Issue Number Eleven
Guest-starring Captain Atom and Extreme Justice
"Monarchy, Part One"
"We're going to miss Cyril. This laboratory was really built to his specifications. Still, I think I can figure it out." Katar Hol was a Thanagarian, a former Wingman who had come to Earth and made it his adopted home. As the closest thing to a scientist that the current group had, he knew that the others would look to him for answers -- answers he had to be ready to give. For now, he studied the prone form of Captain Atom, who had appeared only hours ago. Ralph Dibny, the team's new leader, had asked Katar to examine him, hoping that Thanagarian science would prove useful. Thus far, it had not.
Chandi Gupta watched him work, scratching her neck idly. The red splotches that had appeared the night before were still bothering her -- though they were no longer spreading. "Katar...."
"Yes?" Katar checked the readouts once more. Captain Atom's skin had cooled considerably, the alien metal which covered his body having protected from the heat of his impact.
"You're an avatar and all, so I guess you'll understand better than most. You remember how I told you about my parents believing I was the reincarnation of Shiva*?"
(*She and Katar discussed it in issue 7.)
"Of course I remember, Chandi." Katar looked up from his work, reaching back to re-tie his hair. He wore a lab coat and casual shirt, but Chandi thought he looked gorgeous. "What about it?"
"Well... I think I'm starting to change again. I got these the other night...." Chandi pulled up the bottom of her t-shirt, revealing a flat belly that was covered with small splotches -- each crimson in color and each cast in the image of Shiva. "Do you think that my fight with the Ultra-Humanite kicked off something inside me? Maybe I used too much power?"
Katar moved towards her, noting the tears which were beginning to form in her eyes. "You're not going to become a monster, Chandi. Whatever's going on with you is merely a side-effect of your metagene. As soon as this mystery is resolved with Captain Atom, I'll--"
"Hawkman...." Captain Atom's unsteady voice silenced the Thanagarian. Atom rose unsteadily, pulling off the various measuring devices which had been attached to his chest and forehead. "You have to contact the others. Tell them it's a crisis. Monarch's back."
"Chandi -- do as he says. We'll meet in the conference room."
Katar waited until the girl was gone before speaking to Atom. "Why did you come here? Why not go to the League?"
Atom's eyes flashed angrily. "I'm not going to Wonder Woman and her group. Not unless I've exhausted all other possibilities."
Hawkman considered him for a moment. He'd know about Atom's feud with Diana* -- it had forced a deep rift in the League, causing it to split in three : Justice League America, led by Diana; Extreme Justice, led by Atom; and Justice League Task Force, led by the Martian Manhunter. "I'm surprised you haven't moved past that. Diana has."
(*The feud climaxed in the Judgement Day crossover.)
"Wonderful for her. Look, wings, are you interested in helping or not?"
"Of course. But let's make one thing clear : we're not going to do anything to make the League look bad. Understand?"
Captain Atom straightened, locking his gaze onto Hawkman's. "You really think I'm that shallow? My friends and teammates are out there -- and they need help. I came here because I knew your group was capable, not because I want to shaft the League. Got that?"
Katar nodded. "Good. Then let's see about helping you."
Godiva sat pensively in the back of the room as everyone filed in. She felt somewhat deflated by the recent vote, in which the majority of the team members had voted against becoming Justice League Europe once more. We have the chance to increase our ability help people and we vote it down? And why? Because Ralph Dibny's feelings were hurt when they picked Plastic Man over him. Idiot. And now he's the leader? Sigh.
Her long blonde hair snaked around her protectively. She liked Ralph, and all the others, but sometimes she thought they forgot why this group existed. It was to give hope to those who needed it, and to provide aid to Europeans who all too often felt ignored by the American heroes. But more and more, it looked like the Squadron would be no different from the Outsiders, the Titans or the JSA. All ready the team had gone to Washington, D.C. on a mission and now she was sure that Captain Atom would drag them off elsewhere, once again out of Europe.
Of all the members, she'd felt most akin to the Knight, with his strong sense of patriotism. It sometimes went a bit too far for her tastes, but at least he'd understood that the Squadron should keep its focus on Europe and not abroad.
When everyone was assembled, Captain Atom stepped forward. He looked around the room and recognized most of the Squadron members -- Elongated Man, Hawkman, Maya and the Crimson Fox were all known to him. The mysterious man in red and the gorgeous blonde weren't. Still, if the others vouched for them... "I want to thank all of you for offering to help. Considering how strained my team's relations have been with the League in recent years, I elected to bring this crisis to your door rather than theirs."
The Crimson Fox was sitting in a nearby chair, her legs drawn under her. "I was not even aware that ze Extreme Justice team was still active...."
"For awhile there, we weren't. But when a few friends of ours got into some trouble, we came together again. We've moved out of our Mount Thunder HQ and into the Perisphere, the old wartime home of the All-Star Squadron*. Truth be told, we still exist as a group from day-to-day, but for right now, we're still here."
(*As depicted in DCL's Extreme Justice Limited Series.)
Ralph passed out cups of cocoa to his teammates, while his wife Sue stepped in from the kitchen. "So who's the bad guy behind this little brouhaha? Despero? T.O. Morrow? Epoch?"
"No -- in some ways, it's worse. We're dealing with Monarch."
Ralph paused. "Monarch as in 'Hank Hall goes nuts and becomes Monarch and then Extant' or 'Monarch who shows up and starts healing people*?'"
(*As shown in Extreme Justice # 8, 13-14.)
"The latter. You see, the current Monarch isn't Hank Hall. He's me."
Maya blinked. "Come again?"
Atom took a deep breath before answering. "Monarch is the real Nathaniel Adam. During the accident that granted me my powers, I was split in two. One of me was in fact a doppleganger created from the semi-intelligent alien coating which I was covered with as part of the experiment. That Nathaniel Adam returned to Earth and became... well, me. But the other Nathaniel Adam, the real one, was still trapped in the Quantum Field. He remained there for years until he encountered Hank Hall, who was still operating as Monarch. Hall told the real Adam about how someone was pretending to be him back on Earth and promised that, if Adam would help him escape the Quantum Field, he would later give Adam the means to reclaim his life. After Hall became Extant, he lived up to his word -- sending his empty Monarch armor back to the Quantum Field to rescue Nathaniel Adam. Since his release from his prison, he's come to Earth in hopes of destroying and gaining revenge for my having stolen his life*."
(*I swear I didn't make this up. See Extreme Justice # 8 and # 13.)
Ralph rubbed his chin. "Ooooooookay. I think it's best we just move on from there."
"All right. I'll make this quick, then, because we've wasted too much time as it is -- Monarch's managed to turn Maxima against us. She's always sought a proper mate, first choosing Superman and later myself. Monarch's convinced her that he can offer her everything I could -- and more. He's gone back to Almerac with her in hopes of rebuilding the damage there caused by Starbreaker*. Worse, my team went in pursuit of them -- and lost." Captain Atom clenched his fist. "He's insane -- if he manages to get Maxima reinstated as head of Almerac, he'll use that influence to spread a reign of terror. You have to help me!"
(*See Justice League America # 63-65.)
Hawkman turned to the others. "I'm familiar with Almerac. Before Starbreaker's attack, they had a mighty arsenal of weapons. I agree with Atom -- we can't allow Monarch to gain power there."
Ralph stroked his chin. "I gotta admit, he's right. Let's do it."
Maya turned to the Fox and blinked. "Is he saying we're going to another planet?"
Constance laughed and hugged the girl tight. "Oui! Au revoir stuffy old England!"
INTERLUDE - JAPAN
"Kimi? It hurts!"
Kimiyo Hoshi tried to ignore her lover's screams, but it was difficult to keep working while he suffered. As the heroine Dr. Light, she had served alongside the Justice League and had even led them briefly, but none of their adventures had frightened her as much as this.
Here, in her lab, she had sought to help Erewhon's recent illness. Erewhon had been born with the ability to separate his spirit from his physical body -- and, since this power was present at birth, it had led him to accidentally leave his body and be unable to find it later. In the years since, he had learned that he could temporarily inhabit the bodies of other living beings. During one such episode, he had fallen madly in love with Kimiyo. Thanks to her, he had been given a body of his own, albiet and artificial one. As a hard-light hologram, he was able to interact with the world on his own for the first time.
Until recently. Bouts of intense pain had recently sent him into convulsions of agony. His hard-light form would flicker and go dark, leaving Kimi frightened for his very existence.
She turned on the computers, studying the energy fluctuations that were now tormenting Erewhon. "Please, just hang on! If I can find out what it is that's doing this to you, I can make it stop!"
Erewhon's screams reached a new intensity. "Kimi! Something's pulling me away! I can't hold on -- KIMI! I LOVE --"
Kimiyo looked up as the hard-light hologram darkened and then flickered out. Her heart pounded in her chest. "Erewhon...."
Clenching her fists, she she strode towards a locked closet. After fumbling for the key, she threw open the door -- and stared at the yellow and white costume she'd worn as Dr. Light. She would find out what had happened to Erewhon and, if it was at all possible, she would bring him back. She swore it.
ALMERAC
Almerac was once a shining jewel in the heavens, a society that had thrived for centuries. But after being despoiled by the likes of Brainiac and Starbreaker, it was an empire in chaos. Bereft of its leader, it seemed destined to drift into galactic obscurity.
Until the arrival of Monarch.
In the days since he and the exiled queen of Almerac had arrived, the citizenry had noted a new feeling of optimism. A sense of purpose had returned and the progress on the capital's rebuilding had doubled all ready.
A nearly nude Maxima, covered only by a thin sheet that was wrapped about her waist and shoulders, leaned against Nathaniel Adam, now known simply as Monarch. Together, they gazed out at the gleaming lights of Almerac's most glorious city. "I am glad we found each other, beloved. My homeworld will grow strong and proud again, our children ruling for generations."
Monarch grunted. He had dispensed with his helmet for the time being, but he still wore the majority of his armor. "I may have lost my wife and children on Earth, but here... Here I'll build something that the pretender can never take from me!"
Maxima looked away. "We have to let Beetle and the others go. They don't understand what we're trying to do."
"We should kill them as an example to others. Come here with force, and you'll be met with force."
Maxima's eyes flashed. "No." She pulled back from him. "They were friends to me. They accepted me and taught me much. They will be freed. I will not be subservient to you -- we shall rule as equals or not at all!"
Monarch stared at her for a long, hard minute before nodding. "As you say. But you should be aware that the false Nathaniel Adam will be coming, with allies. I know him well."
"Then he will be told that he is not needed nor wanted here on Almerac, beloved. Not at all."
Katar Hol piloted the sleek Thanagarian craft towards Almerac. Behind him, Captain Atom and the others sat in either silence or else quiet conversation. For Hawkman, space travel was nothing new -- but for others onboard, it was a whole new experience.
Maya leaned over to peer out the window next to her seat. "Can you believe it? We're in space! Going to another planet!"
Dorcas Leigh, Godiva, smiled at her enthusiasm. "It is a bit scary, though. But I know what you mean -- when I was growing up, I never pictured myself doing things like this."
Maya glanced at her. "Did you always have your powers?"
"They manifested when I was about twelve. One morning, my hair... started moving. It was... disturbing."
Maya nodded. "I understand. Believe me...."
"We're here -- and Monarch is waiting for us." Katar's voice brought silence to the rest of the team. There, floating before them in space, was Monarch.
The villain's voice cut into the ship's communications console. "Welcome to Almerac, Captain Atom. I regret to inform you that your allies are not welcome here."
Hawkman opened fire, the ship's energy blasts striking Monarch's force field.
The Elongated Man frowned, stretching into the cockpit. "Hey! What's with the strike first, ask questions later routine?"
Hawkman glanced at him. "If the current Monarch is anything like the Hank Hall version, we have to hit him hard and fast. Prepare for evasive manuevers, he's powering up!"
Monarch smiled beneath his helmet. So predictable. Maxima won't be able to get angry with me now -- after all, you struck first. Fools.
Monarch targeted the Thanagarian vessel, tracking its movements. Despite Katar's skill as a pilot, it wasn't enough to overcome Monarch's sensors. He fired a quantum blast, shearing off the ship's wings.
With a plume of smoke, the vessel dropped into the atmosphere. The Thanagarian shields were strained but would hold, at least until the ship crashed to the surface.
Good riddance, Atom. Good riddance. Monarch chuckled to himself....
In Justice Squadron # 12 : "Monarchy" concludes!
EUROPINIONS
This issue picks up plot threads from my Extreme Justice limited series. It's not really a true "team-up" between groups, since the Squadron will definitely be the stars. It's more of a "guest appearance" by the Extreme Justice group. Hope you're enjoying this trip to Almerac.
Look for the Dr. Light/Erewhon storyline to take over with issue 13, as we continue to dredge up old JLE business. God, I love this! :-)
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