Only One Can Win

Once situated comfortably in Earth society, the alien used her formidable telepathic powers to gather information about this world that she intended to use for her purposes. As she learned more about this planet, she realized that the large super-hero population was going to be her main obstacle. She had to find a way to get rid of them. She came to the decision that she would start with the most formidable defenders, thus frightening and demoralizing the other Earth meta-humans. She decided to start with the Justice League of Avengers!

The man named Basil Sandhurst had been in prison for several years, ever since his run-in with the Avengers League and the Manhunters.* Sandhurst, a large man with a scarred face, was a brilliant research scientist who had invented a control disc that can take over the minds of any person fitted with the device. He christened himself the Controller and had once had big plans, but his last venture was a very unfortunate affair for the would-be criminal mastermind.

*(Avengers League #3)

He had been held in a special cell, on the island penitentiary Slabside, designed by some of the world's most brilliant minds to hold super villains. The Controller had great strength, and so was locked away in this special prison. His real power, though, was to control others and to increase his own power by absorbing the mental energy of his victims. But he couldn't do any of that without his control discs. At the moment, he had no way to get them. And so he waited. One day, he knew his chance would come.

Finally, it did! One day, the lights went out. A power surge caused all the power in his wing of the prison to go out. The security safeguards were temporarily neutralized. Stranger than this, was the fact that the guards were called away to deal with an intruder. Distant sounds indicated that the guards seemed to be the throes of some sort of intense battle. The Controller didn't know what to make of it.

The door to his cell popped open. Someone was doing all this to help him escape. He didn't know who his mysterious savior was, or why he was doing this, but the Controller was not inclined to be picky about his rescuer. He had a chance to flee. He used his formidable strength to fight his way passed the remaining guards.

Outside, in the prison courtyard, unconscious guards lay everywhere. Above them, a hovering woman awaited him. She was obviously more formidable than she looked. She was a pretty young woman with long white hair. But she was obviously much more than that. He heard a telepathic voice in his head say. "I am Primaid of Mars. I come for you, Basil Sandhurst. Your freedom is at hand. As is your vengeance! Come! Join me!"

With little hesitation, Basil Sandhurst allowed the woman to lift him and he was quickly whisked away from the jail. Only minutes later, Captain Marvel and Iron Man arrived in response to the prison SOS.

Captain Marvel flew through the prison at the speed of Mercury, to make sure that no other prisoners had taken advantage of the incident. A few had escaped from their cages, but Marvel, with his astonishing speed and power, captured them and shoved them back into his cell.

As Marvel was playing prison guard, Iron Man used his armor to jump-start the deactivated prison security web. He then summoned paramedics for the injured Correction Officers. The mass escape was averted.

Bruce Wayne sat at the console to his complex and sophisticated computer, one of the most expensive in the country. But money didn't matter to the master of Wayne Manor. Only justice did!

In his costume, minus the cowl, Bruce read about the breakout of the previous day. Captain Marvel and Iron Man had managed to get control of the prison and prevent a massive prisoner escape. Only Basil Sandhurst got away. The Controller was an old enemy of his team and Bruce wondered whether this prison break was the beginning of a move against the JLA. He made a mental note to mention this to Captain America when they got together later. They had an appointment. Today they were going to do something special, something important to both of them.

Something they both needed to know!

<"I sense the question in your mind,"> the Alien woman said. <"I need your aid because I do not fully understand the construction of the human brain and the psychology of the human mind. My accumulated information on humans is limited. I need your knowledge. If I am to control the people I need to control, I need you to make me the proper type of control discs. Your contribution is vital to the plan.">

"What exactly is your plan?" the Controller asked.

<"All will be revealed in time,"> the Martian woman said, using her mental powers, and her good looks, to make the Controller more compliant to her wishes. <"Just do what you do best. Give me the power to control the pawns I need.">

"And then?"

<"And then . . . We will shake the foundations of this very planet!">

They faced each other with determination in their eyes and the desire for victory. Their eyes locked, sizing up the others confidence. This was the test! The questions would now be answered. The master would be christened. They were possibly the two greatest non-super-powered hand-to-hand combatants in the world.

On one side was Captain America, the living legend of World War Two. On the other side was the Batman, the dark knight. For a long time, people had wondered who would win a fight between the two. They, themselves, had often wondered the same thing. Now, the wondering would end. The truth would be known. No shield. No gadgets. Just muscle and bone and skill.

They slowly circled each other, each like a coiled spring, ready to pounce should they see an opening, or to react to any attack from their opponent. They had mutually agreed to hold nothing back. They had to know.

Batman struck the first blow, hoping that Cap would be surprised. Batman's usual dispassionate demeanor and patience would likely indicate that he would wait for Cap to strike first. And so he did the opposite. Cap easily blocked the blow. The first few punches lacked force. This was all part of the feeling out period. No need to waste their strength yet. A jab, a brush, a glancing blow . . . Just checking, assessing.

A feint. A kick. A block. A counter. More testing, but getting more forceful. The games were almost over. Batman's controlled body language was particularly hard for Cap to read, and this threw Cap off a bit. Batman had to deal with Cap's superior experience, strength and speed. It was a great challenge for both men. And then, as if in response to some silent signal, both fighters knew that playtime was over. They threw themselves into the battle with everything they had. This was it! The answer was coming now! The better man would win.

Five minutes passed. Ten minutes. They fought with amazing skill and dazzling speed. As the minutes passed, Batman was getting a bad feeling about the battle. Cap had started out stronger and as Batman got tired, Cap's strength advantage seemed to grow. The star-spangled hero obviously had greater endurance than the detective had. Cap's reflexes astonished the dark knight.

He's good, Batman thought, as Cap unveiled an arsenal of moves that even Batman had never seen before. And he was able to respond successfully to all the Bat's tricks. The red-white-blue hero was an experienced veteran. He had seen it all. He's too good!Batman thought, impressed but disconcerted.

After fifteen minutes, Cap caught Batman with a sturdy clout to the jaw. Batman was knocked off his feet. Cap tensed, ready for Batman to rise and continue the fight. Batman shook the cobwebs out of his head. He slowly rose and looked at the Living Legend. Batman did not continue the battle.

"I guess we have our answer," Batman said. "The ultimate result is inevitable. I'm not too proud to admit it. I needed to know. I bow to the master."

Batman gave a respectful bow to the man he now knew could defeat him in a fight. Captain America accepted the gesture with honor. This was quite a moment for him.

"I can't remember a tougher opponent," Cap said. "Thank you for pushing me further than I've been pushed in a long time. You're a great fighter."

"You're better," Batman said, and left the room. He was disappointed, but he was now motivated to train harder and become better. Maybe, someday, he would be better than Cap.

As for Cap, he smiled a triumphant smile. This was a great victory for him.

Unbeknownst to the Mad Thinker, his citadel had been breached. Primaid of Mars had the power to turn invisible and intangible. Therefore, she was able to pierce the Thinker's defenses. With amazing speed, she sneaked up on him and clamped one of the Controller's discs on the back of the Mad Thinker's neck.

<"Done!"> Primaid thought, triumphantly, communicating with the Controller from afar. <"He is the last! My minions are assembled. All that remains is to find the metal capsule hidden in New York, and I will have the means by which I can destroy the JLA!">

Alan Scott rushed to the site of the destruction. When he heard that this building had been taken down by an explosion, he needed to see if IT was still there! He had bought this property years ago, to assure that IT would never get free, never menace the world again. He wanted IT to stay buried, until and unless a solution could be found. So far, there was no other choice but to leave IT buried in the cryogenic suspension unit under the concrete, under the building that had been its marker.

And now it was gone. As the construction crews sifted through the rubble, no large metallic capsule was found. Alan Scott's heart sank. He had feared this for so long.

IT was gone!

J'Onn J'Onzz, a.k.a. the Martian Manhunter, was meditating. Sitting as still as a stone, with his eyes closed, expanding his mind out into the ether. He touched a peaceful nothingness and felt a preternatural calmness and serenity.

It didn't last. His thoughts touched something else. They sensed something familiar. Something . . . Martian!

Mantis walked through the halls of the magnificent edifice. It was quite a home for a simple young girl from Vietnam. A Priestess of Pama. A barmaid in Saigon. And now a super heroine. But more than that, she was apparently destined to be the Celestial Madonna. At least, according to visitors from the future.* It was all too much to absorb. She hoped that this would all just disappear and she would never have to deal with it, but deep inside, she sensed that fate was holding something big in store for her.

*(#25)

She needed to talk to someone. The only JLA members currently in the hall were Captain America, Batman, J'Onn J'Onzz and the Vision. Cap and Batman were in the middle of a training session and J'Onn was meditating. That left the Vision.

Mantis was fascinated with the Vision. Behind his emotionless exterior, she sensed something lost and lonely. A machine with a soul, trying to recapture a lost life, a life that once belonged to the Human Torch. He was an enigma. And like her, he was alone. She was the last of the Priests of Pama, far from her native Saigon, confused about her destiny. Perhaps the Vision could understand her.

She went to the Vision's room, and found the door open. The Vision was standing still, staring at the wall. The truth was, he was oblivious to the wall. His thoughts were far from the surroundings of the hall. He thought of many things, calculating and wondering. This brave new world that he found himself in since being revived by the Mad Thinker was a baffling one to him.

"Excuse this one," Mantis said. "May she disturb you?"

The Vision turned to the lovely Vietnamese girl. "Certainly, Mantis. How can I assist you?" he asked with his usual emotionless monotone.

"This one needs someone to talk to," she said. "May she sit with you a while and converse?"

Vision was confused by her choice of companions. "I think perhaps you would be better served by one of the other JLA members. I know very little of the human art of conversation. If you seek advice, I am not the appropriate person to ask it of. I will be of little help to you."

"This one thinks you are wrong, Vision," Mantis said. "She thinks you may be of great assistance to her. But if you would prefer that she leave, then This One will depart."

The Vision was programmed to assist his fellow JLA members, and deep inside himself, he thought that he actually felt something. If it were possible that he still felt emotion, he would have felt touched by her request. The Human Torch would have been. "I do not wish you to depart. Remain as long as you desire."

"Thank you," she said, entering the room. "May this one sit?"

"Certainly you may," the Vision said.

Mantis sat and smiled at the android. There was something about him that she liked. As for the Vision, something about Mantis reminded him of the Human Torch's lost love, the Black Canary. Perhaps it was their martial arts fighting style, or their similar spirited nature.

The two lost souls bonded, communicating with each other in a way that they couldn't talk to anyone else.

"Hello, Alan," Cap said. The Star Spangled legend immediately deduced that things were not well for Alan. The grim expression, combine with the fact that he was wearing a costume, told Cap that there was a problem. "Something's up, isn't it?"

"Yes," Sentinel said, with dire earnest. "I'd appreciate it if you would call in the troops. There's a problem! It's partly personal but it could affect the whole world!"

"Should we open it?" the Controller asked.

"No, not yet," Primaid said, satisfied that she still had sufficient influence over the Controller, meaning that it was not yet necessary to fit him with one of his own discs. "We need to energize the contents first."

"I can help you with that," the Mad Thinker said, obedient due to his disc. "If the object is as you describe it, we need radiation to supercharge it. Perhaps a reactor?"

"Then let us find a nuclear reactor," Primaid said, eagerly. "Let my deadliest weapon come to life!"