March Madness: Round 3: Middletown & the Secret Mountain Lair

When J’onn J’onzz was first stranded on Earth, he chose to make his home in quaint, quirky Middletown U.S.A. Joining the local police department, “John Jones” served as a detective for many years alongside the proud patrols of the fair city. Today, the burg hosts a law enforcement convention that has attracted luminaries from across the nation… to their grisly demise...

Patrolman Mike Hanson came up behind Patrolwoman Diane Meade, and tried to grab her wrists to save Sally Winters. Meade rared her head backward into Hanson's crotch. Before he could even process the pain, Meade swung an elbow into the tender of Hanson's knee. Mike reflexively lifted his leg, which Diana grabbed and jerked upward until her opponent fell on his back. Meade barely pulled herself off the floor as she pounced and pounded the downed patrolman...

Former Officer Pat Brady was startled by the sudden motion of Captain Harding, as he drew the fingers of his hand into a mock gun and shouted "Bang!" It was a juvenile gesture, but it cowed Lieutenant Saunders, who looked on as Harding shook his retired officer's hand. Just as it seemed the tension in the room had broken, Captain Harding rushed toward and past the Lieutenant to try to rein in Patrolwoman Diane Meade...

Sergeant Bob Segarini was gob-smacked by Karen Smith's intelligence and looks, turning him into a bumbling imbecile. His crushing was interrupted by Willy's cries of shock as a balloon full of fruit punch exploded against his chest. Slimeball reporter Spencer Lee rushed to paint child star Patty Marie as being on some sort of rampage, until she broke out into a rain dance that made Captain Harding's nephew laugh. "This squaw beat paleface," Patty declared, "and freckle-face, too!" However, Karen Smith recalled that Patty Marie was wanted for questioning by no less than the F.B.I....

An apartment in Middletown was no place to keep a super-powered otherdimensional pet, so the Martian Manhunter moved with Zook to a secret mountain headquarters accessible only through a passage the size of a mail slot. That was no problem for the elastic form of Zook, but it was an issue for the host of unwanted visitors clambering about the area...

The true Bloodwynd was not as vulnerable to fire as the Martian Manhunter that once impersonated him, but the inferno manifested by Aubrey Sparks proved enough to provoke the shady character into teleporting far from the scene for his own safety. The flames were so far reaching, Till'all fled from his battle with Zook to take cover invisibly. However, the other-dimensional pet felt the White Martian youth was too dangerous to be allowed to escape. Zook used his antennae to track Till'all, then radiated enough heat to catch a patch of forest surrounding him on fire. After Till'all passed out, Zook turned his attention toward the increasingly uncontrollable forest fire, and its primary instigator Scorch...



Jupiter bounded at Erdel, who struck the dog at the back of the head with what at first appeared to be a slap bracelet. It turned out to be an especially efficient mind-control collar, not dissimilar from one once put together by J'Onn J'Onzz out of parts from L-Ron to halt a rampaging Despero. In fact, one wonders if the design was perhaps originally Erdel's. Who was this scientist, anyway? Why was he alternately known as a doctor, a professor, or an amateur inventor lacking any higher degrees? Why was he sometimes called Mark, other times James or Saul? Why isn't his appearance consistent? Did he really die of shock upon meeting J'onn J'onzz, was he murdered by his own computer, or had his death been a fraud perpetrated against J'Onzz? Did Erdel accidentally teleport J'onzz, or was he intentionally called to combat a crazed Martian that preceded him? Did Erdel employ millenia old alien technology left over from White Martians for this task? What were his goals-- his motives? For today, they were to use Jupiter to catch Zook's scent, and use it to trace his portal of exit from the secret mountain lair of the Alien Atlas and his impish sidekick...

Ben Stoves was surprised by the difficulty he had in overcoming Barry Clark. Once again, the Human Squirrel had clashed with a figure whose appearance was identical to the Manhunter from Mars, and who had clearly trained himself to be as close to a human approximation as possible. This once, Ben triumphed, and not a moment too soon. The Squirrel dashed through the forest choking on smoke carried on the wind after Erdel and Jupiter, who had settled near a nigh-imperceptible opening into the mountain about the size of a letterbox...