Bangarayya smiles as he serves the tea tray to his guests. "It's always good to see you, Shekhar. When are you going to leave the Daily Times and come back to work with me? The mining business is not as satisfactory to run on my own."
Shekhar sips the bitter tea, and watches his young ward, Raja, add a pair of sugar cubes to his cup. "You know I need the information, and the flexibility, that being a reporter in Bombay gives me."
Bangarayya grunts. "Well, the least you could do is bring my daughter home with you when you visit."
Shekhar sips his tea again to hide his rueful smile. "As if I could talk Jaya Gita into doing anything."
Bangarayya rolls his eyes, but his retort is interrupted by one of the mine's security guards. "Sir, a tipster just phoned in and said there's a crisis in Mumbai … some sort of creature from the sea!" The older man grunts once more. "I'll call the Mumbai branch office security services." He glances atShekhar. "Thank you, Kumar."
Shekhar lowers his voice once the guard leaves. "Raja and I will take care of it."
Later, soaring through the air in his guise of Mr Superman, Shekhar isappalled at the sight of the enormous dinosaur-type creature which is making its destructive way through the city. A familiar figure clad in a close-fitting diving suit waves him down, and he lands aside him. "Sikki," Mr Superman says, "are the Sea Devils involved in this?"
"The Sea Devils were the first to discover him," Sikki says. "We believe he was awakened by some of our nuclear tests. I nicknamed him Gogola and … I'm glad you're here, Mr Superman. We haven't been able to reign him in."
Mr Superman strokes his chin thoughtfully. "Well, the bigger they are, the harder they'll fall, eh?" He ascends into the air once more. Approaching Gogola, he blasts him with his psychokinetic vision, trying to force him away from the city. Gogola roars in response, a wave of radioactive fire pouring our directed at his attacker.
Mr Superman feels a sudden weakness as the fire pours over him. "Great Rao," he thinks to himself, "Gogola must have absorbed Thulium, my only weakness, in his time under the sea." The heat begins to blister his skin and he finds himself tumbling towards the ground.
He crashes into the concrete, groaning again as he looks up to see a compact red-and-blue colored vehicle flying through the air, aimed at Gogola. He recognizes the Supermobile, with panicked eyes, and forces himself to his feet, attempting to wave it down. "Robin, don't … "
The Supermobile crashes into Gogola, causing the creature to stagger back. It turns, and with a disgruntled roar, begins to stomp back into the ocean. Rajah Robin, having ejected from the Supermobile at the last minute, attaches the edges of his cape to the hooks on his gloves, gliding back down to land carefully aside Mr Superman.
Mr Superman scowls. "Robin, that was an unacceptable risk."
Rajah Robin looks rueful. "Sorry Sir, but when I summoned the Supermobile and its sensors detected that that big lizard thing was radiating Thulium, I … I was afraid you might get hurt. Anyway, you're the one who designed my cape to double up as glider wings and taught me how to use it."
"I suppose I shouldn't ground you for probably saving my life … and the city," Mr Superman admits. "But we have no way of knowing whether Gogola will return. We will need a plan for this."
Rajah Robin blinks. "Gogola? That's its name?"
"At least according to our friends the Sea Devils," Mr Superman replies. "If they discovered it, I suppose they have naming rights."
"They're not your only friends interested in this monster," says a voice from behind them.
Mr Superman and Rajah Robin turn, and the latter scowls at seeing the man with the gleaming white, rocklike skin, his hands reaching instinctively for his slingshot. "The Outsider!" he exclaims.
"Michael Desai," Mr Superman says, using the man's adopted name. "If you think this battle has left me in a weakened condition you can take advantage of, I will be happy to prove you wrong."
"As ever, you misunderstand me, Mr Superman." The Outsider waves a hand dismissively. "My interest has always been only my personal profit and the profit of the United Provinces of India."
"So what is the nature of your interest here, as you say?" Mr Superman inquires. "What are you proposing?"
"I'm fairlyindestructible," the Outsider says, "but I acknowledge I lack your physical abilities. Icreated a formula to destroy the monster. But I need you to volunteer to administer the poison."
Later at the Mumbai Pipe Works, a man clad in scarlet guides his mauve-clad lackeys out of the front building. "Now that the workmen are licked inside, nobody can stop us from getting away … huh?" He looks up at the sound of displaced air, to see the man in boy clad in primary colors. "Mr Superman and Rajah Robin!"
Mr Superman deposits the teenage boy at the top of the stairs. "Grab the Red Raven, Robin … I'll handle his gang!"
As the criminal hirelings stampede towards their getaway car, Mr Superman swiftly begins to fence them in, scooping up a series of steel pipes and thrusting them into the ground circling the gang. "These pipes will pen you in until I get you to the state pen!"
At that moment, Red Raven draws a gun on his opponent. Rajah Robin is faster, drawing a slingshot and hurtling a metal sphere at the man's head, knocking him out. "You ought to have stayed on our side of the law," he says to his fallen foe.
Mr Superman scoops up Red Raven and deposits him in his impromptu cell. "Robin, we'll … Great Rao," he says, his voice shifting tone. He turns to his sidekick. "Go free the workmen, I have an emergency in Mumbai. Gogola has returned." He soars off into the air.
Mr Superman looks aghast as Gogola lifts up the Gateway to India, the arch-monument built decades ago, and throws it at the Flora Fountain. He presses his speed to the utmost, trying to prevent lives from being lost. The Supermobile arrives soon after. Rajah Robin at the helm once more, he activates the vehicle's external speakers. "Nacho, nacho, Gogola" he shouts out, distracting the monster and leading him on a chase.
Evading the thulium-based fiery breath, Mr Superman draws forth the syringe which the Outsider had designed for him. He plunges it into Gogola's neck. The monster roars and thrashes, but soon starts to fall.
"Let's not … ungh … break anything else," Mr Superman says, catching Gogola and settling it to the ground gently.
Rajah Robin lands the Supermobile and joins his mentor. "That was a good plan. A shame to destroy something so one-of-a-kind though."
Mr Superman smiles. "Quite right. That's why I analysed and alteredDesai's formula. Gogola is asleep, but still alive."
Rajah Robin smiles, "So …. ?"
Mr Superman continues, "So we're going to transport him toDinosaur island, where he can live out his life with others of his kind. Never forget, old chum, we are followers of Hanuman. We have great strength, but we must use that always for devotion to truth and life."
Some notes and timeline info for Elseworld's Finest set in India:
GOLDEN AGE:
NADIR, MASTER OF MAGIC (Quality Comics)
SILVER AGE:
Since I have not been able to find a plausible Batman counterpart, I have used as a reference World's Finest #136, which posited an alternate Earth in which Superman (aka Bruce Wayne), had Robin as a sidekick.
MR SUPERMAN was born K'L'L, last son of the doomed planet Krypton, whose ship is directed to Earth by the god Hanuman. Hanuman suppresses the boy's powers so he can be raised normally by a kindly old couple who name him Shekhar, until as a young adult, in need and in response to prayer, the god reappears and restores his abilities. He moves to Bombay and becomes a reporter for the Daily Times, eventually revealing himself to the public as the crimefighter Mr. Superman. (cobbled together from accounts of the three bootleg Indian 'Superman' movies).
RAJAH ROBIN (from Star-Spangled Comics #78)
Dean Farr likely traveled to Myanmar to become TIGER-MAN, and possibly split his time between there and the United States.
I've avoided speculating on whether other Earths in this series have an equivalent to the Club of Heroes, but in this case I will make an exception as I find it appealing to assume Rajah Robin (after all the only non-powered costumed crimefighter) has inspired other teens his own age, including ROBERTA and LITTLE RAVEN from the United States, THE SQUIRE of Great Britain, SCOUT of Australia, and possibly FLAMEBIRD of Sweden.
THE INTERNATIONAL SEA DEVILS (one of whose members, Sikki, is from India)
MODERN AGE
Rajah Robin, grown to adulthood, forms a team based on the heroes who have arisen (probably not called 'Rajah Robin and the Outsiders'):
ARUNA
CELSIUS
DELPHIS
MAYA
RAHSHASI
SHIVA
SOLSTICE
TREMOR