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Description
Minutes later James pushed open a set of double doors that led into another part of the sprawling mansion. The room was bathed in soft, silver moonlight from a series of skylights set into the ceiling. Shadows obscured a great many objects that occupied the room.

James hit a series of switches on the wall that activated the lights. The room was large and wide with a very high ceiling. It had once been a grand ballroom. Now it was filled with glass display cabinets of every size. On the walls hung flags, photographs, posters and framed magazine covers. Everything in the room was memorabilia from the tumultuous days of World War 2.

James walked slowly through the maze of cases and exhibits. Every now and then his fingers would reach out to touch an item or trace the line of a display case. Every item in the room told a story. Stories of courage, honour. Tragedy and loss. After a short while his feet lead him unerringly toward the part of the little museum dedicated to the costumed mystery men of the war years.

One of the posters on the wall showed a beautiful raven-haired woman soaring through the sky in formation with three P-47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft. She wore a green leather aviator's jacket, jodhpurs and high black boots. A pilot's goggles covered her eyes and a long white, silk scarf trailed behind her. The poster bore the words, "The Masked Shrike wants YOU to join the US Army Air Corps".

The look of sadness on James' face lifted a little. The inimitable Masked Shrike. Heroine of the Skies. Scourge of the Third Reich. One of the first and greatest of the USA's costumed heroes.

Inside one small air-tight case under the poster was a mint condition first issue of "The Shrike Strikes" comic book series circa 1938. Beside it was a worn looking issue of 'Stars and Stripes' dated August1944. On the front page was a photograph of the Shrike smiling and saluting for the camera. The triumphant headline trumpeted:

                                       "SHRIKE SHREDS LUFTWAFFE!"

Another cabinet held more 'Masked Shrike' memorabilia. An autographed cigarette-card. A 'Masked Shrike Fan Club' secret decoder ring. A white silk aviator's scarf bearing the Shrike's autograph once again and the words, "To Cliff. Keep 'em flying!"

Next to the cabinet on a small dais was a WW2 German MG-42 heavy machine gun. The deadly weapon's long barrel had been bent into a shape resembling a pretzel. The French dealer who had sold it to James had been a resistance fighter during the war and swore that he had seen the Shrike herself twist the gun in her bare hands outside the battle ravaged French village of Lingevres in June of 1944.

James turned to another case that held a very large and thick sheet of metal. The sheet was painted in a mottled khaki, green and brown camouflage. There was a hefty hole in the centre of the sheet where something had been punched through it with incredible force. A small plaque inside the case said:

"Armour plating taken from a German Panther Ausf. A after the Battle of Arracourt (September 18-29, 1944). The hole in the armour is courtesy of M4 Sherman of the Allied Force team."

On the wall next to the case was a range of old, black-and-white photographs. All of them featured a man in a hulking suit of powered armour that had a white star painted on the chest like those seen on the side of American battle tanks. M4 Sherman's head was his only discernable human feature. He was square jawed and his hair was cropped close to his skull. A cigar seemed to be permanently attached to the corner of his mouth in every shot. One curious thing was that in almost every photograph flitted a small, winged female figure. She was only about two feet tall and wore a tight fitting uniform that included boots, leather gloves and an aviator's flying helmet and goggles.

One photo saw the little female sitting on Sherman's shoulder, kissing him on the cheek. M4 wore a bashful smile that seemed very out of place on his craggy features and the darkness of his cheeks suggested that he was actually blushing.

Another picture featured a blasted streetscape and the figure of a huge robot. It was humanoid in shape and painted red with a black swastika within a white circle on its chest. The Nazi mechanoid would have been at least twenty feet tall if it had been standing up. However in the photograph it was lying on its back in a smoking, broken ruin. A battered and bloody M4 Sherman stood on the robot's torso and the small, winged female was again sitting on his shoulder. Both of them were grinning from ear to ear and giving the 'V for Victory' sign to the camera. The fading typewritten caption under the photograph read:

              "M4 Sherman and The Fifinella defeat Uberbot: Berlin, April 1945"

There were many more photographs on the wall depicting the other members of the Allied Force super-group who had stormed Fortress Europe under the command of the Masked Shrike during the war.

One of the photographs was of a winged woman in a red leather costume and mask with wicked looking blades attached to her forearms. Beside her was a man in a sleek, gleaming power-suit with the star and roundel of the US Army Air Corps on his chest. Between them they were holding an unconscious figure wearing a suit of dark grey metallic armour. A  humanoid mask made of metal covered the figure's face and a Nazi helmet sat askew on its head. On the ground at its feet was a scorched and dented heater shield painted in the colours of the Nazi flag and bearing a swastika. The neatly typed label accompanying the photograph read:

"The Red Peregrine and P-38 Lightning capture Iron Oberst: Paris, 27 August, 1944"

James' heart swelled. Brave men and women, all. He would have given all that he owned and more for just one chance to have been there and fight at their side.

Feeling his spirits buoyed a little, he moved on to the next set of exhibits. These were dedicated to the heroine known as PinUp Girl. Before the war, she had been a part of the crime-busting team known as the Fourth Estate along with such heroes as Newshound, Girl Friday and The Muck-Raker. One of the exhibits included several newspapers that featured PinUp Girl and the Fourth Estate on their front pages.

                        "HOMEFRONT HEROES HINDER HARBOUR HORROR!
                                   Fourth Estate Defeats Sea Monster"

                                     "TENEMENT FIRE IN KINGS ROW!
                                  PinUp Girl Rescues Trapped Children"

One of the newspapers, a very old edition of the Paragon Times featured a large photograph of PinUp Girl, looking tired but happy, leading two men in handcuffs through the front door of a police station. Both men were well over six feet tall and incredibly muscular. They had shaved heads and square-jawed faces that looked like they had been carved from granite. At any other time they would have been extremely menacing figures but now they both walked with their heads down. They were battered and bruised and their clothing was in absolute tatters. All the police in the shot were applauding. The headline blared:

                                  "PINUP GIRL NABS THE PALOOKA TWINS
                      Notorious Crime Bosses Captured By Paragon's Sweetheart"

As always, James could scarcely believe how beautiful the heroine had been. Although she had not served on the battlefields of World War 2 with many of the other costumed heroes, PinUp Girl had still performed an invaluable service with the USO, boosting the morale of many a war-weary serviceman.

One of the posters on the wall depicted PinUp Girl in her head-turning hero outfit which consisted of a very brief sailor suit and domino mask. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders as she smiled and balanced a V-42 combat knife on the tip of her finger. The words at the bottom of the poster read; "PinUp Girl says : Remember. The USO is a big part of the National War Fund and your united community campaign!". Another poster featured a smiling PinUp Girl surrounded by a small group of men in uniform representing all branches of the armed forces. Army, Navy, Marines and Air Corps. "USO: Until Every One Comes Home", said the caption.

A large, upright display case nearby held a female mannequin. Draped over it was a satin evening dress. It was white with blue trim and VERY slinky. The bust was cut very low and there was a thigh-length slit up the side of the floor length skirt. The arms of the mannequin sported long, white satin gloves that came up to the elbow. A black wig set in a classic 1940's hairstyle sat on top of the head and a dark-blue domino mask was attached to the featureless face. Also inside the case was an enlargement of an old black-and-white photograph. It was of PinUp Girl wearing exactly the same outfit. She was on stage crooning into a microphone while a large audience of allied soldiers looked on in what could only be described as rapture. A large banner behind PinUp Girl read, "USO: London 1944".

James moved onto the next cabinet that held a shining set of throwing-knives arranged in a fan-like pattern on a layer of blue velvet. Set up behind the knives was a photograph showing PinUp Girl on-stage wearing her cut-down sailor outfit and a blindfold. Her arm was raised and she held a large throwing-knife in her hand. Some distance away an American G.I. in dress uniform was standing in front of a large, wooden board. Several more throwing-blades were sticking out of the board less than an inch away from the smiling, yet nervous looking, soldier.

Beside the cabinet was a large pedestal that rose from the floor to about waist level. Atop it sat an old wind up phonograph from the 30's made by 'His Master's Voice'. The antique had been restored to superb condition. On the turntable sat a very old 12 inch record. James cranked the handle of the old device and as the turntable spun to life he placed the needle of the playing-arm onto the record. There was a burst of hissing and static from the old recording that gave way to music. It was a classic 40's big- band version of, 'My Heart Belongs to Daddy'. After the short introduction the voice of PinUp Girl purred out of the speaker.

                                  "While tearing off a game of golf
                                    I may make a play for the caddy
                                    But when I do, I don't follow through
                                    Cause my heart belongs to Daddy

                                    If I invite a boy some night
                                    To dine on my fine food and haddie
                                    I just adore, his asking for more
                                    But my heart belongs to Daddy"

The ghost of a smile passed over James' face. This place never failed to warm his heart. The war had been responsible for immense tragedy, loss and evil of the foulest kind. But it had been a time of great courage too. Of self-sacrifice and bravery. A time when men and women of honour stood shoulder to shoulder in defiance of tyranny. Men and women whose combined light had beaten back the forces of darkness that had threatened to engulf the entire world. Most of them were ordinary individuals who wore their uniforms with pride and met the enemy with the type of straightforward and honest courage that can change worlds. Others wore colourful costumes and had been gifted with remarkable powers that they employed in the fight for freedom. Although some of the costumed heroes wielded no special powers at all. They fought the good fight with blood and sweat and steely determination. People like.....

With an air of reverence, James slowly walked toward the end of the room that was dedicated to his hero. The man known as Proud Citizen.

Description
Minutes later James pushed open a set of double doors that led into another part of the sprawling mansion. The room was bathed in soft, silver moonlight from a series of skylights set into the ceiling. Shadows obscured a great many objects that occupied the room.

James hit a series of switches on the wall that activated the lights. The room was large and wide with a very high ceiling. It had once been a grand ballroom. Now it was filled with glass display cabinets of every size. On the walls hung flags, photographs, posters and framed magazine covers. Everything in the room was memorabilia from the tumultuous days of World War 2.

James walked slowly through the maze of cases and exhibits. Every now and then his fingers would reach out to touch an item or trace the line of a display case. Every item in the room told a story. Stories of courage, honour. Tragedy and loss. After a short while his feet lead him unerringly toward the part of the little museum dedicated to the costumed mystery men of the war years.

One of the posters on the wall showed a beautiful raven-haired woman soaring through the sky in formation with three P-47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft. She wore a green leather aviator's jacket, jodhpurs and high black boots. A pilot's goggles covered her eyes and a long white, silk scarf trailed behind her. The poster bore the words, "The Masked Shrike wants YOU to join the US Army Air Corps".

The look of sadness on James' face lifted a little. The inimitable Masked Shrike. Heroine of the Skies. Scourge of the Third Reich. One of the first and greatest of the USA's costumed heroes.

Inside one small air-tight case under the poster was a mint condition first issue of "The Shrike Strikes" comic book series circa 1938. Beside it was a worn looking issue of 'Stars and Stripes' dated August1944. On the front page was a photograph of the Shrike smiling and saluting for the camera. The triumphant headline trumpeted:

                                       "SHRIKE SHREDS LUFTWAFFE!"

Another cabinet held more 'Masked Shrike' memorabilia. An autographed cigarette-card. A 'Masked Shrike Fan Club' secret decoder ring. A white silk aviator's scarf bearing the Shrike's autograph once again and the words, "To Cliff. Keep 'em flying!"

Next to the cabinet on a small dais was a WW2 German MG-42 heavy machine gun. The deadly weapon's long barrel had been bent into a shape resembling a pretzel. The French dealer who had sold it to James had been a resistance fighter during the war and swore that he had seen the Shrike herself twist the gun in her bare hands outside the battle ravaged French village of Lingevres in June of 1944.

James turned to another case that held a very large and thick sheet of metal. The sheet was painted in a mottled khaki, green and brown camouflage. There was a hefty hole in the centre of the sheet where something had been punched through it with incredible force. A small plaque inside the case said:

"Armour plating taken from a German Panther Ausf. A after the Battle of Arracourt (September 18-29, 1944). The hole in the armour is courtesy of M4 Sherman of the Allied Force team."

On the wall next to the case was a range of old, black-and-white photographs. All of them featured a man in a hulking suit of powered armour that had a white star painted on the chest like those seen on the side of American battle tanks. M4 Sherman's head was his only discernable human feature. He was square jawed and his hair was cropped close to his skull. A cigar seemed to be permanently attached to the corner of his mouth in every shot. One curious thing was that in almost every photograph flitted a small, winged female figure. She was only about two feet tall and wore a tight fitting uniform that included boots, leather gloves and an aviator's flying helmet and goggles.

One photo saw the little female sitting on Sherman's shoulder, kissing him on the cheek. M4 wore a bashful smile that seemed very out of place on his craggy features and the darkness of his cheeks suggested that he was actually blushing.

Another picture featured a blasted streetscape and the figure of a huge robot. It was humanoid in shape and painted red with a black swastika within a white circle on its chest. The Nazi mechanoid would have been at least twenty feet tall if it had been standing up. However in the photograph it was lying on its back in a smoking, broken ruin. A battered and bloody M4 Sherman stood on the robot's torso and the small, winged female was again sitting on his shoulder. Both of them were grinning from ear to ear and giving the 'V for Victory' sign to the camera. The fading typewritten caption under the photograph read:

              "M4 Sherman and The Fifinella defeat Uberbot: Berlin, April 1945"

There were many more photographs on the wall depicting the other members of the Allied Force super-group who had stormed Fortress Europe under the command of the Masked Shrike during the war.

One of the photographs was of a winged woman in a red leather costume and mask with wicked looking blades attached to her forearms. Beside her was a man in a sleek, gleaming power-suit with the star and roundel of the US Army Air Corps on his chest. Between them they were holding an unconscious figure wearing a suit of dark grey metallic armour. A  humanoid mask made of metal covered the figure's face and a Nazi helmet sat askew on its head. On the ground at its feet was a scorched and dented heater shield painted in the colours of the Nazi flag and bearing a swastika. The neatly typed label accompanying the photograph read:

"The Red Peregrine and P-38 Lightning capture Iron Oberst: Paris, 27 August, 1944"

James' heart swelled. Brave men and women, all. He would have given all that he owned and more for just one chance to have been there and fight at their side.

Feeling his spirits buoyed a little, he moved on to the next set of exhibits. These were dedicated to the heroine known as PinUp Girl. Before the war, she had been a part of the crime-busting team known as the Fourth Estate along with such heroes as Newshound, Girl Friday and The Muck-Raker. One of the exhibits included several newspapers that featured PinUp Girl and the Fourth Estate on their front pages.

                        "HOMEFRONT HEROES HINDER HARBOUR HORROR!
                                   Fourth Estate Defeats Sea Monster"

                                     "TENEMENT FIRE IN KINGS ROW!
                                  PinUp Girl Rescues Trapped Children"

One of the newspapers, a very old edition of the Paragon Times featured a large photograph of PinUp Girl, looking tired but happy, leading two men in handcuffs through the front door of a police station. Both men were well over six feet tall and incredibly muscular. They had shaved heads and square-jawed faces that looked like they had been carved from granite. At any other time they would have been extremely menacing figures but now they both walked with their heads down. They were battered and bruised and their clothing was in absolute tatters. All the police in the shot were applauding. The headline blared:

                                  "PINUP GIRL NABS THE PALOOKA TWINS
                      Notorious Crime Bosses Captured By Paragon's Sweetheart"

As always, James could scarcely believe how beautiful the heroine had been. Although she had not served on the battlefields of World War 2 with many of the other costumed heroes, PinUp Girl had still performed an invaluable service with the USO, boosting the morale of many a war-weary serviceman.

One of the posters on the wall depicted PinUp Girl in her head-turning hero outfit which consisted of a very brief sailor suit and domino mask. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders as she smiled and balanced a V-42 combat knife on the tip of her finger. The words at the bottom of the poster read; "PinUp Girl says : Remember. The USO is a big part of the National War Fund and your united community campaign!". Another poster featured a smiling PinUp Girl surrounded by a small group of men in uniform representing all branches of the armed forces. Army, Navy, Marines and Air Corps. "USO: Until Every One Comes Home", said the caption.

A large, upright display case nearby held a female mannequin. Draped over it was a satin evening dress. It was white with blue trim and VERY slinky. The bust was cut very low and there was a thigh-length slit up the side of the floor length skirt. The arms of the mannequin sported long, white satin gloves that came up to the elbow. A black wig set in a classic 1940's hairstyle sat on top of the head and a dark-blue domino mask was attached to the featureless face. Also inside the case was an enlargement of an old black-and-white photograph. It was of PinUp Girl wearing exactly the same outfit. She was on stage crooning into a microphone while a large audience of allied soldiers looked on in what could only be described as rapture. A large banner behind PinUp Girl read, "USO: London 1944".

James moved onto the next cabinet that held a shining set of throwing-knives arranged in a fan-like pattern on a layer of blue velvet. Set up behind the knives was a photograph showing PinUp Girl on-stage wearing her cut-down sailor outfit and a blindfold. Her arm was raised and she held a large throwing-knife in her hand. Some distance away an American G.I. in dress uniform was standing in front of a large, wooden board. Several more throwing-blades were sticking out of the board less than an inch away from the smiling, yet nervous looking, soldier.

Beside the cabinet was a large pedestal that rose from the floor to about waist level. Atop it sat an old wind up phonograph from the 30's made by 'His Master's Voice'. The antique had been restored to superb condition. On the turntable sat a very old 12 inch record. James cranked the handle of the old device and as the turntable spun to life he placed the needle of the playing-arm onto the record. There was a burst of hissing and static from the old recording that gave way to music. It was a classic 40's big- band version of, 'My Heart Belongs to Daddy'. After the short introduction the voice of PinUp Girl purred out of the speaker.

                                  "While tearing off a game of golf
                                    I may make a play for the caddy
                                    But when I do, I don't follow through
                                    Cause my heart belongs to Daddy

                                    If I invite a boy some night
                                    To dine on my fine food and haddie
                                    I just adore, his asking for more
                                    But my heart belongs to Daddy"

The ghost of a smile passed over James' face. This place never failed to warm his heart. The war had been responsible for immense tragedy, loss and evil of the foulest kind. But it had been a time of great courage too. Of self-sacrifice and bravery. A time when men and women of honour stood shoulder to shoulder in defiance of tyranny. Men and women whose combined light had beaten back the forces of darkness that had threatened to engulf the entire world. Most of them were ordinary individuals who wore their uniforms with pride and met the enemy with the type of straightforward and honest courage that can change worlds. Others wore colourful costumes and had been gifted with remarkable powers that they employed in the fight for freedom. Although some of the costumed heroes wielded no special powers at all. They fought the good fight with blood and sweat and steely determination. People like.....

With an air of reverence, James slowly walked toward the end of the room that was dedicated to his hero. The man known as Proud Citizen.