Unlike Vanguard, she was not immediately recognized by the bystanders, as she had only been "working" for a couple of years and seldom appeared before witnesses. Leveler, however....
    "You!" The man with the hammer spun about. "I've been waiting for you!"
    "Pleased to make your acquaintance at long last."
    "Don't think I'm not aware of the fact that you're interfered with my last four activities, whether I've seen you or not!"
    "It wasn't particularly difficult," she drawled.
    "Once I get your sidekick off my back, I'll deal with you once and for all!"
    Sidekick!? Vanguard thought, affronted. The hammer spun in a lethal arc of death as the crowd was consumed by panic, tripping over each other as they tried to get out of the way and two more men entered with shotguns waving.
    "All right, nobody move!" one yelled. "You're going to be making a donation to the equalization of society!"
    The other one took a few steps closer and shot Argus. She glanced at him as the shell glanced off the armor; he could see her smile. "And?" Leveler looked slightly concerned about this but was still swinging the hammer up in an arc above his head, aiming at Vanguard who still clung to his back; he clipped the Californian lightly, but Vanguard was already leaping free to land in an acrobatic crouch, gun in hand.
    The White Rose, features hidden behind his full-face mask, stalked in from the kitchen entrance and tossed down the two men he'd knocked out.
    "Is there some kind of convention that I neglected to receive an invitation to?" Argus inquired acerbically.
    The men who were still funneling through the front door looked at each other. Two axe handles hit the floor, and two cowardly Trotskyites disappeared into the night,
    "Leveler, we can't fight them!" one of their comrades shouted. "Run!"
    "We must fight them!" he retorted. "That is the purpose of our struggle! Argh!"
    "Feel the radio gun! For freedom!" Vanguard declaimed.
    Leveler staggered. "The transmissions of this advanced technology... tear me to my core!"
    "Most people just fall down," the hero observed. "You sound like him," He jerked a dismissive thumb toward Fitzgerald.
    "Perhaps you aren't the sidekick after all...." He turned to face Captain Vanguard.
    "Thank you."
    Argus unlimbered her custom-made Tommy gun (loaded with plastic bullets, of course). "Advanced technology my... eye," she remarked primly, her words covered by the noise of the burst. He staggered forward, nearly fell at Captain Vanguard's feet but retained his hold on consciousness by the thinnest of margins.
    "No!" he gasped. "Will not be defeated by the likes of you!"
    "Are you willing to bet?" the White Rose murmured.
    As he climbed back to his feet, Captain Vanguard punched the Leveler solidly in the jaw. The villain fell back and smashed through a table, dropping his hammer. Incredibly, he picked himself up again.
    The party attendees were evacuating through the kitchen now that the way was clear; the White Rose moved smoothly and with surprising speed toward the men with shotguns. He picked one up and threw him into the other one, sending them both into unconsciousness.
    Argus snapped a telescoping staff from its mounting in her armor and whacked the large man across the temple; he hit the floor again and this time he stayed there. His remaining men began a running retreat toward the door.
    "Don't worry, Leveler!" a straggler called. "I'll come back and—"
    Vanguard shot him with the radio gun. "Are you all right, sir?" he asked the maitre d'.
    "Yes. Thanks to you," he added worshipfully.
    "Well, I didn't do it alone."
    Argus meanwhile secured Leveler in case he should awaken before he could be taken into custody.
    "That was a good shot," Vanguard said to her. "Hi, my name is Captain Vanguard, I don't think we've met."
    "I don't believe I've had the pleasure." Of course, she had heard of the hero; he appeared to enjoy a high public profile and an enviably cordial relationship with the Los Angeles police. "I'm Argus."
    "Wasn't there someone else fighting with us?" He turned and surveyed the room; there was no sign of the third mask, but there was a white rose on one of the unconscious men.
    Although his profile was low to nonexistent, Philadelphia was close enough that Argus knew of this one as well, and in fact had a list of possible identities for him, though she had no idea what he might be doing in Boston.
    Nigel should be calling the police just about now—time for me to make my exit, she thought, Nigel being her right-hand man since before she had taken on the Argus name. "The Eyes of Argus are watching," she told the maitre d' on her way out.
    "Is everyone all right? Mother, are you all okay?" Fitzgerald was asking as they left. "Is everyone here?"
    "I can't see Augustus anywhere!" the starlet exclaimed.
    "I'll be in town for another day or two," Captain Vanguard told his ally of the moment. "If anything else should happen," he handed her a card, "give me a call on this radio frequency."
    "Of course," She watched him sprint away, bemusedly. My, what a dazzling smile.
    
    

    Inside, Augustus poked his head out of the bathroom. "Is everyone all right?"
    "No thanks to you," was his date's withering reply.
    I hate this part, he thought. Say what you like about Katherine, at least she doesn't do that. I>Of course, that's partly because she's kind of dim. "We should leave," he said out loud. "Let the police clean up."
    "Well, it looks like the party's broken up anyway."
    He resigned himself to a night alone. Shame.
    
    

    The White Rose figured that Boston's police could handle unconscious people, so he disappeared into the shadows once more. As a public service he tracked down several of the fleeing thugs and left them tied to lampposts by their shoelaces with roses in their lapels.
    

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