the world as ruled by

Vandal Savage

Vandal Savage stood on the balcony of his grand palace, looking down at his admiring subjects. There were thousands of them. And millions more elsewhere. This was how it should be, he thought.

The crowd was dressed in attire that was reminiscent of pre-Renaissance Europe. Not exactly as it was but similar. The architecture was also a slightly altered recreation of the Middle Ages. Modern technology no longer existed. No one remembered that it ever had.

This was the world that Vandal Savage had created. His world! His new toy! Vandal Savage stroked the all-powerful Cosmic Cube and smiled.

Vandal Savage's elite legion, the Avenging Knights, were on a royal mission from the Emperor. The local population cheered as their protectors passed in search of their quarry . . . The Death Knight!

Led by Sir Thor, the Storm-Lord, several members of the Avenging Knights followed, intent on the capture of the enemy of the realm. Among the knights were Sir J'Onn, the Green Knight of the stars; Sir Marvelous, the wise and pure; Lord Icon, the August and valiant; The Iron Knight, warrior and tinkerer; And finally, the Living Vision, emotionless red ghost who served the Emperor.

The six elite knights left the city and headed into the dense forest which the Death Knight used as a hide-away. They were determined to come back with his head.

All but one . . . Sir Thor, the leader of this group of Knights. Something was troubling him. Strange thoughts stirred in his mind. There were things that didn't seem to be right and needed to be explained to him. He needed answers to these tormenting thoughts.

"Sir J'Onn!" Thor said. "There is something that I must attend to most urgently. I leave thou in charge of the hunt."

J'Onn, the green Knight, was taken aback. "But good sir, this is most improper! The Emperor has ordered us to slay this fiend for the glory of Vandal Savage. How can you abandon your duty?"

"I . . . I cannot explain, valiant J'Onn," Thor said. "There are no words. I only know I must do this."

The Iron Knight moved to Sir Thor's side. "Nothing is more important than our duty to the Emperor."

"Long live Vandal Savage!" Sir Marvelous shouted.

"We live for Vandal Savage and we die for Vandal Savage!" Lord Icon stated.

"Question me not!" Thor shouted. "I do what I must!"

"Your behavior is illogical and disloyal," the Living Vision said.

"Aye, mayhap it is," Thor said. Without another word, Thor left his companions. They watched him go, confused.

"We shall deal with these matters later," Sir J'Onn said. "First and foremost, we must carry out the Emperors commands. Off to the Greenwood. There we shall find the wolf called Death Knight and carry out the death sentence!"

The others agreed and followed Sir J'Onn into the forest, ready for battle. Meanwhile, Thor, going the other direction, was fighting a different battle. It was a battle that raged in his mind!

"Kill, kill, kill!" the crowd chanted to their heroes.

"Shall we give them a good show?" Pim asked.

The Speed-Knight raced forward. He ran in swift circles around Gestalt, confusing the primitive beast. Pim grew to gigantic proportions and charged the beast, grabbing it with mighty hands and wrestling with it. The Hawk Warrior attacked, jabbing his sword into the beast's hindquarters. First blood was spilled. The crowd roared with delight.

"Kill, kill, kill!" they chanted, waiting eagerly for the killing blow.

"You've checked this wing already," a gruff voice said.

Lord-Marshall Steven looked to the shadows, where the Dark Knight was lurking. The black-clad warrior was always sneaking up on people. He moved with incredible stealth, especially in the darkness.

"I know I have," Lord Steven said, "but it doesn't hurt to be thorough."

"There are other matters that require your attention," the Dark Knight said. "The tribute for the Emperor is overdue, and the arrangements for tomorrow nights cotillion in honor of the Emperor's marriage have yet to be finalized."

The shield-bearing knight nodded. "You're correct, as always. I don't know where I'd be without your council, my dark friend. Tell the palace guards that I'll be along shortly to oversee the cotillion arrangement, after I see to the tribute."

"Very good, Lord-Marshall," The Dark Knight said, vanishing back into the shadows.

The Lord-Marshall took one last look around and headed out to collect tribute to Vandal Savage. On the way out, he passed the Chamber of Honor. Inside, he could hear the handmaidens. They were no doubt tending to the future Empresses' appearance before she goes out to the throne room to join the Emperor. These particular handmaidens were of a particularly formidable variety, so there was no need for the Lord-Marshall to concern himself with her security here. He headed outside.

Nearby in the royal Chamber of Honor, the handmaidens, who also served as bodyguards, fussed over the soon-to-be-Empress. Lady Janet, the Wasp-woman, manicured one of the future Empress' hands, while the Fire Maiden tended to the other one. Lady Mantis applied her make-up, while Lady Diana the Amazon did her hair.

"The Emperor is quite handsome, your ladyship," Lady Janet said. "And an incredible warrior."

"A perfect man in every way," Lady Mantis said.

"Indeed he is," the young Fire-Maiden said. "Your are the luckiest girl in the world, your ladyship."

"Hush, all of you," Lady Diana said. "Speak when you're spoken to."

As for the lady who was the center of all this attention, she looked strangely unhappy. She was about to be Queen of the world, and yet she showed no sign of joy. Her name was Beautiful Dreamer. She appeared to be about 18 years old, but she was actually much, much older. She was an immortal, one of the New Gods, from a place called Supertown. She used to belong to a group called the Forever People. But that was years ago, before she met Vandal Savage.

Beautiful Dreamer glanced back at Lady Diana. "Does any of this seem unusual to you, Diana?"

"How do you mean, your Ladyship?" Diana asked.

"This all seems perfectly natural to you, doesn't it?" the future-Empress asked.

"Everything is as it should be," Diana said.

"No," the goddess whispered. "It's not."

"My lady?" Diana asked, not sure she heard her mistress correctly.

"Nothing, Diana. Nothing at all."

The four handmaidens finished beautifying the soon-to-be-Empress. "Done, your Ladyship."

Lady Mantis held a mirror in front of Beautiful Dreamer. "This one believes that you have never looked lovelier," Lady Mantis said.

"Thank you," Beautiful Dreamer muttered, without much enthusiasm. She stood up.

"Are you ready for your Royal audience with your future husband?" Diana asked.

Beautiful Dreamer nodded slightly. Diana couldn't understand why the future mistress of everything looked so sad. She rationalized it as pre-wedding nerves. Who wouldn't want to marry Vandal Savage? Diana led her Lady out of the Chamber and down the hall, acting as ceremonial escort and advanced security. Lady Janet, Fire-Maiden and Lady Mantis followed behind Beautiful Dreamer, holding the train of her gown. As for the almost-Empress herself, her thoughts were miles away from anything as trivial as a wedding. There was much more to be concerned about.

Beautiful Dreamer had come to Earth with the Forever People in the 1970s. They were here on a mission from Highfather, Lord of New Genesis, her home world. It was then that she met Vandal Savage. At first, she was appalled by him and by the numerous atrocities that he had committed in his immortal life. But when Vandal Savage captured her, and held her prisoner for several weeks, something strange happened. She fell in love with him.

He treated her extremely well during her incarceration. Like a Queen. Finally, he stunned her by releasing her and then by declaring his love for her. She was amazed to find that she felt the same. Savage was handsome and brilliant and charismatic and powerful and charming. And even though he represented everything that Beautiful Dreamer fought against, she saw something in him. Her ability to see inside people, to look into their dreams and their subconscious allowed her to see something hidden deep inside him. There was a strength and nobility in him. There was an untapped potential. Dreamer felt that if she could bring out that part of him, he could be a great force for good. They became lovers.

And so, Beautiful Dreamer kept returning to Earth, via the 'Boom Tube' and continued their relationship. She was always very careful not to let Highfather find out. If he knew, he'd be furious. Her romance with this legendary villain would not be easy to explain. But things went wrong a few months ago during the Return of the Gods. An object called the Materioptikon caused her to fall into an unwakable sleep.*

*(Detective Comics Annual # 1)

After failing many times to awaken her, Vandal Savage got his hands on this object of infinite power, the Cosmic Cube. Beautiful Dreamer had made a mistake telling him about it. Somehow, he found it. And the Earth was now his to play with as he willed. He allowed her to keep her memory of how things were because he didn't want to alter her in any way. And so she was the only one left to mourn the loss.

The main reason he tracked down the Cosmic Cube was to wake up his beloved Beautiful Dreamer. Now that she was returned to him, he could give her everything she desired. She should have the best of everything, and he was determined to give it to her. And in the process, he could live out his long-time dream of ruling the Earth. This was all just too, too sweet!

Vandal Savage's eye's widened at the vision of loveliness that entered his throne room. Beautiful Dreamer entered in her flowing gown. He was awed by her beauty, her radiance! And she would never age, remaining as perfect as she is now.

He stood up, smiling widely. He held out his hand. She hesitated, and then took it. He guided her to her throne, which was slightly smaller than his own. She sat quietly. Vandal Savage could see that she was unhappy. This troubled him. He gestured for the handmaidens to leave. And once they were alone . . .

"Please, my dearest love, can't you smile for me?" Savage asked, "I want you to be happy. I've done all this for you. I want you to be the happiest woman in existence."

"This is wrong, Vandal," she said. "You can't do this!"

"Wrong, my dear," he said. "I can do anything! I can give you anything."

"All I want is for you to set the world to rights," she said. "Please, my love, do this for me."

"Ridiculous!" he snapped. "You are my beautiful goddess, and I once promised you the world. I always keep my promises. The world is ours. Let us revel in our good fortune."

"It's wrong!" she insisted.

"There is no more right or wrong!" he countered. He held up the Cosmic Cube. "As long as I have this, all that matters is what I want. And what you want."

"I want you to set the world free," Beautiful Dreamer said.

"You don't mean that," Savage said. "You're overwhelmed by all this. You're a nervous bride-to-be. Give it time. Relax. Once the wedding is over and you get used to all this, you'll forget about those outdated notions of right and wrong which have been brainwashed into you. Trust me my love, you'll come around."

Beautiful Dreamer sulked sadly. Vandal Savage hated to see her like this. With a thought, he made a mass of flowers and plants, a veritable forest in microcosm, appear at his lady's feet. He smiled proudly, hoping that she'd be pleased. She showed no sign of happiness.

"May I return to my room, your Majesty?" she said meekly.

Savage was getting angry. "I don't understand your attitude!" he shouted. "Why . . . "

Just then, the doors to the throne room swung open and Thor entered. "Your Imperial Highness, 'tis most urgent that I speak with thee!"

Savage hopped to his feet, furious. "Not now! I'm in the middle of a discussion with my Queen. Get out, and wait until I summon you!"

"This cannot wait, your Majesty!" Thor insisted.

Beautiful Dreamer was startled by Thor's defiance. This was the first time since Savage changed the world that she had ever seen anyone refuse an order. She perked up. This could be crucial!

"I told you . . . " Savage began, but quickly changed his mind. Perhaps it was best to see what it was that was compelling Thor to assert his independence. "Very well, my loyal knight. What is it?"

"My thoughts are sorely troubled, your Highness," Thor said. "I find that many things sit not right with me and I cannot banish these doubts."

"What troubles you, my friend?" Savage asked.

"'Tis thou which doth trouble me, your highness," Thor said.

"Me?" Savage asked, as if he had no idea what Thor could be leading up to.

"I cannot describe the tumultuous images which doth run rampant in my brain," Thor said. "Images of thou, but not as thou art. It is as if thou art not what thou doth seem to be. As if all that we doth know is naught but a lie!"

Savage walked over to Thor and gently put a hand on his shoulder, "Let your mind be at ease, good warrior," Savage said. "I know what ails you. It is the Death Knight again. It's his sorcery. He places these doubts in your mind. He tries to turn you against me. Ignore these thoughts. Once you kill the Death Knight, all this will pass."

Thor didn't look convinced. "Aye, your highness, as thou sayeth. If thou wilt excuse me, I must away."

"Of course," Savage said. "You have my leave to go."

Thor looked at Savage and it was not the look of a loyal servant. Without another word, Thor exited.

"I suppose I should have expected that," Savage said.

"How do you mean?" Beautiful Dreamer asked.

"Thor is a God," Savage asked. "His thoughts are ancient. He sees the universe in a different way than the rest of us. Naturally, a spell that affects the average person will not be enough to make him forget totally."

"What will you do?" Beautiful Dreamer asked, fearing for Thor's safety.

"Nothing, for now," he said. "This is not a serious matter. In fact, it may be beneficial."

"How so?"

Savage stroked the Cube as he spoke. "I allow the Death Knight to live as a distraction, something for the troops to concentrate on and keep them from asserting themselves or asking questions. Soon, however, they will manage to defeat the Death Knight. After that, I will need a new distraction, a new threat to the realm. Thor is powerful enough to serve as that new threat."

"I see," Beautiful Dreamer said. "As always, your machinations are as flawless as they are cold."

"Do I detect a rebuke, my love?" Savage asked.

Beautiful Dreamer was frustrated. She didn't know how to reach Savage. "May I go to my room now?"

Savage sighed, also frustrated. He didn't know how to reach her. "Very well, go and rest. Perhaps a good nights sleep will help your perspective."

She curtsied. "My lord," she said and then exited the room, thinking about what happened with Thor.

"Is he near?" the Iron Knight asked.

"Yes, he's very close," Sir J'Onn said, warily.

Suddenly, a beam of energy came out of the woods and hit the Living Vision. It affected him even in his wraith-like form. The Living Vision dropped to the ground and convulsed. Before the others could react, a large mace was hurled from the bushes and hit the Iron Knight with incredible force. It damaged his chest-plate, and the Iron Knight fell.

And then he appeared. The Death Knight! He was a huge man in blue armor. A helmet covered his face. J'Onn, Sir Marvelous and Lord Icon stood side-by-side, preparing for the battle. "It's him!" J'Onn said!

"So!" Icon said. "You are the Death Knight, eh?"

The Death Knight chuckled. He removed his helmet, revealing a frightening face that seemed to be made of stone. "So, that's what Savage has christened me, is it? The Death Knight? I suppose it's appropriate. However, that's not my name. I don't imagine any of you remember the name Thanos!"

"It doesn't matter what you call yourself," Icon said. "You're an enemy of the Emperor!"

"And so are you, whether you realize it or not," Thanos said. "You were not always servants of Vandal Savage. You once fought against him, just as I do."

"Ridiculous!" Icon said.

"It is quite true," Thanos said. "Your minds have been altered. However, Thanos is not so malleable."

Sir Marvelous hesitated. The Wisdom of Solomon was speaking to him. It was telling him that everything that Thanos had said was the truth. Something had changed the world as he had known it.

"Enough talk!" Icon yelled.

Icon and J'Onn rushed Thanos. The Living Vision was still convulsing, and the Iron Knight was laying on the ground checking the damage to his chest-plate. Sir Marvelous hesitated. This battle was pointless. There was another fight that they should be fighting. The Death Knight-Thanos-Was not the enemy.

As Icon and J'Onn tussled with Thanos, Sir Marvelous came to a decision. He rushed to the battle, but instead of joining it, he pushed his fellow warriors away and stood protectively in front of Thanos.

"Stop!" Sir Marvelous said. "This won't get us anywhere!"

J'Onn and Icon were confused. First Thor and now Marvelous.

"So, the veil has lifted from you, has it, Marvel?" Thanos said.

J'Onn stepped up to the defiant knight. "What madness overtakes you, Sir Marvelous?"

"Not Sir Marvelous," the powerful young knight said. "I'm Captain Marvel!"

The other two hesitated, as if the name meant something to them.

"And you two are not who you think you are," Captain Marvel said. "You are J'Onn J'Onzz the Martian Manhunter, and Icon! We are members of the Justice League of Avengers!"

Icon felt a strange befuddled feeling. "I don't . . . "

"J'Onn, use telepathy!" Captain Marvel. "Scan my mind. Look at my memories of how things should be!"

J'Onn nodded and scanned Captain Marvel's thoughts. He gasped as the memories he saw triggered his own hidden thoughts. "I remember!" J'Onn said.

"Excellent!" Thanos said.

Icon, however, did not remember. The spell took hold of him again and he rationalized that his fellow knights were under the supernatural power of the Death knight.

"Fiend!" he shouted. "You play with the minds of my friends and turn them against our Emperor!"

Icon punched Thanos, staggering the Demi-God from Titan. Thanos was ready to return the favor, but Captain Marvel suddenly struck Icon from behind. Icon fell, momentarily stunned.

"The others won't help us," Captain Marvel said. "Let's get out of here. We need to regroup."

"I agree," J'Onn said.

"Come to my hidden lair," Thanos said.

Thanos led J'Onn and Captain Marvel into the woods. The Iron Knight and the Living Vision watched them go. "Traitors!" the Iron Knight hissed.

"By Odin!" Thor whispered. "It doth become as clear as a pond. I see all!" Thunder and lightning struck, as the angry Thor bellowed to the heavens. "I am Thor, Prince of Asgard! I am the God of Thunder! And my hammer must now strike in the name of vengeance!"

Thor headed for the palace of Vandal Savage.

She waited until she and the lady Beautiful Dreamer were alone. "Your Ladyship, may this one speak?"

"Of course," Said the troubled New God.

"This one is having strange thoughts," Mantis said. "She can not sort out these feelings. What she sees and what she feels cannot be reconciled."

Beautiful Dreamer stood up, excited by this new development. "You're remembering!" the New God said. "You're so close!"

"Close, your Ladyship?" Mantis asked. "What is this one close to?"

"Just be still," Beautiful Dreamer said, as she utilized her own powers.

Beautiful Dreamer had the ability to reach into people's subconscious and bring their dream images out in the form of hallucinations. She can make people see their nightmares or she can make them she their sweetest dreams. Beautiful Dreamer brought out Mantis' dream images of an Earth that had been.

Mantis' eyes widened. "This one . . . remembers!"

His was a spirit that had been reborn a hundred times in a hundred lives. And he always remembered his past lives. Some instinct in his very soul always allowed him to regain the memories of past incarnations.

And now, it was happening again. "I was once Khufu," he said softly to himself. "I've been many a man. And these wings. I remember them."

Suddenly, it all came back to them. "Hawkman. I'm Hawkman!"

Hawkman took a look at his two allies and decided that he needed to get some distance between himself and them. He took to the skies and soared into the distance.

Suddenly, in a flash of lightning, Thor appeared on the balcony. He raised his hammer in a gesture of challenge. "Villain! The son of Odin has come for thee!"

Vandal Savage did not seem concerned. Thor charged him, but the Asgardian unexpectedly bounced off a force field. He immediately resumed his attack.

"Fool!" Savage said. "Don't you realize that I am beyond your power to harm?"

Vandal Savage caused the marble of the building to come to life and form into two great hands. They grabbed Thor in a vice grip and started to squeeze. But Thor was a mighty God. He broke free and continued his attempted assault on Savage. He pounded on the force field with his hammer.

Savage commanded the Cube to unleash a bolt of cosmic energy. The blast struck Thor and knocked him across the room. Thor lay stunned for a moment, but then got back to his feet.

"I could kill you any time I desire," Savage said. "So be smart and stop this idiocy."

"Never!" Thor growled, teeth gritted. "Never shall the God of Thunder utter words of submission. I fight until the hand of Hela doth claim me. I fear death not!"

Just then, Lady Diana the Amazon entered the chamber, drawn by the sounds of battle. "Your Majesty, what has happened?"

Savage smiled, seeing a chance for some fun. "Thor is a traitor! He tried to assassinate me. Kill him!"

"Diana, do not believe . . . " Thor began.

But it was too late. Diana struck him with all her prodigious power. Vandal Savage laughed as two of the most experienced, battle hardened warriors on the planet locked up for his amusement. But he was soon distracted by another series of crashes coming from outside the throne room door. The doors burst open and in came two new problems. Thanos and Captain Marvel had arrived.

"You made a mistake taking from me what is rightfully mine!" Thanos said. "I want the Cube!"

Savage laughed as Thanos approached. Savage considered all the things he could do to Thanos and the Captain. But they were just distractions. J'Onn J'Onzz, in intangible form, came up behind Savage. He was about to blast the immortal with Martian vision, when Diana spotted him. "Look behind you, my Lord!"

Vandal Savage turned just in time to see the Martian. Savage let loose another blast of cosmic energy. Even in his ethereal form, the blast knocked J'Onn across the room. Captain Marvel flew forward with the speed of Mercury, hoping to get the Cube away from Savage. But another large, powerful being intercepted him.

Icon had returned to the palace. "There you are, traitor!" Icon said. "I owe you for that cowardly blow!"

Captain Marvel tried to talk to Icon but it did no good. Icon attack furiously. The Martian Manhunter got back up and made another attempt to get the Cube from Thanos, but he was blocked by the Living Vision.

"You will not reach the Emperor," the ghostlike being said.

The two wraiths could strike each other, even while intangible. As they fought, Thanos charged Vandal Savage, hoping to take Savage out quickly while he was distracted by the events going on around the throne room. But Savage was an experienced fighter and saw Thanos coming.

"You've overstayed your welcome," Savage said. "I'm tired of you. Goodbye, Thanos."

With a casual thought, Vandal Savage turned Thanos to stone. Savage laughed. "Now you're much better company. You can be close to the Cube forever . . . as a statue!"

The Iron Knight reached the castle. His armor had been damaged but he made it back eventually. When he saw that the Emperor was in danger, he disregarded his damaged suit and raced to aid his lord and master. He headed for Captain Marvel, but something struck him from behind.

Hawkman had come to the castle. He pounded away at the Iron Knight with a heavy mace, further damaging the already damaged armor. He moved too swiftly for the knight, with his weapons impaired, to counter-attack.

Just then, the other three handmaidens came into the room. Mantis stood between Janet and the Fire Maiden.

"We must help the Emperor!" the Wasp snapped.

But before either she or the Fire-Maiden could act, Mantis struck out with quick martial arts blows to the nerves in their necks. Janet and the Fire-Maiden fell, unconscious. Mantis crept cautiously across the throne room, trying to sneak up on Savage. But someone else popped out of the shadows . . . The Dark Knight.

"Move out of this one's path," Mantis said. "Or she will injure you."

"Unlikely, traitor," the Dark Knight said.

The two martial arts experts collided in a battle of amazing skill.

Lord-Marshall Steven arrived, shield in hand. He looked at the chaos. He couldn't understand why his legion of warriors were fighting each other. And yet, somehow, deep inside, he did understand it. For some reason, the fight seemed logical.

Savage shouted orders to the Lord-Marshall, commanding him to attack Hawkman. But Steven didn't move. For some reason he couldn't fathom, he wanted to join the rebels. He refused to fight for Savage.

Vandal Savage was fed up with all this. Enough is enough! he thought. He was about to order the Cosmic Cube to end this whole mess, when something unexpected happened.

He caught sight of a shadow behind him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a poker from the fireplace swinging toward his head. Making a quick wish, the poker turned to feathers. Savage turned to see who had swung it at him . . . And his heart broke! The love of his life had turned on him.

"Beautiful Dreamer!" he gasped in dismay. "You . . . You've betrayed me!"

"This has to stop, Vandal!" she said. "I didn't want to hurt you, but someone has to stop all this!"

Fury filled Savage's mind. "How dare you!" he roared. "After all I've done for you! I awoke you from your eternal sleep! I reorganized the world and made you its Empress! I offered you everything! And this is how you return my affection?"

Blind rage filled Savage's mind. Unbidden, part of his mind momentarily wished harm on the girl who had betrayed him. The Cosmic Cube responded to those angry thoughts and unleashed another blast of cosmic power. The cosmic energy struck Beautiful Dreamer. She screamed and fell to the floor, killed instantly!

"No!" Vandal Savage screamed, horrified at what he'd done.

Savage kneeled down next to Beautiful Dreamer. "My love, forgive me," he sobbed. He cradled her head, tears flowing down his face. Part of him wished that the Cube had never come to him. And the Cube responded to that desire. The Cosmic Cube flew out of Vandal Savage's grip and landed a dozen feet from him. Hawkman spotted it. He stopped his assault on the stunned Iron Knight, and swooped toward the coveted object.

Hawkman grabbed the Cosmic Cube!

"And finally, all this ends!" Hawkman said.

At his command, the world changed. Or rather, it reverted back to the way it had been. The stunned members of the JLA found themselves back in the ruined temple of the Priests of Pama, which is where they had been when the Cube changed things. Now, everything was set to rights.

Except for two things. One was that Thanos was still a statue, because Hawkman thought that it was a fitting punishment for him. The second thing was that Beautiful Dreamer was still dead. Even the Cube couldn't change that. Vandal Savage still cried over her. He picked up her body and started to walk away.

"Hey, stop!" Iron Man shouted.

"Let him go," Captain America said. "Just let him go."

Vandal Savage left. Just then, the JLA was distracted by a bright light. Hawkman was hovering over them, Cosmic Cube in hand. He glowed with God-like radiance. "I have the power now!" he said. "I can do anything! I can do endless good! I can help . . . "

"No!" Mantis shouted. "You must not use the Cube. Trust this one, Carter Hall. She knows the history of the Cosmic Cube. All who hold it end up like Thanos and Vandal Savage. And it is innocents who suffer! You know better than this! This one has faith in your strength of will! Give up the Cosmic Cube, Carter."

Hawkman's confident expression faded. "You're right," he said. "What was I thinking?"

With a thought, Hawkman wished the Cosmic Cube back into its protective shell of Dwarf Star matter, and planned to bury it deep under the Earth.

Soon the exhausted JLA was ready to leave. "What about you, Hawkman?" Cap asked. "There's a space for you in the JLA."

Hawkman shook his head. "Thank you for the offer, old friend, but I can't. Not now. Maybe in the future, but for now, my duty is to stay here. Someone needs to guard the Cosmic Cube. And these Priests have to be buried. As does my old body, that of Carter Hall. I'll be here for some time until other arrangements can be made for defending the Cube. But if I can make a suggestion, how about taking Mantis on as a member? She's good, real good. And as you've seen, she's clear headed in a crisis. She'd be a good addition."

Cap thought about it. "Hmmm. That's not a bad suggestion."

"This one?" Mantis said, surprised.

"What does everyone else think?" Cap asked.

The team responded in the affirmative. Mantis was flattered. And she had nowhere else to go.

"This one thanks you," she said. "And she accepts your offer.

Mantis joined the team as they headed back to America, leaving Hawkman to bury the dead, watched only by a statue, which stood as a warning to any whom would make the same mistake.