The being known as the Watcher observed the chaos around him . . . The storms . . . the panic . . . the destruction. He stood impassively, although the stakes were higher than the people of Earth knew. The Watcher had great power, but was sworn never to interfere, even though these events could lead to a war that will tear the universe apart. A sample of that possible war was taking place in a mansion in Washington, DC . . .
The mighty Thor, warrior prince of Asgard, god of thunder, and avatar of the White council, swung his hammer, Mjolnir, and prepared to strike. "Defend thyselves, base villains!" Thor shouted. "Thou hast struck down mere mortals and the Goddess of love, but now thou dost face the wrath of a warrior God! Have at thee!"
Thor swung his powerful arm, and his hammer launched forward. His target was Ares, the Olympian God of War. Surprised by Thor's sudden arrival, Ares hesitated. He raised his arms to cast a protection spell, but it was too late. The hammer struck Ares in the chest and drove him back through the rear wall. Ares disappeared from sight. The hammer returned to it's masters hand, and Thor faced Ares' eight allies . . . The Creature Commandos! They are a group of battle androids, freed and manipulated by Ares. They had artificial intelligence and simulated emotions, just like the Human Torch.
Dyna-Mite: six inches tall, but can leap over ten feet. He bounces off any nearby object and uses the kinetic energy of impact to launch himself faster and rebound off other objects, ricocheting, picking up speed until he strikes with a force that belies his tiny size. He is the leader of the Creature Commandos.
The Sub-Zero Man: His skin is made of ice. He can create ice and snow at will, or lower the local area temperature.
The Human Bomb: A glowing man who must live inside a radiation suit. Exposure to the air causes a chain reaction that results in an explosion, which doesn't effect him, but is deadly to anyone around him.
The Glob: A gelatinous, amorphous creature that can re-shape it's ooze-like form at will.
The Heap: A large creature with the body of a gorilla--only much shaggier--and a bizarre head (Huge red eyes, a trunk-like nose, a tiny mouth, no ears) who has the ability to drain the life-force of anyone he touches.
The War-Wolf: A werewolf.
The Missing Link: A huge neanderthal-like being, with a heavy forehead and no hair at all. He is massively muscular, and has incredible strength.
Orca, the Killer Whale: twelve foot, blue-skinned amphibian. He is composed mostly of blubber, and highly resistant to impact. He is also very powerful.
"Get him!" Dyna-Mite ordered, as the tiny android leaped, and began ricocheting, trying to build up the kinetic energy for a strike.
The Creature Commandos forgot about the members of the JSA, who were on the verge of defeat - Flash, Wildcat, the Hawks and Miss Venus - and turned their attention to the newcomer. The Sub-Zero Man fired a dozen ice-daggers at Thor, but they just shattered against the Thunder God's chest. Next, the Sub-Zero Man fired a freeze ray, but Thor countered with a burst of flames from his magic hammer. The Sub-Zero Man ducked for cover.
The Human Bomb opened his face mask, and an explosion funneled out, focused directly at Thor. Thor was knocked off his feet. But to the android's shock, he got right back up. "Well struck," Thor said. "Thor shall not underestimate thee again."
Thor shot forward with a speed that few mortals could match. The Human Bomb reached for his mask again, but before he could open it, Thor's fist gave the Human Bomb an airborne trip outside, and across the street. The Glob wrapped his pliable form around Thor, but Thor spread his arms with an almost casual gesture. The Glob was torn apart, and splashed all over the room. Slowly, he began to re-form himself. The War-Wolf leaped at Thor, growling and snarling. Thor slapped him away.
Dyna-Mite felt that he had built up enough kinetic power and rammed Thor like a bullet. Dyna-Mite just bounced off and Thor didn't even feel it. Orca lumbered towards Thor. Thor stuck him in the stomach. Orca staggered back, but amazingly, he didn't fall. Thor noticed that he had some kind of natural padding. While Thor was distracted by Orca, the Heap grabbed him from behind. The Heap tried to absorb Thor's life force. But the overwhelming influx of immortal life energy was too much for the Heap, who had to let go. Heap back away, afraid to touch Thor again.
Orca swung at Thor, but the thunder god evaded it. Thor countered by striking Orca with his hammer. Orca landed outside in the yard, in the rain, and unintentionally flattened the Sub-Zero Man. By this time, Ares had returned. He was watching the battle with disapproval. He tried to get into a position to attack Thor from behind. Meanwhile, Thor was caught by a powerful blow from the Missing Link. This time it was Thor who landed in the yard.
Across the street, near where the Human Bomb had crashed, hidden behind a bush and wearing a rain slicker, was Bucky Barnes. He had field glasses and he was taking in everything that happened involving this mansion. The mansion where Steve Rogers - where Captain America - had entered. Bucky saw the Human Bomb crawl to his feet and walk back to the mansion.
Meanwhile, Thor rubbed his jaw and watched as the Missing Link followed him out, stalking him. Thor approached the android cautiously. This was obviously the most powerful of the group. Thor blocked the Missing Link's next punch, and caught the android in the stomach with his hammer. The Missing Link doubled over. Thor took the opportunity to batter the Missing link with a half-dozen blows. The android collapsed, it's auto self-repair systems working overtime. Ares came up behind Thor and struck him with his sword. Thor howled with pain, and instinctively swung his hammer. The hammer found it's mark and Ares was knocked off his feet. It took a few moments for them both to recover from the previous attack, but then they both got to their feet and circled each other.
"Thou art a coward, Ares!" Thor said. "Using others to fight thy battles."
"I'm facing you now personally, Asgardian!" Ares responded. "And it will be a glorious day for my council of dark forces, when I slay the son of Odin!"
The neighborhood shook from the battle. Even in this storm, the impact of this battle of Gods could not be ignored. The Creature Commandos had regrouped but stayed clear, realizing that they were out of their league. Meanwhile, the JSA members had recovered. Flash activated his emergency call-beacon, to bring the other JSA members. The Creature Commandos were captivated by the battle but then Dyna-Mite noticed the JSA was up and around. "Watch your backs, Commandos," Dyna-Mite yelled. "The guys we came after are still kicking!"
The Creature Commandos turned and went after the JSA again. The Flash streaked forward. He slapped Dyna-Mite out of the air, but the kinetic energy of the blow just made Dyna-Mite a more powerful projectile. The Flash battered Sub-Zero Man, the Human Bomb and War-Wolf before they could move. Orca approached the heroes. Flash remembered his failure against the blubber-padded Orca earlier and was determined not to make the same mistake again. The Flash ran to the west. At near the speed of light, he circled the world in less than a second. As he approached from the east at the speed of light, his mass got heavier, until he was an irresistible force. He smashed into Orca. The android was knocked five blocks away. It was more than his self-repair systems could handle. He was down and out. The Flash was about to try the same thing against the Missing Link, when a green energy ray trapped the Missing Link in a force field. The Link pounded against the field but since he hadn't fully repaired himself from Thor's attack, he couldn't break out. The Sentinel had come in response to the Flash's signal.
"Welcome, buddy boy," Flash said.
"Thank you," Sentinel replied. "Who are these guys?" Then he pointed at Thor and Ares, "And what the heck is going on over there?"
"The blonde guy with the hammer is on our side," The Flash said. "I don't know who the other clown is, but he doesn't like us."
"His name is Ares," said Miss Venus. "He is a god! Leave him to Thor. We should deal with these Creature Commandos!"
Again, Miss Venus showed that she was more than she seemed. She needed to answer some questions. But for now, she was right. The Creature Commandos needed to be dealt with. With Orca and the Missing Link down, and momentum in the favor of the JSA, and now that the Sentinel had arrived, the battle against the Commandos was different this round. The Commandos fell easily to the JSA. They victorious heroes rounded the androids up into a group. "Sentinel," Miss Venus said, "you have to help me create a limbo-field!"
"A what?!" Sentinel asked.
"You're gonna dance under a pole?" Wildcat asked.
"No! No, no!" Miss Venus exclaimed. "Not that kind of limbo!"
Miss Venus explained what she needed the Sentinel to do. Together, they created a stasis field that held the Creature Commandos frozen in time. The JSA looked at Miss Venus, who just smiled innocently. Still no answers.
Nearby, Ares was not doing well against Thor. To his embarrassment, he was getting the short end of his exchanges with the thunder god. Thor used his mastery of the weather to strike Ares with a lightning bolt, and then caught him with a blow from his hammer that sent Ares fifty feet through the air. He crashed to the ground at the feet of the JSA.
"Hiya, sunshine," Wildcat said, smiling.
Ares was irate, but he had to admit that he wasn't going to win this round. Still, he had plan B - the Thunderstorm, so there was no further reason to remain here and get beaten on. It was time to go. But he wasn't going away empty handed . . . He wanted a hostage! And Wildcat had angered him. He grabbed Wildcat and transported the two of them away.
"Wildcat!" Flash yelled. "Where did they go?"
"I can't tell," Miss Venus said. "He's covered his tracks. I can't sense him or Wildcat anywhere. I'm sorry."
Meanwhile the god of thunder was trying to stop the damaging storms that were covering the country. The storm level lowered a tad, but didn't stop. Thor tried for a while but then gave up. "There be only one being who couldst shrug off the efforts of Thor. Thou doth have much to worry on, mortals. The circumstance is dire. Thy world doth teeter on the brink."
Logan was still helping the people of the Canadian fishing village, when a muscular figure appeared, hovering in the air before him. He was dressed in a Roman Toga. He was sometimes called Hurricane, son of Hermes.
"Logan," Hurricane said, "you are needed."
"What the . . . " Logan began, but Hurricane opened a portal in the air which pulled them in.
Doc Savage was looking over his notes on ‘patient Zero', hoping the pattern of brain waves would give him a hint how to track the source behind this havoc. He saw Hurricane suddenly standing in his office.
"Dr. Clark Savage, you are needed."
Savage stood up, "Does this have anything to do with the storms?" Hurricane nodded. Savage considered for a moment. "Then I'll come," he replied.
This same tableau was repeated again with the Whizzer & Miss America. They all suddenly found themselves on the lawn of the damaged mansion of Miss Venus.
"Now what?" Logan asked.
"Now you go inside," Hurricane said, "You are needed by the Justice Society."
Inside, Captain America, Flash, Sentinel, Namor, Aquaman, Dr. Mid-Nite, the Black Canary, the Human Torch, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Thor and Wonder Woman had been joined by some of the reserves . . . Starman, the Atom, and Johnny Thunder--The Star Spangled Kid was mysteriously absent, and Stripsey was out looking for him--and they were all waiting to hear Miss Venus explain many things, when . . .
"Someone is here!" Wonder Woman said. Everyone braced for an attack, but it was Logan, Savage, Whizzer and Miss America who came in. The Flash went over to the Whizzer. "Good to see you again so soon," he said.
"Same here," Whizzer replied.
Miss America gave a respectful greeting to her idol, Wonder Woman. Dr. Mid-Nite went over to Doc Savage. "It's a great pleasure." Mid-Nite said.
"Thank you," Savage said. "We're here to help. I think."
"Join the club," Captain America said. "Everyone seems to be here except Wildcat, who was kidnaped, and Dr. Fate. God knows where he is. And now, Miss Venus, you have some explaining to do."
"My name is Aphrodite. The Aphrodite! Goddess of love."
Everyone except Thor and Wonder Woman was dumbstruck.
Prepare yourselves for an incredible story," she said. "A story about gods!"
Long ago, Gorr'll, the embodiment of the Universal consciousness, found something which would become known as the All-Orb. This orb was the repository for all that was good and pure in the extinct multi-verse, which never really existed. Gorr'll was tempted to use the orb to erase all evil from the universe. Gorr'll confided in the ancient beings Love and Hate. But Hate feared that, with evil gone, hate would die as well. Hate warned Neron, who contacted other powerful immortals and formed what would be known as the Dark Council.
The Dark Council acted immediately, killing Gorr'll and stealing the orb. Gorr'll, with the last of his strength, managed to contact Love. Love warned the benign cosmic beings who would form the White Council. They deduced that there must be a second orb. An orb which encompassed all the evil of the vanished multi-verse. The Dark Council made the same conclusion. They felt that they can use the other orb to destroy all good. But the White Council got to the other orb first. The Dark Council wanted it and a war of Gods almost broke out.
The Great Presence sent the Living Tribunal to settle the matter. The Tribunal destroyed both the orbs and summoned both side to a peace summit. He declared that both sides must honor the treaty he has created, and if either side breaches the peace, they will suffer greatly for it.
"Since that long ago day," Aphrodite said, "an uneasy peace has existed, but that hasn't stopped the Dark Council from plotting. It was they who instigated this world war. Some of you have met the Black Lama. He's an agent of the Dark Council, just as Thor and I represent the White Council. For some reason, the Dark Council needs this war."
"But you don't know exactly why?" Cap asked.
"No," she said, "not really."
"Why did they start these storms?" Sentinel asked.
"As a distraction," Aphrodite answered. "They are afraid you'll end the war before . . . Before whatever they want to happen, happens. The disasters caused by these storms and floods will tap America's resources. It will drag out the conflict."
"How do we stop it?" Doc Savage asked.
"Leave these unnatural storms to Thor," the thunder god said. "The prince of Asgard doth know where the real menace be. I shall tilt with him. I shall contain him or die in the attempt. So speaks Thor!"
Thor stood back, spun his hammer, created a vortex around himself and vanished.
"Aphrodite," Flash asked. "Can you find where Wildcat is?"
"Perhaps," she said. "If all of you will lend him your will power, and if the Sentinel will add to my power, then perhaps I may be able to trace him."
Thor appeared in the sky realm of the Thunderstorm. The elemental being sensed his presence immediately, and ceased his attack on Dr. Fate who was at the point of defeat. "So! The jailer returns! Come to try and restrain me again, little godling? You don't have an army of Asgardians with you this time, Thor! It's just you against the power of nature!"
"Then Thor shalt tame nature! Thor will bend the heavens to his will in the cause of what is just! Have at thee!"
Thor, the god of thunder, and the being called Thunderstorm, fought to control the storm forces of the western hemisphere. Thor realized that Thunderstorm was more in tune with the weather than he was, and so had greater control. Never before had Thor been menaced by the lightning bolts he had always commanded so easily. But Thor would fight on, until the death.
Soon, Dr. Fate had recovered and was determined to find a way to stop Thunderstorm. He realized that Thor was his best hope. So Fate did his best to distract and weaken Thunderstorm, hoping that this would allow Thor to get the upper hand.
Ares had Wildcat chained up in the ruins of an ancient temple in Greece. Ares seemed to be looking at things that Wildcat couldn't see.
"Would it be too much to ask why you brought me here, Mr. God-of-getting-his-butt-kicked?" Wildcat asked.
"You are here, mortal," Ares said, "because you irritated me. I needed a mortal to use later, and you helped me choose by being an annoyance."
"I don't suppose you'll tell me what you need a mortal for."
"No."
"Great! Okay, then, tell me this. What's it all about? Why are you doing all this?"
"To win a bet," Ares said.
For many years, the Dark Council has wanted to kill the being known as the Living Tribunal. But there is no known way to do that. Only the ancient being known as Kismet knows all the cosmic secrets. Only Kismet would know how to kill the Living Tribunal. Kismet knows everything, past and future.
They tried to devise a way to get Kismet to tell them how to destroy the Tribunal. They noticed that Kismet has become fascinated with Earth, because it was a focal point of the Crisis of Merging Universes.* The Grandmaster had an idea how to trick Kismet into telling them. Thus, the Dark Council started World War Two, which Kismet is very interested in observing. The Grandmaster joined Kismet in watching the War in Europe unfold. He heard Kismet say that the Allies will win because they have the moral high ground. The Grandmaster offered to bet on the results of the war with Kismet. He insists that the side with the moral high ground will not win. Since Kismet knows the future, she knows how the war will end. She agrees to bet the Grandmaster that the side with the moral high ground will win. However, if Kismet somehow loses, he must tell the Dark Council how to kill the Living Tribunal.
*(Crisis on Merging Earths)
"I don't get it," Wildcat said. "If this Kismet chick is all-knowing, how can you bet against her prediction?"
Ares laughed, "Because, mortal, we -- "
"Ares!" another voice shouted. Wildcat looked and saw the man in the black robe and hood. It's gotta be that Black Lama guy that Sentinel told us about, Wildcat thought.
"You talk to much, Ares!" the Black Lama said. "You remain consistently a fool!"
"Have a care, Asgardian!" Ares threatened. "Or I shall forget that we are allies?"
"Asgardian?" Wildcat repeated. "That's what you called that guy with the hammer!"
"Aye," the Black Lama said, pulling off his hood. "I doth also be a prince of Asgard, as is that dolt Thor! I am Loki, the god of evil!"
"God of evil, huh?" Wildcat said. "It figures."
"Ares hath told thee now," Loki said, "more than is prudent. Thus, Loki shalt see that this knowledge is never used against us."
By touching Wildcat's forehead, Loki made Wildcat forget everything he just heard. Wildcat was dazed by the spell. Loki turned to Ares. "Keep thy tongue in thy head, Ares. Use thy brain rather than thy sword for once."
Ares was about to respond, when there was a flash of green light. Suddenly, an army of super heroes, eighteen strong, arrived.
"The Black Lama!" Sentinel exclaimed.
"Well met, mortal fool," Loki answered. "Thou were a good slave when last we did meet."
"He's mine!" Sentinel said.
"I owe him a few licks too," Flash said.
"As do I!" Starman added.
"You three, go after the Lama," Cap yelled. "Everyone else, take Ares!"
Ares laughed, as Namor charged him first.
"Beware, Namor," Wonder Woman shouted, "Ares has great power!"
"Your warning comes too late, lovely Hippolyta." Ares said, as he sliced into Namor's arm with his sword. He used his shield to swat Namor away. Hippolyta dragged him to safety. Aquaman and Logan charged him next, with the others following. Ares greeted the opposition with glee. "Come, pathetic mortals! Ares will enjoy killing each and every one of you."
Johnny Thunder was at the rear of the charge, "Cei Uew!" he yelled. This ancient chant* summoned his genie-like companion, the Thunderbolt. "That's Ares, god of war!" Johnny said. "Can you get that sword away from him?"
(pronounced "say you")
"I'll do my best, master Johnny," The Thunderbolt replied, as it joined the fray. While that was happening, Loki was battling the super-trio of Sentinel, Flash and Starman. At first, Loki was overly confident, but he soon realized that these three humans--especially the Sentinel--had great power. Loki stopped smiling. This was not easy. He would need all his devious tricks and darkest spells to win this one.
Ares, on the other hand, was doing much better. It was all the other heroes could do to stay alive. Even the Thunderbolt had failed to disarm him. Ares kept laughing, enjoying every second of the combat. "You can not win, mortal! Ares never tires! Sooner or later, you must all fall to the god of war."
Bucky was still across the street from the JSA mansion. He saw someone enter the mansion through the hole that had been made in the wall. Bucky couldn't make out who it was, so he followed the man in.
His attention was diverted to the sky. The skies were clear.
"The storm stopped!"
The God of War and the God of Evil were still fighting the Earth heroes when Thor and Dr. Fate arrived, having successfully re-chained Thunderstorm. Right after that, Aphrodite and Hurricane appeared too. Loki cringed. Three new Gods to fight, as well as a Lord of Order.
"Have at thee, Loki, my dear brother!" Thor shouted. He raised his hammer and charged Loki. Loki backed away. This was not good. The odds were against them and there was nothing else to be gained here. This was a good time to exit.
"We shall meet again, brother!" Loki said, vanishing.
Ares now found himself alone. Together they were too formidable a force, especially with Thor on their side. Ares had to admit defeat and retreat to fight another day. There was always another battle. He used his contingency plan.
Ares summoned a group of mythic beasts, who charged at the captive Wildcat. The others rushed to defend him. The beasts were easy to defeat. Too easy. They were only a decoy. While the heroes were fighting the beasts, Ares opened a tear in the fabric of space and slipped inside, vanishing. The beasts then vanished too. Thor freed Wildcat, who was not happy with his contribution to this adventure.
"Useless," Wildcat said. "I was bloody useless!"
Dr. Mid-Nite patted him on the shoulder. "When you're dealing with gods, how else can one feel?" This didn't cheer Wildcat up.
"We did good today, group," Cap said. "I'm proud of you all. Let's get back to the mansion. We deserve a rest."
The Watcher stood on a nearby hill, observing the battle and it's conclusion. The heroes transported back to the United States. The Watcher was about to vanish as well, but a large, powerful figure appeared nearby. He was a mutant demi-god from the planet Titan, one of the most dangerous men in the universe. He was Thanos!
"I knew you'd be here," Thanos said to the Watcher. "Ever since the Grandmaster started engaging in bets about Earth with Kismet, I knew something important enough to bring you here would happen. I'd like to ask you something, Watcher. Lady Death has an interest. How will this end? I know you can see the future. I suspect that more than the Earth is at stake here. Tell me, Watcher, how will this end?"
The Dark Council will succeed in dragging the war out long enough that the allies will develop atomic energy first. They will use an atomic bomb to win the war. Kismet will claim that she won the bet, but the Grandmaster will point out that by dropping an atom bomb on civilians, the USA will lose the moral high ground. So in a sense, no one has the moral high ground, thus the side with the moral high ground did not win. Kismet must yield to the logic of this and so pays off her bet . . . She tells how to destroy the Tribunal. It seems that the Tribunal's power comes from the Scales of Justice--created by the Presence. By destroying the scales, the Tribunal becomes weakened. This makes him vulnerable and so, five years from now, the Dark Council will kill the Living Tribunal.
This, among other things, will be the catalyst that will lead to a war among the Gods, twenty years later.
The Gods Trilogy continues in the epic TWILIGHT OF THE GODS saga.
Next issue: The JSA wants to take some time off, but first they have to deal with the unstoppable Destroyer! And what will Captain America do when Bucky learns his secret?