Huam Torch
#5:

In his long and distinguished career as a costumed crime fighter, it has never ceased to amaze Jim Hammond that the criminals find new and different levels of depravity. In his short time back from years of inactivity*, the Human Torch has seen this become increasingly apparent to him. The Torch finds himself in a canister filled with a strange liquid that prevents him from busting into flames. Surrounding his canister are the man named Effigy, who the Torch believes to be behind the recent attacks, the ethereal villain named Apparition, and the new Asbestos Lady. The Torch realizes that he is in a lab, and recognizing some familiar lab equipment, but can’t place where he has seen it before. As he watches his captor gloat in his apparent victory, the Human Torch’s mind wanders at what he can hope to accomplish by terrifying a helpless woman. He shakes his head in disgust.

"You’re an android too, eh?" the Human Torch asks, while rising his head slightly above the liquid that has prevented him from bursting into flames. The canister has speakers built into it that allow him to speak and be heard by those outside the canister. "I suppose that explains your total lack of humanity—in terrifying a helpless woman with your antics." The Torch can’t help but wonder, however, what the android meant when he called the Torch "father".

"Don’t be vain, ‘father’," Effigy remarks coldly, as he walks up to the canister holding the Torch. "As I told you, were are much the same. You are merely inhibited by your lack of imagination, and your inability to put aside your emotions in order to achieve your objectives."

"Don’t kid yourself," the Torch counters, noticing the speaker directly beneath his stomach, realizing it was placed there to provide Effigy the opportunity to gloat about his imagined superiority. "Although you’re an android too, you certainly aren’t devoid of emotions...and have plenty of the same cruelties I’ve often seen in humans." The Torch notices that Apparition is floating behind Effigy, and Asbestos Lady has her hand on her hip, looking on with some measure of impatience.

"What’s the point of this, Effigy?" Asbestos Lady asks, irritated. "Why don’t we just kill him and be done with it?"

Annoyed, Effigy turns around with surprising speed, grabbing Asbestos Lady by the throat and effortlessly lifting her with one arm, as he glares at her, his eyes seeming to burn through her terrified face. "You have forgotten your place, Asbestos Lady!" Effigy scolds her. "I am in charge of this operation, and I am in charge of what we do...and when. If you have a problem with that, perhaps I should just kill you now before you grow to be more of an annoyance than you have already become!" He looks at her with fiery intensity, as she gasps for air. "You cannot imagine how long I have waited for this opportunity. In your young years, you cannot comprehend what it means to be completely immobile for decades, waiting to be reborn...and to take vengeance where it is long overdue!" Effigy holds her closer to him for a moment, and she can feel the heat radiating from his body. "Do we have an understanding...or should I just snap your frail neck now?"

"Yes...(gasp)...," Asbestos Lady manages, though her voice is barely audible through her gasps. "We do..."

Effigy drops Asbestos Lady to the ground, where she falls, and crawls away, as she continues to gasp for air into her aching lungs. He shows no concern for this fact, however, and turns to face the Torch once again.

"You will have to forgive the untimely interruption," Effigy comments coldly. "Subordinates must be reminded that they are subordinates from time to time, wouldn’t you agree?"

Ignoring the question, not wanting to play the familiar game on Effigy’s terms, the Torch instead looks through the liquid preventing his escape. "You called me ‘father’..." he remarks, curious to know why the villain has chosen that particular term.

"Ah yes," Effigy remarks, as Asbestos Lady struggles to her knees behind him. Apparition looks on, as if he wants to help her up, but chooses not to do so. "Perhaps you are right. Perhaps the more appropriate term would be ‘brother’, even though I was cast from your mold, so to speak...even from some of your tissue. But, we do have a common creator, do we not? The same ‘father’?"

"Are you suggesting that you were also created by Professor Horton?" the Torch asks, obviously surprised by Effigy’s comments. "We both know that’s not the case, don’t we? I was his only creation!"

"Arrogance," Effigy remarks. "You have learned quite a bit from the humans, haven’t you?" He walks over to the glass container, tapping it with his index finger. "Do you believe for an instant that a professor so intent on creating life would stop after his first failure?" Effigy is pleased to see that the Torch doesn’t care for the description. He smiles with satisfaction for a moment, then continues. "You may recall that you burst into flames with first contact with oxygen, and the professor’s contemporaries were able to convince him to entomb you in concrete.*"

"Yes, vaguely..." the Torch concedes. He doesn’t want to say too much about that, as his recollection of his initial birth is very sketchy. Professor Horton did not allow him to remain in contact with oxygen for long periods of time, and the time before he was entombed is only a series of images to the Torch.

"Afterwards, you burst free of your confinement, due to a slow leak in the container, which allowed only a minute amount of oxygen to enter...but sufficient for you to free yourself of your concrete tomb**," Effigy relates, while pacing in front of the Torch, who looks on.

"Yes, yes," the Torch replies, growing irritated. He is very aware of these events, and what followed, but he can feel his temper starting to flare unconsciously. He doesn’t appreciate the "history lesson" when he is waiting for answers to his questions. "I’m well aware of those things!"

"I see your famous ‘hot temper’ is re-surfacing," Effigy says, mockingly. The Torch’s anger is allowing him to manipulate the situation, and this pleases him. Behind him, Asbestos Lady has made her way to her feet, although she is leaning against a counter, still trying to catch her breath. "That same temper that caused you to incinerate Hitler."*

"Thanks for the help!" Asbestos Lady says sarcastically to Apparition, as she shoots an icy glare in his direction.

"Any time," Apparition replies with the same level of sarcasm. "Did she really think I would go against the boss?" he thinks, shaking his head. "He’s shown me he can counter my powers. I don’t take any unnecessary chances...like she does!"

"I see you’ve studied my history," the Torch responds, trying to re-gain his temper. "But, that still doesn’t answer my question."

"Of course," Effigy remarks coldly. "When you were first entombed, Professor Horton was not content to give up on his dream of creating life. At that time, he had given up on hopes that you would fulfill his dream. After all, you were entombed for months...a danger to humanity with your seemingly uncontrollable flame powers...!"

The Torch’s face reflects his pensive expressions. He doesn’t like to think back on those times. He feels as if a large part of his life was taken away from him because of his creator’s fears of his flame powers.

"It was during this time that Professor Horton began work on his second creation," Effigy continues. "He started working on me with tissue samples taken from you before you were entombed, and was working on me until your dramatic re-appearance." Effigy stops for a moment, looking behind the glass at his "brother". "Of course, I don’t remember this, as I was still in the formative stages at the time. Your return stopped my development, and allowed the good professor to return to his hope of working with you, until you left him once and for all, after displaying your new-found control over your powers."

"He intended to use my flame powers for his own personal profit!" the Torch interjects. "I had enough of that, and wanted to make my own way in the world."

"Yes, but the professor did not abandon his designs of creating life," Effigy continues, turning his back on the Torch, as he walks towards a table with lab equipment, his hands clasped behind his back. "It was at that time that he deigned to continue work on me. It took several months, but he completed me at the height of your career."

"I don’t understand," the Torch replies. "I never heard about this before!"

"Of course not!" Effigy shoots back defensively, as he whirls around to face the Torch once more, anger flaring in his eyes. "Like yourself, I frightened the good professor as well...although for a different reason. It seems that he did not approve of the way I viewed humans as my inferiors...himself included, of course."

"And then you got the same treatment I got when I first arrived," the Torch comments, running his hand along the small holes in the tube that allow sound to travel back and forth through the speakers.

"That would have been merciful," Effigy replies, anger showing in his face. "No, at the time you were entombed, your consciousness had not fully developed. You were put in stasis for a few months, unaware of what was going on around you. I, on the other hand, was entombed, while being fully aware of my surroundings, but unable to do anything to change my conditions. My body was inert, but my mind was fully active."

In a land beyond time and space, the self-appointed master of time sits on his throne, watching with great interest the events transpiring between Effigy and the Human Torch. Behind him, cloaked in shadows, is a man who looks to be in his 30s, with dark black hair. He isn't wearing a shirt, and appears to be in excellent physical shape.

"The Torch has learned a great deal already," Immortus comments, as the mists of time float around him. "But there are things of which even Effigy is unaware."

"Why are you so interested in the Torch?" the shadowed figure asks, while his body twitches.

"Ah, the Torch and I have a history," Immortus proclaims. "I allowed the Avengers to believe, for a time, that he was actually the Vision, when I knew this not to be the case.* It served my purposes for a time. They later discovered the truth...to some extent...when the Human Torch returned.** I have not finished with the Torch yet."

"The time has come, though, for you to do what you were brought here to do," Immortus states, while turning to face the shadowed figure. "Do not try to resist. When I pulled you here, I gained complete control over you. Despite your efforts to remain in isolation, you will serve your role, as everyone who has ever walked the Earth must do when Immortus calls to them!"

Under the streets of Berlin, is a dark bunker, filled with rubble that has remained in place since the dark days of World War II. Support beams lay across the remnants of buildings that once had a significant military purpose, long since lost in the mists of time.

In this bunker, untouched for over five decades, are the first signs of movement since early 1945. Rustling sounds can be heard as the rubble starts to stir, rolling under the support beams. The rustling slowly builds into sounds of impact, as rubble starts to fly in different directions, as movement continues under the rubble.

Suddenly, one of the support beams is forced upward, and rubble tumbles away from it, landing on the ground beneath it—revealing a powerful figure of a man, who has forced his way up from beneath the rubble, and is holding the massive, several-ton support beam over his head with little exerted effort.

Although the area is still cloaked in heavy darkness, additional movement can be seen beneath the rubble, as the first figure continues to hold the support beam above his head, allowing for the others to crawl out from under the rubble.

"What happened?" one of the figures asks. Her voice is that of a woman, and her blond hair seems to shine through the darkness. "Where are we?"

"I don’t know," another of the figures replies, as he pulls himself out of the rubble. Although smaller than the figure holding the support beam, he has a powerful build, although his face is hidden behind a mask. "The last thing I remember was an explosion." He pulls up a younger-looking figure from the rubble. "Be careful, Tim."

"Thanks, Jack." The last figure to emerge from the rubble is cloaked by the shadows, but is wearing a full-face mask. "We were all trapped here during that explosion," he comments, as he and the others move away from the support beam, crawling across the rubble. "But one thing is for sure: we have a mission to perform, and we can’t let anything stand in our way!"

Meanwhile, we find that the Human Torch is still listening intently to Effigy’s explanation of who he is. The thought that someone who was created in the same fashion—and apparently with the same tissue—could be so different, so frighteningly brutal, sends chill bumps up the back of the Torch’s neck. At the same time, he can’t help but feel empathy—and sympathy—for his android "brother", who had been trapped longer even than he had been, and was aware of every moment of it.

"I can only imagine..." the Torch offers.

"No one can imagine!" Effigy counters angrily, raising his voice in a manner that cause Apparition and Asbestos Lady to involuntarily step back. "Lying there, buried alive, unable to move the slightest muscle in your body, but able to be completely aware of your surroundings...! Hell has many tortures, as I understand it, but I do not think any could have been worse than that!"

"But, you managed to escape...?" the Torch asks, his curiosity growing at Effigy’s story. "I’d like to learn as much about Effigy as I can before I break free of this tube," the Torch thinks to himself. "And I know just how to do it."

"Yes, with help," Effigy admits. "However, all of those years allowed me plenty of time to think, to concentrate on how to focus my android powers, to utilize them to their fullest...and to plan on what to do when I am free. As I told you before, there are many possibilities. All it requires is imagination."

Suddenly, a large explosion is felt that rocks the laboratory, sending Apparition and Asbestos Lady flying back. Apparition uses his powers to "phase through" solid objects, but Asbestos Lady is not so fortunate. She hits her head against a table and falls to the ground, unconscious. Effigy, too, is blown back several feet by the force of the explosion, but he manages to stay on his feet.

The lab is a shambles of broken equipment and furniture. Smoke is emanating from the shattered tube that once contained the Human Torch. Effigy looks around, seeing his "brother" standing in front of the remnants of the tube that once held him, his body covered in flames, and levitating slightly above the ground, almost involuntarily. Small fires have started in the room, and Apparition rushes for the fire extinguisher, trying to put them all out before they cause a much more significant problem.

"Speaking of freedom...!" the Torch comments. Although his fiery form contains no real face, if it did, it would be wearing a look of satisfaction, and his voice reflects his mood.

"But, how...?" Apparition asks, shocked, as he phases through the table that he found himself under after the explosion.

"Your canister was equipped with another ‘slow leak," the Torch explains. "When I noticed that there were speakers, allowing a two-way communication, I knew there was a way out—a small amount of oxygen, but enough to allow me to burst into flames." The Torch looks over at Effigy, smiling, as the villain faces him with a sinister sneer. "Don’t feel bad, though. I did give you plenty of time to gloat and boast, didn’t I?"

"Very good," Effigy comments, nodding his head, as if pleased with his "brother’s" display. "I had hoped that your time among the humans had not completely ruined your ability to use your imagination. After all, what challenge would there be in that?"

"I’ll give you plenty of ‘challenge’, you lunatic!" the Torch exclaims, quickly leaping the distance separating them. Before he realizes what is happening, he is holding Effigy up by one hand, sparks shooting from his eyes, as his temper once again takes control of his actions. "You’ve tormented a defenseless woman...all for a challenge?!"

"She was merely a means to an end, ‘brother"," Effigy calmly reflects, while looking back at the Torch, seemingly unimpressed with his anger. "She was never my objective...you were! Besides, all is not as it seems with her."

"What’s that supposed to mean?" the Torch responds sharply, letting loose his grip on Effigy, as the villain slowly levitates back to the ground. "Not that anything you have to say to me will stop me from doing just what Professor Horton did with you decades ago!"

"Really?" Effigy asks, gesturing behind the Torch. "Perhaps this will change your mind."

As the Torch slowly turns, his expression becomes one of complete shock, as he turns to face a very familiar black-haired man, dressed only in a pair of dark trunks. Although he appears to be a few years older than he remembers (looking to be in his early 30’s by the Torch’s estimation), there can be no mistake. The Torch knows that he is looking at his former partner...

"TORO!" the Torch exclaims.

Now, about this issue. As everyone knows, Barry wrote #1-4 of this series, getting it off the ground before he left. He set in place the events of this issue, and the new characters shown here—Effigy, the new Asbestos Lady, and Apparition—are not mine, but his. And, while I’m sure I’m writing these characters differently than he would have, I hope that everyone enjoys my take on them. I wasn’t sure where he was going with Effigy, but the origin I gave him in this issue is something that I’ve had running through my head for several years now, although with some alterations here and there. I certainly hope that everyone enjoys the story to come, particularly since they’ve had to wait so long for it. Needless to say, I am very eager to hear everyone’s comments regarding this issue. I can be reached at jx2melton@aol.com. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to voice them. I will be running a letters page in this comic, and will print your letters unless you ask me not to do so.