Continued from the Devil’s Fool, Part Nine

A small plane landed bearing the star of the People’s Republic of China. Out of it jumped Captain Revolution.

Dark Mystic ran to Captain Revolution and grabbed his overnight bag. “Come, Captain, let’s board the plane.”

Captain Revolution grunted. “I’ve been on a plane eight hours straight. I need to stand up awhile and get some fresh air if I’m going to be any good in battle.”

Dark Mystic tugged on his arm. “No, you should board now.”

The Sword waved. The last thing he needed was for Mystic to get uptight. “Oh, let him relax. It’s been quite a flight.”

A helicopter’s whirling blades cut through the night air.

Dark Mystic laughed. “Fine, Sword, then you get to clean up.”

The Sword arched his right eyebrow. “Clean up?”

Dark Mystic backed towards the plane. “I’ll taxi the plane and be back.” He ducked inside and closed the door. The plane moved down the runway.

The helicopter landed a moment later. From it emerged the Defender in the escort of the Empress. With her eloquent white duster gown, his white trench coat over the new tonksium dress shirt and pants, and their matching black bandanna masks, they looked like a superhero wedding party. And from the shy smiles, it had been Bogdan’s great pleasure to get to meet his Japanese counterpart.

Captain Revolution stared at them and snarled. “Defender, you will die!” He threw three fire darts at the Defender.

The Empress pulled the energy whip from the side of her duster and intercepted. “No, Captain Revolution, you’ve spied on my country for the last time.”

Captain Revolution jumped up and landed on top of the helicopter. The Defender threw his bola at Revolution’s legs. Revolution jumped in mid-air, only to be hit by the Empress’s electric whip. He winced and grunted.

The Defender lunged at Revolution, knocking them both to the ground.

“Fool, you cannot overpower me!” Revolution threw the Defender off as easily as he would a blanket when getting up in the morning. The Empress lashed him with her electric whip.

Her face glowed in the light of the runway. “One more strike, and you’ll be gone, Red Fool.”

Uh-oh, this was going too far. The Sword raised his blade. “Stop! All of you, what’s the meaning of this?”

Captain Revolution pointed at the Defender. “This dog is trying to overthrow the government of China and subvert it through counter-revolutionary dogma.”

The Defender jogged to the Sword. “He lies. All I ever did was assist Christians in spreading the Gospel.”

“Not Christians. We have religious freedom in China. They meet in state-sanctioned churches in our largest cities. He aids the cultists spreading like cancer across China.”

“Your state churches are nothing more than propaganda machines. You imprison millions of innocent men, women, and children. You kill your prisoners and sell their organs on the open market to Westerners willing to pay.”

“Another lie for which you will die!” Captain Revolution scrambled to his feet.

The Sword extended his blade towards Revolution. “Hold it. This is America. We debate with words, not fists. Empress, what do you have to say?”

The Empress picked a fine black hair off her duster. “I had a very pleasant trip with the Defender, only to arrive to see this Red dog still breathing. I thought I’d finished him off during our last encounter. He was trying to escape with national secrets to give to his aggressive masters in Beijing, who are plotting to conquer us all.”

Captain Revolution raised a fist in the air. “She lies! It was a routine mission, and it is her government that is trying to overpower us through economic imperialism.”

The Empress’s dark brown eyes narrowed to slits that pierced the Sword. “In Jamaica, are we going to talk the villains there to death as well? He’s a villain. Let’s dispose of him.”

Oh boy. “He’s not a villain. He’s the national superhero of China.”

“In Japan, he’s a villain.”

“That’s why we don’t sell his comic book in Japan.”

The Empress frowned still deeper. “I’ll not be part of an organization he’s in.”

Captain Revolution scowled. “Nor do I want anything to do with an organization featuring a cultist crusader.”

“Enough.” The Sword put his blade on the ground and stood on it. “Blade, expand, magnetize, and upwards.”

He rose six feet above them with only his Olympic-level sense of balance keeping him right side up. “Look, I understand you have legitimate issues, and you’ve all raised good points. But the gathering of the World’s greatest villains in Jamaica could endanger everyone. Let’s join forces for now and then see about the future.”

The Defender sighed wearily. “Is Chang Ka there?”

The Sword pulled out the manifest of villains and found him on there. “Yes.”

The Empress gasped. “He almost destroyed Tokyo!”

Captain Revolution frowned. “Worse, he almost blew up Shanghai. I’ll come.”

The Empress grunted. “Me too, but for only this mission. Then we’ll have to re-negotiate the nature of this enterprise.”

The Sword turned to the Defender. “What about you?”

“If it’s as serious as you say, I’ll go.”

The Sword smiled. He owed Defender for keeping them on board—for now.

Upon boarding the plane, the Sword entered the cockpit.

Dark Mystic glanced up from the controls. “Everyone on board all right?”

“No thanks to you. You sure were a big help out there.”

Dark Mystic laughed. “You could have easily taken all three out. Besides, if the plane had been there, our more feisty members would have wanted to join the fight. It’d turn into a melee.”

“Why did you suggest we draft mortal enemies? How were you planning on having them on the same mission?”

“I expected Captain Revolution to be early. His seat is in the back by the window, next to Blue Gorilla. The Defender and the Empress are seated up front, across from you and Revelator. They would not know that they were each on the plane and then I’d split up the groups in such a way that they wouldn’t run into each other.”

“Sounds like a recipe for friendly fire to take out Captain Revolution.”

Dark Mystic pursed together his painted-black lips. “Okay, maybe it wasn’t as well-thought out as I believed. But regardless, it’s important we bring people together. Nationality, politics, religion, race, none of it matters. We need to put it all aside and work for the good of humanity.”

The Sword nodded. As long as we kill the terrorists. Sure, whatever.

Continued…here

Subscribe to Laser & Sword by Email to get the next part and all the rest of our free offerings delivered to you. To find out what happens sooner, visit the Laser and Sword Online store and download  Issue 1 for free or purchase the Annual Edition containing 11 action packed stories.