Post by C_Miller on Jun 23, 2012 2:07:04 GMT -5
Ultimate Justice Society of America #9
Simple Twist of Fate Pt. 1
“Good morning, Miss Whitmore. How are you feeling today?”
Courtney stirred from her bed and adjusted her pillows to sit up as Doctor Charles McNider entered her room. She brushed her hair that was matted to her forehead with sweat away from her face, revealing a warm and welcoming, yet labored smile. “Doc, with all due respect… the first day we met, you saw me naked. I’m pretty sure that you’ve earned the right to call me Courtney.”
“Very well, Courtney.” Dr. Mid-Nite nodded affirmatively, as if she had left out the snarky response. He wasn’t used to dealing with such sarcasm on a daily basis, but he had never been the personal physician to anyone like Courtney Whitmore. “Now, please lift up your shirt.”
Courtney chuckled at his all business disposition as she complied with his request. She scooted up on her bed and brought her legs to her chest to reveal her back. Slowly, she began to lift up her shirt, nearly coming to a complete stop as she reached the bandage that was placed near the middle of her back.
Doctor McNider pulled off her bandage, causing her to wince and take in a quick, yet deep breath. “Sorry.”
The Doctor gazed at the wound through his specially crafted glasses. Bringing, his glove her back he grazed over it, to which she winced again. He let out a long, disappointed sigh as he replaced the bandage.
As he got up and walked towards the door, Courtney pulled at his lab coat. “It’s not healing, is it?”
Dr. Mid-Nite turned back towards her. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Miss Whitmore.”
Just as Doctor McNider was on his way out, Courtney’s best friend, Johnny Thunder came running through the door, almost taking out the Doctor.
“Oops, sorry, Doc.” He exclaimed as he made his way to the chair that he perpetually had set up at Courtney’s bedside. Although her heart had risen into her throat at the bit of news that Dr. Mid-Nite had unloaded on her, she felt a smile start to form at the corners of her mouth as she watched her friend pick up her guitar and start picking around.
Courtney tossed her hair back, trying, in vain, to make herself look more presentable. “So, it’s Monday… shouldn’t you be in school…?”
Johnny sighed and looked down at the floor. “Mrs. Sadler decided that we need to continue with the musical… I tried to get her to wait a little bit longer, but she said that if we didn’t go full speed ahead now, we’d lose the opportunity.”
Courtney shrugged. “Sucks, but I understand.”
Carefully, John looked her over and even felt her forehead to see if she had a fever. He was alarmed to find that she was burning up, but brushed it off quickly as not to make her worry. “That doesn’t sound like the Courtney I know… or at least not the one you pretend to be most of the time.”
She rolled her eyes. “Please… You know me better than that. I hear they picked you to be Fiyero. Congratulations. You’re going to be fantastic.”
“Au contraire. Not as fantastic as if you were my Ephelba.”
Courtney shrugged with a smirk, gleefully taking the compliment. Suddenly, her smile fell and she looked sadly at her friend. “I’m not getting better…”
“What?”
Courtney let out a tear and sniffled. “Doctor McNider just came by and told me that my wound wasn’t healing up… John, I don’t want to die.”
Johnny’s mouth went dry and he looked down at her. “Court, I can trust you, right?”
With confusion, she looked up at him and lightly nodded with watery eyes. “Yeah, of course. Why?”
Johnny sighed long and deep. He set down the guitar and leaned it up against her bedside table. Cracking his knuckles, he brought his hands up over her body above both of her wounds and closed his eyes out of concentration. Opening his mouth, he uttered two words that Courtney had never heard before. “Cei U!”
Just then, pink jets of energy departed from his hands and floated around the room in the shapes of clouds and lightning bolts. The shapes floated around the room for several moments before they crashed down onto Courtney, causing her to shriek, in terror rather than pain.
When the smoke cleared, she opened her eyes and looked hard at Johnny. “What was that?”
Johnny shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure, my grandma calls it the Thunderbolt… she got it from her mother before she left the Philippines. We don’t know where it came from before that… but it grants wishes.”
“Like a genie?” Courtney asked in disbelief.
Johnny shrugged again. “I guess… when you put it like that it seems kind of silly…”
Suddenly Courtney understood what was going on. She quickly lifted up her shirt and peeled off the bandage over her stomach, not caring that Johnny was in the room. The sight she saw made her gasp. To her shock, there was no wound on her stomach and no scar. “Oh my God… Johnny?”
“Tell me about it.”
***
Camelot, Opal City, Maryland
“Got any sixes?”
“Go fish,” Jessie Garrick replied as she smiled at Rick Tyler over her hand of cards. The pair was ensnared in a Go Fish game of epic proportions as Dee Tyler and Jen Hayden relaxed by the pool. Rick could think of worse fates than being stuck at Camelot with the Justice Society girls while Jack and Sand were in The Hague as they attempted to get Checkmate to free Artemis Crock.
Jen rolled over on her inflatable raft and deftly untied her bikini top, which soon caught Rick’s eye. Quickly, he felt a tug in his hand and heard something slap down at the table. He looked down and saw a book of aces on the table. “What the hell was that Jess?”
“I asked if you had aces… you were distracted,” she replied, motioning over to her former best friend.
Rick chuckled. “Hey, I’m just enjoying the scenery. Can’t fault me for that.”
She didn’t answer, she just glared at him with a death stare. However, her glare was distracted when the alarm went off and she saw Courtney Whitmore climbing over the fence to get to the pool area. “Courtney?”
“Flash! Where’s Jack? I need to talk to him.”
Just then, Dr. Mid-Nite came out from the house wearing his costume, with several blackout bombs in hand. “What’s going on here? Courtney? What are you doing out of bed?”
“I’m healed, I can’t tell you why, but my wound closed up.” She reflexively lifted her shirt up to show Doctor Mid-Nite where the wounds were, but to his surprise there was absolutely no evidence of them, not even scars.
Dr. Mid-Nite took a step back. “This is miraculous. I need to get you to my infirmary to figure out what happened.”
Courtney threw her hand up to brush him off. “Later. Where’s Jack. I need to see him.”
Jen got out of the pool and walked gracefully toward the teenage girl as she retied her bikini top in mid stroll. She leaned down to Courtney’s level and smiled sweetly. “Jack’s in the Netherlands right now. I’m sure we could get him on the phone though.”
“Miss Whitmore, I really must get a better look at you. I saw you this morning, this doesn’t just happen.”
“The Netherlands? What’s he doing in the Netherlands?”
“Probably enjoying some of the local flavors, if you know what I mean,” Rick quipped with a smile as he nudged Jessie.
Jen lightly snorted, but contained herself in front of Courtney. “Please, Rick. This is Jack we’re talking about not you. Here, Court, I’ll take you inside and we’ll see what we can do to get in touch with Jack.”
Dr. McNider shook his head emphatically. “Courtney, I really must insist…”
“We’ll take care of it later, Doc.”
“What’s going on here?” Delilah, who had been sunbathing in the corner of the swimming area with her Mp3 player in her ears, walked over to the commotion with a confused look on her face.
“Come on, Court…”
“Jen, I beg you please, let me take her to the infirmary.”
“Please, Doc, I need to talk to Jack.”
Just then Jess tapped in to the Speed Force and quickly ran into the center of the commotion, throwing her hands up as she exited from her jolt of speed. “Enough! Court, Jack would kill me if I didn’t have you thoroughly checked out. And Jennifer, you should know better.”
The second Jess opened her mouth, Jen charged towards her former friend as she let her white skin turn green and neon constructs form around her hands. “You’re done, Jess. I don’t care who put you in charge.”
Both Phantom Lady and Doctor Mid-Nite rushed to hold her back, but she created armor for herself that made her impossible to hold on to. Just as she created a hammer that swung in Jess’ direction a yellow blast of energy came down between the two, knocking them both back. “THAT’S ENOUGH, JADE!”
Everyone turned to look and saw Starman, Sand, Michael Holt and a man, who they could not identify in a blue and yellow costume, wearing a golden helmet and golden medallion walking towards them. “Jack, who in the hell…?” Rick indicated as he got a closer look at the mysterious man dressed in azure and gold.
“Not now, Rick. This is Doctor Fate, we encountered him on the flight back and he told us that he needed our help.” Starman’s tone was dire hinting that he had knowledge of what news the strange man brought. “He said that he had experiences with the old JSA and didn’t know who else he could go to.”
The man who Starman called Doctor Fate stepped forward to address the group. “What Starman says is true. Perhaps we should situate ourselves somewhere more intimate… where we can speak on the matter more candidly.” Doctor Fate said, looking towards Courtney.
Starman nodded. “Absolutely. Conference Room. Five Minutes.”
The group, including Courtney nodded and began to walk towards the mansion. “Not you, Court. Doctor, I’d like you to check her out thoroughly.”
***
Doctor Mid-Nite strolled into the Conference Room only fifteen minutes after they had started. He let out a bit of a snicker at the site of the regal looking Doctor Fate among his summer clothing clad teammates.
Immediately after he appeared, Jack looked up at him questioningly to which Doctor Mid-Nite answered with a reassuring nod. Sitting down next to him, he leaned in towards Jack’s ear. “She’s fine. I couldn’t find anything wrong with her. It defies any type of medical answer. Off the record, I’d call it a miracle.”
Jack’s heart leapt up into his chest. “Thank you… thank you so much.”
“There is a strong magical presence in Opal City,” exclaimed Doctor Fate, looking down at Starman and Doctor Mid-Nite.
The pair looked back up at the mysterious costumed man. “Excuse me?” Jack piped up.
“All magic leaves an imprint on everything it touches. When I arrived here I felt the strongest magical imprint I’ve ever felt, save for Coast City in circa Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Eight. Go searching for that and you will find your answers,” Doctor Fate responded coldly.
“Are you talking about my friend John?” Courtney Whitmore asked as she made her presence known from the doorway.
The entire room turned towards her and Jack exasperatedly placed his hands over his face and put his head on the table. “Courtney, honey, why don’t you head back to the infirmary. I’m sure Jack will fill you in later,” Jade piped up.
Doctor Fate ignored the green swimsuit clad woman and turned to face the teenage girl in the doorway. “Who is this John that you speak of?”
“He’s my friend… my best friend, sometimes my only friend. But he came into my room today, said a few words and he healed me.” Courtney spoke as if she were a thousand miles away.
Doctor Fate turned back to face the Justice Society. “This boy will help us…”
Jessie stood up with her finger pointed in objection. “Help us with what exactly?”
“A darkness is planting its seed in the land of Egypt that will soon engulf the entire globe if not stopped. Many moons ago, I could have put an end to it, but my body is failing me… I can no longer contend.” Doctor Fate spoke as if he were out of another time, yet there was urgency in his voice that created a distinct contradiction.
Starman stood up from the table with a similar urgency that elicited strange looks from the rest of the team, especially from Jessica and Jen. “Well, as the world’s most well equipped superhero team, we will help you.”
“Uh, Jack, don’t we usually vote on these things?” asked Hourman.
Jack shook his head. “Come on, Rick. If this isn’t in our job description… what is? Jennifer, go with Courtney, to pick up his friend… the rest of you all, suit up. We’re going to war.”
With that Jack exited the conference room in haste towards the locker rooms. The rest of the team reluctantly followed, except for Hourman who stayed behind with Doctor Fate. “Well, done, Doctor.”
“I’m sorry?” The man asked coldly.
Hourman shook his head. “I’ve been in the business a mighty long time and I’ve never seen anyone’s personality change so completely in a matter of seconds. Let’s just say, I know some slight of hand when I see it.”
“I confess, I haven’t a clue of what you’re talking about.”
Rick flashed Doctor Fate a mischievous smirk. “You can’t con a con artist, Fate. Just remember that if you try to pull a fast one on me or my friends.”
With that Rick moved past Fate and through the doorway in a huff. “Do you want to know how you die?”
Rick turned around with a look of rage on his face. “Excuse me?”
“Your death. I know the time, place, and cause of your death. I can give you the same explanation of your rebirth and your second death… Labeling me as a simple con artist is an insult to the both of us.” Doctor Fate shot back at him with an equal amount of venom and iciness.
“I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I WILL expose you.”
Doctor Fate lightly chuckled as he walked passed Hourman in the doorway. “I don’t care how much you pretend to be the bad guy… but you will die a hero.”
***
“Jack, will you zip me up in the back?” Jack looked up from tying the laces on his boots to see Jade standing in front of him with her back turned, revealing an open costume.
Starman chuckled as he stood up and zipped up her zipper. “You know, Jen, you can just create a costume with your powers… why don’t you?”
Playfully, she turned around to meet he gaze and shrugged. “I don’t know call me old fashioned,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” He called behind her as she exited the room with a slight skip in her step. With that, he went back to his boots and looked around the room at his team as they began to suit up, feeling a great swell of pride and for the first time in months, he felt a connection with the Golden Age of the JSA.
As always, Jack was the last one out due to his intense need to make sure everyone was out and ready before the all headed to the hanger as a group. Suddenly, just after Phantom Lady strolled out, Jack felt the room go cold and slightly dark. “Good Afternoon, Shade.”
“Hmm, my ability to sneak up on you has waned in recent months… I should work on that.” Spoke the man dressed all in black in a faux English accent.
Jack smiled. “Must be a side effect of old age. Can’t blame you for not being quite as spry at the ripe old age of 187.”
“181.”
“Whatever. So what brings you to Camelot today, Shade? Let me guess, you bring news of my potential untimely demise. Please forgive my skepticism, but you don’t exactly have the best track record.” Jack lazily began to play with his Cosmic Staff as he addressed The Shade.
The Shade teleported himself through a shadow in order to position himself between Jack and the door. “Jack… I must implore you. Don’t go to Egypt. I don’t know what that dinosaur in the gold helmet is thinking. The Justice Society as it stands now is vastly underpowered.”
Jack threw up his hands in protest. “We have Jade and Flash. Sand isn’t anyone to underestimate either. And we have Courtney’s friend. Doctor Fate said he will be of grave importance”
Shade shook his head. “If you’re lucky, you, Hawkins, the Con Man, the Doctor and the Pop Star will survive the breakdown of its defenses, but you won’t survive past that. Jade and The Flash will be no match for it. It will use their mistrust of each other against them. And the boy. He has no clue what he wields or how to tap its full potential. You can’t win, Jack. Leave it to more able bodies.”
With his entire body shaking, Jack tiptoed back into the locker room and sat down on a bench where Shade sat next to him. “It’s not Savage, is it? This great evil that Doctor Fate told us about.”
The Shade shook his head. “No. What Doctor Fate has you chasing after is evil incarnate.”
Nodding, Jack looked up at the Shade. “What would my Dad have done? You know, when he was in my place.”
“Jack, before he died, your father told me to protect you.”
With that Jack stood up and stormed towards the open door. “Your non-answer is all I needed. Thanks, Shade. I’ll be sure to pick you up a souvenir.”
***
As per usual, there was a tense hush on the jet as it catapulted towards Cairo, Egypt where the Justice Society would conduct its mission to snuff out evil incarnate as Shade put it in the Locker Room. However, the new tension stemmed from the addition of Courtney’s friend Johnny Thunder and Doctor Fate, an associate of the JSA from the 70s and a member of something he called The Shadowpact.
“When did you first get this great power?” Doctor Fate asked in a distant voice that sounded as if he were still in Camelot.
Johnny shrugged. “My Lola gave it to me when I was 12 or 13. I can’t remember. It’s when she was dying of cancer.”
“Can you show me?”
Johnny shook his head. “Um… it sometimes is hard to control. I shouldn’t really do it in a controlled space…”
“Very well… so be it.” Doctor Fate audibly sighed as he went back to his inner most thoughts in some type of sustained meditation.
Doctor Mid-Nite grunted from his seat, a few rows in front of them. “I won’t pretend to understand Jack’s logic of bringing a teenager with us.”
“Doctor Fate says he can help us.” Phantom Lady, who was seated next to him, responded innocently.
McNider shook his head emphatically. “And who is this Doctor Fate? He appears on a jet and the now whole team, including our fearless leader is ready to follow him into the mouth of hell. And don’t get me started on all of this magic horseshit.”
“Says the guy who never suits up without his rosary and gold cross.” She said with a sympathetic smile.
He looked down and glared at her. “That’s different.”
“I know, I’m sorry. But you’re on a team with a girl who can run faster than light if she pushes herself and a girl who absorbs energy from the sun to use as weapons or defense. Not to mention Hawkman, Superman, Wonder Woman…” Phantom Lady spoke softly and carefully as if she were worried about his reaction, so she could stop when it turned sour. However, it never did.
Doctor Mid-Nite just sat there and nodded, taking it all in. “I wish I could say you were wrong… but you’re not.”
“First time for everything, I guess.” She smiled at him playfully.
The jet lurched forward as it would when they arrived upon their destination. Responding to the motion, Sand worked the controls to set the plane into a safe landing in an area that was relatively out of the way. “Okay team, it’s roughly mid-morning here. I say we find a nice hotel and lay low for a while. We can pick up the search under the cover of night. Egypt is really volatile right now. There’s no need in calling attention to our presence.” Starman announced from the front of the jet.
In response, Doctor Fate stood up rapidly, faster than any member of the Justice Society had seen him do anything. “No. We shall start immediately. We cannot be sure of how fast this darkness will spread.”
“With all due respect, Fate, my team needs rest. Room assignments will go as follows…”
Suddenly there was a crash and the contents of one of the overhead compartments spilled out onto the floor of the cabin. Amongst it were bags and tools, as one would expect, but there was also a blonde teenaged female sprawled out on the floor after the dust cleared. “COURTNEY!?!” Starman yelled as he realized who it was.
“Uh… is this a bad time?”
Jack ran across the cabin to where she was lying and picked her up by the arm. “What are you doing here?”
With a flick of her shoulders, she escaped from Jack’s grasp. “I’m a Justice Society Legacy and I don’t think it’s fair that my best friend, who is entirely unrelated to the JSA got to come and I didn’t.”
“Court, it doesn’t work that way. But we’ll talk about that later.”
She sat down next to John who gave her a light rub on the shoulder to calm her down. “If it means anything, I’m glad you’re here.”
“Okay, this changes a few things.” Jack stated in a matter-of-fact tone. “Doctor Mid-Nite, I’ll place Johnny in your care and Phantom Lady, Courtney will be in yours. Hourman, I’d put you with Sand, but Sand can’t sleep with other people in the same room… so, um… I guess that leaves Flash. Jade. You’re with me.”
Jade flashed Jack a sultry smile as she crossed her legs. He sat back down next to her and she moved her head close to his ear. “To what do I owe the pleasure.”
“I can always place you with Jess.”
She quickly pursed her lips and went back to the book she was reading as Sand moved away from the controls and walked up to Starman. “Hey, Jack, if it’s all the same, I’d like to go out searching with Doctor Fate. Sleep doesn’t exactly come easy to me these days and while I don’t know what exactly it is we’re looking for, I don’t think I’ll rest easier with it out there.”
“Understood. Just take care of yourself, Sand.”
He nodded and sat down back at the controls while he took the jet in for a landing.
***
Night began to fall on Egypt as Doctor Fate and Sand combed the desert on foot. It was hard work but thanks to Fate’s magic and Sand’s connection to the planet, they were only just beginning to feel fatigued. “Doctor Fate, what are we supposed to look for?”
“I am uncertain, but I will know when I see it.”
Sand slumped down from his typical perfect posture. “Of course…”
The pair walked through the Valley of the Kings for another twenty minutes before Sand sat down on a large stone at the entrance of one of the graves. “It has to be here! IT HAS TO BE!” shouted Doctor Fate at the sky.
“What?”
“The head of Anubis… its his symbol.”
Sand was getting frustrated with Doctor Fate’s constant ramblings that sounded like they came from a mad man. “Whose symbol?”
“Mordru’s… The Prince of Darkness. Evil Incarnate.”
Suddenly the ground began to shake and mummified hands began to reach out of the ground and reach for Doctor Fate and Sand. The pair began to run, but as they took each and every step, more hands began to rise out of the ground and they pulled themselves to the surface, beginning to create a chase. “What are these things?!” Sand asked frantically as he whipped out his gas gun and began to fire it at the monsters.
“They’re its heralds…”
Just as he spoke they saw a hoard of zombies standing in their path and they came to a dead halt. One zombie stepped forward and looked harshly at the two men clad in superhero costumes. “You should not have come here Kent Nelson and Sanderson Hawkins. You are living and this place belongs… to the dead.”
TO BE CONTINUED
Simple Twist of Fate Pt. 1
“Good morning, Miss Whitmore. How are you feeling today?”
Courtney stirred from her bed and adjusted her pillows to sit up as Doctor Charles McNider entered her room. She brushed her hair that was matted to her forehead with sweat away from her face, revealing a warm and welcoming, yet labored smile. “Doc, with all due respect… the first day we met, you saw me naked. I’m pretty sure that you’ve earned the right to call me Courtney.”
“Very well, Courtney.” Dr. Mid-Nite nodded affirmatively, as if she had left out the snarky response. He wasn’t used to dealing with such sarcasm on a daily basis, but he had never been the personal physician to anyone like Courtney Whitmore. “Now, please lift up your shirt.”
Courtney chuckled at his all business disposition as she complied with his request. She scooted up on her bed and brought her legs to her chest to reveal her back. Slowly, she began to lift up her shirt, nearly coming to a complete stop as she reached the bandage that was placed near the middle of her back.
Doctor McNider pulled off her bandage, causing her to wince and take in a quick, yet deep breath. “Sorry.”
The Doctor gazed at the wound through his specially crafted glasses. Bringing, his glove her back he grazed over it, to which she winced again. He let out a long, disappointed sigh as he replaced the bandage.
As he got up and walked towards the door, Courtney pulled at his lab coat. “It’s not healing, is it?”
Dr. Mid-Nite turned back towards her. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Miss Whitmore.”
Just as Doctor McNider was on his way out, Courtney’s best friend, Johnny Thunder came running through the door, almost taking out the Doctor.
“Oops, sorry, Doc.” He exclaimed as he made his way to the chair that he perpetually had set up at Courtney’s bedside. Although her heart had risen into her throat at the bit of news that Dr. Mid-Nite had unloaded on her, she felt a smile start to form at the corners of her mouth as she watched her friend pick up her guitar and start picking around.
Courtney tossed her hair back, trying, in vain, to make herself look more presentable. “So, it’s Monday… shouldn’t you be in school…?”
Johnny sighed and looked down at the floor. “Mrs. Sadler decided that we need to continue with the musical… I tried to get her to wait a little bit longer, but she said that if we didn’t go full speed ahead now, we’d lose the opportunity.”
Courtney shrugged. “Sucks, but I understand.”
Carefully, John looked her over and even felt her forehead to see if she had a fever. He was alarmed to find that she was burning up, but brushed it off quickly as not to make her worry. “That doesn’t sound like the Courtney I know… or at least not the one you pretend to be most of the time.”
She rolled her eyes. “Please… You know me better than that. I hear they picked you to be Fiyero. Congratulations. You’re going to be fantastic.”
“Au contraire. Not as fantastic as if you were my Ephelba.”
Courtney shrugged with a smirk, gleefully taking the compliment. Suddenly, her smile fell and she looked sadly at her friend. “I’m not getting better…”
“What?”
Courtney let out a tear and sniffled. “Doctor McNider just came by and told me that my wound wasn’t healing up… John, I don’t want to die.”
Johnny’s mouth went dry and he looked down at her. “Court, I can trust you, right?”
With confusion, she looked up at him and lightly nodded with watery eyes. “Yeah, of course. Why?”
Johnny sighed long and deep. He set down the guitar and leaned it up against her bedside table. Cracking his knuckles, he brought his hands up over her body above both of her wounds and closed his eyes out of concentration. Opening his mouth, he uttered two words that Courtney had never heard before. “Cei U!”
Just then, pink jets of energy departed from his hands and floated around the room in the shapes of clouds and lightning bolts. The shapes floated around the room for several moments before they crashed down onto Courtney, causing her to shriek, in terror rather than pain.
When the smoke cleared, she opened her eyes and looked hard at Johnny. “What was that?”
Johnny shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure, my grandma calls it the Thunderbolt… she got it from her mother before she left the Philippines. We don’t know where it came from before that… but it grants wishes.”
“Like a genie?” Courtney asked in disbelief.
Johnny shrugged again. “I guess… when you put it like that it seems kind of silly…”
Suddenly Courtney understood what was going on. She quickly lifted up her shirt and peeled off the bandage over her stomach, not caring that Johnny was in the room. The sight she saw made her gasp. To her shock, there was no wound on her stomach and no scar. “Oh my God… Johnny?”
“Tell me about it.”
***
Camelot, Opal City, Maryland
“Got any sixes?”
“Go fish,” Jessie Garrick replied as she smiled at Rick Tyler over her hand of cards. The pair was ensnared in a Go Fish game of epic proportions as Dee Tyler and Jen Hayden relaxed by the pool. Rick could think of worse fates than being stuck at Camelot with the Justice Society girls while Jack and Sand were in The Hague as they attempted to get Checkmate to free Artemis Crock.
Jen rolled over on her inflatable raft and deftly untied her bikini top, which soon caught Rick’s eye. Quickly, he felt a tug in his hand and heard something slap down at the table. He looked down and saw a book of aces on the table. “What the hell was that Jess?”
“I asked if you had aces… you were distracted,” she replied, motioning over to her former best friend.
Rick chuckled. “Hey, I’m just enjoying the scenery. Can’t fault me for that.”
She didn’t answer, she just glared at him with a death stare. However, her glare was distracted when the alarm went off and she saw Courtney Whitmore climbing over the fence to get to the pool area. “Courtney?”
“Flash! Where’s Jack? I need to talk to him.”
Just then, Dr. Mid-Nite came out from the house wearing his costume, with several blackout bombs in hand. “What’s going on here? Courtney? What are you doing out of bed?”
“I’m healed, I can’t tell you why, but my wound closed up.” She reflexively lifted her shirt up to show Doctor Mid-Nite where the wounds were, but to his surprise there was absolutely no evidence of them, not even scars.
Dr. Mid-Nite took a step back. “This is miraculous. I need to get you to my infirmary to figure out what happened.”
Courtney threw her hand up to brush him off. “Later. Where’s Jack. I need to see him.”
Jen got out of the pool and walked gracefully toward the teenage girl as she retied her bikini top in mid stroll. She leaned down to Courtney’s level and smiled sweetly. “Jack’s in the Netherlands right now. I’m sure we could get him on the phone though.”
“Miss Whitmore, I really must get a better look at you. I saw you this morning, this doesn’t just happen.”
“The Netherlands? What’s he doing in the Netherlands?”
“Probably enjoying some of the local flavors, if you know what I mean,” Rick quipped with a smile as he nudged Jessie.
Jen lightly snorted, but contained herself in front of Courtney. “Please, Rick. This is Jack we’re talking about not you. Here, Court, I’ll take you inside and we’ll see what we can do to get in touch with Jack.”
Dr. McNider shook his head emphatically. “Courtney, I really must insist…”
“We’ll take care of it later, Doc.”
“What’s going on here?” Delilah, who had been sunbathing in the corner of the swimming area with her Mp3 player in her ears, walked over to the commotion with a confused look on her face.
“Come on, Court…”
“Jen, I beg you please, let me take her to the infirmary.”
“Please, Doc, I need to talk to Jack.”
Just then Jess tapped in to the Speed Force and quickly ran into the center of the commotion, throwing her hands up as she exited from her jolt of speed. “Enough! Court, Jack would kill me if I didn’t have you thoroughly checked out. And Jennifer, you should know better.”
The second Jess opened her mouth, Jen charged towards her former friend as she let her white skin turn green and neon constructs form around her hands. “You’re done, Jess. I don’t care who put you in charge.”
Both Phantom Lady and Doctor Mid-Nite rushed to hold her back, but she created armor for herself that made her impossible to hold on to. Just as she created a hammer that swung in Jess’ direction a yellow blast of energy came down between the two, knocking them both back. “THAT’S ENOUGH, JADE!”
Everyone turned to look and saw Starman, Sand, Michael Holt and a man, who they could not identify in a blue and yellow costume, wearing a golden helmet and golden medallion walking towards them. “Jack, who in the hell…?” Rick indicated as he got a closer look at the mysterious man dressed in azure and gold.
“Not now, Rick. This is Doctor Fate, we encountered him on the flight back and he told us that he needed our help.” Starman’s tone was dire hinting that he had knowledge of what news the strange man brought. “He said that he had experiences with the old JSA and didn’t know who else he could go to.”
The man who Starman called Doctor Fate stepped forward to address the group. “What Starman says is true. Perhaps we should situate ourselves somewhere more intimate… where we can speak on the matter more candidly.” Doctor Fate said, looking towards Courtney.
Starman nodded. “Absolutely. Conference Room. Five Minutes.”
The group, including Courtney nodded and began to walk towards the mansion. “Not you, Court. Doctor, I’d like you to check her out thoroughly.”
***
Doctor Mid-Nite strolled into the Conference Room only fifteen minutes after they had started. He let out a bit of a snicker at the site of the regal looking Doctor Fate among his summer clothing clad teammates.
Immediately after he appeared, Jack looked up at him questioningly to which Doctor Mid-Nite answered with a reassuring nod. Sitting down next to him, he leaned in towards Jack’s ear. “She’s fine. I couldn’t find anything wrong with her. It defies any type of medical answer. Off the record, I’d call it a miracle.”
Jack’s heart leapt up into his chest. “Thank you… thank you so much.”
“There is a strong magical presence in Opal City,” exclaimed Doctor Fate, looking down at Starman and Doctor Mid-Nite.
The pair looked back up at the mysterious costumed man. “Excuse me?” Jack piped up.
“All magic leaves an imprint on everything it touches. When I arrived here I felt the strongest magical imprint I’ve ever felt, save for Coast City in circa Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Eight. Go searching for that and you will find your answers,” Doctor Fate responded coldly.
“Are you talking about my friend John?” Courtney Whitmore asked as she made her presence known from the doorway.
The entire room turned towards her and Jack exasperatedly placed his hands over his face and put his head on the table. “Courtney, honey, why don’t you head back to the infirmary. I’m sure Jack will fill you in later,” Jade piped up.
Doctor Fate ignored the green swimsuit clad woman and turned to face the teenage girl in the doorway. “Who is this John that you speak of?”
“He’s my friend… my best friend, sometimes my only friend. But he came into my room today, said a few words and he healed me.” Courtney spoke as if she were a thousand miles away.
Doctor Fate turned back to face the Justice Society. “This boy will help us…”
Jessie stood up with her finger pointed in objection. “Help us with what exactly?”
“A darkness is planting its seed in the land of Egypt that will soon engulf the entire globe if not stopped. Many moons ago, I could have put an end to it, but my body is failing me… I can no longer contend.” Doctor Fate spoke as if he were out of another time, yet there was urgency in his voice that created a distinct contradiction.
Starman stood up from the table with a similar urgency that elicited strange looks from the rest of the team, especially from Jessica and Jen. “Well, as the world’s most well equipped superhero team, we will help you.”
“Uh, Jack, don’t we usually vote on these things?” asked Hourman.
Jack shook his head. “Come on, Rick. If this isn’t in our job description… what is? Jennifer, go with Courtney, to pick up his friend… the rest of you all, suit up. We’re going to war.”
With that Jack exited the conference room in haste towards the locker rooms. The rest of the team reluctantly followed, except for Hourman who stayed behind with Doctor Fate. “Well, done, Doctor.”
“I’m sorry?” The man asked coldly.
Hourman shook his head. “I’ve been in the business a mighty long time and I’ve never seen anyone’s personality change so completely in a matter of seconds. Let’s just say, I know some slight of hand when I see it.”
“I confess, I haven’t a clue of what you’re talking about.”
Rick flashed Doctor Fate a mischievous smirk. “You can’t con a con artist, Fate. Just remember that if you try to pull a fast one on me or my friends.”
With that Rick moved past Fate and through the doorway in a huff. “Do you want to know how you die?”
Rick turned around with a look of rage on his face. “Excuse me?”
“Your death. I know the time, place, and cause of your death. I can give you the same explanation of your rebirth and your second death… Labeling me as a simple con artist is an insult to the both of us.” Doctor Fate shot back at him with an equal amount of venom and iciness.
“I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I WILL expose you.”
Doctor Fate lightly chuckled as he walked passed Hourman in the doorway. “I don’t care how much you pretend to be the bad guy… but you will die a hero.”
***
“Jack, will you zip me up in the back?” Jack looked up from tying the laces on his boots to see Jade standing in front of him with her back turned, revealing an open costume.
Starman chuckled as he stood up and zipped up her zipper. “You know, Jen, you can just create a costume with your powers… why don’t you?”
Playfully, she turned around to meet he gaze and shrugged. “I don’t know call me old fashioned,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” He called behind her as she exited the room with a slight skip in her step. With that, he went back to his boots and looked around the room at his team as they began to suit up, feeling a great swell of pride and for the first time in months, he felt a connection with the Golden Age of the JSA.
As always, Jack was the last one out due to his intense need to make sure everyone was out and ready before the all headed to the hanger as a group. Suddenly, just after Phantom Lady strolled out, Jack felt the room go cold and slightly dark. “Good Afternoon, Shade.”
“Hmm, my ability to sneak up on you has waned in recent months… I should work on that.” Spoke the man dressed all in black in a faux English accent.
Jack smiled. “Must be a side effect of old age. Can’t blame you for not being quite as spry at the ripe old age of 187.”
“181.”
“Whatever. So what brings you to Camelot today, Shade? Let me guess, you bring news of my potential untimely demise. Please forgive my skepticism, but you don’t exactly have the best track record.” Jack lazily began to play with his Cosmic Staff as he addressed The Shade.
The Shade teleported himself through a shadow in order to position himself between Jack and the door. “Jack… I must implore you. Don’t go to Egypt. I don’t know what that dinosaur in the gold helmet is thinking. The Justice Society as it stands now is vastly underpowered.”
Jack threw up his hands in protest. “We have Jade and Flash. Sand isn’t anyone to underestimate either. And we have Courtney’s friend. Doctor Fate said he will be of grave importance”
Shade shook his head. “If you’re lucky, you, Hawkins, the Con Man, the Doctor and the Pop Star will survive the breakdown of its defenses, but you won’t survive past that. Jade and The Flash will be no match for it. It will use their mistrust of each other against them. And the boy. He has no clue what he wields or how to tap its full potential. You can’t win, Jack. Leave it to more able bodies.”
With his entire body shaking, Jack tiptoed back into the locker room and sat down on a bench where Shade sat next to him. “It’s not Savage, is it? This great evil that Doctor Fate told us about.”
The Shade shook his head. “No. What Doctor Fate has you chasing after is evil incarnate.”
Nodding, Jack looked up at the Shade. “What would my Dad have done? You know, when he was in my place.”
“Jack, before he died, your father told me to protect you.”
With that Jack stood up and stormed towards the open door. “Your non-answer is all I needed. Thanks, Shade. I’ll be sure to pick you up a souvenir.”
***
As per usual, there was a tense hush on the jet as it catapulted towards Cairo, Egypt where the Justice Society would conduct its mission to snuff out evil incarnate as Shade put it in the Locker Room. However, the new tension stemmed from the addition of Courtney’s friend Johnny Thunder and Doctor Fate, an associate of the JSA from the 70s and a member of something he called The Shadowpact.
“When did you first get this great power?” Doctor Fate asked in a distant voice that sounded as if he were still in Camelot.
Johnny shrugged. “My Lola gave it to me when I was 12 or 13. I can’t remember. It’s when she was dying of cancer.”
“Can you show me?”
Johnny shook his head. “Um… it sometimes is hard to control. I shouldn’t really do it in a controlled space…”
“Very well… so be it.” Doctor Fate audibly sighed as he went back to his inner most thoughts in some type of sustained meditation.
Doctor Mid-Nite grunted from his seat, a few rows in front of them. “I won’t pretend to understand Jack’s logic of bringing a teenager with us.”
“Doctor Fate says he can help us.” Phantom Lady, who was seated next to him, responded innocently.
McNider shook his head emphatically. “And who is this Doctor Fate? He appears on a jet and the now whole team, including our fearless leader is ready to follow him into the mouth of hell. And don’t get me started on all of this magic horseshit.”
“Says the guy who never suits up without his rosary and gold cross.” She said with a sympathetic smile.
He looked down and glared at her. “That’s different.”
“I know, I’m sorry. But you’re on a team with a girl who can run faster than light if she pushes herself and a girl who absorbs energy from the sun to use as weapons or defense. Not to mention Hawkman, Superman, Wonder Woman…” Phantom Lady spoke softly and carefully as if she were worried about his reaction, so she could stop when it turned sour. However, it never did.
Doctor Mid-Nite just sat there and nodded, taking it all in. “I wish I could say you were wrong… but you’re not.”
“First time for everything, I guess.” She smiled at him playfully.
The jet lurched forward as it would when they arrived upon their destination. Responding to the motion, Sand worked the controls to set the plane into a safe landing in an area that was relatively out of the way. “Okay team, it’s roughly mid-morning here. I say we find a nice hotel and lay low for a while. We can pick up the search under the cover of night. Egypt is really volatile right now. There’s no need in calling attention to our presence.” Starman announced from the front of the jet.
In response, Doctor Fate stood up rapidly, faster than any member of the Justice Society had seen him do anything. “No. We shall start immediately. We cannot be sure of how fast this darkness will spread.”
“With all due respect, Fate, my team needs rest. Room assignments will go as follows…”
Suddenly there was a crash and the contents of one of the overhead compartments spilled out onto the floor of the cabin. Amongst it were bags and tools, as one would expect, but there was also a blonde teenaged female sprawled out on the floor after the dust cleared. “COURTNEY!?!” Starman yelled as he realized who it was.
“Uh… is this a bad time?”
Jack ran across the cabin to where she was lying and picked her up by the arm. “What are you doing here?”
With a flick of her shoulders, she escaped from Jack’s grasp. “I’m a Justice Society Legacy and I don’t think it’s fair that my best friend, who is entirely unrelated to the JSA got to come and I didn’t.”
“Court, it doesn’t work that way. But we’ll talk about that later.”
She sat down next to John who gave her a light rub on the shoulder to calm her down. “If it means anything, I’m glad you’re here.”
“Okay, this changes a few things.” Jack stated in a matter-of-fact tone. “Doctor Mid-Nite, I’ll place Johnny in your care and Phantom Lady, Courtney will be in yours. Hourman, I’d put you with Sand, but Sand can’t sleep with other people in the same room… so, um… I guess that leaves Flash. Jade. You’re with me.”
Jade flashed Jack a sultry smile as she crossed her legs. He sat back down next to her and she moved her head close to his ear. “To what do I owe the pleasure.”
“I can always place you with Jess.”
She quickly pursed her lips and went back to the book she was reading as Sand moved away from the controls and walked up to Starman. “Hey, Jack, if it’s all the same, I’d like to go out searching with Doctor Fate. Sleep doesn’t exactly come easy to me these days and while I don’t know what exactly it is we’re looking for, I don’t think I’ll rest easier with it out there.”
“Understood. Just take care of yourself, Sand.”
He nodded and sat down back at the controls while he took the jet in for a landing.
***
Night began to fall on Egypt as Doctor Fate and Sand combed the desert on foot. It was hard work but thanks to Fate’s magic and Sand’s connection to the planet, they were only just beginning to feel fatigued. “Doctor Fate, what are we supposed to look for?”
“I am uncertain, but I will know when I see it.”
Sand slumped down from his typical perfect posture. “Of course…”
The pair walked through the Valley of the Kings for another twenty minutes before Sand sat down on a large stone at the entrance of one of the graves. “It has to be here! IT HAS TO BE!” shouted Doctor Fate at the sky.
“What?”
“The head of Anubis… its his symbol.”
Sand was getting frustrated with Doctor Fate’s constant ramblings that sounded like they came from a mad man. “Whose symbol?”
“Mordru’s… The Prince of Darkness. Evil Incarnate.”
Suddenly the ground began to shake and mummified hands began to reach out of the ground and reach for Doctor Fate and Sand. The pair began to run, but as they took each and every step, more hands began to rise out of the ground and they pulled themselves to the surface, beginning to create a chase. “What are these things?!” Sand asked frantically as he whipped out his gas gun and began to fire it at the monsters.
“They’re its heralds…”
Just as he spoke they saw a hoard of zombies standing in their path and they came to a dead halt. One zombie stepped forward and looked harshly at the two men clad in superhero costumes. “You should not have come here Kent Nelson and Sanderson Hawkins. You are living and this place belongs… to the dead.”
TO BE CONTINUED
