He had arrived. After traveling millions of miles, Dobj Xio could finally see the planet Earth. His master had sent him to this small, distant planet for a specific reason, and Dobj Xio was unflinchingly loyal to his master, as were many others!
Dobj Xio was a Durlan, a greyish humanoid being with antennae. Like all Durlans, he had the power to shape-shift. But he had another, more important power . . . the power of the ring! The ring that symbolized him as a member of the Corps. The ring was the most formidable weapon in the universe and it could do almost anything it's wearer commanded it to do. It could be a weapon of ultimate destruction!
Dobj Xio wore a modified Corps uniform. It was green and black, with a humanoid skull on the back. And aside from his power, he was cunning and experienced. Dobj Xio was a one man attack fleet.
In a glow of green energy, the Durlan entered Earth's atmosphere.
For several hours, Dobj Xio circled the planet Earth, monitoring it with his ring, recording information for the Master. Personally, he found this little world to be very primitive and uninteresting, but his was not to question why.
There was one thing, however, that did pique his interest. Stories of the group called the Justice Society of America. It appeared to be some fellowship of powerful beings who guarded this planet. This subject bore looking into. Using the information he'd gathered, he had the ring map out a course to Washington, DC, USA, where the Justice Society were quartered.
In the mansion belonging to the enigmatic Miss Venus, the JSA were having their weekly meeting. Their leader, Captain America, chaired the meeting. In attendance were the Sentinel, the Flash, the Black Canary, the Human Torch, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Wildcat, Dr. Mid-Nite, Dr. Fate, and Wonder Woman. Captain America finished reading the minutes of the last meeting.
"All right, then," the Captain said, "before we move on to new business, I wanted to congratulate everyone on the fine work you did when we were stranded on Rann. I was very impressed and proud of you all."
"Aw shucks, you're too kind," Wildcat said.
"Thanks for the compliment, chief," Black Canary said. "It means a lot coming from you."
"So on to our next order of business," Cap said. "We -- "
Suddenly, the window shattered and a grenade landed near the group. Casually, the Sentinel used his ring to encase the grenade in a block of green energy. The grenade exploded harmlessly inside. Everyone went to the window. Outside was a person in a blue, metal suit, hovering just above the ground. The bulky outfit was shaped like a bullet. There were eyeholes and armored extensions for the limbs. A jetpack was on his back. He looked so ridiculous, Wildcat and the Black Canary broke into uncontrolled giggles.
"I am the Blue Bullet!" the metal garbed attacker announced. "And I challenge the Justice Society of America in the name of the American members of the Nazi party."
The JSA members looked around at each other amused. "I guess this is a good sign," Flash said. "Maybe the Ratzis are getting desperate."
"The rest of you go on with the meeting," Sentinel said. "I'll take care of this loser and deliver him to the police. I'll rejoin you before you get to the third order of business."
Cap nodded. "Right. Let's get back to business, team."
The Sentinel flew out of the broken window while the rest went back to the table.
High above, Dobj Xio had just arrived. He decided to observe the battle secretly. The Durlan transformed himself into one of the Earth birds he saw flying nearby. He flew down for a closer look.
The Blue Bullet opened a panel in his armor and ejected another grenade. The Sentinel created a baseball bat with his ring and knocked it back at the Blue Bullet.
Dobj Xio was suddenly very interested. This Earthling was a ring wielder! The ring could create objects of green energy, just as a Corps member's could. How could this be? There were no human members of the Corps. Could this Earthling have somehow gotten a ring from a deceased Corps member? If so, the Earthling was an important anomaly in the plan. If not, then what was the secret of this ring that so closely mirrored is own? He had to know!
Below, the Blue Bullet was reeling from the effects of the grenade. He decided not to do that again. He fired up his jet pack and thrusted straight at the Sentinel, just like a giant bullet. The Sentinel created a wall. The Blue Bullet crashed into it, and while his armor may have been designed to break through a normal wall, it was no match for a wall made of the green flame of the starheart. The Blue Bullet's armor cracked, and the concussion knocked the wearer unconscious. The Sentinel scooped him up by creating a giant spatula. He took the Blue Bullet to prison, followed closely by a very swift bird.
While the Sentinel was inside the police station, Dobj Xio took the form of a human being, the better to move covertly through the Earthlings. He got tired of waiting for the Sentinel to come back out. He would have to speed things up. If the JSA members were indeed protectors of this planet, then they will come when innocent Earthmen are in danger.
Using the incredible power of his ring, the Durlan created a gigantic green beast. The jade monster smashed things, as people ran screaming. In moments, the Sentinel emerged from the police station. He launched himself at the green behemoth.
The Sentinel blasted the beast several times. Dobj Xio felt the force of the blasts and was impressed. He fortified his creation. The Sentinel saw that his attacks were only having minimal damage and so tried a different approach. He grabbed the beast in giant tongs and tried to carry it off. But the green giant broke free. Getting angry now, the Sentinel created a huge samurai sword and sliced the creature in two. And then in four, and six and eight. Dobj Xio re-formed the monster, larger than ever. The Sentinel backed off, and hovered. He appeared thoughtful. Dobj Xio had the impression that the Sentinel had just had an epiphany.
The Sentinel created a force field completely around and under the beast. He effectively cut it off from the source of it's power. The creature began to fade in and out of existence.
Dobj Xio smiled. Very good, he thought. The Earthling had reasoned out that the giant had an external source replenishing it. The Durlan could easily have pierced the Earth man's force field, but there was no point. The creature had served it's purpose. Dobj Xio let it fade. It was time to take matters into his own hands.
Once the giant was gone, the Sentinel looked around. He knew someone or something was watching. Someone was behind this. Was he nearby? Would he show his hand?
A glow of green energy answered the question. The Durlan had resumed his original form and taken to the skies. The Sentinel saw him and drifted closer to the alien. They hovered, about twenty feet apart.
"It doesn't take a genius to guess that you're the one who created that monster," Sentinel said.
The Durlan's ring translated. "Your tiny Earth brain figured that out, did it?" Dobj Xio said, "I'm impressed. You seem to be a little smarter than I gave you credit for. You surprised me when you figured out that the monster was only a toy."
"A toy?" The Sentinel said, angry, "You almost killed dozens of people."
"Rest assured," The Durlan said, "By the time I'm done here, you'll wish I'd only killed a dozen people."
"Why?" The Sentinel demanded to know, "What's the purpose for all this?"
Dobj Xio raised his ring. "No more talk."
He lashed out with a powerful emerald energy blast. The Sentinel barley formed a force field around himself in time. He was pushed back over 100 yards. He was startled by the power of the attack. And equally startled by his foes ring. This alien had a power ring, much like his own. Was that the reason for the attack? Too many questions. Right now, it was time to focus on battle. And this one looked to be a major one!
Dobj Xio resumed his attack. The Sentinel was ready for it this time. His shield held, but it wouldn't for long under this onslaught. He had to take the offense. He returned fire. To his amazement, the Durlan shape shifted, opening a hole in himself for the beam to pass through. Just great, Sentinel thought. What other tricks has this guy got up his sleeve?
An ariel dogfight commenced. The two ring wielding warriors fired at each other, each one taking evasive actions. The few shots that did hit their mark were deflected by force fields. But of the two, Dobj Xio scored more hits. Due to his shape shifting, he was a harder target to hit. He also seemed to have more experience it this type of battle. If this went on too long, the Sentinel knew that he would ultimately come out on the losing end. Time to change strategies.
The Sentinel let loose with a wild blast that missed by a mile. He guessed that the alien would assume that the blast was panic fire. He was counting on the alien underestimating him. He was right. The Durlan ignored the wild energy burst. But secretly, the Sentinel was controlling it. He caused it to circle behind a tall building and then return. It caught the alien completely by surprise. His force field was up, but he was still momentarily disoriented. The Sentinel had to strike now.
He unleashed a massive fireball made of green flame. It struck and engulfed the Durlan. Then it veered upwards and headed out into space. The Sentinel hoped that the alien would remain trapped inside until the fireball dragged him out of the solar system.
His hopes were shattered when the fireball exploded and his foe hovered unharmed. The alien smiled. He seemed to be enjoying the combat. The Sentinel was not. The alien resumed his attack.
The Durlan fired his ring downward. A beam of emerald light drilled into the ground. It didn't seem to do anything, but the Sentinel knew that it must have some purpose. He couldn't dwell on it though. because the enemy was upon him again. He dodged the alien's lazar blasts. He realized - too late - that he was being herded into just the spot that his foe wanted him in.
The purpose of the beam which burned into the ground became clear when the sidewalk under them opened up and a geyser of molten lava erupted. The Sentinel was caught in the lava flow. While the lava hit from below, Dobj Xio struck from above, catching the Sentinel in a crossfire. The Sentinel's shield barely held. And worse, the lava flow would kill thousands. But he couldn't help them now. He could barely help himself.
Help arrived, in the form of the Justice Society. They had heard about the battle and came rushing to help.
"Dr. Fate!" Cap yelled. "Do something about that lava flow. The rest of you, clear the civilians out of the area! Torch, you help the Sentinel!"
Dobj Xio was distracted by the arrival of the JSA. Sentinel was able to free himself from his predicament. "No!" he yelled. "The alien's too powerful! The Torch isn't ready! Leave him to me!"
Sentinel blasted Dobj Xio. "If you want me," he called to his foe, "come and get me!"
The Sentinel streaked across the sky, vanishing in the distance. Dobj Xio smiled, "A hunt, eh? Excellent!" The alien followed the Sentinel.
Cap watched them go. "Damn!" he muttered.
"Should I follow?" the Human Torch asked.
"No!" Cap ordered. "We can use your help here. Let's just hope that the Sentinel knows what he's doing."
Sentinel looked back. The speck that was following him was growing. The alien with the power ring was catching up. He was faster than Sentinel. It didn't matter. The Sentinel decided that he'd run far enough. He'd reached a dense forest area in the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia. No one around to be hurt. This was where he'd hold the line!
He dived down and took cover in the trees. Dobj Xio looked down, but couldn't spot the Earthman. However, he didn't have to. He transformed into an Arcturian BloodHawk, the creature with the greatest olfactory senses in the known universe. In no time, he had tracked the earthling, who was playing hide and seek in the trees. The Sentinel spotted the strange looking bird and realized that it must be the shape shifter. He fired a green flame burst at it, but even in this form, it had its shield up. The Durlan reverted to his usual appearance.
"Shall we resume?" the Durlan asked.
"Now we end this!" Sentinel said.
They fired at the same time. The bolts of energy collided. The resulting explosion knocked over trees, and threw the two combatants in separate directions. They both recovered quickly. They both hesitated for a moment, sizing each other up, with anger and respect.
The Sentinel created a suit of armor for himself. He looked like a green, medieval knight hovering in the air, with a sword and shield. "Care to settle this more directly?"
Dobj Xio smiled again. "That would be most satisfactory."
He used his ring to create a futuristic armored suit for himself. He formed a sword and shield and then eagerly locked up with the Earthling in combat.
The duel lasted a long time. They hacked and chopped at each other, no quarter given or asked. Neither one willing to give an inch. Their skill was impressive, their power extraordinary. Their wills were indomitable!
After about ten minutes, the Sentinel's arms felt like lead. He didn't know how long he could continue. And the alien seemed to have an endurance beyond mere mortals. He was as strong as ever. To make things worse, the shape-shifter had grown four extra arms and created, via his ring, four new swords. The Sentinel was forced to pull back. He was on the defensive once again. Damn it! he thought. No matter what I do, he has the answer to it. And how do I counter that shape-shifting power? The Sentinel was at a loss.
If he were a different type of person, he'd flee and go back to his JSA partners. Together they could all defeat the alien. But that wasn't how Alan Scott's mind worked. He would never run from a fight. He would, however, feign a withdrawal to get some room to fight. And that's just what he did.
As the Sentinel retreated to get some breathing room, Dobj Xio laughed. "We are not done yet, coward! Or is this some type of strategy?"
The Sentinel suddenly found himself surrounded by an army of green, winged gargoyle type creatures. They attacked. The Sentinel blasted a few, but there were too many. They swarmed all over him. They ate away at his force field like termites eating through wood.
The Sentinel took a page from his enemy's book. He created his own army of flying creatures. They battled Dobj Xio's creatures for him. While the two armies were busy fighting, he created a Gatling gun and mowed down the beasts.
Before he could make another move, he was grabbed by giant hands. He was shocked to see that the alien had used his ring to create a giant version of himself. The giant pseudo Dobj Xio held the Sentinel in a vice grip and squeezed. The Sentinel's force field was cracking and bending.
"I must say," Dobj Xio said, via his apparition, "this is the best battle I've ever had! You are a worthy opponent! I'm sorry to have to end this. It's been fun!"
But the Sentinel wasn't about to give up fighting just yet. He narrowed his force field on the bottom so that the squeezing caused the shield to be pushed upwards. The Sentinel shot upwards, out of the giant grip, like a bullet. He was free!
"Excellent!" Dobj Xio cried. "Better and better! I'm loving this!"
The Sentinel gritted his teeth, hating this alien creature! No more! This must end, now! It was time for one last assault. Win or lose, live or die, he made his stand here and now!
The Sentinel focused all his will power, absorbed any ambient residual energy in the area and created his strongest piece of fire power yet. A disc of energy bore down on the alien. The alien evaded it easily enough. But the disc changed direction and followed him. Dobj Xio sensed that this disc was powerful enough to cause him significant damage and possibly turn the tide of battle against him. He had to make sure that the Earthling's disc didn't hit him. He zig-zagged around but the disc remained on his tail. He stopped smiling. This was not fun! He made a sudden sharp turn and the disc struck a tree and exploded . . . But did no damage to the tree. The recoil of the blast stunned Dobj Xio. Leaves and grass were burned. The ground shook. But nothing wooden was affected at all.
That was it! Dobj Xio just had his own epiphany! He knew the answer! He knew how to beat the Earthman! His ring created two large hands which ripped a pair of trees out of the ground. The Sentinel reacted immediately, backing off, trying to hide his alarm. But Dobj Xio saw it. He knew!
The Sentinel avoided the trees--Barely. He fired at his alien enemy but Dobj Xio used the trees to block the blasts. It was obvious to the Sentinel that his foe had found out his weakness. The Sentinel was powerless against wood and wood was what Dobj Xio would use.
Banging the two trees together, a spray of wooden debris shot out every which way. There was nowhere for the Sentinel to hide or dodge. The wood passed through his shield and battered him. Stunned, he fell to the ground. Before he could gather his wits, Dobj Xio landed next to him, picked up a stick and pounded Sentinel on the head until he passed out.
The Sentinel had lost.
Dobj Xio raised his fists in triumph, laughing. He'd enjoyed this immensely. He also found it very amusing that a battle between two such powerful weapons - the rings - would be settled by a common stick. How inappropriate. He looked down at his fallen adversary. Should he kill this man? He was a valiant fighter, and his ring was still of interest to the Durlan. He wanted to study it. No, better to just render him helpless for now and come back to examine the ring later, after his partners have been dealt with.
Dobj Xio caused wooden roots to come up through the ground and encircle the Sentinel in a wooden cocoon. That would keep the Earthling immobile and powerless while he dealt with the other team members.
His guessed that they would be coming for him very soon. He decided to use a coveret approach again. He changed his form into an exact replica of the Sentinel.
He did it just in time, because only a moment later, the Flash popped into view. Dobj Xio made a mental note of the Flash's power of speed and began considering tactics to counter it.
"Where is he?" Flash asked.
"He's gone," the imposter replied. "He just left. I have no idea why."
"That's strange," the Flash responded. "But I guess we should count our blessings. Come on, let's get back to the others."
The imposter smiled, "Lead the way. My friend."
The fake Sentinel joined the JSA in completing the damage control in the area where the volcano had been created. He was amazed at how well they had done. A volcano had gone off in the heart of the city, and yet there were no injures and not even much property damage, except for the big hole in the street. The leader of the Earth heroes, Captain America, ordered him to use his ring to fix the hole. Although Dobj Xio wanted to shut the Captain's annoying mouth, he played along and sealed the hole. He observed the powers of the others and formulated his battle plans. The biggest problem was this Dr. Fate. His powers were incredible and they seemed to defy any scientific principle. He would be a danger. He'd have to be gotten rid of first!
Back at the JSA HQ, the team had reassembled for a meeting. Captain America was bombarding "Sentinel" with questions about Dobj Xio. The Durlan tried to come up with answers that would satisfy the Captain, but they seemed to be having the opposite effect. The more they talked, the more suspicious the Earthman seemed to be getting. Starting to feel impatient, the fake Sentinel started to pace. He noticed the Captain's intense observations of him. At first it confused him, and then he realized that the Captain was observing his body language and had noticed a change. This Captain America was much more clever than Dobj Xio had assumed. To make things worse, Dr. Fate was moving closer, staring through the narrow eye-slits of his helmet. Whatever Fate's power was, he too had sensed something unusual. The deception was obviously not working. Very well than. If they want to discover an enemy among them, then Dobj Xio was happy to oblige. He was wearying of the cat-and-mouse game anyway.
Dr. Fate moved closer, as if he was trying to see into "Sentinel's" soul. All right, he thought, if you want to see my true colors, here they are!
With a quick motion of his hand, the Durlan fired at Dr. Fate. His action was so quick and unexpected that it caught Fate completely by surprise. Dr. Fate was thrown across the room and through a door. He dropped limp to the ground, unmoving.
"I knew it!" Captain America yelled. "This isn't the Sentinel. It's the other guy with the ring! Everyone attack!"
The JSA moved quickly, but Dobj Xio was ready for them!
The Flash was across the room faster than the eye could follow, but Dobj Xio had energized his protective shield before he fired at Fate. The Flash bounced off the shield and was flung across the room. Cap's shield also failed to make a dent. The Torch threw fireballs at it. The Sub-Mariner pounded on it with all his strength. The Durlan expanded his field and sent all the JSA members hurtling backwards.
The Durlan laughed. He reverted to his natural form. "Primitive fools!"
Namor was the first to recover. "Coward!" he roared. "Face me without your protective shield, if you have the courage!"
The Durlan obliged, lowering his force field. "Come and get me."
The Atlantean charged the alien, but was met by a blast of green flame. Namor backed off. The Human Torch threw himself between the Sub-Mariner and the flames, absorbing the heat.
Quickly, Dobj Xio reversed his attack, draining heat from the target. The Torch found himself encased in a block of ice.
"Villain!" Namor bellowed, rushing the alien. Wonder Woman had moved around behind the Durlan and was planning to hit him from behind. She thought she was unobserved, but she was fooling herself. Dobj Xio was not easily fooled. He used his shape shifting power to shrink down out of the path of the attack. Wonder Woman and Namor crashed into each other. Before they recovered, Dobj Xio tangled them up in strands of energy. They rolled around the floor, trying to free themselves. Dr. Mid-Nite threw a black-out grenade and surrounded the Durlan in a dark cloud. But the Durlan transformed his eyes into those of a Krotean Fire Bat, who could see in much darker blackness than this. Cap threw his shield again, but the Durlan incased it in a small cage of energy. Cap couldn't get it out and so was deprived of his greatest weapon. Cap watched as Wildcat, the Black Canary and Dr. Mid-Nite were all easily put down by Dobj Xio. Now, Cap was alone and without his shield.
"Shall we end this now?" Dobj Xio asked.
Cap crouched and prepared for an attack. He knew that the odds were against him, but he would never give up. There had to be a way to defeat this creature. There had to be!
"Wait!" someone yelled.
The Flash was back on his feet. "Let me have him first! I owe this guy some lumps! And I want to know what he did with my pal the Sentinel, even if I have to beat it out of him!"
Cap gestured for the Flash to proceed. The Durlan also invited him to come.
The fastest man in the world squared off with a being who had the most powerful weapon in the universe!
The Sentinel woke up and found himself trapped inside a cocoon of wood. At first he had a moment of claustrophobic panic, but got control of himself. He started to think of a way out. He could barley move his arms but he managed to grab hold of his belt buckle. He used it to begin cutting a hole in the cocoon. It would take some time and patience, but eventually he would be free.
The duel between the Flash and the alien Corps member was well under way. Dobj Xio was frustrated at his inability to strike the speedster. He had never seen anyone in the universe move so fast! He fired repeatedly but came nowhere near his prey. He tried wide dispersal in his shots, and tried using his ring as a targeting system, and tried wide angle blasts but he still couldn't hit the mark. And it was making him angry! He blasted the floor out from under the Earthman. But to the Flash it seemed that the floor was collapsing in slow motion. He leapt from piece to piece of the falling rubble and reached safety. Cap and the rest of the JSA fell down into the basement. Dobj Xio inspected the wreckage for any sign of the speedster, but there was none. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something red outside the broken window. He saw the Flash standing out in the street. Dobj Xio grimaced with frustration and went outside.
He landed about twenty feet in front of the Flash. "We seem to have a standoff," the Durlan said, "I can't hit you, but you can't reach me through my force field. This could go on and on, couldn't it?"
The Flash wasn't interested in bantering with this creature. He picked up a few pebbles and tossed them at the Durlan. Dobj Xio was amused by this act of apparent frustration. But it wasn't that at all. Before the pebbles reached the Durlan, the Flash ran forward and vibrated through them. His passing affected their molecular structures and they became accelerated particle bombs! They hit the Durlan's force field and exploded. The whole area rocked, and windows were blown out. Dobj Xio was taken totally by surprise, and although his force field held, it disrupted his concentration. The bindings holding Namor and Wonder Woman disappeared, as did the cage holding Cap's shield.
Back outside, the Flash was taking advantage of his opponent's disorientation by peppering the alien's shield with light-speed blows. The shield almost collapsed, but the Durlan managed to get his thoughts together and reinforced the shield. The Flash began running in circles around the Durlan and caused a wind funnel which shot the Durlan into the air like a cannonball. By the time Dobj Xio stopped his assent and returned to the ground, the Flash had been joined by Cap, Namor and Wonder Woman. The Human Torch had been able raise his body heat and melt the ice around him. He ignited his flame and flew out to assist the others.
Dobj Xio was very unhappy. He had narrowed his foes down to two, but now they were back up to five. And he still hadn't formulated a plan to deal with the Flash yet. Also, Dr. Fate would be recovering soon, and he was too powerful to be trifled with. If he joined the other Earthman, then they would defeat him.
An idea hit him, he created energy arms and reached inside the mansion. He grabbed the unconscious forms of Dr. Fate, Dr. Mid-Nite, Black Canary, and Wildcat.
"If the rest of you don't surrender," Dobj Xio said, "I'll crush these three. And the Sentinel is alive and in my custody. I'll destroy him as well. This is non-negotiable. Surrender to me or watch 5 of your companions die!
The heroes hesitated and looked to Cap for his decision.
"All right, you bastard!" Cap said. "You win!"
"Of course," said the Durlan.
Sentinel managed to cut a hole in the wooden cocoon. He pushed at it. The hole started to get bigger and wider. He reached his arm out of the opening, and used his ring to bring him something to pry open the cocoon. He smiled. He was almost free!
All nine members of the JSA are encased in a large, green, transparent dome. The Durlan smiled. "This may be my greatest victory ever. I must thank you all for the fine sport."
"What triumph?" Cap asked. "You never won anything. We would have beaten you. We're only in this cage because we allowed ourselves to be. The Flash made a fool of you and all you could do in return was to threaten unconscious people. You are pathetic. You may kill us but you'll always have to live with the knowledge that your so-called 'greatest victory' was stolen by the lowest possible means. We'll die, but we didn't lose. You did!"
Dobj Xio tried not to show it but the words hit hard. There was some truth to it. This was not a great victory at all. True, it was the humans own stupidity which caused them to surrender in order to save defeated allies, but that still didn't change the fact that he didn't win this battle by defeating his enemies. It was a tainted victory. he needed to do something to rectify that.
"Very well, earth man," Dobj Xio said, "I'll give you a chance."
The green dome suddenly spit Cap out. He got up and stood face to face with the Durlan.
"You are the leader, and these others are your responsibility," Dobj Xio said. "So you will determine their fate. You and I will battle! And to make it a challenge, I promise not to use my ring. It will be just you and your shield against my shape-shifting powers. If you can beat me, they'll be free. If not . . . Well, need I say more?"
Cap didn't have much choice. Still, if the alien kept his word and didn't use his ring, Cap had a chance. "All right, Let's do this!"
Cap threw his shield. The Durlan changed his form and the shield passed him harmlessly. The shield circled back to Cap. The Durlan created a tentacled arm and tried to grab the shield out of the air. Cap leaped forward and got to it first. He flipped and landed on his feet. The tentacle reached out for Cap, but he hacked at it with his shield. Dobj Xio withdrew the tentacle. He transformed himself into a huge, fanged beast. Lunging forward, he tried to pin Cap to the ground, hoping to rip his throat out. But Cap fended of the fangs with his shield and, with his judo skills, used the beast's own momentum against him. Dobj Xio was thrown against the wall of the mansion. He reverted to his real form. Cap attacked, battering the Durlan. The Durlan changed his limbs into swords and slashed at Cap but couldn't get passed the shield. Cap was a lot more skillful in physical combat than the Sentinel was. Dobj Xio wouldn't win this way. He transformed himself into an Aldeberon Armorsaurus, a ten-foot tall beast with a diamond-hard, spiked exo-skeleton. Cap's shield did minimal damage to the exo-skeleton. The Durlan swung his arm and knocked Cap fifteen feet. Cap rolled with the impact and quickly got back to his feet. The beast chased Cap around the yard. Cap hit-and-ran, and eventually his shield began to chip away at the exo-skeleton. The Durlan had expected Cap to get tired before he could damage the exo-skeleton, but he underestimated the Earth man's conditioning. Once again, these Earth people surprised him!
Dobj Xio transformed into a gelatinous mass and splashed himself all over Cap. He then hardened and started to constrict. Cap was struggling for breath. He put up a valiant fight, but eventually passed out. The Durlan resumed his natural state.
"Victorious once again!" the Durlan said. "And this time there will be no reprieve! Goodbye, Earthmen!"
Before he could finish off the JSA, a green beam of light blasted the ground and threw him off his feet.
The Sentinel had returned!
"We're not through yet!" the Sentinel said.
Dobj Xio was getting tired and fed up. Was there no end to human stupidity? How many times did he have to defeat them?
"I have your friends!" the Durlan said. "Do not attack, or they will suffer for it!"
The Sentinel stopped. "What's the game? What do you want?"
"A test," the Durlan answered. "One final test. An ultimate joust. No wood this time. Just the power of your ring against mine. Everything we've got in one supreme moment! I suggest you agree to my terms, or your companions . . . "
"You don't have to threaten my partners!" Sentinel said, "I'm looking forward to this!"
"But if you lose," the Durlan said, "I'll contract the cage and crush the Justice Society!"
The Sentinel nodded. "Don't you think we should go somewhere where we've got more room?"
"Lead the way, Earthman."
After the Sentinel and Dobj Xio left to settle things, the Flash ran to the still unmoving Dr. Fate. "We've got to wake him up," The Flash said. "He's the only one who can get us out of here. C'mon doc, wake up!"
Sentinel and Dobj Xio hovered over the city, suspended in the clouds. They took one last, long look at each other and then started to power up. The Sentinel had never done this before. He had never put all his energy into one massive blast. But he had to learn fast.
He started to glow, slightly at first, then the glow got larger and brighter. He soon appeared to be a giant fireball! Similarly, Dobj Xio had powered up and now looked like a giant orb of energy. Then the joust began. The two balls of energy charged each other on a collision course.
They collided! The explosion was massive. Building around the city trembled, windows were shattered for miles and people were knocked off their feet. A glow of dispersed green energy covered the city.
Inside the energy dome, the Flash had managed to wake up Dr. Fate. Then they felt the explosion. They saw the green energy filling the sky.
"What was that?" the Human Torch asked.
"The Sentinel," Wonder Woman replied.
"Doc," Flash said, "You've got to get us out of here!"
Dr. Fate began to cast a spell that would transport them away.
Dobj Xio had won! He hung in the air, hurt and disoriented, but alive. He looked down. He saw the broken body of Sentinel falling to his death. Dobj Xio's ring scanned the Sentinel and saw that he had fatal internal injuries. Even if he wasn't falling, he'd soon be dead. He remembered the JSA. He concentrated and constricted his force field. He nodded, satisfied. The JSA should be crushed!
Dr. Fate had transported the JSA out of the green dome just in time. A moment later and they would have been crushed. Now they were standing on the roof of Miss Venus's mansion. They all looked up at the green glow covering the city.
Namor's sharp eyes spotted something. He pointed. "Look!"
Someone was falling from the sky.
"Oh God!" The Flash gasped. "I think that's the Sentinel!"
Dobj Xio had used up most of the power of his ring in that last joust. And he had injuries which needed attending to. But what about the Earth? What should he tell the Master about it? This planet's greatest champions put up a good fight but they were now all dead. They outnumbered him and together had greater power but they failed. Why? Was there something in the human psyche that wasn't prepared to possess such power? Were humans still too primitive to walk in the heavens with gods?
Whatever the reason, they had proven unworthy.
"Earth is not ready," he said.
The Durlan left Earth and never looked back.
Namor had rescued the Sentinel and brought him to the others. Cap had recovered and joined them. Dr. Mid-Nite was examining the Sentinel.
"What's the verdict, Doc?" The Flash asked.
"He's badly hurt," Dr. Mid-Nite said. "He may die."
"He will not die!" Dr. Fate said, and waved his arms over the Sentinel. "All that has been done, let it now be undone. Let his wounds be healed!"
Miraculously, all of Sentinel's injuries healed within thirty seconds.
"Incredible!" Dr. Mid-Nite said.
"How are you doing, buddy?" Flash asked Sentinel.
"I ache all over, but I'm alive. Thanks, Fate!"
"What about the alien?" Cap asked.
"I do not sense his presence on Earth," Dr. Fate said.
"He got what he wanted," The Sentinel said. "Whatever that was. He's gone! I just hope he never comes back. I never want to see him or any of his 'Corps' again! Let's hope that's the end of them!"
END
