In the lab headquarters of Effigy, the Human Torch now finds himself face-to-face with the partner he thought lost, killed by the Mad Thinker, in one of his schemes against the Sub-mariner.* Toro slowly walks towards him, passing by Effigy, who looks on with fascination, and more than a less pleasure, at the sight that greets his eyes. Toro is wearing his black trunks. His black hair shines against the light put out by the Human Torch’s flames.

"Toro?" the Torch asks, cautiously looking on at Toro’s slow approach. He pays not attention to the movements in the room. Apparition has regained his consciousness, but still lies on the floor, groggy from the explosion that propelled the Human Torch from his prison. He puts a hand out against the leg of a table, which carries on it a variety of beakers and scientific tubes and Bunsen burners.

"Surprised to see me, Torch?" Toro asks. There is sarcasm and bitterness in his voice that cuts the Torch to the bone. The Torch did his best to raise the young lad, who was orphaned by the death of his parents in a train wreck (caused, as they later learned, by the original Asbestos Lady)*. He grew to look at Toro as the son his never had, and seeing the anger in his eyes hurts the Torch.

"Yes, I am, Toro," the Torch responds, cautiously. He notices that smoke is starting to rise from Toro’s body. Soon, small sparks show up on the surface of his body, which slowly turn to flames. "Sub-Mariner said you had died, after being duped by the Mad Thinker."

"Died?" Toro asks, mockingly, as his body is engulfed in flames. "In an explosion?! Really! I thought Namor was just respecting my privacy. I never thought he believed it himself!" Toro floats in the air, menacingly over the Torch. Effigy continues to look on with increasing amusement at the thought of the Torch and Toro preparing to fight one another. He can sense the disdain in his "brother’s" voice and movements...and it pleases him greatly to see his "brother" squirm.

The Torch floats up to meet Toro in the air. "Toro," the Torch offers. "I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I’d like to help..."

"Help?!" Toro exclaims angrily. "Ha!" With that, he sends out a powerful blow, striking the Torch in the jaw, sending him flying back. The Torch is knocked across the laboratory by the force of Toro’s blow, crashing into the table that Apparition is crouched under. Nearby, Asbestos Lady begins to stir. There is a look of relief on Apparition’s face when he realizes that the Torch hasn’t taken any interest in him, but instead flies up to meet Toro once again.

"I’ve seen the kind of help you’ve given!" Toro continues, sending fireballs in the Torch’s direction. The ones that strike the Torch cause him no harm, but many of them veer off, striking the walls and the floors, causing small fires to break out in the lab. "You abandoned me...!* Then, when you did return, did you bother to look for your old partner? NO!"**

"Yes, I did, Toro..." the Torch offers, while flying back to face Toro, who has become increasingly agitated. "I looked for you when I returned, with Namor’s help. He assured me that you had perished."

"I won’t hear your lies!" Toro exclaims, hitting the Torch with an uppercut that sends him flying across the lab once more. His flaming body smashes into the table that Apparition was crouched under, smashing it, even as the villain grabs a fire extinguisher to snuff out the flames breaking out at various spots in the lab.

"I’ve never seen Toro so enraged!" the Torch thinks to himself, as he rises from the floor, unharmed by the attack. "And, judging from his comments—and Effigy’s reaction to his being here—he seems to be under someone’s control. We’ve all done our fair share of that duty,* but I need to subdue him, talk some sense into him! I just don’t want to hurt him!"

As Apparition is scurrying about, using the fire extinguisher to insure that the small fires are put out, Asbestos Lady stirs to consciousness. She rises her head from the floor, looking around the room slowly through glazed eyes. Even through her costume, she can feel the heat generated by the two torches.

"What’s going on here?" she moans softly, as she pushes herself up to a kneeling position on the floor. She looks around, seeing Effigy floating in the air, watching the two torches battle, and Apparition’s efforts to put out the flames caused by their battle. Suddenly, she gets to her feet with renewed urgency. Still dazed, she has to prop herself up against one of the tables in the room, but her eyes widen with terror.

"Have they all lost their minds?!" she asks aloud, although her question is either not heard over the tumult around her, or goes unanswered. "There are enough explosive compounds in this room to blow us all to pieces! The Torches and Effigy might survive an explosion like that, but I certainly wouldn’t! Whoever said ‘money isn’t everything’ must have had this situation in mind!"

As Toro continues to send out fireballs at the Human Torch, the Human Torch flies towards him. "Listen, Toro...you’re being controlled! Someone wants us to fight!"

"Well, they’re going to get their money’s worth!" Toro returns, as he flies towards the Torch, tackling him in the air, the momentum from his tackle driving both torches flying through the west wall of the building, crashing down inside a small conference room...where they lay waste to a large oak table found there! The chairs around the table scatter in all directions under the impact.

"Toro’s strength and his control over flames has certainly increased with his age," Torch thinks to himself, getting to his feet. He notices that Toro has done the same...just before Toro hits him with a right cross across his face. "Ughnnn!"

"It’s about time for some payback!" Toro exclaims, as he flies towards the Torch. "I don’t guess you care what happened to me after you disappeared?"

"Of course I do, Toro," the Torch responds, while firing flame blasts at Toro to keep him back. Toro instinctively flies back somewhat. "I just want to do this without the fighting!"

"I..." Toro hesitates, looking down at his former partner for a moment, while thinking about the times they used to fight together. Then, his head seems to explode in pain, and his thoughts turn once more to what brought him here. "No, Torch!" he retorts, flying down to hit his former partner with an elbow to the face. "I won’t be tricked by your lies! You’re going down!"

"He hesitated for a moment," the Torch thinks, instinctively blocking Toro’s next blow with his forearm. "I almost got through to him. He doesn’t want to fight, but he can’t help himself. That limits my options."

"Torch, I...," Toro hesitates again, floating over the ground below. Behind them is the gaping hole created when they entered the room. As he struggles against the control exhibited over him, he says only one word, as his head jerks back in agony. "Immortus..."

"Did he say Immortus?" the Torch asks himself, as flames trail off his super-heated body. He looks at Toro sympathetically, although the Torch’s flame-covered face betrays no hint of emotion. "This is starting to make sense. Immortus controlled me in the past as well...sent me against the Avengers.* If he’s behind this, Toro cannot control his actions." He looks at his former partner, who is still struggling for control over his mind, but fighting a losing battle. "Forgive me, Toro," he says aloud, while sending a right cross to Toro’s chin, knocking him out.

As Toro falls from the sky, his flames trail off, revealing the man underneath. The Human Torch dives down, catching him in his arms. As he enters the lab once more through the hole they created earlier, he notices that Effigy is floating overhead, pleased with himself. He doesn’t pay any attention to the fact that Apparition has almost finished putting out the small fires, or that Asbestos Lady is cautiously trailing behind him.

"You’ll pay for this, Immortus!" the Torch says aloud, hoping that the master of time can hear his words.

Speaking of the self-proclaimed master of time, let us turn our attention to Limbo, where Immortus is watching the events transpiring on Earth even now, with the use of his "time windows". At his side is the Space Phantom, who is also watching intently, as the events are played out. The mists of time encircle their feet in the smoky, eerie dimension where time holds no sway.

"Things do not go well below, Immortus," the Space Phantom offers, noticing that the Torch is carrying the unconscious Toro in his arms.

"Indeed," Immortus comments, looking disdainfully at the screen, while his hands are clasped behind his back. "I did not anticipate such resistance from Toro. Not even the Torch resisted my control—and Kang’s—when he was our thrall for a time."*

"I must confess that I don’t understand your interest in the Torch," Space Phantom comments. "Even to the point of snatching his former partner a mere second out of time so that you could control him."

"I have been nurturing Toro for the moment for quite some time, however," Immortus calmly replies, looking away from the screen, and pacing back to other screen, where other timelines are displayed. To his right is a scene of the All-Winners rushing into battle against the Red Skull. To his left is another screen showing Steve Rogers accepting the oath of office as president. "He believed that his mutant powers were keeping him young—and, to an extent, this was true. However, he was unaware that I was keeping the ravages of time from affecting his entire family. Of course, I did not anticipate the appearance of this ‘Raymond’ woman, or her attachment to the Torch. That is the working of another mind."

"Still, Toro and the Torch," Space Phantom asks, walking behind Immortus, as his eyes wander to other screens. Once such screen shows the early Avengers (Giant-Man, the Wasp, and Rick Jones), all in different variations of Ironman’s armor, fighting the Hulk and Sub-Mariner, as Ironman lies on the ground beneath them. "Years of planning and plotting...of misleading the Avengers into thinking that the Torch and the Vision are the same..."

"What are years to one such as Immortus?" Immortus asks, not even bothering to look at the Space Phantom. He turns his attention instead to another screen, which shows Captain America and Bucky diving into the water after Bucky defused a missile Baron Zemo intended to send to America. "A year or a moment...they are all the same."

"But, all of your machinations have a purpose..." the Space Phantom offers. He is growing more curious, and somewhat annoyed that Immortus continues to dodge his question.

"You underestimate the importance of the Human Torch," Immortus counters, looking back briefly at the Space Phantom. He has always been annoyed with the Space Phantom, he realizes. His constant prodding, and his ambitions for more power, are amusing...but only to a certain point. Still, although he would never admit it (and certainly not to the Space Phantom), he enjoys the ability to have conversations with someone who at least partially understands his motivations. Although he has grown accustomed to the singularity of his mission, he is not above the need to talk to someone...although he considers no one his equal.

"Of course," Immortus continues, as the Space Phantom looks on, like a hungry bird waiting for a crumb, "His own creator, Professor Horton, did the same. Like Frankenstein before him, he wanted to create life. Little did he know the importance of his discovery."

"There have been many androids created," Space Phantom interjects, distracted by a screen showing a super-strong LMD fighting Captain America. "The humans at SHIELD even have numerous LMDs..."

"Bah!" Immortus casually dismisses Space Phantom’s remark. He shakes his head in amazement. "How ignorant you truly are of the truth. Do you not realize that this is an ‘android’ who has blood running through his veins? An ‘android’ sophisticated enough to control his molecules—although, unlike Effigy, he does not yet realize the extent of such control?"

"Whatever your plans for the Torch..." Space Phantom interjects, not liking Immortus’ tone. It annoys him a great deal to be talked down to in such a manner. Immortus’ sheer arrogance has always been a constant source of irritation to him, but he knows he must bide his time. "...they have failed! Toro has been defeated. All of your manipulations have been for naught!"

"No, my short-sighted friend," Immortus counters, turning his attention once more to his screen, as if the Space Phantom was beneath him, not worthy of even being looked at. He looks on at a screen that shows Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy walking down the aisle together, with a host of familiar on-lookers. "It was not my desire to see the Torch humbled by his one-time ally. The Torch, you see, has a vital role to play in the affairs of humans. His genetic code will be very significant in events to come, and as master of time, I have no desire to interfere with that process."

"Then why the subterfuge?" Space Phantom asks, almost exasperated by the elusive Immortus.

"As I have said before," Immortus comments simply, turning once more to the Space Phantom. "We have a history. Although he has a role to play in the future, he must ever be reminded of just who is pulling the strings...and just how vulnerable he is to the designs of Immortus."

Meanwhile, ‘lest we forget who is the star of this book, we turn our attention once again to Effigy’s laboratory, where we find the villainous android floating above the Human Torch, who is gently placing the unconscious form of Toro on the ground.

"Your sentimental attachment to humans defies my understanding," Effigy comments, uttering the word "humans" as though it was profane. "Our creator—the illustrious Professor Horton—sealed us both beneath the Earth for our ‘effrontery’. He also intended to use you for his own profit. You have also been captured and given that same treatment once again...buried deep under the Earth! Why do you care for humans so much? You do, of course, realize it is a great weakness?"

"Unlike you, Effigy," the Torch counters, rising into the air to meet his foe, "I have seen the other side of humans. I have fought beside people like Captain America, Bucky, Whizzer...and Toro. They have shown me that humans are not all motivated by the same things."

"Do not kid yourself, brother," Effigy retorts, watching as the Human Torch rises to face him. "All humans fear what they do not understand!"

"Then, I suppose Professor Horton made you in his image!" the Torch replies, his flames popping all along his body, as the intensity of the heat they generate increases.

"I had hoped that I would be able to recruit you to my cause," Effigy states, with some measure of disappointment. His eyes turn red, as energy permeates around them. "I see now that your time with the humans has made you soft, irrational. A pity." With that, Effigy sends out solar energy from his eyes, striking the Torch in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground, where he smashes through a table!

The sight of the Torch causes Asbestos Lady to leap out of the way, catapulting over a neighboring table. She doesn’t make the jump, however, crashing onto the table, and falling over its side. "My head is still aching from that hit I took earlier," she thinks to herself, as she leans back onto her hands, trying to clear her head. "I might have a concussion, but I’ve got to get my act together."

Meanwhile, the Torch flies up to Effigy, slamming into him, and pushing them both back through the air. Effigy hits an interior wall, sending cracks all along its surface, as the plaster cracks from the impact. "The only thing irrational is your insane hatred!" the Torch exclaims, drawing his fist back to deliver another blow to Effigy. He slams his flaming fist into Effigy’s face, jerking his head to one side. "I’ve seen it plenty of times in humans too, ‘brother’...and it was never a pretty sight!"

"How many humans have been buried alive for nearly six decades?" Effigy asks. "My distaste of humans is completely rational." He puts up his forearm, blocking the next blow from the Torch. "Your time with the humans has also greatly inhibited your imagination, Torch. Your blow, intended to knock me into unconsciousness, cannot effect me if I increase my density."

"Your powers may be different," the Torch argues, sending out a blast of fire at Effigy, "but I’ve fought all manner of foes."

"No," Effigy counters, willing his body to burst into flames, making him virtually a duplicate of the Human Torch (with the sole exception that his burning eyes can be seen through his flame-covered face). "You do not understand. Our powers are the same. I have just chosen to use them differently. You truly do not understand the scope of your abilities." Once again, Effigy sends out solar energy from his eyes, striking the Torch squarely in the mid-section. "An extension of your natural flame powers."

Effigy continues his advantages against the staggered Torch, sending out a crushing blow to the Torch’s chin, sending him flying back, smashing against a table full of chemicals, which are scattered in all directions. "As an ‘android’, you have prodigal strength," Effigy explains, "but, in your pathetic attempt to be more human, you have mentally allowed yourself to exhibit vulnerabilities that you do not truly have!"

The Torch slowly gets to his feet, rubbing his jaw. "I didn’t know I would be so rusty with my powers, after getting them back recently," the Torch thinks to himself. "One thing’s for sure, though...I don’t have time for a lesson on the use of my powers now! The way he’s going, I’m not sure I’d survive such a lesson!"

"In my time out of captivity, I have had the opportunity to read up on human history," Effigy comments. "One debacle after another, but with a common theme...fear. That is why the mutants have been persecuted for so long. And they are beneath us on the evolutionary ladder! We have a right to rule over them all, brother...embrace that destiny!"

"Apparition!" Asbestos Lady calls out, pulling herself up to her feet with the use of the table she fell from. Her eyes widen as she notices that the chemicals are scattered across the floor...precipitously close to the flames the Torch left behind.

"Yes?" Apparition replies, walking over to Asbestos Lady.

"We need to get out of here!" she exclaims nervously, gesturing to the chemicals on the floor. Apparition’s eyes wide.

"I’ve been trying to keep up with these flames, but..." Apparition starts.

"We don’t have time for that!" Asbestos Lady cuts him off sharply. "Do you know what those chemicals are? Do you know what’ll happen if the flame hits them...when the flame hits them?!

"I see your point," Apparition says, holding onto the fire extinguisher. "We’re pretty far from any occupied buildings, but that’ll probably be a pretty serious explosion." He starts to move toward the chemicals. "Let me see if..."

"Are you crazy?!" Asbestos Lady counters indignantly. "Can’t you feel the heat from their fight?! Don’t you realize that it’s only a matter of time before this whole place catches flame...and then do you think that little canister will stop the flames...much less the explosion?! Do you think your intangibility powers will save you from that?!"

"I don’t think I want to find out," Apparition replies. Putting her hand around his shoulder, the two rush for the nearest exit. "I never liked that guy anyway," he mutters under his breath.

Emerging onto the streets of Berlin are five figures. They are all wearing colorful costumes, although some of their costumes are torn and dirty. The hero known as Captain Wonder puts out his hand to pull up his partner, Tim, from the bunker that they have all recently escaped from.*

"Thanks, professor," Tim offers, getting to his feet, and brushing the dirt and dust off of his costume.

Challenger stands with the Silver Scorpion by his side, taking in their surroundings. They find themselves on the outskirts of Berlin, Germany. "I don’t think you’re going to like this," Challenger offers.

"What’s going on?" the Fiery Mask asks. His mask glowing in the early evening darkness. "This can’t be Berlin!"

"Oh, it’s Berlin all right," the Challenger responds. "I recognize some of the buildings, and of course the language."

"Yeah, it’s one of who knows how many languages you speak," Tim comments. "But I don’t understand how this could be Berlin...not with the way it’s been bombed for so long."

"Tim’s right," Silver Scorpion adds. "It was hardly standing when we went into that bunker after the Skull."

"Not just that!" Fiery Mask adds, looking around at the cars passing ahead of them on the street. "Look at those cars! They don’t look like anything I’ve ever seen before!"

"Here’s our answer," Challenger comments, gesturing down at a paper machine with the current date on the top paper of the stack. "We’ve somehow jumped ahead more than fifty years!"

"But, how is that possible?" Captain Wonder asks, his scientific curiosity piqued by this new discovery.

"I don’t know," Challenger responds, looking intently at the other heroes, who are now surrounding him, as if looking for directions. "But we’re going to find out!"

The Human Torch flies up to Effigy, who fires solar blasts in his direction—but the Torch evades them with his aerial abilities. The solar blasts strike the floor below, setting off more small fires.

"I thought your idea was to kill all humans!" the Torch quips. "Now you want to rule over them! You’re starting to sound schizophrenic to me!"

"There will certainly be those who will be purged," Effigy agrees. "But, perhaps it might amuse me to have servants...at least until the next step in the process is complete, and they can all be replaced."

The Torch looks down below, noticing the fires for the first time. "I didn’t realize the damage we were causing," the Torch thinks to himself. "I haven’t had the time to really think about it. I’ve got to get Toro out of here!"

"I’m sure they’ll just love your idea of government!" the Torch retorts. "I think you might be in for a few surprises!" With that, the Torch fires directly overhead, his blast barely missing his foe, but striking the ceiling overhead, causing large chunks of the ceiling to rain down on them, but causing them no harm. His flame blast continues, however, striking the support beams along the roof.

"It seems that your time without your powers has effected you worse than I imagined," Effigy remarks. "You aren’t even able to hit me!"

"Surprise, surprise," the Torch remarks, looking up.

Effigy looks up as well, seeing the entire ceiling starting to cave in on them! His eyes grow wide with surprise at the sight. "You did not..." he starts, but his words are lost in the thunderous sound of the building collapsing.

The Torch dives down, scooping up Toro in his arms. He flies straight up, striking the collapsing roof, melting his way out with sheer momentum, just as the roof completely caves in on his foe! Once he has reached the sky, he continues to fly further into the air with tremendous speed, not looking back.

"I’m getting us out of here as fast as I can, Toro!" the Torch says, noticing that his former partner is starting to stir with the rushing of air to his face.

Just then, the building explodes, shock waves and chunks of debris flying outward in all directions. The Torch, who was nearing the clouds in his flight, is still shaken by the force of the explosion, which causes the ground below them to tremble! However, the Torch quickly regains his momentum, turning to see a pile of rubble where the lab once stood, and debris strewn in all directions around the lab. He also notices for the first time that the lab sat on a hill, overlooking a river below. Much of the fiery debris has made its way into the river, where is lands harmlessly.

"I’ll have to do something with the rest of it," the Torch comments, noticing that fires are starting in a circumference around the remnants of the laboratory.

"I’m okay, Torch," Toro comments, bursting into flames. "You can let me go now. I can fly on my own."

Nodding to Toro, he lets the flaming hero go, and Toro flies unsteadily above him, getting out of the Torch’s way. The Torch stretches out his right arm in the direction of the hill below. "I don’t want to be responsible for forest fires." The fires below streak up to meet the Human Torch in the air, as if called home to their master. All that is left behind are smoldering ruins.

The two torches fly back down to the ground, where they inspect the rubble for any signs of Effigy. After a quick search, they realize...

"He’s not here!" the Torch exclaims, annoyed.

"What happened in there, Torch?" Toro asks. His mind is still cloudy regarding the events of the past several hours. He sees pictures in his head, but they are chaotic. He feels like he is waking from a bad dream.

"I decided to use his powers against him," the Torch explains. "I knew if I caused the ceiling to collapse, he would have to increase his density and use his super-strength...which would also bring him to the ground. It was just a distraction to allow me to get you out of that laboratory before it blew up."

"A distraction that worked both ways, apparently," Toro comments.

"He’ll be back," the Torch replies. "I’m sure of that." He turns to Toro, who is looking around at the smoldering ruins, trying to collect his thoughts. "How much of what happened do you recall, Toro?"

"Not much," Toro admits. "I remember being home with my family...then suddenly in Limbo. Everything after that is kind of a fog."

"Your family?" the Torch asks, looking at Toro with surprise. "But, I just left your wife...in Denver. She hasn’t seen you since your battle with Namor."*

"I don’t know what you’re talking about, Torch," Toro responds, turning his flame off instinctively, as his penetrating eyes look at the Torch, completely surprised by his mentor’s comment. "We’ve never lived in Denver!"

"But, I met your wife after I returned...and went looking for you when I found out about your battle with Namor, and the Mad Thinker," the Torch explains.

"Torch, my wife and I have been together since that battle," Toro explains. "In fact, I faked my death so that there wouldn’t be any more mind-controlled battles with my former allies. After you left for the final time, I worked with another group of Avengers in the late 50’s,* but that was a special case. I wanted to devote time to having a family, and that’s what I’ve been doing. When the Mad Thinker put me under mind control to fight Namor, that was the final straw. I didn’t want to subject my family to that craziness again."

"But, your wife....Ann Raymond..." the Torch offers, confused.

"My wife’s name is Ann, Torch," Toro counters. "But she doesn’t live in Denver. I don’t know who this person is, but she isn’t my wife!"

Welcome back to another issue of HUMAN TORCH. Make sure you read the issue before reading the letters page, so there are no surprises ruined for you. Then come back, so we can talk about what you’ve read. But, before we do that, let’s get to the letters on #5 that I’ve received up to this point. Once again, I do intend to run a letters page, and I’ll print whatever letters I receive, so you’ll all get a chance to see your "name in lights" (unless you specifically request not to have your letter printed, of course). Just drop me a line to let me know what you think about what I’m doing. I’d love to hear from you. My e-mail address is jx2melton@aol.com .

Jeff,

Someone took over the Torch! Yay! It was you. Yay again!

In all seriousness I'm glad to see the Torch back as an MV1 title. I completely agree with you in the lack of respect Marvel has shown for the Golden Age characters. The Torch was great as were many of the others. Namor, Marvel's first real superhero is still around, but he's not getting nearly the attention he should be.

As for the issue, I think you did a great job of picking up where Barry left off. Effigy's origin was surprising, but made sense at the same time. Why would the scientist stop after one creation? The reappearance of Toro I don't understand, but then again it has to do with Immortus and anyone who messes with time confuses the hell out of me. :)

I can't wait for the next issue and a big showdown! :)

Adam Di Stefano

Liked #5 very much! Good characterization with the Torch. I can't help but wonder about the stragglers coming from the bunker. Jack and Tim huh? The only Timely hero I recall with a partner named Tim was good old Captain Wonder ( Black Terror doesn't count , he was a Nedor hero.) A blonde woman too? Blonde Phantom was post war, so it can't be her, how about the Black Widow or the Silver Scorpion? Maybe it's someone we're not familiar with .I am eager to find out. Seriously though, it was a very good issue, fun to read. As you know I have a great affection for the old Timely heroes, even if most are not "politically correct" by today’s standards. They were however, THE BEST WW2 characters bar none. Unfortunately that makes them difficult to translate into present day sensibilities.

Keep 'em Flying,

Gord

In case my readers are unaware of this, Gordon Green writes the All-Winners Squad series for the Golden Age Fan Fiction Group. His stories can be found at this address: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Keep/1960/titles/all-winners.html (how’s that for an unsolicited plug?). While I’m plugging him, I might as well mention that he just started an interesting series called All-Winners 2000 for this very branch of MV1. You might want to check that out as well. Thanks for writing, Gord. It means a lot that a fellow Golden Age fan, such as yourself, is enjoying my take on the Human Torch.