Scent of Rose Petals, The (Short Story)

The Scent of Rose Petals is a short story in the Just Cause Universe. It appears in The Good Fight 4: Homefront and JCU Omnibus Vol. 1. The story is told from the point of view of Stanley, reflecting on his brief relationship with Lady Athena.

Characters

 * Lady Athena - A superhero with American Justice
 * Maxwell G. Jackson III - Bank manager of First Federal Bank and Trust
 * Mrs. Tidwell - A landlady who rents to Stanley
 * Stanley - A bank guard from Pennsylvania

Summary
February, 1946

New York City, New York

Six men attempt to rob the First Federal Bank and Trust on Bleecker Street. Stanley, a bank guard, is unarmed at the insistence of the bank manager. He lies on the floor with the others when the robbers order him to. Lady Athena arrives and orders the robbers to give up their firearms. One of the robbers fires his machine gun at her and she deflects the bullets into the ceiling so that a piece of masonry falls upon his head. The others surrender without a fight.

Stanley asks Lady Athena to the movies and she accepts. The two go on several dates and their relationship stretches into the summer.

Next Summer

Lady Athena introduces Stanley to her "family", by which she means American Justice (Dr. Danger, Colt, Flashpoint, Kid Crash, White Knight, and John Q. Public). They are interrupted by a request from the mayor to help with a situation. Stanley listens to the radio broadcast of the incident. American Justice fights a giant robotic dinosaur in the diamond district. The heroes manage to defeat the robot. At the end of the fight, John Q Public pursues a man who's stolen a case of diamonds. The thief shoots and kills John Q.

The robot, constructed by The Tyrant, was a diversion. While American Justice fought it, he and his cronies stole two million dollars worth of paintings. The FBI investigates the heroes, suspecting they may have been involved.

After John Q's funeral, Athena admits she loves Stan, but that they can't be together anymore.