Issue Number Twelve

Guest-starring Captain Atom and Extreme Justice

"Monarchy, Part Two"

WHAT HAS COME BEFORE : The Justice Squadron has learned from Captain Atom that a villain called Monarch has subverted Extreme Justice member Maxima to his cause and installed himself as ruler of the planet Almerac. Now, the team (along with Atom) has arrived at Almerac -- only to find themselves shot down!

"Next time -- no shooting unless I say so!" Ralph Dibny, aka the Elongated Man, had only been team leader for about 24 hours and everything was already falling to pieces. Literally.

The team's Thanagarian craft had landed in a flaming explosion of light and sound, nearly killing the seven heroes who were inside. At the last moment, however, Revenant had turned himself intangible while the Elongated Man had stretched himself into a great ball around the others. His natural elasticity had softened the blow enough that they had been able to crawl from the wreckage.

Ralph looked around, seeing the gleaming city in the distance. Evidently, they had set down just a few miles south of Almerac's capital. "Cap Atom, you and Hawkman take to the air and make sure we're not going to get any visitors. The rest of us, let's start moving towards the palace."

Maya watched as Hawkman spread his wings and took flight. His taut skin rippled with muscle and made her heart flutter.

"He is handsome, oui?"

Maya turned with a flush to see the Crimson Fox watching her with amusement. "Um... I guess. I hadn't noticed."

Constance D'Aramis laughed and squeezed Maya's hand affectionately. "Do not be ashamed. I have noticed, as well. But don't be distracted by his masculine wiles."

Revenant floated ahead of the others, his eyes narrowed. He'd kept to himself since his defeat at the hands of Mirror Master*, only speaking when prompted. He'd never been beaten like that, especially by someone like McCulloch. It made him doubt himself, which was a truly novel experience. They came after me... Put themselves at risk because I was in danger. But why? I've barely done anything since I joined this group and yet they'd risk their lives for me....

(*Back in issue 7.)

"Heads up! We've got incoming -- looks like Maxima and a horde of guards." Captain Atom pointed off in the distance at a small army that was moving closer by the second, propelled by open-air alien transports.

Godiva moved up close to the Elongated Man. "Are we going to make a stand here?"

Ralph considered. "No... I don't think so. They've got the homefield advantage here."

"So what are we going to do?"

"Something very daring... Something rarely done in situations like this..."

The Crimson Fox raised an eyebrow. "Non! You don't mean..."

Ralph Dibny nodded. "Yep. We're gonna talk to them!"

Deep inside the palace dungeons, Blue Beetle woke from a nightmare in which he'd been captured by a beautiful despot and her armored lover, thrown into a dungeon wearing only his underwear and then bound to a wall by long chains attached to his ankles and wrists.

What he saw when he opened his eyes made all thoughts of his dream fade into memory : he'd been captured by a beautiful despot and her armored lover, thrown into a dungeon wearing only his underwear and then bound to a wall by long chains attached to his ankles and wrists!

With mounting concern, he took in his situation : Booster Gold, Firestorm and Amazing Man were all in the same room with him, all in a similar state of undress. Firestorm and Amazing Man's cuffs were of a different design than the others, however, and Beetle wagered that they were designed to inhibit their natural abilities.

"Guys? You awake?"

The lack of response gave him all the answers he needed. Great. Up to me to save the day. Again. At least I'm wearing clean underpants.

Beetle examined his bonds more closely. The metal was unfamiliar to him, but the locking mechanisms were pretty close to those of Earth chains. The problem was, however -- what to pick them with? He looked around, spotting a thin shaving of metal lying on the floor nearby. Not much, but better than nothing.

Reaching with his foot, Ted snagged the shaving between his toes and pulled it up to his lips. Snagging it between his teeth, he then raised his hands as close to his mouth as possible.

The manuevering of the shaving was difficult, but Ted fit it into the lock and slowly worked it until he felt the tumblers click. With his hands free, he was able to undo the rest of his restraints.

By then, Firestorm was stirring. "Nggg... Beetle?"

"I'm coming, fire-top. And then we're gonna blow this joint."

INTERLUDE - WORDENSHIRE CASTLE

Piers Grayson waited patiently for the door to open. It was a cold, rainy day and the Squadron, as far as he knew, was out of town. That left only one person at the castle...

Sue Dibny answered, looking a bit more pregnant than the last time Piers had seen her. "Piers? Hi. I'm sorry but Dorcas isn't in right now."

Piers shrugged. "That's okay, luv. I'm just here to pick up a pair of swimming trunks that I left here the other day. You think I could check her room and head on out?"

Sue paused. She knew that Godiva and Piers were an item, but something about the young man rubbed her the wrong way. Ralph had noticed it first, citing Grayson's intense interest in everything that went on around him. He's a vulture, Ralph had said. Still... he was Dorcas' boyfriend....

"All right. But make it fast -- the Squadron's due back any minute and things could hairy around here." A little white lie never hurt anyone.

"You won't even know I'm here, luv." Piers stepped past her and hurried up the stairs. As soon as he was out of her view, he withdrew a small camera and grinned. It was just like his editor had said -- Get close to Godiva and, through her, get close to Europe's hottest superhero team. The Sun was offering to pay a bundle for these exclusive pics... and Piers was going to drive up the asking price by tempting the Mirror as well.

Life was good.

ALMERAC

"I'm sorry that you've come all this way for nothing. Almerac has nothing to offer you -- Now leave!" Maxima's haughty tone was backed up by the three dozen armed soldiers who surrounded her.

Captain Atom landed near her, ignoring the way the soldiers' guns now targeted him. "Max... How can you do this?! You know what Monarch's capable of! He's a killer!"

"He's a strong warrior, with the proper makeup to rule at my side. Almerac has suffered much -- it needs stability and strength!"

"Fine. But him? Damnit, you know he's evil!"

Maxima frowned. "Captain, I respect you as a friend and a warrior. But I am not stupid. I will not be lectured to. I have probed Monarch's mind, as deeply as possible. He has the same heroic core that you do, but it has been tempered by the years he spent in the Quantum Field. Given time, his true self will win out. What I do now is not meant to hurt you -- it is for the good of my people. The rest of Extreme Justice will be freed, but you must leave now! I won't allow you to march into my kingdom with a show of force."

Maya glanced around and whispered to Ralph, "It doesn't look they forced anybody to accept them. If they let Extreme Justice go, what else can we do but just leave them alone?"

Hawkman shook his head, vying for Ralph's attention. "No. If he walk away now, we'll have to return later -- Monarch is a dangerous man. With a rebuilt Almerac behind him, who will stop him?"

Maxima's voice rang out. "I shall! Monarch is going to be my mate and my partner. Do you not trust me to hold his anger in check?"

"You did a fine job of keeping him from blowing up our ship," Godiva murmured.

"And did not your ship open fire upon him?"

"It's true. I acted in self-defense only." Monarch floated down from above, landing near his consort. "And I did warn you away from here."

Revenant glanced towards Ralph. "Extreme Justice is free."

"What?"

Maxima glanced up as one of her guards rushed forward. "My Queen! The Terrans are loose!"

Ralph turned to Revenant. "How the heck did you know?"

The mystic shrugged. "Sometimes things come to me. It's uncontrollable."

The Elongated Man stretched himself forward so that he was closer to Monarch and Maxima. "Give us a replacement ship and make sure Extreme Justice can leave with us... and we'll go. But we'll be keeping an eye on you."

Monarch nodded. "Agreed."

"No!" All eyes turned to Captain Atom, who was bristling with energy. "We can't do this! He won't stop with this -- he's not going to stop until he's destroyed me and my family!"

"You mean my family, doppleganger. I'm the real Nathaniel Adam, not you." Monarch's voice was full of arrogant triumph and it sent Captain Atom off the deep end.

"That's it -- I'm not letting you get away anymore. You break into my home*, you steal my teammate... It ends here, damnit!"

(*See DCL's Extreme Justice # 2.)

The Crimson Fox grabbed hold of Revenant's cloak. "Mon ami, you must find ze rest of Extreme Justice! Tell them that ze Captain is about to do something that he may regret!"

Revenant nodded, slowly fading from view.

Hawkman stepped in front of Captain Atom. "That's enough -- Elongated Man is team leader and he's made his decision. Whether or not the rest of us like it or agree with it, it's been made."

Monarch placed a hand around Maxima's shoulders. "Yes. Go home, Captain. Just be glad that I'm allowing you to live out your existence in peace."

"Go to hell." Captain Atom pushed Hawkman aside and fired a quantum blast at his nemesis.

Monarch stepped in front of Maxima and absorbed the blow, returning the attack in kind. The result was immediate : as soon as Monarch entered the combat, the guards followed suit. They targeted everyone associated with the outlander Atom.

Energy blasts strafed the group. Maya called up a water shield that caught one of the blasts meant for her, while Ralph twisted and weaved his way around other attacks. The Crimson Fox muttered a few curses as she jumped into the fray, using her claws to dispatch several of the guards.

Godiva whipped her hair at her foes, catching one by the neck and tossing him into another.

Hawkman, meanwhile, took to the air and made a series of dive attacks, slamming one guard after another with his mace. He had taken out several of them when his mind suddenly exploded in pain.

Maxima watched as the Thanagarian fell hard to the ground, his wings wrapped protectively around him. She snarled and sent out the strongest telepathic burst that she could, causing most of the heroes and her guards to shriek in agony. Her voice bellowed in their heads, "This ends now! It's obvious that Atom and Monarch will never be able to leave one another in peace -- so let it be they who brings this battle to a halt. This is their fight alone!"

The Fox turned to the Elongated Man? "Ralph? Is she right? Shall we stand aside and do nothing?"

Ralph watched as Monarch and Captain Atom grappled with one another in the sky. Turning, he could see that Revenant was on the way back with Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Amazing Man and Firestorm. "We'll see how it plays out. If Cap starts to lose, we should have enough firepower to take out Monarch -- but only if somebody takes care of Maxima. Her mental blasts are tough. Note to self : We need a telepath on the team."

Up above, the two mortal enemies were locked in battle. Captain Atom held Monarch throat in one hand, pummling him with the other. Monarch, for his part, had a hand on either side of Atom's face and was blasting him with energy.

"Surrender, Captain! You don't have my control of the Quantum Field! You're nothing but a copy of me!"

Atom grunted as pain seared through him. He slammed another fist into Monarch's gut, making his foe gasp. "Whatever my origins may be -- and I'm not ready to accept that you're the real Nathaniel Adam just yet -- it's been me who led the League! Me who got married to Bette! And it's me who'll stop you before you hurt anyone else!"

Captain Atom shoved Monarch away, blasting him with all the power he could muster.

The energy swirled around Monarch, who tried to absorb as much as he could. "You'll have to do better than that, Captain! Much better." Monarch launched himself at Captain Atom, slamming into him full force.

Both of them tumbled to the ground, landing with Monarch on top of Atom. The two men were no longer taunting one another, each too lost in the combat to spare the energy needed for conversing. Blood flew and the sounds of their cries echoed through the air.

No longer were they standing before an assembled army of Almeracians or heroes -- they were two men, battling to the bloody end.

A blow fell, to be followed by another.

One man swayed but the other was too weak to take advantage.

In the end, it was only when both men were on their knees that the combat halted. Captain Atom, his face bruised and red, coughed. "I... won't let you... take my life away."

Monarch hissed, "You already stole mine... But I am building a new one. One of my own. You... cannot have this...life."

"I wouldn't want it, you ...tin-plated...dictator."

Maxima stepped over and looked down at them. Once, she'd desired Captain Atom. Now, she was lovers with his mortal enemy. It wasn't an easy thing for her, having grown to recognize the nobility in her Extreme Justice teammates. She glanced at Firestorm and Elongated Man as they came up beside her. "Take the Captain home. Tend to his wounds... and tell him that I am sorry, but I do this for the good of Almerac. I need a strong mate, who can produce children to rule our empire. Almerac is very vulnerable these days -- after being ravaged by Warworld and the League's battle with Starbreaker, our defenses are weak. I need Monarch's power."

Firestorm glanced at her. "You're sure you're gonna be able to keep him in line?"

"I think... this is the opportunity he has been looking for. I won't need to fear him."

The Elongated Man glanced back at the others as Firestorm lifted Captain Atom off the ground and Maxima did the same for Monarch. "Let's go -- Maxima's made her decision and if these people are satisfied with her choice... Well, I don't think we should go around toppling governments."

Godiva rubbed her shoulder, noticing a deep blaster burn. Someone had nicked her during the combat, but her adrenaline had been so high that she hadn't noticed. She placed a hand over it and let out a small cry. As her vision blurred, she felt herself fall forward.

Maya caught her. "Guys! Godiva's hurt!"

Revenant glanced down at her. "Nasty infection. I've seen plenty of wounds like that -- but never one that got that bad so fast."

Hawkman helped Maya get Godiva to her feet. "Maxima, we need that ship now."

"One is being brought to you now." The telepath turned to her former teammates in Extreme Justice, sensing their mingled feelings of hurt and betrayal. "I hope, in time, you will understand."

Blue Beetle looked away. "Just don't look for us to come and save your butt when he goes loopy, okay? But... good luck."

Maxima nodded. I may need it, my friend. Thank you.

In Justice Squadron # 13 : Dr. Light is here! The team becomes tabloid fodder! Things go boom! And two members of the team get the boot! Who stays? Who goes? And who ate all the ice cream? All this and more, next issue!

EUROPINIONS

A review of JS 1-7 from the DCL mailing list, written by Derrick Ferguson:

I strongly suspect that the lack of enthusiasm over the newest series
from Barry Reese stems from lack of recognition.  Hell, I've never even
heard of half the cast myself, but that's not a good reason for anybody
to pass up this entertaining series.

I like Barry's style a lot.  He doesn't try to blow readers out of the
water with every issue.  He just tells a good, solid story each and
everytime out with healthy doses of characterization and an excellent
sense of pacing and as a consequence he has built up a respectable body
of work that he can rightfully be proud of.  Barry doesn't just write
good fan fiction.  He writes good FICTION, period.

Now, onto the JS itself.  Like I said, I've never heard of half of the
members but with the exception of Godiva, I'm enjoying them and the way
they're interacting.  I'm sorry, but Godiva comes across too much like a
second-rate Medusa and quite frankly, I've never been crazy about
Medusa, either (living hair? Gimme a break awreddy..)  Couldn't Dr.
Light or Ice have been used?

Having The Elongated Man and Sue Dibney on the team is one of Barry's
masterstrokes.  Ralph and Sue's impending parenthood makes for a great
subplot and one thing I really like: despite the Fox's insistence that
she's the leader of the team and The Knight's hogging the spotlight when
the cameras are on, it's Ralph who's usually giving the orders in combat
and even the bad guys recognize Ralph's years of experience make him
dangerous.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Maxwell Lord turn up alive and well (I
won't say how since I don't want to spoil it for anybdy who hasn't read
that story yet) but I will say that I miss the OLD Maxwell Lord...you
remember him...the guy who looked like Sam Neill's twin brother and wore
Armani suits and spent most of his time plotting the fate of the JLI
with Oberon.

And thank you, Barry for bringing back The Secret Society of
Super-Villains!  I can never get enough of them and the members you
picked to round out the team this time around is an interesting mix..and
their Mystery Leader!  Awesome!

I'm looking forward to more of this and I advise anybody who's
overlooked this series to remedy that error as soon as possible.

Thanks for the response, Derrick! As you've seen in later issues, Ralph has indeed become the team leader. You also accurately foretold the arrival of Dr. Light and even Ice! Are you sure you're not bugging my computer? ;-)

I miss the original Maxwell Lord, too. In time, maybe I'll come up with something that will make you happy -- I didn't, however, want to immediately wipe the Lord Havoc stuff under the table. I'm going to deal with it and move the character forward from there. Look for more Lord Havoc in coming issues.

Godiva's tenure with the team will take a major turn next issue, so be on the lookout for it.

Keep in touch,

Barry Reese