"You have got to be kidding."

Captain Thunder looked at the dusty ground. "I wish I wasn't."

Silvershadow cursed mildly and kicked a very large rock across the parking lot.

He raised his hand and opened his mouth - then thought better of it. It wasn't his friend's fault, after all.

But damn, he needed something to hit.

"Bianmar just... won't grant us permission," Cap sighed in frustration, "to enter their country."

Celerity blinked.

Actually, she blinked several times, far too fast for the human eye to follow. Not for nothing was she called the Fastest Woman Alive.

"Waitaminute. Half their country is wrecked and they won't let us in?"

"Not us, nor anyone else. They claim to be able to handle it themselves."

"That's preposterous," Hornet muttered. "Just from what we've seen on TV - !"

Cap looked over at the woman in emerald. She was nominally their combat trainer but she had insisted on coming along. "I know it. You know it. But we are not - "

"Welcome?"

All eyes turned to the Black Cougar, a figure clad in deep, matte black. Only his eyes, and his grey gloves and boots, betrayed the fact that he was not animal but man.

Partly.

"Thousands of people are dead, thousands are dying, as we sit here and twiddle our thumbs. And why? Because some two-bit dictators say so?"

He leapt to his feet and snarled. "Dammit, Thunder! This is no time for your prin- "

"What good are ethics," asked Hornet calmly, "or principles, if you give them up the minute things get tough?"

Cougar seethed, but remained silent.

After a few uncomfortable moments, Silvershadow cleared his throat.

"I don't see why some of us couldn't sneak in - to assess the situation?"

The silver-haired hero turned around slowly, speaking to all assembled. "Celerity could easily zoom in unseen. I could ride the shadows. Cougar could move unseen."

"And the minute you stop to help someone - and you would - what then?"

Captain Thunder sat down in resignation atop a boulder.

No one really had to answer him.

"People.

"Are.

"Dying," Celerity said, hopping back and forth between the heroes at hyperspeed. "Surely we can make an exception!"

"Yeah, but then what?" a man in grey coveralls said, wiping his forehead with the back of his Iowa Cylones ball hat. "I mean, once you decide to make an exception, what about next time? What's there really to stop you -

"Uhhh, s-sorry 'bout that."

"Don't be, Marty," Cap smiled wanly. "You've more than earned the right."

"Yeah... Cyclone," Cougar smiled slightly under his mask. For some reason he loved calling the team's pilot that name.

"It's been three whole days since the quake," Celerity muttered - an eternity for someone who lived between ticks of a second. "The people of this country didn't have much to begin with... "

"Chris," Cougar said quietly. "Sorry, man. I know it's not you. It's just... just so... "

"Frustrating?" Cap nodded. "Part of me wants to go help, politics be damned - but at what cost? Marty's right - what is there to stop us from - "

He stared...

And the others followed his gaze.

From out of a beaten tent a thin young man in a white tuxedo and red eyemask emerged. It wasn't the appearance of their Canadian member, Sorcier de Lumiere, that drew the heroes' attention. It was the green-garbed, dark-skinned man beside him.

"Monsieur Ami Puissant Vert, may I present l'Escadron de Justice - the Justice Squadron."

"Um, who - " Cougar began.

"Ami Puissant Vert - Bianmar's national hero," Celerity said, zipping up and offering her hand. "Hello."

Ami took her hand. "You've... heard of me?"

Celerity smiled. When you read through entire libraries for fun, you pick up some things.

"Lumiere, how - ?"

"I did not enter Bianmar, mon Capitan," the young man said crisply. "I merely summoned him across the border."

"Oh, this can't be good," Black Cougar said quietly.

Ami spoke, in halting English. "Au contraire. Sorcier de Lumiere has explained to me how deeply you wish to help, how our government denies you permission to enter my country.

"I am officially a representative of the government. I grant you permission."

"What?" Hornet said softly.

"We can go in?" Celerity bounced back and forth.

Cougar approached the green-clad man. "Ami... you sure? Your superiors will be, uh... furieux."

"I do not so much care for mes superieurs, Black Cougar. Mes personnes sont pauvres, they have nothing - and now they have less than nothing. J'accepte avec reconnaissance l'aide the Justice Squadron generously offers."

"Now there is a brave man," Cap said slowly.

"Marty?"

"On it!"

Marty began furiously typing on his notebook computer, and within seconds a map of Bianmar was projected upward from the screen for all to see.

"Ami Puissant Vert? Where is the damage greatest?"

"Où sont les dommages les plus grands?" Lumiere translated helpfully.

"Ici," he traced an area in the northwest. "Schools have fallen. Collapsed. Rivers are blocked, and flood. In some, I understand...

"Everything is gone."

"Okay," Captain Thunder said, "Celerity. You'll handle the river blockages, try and cut new paths for the rivers."

"Gotcha."

Her tremendous speed would be put to good use.

"Shadow, Lumiere - you're two of our most versatile members. You will aid Ami Puissant wherever he thinks best, all right?"

"Oui, Capitan."

Lumiere could not help but notice the confident smiles the team flashed his way. He had done good, this time.

"Hornet, Cougar - "

Inwardly, Black Cougar groaned. Why did it have to be her?

"You'll take the collapsed schools. Together. Cougar can find 'em, Hornet's TK can free 'em."

Cougar had to admit that made sense.

"Will do," he said, without a trace of sarcasm.

"I'll start by finding out how many schools collapsed - or if there are too many landslides blocking rivers, I'll give Celerity a hand."

He turned to face Ami Puissant Vert.

"Thank you, Ami Puissant."

"Vous me remerciez? You are thanking me?! Please - I am honored... and grateful."

"Then let's - "

Celerity vanished in a cloud of dust.

"...go," Captain Thunder sighed.

Celerity arrived in northwest Bianmar about four minutes later. She actually was capable of running much faster, but found running across the rubble easier at a more reasonable speed.

Besides, running full out drained her, and she had a feeling she would need all her speed.

She got that feeling from watching the stream of people, clothed in ragged garments and carrying what little they had left on their backs, looking for all the world like they had no place to go but were making good time getting there.

She bit her lip and streaked by them, knowing that unless hse did something about the rivers there would be even fewer survivors.

The first river she came upon had been blocked by enormous boulders, causing the water behind to fill up the valley like a lake.

Shouldn't be too hard - she'd just run up the makeshift dam and Riverdance a little.

Her blue-clad legs hammered like pistons on the stones, searching for the one vibration that would - ah!

She streaked off the dam as it collapsed, and the water roared forward once again.

Celerity watched the water rush downstream. Okay, now she'd just follow the river upstream to -

"Thank you, Ms. Celerity."

She turned, to find a trio of what looked to be Army officers, only one of whom still had his hat - but all three had guns.

"You are not supposed to be here, n'est-ce pas?"

Before she could answer the three turned around.

"Nous ne vous avons jamais vu, comprenons?"

We never saw you, she smiled.

"Oui. Beau jour, messieurs!"

And she was gone.

"Lumiere! Another two," grunted Silvershadow as he solidified and stood protectively over the frightened workers.

Of course they were frightened - a big guy in silver with a big black stripe up the middle suddenly appears, and you'd be frightened too, he thought. If he wasn't supporting the building with his hands he'd consider taking off his mask - no one would recognize him here.

Lumiere grasped them gently with translucent, magical extensions of his arms, and hauled them to safety.

Ami Puissant Vert tossed aside heavy slabs of concrete to reveal three others. As he gingerly carried them out of the hole, he felt amazed how much progress the heroes of light and dark had made.

"Silvershadow! Is that - ? Silvershadow!"

The shadow-man turned. "Amy? What the hell?"

Lumiere smiled. "Is there anywhere we haven't been that she hasn't shown up?"

Silvershadow looked at him.

"Um, sorry - "

"No, no. It's just... I never realized. She does get around, doesn't she?"

"Forgive my asking, but is she a reporter? A politician? A spy?"

Shadow hopped down to see what his girlfriend wanted.

"Hairdresser, actually."

Hornet concentrated, and another enormous slab of steel and concrete was lifted into the air. Before it had even cleared the roof - or what used to be the roof - Black Cougar was already under it, furiously tearing through the rubble.

"Here's another... dead one," he said, carrying the body of a ten-year-old boy out of the collapsed school. Two parents stepped forward to receive the body, wailing.

Cougar dutifully brought out three more.

"God," Hornet breathed. "All this... death. Cougar, maybe we should -"

"Move on?" Cougar said softly. "No, there are children trapped down here. Live children. I've already evaluated the way the building was built, and how it fell."

"Why are you stopping?!"

Cougar whirled!

Hornet gasped. "Cougar, don't - "

"Paix," Cougar said softly. "Nous discutions juste comment mieux obtenir vos enfants dehors. Nous avons seulement fait une pause pour un instant. (We were just discussing how best to get your children out. We have only paused for a moment)."

He turned back to Hornet. "Okay, I'm going to need you to lift this I-beam out of - what?"

"Didn't realize you spoke French - or were so... polite about it."

"These people have been through hell already," Cougar grunted as he tossed aside a block of bricks. "Now, think you can lift that... floor, I think it is?"

"Y-yeah..."

"You okay?"

"Never really... had to lift things... like this... " she grunted.

"Yeah, funny how we live for combat, but - well, hey!"

In the darkness underneath, seven sets of eyes looked up as the floor was slowly lifted above them.

"Bien, bonjour! Je suis Puma Noir. Vous êtes sûr maintenant (Well, hello! I'm Black Cougar. You're safe now)."

Captain Thunder slowly bent the metal beam back into place. He frowned - this one was severely weakened. He rubbed it until it glowed red-hot, then splashed some water on it from the river below.

Oh, well, there was only so much he could do.

He lifted the reconstructed bridge into place and set it down with a thunderous clanking noise.

"Okay, people! Cross slowly, there is food on the other side!"

Yeah, he thought - only because I offloaded it from Navy ships. Three American ships, filled with everything from batteries to broccoli, and they were forbidden to unload.

He smiled to himself for a moment. Like fun.

This was the third bridge he had repaired. He had helped clear two schools, three factories, and a city hall, all collapsed. He had brought food and water to the hungry. He ha reset four buildings on their foundations when they had threatened to topple.

He was getting tired.

"Captain?"

He looked up to see a lean figure in blue and white streak to a halt next to him.

"I think I got most of the rivers flowing again. Had to recut a few streams and force the water to flow for one, but they're running."

He grinned. "Tornado arms trick?"

She smiled. "Tornado arms."

"I've got to learn to do that one of these - "

"Hey."

Black Cougar and Hornet walked out of the darkening streets.

"There's... well, I'm exhausted," Hornet said, flopping to a seat on the sidewalk. "Cleared seven schools, all told. Quite a few other buildings... "

"Yep," said Cougar, leaning up against a wall. "Where are Light and Dark?"

"Right here," said Silvershadow, stepping out of the darkness with Amy, as Lumiere and Ami Puissant appeared in a burst of light.

Cougar, Thunder, and Celerity all spoke as one - "Hi, Amy."

Hornet didn't get the joke.

"Hi, everyone. Guess I picked a bad time to vacation in Bianmar."

"There is a good time?" Ami Puissant said, puzzled.

"I guess we've made a good start, at least," Cap said, looking out over the darkened city. "I think we ought to turn our attention to the survivors, maybe build some shelters or..."

"Uhh, Cap?" Cougar nodded slightly.

The heroes looked up as three Jeeps approached from the south.

The vehicles stopped a respectable distance away - no doubt feeling the eyes of the heroes silently watching them.

"Your attention, Squadron of Justice!" a mustachioed man in an army uniform called out. "You are here non-legally!"

"'Non-legally'?" Black Cougar smiled under his breath.

"You are requested to vacate the country immediately."

He paused.

"Uh, please. S'il vous plait."

Captain Thunder sighed. He said a silent thanks that his term as leader expired next month.

"Guess I'll go make nice," he muttered.

"Sir, we respectfully maintain that we are in your nation legally, at the invitation of a representative of your government. We act of our own volition, not that of the nations we call home. We have accomplished much, but wish to continue aiding your people, without payment or publicity. We request that we be allowed to do so."

There was some hurried translation between English and French.

Cap smiled slightly. He understood both languages perfectly.

"Your request is denied. Please leave, or we will unleash our protector, Ami Puissant Vert, on you."

"Je doute de cela beaucoup, Général," the man in green stepped forward. "C'était moi qui leur a accordé la permission d'entrer dans Bianmar (I doubt that very much, General. It was I who granted them permission to enter Bianmar)."

After startled gasps, more talking among themselves in French.

"While you may be here legally, now," the spokesman said nervously, "Permission has been withdrawn."

"I... see."

"We're being deported," hissed Cougar angrily.

"We got a lot done," Hornet gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't like it either..." silvershadow mused. "But I can't see any other option."

"We'll leave," Captain Thunder smiled cheerfully as he drew closer to the Jeeps. "Um, permission to speak freely?"

"Certainement."

"D'abord, Ami Puissant Vert. Nous le considérons un allié de l'escadron de justice. Il serait très mauvais si quelque chose arrive à lui. Espace libre? (First, Powerful Green Friend. We consider him an ally of the Justice Squadron. It would be very bad if anything should happen to him. Clear?)

His tone grew darker, his smile fading.

"En second lieu, la nourriture et l'eau que j'ai apportée seront distribuées (Second, the food and water I have brought will be distributed).

"Librement (Freely)."

His smile now completely gone, he towered over the Jeep's occupants.

"Je ne m'inquiète pas beaucoup de la politique. Je m'inquiète des personnes. Je n'aime pas comment vous aviez traité vos personnes, général. Vous devriez commencer à s'inquiéter, ou je retournerai (I do not care much about politics. I do care about people. I don't like how you've been treating your people, General. You had better start caring, or Iwill return)."

He casually removed his hand off the Jeep's hood - leaving a crumpled mark behind.

A thin smile spread across his darkened face.

"Ayez un beau jour (have a nice day)."

He turned around and marched back to the heroes, his face now the likeable, somewhat bland pate of America's Mightiest Man.

"We're leaving," he said simply. "The government doesn't want our help."

"I... am sorry," said Ami Puissant Vert. "This is... embarassing."

"We all know - it is not your fault," Sorcier said sadly.

"You have any trouble, you call us," Cougar added.

"Call... you?"

"With this," the black-clad catman said, withdrawing a small electonic apparatus from his belt. "Squadron signal device. Built-in GPS, bounces off of satellites."

With wide eyes, Ami took the device. "I... do not... thank you, but..."

"You're a good man, Ami," Silvershadow smiled. "A good hero. Just on the off-chance you need us."

"Then, thank you, gentlemen, ladies. I will hold it with honor."

The heroes said their goodbyes, then lifted off into the night sky.

"Do you... always carry a spare communicator?" Hornet asked Black Cougar, who was standing on the flying light disc that Sorcier de Lumiere had conjured for their trip back to the plane.

"Usually two," he remarked casually. "Allies are important..."

"And so are friends."