himself had Slim chosen to attack.
He thought back to what he had just seen. Sovereign. Was that a reference to Sovereign City? Under normal circumstances, he would have taken off to investigate this but he had an important case beginning in the morning that he simply couldn’t miss.
Perhaps he should reach out to one of the other heroes that he’d encountered in recent months: Thunder Jim Wade, Leonid Kaslov or even The Domino Lady. He’d even heard tales of a skull-and-crossbones type known as The Black Terror….
With grim determination, The Black Bat fell back into the shadows, allowing himself to vanish from sight. Even if he couldn’t handle it on his own, he would do what he could to make sure that justice was done.
* * *
The Next Morning
Leonid Kaslov was of Russian descent, with close-cropped silver-blond hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore a well-tailored black suit, a white handkerchief perched dashingly out of his breast pocket and a golden ring set with a pale red stone shone on the little finger of his right hand. His teeth were pearly white and very regular, helping give the impression of a man who came from impressive stock.
Kaslov was further blessed with a washboard stomach and remarkable grace, making him an easy target for the wandering eyes of women. Though he appreciated the interest, he rarely returned it with any real fervor. He was dedicated to his work and he found that romance had a way of distracting him from the things to which he had dedicated his life: namely, the betterment of mankind and the exploration of the unknown.
In pursuit of those two goals, Kaslov had spent years honing his body into physical perfection and had mastered numerous sciences. Newsworld magazine had named him Man of the Year twice in the last decade, making him one of the most famous men in the nation. His most recent award had been announced just last week at a star-studded press conference in Manhattan.
He entered his office building, nestled between two other businesses. Elizabeth “Libby” Raines was seated behind the desk in the lobby, her blonde curls hanging in ringlets around her shoulders. She looked up with a smile, her blue eyes twinkling as she took him in. Her ample curves were barely contained by a tight sweater and, despite his lack of interest in the opposite sex, Kaslov was attentive enough to notice that she leaned forward in greeting, obviously hoping to catch his eye.
“Good morning, Mr. Kaslov. An attorney by the name of Anthony Quinn is waiting in your office. I just gave him a cup of coffee.”
“Thank you, Miss Raines.”
Leonid moved into his office and before the door was even shut behind him, he felt the cold barrel of a gun placed against his temple. He reacted with astonishing speed, ducking down while seizing hold of the hand that held the gun. He gave a twist and hurled Tony Quinn across the office, noting with pleasure that the seemingly blind attorney executed a perfect acrobatic flip that left him upright.
Quinn hurled the gun with pinpoint accuracy, nailing Kaslov across the chin.
Wiping away a streak of blood from the wound, Kaslov was nonetheless able to block Quinn’s next attack, which consisted of a roundhouse punch.
The two men grunted as they exchanged a series of blows, each strike showing the marked difference in their fighting styles. With Tony Quinn, it was all about brute power and force, while the much larger Leonid Kaslov utilized a martial arts style that had been taught to him in the Orient.
Quinn stepped back, panting. His hands were going numb from striking Kaslov’s thick torso. It was like punching a frozen slab of beef. His eyes were hidden as he said, “I can’t believe you’d strike a man wearing glasses.”
Kaslov relaxed and both men adjusted their ties. “Mind telling me why you put a gun to my head?”
“Just wanted to make sure you weren’t going soft since being named Man of the Year.”
“I appreciate the concern. Did I
He thought back to what he had just seen. Sovereign. Was that a reference to Sovereign City? Under normal circumstances, he would have taken off to investigate this but he had an important case beginning in the morning that he simply couldn’t miss.
Perhaps he should reach out to one of the other heroes that he’d encountered in recent months: Thunder Jim Wade, Leonid Kaslov or even The Domino Lady. He’d even heard tales of a skull-and-crossbones type known as The Black Terror….
With grim determination, The Black Bat fell back into the shadows, allowing himself to vanish from sight. Even if he couldn’t handle it on his own, he would do what he could to make sure that justice was done.
* * *
The Next Morning
Leonid Kaslov was of Russian descent, with close-cropped silver-blond hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore a well-tailored black suit, a white handkerchief perched dashingly out of his breast pocket and a golden ring set with a pale red stone shone on the little finger of his right hand. His teeth were pearly white and very regular, helping give the impression of a man who came from impressive stock.
Kaslov was further blessed with a washboard stomach and remarkable grace, making him an easy target for the wandering eyes of women. Though he appreciated the interest, he rarely returned it with any real fervor. He was dedicated to his work and he found that romance had a way of distracting him from the things to which he had dedicated his life: namely, the betterment of mankind and the exploration of the unknown.
In pursuit of those two goals, Kaslov had spent years honing his body into physical perfection and had mastered numerous sciences. Newsworld magazine had named him Man of the Year twice in the last decade, making him one of the most famous men in the nation. His most recent award had been announced just last week at a star-studded press conference in Manhattan.
He entered his office building, nestled between two other businesses. Elizabeth “Libby” Raines was seated behind the desk in the lobby, her blonde curls hanging in ringlets around her shoulders. She looked up with a smile, her blue eyes twinkling as she took him in. Her ample curves were barely contained by a tight sweater and, despite his lack of interest in the opposite sex, Kaslov was attentive enough to notice that she leaned forward in greeting, obviously hoping to catch his eye.
“Good morning, Mr. Kaslov. An attorney by the name of Anthony Quinn is waiting in your office. I just gave him a cup of coffee.”
“Thank you, Miss Raines.”
Leonid moved into his office and before the door was even shut behind him, he felt the cold barrel of a gun placed against his temple. He reacted with astonishing speed, ducking down while seizing hold of the hand that held the gun. He gave a twist and hurled Tony Quinn across the office, noting with pleasure that the seemingly blind attorney executed a perfect acrobatic flip that left him upright.
Quinn hurled the gun with pinpoint accuracy, nailing Kaslov across the chin.
Wiping away a streak of blood from the wound, Kaslov was nonetheless able to block Quinn’s next attack, which consisted of a roundhouse punch.
The two men grunted as they exchanged a series of blows, each strike showing the marked difference in their fighting styles. With Tony Quinn, it was all about brute power and force, while the much larger Leonid Kaslov utilized a martial arts style that had been taught to him in the Orient.
Quinn stepped back, panting. His hands were going numb from striking Kaslov’s thick torso. It was like punching a frozen slab of beef. His eyes were hidden as he said, “I can’t believe you’d strike a man wearing glasses.”
Kaslov relaxed and both men adjusted their ties. “Mind telling me why you put a gun to my head?”
“Just wanted to make sure you weren’t going soft since being named Man of the Year.”
“I appreciate the concern. Did I
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