Out in the hills observing the Herald City skyline is an observatory. Once home to scientists studying the movement of the stars, it stands empty as they’ve all moved to better facilities. And that makes it the perfect lair for the world’s most dangerous supervillain, Queen Venus!

The strange device sticking out of the building would have been a red flag had people paid more attention. The old observatory stood on a hill, its rounded building once holding a staff and a giant telescope. As far as the public knew, it’s been abandoned. But that wasn’t truly the case.

“Doctor Glassman! Is that device ready!? I want to test it immediately!” said Queen Venus.

“J-j-just a few more adjustments,” stammered Doctor Glassman, twisting some dials on the massive console in front of him. “There! It is done.”

The device turned on. Thin, wavy yellow lines emitted from the focusing antenna of the large dish that now sat on top of the observatory, traveling into the Earth’s atmosphere and beyond.

“The Magnetic Polarizer Dish can emit particle waves that attract other particles of a metallic nature. The magnetic forces will attach themselves to the protons of metal atoms to--”

“In English, Doc,” said Willie threateningly. He stood near the command console that Glassman was using.

“I-uh-well-it's a giant magnet that can attract metal. Even from space,” said the doctor, nervously grasping at his collar. He turned to Queen Venus. “My design for it was intended for peaceful purposes. I don’t know what you’re planning, but I’m sure whatever it is, it wasn’t intended for it!”

“Oh, but it is,” said Queen Venus. “You see, I didn’t kidnap you and your schematics just for the company. There’s a certain metal I need to extract. A rare metal, found only in a comet that passes by Earth once every forty years. And will be arriving today.”

“And you plan to use the Dish to extract the metal from the comet as it passes? What for?” asked Glassman.

“Why, it’s simple,” said Queen Venus. “Your machine has great range, but only so much power. It couldn’t possibly sustain itself long enough to pull in the amount of metal I want it to pull in. Say, all the metal of the buildings that make up an entire city.”

Glassman’s eyes went wide. “You....you don’t mean--?”

“Yes. When I have that metal powering your machine, it will be powerful enough to rip Herald City to shreds!” she exclaimed, her arms widening with a motion of grandeur as she approached the Dish. “And with that power in my grasp, they will have no choice to give into my demands!”

“And what will your demands be?”

She turned back to him. “Whatever I want, Doctor.”

Glassman looked down at his console. “This can’t be! I won’t let you use my machine for such nefarious purposes. I...I....” His voice trailed off as the gas she emitted from her outstretched hand put him to sleep. He fell to the floor, unconscious.

“Willie, put the doctor in another room. Frankie, turn off the machine,” ordered Queen Venus.

“Right, boss!” said Willie, dragging Glassman’s body through a nearby doorway.

Frankie, meanwhile, looked over the console. There were lights and dials and gauges and switches that he didn’t understand. “Hmm, maybe this one?” he said, pushing a large lever forward.

The Dish hummed louder, then began shaking. Warning lights on the console blinked on and off, and gauges that Frankie couldn’t understand started reading maximum levels of whatever they were reading.

“You cranially compromised incompetent!” yelled Queen Venus. “I told you to turn off the machine, not whatever it is you’re doing now! Turn it off!”

“I’m trying boss!” said Frankie, pushing more buttons in an attempt to turn off the machine.

Meanwhile, out in space, an alien spacecraft happens to be passing by Earth when.....

“That’s strange! We seem to be caught in some kind of magnetic beam!” said one of the three aliens in the vessel cockpit. He could feel their long, sleek bronze/orange craft rocking back and forth in an attempt to resist the unknown force it was caught in.

“Our thrusters aren’t strong enough to resist! We’re getting pulled down!” said the second one.

The ship had been traveling through the unknown solar system on what should have been a routine mission. Now they were hurtling towards a strange blue planet on their view screen.

The third one pushed a button on his control panel. “What is that planet that’s emitting this force?”

The computer’s voice sprang to life. “Analyzing! Planet designation: Earth! Atmosphere: Nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere! Source of strange magnetic force: Unknown!”

“Hold on to your space helmets, everyone! We’re going to crash!” said the first alien as the ship entered Earth’s atmosphere.

And so, the strange alien craft is pulled down into Earth’s atmosphere, hurtling straight towards the Magnetic Polarizer Dish!

CRASH!

The sound of the spacecraft hitting the Dish was heard throughout the facility. Queen Venus and her henchmen flung themselves to the ground and covered their ears when the sound boomed through the observatory.

“You moronic magnolia!” yelled Queen Venus at Frankie. “I gave you a simple command and you nearly got us all killed! With his super senses, you probably alerted Blue Eagle to our presence!”

“S-s-sorry, boss,” said Frankie apologetically. “I didn’t know how to turn it off.”

“You nitwit! You just hit the ‘off’ switch!” scolded Willie.

“But which one’s the ‘off’ switch?”

“Silence, you mentally deficient dunderhead, while I try to salvage the situation!” yelled Queen Venus at them both.

“Boss! Look at that!” said Willie, pointing at the top of the Dish.

They looked up at the sleek bronze-orange craft that was magnetically attached to the Dish. The missile-shaped craft had two ventral and dorsal rudders each at the middle of the ship and near the rear where it’s powerful thruster was.

The focusing antenna of the Dish was bent inwards, the ship attached to it like a magnet on a refrigerator. Reparable, but inoperable until then.

“Is....Is that an alien spacecraft?” asked Frankie.

“Hey look, the door’s opening up. Someone’s coming out!” said Willie, as the side door of the alien ship slowly swung open.

“Shh! Don’t you fools say a word unless I directly tell you to,” ordered Queen Venus.

“You got it, boss!” said Frankie.

“Idiot! She just told us not to say a word! You just said a sentence!” said Willie.

“So did you,” replied Frankie. Realizing his mistake, Willie held his hands over his mouth to keep from saying anything more.

From the ship emerged three figures. They wore small silver-colored spacesuits with some sort of strange belt and backpacks on them. A skintight purple material covered their legs, and their boots were the color of their suits. Their skin was the same color as that of your average human being, and the glass space helmets showcased their bald heads no matter which angle they were seen from.

Pressing a button on their belts caused thrusters to emit from their backpacks. Using their jetpacks, they lowered themselves safely to the floor.

“Person of Earth. Was it you who created the strange force that ensnared our ship?” asked the lead alien.

“‘Strange force’? Why, you must mean the machine those two horrible tyrants activated in their senseless and merciless attack on this peaceful research outpost,” said Queen Venus with mock confusion. “Have you come to rescue us?”

“Rescue you? From whom?” asked the second alien.

“From the conquerors who’ve driven me—the peaceful and beloved former ruler of this world—into hiding as they oppress the people with fear and force,” said Queen Venus.

“No, we have not,” said the third alien. “And to whom do we owe the pleasure?”

“My name is Queen Venus. And these are members of my royal court, Frankie and Willie,” Queen Venus answered as she gestured to her henchmen.

“Ya hear that? We’re royalty!” whispered Frankie excitedly.

“You’re royally nuts, Frankie,” said Willie.

“It is our pleasure to make your acquaintance, Queen Venus. My name is Mog,” said the lead alien. “These are my shipmates, Parg and Thel.”

“Unfortunately, we are unaware of the plight you and your people face,” added Parg, the second alien. “We arrived in your solar system in search of a comet that will be passing by your planet shortly. There is a rare metal on its surface that we wish to extract.”

“Then, my extraterrestrial gentlemen, I believe we can be of some use to each other,” said Queen Venus.

“In what way?” inquired Mog.

“My people are being subjugated by a pair of incredibly powerful tyrants. They call themselves Blue Eagle and Switch the Blue Eaglet. They terrorize innocent people daily in the nearby Herald City, and no one can do anything to stop them,” explains Queen Venus. “They attacked this outpost looking to steal the Magnetic Polarizer Dish to use for their nefarious schemes, but I was able to drive them away. They will be back soon, however. I can use Dish to extract the metal for you, if you are willing to keep the oppressors distracted, and I can have the Dish repaired and the metal extracted and ready for you when you return.”

“Her offer is reasonable, Mog,” said Thel. “It will take some time to repair our ship, and we won’t have enough time to do so before the comet passes by.”

“Agreed. We accept your offer, Queen Venus of Earth,” said Mog. “But if this ‘Blue Eagle’ and ‘Switch the Blue Eaglet’ are powerful oppressors, then we will do more than distract them. We will defeat them entirely and free your people. No matter how powerful they are, they are no match for our super advanced technology.”

“I and the people of Earth will be forever in your debt,” said Queen Venus.

The aliens turned, each pressing a button on their belts that activated their jetpacks. Lifting off, they flew out of the observatory and out of sight.

“Gee, boss,” said Frankie when the aliens were gone, “why did you tell them that Blue Eagle and Switch were terrorizing the people of Herald City? Everyone loves them!”

“You idiot!” exclaimed Willie. “She told them that phony baloney story to get them on our side! Now they’re gonna go fight Blue Eagle for us!” He looked at Queen Venus. “Say, boss, do you really think they’re powerful enough to defeat those superheroes?”

“It doesn’t matter. I just need those meddlesome metas to be distracted for a little while. It’s only a matter of time before they come here in their search for the missing doctor, and these three intergalactic incompetents will provide our eagle-themed enemies something else to focus on while the good doctor repairs the Dish. Once we have the metal, we will have complete control over the city!”

“But boss! You said you were going to give the aliens the metal!” said Frankie.

“You strategically-impaired simpleton! I’m going to double-cross them! I’ll give them a fake metal, and given how gullible they are, they’ll probably never know the difference until it’s too late,” gloated Queen Venus. “And then not even their advanced alien technology will be enough to stop me!”

Her evil laughter echoed through the observatory.

Meanwhile, at a jewelry store in downtown Herald City......

The robbers ran out of the store, bags of jewels in one hand and revolvers in the other. The burglar alarm blared from the building, and people kept their distance in order to avoid becoming accidental casualties.

“We made it! Now, let’s get out of here before the police show up!” ordered one of the robbers.

“You’re going to have far worse to deal with than the police!” boomed a voice from above.

“Aw nuts!” exclaimed the second robber as he looked up towards the source of the sound to see the two blue costumed figures flying down from above and landing effortlessly on the ground. “It’s Blue Eagle!”

“Don’t forget about me!” said Switch, lifting off the ground and flying forward towards the second robber, extending legs and hitting the man with a kick that knocked him off his feet.

The other robber raised his gun at Blue Eagle, but an eyebeam from the superhero knocked it out of his hand. Blue Eagle then moved quickly over to the two robbers and grabbed them by the backs of their shirts, lifting them into the air as if they were small children. The two men kicked and squirmed to no avail.

“I think your jewelry robbing days are over,” said Blue Eagle. “You can think about other career paths in jail.”

A pair of police cars arrived at the scene. A pair of officers stepped out of each one.

“Thank you, Blue Eagle!” said one of the officers. “We’ll take it from here.”

“It was our pleasure, officer,” said Blue Eagle. “We’re happy to be of service to this fine city.”

“Not so fast!” exclaimed a voice from above.

Everybody looked up to see three strange individuals in what appeared to be space suits float down to the pavement using jetpacks.

“Hmm, those two individuals must be Blue Eagle and Switch,” said Mog.

“And they appear to be assaulting those two innocent men,” said Thel.

“Parg, Thel, use the force bubble settings on your ray guns to free those men,” ordered Mog.

Parg and Thel took out strange yellow guns. They looked advanced and futuristic, unlike any weapons made on Earth. From their barrels, they fired spherical rays at the two robbers. Upon making contact, the robbers were encased in dull yellow floating bubbles of energy, pulled from Blue Eagle’s grasp. The bubbles began to float away from the costumed hero and down the street.

“Hey! What the--!?” cried Blue Eagle in shock.

Once the robbers were a sufficient distance away, the bubbles disappeared, leaving the pair on the street far away from the cops and capes.

“Run! Get as far away from them as you can!” ordered Mog.

“We don’t know who you guys are, but thanks!” said one of the robbers as they scrambled away.

“Hey! What’s the big idea?” demanded Switch. “Who are you?”

“We are Mog, Parg, and Thel,” said Mog, aiming his ray gun at Blue Eagle. “And we are well aware that you are Blue Eagle and Switch the Blue Eaglet. We have come here to ensure that this city is freed from your reign of terror.”

“Reign of terror? Surely there’s some kind of—UGH!” The rest of Blue Eagle’s sentence was cut off by the red beam fired Mog's ray gun. His body encased in a deep red glow, he doubled over in pain.

“Blue Eagle! What’s wrong!?” cried a worried Switch.

“My strength...That beam.....sapping even...my....great strength....” said Blue Eagle, struggling to get the words out.

“As we thought. They are no match for us,” said Mog.

“I’ll get the other one,” said Parg, firing his ray gun at Switch.

The alien was surprised when this didn’t get the same result. While Switch’s body was encased in the same red glow effect as his father, he stood strong as the beam had no effect on him.

“Parg, your gun must be defective. Allow me,” said Thel, firing at Switch. Again, there was no effect.

“Don’t worry. Your equipment is working fine,” said Switch. “It’s just that my invulnerability is working even better.”

“Strange creature,” said Thel, ceasing fire. “They do appear to have incredible powers.”

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“Alright, you three, knock it off! Why don’t you three put your guns down and come with us down to the station,” one of the police officers said. The four of them pointed their guns at the aliens.

The alien invaders turned to the cops, each pushing a button on their belts. The aliens were each encased in a silvery-gray field of energy.

“We do not wish to hurt you, men of Earth,” said Mog. “But if you insist on interfering, we will consider you a threat.”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but these guys are dangerous! Open fire!” ordered the lead cop.

They fired their guns at the aliens. The bullets, however, were deflected by contact with the field of energy. They flew harmlessly into the sky.

“Ha! Your primitive Earth weapons are no match for our technology!” gloated Mog.

“Then perhaps some good old fashioned strength is,” came a voice from behind.

The aliens had no time to react as Blue Eagle flew around them, his great strength bending a steel beam from a nearby construction site around them, restraining the three. Stepping back and wiping his hands, he admired his handiwork as the three aliens struggled with the beam, which he’d tied around them as effortlessly as if it were a rope.

“I think that’s enough for today’s aliens-taking-over-the-world story,” he said. “You three aren’t going to pose a threat to anyone anymore.”

But his victory was short lived. The aliens pressed another button on their belts, and then seemed to fade out of existence. The steel beam dropped to the ground, the restrained extraterrestrials no longer present to hold it up.

“What!? Holy cow! Those aliens are gone!” exclaimed Switch.

“They’ve teleported. And wherever they are, they’re far enough to escape even my super senses,” said Blue Eagle. “I don’t know what those three are after, but they are highly dangerous and their technology is beyond anything we’ve ever seen before. Come, Switch, we need to alert the Chief of Police right away!”

Meanwhile, on a rooftop more than a mile away....

Mog, Parg, and Thel materialized on the rooftop. Their teleportation belts had managed to get them out of a close call, but would it protect them a second time from their powerful opponents?

“We underestimated the power of those two,” said Parg. “Their strength and endurance were beyond anything we’ve seen before.”

“If only we weren’t in a populated area,” added Thel. “Our technology is more than a match for them, even with their amazing powers. But it is too dangerous with so many people nearby.”

“The people truly live in fear of those two monsters,” said Mog. “The two men they were manhandling were fortunate that we came by when we did. Who knows what brutality those caped fiends would have committed?”

“They seemed like they were about to hand them over to those men wearing blue. The ones that attacked us during the fight with their primitive Earth weapons,” mentioned Thel.

“The ones in those strange vehicles that said ‘HCPD’ on the side? Who were they? Some sort of personal army of Blue Eagle and Switch?” wondered Parg. “They all wear the same color and were fanatically loyal to them. Perhaps there’s some sort of connection between them.”

“And perhaps that is our ticket to fighting Blue Eagle and Switch on grounds more favorable to us,” said Mog thoughtfully. “Follow me. I have an idea.”

At the police station, our heroes inform the Police Chief of the strange events that have taken place in the city........

“Alien invaders? Here? In Herald City?” asked the bewildered Chief.

“That’s right, Chief. And with incredible technology. We were only just able to restrain them, and they still managed to escape,” said Switch.

“Well, what did they want? What did they come to Earth for?” asked the Chief.

“We don’t know,” answered Blue Eagle. “All we know is that they are out there, waiting for the right moment to strike. HCPD needs to be on the lookout. There’s no telling what else they’re capable of, or where they’ll strike next.”

The Chief wiped his brow with his hand, a worried expression across his face. “As if I didn’t have enough to worry about today. First, some scientist and his schematics for some kind magnetic doohickey are mysteriously disappear, and now there are aliens invading the city? Can this day get any worse?”

As if in direct response to his question, a small radio on a nearby shelf came to life.

“Attention, people of Earth! We have hijacked and activated every radio and television device in Herald City to broadcast this message,” announced the voice on the radio. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mog, and I am here with my associates Parg and Thel. We come from a planet far from here. We have been made aware that humanity is being subjugated by two powerful and dangerous beings named Blue Eagle and Switch the Blue Eaglet, and for the sake of all Earthlings, we vow to defeat these deadly beings and free you from their tyranny.”

“‘Subjugated’? ‘Tyranny’? Who would have told them such crazy tales about us?” wondered Switch.

“We have highly advanced technology that not even they can overcome, and we wish to be able to unleash it without causing harm to innocent bystanders. So we issue a challenge to you, tyrants!” continued Mog. “Blue Eagle and Switch, come to the abandoned airfield on the northwestern border of Herald City. Come in one hour, and come alone. If you do not comply, we will attack your private army—your HCPD—and destroy it. You have one hour.”

“‘Private army’? Blue Eagle, do they think the HCPD belongs to us?” asked Switch.

“It seems that way, Blue Eaglet,” answered Blue Eagle, stroking his chin.

“What are you going to do now?” asked the Chief. “This must be some kind of trap. They would never choose to confront you alone unless they felt they had a chance at victory.”

“And yet we must take that chance, Chief,” said Blue Eagle. “You heard what they said. They will destroy the HCPD if we don’t show, and I believe they have the power to do that.”

“But do you believe you have the power to stop them?” asked the Chief.

“I don’t know. But we have to try,” said Blue Eagle. “Come, Switch!”

And with that, Blue Eagle and Switch flew out the office window to face their challengers.

“Good luck, Blue Eagle,” whispered the Chief.

And so, our heroes arrive at the abandoned airfield to face their challengers.........

Blue Eagle and Switch stood on the abandoned airstrip, the sun setting on the horizon. It was an old airfield, with a single main runway with unattended grass on either side. At the far end of the runway was a rundown hangar. Its open doors made the World War II era biplanes easy to see, especially for Blue Eagle’s powerful vision.

“No one. We’re on time, but there’s no one here,” said Switch. He looked at his father. “Do you think this is some sort of trick? Maybe they’re somewhere else?”

“Doubtful, Blue Eaglet,” said the elder hero. “They seem to believe we’re the bad guys. I believe they genuinely want to take us down and they believe they have the means to do it. We’ll need to convince them that they’ve gotten the wrong idea.”

“If we can find them first,” said Switch, scanning the area. “I don’t see anyone.”

“Neither do—wait!” Blue Eagle’s ears pricked, as if he heard something. His eyes suddenly widened as he dived towards his sidekick. “Look out!” he exclaimed as he pulled Switch to the ground, narrowly missing the dangerous beams that crisscrossed overhead.

They stood up as Parg and Thel exited the tall grass, their ray guns pointed at the Father-Son Duo.

“Your reign of terror is over, Blue Eagle and Switch the Blue Eaglet,” said Thel.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” said Switch. “We aren’t--”

“Silence!” ordered Parg. “We care not for your lies! Prepare to meet your ends!”

“Scatter!” yelled Blue Eagle as they began firing their ray guns at the superheroes.

Blue Eagle took to the air. Switch activated his superspeed and effortlessly dodged the deadly beams.

The sound of propellers came from the hangar, and Blue Eagle turned to see three biplanes exit side by side. Their propellers spun at full speed and were ready for takeoff, but strangely, no one manned the cockpits. The machine guns on the front stood ready to fire.

“Those planes are flying themselves? Unless this airfield is haunted, I think this might be another alien trick,” said Blue Eagle to himself.

Something caught his eye and he squinted to get a better look. His enhanced vision caught the remaining alien—the leader, Mog—hiding near the hangar doors, his ray gun aimed at the planes and a faint energy emission coming out of the top of the gun.

“Let’s see how you like our technology control settings,” said Mog with a slight smirk on his face, clearly confident in his ability to overcome Blue Eagle. With a push of a button, the planes took off into the air.

Machine gun fire whizzed past Blue Eagle as the planes flew circles around him.

“Yikes! I didn’t think I would be fighting the Air Force today,” said Blue Eagle. “I think you gentlemen are a little late for this war!”

On the ground, Switch continued to evade Parg and Thel’s beams.

“Such speed!” said Parg, trying and failing to hit the superspeed sidekick. “I can barely see him move!”

“No matter! Our anti-friction rays will stop him!” said Thel, pressing a button on his ray gun. “Or rather, won’t stop him!”

The aliens fired hazy white beams from their ray guns onto the ground in front of Switch. The pavement glowed a whitish tint. As Switch’s feet hit the affected part of the pavement, he slipped and fell onto his back, sliding in the direction of the hangar.

“Whoa! Hey!” cried Switch

Thel laughed. “That speedster is speeding right towards the trap!”

On the ground was a pair of metal disks, each about three feet in diameter. Switch slid right on top of it, and a forcefield suddenly generated around him. He stood up and began to bang on the glass-like structure, but to no avail. Despite him banging on the field and calling out angrily to his captors, the soundproof device prevented anyone from hearing him.

“That’s one down, Parg,” said Thel. “Now for the other.”

In the air, the planes continued to buzz around Blue Eagle like flies, unleashing machine gun fire on him as he dodged.

“Let’s see how good your piloting skills are,” said Blue Eagle, positioning himself between two of the planes as they flew toward him.

Blue Eagle looked to his left and right. The planes were on a collision course with him. He just hoped Mog’s reflexes while controlled three planes at once weren’t good enough.

As the planes sped toward him, he waited for the last possible second, then accelerated straight upward as fast as he could. The biplanes crashing into each other nose-to-nose, exploding in the air. Debris rained down into the grass below.

“Looks like you aren’t exactly an ace pilot,” joked Blue Eagle.

He turned as the third plane turned straight towards him and began firing its machine gun at him. He flew away as fast as he could, spinning in the air as he tried to shake it off, but it stayed on him.

“How about we focus on the belly of the beast,” he said, flying up and over the plane in a loop de loop. The completion of the loop took him underneath the plane. Rearing back his fist, he let loose a powerful right hook that split the plane in two.

A normal man’s hand would have broken. Blue Eagle didn’t even feel it.

His ears picked up the sound of a jetpack. He looked toward the hangar to see Mog flying up toward him.

“So, you’re finally going to take me on yourself?” asked Blue Eagle, readying himself.

His eyes glowed red and he fired his eyebeams at the alien. But Mog had activated the same protective field that he did earlier against the HCPD. The eyebeams reflected off of Mog and hit Blue Eagle square in the chest.

The costumed hero plummeted to the ground in a daze. He managed to get his wits back just in time, and he slowed his descent and landed safely on his feet. Suddenly, he felt the heat of fire on him as an eight foot high wall of flames encircled him.

Parg and Thel finished setting the ring of fire around the superhero, the last of the flames emitting from a dispenser at the bottom of their left gloves.

“We have him! Get him, Mog!” called Parg.

Behind Blue Eagle, the flames parted so that Mog could walk through, the protective forcefield ensuring that the flames didn’t touch him. Before Blue Eagle could react, he placed his left hand on the hero’s shoulder. A strong electrical discharge emitted from the glove, knocking Blue Eagle unconscious.

From the top of the ring of fire. Mog floated up into the air with his jetpack. The unconscious superhero also floated into the air in a dull yellow energy bubble, its movement controlled from Mog’s ray gun.

“Quickly! Ready the containment disk!” ordered Mog.

In seconds, they had Blue Eagle in the containment disk next to Switch. The hero regained consciousness and was on his feet, but it was too late. Like Switch, he banged as hard as he could on the glass-like forcefield, but it was no use. They were both trapped.

“How easy that was! We’ve got both of you trapped! No longer will you exact your will upon the people of this world,” said Mog. “And now, to take you back to answer to the rightful ruler of this world, Queen Venus!”

Blue Eagle and Switch looked at each other in shock. Queen Venus was behind everything!

Back at the observatory hideout of the evil Queen Venus.....

Queen Venus stood laughing. Her evil plans had been accomplished! In her hands, she held the metal from the passing comet.

“Finally! One of my plans went off without a hitch! I have in my hands the power source of a weapon that can destroy Herald City!” she gloated, holding the jagged basketball-sized chunk of metal in her hands. “Unless my demands are met, of course!”

“And what are our demands, boss?” asked Willie. “We were so focused on everything up to this, we never did think to ask.”

“Oh, just a couple of minor things. The money in all of Herald City’s banks’ vaults. Full pardons for all of my crimes. The key to the city. A Queen Venus Appreciation Day. The position of Supreme Ruler of the city. And, most importantly, for those meddlesome meddlers, Blue Eagle and Switch, to be surrendered to me to do with as I please,” she answered.

“Y-you’ll never get away with this,” stammered Doctor Glassman, standing by the Magnetic Polarizer Dish’s command console. “You’re just a bunch of common thugs. Eventually the police will be here. O-or Blue Eagle. Then you’ll be sorry.”

Queen Venus chuckled to herself. “You underestimate me, Doctor. And you underestimate your own involvement in all this,” she said, approaching him menacingly. He quivered in fear as she stared directly into his eyes, a glint of malice somehow present in the expressionless eyes of her mask. “I appreciate you moving so quickly to repair the Dish after getting the aliens’ ship down from it. And I also appreciate you operating the Dish controls and getting my metal from the comet. I’m sure you were just in awe of what I could conceivably do if I didn’t get my way. But you’re not done. You’re going to be the one to install the metal into the power core, and to destroy the city if I give the command.”

Just then, Frankie came hurrying into the room. “Boss! Boss! Them aliens are back!”

“So soon?” asked Queen Venus. “I haven’t installed the metal yet. Oh well, Frankie, hide this behind the console. Willie, bring out the fake metal that those airheaded aliens are going to get.”

The henchmen did as they were told, and Willie presented Queen Venus with a jagged ball of steel, very similar in look and feel as the metal extracted from the comet.

Taking the steel, Queen Venus said, “Now, all of you will not speak unless I tell you to. That goes double for you, Doctor. You say anything that blows our cover, and you’ll be plant food.”

The quivering doctor swallowed hard, nervously tugging at his collar. “Y-y-yes, ma’am.”

Mog, Parg, and Thel walked into the room, along with the hovering containment disks that contained Queen Venus’s archrivals.

“Queen Venus of Earth, we have returned and brought you the ones who’ve oppressed your people,” said Mog, gesturing at Blue Eagle and Switch, still trapped. The pair pounded angrily on their cages.

“Excellent, excellent. You have done well. Far better than I expected,” said Queen Venus. She stepped forward, presenting the ball of steel. “I owe you a debt of gratitude. Please accept this token of my appreciation. It is the metal from the comet you came all this way for.”

Mog accepted the metal. “It was our pleasure. And in return, we offer you these prisoners. We’re confident they will be granted the appropriate justice under your laws.”

“Yes, of course,” agreed Queen Venus. “I always treat those who break the law with justice and mercy, but these two have committed very serious crimes and their sentencing must appropriately reflect that.”

Thel stepped forward. “May I ask, who is that individual over there?” he asked, pointing to Glassman. “He wasn’t here before.”

“That is Doctor Glassman. He was one of their allies, working on their deadly weapons,” answered Queen Venus, thinking quickly. “He is working for me in exchange for a lighter sentence for his crimes.”

Mog pulled a small scanner from his belt and began to run it over the metal. “Hey! What are you trying to pull? This metal is a fake!”

“W-what do you mean?” asked Queen Venus, trying to think fast and provide an excuse. She was not expecting the aliens to uncover her deception.

“This is steel! My scanning device says so!” said Mog. He looked at Blue Eagle and Switch. “So, they were right about you after all.”

“What!? No, whatever these two told you, it is false! They are masters of deception,” said Queen Venus.

“They told us that you were a supervillain, constantly trying to hurt the people of this city,” said Parg.

“They seemed genuine, but we needed proof to be sure,” said Thel. “If what they said about you was true, then you’d be trying to get your hands on the comet’s metal. And you would double-cross us.”

Mog tossed the metal aside. “And now it’s time to set things right. Parg, Thel, free the prisoners.”

Before Parg and Thel could do anything, the ground beneath them began to tremor. Three large tentacles burst forth, wrapping around the aliens’ torsos and lifting them high into the air.

“It matters not that you’ve uncovered my scheme. Yes, I double crossed you to get my hands on the comet’s metal,” explained Queen Venus. “With it acting as a power booster, the Magnetic Polarizer Dish that pulled your spacecraft towards us will be able to pull the entire city apart! And I will reign supreme!”

“That’s what you think!” said Mog, pushing a button on his belt. The containment disks holding Blue Eagle and Switch powered down, and the heroes emerged, ready to fight.

“No! They’ve escaped!” cried Queen Venus. “Frankie, Willie, get them!”

“You got it, boss!” exclaimed Willie, he and Frankie running towards the superheroes. A couple of eyebeams, however, sent the pair running scared in the opposite direction.

“Switch! Use your eyebeams on the plants! Let’s free the aliens!” said Blue Eagle, his eyes glowing red.

“Got it!” replied Switch, his eyes doing the same.

The duo fired their eyebeams, causing the plant tentacles to explode. The aliens, now freed, dropped to the floor.

“Thank you, Blue Eagle and Switch,” said Mog. “We should have listened to you from the start.”

“No need to apologize,” said Blue Eagle. “Instead, why don’t you fight with us against this menace?”

“Yes, we will. Parg, Thel!” called Mog, as he and his comrades turned towards Queen Venus and pulled out their ray guns. “Let us right our previous wrong.”

Queen Venus growled slightly under her breath. “So, the five of you think you have me outnumbered don’t you? Well, think again!”

Small plant vines began to emerge from the floor. They quickly formed into humanoid plant monsters. The superheroes and their newfound companions found themselves face to face with twenty dangerous plant monsters.

Frankie and Willie joined the plant monsters, ready for battle.

“This is going to be one heck of a battle, I’ll admit,” said Blue Eagle. “But you don’t stand a chance, Queen Venus! Surrender now, before someone gets hurt!”

“But Blue Eagle, I want to see you all get hurt,” replied Queen Venus. “Everyone, ATT--”

Her order was interrupted as a piece of jagged metal was thrown to Queen Venus’s feet. Everyone turned to see Doctor Glassman, fiddling with the controls of the Dish.

“I don’t want to see such a destructive battle! It will only end in tragedy. So take that, Queen Venus, and just leave us alone,” said Glassman. “It’s the metal you wanted.”

The Dish hummed to life. Lights on the various control panels around the room blinked more and more rapidly, and gauges indicated danger. The machine began to shake, and it felt like an earthquake had hit the room.

“I won’t allow you to use my creation to destroy the city!” continued Glassman, his voice rising over the sound of the machine’s overloading circuitry. “So I’ve set it to overload. Leave us, Queen Venus, or perish in the explosion!”

“Glassman, you timid traitor!” cried Queen Venus. “Without the Dish, this metal is useless to me!”

“It’s a powerful and rare metal! Surely you can use it for other illicit purposes. But you’ll never use a device of my creation to wreak havoc on Herald City. Not while I have anything to say about it!” countered the doctor.

Queen Venus looked at the metal in her hand, then at the machine. The shaking was getting more and more chaotic.

“Very well. We’ll take our leave now.” She turned to Blue Eagle. “You and your little sidekick may have won this battle, but with this metal, I will win the war! You and your Martian morons can have this wreck of an observatory. I’ll get you next time!”

The plant monsters dissolved into nothing. Beneath her feet, a large tentacle burst through the ground, grabbing her and pulling her into the dark cavern beneath.

“Hey, wait for us!” cried Frankie, as he and Willie dived into the hole after her.

“Nuts! She got away!” said Switch.

“We’ve got more important things to worry about!” said Blue Eagle. “This place is about to go up!”

“Nonsense,” said Glassman, chuckling to himself. He pulled a lever on the control panel, and the shaking stopped as the Dish powered down. “I just said that so that she’d leave. Better that than a battle where she and her monsters overpower you.”

“Agreed. But the metal you gave her. Do you have any idea of what destruction she can unleash with it?” asked Mog.

Glassman smiled, reached down, and pulled out a jagged ball of metal. “You mean this metal?”

“Is that--?” began Switch.

“The metal from the comet? Yes, it is,” said Glassman. “I’m just glad I won’t be around when she finds out that all she has is a useless piece of steel. After she kidnapped me and forced me to build this machine for her, the last thing I want to see is one of her temper tantrums.”

Blue Eagle smiled. “Oh, you get used to it.” Next to him, Switch chuckled.

At the office of the Chief of Police......

“We apologize for all the trouble we caused you,” said Mog. “We truly thought Queen Venus was who she said she was.”

“We have no police on our world,” said Thel. “We live in peace, and have no need for such a thing. So we believed that your ‘HCPD’ was a private army trampling on the people.”

“We try to use our technology to help those in need wherever we can,” added Parg. “Be it war, famine, or tyranny, we always try to help whenever we can. But our reason for being in this part of the galaxy was to retrieve the metal from the comet. It has peaceful applications as an energy source, and we planned to use it as such on our homeworld.”

“Well, I think that explains everything,” said the Chief. “I believe, in the end, no harm was actually done.”

“And we thank you for giving us a chance to tell our side of the story,” said Blue Eagle.

“Even if it was when you had us captured,” added Switch. “But if your ship is damaged, how will you get home?”

“We can repair our ship without issue,” answered Mog. “It will take time, but it will not be a problem.”

“And I’ll be happy to help,” said Glassman. “Even if it was against my will, I feel guilty for helping Queen Venus with her evil plans.”

“There’s no need to feel that way, Doctor Glassman,” said Blue Eagle. “And we’re just happy you’re safe. Queen Venus is the real culprit behind everything that happened, and you were all duped and coerced into playing along.” He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Still, I think there is a way you can make this up to us.”

Days later, when the ship was repaired, it lifted into the atmosphere and rocketed into space. However, it was not the trip back to the homeworld that the aliens planned, as they had some extra visitors onboard.

“I can’t believe we’re in outer space, Blue Eagle!” said Switch excitedly.

“Truly a dream come true,” replied Blue Eagle, a smile across his face. He looked behind him in the other passenger seats added for this trip. “How are you two doing back there?”

“I never thought being Chief of Police would take me so far away from the city!” said the Chief. “I expect a lot of things as a Herald City law enforcer, but being on an alien rocket ship is not one of them!”

“This technology is fascinating!” said Doctor Glassman. “I truly wish I had time to examine it all. But just to experience it is marvelous!”

The aliens looked at each other and smiled.

“How about a lap around Pluto before we drop you off on Earth?” asked Mog, and he accelerated the ship into the night.