Issue Number Five
"Birds of a Feather, Part One"
A bit of solitude was what he had craved. Time to be away from his teammates and reflect.
Revenant stared up at the full moon, hanging low over London. The air was chill and damp, with the faint scent of human sweat in the air. He remembered another trip to England, years before, one that had brought him quite a bit of cash -- and an eternity of sin.
The blood in her eyes was flowing freely, casting a reddish tint to them as she begged for mercy. A rogue member of the HIVE, she'd made off with over a million dollars worth of equipment and information. Revenant, though he wasn't called by that name then, had tracked her here to London. His mission was simple - kill her before she could reveal her knowlege to others, and retrieve the equipment.
The latter was all ready taken care of, but the former had stretched on for over 3 hours now. He liked his work.
He twisted her hair, tilting her head back so he could smile down at her. Bruised and battered, she looked nothing like the beauty he'd first encountered. "You did a bad thing," he had purred.
"Please... please don't do this. I can.. pay you... sleep with you... whatever you want. Just please... please don't kill me." The tears were still coming, even after all this. He'd have thought her eyes dry by now.
He'd leaned close and shook his head. "I'm sorry, mon cheri. But this is business. Do you understand?"
She swallowed hard and made a whimpering sound that reminded of a lost puppy.
The knife had slit her throat quickly and easily.
A tear ran down his cheek as he remembered that event, knowing that upon his death he had been condemned for that and a thousand other sins. The worst part of his new existence was that he would never, ever make up for all the deaths he'd aided or caused.
Never.
Above, a solitary figure flew past the moon, wings outstretched.
WORDENSHIRE CASTLE, ENGLAND
Sue Dibny hummed to herself as she poured milk on her cereal. Ralph was animatedly telling Maya about an adventure he'd had in the past, where he'd single-handedly saved the combined Justice Society and Justice League. The young girl's reaction suggested that she wasn't too confident in the story's truthfulness*.
(*It's true though! Check out Justice League of America # 159-160!)
"Anyway, want to know how many times Plastic Man has saved the entire JSA and JLA!" Ralph finished his story with a hearty nod of his head. "Not once. Not once!"
"I take it you're not pleased that you've replaced in the League, Ralph?" The soft, almost purring voice of Dorcas Leigh made everyone look up. Even Sue, through her frown, had to admit that Dorcas was quite a woman.
Dressed in silk pajamas that outlined every curve of her body, Dorcas breezed into the kitchen area and sat at the table. She had stayed last night at the castle, despite complaints that it was far too drafty. Regardless of the temperature, her hair looked fabulous, curling around her shoulders. She probably doesn't have to wash it, Sue mused. Just ask it to look perky and it does.
Ralph shrugged. Dressed in his favorite Hawaiian shirt, Ralph looked a bit out place next to the always regal-looking Dorcas. "Nah, it's not that they got a new stretchy guy in there -- I mean, Plas came first, after all. But it's that Bats didn't even ask me. He sponsored someone who's never even been in the League before...."
"But his powers are different than yours, Mr. Dibny," Maya offered. "He can actually change his appearance, not just stretch himself. Maybe that's why they wanted to bring him in."
"From the mouths of babes," Sue chimed in with. She smiled at her husband, having discussed this very same topic with him at length numerous times before.
Dorcas leaned back. "Regardless, I can see how you feel, Ralph. When the Justice League went international a few years back and the Global Guardians were tossed out by the U.N., I felt slighted as well. But I thought 'Surely the League will invite me to join, as a representative of England. I've fought crime for years and I'm a household name in Great Britain.' Instead, the League took in Icemaiden and the Green Flame. One deals with such disappointments and moves on." As she talked, her pajama top parted slightly, revealing plentiful cleavage.
Ralph glanced over at Sue, who was frowning in the direction of Dorcas. Something tells me things are going to get a bit... um, tense... around here, he mused.
Constance D'aramis sat in the London office of Revson Corporation, the business that she and her late sister had helped make into a powerful force in their industry. The pain of her sister's death still ate away at her, reinforced by the state of pseudo-death that her lover Metamorpho was currently in. Perhaps, with ze help of Cyril, we can find a way to revive Rex... Or, perhaps, I have to accept ze fact that he is gone for good. Sometimes, even in ze world of super-beings, there is no such thing as resur--
The thought disappeared immediately as a familiar winged form swept past the window. The figure was bare-chested, with massive wings. A medieval-style mace was held tightly in his left hand and a birdlike mask covered his upper face. The recognition came quick and hard : Hawkman!
Thoughts of resurrections returned once more. Katar Hol, who had served alongside Constance in the Justice League following Zero Hour, had gone missing many months ago. The original Hawkman who had battled the Nazis in World War II with the Justice Society was rumored to have returned*, but Constance had heard no concrete evidence.
(*See DCL's Justice Society # 2 for more.)
A brief bit of elation hit her -- what if Katar had returned and wished to join? Hawkman in ze Justice Squadron? This is too good to pass up!
Making sure that her door was locked, Constance quickly began to change into her costume. Though she'd always thought of her sister Vivian as the more adventuresome of them, she was growing to realize that she craved this excitement as well.
With a smile, she leaped out of her 12th story office window, in pursuit of Hawkman.
The hunt did not take long.
The Winged Wonder was perched on a rooftop, scanning the horizon when she came upon him. Nimble as a cat, the Crimson Fox jumped from building to building until she was within a few feet of him. "Hawkman... is that you?"
Hawkman turned and gazed at her in silence. Then he raised the mace and launched himself into the air.
Crimson Fox had only a second to realize that he meant to attack before she had to roll out of the way. The winged man's blow knocked a chunk out of the rooftop. "Katar?! Is that you? If it is, what is wrong?"
Hawkman whirled about and sped towards her once more, his wings flapping rapidly. The Fox activated her pheromones, hoping that her control over men would calm Hawkman's fury. The second blow struck her shoulder and sent pain flaring throughout her arm. So much for my pheromones...
Realizing that she had to defend herself, the Fox slashed upwards with her gloved claws, carving long tunnels in Hawkman's belly. Fresh blood dripped as he retreated skyward. This cannot be Katar! Because if it is, I am getting very tired of being attacked by those I once considered friends*!
(*Max Lord, as Lord Havoc, attacked the JS team last ish.)
Hawkman let out an animal roar as he hovered above her. Constance realized that he meant to continue this battle to the end, however bloody that may turn out to be. With a grim expression, she activated her Squadron communicator, sending out a repeating emergency signal that would lead them to her.
Accepting that battle was her only recourse, Constance jumped into the air as Hawkman dove at her. She landed on his powerful back, jabbing her claws in hard. They pierced his flesh and made him cry out.
Spinning in an attempt to toss her off, Hawkman flew dangerously close to nearby buildings and attracted the attention of passersby below. The Crimson Fox held on tighter, digging in more in the hopes that he would surrender this mad fight.
Hawkman suddenly reversed his motion and slammed her against the side of a building. The blow made her head spin and one of her hands came free of her grip. Hawkman reached around and grabbed it, using all his strength to pull her forward. This had the unintended effect of digging her other claw harder into his back, eliciting copious amounts of blood. Hawkman leaned in close to Constance's face, baring his teeth.
"S'arrętent! What are you doing?!"
Hawkman bit her cheek, their bare flesh touching for the first time. As his saliva mingled with her blood, Constance felt the world grow fuzzy and dark. A crimson cloud passed over her vision....
"There! I see her up ahead." Maya pointedly excitedly as the team rode the Knight's flying platform through London.
The Elongated Man stretched his neck as far as he could and squinted. "Yep. That's her... and I think Hawkman's with her."
The Knight grunted. "Which one?"
"Who can tell? Gotta have a scorecard these days," Ralph deadpanned.
The Knight glanced around at the rest of the team. Beside himself and Ralph, there was Maya, Godiva, Revenant and Sue Dibny. Why Ralph's wife was along he didn't know. Sometimes I wonder about those two. It's not natural for a woman to enjoy this sort of thing, at least not a normal one. Someone like Godiva I can fathom -- with her gifts, what else could she do? But Sue... Hmm. If she's going to come with us like this, perhaps I can at least give her something to make her less of a liability....
The flying platform came to a hovering halt before Hawkman and the Fox, who were both standing as if waiting. Bloody wounds on Hawkman's back and stomach had stained his pants and were still flowing.
"Good lord! What happened to the two of you?" The Knight asked.
Godiva narrowed her eyes. "Something's wrong here...."
Both the Fox and Hawkman jumped into the air, teeth bared. Hawkman raised his mace as if he meant to bash in Revenant's head with it, while the Crimson Fox landed on the edge of the platform, throwing it dangerously off-balance.
Maya watched as the Fox started to topple over. With a cry, she reached out to grab the Fox's arm. "Constance! Be careful!"
With an animalistic growl, the Fox sank her teeth into Maya's soft young flesh. A warm heat ran through the young woman's veins...
When she finished helping the Fox back onto the platform, she turned to face the Knight. Flame suddenly surrounded her face and hands.
With a look of utter hatred on her face, she attacked....
In Justice Squadron # 6 : The Justice Squadron must fight against their own in a battle royale! What happens if the rest of the team is possessed? Will anyone be able to stand against them?! Be here for "Birds of a Feather", part two!
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Nothing much to say this issue. The letters aren't really coming in yet, so all's quiet on that front. Next issue will wrap up this storyline (and yes, you'll find out if it's Carter, Katar or someone else under the Hawk-helmet) and in issue # 7 we come face-to-face with the leader of the Secret Society!
Keep in touch,