#20 - "Let Freedom Ring"

Spectrum flew through the afternoon sky over Pasadena. Far below he spotted his destination, the headquarters for the famous hero team known as the Freedom Squad. Formed nearly fifteen years ago, the Freedom Squad's exploits were well known to Jim, who had followed them as a teenager. In spite of having been here several times before, he still got a special feeling inside when it came to the Freedom Squad.

As he came in for a landing, Spectrum could see Shockwave standing near the entrance to the base. Her gold and silver armor sparkled in the mid-day sun.

"Glad you could make it, Spectrum."

"Like you said on the phone, it sounds like something big is going down," Spectrum stated as he approached. "Bliz here too?"

Shockwave turned to walk alongside Spectrum as the pair moved towards the entrance of the Freedom Squad headquarters. "Yes. He's already inside," Shockwave answered in respect to her Hero for Hire partner. "Probably hanging around his girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?"

"She calls herself the Empress," Shockwave said with a slight trace of annoyance. "They've been dating for a few weeks now."

"That's what I get for going into seclusion. I'm going to have to catch up on all the latest goings on."

Unexpectedly, the man known as Sabre appeared before the two heroes. Startled, Spectrum inadvertently took a step back. "Geez, Sabre! Why don't you warn people when you're going to do that?"

The new arrival just smiled and in a voice that sounded exactly like Maxwell Smart, answered, "Sorry about that, chief!" Sabre stood a solid six feet tall and was handsome with short brown hair and matching eyes. His costume consisted of a gray body suit, with a light blue splash on the shoulders, and dark blue boots and gloves. He carried his namesake sabre in an over-the-shoulder scabbard.

"Hello, Sabre," Shockwave said.

"I mean, you should have a beeper or something," Spectrum continued. "Like that noise trucks make while going in reverse. Something instead of poofing in front of people and scaring the beejeebies out of them."

"A pleasure as always," Sabre responded to Shockwave, ignoring Spectrum's antics. "So, my friends, what brings us all here today?"

"We don't know yet," was Shockwave's reply. "American Eagle is keeping it rather quiet."

"We'll never know until we go inside." Spectrum gestured for Shockwave and Sabre to lead the way. "After you."

The heroine Victrix was waiting for the trio inside the Freedom Squad base. "You're the last three we're expecting," she commented. "Now we can get down to business."

Victrix was one of the newer recruits for the Freedom Squad. Her powers were telekinetic in nature. The heroine's costume consisted of a yellow one-piece, shoulderless tank, with matching gloves and boots, trimmed in a dark red. She was on the thin side, and stood around 5'6". The heroine was quite attractive and in her twenties.

The Freedom Squader led Spectrum, Shockwave, and Sabre into the general meeting area. Many other heroes were already present in the room. Goshawk was already seated, waiting for the proceedings to begin. The young man had been actively training with American Eagle for the last month or so.

Off in a corner, the Empress and Blizzard huddled close together away from the others. Spectrum didn't know much about the Empress herself. That her powers were elemental in nature was about the extent of his knowledge.

Morning Star was also present, and that brought a smile to Jim's face. She was conversing with Spinnerette of the Guardians. The two were known to have been long-time friends.

Rounding out the heroes present was Sidewinder, also of the Guardians, and Jo-Tan, another member of the Freedom Squad.

"This is quite a group you've got here, Vic," Spectrum observed.

"From what I've heard, we're going to need this-- and more." Victrix excused herself and exited the room, leaving the last arrivals to mingle.

Spectrum wandered over towards Morning Star and Spinnerette. "Afternoon, ladies."

"Hi there," Spinnerette answered with a wave. "How's it going?"

Morning Star turned to face the new arrival. "Hello, Spectrum. How are you today?"

"Oh, I'm doin' okay. Probably just like everyone else here: wondering what's going on."

The lavender and purple clad heroine nodded in agreement. "Very much so. Still, it is nice to see you again. You've kept a pretty low profile since our little adventure with VIPER."

"Just had things to do, 'Star." Turning to the shorter Spinnerette, Spectrum added, "I wasn't aware that the Guardians were in on this too?"

"Not officially," she explained. "Hornet sent me and Sidewinder to find out what was going on."

"I see."

"So tell me, Spectrum," Spinnerette replied with an unseen smirk, "do you still get nervous around cats?"

"Only giant ones with fungus growing on their stomachs," Spectrum answered with a straight face.

"On the one hand that sounds really gross, but on the other,... actually it does sound really gross," Spinnerette observed. "Very interesting, but still gross."

"You'll have to forgive, Spin, here, Spectrum," Morning Star interrupted. "She probably would have loved to dissect the thing."

"The thought had crossed my mind," the web-spinning heroine answered. "But, at the least you didn't go all the way through the alien cat's digestive system."

"Yeah, really," Spectrum said in agreement. "You'd probably come up with even worse jokes to tease me with."

"You have to admit that the idea of being eaten by a giant cat does open up many avenues for comedy. In fact, I--"

Morning Star put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "It looks like we're ready to begin."

"Too bad," Spinnerette replied. "I was just getting started."

"I know," was Morning Star's reply.

On the far side of the room, American Eagle and the Black Phantom entered, led by Victrix. The American Eagle was in his familiar red, white, and blue winged costume. The Black Phantom's garb consisted of a dark gray body suit with black boots, gloves, trunks, cape, and hood.

American Eagle made his way to the speaking podium as the assembled heroes took seats or looked on while remaining standing.

"Thank you all for coming today," the patriotic hero stated. "I won't beat around the bush with all of you. We are facing a very grave situation. The Black Phantom's undercover operations have uncovered a huge and disturbing plot against heroes everywhere."

A murmur broke out in the room. After it settled down, American Eagle continued. "An entity calling itself the Crimson Claw is running a contest amongst the villains, with the prize being ultimate power."

"That's the reason for all the weird villain behavior these last few months?", Blizzard wondered out loud.

"It is," the Black Phantom answered. "The villains gain points by defeating heroes and by even capturing heroes. Two of our members: Dimension Man and Hardhat have already been captured as part of this 'contest'. But there's much more to it-- an even more ominous purpose."

Spinnerette suddenly leaped to her feet in a maneuver so fast that it startled even her. "My danger sense just went off the scale! Something really bad is going to happen in a few seconds!"

The assembled heroes warily eyed each other. Finally, the Empress broke the silence. "What--? What's that noise?"

Spectrum strained to hear just what the heroine was talking about. Concentrating, he could just barely make out an odd sound. Like something being dropped from a great height.

"Incoming!", Sabre suddenly shouted. He took a hold of Shockwave's arm and teleported the two of them away.

A split second later, the ceiling exploded as a great greenish-gray creature smashed into room. The hulking figure entered through the roof, crashed through the floor of the meeting room, and continued on into the room below. Many of the heroes in the chamber fell through the newly created hole. A few were barely able to scatter away from the impact.

The architect of this attack stood in the lower room, halfway in a huge impact crater. It was nine feet tall and had four arms. The creature bellowed loudly, "Grond will hammer puny humans!!"

Spectrum tried to regain his wits. He had been among the unfortunates who had fallen to the lower level. Opening his eyes, he found Morning Star laying on top of him. She was groaning softly.

"Far be it from me to complain, 'Star, but I think it's time to rise and shine." A moment after that his eyes locked on to the monstrous Grond. "Oh boy..."

Morning Star regained her wits and rose to her feet. "That was an awful joke," she muttered.

"Sorry," Spectrum said as he also stood. "Regardless, that was definitely an act of aggression."

In the pit, Grond roared again. Jo-Tan, the muscle man of the Freedom Squad leaped at the beast. With one of his four arms, the behemoth swatted the young hero away like a fly. "Grond mightiest one of all!"

"We'll see about that!" Spectrum generated a bright blast of light right before Grond's eyes. Grond roared his disapproval and flailed his arms blindly about. "Have light, will illuminate!"

"Good going, Spectrum!" Morning Star advanced on the monster, careful to avoid its gyrating arms. A purplish glow manifested around her fist as she studied the giant. The heroine struck with blinding speed, smashing the beast not only out of the pit, but also completely out of the room!

"Nice shot!" Looking around, Spectrum could see the others picking themselves up from the sudden crash.

High overhead, American Eagle hovered on his artificial wings. His left arm hung limply at his side. "We must work as a cohesive unit to defeat this monster!", he shouted.

However, not everyone was listening or able to. The Black Phantom had been knocked unconscious when part of the ceiling collapsed on him. American Eagle had been hurt in the same collapse. Blizzard was more concerned about Empress' condition than fighting at the moment. Spinnerette had been spared the fall by leaping backwards and adhering to the wall of the conference room. Victrix and Goshawk were partially buried in rubble.

"We better get everyone on their feet before gruesome comes back," Spectrum said as he started to unbury Victrix.

"I have the feeling we're going to need all the help we can get before we're finished here." Morning Star picked up a large slab of the former conference room floor and tossed it off to one side.

"Grond smash purple woman!!" The beast leaped in once more and unloaded on Morning Star. Its vision having cleared, Grond returned for more chaos and mayhem. The punch caused Morning Star to take off like a rocket. The heroine was knocked away at an upward angle. She went through the wall, into the next room, and through that wall before finally exiting the Freedom Squad base all together. Morning Star landed with a sickening thud out on the front lawn. She wouldn't stir for a very long time.

Out front, a man in dark medieval armor strode up to the unconscious heroine. "Fate does indeed smile upon me this day." With ease, the man reached down and lifted Morning Star into his arms. "With your help, milady, I am assured of advancing." The Black Paladin, with his prize in hand, winked out of existence a moment later.

Back inside the Freedom Squad base, Spectrum watched Morning Star's departure in wide-eyed wonder. "Oh my God..."

Blizzard, now assured that the Empress was safe, entered the fray. "Let's chill this clown off!" The icy hero slid around the beast, safely out of its reach, all the while covering Grond with layer after layer of ice.

"That's sound strategy, Blizzard," American Eagle commented overhead. The legendary hero may not be useful in this fight, but he could still command his allies to victory.

Blizzard's efforts were not enough, as Grond shattered the ice, sending shards everywhere. One struck an unsuspecting Empress, knocking her out.

"Watch it, Bliz!", Spectrum yelled. "You're hurting us more than him!"

"You got a better idea?!"

"Concentrate on ranged attacks," American Eagle suggested from above. "Keep outside of his reach! Hit him from multiple angles at the same time!"

"You got it, AE!" Spectrum fired away at range, as did Blizzard. Victrix meanwhile used her telekinesis to finish freeing Goshawk from the debris.

Spinnerette bounced in and covered the brute in her webbing. "That'll keep him busy for a few seconds at least!"

Unexpectedly, American Eagle suddenly shouted out in pain! A laser beam struck him solidly in the back, knocking the already wounded hero from the air. The hero landed with a thud on some of the little remaining floor space. A man with a laser rifle and jet pack flew in, regarding his handy work. "Shut up, you old goat! At least you'll get me a whole mess of points!" Lazer flew in and landed next to the prone American Eagle.

"That's what you think, Laser-Brain!" Lazer never saw the bio-blast coming, as its originator was only one inch tall! Shrinker picked up American Eagle and Lazer. With both in hand, she flew off just as quickly as she had arrived. "Now your points are mine ! Ha!"

Sabre appeared near the opening in the room above. "There are quite a few more villains here than just Grond!" A couple different energy beams streaked past Sabre and he teleported away once more.

"All of the sudden, I get the feeling that Grond is the least of our worries," Spectrum said to his companions. Taking to the air, the colorful mutant flew out of the hole, followed by Victrix, Goshawk, and Blizzard on an ice slide.

Shockwave was waiting for them above. "This is bad. Very bad. I'm reading multiple incoming targets."

"It's like the tower all over again," Spectrum muttered.

The outer wall of the base resembled swiss cheese more than a sturdy barrier. Numerous holes had been blown in by a variety of energy discharges. A pair of huge, misshapen purplish hands ripped apart more of the wall. "Can you come out and play?", Ripper roared malevolently as he stuck his head into the opening he had created.

"Here we go," Spinnerette groaned under her breath.

Just then the wall shattered into a million jagged pieces and a small horde of villains burst into the base. Spinnerette flipped up and out of the way to avoid the horde attack. Some of the other heroes weren't as lucky.

Bulldozer and Pile Driver rushed in and tackled Shockwave before she could react to the attack. Piledriver's left hand had been removed and replaced with a pneumatic piston. Using this, the villain pummeled Shockwave mercilessly. Bulldozer didn't give Shockwave any rest as he added his own blows in between his partners.

"What a team we make!", Bulldozer observed.

"Yeah! Hey, we should form our own team of construction villains-- the Demolition Crew!"

"I like it!" Bulldozer unloaded on Shockwave again, knocking the armored heroine completely out of the room.

In the air, the Gremlin and Wyvern latched onto Goshawk, while Black Raven launched a javelin at Victrix. Before it connected, the tip exploded into a net of steel cables, which wrapped around the surprised heroine. She dropped to the ground under the weight of the attack.

Sidewinder was a fast and agile hero as well, but he didn't know what to expect when faced with the ghostly hand of the one called Void. "You just gonna stand there looking stupid, or are you going to do something?", the hero taunted.

"If you insist," Void responded.

The hand floated about for a moment, then struck. Sidewinder screamed as the ethereal appendage locked onto his body. It was burning him!

Ripper looked around at the madness and mayhem and bellowed. "Ha, ha! Just my kinda fight." He grabbed a chunk of damaged machinery and flung the large missile towards Spectrum.

The colorful mutant avoided the metallic hunk and it burst through the ceiling, raining down bits of metal on the many combatants. "You missed, ugly duckling!"

Outside, Pulsar and Oculon were trying futilely to connect with Sabre using their energy powers. The Blood hero was able to avoid their attacks by teleporting about the battlefield, but it was all he could do to stay ahead of the two villains.

Blizzard quickly came to Shockwave's assistance. She wasn't faring well against the self-dubbed 'Demolition Crew' in close quarters. "Hey! Why don't you guys pick a fair fight?!" The icy hero thrust his hands towards Pile Driver's back just as the villain was about to unleash another pneumatically powered punch while the others held the armored heroine down. "The Kid gloves are off now!"

A rain of icy projectiles shot out at the villain. He screamed in pain as the ice shards not only contacted his padded costume, but cut through them. Turning at his assailant, Piledriver shouted in astonishment, "You cut me!" Blood poured down the villain's back.

As Pile Driver shook his one fist at the cold-wielding hero, Spectrum flew in. "Button yer lip!" A blast of energy slammed into the villain and knocked him into the pit that Grond had created earlier.

Nearby, Spinnerette continued to nimbly leap about the area. She was giving Sledge fits, leading him running around the base. "Nyah, nyah, what's the matter, Sledgie? Can't keep up with this little spider?"

Sledge doubled over as he tried to catch his breath. He was more used to direct knockdown, drag-out fights. But he had a grudge with Spinnerette that dated back several years, and several humiliations caused by the heroine. "I'll get you one of these days. Hunh-hunh. I'll.."

"Well, since you asked so nicely, Sledge." Spinnerette leaped off the base's wall and landed in front of Sledge. He swung a wild haymaker. Expecting his reaction, Spinnerette ducked under the attack and bounced right back up before Sledge had even finished his swing. "Tag! You're it!" Spinnerette unleashed a jarring roundhouse of her own, which knocked the large villain completely out of sight.

Overhead, Goshawk had slipped free of the two misshapen and monstrous villains who had assaulted him. His costume was torn from their claws and a large bite wound from Wyvern continued to bleed on his side. Dazed and near panic from the gruesome attacks, Goshawk flew as fast as he could, trying to out-distance his pursuers.

Suddenly, he noticed a beautiful Japanese woman up ahead. She had wings growing out of her back. "I'm saved," the young hero thought. As Goshawk approached, the dark haired woman launched a javelin at the pursuing monsters. It exploded in a ball of fire, which scattered Gremlin and Wyvern.

"Hey, I recognize you. You were part of the attack on our base."

"We do not have to be foes. I could help you...", Black Raven said enticingly.

Back at the base, Grond and Ripper were doing incredible damage to anything that remained standing. No one had the physical strength to stand up to the two of them. Jo-Tan had tried, but he was easily flung aside again. Sidewinder was flattened by a large piece of wall that Ripper cast about like a child playing with building blocks.

Spinnerette surveyed the carnage all around her. "Something's got to be done before we're overwhelmed!" Spying Grond and Ripper in close proximity, an idea came to the heroine. She leaped into the air and landed right before Ripper. "Here's web in your eye, ugly!" Flicking her wrists, Spinnerette engulfed Ripper's head in her trademark webbing.

Ripper roared his annoyance, his large, misshapen hands seeking to remove the spider webbing. "I'll squash ya like a bug!"

"I'm a spider, you twit, not a bug!" Spin leaped forward and landed feet first on Ripper's chest. The force of the impact knocking the giant back several steps. "Nyah, nyah! You can't touch me, you malformed lummox!"

As she had hoped, Ripper forgot about the webbing and started to wildly swing at where he thought Spinnerette was at. The Guardian moved as fast as she could to keep well ahead of Ripper's clumsy swings. Finally, she was in position. "Hey, you heliotrope cretin! Over here!"

"I'll rip you apart, girlie!" Ripper struck with all his might and finally hit something. "Ha! Let's see where your smart-ass remarks are now!" Pulling the webbing free from his eyes, Ripper was greeted with a sight that he was not prepared to see.

Spinnerette stood off to one side. She gave him a friendly wave. "Nice punch. Too bad you hit your buddy over there. Why, I do believe that he's a bit peeved at you right now?"

Straight ahead of Ripper, the man-beast Grond was rushing toward him! "Grond crush ugly purple man!!" One of Grond's lefts connected, throwing Ripper back hard. Grond continued on after Ripper eager to continue dishing out the punishment.

"Good thing for me that he's so single-minded..."

Getting Grond and Ripper to fight each other gave the heroes a chance, but they were still under heavy assault. The villains had more time to recover since they out-numbered the haggard heroes. Some of the villains who had already been knocked out, like Sledge, Piledriver and Oculon were back in action.

Spectrum flew overhead, staying one step ahead of Gremlin who continued to dog his steps. The hairless, leathery green villainess spouted angry obscenities at the mutant hero as she tried vainly to catch him.

"Yeah, yeah, I bet you say that to all the guys!", Spectrum taunted. "Ya know, this is just your way of getting back at the male population. Why take it out on me that you can't get a date because you're so damn ugly?" Spectrum fired the occasional blast of light at various villains as he sped about the battle, keeping just out of reach of his pursuer's claws.

Shockwave was back on her feet. Her armor had been dented and cracked in places from the tremendous beating she had taken earlier. She wound up and slammed Bulldozer with all her mechanically enhanced strength. At the same time, Sabre struck as well. Bulldozer would not rise again this fight.

A moment later however, the Void's ethereal hand had latched onto the heroine. Even her armor wasn't strong enough to withstand the Void's deadly touch. She dropped to ground under his powerful attack.

The villains were slowly gaining control of the fight. So many of the villains were bloodthirsty and mean spirited that the toll was beginning to show on the heroes who remained fighting. Things were completely out of hand.

Just then, a new player flew onto the scene. "It looks like I'm too late," she remarked to herself. The woman was oriental in ancestry, but tall. Her hair was long, straight, and jet-black. She hovered above the battle in her red and gold costume. "I may not have been able to save the Freedom Squad's base, but I can at least help them against their enemies!"

The woman looked on toward the major sources of destruction down below: Grond and Ripper. Energy played about the woman's hands and began to grow in intensity. Finally, she unleashed a powerful bolt of energy. It struck the combatants, throwing them both apart. Neither was seriously hurt from the unexpected assault, but it at least got their attention.

Next, the heroine concentrated on Grond alone. "He's the most dangerous here," she reasoned. Mind blasts repeatedly fired from the woman's forehead, each unerringly striking the monstrous Grond. He groaned and fell over, unconscious.

All fighting stopped when the others realized just what had happened.

"What happened to Grond!?", the Gremlin wondered, her fury at Spectrum having been forgotten.

Ripper shook the cobwebs out of his head and pointed up into the sky. "It's Quantum!" Even the usually overconfident Ripper seemed to be more than a bit afraid. "I'm gettin' the hell out of here!" Looking around, Ripper located the unconscious Sidewinder. Tucking the fallen Guardian securely under one arm, Ripper leaped way.

"Wah-Hoo!", Spinnerette shouted and did a backflip. "The cavalry has arrived! Nice to see you, Quantum."

"A pleasure as always, Spinnerette. I only wish I had gotten here sooner."

Like cockroaches fleeing when a light has been turned on, the villains quickly scattered to the four winds. The Gremlin flew off with the Empress in her possession.

Quantum continued to act all the while. At her current level of power, this was like shooting fish in a barrel. She didn't often function at this level of power, usually only in the most dire of circumstances. A solid sphere of light became a prison for Wyvern. A wide spread energy blast covered several different villains, putting Sledge and Piledriver down. The rest scattered.

"Thank God that's over," Victrix muttered aloud. She had never been in a fight like this one. For the first time she surveyed the damage done. Only one wall remained standing. The second story had completely collapsed. "It's destroyed... The Freedom Squad base is gone..."

"We've got bigger problems!", Blizzard shouted. "Those creeps got Angie! We've got to go after them!" Not waiting for anyone else, Blizzard started to slide off after the fleeing villains.

"He does have a point," Spinnerette added. "In case you haven't noticed, Morning Star and American Eagle have disappeared as well."

Spectrum looked around. He saw a group of mostly young, inexperienced heroes. It was as if they were waiting for someone to tell them what to do. "Looks like I'm elected," Jim thought to himself. "Boy, are we in trouble now."

"Bliz is right!", Spectrum announced out loud. "We need to get the others back. If you can give chase, do so. The others stay here and do what you can!"

Spectrum took to the air, not waiting for anyone to respond. Victrix and Goshawk went airborne a moment later after exchanging looks.

"I can carry everyone else," Quantum announced. A beam of light was projected from Quantum's left hand that expanded into what appeared to be a platform. "All aboard!"

Shockwave looked at Spinnerette for guidance. The armored heroine had heard of Quantum and her unbelievable power, but still wasn't sure what to do. Spin leaped on the platform without hesitation. "Let's go people! We don't have all day!"

"Flying is not my thing," Jo-Tan announced.

"I think I'll stay here with Jo-Tan," Shockwave announced. "We'll keep an eye on things."

Sabre joined Spinnerette on the platform. Quantum rapidly rose in the air, all the while keeping her flying platform stable. She paused long enough pick up Blizzard as well, who had been falling behind the airborne heroes.

Quantum accelerated and not only caught up to the others, but passed them in spite of her burdens. She slowed long enough for the flyers to board her platform before accelerating once more.

"Damn!", Spectrum uttered as he landed on the platform. "And I thought I was fast!"

The heroes on Quantum's platform hung on for dear life as she accelerated to her top speed. She had formed a railing so that they would have something to grab on to.

"I can see them just up ahead," Quantum reported. "A pack of four villains flying together."

"The Gremlin! Can you see the Gremlin? She's got Angie!"

"She is present, Blizzard. I-- Oh no!"

Down on the platform, Spinnerette understood just what Quantum was so concerned about. "Your power level is dropping, isn't it?"

"I fear that you are correct, comrade," Quantum answered. "I am truly sorry."

"What's she talkin' about?", Blizzard asked.

"Quantum's powers are in a constant state of flux," Spinnerette explained. "And she's experiencing a power drop."

Quantum's speed had slowed significantly. Sweat covered her forehead as she now struggled to keep those on the platform airborne. "There's too many of you!! I can't support all this weight!"

"Flyers with me!", Spectrum yelled. He took to the air once more, followed by Victrix and Goshawk. They quickly flew off, leaving behind the struggling Quantum.

"They're gettin' away!", Blizzard screamed in frustration. "Damn it, can't you do something?!"

Spinnerette ignored Blizzard's tirade. She was far more concerned about Quantum just now. "Is that enough weight or are more of us going to have to bail out?"

"I'm alright now," Quantum reported. She had unexpectedly dropped several power levels, leaving her in a condition that put her on par with the other heroes present, if not weaker. The powers that had enabled her to drive the horde of villains away was gone.

Quantum continued on as best she could. Her flight couldn't keep up with the others and they quickly soared out of sight. She silently cursed to herself. Once more she had let others down...

Spectrum continued his frantic pursuit of the villains. The chase had led them into the mountains to the east of Los Angeles. Once more he had out-distanced Victrix and Goshawk, leaving himself alone behind the fleeing villains. Fortunately, they seemed to be more interested in escape than in continuing to fight. The villains dove into one of the many valleys.

"Oh, no, you won't loose me that easily." Spectrum had slowly gained ground on the villains. It was only a matter of time before he would catch up with them. He unexpectedly rounded a bend in the valley and came to a sudden stop.

Nestled in the midst of the small valley was what appeared to be a giant blue metallic dome. It was about ninety feet wide at the base and topped out at around forty feet in height. "What the hell is that?!" Spectrum hung in the air, wondering just what he had wandered across.

That gave the fleeing villains the time they needed to reach the blue dome. An opening appeared in the side of the structure and the villains entered. The door closed just as rapidly as it had opened.

"This must be the base of that guy Black Phantom was talking about-- the Crimson Claw!"

"That's never been here before!" Turning, Spectrum saw Goshawk come to a stop and hover behind him. "I've done many training flights with American Eagle in these mountains," the young hero explained. "I would've remembered something like that."

Victrix arrived a moment later and eyed the odd structure. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm open for suggestions."

"For now," Spectrum answered, "we wait for the others to arrive. No way the three of us can handle something like this."

As Spectrum spoke, a strange distortion effect came over the blue dome. Its form rippled, much like a reflection being distorted by waves in a pond. And then the blue dome was suddenly gone.

"I don't believe it..." Spectrum flew forward. "It's got to be a trick of some kind..."

The trio searched in vain for several minutes, but was unable to find any trace of the strange blue dome. Quantum arrived bearing her burdens.

"Where are they?", Blizzard wondered out loud. "Where did they take Angie!?"

"They're gone," Victrix reported in a soft voice.

"What are you talking about? They couldn't have just disappeared!"

Spectrum approached the irate Blizzard. "That's exactly what she's saying. They all went into a giant blue dome and then it disappeared."

A short time later, back at what remained of the Freedom Squad base...

"You don't know the half of it," Spinnerette reported. "Not only were we attacked here, but the Guardians base was assaulted as well. The Monster, King Cobra, Radium, Charger, and others were among the attackers."

"Are your teammates alright?", Shockwave asked in a concerned voice.

"Density and Warlock are alright. Hornet and Laserblast are missing."

"As are American Eagle and the Black Phantom," Jo-Tan added.

"And the Empress," Blizzard added venomously.

"Let's not forget about Morning Star and Sidewinder either," Spectrum finished.

"The Protectors were attacked at their base in San Francisco bay," Spinnerette continued. "Part of the team was lured away by Terror, Inc.. The rest were assaulted by Dr. Destroyer himself."

"Well, we've got to do something!" Blizzard couldn't believe what he was hearing. Superheroing was not supposed to be like this.

"I think we are all in agreement on that point," Quantum quietly added. "The question is: what?"