At a land-based oil drilling site just a mile outside the Herald City border, workers are extracting oil from a newly discovered underground source........

The sound of heavy machinery filled the air as oil drills pierced the hard ground, oil being pumped out of the newly formed holes and into oil terminals. Bulldozers moved debris out of the way so that other machines can move unencumbered. Workers moved back and forth through the quarry, attending to various tasks.

Along the tree line at the edge of the quarry, three figures hid out of site, ready to make trouble.

“There it is, boys,” said Queen Venus, poking her head behind a tree. “This rig is extracting oil from an underground source just discovered months ago.”

“Boy, I bet they’re gonna make a ton of money from all that black gold,” said Frankie, also poking his head out. “Maybe we shoulda gone into the oil industry. We’d be filthy rich.”

“You numbskull. How you think we’re gonna break into the oil industry with nothing to get the oil with?” asked Willie, poking his head from behind the tree as well.

“Actually, Willie, Frankie is right,” said Queen Venus.

“I am!?”

“He is!?”

“That’s right. Oil tycoons become filthy rich, extracting a critical resource and damaging our ecosystem in the process,” said Queen Venus. “My plants don’t like what these greedy capitalists are doing to the environment. So I’ve decided to do what I feel is right.”

“And, uh, what’s that, boss?” asked Frankie.

“Drive these fools out and steal the oil for myself!” said Queen Venus. “I need far less of it than they do, so it’s less environmentally damaging, and I’ll be the one who gets filthy rich in the process!”

Frankie and Willie looked at each other.

“Do we get anything out of it?” asked Willie.

“Don’t screw up and I’ll let you both live long enough to negotiate a small cut,” said Queen Venus.

Frankie looked at Willie. “I think that’s fair.”

“Very fair,” said Willie.

“Enough talk, you vegetative vervains! It’s time to make our presence known!” she said, stepping out into the quarry.

The workers turned to see the green-clad supervillain step into view.

“Oh no! It’s Queen Venus!” one of them cried.

Queen Venus let out an evil laugh, raising her arms. “Yes, and now you shall flee! Flee if you wish not to be destroyed!”

The ground began to rumble. Deep chasms opened up all throughout the quarry. As the shaking intensified, people struggled to stay on their feet.

“Hey, boss, can you ease up a little bit? It’s like an earthquake here! I don’t wanna get killed!” cried Frankie, just barely staying on his feet.

“That...isn’t me,” said a confused Queen Venus. She also struggled to stay upright as more chasms opened.

A furry hand emerged from one of the holes. Another hand emerged from another hole. Then another, and another.

Out of the holes climbed furry humanoid creatures, each wearing a blue coverall-like uniform and carrying a purple device that appeared to be a firearm. They wore helmets with flashlights attached to them. Wearing neither gloves nor shoes, their pinkish hands and feet were covered with scattered hair. Their hands had five fingers with no thumbs, sharp claws at the ends of each, and their feet appeared identical to their hands.

They were mole people.

One of the mole people wore a beret rather than a helmet. His coveralls were decorated with medals. The fur on his snout was far thicker than those of the rest of his people. From these extra accessories and showings to the way the others seemed to move out of his way, he seemed to be someone of great importance.

“Attention, humans!” announced the creature. “My name is General Talpid! I am the commander of the Mole Militia, and I bring you a message! You’ve recently been attacking our homes, taking what’s ours, and disrupting our way of life! You have waged war against the mole people, and now we will wage war back! So flee, humans, for this oil belongs to us!”

He and the other mole people began firing their lasers into the air. Workers dropped their tools and abandoned their equipment, running for their lives.

“Yes! Run, pitiful humans! Run like the cowards you are!” gloated General Talpid.

“You won’t get away with this,” came a female voice behind him. He turned to see a green-costumed figure behind him with two humans at either side.

“Who--?”

“You think you’ve taken this oil rig from the humans, but it will be theirs again in hours. You don’t stand a chance.”

“Is that so, human? Identify yourself, so I know the name of who it is I’m about to destroy,” said Talpid.

She held out a hand. “Calm down, calm down. I’m not here to oppose you. My name is Queen Venus, and these are my associates, Frankie and Willie.”

“A queen? Royalty? Is the theft of our oil your doing?” asked Talpid.

“No, this was solely the work of the humans.”

“Then what business do you have here? And for that matter, what business do you have with me?”

“The activity that was going on here hurts the plants and trees, the forests that I’m the queen of,” said Queen Venus, exaggerating her authority over the local plant life. “I wish for them to leave, but any attempt to force them out would not be possible for me. They have powerful armies that would flood this area in the blink of an eye. The only way to protect this oil field is to drive the humans out from the nearby city that they live in, Herald City.”

“And I take it you have no army with which to do that, and that’s why you’ve come to us,” said Talpid. “Very well, Queen Venus. I will bring my armies to Herald City and wage war against the humans there.”

“I doubt you’ll win,” said Queen Venus. “Even if you can overcome the humans’ forces, they have two powerful beings—two ‘superheroes’--named Blue Eagle and Switch the Blue Eaglet. I doubt your weapons are strong enough to stop them.”

“Oh, don’t be so sure, Queen Venus,” said Talpid. He turned to his troops. “Come, men! To Herald City! To war!”

The ground began to shake again, and more holes broke in the earth. This time, however, it was metal drills that tore their way out of the ground. Cylindrical tanks with drills on the front and laser cannons on the top and sides. Dozens of them appeared, and together with the rest of the Mole Militia, they began their trek towards Herald City.

As they left, Frankie and Willie looked at each other, then at their boss.

“Gee, that’s scary,” said Frankie. “What are we gonna do now, boss?”

“Easy, fool. We continue with our plan to steal the oil,” said Queen Venus.

“But what do we do when they come back and find that it’s gone?” asked Willie.

“We won’t be that long, and with any luck, our enemies will destroy each other,” she said. “What a stroke of luck! This distraction just makes everything easier for us. Now, stop standing around like stunted sunflowers and get to work!”

Later, in the streets of Herald City, the Mole Militia launch their attack.

People ran for their lives in the streets as laser beams fired in all directions.

The mole men marched down the streets, firing widely from handheld weapons and battle tanks a lot. Their disintegration rays vaporized streetlights, cars, and fire hydrants.

HCPD squad cars arrived on the scene, but the officers inside were helpless against the invaders. There were too few cops and too many mole people. They ran from their cars just in time to see the vehicles disintegrated by the advanced weaponry of the enemy.

“Ha! These humans are nothing compared to our might!” exclaimed Talpid. “Look at the way even their warriors flee!”

Suddenly, a red beam blasted down from the sky, knocking a soldier’s gun out of his hand. It took another second for the same thing to happen to five more soldiers.

“What the--?” started another soldier, only to be cut off when a blurred object zoomed past him, the gun being taken out of his hands as it did. He looked to see six of his comrades lose their weapons in the same fashion in the blink of an eye.

The blur came to a stop, the young blue-clad figure holding the stolen weapons with a smile on his face. He dropped them onto the ground in a pile.

“I don’t think you’ll be needing these any longer,” he said.

From above, another figure dressed in the same costume descended to the ground. He looked at the weapons. A red beam emitted from his eyes, destroying the firearms.

“Ah! Such power. Blue Eagle and Switch the Blue Eaglet, I presume?” said Talpid.

“It seems our reputation precedes us,” said Blue Eagle. “You know who we are, so you know how powerful we are. I don’t know who you are and what you’re doing here, so would you care to enlighten me?”

Talpid laughed. “I am General Talpid. As for what I’m doing here, isn’t it obvious, Blue Eagle? I’m conquering Herald City.”

“It seems that way,” said Blue Eagle. “But it won’t work. I will give you one chance and one chance only. Cease your hostilities and leave this city.”

“A human? Threatening me? Don’t make me laugh,” said Talpid smugly. “Attack! Get them!”

Soldiers and tanks began to fire their beams at the superheroes. The pair moved out of the way as fast as they could, with Blue Eagle taking to the air and Switch doing so at superspeed.

Blue Eagle landed on top of one of the tanks.

“I hope you don’t mind if I make a few adjustments,” said, gripping the tank’s top cannon. With ease, he bent the metal cannon so that it was facing the other way. Jumping off the tank, he watched as it attempted to fire, only to explode instead.

Switch maneuvered effortlessly through the tanks’ disintegration beams. He came to a stop between two of them.

“Hey, I’m right here!” he taunted. “You couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn!”

The tanks turned to face him. They fired their beams, but he was already somewhere else before the beams even left their cannons.

Each tank found itself in the path of the other’s attack, and the two tanks exploded simultaneously.

“Nice shootin’, Tex!” mocked Switch.

Blue Eagle lifted a tank over his head as if he were lifting a moderately heavy weight. He tossed it onto another one, crushing both.

“Idiots! Get them!” yelled Talpid.

Soldiers brandishing stun rods ran towards Blue Eagle. One went down to a right cross, then another, and another. He picked up another soldier and tossed him into a group, but ten more surrounded him, pointing disintegration rays at him.

A group of soldiers aimed their guns at Switch.

“Time to make like a tree.....” he started, positioning his body to run away. He found himself not getting as far as he thought he would. His speed at run out. “......and stay right where I am, apparently. Uh, Blue Eagle?” he called, putting his hands up.

“Sorry, Switch. It looks like this army was too much for us. Too many to fight,” said Blue Eagle, also putting his hands in the air as more and more tanks surrounded him. “It looks like they’ve won this round.”

General Talpid threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, the mighty Blue Eagle and Switch were nothing for my army to handle! Victory is ours! Bind them and bring them back to the city. They’ll stand trial as representatives of humanity for crimes against the mole people!”

And so, our heroes are taken to a city hidden deep underground......

The city of mole people was located far beneath the surface of the Earth. Its buildings weren’t very tall, only one or two stories. Rather than the brick and concrete and steel of human buildings, these were made of rock and appeared more like molehills with windows. In the distance was a vast ocean of oil, holes in the rock ceiling casting rays of sunshine onto the sea of black.

In the center of the town was a large pit. It was a steep 100 feet of rock between the bottom of the put and the city above. Near the edges of the pit, a crowd had gathered. The focus of that crowd was the captive Blue Eagle and Switch, on their knees in the center of the pit and with their wrists bound behind their backs with diamond cuffs. At the head of the crowd was a mole man with ceremonial robes and an ornate staff.

“Quiet, everyone! Quiet!” said the mole man, raising his staff. “I, Chieftain Eulipot, commence this trial. Humanity stands accused of aggression towards the mole people, attempting to destroy our great civilization. Blue Eagle and Switch the Blue Eaglet stand as representatives of humanity, and will be punished as such if found guilty. Blue Eagle and Switch, how do you plead?”

“To what crimes?” asked Blue Eagle. “We’ve never done anything to you!”

“Yeah! Don’t you know it’s your troops who are running amok in our city?” added Switch.

“Because of the crimes humanity has committed against the mole people!” said Eulipot. “Tell me, do you feel warm in here?”

“No. The temperature is actually quite comfortable,” answered Blue Eagle.

“And what do you think of the way the sunlight is cast on our ocean in the distance?” asked Eulipot.

“Looks like a beautiful painting,” said Switch dryly. “What's this got to do with anything?”

“Everything! This underground city is supposed to be warmer, heated by an ocean of oil that reaches far closer than it currently does!” replied Eulipot angrily. “There isn’t supposed to be sunlight reaching the ocean, but there is now thanks to you humans and your theft of our oil! Our ecosystem is in shambles, our food supply is thrown entirely off because of you!”

“Theft of your oil?” asked Switch, a puzzled look on his face.

“He must be talking about the recent oil drilling site that was set up outside the city,” said Blue Eagle, a sudden understanding of the situation washing over him.

“So, you admit humanity’s crimes!” said Eulipot.

“Yes, but--”

“Silence!” demanded the Chieftain. “You have confessed, and so I render your verdict! Guilty! I sentence you both to death, to be carried out immediately! And the method of execution--”

Blue Eagle was the first one to hear the heaving stomping behind him. Switch heard it next, and they both turned around.

A large door opened behind them. The stomping grew louder as something large approached them. They both gasped when they saw what that something was.

It was huge. About four stories tall. With long whiskers, beady eyes, and razor sharp teeth and claws. It let out a loud roar.

“--you will be feasted upon by the GIANT MOLE RAT!”

In the office of the Chief of Police.......

“Yes, Mr. Mayor, my officers have been losing ground to these mole men,” he spoke into his desk phone. “Yes.......Yes....... They’ve assumed control of large parts of the city....... I don’t know where Blue Eagle is. Eyewitness accounts say...... Yes....... That’s going to be very......... I understand........”

He hung up the phone and sighed. He looked up at the officer that came to brief him.

“Any word, Lieutenant?”

“None, Chief. No sign of Blue Eagle or Switch.”

“Well, we need to find them,” said the Chief. “That was the mayor on the phone. He just got off the phone with the President. The Army is going to be here in a few hours to fight back against the mole men.”

“That’s great, sir!”

“No, it’s not!” the Chief shot back. “If the Army goes up against these mole men, we’ll have two armies fighting it out in the middle of the streets! It will be chaos and destruction! That’s why we need to find Blue Eagle and Switch. If anyone can put a stop to all this, it’s them.”

And in a city deep underground, the Father-Son Duo is dealing with a crisis of their own......

The mole rat strode towards Blue Eagle and Switch, growling menacingly. The pair struggled to break free of their bonds, but to no avail.

“Darn it! We’re sitting ducks!” said Switch. “Can you break free?”

“No luck! Even my strength is not enough,” said Blue Eagle. Suddenly, his eyes lit up with inspiration. “Switch! Have you activated your powers?”

“No, but I don’t know what good any of it will do,” said Switch. “If you can’t break out with your strength, then I won’t be able to break out of mine.”

“No, don’t activate superstrength,” said Blue Eagle.

The monster stalked closer.

“Listen to me, Switch, we don’t have much time. I need you to lay on your stomach and activate your invulnerability. I’ll take it from there.”

“Got it!”

As ordered, Switch lay on his stomach, his invulnerability activated. Blue Eagle took to the air, flying high above the spectators, then stopped and lined up his body with Switch’s.

“Here goes! I hope this works!” he said, shifting his body so that his back faced towards the ground, his cuffs below his body. He propelled himself downward, accelerating and putting every ounce he could into the coming impact.

He slammed into his son with enough force to shatter a building. His cuffs made direct contact with Switch’s, and the ensuing force broke them both into pieces. Blue Eagle stood up, dusting himself off. Switch did the same; his invulnerability ensured he was never in any danger.

“Good thinking, Blue Eagle,” said Switch. “You really—whoa!”

The mole rat grabbed the young hero mid-sentence.

“Hey, put me down, you overgrown hamster!” yelled Switch.

The monster snarled at the boy, then slammed him to the ground with incredible force. Picking Switch up again, it threw him directly into the rock wall with enough force to kill a person instantly.

Switch’s body slid about fifty feet to the ground. He immediately got up and dusted himself off.

“Hey, watch it!” he said. “I’d hate to see you do that to someone who isn’t invulnerable!”

“I think it’s time to tame this beast,” said Blue Eagle, flying directly at its face with both fists out.

The creature roared in pain as Blue Eagle’s fists collided with its nose. Four punches later, and the creature was unconscious.

“That takes care of that,” he said.

He floated back to the ground. Wrapping his arm around Switch’s waist, he flew the two of them up to Chieftain Eulipot.

“By the gods, you’ve overcome the mole rat,” said Eulipot, whose demeanor went from shocked to defeated almost mid-sentence. “We’ve greatly overestimated you. This city and all its resources are yours. I beg you, however, to show the people of this city mercy.”

“Buddy, you’ve got it all wrong. We don’t want to harm you. We only want peace,” said Switch.

“Is that true?” asked Eulipot in disbelief.

“We had no idea that your city was down here, or that drilling for the oil had such adverse effects,” said Blue Eagle. “Our society uses oil as a power source, but we don’t want to have such destruction take place as a result. Switch and I have great influence, and we can make sure that the drilling operations cease and the oil is returned to you, but you must recall your army from Herald City.”

“It seems we made a grave mistake. So much needless destruction for nothing,” said Eulipot sadly. “Yes, I am ready to accept peace. However, General Talpid will never accept peace, and even if I command him to stand down, he will continue to fight. He wouldn’t believe you or the rest of your people. He craves destruction and vengeance.”

“Then how do we stop him?” asked Switch.

“Unless you can direct his energies elsewhere, you’ll have to force him to surrender. But our army is very powerful. Even your might may not be enough,” said Eulipot.

“Defeating him won’t be a problem,” said Switch. “If an army has taken over Herald City, our country, the United States will get involved. If the Army comes in, I doubt the general will be able to do much against it.”

“And that’s the problem. He’ll fight Uncle Sam in the streets of Herald City. Imagine the destruction,” said Blue Eagle.

Switch gasped. “You’re right! And if the Army is going to be called in, we won’t have much time to act! How can we get Talpid to stand down before they get to the city?”

“Switch, you get to the Chief. Make sure he understands the situation. If any sort of counterattack is being prepared, I want it to wait until we are absolutely out of all other options,” said Blue Eagle. “I’ll handle General Talpid.”

In the streets of Herald City, now controlled by the Mole Militia.....

The Mole Militia soldiers and tanks patrolled the streets of Herald City. They’d taken the entire city hours ago, and now stood at the ready for the coming counterattack.

A soldier approached General Talpid.

“Sir! The human army is gathering outside the city limits! They are preparing to invade and take back the city!”

“Is that so? Excellent,” said Talpid. “I look forward to showing them the strength of the Mole Militia!”

“Not today, General!” came a voice from the sky. “This war is over and we’ve come to a peaceful understanding!”

Blue Eagle flew down, landing in front of Talpid. He stood with his hands on his hips, a stern look on his face as he glared at the mole general.

“You! How did you--?”

“We spoke to Chieftain Eulipot. He understands that humanity did not know about your existence and meant no harm,” said Blue Eagle. “We have come to an agreement and he orders you to stand down!”

“Chieftain Eulipot? Bah! I don’t take orders from that coward!” hissed Talpid. “He’d have probably let you destroy every last one of our people if you asked him firmly enough. Now, Blue Eagle, it’s time for you to be destroyed!”

He raised his gun at the superhero.

“I don’t have time for this,” said Blue Eagle impatiently. He took the disintegration ray out of Talpid’s hand and twisted it into a pretzel. He handed it back to the shocked general. “Now, listen to me. On my way over here, I saw that the United States Army was on its way. I understand you like to fight to the bitter end, but they will destroy you, and they will cause great destruction to this city in the process. It’s time to end this before it gets out of control.”

Talpid laughed. “Your idle threats don’t scare me, superhero. I’ll destroy you, and then I’ll destroy them. All troops--”

“Wait!” yelled a voice from above. Switch flew down and stood next to his father. “Blue Eagle, I spoke to the Chief! He and the mayor were able to get the Army to stand down for the time being. They recognize that this was all a misunderstanding and that there’s no reason to fight!”

“You see, General?” said Blue Eagle. “Both sides are ready for peace. Even the army you’re so desperate to prove your superiority over isn’t willing to play your games!”

“What!? But.....but you attacked us! You stole our resources! You ravaged our ecosystem! How could you just walk away now!?” roared Talpid in anger. “My army demands an enemy to combat! Even if it was all an accident as you claim, the damage you caused demands just retribution!”

“There’s more. When the Army was doing reconnaissance, they saw the oil drilling site that caused this entire mess,” said Switch. “And it’s not abandoned. There’s someone there, siphoning off the oil right now. We know her very well; she’s a troublemaker and she really likes plants.”

Blue Eagle smiled, turning back to Talpid. “General, you say that you desire retribution against those stealing what’s yours. If there was someone right now taking advantage of the situation, stealing your oil while you’re focusing on us, would focusing on this person satisfy you?”

“I’m listening,” said Talpid.

At the oil drilling site outside of Herald City.....

“Is the tanker almost full?” demanded Queen Venus, observing the fuel hose that connected the oil tanker to the terminal it drew the oil from.

“Sure is, boss,” said Willie. “Shouldn’t be more than a few minutes.

“Good,” said the supervillain. “We should still have some time left, but I don’t want to take any chances. Frankie’s tanker is full, and he’s gathered all the oil drums we need. We’ll have this oil in barrels and ready to sell for a huge markup in no time!”

A low rumbling came from the distance.

“What is that sound?” wondered Queen Venus, looking around. Suddenly she saw the source of it. “Oh no! They’re back already? It’s too soon!”

The Mole Militia entered the quarry, its soldiers and tanks making a beeline directly for Queen Venus.

“Mole Militia! Attack!” ordered General Talpid, leading his troops from the front.

“Frankie! Willie! Leave the oil! It’s time to run!” said Queen Venus, running away.

“Wait for us, boss!” cried the henchmen, running away in fear.

From a safe vantage point, Blue Eagle and Switch watched in amusement as Queen Venus and her henchmen ran from the angry mole men.

“It seems like Queen Venus is going to have to go underground for a little while,” said Switch, as he and Blue Eagle laughed at her misfortune.

The hilarious sight of the evil supervillain—in all her regal clothing—running away from an army of angry mole men with her arms stretched out before her while her idiotic henchmen did the same was a memory they would have and treasure for a long, long time.