Shanghalla...
Whether it be in the All-Consuming Flames of Bergren IX, the Deep Embrace of Awkwiss III, or a simple patch of damp ground on the planet Earth, since the first sentient being drew its last breath, the final resting place has been a sacred and solemn site. On occasion, an even more sacred locale has been set aside, reserved for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Shanghalla is one such place.
There is no record as to who set the first monument on this lonely asteroid. Since that time, however, many—too many—more memorials have joined the first. From the vastness of space, when first approaching this hallowed rock, one can’t help but compare it to a field, covered not in grass, but stone.
People visit such places for a variety of reasons. Some come to relive happier times with the fallen, while others return to pay tribute on the anniversary of the hero’s death. For some, these are places of solitude where they can find a fleeting moment of peace amidst a hectic lifetime. And then, there are those who come simply to talk, knowing a reply will not be given, but still speaking thoughts meant for no one else’s ears.
One such visitor was Ulu Vakk of the planet Lupra. A member of the Legion of Substitute Heroes, Ulu had gone by the name Color Kid for many years. Like the other members of the group, Ulu’s goal was to become a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, but his powers were determined to be of little use to the Legion. Joining the Subs willingly, Ulu never gave up hope that he would one day shown his usefulness. Through cooperation over the years, the Subs were beginning to gain the respect of some of the Legion. Unfortunately, this respect rarely translated into an offer of membership.
Over the years, Ulu paid many visits to Shanghalla to visit the monuments of the Legion’s fallen members. He told them of his aspirations, of his missions, and of his life in general.
Even though he admired all of the heroes memorialized here, for reasons he couldn’t explain, it was at the statue of Ferro Lad that he seemed to feel the most comfortable when speaking. Today was no different.
“We’ve recently gained a few new members in the Subs,” he said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his light jacket. “They’re pretty nice, and they’ve got heart.”
An explosion rocked the asteroid, throwing Ulu off balance. He managed to twist his body enough so that his shoulder took the brunt of his collision with Ferro Lad’s monument.
Ignoring his pain, the young Lupran climbed to his feet. The only thing on Shanghalla that could explode was the shuttle that brought him here. Keeping to the shadows of the memorials, he headed back toward where it, and the pilot, had been waiting for him. From what he felt of the explosion’s force, he held little hope of finding the pilot alive.
He stopped at the edge of the monuments, in the shadow of a statue of a Thanagarian female. Her outstretched wings reminded him of angels that many Terrans once placed on the graves of their deceased loved ones.
From the shadows, Ulu saw a sight that shook him to his very core—one of the universe’s most notorious groups gathered near the smoking hull of the shuttle. The first, and most dominating, figure of the group that he noticed was the Emerald Empress. Bathed in the green light of the Emerald Eye of Ekron, she was still among the universe’s most beautiful females. She stood beside a large man wielding an axe; it was the man known to law enforcers as The Persuader. As he watched from his hiding place, he saw the half-man, half-robot Tharok, and Mano, whose features were obscured by a protective globe worn on his head, join the other two. The final member of the group caught Ulu by surprise; it was the 25-foot tall creature known only as Validus.
His first thought was 'how could this creature even be here?' Most of the Legion’s closest allies knew the circumstances behind the disappearance of the first Validus. It had even been rumored that the second Validus was a product of a similar situation, but this third Validus was a complete mystery to the young man. He hoped that some enemy hadn’t found a way to revisit the tragedy upon the Legionnaires again.
As he joined the others, the light of the burning shuttle cast an eerie, yellow glow over the monster.
The young man couldn’t begin to guess their reasons for coming here, but based on the actions shortly after their arrival, he knew they couldn’t be good.
Ulu also knew that any of them, with the possible exception of Validus, would soon realize that a lone shuttle occupied by a waiting pilot meant that someone else was here. His heart felt like it dropped into his boot when he realized that they would soon begin to hunt him down. Sticking to the shadows, the Lupran began to put as much distance between the Fatal Five and himself as possible.
“This doesn’t make sense to me,” Mano said. “We escape from those Science Cells on Oa at the same time Tharok escapes from Labyrinth, and our first stop is the place where those infernal heroes intern their dead. It appears we are just asking for trouble.” Beneath his helmet, the villain’s shadowy head was glancing around.
“It was part of the deal,” Tharok replied.
“About this so-called “deal” we agreed to,” Mano said.
“Are you planning on reneging on the deal?” the Emerald Empress asked.
“No,” Mano said, defensive. “Gods no. He supplied everything we would need after setting us free. He restored Validus. Despite the odd tint to his skin, I have no doubts that this Validus is every bit as dangerous as the first two. Our benefactor is not the kind of alien you renege on a deal with.”
“Then, what’s the problem?” growled the Persuader. “Let’s just recover whatever it is that he wants and destroy this place so we can get out of here.”
“That’s the problem,” Mano said. “If we destroy this place, not only are we going to have the Legion on our tails to the end of the universe, but every other world that has stuck a monument on this rock is going to be after us as well.”
“And you’re scared,” the Persuader said. “We probably became Universal Enemy Number One the moment our jailers discovered we were gone.”
“That doesn’t worry me,” Mano replied. “Have you ever seen what happens when you purposely destroy a memorial? It unites people. Sure, the known is universe is probably looking for us as we speak, but they are doing it at their leisure. We go through with this, and we become their reason for existence.”
“So you are reneging on the deal,” Tharok said, slowly becoming annoyed at the whole conversation.
“No. I just want to know what kind of support we are going to get once we do this. How do we know that this alien isn’t just using us?”
Tharok put his hand on Mano’s shoulder. “I spoke with the alien. The minute this place is destroyed, the universe is going to be too busy to worry about us. He’s got others in place, ready to act the moment we give the signal.”
“And just what is this signal?” Mano asked.
The Persuader grinned. “We light up the sky.”
“So,” Mano asked, “what exactly are we looking for?”
“The grave of the first hero buried on this asteroid,” the Emerald Empress said.
“And that would be…?”
The Emerald Eye suddenly turned. The Empress followed the Eye’s unblinking gaze. “We’re not alone on this asteroid,” she said.
“Spread out and find whoever it is,” Tharok said.
“And watch for that grave,” the Empress said.
“Whose grave is it we are looking for?” Mano asked again.
“It is the grave of someone called Captain Comet.”
Ulu paused in the shadow of a monument and rubbed his sore shoulder. His mind was running wild trying to figure out what would bring the Fatal Five to Shanghalla. He knew that someone had attempted to steal something from the asteroid before, and that had prompted the removal of any items that might be of interest. He was just about to ask himself what they could be looking for again when his eye widened with dawning realization. They were looking for a body.
“Boo!”
Ulu spun around to find himself staring into his distorted reflection on the globe of Mano’s helmet. Without thinking, he threw a punch that caught the villain by surprise and in the chest. Even though the attack did no harm, it did give the hero a chance to run.
As the young man disappeared into the shadows, Mano laughed. If the attack was an example of the power they were facing, it would be a better use of their time to focus on the grave, and let this stranger suffer the same fate as the asteroid once they got what they came for.
Ulu almost blundered into the Emerald Empress; if he hadn’t spotted the aura that surrounded the Eye of Ekron, he would have done just that.
There’s no way I can face these guys by myself, he thought to himself. A half-hearted grin appeared briefly on his face. If I could just get them to fight each other, it would make my life so much easier…and possibly even longer.
Another idea struck him just seconds before he heard someone else approaching. Staying in the shadows, Ulu watched as Mano walked toward the Empress. From his crouched position, he used a simple maneuver he had seen in some old holo-vids; he tossed a pebble in the direction Mano was coming from.
As the man stopped and the Emerald Empress turned, Ulu attempted something he had only theorized as possible. Using his color changing abilities, he concentrated on manipulating the shades of the air molecules surrounding Mano until he had completely changed whom the woman saw. She was surprised to find herself facing the Legionnaire, Timber Wolf. Without hesitation, she commanded the Eye to blast her foe. The force of the blast not only knocked the confused Mano backwards, breaking the monument of a forgotten Rannian warrior, but it left him lying unconscious.
Ulu breathed a sigh of relief. Now, to try something he had attempted once before. Remembering when he had changed the color of kryptonite to protect Superboy, he decided to see if the same trick would work on the Eye.
The Empress screamed as her link to the eye, now glowing a bright red, was temporarily severed. Rushing from his hiding place, Ulu delivered a quick blow to the jaw of the attractive villain. She dropped, unconscious, to the ground. Removing his jacket, he tossed it over the Eye and then left, leaving it to bob gently over the body of its fallen mistress.
With his shuttle and its pilot gone, Ulu could only think of one option that would get him off of Shanghalla; he had to contact the Legion. To do that, he would have to get aboard the Fatal Five’s vessel. In less time than it took for him to consider taking the ship and leaving the villains stranded, he had dismissed the idea. If he were successful at such an attempt, they would take out their rage on the asteroid itself. Ulu also knew that he had to protect the grave of the hero they were searching for. Whatever the reason was that their mysterious benefactor wanted the remains, it couldn’t be good. The young man said a quick prayer to the gods of Lupra.
“Please, help me make it to their ship.”
The Lupran gods must have been listening, because Ulu reached the ship without incident. He scanned the area to make certain he was alone, and, once he was satisfied, quickly entered the ship. Once onboard, he started toward the communicator. He had only taken three steps when the pilot’s chair swiveled around.
“I just love a trap that sets itself,” Tharok said, as he started to stand.
Ulu took a step back backward.
“I figured that whoever was with that shuttle would need a way off this rock,” Tharok continued, “and the temptation of the only working communicator would be too much to resist.”
“I don’t want any trouble,” Ulu said, immediately realizing how pathetic he sounded.
The human side of Tharok gave him a wicked grin; one made even more terrifying by the unchanging metallic side of the villain. “Killing you will be no trouble.”
Metallic side. The thought came to Ulu, and, deciding that he had nothing to lose, he decided to act on it. Looking at Tharok’s foot, he ignored the villain’s threats. He concentrated harder than he ever had before.
“What are you looking at, you fool?”
Ulu never said a word, he just pointed.
Looking down, Tharok was surprised to find his foot beginning to show signs of rust. As his human eye widened in disbelief, his electronic eye detected nothing out of the ordinary. When the rust began to slowly spread up his leg, his human mind tried to comprehend what was happening. The computer half of his brain fought against the human fear that was rising, telling him that nothing was wrong. Despite the reassurances, Tharok could not dismiss what he was seeing. Did this would-be victim really have the power to affect his metallic parts like this?
Unable to counteract the human fears, Tharok’s computer mind began to shut down. Within seconds, his human mind followed suit, causing the villain to slump unconscious to the floor.
Knowing that, even now, Tharok’s computer side was probably in the process of restoring itself, Ulu quickly sent out a distress message to Legion headquarters.
“This is Color Kid, and I need help.” Not getting an immediate response, he repeated his message. “This is Color Kid. The Fatal Five are attacking Shanghalla.”
“Color Kid. This is Brainiac 5. Are you sure it’s the Fatal Five?”
“I know you don’t think much of us subs,” Ulu said, somewhat offended at Brainiac 5’s tone, “but I think I know the Fatal Five when I see them.”
“My apologies,” Brainy said. “I’ll get a group there as soon as possible.”
Ulu glanced at the forward view screen and saw that Validus was coming back to the ship. He was close enough that the still-burning shuttle was beginning to cast it’s yellow light on the monster.
“Please, hurry,” Ulu begged. “Validus is coming back to the ship. I’ve got to go.”
The last thing Ulu heard before exiting the ship was the surprise in Brainiac 5’s voice. “Validus? But, that’s impossible.”
Ulu left the ship, and ran straight into the masked Persuader.
“Well, well. What do we have here?”
Ulu began to back away, trying to keep himself out of reach of the man’s deadly axe. When a shadow fell across both men, he knew that things had just gone from bad to worse. He glanced up and saw that Validus had arrived.
As his mind raced at what to do, the monster reached down in an attempt to grab the hero. In that same instant, Persuader was preparing to strike. At the last minute, a plan popped into his head and he reacted.
Diving between Validus’ outstretched arms, he caught the monster off-guard. As it turned to find Ulu, the 25 feet tall villain inadvertently put itself into the path of Persuader’s axe. The contact between the axe and Validus’ arm had results that no one expected.
The creature exploded in a burst of yellow energy.
Ulu was tossed through the air to land hard several feet away, while Persuader was thrown in the opposite direction with an equal amount of force. Unlike Ulu, however, his flight was cut short by the side of the ship; he dropped, limp, to the ground.
Ulu tried to stand, but the severe pain in his leg made such a feat impossible. Knowing that he was as good as dead should any of his foes recover, he dragged himself into the shadows of an ancient mausoleum. Despite his attempts to do otherwise, he quickly slipped into unconsciousness.
“He’s alive.”
Ulu opened his eyes to find himself staring into the relieved face of Brainiac 5. “Are you sure?” he asked, weakly.
Brainy smiled.
“I can’t believe it,” Timber Wolf said, walking into view. “The entire Fatal Five, taken down by a sub.”
“I’ve telepathically scanned the entire asteroid,” Saturn Girl said, “and I can’t find any trace of Validus.”
“He’s gone,” Ulu said, as he tried to sit up. “Persuader hit him with his axe and he exploded in a burst of yellow energy.”
“Any idea what they were doing here?” Brainy asked.
Ulu told them everything he had heard.
“Whoever this mysterious benefactor is,” Saturn Girl said, “it’s certain that the Legion is going to have its hands full.”
Trillions of miles away, on the planet Korugar, a once-grand manor sat amid the ruins of a forgotten estate. In the building’s central hall, exposed to the sky above and shrouded in the darkness of a moonless night, a figure centuries old frowned in disappointment.
“They have failed.”
A faint, yellow glow appeared, sending tendrils of energy into the night sky.
“If my centuries have taught me anything,” the lanky shadow said, adjusting its position on an ancient throne, “it is to be patient. Soon, the body of Captain Comet will belong to me, and then the universe shall tremble.”