The Shadow was ready! It was time to settle with the Yellow Claw.
The Chinese criminal mastermind known as the Yellow Claw had turned the city into a battleground, and the Shadow had tolerated it long enough. He had defeated several of the Claw's henchmen - or rather, henchwomen, namely Lady Coffin and Lady Dorma - but that was just dealing with a symptom. It was time to end the disease. It was time to deal with the Claw personally!
He knew where the Claw was hiding, assuming he hadn't relocated since the Shadow's battle with Dorma. But before he faced the enemy, he needed to know one thing. That chemical which the Claw was developing-What was it? Information was power and every bit of power was vital in a high stakes game such as this. The Shadow wanted to know what he was dealing with before he charged recklessly into the war. He wanted to know more about the mystery toxin. And there was one man who might tell him. He needed to talk to the smartest man in the world.
The Empire State Building Offices of Doc Savage
Savage was in his combination office/laboratory, accompanied by the Amazon powerhouse Wonder Woman and her novice, the Fury. Earlier, Wonder Woman had been used as a pawn by Dorma who forced her to pour some of the Yellow Claw's toxin into the city's reservoir. An unexpected happenstance had saved the city from the chaos and death the poison would have caused, but the Claw still had more and there was no doubt he still intended to use it.
Wonder Woman was anxious to stop the madness that the Claw would unleash, but she also had a more personal motivation. She wanted revenge against Dorma! The Atlantean vixen had twice subjugated the Amazon Queen via the power of the Serpent Crown, which turned Wonder Woman into a puppet at Dorma's command. Queen Hippolyta was a proud Amazon warrior and the idea of being turned into a slave was the highest insult any Amazon could receive. She planned to slay Dorma in the Amazon style of justice!
She forced her mind back to the conversation at hand. Doc Savage was explaining the nature of the strange chemical to the two women.
" . . . This is worse than I had imagined," Doc Savage said. "I hadn't suspected the depths of the Yellow Claw's hatred of America. Only a madman could have thought of this."
"So what is it?" the Fury asked.
Savage started to speak, but then a loud device started to 'bleep' in alarm. Savage became alert. Someone was here!
"What's wrong?" Wonder Woman asked.
"We have a visitor," Savage said.
The trio struck their best battle stances. Savage's amazing mind was already calculating the possibilities. Whoever had gotten in must be invisible, otherwise he'd be in sight by now. The intruder moved with impressive stealth. Savage never heard a footfall, and neither had Wonder Woman.
Savage's eyes and brain were of a more evolved configuration than the average man. He caught sight of something moving out of the corner of his eye. He had experienced something like this before. He now knew who his visitor was.
"You can relax, ladies," Doc Savage said. "We have the honor of a visit from the Shadow."
The Shadow unclouded the minds of the others and revealed himself. "I'm very impressed by your instrumentality, Doctor. Very few security systems could have detected me."
The Fury was chilled by his voice. Her first thought was Creepy!
"It's a motion detector of my own design," Savage said. "It detects changes in air density. I thought of it after your last visit."
"Everyone hates the smartest kid in class," the Shadow quipped.
Wonder Woman narrowed her eyes and pointed menacingly at the Shadow. "You! You are a wanted felon. You're a vigilante killer who has evaded the law for far too long!"
"Must we go through this again?" the Shadow said, more annoyed than intimidated.
Savage stepped in between them. "Hold it, both of you! Wonder Woman, I had the same reaction to the Shadow when I first met him, but he's our ally in this war. We need him."
"I do not need help from the likes of him!" Wonder Woman snapped.
"You haven't exactly been impressive in this case so far," the Shadow answered.
Wonder Woman was embarrassed. She had to admit that this case was not exactly her shining hour. Lady Dorma had repeatedly made a fool of her.
"As I understand it, we have a common foe. The Lady Dorma. I paid her back for you. I don't know if she's still alive but she's not having a good day."
Hippolyta secretly hoped Dorma wasn't dead. She wanted to kill the Atlantean herself. And now that she had the Shaman-Crystal that Savage gave her, she was protected from Dorma's power. Still, if the Shadow had killed her enemy for her, she owed him a debt. "I suppose I could hold off on arresting you for a time."
"I suppose you could."
"Good!" Savage said. "We should get back to the issue at hand! The Claw's chemical."
"You've isolated it?" the Shadow asked.
Savage nodded. "It's unbelievable. The chemical is a formula for immortality!"
Everyone paused, although Wonder Woman was less impressed by the concept than the others, being eternally young herself. "Why would the Yellow Claw wish to make his enemies immortal?"
"And where would he get the knowledge?" the Shadow asked.
"Remember the dragon in the tunnel? The one that Wonder Woman killed?" Savage asked. "I spent some time in Asia and examined some of the last, living dragons. Most people think they're myths, but there are still some around. Did you know that Dragons have no natural life span? Barring injury or starvation, they will live forever. The Claw's ally Doctor Cobra most likely took dragon cells and combine them with an ancient brand of Chinese alchemy. He created a formula for immortality. However, the chemical would also make the person who takes it insane! All but a few who were unconscious or asleep when the immortality took effect would be driven mad! Could you imagine what would happen if he fed that potion to New York and other American cities. We'd have millions of insane immortals running rampant!"
"That's horrible!" the Fury said.
"What kind of a mind could think of such a thing?" Wonder Woman said.
"Only a mind of pure evil!" the Shadow said. "And he must be stopped! By any means possible!"
"You mean killing him?" the Fury asked.
"You read my mind."
"We'll discuss that later," Wonder Woman said. "We have to find the maniac first. He fled like a rat. Who knows where he'll turn up next."
The home of Ellen Dolan
The Spirit had removed his mask and revealed his identity of Denny Colt to his fiancee Ellen Dolan, who had believed him dead. She was elated to learn of his survival. After a tearful reunion, the Spirit explained what happened to him after the collision that had apparently killed him.
"There was a horrible crash!" he said. "I thought I was as good as dead. The front of the car crunched up, but amazingly, there was a small space left, just enough to keep me from being crushed. Thank God for seat belts. Anyway, after the two vehicles fell into the water, I thought I was done for. I was so stunned by the impact that, by the time I got my seat belt off, the car was filled with water. I couldn't make it to the surface on time. I blacked out. My last thought was sorrow that I wouldn't see your beautiful face one last time. Later, I woke up and-This is the amazing part-I was underwater! My lungs were full of water but I wasn't drowning anymore. I had become immune to drowning. Confused, I swam upwards and found the surface of the water on fire. I was burned as I crawled out of the water, but my burns quickly healed. So had the injuries I got in the crash. Something had happened to me. I could heal from any injury. And I feel this strange sense of power, of . . . immortality! I feel like nothing can happen to me!"
"This is all so crazy, Denny!" Ellen said. "I'm not sure what to think about all this."
"Neither do I," he said. "But until I do, please don't tell anyone I'm still alive. I don't know how the public would react to the idea of an immortal man. Would people want to dissect me for the secret? Besides, I can find and deal with Doc Cobra's bosses better if they think I'm dead. For the time being, I'm the Spirit!"
The Empire State Building
"So where is he?" Wonder Woman said. "How do we find the Yellow Claw?"
Doc Savage folded his arms. "If we can get in the general vicinity, I can use the same tracking device with which we located him before."
"So how do we find the general vicinity?" the Fury asked.
"He won't try the reservoirs again," the Shadow said. "He'll try something we don't expect."
"Perhaps," Savage said. "Maybe he will, but in a different way. He won't pour the formula in the reservoirs as he did before. However, one of the main ways in which water gets into a reservoir is through rain. And if I'm correct about the nature of the formula, it can be used in a form where it could seed the clouds."
"The formula will get into the reservoirs through rain?" the Fury asked.
"Possibly," Savage said. "And if that's the case, I have an idea how to find him."
Savage left the room. Wonder Woman was looking forward to the battle. She rubbed her finger along the crystal that hung around her neck. The Shaman-crystal would protect the Amazon Queen from Dorma's power over her. Hippolyta would have her revenge!
A zeppelin floated above the Hudson River:
Helmed by the lackey's of the Yellow Claw, the blimp headed upstate towards the Croton Reservoir. It was the biggest water supply in New York. A rainstorm there of contaminated water could poison the reservoir and ultimately, the people of New York.
The Yellow Claw rubbed his hands together as the dirigible moved closer and closer to its goal. Soon, they could start seeding the clouds and create the deadly rain. Soon, New York would be filled with a mob of millions of howling madman, all immortal and unkillable, running amok. And that would be only the beginning. Other American cities would follow. The Claw was excited that the United States would soon pay for its contribution to weakening China and allowing it to be conquered and occupied by Japan for so many years. Eventually Japan would pay the price as well but America was a country of disgusting excess. The fat, rich, soiled American's would suffer first!
Nearby . . .
Flying swiftly over the Hudson River was the airship of Doc Savage. He was transporting himself and his allies-Wonder Woman, the Fury and the Shadow-To the zeppelin stolen by the Yellow Claw.
Savage had used his contacts with the police and government to find out if any large vehicles had been stolen. Amid the problems with the Claw, Savage had missed the news of a zeppelin, formerly belonging to Lady Coffin's corporation Coffin Industries, vanishing from the spot where it sat deflated in a warehouse. The Coffin connection was too much to ignore. Clearly, the Yellow Claw was going to use a zeppelin to seed the clouds and rain on one of the city's reservoirs. The Croton reservoir was only a guess, but it was the biggest and would have the most effect if contaminated.
Savage, typically, was the calmest of the four heroes. "Did you know that the Hudson River isn't really a river? It's an estuary."
"Really?" the Fury said.
Wonder Woman was not particularly interested in this subject. "When do we reach our enemies?"
Savage pointed. "I believe we've arrived."
Everyone looked out the window and saw the Coffin Industries zeppelin floating up the river.
"At last!" Wonder Woman growled.
The Yellow Claw was staring out the front viewing window when his sister called his attention to the rear of the blimp. "Our enemies have found us!"
The Claw went to the rear of the passenger section of the blimp and looked out the back window, just in time to see Savage's air ship dock with the entry hatch.
"Send all patrols except my personal guardsmen," the Claw said. "And find Dorma, Granch and Lady Coffin. They'll be needed as well."
His sister bowed and ran off to do as her brother ordered. The Claw stood, considering. He wondered if the Shadow was on board the airship with Savage. He hoped that the dark vigilante was here. He had been looking forward to a confrontation with his most resilient enemy. No doubt the Shadow would get passed the men he had sent to stop the intruders. And when he did, he'd come looking for the Claw. And the Claw would be ready!
The fight at the entry hatch was short and extremely one-sided. The patrols of guardsmen sent to stop the boarding heroes were woefully inadequate to the task. Wonder Woman tore through them with very little help from her allies. She was boiling to reach Dorma.
Hippolyta stormed off alone. "Fury, stay with the others. I'm going to find Dorma and no one had better try and stop me!"
"Wouldn't dare," the Fury said.
No sooner had Wonder Woman left then the brief silence was quickly broken. The cyborg Lady Coffin, accompanied by Granch, reached the hatchway.
Lady Coffin sneered. "Doc Savage and the Shadow. My two least favorite people. It'll be a joy to kill you!"
Granch, the nearly mindless Neanderthal, charged immediately at the Shadow, roaring a wild roar. The Shadow could have shot him but he didn't want to waste the bullets he might soon need on this stupid brute. He was certain that skill could overcome brutish force. He sidestepped and flipped the powerful Granch. The simple brute growled in anger and jumped up to resume its attack.
Doc Savage pushed the Fury behind him. "Stay back. Let me handle this."
Doc Savage closed ranks with Lady Coffin. She flailed out with Cyborg strength, which hurt even Savage's formidable arms. Although Savage blocked the swift and powerful blow, he knew that he couldn't allow her to connect with those impressive cyborg hands.
The Fury was insulted by Savage's dismissal of her, but she took the opportunity to show some initiative. She went after the Yellow Claw on her own.
On another level:
Dorma marched along accompanied by a group of the Yellow Claw's personal guard. She had no desire to be injured again if she met the Shadow or any other unexpected intruder. Wonder Woman was her only concern. She wanted to kill her rival for the affection of the Sub-Mariner!
She suddenly heard a noise. It was clearly the sound of battle. Her instincts told her who it was. Turning a corner, she saw the Amazon in battle with some more of the Claw's personal guard. Wonder Woman tossed them around like toys. Then Hippolyta spotted Dorma. "At last!"
Wonder Woman moved with hateful determination toward Dorma. The security guards accompanying the Atlantean made a vain and stupid attempt to stop the angry Amazon warrior. They were lucky she let them live. "You are next, Dorma!"
Savage and the Shadow were still fighting Lady Coffin and Granch.
Savage, although the more skillful fighter, was having trouble dealing with amazing cyborg limbs of Lady Coffin. Also, she could emit electric shocks from her hands, thus stunning the Man of Bronze. Still, she had a weakness. Parts of her were still a human woman. One part was her jaw.
Savage pulled out a small shock-stick, which had been hanging over his shoulder, hidden under his vest. He had prepared for Lady Coffin. He swung the shock-stick at her. Instinctively, she reached out with her cyborg arm and grabbed it. Savage activated the electric voltage of the stick.
Lady Coffin screamed in pain as the electrical juice played havoc with her internal systems. She lost control of her limps, which jerked spasmodically. This gave Savage an opening. With his renowned strength, he struck Lady Coffin in her very human jaw.
She fell, not knowing what hit her. That fight was over. And as for the Shadow . . .
He had repeatedly flipped and kicked the simple-minded Granch. He hit the brute in all the nerves and weak-spots he could find. Granch was getting weaker and would soon fall. Despite his sheer power, he could not stand against the skill of the Shadow.
The Shadow was getting impatient. This was taking too long. He could beat Granch, but the delay could allow the Claw to escape. He pulled out his pistol. "I've had enough of you!"
"Wait!" Doc Savage said, leaping in between them. "I'll finish him off. You go after the Claw."
The Shadow nodded and slipped into the Shadows. Doc Savage battered the weakened Granch with strength as impressive as Granch's own. Granch had no chance. Even had he been at his full power, he would have fallen to the superior skill and intelligence of Doc Savage. In very little time, Granch fell!
Meanwhile . . .
Another backhand slap sent the last of Dorma's few remaining defenders flying across the room. Dorma watched impassively as he crashed to the floor. She and Hippolyta locked gazes.
"And now for you, Dorma!" Hippolyta said.
"Stop where you are," Dorma said, trying to use the power of the Serpent Crown to immobilize the Amazon as she had done before.
To her shock, Wonder Woman was unaffected by the Crown's power. A chill of dread filled Dorma as she came to the realization that she had lost her hold over her rival. A rival who looked mad enough to kill.
Wonder Woman stalked Dorma, who backed away slowly. Two more guards came running to the scene, giving Dorma brief hope of rescue, but Wonder Woman quickly dealt with them. Dorma stared at Hippolyta with undisguised fear. Hippolyta enjoyed watching her worry, anticipating an Amazon's revenge.
"I'm going to make you feel the pain of all the humiliation I felt!" the Amazon shouted to the Atlantean Lady. "You're going to feel my wrath! And when I'm done, I'm going to kill you! My honor demands it!"
Dorma watched, fearfully, as Hippolyta moved toward her, confidant that she could to anything to her Atlantean opponent she wanted. Dorma was afraid. Why was she unable to control the Amazon? The Serpent Crown should have allowed her to assume control of Wonder Woman's body anytime she wanted. What had gone wrong? There seemed no way to prevent the showdown. Hippolyta smiled.
Dorma backed away, as Wonder Woman closed in menacingly, ready to inflict a savage revenge. The Amazon Queen was so focused on making her hated enemy suffer, she uncharacteristically dragged out the anticipation of the assault. She moved slowly, making Dorma wait in cold fear.
Dorma still couldn't control Wonder Woman anymore. Why not, she wondered. Just then, Dorma caught sight of the stone hanging from a chain around Hippolyta's neck. It wasn't there before. Some instinct told her that she needed to get that stone away from Wonder Woman.
Hippolyta, oblivious to this, savored her imminent vengeance. Hippolyta pulled back her fist, preparing to strike. She waited an instant before delivering the next blow, savoring every moment of her certain victory.
But she delayed too long. Dorma's hand flashed out and grabbed the stone. With a quick yank, she snapped the chain and stole the meditation stone from Wonder Woman.
"Great Hera!" the Amazon exclaimed, fearful of what would happen without her protective talisman.
Dorma could tell that she had guessed correctly. That stone was what had protected Wonder Woman from her. Dorma sent out another mental command. "You are once again in my power!" the mental message stated. "You are my slave!"
Wonder Woman wanted to throw another punch, but she couldn't. Her heart sank as her fists unclenched and her arms lowered to her sides. She stopped fighting and stood still. She couldn't move or speak. Once again, she had lost control of her body to Dorma.
Merciful Minerva! Please, not again! Her thoughts screamed in mute frustration and rage. I can't become her slave again! Not three times! It's unbearable!
As she stood immobile, Wonder Woman cursed the fates that would put her through this torture for a third time. She couldn't bear to go through it again, but there was nothing she could do about it. She was totally under Dorma's control. The mightiest of the Amazons couldn't lift a finger unless Dorma commanded her.
Dorma walked confidently up to the Amazon, satisfied that her foe was helpless. "So you'd strike me, would you, wench! You'll pay for that! You'll pay a thousandfold!"
Dorma taunted Hippolyta by waving the stone in her face. Hippolyta wished she could reach out and grab it, but that was impossible. Any independent movement was beyond her. She moved only when Dorma told her to move. Her mind seethed in helpless despair. Let me go, you fiend! This is my body! You have no right to continually steal it from me this way! It's not fair! I'm a queen! Release me!
Dorma was oblivious to Wonder Woman's mental demands, and wouldn't have cared if she did know of them. "I will not kill you now!" Dorma said. "First, you're going to help me! Come, follow me!"
Powerless to resist, Wonder Woman followed Dorma.
Doc Savage headed for the bridge. He had to stop the pilot from reaching the Croton Reservoir and from seeding the clouds. The Shadow could handle the Claw and Wonder Woman would deal with Dorma.
Savage reached the bridge, which was filled with armed guards. "I don't suppose you'll surrender?"
The Spirit had to deal with the situation. It seemed to be fate that he would play a part in this. He had chased Doc Cobra for months and now it was time to settle with the mad genius' masters.
The Spirit was somehow able to sense the presence of the formula that gave him his power. He didn't know how, but he could tell that his foes still had a huge supply of the chemical. He had to stop the Asian mastermind. A city full of immortals like himself could be chaos!
Still, he needed a quick means of transport to the far-off foe. And he knew just the place to look. The Shadow's AutoGyro had been abandon after his fights with Dorma and Lady Coffin. It was still hidden on a roof, cloaked by the same mystic power that the Shadow often hid himself behind.
Somehow, the Spirit's new condition allowed him to see the gyro. It was a convenient way to get where he was going! Figuring out the controls, he took to the skies can pursued his quarry.
Wonder Woman followed Dorma, until they came across the Fury. At first, the Fury was surprised to see Hippolyta walking with Dorma. But then she noticed that Hippolyta's Meditation Stone was gone. She figured out that Hippolyta was not in control of herself.
"Uh-oh!" the Fury said.
Dorma pointed to the Fury. "Kill her!"
Suffering Sappho! Wonder Woman thought. I was dreading this! I have to fight Helena! I can't help myself!
Wonder Woman charged the Fury. Unsure what to do, the Fury back-peddled. She tried to stay out of Wonder Woman's reach until she figured out what to do.
I'm sorry, Helena, Wonder Woman thought. I hope I don't hurt you!
As the Fury tried to evade Wonder Woman's assault, Dorma attempted to take control of the Fury as she had done with her mentor Hippolyta. The Fury felt the wave of telepathic energy reaching into her mind and did her best to fight off the effect. Fortunately for her, Dorma was inexperienced in this and had overtaxed herself controlling the furious Wonder Woman. And the Fury's youthful independence posed an unexpectedly powerful resistance. Dorma gave up, unable to control the Fury.
"Your will is strong, girl!" Dorma said. "I may not be able to control you as easily as I do the Amazon wench, but I can still use her to destroy you!"
Hippolyta felt a flush of shame. The Fury had been able to fight off Dorma's control easily enough, but she herself had proven completely unable to do so three times. Her protégé seemed to have a stronger will than she did. It was a massive blow to her royal pride.
Wonder Woman was acting on autopilot, obeying the telepathic commands that Dorma fed into her brain. Fortunately, Dorma wasn't a trained fighter. She didn't have a fraction of Wonder Woman's natural skill. The Fury, having been trained by Wonder Woman herself, had more combat knowledge than the Atlantean. This allowed her to evade the entranced Hippolyta's clumsy attacks. She tried to formulate a plan.
But the Fury made the mistake of being too distracted during the battle. Between her unwillingness to fight Wonder Woman and her focus on forming a strategy, she allowed herself to make a crucial error in battle. She left an opening through which Wonder Woman was able to connect with a punch.
The blow hit the Fury hard and unexpectedly. The Fury's world went black. She fell to the floor, unconscious. Wonder Woman felt miserable.
My poor, little sister, Hippolyta thought. Forgive my weakness. I am ashamed!
Now that the fight was over, she dropped her hands to her side and stood unmoving, forced to await further commands from Dorma before she could do anything else. A smiling, confident Dorma came out of hiding and stood over the unconscious Fury.
"She put up a good fight," Dorma said. "I can respect such a young, potential warrior. I should spare her life. But her death would cause you pain and so you must watch her die and then you will die yourself. Pick her up. You will throw her overboard and she will fall to her death."
No! Wonder Woman thought in fear. She's going to make me kill Helena! And I'll have to obey her!
Obedient to Dorma's command, Hippolyta picked up the prone body of the defeated Fury. She tried with every bit of her will to fight free from the Atlantean woman's control, but she knew that she would have no greater success than before. Until Dorma freed her, she was a puppet with Dorma pulling the strings.
Dorma led the helpless Hippolyta down the hall, toward the cargo-loading hatch, to throw the Fury out. Wonder Woman's heart pounded, hoping something would occur to prevent her from killing her own student. She prayed to her Gods. And her prayers were answered.
The Spirit, having sneaked on board amid the distractions, crept stealthily through the ship, trying to avoid any unnecessary conflicts with lesser lackeys and focus on the people running the show. He heard someone coming and hid himself behind some crates. He saw the blue-skinned Dorma walking along, followed by a blank-faced Wonder Woman, who was carrying the unmoving form of the Fury. It was easy for the clever criminologist to figure out what had happened.
The first thing he needed to do was to rescue the Fury.
Dorma reached the cargo hatch and it took her a few moments to figure out how to operate the controls. Wonder Woman waited with tense dread, praying for a miracle. The Fury moaned, starting to regain consciousness, but it seemed to Hippolyta that she was too late. Dorma had figured out how to open the cargo hatch. In mere moments, she would be forced to throw the Fury out.
"I command you to . . . " Dorma began to say. She didn't finish her instructions.
The Spirit sprang out and dropkicked Dorma in the back of the head. Atlanteans were strong and Dorma was more surprised than hurt. She was also very angry. "Another foolish human scum! What does Prince Namor see in these pathetic little pieces of flotsam?"
Dorma connected with the Spirit, delivering a blow that should have crushed his chest cavity. The Sprit cried out and fell to the floor, moaning.
"Weakling!" Dorma said and then turned her attention back to the Spirit. "I command you to . . . "
"Hey, water tart!" the Spirit yelled, miraculously recovered from his chest injury. "Come and get me!"
He ran off. Dorma hesitated. She wanted to kill this annoying interloper but she should have Wonder Woman kill the Fury first. Then the Amazon would kill the human for her. "I command you to . . . "
The delay lasted too long. The Fury recovered and leaped from Hippolyta's grip. Perhaps some part of the Amazon that still had some influence caused her to slacken her grip, allowing the Fury to regain her feet.
"Come on!" the Spirit yelled, running.
The Fury had no idea what to do next so she followed the Spirit's retreat. Dorma was irate.
"Wonder Woman! I command you to kill them!"
Cursing fate, Wonder Woman obediently turned and pursued the Fury and the Spirit down the hall.
Savage wasted no time on the guards in the bridge. He used a gas pellet to eliminate the obstacles to his goal. Even the pilot was put to sleep. Savage took control of the blimp and changed the course, guiding it out to sea.
He didn't see the Yellow Claw's loyal and vicious sister come out of a hiding spot and creep up behind him with a lethal looking sword in her hands. She came up behind him and raised the saber!
The Yellow Claw waited patiently in his private compartment. He knew that his opponent would be here soon. He looked forward to the inevitable. A spooky voice broke the silence, telling him that it was time!
<"So, you're the Yellow Claw, eh? I've heard about you. I am not impressed,"> The Shadow said in fluent Chinese.
The Claw turned. <"And you'd be the Shadow. I, too, have heard much about you. You've been quite an annoyance to my plans. This will be a pleasure.">
"I think the time for talk is over!"
The two foes circled each other, their defenses at the ready. They sized each other up. There was only one feint. The true battle started in earnest almost immediately. They were both skilled in similar forms of martial arts learned in China. They were fast, strong and determined. Neither would give any quarter. They both knew that this battle would end with one of them dead.
The Fury and the Spirit were hiding from Wonder Woman.
As the Amazon and Dorma pass by the hidden heroes, the Fury quickly leaped out and snatched the Serpent Crown off of Dorma's head. "Got it!"
The Fury waved the crown triumphantly in the air, as a symbol of victory. She thought her problems were solved. Without the crown, she assumed Wonder Woman would be free. And so did Wonder Woman.
But they were both wrong. To the Amazon's shock and confusion, she still couldn't move. The Fury also realized something was wrong. Wonder Woman still stood beside Dorma, with zombie-like obedience in her eyes.
Great Hera! she thought, baffled and dismayed. What's wrong now? The crown is of her head. Why am I still in her power?
Dorma observed the situation and saw that the Amazon remained her slave. She quickly figured out what was happening. She smiled.
"Fortune smiles on the daughter of Atlantis!" Dorma said. "I've had control over the Amazon wench long enough that our minds have synchronized. You brain waves have linked to my telepathic power. I no longer need the crown to control you, Wonder Woman. You are mine!"
The curse of Ares on you! Hippolyta thought. Will this never end? Will I never be free of this horror?
"Destroy them!" Dorma commanded.
Forced to serve her enemy, Wonder Woman lunged at the Fury, grabbing her in a crushing hold.
Meanwhile, the Spirit looked down. He saw the shiny stone that the Fury had mentioned. Apparently, Dorma had either dropped or discarded it. He dived to the ground and snatched it up. "Got it!"
While the Fury tussled with WW, the Spirit tossed her the stone. "Fury! Catch!"
The Fury, barely able to breathe, caught the stone with one hand and rammed it into Wonder Woman's face. The sight and feel of the stone gave Wonder Woman another shiver of exaltation, much as it had before.
"Free!" she said, clutching the stone that protected her from Dorma's power. "Free to get revenge!"
Dorma's reaction was to turn and run. The fuming Amazon pursued her. "No escape, wench!"
The Shadow was still in the midst of his death contest with the Yellow Claw. Their skills seemed nearly equal. The Shadow, however, was tired after the taxing events of the long day and his battle with Granch. He couldn't get the edge on the Claw.
True, he could have shot the villain but that was not an option that occurred to him. He wanted to win this one with his own good hands. The Claw, similarly, had weapons hidden aboard the ship but chose to face the end, win-or-lose, like a warrior!
"You should have been a Chinaman, Shadow!" the Yellow Claw said. "You have honor and skill. You are not like the other, soft Americans. We could have been friends had the situation been different."
"I doubt it," the Shadow said, determined to win this one.
Unable to take the Yellow Claw down in one-on-one battle, at least not in his present condition, the Shadow had an idea. The Shadow dodged and leaped about, subtly maneuvering the Yellow Claw into a particular spot. The Claw didn't notice he was being herded like a lamb to the slaughter.
The Yellow Claw's back was against the window. The Shadow had to use his ace-in-the-hole. He clouded the Yellow Claws mind, essentially becoming invisible to the Chinese criminal.
"What?" the Yellow Claw said. "Where are you? Show yourself, coward!"
The Shadow leapt forward, delivering a world-class drop kick to the Yellow Claw's chest. With a yelp of pain, the Yellow Claw was thrown back, against and through the window.
"Nooo!" the Yellow Claw screamed, as he fell to the open sea below, vanishing under the waves.
The Shadow wasn't totally satisfied with the nature of his victory, but it would have to do. He was surprised to see that they were over the ocean. He left the Claw's chamber and found the bridge.
There were unconscious guards all over the place. The Yellow Claw's sister was bound and gagged in the corner, muttering Chinese curses under her breath! Savage was piloting the vessel. "I thought you'd never get here," Savage said.
"I was being entertained by our host."
"Is he . . . ?"
"Most likely. He was swallowed by the waves below."
Savage sighed. "I suppose it was necessary. He was too dangerous. Still, I hate killing."
"You're a good man, Savage. We may not agree, but I respect you."
"I must reciprocate the sentiment," Savage said. "Now, let's go find Wonder Woman."
Wonder Woman tackled the fleeing Atlantean. They crashed to the ground. Hippolyta made very sure that she kept a tight hold on her protective stone. She wasn't going to get possessed again.
Dorma wriggled like a fish, trying to get away from the furious Amazon Queen. Wonder Woman had trouble connecting a solid blow on the squirming Dorma. "Stay still and take your punishment like a woman!" Hippolyta shouted.
Wonder Woman grabbed Dorma by the throat and squeezed. "Die, vile wench!"
The Fury caught up with them. "Polly, stop!"
"Keep out of this, Fury!" Hippolyta yelled. "You know what she did to me! She must pay with her life!"
"You're better than that, Polly!" the Fury yelled. "Don't lower yourself because of this blue broad. Lots of people respect you. Don't do this! Please!"
Hippolyta hesitated, continuing to squeeze for a few moments. Eventually, she let go. "You are correct, little one. I am a member in good standing if the Justice Society of America. I will not let this cow ruin my reputation among my fellow champions and among the woman of America."
She dragged Dorma to her feet and rapped her in the magic lasso. "I will turn you over to the Fin who will bring you back to Atlantis. Be thankful for your life, vixen!"
Dorma was silent. She didn't want to provoke Wonder Woman.
Epilogue
The Shadow slipped away, having found his autogyro mysteriously returned to him. Doc Savage dropped the chemicals off on an island and poured it into a tar pit. Since no one else knew the secret of the formula, seeing as Doc Cobra was dead, he had nothing to further to fear from it. He then returned to the Zepplin and piloted it back to New York.
Lady Coffin and Granch, along with the Yellow Claw's sister and many henchmen, were dropped off at a military prison, to await proper processing.
Wonder Woman gave the bound Dorma to the Fin who took her to an angry Queen Fen in Atlantis. Dorma had violated the treaty between Queen Hippolyta and Queen Fen and would face serious punishment. Also, Hippolyta was proud of the Fury's performance. She was shaping up to be a great champion.
As for the mysterious Spirit, he hid in the maze of corridors in the dirigible until they returned to New York and slipped away unseen. He had to decide what to do with his new abilities. The world, in the meantime, believed that Denny Colt was dead. He would remain, therefore, merely a Spirit.
Next issue: The series concludes as World War II reaches its terrifying ending!