Legends of the Avengers League #2

#2
Late February 2001

The King of Tears
by Bob Young

Deep in a wooded area sits the cloaked space ship of Thanos, the powerful tyrant of Titan. He is accompanied by his lady love...Death! Also present are five mutants who have been genetically enhanced by the Thanos. Their names now are Burner, Lifter, Changer, Peeper and Slither.

"You have your instructions," Thanos said with a powerful, authoritative voice. "You will retrieve the Gem for me. Only the Gem can contain the Spectre. And once he is contained, the King of Tears will deliver this world to my lady Death!"

The five mutants nodded and exited the ship. Thanos nodded satisfied, "Soon, my dear, soon...This world will be yours. It will be dead!"

Green Arrow snuck past the police barriers and got into the museum. He was personally motivated in this case, so no police tape was going to keep him out.

In his civilian identity of Oliver Queen he had read of the death of the security guard. A man named Jorge Bailey. Oliver knew Jorge from way back. They grew up together. They'd lost touch long ago, but Oliver never forgot his boyhood friend. And now he read that his friend was murdered while working as a security guard in the natural history museum. Putting on his Green Arrow outfit, he snuck into the morgue and payed his respects to Jorge, and also examined the body.

The cause of death was very strange. Burns, bites and a snapped spine. Someone either really hated Jorge, or else someone was showing off. Maybe some new super bad guy who was enjoying new super powers. The Green Arrow was determined to find out which.

The police had finished their initial investigation of the crime scene for the night. The museum was closed. There was no guard because he was dead. The place belonged to the Green Arrow.

He first looked at the case where the Gem had been. It was the only item stolen. It wasn't the most valuable thing there so either it was the object of the crime or the killer panicked after the murder, grabbed the nearest thing and ran! There was a hole in the case.

He looked around the room. Near the chalk mark of the body were some burn marks. That went along with the cause of death. But the bite marks? And his spine was snapped completely in half. And the hole in the case was strange. Not melted, as he expected, by fire, but rather cleanly cut, like by a laser. This was all very weird. But he'd solve it!

The headquarters of the Avengers League was finally complete. The Sentinel smiled at the structure. After six months of meeting in a rented garage, the Hall of Justice was done. Alan Scott, the Sentinel's identity, had paid for it. It was a grand hall, containing cutting edge technology. It was perfect for this team, who the Sentinel saw the seeds of greatness in. This was the same feeling he got when he helped form the Justice Society 45 years ago. He often thought about that day. The Justice Society was the greatest fellowship of heroes ever. But this Avengers League could possibly be it's equal one day.

Still, he thought of all the years that had past since the JSA came and went. He was seventy years old. And even though exposure to the green flame of the Starheart slowed his aging, he was still getting older. The last few missions of the Avengers League were not easy for him. And he still had aches from where the WoodGod had speared him months earlier. Maybe it was time to retire. This was a young man's game. True, they could use his advise and experience, but maybe he shouldn't be on the front lines any more.

A flash of lighting and the sound of thunder caused him to spin in alarm, ready for an attack. But it was no danger. It was Thor, the God of Thunder.

"Well met, friend Sentinel," said the Viking God. "I see that our new meeting hall hath been completed. It doth bode well. These hallowed halls shalt see much glory! Thy grandchildren, and their grandchildren shalt sing the praises of our deeds!"

"I hope you're right, Thor."

"Have faith, good Sentinel," Thor said, "so speaketh Thor!"

The Sentinel was used to this kind of imperiousness. You don't spend four years with the Sub-Mariner and not learn about Princely conceit. And he knew about Gods, as well. Aphrodite was a close acquaintance of his. "The others should be here soon," he said.

He wasn't so sure about the Spectre though. Like his predecessor, he came when he wanted to come and not before. How much did they really know about the Spectre?

The Black Widow hadn't been to the Cathedral in months; not since she found out that Jeramiah Parrish--who she once knew as the Mist and who was now the Spectre--was a vampire*. Why had he hidden it from her? How should she feel about it? She felt very awkward around the Spectre and had avoided talking to him on the few occasions when he had shown up to help the Avengers League. It was time to end this.

*(last issue)

She looked around his subterranean dwelling but he was no where to be seen.

"Are you here, Jeramiah?" she asked.

"I'm here, Natasha," a male voice answered.

The Spectre had appeared out of nowhere. With his black robes, he looked very spooky except for the bright cross on his chest. "I hadn't expected to see you here again," he said.

"I thought we should talk," she said, "We should settle this. Why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't," he said. "I just chose not to mention some things."

"That's quite an omission!" she yelled. "Being a vampire is the sort of thing that should be mentioned up front!"

"So you could hate me? As you do now!" he countered. "My kind has always been despised, and with good reason. Had you known, I never would have had those weeks of friendship with you."

The Black Widow looked at him sympathetically. "I don't hate you. And we can still be friends."

The Spectre smiled. Natasha was shocked. He actually smiled! He never did that!

"How did this happen to you?" she asked.

He looked sad again, dragging the painful memories from deep within his mind and reliving them.

"Three hundred years ago," he said, "I was a priest who had the foolish conceit to try and destroy Count Dracula! I failed and he made me into a vampire. He taught me to be cruel and heartless. For years I terrorized mortals. During World War Two I was the super villain called the Mist. Some years later, I ran afoul of the Spectre. I felt his heavenly power and in that moment, I repented. He sensed this and allowed me to live. I went into seclusion in this cathedral and prayed for atonement. But on several occasions my bloodlust got the better of me and I killed again. On the last occasion, I killed a man named Jim Corrigan.

"When I killed him, I sensed the greatness in him. You see, Corrigan had once been the mortal form of the Spectre, just as I am now. Again I felt that heavenly power and realized that I had killed the man who had given me a second chance. I was racked with guilt. I never killed again after that. I became a super-hero. That was when I met you. And then the spirit of the original Spectre found me. Since I had taken an aspect of Corrigan into myself, I was the perfect host to become the new Spectre."

"But you wear a cross on your chest," the Widow noted., "Doesn't it hurt?"

"Excruciatingly so," Parrish replied. "And that's the point. To always remind me of what I am, and what I have to fight against. I must never lose control of my dark half again."

"And if you do?"

He looked grimly at her. "If I do, with the power I have now, God help the world!"

The Sentinel was showing his team members around the Hall of Justice. Aside from Thor, Martian Manhunter had arrived, as had Aquaman and Ms. Marvel.

"...and this is the training gym," the Sentinel was saying. "I don't suppose it'll be used much. We all have super-powers. Back in the JSA days, Captain America, the Black Canary and Dr. Mid-Nite were here a lot. Even Wildcat, before he quit. But Cap especially. He practically lived in our gym."

Ms. Marvel suppressed a groan. 'Not another JSA story' she thought.

"And there's an indoor freshwater pool for you Aquaman," Sentinel said. "Much bigger and better than the one we had for Namor in the old JSA mansion. Remember that one?"

Ms. Marvel grimaced. Not again!

J'onn Jonzz tried not to smile. Even if he wasn't a telepath, he could tell from Ms. Marvel's expression what she was thinking.

"This grand dwelling doth befit even royalty," Thor announced. "Eh, friend Aquaman?"

Aquaman looked around with very little interest. Ms. Marvel wasn't sure which she liked less. All this JSA talk or the arrogance of royalty.

The tour was ended when the alarm went off. Sentinel checked a monitor read-out. "Someone is trying to pick the outside lock!"

"Who dares profane this great Hall of Justice!" Thor roared.

"Action at last!" Ms. Marvel said

Aquaman pushed past the others and led the charge, but Martian Manhunter took a short cut. He became intangible and past through the walls and floors of the building and got outside first. He saw the Black Widow laying unconscious on the ground.

"Natasha!" he said, kneeling down to examine her.

The rest of the team came out. "Is she all right?" Sentinel asked.

"She does not appear to be seriously hurt," Manhunter said.

"Take her to the first aid room." The Sentinel said.

The group gathered around the examination table as Thor gave first aide to the Black Widow. The others were surprised by Thor's medical knowledge. They didn't know that he was merged with the human doctor Donald Blake.

"Why was she picking the lock?" Ms. Marvel asked.

"I haven't given her the codes yet," The Sentinel said.

"I am getting some information from her mind," Martian Manhunter said. "It's all a jumble but there was some sort of attack on her and...Someone else. She managed to escape. She was hurt and barely reached us before she lost consciousness."

"Attacked by who?" Ms. Marvel asked.

"She is not sure," the Martian answered.

The Black widow opened her eyes. "Thor?"

"Aye, fair Natasha," he answered, "Tis I. Be thou at ease. Thou art safe."

"Can you tell us what happened to you?" The Sentinel asked.

"Yes...Yes I can," she said. "But we don't have much time. We have to save him!"

Hours ago....

The Spectre and the Black Widow were talking when he suddenly tensed & got quiet.

"Enemies are afoot!" He said.

Thanos' five Mutants broke into the underground lair. As one, they all lunged at the Spectre. With a casual wave of his arm, he sent them tumbling backwards. "Fools!" he shouted. "Do you not know the power you face? I am the Spectre!"

The largest of the mutants, Lifter, recovered first and ripped a hunk of stone off the wall. He threw it at the Spectre, who simply evaporated it. "You need a lesson, mortal!" The Spectre insisted. "Prepare to face justice!"

The Spectre pointed and let loose a ball of fire meant to engulf the villains. But the reptilian one called Slither leaped in the path of the fireball and held out the gem. The gem absorbed the fireball, and now sought to pull in the Spectre himself.

"The Soul Gem!" The Spectre yelled in alarm. That was the last thing he said before he was sucked into the Soul Gem. The Black Widow was shocked. She could see the tiny Spectre inside the gem, screaming, but for some reason was unwilling to unleash his power against the Gem.

With the Spectre helpless, the five mutants looked at the Black Widow. She lost no time is fleeing, with the mutants close in pursuit.

Back at the Hall of Justice, the Black Widow finished her tale. "We have to help him!" she said.

"Aye," said Thor. "Our Vampiric Friend must be rescued afore day doth break!"

"Vampiric?" The Sentinel asked.

"You...you knew?" Black Widow asked in surprise.

"Shouldst not a God recognize a creature of the supernatural?" Thor answered.

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" The Sentinel asked. "We can't have secrets from each other!"

"Enough!" Aquaman yelled. "Are we going to stand here and bicker or are we going to help the Spectre?"

"You're right," Sentinel said. "But how do we find him?"

Green Arrow went into the college. The man who could help him was here. Having done some research on this Gem, the Green Arrow learned that wherever it was, people had a tendency to get cancer. So maybe the Gem gave off some low level radiation. And the man who could tell him that for sure was here.

He was told that the man he wanted usually stayed late in the school library. And sure enough, here he was.

"Henry Pym?" Green Arrow asked.

Pym turned and his jaw dropped, "Wow! Green Arrow! This is an honor!"

"Not too many people would say that," Green Arrow replied. "But speaking of honors, you've got more scholastic honors then Gabe Kaplan has relatives. And I read how you helped in that whole Dire Wraith mess. So I was hoping you could help me out now."

"Sure," Pym said, "anything I can do."

"I'm trying to solve a murder." Green Arrow said, "and to do that, I need to find a gem. I think it may be slightly radioactive. Can you help me trace it."

"I'd need to know what kind of radiation it is."

"Wish I could say, kid," Arrow answered. "Don't know."

"Well then," Pym said, "if we go to the spot where the Gem was last known to be, I can see if there are any lingering traces of ambient radiation in the area. That would tell me what I'm looking for."

"Cool," Green Arrow said, placing a hand on Pym's shoulder, "We'll solve this thing together!"

Thanos smiled down at the trapped Spectre. "At last," He said, "With you out of the way, I can now start the ceremony to free the King of Tears."

"What if the Spectre breaks out of the Gem?" one of the mutants asked.

"He won't!" Thanos said. "He knows what will happen if he shatters the Soul Gem. Not only would Earth suffer, but all the Universe. Enough of that however. Now to free the King of Tears and have him deliver this world to my lady!"

Henry Pym and Green Arrow had picked up a trace of radiation at the museum. They traced it to a woodland area. While focusing on Pym's radiation detector, they walked into something invisible. Green Arrow knocked on it.

"What the hell is this?" he asked. "It feels like metal? Invisible metal!"

"It may not be," Pym said. "It may be a cloak. The bending of light rays that renders something unseeable to the human eye."

"Whatever," Green Arrow said. "We have to get inside!"

Suddenly the two men were no longer alone. From out of the sky came five powerful figures...The Avengers League!

"Green Arrow!" Ms. Marvel said. "Hey! It's been a while. What are you doing here?"

"Hiya babe," Green Arrow said. "I was gonna ask you that."

"We're looking for the Spectre," she said. "He was encased in a gem and kidnaped. We had to unite our powers to find him. Martain Manhunter and Aquaman used their telepathy to boost my sixth sense power. And with some help from Thor's hammer and Sentinel's ring, we were able to detect a powerful, malevolent alien presence. The Manhunter figured that this might be the ‘Thanos' who tried to kill the Spectre six months ago. We decided to investigate. It's our only lead."

"If your buddy is trapped in a gem," Green Arrow said, "then I think you came to the right place. We traced the radiation of a Gem here."

"Then let's not waste any more time!" the Black Widow said. "Let's get in there!"

"Right!" Sentinel agreed. "Thor, J'onn, let's combine our power!"

Thanos was in the middle of his ceremony. His spoke in an ancient language. A portal began to open up in the space in front of him. The king of Tears was coming!

The hull burst open and seven heroes enter.

"Knock, knock!" Green Arrow said.

Thanos turned to the Avengers League members. Green Arrow winced, "Damn! You are butt ugly!"

"And you are all as good as dead," Thanos said. He looked to his five henchmen, "I'll handle the Thunder God, you deal with the rest!"

Everyone cleared a path for Thor to spring forward and engage Thanos in combat! The others all locked up in a free-for-all. From inside his Gem prison, the Spectre saw the portal growing larger and the silhouette of the King of Tears on the other side. Were they too late? Not even the Avengers League could stand against the King of Tears. Only a mystic of the Spectre's power could hope to defeat it. But if the Spectre shattered the Soul Gem, it would be a disaster for the universe.

While Thor and Thanos exchanged blows that rocked the ship, the others fought. The Martian Manhunter went after one of the mutants who was, unknown to J'onn, called the Burner. The Burner let loose a blast of flame which caused J'onn to pull back.

The Sentinel fired upon the Changer, who changed his form to wood, making him immune to the Sentinel's power. He lunged at the aging hero who could barely duck and dodge.

Aquaman pointed his harpoon at the smallest of the group, the Peeper. But then the peeper unleashed two laser blasts from his large eyes. Aquaman was knocked backwards by the force of the eye-beams.

Ms. Marvel rammed into the huge man called the Lifter. He barely budged. He returned the favor with a powerful right hand that staggered her. He was at least as strong, if not stronger, than she was. She couldn't overpower him.

Green Arrow fired on the reptile man called Slither. The reptilian villain moved with snake-like speed and maneuverability. Green Arrow's first few shafts missed. But then Green Arrow got the measure of his foe, aimed and was about to finish him off. But then Slither opened his mouth and a long tongue stretched out and grabbed Black Widow. He pulled her nearer to him and wrapped his body around her like a constrictor. Now Green Arrow couldn't risk firing at them. Not from this distance. He got closer, but then Slither spit some venom at him, blinding him. Green Arrow thrashed around, trying to get the venom out of his eyes. And Black Widow was being crushed.

Thor and Thanos had made their way into another section of the ship and were tearing it apart. They exchanged blows that could shatter mountains.

"You can't defeat me, little godling!" Thanos exclaimed.

"Never shalt the son of almighty Odin yield!" Thor responded. "Thor doth fight on, while breath doth remain in my body!"

"It won't remain here for long," Thanos said. He started to get the better of the exchange and knocked Thor back. Then, pointing, he fired a bolt of cosmic energy that sent Thor reeling. Thor was stunned for only a moment and rose from the floor. "Well struck, villain! But Thor will not fall so easily! Have at thee!"

They clashed again.

Martian Manhunter, trying to avoid Burner's flame, passed through the hull of the ship. Burner looked around, confused. Martian Manhunter rose up out of the floor behind him. Burner turned & tried to utilize his flame, but it was too late. The Martian struck him with his incredible strength. Burner dropped like a stone.

Sentinel couldn't affect Changer in his wooden form, but there were ways around that. Sentinel created giant tongs with his ring. He ripped a large piece of machinery out of the wall and slammed to down onto Changer. Changer changed into water so the metal would pass through him. Quickly, Sentinel used his ring to lower Changer's temperature, freezing him.

Aquaman feigned unconsciousness. Peeper came closer with the intention of finishing him off. With a sudden movement, Aquaman raised his arm and fired his harpoon. He speared Peeper in the arm. While the Peeper was in shock from the pain, Aquaman yanked him closer and punched him.

Ms. Marvel was still slugging it out with the Lifter. They were evenly matched. Or at least they were until J'onn joined Ms. Marvel. Together, they defeated the Lifter easily.

Slither was crushing the Black Widow, until the Sentinel fired a ring blast into Slither's face. Slither loosened his grasp and the Sentinel used energy hands to pull the Black Widow free. Then he encased Slither in an energy bubble. And after that, he used his ring power to get the venom out of Green Arrow's eyes.

Before the group could gather their wits, they felt the powerful, evil presence that filled the room. A gigantic spider-like creature with a huge maw was climbing out of the portal...The King of Tears had entered our realm!

"This ain't good!" Green Arrow said.

"It's mind is so dark, so evil!" Manhunter added.

"Then let's show it the light!" Sentinel said.

The Avengers League attacked the creature, but it shrugged off their efforts. No physical force could harm the King of Tears.

The Black Widow ran to the Gem. "Can you hear me?" she asked the Spectre. "How can we stop this thing?"

"You can't," he answered, still trapped. "Only I can. Listen to me Natasha, there is little time! The Spectre power is incorporeal. Only the dark soul of Jeramiah Parrish holds me in here! I must be destroyed so that the spirit of justice can pass to the one I have chosen as the next host of the power of the Spectre."

"You mean kill you?" she asked.

"You must!" he insisted. "It's daylight out! Open the blast shields from the windows and the sunlight will destroy my body!"

"I...I can't!" she insisted, "I won't!"

"You must!" he ordered.

During all this chaos, Henry Pym had snuck into the ship. He overheard part of what the Spectre was saying. He didn't understand how opening the blast shields could stop the King of Tears, but if it could, then they had to be opened. He managed to figure out the controls well enough to open the shields. The sunlight shined in.

The Spectre screamed, his body started to disintegrate. "Goodbye, Natasha. My dear friend. Remember me!"

Natasha watched in horror as the body of Jeramiah Parrish was reduced to ashes. Tears rolled down her face but she only had a moment to grieve...Because something happened to her! Some power was entering her body!

The Avengers League was getting battered by the King of Tears. It seemed as if the creature would destroy them...Until a heavenly light caught the beast's attention.

The heroes looked and saw the Black Widow floating in the air, surrounded by a glow.

"You will not destroy the Earth!" she announced, "So speaks the Spectre!"

She unleashed her power at the beast, driving it back, but it wouldn't go all the way back into the portal. The new Spectre physically pushed it back into the opening. She waved her hand and the portal closed, with her and the King of Tears still battling inside. "Goodbye, my friends," she said, and the portal closed...The Spectre and the King of Tears were gone.

Elsewhere on the Ship, Thanos sensed the departure of the King of Tears. He knew his plan had failed. No further point in fighting. Better to leave now and plan his revenge. He knocked Thor down and, grabbing the Soul Gem, got into an escape pod. He and Death left Earth.

Later, the members of the Avengers League were discussing the loss of Parrish and Natasha. Hank Pym, their new science advisor, was listening.

"Attention everyone," Sentinel said. "I know this is a bad time, but I have to tell you all that I'm stepping down as leader. I've seen how well you all perform, and you don't need this old man. I'll still be around, part time, as an advisor. But I'm not cut out for all this action anymore. And I'd like to appoint J'onn here as my replacement.

While the others digested this news, Ms. Marvel talked to the Green Arrow.

"I've missed you, Ollie," she said, "There are no normal people in the Avengers League."

"We had a good camaraderie going in the Champions, didn't we?" he said.

"We could have it again," she said, "If you join the Avengers League."

"Are you kidding?"

"Nope," she answered. "We're short handed now, and I could use your company."

"I prefer to work on a more down-to-Earth level," he said, "Saving the universe every day isn't my thing."

"Maybe with your influence, they'd focus more on the little people."

"You know how to hit below the belt," Green Arrow said, "I'll think about it."

Next Issue: The most emotional piece you'll read at DCM. Toby Kernan shows what makes a hero in Legends of the Avengers League #3.