“You type in the subject you are interested in on this keyboard,” the man in the gray bodysuit with the skull-and-crossbones insignia on his chest said as he gestured to the plastic item with many buttons, “and the hit the Enter key”.

“Hit?” Magni said with a perplexed look on his face.

Jolly Roger realized what he said. “Press the Enter key. Gently.”

“And what then?”

“The information will appear on this screen,” Jolly Roger continued as he put his hand on the monitor. “You press the space bar when you want the next screen of data.”

Magni bent down and stared. “I still do not understand.”

Jolly Roger signed. “Tell you what,” he said. “Would it be easier to read for you if I printed it to paper?”

Magni smiled. “Aye, much easier, my friend.”

Jolly Roger nodded. “Okay, what is the subject you want to know more about?” He listened to the Norse gods words, typed in a phrase, pressed Enter and followed it with a few more keystrokes. The line printer sprang to life and began its back-and-forth outputting of the information on the green and white paper.

Jolly Roger got up from the seat. “When the printer stops, separate the paper on this littler perforated line.” He indicated the section between pages. “Then you can sit down, get comfy and read.”

Magni clasped his colleague about the shoulder. “Greatest of thanks, my friend.”

Jolly Roger nodded. “Any time. I’ll be in the next room.”

Jolly Roger plopped down on the couch and threw his head back. “Man, this is going to be a challenge.” He reached for the cold beer, with its pop top already opened, waiting for him on the coffee table atop a coaster.

“I hope not too challenging,” the other costumed figure, also all in gray as well. Like Jolly Roger, he too had his full facemask off and was enjoying a beer also. “You did say you wanted to go on semi-active roster and help out here at the base.”

“Yeah, me and my big mouth,” Jolly Roger said. “So, you’re back pretty quickly. Get your personal business done, Phaedrus?”

The other man nodded. “Yes, thanks. And I appreciate you filling in for me.”

“No problem. It was fun.”

“I’m even gladder to hear you are staying. But why are you withdrawing from field duty? I thought Karishi put you in charge of that.”

“He did. And it was going fine. I get along with the guys well enough. It’s just…” Jolly Roger hesitated and took another swig. “I know this Nakatari might very well have Yakuza connections, but he got hurt in the battle with Mechanon because of me. I got sloppy and we can’t have that. This group has gotten enough bad press as it is.”

“I hear that,” Phaedrus said.

Jolly Roger finished his first beer and put the empty on the table. “Need another one?” He got up from the couch.

“Sure,” Phaedrus said. “But you better take the empty to the trash. Julie will get on you big time if you leave a mess.”

“I’m sure she will,” Jolly Roger chuckled as he left the room and came back from the kitchen with two more. He handed one to his friend.

“Thanks,” Phaedrus said. “So, tell me – what’s your assessment of the group, especially the new guys?”

Jolly Roger plopped back down on the couch. He glanced back towards the office area where Magni was heads down reading. “The big guy just came on board recently. He’s a Norse god – the son of Thor – if you can believe that. Seems well-intentioned and certainly a fierce fighter. Might be a bit slow on the tech end, but we can work around that.”

Phaedrus nodded. “How about this Stargazer fella?”

Jolly Roger took a deep swallow. “Seems your typical, outgoing type. Pretty powerful and handy with the press. But he’s got some problems too. He told us about these weird ‘flashes’ he’s been getting, images of some alien world or something. It totally takes him out of the here-and-now. That could be a problem. He said something about taking some time off. I think he needs it and Karishi agreed.”

“I agree too,” Phaedrus said. “He needs to have his head in the game.”

“Same for Silent Knight,” Jolly Roger said. “He took a serious beating from this Ocelot beast when we tracked down the Sinister Spectrum and his woman. Hopefully he’ll come back as soon as he’s ready.”

Phaedrus nodded again. “We’ll definitely need all the resources we can gather, especially given who you guys went up against tonight.”

Jolly Roger nodded. “Yeah, Mechanon is one serious problem.”

From the doorway, Magni cleared his throat. “Didst thou hear you mention the one we did battle with on this night?” he said.

“We did,” Jolly Roger said.

“Join us, please,” Phaedrus said. “Would you like a beer?”

Magni looked perplexed.

“It’s like ale, but not as strong as you’re accustomed to I am sure,” Jolly Roger said. He got up to retrieve another from the kitchen.

“So, you’ve found out more about Mechanon?” Phaedrus asked.

“Aye,” Magni said. “These parchments,” he shook those in his hand, “were most helpful.”

“Do tell,” Phaedrus said.

“T’would appear this machine began as some kind of servant for a group of adventurers who called themselves the Justifiers. There were four of them.”

“I have heard of them,” Phaedrus said. “They were sanctioned by this country’s government during the 1950’s, almost forty years ago.”

“Aye,” Magni said, “and their arch foe, a Count Doom, stole this Mechanon from the adventurers and did something to it – reprogrammed?”

“Made it go from helpful to hurtful,” Phaedrus said.

“Aye, this Count Doom turned it back on the Justifiers in hopes t’would destroy them. The four had nary a choice but to bury the machine in a cave-in, hoping t’would stop its destructive rampage.”

“But it didn’t?” Phaedrus asked, even though he knew the answer.

“Nay, it did not,” Magni continued. “This Mechanon eventually freed itself and began to attack mankind. T’was stopped by another group of heroes called the Justice Gang.”

“They’re big time,” Jolly Roger said as he returned from the kitchen with the beer, poured into a large mug. “Here you go, Magni.” He handed the god the beverage and took the printout pages.

Magni sipped the drink, the foam wetting his lips. He brushed it way with the backside of his beer hand. “Much thanks again, friend.”

Jolly Roger scanned the pages. “Yup, the Justice Gang faced Mechanon twice. First in 1981 when they defeated it using Time Lord’s powers. He probably did some kind of time-whammy that botched the circuit.”

“No doubt,” Phaedrus said.

“And the second time was in 1983. Star Light and her power gem were critical in that defeat.” Jolly Roger paused and read a bit farther. “Oh, this is useful. Turns out, during that second battle, the JG uncovered one of Mechanon’s secret repair bases in the Virginia Mountains.”

“Hmmm,” Phaedrus said. “You think you could figure out where that might be?”

Jolly Roger shrugged his shoulders. “Wouldn’t hurt to try.”

Suddenly, the phone rang.

Being closest, Jolly Roger snagged it on the third ring. “Rough Justice,” he said. He listened for a second and his expression got more serious. “Right. We’re on our way.” He hung up the receiver.

“Trouble?” Phaedrus asked.

“More of those pesky robots were seen approaching Baltimore General.”

Phaedrus grabbed his mask and pulled it on. “We’re on it. Magni, with me please.”

The god jumped to his feet. “Aye, Phaedrus.”

“I’ll alert Karishi,” Jolly Roger said. “Do you want me to come too?”

“We have it,” Phaedrus said. “You stay here and get on that research. We might need to know how to find where Mechanon is hiding out.”

Jolly Roger nodded as the other two heroes headed for the door. He took his beer and went back to the computer.

***

Magni grabbed the sides of the shattered brick wall and hauled himself through the large opening on the west side of the Baltimore General hospital. Before him, hospital staff members in green scrubs and white scrubs were doing their best to secure patients and move them to safety.

In the center of the emergency room were half dozen smaller robots with which the god was familiar after the hotel battle the night before. What he was unprepared for was a male figure dressed in a skin-tight black costume with a starburst insignia floating a few feet off the ground defending himself with a shield of energy as the mechanized menaces fired blasts of energy at him.

Detaching the mace that hung from his belt, Magni waded into the battle with his weapon swinging. “Methinks any enemy of my enemies is an ally of mine,” he announced as he smashed the spiked portion of the mace into the nearest robot’s head.

The other robots paused, noting Magni’s arrival and his attack on one of their own.

The figure in the black costume spoke clearly through his full facemask. “Good to know,” he said as he fired a blast at another of the robots. The force of energy ripped cleanly through the torso, and the robot exploded. The man quickly contained the blast in a sphere of energy, preventing shrapnel from spraying all about the room.

“I am called Magni,” the god announced as he smashed his second robot. “And you?”

Two robots attempted to entangle the black figured male in their extending, tentacle-like appendages.

The figure in black concentrated as energy about him crackled. He easily burst the bonds. “I am called Black Star,” he said. Without skipping he beat, he blasted the two robots in two beats, taking them also out of the fight. He turned and saw the last of the robots approached the seven-foot here. “Behind you, Magni.”

Magni spun about on his heel and delivered a crushing blow with his bare hands. The damaged robot went skittering across the room. “Much thanks, Black Star.”

“I take it we’re both here for the same thing,” the hero in black said, “to stop these robots.”

“Aye,” Magni said. “My colleagues in Rough Justice are here as well. There is a man within this very building that these robots are seeking. We must protect him.” The god turned and headed down the hall.

“Lead on, McDuff,” Black Star said to himself before following.

***

“You can’t go in there,” the brunette desk nurse said. Though she was an imposing figure of a woman, Phaedrus and Karishi moved quickly around her and entered the double-doors that led into the intensive care unit.

Another nurse looked up upon their entrance. “You can’t be in here,” the blonde woman said.

“It is critical we keep an eye on this man,” Karishi said as the two heroes crossed the room to where Chu Nakatari lay hooked to some life-support machines.

One of Nakatari’s bodyguards stood up from the chair at the man’s bed side. He was a tall Asian man with broad shoulders. “I watch over Mr. Nakatari.”

“You’ll need to able to do more than that,” Phaedrus said.

The bodyguard took two steps forward and got right into the hero’s face.

“Take it outside, both of you,” the nurse said firmly.

“He does seem okay for the moment,” Karishi suggested.

“We can’t be too care…” Phaedrus started to say.

Suddenly, a large male orderly burst into the unit. “There is something going on in the emergency room,” the man said. His voice was calm despite his quick movements. “You must hurry and investigate.”

The heroes started to turn.

The orderly continued to move into the unit, making a direct line towards Nakatari’s bed.

The bodyguard stepped between the newcomer and his destination. With one hand, the orderly tossed the Asian man aside, sending the man crashing into a mobile respirator unit.

“You can’t just come here like that,” a nearby nurse said.

The orderly moved to Nakatari’s bed and began to pick the man up.

“Stop,” Karishi ordered. To emphasize it, he concentrated on the orderly’s mind and to give the command with his mind control.

There was no reaction.

“Something isn’t right,” he said to his partner.

Phaedrus drew his battle razors from their sheath opening in his gloves. “I suggest you give yourself up now before anyone gets hurt,” he told the orderly. He took in a deep breath with his enhanced senses only to be surprised by what he found. The orderly gave off a strong smell of latex rubber.

“This isn’t what it seems,” Phaedrus said as he lunged forward, his razors extended. The blades grazed the orderly’s exposed arm, tearing away a rubbery covering and revealing a metallic gleam underneath.

“Is that some kind of robot?” the nurse exclaimed.

“Mechanon!” Karishi said.

“You heroes will not deter me from my task,” Mechanon said. With its free arm, the villain turned and blasted the outer wall of the hospital. The blast also shredded any remnants of the latex covering on that hand and arm.

Phaedrus leapt towards the villain and caught its back with his claws. More of the disguise as well as the orderly clothing tore away.

Mechanon turned its head and grabbed the hero. “I will kill you, human,” it said coldly as it tossed Phaedrus across the room.

The hero in gray tucked in his arms and legs, rolled and landed just before hitting the wall. “Rough Justice will hunt you down and stop you, Mechanon. Count on it!”

Mechanon just turned and carried the still unconscious body of Nakatari out the opening in the wall.

Phaedrus got up and joined Karishi. “Are you okay?” the latter asked.

“He just got the drop on me,” Phaedrus said. “We’ll worry about that later. Right now, we have to stop him from getting away.” They rushed outside in pursuit.

Mechanon stood a couple hundred yards from the building. Before the robot floated a coffin-like capsule with the top section opened. Nakatari lay inside the device, and a number of wires weaved over his body like a spider-web.

“Mechanon, release Nakatari now!” Phaedrus growled.

“I think not, human.” The villain waved his hand over a control panel on the side, causing the lid to close down on the capsule. It sounded like a freezer sealing firmly shut.

Phaedrus dove forward to tackle the robot. Even with his enhanced strength, he barely moved his target. Mechanon kept his footing as it grabbed the hero firmly by the shoulders. “I will see your bones crushed beneath my heel.”

Despite the shooting pain, Phaedrus refused to give in. “My bones…ugh…are pretty tough…”

Karishi concentrated his mental powers again, this time pushing them further. Still, the diabolical automaton refused to bend to his mental commands.

Mechanon turned to the cloaked hero as if knowing what Karishi had tried to do. “Keep back, human, or suffer the same fate as your colleague here.”

“Release Phaedrus now, vile creature!” Magni bellowed. A blow from his mighty mace across the back of Mechanon’s skull punctuated the order.

The robot turned its mechanical eyes to the arrival of the young god. “You are bold to strike me, human.”

“I am a god,” Magni corrected him. “And, aye, bold I am. And I will defeat you.”

“You are still flesh,” Mechanon said, “and thus you will be destroyed.” The robot casually tossed Phaedrus across the parking lot as if he were a ragdoll.

Phaedrus saw he was about to collide into a parked truck but was too groggy to attempt any acrobatic roll.

Suddenly, he found himself scooped up in a pair of strong arms. He turned his head to see flying man in a tight black costume. “You…”

“I’m Black Star,” the man said as he landed and helped Phaedrus stand. “The big guy there said you might need a helping hand.”

Phaedrus nodded. “We do. Thanks.”

The two watched for a second as Magni pounded at his opponent. The robot responded with a powerful blast from its gauntleted hands.

“So,” Black Star said, “Mechanon. This is not going to be fun.”

“You know of him?” Phaedrus said as he got his bearings.

Black Star nodded. “Let’s just say I owe that bucket of bolts for what he did to my younger brother years ago.”

Phaedrus nodded. “So, time for payback?”

Energy began to crackle around Black Star’s gloved hands. “Oh yeah.”

Phaedrus extended his battle razors. “I’m in.”

The parking lot echoed with the sound of a major battle. Magni traded powerful blow for blow with Mechanon. When the Norse God fell back, Black Star opened up with his energy blasts. Mechanon’s armor glowed with the bursts until it retaliated with blasts of its own, forcing the flying hero to pull back. Phaedrus then dove in for slicing blows that barely scratched the villain’s metal hide. Magni jumped back into the fray as well.

Karishi kept his distance. He knew Mechanon’s blows and blasts were too powerful for him to take. Instead, he tried a different attack – this time his mental illusions. They worked before, he thought to himself. In his mind, his goal was to make it appear to Mechanon that the capsule holding Nakatari suddenly vanished and that three members of the Justice Gang were facing him. He pictured the heroes Time Lord, Star Light and Robotman. If I can just distract him long enough…

Mechanon turned its head and fired a shot past the three heroes attack him. The energy burst exploded near Karishi’s feet, sending the cloaked hero backwards. “Your mind trick will not work again, human,” the robot said.

“Keep at him,” Phaedrus said. “We’ll wear him down yet.”

“Do not be foolish, humans,” Mechanon said. “I will kill Nakatari if you continue with this assault. His life and your lives mean nothing compared to my own survival.”

“I doubt that,” Phaedrus said.

“Wait,” Black Star said. “Human life is nothing to that thing. Believe me, I know of this first hand.”

Mechanon sized up the hero in black. “We have not battled before, have we, human? Still, your colleagues will be best advised to heed your words then.”

“You fought friends of mine,” Black Star said. “And my brother was injured as a result.”

“You humans – so weak and fragile,” Mechanon said. “Your species will fall before the might of my kind. Of this, I swear.”

Rage bubbled up inside of Black Star. “Not if we destroy you first!” He fired a two-fisted blast at the robot.

Mechanon laughed in a haunting, mechanical way. “Emotions in humans are so easily manipulated. So weak, so predictable.”

Magni recovered from the last blows and stood. Grasping the handle of his mace, he charged the robot with his weapon raised high. “Odin take thee!” Bringing the mace down with all of his might, Magni struck a critical blow on the villain.

The mystical mace smashed through Mechanon’s skull and began to split its torso too.

“Nooooo….” the robotic voice said in an emotionless tone just before the metal form crumpled to the ground.

At that exact moment, the floating capsule nearby that contained Nakatari exploded!

The blast threw the heroes backwards.

As the smoke and flames cleared, all that remained was a crater in the parking lot.

***

The three members of Rough Justice returned to their base headquarters an hour or so later with newcomer Black Star accompanying them.

“What an exhilarating battle,” Magni exclaimed, still pumped from the combat. “That creature fought well but we were most victorious.” With the others wearing full facemasks, the Norse God could not see the dour expressions on the others’ faces. “Shall we celebrate with a round of ales?”

“I don’t think so, big guy,” Phaedrus said. “Not right now.”

“We were victorious,” Magni said. “That tis cause to celebrate.”

“A man is dead,” Black Star said flatly, “because we weren’t cautious enough.”

“This will not help our ever fragile image with the local authorities and media,” Karishi pointed out.

“In war there are sometimes casualties,” Magni pointed out.

“He was a victim,” Black Star said, raising his voice. “And it our responsibility to protect people from scum like Mechanon.” Although over a foot shorter than the godling, the ebony garbed hero got right up in the giant’s face.

“Guys, enough,” Phaedrus said as he positioned himself between the two and separated them. He turned to Black Star. “I know sometimes the stakes are personal.”

Black Star started to say something but stopped. He turned and sat in one of the chairs in the meeting room instead.

Karishi used his mental link to speak directly into his friend’s mind. What is that all about?

Phaedrus thought his reply: best to let him explain.

Magni approached the sitting hero. “I apologize, new friend,” he said. “I did not mean to anger thee.”

Black Star nodded. “Thanks. Sorry I got worked up too.” He turned to the other two. “Phaedrus is right. When it comes to Mechanon, I have a personal stake. That monstrosity was responsible for crippling my younger brother.”

“What happened?” Karishi asked.

“It was back in the late 70’s,” Black Star explained. “I was going by the name of V-Man at the time and was a member of the super-hero team called SURGE. My brother went by the name of Night Ranger. In 1977, I was teleported to an alien dimension far from here. It took me almost eight years to return. While I was gone, in 1980, SURGE went up against Mechanon. In that battle, my brother’s lower spine was crushed. When I got home, I found out he was bound to a wheelchair, never to walk again.”

“I am sorry to hear that,” Karishi said.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Phaedrus added.

“I should have been there,” Black Star said, “to protect him.”

Magni nodded. “I understand about family,” he said.

“Maybe there is something you can still do,” Phaedrus said. “That is, if you are interested in working with our team.”

Black Star nodded. “I would like that.”

***

A few hours later, after a quick flight in their sky-car, the quartet traipsed through a wooded area in the mountains of Virginia. “Are you sure about this?” Black Star asked.

Phaedrus nodded as he checked over a print out in his hands. “Jolly Roger is a whiz when it comes to intelligence and recon,” he said. “If he says that Mechanon has a base around here, I believe it.”

“So, what are we looking for?” Karishi asked.

“A cave entrance,” Phaedrus said. “It should be…”

“Here,” Magni called. He stood near a rock outcropping where a boulder even larger than he appeared to be firmly wedged into an opening. The others joined him. “Shall I remove it?” He reached for the boulder, ready to lay his mighty hands upon it.

“Wait,” Phaedrus said. “If this is it, barging in might be the last thing we want to do.”

Magni nodded and stepped back. “Aye, caution. Sorry.” He considered his actions, not wanting to be the reason for anyone else getting mortally injured this evening.

Phaedrus felt along the surface, carefully. Then, he noticed a seam of sorts hidden behind some overgrowth of vegetation. He moved the plants way and flipped open a panel. Lifting his mask, he placed his eye up to what appeared to be sensor.

The mechanism inside the opening came to life, and a crimson beam scoured his eye. The beam then vanished.

Seconds later, the large boulder slid effortlessly way and revealed an opening.

Phaedrus pulled his mask back in place.

“What did you do?” Karishi asked.

“I guess it was some kind of retinal scanner,” the hero in gray replied. “And assuming it was meant to only provide Mechanon access, I figured my own mechanized eyeballs might be sufficient to get us inside.”

“Good thinking,” Black Star said. “Let’s move before it closes up again.” The four heroes hurried inside.

Darkness filled the enclosure. Black Star concentrated, focusing his energy powers to create a single source of light. It illuminated the area sufficiently.

The room itself contained racks of components and spare body parts – some arms, some legs, chest plates, even a new head. All of these were things that Mechanon could put to use for making upgrades or repairs. “Looks like Jolly Roger found the robot’s personal body shop,” Phaedrus said. On table in the center lay a nearly-complete assembled shell.

“What do we do now?” Magni asked with his fingers twitching near his belt where his mace hung. “Destroy it all ‘fore it can be used to make another creature?”

“I think that is a good idea,” Karishi said.

“Wait,” Phaedrus said. He turned his head as his enhanced hearing picked up a slight hissing sound. He followed the sound to an overhead tank. “Quick, that’s some kind of gas. Everyone out.”

Karishi and Black Star moved quickly towards the opening. “Our organic life-forms must have triggered some kind of defense system,” the latter hero suggested.

“Magni, grab that body on the table and take it with you,” Phaedrus ordered.

Magni nodded, saying nothing as he held his breath. He picked up the metal form and carried it out with him.

Phaedrus grabbed the nearby robotic head and leapt for the door.

As they cleared the room, the hissing stopped with the fumes still lingering in the air. Then, the boulder moved silently back in place, closing off the hidden lab once more.

“What now?” Black Star asked. “Do we destroy it from the outside?”

“No,” Phaedrus said. “This is our only link to Mechanon’s trail. If it should ever appear again, we might need a starting place to trailing him. Best we should just leave it be, for now.”

“Why did you take those parts?” Karishi asked.

“I think, between Jolly Roger and I, they could prove to be most enlightening,” Phaedrus said.  “Through some study, we might be able to learn more about Mechanon and any weaknesses or flaws in its design. Then if it ever does resurface, we’ll have a better handle on how to take it down without any major causality.”

The others agreed, returned back to the sky-car and headed back to Baltimore.