Flash awoke to find himself caged. His head throbbing, he looked outside the confines of the cell. He recognized the place. It was the "Diamond Suite", which was the secret HQ of the Blue Diamond. Professor Elton Morrow - a.k.a. the Blue Diamond - had walled off the west wing of his estate, claiming it structurally unsafe, and allowed no one in there. He then converted it into a laboratory and operational room for his activities as the Blue Diamond. Up till now, the Blue Diamond had been considered a valiant hero, a loyal member of the Justice Society. The Flash was now realizing what a horrible lie that was!
Flash knew who had struck him from behind. It didn't take Sherlock Holmes to deduce that the Blue Diamond had betrayed him. He trembled with rage at the thought of his best's friends' treachery. He decided to vibrate his way out of the cage. He was shocked when he couldn't!
His speed power was gone! What had happened? The powers he gave away to Max Mercury should have returned by now. Why couldn't he move at super-speed?
Then he realized what had happened. He examined the cage with dread. "The Stop-Gate!" he whispered.
He knew the Stop-Gate very well. He had designed it. With the assistance of Elton Morrow, the Flash had been studying the Speed-Force. They realized that the mysterious force could be blocked by the proper combination of radio waves, electrical energy, and vibration frequencies. He had the idea to build a cage that could be used to imprison Rival if he ever returned. But he soon abandoned the idea, fearing that the Stop-Gate could be used against him. His fears had now been realized. He didn't know that the Blue Diamond had completed work on the Stop-Gate alone. He had done a very good job.
Across the room, the Blue Diamond entered the Diamond Suite. He looked at Flash with a tinge of regret. "Hello, Jay."
"My pal," the Flash hissed, sneering.
"I am truly sorry for this, Jay," the Blue Diamond said. "You may not believe it, but I am."
"Why are you doing this?" Jay asked, boiling with helpless fury.
"For the greatest reason of all," the Diamond said. "For love. For her."
"For who?"
In a puff of mist, the beautiful Enchantress appeared in the room. She rubbed up against the Blue Diamond, stroking his shoulder. The Blue Diamond's expression told the Flash all he needed to know.
"For me, mortal," the Enchantress said. "The most fearsome enemy of your pathetic Justice Society."
"And the woman I love more than life itself," the Blue Diamond said.
"I don't believe it!" the Flash gasped. "You can't be serious? Elton, you can't trust her! A couple of years ago she tried to do the same thing to Cap and Bucky. She seduces men, Elton! That's what she does! She's using you!"
The Enchantress pointed at the powerless Flash. He felt a sudden agony in his chest and he fell to his knees, wincing in pain.
"Speak not so disrespectfully of thy betters, mortal!" she insisted. "Else I shall be forced to slay thee in the most horrid manner possible!"
"Again, I'm sorry about this, Jay," the Blue Diamond said. "But you brought it no yourself. Don't speak that way about the most beautiful, desirable woman in the universe!"
"I thank thee for thy defense of thy lady fair," the Enchantress said, kissing the Blue Diamond on the cheek. "I leave things in thy care, while I go to recruit the underlings we shall need. Fare-thee-well, my handsome one, until I return."
The Enchantress vanished. The pain in the Flash's chest subsided. "You're an idiot, Elton! She'll use you and then kill you once she gets what she wants."
"No, she won't," the Blue Diamond said. "Not to me. I going to give her what she wants most, and in the process, I'll win her love. I know what I'm doing."
Flash could see he wasn't getting through to the love-struck Blue Diamond. He tried a different track. "Who are these 'underlings' your girlfriend was talking about?"
"I'm forming a new Injustice Society," the Blue Diamond said.
Flash tried not to look shocked. He tried to look cocky. "Because it worked so well the first time?"
"Only the leadership failed," the Diamond said. "Baron Zemo muddled the whole thing. I gave him pages and pages of detailed information on your greatest opponents. He had the perfect army, but he ran his campaign with bungling, moronic incompetence."
"You gave him information on us?" the Flash asked, appalled.
"Oh yes," the Blue Diamond said. "I've been cleverly pumping you for information since October of '42. That was when the Enchantress first approached me. It seems that your friend's Wonder Woman and Captain America had done her a grave injustice and she wanted revenge. I fell in love with her almost immediately and I've been helping her ever since. I must say, you and your partners made it very easy for me by voting to let me become a member. Very convenient."
Flash couldn't believe he'd been so stupid. How had he not seen this coming? He misinterpreted the Blue Diamond's interest in the JSA for curiosity and respect for his peers. He'd been a damn fool! His old friend had played him like a fiddle. Max Mercury had warned him twice that he would be betrayed but the Flash had refused to listen.
"I was going to ask you to join us, but . . . " the Blue Diamond began.
"You already know my answer to that!" the Flash interrupted.
"Yes, I know," the Diamond said. "It's a pity. I've convinced Amora to allow you to live, with the understanding that I could recruit you to our side. I don't know how I'll induce her to spare you if you're set on being her enemy. And remember, if you're her enemy, then you're my enemy."
"Then we're enemies!" the Flash said. "That's the most painful part of this. We can never be friends again. And after the JSA stops your little Injustice Society . . . "
"There's nothing 'little' about this team!" the Blue Diamond corrected. "The power of this membership will dwarf the last version. And I know all your weaknesses. I've been studying you. My plan cannot fail. In two days, maybe less, the Justice Society will be only a memory!"
In a mental asylum, the man known as Patient Zero, and formerly as the Psycho Pirate, lay on the floor of his cell, constrained by a straight jacket. He sang and drooled and stared at the roof, thinking of nothing else except to be reunited with his precious Medusa Mask. Ever since he had been captured by Dr. Mid-Nite, regaining the mask was his obsession, his addiction!
Suddenly, the stunning blonde goddess known as the Enchantress appeared in his cell, holding the Medusa Mask. "Doth thou seekest this, mortal? If thou wouldst have it, thou must obey the Enchantress."
The Psycho Pirate grinned with the grin of a lunatic.
Tiger Shark swam through the depths of the ocean. He had been created by Dr. Dorcas and Attuma to destroy Aquaman and the Sub-Mariner. After he had failed a second attempt he had been abandon by Attuma. He was now homeless, unwelcome in Atlantis, New Atlantis or Lemuria. He had a hunger for revenge against the two sea princes.
He was amazed when the fair-haired woman appeared in front of him. "Tiger Shark, I come to grant thee a gift . . . the gift of revenge!" she said. "Revenge against the Sub-Mariner!"
Tiger Shark was immediately interested.
Harlequin sat on a roof, overlooking the river. She fumed with the rage of a woman scorned. She had opened her heart to the Sentinel, and in return, he has insinuated that she was insane. He wanted her to be treated by that damn head shrinker McNider! Off all the nerve! How dare he!
She noticed that she wasn't alone. She saw the tall goddess standing nearby. "Greetings, Harlequin."
Harlequin didn't seem fazed by the arrival of the mysterious woman. "Who are you, lady?"
"I am the Enchantress, a goddess."
"I heard of you," she said. "Whattaya want?"
"I have a secret to tell thee," the Enchantress said.
"Oh?" Harlequin responded. "And what is that, pray tell?"
"Your friend the Sentinel is really Alan Scott!" the Enchantress said. "He is one of those capitalist slime that thou doth hate so!"
Harlequin flew into a rage. He had tricked her, she thought! He made love to her, and all the while, he was the enemy! He was one of those robber barons who Harlequin so despised! He preyed on her like a wolf! He had used her! He had to pay!
"I'll get the snake for this!" she hissed, furious.
"And I shall help thee to do just that," the Enchantress said.
In a timeless, ethereal limbo somewhere, the ghost of Morganna Le Fey wailed in pain and anger. Her soul had been trapped between the physical world and the spirit world ever since captain America struck her with iron months ago. She found herself unable to enter either the realm of the dead or the realm of the living. She screamed in torment, desperate to escape!
The Enchantress appeared in the mystic limbo. "Morganna Le Fey, I come to free thee from thy terrible lot. In return, thou wilt aid me in destroying the man who did this foul deed to thee! Thou shall help me to destroy Captain America!"
The ghost of Morganna Le Fey laughed a sinister laughed. The laugh of someone about to get revenge!
Ultra-Man flew through the vast emptiness of space. Once, he and his partners in the Sinister Syndicate had ruled the world known to us as Counter-Earth. Or at least, they ruled an alternate version of it. Before the two disparate versions of Counter-Earth were united, the non-indigenous group of Super-Heroes known as the Justice Society had helped the syndicate's old rival's, the Squadron Supreme, to capture the syndicate members. Only Ultra-Man had escaped, swearing revenge against both the Squadron Supreme and the Justice Society.
Ultra-Man flew through space, without allies or a home world. He desperately sought out partners who could aid him in re-conquering Counter-Earth, freeing the Sinister Syndicate and destroying both the super-teams who had ruined his life. The Squadron must die! The Justice Society must die!
The statuesque form of the ravishing Enchantress popped into view before Ultra-Man's eyes. He was as stunned by her sudden appearance as he was by her beauty.
"Ultra-Man, thee and thy fellows have been wronged!" she said. "Wronged by the Justice Society. I come to help thee avenge that injustice!"
Ultra-Man smiled.
In Italy, deep in the Earth, the demonic, plant-like creature known in legend as Blackbriar Thorn had recovered from his injuries after a period of hibernation. The creature had been born in ancient Rome and was cast away by the demi-God son of Vulcan. He remained underground for centuries, until recently. Only a year ago, Thorn had battled members of the Justice Society, and been set afire by the Human Torch. The creature had almost been destroyed but after a year's hibernation, he was reconstituted and ready to strike. His mind constantly returned to the flaming man who had nearly incinerated him. He hated the Torch and his allies.
He heard a voice calling to him. A female voice. It was seductive and sexual. He had to go see who it was. He didn't expect to see such a beautiful goddess as Amora the Enchantress. "Greetings," she said.
The dangerous recruits were gathered in the Diamond Suite. They didn't trust each other, but their desire for revenge kept them from leaving.
Adding to this already intimidating army came two more soldiers of destruction. They'd been summoned earlier and had been sitting quietly on another level of the Diamond suite. The tall, intimidating, massively muscled God with the ax was known as the Executioner. The other new arrival, who was equally intimidating, was a gigantic, pale skinned being called Solomon Grundy.
The two towering behemoths were, each in their own way, as much in love with the Enchantress as the Blue Diamond was. She had them wrapped around her finger. They would do anything to impress her, and possibly win her over. They joined their vicious colleagues, ready to do her bidding.
Flash watched the deadly congregation grow, fearing that the Blue Diamond's prediction may be correct. Armed with all the weaknesses of the JSA, these fiends were collectively powerful enough to succeed!
Upstairs from the Flash, in the Diamond Suite Command Center, the Blue Diamond and the Enchantress were expecting a visitor.
"I dislike involving this person," the Enchantress said. "He's too clever."
"That's why I want him," the Blue Diamond said. "We can use some brain power on this team."
He arrived exactly on schedule. He stepped out of a dark portal from the Shadow-verse. He was a dapper man, in Victorian clothing, adorned with a top hat and walking stick.
The Shade bowed and tipped his hat. "So nice of you to invite me to your beautiful home. I hope I'm not putting you out. What time is dinner?"
"Hello Shade," the Blue Diamond said. "You know the Enchantress, of course."
"Of course," the Shade said. "You are as lovely as ever, Amora."
The Enchantress chose not to answer. She didn't trust the Shade. They had met before and she found that he was too smart to be manipulated by her charms. She didn't trust any man she couldn't lead around on a leash.
"We've met in battle several times, Shade," the Blue Diamond said. "While I was allied with your enemy the Flash, you gained my respect in combat. Now, I've eliminated your foe, and I offer you an olive branch."
"You killed the Flash?" the Shade said, in an unfriendly tone. He respected the Flash.
"Not yet, I'm still hoping he'll join us," the Blue Diamond said. "Just as I'm hoping you will. We can use you, Shade. We need intelligent men such as yourself. In return, I promise you enough riches and plunder to satisfy even your immortal tastes. Taken from the bottom of the sea by Tiger Shark and from the mines of Asgard by my Amora. Shake my hand, Shade, and you'll have all the wealth you ever wanted."
The Shade thought for a moment. It was a tempting offer. "I'm afraid I must say no to you."
"I'm disappointed," the Diamond said. "May I ask what your reservations are?"
"You may ask, but I won't answer," the Shade said. "All you need to know is that I respectfully decline."
"I didst tell thee so!" the Enchantress said to the Diamond. Then, she addressed the Shade. "I warn thee, Immortal or no, vex me not! If thou doth dare to interfere with the best laid schemes of the Enchantress and her allies, I vow to make thee suffer for it!"
"Understood, dear lady," the Shade said. "Now, if you'll excuse me . . . "
The Shade stepped into another dark vortex and vanished.
"I trust him not," the Enchantress said.
"He won't bother us," the Blue Diamond said. "He's too self interested. And if he should, we'll kill him!"
Major Steve Trevor was training in an Air Force gym, honing his muscles and practicing his combat skills. If he was going to be accompanying Captain America, he needed to be at his physical peak. The whole incident with Mr. Mxyzptlk proved that he would be frequently involved with strange and powerful beings. Also, he wanted to impress Wonder Woman with his physique. For some reason, the Amazon Queen had taken a shine to him, a fact that delighted him. He wanted to be at his best, to show her that he was a warrior, too.
After finishing his workout, Steve grabbed his gun from a locker and headed for the target range. He was a great marksman, but there was always room for improvement.
Entering the target range, he saw the large, bald man with the ax. The gigantic stranger scowled at him, raising his ax menacingly. Steve quickly raised his gun and fired. The bullets bounced off the Executioner harmlessly.
"Surrender, little mortal," the Executioner said. "Thou hath no prayer 'gainst me."
Steve fled the room. The Executioner followed with surprising speed for such a huge man. Other Air Force personnel, also there to train, saw the Executioner, but he slapped them aside with casual ease. Steve moved with cat-like agility, frustrating the Executioner, who couldn't get his hands on the air force officer.
The Executioner got tired of the chase and threw his bolo. It wrapped around Trevor's legs, tripping him. Trevor tried to free himself, but this gave the Executioner the chance to grab him. "You were a worthy pray, mortal, but the game is over!"
In the JSA manor, Wonder Woman was putting her red, white, and blue cape over her shoulders. She only wore the cape on special occasions. Normally, going out to dinner was not an occasion worthy of her full regalia. But this evening, she was going to dinner with Steve Trevor, the man who man her heart beat faster and her skin tingle. She was absolutely overwhelmed by him whenever he was present. He drove her wild.
She had gotten ready early and stood in the parlor, waiting to hear the doorbell. She paced, anxious to see him again. Why do I love him so much? she wondered, confused by the depths of her passion.
A single knock echoed from the door. She didn't wait for a second knock, or even bother to wonder why there wasn't a second one. She just ran and yanked the door open. To her disappointment, there was no one there. But was, however, a knife stuck in the door, pinning a note. Looking around for the thrower of the knife, she scanned the area but found nothing.
She took the note down and read it. It said . . . 'We have Steve Trevor. If you ever want to see him alive again, come alone to the address below, and we mean ALONE. Tell no one else, or the Major will be mailed to you in pieces.'
Wonder Woman gasped, in fear and anger. The man she was madly in love with was in danger. "No one hurts my Steve!" she hissed.
She obeyed the instructions and told no one else. She didn't want to risk Steve being hurt.
Wonder Woman approached the estate of Professor Elton Morrow. She knew that she was walking into a trap, but she was unconcerned with her own safety. Nothing mattered to her but Steve.
The door opened by itself. No one was inside. Wonder Woman entered. Looking around, she found the place deserted. But then another door opened, a door leading to the West Wing. She stepped through.
She found herself in the Diamond Suite, surrounded by nine menacing figures, some of whom she knew. Most notably, there was the Enchantress, who had long had it in for the Amazon. However, it was the tenth man in the room who really gave her pause. It was the Blue Diamond, standing next to the Enchantress. She hung on his arm like a gangster's moll.
"Traitor!" Wonder Woman growled.
"I'm afraid so," he said.
"Welcome, Amazon," the Enchantress said. "We have so looked forward to thy arrival."
"Where is Steve?!" she shouted. "Take me to him now, or I'll rip each of you apart!"
"Temper, temper, wench," the Enchantress said. "Thou giveth not the commands here! Tis the Enchantress who will speak and thou wilt lend ear, else thy precious Major Trevor shall suffer for thy folly."
She tossed a dogtag to Hippolyta. The Amazon studied it, and noted that it was engraved to Steve Trevor. It was true. They had Steve, and they would surely not hesitate to kill him. The idea of Steve being hurt horrified her, and so she held her tongue.
"Better," the Enchantress said. "Now listen well. Thou will do what I tell thee to do. Thou will help us destroy the Justice Society, else thy beloved shall die a death most painful."
Wonder Woman was horrified. She had a terrible choice to make. Betray her friends or let Steve die. She knew that the only real choice was to sacrifice Steve, but how could she do that to the man she loved?
The Psycho Pirate stood before her. He removed his Medusa mask and revealed an adoring, loving expression. "You love Steve, don't you? You love him more than anything! You'll let the whole world die before you let a hair on his head be harmed."
His power affected Wonder Woman. Her already intense passion for Steve exploded into uncontrolled, star-crossed adoration. She couldn't let anything happen to Steve. She would betray anyone to protect him. She would turn against America and even against her Amazon sisters if it meant that Steve would be safe. She knew her judgment was skewed by her passion, but she didn't care. She didn't care about anything except him!
"Yes, Enchantress," she said, desperately. "You win. I'll obey you. Just don't hurt my Steve!"
The Enchantress smiled. "Excellent. This shall be a most glorious day!"
Wonder Woman locked eyes with the Blue Diamond. "I am as much a traitor as you are," she said.
The Blue Diamond nodded. "Love makes you do strange things, doesn't it?"
"Yes," she said. "It certainly does."
"And now, for the next part of our plan," he said to the Enchantress. "You know what to do."
"Indeed I do, my pet," she said, and with a gesture, she changed herself into an exact duplicate of the Black Canary. "I go to visit a tall, gray, broad-shouldered powerhouse. And he will soon be working for us."
The Hulk sat on the ground in the forest, surrounded by a bunch of fallen trees. He had knocked them all over in a fit of temper. He'd been staying in a cabin in the hills when he talked to the Black Canary on the phone. She had snubbed him and so he took his frustrations out on the local flora.
While slumped on the ground, something caught his eye. He spotted a pair of attractive legs in fishnet stockings moving in his direction. Raising his head, he saw the lovely Black Canary walking toward him. He was surprised to see her, but he was still mad at her.
"What are you doing here?" he snarled, with hostility.
"You're still mad at me," she said. "I deserve it. My behavior has been inexcusable. But I came to apologize. You were right and I was wrong. Please forgive me."
The Hulk was surprised. He hadn't expected this sudden reversal. He was delighted to hear it, but tried to maintain the façade of anger. "Why should I?"
"Because, I've been doing some research," she said. "And I've found something that will make you happy."
"Yeah? What's that?"
"A cure," she said. "For your condition."
"Maybe I don't want to be cured," he said. "Maybe I like being the strongest living being on Earth."
"But do you want to spend all your time alone?" she asked. "Always hiding here in the woods, avoiding the stares of strangers. What I've found will allow you to change back-and-forth from the Hulk to Thomas Halloway."
"Really?" he asked, interested.
"Really," she said. "I wouldn't lie to you. This can be good for us."
"So, what is this miraculous scientific find?" He asked.
"It's not scientific," she said. "It's magic. It's called the Norn Stone. It can change the very fate of a man. It can undo your curse. But it won't be easy to get. There are a number of obstacles in the way, but you can do it. I know you can."
The Hulk was unsure about all this. "Well, I don't . . . "
"Please, darling," she begged. "This can be good for us. Please, do this! For me? Please."
She threw her arms around the Hulk and kissed him. It was a magical kiss . . . the kiss of a goddess.
Even the Hulk can be overcome by the power of passion. "All right, pretty bird. I'll do it!"
The faux Black Canary smiled.
Back at the JSA mansion . . .
Captain America had arrived just in time to receive a phone call from Joan Garrick.
"Cap, have you seen Jay?" she asked. "He hasn't been home since yesterday."
"No, I haven't seen him," Cap said. "But if I do see him, I'll tell him to call you right away."
"I have the feeling something is wrong," she said. "He never goes this long with getting in touch with me unless something has happened. The last time I didn't hear from him for so long, was when he disappeared into the past. I'm afraid something else has happened."
"I'm sure he's fine," Cap said. "Flash can take care of himself. But if I hear anything, I'll contact you immediately."
"Thanks, Cap. You're a gem," she said.
After Cap hung up, he wondered about the Flash's absence. Jay was always so reliable. Despite his reassurances to Joan, he had doubts about the Flash's safety. Maybe he should send someone to look for Jay. The Sentinel was the best man for this job. He was the Flash's closest friend, next to the Blue Diamond.
Sentinel was flying over Pennsylvania, near the Flash's hometown of Keystone County. He had spoken to Cap and Joan about Flash. He hoped Jay was all right. It was not that long ago that he practically bore a hole in time itself to look for the time-lost Jay. He didn't want another situation like that. Where, he wondered, should he start looking for Jay. Perhaps his ring could track the speedster down.
Before he could begin, his ring received another message. It was obviously from the Harlequin. He had made for her a crude but effective transmitter, similar to the one Cap used to summon the JSA members. The device worked on a certain frequency, which he ordered his ring to scan for. The ring now picked up that signal. The Harlequin was calling him.
Sentinel landed on the roof of the building where the Harlequin was waiting. She stood with her arms folded, an inexpressive mask of enigmatic secrets.
"I wasn't sure if you were still speaking to me," he said to her.
"Of course we're speaking, lover," she said. "Come over here."
Sentinel, who was deeply in lust with the pretty thief, moved closer. She smiled sweetly . . . and then unleashed the mesmerizing power of her hypno-goggles. The Sentinel was taken completely off guard. He froze, stunned into a semi-conscious state.
Harlequin pulled out a sharp dagger. "This will be easy," she said.
She raised her arm, clutching the dagger in her hand, paused for a moment, and then she swung her arm lower, thrusting the knife toward the Sentinel's chest.
Salem, Massachusetts - The Tower of Fate . . .
Dr. Fate returned to his tower home. He was tired, having helped his masters, the Lords of Order, in a difficult Netherverse battle against the forces of chaos. He had no idea what was happening to the JSA members. He just wanted to rest. Although his mind was merged with the eternal spirit of Nabu, his body was human and it needed to rest.
He took off his helmet, thus becoming, once again, the human named Kent Nelson. He walked through his large, lonely dwelling, trying not to let the isolation of his existence overwhelm him. His tired thoughts drifted to happier days of his childhood, before he ever saw the tomb of Nabu.
Had he been more alert, his mystic senses might have warned him of the dynamite outside his tower. The mystical defenses of the structure were designed to prevent anyone entering, or to circumvent any magical threat or to warn of the approach of any non-human creature. But these defenses had holes in them. They didn't guard against a human, like the Blue Diamond, placing a non-magical weapon like dynamite on the outside of the tower. And the fatigued Kent Nelson ignored the buzzing sensation of dread in the back of his mind. It was a mistake.
The Tower of Fate exploded, breaking into a thousand chunks of rubble. It collapsed, with Kent Nelson still inside.
Back at the Diamond suite, Ultra-Man reentered the secret lair. "It's done," Ultra-Man said.
"He's dead?" the Blue Diamond asked.
"I saw Fate return to his tower. I watched from miles away, using my telescopic vision," Ultra-Man said. "I lit the fuse from miles away with my heat vision. The castle blew up and no one got out."
"Did you see a body?" the Blue Diamond asked.
"Something strange about those rocks," Ultra-Man said. "They must be magic. I have a problem seeing through magic stuff. I wanted to dig the body out, but the mystic shield that prevents intruders is still up. I can't pierce magic. But I can assure you, no one got out alive."
"Excellent!" the Diamond said. "A powerful foe has been eliminated."
Wonder Woman was standing by, listening to all this. She was unable to act while they still had Steve prisoner. She couldn't believe it. Could Dr. Fate really be dead?
"Three of the enemy's four most powerful players have been removed from the game," the Blue Diamond said. "The Flash, Wonder Woman, and Dr. Fate. That leaves only the Sentinel to deal with and the rest will be simple!"
As he spoke, the Harlequin had slipped in unnoticed. "Don't worry about the Sentinel," she said. "He should have remembered the one about a woman scorned."
She held up the Sentinel's famous power ring, and then showed a bloody knife. "I took the ring from his dead hand. He offered me his heart . . . So I took it. And I buried it."
"The Sentinel is dead?" the Blue Diamond asked.
"Very, very dead," the Harlequin said.
Wonder Woman gasped. Not him, too! she thought, in despair.
"Perfect," the Blue Diamond said. "All four of the JSA's powerhouse member's are dealt with. The rest are child's play. I know how to defeat each of them. And we have the greater numbers, the superior strength and the advantage of surprise. This will be even simpler than I thought."
"What of that monster called the Hulk?" the Executioner asked, remembering his beating at the Hulk's hands, a few months back.
"Ah, yes, our wild card," the Blue Diamond said. "He is being dealt with. I won't give details. Suffice it to say, when the Enchantress is done with him, he will no longer be a threat. Indeed, he will instead be a boon to our cause. So you see, my friends, I have left nothing to chance. Every eventuality has been anticipated and prepared for. This will end well for us, but not for the Justice Society. Their legend is about to come to an end. Just like their lives. Death is calling. Injustice will rule!"
Next: Our story continues with the Hulk being manipulated into an unexpected fate by the disguised Enchantress, and Wonder Woman is forced to betray the JSA. A powerful weapon falls into the hands of the Blue Diamond and more JSA members are defeated. And what does Hercules have to do with all this? Find out next time in JSA: A Hero's Final Repose #2!