Agent Wanda Mason was about to meet one of the greatest living legends in the world . . . Doc Savage. She had know quite a few adventures, masked and otherwise in her life. Her grandmother was the Blonde Phantom and her father was the Knight-Owl. She wasn't easily impressed. But Doc Savage was special. Doctor, scientist, inventor, adventurer and much more. All through the 20th century, he'd been world famous as a great hero and humanitarian. Once he was known as the smartest man in the world and the greatest surgeon. It was impossible not to be impressed by Doc Savage.
She hoped that Savage could help her in her assignment to find out about Dr. Doom's giant creature. Her assignment had become more complicated due to the fact that the last person she interviewed - Larry Trainer, the Negative Man - was abducted. She and a dozen other agents had spent days going over every inch of Trainer's house trying to find a clue as to the reason. There was none to be found, but common sense told her that it was connected to Dr. Doom. And no one knew Dr. Doom better than Doc Savage.
She reached Savage's estate. To her surprise, he answered the door himself. He was ninety-nine years old now, but she could still see something in him - the charisma, the presence, the intense gold eyes, the bronze skin, the height, all of it. Doc Savage was still something special.
"Please come in, Agent Mason," he said, with a deep, powerful voice.
"Thank you," she replied, entering. "I appreciate your seeing me. This is a great honor, Doctor Savage."
"Not at all," Savage said. "I knew your grandmother Louise Mason very well. The Blonde Phantom. She was a wonderful woman and a great ally. Please, have a seat. Can I get you anything?"
"No, Doctor, nothing."
"I can see that you want to get right to business," Doc Savage said. "That's always good. I admire people who don't waste time. I was a workaholic in my youth. Anyway, I imagine this has something to do with Dr. Doom and the disappearance of Larry Trainer."
"You're remarkably well informed, Doctor," she said. "How did you know?"
"I'm not completely out of touch, young lady. I still have my sources. I hope Larry is all right. He's had a rough life. You've seen him so you know what I mean."
"Yes. A horrible deformity," she said. "Before he disappeared, I asked him about the last case of your Doom Patrol. He wouldn't tell me about it. Can you?"
"Not really," he said. "I wasn't there, and they wouldn't tell me about it either."
"I see," she said. "Well maybe you can give me some helpful information on Dr. Doom. You knew him very well, didn't you."
"Yes. He was my student once, a very good student, in fact, a genius. He was brilliant in every subject, especially the sciences. But he was very headstrong. He wouldn't listen to anyone. He was full of pride and arrogance. He blames me for the accident that deformed him. He was trying to contact the underworld. I warned him that his calculations were slightly off, but he couldn't conceive that someone else was right and he was wrong. He went ahead with the experiment and it literally blew up in his face. He accused me of sabotaging him. He vowed to get even with me one day."
"Do you know anything about a giant monster?" she asked.
"I remember once, in his junior year, he claimed to have discovered the remains of Godzilla."
"Godzilla?" she repeated, startled. "That giant reptile thing that attacked Japan in 1955?"
"Yes, that's the one. It was supposedly destroyed by the Oxygen Destroyer created by Dr. Serizawa. An underwater camera actually got footage of Godzilla being reduced to a skeleton. So when Doom claimed to have found a dormant Godzilla, hardly anyone believed him. No one would fund a project to go looking for something that no one believed was there. Most people thought it was Doom trying to get some attention. He had the kind of ego that needed attention. Doom said that he'd prove his find was real, but he eventually gave it up when he became obsessed with contacting his dead parents in the afterlife."
"In retrospect, do you think there could have been any truth to it?" she asked.
"Actually, I was one of the few who did believe him. From what I know about Doom, he never lies. He may be capable of many things but he has a sense of honor. Lying is for lesser men. Not him. I believed he saw something. I don't know if it was really Godzilla, or if he just assumed that, but I believe he definitely saw something."
"Do you know where it was, Doctor Savage?"
"No. Somewhere off the West Coast, I think. I wasn't there."
"Is there anything else you can tell me?" she asked.
"Well, there is one thing that might be pertinent," Savage said. "I try to keep track of Dr. Doom and his activities. I have sources in the government, and in the superhero community who pass me information now and then. Anyway, nine months ago, I got a report that Doom was funding a marine research project in the south Pacific. I had no idea what it was for, but I thought I should check on it."
"Understandable, Doctor."
"Anyway, have you heard of the Sea Devils?"
"The Sea Devils?" she said, trying to remember. "Oh yeah. They're a group of undersea specialists who do research, right?"
"Basically," Savage said. "The Sea Devils are a team of marine researchers, frogmen and marine biologists who travel the world studying unexplained undersea phenomenon. My grand-nephew John is a member. I asked him to look into the matter. He agreed. I wish he hadn't. He didn't deserve what happened to him. He was so young."
"He was killed?" she asked, sympathetically.
"Yes," Savage said, sadly. "He went to investigate -- "
"Where was this?" she interrupted.
"Doom's been moving around, anywhere from Hawaii to Tahiti. Anyway, John went with Namorita, the Atlantean Princess."
"She was a member of the Doom Patrol, too. Right?"
"Yes, later on. But before that, she often helped out the Sea Devils. John and she were very close friends. She said that they had only just gotten there, then they were ambushed by members of Doom's party. Super-Villains."
"Which ones?"
"They called themselves the Lethal Legion. They were recruited by Dr. Doom. The Wizard was the Leader. He's a brilliant scientist who mastered anti-gravity. With him were the Icicle, an icy foe I fought a few times back in World War II. His frozen condition preserves him, keeping him young, along with Mallah, a simian hitman from Gorilla City, and Madam Rogue, who can morph her body. And the last one was named Morden, an engineer who built himself a combat suit. They took John and Namorita by surprise. John was fatally wounded. Namorita brought him back here to me. He was barely alive. I did what I could but there was no chance. He died in my arms. I've lost patients before, but few have hurt as much as that. John was a good man, a brilliant biologist and a true hero. And he was the grandson of my sister Pat."
"I'm sorry," Agent Mason said.
"Thank you. Anyway, it was right about that time that I decided to form the Doom Patrol. I didn't know what Doom was up to, but it was important enough to kill for. Also, if he knew that my nephew was involved, he'd figure out that I was involved as well. I knew he'd send someone after me eventually. I'm an old man. I knew I needed help. Hence, the Doom Patrol was created."
"Why these particular heroes?" she asked. "Why Larry Trainer and the rest?"
"For one thing, I knew them all. Michael Holt, who you know as Mr. Terrific was my protege, and Cliff Steele was a close friend of Michael's. They worked together often. It was Michael and I who built his robot body. Namorita was a good friend of my grand-nephew John, as I said. And as for Larry Trainer, it was Michael and I who saved his life when the radiation almost killed him. I had a past with all of them. Another reason was that they were all outcasts. For one reason or another, they all felt alienated from society. Larry was deformed by radiation, Cliff was trapped in a robot body, Namorita was in a foreign world, away from her undersea kingdom, and Rita Farr - Elasti-girl - was once a famous celebrity who had lost her great career when she got her super powers."
"What about Mr. Terrific?" Agent Mason asked.
"Michael," Savage said. "Michael had his own tragedies. But he was a fine man. One of the best I've ever met. And I've met a lot of legendary heroes. Captain America, the Sentinel, many of them. Michael Holt was one of the finest! I miss him."
"Larry Trainer said that he was the real leader of the Doom Patrol," she added.
"Yes, he was," Savage said. "He was an excellent leader. He reminded me of Captain America back when he commanded the JSA. I'm surprised that Larry told you that, he always hated the fact that Mr. Terrific was the leader, not him."
"Yes, he told me that," she said. "But he seems to have changed his opinion. He spoke very respectfully of Mr. Terrific."
"I'm glad to hear that," Savage said. "Larry was being eaten up by bitterness. I hope he's gotten past that stage."
"Assuming he's still alive," Agent Mason said. "And if he is, we still have no idea where he is."
"Dr. Doom will have him, if he's alive," Savage said. "But where he's holding him is anyone's guess. It could be anywhere from here to Latveria."
Agent Mason stood up. "Well, thank you for your time, Dr. Savage. I won't trouble you any longer."
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help," Savage said.
"No need to apologize, Doctor Savage. You've given me some useful information, and a lot to think about. I'm not sure what it all adds up too, but I think I'm starting to grab onto the first threads that will lead me to the solution."
"I hope so," Savage said. "Good luck. I hope you find Larry alive. Please let me know what happens."
"I will, Doctor. Thanks again for your . . . " she began, but was interrupted.
The window was shattered to pieces as Namorita suddenly came crashing through it. She dropped to the ground, letting out a shout of pain. She was injured and bloodied.
"Nita!" Savage yelled, kneeling down beside her.
She looked up at him half conscious, her voice barely audible.
"D . . . Doctor Savage, " he whispered. "It's . . . It's Doom! He's back. He's going to . . . to . . . "
Namorita's eye's closed, and she went silent. Agent Mason kneeled down.
"He's going to what?" she shouted at the Atlantean Princess. "What's he going to do?"
"No use yelling," Savage said. "She's unconscious. I'm not sure how badly she's injured. Help me get her to my lab."
Agent Mason helped Doc Savage carry Namorita to a basement laboratory. Inside was a large glass booth. Savage instructed Mason to help him put her inside. Then Savage pressed a button and it started to fill with water. He walked over to a computer panel and started typing on a keyboard. The computer hummed to life.
"What are you doing?" Agent Mason asked.
"This is a special tank I prepared for her back when she first started coming to the surface. She got an injury helping the Sea Devils and I built this in case she had any future injuries. It will keep her in salt water, and an air nozzle will cause the water to move like a therapeutic water massage. Also, the tank is designed to scan her body and take readings so I can determine the nature of her injuries."
A schematic of Namorita's body came up on a monitor screen. Savage studied it. "The injuries aren't too severe. She's lost some blood, however. I'll have to contact the Avengers League and see if they still have a sample of the blood Hank Pym took from Aquaman once. If I can analyze a sample, I can synthesize a plasma that will be effective on an Atlantean system."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Agent Mason asked.
"No," Savage said. "I'll handle it."
"I'm just in the way here. I'll leave you to your work," Agent Mason said. "I'll be back tomorrow to see how she is. Good luck."
Savage didn't answer. He picked up the phone to call the Avengers League.
Inside the glass case, Namorita dreamed dreams of the past. Her injuries and the sight of Doc Savage made her think of a time, months ago, when she and John Savage of the Sea Devils, were attacked by the Lethal Legion. They had just dived into the water from their boat, when the water suddenly froze. The Icicle appeared out of nowhere. The Lethal Legion had been stalking them in a cloaked boat. Now, Namorita and John were frozen in Ice. Namorita's strength was at her peak in the sea and the Icicle had underestimated her, making the ice too thin. She broke free. She pulled John from the ice. No sooner had she gotten him to the surface, when the Icicle and his four allies were upon them. John was still stunned. She tried to defend him, since she was in her element. She was Princess of the sea. But they were to much for her. She had to flee. She grabbed John and dragged him away, swimming faster than the Legion's boat could follow. It was only then that she noticed one of Mallah's knives sticking out of John's back. Poor, dear John. He died so young. He was a good friend. She hated the Lethal Legion for what it had done, and Doom for giving the order. She hoped she could avenge him one day.
Namorita's mind drifted into a dreamless sleep as she floated in the glass tube.
Wanda Mason walked and thought. What was going on here? Had Dr. Doom found Godzilla again, and was the monster really alive? Back in the '50s, there was actual footage of Godzilla being reduced to a skeleton. But is it possible that the monster somehow . . . regenerated? Was there another Godzilla? Where in the whole Pacific Ocean was Doom searching? And what had happened to Princess Namorita? Who attacked her? Was it Doom? And was Doom responsible for the abduction of Larry Trainer? And she still had no idea what had happened to Mr. Terrific?
There were so many questions. Finding the answers wouldn't be easy.
Far, far away, in another galaxy, an alien race was preparing to send someone to the tiny, green world called Earth. His mission was to save his home, and to do that, he had to go to Earth. And once there, he had to unleash the unstoppable creature known as Godzilla!
Next issue: The mystery expands as we hear about the first battle between the Doom Patrol and the Lethal Legion. Also, we learn how Namorita came to the surface world and met the Sea-Devils.