#12
JANUARY, YEAR 5
“Old Time Week!”
WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE: The
Human Torch defeated the son of the notorious Fiddler in France. Meanwhile,
there have been mysterious appearances of Golden Age heroes, who have been
subsequently captured.
In the executive offices of Oracle, Inc., Jim Hammond sits at his desk, trying to sort through a seemingly endless supply of paperwork. He runs his right hand through his hair, as he sifts through the paperwork with his left.
“You’d
think I could hire an assistant to go through all of this paperwork!” Jim muses silently. “It’s no wonder Namor put me
in charge of this company—although why he thought I’d be good at this is beyond
me! I thought he was doing me a favor, but this is just one of his ways of
getting the last word from all of our feuds.”
Just then, his receptionist walks into the office, after a short knock. “Mr. Hammond, sir…,” she offers, holding a small slip of paper in her hand. “I didn’t want to bother you, but you had some visitors downstairs.”
“Visitors?” Jim asks, surprised. He looks up at her, and she
involuntarily takes a step back, worrying that she did the wrong thing.
“I’m
sorry, Mr. Hammond,” she says with regret. “I know that you’re a busy man, and
I shouldn’t have even bothered you with this. I know you can’t take anyone
without an appointment, and I shouldn’t have bothered you with this,” she
continues to ramble, as she steps back to the door, not looking back. “It’s
just that they have been very persistent and said they’ve known you for---I
know this sounds ridiculous, because you’re not that old—but fifty years. I wasn’t sure what you wanted
me to do about it, sir, but I should have just told security to take care of
it, and…”
“Fifty
years?” Jim asks, looking at her, and realizing how nervous she is.
“Yes,
I know…”she starts.
Jim
puts his hand up to cut her off. “What are their names?” he asks. “How many of
them are there?”
“Oh,”
she is surprised, not expecting this. She looks down at the list. “Well, I only have one name, but they’re
strangely dressed.”
“Strangely
dressed?” he asks, looking up at her, becoming more interested in what she has
to say. “What do you mean? I think everyone in this city is strangely
dressed!”
Despite
herself, the young receptionist smiles. This is the first time she has ever
heard her somber boss make a joke. Being from a small Iowa town, she can relate
to what he’s saying. She’s thought it herself. “Well, sir, that’s true,” is all
she can manage.
“I
think I know who they might be,” Jim offers. “Send them on up.”
“Okay,
sir,” she agrees, and turns to leave, having some measure of difficulty hiding
her surprise that he agreed to see these visitors.
“Hold
on,” Jim says, stopping her at the door. She turns around to face him.
“Yes,
sir?” she asks, looking at her boss with interest.
“Have
you looked through all of this mail and paperwork?” he asks.
“Oh,
no, sir,” she replies sheepishly. “I wouldn’t dare go through your stuff. I just
put it on your desk.”
“What’s
your title, exactly?” Jim asks.
“Well,
I’m a receptionist,” she replies, not sure where this is going, but getting nervous once again.
“Now,
if you were an executive assistant, you’d do things like that right—sort out the
mail, make sure that it goes where it’s supposed to go, go through the
paperwork and see to it that these
things are handled properly?”
“I
suppose so, sir,” she responds, still unsure of what he is getting at, but
wondering if this is going to be good news or bad news. “I mean, I’d do
whatever you told me to do.”
“How
would you like to be my executive assistant then?” Jim asks bluntly.
“Would
I…?” she asks, excitedly. “I mean, that would be great, sir.”
“Good
then,” Jim replies. “As soon as you get my visitors up here, go through this
paperwork. You can start right now.”
“Oh,
okay, sir,” she says, quickly going through the door, smiling broadly as she
goes. “And mama said I couldn’t make it in the big city!” she thinks to
herself, shaking her head.
Lake Blue Ridge in Fannin County, Georgia sits under the
Blue Ridge Mountains. Its beautiful blue water hosts jet skiing and boat rides
in the summer. This late in the season, only residents can be found amid the cool morning air.
As the Blue Ridge Mountains rise in the background, two elderly men fish from their boat on Lake Blue Ridge, braving the early morning cold and the wind from the cold January waters. They come here frequently for the relaxation of fishing on the lake, where they can be far away from business—and (if the truth be known) from nagging wives. Today, however, this peace will be disturbed in a way this community has never known.
Suddenly,
from the middle of the lake, 300 feet from the elderly fishermen’s boat, a
costumed figure’s head emerges from the cold blue water. On his head is a
fin-shaped mask. He throws his head back, as his head breaks free from the icy
water.
The
figure swims across the water, drawing surprised looks from the fishermen, who
cannot understand how a man can suddenly appear—much less swim in such cold
water without collapsing from hypothermia. However, if any of this bothers this
figure, he makes no sign of it. And, he swims far better than anyone they have
ever seen.
Noticing
the two fishermen in their boat, the figure swims quickly over to their wooden
boat, placing his hands on the side of the boat, as the two fishermen look
down, stunned.
“Where
am I?” the figure asks, looking at one of the fishermen. He has white stubble
on his face, and is wearing a flannel shirt, with a waterproof parka. The
fisherman looks down at him with surprise.
“How
are you doing that?” the fisherman asks, stunned that the man in the water is
not winded—or freezing to death.
“Doing
what?” the man in the water asks.
“You
must be one of those super-hero types,” the fisherman comments. “But, you don’t
know where you are?”
“No,
I don’t,” the figure in the water responds.
“You’re
on Lake Blue Ridge, “ the fisherman responds simply.
“The
Blue Ridge Mountains?” he asks rhetorically. He brings up his right hand, which
brandishes a magical sword, glimmering with energy.
“Whoa!”
the second fisherman says aloud, eyeing the sword disdainfully. “Whatever you
want, buddy, you don’t need that to get it! We ain’t got much—just about
ten or twelve fish total, but…!”
“No,
you don’t understand…” the figure attempts to explain.
He
is unable to do so. For, suddenly, a surge of electricity cascades across the
water, electrifying everything along the surface of the water. The two fishermen
collapse into the water, dead. Fish swimming near the surface float along the
surface, also dead. And the figure in the water floats along the surface,
unconscious.
Waiting
on the shore is a figure in a trenchcoat, only his boots showing. The figure in
the water—the Fin—floats to his feet, covered with boots with lightning streaks
along their sides.
He
pulls out a small communicator, as he kneels down to ensure that the Fin is
alive. “Shocker to base. Mission accomplished,” he says into the communicator.
“Bring us in.”
Meanwhile, in the executive boardroom of Oracle, Inc., Jim Hammond is meeting with Challenger, Fiery Mask, Silver Scorpion, Captain Wonder, and Tim—all dressed in civilian attire, albeit civilian attire that one would expect to be worn in the mid-1940’s. As Jim walks in the door and sees his friends there, he nods his head and smiles.
“Oh,”
he muses, “that strange clothing.”
“Am
I missing something?” Challenger asks, perplexed that he is getting only half
of a story that seems to include him.
“Nothing
important,” Jim responds. “But, what brings you to Oracle, Inc.?”
“We
wanted to discuss some important findings with you, Jim,” Captain Wonder says,
stepping forward. As he does so, the civilian attire that all of the heroes
wears fades away, revealing their costumes.
“What?”
Jim asks, surprised by the sudden change.
“A
cloaking device,” Challenger responds nonchalantly. “I was working on it prior
to our disappearance, to make covert missions less dangerous for our field
operatives in the war. It still requires some work, but it was suitable for our
purposes.”
“Okay,”
Jim replies. He has come to realize that, working with people like Challenger
and Mr. Fantastic, their inventions are best taken in stride. Too many questions
invite long explanations—and there is always a case of knowing too much.
“The
women’s clothes sure have changed a lot,” Tim comments, smiling. “Not that I’m
complaining.”
“Let
no one doubt that’s a healthy teenage boy,” Silver Scorpion comments to Fiery
Mask, who merely nods, smiling in agreement.
“Captain
Wonder and I have been working on technology to locate friends from the
forties,” Challenger explains.
“I
can understand that,” Jim nods. “Have you gotten up with Steve—Captain
America—yet?”
“Not
at this point,” Challenger replies. “We have been working out of a bunker of
mine in Arizona that we have also been refurbishing into something of a
headquarters for us.”
“A
regular home away from home,” Silver Scorpion chimes in mockingly. After an icy
stare from Challenger shot her way, she sits down against the table, and
gestures her arms forward, motioning for Challenger to continue unabated.
“Getting
back to this machinery you were talking about,” Human Torch interjects. “How
can you track the heroes from the 40’s?”
“It’s
simple, really,” Challenger starts to explain. Tim rolls his eyes and shakes
his head, regretting that the question was asked, and that he’ll have to sit
through another long-winded scientific explanation. He looks at Fiery Mask, who
nods in agreement. The two then walk over to a window, where they can look out
over the skyline beneath the office. “Before we...disappeared, I was amassing a
data base of super-powered heroes from the time.”
“I
didn’t know such technology existed at the time, to construct a data base like
that,” the Human Torch responds.
“Oh,
the technology we were working with was primitive compared to modern standards,
I’m certain,” Captain Wonder replies, nodding his head. “However, I must say
that Challenger was years ahead of his time in the miniaturization of
computers. Our biggest problem is having to re-adjust to the modern technology
and re-learn all those decades of progress.”
“All
right, you too,” Silver Scorpion interjects. “I’m sure Human Torch doesn’t want
to hear about machines in such detail.”
“Well,
actually,” Human Torch replies with a slight smile, “I’ve been called a
‘machine’ by a few people. I guess I’ve developed a passing interest in the
subject.”
“Point
taken,” Silver Scorpion replies, surprised by his response. She decides to keep
quiet for a while.
“What
I was mainly interested in knowing is,” Human Torch continues, “how were you able to track such a data
base, and how could you identify the people you’re trying to track?”
“We
track them by their powers,” Challenger responds. “We were putting everyone
that we were aware of into the data base, according to their powers.”
“Hmm,”
Human Torch considers. “That would be a very valuable data base of
information. But there are
duplications, not just from that time, but also heroes and villains who have
come out since that time who have the same—or similar—powers.”
“That
is basically true,” Captain Wonder concedes. “That is why we have been
factoring out the ones who have appeared in future—or, I suppose it would be
modern—times. In addition, there are
also those who have no super-powers, and those we have entered through other
methods, such as DNA, when we have that information.” He then looks over at Challenger.
“There is still a lot of work that needs to be done.”
“I’m
certain there is,” Jim Hammond replies,
“and I want you to know that you can certainly use Oracle’s technology and
resources for that purpose. That data base sounds invaluable, and I’d like to
find any of our old allies that can be found.”
“While
we appreciate that, and it would be helpful to our research,” Challenger
responds. “That’s not why we came.”
“Then
what is this about?” Jim asks, surprised.
“We’ve
been monitoring the appearances of our contemporaries,” Captain Wonder
explains. “There have been quite a few appearances of them in the recent
weeks.”
“Well,
that’s no big surprise,” Jim replies. “After all, you haven’t been monitoring
this for very long, and I’m sure you expected to start finding people.”
“That’s
not the point,” Challenger responds, shaking his head. “They have all appeared
in the same basic geographic area—the Blue Ridge Mountains—and they have all
disappeared as soon as they have re-appeared.”
In a
darkened room, the Fiddler, the Black Claw, and the Shocker sit around a table,
waiting for the arrival of their ally. He enters, cloaked mainly in the
shadows. His angular, solid white eyes can be seen as he enters the room. There
is a metallic object attached to his arm, and from it pulsates energy.
“My
friends,” he remarks, entering the room. “My father has been pleased with our
progress thus far, but there is still much more to be done.”
“I will
take great pleasure in completing the remaining tasks!” the Shocker offers, as
electrical energy cascades around his fingertips.
“As
would I...!” Black Claw offers, his hand reaching out and shattering his glass,
which sends shards harmlessly onto his hand and onto the table beneath it.
“Our
goals are the same,” the Fiddler remarks. “As are our enemies.”
“Yes, I
am aware of your..enthusiasm, my friends,” the dark figure replies, a sinister
smile evident on his face, even through the darkness. “But our operatives are
in place, as Dr. Black and my father agreed. All will be ready for our
part...soon.”
END OF EPILOGUE
NEXT
ISSUE: THINGS REALLY HEAT UP, AS WE FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE MISSING
HEROES…AND JUST WHAT HUMAN TORCH AND THE BOYS INTEND TO DO ABOUT IT!
RRR FLAMING FIREBALLS RRR
Welcome
to Human Torch #12. I hope everyone hasn’t forgotten that there is such
a title. I’ll have some comments on the Golden Age heroes seen in this issue in
a moment, but first I’d like to print the letters I have for the letter’s page…
Jeff, I finished reading Human Torch #11. I enjoyed it greatly. It was neat to see a second-generation villain in the piece. I'm intrigued by what you're doing with the old Timely heroes. I hope we find out soon what their secret is. Bob Gansler
Thanks, Bob. I’m enjoying writing this title. I hope you won’t be disappointed with what I have in store.
Jeff,
Human
Torch #10 was just what this title needed - a nice, interesting down-time issue
to get the ever-expanding cast caught up and firmed up. Hey, I think I
even know the difference between Challenger and Captain Wonder now!
Speaking
of which, I'm really starting to like the GA characters. For the last few
issues, I've been so overwhelmed just trying to figure out who they were, that
I never got a chance to like them. This issue brought out their
personalities well.
Is
the Destroyer that was taken down by the Parrot in the epilogue the GA
Destroyer, or Remo Williams? Since Remo doesn't wear a
"costume" (and you stated that the Parrot slashed the guy's costume),
I assume it's the former.
Finally,
I'm glad to see you acting on the Toro/Frankie Raye connection so quickly...
however, I was under the impression (and correct me if I'm wrong, since
Frankie's first appearance is one of the Byrne FF issues I'm still missing)
that Frankie told the FF Horton was her father, and that she even gained her
original flame-based powers by helping him with certain volatile chemicals in
his lab. You've been very good so far at weaving your own continuity
(such as the suspended animation of the GA heroes) into the pre-existing stuff
(a la the final WWII Cap/Skull fight), but there are all sorts of holes here
with Frankie. Hopefully, you have a plan for addressing them.
All
in all, though, this was probably your best OHT issue to date. IMO, your
dialogue and personal interaction are stronger than your action sequences
(though there's nothing wrong with those, either). Keep up the good work,
and I'll be waiting for #11.
Russ
And
now, as promised, here is the information for the Golden Age characters that
appeared in this issue:
The
Fin (created by Bill Everett) is, in reality,
a former United States Navy lieutenant by the name of Peter Noble. In his initial
appearance, he was trapped in a sinking submarine, but discovered that he could
swim underwater, oblivious to the effects of the extreme depths. He became the
ruler or an underwater land named Neptunia. The Fin is super-strong and can
breathe underwater or (obviously) on the surface.
The
Shocker (no relation to the Spider-Man foe of
the same name) is a villain with electrical powers. He first appeared, as a
Miss America foe, in Miss America #2.
We’ll be seeing more on him in future issues.
I
hope everyone enjoyed this issue. Next issue, the storyline with the second
generation heroes continues, with more guest-stars and more answers. Don’t miss
it. And, as always, I welcome comments, questions, and suggestions at jx2melton@hotmail.com .
Jeff Melton