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#6
OCT 11 |
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“Villains of the Present”
Jack Knight and the Shade stood side by side and before them was the smoking debris of a house and a man in a black tuxedo: the Wizard. An Opal City EMT rushed in and grabbed Abigail Moorland and rushed her to safety, and the Wizard permitted it as he smirked. “So the rumors are true. You have deserted us, Shade.”
The Shade smiled. “I don’t think of it so much as desertion as protecting my home,” he said.
“You always did have a soft spot in your heart for this place,” the Wizard said. He turned his attention to Jack. “And you would be the son of Starman.”
“I’m Ted Knight’s son,” Jack said.
The Wizard smiled. “Then die with him.” The Wizard uttered an arcane chant and a mystic blast threw Jack and the Shade back despite a shield of shadow conjured by the Shade.
“This place is rich in magic,” the Wizard said. “It was pure fortune for me to find the Prairie Witch in this place. I understand that your father encountered a coven during the 1940’s as well as a demon.”
“That is true,” the Shade replied.
“And they all left their mark on this place.” The Wizard laughed. “It feels incredible to be back to my full power.”
“How lovely for you,” the Shade said. “Enjoy it while it lasts.” The Shade pointed his cane and shadow wraiths formed before they swarmed the Wizard.
The Wizard laughed while he conjured beasts of smoke that began battling the wraiths. “Is that the best you can do, old friend?” he asked. “I would have expected the Icicle or Sportsmaster to give me more of a challenge.”
“Maybe he’s just trying to keep you occupied,” Jack said as he launched into flight and fired a beam.
The Wizard raised a hand and deflected it into a patrol car which exploded. “Child’s play,” he sneered as he looked at Jack. “But what else can I expect from a child?” Jack went flying as the Wizard began sending magical energy blasts his way.
Dagon awakened from his sleep and sniffed the air. His lips pulled back to reveal his fangs as he realized that he was not alone. A steel-like hand pushed him back into his coffin as he tried to sit upright. The other hand reached out and turned on an overhead light.
“Good morning,” Mary said. “I think we need to talk.”
Jack activated another shield as energy bolts from the Wizard sizzled into it. “Any ideas?” he called to the Shade.
“Very few, I’m afraid,” the Shade admitted. “I’ve never seen him this powerful.”
“Wonderful,” Jack said. “So we’re fighting a holding action against this guy.” Jack kept one hand on the rod and pulled out a cell phone from his pocket. “I’m calling for backup,” he said as he dialed with his thumb.
“On our way,” Bette Kane said as she hung up. She was already in her costume and hurried across the hall. “Come on, Paco,” she said. “We’ve got work to do.”
“So why don’t I rate a call?” he asked as he pulled his jacket on.
Bette grabbed his phone and looked at the display. “Because your battery’s dead,” she replied as she put it on a table.
“Oh,” Paco said. “So how are we getting there?”
Bette held up a set of keys. “I’ve been doing a little shopping,” she said with a smile.
Mary pressed the ignore button on Dagon’s phone and threw it aside. “Now, we don’t need any interruptions,” she said. She removed her hand and Dagon sat up.
“I should kill you right now,” he said. “It would end so much.”
Mary smiled. “You could try, but you might wind up missing out on something you’d like to know.”
“What is that?” Dagon asked.
Mary motioned toward a chair as she seated herself. Dagon thought a moment and then sat down. Mary smiled silently. “I know what’s really going on around here,” she said, “and I can give you the information you need to stop a disaster from occurring.”
Mary leaned forward and smiled widely, exposing her own fangs. “For a price,” she finished.
Flamebird and Vibe climbed out of the car. Flamebird hurried to Hope O’Daire as Vibe followed. Hope gave a quick summary of what had happened and Flamebird turned to Vibe.
“What’d she say?” he asked.
“We’ve got an old JSA bad guy named the Wizard.”
“JSA?” Vibe smiled. “He’s got to be ancient. No problem.”
“He should be,” Flamebird admitted, “but something’s happened to turn him young and kick him back to full power.”
“Great,” Vibe said. “I hate magic.”
“Magic, robots, is there anything you do like?” Flamebird asked as she fished in her utility belt.
“Yeah,” Paco asked. “Karaoke night.”
Flamebird smiled. “The old one-two?”
“Why not?” Vibe asked as he raised his hands.
The Shade and Jack watched as shockwaves flew into the Wizard, sending him backward. Vibe smiled behind his sunglasses as Flamebird jumped from a police car’s hood and threw her throwing disk which slammed into the Wizard’s jaw.
The Shade smiled. His wraiths began getting past the Wizard’s creations and began nearing the fallen villain.
The Wizard suddenly returned to his feet. “Fools!” he yelled as he unleashed a wave of force that sent the others flying backward.
He bent and picked up Flamebird by the throat. “You die first,” he said as his hand began to squeeze.
“I’m listening,” Dagon said.
Mary smiled. “That’s better.” She leaned back in the chair. “I trust that you have heard of the Rag Doll.”
Dagon nodded. “I know what he’s done in this city in the past,” he said.
“Then I’m sure you want to stop his latest scheme.”
“And what’s your price?” Dagon asked suspiciously.
Mary’s smile widened. “Kill Andrew Bennett.” She leaned forward in the chair. “After all, wouldn’t he himself sacrifice himself to save the thousands who would be killed?”
“I don’t believe you,” Dagon said.
Mary stood and smiled. “I hear the doubt in your voice,” she said softly. “This offer does have a time limit, but I’ll give you time to think it over.” She grabbed Dagon’s face and kissed him. Dagon winced and pulled back to discover his lip bleeding.
Mary wiped his blood from her lip and laughed as she faded into a fog that dissipated, leaving only the sound of her laughter echoing in Dagon’s ears.
As Vibe struggled to his feet, Flamebird raised her hand and fired her flash into the Wizard’s face. He let out a cry and released her. Flamebird had barely fallen to the ground before the Shade’s shadow wraiths surrounded her and bore her to safety.
“Time’s up,” Jack said as he fired the rod at the Wizard, throwing him further off balance. Jack smiled as another wraith raced past him carrying the form of Abigail Moorland.
The wraith placed Abigail against the Wizard and withdrew. Jack used his rod’s shield to protect the others as a blinding energy surrounded the Wizard and the former Prairie Witch.
When it cleared, Abigail was breathing easily and the Wizard had withered to his previous appearance.
“No,” the Wizard said weakly. He reached a hand out toward Abigail that was covered with age spots.
“Sorry,” Jack said as he stepped between the two. “Time’s up.” Jack stood there as Opal City police rushed in and snapped handcuffs onto the Wizard’s wrists.
“So how did you know that would work, Stars?” Hope O’Daire asked as paramedics loaded Abigail onto a stretcher.
“Simple, my dear,” the Shade said as he stepped forward. “Nature abhors a vacuum.” He gently kissed Hope’s hand, stepped into a shadowy portal and was gone.
Flamebird and Vibe came up to Jack. “Thanks, guys,” Jack said as he shook Vibe’s hand. “Without you we would have really been up a creek.”
Vibe smirked. “Guess us second-rate heroes do have a place after all, don’t we?”
Flamebird stepped between them before Jack could respond. “Boys, can we do this later? I just nearly got choked to death and would like to sit down.” She led Vibe away and stopped. She turned back and said, “I’m doing some digging on what was in your dad’s journal. I’ll let you know what I find.”
Jack watched as Flamebird and Vibe climbed into her car and drove away. “Looks like you’ve got a fan,” Hope said.
“I don’t know what his problem is,” Jack said, “but I might fix it for him.”
Hope smiled. “Your Irish is showing,” she said.
As Jack flew away, he realized who was missing. What had happened to Dagon?
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To Be Continued...
Next Issue: In Starman #7: An old foe of Jack’s returns, but who is he working for?
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