LOVE SLAVE OF THE IMMORTAL VILLAIN
A tale of the Legion of Super-Vandals
The characters and representations of Superboy, the Legion of Super-Heroes and its members (however disguised), Vandal Savage, and the varieties of kryptonite are trademarked and copyrighted by DC Comics. No infringement of those rights is intended.
This story is set in a parallel universe (Earth-whatever), where Superbody did not join the Legion of Super-Heroes. Instead, Lex Luthor founded a club made up of students at Smallville High with powers of their own. These students are:
Clark Kent: the Invisible Kid
Gary Crane: Ultra Boy
Marie Elkins: Duo Damsel
Phyllis Groves: Phantom Girl
Sharon Vaughn: Shrinking Violet
And now, the story.
Chapter 1. Delphi, 340 B.C.
The beetle-browed man with the black beard climbed the steps and bowed deeply to the Oracle of Delphi, who sat hunched on her throne, while strange gases swirled around her head. These gases, so we now believe, were the source of her prophetic visions.
"Tell me what I want to know," the dark man demanded.
The woman turned to her attendants and dismissed them with a wave of her hand. Bowing, they retreated into the darkness of her cave. She then addressed the supplicant.
"Your coming was foretold," the woman said tiredly. "You are the one who would rule all. But hark, ye, your plans will come to naught, until the day, centuries from now, when a boy in red and blue, in a land not yet descried, in a nation not yet found, from a world that ceased to be, stands forth as champion. This lad you must seduce with native stones that have lost their brilliance. With him as your catamite, the world will be yours to rule." She closed her eyes wearily.
"Tell me more," the man demanded.
"There is no more," the woman sighed. "Many plans you will devise, in centuries to come, deathless one, but all will be put to naught. Only when the boy comes will your time be right. Serve him not with green, lest you lose your tool. But cherish him with pink, and his love will make you mighty."
"Thank you, wise one," the man said, bowing again. Then, unexpectedly, he took three steps up to the dais, seized the woman, and with a sharp twist to her head felt her neck snap. He stepped back and let the body flop back on the throne.
"Didn't see that coming, did you?" he asked rhetorically.
Chapter 2. And the Years Roll On
The man had been born Vandar Adj, in the days of the Cro-Magnons, before man had learned to reckon time. Exposed to the rays of an exploding meteor, he lived on when the Cro-Magnons died out. He ruled in many lands through the next 50,000 years, as Cheops, builder of the Great Pyramid, and Genghis Khan. In Germany in 1212, he led the Children's Crusade which provided young Christian slaves to the Arabs. In France in 1440, as Gilles de Rais, his savagery to young boys led to accusations of witchcraft, a narrow escape, and the start of the legend of Bluebeard. In Wallachia in 1460, he helped Vlad Tepes impale hundreds of victims. In Hungary in 1610, he provided the girls in whose blood Elizabeth Bathory bathed, slitting their throats and letting the blood pour over the mad countess' naked body.
In the 1500's he was delighted to hear of the discovery of the American continents. The land not yet descried had been discovered. He rode with Pizarro and Cortez on their expeditions to the new world, and delighted in the bloodshed which brought down the Incas and the Aztecs.
In 1777 he led a troop of ruthless mercenaries to America, to fight on the side of the colonists to help them win the "nation not yet found." George Washington did not know the secret plan of his ally, and was dismayed by the savagery with which his men tore into his foes. Pragmatically, he decided that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," but he took care that the history books did not record the atrocities of his unpleasant comrade-in-arms.
And so, for another one hundred and fifty years, the man who had been Vandar Adj kept to the background as the world moved on. He kept close eye on the activities of the infant United States, while returning to Europe to serve as advisor to Napoleon Bonaparte. He took a vacation in 1888 to amuse himself with some prostitutes in London, or so the story goes. He provided the weapons to Gavrilo Princip with which he assassinated Archduke Francis Ferdinand, precipitating the crisis we now call World War One. After that war, he worked his way into the confidences of a young convict named Adolph Hitler, and fanned his hatred of the Jews to fever pitch. During the Second World War he ran one of the concentration camps that led the field in experimentation on human subjects.
And in the 1950's, by our current reckoning, while staying in Brazil with Dr. Mengele, he read of a boy in Smallville, Kansas, U.S.A., who came from the planet Krypton when it was destroyed by internal upheaval. The youth had amazing powers, and was seemingly unstoppable. But he was vulnerable to a strange mineral called Kryptonite, which glowed green. "Serve him not with green," Vandar remembered, "but cherish him with pink." He immediately made arrangements to travel to Smallville.
In Smallville in the guise of Dr. Vlad Ansavage, he made the acquaintance of a boy named Lex Luthor, who seemed very close to the boy of steel. Lex was handsome, with a full head of brown hair. Through Lex he learned that there were several colors of Kryptonite, including red, which had strange effects on Superboy. After the boy of steel had shaken off the effects of one such meteorite, which made him invisible, he presented the fragment to Lex, who set about working on a Kryptonite antidote. His experiments turned the glowing rock pink, which delighted Vandar Adj to no end. However, the Pink Kryptonite did not seem to have any effect on Superboy, who at that time had not yet fully entered puberty. Adj broke off a piece of the rock, and then set a small bomb in Lex' laboratory. Then Adj left Smallville. The bomb was intended to release a poisonous Gas-X that Lex had devised, killing the main witness to Adj's visit. As it turned out, Superboy was close enough to save Lex, although the Gas-X had the effect of killing the hair follicles on Lex' body. Lex blamed the explosion on Superboy, and vowed revenge. He became Superboy's worst enemy, and using another piece of the Pink Kryptonite, created an 'Invisibility Belt' which he gave to Clark Kent.
And Adj, in New York City, read the news and pondered. "Cherish him with pink," he recalled again and again. But what did it mean? At last, he decided that the time was ripe. The boy was growing into a man, and the sibyl had said "a boy in red and blue." Adj decided not to wait for the youth to become Superman; the time for action was nigh. And so he returned to Smallville, this time thinking of himself in his newest identity: Vandal Savage.
Chapter 3. Insult to Injury
"Luthor, you have a visitor," the guard at the State Reformatory informed the bald boy who was Superboy's arch-nemesis. Curious, Lex Luthor followed the guard to the visitor's room, where a familiar black-bearded man sat on the other side of a table divided by wire mesh.
" Dr. Ansavage," Lex said by way of greeting as he took his seat in front of the mesh.
"Lex," Vandal Savage replied. "It's good to see you, although I regret the change in your life situation that has brought you to this confinement."
"It's all Superboy's fault," Lex replied, slamming his fist against the table. "Someday I will repay him for humiliating me like this."
"And today may be the day," the villain replied, and Lex perked up. "I have made some discoveries myself about the powers of Kryptonite, specifically about pink Kryptonite, of which you have the only sample. You do still have the sample, don't you?"
Lex shrugged. "It's around somewhere," he replied. "But why are you interested?"
Vandal Savage grinned. "Using the pink Kryptonite, I should be able to control the boy of steel, turn him into a puppet dancing to my whim. And my whim has some very specific aims, such as world domination. Wouldn't you like to see Superboy reviled as the boy who destroyed America."
Lex grinned. "That would be wonderful, to see him hated the way the world hates me. But what's in it for me?"
The immortal villain smiled and nodded. "You will be my right-hand man, beside me ruling the world, and using Superboy in whatever manner you see fit. Tell him to go, and he will go; tell him to come, and he will come. And all through the use of pink Kryptonite, and another device which I have in my possession."
Luthor leaned forward and whispered something through the mesh, something that made Vandal Savage smile.
"And your lab? Is it empty? Would I be able to use it as a base?"
"Sure," Lex said. "Superboy built it for me, but I've made some additions that he doesn't know about. You could also use my parents' house on Northwest Road. They left town and changed their name after I made such a reputation."
"Excellent," Vandal Savage said. "In a few short weeks, the boy of steel will be breaking you out of this prison, to join me in our conquest." With that he took his leave, smiling to himself as he crossed the parking lot. He took out a small memo pad and made an addition to a list marked " Things for Superboy to Do."
#5. Incinerate Lex Luthor with heat vision.
Chapter 4. Invitation to the Dance
One quiet Saturday afternoon, Clark Kent was lying on his back on his bed in his bedroom in the Kent residence in Smallville, Kansas, U.S.A His pants were pulled down around his knees, as were the red briefs of the Superboy uniform he wore beneath it. He was idly playing with the erect member so displayed, while his imagination ran the gamut. He imagined his best friend and lover Pete Ross on his knees before him, mouth open to receive the gift the boy of steel had for him. He imagined his next-door neighbor Lana Lang lying on her back, her hand brushing the red thatch between her legs, offering to let him penetrate her female mystery. He pictured himself lying in bed between his friends Gary and Phyllis while they both satisfied him, and he reciprocated with his two busy hands. He thought about his friend / brother / cousin Mon-El, a visitor from the planet Daxam, and imagined that Mon-El's weight was heavy on his back as the ass of steel accepted the powerful thrusts. He even imagined his former friend and now worst enemy Lex Luthor, naked on his stomach crying out with pain and pleasure as his tender anus was brutally used.
Then Clark heard a shout from downstairs. "Clark," his foster mother cried. "The lamp in the basement is blinking. Can you fix it, please?" Clark knew that there was nothing wrong with the lamp; it was simply a signal that Police Chief Parker needed to contact Superboy. He wrapped his hand tighter around his member, and with a few quick strokes finished his erotic play. He blocked the result with his hand as it shot toward the ceiling, where it would have left dents and broken plaster if not for his intervention.
He quickly cleaned himself off, removed the Clark Kent garments and adjusted the Superboy outfit, and at super-speed raced through the house to the secret tunnel by which he made his costumed exits. It took him less than a minute to fly from the Kent house to the police station, where he found the chief and his niece Marie Elkins.
"Mail call," the chief said, handing him three letters. The Smallville police station served as a mailing address for the boy of steel, since he could hardly receive mail at the Kent residence and maintain a secret identity. He quickly scanned them.
"Hmmm," he said thoughtfully. "Jasper Hornet wants me to squeeze some coal into diamonds for him, so that he can relieve his mortgage. Yeah, uh-huh. And the Bixbyville Orphanage would like a contribution. That would be a good idea if there was an orphanage in Bixbyville, but I happen to know there's not. And -- now, this is interesting." He read aloud from the third letter.
Dear Superboy,
I have recently come to Smallville, and have acquired the laboratory which you built for Lex Luthor. I am an expert in interplanetary geology, and have made a most interesting discovery about the mineral Kryptonite and your sensitivity toward it. If possible, would you visit me at the laboratory at 7:00 pm on Saturday? It would be of great benefit to both of us. Sincerely, Dr. Vlad Ansavage
"Ugh," Marie said. "That sounds like a trap."
Superboy looked into the distance with his telescopic vision. "Nope," he said. "I don't see any traces of Kryptonite, red or green, at Lex' old lab. And no lead-lined boxes that my x-ray vision can't see through, either. This could be on the level, and if it is, I'd like to take the chance to get rid of my weakness."
Saying goodbye, the boy of steel flew out the window, leaving Marie worried. "He's always so positive he can handle things," she thought. "Well, maybe the Legion of Super-Vandals had better be on hand, just in case Dr. Ansavage isn't what he seems."
Chapter 5. The Legion Espionage Squad
Marie immediately got on the phone to Sharon Vaughn, the "Shrinking Violet" of their team. She told Sharon about the letter, and suggested that she eavesdrop on the meeting in tiny form. Then Marie called the Kent residence, asking to talk to Clark. She did not know that Clark had just left the police station in his Superboy identity; she only knew of his identity as "the Invisible Kid." Martha Kent answered the phone, and told Marie that Clark was out, and she didn't know when he'd return.
Next Marie called Pete Ross, knowing that the blond boy was currently in a very passionate relationship with Clark. Pete said that Clark wasn't there, but that he expected him very soon. Marie told Pete about the meeting at the Luthor laboratory, and asked him to tell Clark to be there invisibly.
Marie's next phone call was to Phyllis Grove, the "Phantom Girl" , and as it happened Gary Crane, "Ultra Boy" , was with her. Marie relayed her information, and Phyllis agreed to drop by in phantom form, while Gary observed from a distance with his penetra-vision. Satisfied with her work, Marie made plans of her own to visit the lab.
Now, one of the more complicated secrets of Smallville was that Pete Ross knew that Clark Kent was really Superboy, but Superboy did not know that Pete knew. So Pete was now worried about the possible trap that Marie had feared. He decided to do something about it. He drove to the Kent home, surreptitiously entered the house and tiptoed upstairs. Martha was in the kitchen cooking, while Jonathan Kent was still at his general store. Looking under Clark's bed, Pete found the invisibility belt and the uniform that Clark wore as the Invisible Kid. Pete put on the costume, and then twisted the dial on the belt until he disappeared from sight. Then he cautiously crept down the stairs and out into the fading afternoon. Hurrying back to his home, he donned the wig and make-up that he had used in the past to imitate Superboy to protect his secret identity, but this time he arranged it so that he looked like Clark, finishing off the disguise with a pair of fake glasses. He checked his watch, and figured that he just had time to get to the laboratory before Superboy's appointment.
When he arrived he found Marie waiting. "You're driving Pete Ross' car," she noticed.
"Yes," Pete said hoarsely, trying to disguise his voice. "He lent it to me for this important mission."
"You sound terrible," Marie said. "Are you coming down with a cold?" When Pete nodded, she said, "Well, be careful. You don't want to cough or sneeze; that would ruin everything." Pete nodded again, and Marie said, "You'll find my 'other half' by the window on the east side of the building. We found a way to get in without Dr. Ansavage noticing us."
Turning the belt dial that made him invisible, Pete crept quietly up the driveway and around to the east side of the building, where the other Marie (she had the ability to split into two identical bodies) was crouched, peeking in a window.
"Hi, Marie," he rasped, and she gasped and fell over on her bottom.
"Geez, Clark," she said. "Don't sneak up on a body that way. You almost scared me to death!"
"Sorry," he croaked. " I wasn't thinking."
Chapter 6. Vandal Savage's Plan
"You sound terrible," Marie said. "Are you coming down with a cold? Well, be careful. You don't want to cough or sneeze; that would ruin everything."
Pete chuckled. "That's just what you told me at the gate," he whispered. "You should change your name to Deja Vu Girl."
Carefully she opened the window, which was hinged at the top. "Okay," she said. "Climb in." Carefully Pete slipped through the window, which was harder than expected because of his invisibility. "It was a lot easier letting Sharon in," Marie said. "She just walked upright through the window and hopped down to the floor. And Phyllis just ghosted her way through the wall with no help from me at all."
"On second thought," whispered Pete, "maybe you should change your name to Grumble Girl."
"Clark Kent," she said severely. "You don't usually make jokes like that. You've been spending too much time with Pete Ross."
Frightened that he might have compromised any number of secret identities (his, Clark's, Superboy's), Pete tiptoed quietly to the door on the other side of the room. Listening at the door, and peeking through the keyhole, he became aware that Dr. Ansavage was in the next room, alone, waiting for Superboy. Of course, he didn't know that Phyllis was hiding in a closet, while Sharon in tiny form was perched on a chair rung to avoid being stepped on. As he watched, there was a knock on the door, and Ansavage went to answer it. Concealed by the noise made by Ansavage, Pete quickly opened the door he was hiding behind, stepped into the room, and quietly closed the door behind him.
Ansavage's visitor was Superboy, of course. The doctor greeted him enthusiastically, and made some small talk about the boy of steel's latest public feat. Then he got down to the point. "As you may know, I worked for a short time with young Luthor before his accident. He was looking for a cure for your weakness to Kryptonite. I went to see him at the reformatory, and learned that he had made a great leap forward, although I fear it was not enough, and after the accident he renounced it. But there is a sample in the caves below, and I believe that with a short test, I should be able to carry his work forward."
Superboy looked dubious, and glanced downward. Then, with a wry look at Ansavage, he said, "There are a lot of lead deposits between us and the caves; I can't see into them."
Ansavage looked Superboy directly in the eye. "I know that you have great hearing ability, among other things. You should be able to hear my heart rate, and monitor my blood pressure. Listen to me. There is nothing in the cavern below that will harm you in any way."
"Your pulse rate is elevated," Superboy said, "but I believe that is because of your excitement. But I don't think you are lying. All right, how do we get to the caves?"
Ansavage went to a corner of the room and pulled open a trapdoor. In the room, Pete, Sharon and Phyllis had all they could do to hold back their astonishment. On the hill outside, Gary Crane did not have to muffle his surprised cry.
The trapdoor opened onto a wrought iron spiral staircase, down which Ansavage led the boy of steel. As Pete tiptoed toward it, he saw a ghostly form come out of the closet and dive into the floor, swimming through the solid earth to the cave below. And as he approached the opening, a small green bird brushed his ear, and he reached up instinctively to swat it before realizing it was the tiny Sharon Vaughn, flying by means of the belt she had acquired on the previous Vandals adventure. She paused in mid-air to scold the invisible boy, but Pete was amused to see that she was looking in the wrong direction.
Chapter 7. Vandal Savage Strikes
When Ansavage and Superboy had cleared the stairs, Pete surreptitiously stepped onto it, carefully trying not to make noise, and not to make it shake. He crept down a few steps, and decided the danger of alerting them to his presence was too great, and so he sat down near the top of the steps, and watched from above. He little knew that he may have saved his life by doing so.
Meanwhile, on the nearby hill, Gary Crane leaped into the air, using his super-speed. Because he could only use one power at a time, as soon as he was airborne he switched to his penetra-vision, which could easily see through the lead layers of the cave. Free-falling toward the ground, he checked the layout of the caves, and found an entrance from outside. Regaining his super-speed, he darted to where the two Maries were peeking in the window. "They're in the caves," he said. I know another way in." She became one girl, and he picked her up and hurtled with super-speed to the other side of the hill, where they flew in the second entrance. He and Marie were already in place behind some stalagmites when Ansavage and the boy of steel stepped off the stairway.
In the cave there was a large tarpaulin that must have been impregnated with lead, since Superboy could not see through it. Lying on a rock nearby was what appeared to be a hand mirror with no glass or back, so that it was just a handle on an oval. Dr. Ansavage strode to the tarpaulin and pulled it free, displaying a huge glowing pink rock. "This is Lex' discovery," Ansavage said. "Pink Kryptonite. No one knows what effect it would have on a super-powered Kryptonian, although I have a theory. I suspect that it may change the subject's sexual alignment, and the larger the piece, the more dramatic the change."
"I already know about Pink Kryptonite," Superboy said.
Above, Pete's eyes widened. He knew that the Invisibility Belt was powered by a piece of Pink Kryptonite, and he suddenly realized why Clark had been attracted to him. The Pink K had changed his sexuality, so that he desired boys. Pete almost cried out. It seemed that the entire affair between him and Clark had been a sham, powered by the pink stone in the belt rather than true affection and desire.
Meanwhile, Ansavage picked up the handled oval. "Now here is another item that I picked up on my travels," he said with a sinister smile. "It is called the Mirror of Enthrallment. It has great magical powers, so that it will even affect a super boy. When a victim looks into the mirror, he (or she) will fall in love with the person on the other side, providing that the requirement of sexual attraction is met."
Superboy was staring at Ansavage when the villain suddenly moved the mirror in front of his own face, holding it so that Superboy was looking through it. A change came over Superboy's face. His eyes glazed, his jaw dropped, and his cheeks reddened. "It's working, I see," the villain grinned. "Come closer, Superboy. Come to me. Embrace your master." The boy of steel took a few faltering steps forward, put his arms around Ansavage, and kissed him passionately. Pete bit his tongue to keep from screaming with anger, jealousy and fear.
"And now, Superboy," the villain said, "it is time to meet your true master. I am Vandar Adj, the immortal villain, last of the Cro-Magnons. I have ruled as king in Sumer and Egypt, I have been the advisor to kings and generals, but with you as my love slave the time has come for me to rule the world under my new name, Vandal Savage!"
"Tomorrow, Superboy, you will obey my commands. You will fly to Washington, DC, and tumble to the ground that obelisk of American pride, the Washington Monument. Then I shall make my demands, and if America does not surrender, we shall assassinate the president, and bring the Empire State Building crashing into oblivion. Will you do this for me, beloved? Will you make me emperor of the world?"
And Superboy replied, "Yes, Master."
Chapter 8. Narrow Escape
But Marie, even without the extra impetus that drove Pete, screamed, "No! Superboy, don't."
Superboy and Ansavage broke their embrace. "We have intruders," Ansavage said calmly. "Superboy, do you know these children?"
"They are my friends from the Legion of Super-Vandals," he replied.
"What a pity. Fly me upstairs, my darling boy, and then return to the caves and destroy them."
To the horror of Pete and the Vandals, Superboy put his arm around the villain, and leaped into the air. He flew up the stairs, while Pete cringed out of the way as they passed him. A moment later Superboy returned, attacking the pillars which supported the cave roof. Huge chunks of rock tore loose from the ceiling and crashed into the cave. Panicked, Pete scrambled back up the stairs mere seconds before they tore loose. In the laboratory things were not much better, as the floor began buckling as the ground beneath it sank. Vandal Savage saw the destruction, and ran to the door. Pete scrambled after him on all fours as the floor trembled and the furniture was tossed around. With something of relief Pete saw the tiny green 'bird' fly over his head toward the open door. Then the floor beneath him dropped, and he jumped for the cracked piece of masonry that remained. He pulled himself onto it just as the remainder fell into the abyss. By the time he made it through the door, he saw Superboy, carrying the immortal, flying northward.
Miserable, and fearful for the Vandals, Pete sat coughing beside the ruin of Lex Luthor's lab. Suddenly a ghostly figure rose from the wreckage.
"Clark! Clark! Where are you?" Phyllis cried. "I can hear you, but I can't see you."
Pete turned the dial on the belt and returned to view. "Over here," he wheezed.
"Thank goodness you made it out," the phantom girl said. "Gary used super-speed to get him and Marie out of the cave before it collapsed. I was never in any danger, and you made it out, too. Sharon's the only one not accounted for, and Gary is looking for her with his Penetra vision, hoping she made it into a crack in her tiny form."
"I saw her," Pete coughed. "She flew out of the trap door before the floor collapsed."
"Thank God!" Phyllis said weakly. She sat down, but sank a few inches into the ground. Rising, she said, "I'd better tell Gary." With that, she dived into the ground.
A few minutes later, the little group of adventurers, looking the worse for wear (except for Phyllis, who remained as neat and clean as when she entered the cave), regrouped outside. "Clark, would you drive Marie and Phyllis back to Smallville," Gary asked. "I'll keep scouting to see if I can find out where Superboy and Vandal Savage went." Pete agreed, carefully disguising his voice
The trip back to town didn't tax Pete's disguise much. The two girls sat in the back seat, worrying about Superboy, America, and the tiny girl who was missing. Dropping them off at Marie's house, he drove home, where he removed his disguise and took a long shower. Standing naked under the hot water reminded him of when he and Clark had done the same, and he cringed again, remembering how the transformed mineral had twisted the boy from Krypton until he could welcome the sexual advances of the boy who called himself his best friend.
"What am I going to do?" he thought miserably. "It was all a lie. He never meant any of it. The Pink Kryptonite made him want me; it wasn't any of it real."
Chapter 9. A Betrayal
Vandal Savage directed the Boy of Steel to fly him to his base. They sat in comfortable chairs in the living room, and Savage tried to make sure there were no holes in his plan. "Are there any other super-humans in this world who might challenge our partnership," he asked.
"There's my friend Mon-El. He has the same powers as mine, but is immune to Kryptonite. His weakness is lead, but he takes a serum every 48 hours that makes him immune to it."
"Hmm," Savage thought out loud. "I have another device, a chronoaccelerator, that can speed up time, but it's too slow. By the time I neutralized the serum, he could be on us. Is there another way to defeat him?"
Reluctantly Superboy replied, "I have a device, a Phantom Zone projector, which will project him into a twilight zone where he will exist as a phantom, unseen and unable to connect with the physical world."
"Excellent," Savage said. "Project him into this Phantom Zone, and then bring the projector to me. I might have other uses for it later."
The boy of steel rose to his feet to obey, but Savage could see the reluctance on his face. He rose too, and took Superboy in his arms. "Don't worry, my boy. It doesn't have to be permanent. After the world is ours, we can release him, and there won't be anything he can do." He kissed the boy of steel, and said, "Who's your daddy?" Superboy snuggled in his embrace, and whispered, "You are."
"That's right," Savage said. "Now go do this for Daddy."
At super-speed Superboy returned to the Kent house, where he found his "cousin" Bob Cobb. "Mon-El," he said, "I need your help on an urgent mission. Change to your action costume, and meet me in the basement." The unsuspecting hero from Daxam quickly changed clothes and followed Superboy to the basement. Superboy took the Phantom Zone projector from its place of concealment.
"What's the problem?" Mon-El asked.
"You are," Superboy replied, turning and activating the projector. As the Daxamite faded from view, he added, "You could spoil my master's plan for world domination." Mon-El's eyes widened, but it was too late; he was now an insubstantial phantom, lost from sight until released.
With the projector in hand, Superboy flew back to Vandal Savage's lair, where the villain exulted in his power over Earth's greatest defender. "Is that all?" he asked. " Are there any others?"
"There is a group of powerful women on a place called Paradise Island," Superboy replied. "But they are bound by Aphrodite's law not to leave the island."
"We will omit them for now," Savage said. "Any others?"
Reluctantly Superboy added, "There is the Legion of Super-Vandals. They escaped the cave-in, and are plotting right now to capture us."
Vandal Savage laughed. "I am not concerned with those children. We can prepare some special cells for them in the basement, but their powers cannot match yours, and if they try anything it will be an amusing exercise to defeat them. And now, my super-sex-slave, let us retire to the bedroom. It has been a long, tiring day, and we need our rest. And in the meanwhile, I can show you how I will service you in the future, to let you demonstrate your love for me." He embraced and kissed Superboy again, and the boy of steel responded eagerly to his caresses.
Chapter 10. When a Plan Comes Together
The worried Super-Vandals, and Pete Ross, spent a restless night in their separate beds, and the next morning lurked near their radios and televisions, hoping for some news. They were not disappointed. At eleven o'clock (noon in Washington DC), the announcers interrupted their programs for a special bulletin. An outlaw calling himself Vandal Savage had demanded that the president turn over the reins of the government of the United States, or great devastation would rock the continent at the hands of the criminal's pawn, Superboy. As proof, at 5:00 that afternoon Superboy would destroy the Washington Monument.
At 4:00 Central Time the Vandals, and most of the other citizens of Smallville, and in fact of the United States, were glued to their televisions. Live coverage had been set up at vantage points around the monument, and every eye was focused on the symbol of America's pride. And a few moments later the dreaded event happened. The boy of steel hurtled down from the sky and with a mighty punch knocked the aluminum cap off the monument. He continued to work his way down, reducing each section to rubble until he was on the ground, with the monument lying in ruins around him. Then he leaped skyward and flew out of sight.
In his secret base, Vandal Savage gloated. Using his short-wave radio, he repeated his demands to the president. Turn over control of the United States to Vandal Savage, or perish at the hands of the boy of steel. Dwight Eisenhower was a great enough president not to betray the country to save his own life, but the criminal's next threat was against the Empire State Building. And further devastation would follow, until the next president surrendered the country.
Having transmitted his threat, Savage strode to his bedroom and opened the door onto the outside porch. As he watched, the boy of steel came hurtling through the sky to land at his side. "You have done well, my beloved," Savage told him. "America will remain indecisive until a few more monuments fall, but my success is assured. The Oracle at Delphi assured me that if I 'cherish you in pink' , the world would be mine." He caressed the boy, then drew him into the bedroom. Crossing the room, Savage threw himself on the bed and turned to watch his helpless love slave. "Take off your uniform," he ordered. "I want you naked." Obediently the boy of steel pulled off his boots, and then took hold of the bottom of his shirt and pulled it off over his head. "Pause a moment," Savage said, taking in the handsome beauty of the boy's hairless chest and swimmer's build. Then the villain waved his hand and said, "Continue." Hooking his fingers around his belt, Superboy pulled down his trunks and tights. Stepping out of them, he stood naked before the criminal, and the boy's rising erection showed the degree of enthrallment he felt. "Turn around," Savage ordered. "Slowly." The boy obeyed again, showing the dimpled hips, the smooth curve of his buttocks, the strong legs, and then again the powerful chest and the hardening member rising from the patch of curly black pubic hair. Savage had unbuttoned his own fly and pulled out his manhood. Caressing it with one hand, he gestured to Superboy. "Come, my pretty one," he said. "Pleasure me."
And the last son of Krypton, the most powerful boy in the world, knelt on the foot of the bed between Vandal Savage's legs, crawled upward, and obeyed his master's command.
Chapter 11. The Vandals in Action
The Legion of Super-Vandals, with Pete Ross pretending to be the Invisible Kid, and without Sharon Vaughn, the Shrinking Violet, congregated at the home of Police Chief Parker. His niece, Marie Elkins, was trying to rally the spirits of the Vandals, but not doing too well. The fate of the country, the world, and their missing comrade weighed too heavily. At 4:00 they watched the destruction of the Washington Monument, and after that there didn't seem to be much to say. And then at 5:00 the phone rang, and Marie answered it.
"Hello," she said, and then, excitedly, "Sharon? Where are you? Honey, what's wrong? I can't understand you, please stop crying. Where are you?" After a pause she said, "All right, honey. Get out of there, and we'll meet you in a few minutes. Please stop crying; it will be all right." Hanging up the phone, she turned to the group. "Sharon is at the old Luthor place, where Lex lived with his parents until they left town in shame. Vandal Savage has taken it over, and apparently Sharon saw him sodomizing Superboy. It has her very upset. I told her to meet us outside. Gary, will you drive us?" Gary nodded, and the group raced outside to pile into the car. It was only a few minutes drive to the home which Lex had shared with his parents and his baby sister Lena. There was a long driveway leading to the house, and Sharon Vaughn was waiting at the foot. She had regained some control, but her eyes were still red from weeping.
Choking, she told them that Vandal Savage knew they had escaped the cave-in, and that he had arranged special cages in the basement for them. She didn't know all the details, just that they were intended to keep the Vandals helpless while Savage continued his plan.
"We'll just have to take our chances," Marie said. "If just one of us can get through to Superboy and stop him, we win." She opened a small lead-lined box and took from it four glowing green rocks. Pete gasped. "Yes," Marie acknowledged. "This is green Kryptonite. I got it from my uncle. Superboy gave him these a long time ago, in case he ever became a menace that had to be stopped. Each of us needs to take a piece, and use it against Superboy if we have the chance. Our only hope is to incapacitate him; then we can take out Vandal Savage. Then we'll figure out a way to break the pink Kryptonite's hold on Superboy. I only hope it isn't permanent." Marie took one of the stones, Pete another, and Gary the third. Phyllis was whispering to Sharon; she took a stone and motioned for the others to go ahead. Gary was suddenly gone, moving at super-speed to the second-floor balcony that opened into the bedroom. Pete and his sample disappeared, and then Marie started up the long driveway. Sharon and Phyllis went back to the car for a few minutes, and then followed.
For the last two girls, entry into the house was easy. Phyllis simply ghosted through the door, then unlocked it to admit Sharon. Together the two girls crept through the house to the kitchen, where they found Vandal Savage preparing a sandwich. "Ah, yes," he greeted them. "Sharon and Phyllis, the Shrinking Violet and the Phantom Girl. Superboy described you to me, and I' ve been expecting you." The girls flanked him, and grabbed his arms. He merely chuckled, and then laughed out loud as they fell to the floor. "Weren't expecting a gas attack, were you?" he grinned. "And I'm wearing nose plugs, so that it wouldn't affect me." He swept up their unconscious bodies, one over each shoulder, and carried them toward the cellar.
As he passed through the dining room, he was suddenly seized by an unseen attacker. Dropping the girls, he whirled and punched into the air, and unfortunately for Pete connected with his stomach. Savage was a powerful, muscular man, well accustomed to unarmed combat, and his punch sent Pete reeling and gasping for air. Savage followed up by grabbing Pete by the back and throwing him into the wall. He could see bloody streaks on the wall as Pete crumpled. Laughing, he picked up the girls and carried them to his 'special cells' in the basement.
Chapter 12. The Vandals Defeated
In the hall off the bedroom, Gary encountered Superboy. The boy of steel lunged at him, swinging. Gary concentrated on his invulnerability power, and whipped out the piece of Kryptonite. Superboy recoiled, and fell to his knees. Gary advanced, holding out the glowing green rock. But Superboy grabbed the throw rug and jerked, and Gary fell backward. He tried to hold the stone, but a blast of super-breath sent him and the rug sliding backward to collide with the wall. He was unhurt, but he dropped the Kryptonite. A second later the floor burst into flames, produced by Superboy's heat vision, and the stone fell to the floor below. Instantly Superboy was up and on top of the Ultra Boy, and punched him with all his strength. Gary just laughed, and punched back, completely ineffectually. Superboy picked him up by the throat, and carried him through the house. "Stay invulnerable, and you can't escape," Superboy told him. "Change to another power, and I'll break your neck."
In the basement, Vandal Savage faced another threat. Marie Elkins was examining the cells when he entered carrying Phyllis and Sharon. Dropping them again, he attacked the girl, and was suddenly faced with two girls. But he showed his lack of chivalry by punching one of them in the jaw, sending her sprawling unconscious to the floor. Then he turned and grabbed the other. Ignoring her struggling, he shoved her into one of the cages, hard enough that she lost her footing and sprawled on the floor. Picking up her twin, he tossed her into the cage and slammed the door, which locked automatically. Then he carried Sharon into a cage and clamped a metal collar around her neck. It was attached to a chain fastened to the wall. Phyllis went into a third cage, where she was similarly outfitted.
At that moment Superboy came into the room, still clutching the struggling Gary. "Ah, excellent," Savage said. "Hold him there for a moment." He took a device from a shelf, and aimed it at the two boys. A ray flashed from it, enveloping both boys. "Now, hold him by the wrist." Superboy obeyed, and Gary switched to super-strength, hammering Superboy with mighty blows that did not bother the boy of steel at all. Suddenly the blows lost their power, although Gary continued hammering. "Switch to invulnerability," Savage told him, and then said to Superboy, "Break his wrist." Superboy's grip tightened, and Gary screamed with pain. A moment later Savage was frisking him, and found the small vial of ultra-pills that gave Gary his power. He set them and the device back on the shelf, while Superboy bundled Gary into the fourth cell. As he did so, Phyllis and Sharon stirred, to discover their bonds.
"Welcome," Savage said ironically. "In the best tradition of villainy, let me explain the trap in which you find yourself. The Shrinking Violet has a collar around her neck which will shrink with her if she attempts to become small. Unfortunately, it will not grow when she does, so if she becomes small, she will have to stay small, or break her neck. Likewise, the collar around the throat of the Phantom Girl is specially designed to exist both in the real and phantom worlds. But it will remain attached to the chain, so she will not be able to leave her cell. The other cells are strong enough to hold an Invisible Kid or a Duo Damsel, even if they use their special powers. The same is true of the cell holding the ex-Ultra Boy, whose powers have been drained through use of the chronoaccelerator, which has aged you 24 hours, long enough for your Ultra-energy pills to expire." He turned to Superboy and said, "And now, my Kryptonian catamite, go and find the Invisible Kid and bring him to his cell. Meanwhile, I will go and make my next demand to the president."
"He's not here," Superboy said, knowing that the Invisible Kid was his own third identity.
"Yes, he is," contradicted Savage. "I ran into him in the dining room, but did not have enough hands to carry all three. Go and find him; use your super-hearing to hear his heartbeat. Go, my super-lover." Turning to the Vandals, he displayed another, very small device. "This is a bomb," he told them. "If the doors of your cells are opened, it will explode. It will not do much damage, but it will break this bottle of Gas-X, which will kill you all. It was a similar trap that I used on Lex Luthor, but Superboy saved him. But the results of that were the infamous Superboy-Luthor feud, so I would be petty to complain." With that, he left the basement.
Chapter 13. The Vandals Back in Action
"Wow," Gary said. "This is a pretty pickle. I didn't know villains really did things like this. If I was a villain, I' d just finish my opponents off."
"It's a good thing for us you're not a villain," Marie said acerbically. "Anyway, it sounds like Vandal Savage has other plans for us, and not very pleasant ones at that. Okay, everybody think! How can we get out of these cages?"
"I'm too tired to think," Phyllis replied. "Sharon, what say we blow this popsickle stand?" Sharon nodded agreement, and suddenly Phyllis' collar swung free, thumping against the bars as she stepped clear of it in ghostly form. Likewise, Sharon's collar fell off as she shrank to her tiny form, and skipped lightly between the bars of her cage. Outside the cells, Phyllis resumed her natural state, and went to the shelf where Vandal Savage had left their things. She took Gary's bottle of pills over to him.
"Would you open it for me?" he asked. "Superboy broke my wrist."
"Of course, sweetie," she said. She opened the bottle and shook out a pill, which she placed in his mouth. "Now, don't open your cell door yet. Wait until Sharon finishes disarming the bomb."
"How did you do that?" Marie demanded in astonishment.
"Notice anything different about us?" Phyllis grinned. "Like that I'm wearing Sharon's green dress, and she's wearing my white one? And notice that my hair is put up in Sharon's tight bun, while her hair is down? She has beautiful hair, by the way. We went back to the car and switched clothes and hairdos, hoping that Vandal Savage would capture us, thinking we were each other, and put us in the wrong cells. And our plan worked. Of course, if Superboy had caught us, it wouldn't have, but we lucked out."
At that moment Sharon rejoined them, growing to her normal size. "The bomb is no longer connected to the cell doors," she told them proudly.
"Wonderful," said Phyllis. "Unfortunately Vandal Savage didn't leave the key. How will we ever get the doors open without a key?"
"Beats me," said Gary, taking hold of the door with his one good hand and giving it a jerk. The lock mechanism exploded into tiny metal pieces, and there was a spark as the bomb mechanism was activated, but since the door and bomb were no longer connected, it was ineffectual. "Oops," Gary said, coming out of the cell. "Let me try that again." He took hold of Marie's cell door and tugged it, pulling it off its hinges. "That's better," he said.
"Okay, gang," Marie said. "Our goals are to rescue Clark, immobilize Superboy, and capture Vandal Savage. Can we do it?" The others looked at her blankly for a moment, and then Gary cried, "Yeah!", and leading the way tore open the cellar door and ran up the steps.
Chapter 14. Superboy versus Pete Ross
Leaving the cellar, Superboy crept through the house, trying to locate the Invisible Kid with his super-hearing. Finally he heard the floor above him creak. "He's in the bedroom," he thought. "Perfect." Silently he flew up the stairs to the second floor and floated along the hallway to the closed bedroom door. It wasn't closed for long; a super-kick sent it flying across the room.
Going through dresser drawers hoping to find the Mirror of Enthrallment, Pete gasped and whirled. The sound of his inhaled breath was enough for Superboy, who leaped over the bed to seize the invisible intruder. (It is interesting to mention that when he did so, he entered the invisible aura and disappeared himself, and that inside the aura all he could see was a dark outline. But there's no time for that now.) He grabbed Pete's arm with one hand and with the other twisted the dial on the belt.
"Well, well, who do we have here?" he asked rhetorically. "It's Clark Kent. Well, I don't believe that," he added, and with a quick gesture tore off the glasses and wig, tossing them aside. A short puff of super-breath removed the make-up, and Pete Ross stood revealed. "Pete Ross," Superboy chuckled. "What a pleasant surprise. The master will be very pleased; I'm sure we can have some fun with you." Pushing Pete against the wall, he unbuckled the belt and tossed it aside. "That's my shirt you're wearing," he said cheerfully, and with a quick hard pull ripped it off, tearing it to shreds. He then grabbed Pete's trousers and jerked them away too; they parted at the seams like a male stripper's costume. In shoes, socks and jockey shorts, Pete stood helpless as the boy of steel slid a hand down his stomach and into the shorts, gripping the member that he found there. "Not very excited, are we?" asked Superboy. "Well, maybe later that will change." His hand slid around to Pete's back, and toyed with the orifice it found there. Grinning, Superboy said, "I' ve been here before."
"I know," Pete said grimly. "I know you're Clark Kent, and that we' ve been to bed together. I' ve explored your innards, too."
"And soon the master and I will both be plugging your tight little hole," Superboy told him. "But if I don't use protection, like I have before, my orgasm will split you in half. That won't be very nice, will it?" His questing finger penetrated, and Pete groaned with pain. Superboy laughed.
And then Pete Ross did the only thing he could think of. He reached up and grabbed Superboy's head, and pressed his lips against other boy's. Superboy's eyes widened, and he tried to retreat. Surely the strongest boy in the world should have had no trouble breaking that lip lock, but the kiss went on, and Superboy's eyes glazed. He pulled back finally, and whispered, "Pete?" Pete reapplied his lips, probing Superboy's mouth with his tongue. He had his eyes open, and saw something that no one else had ever seen. He saw Superboy's eyes roll up into the top of his head as he suddenly went limp, and collapsed in Pete's arms.
Pete lowered him onto the bed just as the door burst open and the Legion of Super-Vandals charged through the doorway into the room. They stopped, amazed. "Pete Ross! What happened to Superboy?" Gary demanded.
"I think he fainted," Pete said.
And Gary Crane said admiringly, "Pete Ross, you are the MAN!"
Chapter 15. Confrontation
"Pete Ross, what are you doing here? And why did Superboy faint? And why are you in your underwear? And where's Clark Kent?" Marie was bubbling over with questions.
"Well, it's a long story," Pete replied.
"Then skip it," Gary interrupted. "Savage is in Mr. Luthor's office, going through some papers. If we sneak up on him now, we can grab him before Superboy comes to."
Quickly but quietly the Vandals and Pete hurried down the stairs and followed Gary to the office. He tried to open the door, forgetting his damaged wrist, so instead Marie opened the door and the little crew pushed into the room.
"All right, Vandal Savage," Marie exclaimed. "Your little plot is over. We escaped from your cells, and immobilized Superboy. Now we're arresting you!"
Turning slightly in his chair, Vandal Savage surveyed the little group. "Well, well," he said. "The Fantastic Four, plus a lad in his underwear. This is a very pleasant surprise. SUPERBOY!" he shouted.
"Save your breath," Marie said. "Superboy won't help you now. He's not your slave any more."
"I see," said the villain. "No doubt awakened from his helpless infatuation for me by love's first kiss. Fortunately, I have other resources." He pressed a button on a device sitting on the desk. "This, for example, was a gift from Superboy. It's a Phantom Zone projector, which turns normal folk into ghostly, invisible phantoms. What? Have you left already, before I was finished talking? How rude." The five teen-agers were gone, although in invisible phantom form they were still in the room, watching in shock. Vandal Savage chuckled, opened a desk drawer, and pulled out the Mirror of Enthrallment. "And now," he announced, "I'm off to find Superboy and reacquaint him with the pleasures of man-to-man love." He chuckled again. "I'm talking to myself," he laughed. "A bad habit; I must break it."
Confidently he strode to the door and reached for the knob. As he did so strong hands gripped his shoulders from behind, and a swift shake knocked the magic mirror from his hand. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a tall handsome youth with straight black hair. "Who are you?" the villain demanded.
"You can call me Mon-El," the boy laughed. "I'm Superboy s 'big brother'." With that he whirled the villain to face back into the room. Marie, Sharon, Phyllis and Pete in his underwear stood there glaring at him. Gary, however, was staring fixedly at the Mirror of Enthrallment on the floor, and it suddenly burst into flames.
"What? How?" Vandal Savage sputtered.
"I'm the Phantom Girl," Phyllis explained patiently. "I can become a phantom, and I can will myself in and out of the Phantom Zone. When you zapped us, I simply waited until your back was turned, became substantial again, and reversed the device to free my friends."
"Okay, so what do we do now?" Gary asked.
"Well, I think the girls should drive you back to town to have your wrist taken care of," Mon-El said. "Pete and I will stay here and revive Superboy, and think of some way to restrain Vandal Savage until the authorities can deal with him."
Chapter 16. Tying up Loose Ends
"Why don't you put HIM in the Phantom Zone?" Sharon asked.
"Excellent idea," Mon-El said. He shoved Vandal Savage into the room, knocking him to his knees, and then stepped out of the way as Phyllis activated the device. Seconds later, the villain was gone.
"Okay, Pete," Mon-El said. "Let's go upstairs and see if Vandal Savage has some clothes you can wear. It's hard to be the hero of the hour in your jockey shorts." At the desk, Marie gasped as she read a piece of paper. Thoughtfully she tore it from the memo pad it was attached to, and tucked it in her pocket.
Carrying the Phantom Zone projector, Mon-El and Pete parted with the other Vandals in the front hall, and proceeded to the bedroom. Savage was larger than Pete, but with some adjustment they found some clothes for Pete. Superboy was lying on the bed, dreaming, with a smile on his face, but as the boys moved around the room he awoke.
"Pete," he said happily. "You freed me from Savage's slavery."
"Yeah," Pete said grumpily. "You're welcome. Any time." To the surprise of Mon-El and Superboy, he turned away bitterly and went down the stairs.
"What's wrong with him," Superboy asked.
"I have a suspicion, and I'll follow up on it," Mon-El said. "Meanwhile, it would be a good idea for you to head to Washington DC to fix the damage you caused."
"Oops! Right!" The boy of steel flashed out the window at the speed of light, while Mon-El followed the disconsolate Pete.
"Okay, Ross," he said, catching up. "I know what's eating you; I was watching from the Phantom Zone when you overcame Savage's enthrallment of Superboy. And now you think Superboy - or Clark - only had sex with you because of the pink Kryptonite. Wrong. Maybe the pink K made him desire you, but he really does care for you. What did Savage say? 'Love's first kiss'? If he didn't love you, you wouldn't have been able to break the enthrallment. I know that you know that he's Clark, and I approve. And I assure you, what the pink Kryptonite started is real. He doesn't love you because of the pink Kryptonite; the pink Kryptonite just lets him show it in a sexual manner. Take it easy, Pete. Clark loves you. Relax and enjoy it."
Meanwhile, in Washington DC, the residents of the capital were amazed to see a red and blue streak flashing around the ruins of the Washington Monument, and watching it rise from the rubble like a movie run in reverse. It was not as straight as it had been before, but when it was completely assembled the boy of steel flew around patting here and pushing there, until it looked as good as new.
Chapter 17. More Loose Ends
Returning to Smallville, Superboy scanned the Kent house before entering. Based on what he saw, he flashed in through his secret tunnel and resumed his Clark Kent identity before going up to his bedroom. When he arrived, Pete Ross was sitting stiffly on the desk chair, while Bob Cobb lay sprawled across the bed. "Clark," Bob enthused. "About time you got here. We were just talking about you."
"What's up?" Clark asked.
"Pete is under the impression that you' ve been having sex with him because the Pink Kryptonite forced you to."
Clark went to Pete's side. "Pete, look at me," he demanded. "Sure, the first time we had sex, the Pink Kryptonite had affected me so that you were an object of desire. But after that, it's been because it felt so right and so good between you and me. Hell, there've been lots of times when we've had sex with no Pink K in sight. Remember the time we went skinny-dipping in Hall's pond? There wasn't anywhere to hide any Kryptonite then."
Pete softened and looked up. "I know, I guess," he replied. "It's just that Vandal Savage took me by surprise. I'd never heard of Pink Kryptonite, and when I saw what it did to you..."
"Pink Kryptonite didn't do that," Clark replied firmly. "That was the Mirror of Enthrallment. And you have never needed a Mirror of Enthrallment; you do it all by yourself. Do you know where my Invisibility Belt with the Pink Kryptonite in it is?"
"It's down in the basement in a lead box," Bob answered for Pete.
"Great," Clark said. "Then it can't have anything to do with this." He tilted Pete's head back and gave him a big kiss, while Pete s hands came up to grab Clark's hips.
"Time OUT!" Bob interrupted. "Make-up sex is a wonderful thing, but there's one other little matter to take care of. Clark, you found out that Pete knows your secret identity, and has for a long time. That's a problem we need to take care of."
"No problem," Clark replied. "We have the hypnosis ray down in the basement."
"No problem indeed," Bob replied, rolling over and pulling something out from under the bed. It was the very hypnosis ray under discussion. He activated it, and Pete clutched Clark's hand, aware that he was about to lose something wonderful. And Bob Cobb aimed the hypnosis ray and began giving commands.
"Superboy, also known as Clark Kent, you will forget that Pete Ross knows your secret identity. And you will remember that Red Kryptonite split off a duplicate, non-super Clark Kent, who went into action as the Invisible Kid until he was side-lined by a bad cold."
Rising from the bed, he walked by and patted Pete's shoulder. "You deserve this, Ross," he whispered. "It's my reward to you for saving the world."
Having done what he came for, Bob Cobb went back to his own room, laid down on the bed, and adjusted his clothing so that he could take a good grip on his own member. Then with his x-ray vision he peeked into Clark's bedroom, where Clark and Pete were already naked, and were helping each other relieve the stress of a truly remarkable adventure.
Chapter 18. A Few More Loose Ends
On a rainy, cold winter's day, Pete Ross drove Marie Elkins across the bridge that led to the State Reformatory. There she asked for an interview with Lex Luthor. She waited on the other side of the mesh window while the bald villain, Superboy's greatest enemy, was brought in.
"Well, well," he greeted her snidely. "If it isn't the leader of the Legion of Super-Traitors." Lex had formed the Legion of Super-Vandals to get revenge on Superboy, but quickly lost control of the group.
"I'm glad to see you, too, Lex," she replied. "Let's get right down to business. As you probably know, we recently defeated Vandal Savage, whom you knew as Doctor Ansavage, and rescued Superboy from slavery."
"Hurray, hurray," Lex said with no enthusiasm at all.
"Yes, well," Marie said. "Here's a piece of paper I tore from his memo pad. It's his 'List of Things to Have Superboy Do.' I think you'll find it interesting reading." She slid the paper through the small opening, and Lex picked it up and read it aloud.
"1. Destroy Washington Monument. 2. Assassinate President. 3. Destroy Empire State Building. 4. Destroy Golden Gate Bridge. 5. Incinerate Lex Luthor with heat vision." He paused, his eyes widening. "Hmm, interesting item, that one," he said. "So why did Ansavage want me dead? I thought we were partners."
"Of course you did," Marie said. "However, he also captured Sharon, Phyllis, Gary and I in special cells in the basement, rigged to a bomb that would break a container of Gas-X. And he told us that it was just like the one he set up for you four years ago. You know, the explosion that released the gas that burned your hair off, that you blamed on Superboy after he saved your life."
Lex looked at Marie. "Ansavage did that?"
"Yup," said Marie. "So for the last four years you've been plotting revenge on the boy that saved your life, instead of the man who tried to kill you. Love that irony." With that she gracefully slid out of her chair and walked out of the meeting room, leaving Lex Luthor with some very unpleasant thoughts.
Leaving the reformatory, she had Pete drive her to the warehouse which was the meeting place of the Legion of Super-Vandals, and invited him to accompany her inside. There the other four members were in their places waiting. Marie took her place at the head of the table.
"Pete Ross," she said, "The Legion of Super-Vandals, to honor your courage in facing Superboy one-on-one, is proud to elect you as an honorary member of the Legion. Your picture will be placed on the wall with our other honorary members, Superboy, Wonder Girl, and Master Mxyzptlk."
"Under the name 'Underwear Boy'," Gary added, teasingly.
"Not so!" Marie cried. "We just figured on labeling it 'Pete Ross' , unless you wanted something else."
"Well," Pete said, blushing, "I'm working on a pair of Cosmic Cuffs that will give me magnetic powers, and when I finish them I was planning to apply for a full membership under the name 'Cosmic Boy'."
"Cosmic Boy! Wow, that is cool," Phyllis said.
"I still like 'Underwear Boy'," Gary grinned. "It has a real ring to it."
But it is as 'Pete Ross' that the blond boy's picture is displayed on the wall of Honorary Members.
Chapter 19. Smallville, 1959
The Legion of Super-Vandals, with honorary member Pete Ross, were meeting one Friday night to solve another baffling mystery. Marie had just refuted Sharon's suggestion that Miss Scarlet had committed the crime in the library with the rope when there was a knock on the door. Clark was closest, so he got up and opened it to admit Lana Lang.
"Hi, everyone," she greeted them. "My father, Lewis Lang, the archeologist, found something in an old manuscript scroll dug up in the ruins of Delphi, where the Greeks had an oracle that could reputedly foretell the future, although her predictions were often vague and could be taken many ways."
Gary held up his hand. "Shorter sentences, please," he asked.
Lana scowled at him, and opened the manila folder she was carrying. "I wrote down the transcription of the scroll on this piece of paper, and I'm going to give it to you as a trophy of your latest adventure, when you freed Superboy from the control of would-be world conqueror Vandal Savage."
"Shorter sentences!" Gary exclaimed, and Sharon and Phyllis nodded agreement.
"Okay, okay," the red-haired girl said. She opened the notebook and began to read from it, first prefacing her remarks with a quick explanation..
"It was written by a slave named Dolon, a scribe for the great oracle, in about 640 BC." Then she read:
On this day came to our mistress the one foretold, the black-bearded, undying one. Nura the Seer sent us away for our protection, but I hid in the shadows of the cave to witness. She gave the evil one the prophecy which she had chosen, after which he most cruelly slew her. He did not know that she had seen many possible futures for him, and told him the one which would insure his defeat. Many times in the centuries to come will there be opportunities for his conquest, but the mistress knew that because of her prophecy he would wait for the boy in blue and red, and she knew that the boy's bold comrades would rescue him and save the world. Thus she went to her death knowingly, for that part of the future could not be changed, but in doing so saved the world herself.
The Vandals sat silently, taking in the incredible tale which Lana had told them. Then Gary said it for all of them: "Oh, wow!"
Shakily Marie took the paper from Lana. "I'm going to put this in a frame and display it in our trophy room. Thank you, Lana. And I think that I'm going to nominate Nura the Seer as a posthumous honorary member of the Vandals. Her sacrifice really did save the world."
THE END
In the next exciting adventure:
Cosmic Boy (Pete Ross) joins the Legion of Super-Vandals
Master Mxyzptlk returns
PLUS
Superboy is trapped under the ocean in a kryptonite trap
The exciting adventures of Multiple Mermaid and Ultra-Dolphin
Invisible Kid battles solo against Saturn Girl
and a surprise guest star!
Don't you dare miss it!