The Secret Origin of the Crime Syndicate
By lawrenceliberty
The villains recall how they first formed their team.
1
November 1987
Two costumed men sat silently in near darkness within a hidden cavern. The dim glow of various computers reflected off of highly polished vehicles parked nearby in a spacious garage area.
The bigger man pushed an errant curl of graying hair away from his slightly squinting eyes and cleared his throat.
“The meal was good. Helena is a fine cook. I’m glad I came here!” he said awkwardly.
He wore a blue costume with a red cape and in spite of his rather trite comment he was more comfortable with his dark clad companion than he was with any other native of this planet he now considered his domain.
Ultra Man (Kel-LL) looked across at Owlman (Dr. Thomas Wayne) as they sat together in the latter’s hidden HQ below Wayne Manor. Owlman wore his usual gray-black costume but he had pushed back the stylized cowl he normally wore. Wayne was a handsome man whose intelligent features seemed to defy his true age. He was a man of grace and vitality and for reasons even he didn’t truly know, he had not been touched by the normal passing of time.
“You are welcome here although we two do not exactly have much to be thankful for on this holiday. After all, we have recently lost two of our oldest allies!” he said,
Ultra Man said, “I know. I can hardly believe Johnny Quick and Power Ring are dead! They were idiots but they were useful at times too! I don’t think the new punks like Deadeye and Microbe can measure up to them! Even J’Imm can’t be relied on to be around when we need him. That Martian is as bad as Doc. Chaos. Both of them go off on their own for weeks at a time!”
Owlman smiled slightly as he said, “I agree. Deadeye needs careful managing. He has grand ideas of his own. He would like to replace us if he could!”
Ultra Man scowled as he clinched his fists.
“Oliver Queen won’t be king as long as we’re around! That’s not bad. Queen, king!” he said.
Owlman said, “Careful, you’re beginning to sound like my ward Raven!”
Ultra Man grinned briefly and said, “I’ve never thought the two of us really needed the others anyway. Superwoman’s okay but she has a smart mouth!”
Owlman said, “Our little group was never united by bonds of affection or loyalty. The newer members like Deadeye, Silk Canary and Microbe don’t even know how it all started. Only you and I recall the man who figuratively gave birth to the Crime Syndicate!”
Ultra Man nodded and said, “Yeah, you’re right! I haven’t thought about how we all met in years. I guess I’m not exactly sentimental!”
Owlman rested his chin on his linked fingers and said, “The past is dead and buried and yet I do think about that strange series of events occasionally. I suppose it really started when your rocket crashed on Earth!”
2
1971
Something blazed through the night skies over the Metropolis suburb called Midvale and crashed to the ground in a field on a small farm. As the residents hurried across the darkened landscape with hastily grabbed flashlights, raised voices became hushed as the strange object loomed into view.
“It’s a rocket! Has N.A.S.A. lost one or are we being invaded?”
The farmers warily circled the weird craft and exchanged frightened glances as some automatic control caused the rocket’s top to abruptly slide open to reveal a still human form within!

As the farmers gazed down at the graying haired man in the blue and red outfit, they considered what it could all mean.

“If he’s some kind of Martian he looks like one of us except for that costume.”

“See that costume? He’s a hippie! This is probably some kind of publicity stunt by one of the rock groups the kids like!”

“He must be dead! He hasn’t moved a muscle!”

The speculation ended when the man in the rocket sat up and groaned. He stood up and climbed out of the rocket even as he stared at his surroundings.

“Earth! This is Earth! I recognize the language from father’s recordings. He was always rambling on about how this world could be of use to him! I guess I picked up more than I thought from those hours he forced me to sit in front of the comput- teacher!” he muttered.

He was a tall and powerfully built figure and the farmers stepped back as he drew closer.

“ What are you savages looking at? I guess it isn’t every day you see royalty! I was the Prince of Kandor! My father was its Crime Lord! We’ll get along fine if you obey my every command!” he said.
“Crime lord? This freak admits to being some kind of gangster!” cried a heavy set man in a plaid shirt.
“Get him! Show him he can’t throw his weight around in the good ole U.S.A.!”
The men surged forward and used one another for support. Separately they might have reacted differently but as a mob they responded with violence!
As they attacked the alien, he staggered under their blows and fell backward over his craft.
“I didn’t survive the destruction of Krypton to be beaten to death by these idiots!” he thought as he recalled how the automatic data feeder had droned on during his time in suspended animation. The goal of such orbital exile was to rehabilitate criminals through a combination of education and brainwashing.
In Kel-LL’s case the program had enabled him to assimilate enough data to understand that something had broken his ship’s remote link to the memory learner. This same disruption had sent his rocket through some space warp away from what had apparently been the destruction of Krypton!
“Father disappeared…betrayed by his second in command! That’s how they found me! I know he always claimed that Krypton itself would not survive without him. He rigged some doomsday device to blow the place up! I guess it was activated when they launched me into orbit. I’m surprised he didn’t provide for my cousin. She was always his favorite!”
These thoughts flashed through his mind as he staggered away from the farmers!
He had aged slowly during the years it took for the ship to reach its landing on Earth and he was naturally confused and uncertain of how he should react. Still, he was never known for deep thought and he responded with brute force!
He reached down to grab a stone and as he wiped the blood from his chin he prepared to use the blunt object as a weapon! He frowned as the greenish rock gleamed in the moonlight!
“Some kind of glow!” he thought.
He charged at the mob and to his shock they were hurled across the field like dolls! He moved forward and began to pound on them with a fury that shattered bone and dispatched men as if they were toys!
“I’m stronger than any of them! I wasn’t at first but something just kicked in and made me some kind of ultra powerful dynamo!” he cried as he saw the field littered with still forms.
Back in the present Ultra Man looked at Owlman and said, “I didn’t know back then that exposure to kryptonite like the kind that was pulled through the space warp by my rocket would make me super powerful! I’m lucky it gave me super strength first. I might have been killed by those punks if I had just picked up super hearing!”
Owlman said, “I think you were predisposed to enhanced strength due to the gravitational differences between Krypton and Earth!”
Ultra Man shrugged. “No need to look back! I used my power to become a super criminal. Nobody could stop me. I guess I did it just to have a purpose. I was used to being against society in Kandor and it seemed natural to rebel here too. It was fun for the first few years but it was boring too. I only had one real challenger back then and he didn’t last too long either!”
Owlman said, “I recall our first meeting was in 1974 aboard a ship called the Varania!”

3
1974
The Varania was something of a relic from a bygone era. She was one of the last of the old style luxury cruise ships and her design was marked by ornate décor and costly construction designed to appeal to only the wealthiest of travelers. In fact only the very wealthy could afford to sail on a vessel that was so expensive and yet so very slow!
“It is the elegant journey that matters not the destination!”
That often repeated phrase appeared in the line’s brochures and for all of its triteness, it was basically true. The Varania catered to people who were rich enough to relish special treatment in what amounted to leisure travel of the most luxurious type.
One furtive figure moved gracefully down the deck and managed to notice every detail around him while also remaining relatively unobserved. Dr. Thomas Wayne was a master of disguise and in the guise of a uniformed crewmember he made his way through the luxury liner and prepared to rob the stateroom safe of a fortune in priceless jewels! While he had become something of an urban legend as the costumed criminal known as Owlman, he was also feared by those in the law enforcement business who had had the misfortune to encounter him! If the owners of the Varania had suspected that the notorious villain was aboard their prize ship they would have developed ulcers on their ulcers!
He carried false identification papers in the name of John Smilter and while he had established this identity with his customary thoroughness, Smilter was only one his many carefully crafted roles.
He smiled as he made his way to the safe and nodded in recognition. He knew exactly how to open the safe and he prided himself on how fast he could do so. The criminal way was necessary since he had lost his fortunate and so much more but it was also becoming a bit too easy.
Before he could open the safe a stentorian voice cried out, “Not so fast, pal!”
He whirled to see a costumed man standing in the stateroom. It had been empty seconds before. He knew this for a fact.
“Ultra Man! You used your super speed to vibrate through the wall! That explains how you could enter without my seeing you. I was unaware you’d mastered that particular application of your powers!” he said.

Ultra Man scowled as he stepped forward to confront the thief.
“How do you know so much about me? You’re more than a thief aren’t you? I see you have some fancy costume under that uniform!” he said.
The man calling himself John Smilter nodded and said, “Enhanced vision as well. That would explain much!”
Ultra Man drew back a fist and said, “Stop with the smart talk! You acted like you’ve been studying me. Are you some kind of undercover cop?”
Smilter said, “I’m a criminal like you. In fact the main reason I know so much about you is because I made it my business to learn all I could about you in preparation for the day we would eventually meet. I knew you and I would either make remarkably effective partners or rather deadly enemies!”
Ultra Man rubbed his eyes for a moment and then said, “Partners? I don’t need a partner. I don’t need anyone! I take what I want!”
Smilter said, “I’m Owlman, and what I have to offer you is something you’ve never known even on the other planet from which you most likely originated. I can offer you friendship!”
Ultra Man started to speak and then suddenly said nothing. He lowered his fist and stared at the other man as he removed his uniform to reveal a gray-black costume with a stylized cowl which he lifted over his head.
“This mudball’s never seen anyone like the two of us!” he said.
Owlman said, “Not entirely true but close enough!”
The ship suddenly rocked violently as sirens echoed and screams rose from outside the stateroom.
Ultra Man squinted at the walls and said, “The ship is under attack! Some kind of army is swarming over the rails!”
Owlman said, “Modern pirates! “
Ultra Man raised his hands to reveal a pile of gleaming jewels. He had taken them from the safe at super speed.
“They have no chance against me but I could use a bit of exercise!” he said
He hurried toward the door and then glanced back at Owlman.
“How about it? I think you might have some fun as well!” he said,
Owlman hesitated and then nodded as he followed the bigger man.
“Oddly enough I didn’t have to use my mental powers except to give him a slight nudge. He was already inclined to listen to me. I believe the strongest man on Earth is also the loneliest!”
The two costumed villains emerged on deck to see frightened travelers and startled crewmembers being attacked by a hoard of armor clad figures. Each attacker wore a suit of armor that seemed to have been formed out of some modified type of coral. Helmets covered each head and each invader moved with a silent ruthlessness!
Owlman said, “They aren’t ordinary pirates. They don’t care about loot. They are out to kill everyone!”
He nodded to where a soldier casually hurled a man over the rail even though the frightened man had offered him a thick stack of bills and a costly watch!
A hurled trident sailed through the air and shattered against Ultra Man’s chest.
Ultra Man said, “I don’t care if they kill everyone aboard but I don’t like their attitude! Nobody threatens me!”
He bounded down and began to knock the invaders into the water. As he slapped a soldier with one hand, the man’s helmet shattered into fragments and the shocked man began to gasp as if he was choking.
“They breathe water!” mused Owlman as he watched the invader die.
He swung down from above on a thin wire he had taken from his belt and he joined the fight.
It was pointless. It was dangerous. It was also the most fun he had had since he became Owlman.
“Ultra Man and I may actually become the team I envisioned!” he thought.
4
1974

As Owlman resumed his battle against the armored invaders, Ultra Man gasped as a huge sea monster with glistening purple scales erupted from the waters and loomed over the ship!
“Great Krypton! That thing might give me the workout I’ve been craving!” he said.
He leaped skyward and aimed himself at the reptilian creature’s head. He could not fly but he could leap 1/8th of a mile. He crashed into the creature and grabbed its snout with both hands. It struggled by shaking its head but he retained his grip and smiled cruelly as the pressure he was applying began to injure the startled beast.
He frowned as a cloud of vapor engulfed him! The noxious fumes did not hurt him but he grew annoyed and with a bellow of rage, drove his fingers through the creature’s skull!
As the monster thrashed for a moment and then collapsed into the ocean, a new figure emerged from the waves to confront the villain.
Unlike the armored invaders, the newcomer wore no helmet nor did he carry any weapon. He had long blond hair and a beard. He wore an orange shirt with green pants and matching gloves. He carried himself with a regal disdain for all he surveyed and when his steely gaze rested upon Ultra Man, he smiled coldly.
“So, you are a mud crawler with super powers! I suppose even the lowest surface scum can aspire to the stars! Of course, those powers will not save you from me. I will see your corpse rot on the ocean’s floor soon enough!” he said in a stentorian voice.
Ultra Man scowled and said, “You can’t talk to me that way! Nobody talks to Ultra Man like that!”
He jumped out of the water and drew closer to the newcomer. The blond man stood his ground and connected with a stinging punch that caught Ultra Man by surprise. He followed up with an uppercut that sent the villain reeling backward into the water.
“I am Atlan, King of Atlantis! Count yourself fortunate to have died by my hand!” he said as he began to choke Ultra Man and hold him below the water.
Ultra Man grabbed the other man’s wrists and began to crush them only to find that his strength was ebbing fast.
“I can’t break free! Can’t breathe!” he thought as his vision blurred and the pressure increased on his throat.
He realized what was happening was impossible! He didn’t need to breathe. He certainly was stronger than any fish-man!
Nevertheless, seconds later Ultra Man passed out and sank deeper under the waters.
King Atlan smiled and swam toward the ship where his followers were slowly overwhelming their solitary foe.
Owlman had killed several of the invaders and a combination of incendiary and gas pellets had badly injured a dozen more; however, even he could only hold off so many foes at one time.
He fell beneath a sudden assault by seven of them and the invaders stood at attention as their ruler boarded the ship.
King Atlan nodded to his subjects as they saluted his arrival.
“Well done. Have you located the talisman?” he said.
A rugged warrior stepped forward and kneeled before King Atlan as he held aloft a medallion with a weird glyph inscribed on its worn surface.
King Atlan took the ancient relic away from the warrior and held it up in the air for a moment and then tossed back his head and laughed!
“Do you see it? The medallion has the sign of the Weaver on its side! That pirate I tortured spoke the truth. It was aboard this craft. He sold it to some wealthy air breather and that dolt brought it onto my ocean! Did they not realize I would sense it once it left land and passed over my domain?”
He put the medallion away his neck and walked back to the deck.
“Follow me. Our work here is done. When we recover the other relics we seek, we will have enough power to flood the surface world and reclaim the entire world as our rightful home!”
He dropped over the side as his army followed him.
Owlman’s prone form remained on the deck as a silent reminder of how effective the Atlantean invader and his army had been!
5
Johnny Quick (Charles Drake)was the Fastest Felon Alive. There was really no question about that; however, in spite of his speed, there were some things he could not outrun! Death was one of them. He was mortal and could certainly die under the right circumstances. As the red and gold costumed villain groaned with pain and held one leg he gazed up at what just might spell his doom! Central City rested below a massive wave that loomed over the entire city. The powerful force of nature was literally suspended in the air. The magically created disaster was about to engulf the city and Quick couldn’t escape! He had tried to stop the source of the weird magical menace but he had fallen in battle and even he doubted that he could get up and out of the city before the impending deluge descended!
He saw the entire scene in grim slow motion! A powerful blond man with a regal manner stood defiantly in the middle of what had been a busy street before the self-proclaimed King of Atlantis had appeared and conjured the deadly wave!
“You land rats will see that no place on this planet is safe from me when I destroy this city!” Atlan announced coldly.
As the magical wave dropped down Quick shut his eyes and began to vibrate at top speed!
“I’ve got to keep myself moving so it will all pass right through me! I can keep it up until it’s over!” he thought.
To his surprise the wave never completely its descent! A green glowing barrier appeared and dispersed the deadly menace into a series of green channels that carried it away from the city and allowed it to dissipate!
A man in a green and black costume swooped down and extended a hand to Quick.
“Allow me to heal that injured leg. I saw enough of your fight to realize what was happening! I’m Power Ring!” he said.
As emerald energy irradiated Quick he felt his injury heal and he stared at the newcomer.
“You saved me and the whole city. Are you some kind of super hero?” he asked warily.
Power Ring (Bill Baggett) shook his head.
“Nope! I’m only looking out for myself! I figured you might be a good ally against that alien. I hate aliens! Coming here wasn’t even my idea. The ring forced me to fly here from Coast City. It’s magical and something in that freak’s spell attracted it!”
Atlan raised the medallion he had taken earlier and said, “I am not an alien. My people ruled the planet long before the City of the Golden Gates was submerged! I am merely reclaiming what is rightfully mine!”
King Atlan stepped closer to Power Ring and said, “You should not have interfered! My magical talisman will require time for its energies to be replenished! That means I will have to kill you with my bare hands!”
He charged at Power Ring who used his ring to generate a spiked covered shield. Atlan grimaced as he broke through and slapped Power Ring across the face.
“Your magical energy creations are fueled by will power. Sadly for you my will power is much stronger! I can control that ring from here!” he said as he continued to assault a startled Power Ring.
He lifted the villain over his head and hurled him across the street after casually removing the power ring from his hand.
Quick dashed forward and cushioned the other villain’s fall with a super speed generated updraft!
King Atlan slipped the ring on his finger and flew off without another word.
Quick questioned the fallen Power Ring as he helped him regain his footing.
“Are you hurt? How’d he take over your ring like that?” he asked.
Power Ring said, “I don’t know. I guess he can read minds or something. All I know is he was able to override my own commands. Can you follow him? If you can keep me in range of the ring, I can still trace it!”
Quick nodded and raced forward with his new ally in tow! He was no hero but he figured he had nothing to lose since apparently there was no place to hide from King Atlan!
6
The odd duo of Power Ring and Johnny Quick managed to follow King Atlan across the county to a lonely lighthouse on the coast of Maine.
Power Ring gasped for breath when they stopped on the shore below the lighthouse.
“I haven’t had the ring for very long. I didn’t know it could be stolen by that. He just willed it to obey him and it did. He didn’t even have to make contact with it! I don’t know why it brought me to Central City either. He didn’t seem to be expecting me to arrive!”
Quick said, “I used to work for a brainy scientist at the police lab. He invented the helmet that gave me my speed. He once said that magic might be science mankind has yet to comprehend. I guess that means anything can happen with magical forces!”
Power Ring said, “Yeah. Still, I got to get that ring back. Without it I’m a loser!”
Quick said, “I can try to race inside and steal it for you at super speed! Maybe I can recover it for you before that freak can react!”
As the duo discussed their strategy, King Atlan sat within on a throne formed from ornate coral.
At the end of his throne a gleaming chain extended to where a beautiful woman with long black hair and a brief black costume crouched helplessly at his feet. The golden cord bound her by a collar around her neck to the throne.
King Atlan casually stroked her hair as he stared into space.
“I was born here. It is my secret shame. My own subjects do not know this lowly piece of barren rock and sand was my birthplace nor do they know I ever return here. In truth I am a man of two worlds and I am not fully at home in either of them! My mother was Atlanna, Queen of Atlantis. After a raging storm weakened her, she was captured and enslaved by the man who lived here. He used her much as I have used you. He fathered me and thus, I was born with the ability to survive above or below the waves. My mother was rescued by her people shortly after my birth. It took her subjects many months to locate her. They killed my father and my mother perished in the rescue attempt. My uncle took her throne and raised me to hate the surface world! I vowed at her grave that I would one day avenge her by destroying the air breathers. I came here as a pilgrimage of a sort; however, I have never allowed my subjects to know that I have made something of a home for myself here. Between shore and sea I remain ready for my crusade to reach its end but I find myself strangely drawn to learn more about the man who fathered me!”
The raven haired beauty said nothing. Her will had been sapped by regular telepathic assaults from her captor. He held her bound to him with ties of more than the merely physical chain since it was magical in nature and its exact properties responded to his mental commands.
King Atlan bent down and kissed her roughly before resuming his brooding. It was a very troubled head that wore his crown.
7
Before Johnny Quick could make any attempt to invade the lighthouse Ultra Man and Owlman landed nearby and approached the evil pair. Quick and Power Ring drew back as the colorful duo dropped out of the sky.
Owlman glanced back at Ultra Man and said, “You’ve got the leaping in a single bound part down just fine but the landings could be a bit smoother!”
Ultra Man sneered as he replied, “Next time take the bus! At least your gadget was able to track our target here!”
Owlman said, “Once I realized he possessed mental powers I was able to trace him. His kind of brain is rare to say the least!”
He turned to face Johnny Quick and Power Ring.
“You gentleman don’t need to be alarmed. We share a common foe within that lighthouse!” he said.
Ultra Man said, “Yeah, We saw your fight on the news. We want to kill the Fishman too!”
Power Ring said, “I’ve heard of you both. I’ll work with you for now but I’m in charge!”
Ultra Man laughed as Owlman smiled coldly.
Ultra Man said, “Right. You’ll follow our orders or else. We can take you two down as easy as we’ll handle Atlan!”
Quick said, “No need to argue now! What do you know about him? You said he had mental powers! That must be how he took control of your ring!”
Power Ring grimaced. He was not happy that his current loss of power was becoming known to others.
“Any of these punks would keep my ring if they could! I can’t let that happen!” he thought.
“We can take him down if we act together! That’s the important part!”he said.
Owlman recalled an earlier discussion he had had with Ultra Man after he revived on the ship.
Ultra Man had emerged from the ocean with a dazed expression on his face.
Owlman had questioned him and carefully deduced a few important facts.
“You still have your ultra powers so he didn’t remove them. You certainly didn’t drown so the fact is he must have planted the idea in your mind that he was stronger and that you were vulnerable to his attack! He made you believe that you could not beat him. Clever!”
Ultra Man had angrily accepted the truth although he was in fact uncertain about whether he felt more comfortable that his foe was not really stronger or whether he felt shame that his mind had been vulnerable to the mental ruse!
Ultra Man felt the need to assert himself and he didn’t want to appear weak in front of the newcomers.
“I’ll shake that lighthouse to the ground!” he cried as he leaped toward the old structure and shattered through the exterior like a human rocket!
King Atlan scowled as his home was so rudely invaded!
“You again? I suppose I’ll have to kill you all now!” he said.
He raised the power ring and slammed Ultra Man to the ground with a massive emerald energy barrier.
As Quick raced forward and tried to remove the ring, Atlan slapped him to the ground and said, “I can read your petty brain! You can’t surprise me in proximity nor can you move faster than I can if I don’t allow it!”
Owlman nodded to himself. “He had strong mental powers. He can inhibit their use of their own powers as he pleases!”
Atlan suddenly removed the ring and hurled it across the room and out the window.
Power Ring raced after it as Quick squirmed beneath Atlan’s savage kicks!
“I felt it touch my mind. That infernal device wanted my very mind and soul! That’s why it led you to me back in Central City! It wanted to trade you for a superior host! I will not be salve to any mystical relic!” he said.
Power Ring had not heard the Sea King. He was scrambling down the rocky shore to find the ring. He grasped it in his hand and smiled with satisfaction. He was in control once more! He was somebody again!
Ultra Man knocked Atlan backward and roared, “Use your mind games on me! Try it! I dare you! Do it from under this whole tower!”
He smashed through the base of the lighthouse and kept pounding away!
Atlan barely avoided being buried by the collapsing structure as Owlman deftly freed the bound black haired prisoner and led her to safety.
Quick vibrated beneath the ground and back up outside to avoid being crushed!
“With an ally like Ultra Man, who needs an enemy? He didn’t care or didn’t think about the fact that he was going to kill us all by bringing the lighthouse apart!”
Power Ring shielded them from the rubble and said, “I owed you that much!”
Owlman turned to the woman in the skimpy black costume as he released her from the golden chain.
“You’re Superwoman the villainess who nearly killed the President a year ago! I wondered what happened to you! You’ve been his prisoner here from months!”
Superwoman said, “Yes! He enslaved me with that magical chain. It shapes itself as one mentally desires. It belonged to the sea god Proteus according to Atlan. He used me and abused me in every possible way. I’ll see him dead!
She screamed in fury and dived at Atlan from behind. As he whirled to block her attack he fell backward under her brutal assault!
“You can’t control me! I’ll kill you first!” she shrieked!
Owlman said, “You really can’t control her. I’m blocking your power. I can’t remove it but I can contain it!”
Quick fled from the scene of battle and stopped before a half buried trunk. It had been hidden within a panel in one wall and the destruction caused by Ultra Man had uncovered it.
“Treasure! It’s got to be sunken treasure! “ he said with a grin as he broke the lock with a vibrating super swift hand.
He scowled as he shifted the contents and read through a stack of letters!
“Sappy love letters from some babe named Atlanna! Worthless!” he cried as he hurled them down.
Superwoman was clawing and punching Atlan with all her might. She resembled a mythical Fury as he tried to kill her captor.
Atlan held his own against the angry Amazon but she was a better fighter and he was not used to fighting anyone without inhibiting them in some way. He was no coward and his arrogance carried the day in most situations; however, he had lost his home and now he was struggling to triumph against so many foes!
“No air breather can vanquish me! No one can defeat the rightful King of Atlantis!” he said.
Ultra Man dived passed Superwoman and delivered a blow to Atlan’s head.
“I’ll kill you right now!” he said with an evil smile.
Superwoman shoved him aside but his interruption and given Atlan time to dive for the shore.
Owlman said, “Catch him Power Ring! If he reaches the water, he will escape!”
Power Ring created a green cage that held the Sea King for a few seconds but failed to contain him!
King Atlan was able to break free with sheer will power in spite of Owlman’s best efforts to block his mental might.
He said, “I will engulf you all with the Weaver’s medallion! I do not need its twin to destroy you all!”
He gasped as he realized that the medallion he wore had been removed by a smirking Quick.
“I was fast enough to steal this little gem! I’d say you’re slipping, Neptune!” he said.
As blood began to trickle out of Atlan’s nose he staggered on the shore and fell at Superwoman’s feet.
“You were a favored pet to me!” he gasped.
She kicked him in the face and snapped the golden lasso of Proteus around to snare his arm.
“Now who is the prisoner?”s he said as she mentally commanded the lasso to sprout barbed spikes.
King Atlan looked at his foes and his broken home. He knew when he was beaten.
As the villains congratulated one another, Atlan sudden ripped out of the lasso and left one bound hand behind!
He ignored his bleeding arm and plunged into the ocean!
As the villains raced forward they found no trace of him! Once within the ocean he possessed powers beyond their reckoning!
“He tore his own hand off to escape! He’s was tough! I’ll say that for him!” said Power Ring.
Owlman said, “He’ll be back someday. I can’t imagine that wound will kill him!”
Quick said, “How does this magic necklace work? I can’t get it to do a thing!”
Superwoman said, “It only works for an Atlantean! However, I shall keep the Lasso of Proteus for myself!”
She kicked the hand aside and placed her own hands on her hips.
“You mortals were of some use to me. I will spare you all!” she said.
Ultra Man said, “Listen, babe, we saved your sorry hide!”
Owlman said, “We all worked well together. I could see us as a team. “
Quick said, “Nobody could beat us! We could rule the world!”
Superwoman said, “You may have a point. I will take you on as followers!”
Owlman said, “Actually, I see us as a true mob… a syndicate of crime!”
Ultra Man thought, “My father led such an organized gang. Perhaps, I should do so as well!”
Power Ring said, “I’m in! We’ll take over the whole planet!”
Ultra Man said, “Agreed! We’ll be what Owlman called us. We’ll be the Crime Syndicate!”
Owlman bent over a letter as it blew across the sand.
“Ironic. Atlan’s mother wrote these to his father. She was never a captive or a slave. She loved the lighthouse keeper and stayed with him out of love. I think Atlan didn’t know these letters were hidden behind that wall. I think he wrongly assumed or was told lies about his parents. Had he known the truth, he might have been a champion of the surface world!” he thought as he crumpled the letter up and tossed it aside.
It blew into the sea and was swept away!
Epilogue
1988
Ultra Man said, “Yeah, it was a grand start! Too bad Power Ring and Quick had to die!”
Owlman said, “Look! We’re not alone!”
He jumped up as a green glow enveloped the cave and two costumed men stood before him!
“I don’t believe it!” he said.
He saw the familiar red and gold costumed Johnny Quick and a younger man in a stylized version of Power Ring’s costume.
Quick said, “My demise was greatly exaggerated. I was tossed through time but I’m back as bad as ever! Don’t you know nothing can kill Johnny Quick!”
Ultra Man grunted and said, “Good. Who’s that with you? That’s not Baggett!”
The black haired man said, “My name is Ken Raynor. I found Power Ring’s ring. It called to me. I’m his successor!”
Owlman said nothing as he looked at the two newcomers.
“Quick, you know I don’t like it when you come to my city. I’ll overlook it this time. We need to find Superwoman and the others and make plans!”
He scowled as Ultra Man talked with the two arrivals.
“So Quick is back along with some new punk. The question is, what am I going to do about it?” he thought.
The End















Jjj

The Secret Origin of the Crime Syndicate
By lawrenceliberty
The villains recall how they first formed their team.
1
November 1987
Two costumed men sat silently in near darkness within a hidden cavern. The dim glow of various computers reflected off of highly polished vehicles parked nearby in a spacious garage area.
The bigger man pushed an errant curl of graying hair away from his slightly squinting eyes and cleared his throat.
“The meal was good. Helena is a fine cook. I’m glad I came here!” he said awkwardly.
He wore a blue costume with a red cape and in spite of his rather trite comment he was more comfortable with his dark clad companion than he was with any other native of this planet he now considered his domain.
Ultra Man (Kel-LL) looked across at Owlman (Dr. Thomas Wayne) as they sat together in the latter’s hidden HQ below Wayne Manor. Owlman wore his usual gray-black costume but he had pushed back the stylized cowl he normally wore. Wayne was a handsome man whose intelligent features seemed to defy his true age. He was a man of grace and vitality and for reasons even he didn’t truly know, he had not been touched by the normal passing of time.
“You are welcome here although we two do not exactly have much to be thankful for on this holiday. After all, we have recently lost two of our oldest allies!” he said,
Ultra Man said, “I know. I can hardly believe Johnny Quick and Power Ring are dead! They were idiots but they were useful at times too! I don’t think the new punks like Deadeye and Microbe can measure up to them! Even J’Imm can’t be relied on to be around when we need him. That Martian is as bad as Doc. Chaos. Both of them go off on their own for weeks at a time!”
Owlman smiled slightly as he said, “I agree. Deadeye needs careful managing. He has grand ideas of his own. He would like to replace us if he could!”
Ultra Man scowled as he clinched his fists.
“Oliver Queen won’t be king as long as we’re around! That’s not bad. Queen, king!” he said.
Owlman said, “Careful, you’re beginning to sound like my ward Raven!”
Ultra Man grinned briefly and said, “I’ve never thought the two of us really needed the others anyway. Superwoman’s okay but she has a smart mouth!”
Owlman said, “Our little group was never united by bonds of affection or loyalty. The newer members like Deadeye, Silk Canary and Microbe don’t even know how it all started. Only you and I recall the man who figuratively gave birth to the Crime Syndicate!”
Ultra Man nodded and said, “Yeah, you’re right! I haven’t thought about how we all met in years. I guess I’m not exactly sentimental!”
Owlman rested his chin on his linked fingers and said, “The past is dead and buried and yet I do think about that strange series of events occasionally. I suppose it really started when your rocket crashed on Earth!”
2
1971
Something blazed through the night skies over the Metropolis suburb called Midvale and crashed to the ground in a field on a small farm. As the residents hurried across the darkened landscape with hastily grabbed flashlights, raised voices became hushed as the strange object loomed into view.
“It’s a rocket! Has N.A.S.A. lost one or are we being invaded?”
The farmers warily circled the weird craft and exchanged frightened glances as some automatic control caused the rocket’s top to abruptly slide open to reveal a still human form within!

As the farmers gazed down at the graying haired man in the blue and red outfit, they considered what it could all mean.

“If he’s some kind of Martian he looks like one of us except for that costume.”

“See that costume? He’s a hippie! This is probably some kind of publicity stunt by one of the rock groups the kids like!”

“He must be dead! He hasn’t moved a muscle!”

The speculation ended when the man in the rocket sat up and groaned. He stood up and climbed out of the rocket even as he stared at his surroundings.

“Earth! This is Earth! I recognize the language from father’s recordings. He was always rambling on about how this world could be of use to him! I guess I picked up more than I thought from those hours he forced me to sit in front of the comput- teacher!” he muttered.

He was a tall and powerfully built figure and the farmers stepped back as he drew closer.

“ What are you savages looking at? I guess it isn’t every day you see royalty! I was the Prince of Kandor! My father was its Crime Lord! We’ll get along fine if you obey my every command!” he said.
“Crime lord? This freak admits to being some kind of gangster!” cried a heavy set man in a plaid shirt.
“Get him! Show him he can’t throw his weight around in the good ole U.S.A.!”
The men surged forward and used one another for support. Separately they might have reacted differently but as a mob they responded with violence!
As they attacked the alien, he staggered under their blows and fell backward over his craft.
“I didn’t survive the destruction of Krypton to be beaten to death by these idiots!” he thought as he recalled how the automatic data feeder had droned on during his time in suspended animation. The goal of such orbital exile was to rehabilitate criminals through a combination of education and brainwashing.
In Kel-LL’s case the program had enabled him to assimilate enough data to understand that something had broken his ship’s remote link to the memory learner. This same disruption had sent his rocket through some space warp away from what had apparently been the destruction of Krypton!
“Father disappeared…betrayed by his second in command! That’s how they found me! I know he always claimed that Krypton itself would not survive without him. He rigged some doomsday device to blow the place up! I guess it was activated when they launched me into orbit. I’m surprised he didn’t provide for my cousin. She was always his favorite!”
These thoughts flashed through his mind as he staggered away from the farmers!
He had aged slowly during the years it took for the ship to reach its landing on Earth and he was naturally confused and uncertain of how he should react. Still, he was never known for deep thought and he responded with brute force!
He reached down to grab a stone and as he wiped the blood from his chin he prepared to use the blunt object as a weapon! He frowned as the greenish rock gleamed in the moonlight!
“Some kind of glow!” he thought.
He charged at the mob and to his shock they were hurled across the field like dolls! He moved forward and began to pound on them with a fury that shattered bone and dispatched men as if they were toys!
“I’m stronger than any of them! I wasn’t at first but something just kicked in and made me some kind of ultra powerful dynamo!” he cried as he saw the field littered with still forms.
Back in the present Ultra Man looked at Owlman and said, “I didn’t know back then that exposure to kryptonite like the kind that was pulled through the space warp by my rocket would make me super powerful! I’m lucky it gave me super strength first. I might have been killed by those punks if I had just picked up super hearing!”
Owlman said, “I think you were predisposed to enhanced strength due to the gravitational differences between Krypton and Earth!”
Ultra Man shrugged. “No need to look back! I used my power to become a super criminal. Nobody could stop me. I guess I did it just to have a purpose. I was used to being against society in Kandor and it seemed natural to rebel here too. It was fun for the first few years but it was boring too. I only had one real challenger back then and he didn’t last too long either!”
Owlman said, “I recall our first meeting was in 1974 aboard a ship called the Varania!”

3
1974
The Varania was something of a relic from a bygone era. She was one of the last of the old style luxury cruise ships and her design was marked by ornate décor and costly construction designed to appeal to only the wealthiest of travelers. In fact only the very wealthy could afford to sail on a vessel that was so expensive and yet so very slow!
“It is the elegant journey that matters not the destination!”
That often repeated phrase appeared in the line’s brochures and for all of its triteness, it was basically true. The Varania catered to people who were rich enough to relish special treatment in what amounted to leisure travel of the most luxurious type.
One furtive figure moved gracefully down the deck and managed to notice every detail around him while also remaining relatively unobserved. Dr. Thomas Wayne was a master of disguise and in the guise of a uniformed crewmember he made his way through the luxury liner and prepared to rob the stateroom safe of a fortune in priceless jewels! While he had become something of an urban legend as the costumed criminal known as Owlman, he was also feared by those in the law enforcement business who had had the misfortune to encounter him! If the owners of the Varania had suspected that the notorious villain was aboard their prize ship they would have developed ulcers on their ulcers!
He carried false identification papers in the name of John Smilter and while he had established this identity with his customary thoroughness, Smilter was only one his many carefully crafted roles.
He smiled as he made his way to the safe and nodded in recognition. He knew exactly how to open the safe and he prided himself on how fast he could do so. The criminal way was necessary since he had lost his fortunate and so much more but it was also becoming a bit too easy.
Before he could open the safe a stentorian voice cried out, “Not so fast, pal!”
He whirled to see a costumed man standing in the stateroom. It had been empty seconds before. He knew this for a fact.
“Ultra Man! You used your super speed to vibrate through the wall! That explains how you could enter without my seeing you. I was unaware you’d mastered that particular application of your powers!” he said.

Ultra Man scowled as he stepped forward to confront the thief.
“How do you know so much about me? You’re more than a thief aren’t you? I see you have some fancy costume under that uniform!” he said.
The man calling himself John Smilter nodded and said, “Enhanced vision as well. That would explain much!”
Ultra Man drew back a fist and said, “Stop with the smart talk! You acted like you’ve been studying me. Are you some kind of undercover cop?”
Smilter said, “I’m a criminal like you. In fact the main reason I know so much about you is because I made it my business to learn all I could about you in preparation for the day we would eventually meet. I knew you and I would either make remarkably effective partners or rather deadly enemies!”
Ultra Man rubbed his eyes for a moment and then said, “Partners? I don’t need a partner. I don’t need anyone! I take what I want!”
Smilter said, “I’m Owlman, and what I have to offer you is something you’ve never known even on the other planet from which you most likely originated. I can offer you friendship!”
Ultra Man started to speak and then suddenly said nothing. He lowered his fist and stared at the other man as he removed his uniform to reveal a gray-black costume with a stylized cowl which he lifted over his head.
“This mudball’s never seen anyone like the two of us!” he said.
Owlman said, “Not entirely true but close enough!”
The ship suddenly rocked violently as sirens echoed and screams rose from outside the stateroom.
Ultra Man squinted at the walls and said, “The ship is under attack! Some kind of army is swarming over the rails!”
Owlman said, “Modern pirates! “
Ultra Man raised his hands to reveal a pile of gleaming jewels. He had taken them from the safe at super speed.
“They have no chance against me but I could use a bit of exercise!” he said
He hurried toward the door and then glanced back at Owlman.
“How about it? I think you might have some fun as well!” he said,
Owlman hesitated and then nodded as he followed the bigger man.
“Oddly enough I didn’t have to use my mental powers except to give him a slight nudge. He was already inclined to listen to me. I believe the strongest man on Earth is also the loneliest!”
The two costumed villains emerged on deck to see frightened travelers and startled crewmembers being attacked by a hoard of armor clad figures. Each attacker wore a suit of armor that seemed to have been formed out of some modified type of coral. Helmets covered each head and each invader moved with a silent ruthlessness!
Owlman said, “They aren’t ordinary pirates. They don’t care about loot. They are out to kill everyone!”
He nodded to where a soldier casually hurled a man over the rail even though the frightened man had offered him a thick stack of bills and a costly watch!
A hurled trident sailed through the air and shattered against Ultra Man’s chest.
Ultra Man said, “I don’t care if they kill everyone aboard but I don’t like their attitude! Nobody threatens me!”
He bounded down and began to knock the invaders into the water. As he slapped a soldier with one hand, the man’s helmet shattered into fragments and the shocked man began to gasp as if he was choking.
“They breathe water!” mused Owlman as he watched the invader die.
He swung down from above on a thin wire he had taken from his belt and he joined the fight.
It was pointless. It was dangerous. It was also the most fun he had had since he became Owlman.
“Ultra Man and I may actually become the team I envisioned!” he thought.
4
1974

As Owlman resumed his battle against the armored invaders, Ultra Man gasped as a huge sea monster with glistening purple scales erupted from the waters and loomed over the ship!
“Great Krypton! That thing might give me the workout I’ve been craving!” he said.
He leaped skyward and aimed himself at the reptilian creature’s head. He could not fly but he could leap 1/8th of a mile. He crashed into the creature and grabbed its snout with both hands. It struggled by shaking its head but he retained his grip and smiled cruelly as the pressure he was applying began to injure the startled beast.
He frowned as a cloud of vapor engulfed him! The noxious fumes did not hurt him but he grew annoyed and with a bellow of rage, drove his fingers through the creature’s skull!
As the monster thrashed for a moment and then collapsed into the ocean, a new figure emerged from the waves to confront the villain.
Unlike the armored invaders, the newcomer wore no helmet nor did he carry any weapon. He had long blond hair and a beard. He wore an orange shirt with green pants and matching gloves. He carried himself with a regal disdain for all he surveyed and when his steely gaze rested upon Ultra Man, he smiled coldly.
“So, you are a mud crawler with super powers! I suppose even the lowest surface scum can aspire to the stars! Of course, those powers will not save you from me. I will see your corpse rot on the ocean’s floor soon enough!” he said in a stentorian voice.
Ultra Man scowled and said, “You can’t talk to me that way! Nobody talks to Ultra Man like that!”
He jumped out of the water and drew closer to the newcomer. The blond man stood his ground and connected with a stinging punch that caught Ultra Man by surprise. He followed up with an uppercut that sent the villain reeling backward into the water.
“I am Atlan, King of Atlantis! Count yourself fortunate to have died by my hand!” he said as he began to choke Ultra Man and hold him below the water.
Ultra Man grabbed the other man’s wrists and began to crush them only to find that his strength was ebbing fast.
“I can’t break free! Can’t breathe!” he thought as his vision blurred and the pressure increased on his throat.
He realized what was happening was impossible! He didn’t need to breathe. He certainly was stronger than any fish-man!
Nevertheless, seconds later Ultra Man passed out and sank deeper under the waters.
King Atlan smiled and swam toward the ship where his followers were slowly overwhelming their solitary foe.
Owlman had killed several of the invaders and a combination of incendiary and gas pellets had badly injured a dozen more; however, even he could only hold off so many foes at one time.
He fell beneath a sudden assault by seven of them and the invaders stood at attention as their ruler boarded the ship.
King Atlan nodded to his subjects as they saluted his arrival.
“Well done. Have you located the talisman?” he said.
A rugged warrior stepped forward and kneeled before King Atlan as he held aloft a medallion with a weird glyph inscribed on its worn surface.
King Atlan took the ancient relic away from the warrior and held it up in the air for a moment and then tossed back his head and laughed!
“Do you see it? The medallion has the sign of the Weaver on its side! That pirate I tortured spoke the truth. It was aboard this craft. He sold it to some wealthy air breather and that dolt brought it onto my ocean! Did they not realize I would sense it once it left land and passed over my domain?”
He put the medallion away his neck and walked back to the deck.
“Follow me. Our work here is done. When we recover the other relics we seek, we will have enough power to flood the surface world and reclaim the entire world as our rightful home!”
He dropped over the side as his army followed him.
Owlman’s prone form remained on the deck as a silent reminder of how effective the Atlantean invader and his army had been!
5
Johnny Quick (Charles Drake)was the Fastest Felon Alive. There was really no question about that; however, in spite of his speed, there were some things he could not outrun! Death was one of them. He was mortal and could certainly die under the right circumstances. As the red and gold costumed villain groaned with pain and held one leg he gazed up at what just might spell his doom! Central City rested below a massive wave that loomed over the entire city. The powerful force of nature was literally suspended in the air. The magically created disaster was about to engulf the city and Quick couldn’t escape! He had tried to stop the source of the weird magical menace but he had fallen in battle and even he doubted that he could get up and out of the city before the impending deluge descended!
He saw the entire scene in grim slow motion! A powerful blond man with a regal manner stood defiantly in the middle of what had been a busy street before the self-proclaimed King of Atlantis had appeared and conjured the deadly wave!
“You land rats will see that no place on this planet is safe from me when I destroy this city!” Atlan announced coldly.
As the magical wave dropped down Quick shut his eyes and began to vibrate at top speed!
“I’ve got to keep myself moving so it will all pass right through me! I can keep it up until it’s over!” he thought.
To his surprise the wave never completely its descent! A green glowing barrier appeared and dispersed the deadly menace into a series of green channels that carried it away from the city and allowed it to dissipate!
A man in a green and black costume swooped down and extended a hand to Quick.
“Allow me to heal that injured leg. I saw enough of your fight to realize what was happening! I’m Power Ring!” he said.
As emerald energy irradiated Quick he felt his injury heal and he stared at the newcomer.
“You saved me and the whole city. Are you some kind of super hero?” he asked warily.
Power Ring (Bill Baggett) shook his head.
“Nope! I’m only looking out for myself! I figured you might be a good ally against that alien. I hate aliens! Coming here wasn’t even my idea. The ring forced me to fly here from Coast City. It’s magical and something in that freak’s spell attracted it!”
Atlan raised the medallion he had taken earlier and said, “I am not an alien. My people ruled the planet long before the City of the Golden Gates was submerged! I am merely reclaiming what is rightfully mine!”
King Atlan stepped closer to Power Ring and said, “You should not have interfered! My magical talisman will require time for its energies to be replenished! That means I will have to kill you with my bare hands!”
He charged at Power Ring who used his ring to generate a spiked covered shield. Atlan grimaced as he broke through and slapped Power Ring across the face.
“Your magical energy creations are fueled by will power. Sadly for you my will power is much stronger! I can control that ring from here!” he said as he continued to assault a startled Power Ring.
He lifted the villain over his head and hurled him across the street after casually removing the power ring from his hand.
Quick dashed forward and cushioned the other villain’s fall with a super speed generated updraft!
King Atlan slipped the ring on his finger and flew off without another word.
Quick questioned the fallen Power Ring as he helped him regain his footing.
“Are you hurt? How’d he take over your ring like that?” he asked.
Power Ring said, “I don’t know. I guess he can read minds or something. All I know is he was able to override my own commands. Can you follow him? If you can keep me in range of the ring, I can still trace it!”
Quick nodded and raced forward with his new ally in tow! He was no hero but he figured he had nothing to lose since apparently there was no place to hide from King Atlan!
6
The odd duo of Power Ring and Johnny Quick managed to follow King Atlan across the county to a lonely lighthouse on the coast of Maine.
Power Ring gasped for breath when they stopped on the shore below the lighthouse.
“I haven’t had the ring for very long. I didn’t know it could be stolen by that. He just willed it to obey him and it did. He didn’t even have to make contact with it! I don’t know why it brought me to Central City either. He didn’t seem to be expecting me to arrive!”
Quick said, “I used to work for a brainy scientist at the police lab. He invented the helmet that gave me my speed. He once said that magic might be science mankind has yet to comprehend. I guess that means anything can happen with magical forces!”
Power Ring said, “Yeah. Still, I got to get that ring back. Without it I’m a loser!”
Quick said, “I can try to race inside and steal it for you at super speed! Maybe I can recover it for you before that freak can react!”
As the duo discussed their strategy, King Atlan sat within on a throne formed from ornate coral.
At the end of his throne a gleaming chain extended to where a beautiful woman with long black hair and a brief black costume crouched helplessly at his feet. The golden cord bound her by a collar around her neck to the throne.
King Atlan casually stroked her hair as he stared into space.
“I was born here. It is my secret shame. My own subjects do not know this lowly piece of barren rock and sand was my birthplace nor do they know I ever return here. In truth I am a man of two worlds and I am not fully at home in either of them! My mother was Atlanna, Queen of Atlantis. After a raging storm weakened her, she was captured and enslaved by the man who lived here. He used her much as I have used you. He fathered me and thus, I was born with the ability to survive above or below the waves. My mother was rescued by her people shortly after my birth. It took her subjects many months to locate her. They killed my father and my mother perished in the rescue attempt. My uncle took her throne and raised me to hate the surface world! I vowed at her grave that I would one day avenge her by destroying the air breathers. I came here as a pilgrimage of a sort; however, I have never allowed my subjects to know that I have made something of a home for myself here. Between shore and sea I remain ready for my crusade to reach its end but I find myself strangely drawn to learn more about the man who fathered me!”
The raven haired beauty said nothing. Her will had been sapped by regular telepathic assaults from her captor. He held her bound to him with ties of more than the merely physical chain since it was magical in nature and its exact properties responded to his mental commands.
King Atlan bent down and kissed her roughly before resuming his brooding. It was a very troubled head that wore his crown.
7
Before Johnny Quick could make any attempt to invade the lighthouse Ultra Man and Owlman landed nearby and approached the evil pair. Quick and Power Ring drew back as the colorful duo dropped out of the sky.
Owlman glanced back at Ultra Man and said, “You’ve got the leaping in a single bound part down just fine but the landings could be a bit smoother!”
Ultra Man sneered as he replied, “Next time take the bus! At least your gadget was able to track our target here!”
Owlman said, “Once I realized he possessed mental powers I was able to trace him. His kind of brain is rare to say the least!”
He turned to face Johnny Quick and Power Ring.
“You gentleman don’t need to be alarmed. We share a common foe within that lighthouse!” he said.
Ultra Man said, “Yeah, We saw your fight on the news. We want to kill the Fishman too!”
Power Ring said, “I’ve heard of you both. I’ll work with you for now but I’m in charge!”
Ultra Man laughed as Owlman smiled coldly.
Ultra Man said, “Right. You’ll follow our orders or else. We can take you two down as easy as we’ll handle Atlan!”
Quick said, “No need to argue now! What do you know about him? You said he had mental powers! That must be how he took control of your ring!”
Power Ring grimaced. He was not happy that his current loss of power was becoming known to others.
“Any of these punks would keep my ring if they could! I can’t let that happen!” he thought.
“We can take him down if we act together! That’s the important part!”he said.
Owlman recalled an earlier discussion he had had with Ultra Man after he revived on the ship.
Ultra Man had emerged from the ocean with a dazed expression on his face.
Owlman had questioned him and carefully deduced a few important facts.
“You still have your ultra powers so he didn’t remove them. You certainly didn’t drown so the fact is he must have planted the idea in your mind that he was stronger and that you were vulnerable to his attack! He made you believe that you could not beat him. Clever!”
Ultra Man had angrily accepted the truth although he was in fact uncertain about whether he felt more comfortable that his foe was not really stronger or whether he felt shame that his mind had been vulnerable to the mental ruse!
Ultra Man felt the need to assert himself and he didn’t want to appear weak in front of the newcomers.
“I’ll shake that lighthouse to the ground!” he cried as he leaped toward the old structure and shattered through the exterior like a human rocket!
King Atlan scowled as his home was so rudely invaded!
“You again? I suppose I’ll have to kill you all now!” he said.
He raised the power ring and slammed Ultra Man to the ground with a massive emerald energy barrier.
As Quick raced forward and tried to remove the ring, Atlan slapped him to the ground and said, “I can read your petty brain! You can’t surprise me in proximity nor can you move faster than I can if I don’t allow it!”
Owlman nodded to himself. “He had strong mental powers. He can inhibit their use of their own powers as he pleases!”
Atlan suddenly removed the ring and hurled it across the room and out the window.
Power Ring raced after it as Quick squirmed beneath Atlan’s savage kicks!
“I felt it touch my mind. That infernal device wanted my very mind and soul! That’s why it led you to me back in Central City! It wanted to trade you for a superior host! I will not be salve to any mystical relic!” he said.
Power Ring had not heard the Sea King. He was scrambling down the rocky shore to find the ring. He grasped it in his hand and smiled with satisfaction. He was in control once more! He was somebody again!
Ultra Man knocked Atlan backward and roared, “Use your mind games on me! Try it! I dare you! Do it from under this whole tower!”
He smashed through the base of the lighthouse and kept pounding away!
Atlan barely avoided being buried by the collapsing structure as Owlman deftly freed the bound black haired prisoner and led her to safety.
Quick vibrated beneath the ground and back up outside to avoid being crushed!
“With an ally like Ultra Man, who needs an enemy? He didn’t care or didn’t think about the fact that he was going to kill us all by bringing the lighthouse apart!”
Power Ring shielded them from the rubble and said, “I owed you that much!”
Owlman turned to the woman in the skimpy black costume as he released her from the golden chain.
“You’re Superwoman the villainess who nearly killed the President a year ago! I wondered what happened to you! You’ve been his prisoner here from months!”
Superwoman said, “Yes! He enslaved me with that magical chain. It shapes itself as one mentally desires. It belonged to the sea god Proteus according to Atlan. He used me and abused me in every possible way. I’ll see him dead!
She screamed in fury and dived at Atlan from behind. As he whirled to block her attack he fell backward under her brutal assault!
“You can’t control me! I’ll kill you first!” she shrieked!
Owlman said, “You really can’t control her. I’m blocking your power. I can’t remove it but I can contain it!”
Quick fled from the scene of battle and stopped before a half buried trunk. It had been hidden within a panel in one wall and the destruction caused by Ultra Man had uncovered it.
“Treasure! It’s got to be sunken treasure! “ he said with a grin as he broke the lock with a vibrating super swift hand.
He scowled as he shifted the contents and read through a stack of letters!
“Sappy love letters from some babe named Atlanna! Worthless!” he cried as he hurled them down.
Superwoman was clawing and punching Atlan with all her might. She resembled a mythical Fury as he tried to kill her captor.
Atlan held his own against the angry Amazon but she was a better fighter and he was not used to fighting anyone without inhibiting them in some way. He was no coward and his arrogance carried the day in most situations; however, he had lost his home and now he was struggling to triumph against so many foes!
“No air breather can vanquish me! No one can defeat the rightful King of Atlantis!” he said.
Ultra Man dived passed Superwoman and delivered a blow to Atlan’s head.
“I’ll kill you right now!” he said with an evil smile.
Superwoman shoved him aside but his interruption and given Atlan time to dive for the shore.
Owlman said, “Catch him Power Ring! If he reaches the water, he will escape!”
Power Ring created a green cage that held the Sea King for a few seconds but failed to contain him!
King Atlan was able to break free with sheer will power in spite of Owlman’s best efforts to block his mental might.
He said, “I will engulf you all with the Weaver’s medallion! I do not need its twin to destroy you all!”
He gasped as he realized that the medallion he wore had been removed by a smirking Quick.
“I was fast enough to steal this little gem! I’d say you’re slipping, Neptune!” he said.
As blood began to trickle out of Atlan’s nose he staggered on the shore and fell at Superwoman’s feet.
“You were a favored pet to me!” he gasped.
She kicked him in the face and snapped the golden lasso of Proteus around to snare his arm.
“Now who is the prisoner?”s he said as she mentally commanded the lasso to sprout barbed spikes.
King Atlan looked at his foes and his broken home. He knew when he was beaten.
As the villains congratulated one another, Atlan sudden ripped out of the lasso and left one bound hand behind!
He ignored his bleeding arm and plunged into the ocean!
As the villains raced forward they found no trace of him! Once within the ocean he possessed powers beyond their reckoning!
“He tore his own hand off to escape! He’s was tough! I’ll say that for him!” said Power Ring.
Owlman said, “He’ll be back someday. I can’t imagine that wound will kill him!”
Quick said, “How does this magic necklace work? I can’t get it to do a thing!”
Superwoman said, “It only works for an Atlantean! However, I shall keep the Lasso of Proteus for myself!”
She kicked the hand aside and placed her own hands on her hips.
“You mortals were of some use to me. I will spare you all!” she said.
Ultra Man said, “Listen, babe, we saved your sorry hide!”
Owlman said, “We all worked well together. I could see us as a team. “
Quick said, “Nobody could beat us! We could rule the world!”
Superwoman said, “You may have a point. I will take you on as followers!”
Owlman said, “Actually, I see us as a true mob… a syndicate of crime!”
Ultra Man thought, “My father led such an organized gang. Perhaps, I should do so as well!”
Power Ring said, “I’m in! We’ll take over the whole planet!”
Ultra Man said, “Agreed! We’ll be what Owlman called us. We’ll be the Crime Syndicate!”
Owlman bent over a letter as it blew across the sand.
“Ironic. Atlan’s mother wrote these to his father. She was never a captive or a slave. She loved the lighthouse keeper and stayed with him out of love. I think Atlan didn’t know these letters were hidden behind that wall. I think he wrongly assumed or was told lies about his parents. Had he known the truth, he might have been a champion of the surface world!” he thought as he crumpled the letter up and tossed it aside.
It blew into the sea and was swept away!
Epilogue
1988
Ultra Man said, “Yeah, it was a grand start! Too bad Power Ring and Quick had to die!”
Owlman said, “Look! We’re not alone!”
He jumped up as a green glow enveloped the cave and two costumed men stood before him!
“I don’t believe it!” he said.
He saw the familiar red and gold costumed Johnny Quick and a younger man in a stylized version of Power Ring’s costume.
Quick said, “My demise was greatly exaggerated. I was tossed through time but I’m back as bad as ever! Don’t you know nothing can kill Johnny Quick!”
Ultra Man grunted and said, “Good. Who’s that with you? That’s not Baggett!”
The black haired man said, “My name is Ken Raynor. I found Power Ring’s ring. It called to me. I’m his successor!”
Owlman said nothing as he looked at the two newcomers.
“Quick, you know I don’t like it when you come to my city. I’ll overlook it this time. We need to find Superwoman and the others and make plans!”
He scowled as Ultra Man talked with the two arrivals.
“So Quick is back along with some new punk. The question is, what am I going to do about it?” he thought.
The End












Jjj

The Secret Origin of the Crime Syndicate
By lawrenceliberty
The villains recall how they first formed their team.
1
November 1987
Two costumed men sat silently in near darkness within a hidden cavern. The dim glow of various computers reflected off of highly polished vehicles parked nearby in a spacious garage area.
The bigger man pushed an errant curl of graying hair away from his slightly squinting eyes and cleared his throat.
“The meal was good. Helena is a fine cook. I’m glad I came here!” he said awkwardly.
He wore a blue costume with a red cape and in spite of his rather trite comment he was more comfortable with his dark clad companion than he was with any other native of this planet he now considered his domain.
Ultra Man (Kel-LL) looked across at Owlman (Dr. Thomas Wayne) as they sat together in the latter’s hidden HQ below Wayne Manor. Owlman wore his usual gray-black costume but he had pushed back the stylized cowl he normally wore. Wayne was a handsome man whose intelligent features seemed to defy his true age. He was a man of grace and vitality and for reasons even he didn’t truly know, he had not been touched by the normal passing of time.
“You are welcome here although we two do not exactly have much to be thankful for on this holiday. After all, we have recently lost two of our oldest allies!” he said,
Ultra Man said, “I know. I can hardly believe Johnny Quick and Power Ring are dead! They were idiots but they were useful at times too! I don’t think the new punks like Deadeye and Microbe can measure up to them! Even J’Imm can’t be relied on to be around when we need him. That Martian is as bad as Doc. Chaos. Both of them go off on their own for weeks at a time!”
Owlman smiled slightly as he said, “I agree. Deadeye needs careful managing. He has grand ideas of his own. He would like to replace us if he could!”
Ultra Man scowled as he clinched his fists.
“Oliver Queen won’t be king as long as we’re around! That’s not bad. Queen, king!” he said.
Owlman said, “Careful, you’re beginning to sound like my ward Raven!”
Ultra Man grinned briefly and said, “I’ve never thought the two of us really needed the others anyway. Superwoman’s okay but she has a smart mouth!”
Owlman said, “Our little group was never united by bonds of affection or loyalty. The newer members like Deadeye, Silk Canary and Microbe don’t even know how it all started. Only you and I recall the man who figuratively gave birth to the Crime Syndicate!”
Ultra Man nodded and said, “Yeah, you’re right! I haven’t thought about how we all met in years. I guess I’m not exactly sentimental!”
Owlman rested his chin on his linked fingers and said, “The past is dead and buried and yet I do think about that strange series of events occasionally. I suppose it really started when your rocket crashed on Earth!”
2
1971
Something blazed through the night skies over the Metropolis suburb called Midvale and crashed to the ground in a field on a small farm. As the residents hurried across the darkened landscape with hastily grabbed flashlights, raised voices became hushed as the strange object loomed into view.
“It’s a rocket! Has N.A.S.A. lost one or are we being invaded?”
The farmers warily circled the weird craft and exchanged frightened glances as some automatic control caused the rocket’s top to abruptly slide open to reveal a still human form within!

As the farmers gazed down at the graying haired man in the blue and red outfit, they considered what it could all mean.

“If he’s some kind of Martian he looks like one of us except for that costume.”

“See that costume? He’s a hippie! This is probably some kind of publicity stunt by one of the rock groups the kids like!”

“He must be dead! He hasn’t moved a muscle!”

The speculation ended when the man in the rocket sat up and groaned. He stood up and climbed out of the rocket even as he stared at his surroundings.

“Earth! This is Earth! I recognize the language from father’s recordings. He was always rambling on about how this world could be of use to him! I guess I picked up more than I thought from those hours he forced me to sit in front of the comput- teacher!” he muttered.

He was a tall and powerfully built figure and the farmers stepped back as he drew closer.

“ What are you savages looking at? I guess it isn’t every day you see royalty! I was the Prince of Kandor! My father was its Crime Lord! We’ll get along fine if you obey my every command!” he said.
“Crime lord? This freak admits to being some kind of gangster!” cried a heavy set man in a plaid shirt.
“Get him! Show him he can’t throw his weight around in the good ole U.S.A.!”
The men surged forward and used one another for support. Separately they might have reacted differently but as a mob they responded with violence!
As they attacked the alien, he staggered under their blows and fell backward over his craft.
“I didn’t survive the destruction of Krypton to be beaten to death by these idiots!” he thought as he recalled how the automatic data feeder had droned on during his time in suspended animation. The goal of such orbital exile was to rehabilitate criminals through a combination of education and brainwashing.
In Kel-LL’s case the program had enabled him to assimilate enough data to understand that something had broken his ship’s remote link to the memory learner. This same disruption had sent his rocket through some space warp away from what had apparently been the destruction of Krypton!
“Father disappeared…betrayed by his second in command! That’s how they found me! I know he always claimed that Krypton itself would not survive without him. He rigged some doomsday device to blow the place up! I guess it was activated when they launched me into orbit. I’m surprised he didn’t provide for my cousin. She was always his favorite!”
These thoughts flashed through his mind as he staggered away from the farmers!
He had aged slowly during the years it took for the ship to reach its landing on Earth and he was naturally confused and uncertain of how he should react. Still, he was never known for deep thought and he responded with brute force!
He reached down to grab a stone and as he wiped the blood from his chin he prepared to use the blunt object as a weapon! He frowned as the greenish rock gleamed in the moonlight!
“Some kind of glow!” he thought.
He charged at the mob and to his shock they were hurled across the field like dolls! He moved forward and began to pound on them with a fury that shattered bone and dispatched men as if they were toys!
“I’m stronger than any of them! I wasn’t at first but something just kicked in and made me some kind of ultra powerful dynamo!” he cried as he saw the field littered with still forms.
Back in the present Ultra Man looked at Owlman and said, “I didn’t know back then that exposure to kryptonite like the kind that was pulled through the space warp by my rocket would make me super powerful! I’m lucky it gave me super strength first. I might have been killed by those punks if I had just picked up super hearing!”
Owlman said, “I think you were predisposed to enhanced strength due to the gravitational differences between Krypton and Earth!”
Ultra Man shrugged. “No need to look back! I used my power to become a super criminal. Nobody could stop me. I guess I did it just to have a purpose. I was used to being against society in Kandor and it seemed natural to rebel here too. It was fun for the first few years but it was boring too. I only had one real challenger back then and he didn’t last too long either!”
Owlman said, “I recall our first meeting was in 1974 aboard a ship called the Varania!”

3
1974
The Varania was something of a relic from a bygone era. She was one of the last of the old style luxury cruise ships and her design was marked by ornate décor and costly construction designed to appeal to only the wealthiest of travelers. In fact only the very wealthy could afford to sail on a vessel that was so expensive and yet so very slow!
“It is the elegant journey that matters not the destination!”
That often repeated phrase appeared in the line’s brochures and for all of its triteness, it was basically true. The Varania catered to people who were rich enough to relish special treatment in what amounted to leisure travel of the most luxurious type.
One furtive figure moved gracefully down the deck and managed to notice every detail around him while also remaining relatively unobserved. Dr. Thomas Wayne was a master of disguise and in the guise of a uniformed crewmember he made his way through the luxury liner and prepared to rob the stateroom safe of a fortune in priceless jewels! While he had become something of an urban legend as the costumed criminal known as Owlman, he was also feared by those in the law enforcement business who had had the misfortune to encounter him! If the owners of the Varania had suspected that the notorious villain was aboard their prize ship they would have developed ulcers on their ulcers!
He carried false identification papers in the name of John Smilter and while he had established this identity with his customary thoroughness, Smilter was only one his many carefully crafted roles.
He smiled as he made his way to the safe and nodded in recognition. He knew exactly how to open the safe and he prided himself on how fast he could do so. The criminal way was necessary since he had lost his fortunate and so much more but it was also becoming a bit too easy.
Before he could open the safe a stentorian voice cried out, “Not so fast, pal!”
He whirled to see a costumed man standing in the stateroom. It had been empty seconds before. He knew this for a fact.
“Ultra Man! You used your super speed to vibrate through the wall! That explains how you could enter without my seeing you. I was unaware you’d mastered that particular application of your powers!” he said.

Ultra Man scowled as he stepped forward to confront the thief.
“How do you know so much about me? You’re more than a thief aren’t you? I see you have some fancy costume under that uniform!” he said.
The man calling himself John Smilter nodded and said, “Enhanced vision as well. That would explain much!”
Ultra Man drew back a fist and said, “Stop with the smart talk! You acted like you’ve been studying me. Are you some kind of undercover cop?”
Smilter said, “I’m a criminal like you. In fact the main reason I know so much about you is because I made it my business to learn all I could about you in preparation for the day we would eventually meet. I knew you and I would either make remarkably effective partners or rather deadly enemies!”
Ultra Man rubbed his eyes for a moment and then said, “Partners? I don’t need a partner. I don’t need anyone! I take what I want!”
Smilter said, “I’m Owlman, and what I have to offer you is something you’ve never known even on the other planet from which you most likely originated. I can offer you friendship!”
Ultra Man started to speak and then suddenly said nothing. He lowered his fist and stared at the other man as he removed his uniform to reveal a gray-black costume with a stylized cowl which he lifted over his head.
“This mudball’s never seen anyone like the two of us!” he said.
Owlman said, “Not entirely true but close enough!”
The ship suddenly rocked violently as sirens echoed and screams rose from outside the stateroom.
Ultra Man squinted at the walls and said, “The ship is under attack! Some kind of army is swarming over the rails!”
Owlman said, “Modern pirates! “
Ultra Man raised his hands to reveal a pile of gleaming jewels. He had taken them from the safe at super speed.
“They have no chance against me but I could use a bit of exercise!” he said
He hurried toward the door and then glanced back at Owlman.
“How about it? I think you might have some fun as well!” he said,
Owlman hesitated and then nodded as he followed the bigger man.
“Oddly enough I didn’t have to use my mental powers except to give him a slight nudge. He was already inclined to listen to me. I believe the strongest man on Earth is also the loneliest!”
The two costumed villains emerged on deck to see frightened travelers and startled crewmembers being attacked by a hoard of armor clad figures. Each attacker wore a suit of armor that seemed to have been formed out of some modified type of coral. Helmets covered each head and each invader moved with a silent ruthlessness!
Owlman said, “They aren’t ordinary pirates. They don’t care about loot. They are out to kill everyone!”
He nodded to where a soldier casually hurled a man over the rail even though the frightened man had offered him a thick stack of bills and a costly watch!
A hurled trident sailed through the air and shattered against Ultra Man’s chest.
Ultra Man said, “I don’t care if they kill everyone aboard but I don’t like their attitude! Nobody threatens me!”
He bounded down and began to knock the invaders into the water. As he slapped a soldier with one hand, the man’s helmet shattered into fragments and the shocked man began to gasp as if he was choking.
“They breathe water!” mused Owlman as he watched the invader die.
He swung down from above on a thin wire he had taken from his belt and he joined the fight.
It was pointless. It was dangerous. It was also the most fun he had had since he became Owlman.
“Ultra Man and I may actually become the team I envisioned!” he thought.
4
1974

As Owlman resumed his battle against the armored invaders, Ultra Man gasped as a huge sea monster with glistening purple scales erupted from the waters and loomed over the ship!
“Great Krypton! That thing might give me the workout I’ve been craving!” he said.
He leaped skyward and aimed himself at the reptilian creature’s head. He could not fly but he could leap 1/8th of a mile. He crashed into the creature and grabbed its snout with both hands. It struggled by shaking its head but he retained his grip and smiled cruelly as the pressure he was applying began to injure the startled beast.
He frowned as a cloud of vapor engulfed him! The noxious fumes did not hurt him but he grew annoyed and with a bellow of rage, drove his fingers through the creature’s skull!
As the monster thrashed for a moment and then collapsed into the ocean, a new figure emerged from the waves to confront the villain.
Unlike the armored invaders, the newcomer wore no helmet nor did he carry any weapon. He had long blond hair and a beard. He wore an orange shirt with green pants and matching gloves. He carried himself with a regal disdain for all he surveyed and when his steely gaze rested upon Ultra Man, he smiled coldly.
“So, you are a mud crawler with super powers! I suppose even the lowest surface scum can aspire to the stars! Of course, those powers will not save you from me. I will see your corpse rot on the ocean’s floor soon enough!” he said in a stentorian voice.
Ultra Man scowled and said, “You can’t talk to me that way! Nobody talks to Ultra Man like that!”
He jumped out of the water and drew closer to the newcomer. The blond man stood his ground and connected with a stinging punch that caught Ultra Man by surprise. He followed up with an uppercut that sent the villain reeling backward into the water.
“I am Atlan, King of Atlantis! Count yourself fortunate to have died by my hand!” he said as he began to choke Ultra Man and hold him below the water.
Ultra Man grabbed the other man’s wrists and began to crush them only to find that his strength was ebbing fast.
“I can’t break free! Can’t breathe!” he thought as his vision blurred and the pressure increased on his throat.
He realized what was happening was impossible! He didn’t need to breathe. He certainly was stronger than any fish-man!
Nevertheless, seconds later Ultra Man passed out and sank deeper under the waters.
King Atlan smiled and swam toward the ship where his followers were slowly overwhelming their solitary foe.
Owlman had killed several of the invaders and a combination of incendiary and gas pellets had badly injured a dozen more; however, even he could only hold off so many foes at one time.
He fell beneath a sudden assault by seven of them and the invaders stood at attention as their ruler boarded the ship.
King Atlan nodded to his subjects as they saluted his arrival.
“Well done. Have you located the talisman?” he said.
A rugged warrior stepped forward and kneeled before King Atlan as he held aloft a medallion with a weird glyph inscribed on its worn surface.
King Atlan took the ancient relic away from the warrior and held it up in the air for a moment and then tossed back his head and laughed!
“Do you see it? The medallion has the sign of the Weaver on its side! That pirate I tortured spoke the truth. It was aboard this craft. He sold it to some wealthy air breather and that dolt brought it onto my ocean! Did they not realize I would sense it once it left land and passed over my domain?”
He put the medallion away his neck and walked back to the deck.
“Follow me. Our work here is done. When we recover the other relics we seek, we will have enough power to flood the surface world and reclaim the entire world as our rightful home!”
He dropped over the side as his army followed him.
Owlman’s prone form remained on the deck as a silent reminder of how effective the Atlantean invader and his army had been!
5
Johnny Quick (Charles Drake)was the Fastest Felon Alive. There was really no question about that; however, in spite of his speed, there were some things he could not outrun! Death was one of them. He was mortal and could certainly die under the right circumstances. As the red and gold costumed villain groaned with pain and held one leg he gazed up at what just might spell his doom! Central City rested below a massive wave that loomed over the entire city. The powerful force of nature was literally suspended in the air. The magically created disaster was about to engulf the city and Quick couldn’t escape! He had tried to stop the source of the weird magical menace but he had fallen in battle and even he doubted that he could get up and out of the city before the impending deluge descended!
He saw the entire scene in grim slow motion! A powerful blond man with a regal manner stood defiantly in the middle of what had been a busy street before the self-proclaimed King of Atlantis had appeared and conjured the deadly wave!
“You land rats will see that no place on this planet is safe from me when I destroy this city!” Atlan announced coldly.
As the magical wave dropped down Quick shut his eyes and began to vibrate at top speed!
“I’ve got to keep myself moving so it will all pass right through me! I can keep it up until it’s over!” he thought.
To his surprise the wave never completely its descent! A green glowing barrier appeared and dispersed the deadly menace into a series of green channels that carried it away from the city and allowed it to dissipate!
A man in a green and black costume swooped down and extended a hand to Quick.
“Allow me to heal that injured leg. I saw enough of your fight to realize what was happening! I’m Power Ring!” he said.
As emerald energy irradiated Quick he felt his injury heal and he stared at the newcomer.
“You saved me and the whole city. Are you some kind of super hero?” he asked warily.
Power Ring (Bill Baggett) shook his head.
“Nope! I’m only looking out for myself! I figured you might be a good ally against that alien. I hate aliens! Coming here wasn’t even my idea. The ring forced me to fly here from Coast City. It’s magical and something in that freak’s spell attracted it!”
Atlan raised the medallion he had taken earlier and said, “I am not an alien. My people ruled the planet long before the City of the Golden Gates was submerged! I am merely reclaiming what is rightfully mine!”
King Atlan stepped closer to Power Ring and said, “You should not have interfered! My magical talisman will require time for its energies to be replenished! That means I will have to kill you with my bare hands!”
He charged at Power Ring who used his ring to generate a spiked covered shield. Atlan grimaced as he broke through and slapped Power Ring across the face.
“Your magical energy creations are fueled by will power. Sadly for you my will power is much stronger! I can control that ring from here!” he said as he continued to assault a startled Power Ring.
He lifted the villain over his head and hurled him across the street after casually removing the power ring from his hand.
Quick dashed forward and cushioned the other villain’s fall with a super speed generated updraft!
King Atlan slipped the ring on his finger and flew off without another word.
Quick questioned the fallen Power Ring as he helped him regain his footing.
“Are you hurt? How’d he take over your ring like that?” he asked.
Power Ring said, “I don’t know. I guess he can read minds or something. All I know is he was able to override my own commands. Can you follow him? If you can keep me in range of the ring, I can still trace it!”
Quick nodded and raced forward with his new ally in tow! He was no hero but he figured he had nothing to lose since apparently there was no place to hide from King Atlan!
6
The odd duo of Power Ring and Johnny Quick managed to follow King Atlan across the county to a lonely lighthouse on the coast of Maine.
Power Ring gasped for breath when they stopped on the shore below the lighthouse.
“I haven’t had the ring for very long. I didn’t know it could be stolen by that. He just willed it to obey him and it did. He didn’t even have to make contact with it! I don’t know why it brought me to Central City either. He didn’t seem to be expecting me to arrive!”
Quick said, “I used to work for a brainy scientist at the police lab. He invented the helmet that gave me my speed. He once said that magic might be science mankind has yet to comprehend. I guess that means anything can happen with magical forces!”
Power Ring said, “Yeah. Still, I got to get that ring back. Without it I’m a loser!”
Quick said, “I can try to race inside and steal it for you at super speed! Maybe I can recover it for you before that freak can react!”
As the duo discussed their strategy, King Atlan sat within on a throne formed from ornate coral.
At the end of his throne a gleaming chain extended to where a beautiful woman with long black hair and a brief black costume crouched helplessly at his feet. The golden cord bound her by a collar around her neck to the throne.
King Atlan casually stroked her hair as he stared into space.
“I was born here. It is my secret shame. My own subjects do not know this lowly piece of barren rock and sand was my birthplace nor do they know I ever return here. In truth I am a man of two worlds and I am not fully at home in either of them! My mother was Atlanna, Queen of Atlantis. After a raging storm weakened her, she was captured and enslaved by the man who lived here. He used her much as I have used you. He fathered me and thus, I was born with the ability to survive above or below the waves. My mother was rescued by her people shortly after my birth. It took her subjects many months to locate her. They killed my father and my mother perished in the rescue attempt. My uncle took her throne and raised me to hate the surface world! I vowed at her grave that I would one day avenge her by destroying the air breathers. I came here as a pilgrimage of a sort; however, I have never allowed my subjects to know that I have made something of a home for myself here. Between shore and sea I remain ready for my crusade to reach its end but I find myself strangely drawn to learn more about the man who fathered me!”
The raven haired beauty said nothing. Her will had been sapped by regular telepathic assaults from her captor. He held her bound to him with ties of more than the merely physical chain since it was magical in nature and its exact properties responded to his mental commands.
King Atlan bent down and kissed her roughly before resuming his brooding. It was a very troubled head that wore his crown.
7
Before Johnny Quick could make any attempt to invade the lighthouse Ultra Man and Owlman landed nearby and approached the evil pair. Quick and Power Ring drew back as the colorful duo dropped out of the sky.
Owlman glanced back at Ultra Man and said, “You’ve got the leaping in a single bound part down just fine but the landings could be a bit smoother!”
Ultra Man sneered as he replied, “Next time take the bus! At least your gadget was able to track our target here!”
Owlman said, “Once I realized he possessed mental powers I was able to trace him. His kind of brain is rare to say the least!”
He turned to face Johnny Quick and Power Ring.
“You gentleman don’t need to be alarmed. We share a common foe within that lighthouse!” he said.
Ultra Man said, “Yeah, We saw your fight on the news. We want to kill the Fishman too!”
Power Ring said, “I’ve heard of you both. I’ll work with you for now but I’m in charge!”
Ultra Man laughed as Owlman smiled coldly.
Ultra Man said, “Right. You’ll follow our orders or else. We can take you two down as easy as we’ll handle Atlan!”
Quick said, “No need to argue now! What do you know about him? You said he had mental powers! That must be how he took control of your ring!”
Power Ring grimaced. He was not happy that his current loss of power was becoming known to others.
“Any of these punks would keep my ring if they could! I can’t let that happen!” he thought.
“We can take him down if we act together! That’s the important part!”he said.
Owlman recalled an earlier discussion he had had with Ultra Man after he revived on the ship.
Ultra Man had emerged from the ocean with a dazed expression on his face.
Owlman had questioned him and carefully deduced a few important facts.
“You still have your ultra powers so he didn’t remove them. You certainly didn’t drown so the fact is he must have planted the idea in your mind that he was stronger and that you were vulnerable to his attack! He made you believe that you could not beat him. Clever!”
Ultra Man had angrily accepted the truth although he was in fact uncertain about whether he felt more comfortable that his foe was not really stronger or whether he felt shame that his mind had been vulnerable to the mental ruse!
Ultra Man felt the need to assert himself and he didn’t want to appear weak in front of the newcomers.
“I’ll shake that lighthouse to the ground!” he cried as he leaped toward the old structure and shattered through the exterior like a human rocket!
King Atlan scowled as his home was so rudely invaded!
“You again? I suppose I’ll have to kill you all now!” he said.
He raised the power ring and slammed Ultra Man to the ground with a massive emerald energy barrier.
As Quick raced forward and tried to remove the ring, Atlan slapped him to the ground and said, “I can read your petty brain! You can’t surprise me in proximity nor can you move faster than I can if I don’t allow it!”
Owlman nodded to himself. “He had strong mental powers. He can inhibit their use of their own powers as he pleases!”
Atlan suddenly removed the ring and hurled it across the room and out the window.
Power Ring raced after it as Quick squirmed beneath Atlan’s savage kicks!
“I felt it touch my mind. That infernal device wanted my very mind and soul! That’s why it led you to me back in Central City! It wanted to trade you for a superior host! I will not be salve to any mystical relic!” he said.
Power Ring had not heard the Sea King. He was scrambling down the rocky shore to find the ring. He grasped it in his hand and smiled with satisfaction. He was in control once more! He was somebody again!
Ultra Man knocked Atlan backward and roared, “Use your mind games on me! Try it! I dare you! Do it from under this whole tower!”
He smashed through the base of the lighthouse and kept pounding away!
Atlan barely avoided being buried by the collapsing structure as Owlman deftly freed the bound black haired prisoner and led her to safety.
Quick vibrated beneath the ground and back up outside to avoid being crushed!
“With an ally like Ultra Man, who needs an enemy? He didn’t care or didn’t think about the fact that he was going to kill us all by bringing the lighthouse apart!”
Power Ring shielded them from the rubble and said, “I owed you that much!”
Owlman turned to the woman in the skimpy black costume as he released her from the golden chain.
“You’re Superwoman the villainess who nearly killed the President a year ago! I wondered what happened to you! You’ve been his prisoner here from months!”
Superwoman said, “Yes! He enslaved me with that magical chain. It shapes itself as one mentally desires. It belonged to the sea god Proteus according to Atlan. He used me and abused me in every possible way. I’ll see him dead!
She screamed in fury and dived at Atlan from behind. As he whirled to block her attack he fell backward under her brutal assault!
“You can’t control me! I’ll kill you first!” she shrieked!
Owlman said, “You really can’t control her. I’m blocking your power. I can’t remove it but I can contain it!”
Quick fled from the scene of battle and stopped before a half buried trunk. It had been hidden within a panel in one wall and the destruction caused by Ultra Man had uncovered it.
“Treasure! It’s got to be sunken treasure! “ he said with a grin as he broke the lock with a vibrating super swift hand.
He scowled as he shifted the contents and read through a stack of letters!
“Sappy love letters from some babe named Atlanna! Worthless!” he cried as he hurled them down.
Superwoman was clawing and punching Atlan with all her might. She resembled a mythical Fury as he tried to kill her captor.
Atlan held his own against the angry Amazon but she was a better fighter and he was not used to fighting anyone without inhibiting them in some way. He was no coward and his arrogance carried the day in most situations; however, he had lost his home and now he was struggling to triumph against so many foes!
“No air breather can vanquish me! No one can defeat the rightful King of Atlantis!” he said.
Ultra Man dived passed Superwoman and delivered a blow to Atlan’s head.
“I’ll kill you right now!” he said with an evil smile.
Superwoman shoved him aside but his interruption and given Atlan time to dive for the shore.
Owlman said, “Catch him Power Ring! If he reaches the water, he will escape!”
Power Ring created a green cage that held the Sea King for a few seconds but failed to contain him!
King Atlan was able to break free with sheer will power in spite of Owlman’s best efforts to block his mental might.
He said, “I will engulf you all with the Weaver’s medallion! I do not need its twin to destroy you all!”
He gasped as he realized that the medallion he wore had been removed by a smirking Quick.
“I was fast enough to steal this little gem! I’d say you’re slipping, Neptune!” he said.
As blood began to trickle out of Atlan’s nose he staggered on the shore and fell at Superwoman’s feet.
“You were a favored pet to me!” he gasped.
She kicked him in the face and snapped the golden lasso of Proteus around to snare his arm.
“Now who is the prisoner?”s he said as she mentally commanded the lasso to sprout barbed spikes.
King Atlan looked at his foes and his broken home. He knew when he was beaten.
As the villains congratulated one another, Atlan sudden ripped out of the lasso and left one bound hand behind!
He ignored his bleeding arm and plunged into the ocean!
As the villains raced forward they found no trace of him! Once within the ocean he possessed powers beyond their reckoning!
“He tore his own hand off to escape! He’s was tough! I’ll say that for him!” said Power Ring.
Owlman said, “He’ll be back someday. I can’t imagine that wound will kill him!”
Quick said, “How does this magic necklace work? I can’t get it to do a thing!”
Superwoman said, “It only works for an Atlantean! However, I shall keep the Lasso of Proteus for myself!”
She kicked the hand aside and placed her own hands on her hips.
“You mortals were of some use to me. I will spare you all!” she said.
Ultra Man said, “Listen, babe, we saved your sorry hide!”
Owlman said, “We all worked well together. I could see us as a team. “
Quick said, “Nobody could beat us! We could rule the world!”
Superwoman said, “You may have a point. I will take you on as followers!”
Owlman said, “Actually, I see us as a true mob… a syndicate of crime!”
Ultra Man thought, “My father led such an organized gang. Perhaps, I should do so as well!”
Power Ring said, “I’m in! We’ll take over the whole planet!”
Ultra Man said, “Agreed! We’ll be what Owlman called us. We’ll be the Crime Syndicate!”
Owlman bent over a letter as it blew across the sand.
“Ironic. Atlan’s mother wrote these to his father. She was never a captive or a slave. She loved the lighthouse keeper and stayed with him out of love. I think Atlan didn’t know these letters were hidden behind that wall. I think he wrongly assumed or was told lies about his parents. Had he known the truth, he might have been a champion of the surface world!” he thought as he crumpled the letter up and tossed it aside.
It blew into the sea and was swept away!
Epilogue
1988
Ultra Man said, “Yeah, it was a grand start! Too bad Power Ring and Quick had to die!”
Owlman said, “Look! We’re not alone!”
He jumped up as a green glow enveloped the cave and two costumed men stood before him!
“I don’t believe it!” he said.
He saw the familiar red and gold costumed Johnny Quick and a younger man in a stylized version of Power Ring’s costume.
Quick said, “My demise was greatly exaggerated. I was tossed through time but I’m back as bad as ever! Don’t you know nothing can kill Johnny Quick!”
Ultra Man grunted and said, “Good. Who’s that with you? That’s not Baggett!”
The black haired man said, “My name is Ken Raynor. I found Power Ring’s ring. It called to me. I’m his successor!”
Owlman said nothing as he looked at the two newcomers.
“Quick, you know I don’t like it when you come to my city. I’ll overlook it this time. We need to find Superwoman and the others and make plans!”
He scowled as Ultra Man talked with the two arrivals.
“So Quick is back along with some new punk. The question is, what am I going to do about it?” he thought.
The End