Lex Luthor, the only hero of Earth 1, has begun his quest to recruit other heroes that will help him in his war against The Crime Syndicate.

His first recruit is Dr. Barbara Minerva.

Using files he stole from his other dimensional counterpart, Luthor hopes to get Barbara to the Temple of the Cat Goddess Urzkargan, so that she can perform the Cheetah ritual, a ritual that will give her powers beyond imagining. Powers he hopes she'll use to help him in battle against Super Woman, the Syndicates resident amazon warrior.

Unberknowst to both Luthor and Minerva, Super Woman is in reality Lois Lane, star reported for the Daily Planet, a great metropolitan newspaper, located in the heart of Metropolis.

As Luthors jet prepares to land, Barbara awakes from the long sleep she's been under since shortly after they left Metropolis.

"Morning Dr. Did you have a nice sleep?" Luthor asked with a smile on his face. It's been too long since he last saw a woman wake up next to him. It's a sight he misses greatly.

"Yes Luth... Lex, I did, thanks for asking. How far are we from the temple?" Barbara asked as she stretched, waking up.

"Not far, no more then 30 minutes. I suggest you study the folder on your lap my dear. Tomorrow won't be an easy one for you and you might as well prepare." Luthor said as he adjusted their flight path, preparing their approach to the temple.

"As I told you before Lex, I'll do anything to help rid the world of that damn Crime Syndicate." Barbara said as she opened the folder. As she opened it pictures of the ritual, as performed by the Earth 2 Barbara Minerva, fell out of it.

"My God, she's... she's me!" Barbara said with shock in her face.

"Yes, I had the same impression when I saw pictures of my counterpart. It's confusing as hell, that's what it is. To see ones mirror image, in the flesh... God Below, I wouldn't wish that on anyone!" Luthor said as he took a sip of coffee from a thermos.

Barbara flipped through the papers in the folder and read through Luthor's notes.

"Blood? The ritual requires blood?" Barbara said with surprise in her voice, waving the photos and notes on her hands.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. But don't worry, if done right, the wounds will heal in a short time, and there won't be any scarring."

Barbara took the photos and notes and placed them back inside the folder, which then she slipped inside a back pack.

"I... I don't know if I can do that. I have this thing with blood. It makes me nervous."

"Don't worry about it Barbara dear, I'll be with you." Luthor said with a smile in his face.

"Why don't you tell me a story to pass the time? Last night I told you my story. How did you end up at the soup kitchen I found you at?" Luthor asked as he put on his sunglasses, the plane diving under the clouds, the jungle clearly visible from the inside of the cockpit.

"Well, it all started last year, with a story by Lois Lane of the Daily Planet."

"It was a normal day, long before the attack by Anthro and his cavemen. Life in Metropolis was the same as always. Ultraman would get his jollies by making people suffer, while Super Woman would get off by taking people off their house - usually men, other times pre pubescent children - and raping them infront of their mothers, regardless of their age."

"The kids age?" Luthor asked.

"No, the mothers age! I heard of reports of many women, usually in their 60's, dying of heart attacks after witnessing this happen to their children, and in some cases grandchildren."

"On that particular day I was on my way to work, at the museum, after returning from Africa actually. Me and my colleges had heard about the existance of a lost city, a Gorilla City, deep within the jungles of Africa. We had just discovered the remains of what seemed to be a male Gorilla, about 20-30 years old. While doing the autopsy on him we found out that he had died from, of all things, lung cancer, from smoking! Upon further review of the site we found cigarette butts a few feet from where we found the carcass. At first one of the scientist thought they were left there by one of the guides or scientist, but after the autopsy report came in that assumption changed." Barbara said as she took a cigarette out of her bag, the irony not lost on Luthor, which he made clear with a chuckle.

"Anyway." Barbara said as she took a puff from her cigarette. "As I came inside the museum I saw Miss High and Mighty Lane talking with one of the security guards. After she left I asked the guard what she wanted. He said that she was asking questions about me and about Dr. Mcbeal, the museums Director."

"What was Lane looking for exactly?" Luthor asked.

"Lane was trying to get people to tell her that Mcbeal and I were having an affair, which is ridiculous. Dr Mcbeal is a happily married woman, and I'm not a lesbian! But that didn't stop Lane. Turns out that Lane heard about my discovery in Africa and that didn't sit well with her boss, Perry White, drug lord of Metropolis, don't ask me why. All I know is that the following day the Planet ran a story, with fake pictures of Dr. Mcbeal and me in bed, and then my job was history." Barbara angrily said as she finished her cigarette.

"Hmm." Luthor said. "I'm interested in what you said about the Gorilla City. One of the files I brought from the other Earth tells of the existance of a Gorilla called Grodd, the files didn't say where he came from, but now I believe it's possible that he originated in that world's lost Gorilla City. It might be worth to investigate this further, after we recruit a few others." Luthor said while he activated the jets landing gear. "Hold on, this'll be kindda rough."

The jet landed in a clearing in the jungle. Lex and Barbara deboarded the jet and headed into the heart of the jungle.

Lex used a scanner device to search for the location of the temple, and after a few hours of walking they found it.

The temple stood 50 feet high, surrounded by stone cheetahs.

Lex and Barbara walked the 100 steps that lead to the entrance of the temple. The climb was a tough one, but after an hr of climbing they reached their goal.

As they entered the temple Lex used a miniature laser to light the torches on the walls as they moved inside.

After about 30 minutes of walking they reached the heart of the temple.

Lex and Barbara sat down to rest and have lunch.

"My... God." Barbara said. "After today... no more cigarettes, ever again!"

Lex couldn't help but laugh, which in turn caused Barbara to chuckle alongside him.

"Cough... please... cough... hahah... don't make.... "snort".... cough... laugh." Barbara said as she leaned back and collapsed on the floor, laying on it.

"Ok, ok." Luthor said while taking the food out of his backpack. "You eat, I'm too tired. Please wake me up in an hr."

"Ok, nite." Barbara said as she opened a tupperware with 2 sandwiches inside it

Monday, December 12th, 2000. 13:35 p.m.

As Luthor slept, Barbara, who had just finished eating, took a stroll though the great hall.

The walls were covered in ancient paintings, detailing the cheetah ritual.

Barbara saw as previous sorceress performed the ritual in the paintings. She saw as priest would slid the wrist of the women trying to get  the cheetah power, and how their wounds would heal.

The paintings showed how the blood of the sorceress was then mixed with the crushed berries of a plant.

This potion would then be ingested by the women and that in turn would transform them into the dreaded Cheetah.

"My God!" Barbara thought. "The power. What I could do with it! All the people I could save."

"Are you ready my dear?" Luthor asked as he woke from his slumber.

"Ye.... yes, I'm ready Lex. As ready as I'll ever be."

Monday, December 12th, 2000. 14:07 p.m.

Barbara laid on the floor, naked, covered only by a yellow colored loincloth, with black spots in it. The skin of the Cheetah.

Barbara had prepared herself as the ceremony in Luthors notes explained. She painted her face with the markings of the Cheetah, as well as the rest of her body, with Lex' help.

Lex approached Barbara, dagger in hand, and slid her right wrist opened. The blood quickly poured from it into the previously prepared receptacle.

As enough blood filled the bowl Luthor bandaged Barbara's wrist, praying that the healing abilities of the ritual detailed in the stolen files were in fact true.

Luthor took the blood and mixed it with the berries from the rare plant mentioned in the files. It was not easy for Luthor to find  this plant, but if the expected effect is true then it'll be more then worth it.

Wednesday, December 13th, 2000. 06:41 p.m.

As Luthor awoke he saw that Barbara was nowhere to be fund. The cheetah skin on the floor, and the cup with the elixir missing as well.

As Luthor frantically ran in search of Barbara he noticed a trail of blood in the right wall. 

"The healing ritual didn't work!" Luthor thought. "She's bleeding to dead!"

As Luthor followed the blood trail he was lead to a nearby balcony, where he discovered Barbara standing at the ledge of it, her naked figure gleaming with the suns rays, the cup in her left hand.

"Barbara, are you all right?"

"Hmm?" She replied. "Yes Lex my sweet, I'm perfectly all right." She said as she turned around.

"But the blood, are you sure you're ok? He nervously asked as he approached her.

"Blood? Oh, that. I'm ok darling. That's just the blood that the bandage you put in my wrist absorbed during the nite. I'm perfectly fine now." She said as she showed him her healed wrist.

"And the elixir, have you..."

"Drank it yet? No, I was waiting for you to wake up." She said with a smile.

Barbara lifted the cup up to her mouth and licked the tip of it with her tongue.

Luthor wanted to stop her, fearing that he might be wrong, but a stronger impulse inside him told him not to, to let it happen.

Barbara placed her lips against the edge of the cup and then tipped it, letting the liquid fall inside her mouth.

"My lord!" Luthor exclaimed as the transformation began...
 

Tuesday, January 23th, 2001.

Enjoyed tremendously this opening chapter in your new series. The setup is perfect and, of course, one is left with lots of questions about characters and the situations they are in. Sure you will slowly fill us
in on all this.

One question, is Clark not Kryptonian in this universe. Sounds like he was normal mortal and Kryptonite turned him super. And he's not called Superman in this continuity? Was that the case in the DC trade issue from last year? Just scanned it at the time and I recall the other universe's Supes was also called Superman (with a slightly different costume) and not Ultraman.

Just want to get the continuity down as you begin to write this ongoing series.

Thanks

Doug

In the original, Pre Crisis version of The Crime Syndicate, Ultraman was an alien called Kel-Ll, who came to Earth from an unexploded Krypton, just as a renegade Amazon was known as Superwoman.

In the Post Crisis version of The Crime Syndicate, Ultraman is now Astronaut Clark Kent, who while in space was found by a race of aliens (most likely Kryptonians, but there's no proof of that, just a personal hunch) who remade him after he had an accident and send him back to Earth with some Kryptonite, which radiation gives him his super powers, which is why when he was in Earth 2 (Earth Sigma) he began to lose his powers because he was too far away from his Kryptonite.

And Earth 1's Super Woman is really Lois Lane, reporter for The Daily Planet.

And Earth 1's "Superman" is indeed called Ultraman, that wasn't changed.

Mike Sacal.

Singame

Thanks.

Hope you like the rest of the series.

I'm personally looking forward to writing Solomon Grundy and Bizarro.

Mike Sacal.