JSA HQ . . . the mansion of Miss Venus
December 30th, 1942
The team was meeting one more time before the New Year began. They wanted to take care of all outstanding business and give their good wishes to each other. Captain America was talking to his second-in-command Sentinel, and his chief advisor Dr. Mid-Nite. Also in the meeting was Hawkman, the leader of the JSA reserve team known as the Society of Substitute Heroes.
Bucky was very happy. He was dressed in the costume of his new identity . . . the Star-Spangled Kid! He had completed his training and proved his worth by his actions. He was now a member of the greatest society of heroes ever. He stood proudly in his red, white, and blue costume. Flash came over to him.
"So, Bucky - I mean, Star-Spangled Kid, how does it feel to finally be an official member of the team?" he asked.
"It feels real swell!" the SS Kid answered. "I love it! I'll do my best to make the team proud."
"I know you will."
Nearby, Black Canary was sitting on the sofa with the team's government liaison Thomas Halloway, a.k.a. Angel. He looked sad, as he often did of late. He hid a tragic secret.
"I wish you'd open up," Canary said. "I wish you'd tell me what's going on in your mind. I know something is bothering you and I want to help you. Please let me."
"Dinah," Angel began in a tormented tone, "please understand. I can't tell you. And you don't really want to know. If I told you . . . well, you'd think differently of me."
"No, I wouldn't."
Across the room, the Human Torch watched. He wished he hadn't been programmed with his simulated human emotions. He wished he couldn't feel the Artificial Intelligence equivalent of jealousy. He knew she couldn't love a machine, no matter how human he looked.
Nearby, the mysterious Dr. Fate had arrived. As usual, he kept to himself. The others acknowledged him and some greeted him but no one would enter into a conversation with the enigmatic sorcerer.
Meanwhile, in the next room, Namor the Sub-Mariner and Queen Hippolyta, also known as Wonder Woman, were having a discussion.
"I still do not understand why you needed to run off on your quest," Wonder Woman said. "Why couldn't you face your demons here?"
"I was humiliated!" Namor said. "You, as a warrior, understand the pride of one born to answer the siren song of battle. My strength and skill as a warrior was my pride, my honor. Losing is a fear all beings such as we live with. But to be so completely out-powered was more than I could bear. It is a stain on my honor. How could I ask a woman as magnificent as you - a queen and a warrior - to take a dishonored man."
Hippolyta searched for the words to say what she had to say gently. To tell the Sub-Mariner that his defeat didn't matter, but that the wedding was still off regardless. However, before she could begin . . .
The flash of light and the loud humming sound came from the main room. The entire team assembled around the spot. To their surprise, a man appeared in the room. He wore blue armor. A helmet covered his face. He looked around at the twelve assembled heroes. "It seems I have arrived at my destination," he said.
"Identify yourself!" Captain America ordered.
"My name is unimportant and it would be of no value to you," the armored stranger said. "You can just call me 'M'. I came here because my world has need of you."
"Your world?" Flash asked.
"I do not come from this planet, which you call Earth. I come from another world, also called Earth."
"Is anyone else not following this?" SS Kid asked.
"Let him explain!" Hawkman said, always interested in the subject of alien worlds, due to the strange nature of his origin as Hawkman.
"I shall do so," M said. "I come from a world very similar to this one. It orbits the sun on exactly the same path but always on the opposite side so that neither world can ever see the other. Due to some nearly impossible fluke of mathematical probability, these nearly identical worlds formed simultaneously and developed along incredibly similar lines. Statistically, I would not have thought it possible.
"I am a scientist on my world and I have done research into this phenomenon. Several years ago I launched the very fight orbital satellite. I went off course but I still get radio messages from it occasionally. It managed to pick up radio waves from your Earth. I was amazed to find a counter Earth in our solar system. I named your planet Counter-Earth, but from your perspective, I suppose my Earth is Counter-Earth. I've been monitoring your Earth. I've learned that your Earth and mine are quite similar. The landmasses, the single moon, even the proximity of an asteroid belt. All nearly identical. And it appears that much of our history is the same. We had a renaissance, a dark ages, an industrial revolution, a First World War, and many other amazing parallels. But the similarities ended when the Squadron came to power!"
"The Squadron?" Sentinel asked.
M nodded. "The Squadron Supreme. They are a group of super-powered beings much like you. Only unlike you, they are not satisfied to work for any government. They decided to become the government. They decided that they could do a better job. They have conquered our world and taken away our freedoms, our right to choose. There is no one powerful enough to stop them. I've fought them alone for a long time but I'm getting nowhere. I need help. I learned about you while monitoring messages from this Earth. I knew that you were the only hope of my world. I used a prototype transport device and a space wormhole to transport myself here. Will you come with me to help liberate my world?"
"This is not an easy decision," Captain America said. "Even though I agree that the actions of this Squadron Supreme are absolutely wrong, we don't want to overthrow governments."
"Unless they attack us first," SS Kid added.
"Cap makes a good point," Sentinel said. "If some alien race decided that the United States was corrupt, would they be justified in attacking us? I think not. And neither would we!"
"Anyway, we can't leave Earth now," Flash added. "There's a war on. We're needed here!"
"So that's your answer?" M asked angrily.
"I'm afraid so," Cap replied.
Before M could answer, Dr. Fate shouted. "Someone or something is coming! I feel a magic force!"
A portal opened up in the room.
"Now what?" Black Canary asked.
A gigantic man in a red costume stepped out of the portal. He fixed his eyes on M. "There you are!"
"Redstone!" M shouted. "My enemies have come for me!"
Redstone moved toward M, but Cap and the Sentinel stepped in his path. "Hold it!" Cap said. "This man is under our protection. We're giving him sanctuary."
"He must return to my world," Redstone said. "And you will not stop me from taking him."
Namor faced Redstone. "I believe we shall. Return to whence you came or face the wrath of Namor!"
Suddenly, Redstone began to grow. His head almost hit the high ceiling. His muscles grew as well. He struck Namor and sent him sailing across the room. Wonder Woman leaped up and punched him in the face. Sentinel blasted him with the energy of the Starheart, and the Human Torch used a fireball. Cap hit Redstone with his shield. Hawkman flew toward the enemy and hit him with his mace. Redstone fell.
"I shall cast a spell that will keep him asleep until I wake him," Dr. Fate said.
Angel was across the room, trying to keep calm, or else the JSA would have more to worry about than just one giant.
"That guy was tough," Cap said. "If he's an typical of what the Squadron can do, I see why you need help."
"Get used to it!" M said. "Because the Squadron now apparently has discovered this world. And they will be coming! I guarantee it."
"Then we have no choice," Cap said. "We can't let them come here and cause more chaos than we already have. We have to do a preemptive strike. We have to go to Counter Earth!"
The others agreed, some more readily than others. M nodded in satisfaction. Since M's device couldn't transport the whole team through the wormhole, they needed to find another way. They also needed someone to maintain order while they were gone. They killed two birds with one stone by having Miss Venus summon Thor. He arrived very quickly.
"As ever, the Hammer of Thor is at thy service, noble friends. I shall send thee on thy way, and shall remain here to protect fair Midgard from the forces of darkness."
"If M leads the way, " Dr. Fate began. "I can use my magic to create a trail that follows him. Thus when Thor opens a portal to Counter Earth, he will have a trail to follow."
"Let's get it done!" Cap ordered.
Counter-Earth
M waited in his lab. Then a portal appeared and the twelve JSA members emerged. Even Angel came, despite his curse. He felt that if Black Canary were going to die on an alien world, he would die with her.
Flash looked out the window of M's lab. He saw a city. "It looks very much like one of our cities."
"That's West Nightland City, in the state of Caledonia, on the Northwest coast of the Allied States of America. A country under the thumb of a team of super tyrants."
"Not for long!" Cap said. "Tell us about the Squadron. What they can do and where we can find them!"
M gave them all the information he had. The JSA members picked their opponents. It was decided to leave the Squadrons leader and most powerful member, Hyperion, for the last. They would all unite against him. He was too powerful to take lightly. The JSA members split up.
Franklintown, New Babylon.
Captain America and Black Canary were creeping up to the revolution Park bow and arrow range. The range wasn't used much, especially since the Squadron declared Martial Law, but it was often used by the Squadron member, Golden Archer.
As M suggested, the Archer was there, accompanied by his paramour and partner Skylark. She exercised as he shot his arrows. "Don't wear yourself out, pet," the Archer said. "Save your strength for tonight."
"Animal!" she answered jokingly.
Cap threw his shield at the golden Archer. Skylark saw it coming. "Look out!"
The Archer barely evaded the shield, which returned to Cap. "We've got company."
"Don't make us hurt you!" Cap said. "Give up now and make it easy on yourselves."
"Is that a bad joke, mate?" the Archer asked. He shot an arrow at Cap. Cap blocked it with his shield but it exploded into smoke. Cap backed away, trying to get his breath and clear the smoke out of his eyes. More arrows flew his way. Arrows with explosives or other gimmicks. Cap leaped, trying to evade the volley.
Nearby, Skylark and the Black canary were engaged in a kickboxing match. Skylark decided to use her power to end it. "Hate to do this to you, honey. No, actually . . . I don't!"
She opened her mouth to sing. When she sang, she created a sonic blast. Canary had been briefed on this power by M, and used her own sonic scream to counter it. They simultaneously unleashed their power. The result was a massive sonic boom that knocked both women unconscious. Cap and the Golden Archer were also knocked down. Cap recovered first and threw his shield at the Archer again. The Archer lifted his bow but the shield knocked it from his hand. He tried to retrieve it but Cap was on him too quickly. The Archer was a good fighter but he depended mostly on his arrows. Cap was the better at hand-to-hand combat. He defeated the Archer and woke the Canary. "We won," he said.
Atomica City, Herculeana.
Dr. Spectrum was on of the more powerful members of the Squadron. His Power Prism allowed him to tap into formidable mystic energy. He flew one last patrol over his home city before he called it a night. There was no trouble brewing. He wasn't surprised. Who would dare?
Dr. Spectrum noticed a figure flying in his direction, surrounded by green flame. The stranger reached him. "Who are you?" Spectrum asked.
"I'm Sentinel," the new arrival said. "I'm here to stop you!"
"Oh, are you?" Dr. Spectrum said with a smile. "Come on ahead and try it!"
Sentinel released the power of the Starheart, via his magic ring. Dr. Spectrum wielded the mystic energy of the spectral forces. When those forces collided, there was an explosion of energy. Both combatants were stunned but both quickly recovered and resumed their attacks. Dr. Spectrum evaded a ball of energy fired by Sentinel and countered by surrounding Sentinel in a sphere of energy. Sentinel used his ring to create a giant glasscutter and cut his way out. Spectrum fired some spheres of energy at Sentinel but Sentinel created a bat a knocked them away. Both men knew that his would be a long, hard fight!
Capital City, Magelland
Wonder Woman stood on the top of a building, overlooking the city. People pointed up at her as she yelled out. "Power Princess! Where are you! I challenge you to combat! Come out and face me!"
Soon, Power Princess arrived. She descended to the building. "I am here! Identify yourself!"
"I am Wonder Woman! I am here to stop the Squadron's occupation of this world. I hope, as women, that we can talk this over and find a reasonable solution. But rest assured, I will not leave without your agreement to acquiesce or your defeat!"
"There is nothing to discuss, Wonder Woman!" Power Princess said. "The Squadron will not give up to anyone and I will not be threatened into doing anything. If you wish to challenge me, come ahead then!"
"Very well," Wonder Woman said. "The consequences are on your head."
The two woman rammed into each other. They were both powerful, both skillful and both quick! They fought across the rooftops of the city for a half-hour until it became apparent that Power Princess was the more powerful of the two. Hippolyta thought that Power Princess reminded her very much of her daughter Diana, both in power and in appearance. She was stronger than Hippolyta, and she had a shield that helped her to fend off Wonder Woman's blows.
Hippolyta decided to use her lasso to even up the score. She evaded one of Power Princess' blows and tossed the lasso, which found its target. He had lassoed her enemy.
"By the power of truth, I command you to surrender!" Wonder Woman said.
But Power Princess was from a genetically enhanced people and they trained their minds to perfection. And so Power Princess had an unusual resistance to the power of the lasso. "N . . . No. No I won't! I mustn't!" she said, struggling to keep control.
Wonder Woman was shocked. "Suffering Sappho! No mortal has ever resisted by lasso before!"
Summoning all her will power, the Princess tossed her shield, which hit Wonder Woman. Stunned, Wonder Woman dropped her lasso. Power Princess was free of its influence. She pulled the lasso off of herself and swiftly tied Wonder Woman up with it!
"Great Hera! No!" Wonder Woman yelled. She tried to free herself.
"I command you to surrender!" Power Princess ordered. "Do not resist!"
Wonder Woman tried to resist but couldn't. "I . . . I must obey." She found herself helpless before her enemy.
"Kneel!" the Princess commanded.
Powerless to resist, Wonder Woman kneeled to Power Princess. "I obey."
"Now then," Power Princess said, "I want to know who you are and why you're here!"
Wonder Woman tried her best to fight but couldn't disobey. "I . . . I am compelled to tell you whatever you wish to know!"
"Good. Tell me everything!"
Highland City, Mechanopolis
The Squadron member Speed Demon - formerly known as the Whizzer - raced along the highway, since it was his turn on highway patrol duty. He had covered most of the East Coast and had reached his home city.
He was shocked when something raced past him. What the hell was that? he thought. Speed Demon was the fastest man on Earth. On his Earth. Who could possibly be passing him? The red blur that had out-raced him came to a stop. The man wore a helmet.
"You must be the Speed Demon," the man said.
"That's right," Speed Demon replied. "And you are?"
"Flash."
"Cute name. What do you want, Flash?"
"I'm here for a fight. Unless you want to give up."
"Not in this lifetime. I hope you're as fast as you seem, because I can move faster than the speed of sound!"
The Speed Demon tried to attack the Flash, but the Flash was not there when he reached the spot. The Flash raced by and struck him. He moved so fast that the Speed Demon couldn't see him. As the speed Demon got battered, he realized that the Flash could move much faster than he, perhaps close to the speed of light. That was the last thought that the Speed Demon had as he passed out.
Patriot City, New Lincoln
Professor Night - formerly known as Nighthawk - stood on a rooftop looking out at his city. There was a lot on his mind. He had many doubts and there were things he couldn't reconcile in his mind. He noticed someone else moving across the nearby rooftops. Someone in a costume. Professor Night wondered if it could be some new super being. There weren't too many who weren't known by the Squadron. He should check this out. Using his grappling hook, he swung to the next rooftop. He came across a man in goggles and a cape.
"I am Professor Night, in case you don't recognize me. Why are you lurking on rooftops in my city?"
"My name is Dr. Mid-Nite. I've been looking for you."
"And why is that?"
Hooty, Dr. Mid-Nite's owl, swooped down and nearly tore up Professor Night, but the Professor dodged the attack. Dr. Mid-Nite threw some of his nite-a-rangs at the professor. He did a flip and got himself out of the line of fire. Dr. Mid-Nite threw some of his blackout bombs, which made the area pitch black. Dr. Mid-Nite thought he would have the advantage in the darkness but Professor Night had special contact lenses that allowed him to see heat images in the dark. He could see the heat image of Dr. Mid-Nite coming at him. He blocked Mid-Nite's blows. The Doctor and the Professor locked up in equal combat.
Mayflower City, Freedonia
Captain Hawk couldn't help but notice that another winged man was flying over the skies of his home city. Captain Hawk swooped over to see who this was.
"Captain Hawk, I presume?" the new arrival inquired.
"That's me," the Captain said. "And you'd be . . . ?"
"Hawkman."
"I believe I can sue you for this," Captain Hawk said. "Copyright infringement."
"No jokes," Hawkman said. "Defend yourself."
Hawkman swung his mace at Captain Hawk, but the Captain had a hawk-shaped shield which he defended himself with. The aerial battle began between the two winged warriors.
The White Sea, off the coast of Kirkgaardd
Neptune Perkins - also known as the Amphibian - was serving as the coast guard at the moment, watching for illegal activities at sea. He was surprised to see another water-breathing man swimming towards him - a powerfully built man with pointed ears.
"I am Namor, the Sub-Mariner! I have come to challenge you in combat!"
"I don't know what this is all about," Amphibian said. "I didn't know that there were other amphibians around. But you clearly need to be put in your place. All right. If you want a fight, let's be at it!"
The two aquatic warriors locked up. The fought savagely, and seemed to be fairly equal. Namor was a bit stronger but the Amphibian was swifter. The fought for twenty minutes, until the Amphibian used his telepathic powers to summon help. Dolphins came rushing to the rescue. Namor tried to dissuade them, but they paid no heed to him. He seemed to have no influence over the sea life of Counter-Earth.
The dolphins rammed into Namor and stunned him, leaving him open to some blows from the Amphibian. Then a whale arrived and used it's massive tail to swat Namor out of the water. Namor crashed down onto the shore. The Amphibian came out to finish him off. Namor struggled to his feet and summoned his strength to use a power he seldom used. His body produced a electrical charge, much like an electric eel. When the Amphibian got close enough, Namor grabbed him and poured the entire voltage into the Amphibian's body. The Amphibian screamed and fell, defeated.
Motor City, Wyandota
Sundance of Mars had come to Counter-Earth from the red planet years ago. With his multitude of Martian powers, Sundance was a formidable opponent. He used his shape-shifting powers to make himself look human. Cloak flowing and red hair shining in the sun, he flew majestically over Motor City.
He was alarmed when he saw the flaming man coming towards him. Fire was the weakness of all Martians. This flaming man, this human torch, didn't try and talk. He just attacked. Sundance dodged the fireballs that came his way. He tried to read the mind of the Human Torch but couldn't. His brain didn't seem to be human. It felt machine-like and Sundance couldn't read artificial minds.
The heat of the Torch's flame caused Sundance to pull back. He couldn't get close enough to use his strength against the flaming attacker. He fired his Martian heat-vision at the Torch, but the android just soaked it up, like a battery re-charging. Sundance knew that he shouldn't try that again. Sundance turned invisible and hoped to have a tactical advantage. However, the Torch caused waves of heat to spread across the area. It created a heat outline around Sundance that the Torch's android eyes could detect. The Torch fired a flame burst at the cloaked Sundance, but the faster Sundance managed to evade it. Sundance was stumped for a way to counter his flaming foe. He hoped that he could avoid the flames until an opportunity presented itself to counter-attack.
Pomerschenville, New Troy
The sorceress Arcanna Jones was with her family when she sensed an approaching powerful mystic. She told her family to take cover, donned her costume and went outside. A man in a yellow helmet greeted her.
"What do you want?" Arcanna asked.
"I am called Dr. Fate," he said. "I am the instrument of justice. I am here for you!"
"But . . . " Arcanna began, but had to stop when Fate unleashed a massive mystic assault. Arcanna was a formidable magician and could usually hold her own in a mystic battle. But Dr. Fate was the avatar of order, an ancient force for justice. The outcome of the battle was never in doubt.
Maglowe, Moreland
The diminutive but brilliant Squadron member known as Tom Thumb sailed his hover-car over the city of Maglowe. He had finished testing out the car's new system and was headed back to his private lab. Below, the Star-Spangled Kid and Angel watched him pass.
"Ready?" the Kid asked.
Angel nodded, threw a grappling hook at the hover-car and hooked it. The two JSA members grabbed the line and were dragged along. They climbed up. On the hover-car, Tom Thumb noticed their attempt to board the vessel when the cars monitor system alerted him to their presence. The car swerved in the sky and the two JSA members saw a building coming quickly toward them. They dropped down to the ground. Tom Thumb could have gotten away but he flew his hover-car back at the two men. The weapons system fired at them. The two JSA members tried to avoid the weapons fire. The Angel could feel his heart racing. The change was coming closer!
Omega City, Cosmopolis
Hyperion was flying over the city that had been his home most of the years that he had lived on Earth. Hyperion was the leader and most powerful member of the Squadron. He felt the need to often check up on his fellow squad members. He decided to do so now. It kept them on their toes. He decided to check on Tom Thumb first.
Tom Thumb's weapons system included a gas bomb, which put Star-Spangled Kid to sleep. But Angel managed to hide. The radar of the hover-car searched for him. Angel breathed and tried to fight the change that was coming on him. But he couldn't. He started to transform into the Hulk!
Soon, Hyperion arrived in Maglowe. His super-hearing detected the sound of battle. Hyperion flew to the source. To his considerable surprise, he saw a huge, gray beast crushing Tom Thumb's hover-car. Tom Thumb leaped out of the car and the gray creature stomped after him, prepared to squash the little man. Hyperion put on an extra burst of speed and ran interference. Hyperion rammed into the Hulk, but he underestimated the Hulk's strength. The Hulk was only staggered for a moment. Hyperion hesitated, surprised by the monster's resilience. Hulk landed a powerful blow on the Squadron leader, sending him sailing across the street and into a building. The Hulk had forgotten all about Tom Thumb, who knew that he was in over his head. He ran for cover.
Hulk lumbered across the street to inflict further harm on the flying man who had attacked him. But Hyperion burst suddenly out of the building and rammed into the Hulk with incredible speed. This time it was the Hulk who was knocked backwards for several hundred yards. He was buried under the rubble of a multi-story-parking garage that he crashed into. Hyperion followed, expecting to have to dig an unconscious or dead creature out of the wreckage. Hyperion landed and used his x-ray vision to scan the rubble. But a huge, gray hand popped up out of the ruins and grabbed Hyperion's leg. The Hulk forced his way up from the wreckage and swung Hyperion around by the ankle. He slammed the Squadron leader down against the ground several times and dropping him contemptuously. Before Hyperion could gather his wits, the Hulk began to stomp on him savagely. Hyperion had seldom-if ever-known such pain. He used his atomic vision to blast the monster. The Hulk staggered back, hurt. Hyperion struggled to his feet. The Hulk tried another blow but Hyperion evaded it. The Creature tried again but Hyperion blocked it.
The two powerful beings grabbed each other with iron grips, locking up in a battle of sheer brute strength. The irresistible force meeting the immovable object!
Flash had defeated the Speed Demon, and then got a signal on his emergency beeper. It was from Wonder Woman. She apparently needed Flash's help. He punched in the compass code which would give him directions to the source of the SOS . . . to Wonder Woman.
Flash quickly got to his destination. But he was shocked to see Wonder Woman tied up in her own lasso, kneeling at the feet of another woman.
"I am sorry, Flash," Hippolyta said. "But bound by my lasso, I had to obey her order to summon you."
"That's all right, Polly. Are you hurt?"
"Only humiliated."
Flash looked at Power Princess. "All right, lady. What's the game?"
"I did not call you here to battle you, Flash," Power Princess said. "I called you here to offer a truce. We have no need to fight each other. I made Wonder Woman tell me why you're here. I understand your actions and commend them, but I assure you that the Squadron Supreme is not evil."
"I need a little more in the way of proof."
Power Princess released Wonder Woman. "There. Now it is two against one. You could probably defeat me. I have given you a gesture of trust. Now I ask you to do the same."
Power Princess used a mental communications device to contact her fellow Squadron members. Simultaneously, Flash sped around to each of his partners and encouraged them to stop fighting. All the team members - except Hyperion, who was too focused on his deadly battle too pay any attention to Power Princess' call, and the Hulk - rendezvoused in the Squadron HQ, in Horizon Mountain of North Moreland.
The two teams watched each other warily. Captain America stepped to the center of the room. "Which of you is in charge?"
"That would be Hyperion," Power Princess said. "But he didn't answer my call. His mind was too focused on something else to heed me. Whatever it was, I'm sure Hyperion can handle it. I'll try him again shortly."
"Where's Angel?" Black Canary asked.
"He was with me when I blacked out," Bucky said.
"I was after him in my ship," Tom Thumb said. "But he gave me the slip."
"He's probably lost somewhere," Canary said.
"Probably," Cap said. "We'll look for him later. Right now, we need to straighten out a few things. Why did that Redstone guy attack us?"
"He was hunting one of the greatest criminals of our world. The man you know as 'M' but whom we know as Master Menace. He's an evil genius. He's tried to take over our world several times."
"He played us for complete fools," Sentinel said. "He told us you took over the government by force."
"There is another side to that," Power Princess said.
"Wait!" Dr. Mid-Nite interrupted. "You mean it's true? You did take over?"
"We needed to," the Princess said. "The world was in anarchy. The war we had waged with the Squadron Sinister had devastated the Earth."
"The who?" Flash asked.
"The Squadron Sinister," she said. "The antithesis of us. They wanted to conquer the world. We fought them for years but the global superhuman war ravaged the planet. They ruled the Eastern Hemisphere, and we protected the Western. It was terrible and violent, until the day of the great disappearance. Everyone on that half of the world just . . . vanished. We've never been able to figure out what happened. But we now had a whole world to care for that had been rocked by our war. No nation could decide how to divide the empty half of the earth and it's resources. Another war was inevitable. So we took over. And we turned this world into a veritable paradise. Most of the so-called super-villains are gone, except Master Menace, the last threat to our utopia. He apparently learned of your world and tried to use you to defeat us."
"But what you've done is no better than the what this Sinister Squad was planning to do!" Cap said.
"Untrue!" the Princess countered. "They are tyrants who want to make slaves of the world. We have created a utopian society."
Professor Night looked sad. He agreed with the JSA. The Squadron's occupation of this Earth was wrong. He had often tried to change their minds. The only reason he didn't quit was because he was afraid of what they might do without his influence. He had sometimes considered betraying the Squadron but could never bring himself to do it. Maybe Master Menace had the right idea.
"I'm interested in this mass disappearance," Flash said. "Half the world gone?"
"There's no mystic cause for it," Arcanna said.
"I must agree," Dr. Fate said. "I sense no mystic hand in this."
"Then it could be dimensional," Flash said. "Let me try something."
Flash began to vibrate, faster and faster. Soon his molecules were moving too fast to be contained in one universe. Multiple strata of realities were visible to him. He looked around . . . and he saw!
Flash returned to normal. "You were wrong. Those people didn't disappear! They're still here!"
"What?"
"There is some kind of dimensional imbalance. Some shift or imbalance in the dimensional vibrations of this world. It caused half the world to shift into a different but identical strata of existence. They are still on Earth. Just in a different vibrational frequency. You can't see, hear or touch them. Nor can they see or touch you. From their perspective, it is all of you who vanished."
"Incredible!" Tom Thumb said. "But possible."
"It's true," Flash said. "But I can't guess what caused it."
"It must have been Johnny Sorrow," Captain Hawk said. "He joined the Sinisters just before the disappearance. He had some sort of device that allowed him to transport through dimensions. We got word that he was trying to create a massive version of it. And then everyone on that side of the world vanished."
"That means that they are no doubt enslaved by the Squadron Sinister!" Arcanna said.
"We have to help them!" Speed Demon said.
"Right! But how do we get there?" Dr. Spectrum asked.
"I might be able to help you there," Flash said. "If Fate, Sentinel, Arcanna and Spectrum can open a portal in the veil of the dimensional fiber, I can use my vibration powers to create a doorway. I'll need to borrow some extra speed from the Speed Demon, though."
"Borrow speed?" Speed Demon asked.
Soon, using the speed he had borrowed from Speed Demon, Flash raced into the portal opened by the other heroes. His increased vibrational powers created a connecting conduit to the other level of the dimensional shift. Both teams entered, prepared to face the enemy on the other side. However, something happened that caused the Squadron members to fade and get stuck between levels. Some sort of firewall had been prepared to keep the Squadron members from crossing over. Only Sundance was able to make it through, due to his intangibility powers. When he and the JSA reached the other side, they were alone.
The enemy was waiting . . . The Squadron Sinister: Ultra-Man, Super-Woman, Owlman, Power Ring, the Blitz, Black Manta, Inertia, Dr. Decibel, Thermite, the Shape, the Wizard, and Johnny Sorrow.
Nearby stood the man known as Master Menace.
"I was prepared for this," Menace said. "So I created a protocol that keeps the Squadron members in a perpetual repeating loop in the dimensional crossing. You're on you own. Everyone . . . fight!"
The two groups locked up in combat. Ultra-Man vs. Sundance; Flash vs. the Blitz; Sentinel vs. Power Ring; Wonder Woman vs. Super Woman; Owlman vs. Dr. Mid-Nite; Black Canary vs. Dr. Decibel; Namor vs. Black Manta; Human Torch vs. Thermite; Hawkman vs. The Shape; Captain America vs. Inertia; Dr. Fate vs. The Wizard.
The brawl was huge. Johnny slipped away and watched the fight. He seemed to be picking his spots. The SS Kid spotted him and crept up on him. Johnny Sorrow was activating his transportation device, just as the Kid tackled him. "You young fool!" Sorrow yelled, "The transport was set to my mass only! Let go or . . . "
The weight displacement caused the same dimensional accident in microcosm that had happened to the whole planet years ago. Sorrow and the SS Kid drifted through a dimensional rift. They battled as they floated. Bucky managed to rip the transport device off of Sorrow. He pushed Sorrow away. Sorrow drifted away from the SS Kid, screaming.
While in the vortex, traveling between realms, the Kid was spotted by the trapped Squadron Supreme members. Arcanna used her magic to stop his progress. The Star-Spangled Kid found himself trapped along with the Squadron.
Tom Thumb studied the transport device. "Lemme see that thing. I think I can set it to get us out of here!"
The JSA and Sundance of Mars were in a desperate battle against the equal force of the Squadron Sinister. Master Menace was preparing a laser weapon that would turn the tide against the JSA. But suddenly the portal opened again and the Squadron Supreme appeared.
"Oh my," Master Menace whispered. "It's time to make an exit!"
Master Menace made his escape as the Squadron Supreme and the JSA double-teamed and defeated the Squadron Sinister. All but Ultra-Man, who escaped and fled the planet. He vowed to return.
Later, after the Squadron Sinister was incarcerated, Flash and Tom Thumb reprogrammed the dimensional device that had originally caused the dimensional shift. With the help of Flash's dimensional powers, the world was put right again. Both realms merged. Everything was back the way it was.
Hyperion had used some leverage to toss the rampaging Hulk away. Then he fired his atomic vision at him again, full power. Something about the radioactive energy in the atomic vision caused the Hulk to start reverting. Hulk, regaining some of the Angel's intelligence, tried to slip away. Hyperion was about to chase him, when the two worlds merged. Hyperion looked around, overjoyed. He forgot about the Hulk.
While the world celebrated it's reuniting, the two super-teams regrouped at the Squadron HQ. The Flash had done a search and found Angel, dazed and with his clothes ripped. He brought Angel back to a relieved Black Canary. Cap shook hands with Hyperion.
"Thank you again for all your help," Hyperion said.
"Our pleasure," Cap said. "And think about what I said. Your controlling the world for it's own good is no different than conquest. Let people make their own mistakes. All you need to do is to be there to catch them if they fall. Good bye, Hyperion."
Dr. Fate contacted Thor magically and the JSA was transported back to Earth, just in time for New Year's Eve, and the start of 1943.
Next: Who is the mysterious Max Mercury? What is the secret of Patient Zero? What is Thor looking for on Earth? The return of Doc Savage. And introducing . . . the Psycho Pirate! All this and more in Justice Society of America #19.