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"Justice is served"
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| Justice lies so still and he doesn’t even stir. Suddenly, a semi-muscular man in a white business suit approaches him with a gun in his hand. He is Derek Shiningstar and the head of his own paranormal criminal syndicate. Trembling, Derek points his gun at Justice and slowly squeezes the trigger. Justice’s senses have been deadened… he can see no light, that even the sound of his own heartbeat has been denied. His senses suddenly returned, amplified a hundredfold… just as a bomb went off. Under self-hypnosis, Justice releases his shields with flawless effort. After the shield smashed against his head, Derek flees like a savage of the night. Justice rises and leans against the wet brick wall. “Why, that self-righteous creep! Not only was I humiliated by that training session, but I was almost killed by Derek Shiningstar!” A week later at a New York social club, Jack Magniconte sits down in the meeting room. A curtain at the end of the chamber slowly opens and the members meet their master. “Hello, fellow club members. I am Michael Proudhawk. I am the one who has been attacking the paranormals in the National Security Council for you. I know some of you think me dead but you are wrong. You are all wealthy businessmen who have a past which you despise a great deal. For example, Jack Maginconte and his good for nothing Kickers—“ “Why, you creep! How dare you insult me and my team in front of my fellow club members. Now, Jack Magniconte gets his revenge!” Taken by surprise, Michael receives a combination of kicks and punches by Jack Magniconte. But Jack’s efforts to destroy his greatest nemesis are in vain for now Michael strikes. Dazed and unable to defend himself, Jack is staggered by blow after swinging blow. Only his raw courage, his will to survive, keep his knees from buckling beneath him. And then Jack feels a buzzing in his head that seems to warn him of danger. It’s uncanny how his musculature has been increased by 40%, his agility, and how he can easily avoid Michael’s onslaught. And with all of his strength, Jack gives Michael one punishing jab that depletes all of the villain’s strength. Michael evacuates the building and soars into the night. Hours later in SoHo, Stephanie Harrington serves lunch to Dave Landers. After a delicious meal, the door bell rings and Stephanie answers it. At the doorstep, Judge Justice stands waiting to come in. Suddenly, Dave‘s happiness turns to madness. “John Tensen, I oughtta kill you. You used us, tricked us, to join your little team. You acted like I was a child and you were one of my parents telling me what to do! Well, no more, Tensen. Now Dave Landers strikes back!” “Landers, you don’t know what you’re doing! No, don’t. I’ve come to—“ Suddenly, Landers starts punching Tensen and will keep it up until one of them is downed. As Tensen erects his sheids towards his ex-friend, Landers kicks it out of the way. Hoping to end his onslaught on Tensen, Dave gives John a deathening blow to the chin. “Dave, stop this at once. Give him a breather. Let the man speak!” “Ok, Stephie.” In a gasping voice, the judge tells his tale. “Thanks, Dave. Well, I heard from Darlene and the rest of the Kickers that Jack Magniconte fought Michael Proudhawk on his own. Surprisingly, he almost killed Michael. He may have had a nervous breakdown. I think it is prudent that we team up to help young Jack before something dangerous happens.” “Let’s go, Tensen. We have no time to lose. Bye, Stephie. We won’t be back for awhile, can’t tell ya exactly when. Bye.” Meanwhile, at a run-down warehouse in the Bronx, a lone and unidentified man studies the journals of Andrew Chaser. “Hmm. This is mighty interesting—eh? What’s dat freakin’ sound?” Michael Proudhawk crashes in from the window and approaches the man. “Greetings, scum bag. I have a job for you.” “An’ what’s that, guv’nor?” “I want you to lean on Judge Justice. Give him a scare. Make him so terrified that he can’t defy me. I can’t—won’t—tell you why but I will tell you to just do as I say. I want you to destroy him.” “That, guv’nor, will be mah pleasurah.” Mere minutes after Justice falls asleep, a masked burglar enters the apartment through an opened window and scours through his drawers. He uncovers John Tensen’s Justice costume in his top dresser drawer. “I don’t believe it. John Tensen is really Justice. The boss never told me about this. He probably didn’t ‘cause I would chicken out for hassling a well-known police officer. And this is also probably why the boss wants him because Justice could destroy his plans. Now, I better do my job and make Justice all tensed up.” He advances towards Justice, but then, Tensen kicks him in the jaw. Justice heard when he stepped foot in his apartment and he’s been faking being asleep to see what he’s up to. Now, it’s time for action. “’Ey, man, what the hell was that for?” “As if you didn’t know, jackass. You break and enter my pad, you go through my drawers, and almost attack me and you have the nerve—the inhuman gall—to say what the hell’s that for?” “Yeah, well, I’m prepared fer this, mate.” Reaching into his jacket pocket, the man swiftly takes out a magnum hand gun. “Why don’t you just put that gun away, mister?” “Och—why should I? I got an assignment to hurt you an’ I aim to do just that.” “Then, kill me. I dare ya.” “Yeah, that’s better.” The man squeezes the trigger and before the metallic projectile can even come near him, Justice leaps out of the way. He exercises another leap avoiding another bullet, landing next to his dresser drawers. Justice erects a shield but a third bullet pierces it’s psionic hide. “I told ya not to mess with me an’ I’m a man o’ my word.” “I, also, you son of a bitch, am more than I seem.” As he fires three more shots, Justice punches him in the stomach, forcing him to drop the hand gun. “I’m not finished that easily, mate.” A pellet is thrown and knockout gas escapes from it. Having a moment’s reprieve, the burglar jumps through the open window. Justice holds his breath and follows him. The man runs for many blocks and Justice is right behind him. When he exits an alley way, Justice can’t find him. He hears a scuffling sound and when he turns his head, he sees a man in a three-piece suit. “Long time no see, ‘ey, Justice?” “Y-you?!?” Downtown at the St. James Church, Reverand Robertson examines his new sermon for Saturday’s service. “Well, I think everything’s in order. Hey, what’s that noise? Who’s there?” The door slams open and the Sarge stands in its entrance. “Sarge!! What are you doing here?” “I’ve been sent here to insure that you don’t use your incriminating evidence to condemn Derek Shiningstar to a lifetime in prison.” “What are you talking about? Sure, I’ve given Derek secret files from some of Andrew Chaser’s journals I saved. But that’s in the past. Anyway, why should you bring that up now? I thought Shiningstar was dead.” “You’re wrong, Robertson. Derek lives and he’s given me strict instructions to keep you quiet.” “You don’t mean—“ “That’s right. That’s exactly what I mean.” The Sarge takes out a gun and squeezes the trigger. “No!! Wait, you don’t understand—“ The Reverand’s throat explodes like eldritch fire. A pale corpse slumps to the floor. “G’day, mate.” At the 21st Precinct, Police Captain George Bergen has an unfriendly conversation with a new visitor, Andrew Chaser. “Where is the Sarge? He’s supposed to hand in his report yesterday.” “If I may be so bold, Captain Bergen—“ “You may.” “Well, I know exactly where the Sarge is. He said yesterday that he was going to kill Reverand Robertson.” “Oh my God. If he has done as you said, we are doomed.” At the New York skyscraper that is the headquarters of Derek Shiningstar, Michael Proudhawk approaches his boss. “I did it. I sent the burglar to hassle Justice. He’s as good as dead.” “What? John Tensen?” “Yes.” “As in Judge Justice?” “Yes.” “You idiot!” A hard fist slams against Proudhawk’s jaw. He spits blood and teeth. “You don’t know what you have done.” Justice thought that the guy in a three-piece suit was just an unknown but now he knows he was the bum that tried to rob his pad. “Bye, hero man.” “Hey, come back here.” “No such luck, mate.” The man races into an empty warehouse. Tensen doesn’t follow him, not just yet. He strips his outer clothes and dons his Justice costume. “Okay, jerk. Now, I’m really pissed.” Justice breaks down the door and sees a confusing sight. The burglar is nowhere to be seen. All he sees is Michael Proudhawk. As the two paranormals get ready to fight, Justice sees with his extrasensory perception that Travis Juarez has entered the warehouse. He has encased Michael in a force bubble with the power of the red prism. “Sorry, it took me a long time to fight you but I had to deal with a frantic Dave Landers,” Travis says. “I think the National Security Council has a jail cell set aside for this guy. He can rot in jail along with Dreamscape. Let’s see how well Derek Shiningstar does without his prize pupil hunting for us.” Travis floats on the airwaves, ready to travel back to NSC headquarters. “Oh, and another sorry for early today, Judge. You know what you always say. Can’t fall asleep on the job. Got to be quick on the uptake. See ya later.” As Travis escorts Michael back home, Justice just wants to know what the hell just happened the past few hours.   
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