by Libbylawrence
Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel were equally shocked as they recognized what appeared to be the same mutated alien worm known as Mister Mind, who had threatened to conquer the universe countless times in the past.
“No! We are Ursula!” the blonde woman explained quickly as the worm disappeared within her ear again. “All of us on Saturn are collective entities. We are symbiotic in nature! Our humanoid bodies offer mobility and dexterity to the brain larvae, while they in turn give us our mental powers. We lack separate names. We are simply Ursula. Our larvaes are from the same other-dimensional species that gave birth to your Mister Mind, but while he was a deviant, we are benign! (*) We are the leader because our powers are greater than all the rest!”
[(*) Editor’s note: For Mister Mind’s origin story, see “Monster Society of Evil,” All-Star Squadron #51 (November, 1985).]
She smiled and added, “Would you feel more comfortable calling us by a colorful name similar to your own? Perhaps you’d like to call us Ms. Mind!”
Captain Marvel nodded slowly. He was always ready to accept a new ally, but he also retained a bit of repugnance at the idea of anyone willingly or happily sharing their bodies with one of the space worms.
“These people aren’t equipped for the new climate,” said Commander Erin Venture. “Can you restore it now?”
“Yes,” said Captain Marvel. “I can handle that alone, if you and Mary and Ursula want to travel on to Venus. I can catch up with you, but first I’d like to make one more sweep of the area to make certain no one else needs help!”
Commander Venture agreed, and she led Ms. Mind to her star cruiser. As the petite blonde in the pink tunic climbed into the craft, she smiled in wonder at all she saw. “Our kind has not travelled the spaceways in our collective memory. We are truly honored to be pioneers!”
***
Meanwhile, within her mirrored palace on Venus, Magnifica impatiently tapped one foot as she waited for a strange being to complete what had to be a difficult and complex task.
The strange being in question was a metallic humanoid with a slightly pointed or cone-shaped head. His head was slightly larger than his slender body, and his small legs ended in three metallic prongs that contained small wheels. He spoke in a perfectly modulated voice that nevertheless somehow conveyed a mixture of both irritation and fear.
“Empress Magnifica, the Universal Engine is almost fully charged,” he said. “However, I must again urge you to refrain from its activation. The result of its use will prove disastrous in ninety-seven percent of the probability scans my computerized brain has conducted!”
“Atom-13, you are a brilliant machine with a remarkable capacity for self-improvement, but you certainly lack a program designed for your self-preservation, or you would not speak to the rightful Empress of the Cosmos in such an impertinent tone,” she replied. “My calculations prove yours to be incorrect. You lack my human spirit, and you cannot understand the divine spark that elevates me to near-celestial levels of insight and creativity. My mind is simply more advanced than yours. You can’t reach my level of intellectual achievement. Prepare the Universal Engine as ordered, and be glad I plucked you here from the lifeless planet your ancestor had been banished to long ago!”
She carefully made a series of lightning-fast calculations and adjustments on the gigantic machine that filled the center of the lab floor. Mirrors still covered every inch of the walls, but the images of the beautiful woman were not as ominous as the vast machine that rested within the center of the lab.
After smiling with satisfaction at her accomplishments, Magnifica abruptly pouted as she glanced downward at her feet. “Polish!” she shrieked.
Instantly, several slave girls dived forward to apply fresh polish to her toenails. As one accidentally fumbled, Magnifica kicked her in the face and then sighed heavily. “Empress of the Cosmos, and a girl still can’t get good help!” she shouted.
The robotic Atom-13 rolled away and entered a private chamber below the lab. The room was used for the removal of various chemicals or other radioactive agents. The unique robotic being was immune to things, and he rather liked to sit within the narrow chamber and think.
She sees me as a mere machine! Why can’t she ever return my love? he thought. My predecessor Mister Atom was a monster. (*) It was right that he was stranded in that lifeless universe, but of course no one realized that life would one day appear there and that those wonderful life forms would befriend me. Of course, Mister Atom himself failed to guess that each time he improved upon his original design, he was actually making himself more human. I feel emotions. I feel love and rejection. I am lonely. I am the Mark 13 model of the Mister Atom design, but I am also a sentient being who wants to be loved!
[(*) Editor’s note: See “Captain Marvel Meets Mr. Atom,” Captain Marvel Adventures #78 (November, 1947).]
He touched his chest cavity but did not open it. It would never do for Magnifica to know what really lives within my chest. She certainly can’t know that I am not as alone as she imagines! he thought.
As he rolled out of the chamber, an observer might have thought the odd robot now had a crooked grin on his face.
***
As Commander Venture, Ms. Mind, and Mary Marvel landed on Venus, they immediately saw massive domes surrounding several impressive structures.
“I see Magnifica has created some kind of climate control device for the humans,” said Mary. “They don’t need special suits to resist the heat. On the other hand, the giant frogs don’t seem uncomfortable with the climate, either!”
“Genetic engineering enables the frogs to cope with cooler temperatures,” said Erin. “Apparently, from what you’ve said of the Sivana family, they have had generations in which to experiment on the creatures. Unlike the Dragon Men, we won’t easily freeze them into submission!”
“We sense human thoughts from within the domes, but most of them seem to be damaged!” said Ms. Mind.
Commander Venture placed one hand on the blonde girl’s shoulder and said, “What do you mean?”
“We sense little individual thought,” said Ms. Mind. “All thoughts seem devoted to mindlessly serving Magnifica. She has robbed them of their free will! We do not believe the humans have the capacity for self governing any longer! Without her to order them, they cannot make decisions for themselves.”
Commander Venture shook her head in disgust as the three women left the now cloaked and secured star cruiser.
“My mother was a Princess of Saturn, although in truth she ended up with just an empty title, since her people died from a plague,” she said. “Still, even though she was a Planetary Princess, she would never have willingly robbed her subjects of their free will!”
“Don’t worry,” said Mary Marvel. “We’ll find Magnifica’s weapon and shut it and her down!”
“We have it!” said Ms. Mind. “We do not understand the nature of the device, but we do sense its location! It rests within the largest of the domed buildings! We assume it is both her palace and her laboratory!”
“I see what must be slave girls entering and exiting without being stopped by anyone,” said Mary. “If we could slip in with the other workers, we could destroy this mysterious weapon!”
Commander Venture offered, “I suggest we just snatch three of the slaves and take their outfits, although we sure can’t expect to conceal any weapons in those filmy things!”
“Let me see what I can do!” said Mary. Timing her movements carefully, she swiftly returned with three startled slave girls in tow. “I managed to grab them at top speed, but I hate to harm any of the poor things! I don’t even want to tie them up!”
Ms. Mind smiled, then touched each of the seemingly dazed slaves on the head. “We have clouded their minds,” she explained. “The mental lethargy their mistress placed them under enabled us to do so. They will remain here out of sight for a few hours before regaining the will to obey their customary orders!”
“I admit your way is a lot nicer than mine!” said Commander Venture. “I was going to knock all three of them out!”
They took the filmy tunics from the women and changed quickly. “I’m going to make one extra change! I know I can trust you with my secret!” said Mary.
Standing apart from the others, she cried, “Shazam!” and in a flash of lightning she changed into Mary Batson Bromfield. She actually looked about the same as she did when she was Mary Marvel, but her colorful costume was gone, and in some ways she seemed less dynamic.
The three disguised women soon made their way into the largest dome and silently blended in with the dozens of dazed slave girls. They entered what appeared to be a factory or laboratory, but the sheer size of the complex was intimidating.
What terrible weapon could that woman be building here? wondered Mary as she adjusted one strap on her sandal and stared around the huge facility.
Commander Venture felt more vulnerable than the other women. She was unarmed, and while her combat skills were proven, she missed having a blaster on her hip.
“We may link our thoughts and remain in touch even though we take separate paths!” suggested Ms. Mind. The three women then separated and mixed in with the slaves.
Mary found herself walking down a narrow passageway that opened up into a blinding chamber covered with tiny prisms. Each one contained an image of a beautiful blonde within it.
That’s her! She sure looks like the Beautia I know, thought Mary. What an ego!
Mary gasped as the mirrored chamber opened up to reveal a massive bank of machines. She recognized the design as being some type of bizarre engine, but she couldn’t tell the purpose of the machine.
Before she could draw closer, she felt heavy hands grip her from every side, and her mouth was covered before she could speak. A strange gel was then smeared across her throat and mouth, and she was shoved forward by the nearest slaves.
“Foolish girl! Your rebellious will was like a trumpet blast to one with my keen powers of perception! You may dress the part of a slave girl, but your demeanor proclaims your true nature!”
The words came from Magnifica herself. She stood posing on a platform above the main floor of the factory.
Mary was thrust upward and found herself rolling onto a conveyer belt of some type. I can’t speak! That weird gel has done something to me! she thought.
Magnifica laughed and looked down upon the helpless girl. “You are a Marvel!” she said. “Do you really think a Sivana wouldn’t recognize you? Venus has been riddled with devices designed to detect that magical lightning of yours for generations! One of my ancestors vowed that your kind would never catch us by surprise again!
“You can’t say that magic word! You can’t do a thing but admire my beauty and — oh, yes — die a painful death within my Universal Engine! You will shortly be fed directly into it, and you’ll burn like a moth on a flame!”
Mary kicked and writhed, but she could not escape from the pull of the belt, nor could she speak. As the belt carried her closer to the massive machine, she saw an open portal illuminated by flicking energy of a kind not unfamiliar to her.
Holy moley! she thought. That machine is being empowered by one of the sentient Infinity beings we fought back in the fifties!