Chapter 1 Nightmares

Vic Valor was confused. He had just won a fight against the minions of Dr. Doog. But where was he? He used his super senses to scan the city about him, and he became more confused than ever. The city was a jumble of the familiar and the strange, the comforting and the distressing. The more he saw, the more confused he became.

He recognized the larger details around him. He was in a city, definitely a human city. But the details were subtly distorted from his expectations.

It was more crowded and much dirtier than Opal City. There were bags of garbage piled in places on the sidewalks - and the bags were... plastic? Yes, wherever he looked, he saw plastic! Plastic, when he would have expected metal, paper, glass, even stone!

And there were cars - but not the cars he recognized. He was used to big blocky vehicles, mostly black. The streets here were crowded with a bewildering variety of shapes, sizes and colors. The numbers were incredible, as well! It was late at night, yet there were more cars on the streets than Opal City had during the busiest times. And nobody bothered with the signals on streetlights, and none of the pedestrians bothered to cross only at street corners. He was amazed at the chaos - and the lack of accidents!

Women were wearing short skirts and tight pants that would have marked them as chorus girls or worse in his city. Less than half the men were wearing suits, and very few were wearing hats.

And the air! It stunk, and with his microscopic vision he could see that it was filled with small, soot-like particles. How could these people stand to breath this polluted poison?

This city was like a parody of the cities he was familiar with. This couldn't be Earth, could it? Maybe he was still dreaming? He needed to get away and think.

He flew straight up for miles, watching the city grow smaller beneath him. He began to make out the larger geological shapes. This was indeed Earth - or a world with identical geography. The city he was escaping was in the same location as Gotham City. He thought about flying back to Opal City but he was too upset. He needed to calm down before he began any further exploration of this new world in which he had recently emerged.

About 10 miles up, he hovered, and cast his thoughts back through the past. Was there any explanation in his recent memories for what he was experiencing?

*****

Vic Valor remembered fighting for his life, trapped in the spotlight-beam of Dr. Doog's Destructo-Ray, and then he had died. And then there was a long period of darkness, broken by occasional flashes of awareness. He thought back on those flashes. His memory wasn't clear, but how could a dead man have memories of the time after he had died? And now to be alive again. Logic dictated that he hadn't actually died after all... But he had surely been trapped in some kind of hell!

He had returned to consciousness several times, he realized, but he couldn't remember how many. During his brief periods of consciousness, there had never been any events that could be used to distinguish any of those occasions from any other.

First a painful struggle to achieve consciousness. Like a swimmer who had dived too deep, clawing desperately to reach the surface, then bursting the barrier between being unconscious and awake, gasping with painful self awareness...Alive! Yes, still alive, but still... trapped! No sensory impressions touched him, his mind was alone in a universe of silent darkness. No sensory data from his body, no hot or cold, pain or pleasure, nothing... And then, as he searched desperately for something, anything beyond, his own mind he found his memories like a cool pond... and he plunged into them and swam among them and played with his memories like an otter played on the muddy bank of a pond, consumed by the pure joy of past existence. And each time, a sense of urgency would grow, starting as a small spark that he could easily ignore, growing into a raging fire, consuming his memories as if they were gasoline instead of water...

When he could ignore the urgency no longer, he would turn his mind back to his current situation. He still couldn't feel his body, and yet, in some ghostly way, he realized that he was aware of it. Through some sense other than those few granted to humans, he could feel it nearby, and discern its condition. And each time, as he became aware of that condition, he had been thankful that he wasn't more closely connected.

During each interval of awareness, his body was lying on a table, somehow disassembled. Someone had pinned him down and pulled him apart and splayed him all over the table and was now poking and prodding into his component parts. And yet, he felt no pain. He felt a sense of outrage - it was HIS body that was being mistreated in this way - even as another part of him insisted that the body wasn't that important. And then, every time, the fire of his consciousness would burn out leaving him without energy, and he would slip quickly back beneath the blackness of unknowing.

The last time he had awakened - THIS time! - things had been different. He knew, somehow, that he had been undisturbed for a long time. He struggled with the concept. Many 'years'... whatever that meant. Once again, his mind had seemed strangely disconnected from his body, even though he sensed that the body was near, and whole, and stronger than ever before...

As he had struggled towards consciousness, now he struggled towards his body. It seemed to be denied to him by some kind of barrier. Instead of a swimmer, he became a digger, with giant razor-sharp digging claws. He attacked the barrier, ripping into it, shredding it, pushing through the shreds and ripping some more. A distant portion of his mind, sort of an observer, noted his metaphors - swimmer, otter, digger - and his use of alien concepts - year, body, heat, cold - and puzzled over the significance.

And then, just as he had burst through the barrier between unconscious and awareness, he burst a second barrier between disembodied and incarnate, and his connection with his body was restored!

Awareness of his body seeped into his mind. Yes, it was whole, but the feeling was different than in the past. He felt somehow... hollow, whatever that might mean. He tried to turn his head, make a fist, bend his leg, open his eyes, and nothing happened. His tormenters must have damaged him somehow during their constant intrusions into his body. So he tried harder. He probed and pushed and pounded and twisted. He forced his way through internal barriers and squeezed through long unused channels and found new ways to do things. And eventually, he succeeded. His eyes popped open and he could see! After that the rest was easy.

He was in a cage. Next to him, his former opponent Xenon was in another cage. And they were in the middle of a large laboratory, which was filled with electronic gear. Well, whoever had caged him had made a mistake. A simple energy blast and he was free. Another blast freed Xenon, but he could detect no signs of life in his unfortunate former enemy. As he looked around him, a rage grew!

What kind of monster was Dr. Doog, to pen up two beings as he had, to experiment on them for years, to kill one who had been his partner and ally. He didn't know why he, Vic Valor, had so far been spared, but Doog had made a mistake, leaving him alive, and he would certainly pay. His anger grew and bubbled within him, and he used his super senses to probe his surroundings. He was in a sub-basement of some kind of fortress, probably Doog's headquarters, though he sneered to himself at the feeble armor and defenses - defenses that a Xadamite would shrug off like raindrops.

Doog wasn't around. Well, that was fine. He would burst out of imprisonment and find his former captor, and Doog would pay. And no one had better stand in his way!

*****

But they had, and so he had defeated them as he escaped. He puzzled over the identity of his attackers, but he recognized none of them. He had made a thorough study of the heroes of Earth before he had entered into Earth society, and none of these was familiar to him. Thus they must be villains, part of Doog's underworld army. He had a horrible thought. Perhaps Doog now ruled the world? How else might the clean bustling friendly world he had known have degenerated into this dreary, crowded, polluted, and most of all, plastic, parody?

If he had been thinking more clearly, Vic Valor might have realized that if he wanted a quiet place to think, he probably wasn't going to find it floating in the sky 10 miles above the tri-city area of Gotham City, Metropolis and New York, especially right after he had finished battling against a group of heroes with close ties to the Justice Society of America. He was started out of his reverie when his radar sense detected a missile approaching fast from the west.

Chapter 2 Enter: The Man of Steel

As soon as the battle was over, the Huntress tried to contact Starman. Years ago, Vic Valor had set up residence in Opal City after Starman had retired, and Ted must know him better than anyone. Ted's status indicator showed that he was presently oh his way to his space station observatory a million miles from Earth, planning to make some delicate astronomical observations on Barnard's Star. He would probably be out of touch for several hours. To Helena, this situation required a more urgent resolution.

She once again examined the tremendous damage that had been caused by the fight. If they couldn't get Ted to deal with Valor quietly, the next best choice was Superman. She thought quickly about contacting Power Girl instead, but Karen and Dick were working out some personal issues related to Dick's past right now and Karen might welcome the chance to let off a little steam. Helena had a feeling that this situation was going to require some subtlety that she felt her best friend had not yet developed.

It was early evening in Smallville, Kansas, and the Kents had just finished dinner. Lois wasn't quite the domestic diva that Ma Kent had been, but she did beef bourguignon very well. CJ had just left for a pep rally and the Olson kids were going to spend the night at a neighbor's. Lois and Clark were on the couch in the living room, enjoying their time alone, when one of the floor lamps started flashing.

"Damn! Clark, it never fails. We finally arrange some time alone together and suddenly there's a crisis that only Superman can handle!" Lois' tone was weary and resigned rather than angry.

"Darling, it only seems that way. You know they usually contact Kara. If they need me, it must be something important."

Lois sighed... one of the things she loved in her husband, in either identity, was his selfless devotion to justice. And with Kara and CJ on the job, she did get a lot more time with Clark than she used to. Still, she had had big plans for the evening. "OK, Mr. Hero - but for every hour you're away tonight, I want a day in Kandala!" Kandala was a resort on a planet in another solar system. As Superman clicked the secret combination on the remote that turned the TV into a two way communicator, she tied her fuzzy bathrobe more tightly around her. This evening's outfit was for her husband's eyes only!

"Yes, dear! I promise! Are you sure one day for each hour is enough?" Clark winked at her. One of the things she liked best about Kandala was that the system had a red sun, and Clark would lose his powers there. He always enjoyed their vacations there too.

The TV screen cleared and split 3 ways. In the middle was the Huntress. on the left was a constantly repeating video of the fight, hastily assembled from the many video security cameras spread throughout the JSA brownstone, and the third panel displayed everything the JSA knew about Vic Valor. It wasn't much. Lois couldn't follow all three panels at once, so she concentrated on watching the fight while listening to what the Huntress had to say, but she knew her husband would have no trouble assimilating all the information on all three screens.

"Clark, Lois!" Helena acknowledged the two of them with a quick nod. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I think Superman is needed tonight. No, I haven't tried Kara yet, but I did try Starman. I think Superman is the most appropriate hero for this instance."

Superman had already recognized Vic Valor, and he agreed. Lois, on the other hand, had implicit faith in Helena's judgment, so Helena didn't need to convince either of them.

"Before you ask, Clark, I can't reach Ted. He's out at his L2 observatory on that Barnard's Star kick of his." Superman nodded. Barnard's Star was very unusual, but he wasn't quite sure why Ted didn't just ask Dr. Fate to take him there for a close-up view. Well, it wasn't his business!

Most of the JSA, and the world at large, thought that Vic Valor had been an alien, who had died in late 1949 after a very short career as a super hero in Opal City. At the time, Dr. Mid-Nite and Dr. Fate had determined that a side effect of the chronal energy Ted had absorbed from Ian Karkull had caused Ted to have a mental breakdown, and he had created the heroic identity of Vic Valor so that he could continue his career as a super hero without breaking his promise to his wife Doris to give up his Starman identity. They kept this story secret, as Ted seemed to be cured.

However, not long after Vic Valor had 'died, Batman had deduced that Valor must have been Ted Knight, in an exotic costume. He and Superman had confronted Ted about it, and Ted gave the Dynamic Duo the whole story. Including his new theory that he had been possessed by a spirit or energy being, which had created the Valor identity for its own purposes. Superman had never been able to detect any traces of this energy being, and Batman's deductions supported either theory equally. In any case, Ted had never told anyone that he had kept the Valor armor intact.

Superman leapt into action. "Helena, please ask Dr. Fate to verify that Ted is really in his observatory. I'm on my way!" He kissed Lois goodbye and was out the secret tunnel in the basement before she sighed and turned back to the TV. And rocketing for a spot in the sky, 10 miles above Gotham City.

Valor used his telescopic vision to investigate the approaching missile and he immediately recognized Superman. He had investigated the Man of Steel before he landed on Earth, and he would have liked to have had the Kryptonian under his command in the Xadam Invincibles. With a little Invincible discipline, there was no telling what Superman might achieve! Between the two of them, they should have Valor's troubles straightened out in a jiffy!

Ultimate Valor was totally unprepared when Superman attacked him! And even more stunned by the mode of the attack. Superman generated a super-lightning bolt and blasted Valor from miles away!

When he had first confronted Xenon in the Opal City Power Station, back in 1950, the villain had managed to blast him with bolts of electricity, much less powerful than this super-bolt. These bolts had blasted Valor off his feet, all but knocking him unconscious. This bolt could probably kill him...but it didn't! It splashed harmlessly off his chest. Somehow in his long sleep, he had lost his vulnerability to electricity. He found this both pleasing and disturbing.

"What else did Doog do to me while I was his captive? And why did he actually improved my powers? Maybe he thought his mind control would work on me? Well, he has a surprise coming!"

Valor reassured himself that he was not now under Doog's mental control, and that his training as an Invincible would easily allow him to resist any attempts, by anyone, to influence his mind. His thoughts quickly turned to his approaching opponent.

"This can't be the real Superman! A hero like Superman would never attack without warning! And, the Superman I know doesn't have the power of super-lightning. This must be an imitation of some sort!" Doog must have created an army of imitation heroes to help him maintain his control over the populace.

"Well" he thought grimly to himself "whoever this really is, he won't find Ultimate Vic Valor of the Invincibles to be an easy victim!" He initiated his own attack.

He held his arms out, palms away from himself, and unleashed an energy blast. Superman slammed into the blast front as if it were a wall, Suddenly he was falling, all of his upwards momentum lost. Valor dove to follow his fall.

"There must be red sun energy in the spectrum of that blast!" Superman thought to himself. "It will only take a couple of seconds to recover. I'll need to be sure he doesn't hit me with it again, though!"

He realized that he had fallen into the jet stream, which carried him to the northeast of Gotham. Good, he certainly didn't want to fall into the tri-city area from 10 miles in the sky. He estimated that he would crash somewhere near Pound Ridge, New York. He angled his body to try to insure he landed in the hilly woods of the area rather than in one of the towns scattered along the northern border of the Connecticut panhandle.

It was a race - would Superman's power of flight return before he smashed to Earth? It looked like it would, and then things changed. Valor increased the pull of gravity on the Man of Tomorrow, and he plummeted faster than ever. At least Valor had selected an unpopulated area! Pulled downwards with a gravity he estimated as being 4 times that of Earth, Superman smashed into the rocky ground. Valor hovered over the smash site. Kal-L was down and appeared to be pinned to the ground by the Valor-enhanced ultra-gravity. But appearances were deceiving.

"I guess an alien body snatcher wouldn't know it, but stronger gravity just doesn't cut it with me - even without yellow solar rays!" Superman rose easily to his feet, quickly aimed, and made a tremendous leap! His shoulder smashed into Valor's stomach and the Ultimate folded around him. Kal-L's powers had finally returned, so he accelerated upwards.

As Valor folded around Superman's shoulder, he slammed both clenched fists down on The Man From Krypton's back. Driven downwards by the blow, Superman had to release Valor in order to recover. The fighters moved apart.

Superman turned his x-ray vision on Valor, expecting to see through the mask and find out if the being inside was really Ted Knight or someone else possessed by the Valor entity. To his surprise, Valor's body and costume were permeated with a unique force field that blocked x-rays. There was something else strange about that force field, but he didn't have time to analyze it right now.

He had earlier done a super-hearing analysis of the Invincible's voice and determined that it was not Ted's voice - though Ted's advanced technology was certainly capable of altering a voice to make it proof against just such an analysis. He searched for any other traces that Valor might be Ted Knight. He couldn't hear a heartbeat or breathing,. And then he was out of time, as Valor closed with him, and smashed a powerful right to his jaw. An enraged Man of Steel swung back, and the fight was on!

The two titans traded punches for a short time and Superman was beginning to wonder if his invulnerability had deserted him. The Man of Steel was hitting Valor hard and often, but the big man seemed to feel that if he absorbed 4 or 5 blows to get in a single good punch of his own, it was a victory. And Kal-L was beginning to think Valor was right! As far as he could tell, his best punches had no effect on Valor, while some of Valor's blows had raised welts, left bruises and even broken his skin - something that rarely happened to him, particularly under a yellow sun!

What made it worse was the villain's fighting style. He must have learned to fight from watching old boxing movies! That last combination resembled something Kid Galahad had thrown back in 1937. But he kept pressing forward, throwing wild punches, and Superman kept swinging back. He was determined that this... this... this alien punk! was going down!

Valor was similarly stunned by the course of the fight, although Superman couldn't tell He was the best fighter the Invincibles had ever produced, and this... imposter was giving him the thrashing of his life! He didn't understand why the pile-driver blows that the Man of Steel was raining on him were not producing more pain and bodily damage. Xadamites were extremely durable, but he had never been quite this invulnerable before! Yet, even though his body was holding up well under this terrific pounding, he could feel his mind starting to succumb to the terrific battering it was taking, almost like it was going numb around the edges. Yet an Invincible never gave up!

Miles away, the Huntress was watching the battle on a monitor in the JSA brownstone. She couldn't believe that Superman was fighting like a common street brawler. Heck, she could have called in Kara and got the same results - maybe even better, because she had taught Kara to fight dirty when the situation required it. Superman was supposed to be more mature than his cousin - she KNEW he was. So why was he acting like a gang-banger defending his turf?

So far, most of the battle had taken place in the air, mostly above woods. Well, clearings now, with the trees shattered and battered by the amazing concussions produced by super powered punches landing on invulnerable bodies. But that luck couldn't continue - their battle was inching south towards Stamford, Ct.

She had alerted the New York and Connecticut State Police at the beginning of the fight, and they were already on the scene, beginning the impossible task of evacuating civilians, but there wasn't enough time. In seconds, thousands of civilians would be in deadly danger. Superman should know better! But he didn't seem to care...

She had waited as long as she possibly could for the Man of Steel to regain his senses, but a few seconds ago, she had broadcast an emergency request for Dr. Fate. He probably hadn't even returned to his Salem tower yet after his earlier appearance in Gotham City and she hated to bother him again, but it seemed to her that only magic could save Stamford.

Chapter 3 Could it be... Fate?

Dr. Fate had in fact just popped back to his Salem, Ma. Tower when he received the emergency call from the Huntress. With a single long stride, he reached the scrying table and waved a hand over his crystal ball. The ball quickly clouded and then cleared, giving Fate a quick glimpse of the battling behemoths. Helena was right, the best way to stop this potential disaster from occurring was via his magic. He normally traveled in a more dignified manner, but there wasn't time for dignified spell-casting right now. Instead he raised his hands to the height of his head, snapped his fingers and vanished.

The Lord of Order was immediately floating above Pound Ridge Road, just north of Stamford, Ct. Earlier that night, Valor had left the fight scene near JSA HQ before Fate had arrived, and Fate had then concerned himself with other matters. Now, however, as he saw the danger and destruction Valor was causing, Fate was displeased with his earlier lack of action. Still, he now had a chance to correct his mistake.

Decades ago, Dr. Fate and Dr. Mid-Nite, had examined Ted Knight and the Vic Valor battle armor. They had concluded that a side effect of the Ian Karkull energy that had extended Ted's life had precipitated a breakdown. Driven by his guilt at giving up his heroic identity as Starman, Ted had unknowingly created the armor that concealed his real identity and gave him super-powers. Although Fate had not participated in Ted's recovery process, Ted seemed to be better by the next time he encountered the Mystic Marvel.

He must have had a relapse after all these years, but that didn't explain why he was fighting with Superman. During his last appearance, Vic Valor had been one of the good guys. But explanations could wait - Fate needed to stop this mindless battle NOW! He raised his arms and his magically amplified voice carried out over the landscape.

"Superman, Vic Valor, hear me!" A gesture, and the two were immobilized. "As a Lord of Order, I demand that you cease this mindless combat! Fate has spoken."

He lowered his arms, and the two bound goliaths were deposited gently on the ground. Fate drifted closer and he was about to make another pronouncement when Vic Valor simply vanished!

"Dr. Fate, please release me" Superman requested calmly. "There is no further danger from me. And my super senses tell me that Valor is no longer nearby."

Fate hesitated for only an instant. He had many years of reasons to trust Superman. "The explanation for this evening's events will be... interesting."

The Man of Steel recognized the implied command. Under normal circumstances, he might have found this presumptuous, but he normally didn't endanger many thousands of people with irresponsible actions, either. He quickly recounted the entire story, starting with his approach to Valor and the mysterious bolt of lightning.

"And just why were you fighting like a street thug?" Fate asked, sharply.

"Same damn thing I'd like to know!" Both heroes were started by the voice of the Huntress, who had just landed a small, very quiet Bat-jet nearby. Fate was startled to see Bat Mite sitting in a saddle astride the fuselage, holding a set of reins that were attached to the nose of the small plane. He winked at Fate and held his finger to his lips. Helena was still talking. She clearly didn’t know that Bat Mite had hitched a ride with her.

"If I'd wanted a macho testosterone-laced steel cage match, I would have called on Kara!" She and Superman grinned at the joke, and Fate was probably grinning as well, under his mask. "I was sort of hoping for 'Good Kal' but I got 'Bad Kal' instead. What's up with that?"

"That's not the only thing I don't understand." Superman responded. "Where did that lightning bolt come from? How is it that Valor was able to hurt me? How'd he get away from Fate's magic?"

"Um, Kal, I think I have those answers." The two men were surprised at how meek the Huntress sounded, almost as if she was embarrassed about something, certainly nothing like the assertive confident heroine they knew.

"You probably don't know that I've had a house guest recently?" Superman did know, and he wasn't sure he approved, but Helena could take care of herself. But she wasn't talking about Bat Lash. "You know Bat-Mite, right?"

Over by the plane, Bat-Mite's ears perked up and he got a big smile on his face. Of course, Superman and Dr. Fate knew him!

"Then you know how whenever he uses his powers, everything goes wrong?" Bat-Mite's smile drained away, leaving him looking forlorn.

"Well, I made him promise not to use his powers to help me out in any way. He thought he spotted a loophole, and he used someone else's powers instead. Earlier this evening he pretended to be Colonel Invincible. He got the idea from watching videos with Sonia. All the weird things that happened to Superman must have been due to some malfunction of his magic!"

Hearing his beloved Helena talking like this about him was pure pain for Bat-Mite. He slumped lower in his saddle and raised the back of his forearm to his eyes. Fate could make out tears rolling down his mask. Even the single unbent 'bat ear' on his cowl began to droop… He was such a pitiful sight that even a Lord of Order would be touched. Still, Fate disapproved of such awesome power combined with such immaturity, even though he knew that Bat Mite never intended any harm to anyone..

"Yes, his antics are tiresome and often dangerous." He was looking right at the Invisible Imp when he said it.

Bat Mite slumped even lower, and actually started sinking through the saddle and the fuselage. He was sure glad Hel didn't know he was there! Fate was aware of the pain his words were causing the Bitty Bat, but he wasn't through talking.

"Yet his heart is pure and his intentions noble." The Invisible Imp's head jerked up and his eyes were big and round. "He is yet very young. He will one day be a powerful force for good in the universe." Bat Mite's body now floated above the saddle and his chest was starting to swell.

"Yes, Dr. Fate, I'm sure someday he will be more like you." Helena agreed. A light bulb popped into the air over Bat-Mite's head, and flashed into brilliance. He raised one hand over his head and spun around on one toe, and somewhere during that single spin, his costume changed. Fate almost chuckled to see a chubby 18" tall Dr. Fate standing where Bat Mite had been.

"Innntttrrrroooooodduuuuuuuuuuucing…. Fate Mite!" the Mini Mystic intoned, in a squeaky imitation of Fate's deep sonorous voice. Fate almost hurt himself, trying to conceal his mirth. It wouldn't do for a Lord of Order to burst out laughing, would it?

Fate Mite faced the Mystic Mage, straightened to his full height, and saluted - a salute whose affect was somewhat lessened because he used his left hand and gave the three fingered Boy Scout salute (not really his fault, though - he doesn't have 4 fingers!). He then shot into the air and back towards Gotham. Fate sighed - he knew the hero worship would wear off the instant the Impulsive Imp caught site of Bat Lash and his deck of cards. But maybe Bat-Mite had heard something this evening that would stay with him. One could only hope…

"Well, now that you know that Bat-Mite was involved, my work here is finished!" Helena grinned, and headed back to her plane. "Boy, is he going to get it when I get home!" she added.

"Please be gentle with him. For all his great powers, his love for you makes him unable to defend himself from you." This was very unlike Fate. It must be coming from the Nelsons.

"I DO know that, Doc. After all, I'm one of the best detectives alive!" Helena smiled as she fired up the Bat jet. Even with his super hearing, Superman was barely able to detect the engine. She advanced the throttle, and then she was gone.

Dr. Fate turned to leave, but Superman wasn't finished yet. "Hold on, Fate! You, of all people, know that Vic Valor may be Ted Knight. If it is Ted, he needs help. Yet earlier this evening, when you could have tried to find him and help him, you didn't. I want an explanation!"

Not many mortals dared to talk to a Lord of Order that way. But then, not many mortals had the stature of Superman. Fate almost decided to ignore the impertinent question, but then realized that his own respect for the Man of Steel required him to answer.

"I'm sure that there have been times when your duty as an Icon have conflicted with your duty as a hero?" he asked, speaking softly.

The Man of Steel nodded. He understood, although he was not totally satisfied with that answer. The good that Fate did in the world was a byproduct of his status as an Icon, a Lord of Order. His concern for his cause almost always superseded his concern for individuals. In a way, Superman was almost Fate's direct opposite. Superman's Iconic status as a Champion of Good arose because of his concern for individuals.

Still, Fate's humanity was on display tonight. "Fear not, Man of Might. I shall find Vic Valor, and, if he be Ted Knight or other, offer my assistance."

With Fate's assurance, Superman's thoughts turned to home. As he headed for Kansas at multi-Mach speed, he hoped Lois was still awake.

Chapter 4 Doc Fate, Magic Detective

Back again in his tower sanctum, Fate contemplated his situation. If he was going to keep his promise to Superman, he needed more information. Well, he would soon have that information. He made his preparations.

Long ago, Dr. Fate had anchored a Pocket Universe of his own design to his sanctum, He cast the spell that activated the portal between universes, and stepped through a full length mirror mounted on one of the walls. That mirror might have looked familiar to Dr. Occult! Magically adjacent to our own universe, yet subject to totally different physical laws, no matter how long Fate remained in the Pocket Universe, no time passed on Earth. When he needed more time than our universe allowed him, he had often spent a lot of time in the Pocket Universe. Fortunately Lords of Order are immortal... Now that he could utilize time at his leisure, he began his investigation.

The senses of a Lord of Order, enhanced by powerful spells, are far beyond human comprehension. What we CAN understand, in a general way, is what Fate discovered, using a powerful yet delicate scrying spell to track the Vic Valor entity through time.

Fate watched the whole story unfold in reverse order, then he ran it back again in normal sequence, stopping to rewind and view again those scenes of exceptional significance. Here is some of what he discovered...

Years ago, in 1947, on a day that was no different than any other day, suddenly, an energy entity appeared in this universe, as if from nowhere. Try as he might, Fate could trace it no further. There was a very unimpressive puff of energy, which dissipated so quickly that even Fate's magic could not analyze it, and there it was. It was suspicious, Fate thought, that this entity had materialized so close to Earth.

At that point the entity could hardly even be called a being. It had no memories, no thoughts, and certainly no purpose - nothing, in fact, but potential. Fate observed that it was nourished by infra energy, and it was quickly drawn to Ted Knight as the most powerful source of infra energy nearby. The fact that it had appeared close to Ted could not be interpreted as a coincidence. Someone whose identity Fate was unable to track had sent the entity to Ted Knight.

Ted's mind was becoming unstable because of a side effect of the life-extending Karkull energy. The entity set up house, undetected, in Ted's subconscious. It learned a lot from Ted, and eventually discovered it could, from time to time, control his body. So, using information from Ted's mind, and a lot of imagination, Vic Valor had been created. Because it had no background of its own, because it had never known anything else, the entity believed that this fictional history was true. Fate stopped thinking of it as 'the entity' or 'the Valor entity' and began to think of it as 'Vic Valor', because that is what the entity itself thought.

Through all of this, Fate could detect no malicious intent.

Dr, Doog's D-Ray had nearly killed Vic Valor. He had escaped into the complex circuitry of the Valor battle armor and had remained dormant for almost 40 years. The suit was designed to collect infra energy and even deep underground in Ted Knight's secret laboratory sanctum it was able to collect a trickle, enough to sustain the sleeping Valor. During that period, one of Ted’s hobbies had been to add new refinements to the Valor armor, building in new weapons and fixing any weaknesses, though he never wore the suit himself. It was these improvements that Valor had remembered from his long ‘sleep’.

And then the armor was moved to a sub-basement of the Justice Society brownstone. Lacking so many feet of stone insulating it from the sky, the suit quickly absorbed a maximum charge. The shock of the event brought Valor back to awareness - though he had himself become mentally unstable during his long sleep. And we've seen what followed...

Having learned all he could from his instant replay of Valor's life, Fate turned his attention to the 'present' - the present on Earth-2. He cast another spell that blanketed the Earth, searching for a powerful source of infra-energy. And there it was, near San Francisco? He couldn't understand how Valor had gotten there.

He replayed the moments of their earlier almost-confrontation, examining it more closely, and realized that the residue of Bat-Mite's magic, coating Valor, had reacted against his own magic almost like two fingers squeezing a wet watermelon seed, with Valor being the seed. A more detailed examination showed him that Valor was no longer 'infected' by Bat-Mite's wild magic. Good, he didn't want anything else chaotic to occur during his next meeting with Valor.

He had enough, information, and now it was time to act.