Earth-712. Then.

They had done what they set out to do. They had saved their world.

They were heroes. Its what they did.

Now, in their spaceship silent as the tomb it had become, they flew home, each of them lost in their thoughts.

None was more lost at that moment than Dr. Thomas Joseph Lightner.

As he sat amidst the remaining members of the Squadron Supreme, his body was flush with a new energy.

While its true that Lightner was used to his body being a conduit for powerful energy, he’d been the Nth Man earlier that day, this power was different, even magical.

He caught Arcanna staring at him. He knew why. The power he now wielded was to have belonged to her infant son, Benjamin.

That same infant had somehow transferred his magical powers to Lightner and taken the power of the Nth man for himself. He then disappeared promising to undo the damage the Nth Man had caused.

“Good luck with that,” mumbled Lightner.

“What did you say?” asked the one in the red and yellow. Hyperion they called him.

“Nothing. Nothing at all.”

“When we get back to Earth, we’ll have to give you a thorough examination.”

“Whatever for?”

“We need to know what the limits of your power are.”

Lightner flexed his hands. The power felt limitless, something he knew a little bit about.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” he said.

“Why not?” asked Hyperion.

“Because, you won’t be going home?”

Lightner took a chance and channeled his newfound power into a space vortex. It appeared in front of the spacecraft so suddenly that none of the Squadron Supreme members could do anything about it.

“New worlds to conquer,” said Lightner, a smile on his face as he turned himself intangible.

He floated there and watched as the spacecraft disappeared into the vortex. Then he willed the vortex shut.

“I could get used to this,” said Lightner as he looked at his new home floating below him in space.

Earth. Now.

The Aquarian floated low over the mountains. His sleeves billowed out behind him as he moved toward his goal.

He still couldn’t believe he was heading back to Project: Pegasus. He still couldn’t believe he’d felt the disturbance. He was certain that he had taken care of it.

Well, he and Ben.

As he cleared the top of the mountain, the facility came into view. It still looked the same way it had when they had brought him here what seemed like another lifetime ago.

He had been Wundarr then.

Now he was the Aquarian.

He mentally retracted the null field that surrounded his body and floated to the ground outside the security gate. They had replaced the guards with a automated system. Her recognized the name Stark on the lock.

He expanded his null field and the lock stopped working. With a barely audible click the lock disengaged and the gate swung opened.

The Aquarian walked through the gate, not sure of what to expect once he got inside.

THE RETURN OF THE NTH MAN

Part II

By Bruce Cook

Since being banished to Earth, the Squadron Supreme had taken up residence at Project: Pegasus. The immense energy research facility was an adequate place to live, but it wasn’t home.

Arcanna Jones was thinking about home. Its how she spent most of her days. She missed her husband. She missed her children. Despite the Whizzer’s promises, she had her doubts about ever seeing her family again.

When the Whizzer left, she had risen, pulled on a robe and lit several candles and some incense. She tried once again to attune herself to the magicks of this world. In her months of exile, she had gotten better at it, but her spells still did not work the way they did back home.

To her surprise, her thoughts drifted back to the Whizzer. He too had left a family behind. They shared a personal anguish none of the other Squadron members understood. Children grew up. Spouses moved on.

She was alone with these maudlin thoughts when there was a knock at her door.

“Enter,” she said, absently, trying once again to use the winds to blow out the large black candle that sat on a nearby pillar..

The door slid open. The Blue Shield stood in the doorway.

“Good afternoon Joseph. What can I do for you?”

The Shield stepped into her room. His body jerked unnaturally as he did so.

“Joseph?” she asked, as he continued toward her.

Then the Shield’s body began to glow. It was not the azure glow normally associated with the Blue Shield. Instead, it was a black glow. It filled the room.

“Mommy?”

Arcanna’s eyes widened in shock. Even though she’d only heard it once before, she would have known that voice anywhere.

“Mommy, it hurts!”

New York City.

Neal Richmond aka Nighthawk couldn’t help but feel that what he was about to do was wrong. He’d spent his entire life watching Kyle do what was right, and somehow this just didn’t seem to fit. But sometimes what is right and what has to be done don’t necessarily synch up. That was something else he learned from Kyle.

He looked down to the warehouse floor. That’s where they had Haywire in stasis. He’d been like that ever since they captured him in the alley. Skymax had extracted the information they needed from him and now they were ready to put their plan into action.

“You’re still feeling sorry for him aren’t you?” said a voice from behind.

Neal Richmond turned to face the man in the costume of the Black Archer. His name was Rob Weaver and they had been friends for most of their lives. Each had been the teen sidekick to a member of the Squadron Supreme. He as the Dove to Kyle’s Nighthawk and Rob as Quiver to Wyatt’s Golden Archer. They had helped form the Wonder Boys along with Tadpole and Whiz Kid.

“Don’t,” said Rob, his face hidden behind the black mask he wore. “He’s one of them and they have to pay for what they did.”

“I know,” said Neal, “I’m just nervous. This isn’t our world. Things are different here.”

Rob stepped forward, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Some things are never different.”

Rob had changed. Neal knew his new resolve came from grappling with a host of personal demons. He knew about the addiction and the disappearance of his daughter. He also knew Rob’s edge would serve him well if the need arose.

“Where are the others?” he asked, scanning the darkness of the warehouse.

“Holden and Jake are downstairs catching some sleep. Skymax went to meet our associate.”

“We’re really going to do this aren’t we?”

Rob nodded. “We owe it to them.”

Elsewhere In The Warehouse.

Holden Byrd lay motionless on his cot. Try as he might he could not sleep.

The further along Hawk’s plan went, the more uncomfortable he became. What they were about to do was almost certainly suicide. They had almost no chance of prevailing. Still, each of them felt that they owed it to the others.

He looked to his left where Jacob Dore aka the Blue Eagle slept soundly. His mechanical wings hung on the wall beside his helmet and mace. Jacob was here because of his brother James. James had been killed by the Lamprey while trying to stop the Squadron Supreme. Jacob was angry, and that anger made him dangerous, both to himself and his teammates.

Holden stood up and stretched. His muscles were tight. He needed a run, but that would have to wait until after they put things in motion. He pulled the golden tunic over his torso, still marveling at the fact that he was wearing it.

For most of his life, Holden Byrd didn’t know who his father was. His mother always told him he had died in a plane crash. It was only on her deathbed that she told him the truth. His father was Wyatt McDonald, the Golden Archer. Holden didn’t believe her that is until Wyatt McDonald showed up at her funeral. He introduced himself as an old friend of his mother’s. The resemblance was uncanny, but neither man acknowledged it. McDonald disappeared from Holden’s life, but Holden followed his exploits with the Squadron Supreme. He’d even taken up archery, finding he had a natural affinity for it.

Then the Squadron had implemented the Utopia Project. Wyatt was disgraced and ultimately killed, oddly enough at the hands of the Blue Eagle. He’d mourned the father he had never known. He did so even today.

That’s when he was approached by Nighthawk and the Black Archer. They needed his talents. They needed a Golden Archer. He had reluctantly agreed. Now, in the eleventh hour, he wasn’t sure he had made the right decision.

He walked across the warehouse to the stasis chamber. Haywire hung there, immobile. He had been one of the Redeemers, Nighthawk’s undercover band of heroes. He had stood with Kyle and Wyatt until the end. Then he had joined the Squadron. It didn’t seem right to use him like this, but it was their only option.

He was the key.

Holden looked at his vacant stare. He touched the cold glass of the stasis chamber.

“It will all be over soon Haywire. Very soon.”

Project: Pegasus.

“B…b…benjamin? Is it really you?”

“Yes Mommy. It’s me.”

Arcanna stared blankly as the voice of the son she thought she had lost forever came from the body of the Blue Shield.

“How?”

“I did what I said Mommy. I went back and fixed all the dimensions Dr. Lightner broke.”

“You can do that?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“How did you get here?”

“This was where Dr. Lightner became the Nth Man. This is where all the trouble started.”

Then, without warning, the body of the Blue Shield convulsed and fell to the ground. A horrific scream broke from his lips.

“Benjamin?”

“The power wants to eat Mommy. I’ve made it hungry. This man’s body radiates energy. He made it stop hurting.”

“You’re…you’re feeding on Joseph?”

“I don’t want to.”

“You stop this instant young man!”

“But Mommy!”

“Right now!”

Like a puppet whose string had been suddenly cut, the Blue Shield fell to the floor. His body lay still as the ebony form of Benjamin Jones, the Nth Man, stood above him and screamed.

Elsewhere In Project: Pegasus.

The Whizzer looked at the picture of his wife and daughter.

He hoped they were safe.

He hoped they were happy.

He hoped they missed him as badly as he missed them.

There was a knock at his door. He gently placed the picture back on the nightstand beside his bed.

“Come in,” he said.

Dr. Spectrum pushed the door open and walked into the room.

“Hey Stan. How’s it going.”

The Whizzer threw one more quick glance at the picture.

“As well as can be expected I suppose.”

“Shape is turning into quite a poker player. He cleaned out the Blue Shield earlier. You really should come play with us.”

“Next time. I promise.”

A blood curdling scream filled the hall.

“Arcanna!” said the Whizzer as he disappeared in a flash.

With the speed of thought, Dr. Spectrum surrounded himself with an aura of white energy and followed his teammate.

Arcanna’s Quarters.

Arcanna’s child was in pain and she couldn’t help him. It was every mother’s worst nightmare.

She tried to use her magicks but they were useless against the strange magic of the Nth Man’s powers.

“Hold on Benjamin. I’ll get help.”

As she stood, the Whizzer appeared in front of her.

“Arcanna are you okay?”

“Stanley! It’s Benjamin. He’s back!”

It was then that the Whizzer noticed the Nth Man.

“You! Here?”

The Whizzer punched at the Nth man faster than the human eye could follow. To his surprise, his movements began to slow down before his eyes.

“What are you doing to me?”

Arcanna realized that the Nth power was feeding on the Whizzer’s speed, using it satiate its hunger.

“Benjamin! NO!”

“I’m not doing it Mommy. I can’t control it anymore!”

The bizarre energy being seemed to be changing. The black energy that surrounded it flickered almost imperceptibly. A gleaming white orb had appeared in the creature’s chest.

“Get away from my friends,” Dr. Spectrum screamed as he flew into the room, a blast of pure white energy flashing from his outstretched hand.

He swerved left, avoiding a blast of ebony energy. The creature cried out, his voice like white noise.

It was too crowded for Spectrum to mount much of an offense. He fired off another pair of blasts, trying his best not to hit Arcanna or the Whizzer.

“Something very familiar about that thing,” he thought, avoiding another blast from the creature.

“What is that thing?” Spectrum asked Arcanna, throwing up a shield of crimson energy to protect himself from the dark creature.

“MAKE IT STOP MOMMY!” screamed the creature in an all too human voice.

Dr. Spectrum focused all of the energy in his power prism on the thing in front of him. It was the most powerful weapon in his dimension. He was sure it was more than up to the task of taking down anything in this one.

“NO,” screamed a familiar voice. “Don’t hurt him!”

Arcanna staggered between the creature and her teammate, her eyes wide with terror.

“Get out of the way Arcanna! We have to put him down!”

“NO!” she screamed again, her body suddenly alight with eldritch energies.

“Why not?”

“Because it’s Benjamin!” Arcanna cried. “My son!”

“What do you mean it’s your son?” asked Dr. Spectrum.

“That’s Benjamin,” screamed Arcanna, tears streaming down her face. “And there is no way I’m going to let you hurt him.”

“Benjamin is dead Arcanna,” said Spectrum. “We saw it with our own eyes.”

“NO,” she screamed, “he didn’t die. He took that awful Lightner man’s place. He was undoing the damage and now he’s come back to me.”

“MOMMY!” the energy being cried out. “IT HURTS!”

“Oh dear god,” said Dr. Spectrum. “It is Benjamin!”

And then the Nth Man attacked Dr. Spectrum.

To be continued…