The American Eagle spoke into the microphone. "Testing, testing...1, 2, 3...are the levels...ah, okay. This is the American Eagle, recording secretary for the Golden Agency. The date is Sunday, July 30, 1944, and these are the proceedings of our final meeting."

The Minuteman said, "Now, Eagle, don't say that. We don't know that for sure. We're just going to go on break for a while. That's all."

The Scarlet Streak said, "You're taking this the wrong way, Eagle. Yesod, Mr. Amazing, Power Princess - we're all tired. We've all been working overtime the past two months. And now that the World Council is forming, and the United States, Britain, France, and the USSR have taken over Germany, it's the perfect time for us to take a break. Heck, we've all been so busy that we haven't even met since...what, last January?"

The American Eagle said, "Well, geez, Jay, we met before the invasion...and, what, three weeks ago...and--"

The Scarlet Streak said, "Not what I meant, Jon. I mean, we haven't met, all of us, together at the same time, since January."

The American Eagle said, "We're not all here now. Where are the Professor, and the Revenant, and--"

Tzadkiel said, "They'll be here, Jon."

The American Eagle said, "Okay, Judah."

Yesod said, "Let's get this started. The war may be over, but there's still crime to be fought, and Megalopolis is still a nest of vipers and scum."

The American Eagle said, "Uh...okay...shall I go first, then?"

Power Princess said, "If you'd like, Jon."

The American Eagle said, "Thanks, Zarda...okay. You all know that Rex and I have been busy in the Pacific. Rex has been over in Japan, and I've been handling the other islands. These are the ones I've been to:"

"Midway, of course, is clear of the Japanese; Jay, the Marines there send their best, and told me tell you that your statue should be going up in a couple of weeks."

The Scarlet Streak blushed and looked away, and the Minuteman clapped him on the shoulder and said, "You deserve it, Jay."

The Streak said, "Thanks, Rex, but...I didn't do anything anyone else wouldn't have done."

The Eagle said, "I think 300 Marines would argue otherwise, Jay."

Power Princess said, "Yes, Jay. Be proud of your accomplishments; they do you honor."

The Streak smiled somewhat bashfully in response.

The Eagle said, "We finally got the last holdouts on Guadalcanal - me and Baker Company. A shame Sgt. Stone didn't live to see it."

Yesod said, "He was a good soldier - and a good man. G-d grant him peace."

There was a moment of silence, and then the Eagle continued. "Rex and I led what was left of the Monster Marines in one final sweep of Truk and Rabaul. We ended up being glad we did. This was about two weeks ago, mind you - after the Germans surrendered and long after the Japs gave up. And you know what we found?"

Aladdin said, "More holdouts, my friend?"

The Eagle said, "You got it, Haroun. I finally got a chance to try out the new antigrav rifle, and it worked better than I thought it would. Between that and the Monster Marines' werewolf, we took care of the Japs pretty quickly - they had a whole tunnel complex in Truk that we didn't find the first time we went through. It was pretty hairy when we first found them, but then they folded soon enough when they saw who we had with us - they were really scared of the werewolf and the vampire. Can't say as I blame them."

"It got bad, though, when we got to Tarawa. That's where we started finding evidence of Koshi's men. I thought we'd got them all on the way to Japan, but we started finding clusters of them, all wearing that uniform, hiding out in their little underground forts. It wasn't anything we couldn't handle, but it was still pretty bad."

"Iwo Jima was worse - but you all heard about that, right?"

Atoman said, "Yeah; you couldn't handle it yourself - you had to call in the New Sparta, didn't they?"

The Eagle said, "Yeah, actually, we did. There were a lot of them. After the battleship dropped some 22-inchers on the island, and Wild Bill sent in the Shadow Warrior, Koshi's men surrendered. Same thing with Okinawa; we thought we'd cleared it out, after we captured the last Jap soldier there, but sure enough, when we went over the island really closely we found evidence that Koshi had been there. I'm planning on going back, with the Shadow Warrior and some of Wild Bill's other agents, and going over the rest of those islands from top to bottom, to make sure that they're completely free. I think we should all keep watch, though, and make sure that the Jap communities in the States are free of Koshi's men. Rex, what was Japan like?"

"It wasn't bad, Jon. The people there were surprisingly good about the occupation. There was almost no resistance to us. We...I mean, me and the other soldiers, we were expecting...I don't know, more kamikaze attacks, women coming at us with kitchen knives, kids running up to us carrying grenades...that sort of thing. At least, that's what Mac advised us we'd be facing. But they were really very peaceful, all things considered."

Mr. Amazing said, "Rex, do you know what they were told to expect? The Japanese, I mean?"

The Minuteman said, "No - what?"

Mr. Amazing said, "The Japanese high command - Tojo and Yoshijiro and Toyoda and that lot - spread the word that the gaijin - that's us - would be raping women and killing and eating babies, that we'd let them starve and destroy all the Shinto and Buddhist shrines - that we'd be complete barbarians if we took over their country, and that it was their duty as Japanese to resist. That's why the Japanese have been pretty friendly; we're not acting like they expected. Hell, we're not acting like they'd have acted, if they'd occupied America. And they know that."

The Minuteman stroked the stubble on his chin. "Huh. Sounds about right to me. Certainly, that's how they've acted. I know a couple of servicemen who...well...before we landed, they said they were going to take a couple of...uh...'souvenirs'...if you know what I mean."

Most of the Golden Agency members nodded, slowly; they'd all been in action, and knew what the Minuteman meant. American soldiers were, generally, good men, but even the best of men were capable of evil actions after too long under fire; the strain of combat could force men to do things they'd never think of in peacetime.

The Minuteman said, "But, you know what? After about fifteen minutes there, they all changed their tune. There are these crowds of kids who show up wherever we go, and...well, they're cute, y'know? And all we have to do is give them some candy, and they're happy. And the women...they're real friendly...I know it's because we're feeding them...god, they're all so thin...they must have been on starvation rations for months..."

Yesod said, in his customary hoarse voice and curt manner, "So all you have to tell us is that things are wonderful there?"

The Minuteman straightened up with a jerk, and the distant and somewhat soft look on his face disappeared. "No. I've been keeping in touch with Jon - Terry, thanks a lot for those radio-phones, they've been a big help. You ought to sell those, y'know? You could make a lot of money off of them." Mr. Amazing smiled and said, "I'm working on it, Rex."

The Minuteman nodded and said, "Good. Anyhow - I've been keeping in touch with Jon, and once he told me about Koshi's men, I started looking around Tokyo. It wasn't very easy - you can't exactly fit in a crowd there, especially not looking like me - but I had help from, get this, the Anonymous Soldier."

Most of the other Agency members looked surprised, and the Songbird and the Sefiroth even gaped. The Dreamer said, "I thought he was a myth, something the soldiers told each other to make themselves feel better?"

Yesod said, "No. He exists. I...worked with him, at the end. In Berlin."

There was a brief silence, the other Agency members thinking about the meaning of Yesod's words, until Mr. Amazing broke the silence. "I'd heard, Rex, that he was killed at the end of the war. Not true, I take it?"

The Minuteman shook his head. "Nope. Perfectly healthy - in a bad mood, but I'm told that's always the case. He took me on a tour of the Japanese underworld - all over Tokyo and down to Kyoto and up to Sendai. They've got these organized crime syndicates there, called the...'Yackoozah,' I think."

Mr. Amazing said, "The Yakuza, Rex. They're centuries old, and are even respected in Japan; a lot of times they've been the only hope for the ordinary people against the government or the military."

The Minuteman said, "Yeah, well, that might have been the case once, but what I saw was a lot of bad stuff because of them - forced prostitution, loan sharking, murders-for-hire - that sort of thing. Mac said he wasn't going to do anything about that, though; I just don't get that. He's leaving the Emperor in charge - that's not going to change anything, and it's not going to make it better, that's for sure. What's he thinking?"

Yesod said, "MacArthur is a conceited petty tyrant who listens only to his own ego. He would have made a perfect Nazi."

There was a brief silence, and the Minuteman said, "Uh...okay, right. Anyhow - the Anonymous Soldier showed me some stuff, and put me in touch with some of the Japanese syndicate leaders, and you know what they told me? Apparently Koshi had duplicates of himself made, and they've set up these little cults - cells, I mean - of his cult all over Japan. It doesn't matter that we took the Chalice away from him; they still believe he's divinely ordained to destroy the hated West, or some such crap."

Tzadkiel leaned forward and said, "Rex, did you find any of these duplicates?"

The Minuteman shook his head. "No, sorry, Judah, I didn't. But these crime leaders showed me some things that convinced me they were telling me the truth - costumes, weapons like he used - those curved swords with the dragon carving on them. I didn't get much more out of them - they weren't comfortable with me there, and God knows I wanted to arrest all of them - but I got enough - I left all that stuff downstairs with Einstein - you can see it there."

The Agency members nodded and some made mental notes to check with their mechanical servant after the meeting was over.

The Minuteman said, "So that's going to need looking at. I've got to get back to my company - going to be a lot of need for chemicals in the next few years. But I'm going to try to go back to Japan soon, by October, maybe, and check up on this. Judah, I know you're busy, but maybe you could look at it, too?"

Tzadkiel nodded. "I will, Rex."

The Minuteman said, "Thanks, Judah."

The American Eagle said, "Thanks, Rex. Who's next - Dinah?"

"Thanks, Jon. I told you all, about a month back, that Prime Minister Churchill had a special mission for me, right?"

The Scarlet Streak said, "Sure did, Dinah. Was that--"

Songbird said, "Let me tell it in my own way, Jay." She smiled, to show she meant no harm, and Jay smiled and raised his hands in mock surrender.

Songbird went on. "The P.M. said that, since the disappearance of the Knight, I was the most prominent of England's crimefighters, and so he would need me for certain special missions. I thought it was going to be mostly public relations - rallying the public once the war was over, keeping their spirits up - that sort of thing. That's why I brought Larry along." Mr. Amazing noted that Songbird didn't seem to notice the subtle frowns on the faces of the other Agency members; they had never approved of Songbird's choice of men, seeing Larry only as a cheap, half-competent private eye with a dollar sign where his heart should have been and with no sense of manners. Mr. Amazing knew that Sefiroth, for one, was very attracted to Songbird - they'd worked together a lot as a team, and sometimes love did spring out of that - but Mr. Amazing figured a lot of the attraction, at least on Sefiroth's part, was the allure of a shiksa; Mr. Amazing knew that Sefiroth had a fiancee of his own, waiting for him in Sapphire City, and that the fiancee was a good woman herself.

Songbird said, "And for about three weeks that was what the P.M. wanted. We toured the cities hardest hit during the war - London, Coventry, Leeds, Hull, Manchester, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Dublin, and Belfast - and distributed food and medical supplies - you know, the sort of thing we did on the homefront in 41 and 42."

"Then the P.M. got news of a weird series of murders taking place in Ireland and Scotland, and he asked Larry and me to investigate it." (This, thought Mr. Amazing, was highly unlikely, since Churchill wouldn't even have known who Larry was, and if he had he probably wouldn't have asked him along; Songbird was most likely being kind to her fiance - he probably forced himself on to the investigation. It wouldn't have been the first time) "The murders were centered in Dublin and Glasgow, but were also taking place in the towns outside of both cities - Cranston Hill and Springburn in Scotland, and Ballsbridge and Walkinstown in Ireland.. The only people being targeted were soldiers and policemen, and they were dying in...unpleasant ways."

Yesod leaned forward and hissed, " Unpleasant'?"

Songbird swallowed and looked down at the table. "Their hearts were ripped out of their bodies and their...genitals were severed and...stuffed in their mouths."

Trompe L'Oeil spoke for the first time. "That is...strange."

The Dreamer frowned and said, "Charles, I think it's more than strange."

Trompe L'Oeil said, "No, no, mon ami. I meant, yes, it is barbaric, but more than that. It is strange. That is a punishment more seen in the East than here in Europe. No, Wesley, I do not mean the East you are familiar with - not the civilized Chinese. I mean the East that is France's. You know I was experienced in fighting crime before the war, too. I spent time in France's possessions in Southeast Asia, and I saw similar...acts done there. Usually to those who betrayed the rebels and helped the French colonial police."

Songbird said, with just a touch of asperity, "As it turned out, it wasn't quite like that. If I might continue...?"

Trompe L'Oeil said, "I apologize, chere Dinah. Please continue."

Songbird smiled and lightly tapped Trompe L'Oeil's gloved hand. "Naughty, naughty, Charles. Next time..."

Trompe L'Oeil smiled and touched his forehead in apology. Songbird said, "Anyhow. We did some investigating. We all thought it was the IRA; they're savages anyhow, and this is the sort of thing they'd do. And there were some clues left at the crime scene that indicated that it might be the Provisional IRA."

Yesod hissed, "Clues? What clues?"

Songbird said, "The type of guns, for one; the bullet casings were .455s, which the British stopped using in the Twenties; the IRA, though, laid in great stores of them back during the Troubles in `19 and `22 and `25 and `29, and they're still using them."

Yesod nodded, curtly. Songbird said, "Larry, though, discovered an interesting fact." (Mr. Amazing thought, again, that this was probably Dinah being too kind and wanting to impress her friends and make her fiance‚ look good to them; she might not have consciously known that the Agency members thought that Larry was a half-talented thug, but subconsciously she couldn't have been unaware of it) "All the towns and cities around both areas were being targeted - except Edinburgh. None of these murders had been committed there. Now, Edinburgh is less than an hour's ride by rail from Glasgow, and is much bigger; if the IRA wanted to kill soldiers, it'd be a perfect place to do it. The only reason Edinburgh wouldn't have been hit was if it wasn't the IRA doing this at all, but someone setting them up, and working from Edinburgh itself - not murdering anyone in that way in Edinburgh wouldn't draw attention to the city."

Yesod and Mr. Amazing both nodded. Mr. Amazing said, "A logical deduction, Dinah. Good work."

Songbird smiled prettily and said, "I'll tell Larry you said so. He'll be pleased. We did some checking around, though, and didn't come up with anything until...Jay, brace yourself...until Master Shadow showed up."

The Scarlet Streak looked more surprised than anyone, although all of the Agency members were at least a little surprised. The darkness-wielding dandy was more of an anti-hero and scofflaw than true villain, but he had jousted with the Streak, among others, on several occasions. The Streak had several times told the other Agency members that he thought Master Shadow was treating their fights as games, and that he was only pretending to try to steal things - for what reasons, the Streak couldn't say.

Songbird said, "He was there to help, actually. Did you know he was originally English? I didn't - he certainly doesn't sound like it, he's done a great job of taking on an American accent - but he told us so. He said that...let me see if I can get the words right...`though I am long-removed from my native shores, I still have no wish to see any further ills brought to it. Especially from those who would commit crimes and then attempt to shift blame on to others.'"

"So he brought Larry and I around to some of the spots in Edinburgh that the local criminals hang out in. And after about a week of snooping around - you know, Master Shadow can be very charming when he wants to be - we found out who was behind it."

"Attila, and the Mage."

There were general groans around the table, and the Cat said, "Aw, cripes, they ain't reforming the Crime Society again, are they?"

Paladin 1408 said, "Attila...damn his Neanderthal hide. Bad enough he robbed the US of millions of dollars when he was Secretary of Defense...what was he doing now?"

Songbird said, "Ted, this wasn't a Crime Society plot, no. Alan, it seems...well...the Mage found out how he could get some real magical powers, and Attila was helping him. It involved human sacrifice."

Tzadkiel said, "Why would Master Shadow betray his former teammates?"

Songbird said, "We asked him that, and he just smiled in that way of his and said, `My soul is black, my dear, but there are some deeds even I will not countenance. Moreover, were the Mage to gain true power, the chances are high that my home would soon be troubled - and as long as I may prevent it, the Sapphire will know only peace.'"

Sefiroth said, "That makes a certain amount of sense, I think; Shadow did a lot of things during the war, but never once committed any sort of crime in Sapphire."

The Cat said, "So, Dinah, didja get them in time?"

Songbird regretfully shook her head. "Not really. We did prevent them from killing an entire orphanage, but not before the Mage got some real powers - he managed to teleport both himself and Attila away. But we did catch their henchmen, and the book they were casting their spells from, and Master Shadow said that he didn't think they'd be returning to Edinburgh any time soon, so there's that, at least. But both are still loose, so everyone should be on the lookout for them."

The American Eagle nodded his head. "Thanks, Dinah. You'll get them next time. Ted, what have you been up to?"

The Cat said, "Aw, geez, they got me doin' dis publicity stuff wit' da troops in Europe and da Pacific. I bin flyin' around so much I feel like I got wings - no offense, Eagle."

The American Eagle smiled. "None take, Ted - they do come off, you know."

The Cat said, "I bin in a lotta cities, but I'm always wit' da troops and da brass, and I can't say I seen nuthin' suspicious. Just a lotta movin' around and stuff. Except..." He paused, and a look of confusion crossed his face.

Mr. Amazing said, "Yes, Ted?"

The Cat said, "I can't quite remember what...oh, yeah, now I remember what it was. Judah, I remember youse telling us about that whatchacallit, imp guy you hadda handle a couple times. What wuz his name, Mr....Kltpzyxm, dat was it."

Tzadkiel groaned and buried his face in his hands. The other Agency members grinned; Mr. Kltpzyxm was a sixth-dimensional being who idolized Tzadkiel and came to their dimension to watch Tzadkiel in action. Mr. Kltpzyxm meant well, but all too often he got bored with Tzadkiel's easy victories (at least, that was how Kltpzyxm saw them) and decided to make things more "interesting" for his hero. Mr. Kltpzyxm never did any real damage, but he was prone to making an awful mess - but only where Tzadkiel was concerned. When it came to the other Golden Agency members, especially Yesod, he stayed far away from them.

The Cat grinned and said, "Sorry, pal, hate to tell ya about this, but...I saw some weird statues in some out-of-the-way places. Y'know how Kltpzyxm was always wearing that hat a'his? Well, I kept running across these little statues that seemed to be wearing bowlers, just like Kltpzyxm. Thought you'd wanna know about it."

Tzadkiel put his head down on the table and groaned again. Power Princess smiled and rested a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Look at it this way, Judah - he'll probably get bored and go away. In, oh, six months time or so."

Tzadkiel groaned louder and wrapped his arms over his head, causing the others to grin wider. Finally he raised his head up and said, "I'll look into it."

The American Eagle said, "Thanks for bringing that up, Ted. Al, what have you been doing?"

Atoman said, "Wild Bill, and FDR, both thought it would be a good idea for me to visit the homefront for a while, and work undercover. So I--"

Mr. Amazing said, "Wait. You're the Mighty Midget!"

Atoman said, "Good guess, Einstein; what, did you think there was another 5'1" superhero with atomic strength?"

The Scarlet Streak and the Dreamer exchanged glances and rolled their eyes; Atoman's temper had, if anything, gotten worse as the years had gone by. Mr. Amazing, in a voice dripping with honeyed calm, said, "Al, I meant no offense. I just hadn't put it together yet, is all."

Atoman snorted, "Well, you aren't the only one. I don't know why, though; I disappear, and a new costumed hero shows up, who's the same height as me, and the same strength - and nobody guesses that it's me? I think the war must have damaged everyone's brain."

Tzadkiel, his deep voice rumbling, said, "Al, I didn't know you were the Midget, either. I'm glad you were, though, since the headlines have said you were active across the United States."

Atoman, irritation showing in his voice, said, "I was everywhere, Judah. It just burns me...I never get credit...anyhow. I left Germany and put on a new costume, just like FDR wanted, and started checking up on our old pals. Turns out it was a good thing I did; you wouldn't believe how much stuff they'd gotten into while we were gone. We left for Europe on, what, the 15th of May?"

Tzadkiel said, "Those of you who went into France before the invasion left on the 14th and 15th; the rest of us left here on June 4th."

Atoman said, "Right, right. Anyhow, it's only been, what, two months? Ten weeks? And when we left everyone was in jail, right? So, get this - this is what two our playmates did while we were gone:

"The Genius somehow got one of the guards to bring him his Brilliance Bowler. So the Genius starts wearing that full-time, and he eventually comes up with a scheme that - well, I don't know what happened, but when I started snoopin' around I found the Genius was running this scam - he was controlling all the crime in Seminole, Maryana, and Louisiana from his jail cell! All the time the Genius is in his cell, his bank accounts are ballooning. And he bought all the guards, of course, and so his cell looked like a flippin' hotel room!"

"I also went up to New Carthage, cause that's the last place we put the Brain away. Of course, the little bald-headed freak used his mental powers to escape from jail. It turns out - get this - that he went up to Canada, and was fighting against the Japs up there, in secret, and then up in Seward. Remember when we fought the Japs on the Rat Islands?"

Everyone in the room shuddered. They weren't likely to forget that week. The Japanese had landed an occupying force on the outer islands of the Aleutians in June 1942, and the Golden Agency had been sent to eject them.

Sometime before the war, Koshi, the leader of the Japanese super-men, had captured an ancient magical artifact called the Chalice. Around this time the Germans had captured a similar weapon called the Sword of Fate. Both had the ability to turn all those who were susceptible to magic into slaves of the wielders of the Chalice and the Sword of Fate; as long as Koshi and Hitler held the Chalice and the Sword of Fate, all those who entered areas controlled by the Japanese and Germans became thralls of Koshi and of Hitler (most of the Agency didn't quite understand that part, but they'd been assured by the Kabbalist that it was true, and so they took his word for it). Because the more powerful of the Agency members used magic or were otherwise susceptible to it, only Trompe L'Oeil, Yesod, Mr. Amazing, and Hunter (who'd later died in France, betrayed by the Maquis) and gone in to the Aleutians, to scout. Later, the other non-magic Agency members - the Scarlet Streak, Songbird, American Eagle, and the others - had gone in, and together they'd fought the Japanese, and driven them off the islands. But it was the first exposure to real, war-time combat conditions for most of the Agency members who'd been there, and the weather, even in June, had been hellishly cold, and their memories of their week on Kiska and Attu were not pleasant ones.

Atoman, oblivious to the reactions of the others to his words, said, "Turns out the Brain was up there, too, workin' behind the scenes; there were some slant supers on the mainland who he took on."

Mr. Amazing noted Tzadkiel's frown at Atoman's words; Tzadkiel never liked it when the others used that sort of language, but, typically, Al didn't notice. Atoman went on: "Well, wouldn't you know it, the Brain started doin' some stuff undercover in one of the Jap camps in western Canada - how the freak expected to stay undercover, lookin' like he does, I don't know, but I guess he can use his powers to make people think he looks differently than he does."

"So he meets this Nip broad, and he falls in love with her! Can you believe it? I mean, falling in love with one of them?"

"And better still, she falls in love with him! And from what I'm told, he didn't even use his powers on her!"

"So once the war is over, the Brain wants to move into an apartment with his blushing yellow bride, only the Canuck government wants to keep the slants in their camp until they can make sure everything is safe. So the Brain, get this, starts using his powers on the camp guards, and starts helping the gooks--"

Tzadkiel rumbled, "Albert. You will not use that language in front of me. Please."

Atoman stopped and suddenly looked nervous. "Oh...uh, sorry, Judah."

Tzadkiel's expression was a stern one. "You don't owe me an apology, Albert. You owe the Japanese an apology."

The Dreamer said, "They aren't gooks,' Al. They're people."

Atoman glared at the Dreamer. "What're you, soft on them? Hey, pal, you weren't there in--"

Tzadkiel increased his voice slightly. "This is not how the righteous act, Albert. You are not acting like a hero."

Atoman's expression became sullen, and after a few seconds he said, "You wanna hear what I have to say or not?"

Mr. Amazing said, "Al, we do. Just keep your opinions to yourself."

Atoman glared at Mr. Amazing, and then at the rest of the Agency, but finding no sympathy in their faces, finally said, "Fine. Have it your way."

"The Brain started letting the sla--the Japs go. By the time I got there they were loose across Canada, and he was doing the same thing in the States."

Yesod said, "You recaptured both of them, then?"

Atoman angrily said, "Would I be sayin' this to you if I hadn't? What do I look like, a jerk? Am I a clown? Am I here to amuse you?"

The Dreamer said, "No, of course not, Albert. As for what I've been doing - John, if I might?" The American Eagle nodded, with some relief; when Atoman was like this it was best to let him be unpleasant and move on.

The Dreamer said, "I, too, have been active in the United States. I am fortunate, in that my civilian identity allows me the opportunity to travel without being questioned. And, like Albert, I've also encountered some of our enemies from the Crime Society; of course, it was they I was looking for, so no surprise that I encountered them, rather than others."

"In New Athens it was Mr. Chill; he was attempting to recreate the Crime Society's Patriotic Crimes' acts, only with smaller historical objects, such as some of Paul Revere's silverwork."

"In Megalopolis I discovered the Sportsman and Diana the Hunter were active; they had this particularly intricate scheme worked out whereby they would take a certain percentage of the gate receipts from the Yankees, Giants, and Dodgers games. Believe it or not, the Sportsman was playing for the Yankees, in a disguise that I think the Genius made for him, some years ago, and Diana was working for both the Giants and Dodgers as a secretary. They'd been busy with this scheme since opening day; I suppose it was just greed that kept them there, since they were both millionaires several times other by the time I found them."

"And, finally, the High Roller and the Violinist were running a scam in both the City-by-the-Sea and Las Vegas; they'd walk into various casinos together, and the Violinist would use his violin to lull the gamblers into a daze, or to hypnotize them, while the High Roller used his loaded dice and marked cards to win every game. They'd clean out one casino and then move across the country and clean out another casino, and then return to the first city. I think it was greed that kept them going, just like the Sportsman and his wife; when I captured them they already had more money than they could spend. Sometimes I despair of ever understanding the criminal mind. But, in answer to the question you have not yet asked, yes, I did capture them."

The American Eagle said, "Good work, Wes. Zarda?"

Power Princess said, "I must apologize, before saying anything else, for being so secretive these past weeks. Believe me, it was not by choice."

Tzadkiel said, "Zarda, I think we all knew that. You have your mission to fulfill, and you were doing that as best you could. We just...well, I for one wasn't used to you being evasive. That's all."

Power Princess touched his hand briefly. "I know, Judah. And I am sorry."

She turned to the rest of the Agency members. "I have spoken with...with those who were working with me, and I can know tell you what I have been doing."

"All of you are aware of the World Council, I assume?"

There were smiles of amusement on the faces of most of the other Agency members; they all liked Power Princess, to greater or lesser degrees, but sometimes her attitude - what Mr. Amazing thought of as her "medieval missionary approach to life" - became overbearing. She tended to forget that she wasn't talking to ordinary humans, who she looked down upon, but to fellow heroes. Mr. Amazing would never have told Zarda that, though, since he knew that, as a product of an advanced civilization hidden in the Atlantic Ocean, she'd been raised to feel that she was superior to normal humans. Zarda couldn't help but be convinced of her own greatness.

The Scarlet Streak, as usual, was the first to reply. "Yes, Zarda. We do read the papers, you know. And...uh...some of us have been working with them."

Zarda raised her eyebrows. "Really? I was not aware. Who are you--"

The Scarlet Streak said, "Why don't you tell your story, Zarda, and then I'll tell you what I've been doing."

Power Princess nodded. "Certainly. As an emissary of the Utopians, I have been given a sacred mission: to see that all of humanity becomes as peaceful as my people are. They have departed for the stars, and so it is more important than ever that I carry out that mission. That is why I joined the Golden Agency, and that is why I am now working with the World Council."

This drew some surprised looks from the others; most of them had not heard anything about this. Mr. Amazing, however, slowly nodded, and Yesod looked as if some private hunch had just been confirmed.

Power Princess, noticing only the surprised expressions, said, "It is the logical and intelligent thing to do, after all. The United States, China, the Soviet Union - all the world powers are coming together, to avoid future conflicts such as the war. Surely it makes sense that I work with them?"

The Agency members nodded, and the American Eagle said, "I don't think we're disapproving of it, Zarda; we were just surprised, is all."

Zarda said, "Perhaps it would surprise you, but I'm sure that Tzadkiel understands."

Tzadkiel, obviously thinking of something else, said, "Hmmm? Oh, yes. I do understand, Zarda."

Power Princess nodded. "Good."

Yesod said, "I take it, from the events in Burma and Italy and Canada, that you have decided that crime is your highest priority?"

Zarda nodded again, saying, "Isn't it obvious? I cannot change government policies, but as long as criminals prey on ordinary humans, there will never be peace. Not true peace. And while street crime will always be a constant, you and the others can deal with that. I, though, have the freedom and opportunity to strike at those who direct the crime, those who are behind it. And that is what I have done. The leaders of the Mafia and the Black Hand and the Triads are all aware of me, now; they know that I am coming for them. Already I have captured some; others will be in the custody of the World Council's Security Section in only days."

"And that's what I've been doing. I don't expect all of you to understand, but this is what I was sent to the world of the humans for."

There was a moment's silence, filled with exchanged glances, and finally the American Eagle said, "Oookay. Thanks for telling us that, Zarda. Jay, you said you wanted to go next?"

The Scarlet Streak nodded and said, "Yeah. I've been busy - but then, you all know that, I hope. The World Council had a couple of minor jobs for me - rounding up the Germans' rocket and gas warfare equipment and plans, that sort of thing. I've been helping Judah in Germany and Japan - he can tell you about that. I've been doing some stuff in Russia which I'm afraid I can't really discuss right now - Judah can tell you about that, too. I've been in France with Charles. I've been doing some patrolling in the western US; Mechanopolis is not very peaceful, I'm afraid - a lot of tension between the Negroes and the Hispanics and the whites. I helped stop the riots between the sailors and the Hispanics, back in 1942, but that didn't really resolve anything, and everyone there is very tense - it'll bear some looking in to when we get the chance. Haroun's been busy in Africa, and I haven't really had the chance to do much more than some observation there - that's a big continent, and I don't really know it as well as I should."

"What I've been mostly doing, though, is helping to create the new Jewish country, and Ted can tell you about that. Sorry - not very exciting, I know. But someone needs to do the boring stuff."

The American Eagle nodded. He said, "Ted, you want to go next?"

The Sefiroth said, "Well, I, uh...that is...well, I don't know how much you know about what I've been up to, so I'm going to start at the beginning, and if I'm telling you something you already know, just bear with me, okay?"

"We all did what we could in the war, while the Germans held the Sword of Fate. Those of us who were vulnerable to it stayed on the homefront, and everyone else...most everyone else...went behind the lines. And you all did good work there. I just wish you...well...you saved a lot of people from the death camps. I just wish we'd somehow been able to save more."

Atoman snorted and said, "You gonna get to the point sometime today, Ted?"

Sefiroth stiffened, and the other Agency members shot Atoman angry glares, which he ignored. Sefiroth swallowed and composed himself and continued. "We...after Jay and the others captured the Sword, the rest of us were able to operate, finally, in Europe. Same with Terry and the Chalice. So--"

Atoman said, "You gonna tell us somethin' we don't know, Ted?"

Tzadkiel, not moving or even looking at Atoman, said, "Albert, when this meeting is over, I would like to speak to you. Alone."

The other Agency members exchanged smirks and knowing looks, and Atoman, looking suddenly nervous, said, "Uh...yeah, okay..."

Tzadkiel said, "Go ahead, Ted."

Sefiroth said, "Thanks, Judah. I'm sorry if I'm telling you things you already know, Al. I'm just trying to fill everyone in."

Atoman said, somewhat sullenly, "Yeah, yeah..."

Sefiroth looked at Atoman for a moment, then shrugged and went on. "So...we've been dealing with the Jews who were in the death camps...who didn't escape...healing them, feeding them, building temporary camps for them, making lists of the living and the...dead..."

Trompe L'Oeil said, "Theodor...my friend...what of your wife?"

Sefiroth looked down at the table, avoiding the gazes of the other Agency members. Those nearest to him could see his eyes filling with tears. He shudderingly drew in a few breaths, and then said, "Doris...did not make it...out of...Majdanek."

He looked away from the others, wiped his eyes, and then said, "You know about the death camps. So does the world, now. Ending the war when we did, I think we may have saved...a million lives, perhaps. More, maybe. But...so many dead...the survivors...none of us want to go back to our homes. There's nothing left there for us. So we are building a new place for us to go - somewhere that will always be a protection and home for us, so that we need never again fear...this."

Aladdin said, "Theodor...why Palestine? Why not...Germany? After all, they were responsible for this."

Sefiroth looked sharply at Aladdin, but seeing no anger or hostility in his friend's face, only sadness, he stopped himself, and replaced the angry words that had been on the tip of his tongue with different ones. "Haroun...I know you are thinking of your friends in Palestine, and what is happening to them. But...Palestine is the Holy Land. It is our land. We...there's nothing for us in our old villages and cities. The shtetls are...gone. I couldn't go back to L'vov. Not now. David, could you--"

Yesod said, in a soft voice most unlike his normal hoarse growl, "No. Warsaw is dead to me now. Megalopolis is my home, now."

Sefiroth looked at Tzadkiel; his expression was sad as he said, "What I was before the war...I am not that person. Not any more. Not after...Majdanek..."

Sefiroth said to Aladdin, "Moses feels the same way. He could never go back to Vilnius. Not now."

Aladdin, his expression sad, took Sefiroth's hand and held it for a moment. He finally said, "I know, my friend; my heart is empty for your loss. But...surely there are other places to go? Those that would welcome you, and where you would not be displacing others? What about Bulgaria?"

Sefiroth shook his head. "No, Haroun. We will always honor King Boris for what he did - but Bulgaria is not the answer for us. It must be the Holy Land. It's what the Jewish Agency worked for...what Herzl worked for...what all of us have worked for...so many years..."

Aladdin said, "Theodor...Judah...David...you know I am your friend. I am your brother until my death. But...you must know this, and I say this to you not as a threat, but as a warning: what you are doing is causing much anger in Palestine and in the Arab world. When you leave, and it is only the Jews...there will be war, I think. And there are many more Arabs than there are Jews."

Yesod hissed, "You should tell them that warring on us would be...unwise."

Sefiroth said, "They will not accept the partition, then?"

Aladdin shook his head with some sadness. "No, Theodor. They won't. You forget: they have been oppressed for many years, as well. Never as badly as you, but they have not known freedom for many decades. The British did not--"

Songbird said, "You - they weren't ready for independence! Look at how they acted during the war - the Grand Mufti allied himself with the Nazis! Look at India - they--"

Tzadkiel raised his right hand, and Songbird fell silent, and Sefiroth and Aladdin and Yesod, all of whom had been on the verge of speaking, closed their mouths. Tzadkiel said, "I do not believe anything will be solved by a political discussion here and now. Please - Dinah, David - let Haroun finish."

Haroun touched his head in thanks to Tzadkiel and said to the others, "I do not say this as criticism, understand; it is simply how the Arab peoples feel. I understand their pain and sympathize with their aspirations, but war will not solve anything. However - I know this to be true. They do not."

Tzadkiel said, "Haroun, we are building a state in Palestine that will withstand any attack. We are also trying to build a state for the Arabs, too."

Haroun said nothing, but looked, curious, at Tzadkiel.

Tzadkiel said, "Jay, you have been more involved than I. Would you...?"

The Streak nodded. "Haroun, we aren't building for a year from now. We're building for thirty years. That's what the World Council is for; we're trying to make sure that we never have to go through this again. No more wars. Ever. We have a long way to go, but...anyhow. That's what Zarda is doing - what Judah's doing. Hell, Haroun, that's what you're doing - working for a better world. And we won't get that if we shove people off their lands and don't try to give them something better in return."

Aladdin said, "And so..."

The Streak said, "And so we're building two states, Haroun. One for us, and one for the Arabs. I've...Ted...I've dug canals, and Ted has removed the salt from the water and directed it through them - there will be no more water shortages there. For anyone. Tzadkiel and I have built schools and mosques and synagogues; we've built hospitals and supplied them - better medicine and equipment than anything they had before the war. Terry...he'll tell you of it himself, but he's built power plants and greenhouses - no one is ever going to have to starve. Our new country...it could be a model. For everyone. It..."

Tzadkiel said, so quietly it was almost a murmur, "It will be a light unto the nations of the Earth."

The Streak nodded in eager agreement. "Just so. Haroun, we're taking what the Peel Commission gave us, and making it better. And we're making things better for the people we're displacing, too. Won't you...I'm sorry. I know you have nothing to do with how the Arabs feel. But...will you try to show them what...what is available to them - what they might have - if only they will accept the partition?"

Haroun nodded slowly, finally saying. "I will look at these things you have done. And then I will speak to the leaders of the Arabs. I cannot promise you anything. But...I will try."

The Sefiroth nodded and squeezed Aladdin's hand once. "That is all I ask."

Yesod said, "What progress has been made?"

The Sefiroth said, "I have removed the salt from the Dead Sea and from the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River, and worked magics so that they will stay fresh. The River and the Sea are deeper and wider now, and each has more water than before. With Tzadkiel I have dug irrigation canals deep into the Negev and the lands from Haifa to Mt. Tabor; when I am done they will be barren no longer, but the beginnings of farmland. Soon...with the other things that Judah and Jay and I have done...soon it will be ready for the farmers."

The American Eagle said, "Haroun?"

Aladdin absently nodded, obviously deep in thought. He finally said, "Ted, this...this might work, you know. If...perhaps if I took it to the people, rather than their leaders...explained to them what you are doing...perhaps war might yet be averted..."

Mr. Amazing said, "Haroun - you should also know that I am creating security devices for the new country. A war would be a mistake. For everyone. Even if they wait until we leave, it will still go badly for them."

Aladdin shook his head and said, "They will not care about that, Terry. All they know is that independence is closer than it ever has been for them."

"You see...all across the continent, everyone knows that they have not had such a chance to be free in...years. Decades, even. I and my genie have been, oh, everywhere - from the Rio de Oro to Tanganyika and back. Everywhere, the people know that the French and the British are not what they were before the war, that the Italians are gone from Somaliland, that the Americans are making a new country for the Jews. Everywhere they ask themselves why they should not be next; they know of India, too. They want that for themselves. So far I have been able to convince them that we will help them, and that has kept them peaceful - but without something being done, and soon...we will see across the great continent what the Dutch have undergone in the East."

There were general looks of dismay on the faces of most of the Agency members; only days after the end of the war the leaders of the natives in the Netherlands East Indies had proclaimed the independence of the "Republic of Indonesia." The Dutch and the British governments had both refused to recognize the new government, and had landed troops in Batavia, to disarm the Japanese prisoners there and to repatriate them. Only a few days after that the fighting had begun between the British & Dutch troops, and the "Indonesian People's Army."

The fighting had rapidly escalated, with atrocities carried out on both sides and revolution spreading to the other islands in the area, and had it not been for the intervention of Tzadkiel, and then the rest of the Golden Agency, a full-scale war would have broken out. As it was, conditions there were tense, but the World Council was brokering an agreement with both sides that, it was hoped, would settle matters for good. Thousands had died - on both sides - during the three weeks of the insurrection, and the Agency members had found the fighting as bloody, at times, as anything they had encountered during the war.

Aladdin said, "And my home...I was unable to prevent Ahmed Pasha's death, but the British announcement that they are ready to withdraw their forces has quieted the people. For now. But if they do not actually move their soldiers, and allow us to govern ourselves...Cairo will become a dangerous place."

Power Princess nodded. "I have said as much to the World Council, Haroun. Steps are being taken."

Aladdin nodded. "I hope so. Otherwise..."

The American Eagle said, "Right. Pierre?"

Trompe L'Oeil said, "I have been in Europe, my friends. It has not been a pleasant thing for me."

"Everywhere I have gone, I have found misery, and starvation. The Germans were not...gentle, to those they conquered."

He stopped, noticing the somewhat angry looks his words were causing. The Sefiroth finally said, in a soft voice. "Pierre...I think you have forgotten who you're speaking to."

Trompe L'Oeil reddened, finally saying, "I...I am sorry. Truly."

Sefiroth finally nodded and said, "Go on."

Trompe L'Oeil said, "Much of France and the Low Countries and Switzerland are little more than rubble. Even the largest of the cities - Paris, Geneva, the Hague - have been mostly destroyed. Food is scarce, and even with the efforts of all of you to distribute food, this has been a thin summer, and the fall and winter will be much worse. We will, I hope, avoid starvation, but many will not know a full stomach for many months to come."

"You all did your best, during the invasion, to not destroy the infrastructure of the country, and for this I, and many others, are grateful. There yet remain roads and shipyards, and we can rebuild using that. And the money that the United States and the World Council are pledging, and even now beginning to deliver, will be a great help. But so much work needs to be done...it may take years before Europe is back to its strength again."

"Against such as this, there is, truly, little I can do. I have tried to rally the peoples' spirits, and, if I may say, have had some success. But even symbols and heroes can do nothing against the cry of a hungry child, or the sadness of a family with no living sons."

Yesod said, "Any luck finding collaborators?"

Trompe L'Oeil said, "Yes, some. But..." He drew in a long breath and let it out. "Many other countries have been much better than France, I am afraid, in confessing their sins. Even tiny Luxembourg has been more willing to admit that they aided les boches than my country. France and Switzerland...they just wish to forget that they ever helped Hitler. Those collaborators we have found have been turned over to the World Council for judgment and imprisonment, but many French and Swiss who gladly wore the brown and black, and the swastika, will never know justice, I am afraid. I will continue my investigations, but..."

Yesod nodded curtly. "I will give you what information I have; it may help you with the French, at least."

The American Eagle said, "Thanks, Pierre. Uh...Alan, what have you been doing?"

Paladin 1408 said, "Well...I'd like to apologize for not being around. I know you've needed my power, but..."

Tzadkiel said, "None of us, I hope, were going to say anything, Alan - we know you're busy. But I must confess that I, for one, have been curious as to your whereabouts."

Paladin 1408 said, "Uh...well, it's like this. You know about how I got the ring, right - I told you about it that first night, when Haroun called us all together?"

The other Agency members nodded. Although some of them had known each other before they'd formed the Golden Agency - Judah, David, Moses, and Theodor had met in Majdanek, where they'd been granted their powers - and gained reputations as crimefighters, the members of the Agency hadn't worked together, as a team, until Haroun had mused aloud, to his genie, that he'd like to meet the other costumed heroes. The genie, ever-literal, had brought Atoman, the Dreamer, the Revenant, the Scarlet Streak, the American Eagle, the Kabbalist, Paladin 1408, and Minuteman together (that was where the famous photograph of them had come from). They'd had dinner and talked and found they had much in common, and by the end of the night they had formed a team that would eventually become the Golden Agency.

Paladin 1408 said, "Like I told you, I was given the ring by Rus Niba - an alien. He told me before he died that there was this inter-galactic police force that he belonged to, and that, if I accepted the ring, I'd be joining them, too - he's the one who gave me the name "Paladin 1408." That's what he said, anyhow; after I took the ring I never heard from this police force, and I never really gave them much thought..."

"Then, right after Japan surrendered, I heard from them. See, the police force is actually called the Paladins,' and they're led by...well, I guess the closest translation would be the Wardens' or Protectors.' There are thousands of us, and every one of us - the Paladins, I mean - patrols a certain sector of space."

"The Wardens...well, they got in touch with me and told me that now that the war was over, it was time I started looking after the rest of the galaxy."

"I hadn't really thought of it before, but...if I'm part of an intergalactic police force, I do have to keep the peace - not just here on Earth, but also out there, on other planets. And so that's what I've been doing."

"Y'know, outer space is...I mean, the galaxy, it's enormous. There's millions of stars out there that have races on them. And I have to try to keep the peace in all of them. I'm lucky, in a way; the number of star-faring races in our galaxy is relatively low. Some of the other Paladins, they have to deal with millions of races that can all travel."

"And not only do I have to patrol my own galaxy, but if other Paladins need help, I have to go help them. I don't mind - they aren't you guys, but they're good...folks. Paladin 1403 is over in the...I think he called it the Shi'ar galaxy. He called me and a few of the other Paladins over a couple of weeks ago, and we helped stop the Shi'ar - they're this alien empire - from conquering an arm of the galaxy."

"And there are even a couple of rogue Paladins that we have to deal with. I ran up against...I guess the nearest translation in English would be Maligno. Anyhow - he used to be a valued member of the Paladins, but something warped him, and now he's about as evil as you can get. Gave me a rough time, too, before I finally put him down and brought him back to the Wardens' home planet - they've got this huge planet they're on - it's about the size of a whole solar system - and that's where they keep their prisoners."

"So that's what I've been doing. I'm sorry to say, fellas, that I probably won't be available much around here any more. I've got responsibilities beyond just Earth now. I'll try to come back as much as I can, but..."

Tzadkiel said, "We will miss you, Alan - but it sounds like you are doing good on a much larger scale, now."

Paladin 1408 said, "I am, Judah. It's...it's like being with you guys, but out in space. The Paladins...they're aliens, but they're good people, still."

American Eagle said, "Well...damn. Gonna miss you, pal - have a couple of beers with us before you go?"

Paladin 1408 nodded and grinned and said, "Wouldn't miss it, Jon."

The American Eagle said, "Great! Uh, let's see, who's left - Terry - what have you been doing?"

Mr. Amazing smiled and said, "Nothing quite as exciting as Alan, I'm afraid. I've been busy with the World Council, just like Zarda. They...have need of a good advisor, on a number of matters. And I am...well suited to their needs."

The Minuteman said, "Like what, Terry? I've been busy, I admit, but...I haven't heard about what you've been doing. Anything you can talk about?"

Mr. Amazing said, "I have no secrets, Rex, not from all of you. What have I been doing? Well...in no particular order..."

"I've been putting together the new prison for supervillains. I'm afraid Miskatonic Asylum just isn't sufficient to the task; it's already overcrowded, and besides, the security system is not up to keeping the inmates inside for any length of time. Look at how many times the Clown has escaped."

Yesod growled, with just the slightest touch of defensiveness, "They aren't equipped or trained to handle the type of criminals we capture. The staff at Miskatonic do their best, but--"

Mr. Amazing said, "But they aren't up to it. I know, David. I meant no offense to them. It's just that it's a new age now, and new steps are called for."

"So I've designed a new prison, one that should hold Alaric and the Mage and the rest of them. I've found a location down in Louisiana that's perfect for it. The town's called Pleasant Dream, and it's out in the swamps. So even if they escape, they won't find people to take hostage. I spoke to J. Edgar, and he agreed, and so I've had my robots start to construct the jail. It should be completed by...next Wednesday, I believe. Transfer of prisoners will begin soon after that."

"As I said, I've created some security devices for our new country. Our policemen and army will have advanced weaponry, and I've converted Einstein's basic design, and what I knew about the Human Robot's design...I really wish he hadn't been killed during that attack on Rommel's headquarters - I could have used his advice right about now...but I've used those to build a couple of different forms - one for defense, one for peacekeeping, and one for offense. I've also used the robot design that the Brain came up with - you remember, the plane that he and the rest of the Crime Society flew in back in 43? - and tinkered with that a bit. We'll have an automated air force, better than anything else out there. So security won't be a problem."

"The capitol is going to be in Tel Aviv, and so I've paid particular attention to its protection. And Jerusalem, of course; if the World Council's headquarters is going to remain there, the diplomats are going to need some special protection. It shouldn't be a problem, though. And, yes, Haroun, I have designed similar things for the Arabs; not as advanced as for us, of course, but enough so that they can keep their own peace."

"Last weekend I came up with some fast-growing strains of wheat and corn that should flourish, even in the weather of Palestine. Of course, between Ted's and Judah's irrigation efforts and desalinazation, and a weather adjustor satellite I'm working on, it may be that we won't have to worry about the environment staying that way. Who knows, we might be able to switch to rice as a staple? And my wheat and corn should grow well in other parts of Africa, too. Of course, we could change the environment for them, too..."

Tzadkiel rumbled a "Hmmm" and finally said, "Terry, the environment is a delicate thing. Changing one aspect of it could have far-reaching consequences."

Mr. Amazing nodded. "I know, Judah. I haven't actually done anything yet; I want to make some test runs on the satellite first. I should have it completed by next weekend; I'll be trying it out on a stretch of land near the Rio Grande. If it can make that piece of sandy wasteland fertile, it'll work anywhere."

Tzadkiel said, "I would still suggest, if I might, that you speak to--"

"The Elemental? Way ahead of you, Judah; when I was surveying the land down at Pleasant Dream for the prison I went over to Houma and talked to the Cajuns who know him, and asked them to ask him to get in touch with me. I don't think he'll object, though; as long as I ask for his help with it, he should be able to make sure that nothing goes wrong."

"I've also given some of my weapon designs to the World Council's Peacekeepers, so that they'll be well-armed to deal with unrest. When they finally get organized enough for interventions, I mean."

"And, finally, on Thursday and Friday I came up with a design for a power plant fueled by atomic energy."

Most of the Agency members looked excited and interested, but Tzadkiel and Yesod exchanged worried glances. Tzadkiel said, "Uh...Terry, I think David and I should have a word with you after the meeting is over."

Mr. Amazing smiled and shook his head. "I know what you're going to say, Judah, and don't worry; I've, uh, already taken a trip to Manhattan, if you know what I mean. I'll speak with you anyhow, but, trust me, you don't have anything to worry about."

Power Princess said, "Terry - is this plant safe? Unlimited energy would be a wonderful thing, truly, but--"

Mr. Amazing said, "Yes, it's quite safe, Zarda. It does produce some radioactive material as a byproduct, but the amount is quite small, and I've designed some very safe storage facilities to hold the material until disposal. I'm actually working on something right now that should, I think, strip the radiation away from the material; if that doesn't work, well, Judah or Alan can dispose of it - just throw it into the sun."

"I should have a small version of the plant built by Thursday, to power my headquarters; I think the final design should be complete, and ready for exporting to countries in need of it, in a couple of weeks."

The American Eagle said, "Wow. Thanks, Terry. Sounds like you've been busy."

Mr. Amazing smiled modestly and nodded.

The American Eagle said, "Uh...David...what have...er...what have you been doing?"

Yesod turned a cool expression on the Eagle and finally said, "I've been hunting down war criminals. You know that."

The Eagle reddened. "I...uh...sorry..."

Tzadkiel, seeing the Eagle's discomfort - Yesod had that effect on almost everyone - said, "David, who have you caught since the last time we spoke?"

Yesod said, "The list is down to 14."

This brought low whistles and sounds of acclaim from the others; six weeks ago, when the war had ended, there had been hundreds of German and Japanese fugitives, both human and superpowered, who had survived the war and somehow escaped the Allies.

Yesod said, "I found the Baron of Lightning in Asuncion, in Paraguay. He was with about two dozen high-ranking German officers, along with around a hundred former soldiers. They had already established contacts with General Estigarribia, and were planning on setting up their own colony there. I...dealt with them."

"I found Nacht and Nebel in Rio; they were planning to establish themselves as assassins."

"Eichmann, Goring, and Himmler I found in Genoa, in a monastery run by a branch of the Jesuits. They led me to the other Odessa members. I'm afraid the Church is going to be in need of a new hierarchy, very soon; I think some mass promotions are due in the near future." His dry chuckle was somehow frightening rather than amusing.

Yesod looked at Power Princess and said, "You'll find this interesting. I found the Baroness."

Power Princess raised her eyebrows. "You found Paula?"

Yesod nodded once. "She was in Mexico City. At an orphanage. She'd hired on as a teacher. She was doing her best to teach them to hate."

Power Princess nodded sadly. "Where is she now?"

Yesod said, "I left her with the World Council's Security men."

Power Princess said, "Good. I will see if I can make the personality alteration stick this time."

Yesod said, "I also found Sumitori. He was hiding out, with a few other officers and super-men, in Hokkaido. As for the other 14, I have leads on 9 of them, and should have them in custody by week's end."

The American Eagle said, "Uh...great!" Then, with visible relief, "So, Judah - that leaves you."

Tzadkiel smiled and said, "It does at that. As most of you know, I've been finalizing the disarmament of both Germany and Japan. They have...they had rather a lot of materiel left over, even after we ended the war, and I've been disposing of most of it."

Yesod said, "How?"

Tzadkiel said, "Melting down a lot of it - the United States and Europe will not be in need of iron and steel for a while - taking apart a lot of it - I'm afraid I have quite a lot of gunpowder and high explosive left over, although the leader of the World Council's Security Section has assured me that he'll see to all of that - and bringing the more advanced weaponry to my Fortress of Justice."

"Now that the war is over, my old friend' Luther Lexington is back at it. Last week he invented a time machine and went back to prevent me from being born. And yesterday he created a transformation ray that turned me - temporarily, of course - into a giant puppet. So I've had my hands full with him."

"I'm sure you read about those in the papers or heard about them on the radio. What you might not have heard about, though, are the other things I've been doing."

"Thanks to what David and Terry told me, I was able to find the locations of the Soviet camps in Siberia - the ones that Stalin sent his prisoners to. Now, he didn't just send prisoners of war, although he did send a large number of Germans and Japanese there. He sent his own people. All those trials in the Thirties...the ones we heard about and the ones we didn't...he was sending thousands and thousands of his own people there. Russians, Ukrainians, Georgians - and Jews. A lot of Jews."

"So I've been taking them out of there, with the help of Jay, and bringing them to the temporary camps Ted has been building. We've got the Soviet camps almost emptied now; another day should do it."

"Naturally, the Soviets know about this. I wanted to do this secretly, but executions are part of the weekly routine at these places, and I obviously couldn't allow those to go on, and so I had to intervene."

"Stalin isn't going to do anything about this - not yet. The Soviet super-men are not our equal, and Stalin knows that if he tries to stop me, or provoke us, it will go the worse for him. But I'm told by some of the World Council's Intelligence agents that Stalin is attempting to make his own super-men."

"The World Council is, obviously, not going to allow this. So...I've been in discussion the past two weeks with the representatives, to the council, of every major country in the Council - except Russia, of course. The issue is still being debated, but it will be brought to a vote in...three days, I think. The vote will carry, 22 to 4, in favor of the measure. When the measure is passed, and I have the Council's blessing, I will go to the Soviet Union and depose Stalin. I will reduce their armed forces' capabilities, and will destroy the research they've done on breeding and creating super-men, as well as the research they've performed on certain...bombs."

Looking at the surprised and even shocked looks on the faces of the other Agency members, Tzadkiel said, "I don't expect this to be a long-term solution. Neither does the World Council. But Stalin is evil, and must be taken from power. Whoever replaces him...the Soviet system is not a kind one, and it is do not produce good men, but Stalin's replacement will not be as powerful as Stalin, nor, I think, as evil. And with their research destroyed, they will not pose as much threat to world peace as otherwise."

A ghostly, spooky voice echoed through the room. "I will wait until Stalin is deposed before bringing justice to him, then."

The other Agency members jerked around and saw their missing members - the Revenant, the Kabbalist, and Professor Imam - entering the room by walking through the walls.

Tzadkiel frowned and said, "Revenant, I'm not sure I like the sound of that."

The hood of the Revenant turned to look at Tzadkiel - only very rarely were the Revenant's eyes or face actually seen - and he said, "Whether you like it or not is of no consequence, Judah. I follow the dictates of The Presence. Stalin has committed enormous evils. He must be punished. Those who performed evils in his name must be punished. And I will punish them."

Tzadkiel's frown deepened, but he said nothing.

The Kabbalist said, "In answer to your unspoken question, Eagle, I have spent my time dealing with those Germans and Japanese who use magic. It is a much easier task now that the Sword of Fate and the Chalice are in my position. Destroying them is beyond my power, but I have wrought spells around them so that they will not be used in such a manner again, nor found by mortal men."

Tzadkiel nodded. "Good. Revenant, is it necessary to--"

The Revenant said, "What I do has been written where what is written must be, Judah."

Tzadkiel kept frowning.

The Revenant said, "You wish to ask me, Jonathan Dore, what my activities have been these past weeks. I have been punishing the guilty. That is my brief, my duty, and my honor. The innocent must be protected, and the guilty punished."

The Kabbalist said, "Fellow members, I apologize for our late arrival, but the Revenant and I have been in discussion with Professor Imam. He has an important announcement to make."

The other Agency members turned expectantly to him.

Professor Imam said, "There is a threat that we must respond to, my honorable ones. It is a threat the likes of which we have never faced, and I do not know if even our power can stop it."

The other Golden Agency members stood in unison. The American Eagle said, "You tell us what the danger is, Prof., and we'll take care of it."

Professor Imam said, "There is, on another planet, a very long way from here, a crystal which holds the secret to all time and space. And it is threatened..."

Author's notes:

This issue was alternatively a lot of fun to write - as a Golden Age fanboy, I do love the Justice Society, and getting to play with their history, and the history of what the DC Universe might have been like - and drudgery - some characters, like the Atom, have never appealed to me, and it was a chore to write them.

So I tried to throw in as much extraneous-but-fun detail as I could. I'm not going to explain it all, since that ruins the fun in discovering them. Let's just say that a lot of things in this story are references or homages to...other stories.

The Golden Agency began when four Jews, incarcerated in the Majdanek concentration camp, were visited by something that could only have been an angel. The angel granted each of them powers and transported them from the camp to America. The four put on costumes and began fighting crime and eventually joined together with the other costumed heroes of their world to form the Golden Agency.

Tzadkiel (Judah) - the first and greatest of the Golden Agency members. A rabbi before the Germans came to power, he was the first the angel spoke to in the death camp. He took on the name of Tzadkiel, the angel of justice, and used his powers to fight evil wherever he found it

Yesod (David) - after being freed from Majdanek he took the name of Yesod, the angel invoked by Moses to bring death to the first born males of Egypt. He relocated to Megalopolis and became the dark knight of that troubled metropolis, haunting the cowardly criminals who preyed upon its citizens. Within a few weeks all who would work evil in Megalopolis knew to fear his symobl, and the light that the police commissioner of Megalopolis would shine on the clouds to attract his attention.

Songbird (Dinah) - an English noblewoman, she used her mutant sonic powers to control crime in England before the war.

The Kabbalist (Moses) - a rabbi and kabbalist in Lithuania before being sent to Majdanek by the Russians (under the German-Soviet pact of 1939), he found his powers neutralized by the Sword of Fate, and was helpless to stop the German death camp - until the angel appeared and delivered Moses (named for Moses Maimonides, the great medieval rabbi and scholar) and the three others from the camp. The angel gave Moses a golden helmet which gave him all the knowledge and skill of every kabbalist who ever lived, after arriving in America the rabbi used it to fight evil and crime. The Sword of Fate, an ancient artifact claimed to have been cursed by Christ but actually predating the Church by centuries, was beyond even the Kabbalist's power to stop during the war.

Trompe L'Oeil (Pierre) - a French doctor who was blinded during a pre-war trial and developed special lenses which enabled him to see, blackout bombs to bring to everyone the darkness he suffered, and a special suit which enabled him to blend into backgrounds. He fled Paris after it was taken by the Germans and relocated to America, where he became a notable crimefighter in Pommerschen, in the state of New Troy.

Scarlet Streak (Jay) - an American college football star and chemist who accidentally inhaled the fumes from heavy water and gained superspeed. He operated from the Atomic City, in Herculanea.

Paladin 1408 (Alan) - an American who discovered a crashed spaceship and was given a magic ring by the alien representative of an intergalactic police force.

American Eagle (Jonathan) - an American police man who invented a special flying suit in order to better fight crime.

Minuteman (Rex) - an American chemist who invented a special drug that would give him superpowers for a minute at a time.

Aladdin (Haroun) - an Egyptian who found a lamp with an actual genie in it.

Mr. Amazing (Terry) - an American with an aptitude for having aptitudes.

The Dreamer (Wes) - an American playboy who, guided by his dreams, makes the dream of justice a reality for criminals.

Revenant - a Mexican policeman who was killed in the line of duty, he was brought back by The Presence and made into the temporal Wrath of God.

The Sefiroth (Aharon) - a Jewish scientist who was sent to Majdanek by the Russians; when the angel appeared there and rescued him he was given the Merkavah, a special, holy staff that can perform wonders.

The Cat (Ted) - an American boxer who put on a giant puma costume to fight crime.

Power Princess (Zarda) - the member of an advanced society, she is their emissary to the world.

Atoman (Al) - a short man with a powerful, atomic-fueled punch.

Professor Imam - the Tibetan Sorcerer Supreme of this dimension.

The accounts about the Dutch & Indonesians are true.

As for why all these plans didn't pan out...well, those are stories for another time, and other writers.

next issue: Earth-MV1