Captain America was attending a high-level government meeting. The joint chiefs were taking time away from their war preparations to discuss a matter of concern at home . . . the Hulk!
Hulk had caused considerable chaos in the northeastern United States. He was causing the public extra concern that they didn't need to deal with in a world gone mad with war and violence. And repairing property destroyed by the rampaging monster was an expense that the government couldn't afford. Added to that was the fact that he was distracting the JSA from battling the Nazi super agents. The Hulk had to be stopped somehow. Captain America was giving his first hand opinion of the Hulk.
"This creature is unbelievably powerful!" Captain America said. "He has already badly injured Prince Namor, battled Thor to a draw, and caused massive destruction! So far, nothing has been able to stop him. I'm hoping that if you can pinpoint his location, and keep him there long enough, I can have the entire JSA there in quick order. I expect that the combined power of the Justice Society can defeat him. It's just a question of pinning him down. He seems to disappear after each battle. Even the mystic powers of Dr. Fate can't track him. If we can find a way to locate him, the JSA will deal with him!"
"Does anyone have any suggestions about how to find him?" a general asked.
"Actually," Cap began, "Namor was able to track down the Hulk once. He may be able to do it again."
The Human Torch paced the mansion of Miss Venus, the headquarters of the Justice Society of America. He was depressed, or at least, he was experiencing the artificial intelligence equivalent of depression. The source of his angst was the Black Canary. The Torch was in love with her, or something that resembled love for an android. He couldn't stop thinking about her. But she didn't love him. She loved another man. That man was Thomas Halloway, the government agent known as the Angel.
Not that Halloway was evil or anything, but his strange behavior and extended absences were a cause of pain and heartache for the Black Canary. The Torch understood heartache and pain. He felt it every time he thought about the Canary. He couldn't understand why she stayed with a man who hurt her. Why would she stay with him, but wouldn't even consider the Torch. She had bluntly told the Torch that she could never love a machine like him. And the pain had never stopped since.
The Torch wished he could just leave. Just go away somewhere, far away. Maybe if he didn't have to see the Black Canary all the time, he could forget her and get over the hurt. But he couldn't leave. Technically, he was the property of the US government. He may have chosen a human name for himself — Jim Hammond — but he was not a human. He didn't have the freedom to choose his own life. He was assigned to the Justice Society. And he did like his teammates. He liked what they did. He liked being a hero. It was all good. All except for the fact that the Black Canary loved someone else.
Wonder Woman stepped out of her quarters where she had been meditating. She and the Torch both lived in the mansion.
"Hello Jim," she said.
The Human Torch offered a weak smile and an unenthusiastic "Hello, Polly."
"Is something wrong?" the Amazon asked. "You sound a bit downhearted?"
"I have no heart," he responded.
"Not a human heart, Jim, but you have one. You have feelings."
"I have simulated feelings, Polly. They're not real. I'm not real."
"Yes you are! I've fought with many a warrior over the centuries. I've met many people, male and female, young and old. I've met gods and monsters. And I cannot say that I have ever had better company than I've had with you, Jim Hammond. You're a man to be reckoned with."
Jim smiled shyly at the compliment. "You're smiling," she said to him. "Happiness is an emotion. Come here with me and sit down."
The Torch sat down on a sofa with Wonder Woman.
"Jim," she began, "I think I know what's troubling you. Love is a strange thing. It's never easy, not for humans or any other sentient being. Take it from one who knows well. My relationship with Namor has brought me quite a lot of pain and turmoil. That often happens when you're in love. Love gives so little and asks for so much. I know you're hurting, my dear friend. But all I can tell you is that you're not the first or the only one. And you will survive. I promise you, dear Jim."
Before the Torch could respond, the two JSA members heard a crash. Immediately, they rushed to see what was happening. They reached the library and saw a man standing amongst the shattered remains of the window. He was a large, powerfully built man, wearing the golden armor of a roman centurion and carrying a sword and shield.
"Aphrodite!" he said. "Where is Aphrodite?"
Wonder Woman stepped forward. "I know you, do I not?"
"Aphrodite," he muttered again.
"Wait, I do know you," Wonder Woman said. "Back in ancient Rome, you were known as the Golden Gladiator."
"Ancient Rome?" the Torch asked.
"He is a demi-god," the Amazon queen responded. "He is the son of the god Vulcan!"
"I . . . I call myself Johnny Mann now," he whispered weakly.
"What do you want with Aphrodite?" Wonder Woman asked.
The demi-god's knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground. Wonder Woman scooped him up and carried him to the bed in the guestroom. She tended to him until he was coherent enough to think again.
"Tell me, what happened?" she asked.
"Beware," he muttered weakly. "Beware the fiend called Vandal Savage. He and his Immortal Battalion. They are killing my kind."
"Your kind?" the Torch asked.
"Immortals!" Wonder Woman interjected.
"They are stealing our lives. You must . . . must warn others!" the Golden Gladiator said. "Tell Aphrodite. Vandal Savage must be stopped."
"He will be. I promise!" Queen Hippolyta vowed.
"And please . . . One other thing," the Roman whispered.
"Anything, brave warrior."
"Protect Toro. Take care of the boy."
"Boy? Toro? Who is Toro?"
But it was too late. The great Golden Gladiator, demi-god son of the Olympian Vulcan, was dead!
Wonder Woman bowed her head. "Rest in Peace, great warrior. You've earned it."
"I can't believe it!" the Human Torch said. "He was an Immortal. He lived for thousands of years. And now he just . . . died! What did Vandal Savage do to him?"
"He said that Savage was stealing lives from immortals. I wonder what that meant."
"I guess we have to find out," the Torch commented.
"You are absolutely correct, Jim. And I know where to start. The son of Vulcan lived on an island in the Atlantic. I know where it is. We may find a clue there."
"How do we get there?" the Torch asked.
"I have a way," Wonder Woman said. "Remain here and tell the others where I have gone. I hope to be back presently."
Wonder Woman sailed over the Atlantic Ocean, literally running on air. She wore the sandals of Hermes, the same winged shoes that she wore when she first came to man's world. For several hours she ran, passing the speed of sound. Finally, she reached Vulcan Island.
Wonder Woman set down near the castle of Vulcan on the center of the Island. She headed for the front entrance, hoping to find some clue as to the activities of Vandal Savage. However, before she could enter the castle, a fireball came streaking out of the sky. She dodged it easily enough, and poised for a second attack. Looking up, she saw what she assumed to be the Human Torch. A flaming man flying across the sky. She was about to call out to him, to find out why he threw that fireball at her. But as the flaming figure flew closer, Wonder Woman could see that this person was much smaller than the Human Torch. It was a different flaming man.
"Get off my island!" the flaming being yelled. Wonder Woman could tell from his voice that he was very young. Probably about the same age as Bucky.
"I have not come to fight you," Wonder Woman yelled. "I am a friend of Johnny Mann, the Golden Gladiator."
"You except me to believe that?" the fiery boy shouted, throwing another fireball.
Wonder Woman leaped out of the path of the fireball. The flaming youth began to lobby a volley of fireballs at her. She had a hard time evading them all. As much as she hated to do it, she would have to fight the boy.
She headed to the far side of the castle. The boy was surprised by her speed. Her flew around to the castle to find her. As he turned the corner, he was suddenly lassoed. A golden lasso caught him. He tried to increase his flame to burn through it, but the lasso seemed impervious to fire.
"Stop it!" Wonder Woman commanded. "Descend to the ground and extinguish your flame!"
The boy found himself unable to disobey. He landed and his flame went out.
"You will not ignite your flame again until I release you!" she commanded.
"Y . . . Yeah. I . . . I won't," the boy repeated.
"Now tell me, young man, who exactly are you?"
"They call me Toro."
"Ahh. So you are Toro. The Gladiator told me to look for you. Do you live here with him?"
"Yes. I'm his decendent, his last living relative. After my parents were killed, I worked in a circus for a while. Fire didn't have any effect on me, so I did an act eating and walking through fire. Johnny found me and took me in. He used his God-like powers to bring out my latent power. It was a gift I was born with but didn't realize until I met Johnny. I suddenly had the power to burst into flames. I've lived here with Johnny for almost a year."
"Toro, have you heard of the goddess Aphrodite?"
"Yeah. When Johnny left yesterday, he told me to find her if something happened to him."
"I am a worshiper of Aphrodite. Your friend Johnny Mann came to see her because he was hurt. He asked me to come and find you. I am not your enemy. I am going to let you go now. Please don't fight me."
Wonder Woman released Toro. He didn't attack her. "So where is Johnny? Is he all right?"
Wonder Woman walked over to Toro and put her hands on his shoulders. "No Toro, he's not. I'm afraid that your friend has died."
"What?!" Toro shouted. It took a few moments for the news to sink in. He then began to break down and cry. Wonder Woman hugged him gently.
"Let it out, Toro. It's all right to mourn a lost friend. Your tears honor him."
Toro cried for several minutes. Wonder Woman gave him the sympathy he needed.
Back at the Mansion of Miss Venus, Sentinel had come early to prepare to chair a meeting that Cap couldn't make. Cap and Bucky were away at a government meeting and Sentinel had been left in charge. Black Canary, Flash, Namor, and Dr. Mid-Nite were not due for several hours yet.
Surprisingly, Dr. Fate was also early. Dr. Fate frequently missed meetings and when he did come, he usually arrived at the last moment. The Sentinel decided not to ask Fate any personal questions. Even the Sentinel found Fate a bit creepy.
When the Human Torch saw that two of his JSA partners had arrived, he quickly told them what had happened. He showed them the body of the son of Vulcan and explained that Vandal Savage and his team were killing immortals.
"This is a dire situation," Dr. Fate said. "The killing of gods unbalances the grand scheme of things. And it invited the wrath of other gods, who might not differentiate between Vandal Savage and the rest of the world. They might just smite the whole world in anger."
"Then we'd better stop Vandal Savage quickly!" Sentinel said. "How do we find him?"
"I shall cast a spell," Fate said. "My powers should be sufficient to locate him."
Thor, the god of thunder, had been searching the Earth for nearly two months in his quest for his beloved Lady Sif. Last month, after he had gone to an alien world to battle the Hulk, he was knocked unconscious in a three way war between himself, the Hulk and the powerful cosmic being called the Silver Surfer. When he awoke, his wounds had been healed and he was in the Canadian woods. Some instinct told him that he was near to his goal. For weeks he had combed these woodlands. There was only a small part left to be searched. If Sif really was in these woods, Thor would locate her within hours.
Wonder Woman carried Toro across the Atlantic in her arms. He had fallen asleep after crying. When he woke up, he found himself over the city of Washington, DC.
"Let me fly," Toro said.
Wonder Woman set him down. Toro ignited his flame and flew behind her, taking his first look at the capital of the United States.
"I know where he is!" Dr. Fate said to the Sentinel. "I can sense a gathering of immortals in the woods of Canada."
"Transport us there, now!" Sentinel said.
"Let's get them!" the Torch said.
"No!" Sentinel snapped. "You stay here, Torch!"
"But . . . "
"No buts! Someone needs to stay here and be a liaison for the rest of the team. Tell them what's happened and make sure everyone is ready to move out quick if I activate the emergency beacon!"
"Whatever you say," the Torch muttered, disappointed.
Dr. Fate made some gestures, and he and the Sentinel vanished. The Torch was feeling very sad and left out. Lonely. He walked outside and stood in the front yard. He looked up. He couldn't believe his eyes when he was what appeared to be himself flying along side Wonder Woman. It was another Human Torch!
The Torch ignited and flew up to meet them. Toro was aghast! He couldn't believe he was seeing another man with the same powers as he had.
"Jim, this is Toro," Wonder Woman said. "Toro, this is Jim Hammond, the Human Torch."
The two flaming men stared at each other, with jaws dropped. Wonder Woman smiled.
In the Canadian woods, stands a secluded hunting lodge. The membership is very privileged. To be a member, you need to be immortal. As was the owner, Vandal Savage, the oldest living human being. He was over 100,000 years old and genius.
"It's almost ready!" Vandal Savage said to his fellow immortals. "Just one more and all will be prepared!"
Nearby, stood an audience of five very old beings . . . The Devourer of Souls, a demonic being who had often crossed swords with Conan the Barbarian back in the Hyborean age.
The Viking Commando, a Nordic warrior born centuries ago.
The sorceress Appah Allah, who had battled the swordswoman Red Sonja in the same days that Conan walked the Earth.
Imhotep the Living Mummy from ancient Egypt.
And finally, the great Lion God, rival of the Panther God of Wakanda.
Each one knew what it meant to be immortal. And each had lost it!
A year ago, this alliance of eternals united to rule the world. They found themselves in battle with the Spectre, and as a result, they were stripped of their immortality. This was an intolerable situation for them. They were determined to be immortal again! And they turned to the brilliance of Vandal Savage to make this miracle happen. Incredibly, he found a way. He had built a device that can steal the immortality from others who possess it.
"That's four so far!" Savage said. "And we have the fifth ready and waiting."
He gestured toward a woman who was sleeping on a table. Her beauty was outstanding. She looked like a Goddess. And, indeed, she was! Her name was Sif.
"Why not kill the Asgardian female now?" the Viking Commando asked.
"Patience, my friend," Vandal Savage said. "I know that you have unloving memories of the Asgardians, but remain calm. Sif must remain alive for the moment. Soon, the sixth and final player in our little tableau will arrive, and Sif will be the hostage that insures his defeat."
"You mean Thor!" the Viking hissed.
"Indeed. He will be victim number six, and will unwittingly save us from our fate!"
A crystal hanging on the wall by a chain began to glow and hum.
"The metabelis crystal is singing!" Appah Allah shouted.
"It seems that we have company," the Devourer of Souls said.
"Yes, everyone get ready!" Savage ordered.
Vandal Savage opened a chest of ancient and powerful mystic weapons.
Outside, the Sentinel and Dr. Fate appeared in front of the lodge.
"Are they in there?" Sentinel asked.
"They are."
"Then let's hit them hard and fast!"
They pierced the outside wall. Inside, the six villains were waiting, armed and ready.
The Viking Commando held the Ax of the Asgardian Executioner.
Appah Allah had the wand of Merlin.
The Living Mummy had the flame stone of Set.
The Devourer of Souls held the ceremonial wooden spear of the ancient Highlander.
The Lion God carried the cloak of invisibility.
They attacked as soon as Fate and Sentinel appeared. The JSA members thought they'd have the advantage of surprise but the reverse was true. Vandal Savage watched as his formerly immortal partners assaulted Fate and the Sentinel. The two powerful JSA members put up a good fight and for a time, it looked like they might actually win.
Unfortunately, the Devourer used the wooden spear to pierce the Sentinel's defenses. Wood was the one substance that the green energy of the Starheart couldn't effect. The Sentinel screamed in pain. With his concentration shattered, his force field fell. Appah Allah used the Wand of Merlin to put him to sleep.
Dr. Fate found himself alone and overwhelmed by far superior numbers. Despite his power, he fell.
Vandal Savage smiled. "Excellent."
Back at the JSA mansion, the Human Torch explained to Wonder Woman where the Sentinel and Dr. Fate had gone.
"The woods of Canada?" Wonder Women said. "That's a big area! How do we find them?"
"I can help you with that," Toro said. "I can sense Johnny Mann's energy. If I get near enough to the guy who stole it, I can pinpoint where he is."
"I'm not sure about this," Wonder Woman said. "It'll be very dangerous."
"I've fought Vandal Savage before!" Toro said. "Me and Johnny have duked it out with that jerk a couple of times! I can handle myself."
"Let him come," the Human Torch said.
Wonder Woman looked at him curiously. She suspected that he had a personal reason to want Toro along. The Torch was understandably curious about this boy who had identical powers to himself. Wonder Woman wasn't sure if she should allow this. After all, Toro was young and he could get hurt. Still, Bucky Barnes was only a boy and he handled himself well. Who knows what kind of training Toro got from the son of Vulcan? Maybe he should come, after all. Toro certainly had the right to avenge his mentor.
"Very well," Wonder Woman said. "We will all go."
The Sentinel woke up in a small tiger cage. To his surprise, his wound had been treated. To his dismay, his ring was gone. He spotted Vandal Savage across the room, studying it under a microscope. Savage noticed that the Sentinel was awake.
"Oh, welcome back," Savage said.
"What are you doing to my ring?" Sentinel asked.
"Studying it. And the mask of your partner as well."
Sentinel saw the Helmet of Nabu on the table. Nearby, in another cell, Kent Nelson was laying unconscious and unmasked.
"These objects are very unusual," Savage said. "They only respond to their owners. I can't figure out how to make them obey me."
"Is that why we're still alive?" Sentinel asked. "Is that why you treated my wound?"
"Yes," Savage said, "I may need you alive to find a way to master the power of the ring and the helmet. After that, I will kill you."
Sentinel saw the lady Sif lying on a table. "Who's she?"
"Just an immortal whose life force I'm going to steal."
"Just as you stole Johnny Mann's life force."
"Exactly. We need the lives of six immortals to replace ours. I've created as device to store immortal energy. Sif will be number five. And when Thor inevitably arrives to save her, he'll be number six."
"I'm suddenly glad Fate and I are not immortal," Sentinel said.
"Not quite you're not," Savage said. "Close, but not quite."
"What do you mean close?" Sentinel asked.
"I mean that you and Fate are receiving considerable mystic energy through your respective talismans. They are drawing energy that is permeating your very beings. Flooding your bodies with supernatural power. There are mysterious forces at work in your body."
"Meaning what?"
"Meaning that your life, and the life of Dr. Fate, are being expanded. The energy you are receiving would make you live a very long time. Trust me. I'm an expert on this subject. You'd have lived for almost a hundred and fifty years. Fate may have lived much longer. Centuries in fact. Unfortunately for you, I plan to kill you both."
The Sentinel was stunned. A hundred and fifty years! It was inconceivable!
Suddenly, the metabelis crystal began singing again. Someone was coming. "Get ready, everyone!"
The ex-immortals took their weapons again and prepared to greet the next intruder.
Thor, the mighty God of Thunder, crashed through the wall. He spotted Sif immediately.
"Milady!" he cried out. "At last!"
"Get him!" Savage ordered.
"Beware, base villains!" Thor yelled. "Those who have dared to take my lady Sif against her will, shall now face the unforgiving wrath of the son of Odin!"
Thor plowed into the former Immortals and unleashed the fury of months of searching for his beloved Sif. The Viking Commando was eager to get a piece of the Asgardian. They had met before and the Viking hated the Asgardians who had abandoned him. He swung the powerful Ax of the Executioner. Thor blocked it with his hammer. The other ex-Immortals attacked, using their natural powers, as well as the additional powers that the stolen weapons gave them. They had a numerical advantage on Thor. They hit him from every side. They fought well.
But the Asgardian would not give up. He looked at Sif lying so close by and refused to fall. He would rather die taking his foes with him than to fall and allow them to do whatever they plan with Sif. He fought on with all the fury of an Immortal warrior God in love.
Suddenly, Wonder Woman, the Human Torch and Toro enter through the same hole that Thor made in the wall.
"Free the prisoners!" Wonder Woman ordered to her flaming companions. "I'll assist Thor."
As Wonder Woman added her formidable power and skill to Thor's cause, the Human Torch used his flame to melt the cage bars and free the Sentinel and Dr. Fate.
"Thanks!" Sentinel said. He ran to get his ring.
"No you don't!" Vandal Savage said, physically blocking the Sentinel's path with his body. The Sentinel tried to force his way past, but Savage's incredible strength was too much for him. He lifted the Sentinel off his feet.
"I told you that I would kill you!" Vandal Savage said. "I'm just moving the schedule up a bit."
Savage was about to deliver the killing blow, but a fireball struck him. He screamed and dropped the Sentinel. He looked around.
It was Toro! "You killed Johnny!" Toro screamed. "And I'm gonna kill you!"
Toro rained flames down on Vandal Savage. Savage ducked for cover. He dived with amazing speed and grabbed a fire retardant spray that he had prepared for this contingency. He was about to spray Toro with the foam that would douse the boy's flame. But Vandal Savage forgot about the Human Torch. The Torch threw a fireball at the fire extinguisher and melted it.
The Torch drifted over next to Toro. "Let's get him, what do you say, Toro?"
"Damn right!" Toro stated.
The two flaming heroes chased Vandal Savage, who barely managed to escape the flames using his impressive speed and quick thinking. He grabbed a cartridge off the device he built to steal immortality, and then hit a button that lowered a metal door. Savage leaped behind the door and it sealed him off from his fiery pursuers.
"We can get through it!" the Torch said.
"You think so?" Toro asked.
"Yes, we can!"
Together, the two flaming warriors concentrated their power and burned through the metal door. But in the time it took them to get through, Vandal Savage had vanished.
"Damn!" Toro yelled.
Nearby, Wonder Woman and Thor battled the once immortal battalion. Sentinel put on his ring and joined the battle. The three powerful heroes were too much for the five ex-immortals. Thor and the JSA members won the day.
Kent Nelson — the man known to the world as Dr. Fate — woke to see the battle being waged. He slipped out of the cage, which had been melted by the Torch, and slipped the helmet of Nabu on his head. Once, again, he was the avatar of order Dr. Fate!
Dr. Fate put the finishing touches on the villains. He put them to sleep and exiled them to a distant realm.
Thor rushed to the table where the lovely Asgardian lady Sif lay sleeping. Thor shook her. "Awaken my beloved," he said.
"She has been put to sleep by a spell from Appah Allah," Dr. Fate said. "I shall awaken her."
Dr. Fate used his magic to awaken the sleeping Goddess. Sif opened her eyes and saw Thor standing over her.
"Thor!" she said joyfully.
"My lady."
Thor embraced his ladylove. Wonder Woman watched smiling. The Sentinel walked over to the device that Vandal Savage had built to steal Immortality.
"What is amiss?" Dr. Fate asked him.
"A piece of this machine is missing," Sentinel said. "I wonder if it contained the stolen immortal life energy."
"If it does, then Vandal Savage may again regain his lost immortality," Dr. Fate commented.
Sentinel nodded. "That's what worries me." Then the ring-bearing hero's mind drifted to what Savage had said about his expanded life span. 150 years!
Toro paced around, furious that he hadn't been able to avenge Johnny Mann against Vandal Savage. The Human Torch patted him on the shoulder.
"Relax, Toro," the Human Torch said. "There'll be another time. We'll get him."
"I hope so," Toro said.
"Trust the JSA."
"You're lucky," Toro said. "You've got the JSA. I've got nothing now. Johnny was all I had."
"Not true," the Torch said. "Now you've got me. We can learn a lot from each other. And maybe I can convince the others to let you into the JSA."
Toro smiled. "Really?"
"I'll do what I can. I think that you and I will become good friends."
Next issue: The confrontation that's been building for months finally explodes. The JSA battles the Rampaging Hulk. Hourman guest stars. Be here next month for Justice Society of America #22.