind and fire. Upon the winds, he discerns suspended Fire People, and, at the cyclone's center, he beholds beautiful Wonder Woman breathing heavily—her weapon gyred into a transcendent blur.
At her feet, Black Canary lies perfectly limp.
Starman secures both women with his rod. The great gadget gravitatis succeeds where several ignominious igneous elementals could not. It grabs the "girls". Then, the gals gotten, Ted Knight goes like a bat out of hell from the inferno and Fire People. After all, the outside offers freedom from blast furnace conditions and indefatigable foes.
Although, unbeknownst to Knight, he need not fear the Fire People too much. The Martians dread them like fire pissants too. The Kriglo are not cuckoo. Yellow Comet denizens can destroy entire planets, like the atomic bomb. Therefore, the raid's device—by design—only revives the wretched wights temporarily. Then, the odious elementals dissipate like stardust.
Abruptly, the Fire People (and their threat) end like blown birthday candles.
Almost as quickly, the Kriglo spacecraft steeply dives into Gardner Avenue. Gothamites and good guys—gathered sooty-faced Society members—gasp. The saucer's girth surpasses the street's span! Surely, it shall cause cascading calamity in the concrete canyon! Canting chromic "bumpers" graze the brickwork and grind it to grit, gravel, and goodly chunks. Those threateningly fall—until anti-gravity abilities (via Starman) arrest them.
Over Gardner, the vessel slants sharply more, and a shudder opens upon its side. The ship shoots forth Flash, girded by glittering metal, and Robin, girded by mucilaginous gossamer. Dr. Mid-Nite catches ground-bound Garrick, and Batman catches the ejected other. Looking on long-faced, the heroes witness four fuming Kriglo leap to the low, listing saucer. The side aperture swiftly shuts behind them.
Then, the spaceship speeds off with a sonic boom that relevels supermen and shatters more windows. The great green spiders from Mars are gone, perhaps guffawing gleefully somewhere above Earth.
Dr. Mid-Nite gets up first. He brushes off grime, "Oooh, I tire of being stuck in perilous fires. That is twice in four days now."
Some Society members grin sympathetically, but everyone is silent for a few seconds. In that time, Flash rubs and rattles his bonds to scrap. He stands. Wonder Woman rips Robin free. Black Canary blinks her eyes and concentrates on standing.
Batman queries Starman, "So, how are we going to go after them—after our clubhouse's fire is out?"
"Follow them, of course," notes Knight.
In outer space, Martian Spider-Men meet in a ready room after a quartet molt some in a medical bay. The Kriglo captain compliments his company on sacking the Justice Society successfully. He shows them the secured awesome arsenal, from Thor's hammer to Per Degaton's time discs to Vandal Savage's War Wheel blueprints. Plus other powerful items. The sordid Martians should have some advantage when invading Venus.
One states so, "Venus is veritably ours. We need only invade as viciously, voraciously, valorously, and virtuously as we just did. Then, on to victory."
"Very good," a comrade avers, "However, how specifically do we defeat Desira, Monarch of the Morning Star [see All-Star Comics #13], when she can summon Wonder Woman [see Sensation Comics #11]?"
The former scoffs, "We just beat Wonder Woman." He so replies.
Four fellows shake their heads. They were in the hallways where the Amazon beat them—bodily.
The cynic speaks further, "Let us say that we Spider-Men beat the butterfly-winged fairy folk of Desira's domain. What of Venus' telepathic worms? Their population is immense and their power great. Their essence undergirds the very orb. Which purloined prize can possibly pacify them? We are basically facing Venus' infamous Mr. Mind by the multiple."
"Mr. Mind is on Earth. I believe," shrugs the captain Kriglo.
"Maybe Mr. Mind is. But, do you mind communicating our plan for mooting Mind?" presses the co-pilot.
"I do mind," snaps the superior Spider-Man.
"Remind me," another Spider-Man solicits, "How are only six remaining Martians going to overrun Venus anyway?"
The head guy gladly gloats, "Our numbers will not be a problem. Already, other adult Kriglo exodus Mars. They avidly acquire more saucers as well as our planet's second-class citizens can.
"However, if they disappoint, we have niduses of fertilized eggs incubating on this very ship. Soon, we can send swarm after swarm of Spider-Men shock troops across Venusian territory. Then, thereby, we can colonize our new home."
Upon this explanation, six Spider-Men of Mars smirk all around. One supposes that, having sacked the Justice Society, they could succeed.