DCM

#8
January 2001
JSA logo
Darkness Falls
by Bob Young
Somewhere, in another realm - a realm of darkness, fear, and evil - a meeting of Godlike beings is taking place. But these are not benign Gods. These are Gods of war and death!

"We can't let this Justice Society continue to frustrate our plans," said Dormammu, Lord of the Dark Dimension. His fiery appearance made him a fearsome sight. "We've got to crush them!"

"We've tried," said the Grandmaster, one of the Elders of the Universe, "but all the lackeys and pawns we've sent to destroy them have failed."

"My brother is correct," said the Collector, another of the Elders. "We have tried."

"We should eliminate them ourselves!" Dormammu said.

"Ahhhh, but remember," Mephisto said, "if we interfere with the mortal world, the White council will come after us."

"Let them come," Ares said. "I'd rather fight than plot. Besides, I don't want the Earth war to end. This is the best war they ever had."

"If we battle the White council, the Living Tribunal will get involved," said Zelia, Queen of the old Dark Gods.

"The Living Tribunal!" repeated Trigon hatefully.

"Are we prepared to face the White council and the Living Tribunal now?" asked one of the Lords of Chaos.

"We'll deal with the Living Tribunal in due time," said Darkseid, Lord of Apocalypse, "For now, we have to decide on Dormammu's proposal. Do we take a personal hand and risk the Living Tribunal's ire?"

"Perhaps if only one of us does it, then the Living Tribunal will overlook it," said the Champion, another of the Elders. "I'll volunteer."

"No!" Dormammu exclaimed. "If any of us goes, it must be me!"

The rest of the council debated amongst themselves. "Very well, Dormammu," Neron said. "Go. Destroy the Justice Society."

The dark council didn't know that they had an eavesdropper. One of the inhabitants of the Dark Dimension had followed Dormammu here. He was humanoid but with light green skin, a yellow cloak and a dark green outfit. He couldn't stay any longer. If the council sensed his presence they would destroy him in a second. He had heard enough anyway. He had to get to the dimension where this Earth was and warn this ‘Justice Society.'
Steve Rogers sat behind his desk in the clerk's office of the war department. It was his first day at work and he was excited about it. Finally, a chance to have a life as Steve Rogers and not always be Captain America. To talk to normal people about normal things and not about superhero stuff. But if Captain America was needed, the General or his aide could dismiss him and make excuses to the other personnel.

The General's aide entered, along with a fifteen year old boy.

"Hello, Steve," the aide said. "Like your office?"

"It's great," Steve replied. "I'm looking forward to getting started."

"Good," the aide said. "I've brought you an assistant. He's sort of a mascot around here. He's a good little worker and smart as a whip."

Steve grinned down at the boy. "Nice to meet you. I'm Steve."

"Hiya, Stevie," the boy said. "Call me Bucky!"

In Miss Venus's mansion in Washington, DC, Queen Hippolyta was responding to the summons of her Goddess, Aphrodite. Only Hippolyta knew that Aphrodite and Miss Venus were one in the same. When she found Miss Venus, she seemed to be talking to herself. But Hippolyta knew that this was not the case. There was an unseen entity present.

"You summoned me Goddess?" Queen Hippolyta asked.

"Yes, loyal Hippolyta," Miss Venus said. "There is a problem. A monster has come to Earth. A demonic creature called Dormammu has come to this planet to attack the JSA while they are short handed. The powers-that-be want you to go to the Fire Lotus Temple in Hawaii and face him."

"Shall I wait for the rest of the JSA?" Hippolyta asked.

"No, " Venus said. "I'll send them when they get here. Go now, my Wonder Woman!"

"Yes, Goddess."

Back in the dark realm, Dormammu smiled. The plan had worked. Miss Venus thought that the message had come from the Spectre, but was in reality from Dormammu himself. 'The White council are fools,' he thought, 'to send the Goddess of Love to a world at war. She was so easy to fool.'

Wonder Woman would soon walk into a trap!

Deep down on the ocean floor, Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner and his brother Aquaman had reached New Atlantis, where Aquaman was crown prince. But the crown didn't mean much right now because New Atlantis had been conquered. The two princes were here to free it.

They settled on a high, undersea mountain, about a mile away from New Atlantis. Their sharp eyes allowed them to observe the city and the invading forces. Namor was dressed in blue battle armor and Aquaman had replaced his lost hand with a harpoon.

"They are dug in more deeply now than when I left," Aquaman said.

"Yes," Namor said. "They are heavily fortified. This will be difficult."

"You realize they'll be expecting us," Aquaman said.

"Yes," Namor answered.

"How do you want to approach this?" Aquaman asked.

"We must be patient," Namor said.

"Patient? You?" Aquaman said with surprise.

"I've learned many things from the surface dwellers and their war," Namor said. "One is that strategy is all important. I'd love to charge in and battle our enemies, but that wouldn't be prudent. We must wait, observe their troop movements, look for weakness in their defenses, and find the right opportunity to strike!"

"I suppose you're right, brother," Aquaman said. "But every minute my Kingdom is under the yoke of the traitors Attuma and Krang, is another moment of torture to me!"

"I understand, brother," Namor said. "But don't despair. Our chance will come soon."

The Sentinel arrived to chair a meeting of the JSA. It was a very small group today. Only himself, the Flash, the Human Torch and Dr. Mid-Nite.

Captain America was taking some personal time, Dr. Fate made his own schedule and showed up when he felt like it, Namor went with his brother to Atlantis, Black Canary had left yesterday morning on some private case, Wildcat had called in sick--although Sentinel had a feeling that there was more behind his absence than the flu--and now Wonder Woman hadn't shown up.

"It's unusual for Wonder Woman not to be here," Sentinel said.

"Especially since she lives here in the mansion," Flash added.

The Human Torch was more interested in the missing Black Canary. She'd been gone for over 30 hours without a word. Where was she? Was she all right?

"Perhaps our mysterious host knows the Queen's whereabouts," Dr. Mid-Nite said.

As he said the words, Miss Venus came into the room. "Can I see you for a moment, Sentinel?" she asked.

Wonder Woman arrived at the Fire Lotus temple. It was boarded up. She tore off the planks and entered. The main temple room was large. There was some light coming in from between the boards on the windows and from the door, but it was still very dim and ominous. She couldn't see anything unusual . . . But she felt it! Her warrior instincts were all screaming a warning! Her instincts were right!

Six Shadow wraiths came out of the darkness. Wonder Woman tried to hit them but her fist went right through them. But they could touch her. Their razor sharp claws cut her flesh. She leaped around, trying to avoid them. In desperation, she grabbed her lasso and tried to rope one. It worked! The lasso could touch them. She had a weapon. She swung the one she had lassoed around and made him collide with the others. Apparently wraiths could touch other wraiths. She knocked them all down.

The wraiths vanished. Then a flaming pit appeared in the ground. Out of it came the flaming, demonic form of the dread Dormammu.

"Greetings, Wonder Woman," he said. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

Wonder Woman was surprised. How did he know she was coming?

She didn't have time to consider the matter. Dormammu stated hurling bolts of mystic energy at her. Wonder Woman deflected the first few blasts with her bracelets and then leaped evasively to avoid the rest. She moved in closer and closer, until she lunged at the dark demon. But Dormammu had maneuvered her into just the right spot. As she leapt, she past over an ornamental dais. Suddenly a beam of reddish light shot up and engulfed her. She felt the change immediately, and panicked. Her forward motion continued. Dormammu vanished and so Wonder woman crashed into the back wall. She tried to rise but she was getting stiff. Her skin was turning grey.

"By the Gods, NO!" she cried.

That was all she had time to say. Wonder Woman had been turned to stone!

Dormammu's laugh came from nowhere and filled the room.

The Black Canary woke up. She didn't know where she was but from the shaking and the sound, she knew she was inside some type of vehicle. Her wrists and ankles were tied. The last thing she remembered was being defeated by the three agents who'd been hunting her and the Angel: The Huntress, Sumo and the Fiddler. They'd taken her and the Angel down quickly enough.

'The Angel,' she thought, 'where is he? Is he all right?' She looked around the dark compartment and saw the silhouette of a figure laying there.

"Angel?" she asked.

"Glad you're all right," he said. " I was getting worried."

"You're so sweet. Where are we?" she asked.

"I think it's a truck," The Angel replied. "I have no idea where they're taking us, or how long we've been riding."

The Canary struggled against here bonds. "Can you get loose?"

"Been trying. No luck," he said. "Something about these ropes makes them stick to the skin. I think whatever is on them is a predecessor to Adhesive X."

'Adhesive X,' the Black Canary thought, the thing they were supposed to investigate. But she screwed up. She should have called the rest of the JSA, but No! She had to go it alone because she was hot for the Angel and because she had something to prove to herself.

"I'm sorry," she said. "You came all this way to get the JSA's help. I should have let you talk to Captain America. This is all my fault."

"Forget about it, " he said. "Let's just concentrate on getting out of here."

Suddenly the vibrations stopped. The truck must have stopped moving.

"We've reached where ever it is we're being brought to," The Angel said.

"And now our troubles really begin!" Black Canary said.

The Sentinel, the Flash, the Human Torch and Dr. Mid-Nite arrived at the Fire Lotus temple. They entered cautiously.

The Sentinel used his ring to light the place up. They looked around and saw the Wonder Woman statue near the far wall, behind the fire pit. At first they didn't know what to make of it and then it dawned on them.

"Oh my God!" The Flash said.

They walked over to the statue. But as they did so, they had to walk over the ornamental dais. The light shined up . . .

Minutes later, a wisp of smoke drifted away from the rest of the smoke coming from the fire pit. The wisp grew to the size and shape of a man. It turned into the green-skinned man who had eavesdropped on the Dark council earlier. He looked around and saw the five statues. He was too late!

Dormammu rose out of the pit. "So! The Vision! I might have known!" Dormammu said. "You have always been troublesome to me in our dark dimension. I should have guessed you would try and interfere with my greatest plan! I will not allow you to stop me, Vision!"

"You grow more monsterous every day, Dormammu!" The Vision said. "Subjugating our own realm wasn't enough for you. Is nowhere safe from you?"

"No," Dormammu said, and hurled a mystic bolt at the Vision. He evaded it. The Vision reached out to the puffs of smoke coming from the fire pit. He became one with the smoke, turning into a wisp of smoke himself and disappearing.

"Damnation!" Dormammu yelled.

Dr. Fate had gotten back from the mission that the Lords of Order had sent him on, and returned to his tower in Salem. He assumed that he was far too late for the meeting of the JSA and so decided to meditate. He removed the helmet of Nabu and became Kent Nelson again. Nelson lit a fire on the incense tray and sat before it, cross legged.

Something began to form out of the smoke. Alarmed, Nelson grabbed the helmet and became Dr. Fate again.

"Whoever you are," Dr. Fate said, "you have entered the dwelling of Dr. Fate! Leave or be destroyed!"

The Vision reformed. "You have nothing to fear from me, Dr. Fate," he said. "I'm here to help you. Your partners in the Justice Society have been captured and turned to stone by a being called Dormammu."

"I have heard of him," Dr. Fate said. "He is the Lord of the Dark Dimension. You have the stink of the Dark Dimension on you as well."

"Yes," The Vision said. "I'm from the Dark Dimension. But we're not all evil there. Dormammu is a dictator, not very different from your Adolf Hitler. I am the leader of the resistance there. I hate Dormammu and want to help you stop him."

"I can only believe you if you are prepared to face the light of truth," Fate said.

"Go on. I'm ready," The Vision said.

The amulet of Nabu opened and a blinding, angelic light came out. It covered the Vision. He wasn't used to such illumination and so shrunk away from the light. He thought that he had failed the test. When it was over . . .

"I suppose I didn't pass that particular test," The Vision said.

"On the contrary," Dr. Fate said. "Normally a being from the Dark Dimension would be in enormous pain. Your reaction was very mild. You must have a good soul."

"So you'll trust me?" The Vision asked.

"Tell me what you know," Fate said.

"We must talk quickly," The Vision said. "Because if we don't save the JSA by the end of the hour, we can never cure them!"

In the Fire Lotus temple, Dormammu was ready for whoever came next. He assumed that the Vision would return with the rest of the JSA. He had the Lords of Chaos send him a horned beast called Velyle. Also, he had twelve Shadow wraiths waiting. And his familiar, a dark fey called Spek, was on his shoulder. Dormammu was prepared. Whoever entered next would be forced onto the dais and turned to stone!

The side wall was blasted open. Dormammu and his demons were taken by surprise. Whoever was coming had cloaked their presence from him. Then the shining light of the amulet of Nabu burned into their eyes. They screamed. Dr. Fate and the Vision came in through the hole in the wall.

"We are here to free the Justice Society," Dr. Fate said. "Do not interfere or you will face the light of order and justice again."

"I think not!" Dormammu said.

The dark fey Spek quickly whizzed past Fate and ripped off his amulet. Dr. Fate zapped the Fey and was about to use his magic to retrieve it. But the twelve wraiths attacked. Dr. Fate lashed out at them with his powerful enchantments while the Vision used his preternatural strength. He, unlike Wonder Woman, could touch them. He and Fate made short work of the Wraiths. Dormammu addressed the beast Velyle.

"Kill!" he commanded the beast.

Velyle attacked the Vision. The Vision was strong but no match for the monsterous Velyle. He was, however, much faster and managed to dodge the monster. He used his control of smoke to create a smoke screen around Velyle, blinding him. The Vision struck quickly with all his strength. It barely fazed the mighty Velyle. He backed off. He tried to use his hypnotic powers to tame the beast but it had no mind to hypnotize. It merely did what it's masters commanded it to. The Vision realized that he was in big trouble.

Meanwhile, Dormammu unleashed a powerful volley of black magic bursts at Dr. Fate. Dr. Fate countered with his own enchantments. Everything Dr. Fate tried, Dormammu had a defense for it. And likewise, Dr. Fate had a defense for all of Dormammu's attacks. Both battles continued for long minutes in a deadlock.

But time was almost up for the JSA. They only had one minute left and they would be doomed to being statues forever!

The Vision saw only one chance. He maneuvered Velyle into the right position, taunted the beast into charging and dived out if it's path. Velyle couldn't stop in time and crossed over the ornamental dais. Velyle turned to stone.

The Vision ran over to the amulet and picked it up. "Fate!" he yelled, tossing the amulet to him. Fate reached out to grab it but left himself open to a magic blast from Dormammu. The Vision threw himself in between the two combatants and took the brunt of the blast himself. He fell to the ground and didn't move. Dr. Fate had time to put on the amulet. It opened and the light shined on Dormammu. Dormammu covered his face and screamed. Dr. Fate pelted him with mystic bolts. Dormammu was driven back and fell into the fire pit. Dr. Fate waved his arms and caused the fire pit to close again. He used the power of the amulet to see that it was closed permanently.

The fight was over but their problems weren't over. Dr. Fate saw that the Vision was unmoving on the floor. Even though the Vision had saved his life, his first responsibility was to his partners in the JSA. Only seconds remained to save them. He used his own power plus the light of the amulet to try and reverse the spell. It didn't seem to be working. The hour came to an end. Had he failed?

There was a moment of despair and then the JSA suddenly reverted to normal. They looked at their hands and bodies.

"We're back to normal again!" The Flash exclaimed.

"Thank the Gods!" Wonder Woman said.

"Thank Dr. Fate," said Dr. Mid-Nite.

"Yeah, good work, Fate. Thanks," said the Sentinel.

The Torch pointed to the fallen Vision. "Who's that?"

Dr. Fate ran to the Vision. He tried to use his power to heal the mysterious man but it wasn't working. The Vision began to move slightly. He whispered something. Fate kneeled to hear better. The Vision whispered again. Fate nodded. He magically created a cloud of smoke. The wounded Vision seemed to draw the smoke into himself. As he did so he seemed to get stronger. Once all the smoke was gone, the Vision stood up, healed.

"Thank you, Dr. Fate," the Vision said.

"We should thank you, Vision," Fate said. "If not for you the Justice Society members would be stone statues forever and I would be slain at the hands of Dormammu."

"Whoever you are, it looks like we owe you big time," the Flash said.

The mysterious Vision smiled. "You're welcome. It was a pleasure to thwart Dormammu. He wins too often in my dimension, which is where I have to go right now. Goodbye to you all."

Using the last tiny wisps of smoke in the room, the Vision turned to smoke himself and vanished.

"You're going to have to fill us in on what we missed," The Sentinel said to Fate.

Back at the mansion, Dr. Fate was filling the Sentinel, Flash, Wonder Woman and Dr. Mid-Nite in on what they'd missed while they were stone. The Human Torch lost interest and left the room. He was thinking about the Black Canary. This adventure with Dormammu reminded him that the JSA had some pretty powerful enemies after them. The reason for the Black Canary's lack of contact could be that she was in trouble. She could be turned to stone somewhere. He brought it up to the Sentinel but was dismissed. The Sentinel just said that she hadn't been gone that long and that she could handle herself. The Sentinel was more interested in listening to Dr. Fate's summary. No one seemed to care about the Black Canary other than the Torch.

Well, the hell with the rest of them! If they won't come with him to look for the Black Canary, then he'd go alone! He went outside, ignited his flame and went on his search.

Namor and Aquaman had waited and planned long enough. They'd decided on their course of action and decided it should happen now.

"Are you ready?" Aquaman asked Namor.

"I am. Are you?"

Aquaman nodded. Namor was about to charge, but Aquaman grabbed him.

"I want you to know, Namor, that if we die, it will be an honor dying with you, brother."

Namor grinned, "And I would be proud to fall in battle with my brother by my side."

"Well, enough talk," Aquaman said. "Shall we?"

"Yes. We go!"

Namor and Aquaman charged into a hopeless battle against overwhelming odds.

NEXT ISSUE: The Flash and the Whizzer compete in The Race. And who is the mysterious Michael Jupiter? Plus, the battle for Atlantis begins and Baron Zemo appears!