By Barry Reese & Derrick Ferguson

Issue Number Twenty-Seven

"Broken People -- Part Two"

Hal Jordan thought for a moment that he had lost his grip on sanity. How else could he explain the scene that now played out before him?

Carol Ferris, Hal’s longtime lover, had been possessed once more by Star Sapphire, an evil entity who housed itself in Carol’s psyche. Seeking help from Dr. Kimiyo Hoshi of The Justice Squadron, Hal had brought Carol to Paris. Kimiyo’s attempts to cure Carol had the unfortunate side effect of unleashing yet another of Carol’s personalities – the masculine killer known as The Predator. Just as The Predator had materialized into a substantial form and attacked, Star Sapphire had let loose an energy blast that had struck The Predator down.

Only this time, for the first time, the Star Sapphire powers were being wielded not by the murderous Star Sapphire personality…but by Carol Ferris, instead.

"You did it, Kimi. You brought Carol back."

Those words were spoken under Hal’s breath, but the Japanese born scientist was close enough to hear them. She chose not to respond, instead motioning for Maya to stay back. Kimi hadn’t anticipated the arrival of The Predator, whom Hal had thought long banished from Carol’s psyche. If I’d known he was still in there, I would have proceeded with more caution. I hope I haven’t brought back Carol’s personality just in time for her to be slaughtered by that creature…

The Predator slowly rose from the floor, his face contorted in fury. Smoke wafted up from his burned side. "So it’s little Carol, come out to play at last? I didn’t know you had it in you."

Carol’s face showed a mixture of emotions – fear, exultation and something else, something harder to define. "I’m so tired of people ruining my life…controlling my life. If I have to kill you to be free, I will. So help me God, I will!"

The words were barely out of Carol’s mouth before another purple beam of energy had shot forth from the jewel atop Sapphire’s headpiece. At the same moment, Sapphire’s energy sword materialized in Carol’s right hand.

Even as The Predator did an acrobatic dodge out of the way, Dr. Light was in action. She projected a tight laser beam that cut into Sapphire’s energy attack, stopping it. With cold efficiency, she barked orders to both Hal and Maya. "Separate these two before they destroy my lab! GL, you take care of Carol – Maya, pin down The Predator!"

Maya drew back on her psychic bow, firing two flaming arrows at The Predator, who slashed through them with his claws. Sensing that her opponent was too agile for this sort of attack, she closed her eyes momentarily and felt for her emotional center. There, amidst all of the teenage angst that she was seemingly cursed to deal with was something greater – the spirit of Shiva. Finding it, tapping into it, Maya summoned forth a small wave of water, which washed over the villain before he could dodge it.

Green Lantern, meanwhile, flew over his former love. She held the sword in front of her, looking more lost and confused than he’d seen her in a long time. "Carol…put down the sword! Now!"

"Hal…why aren’t you dead? Have I gone crazy again?"

Green Lantern landed nearby, ignoring the impulses that told him to stay clear of her weapon. This wasn’t Star Sapphire who fell into his arms…this was Carol. He was sure of it. He held her tightly. "Baby…you’re not crazy. The Guardians brought me back. I’m here and I’m real and I’m never gonna leave you again!"

While Hal Jordan comforted his former love, Kimiyo strode towards the downed Predator. The killer, a force of vengeance who had tried to mate with a previous Star Sapphire back in The Middle Ages, was trying to rise from the small tidal wave that had struck him. Kimi backhanded the villain before he could even open his mouth to speak. The blow, augmented by a small light-burst around her fist, sent The Predator straight into unconsciousness.

"Whoa. Nice move, Kimi!" Maya whistled in awe as her psychic bow fluttered away into nothingness.

The Japanese scientist and mother smiled wanly, shaking out her fist. Despite the light field she’d generated, she had still felt the blow and every knuckle now ached. "Thank you, Maya. Run upstairs and tell the others that we have a prisoner to turn over to the authorities."

Maya glanced over at Hal and Carol, who were whispering softly to each other. Carol was visibly calming, but still seemed on edge and was continuing to grip her sword. "Are you sure you’ll be okay? What if Star Sapphire snaps again?"

Dr. Light shook her head. "I’ll be fine. The hypnotic blocks I put on Carol’s mind seem to have taken effect. She’s in control of the Sapphire powers without the murderous instincts that drove Star Sapphire. I’m guessing that The Predator broke free because he was afraid that he, too, would be locked away with Star Sapphire. As long as we can keep him from merging with Carol again, she should be free of him forever."

Nathaniel Adam watched as his wife Bette stepped out of the team’s Olympic sized pool. She was wearing only the briefest of swimwear and Nathaniel wondered, not for the first time, how he could have been so lucky.

Noticing his intent stare, the red-haired woman smiled mischievously. She toweled off and stepped toward her husband, who was reclining nearby. "Why didn’t you join me? The water feels perfect!"

"I was too busy enjoying the show." Nat stood up and embraced her, savoring the slick feel of her skin against his own. He kissed her forehead gently before saying, "So…are you still glad we came to Paris?"

Bette’s smiled widened. "Definitely. It’s nice to see you so happy again…you really belong in a group like this."

Nathaniel grunted, but he didn’t deny the fact that his whole demeanor was much more positive since joining The Squadron. For some reason Extreme Justice never truly clicked – possibly a result of Nathaniel’s own mixed feelings about having founded the group. Being a part of The Squadron, however, was a different story entirely. Here he was part of a pre-existing group, one that didn’t rely on him for leadership. The lack of immediate responsibility was somewhat pleasing. "Well, I just hope that I’ll be able to fit in. Everyone wants to make a lot out of the leadership situation, but there really isn’t any debate – Ralph’s picked a new leader, which is more than fine with me. I’m ready to be a soldier again. I’ve had enough of being the commander."

"But you are so good at playing leader, " Bette teased.

Nathaniel started to make a flirting reply but hesitated. He felt a strange pulse in his head, one that grew stronger and louder with each passing second. He cried out, pulling away from his wife. Energy flared around his eyes and his skin turned silvery-white, as if he were about to transform into Captain Atom.

"Nat?! What’s wrong?"

Captain Atom sagged to his knees, the momentary sense of pain fading as quickly as it had come. "Good God…"

"Nat? Answer me…should I get the others?"

Nathaniel looked up at Bette, his eyes full of confusion. "No…no, I don’t think so. Whatever that was…it felt like someone was literally sucking the energy right out of me, straight through the Quantum Field!"

"Was it Monarch?"

"I’m not sure. He seemed satisfied with his lot on Almerac. Why would he attack me now?" Nathaniel completed the transformation into Captain Atom, his skin taking on the gleam of alien metal. "I’m gonna go check with Kimi. Maybe our sensors detected something."

Bette nodded, biting her lip as her husband stepped out. There were only a few villains capable of manipulating the Quantum Field the way Nathaniel could…and all of them were deadly in the extreme. Unexpectedly, Monarch’s voice drifted through her mind. The last time she’d seen him, he’d said something…he’d told her to warn Nathaniel, "Watch the skies", he’d said at that time.

Was there a connection?

Even as Plastique pondered the mystery, a ghostly white figure shimmered into view behind her. His hands hovered above her neck, thinking how easily he could end her life. Unlike himself, this woman would never be able to return from beyond the veil. The apparition did not strike, however. Now is not the time. I must exercise patience before I strike at Atom again…before I finally gain the vengeance I crave."

Without a word, the being disappeared once more, leaving not a trace of his passing.

"Melody Case? You’re kidding me!" Ted Kord aka The Blue Beetle piloted the Bug over the streets of Paris, sparing a shocked glance at his companions, Maxwell Lord and the mysterious Gardinel. The three of them were returning from a visit to former Squadron member Dmitri Pushkin.

"What’s wrong with her? She came with some incredible references. Besides, all she’s gonna be doing is working with Kimi on getting our upgraded computers online and –"

Ted raised a hand, silencing Max. "Did you even bother looking at her employment history?"

"Sure…briefly. Why?"

Ted sighed. "Melody and I…Look. She used to be my second-in-command at Kord Omniversal. She’s brilliant and beautiful and headstrong and –"

"And you used to be involved with her," Max finished with a groan. "Jesus, Ted…I’m sorry. I had no clue."

"It’s okay. It’s just that it’s been a few years since we’ve seen each other. I was just surprised, that’s all. It’s gonna be – what the hell?"

Max glanced up as the Bug veered wildly off course. He almost tumbled out of his seat, in fact, but was saved by the timely hands of Gardinel. "Ted! Mind telling me what you’re doing?"

"Something just streaked past, wearing some kind of armor!" The Beetle played with the controls, swinging the Bug around in search of the flying man. "Nothing. Where did he go?"

Max adjusted his tie with a frown. "Who knows? Look, after we made an open invitation to the heroes of Europe, I’m sure we’ll have tons of metahumans flying around. Don’t be so jumpy, Ted?"

Beetle grunted. Something about that armor seemed to spark some sort of repressed memory…

Down below, a man dressed in the red and blue armor of his father, landed in an alley. The armor, adorned by an L in the center of the chest plate, had been worn by his father in his battles against the villains of a dead world. Now, out of honor and respect, Alexander Luthor wore the suit. The Earth upon which he now stood seemed so similar to the old worlds of The Multiverse…but slightly different.

I pray I’m not too late to save it, he thought.

Plastique sipped her coffee and listened patiently while Kimi finished her tale. "So the negative parts of her personality, they are gone forever?"

"One can only hope." Dr. Light sighed wearily, sitting back in her chair. The two women were seated in the meeting room, awaiting the others. "Carol has asked us to help with her powers…"

"Well, it IS what we have offered to do, isn’t it? For all heroes-to-be?"

"Yes…but I’m not sure I trust my own hypnotism skills enough to want a killer living so close to my children!"

"Then we’ll ask Ralph. He IS team leader."

"For now," murmured Kimi. "What about when he takes his leave of absence for the baby? Who leads us then? I’m not sure I’m comfortable with Captain Atom taking on that role."

"There is no shortage of candidates here – including yourself."

"I agree." Hal Jordan’s voice interrupted the conversation.

Kimi smiled at her old friend. "Thank you, Hal. Are you going to stay with us?"

"Not as a member, no. I’m too busy with the Corps. But I’ll be in and out checking on Carol." Hal sighed. "She’s been through so much. I hope this time the cure sticks."

"So do I, Hal. And we’ll take good care of her, I promise."

"I know you will, Kimi." Hal’s boyish smile returned. "I owe you for this one."

Doctor Light did not reply verbally this time, merely stood up and tightly embraced Hal Jordan.

Maxwell Lord looked at the expectant faces sitting at the long meeting table of polished mahogany. "Okay, I guess we can get this meeting started then. Shilo, who’s not here and why?"

Shilo Norman stood up from his seat at Max’s right hand. The slim black youth appeared to have been taking fashion tips from his boss since he was dressed almost as dapperly as Max himself. He read from a small handheld computer in his hand.

"Crimson Fox is on leave to attend to her business affairs. Amazing Man is on field assignment with Dr. Mist of The Global Guardians. Oberon’s left to return to tour with Mister Miracle and Elongated Man has officially gone on maternity leave as of yesterday."

"So where does this leave us as far as a leader goes?" Maya asked. "Captain Atom will be taking over, then?"

Max shook his head. "Seems as if Ralph and Captain Atom had their own little meeting and came up with who they think should take over as leader and I agree. And Hal Jordan told me how she kept her head and dealt with a crisis in the lab earlier today and that convinced me without a doubt. Therefore, it’s with great pleasure and pride that I give you the new leader of The Justice Squadron…Doctor Light!"

As the other members applauded, Dr. Light’s mouth flopped open in amazement. "But…but…I…"

Max leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. "Congratulations, Kimi. You’ve earned it many times over."

Dr. Light finally got her tongue under control. "I won’t argue with that. But this is quite sudden…somebody might have asked me if I’d wanted the job!"

Max shrugged. "You can always give it to Blue Beetle if you don’t want it."

"Absolutely not!" Dr. Light stood up and looked into the smiling faces of her teammates. "I hardly know what to say. I know I have a lot to live up to, especially since Ralph was such a success as our leader. His gentle manners and quiet understanding pulled us through many a dark day. I can only hope that I can do half as well as he did."

As Dr. Light sat down, Maya wrapped her arms around the older woman’s neck and gave her the hardest, tightest squeeze she could.

"Now, onto our other major bit of business. I’m sure you’ve all noticed Star Sapphire was in the reception room with Green Lantern. You’ve all been briefed on what happened earlier today. Star Sapphire has asked us to help her master her powers and after consulting with Green Lantern and Captain Atom, I’ve agreed."

"Would she be part of the team?" Plastique asked.

"I think that trainee member status wouldn’t be out of line. This way she could live here at Squadron Central and draw a stipend. Do you concur, Dr. Light?"

"Absolutely. I’ve already given my word to Hal that we’d look after Carol."

Max nodded. "That’s settled then. Shilo, would you ask Carol and Hal to join us?"

Shilo nodded and opened the double doors of the meeting room and gestured for Hal and Carol to come on in. Carol had removed her mask and she looked plainly uncomfortable. She smiled shyly as Max said; "Carol, we just made it official. Welcome to The Justice Squadron and you have our word that we’ll do everything in our power to assist you."

Shilo was tapping information into his computer. "Okay, that means the current line-up is as follows: Dr. Light, team leader. Maya, The Olympian, Captain Atom, Plastique, Blue Beetle, Jennifer Morgan and Star Sapphire."

Max rubbed his hands together briskly and looked at the applauding members of The Justice Squadron and felt his heart swelling with pride. "Okay, boys and girls, what’s next on the agenda?"

EUROPINIONS

The following author’s note is a bit rambling, I admit. It consists of various things that have been going through my mind lately. If you find it boring or not something you’re interested in, please feel free to stop reading at any time J

This was a difficult issue for me to write, honestly. Around the time I began this issue, a rather negative review of my work appeared in an issue of Sophism, an online magazine. My work was criticized as being boring and slavishly devoted to fanboyish concepts. While I do write primarily for myself, it is never fun to be insulted in public. Harsh words do make me wonder why I even bother to share my stories with the world.

I peaked, I guess, around ’98 and early ’99 in terms of online "popularity". At that point, every issue I wrote would receive 5-10 letters in response. Nowadays, though, comic based fanfiction is nothing new anymore and a lot of what’s considered popular these days is at odds with the more relaxed and admittedly fanboy-type stories that I like to write. I write because I enjoy it, first and foremost, but it is sometimes frustrating to receive one letter of comment every three or four months. I suppose I should be glad, however, that I am a frequent source of Sophism reviews.

One point in the review that struck a chord with me is that I am, apparently, "arrogant". According to the review, I frequently make references to "fixing mistakes" in the actual comics that I’ve read. I do often write stories to reflect how I think they should have occurred. Many times I feel that characters are given short-thrift in the comics or that mysteries are left dangling. I find it fun to "repair" such things. If that strikes anyone as arrogant, I apologize. I write these things in my spare time, when I’m not taking a full load of graduate school classes or working a full time job or spending time with my family. I put time and effort into them because I usually find it enjoyable to do so and I like to share them with other fans that enjoy the same characters.

My parents instilled in me the belief that you should try and be kind to others, in every aspect of your life. There are people and things in this world that make me very angry but I still try to show basic respect for those people and their beliefs. I don’t think that someone has to earn my respect. I give it freely. I respect each and every one of you as human beings.

This makes me seem like a Pollyanna to some, someone to make fun of and insult because I try to find something positive to say about people. Sometimes I lose my cool with people who are deliberately mean and I say things I shouldn’t. I feel regret for those times. But the majority of the time, I try to keep my cool…and if I’m reviewing someone else’s work, I try to find the positive in it. Even if I point out the flaws, I find something in there that can be considered pleasing.—because I don’t want to drive people away from something they obviously care about. I want to encourage them.

Obviously, I’m in the minority these days. The online community has changed a lot over the past 4+ years. People are very concerned with the "art" of writing. Many of them scorn at "fanboy" excursions and yet…they continue to write FANfiction. What kind of practice do they truly gain from fanfiction? Unless they’re going to write licensed fiction, shouldn’t they go create something of their own?

Why be mean to people who are doing the same thing you’re doing – playing with the works of others because they’re fans. These people should be your kindred spirits, not your enemies. If you’re so much better than them, why are you still slumming it out in fanfic?

I apologize for using this space in this fashion, but you know what? It’s my story and I’ll do whatever I please with it. And if you gain any bit of enjoyment out of this series, I’m happy for you. If you hated it, I hope you’ll find something better elsewhere.

Learn to like yourself and you’ll find that being polite to others isn’t so hard.

Barry