Chapter 1: Sky Vegas

July 4, 2020

The floating city resort of Sky Vegas(tm), somewhere over the South Pacific

The World's Richest Man sprawled on his ultra soft yet firmly supportive Cloud Nine(tm) mattress and reviewed the status of his own personal universe. Life was grand - he should have gone straight 70 years ago, and saved himself endless frustration! In the last 10 years, since he had turned his unbelievable genius to making money rather than battling with that Big Red Cheese all the time, his every whim had been made reality, his every desire had been fulfilled, his every wish had been granted! Thaddeus Bodog Sivana, World's Smartest and Richest Man!

So what if the world still thought of Captain Marvel as a hero - he had gotten over his hatred of that horrid Marvel Family long ago. No, he was no longer even the least bit jealous when the Big Red Cheese won Time Magazine's Man of the Year, 5 times running, even though during those years Sivana, Inc. was the largest philanthropic donor in history and he, TB Sivana, had personally developed and released a free, 100% effective cure for cancer. What did it matter that there was a Captain Marvel Day but no Sivana Day in Ruttville, New Hampshire, even though Marvel had never even visited the town but the non-profit group Sivanalliance for Terra had cleaned up the radiation spill when the nearby reactor had leaked. The world was a big enough place for both of them, after all...

He was headed for lunch in one of the 5 star restaurants aboard his most successful business, which was also his home: Sky Vegas, Paradise in the Sky(r). The largest airship in history, home to the most luxurious resort in history. A resort where you could find _anything_ you wanted... as long as you were prepared to pay. Think of a resort that combined Club Med, Las Vegas, Disney World, Plato's, an expensive cruise ship, virtual reality parlors, and every service and luxury known to man, and you had half of Sky Vegas.

The other half consisted of entertainment that was illegal elsewhere. But there were few laws in Sky Vegas, just those needed to protect the patrons. By staying in international airspace, it avoided all of the parochial laws of the various petty and unimportant Earth-bound nations. The policy of routinely giving deep discounts and incredible pampering to every top government official from every country was just further insurance against interference from any of these officials.

Since it had been launched 6 years ago, the enormous airship never again landed, and in fact, it couldn't and never would. Much of the gigantic craft was given over to 'lift chambers', and every ceiling, floor and wall in Sky Vegas had been built to be hollow. Once construction was finished, a frothy semi-rigid substance called Sivanogen(r), which was lighter than air, provided more lift than hydrogen, and was of course, totally inflammable, had been pumped into the lift chambers and in all the hollow spaces.

This Sivanogen 'filling' provided Sky Vegas with such great lift that even fully-loaded, it could never descend lower than about a mile above sea level. Even if the gigantic vessel were to break up, the Sivanogen built into the various pieces should keep most of them from crashing to Earth. The process of creating Sivanogen was one of the most closely-held industrial secrets in the world,

Sky Vegas now flew leisurely clockwise circuits of the Pacific Rim, from Artic Circle to Antarctic circle, south along the Western Coast of the Americas and north along the East Coast of Asia, with copious stops in-between. It usually took about 4 months to complete one such circuit, but the scheduling was very loose - and always open to 'adjustment' for a fee. In periods of economic downturn, many of the governments of countries near the flight path of Sky Vegas might pay the Sky Vegas corporation to spend a few extra days near their airspace, hoping that the many rich passengers might spend money in their countries during the layovers.

Passengers, crew, supplies and equipment were ferried up by specially designed shuttles, which landed on a runway on the top of the airship. With accommodations ranging from quite inexpensive to impossibly expensive, and entertainment ranging from free to as much as a customer was willing to pay, Sky Vegas was the single most popular tourist destination in the world. And it was all a product of Sivana's genius.

And it was making him wealthy beyond imagining, and with that wealth came power. Sivana didn't rule the world - he no longer wanted to. But ruling Sky Vegas gave him power equivalent to the most powerful heads of state in the world, and for the moment, he was satisfied.

With the incredibly wealth that many patrons brought on board with them, Sky Vegas was also the single biggest target for criminals in the world. And, of course, filled with the rich and powerful, usually including world leaders, it was also the single biggest target for terrorists. The single biggest department in the Sky Vegas company was 'Ship's Security', which worked night and day to keep Sky Vegas safe from any and all threats.

In fact, the only real work Sivana did these days was every 6 months or so, he totally overhauled the security systems, top to bottom, putting in place ever more complex, ever more powerful protections against all conceivable threats, from full scale invasion to insidious computer virus attack. Sky Vegas was armed and armored, and safer than just about anyplace else on Earth. And probably off Earth as well!

Sivana didn't notice, but he wasn't taking the shortest route to the restaurant he had selected. The crew in the main control room was surprised when Sivana and his entourage passed through, but he was the boss. He gave no explanation, and they didn't stay long, just zipped in one door and out the other. The crew was momentarily distracted - Sivana's entourage included some of the most attractive young people on Earth, of several different genders, chosen specifically, in fact, to be distracting. Nobody noticed the boss press a button on a rarely-used control panel, and even he didn't realize what he had done. The consequences of this furtive action wouldn't become obvious for several hours.

Meanwhile Sivana and his entourage enjoyed lunch in one of the best restaurants on Earth S (well, not exactly ON Earth-S, but not far way!).

Chapter 2: 100th Birthday

July 4, 2020

The Squadron of Justice mountain retreat, somewhere in the Rockies

"You don't turn 100 every day" Jack Weston thought to himself. Although he wasn't exactly a 'normal' 100. He had spent 20 years in suspended animation, during which he had not seemed to age at all. And since then, something had been keeping him young, so he still looked in his early 20s. And of course, over the years he had traveled in time several times. So keeping track of his 'real' age was just about impossible. 100 years ago today, he had been born, and that was close enough for him.

Jack had not been the first member of the Squadron of Justice to turn 100. Jim and Susan Barr had both been born a few years before he had, although it was not wise to remind Sue of that! Jim's 100th birthday party had been a disaster, as the older folks had sat around and reminisced, which made them nostalgic and a little sad, and bored the youngsters to tears. So for Sue's party, and now for his, they had adopted a different format. Instead of a formal party, Jack and his best friends were having a picnic at the secret Squadron of Justice retreat.

The retreat was somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, a beautiful valley that could only be reached easily by flying. When they had first set it up, Ibis had hidden it under an illusion spell, and no one but members of the Squadron of Justice and their immediate families knew the location. And only a very few other people outside of the SoJ were even aware of its existence. The Squadron of Justice maintained a public headquarters, the Hall of Justice, but this retreat was a place SoJ members and their families could escape to for vacations, holidays, picnics, and just to get away.

Most of the supporting facilities of the retreat were buried inside the surrounding mountains. Parts of the grounds were meticulously maintained by robotic groundskeepers, and there were picnic tables, gazebos, and some comfortable cottages, as well as a large pool for swimming that was kept warm even in the winter by some hot springs. Even with super powers it had taken the heroes quite a while to duplicate that particular miracle of nature! Much of the rest of the land under the illusory shield was 'tended' - the grounds keeping robots removed dead trees and bushes but otherwise left it alone, and there were hiking paths that lead out of the valley into real Rocky Mountain wilderness.

Even though he had promised himself not to think about the past today, Jack found his mind wandering back to his many friends who were unable to attend this picnic. His ex-girlfriend Sandy Dee, who was now about 60, and who hadn't been able to remain with a man who never aged. Cissy Batson, who had died of complications following the birth of her child, also named Cissy. Mr. Scarlet, a contemporary who had long since died of old age.

Rex Tyler (the original Sandman), Ibis the Invincible and his wife Taia, all of whom were currently in magical stasis, waiting for medical science to advance enough to cure them.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who selected him to be Minute Man, and President Harry Truman, who had asked him to fight in Korea. Many soldiers from the several wars he had fought in. His parents, who had died during the time he was caught in Sivana's Suspendium trap. Hundreds of friends and thousands of acquaintances, and yet, the members of the Squadron of Justice who had joined him for this picnic were his best friends of all.

He looked around and was amused to see that while most of his friends were currently in their civilian alter-egos, Fred and Mary Freeman were cavorting as Captain Lightning and Mary Marvel. Those 2 were seriously semi-retired and rarely changed to their Marvel forms these days, and they were enjoying their powers. Bill Batson, Jim and Sue Barr and one of their adopted sons Al, Jamila (Jami) Amentemp, daughter to Ibis and Taia, and Tomas Thomson were all involved in a spirited game of croquet. Al was winning handily, but Jack was pretty sure Sue was about to make her move, and the way the balls were scattered across the pitch, he wouldn't bet against her right now.

The Barr's other adopted son, Jim Jr., was helping Cissy Batson, Bill's daughter, and Wendi Freeman, daughter of Fred and Mary, set up a volleyball net. Wendi and Cissy had wanted to play some doubles, and because they weren't involved in the croquet game, by default, Jack and Jim Jr. had been elected to be their opponents. Not that Jim Jr. minded - Jack had noticed that the gentle giant spent as much time as he could with the two girls. And Jack himself rarely turned down an opportunity for some athletic fun.

Wendi and Cissy were a good team, and, Jack had to admit, very distracting in their bikinis. They played as if each knew what the other was thinking. Jim Jr. was not a great athlete, but he _was_ 6'11" and very smart. And Jack, of course, was one of the greatest athletes in the world, so it worked out pretty well. They had split a half dozen games, and were playing one more for the Grand Championship of the day, when the Trouble Alarm sounded. Jami was nominally on monitor duty, but of course, they all headed for the monitor room.

The news was stunning. Sky Vegas had been hijacked!

Chapter 3: Meet the Youngsters

The 11 friends he had invited to celebrate his birthday weren't the total roster of the Squadron of Justice. In fact, there wasn't really a formal roster. There were 4 core members - Bulletman and Bulletwoman, Sandman (Jack's current heroic identity), and Atomic Rocket. Some of the younger heroes, including all of those here today, were frequent associates, while Captain Marvel, Captain Lightning and Mary Marvel were reserve members. Most of the heroes in the world had collaborated with the Squadron of Justice at least once.

Today's younger guests were all the children of his closest friends. He thought that it must be difficult to watch your children battle super villains, but each younger hero had proved his or her heroism many times over. Still, the youngsters labored in the shadows of their legendary parents.

Wendi Freeman was a short girl with a well-developed figure. Dark, sassy and flirty, she made her living as a folk singer. She had inherited something of the Power of Shazam from her parents. When she spoke the magic word, a magic lightning bolt gave her several of the 'traditional' Marvel Family powers: flight, invulnerability and great stamina. In her Marvel form, she used the heroic name of Pixie.

In many ways, Cissy Batson was Wendi's opposite. She was a tall slender blond, quiet and reserved, and one of the most sought-after models of the day. She had also inherited a portion of the Power of Shazam from her father, but in her it manifested itself differently. Rather than any of the "traditional" Shazam powers, she received the power to generate lighting, turn invisible, and her agility was incredible - perhaps even greater than his own, Jack thought. She used the code name 'Zap'.

Cissy and Wendi were born on the same day at the same time, and, though very different, were best friends. Though Jack didn't know it, they had recently made an amazing discovery. Jim Barr Jr. knew their secret as well, but he was sworn to secrecy.

A side effect of the 'anti-crime drug' that had given Jim and Sue Barr their super powers was that they could never have children. So they had adopted two sons.

Jim Barr, Jr. had never actually shown any interest in becoming a super-hero. Tall, shy and a little awkward, but incredibly smart, he contented himself with building weapons, gadgets and stuff for his younger brother, Al. When Jim Jr. was in the company of his heroic friends, he always found some way to hang out around Cissy and Wendi.

Al Barr, on the other hand, was the costumed hero known as The Golden Bullet, with powers similar to those of his parents, considerably enhanced by Jim Jr.'s inventions. He knew about the side effects of the anti-crime drug, but he had used it anyway. Al tended to live very much in the present, rarely worrying about tomorrow. Jamila (Jami) Amentep, the daughter of Ibis the Invincible and his wife Taia, was also known as Starflare. She had inherited considerable magical abilities from both parents. And recently, when Ibis had been forced to put himself and his beloved into magical sleep (again) she had inherited the Ibistick as well. Al spent a lot of time showing off for Jami, but she was very reserved and it was difficult to tell if his antics were having the desired effect or not.

They ranged in age from Jim Jr. who was 27, through Cissy and Wendi who were 24, Jami, 21 to Al, the youngest at 19. A very good group of 'youngsters', Jack thought.

Chapter 4 - The Unfriendly Sky

Jami was on monitor duty, but everyone wanted to know what the emergency was, so she forwarded the visual to the big view screen in the main meeting room. The retreat wasn't used for Squadron of Justice business as often as the Hall of Justice, but it had all the same facilities and equipment. A frantic vidcaster was reporting live from Sky Vegas.

"Sky Vegas has been invaded, and Sivana Network News has the exclusive video! The invaders arrived an hour ago in what appeared to be a standard Sky Vegas Corporation supply shuttle. They had the correct security codes, and the landing and transfer to the shuttle hanger were routine. Since then, though, nothing has been routine. 5 super powered criminals exited the vehicle and entered Sky Vegas, and the internal security system failed to stop them - in fact, it entirely failed to operate."

The screen showed a shuttle with a Sky Vegas corporate emblem on the tail setting down to land. Several cutaway shots established that the shuttle had responded correctly to all security challenges, both those made by flight controllers and those generated by computers. A cockpit camera showed the expected flight crew, and they exchanged greetings with the flight controllers. Then the shuttle landed, taxied to an elevator, and was lowered into the hanger. The view shifted to another camera, which showed the 5 hijackers emerging from the shuttle.

They didn't seem to be worried about the security cameras, and they weren't worried about the security systems much, either. Other security cameras showed guards activating the restraint system and when nothing happened, trying to activate the more deadly intruder destruction systems, which also didn't work. A squadron of guards with weapons attacked the villains, and it was clear that the hijackers had super powers. Even in powered combat armor, the guards were easily overwhelmed.

The 5 person hijack team was composed of one man and four women. The women looked enough alike that they were probably clones, though each had different powers. None of the heroes recognized any of the villains. The action was so fast, it was difficult to determine just what super-powers these villains might have. Atomic Rocket, the team's specialist on super-powers, was already doing slow motion computer-enhanced analysis of the videos.

The announcer was continuing "Within minutes, three of the invaders had won through to the main security office, where they activated the emergency lock down routines. All the bulkhead doors have been sealed and armor plating has slid into position covering all of the windows, after which anti-intruder knockout gas was released throughout the length and breadth of this mighty vessel. For unknown reasons, the SNN office has not been gassed and we will continue to provide updates as the situation develops."

The scene switched again, this time to the on-board SNN news stage, as the announcer continued talking. "At this time, we have only speculation about the goals of these invaders. Of more concern is how they were able to obtain the correct shuttle security codes and why all internal security systems failed. A team of security guards and engineers who managed to reach an armory are now headed for the engineering section to try to restore operation of the key systems."

The scene switched again, and it showed a team of 7 men and women, with gas masks and carrying weapons and tools, cautiously making their way through cramped tunnels. "Unfortunately, all of the security cameras on board seem to be active, which is how we can bring you these shots. But that means that the invaders can also see the same thing, which makes this brave, lonely heroic team's mission ever more difficult."

There was a green blur to the picture, and suddenly the gas masks and weapons vanished. No visible harm was done to the security team, but they quickly passed out from the knockout gas in the atmosphere.

The scene switched again to one of the casinos. Maintenance robots were gathering the unconscious patrons and carrying them out of the casino. Someone was able to use a series of cameras to track the course of a single maintenance robot, which carried several different patrons to their cabins, deposited them gently on their beds, and then closed and locked the cabin doors, welding them shut.

"Our experts estimate that all guests will be sealed in their rooms within 2 hours. We have still not heard a word from any of the hijackers about who they are or what they want. Hold on! We've been made aware of a live video broadcast from the main control room of Sky Vegas!" The scene switched again, to a giant control room.

Sitting in a large chair in the center of the room was Dr. Thaddeus Bodog Sivana. "People of Earth - I now hold hostage many of the richest men and women on the planet, and many heads of state as well. If you fail to obey me, I will execute my hostages, one at a time, once an hour, until I get what I want."

"I have waited long enough, schemed in secret, moved forward in public, and the time has come. The time to assume my rightful title of Sivana the First, Emperor of Earth!"