JUNE 2002 - #37

We Now Return To Our Regularly Scheduled Programming by Paul Hahn

It was just after dawn. The sun was barely up. The day looked to be a fairly nice one.

Chuck Barnes was Nightwing. He's usually the only one up that early. The other members of his team happened to enjoy their sleep. But Chuck was at near peak physical perfection. He got just as much sleep as required, woke up, went for a light jog and some exercise, then ate a hearty breakfast of Corn Flakes, a glass of milk, and a slice of toast while watching the news.

You could call it a ritual . . . but it was more of a routine. Chuck loved mornings. So quiet. So peaceful. It really gave him time to think about things. About his own life . . . the future of Young Justice . . . Cissie . . .

He couldn't help but smile. Cissie King-Jones was a teammate, Arrowette. But there was definitely something between them. They were more than friends . . . but less than an item, at least, at that point. He wasn't sure what the future would hold . . . but he hoped it was more of her.

Chuck was finishing off the last of his milk when he noticed a peculiar sound. He eyed the small television in the kitchen, thinking that it's source. It wasn't. Confused, he lowered his glass and stood, concentrating.

"Odd," he said to himself. "Almost sounds like . . . aircraft of some sort . . . pretty low . . . I wonder . . . ?"

Chuck walked over to the large kitchen window and took a look out. His eyes went wide. He didn't have time to do much, except dive for cover behind a counter. A blast burst through the kitchen wall, decimating it. The sound was incredible, the heat of the explosion massive.

Chuck was usually protected by his cape; at the moment, he was just in his civvies. He got lucky.

"We're under attack?" he asked himself, in shock. "But . . . who knows where we live . . . ?"

He heard a few more explosions, as the attacking force opened with full power, attacking the team's current living space. Chuck braved a look, and focused his eyes. He instantly recognized the green and gold armor that the attackers were wearing.

"The Imperial Forces of America!" he exclaimed. Before he could say anything else, he saw Superboy flying out and smashing his fists into a small aircraft, slamming it into the ground and crashing it. Impulse burst out and disarmed a group of eight troops in no time.

Phoenix quickly joined the assault, using her telekinesis to protect the rest of the mansion resort from further attacks while pushing away approaching soldiers.

"What is going on?!" Empress exclaimed as she teleported beside Chuck, still in the shorts and t-shirt she slept in.

"Old enemies," Chuck said. "Surprise attack . . . !"

Another explosion occurred at the other side of the mansion resort. The Imperial soldiers fired their energy weapons at the young heroes, and began to retreat.

"Take prisoners!" Chuck exclaimed, leaping out into the fray. He was quickly joined by Cissie and Rebel. But his orders couldn't be followed out. The Imperial Forces retreated with an incredibly calculated plan, leaving no one behind. They were gone as quickly and suddenly as they came. It was hit and run.

"Report!" Chuck yelled.

"Bart nailed 'em with a tracer," Superboy said.

"They decimated over half the mansion," Phoenix said.

"Everyone here?" Chuck asked. "Everyone okay?"

"Looks like it," Arrowette said.

"Hallie," Bart frowned. "Where's Hallie?"

"Do a quick recon, Bart," Chuck said. "Search the mansion."

Impulse sped away and was back in a matter of seconds. "She's not in there . . . anywhere!"

"I don't get it," Empress frowned.

"Jolt was one of Zola's experiments," Superboy frowned. "We helped her escape. Zola works for the Imperial Forces . . . "

"Oh no," Chuck said. "They did this just to get her back?!"

"Poor Hallie!" Bart exclaimed.

"We've gotta go after her," Superboy frowned.

"Hold on," Chuck frowned. "Let's not do anything rash. Here's the plan. Everyone, survey the damage . . . see if we're in any immediate danger . . . gas mains broken, electricity problems and whatnot. Get together your supplies. I'll gather together all the info I've got on the Imperials for our newcomers. We'll move out in one hour . . . we'll get Hallie back . . . and we'll teach those Imperials never to mess with us again!"

Emma Frost walked back into the mansion for the first time in over a month. She had just recently awoken from a coma after injuries she received during the battle against the Marauders in the Morlock Tunnels. She had been looking for Cerebro, a sentient, mutant-tracking/locating robot. She, and her students . . .

"Ms. Frost?" one of the butler's staff was startled to see her walk in. "You are . . . awake! What a pleasure to--"

"Silence," she said. "The Hellions. Where?"

"The Hellions?" the butler asked. "You mean . . . you don't know . . . ?"

"Don't know what?" she asked. There was a lot going on that the White Queen didn't know about. One of those things, was the fact that she had a new power: a clear diamond second skin that would completely cover her body with but a thought.

"Their bodies were never recovered from what happened in those tunnels," the butler continued, a mixed look of sympathy and fear on his face. "They are dead, Ms. Frost."

"No," she said quietly, lowering her head. She could feel the diamond cover slide over her body. She screamed. "Nooo!!" She smashed her arm through a wall with ease, knocking the plaster to pieces. She stopped, startled at her newfound strength.

" . . . Ms. Frost?" the butler said, wincing.

"Where is Shaw?"

"Master Sebastian Shaw?" the butler asked.

"Yes, our good lord and king," she frowned.

"He hasn't been here in over a month, either . . . he had a business trip."

"That was a long time ago," Frost continued, her diamond skin retracting. "He hasn't returned?"

"He has not."

"Has he contacted anyone?"

"He has not."

"Then where is he?" Frost asked.

"I have no idea."

"Okay, so though the mansion itself suffered lots of damage, there's nothing broken that's gonna make things worse," Superboy said.

"Everyone was able to gather their costumes and gear," Phoenix continued. "Luckily, we all keep most of that stuff downstairs."

"The tracer Bart managed to place on one of their aircraft is working fine," Arrowette said. "We've got 'em tracked to some location in the Rocky Mountains."

"Now what's the deal with these guys?" Empress asked. "Spill it."

"All right," Nightwing frowned. "Awhile back, Wonder Girl's powers began to change. We investigated their origins, leading us to an old castle and a man named Arnim Zola, the Bio-Fanatic. He's a twisted genius, one who used to work for Hitler. He experiments on people. He's even experimented on himself. Anyways, he was responsible for Wonder Girl's powers . . . as well as Jolt's . . . and I believe he said he had ten more 'successes' as he called them, although we only encountered nine. They were called the Brute Force, and they were kinda tough. But Zola was working for a man named William Taurey, the head of the Imperial Forces of America. They're a group that wants to overthrow the American government and take over. They believe in a ruling class, the Elite, and everyone else should be in a servant class."

"Sounds like fun," Empress said.

"We fought them off and rescued Hallie, but before we were able to get anything else out of them, the castle exploded."

"Exploded?" Empress asked.

"It was rigged," Nightwing shrugged. "We all made it out okay . . . but they were long gone. But basically, Zola was in the process of creating a super-powered army to serve the Imperial Forces. Since Jolt was one of his most successful creations, I can only assume that he wanted her back. How they located us, I don't know. It's possible that, since Zola gave Hallie her powers, he knows her energy signature and can track her anywhere."

"They have to know we're gonna come after her," Arrowette said.

Chuck nodded. "I know . . . we're more than likely heading straight into a trap."

"So what's the plan?" Empress asked.

"We'll split up," Nightwing said. "Superboy and Phoenix, along with the Super Cycle's blaring guns, are gonna do a direct attack, pay-back for what they did to us. Impulse, you're gonna take Rebel and Arrowette and head into the camp, engaging whoever you find, in order to split up their forces. Empress, you're gonna teleport us into their main structures, so we can better search for Hallie. I don't know what to expect . . . we might be going in over our heads. If so, then we're gonna get Hallie and get out. Understood?"

The team all nodded and agreed.

"We're coming up on their base," Arrowette said. "It's built into the mountains . . . looks kinda big and fancy."

"Well, let's do it to it," Superboy said.

Nightwing nodded. " . . . And . . . break!"

Impulse sped off, holding onto Arrowette and Rebel. Empress teleported herself and Nightwing away in a puff of smoke.

"Weapons on," Superboy said. The Super-Cycle's plasma canons appeared out of the cycle. Superboy activated his photonic 'S' Shield. Phoenix's firebird appeared around her. "Open fire!"

The cycle launched into attack, opening fire on the base. Superboy and Phoenix took to the air. Superboy charged in low and fast, using his shield as a defense against the Imperial's own defensive weapons. Phoenix began using her telekinetic flames to attack as well.

"We can do this," Superboy said as he punched and smashed a few cannons. "We can so do this . . . "

Arrowette let off a trio of fire arrows, causing parts of the Imperial's base to erupt into flames. Rebel was engaging the troopers head on, her superior fighting skills overwhelming them. Impulse was using his super-speed to deliver massive amounts of punches, taking down several members.

"This is kinda easy," Impulse said.

"You're right," Arrowette frowned, releasing an electro-shock arrow. "You'd think they would've unleashed their Brute Force by now . . . "

"Or at least sent more troops," Bart said, finishing up another group.

"This is gonna make me worry," Arrowette frowned.

Empress and Nightwing appeared in a puff of smoke. Empress was breathing heavily.

"We need . . . a break," she said. "It's hard enough . . . teleporting with another person . . . but going to a half-dozen spots in thirty seconds . . . is taking it's toll . . . mon . . . "

"Okay," Nightwing said. He looked around. "We're in someplace different from everywhere else. See that? In the middle of the room . . . ?"

"Some kind of . . . containment chamber?" Empress asked. It was a large cylinder in the middle of the floor, probably eight feet in diameter. Solid steel all the way around. "Maybe Jolt's inside?"

"That would be too lucky," Nightwing frowned. He approached the cylinder slowly, looking around. He enlarged his bo-staff, and was ready for anything. He read a sign on the floor by the platform. "Danger: Armageddon Man . . . ?"

"Can I help you?" a voice asked.

Nightwing turned around quickly, as Empress teleported to his side.

"Zola!" Nightwing exclaimed.

"Indeed," replied the strange creature. Arnim-Zola, the Bio-Fanatic, stood before them. "So nice of you to come."

"We want Hallie . . . and we want her now," Nightwing demanded.

"I'm afraid she's not yours to be had," Zola frowned. "You've come at a most terrible time. We were only planning on holding her here for decontamination. Then we were going to move on from this base . . . after we tested that." He pointed to the steel cylinder behind the two heroes.

"The Armageddon Man?" Nightwing asked. "What is it?"

Zola's big face grinned. "I was hoping you'd ask . . . "

Zola pressed a button on his arm, and the steel cylinder opened itself. A warning klaxon went off. Inside the cylinder was a man with light blue skin, crouching in a fetal position. Suddenly, the man's eyes opened, crackling with gold energy.

Zola laughed. "The Armageddon Man is just as his name implies . . . a final and conclusive battle . . . the end of everything that stands in his way!"