Hawk & Dove

What Has Come Before : Empowered by the Ring of Fate, the Azure Goddess Huitzilopochtli has transformed Mexico City into her own personal kingdom, altering the minds of almost all its citizens as well. Hawk & Dove, aided by Dr. Fate, journeyed to Mexico City to stop their old foe but found themselves overwhelmed. Dove has met her match in the form of Raptor, a transformed agent of Azure's; Hawk has been battered and beaten by a crowd of Huitzilopochtli worshippers; and Dr. Fate has seemingly been destroyed. Now, the venerable Justice Society of America arrives....

Jay Garrick sped around the ever-increasing environs of Azure's domain. He wasn't as fast as he had once been, and certainly wasn't as fast as Wally West, the current Flash, but he was still quick enough to make the entire journey in only seconds. He returned to his teammates, finding them standing near one of the JSA shuttles, parked just outside the former Mexico City. The team's roster for this mission included Jay himself, Wonder Woman, Obsidian, Sentinel and Wildcat. Not the full group, but definitely the team's heavy hitters. "It looks bad, folks. This Azure girl's turned the whole place into some Cecil B. DeMille film, with human sacrifices and the whole works. I haven't seen anything go into that field that wan't changed, either."

Hippolyta, the Golden Age Wonder Woman, lifted her chin. "With the changes I've undergone recently*, I'm positive that I can enter the field and not be transformed, but what about the rest of you?"

Sentinel elected not to refer to those personal changes of Wonder Woman's at the moment. Her slightly altered state had made several members of the team a bit uncomfortable, but in the end they all knew that Polly was one of them. "I might be able to protect all of you with my power. It'll be tricky and we might want to test it on one of our lesser-powered teammates first just to be safe--"

Wildcat grunted. "So I'm the guinea pig, is that it? Al's gone, so that makes Ted next in line for the scrub jobs? Makes me wish Johnny were still a member." He cracked his knuckles. "Okay. Let's do it."

"That will not be necessary, old friend." Dr. Fate, cloaked in black and gold, with red circuitry lining his dark uniform,floated down from above. "I have the spells necessary to cloak you from Azure's powers."

Jay Garrick couldn't stop the relieved smile from reaching his face. Whenever somebody like Dr. Fate or the Spectre was around, you couldn't but feel better knowing they were on your side. "Fate! Good to see you -- we'd heard you'd gone inside. How bad is it?"

"The situation is dire, indeed. Huitzilopochtli is armed with a trinket that was once my own. It has helped increase her power considerably. Hawk & Dove are still within, in need of assistance. I was forced to simulate my own demise in order to come back for reinforcements."

"So you left Hawk & Dove in there by themselves?" Wildcat couldn't keep the note of disdain out of his voice. One thing he'd always carried with him since the War was that you didn't leave your buddies behind enemy lines.

"Though their power has not fully manifested, they are Lords of Order and Chaos. They shall survive this test."

The Flash placed a hand on Wildcat's shoulder. "Easy does it, Ted. We owe it to Fate to trust him on this." Casting a glance at the golden-helmed sorceror, he said "We're ready whenever you are, Fate."

Sara Morrison woke up to a world of hurt. She was shackled in a rather cold and dank dungeon, seemingly pulled straight out of some grade-b film vault. A skeleton, still chained to the wall, rested nearby, cobwebs covering the corpse. Dirty water rested in a drinking pan nearby, though how she was to reach it wasn't clear.

She reached out, feeling for her husband. He was in a nearby cell, conscious but in pain. Can you hear me? she thought to him, using the mental connection they shared. She didn't know if Azure or her followers were listening, but there was no point in revealing their telepathy if they didn't have to.

Loud and clear. I saw that flying guy take you out -- sorry if I distracted you. As soon as I get out of here, I'm going to beat him to a pulp for you.

Sara smiled, despite herself. You don't have to do that, babe. We're not in high school -- you don't have to 'beat up' every guy who bothers me. Besides, I'd like to take him down a few pegs myself. How badly hurt are you?

Not very. The crowd was too much for me, but they couldn't really hurt me. You should me, though. Parts of my uniform are torn away and T'Charr's fur is sticking out! Looks bizarre. I'm healing quickly, though.

It's not T'Charr's, Jake. It's yours, remember? But I know what you mean. Wherever Raptor cut me with his claws, I'm 'bleeding' light. Dove tested her bonds. I can slip out of these, though. I don't think Azure realizes how limber I am. Dove arched her back, readjusting her arms until she was able to slip her left wrist out of the shackle. In her form as Sara, she wouldn't have been able to do such a manuever without need of a chiropractor afterwards, but as Dove she was far more than human. I'm loose!

The wall next to her suddenly shattered, showering her with small bits of debris. Through the cloud of smoke, Hawk walked towards her. "So am I. The things gave when I flexed my full strength against them. Huitzilopochtli's gettin' sloppy."

"Either that, or keeping us restrained wasn't high on her list of priorities." Dove kissed her husband on the cheek. "I think this might be a bit beyond us, Jake. We should have let Dr. Fate bring in the JSA like he wanted."

Hawk pulled a face. "God. Can you imagine us having to be saved by a bunch of old geezers? We'd be laughed out of the superhero union."

"Hey! I like Bad Blood! They kick butt and take names! They're not some pansy-ass group of --"

"Jake! The JSA were saving the world back when you were in diapers! They're an inspiration to--"

The voice seemed to come nowhere and everywhere, all at once. Though it was more telepathy than true words, the source was unmistakable. Huitzilopochtli.

Dove looked towards the roof. "Azure... We can talk this out. Hawk and I don't mind if you and your followers want a place of your own -- but you can't force others to join you and you can't just transform the first city you come across!"

One of the remaining walls shimmered away, revealing the entrance to large arena. Huitzilopochtli stood straight and tall in a front row seat, while her followers chanted wildly all around them.

Hawk squeezed Dove's hand. "Looks like she saw Gladiator one too many times," he murmured. Raising his voice, he challenged, "Azure! I thought this sort of thing was Roman, not Aztec! I think you're mixing your historical mumbo-jumbo!"

The Goddess of War smiled as if she cared not a white for Hawk's criticism. Once, she would have, there was no doubt of that. Once, she had been confused about who she was and what her place in the world would be -- but now she was Huitzilopochtli. And she answered to no one. "The only hope of escape you have, old enemies, is to enter the arena and fight. If you survive, you may yet live to see your freedom. Failure, however... Failure means death."

Dove took a step into the arena. "What can we do? Even if we try to fly out of here, Huitzilopochtli will stop us and throw her hordes against us. Might as well play along until we can find her weak spot, or other heroes show up."

The crowd roared as Hawk & Dove moved to the center of the arena. At the end of the arena, a large door slid aside. Hawk wondered idly what Azure would send against them -- he hoped it would be Raptor, as he wanted to break the thug in half, whether Dove wanted him to or not.

Entering the arena was a massive man-scorpion, a human's upper body adorning the top of the scorpion's dun-colored body. From head to stinger tip, it was almost twenty feet long. Remembering how Azure had transformed her vizier into Raptor, Dove knew beyond a shadow of a doubt how this monstrosity had been birthed.

Sentinel flew over the streets of Mexico City, trying to convince himself that what he saw was, in fact, very much real. He saw ancient temples and pyramids rising to the sky, the streets crowded with worshippers of the great goddess Huitzilopochtli. There were lingering doubts in his mind as to whether or not Mexico City had ever truly looked like this -- this seemed to be something crafted by a mind too addicted to old movies to possibly be accurate.

Down below, his teammates moved stealthily towards the arena. Fate could have teleported them all inside, of course, but he felt it better that the team use stealth -- to minimize the chances of Azure preparing a defense. Sentinel's flight, in fact, had been against Fate's wishes -- but the Emerald Warrior needed to see things from above.

Modern criminals are getting crazier and crazier. Seems like everybody's got the power level of an Extant or an Azure these days. What happened to the old mad scientist-types? It'd be nice to get one of those every so often....

Sentinel whirled about, narrowly avoiding being gutted by Raptor, who streaked past with claws extended. He made a wave of thanks to Jay down below, green energy beginning to crackle around his hand. "You made a mistake, junior. Now, I realize you're not in your right mind, but that doesn't mean I won't hurt you if I have to."

Raptor hung in the air, a dark grin on his face. His golden carapace gleamed. "I'm not mind-controlled, old man. I serve Huitzilopochtli willingly. As should you, if you had any conception of what awaited her enemies!"

Sentinel generated a giant green fist that swatted away Raptor like a bothersome insect. "Go away, son, you're bothering me."

Hawk dodged another swipe of the monster's stinger, dirt flying as the blow dislodged a cloud of debris. The creature looked like a reject from a Ray Harry-Hausen version of Golden Voyage of Sinbad, with movements that seemed stiff and forced. Its slowness of action, however, gave Hawk an advantage. Again and again he dodged the lethargic attacks, while Dove circled overhead, generating just enough light to partially blind the creature.

He jumped onto the man-scorpion's back, grabbing the thing's human head in both hands. "We can do this one of two ways, bucko -- either you do as I say and get out of this in one piece or I give a little twist to your neck and end the fight early. Capiche?"

The monster merely grinned, spittle running from the corners of its mouth. Hawk felt movement behind him and turned his head to see Dove grappling with the stinger, which was poised mere inches from Hawk's back. "Are you loony, Jake? He nearly gutted you!"

"Sorry, babe. But I wanted to end this thing quickly. Too bad it's not going to work out the way I wanted." Hawk flexed his mighty muscles, gritting his teeth. A horrifying snap echoed through the air and the creature sagged forward.

Dove could only stare in shock. "Why...? Hawk -- you knew it was just someone she'd transformed...!"

Hawk turned to face her, a roughness in his voice that she'd never heard before -- at least not from his Jake Morrison incarnation. "This is a war, Dove. Look around you," he waved a hand at the thousands of onlookers, who were screaming for their blood. "If we don't give 110%, we're not making it home. And if we fall, Azure's gonna take over the whole freakin' world. This guy wasn't some bozo she plucked up off the street -- he was one of the Children of the Sun, just like Raptor was. Hell, he probably thought he was gettin' a reward when she started changin' him!"

Dove looked away from him. "If I'd known you were going to kill him, I would have taken him out myself."

Azure's voice came to them, cutting off the rising tension between the two heroes. "Impressive, but I expected nothing less from the two of you. Of all my mortal foes, you have--"

A golden comet seemed to flash through the sky, landing hard in the center of the arena. The being known as Raptor struggled to his feet, but quickly felt Dove's swift kick to his jaw. He tumbled backwards once more.

"Nice move, Dove." Hawk tapped her shoulder and pointed skyward. "By the way, the cavalry's arrived. Looks like the Geezer Brigade is out in full force."

Dove followed her husband's gaze and, along with everyone else in the arena including Azure, let out a small gasp at the sight she beheld.

There, held aloft on a green platform generated by Sentinel, was the mighty Justice Society of America. Dr. Fate floated in the air alongside his teammates and it was he who pointed towards Huitzilopochtli and said, "The time has come for the Ring of Fate to be returned to its rightful owner -- and for this city and its residents to know freedom!"

Azure cackled, solar energy beginning to flare about her form. Her powers, augmented by the Ring of Fate, reached out to those in the arena. "You survived, Fate? I'm glad -- because I can now have the pleasure of destroying you once again! Attack, my army of light, ATTACK!"

Many of those closest to her suddenly began writhing in painful ecstacy, as wings and claws grew from their bodies. Lifting off one after another, they rushed towards the JSA. Much of the crowd were also altered, becoming scaled, insectile man-monsters.

Sentinel grimaced. "Jay -- I'm setting you and the others down. I'll deal with the flight brigade."

"Gotcha, Alan." Flash turned to his teammates. "Remember -- try to contain them without doing serious harm. They're innocents."

Hippolyta, sword in hand, jumped from the platform. She landed in the dirt, swinging her sword around in time to slash through an attacker's arm. "I shall try, Flash, but in a war like this extreme measures must be taken!"

Chaos reigned in the area, as Obsidian blanketed a horde of warriors, cursing them with the shadowy touch of his powers. The Flash zoomed about dispatching many who never even saw him coming. Wildcat adopted a boxing stance, felling one after another as they approached. Sentinel used his powers to deal with a dozen foes, trying to dodge those who were using wooden weapons.

Dove took to the sky in pursuit of Raptor, who was trying to reach his mistress before Dr. Fate could do so. The Lord of Order snagged her foe's ankle before he reached the stands. "Not so fast, birdie! You and I still have some unfinished business."

Raptor roared, slashing down with his claws. He narrowly missed slicing through her wrists. "Let go of me, witch! If you wish to live to see another day, you should join us!"

Dove shook her head. "Sorry -- I don't believe Azure's a Goddess. Is she powerful? Sure. But beyond that, she's just another mentally unbalanced metahuman." Dove brought up a hand and smoothly blocked a blow from Raptor. All those self-defense lessons that Jake had been drilling into her were starting to take effect. "What I want you to see now is the true glory of Order -- maybe it'll open your eyes to the truth!"

Peace flooded from her, washing over Raptor in waves of light. The feeling was calming and filled with self-illumination. Raptor saw his life for what it was : empty and devoid of meaning, following a false religion for no other reason than the gaining of personal power. The realization that he'd wasted so much of his life was frightening. In that moment, he was both defeated and angered -- he hated Dove for showing him the truth, which was far more painful than any physical attack could ever be. Still, the fight within him was gone.

Sara glanced over at Sentinel and nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Sentinel. It's an honor to meet you."

Dove glanced down and groaned. Hawk, was, indeed, climbing into the stands. Dr. Fate was already near Azure, while the rest of the JSA battled a city full of transformed warriors. "Oh, Jake... Please be careful for once...."

Hawk felt the mystic vibrations in the air. Though he and Dove were still slowly coming into their own as true Lords of Chaos and Order, he still had enough "magic-sense" to be able to detect some serious warfare going on before him.

Dr. Fate and Azure were almost silent, locked in a battle that transcended the mortal plane. He searched through Hank Hall's memories, but found no explanation for how Azure could have become so powerful -- in the past, she had been a powerful annoyance, but little more. Fate had mentioned a ring that had once belonged to him and Jake did, indeed, see it on the ring finger of her right hand. Is that what's causing all the ruckus? Looks cheap to me.

Hawk braced himself and then jumped at Azure. As soon as he touched her, pain flared through his body. The arcane energies generated by Azure herself, as well as by the attacking Dr. Fate, made Hawk's body swell with power. It was a mind-blowing experience, as Azure's dark-tinged magick mingled with the mystic might of Dr. Fate.

Dr. Fate broke off his attack, watching impassively as Hawk and Azure struggled with one another. To press his attack now would be to put Hawk at risk. Instead, he waited for the right moment to strike -- when Azure would reveal a vulnerable side that could be lanced while Hawk remained safe.

"You are insane! I am a true Goddess! My resurrection was writ in the stars! It is my destiny to--!"

Hawk slammed his forehead into Azure's face. "Shut up! You've never been anything more than a mentally challenged street thief who lucked into some power. I'm so sick of listening to people like you, Extant and Keos going on and on about destiny! You make your own damned destiny and nobody gives anybody a free ride! Got it?"

The two of them struggled, Hawk gripping Azure's arms and holding them above her head. Azure was attempting to burn him off her, sending forth blinding solar heat. Hawk felt his skin begin to melt and flake away, revealing more of his true form -- the hairy, bestial form that once belonged to T'Charr.

Azure howled, feeling increasing rage at her inability to destroy this mortal. She saw with widening eyes that energy was beginning to spill forth from Hawk, in response to her own. Like his wife, Hawk was able to tap into his primal essence -- which, in his case, was the essence of Chaos. Pure, unbridled anarchy burst forth into her mind, snakey tendrils of fear and hate worming their way into her core.

She saw herself as a failure, a false queen seeking dominion over lands that would never, could never, belong to her truly.

Seeing her weakness, Dr. Fate struck. He cast a spell which wedged a wall between Azure's spirit and the Ring of Fate, which was both feeding her power and drawing its own energies from it, in a never-ending cycle. The sudden departure of her excess power made Azure falter. Hawk backhanded her hard across the face, sending blood spraying from her lips.

He stood over her, fists clenched. "We're going to lock you up. Don't come back or the next time you'll be a smear on the ground. Got it?"

Hawk stepped back as the Ring of Fate flew from her hand and landed on Dr. Fate's gloved finger. "I shall make sure this never happens again."

"Yeah, you do that." Hawk turned away, leaving behind an Azure who was once again unsure of herself, once again confused by who she was and what she was.

All around them, the changes wrought to the city by Azure began to fade. Those people who had been empowered by her, like Raptor, returned to their normal forms, their minds no longer clouded. Without Azure's madness and power to fuel them, the transformations could not last.

Mexico City was saved, but at quite a cost. Millions of dollars' worth of damage still remained, for what was destroyed in the altered city remained destroyed when reverted to its original nature. And the death toll, though hard to calculate at first, would eventually number several hundred.

Dove, surveying the destruction around her, wondered idly if they couldn't have prevented this somehow -- by keeping closer tabs on Azure or making sure she got the help she needed. Hindsight's 20/20, old girl. You oughtta know that by now.

"I think Arkham's a much better place for her," Dove said, as she sipped the cocoa the Flash had provided her with. She and Hawk had come back to the Higher Authority after spending almost 12 hours helping with the relief effort. She was exhausted, even though her Dove form didn't need sleep in quite the same way Sara Morrison did. "Hopefully Azure will get some real help."

Hawk snorted. His wounds had mostly healed, though his uniform still spotted open patches of fur. "Yeah, Arkham's done wonders for the Joker, Two-Face and Scarecrow."

Wildcat regarded the younger hero with a critical eye. "Y'know, kid, you had some good moves out there. With a little trainin', you might be something someday."

Hawk glanced at him. Despite himself, he felt a rush of pleasure at the compliment. "You think so?"

"Sure do, kid. If you want, I could give you a few lessons. I taught Batman a thing or two, you know."

While her husband found himself warming to the so-called 'geezer brigade,' Dove set down her cocoa and wandered amidst the computers and monitors, running her hand lightly over the consoles. "There's so much you guys must be able to accomplish."

Sentinel, who'd been following her with a knowing smile, nodded. "We like to think we make a difference... Listen, some of us were talking earlier -- Dr. Fate says the two of you are just coming into your full power. And, well, we have a bit of a history with the old Hawk...."

Alan Scott looked a bit pained. "Yep. But we dealt with him eventually. Or the Spectre did, anyway."

Sara thought about mentioning their own recent encounter with Extant, but thought better of it. If he had somehow evaded the Spectre's wrath, there wasn't any reason to tell Alan that. In the end, he did get punished -- by both she and Jake. Why upset Alan when he thought otherwise? "You're right about still learning about our powers, though. I'm not even sure what the extent of them is."

"Well, we have some experience in helping the younger generation come to terms with their powers -- and the responsibility that comes with them."

"Well... I'll have to talk to Hawk... but I think the answer is yes. You don't know how many questions I've had over this, Sentinel -- about how to balance my home life with being a hero, how to--"

Alan placed a hand on her shoulder. "First things first. My name's Alan. If you care for a second cup of chocolate, we can all swap a few stories. Who we are, how we came to be here. And how we can help one another. Fair?"

Alan led her back into the meeting room. "Well then -- Welcome to the Justice Society, Sara."

Coming Up In Hawk & Dove # 11 : Taking a trip to Stone Mountain to relax, Sara, Jake and Ren meet Atlanta's newest superhero -- someone who might strike some of you as being a wee bit familiar....

First up, I promise that the next couple of issues will slow the pace down a bit. It seems that since Extant hit town in issue # 5, it's been pretty non-stop for our heroes -- but I promise to focus a bit more on our supporting cast and such beginning with issue 11. I also plan to take part in the Avengers 2000/FDC crossover that Gary Dreslinski is putting together. What does that mean? Well, Hawk & Dove will be crossing the paths of a character I write for the AV2000 group -- a certain flame-headed vigilante who knows a thing or two about the dual nature of things....

Now -- on to the letters! This month we welcome that most dashing of Green Lanterns, G'nort! G'nort couldn't be here today (our restrictive leash laws prevent it), but he has graciously allowed my wife Cariad to transcribe his words for her, as transmitted via his ringy-ding. Take it away, G'nort!

Hidey-ho! 'Tis I, G'nort Esplanade G'neesmacher, Green Lantern and Good Boy! Wowzer! I sure did love reading Hawk & Dove # 9. That Audubon fella is really smart! Now I've got a nifty letter from Mike Hintze :

Hey Barry,

Hawk and Dove #9 was great, as usual. Azure and the Children of the
Sun have really been made a world class threat, and its good to see
such a threat in this title as it can really allow Jake and Sara to
shine.

Well I guess if they're Children of the Sun, it'd make sense that they'd be really, really shiny.

They haven't dealt with pushovers to this point by any means,
but now they can prove themselves on the world class stage that such
heroes as the JLA and Titans are on.

Many people back home in Squashed Bush thought I'd never be a real hero and stuff. But I proved them wrong and hung out with the JLA, too! They were super-nice fellas, 'specially Ice. She scratched my ears just the way I liked. And when nobody was lookin', Booster Gold would rub my belly... oops! I promised not to tell. Oh, well.

It's good to see the Lords of Order connection played up here with Dr.
Fate showing up.

DC really seeded alot of background stuff in regards
to Chaos and Order with H&D, Amethyst, Dr. Fate and Kobra (with his
Kali Yuga riff).

I thought I had Kali Yuga riff once. But J'onn gave me a special spray and it cleared right up.

It never really led anywhere, but perhaps this could
be FDC's Next Big Crossover (TM)?

Glad to see the JSA coming on board next issue...they're not a bad
team, so I'm told.

By the way, (wag wag wag) how 'bout putting me in your book? What's the JSA without G'nortaroonie and hit little ringie-ding?

What do you mean that's all the mail?! There must be more mail here somewhere (digging through trash can). Ah - here's one!