“I found tonight’s spaghetti exceptionally institutional.”

“I bet you say that to all the girls.”

With that Hyperion and Power Princess broke out laughing. As they walked the halls of Project: Pegasus, hands capable of grinding diamonds into dust intertwined as only those in love can. Zarda laid her head on Hyperion’s shoulder as the pair waited for the elevator to take them to their quarters.

“I’m worried about Linda,” said Hyperion.

“Why?”

“She seems to be drifting away from us. She’s lost so much…”

“We all have,” said Power Princess

“But we have each other. She’s gotten so remote. She doesn’t interact with anyone but us, and that’s only for combat training.”

“We’ll talk to her ask soon as…”

Before Power Princess could finish her thought, alarm klaxons began to buzz all along the hallway. Within seconds, members of Project: Pegasus’ security team filled the halls. Hyperion grabbed one by the shoulder.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s been a breach in the Nth Lab. We’ve lost contact with Blue Shield. There is an energy anomaly. Its on Level 42 now.”

“That’s our floor!”

Hyperion let go of the security guard, grabbed Power Princess and flew for home.

THE RETURN OF THE NTH MAN

Part III

By Bruce Cook

Dr. Spectrum crashed through the wall, his costume smoldering with black fire. He bounced off the far wall and came to rest in a heap on the floor. He looked up, his vision hazy, to see the Shape bounding down the hallway toward him.

“Is Doc Spectrum okay?”

“Not really. Benjamin is back…”

“Benjy is back? Shape so happy!”

Before Spectrum could finish his sentence or stop the Shape, his teammate stretched through the hole in the wall looking for his former playmate. The Shape’s scream would haunt Spectrum for the rest of his life.

Spectrum grabbed the wall and pulled himself to his feet. The hallway spun around him. Lights flashed. Alarms sounded. Chaos reigned.

That was when he saw the man floating down the hall.

“I’m more hurt than I thought.”

The man had a full beard and wore a white costume with long flowing sleeves. His hair seemed to hang motionless behind his head.

“Who are you?” asked Dr. Spectrum, still trying to clear his head.

“I am Wundarr. Some call me the Aquarian. I am here to help.”

Arcanna stared in disbelief as Benjamin lit the Shape on fire. The Shape’s scream brought her around and he used her magicks to extinguish the blaze. The Shape fell to the ground between the Whizzer and the Blue Shield, blisters peppering his skin.

“Benjamin! You can’t do this! You have to stop.”

“I can’t! I can’t! He won’t let me!”

“Who?” cried Arcanna, tears streaming down her face.

“Dr. Lightner.”

“Lightner is gone Benjamin. You took his place.”

Without warning, Benjamin raised his hand and blasted his mother with black fire.

“Not my idiot son, Ms. Jones. I am Dr. Raymond Lightner. I am the Nth Man!”

“You’re telling me that thing, Benjamin, started here?

“That’s correct,” said the Aquarian. “Dr. Lightner first harnessed the power of the Nth Man at Project: Pegasus. It was here that we defeated him the first time.”

“And its here that we’ll defeat him again,” said Spectrum.

“It feels like the Nth Man’s power has changed in some way.”

Spectrum thought about it for a moment.

“On our world, Benjamin Jones traded places with Lightner. He took the mantle of the Nth Man in exchange for his innate magical abilities.”

“That would explain it. That changes things.”

“How?”

“What we did before will not work this time.”

“So what do we do?”

It was then that Dr. Spectrum saw the Aquarian do something he rarely did, smile.

“We improvise.”

“Who… who… are you?” asked Arcanna.

“Who am I? I am the Nth Man. I think what you mean to ask is who was I? Before, I was Dr. Richard Lightner. I was an astronomer. I was a visionary. I built a Star Cannon to give myself the powers of a god. None could see my genius. Even my cow of wife tried to stop me. They didn’t understand what I was about to do. I was about to become immortal.”

“So that didn’t work out,” said Arcanna, rising to her hands and knees.

“SILENCE!” bellowed the Nth Man, blasting Arcanna with more ebony fire. “What I was has no bearing on what I have become… thanks to your son!”

Earth-712

The wind whipped savagely across the barren plain. A pair of figures trudged through the dust under the blazing sun. The leader stopped abruptly.

“This is the place,” he said, pointing to a large red rock.

His companion looked at the stone. Then he nodded.

“You need to pay me now.”

“Of course,” said the second man. “We did have a deal.”

The guide glanced nervously from the rock back to his companion. He unconsciously licked his lips as the man reached into his shoulder bag. His eyes widened when the man pulled a small revolver from the bag and pointed it at him.

“We had a deal.”

“So we did.”

The emptiness was filled with the sound of gunfire as the man fired six bullets into his guide. The guide fell to his knees, clutching at his abdomen. Blood streamed through his fingers.

The shooter put the gun back in his bag and pulled out a well worn harmonica and held it to his mouth. He began to play a bluesy song as he watched the guide’s blood soak into the ground in front of the giant red rock.

“Went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees.”

With a mirthless chuckle, he dropped the harmonica back in the bag. He then pulled out a frayed piece of parchment. Sunlight reflected off the parchment as the man began to chant in an ancient forgotten tongue.

The ground beneath the rock began to rumble and the man chanted louder.

When he reached the end of his incantation, a large hand, chalk white in a blood red glove, broke through the ground.

The man laughed aloud beneath the light of the relentless blaze of the sun.

Hyperion and Power Princess made record time to their quarters. When they arrived they found Dr. Spectrum talking with a man they didn’t know.

“He’s the Aquarian,” said Spectrum. “He’s fought the Nth Man before.”

“The Nth Man is here?” asked Hyperion.

“This is where he began,” replied the Aquarian.

“And it’s where he ends,” said Hyperion.

“Agreed,” said Dr. Spectrum.

“Wait, aren’t we talking about Benjamin, Arcanna’s son?”

“Only partially,” said the Aquarian. “He is within the Nth Man. We must seperate him from the Lightner.”

“So what do we do?” asked Power Princess.

“Get me close enough and I will take care of the rest.”

“Let’s go!”

“If you hurt my son, I will kill you!”

The Nth Man laughed. It sounded like nothing she had ever heard before.

“I wouldn’t dream of hurting your son. He allowed me to reclaim the power that was rightfully mine.”

“Benjamin would never help a monster like you.”

“Oh, I assure you he wouldn’t do it voluntarily, but when he took the place of my cowardly son, the tiny spark of magic that remained within him transformed us.”

“Let him go!”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Then I guess we’ll just have to make you.”

The Nth Man looked up to see Dr. Spectrum, the Aquarian, Hyperion and Power Princess standing side by side.

“Bah! You can’t stop the Nth Man!”

“We can try,” said Dr. Spectrum, creating a giant green energy hammer and slamming it into the Nth Man. The blow barely registered. Instead, the energy dissipated on impact.

“Umm guys,” said Spectrum as the Nth Man let off a blast of black fire in his direction.

Without a word, Power Princess stepped in front of her teammate and raised her invisible shield. The ebony flames wrapped around the shield, but didn’t injure either member of the Squadron Supreme.

A red and yellow blur crossed the room as Hyperion flew across the room and crashed into the Nth Man. He was followed by the Aquarian. As Hyperion wrestled the Nth Man to the ground, the Aquarian plunged his hand into the pulsing black orb in the center of the villain’s chest.

To the shock of the gathered Squadroners, the Nth Man and the Aquarian disappeared.

Within the Nth Man

Aquarian had been here before, but somehow it was different. The removal of Thomas Lightner and the addition of Benjamin Jones had changed it all.

He floated through a blinding white nothingness until he saw them struggling over the power. A glowing black orb floated between Raymond Lightner and Benjamin Jones. Each was trying to claim the power for their own.

“I won’t be stopped again. Not by a child!” screamed Lightner.

A strange blue spark played along Bejamin’s fingers and Lightner pulled a hand from the orb.

“I will stop you. You’re a bad man. You hurt my mommy!”

The Aquarian floated toward the two figures. When he was close enough he extended his null field and enclosed Raymond Lightner. Then he pulled the child toward him.

“Who are you?” asked Benjamin, struggling.

“I am called the Aquarian. I am here to help.”

“How?”

“Let me show you,” he said, gently touching the child on the forehead.

Benjamin’s eyes widened momentarily and then his eyes began to tear up.

“What was that?”

“Everything… and nothing. You see what we have to do.”

“What will happen to Dr. Lightner?”

“Without a body, he will cease to be.”

“He’ll die?”

“Perhaps.”

“I don’t think I can do it.”

“If we do not stop Dr. Lightner here, he will kill your mother, her friends, this world and then all other worlds.”

“What do I have to do?”

“Only what you’ve done before. Transfer the power of my null field to yourself. It is the only way to keep the power in check.”

“He’ll die.”

“You must decide Benjamin. Only together can we stop this once and for all.”

Benjamin nodded.

“Taerht siht pots ot rewop eht refsnart.””

There was another flash of blue energy along Benjamin’s fingertips. The Aquarian’s body went rigid. Lightner screamed. The Null Field seemed to flow from the Aquarian’s body like water, and surrounded Benjamin. At the same time, the black energy of the Nth Man floated toward Benjamin. It mingled with the null field and disappeared.

“Nooooooooooo!” screaming Lightner. “Not like this!”

Lightner began to fade until he became insubstantial and finally disappeared altogether.

“It’s done,” said Benjamin, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“So it is,” replied the Aquarian. “Let’s go home.”

“Did it work?” asked Dr. Spectrum.

“I… I… don’t know,” replied Power Princess.

Hyperion helped Arcanna to her feet.

“Where did they go?”

“Inside the Nth Man. From there the Aquarian thought he could stop Lightner and save Benjamin.”

“He’s going to save my son?”

“He’s going to try.”

Project: Pegasus security forces arrived then. They looked around, trying to figure out the situation.

“Those three need immediate medical attention,” he said pointing to Blue Shield, the Whizzer and the Shape.

“Yessir,” said the lead security guard. He keyed his mic and called for medical help.

“Secure the perimeter,” said Power Princess. “We’re not exactly sure how this is going to end.”

“What?”

As if on cue, the far side of the room began to shimmer. The far wall of the room became hazy as if viewing it through an oven. There was a barely audible pop and then the Aquarian reappeared. He held Benjamin Jones in his arms.

“Benjamin?” asked Arcanna, tears streaming down her face.

Aquarian placed the child on the floor and he rushed into his mother’s arms.

“You’ve grown!” she said.

“Time isn’t constant.”

Dr. Spectrum walked over to where the Aquarian stood. He extended his hand.

“Thank you.”

“I merely pointed the way.”

“Whatever you did, you’ve made her very happy.”

“Then I guess today is a good day.”

They were joined by Hyperion.

“Zarda is overseeing the medivac. What happened to the Nth Man?”

“Dr. Lightner ceased to be.”

“So, it’s over?” asked Hyperion.

“Benjamin has the ability to control the energies now. Yes, it is over.”

Dr. Spectrum looked at the Aquarian for a moment.

“Hey, you’re not floating.”

“You are correct. The null field that gave me that ability now resides within Benjamin. I am as I once was. I am Wundarr.”

“You sacrificed your powers to save the boy?”

“To save the boy, this world and the next.”

“You’re alright… Wundarr,” said Hyperion, extending his hand.

Wundarr took his hand and shook. Hyperion attempted to pull his hand away, but Wundarr held tight.

“Was there something else?

“Just one thing.”

“What?”

“BURN!”

Black fire erupted from Wundarr’s hand and consumed Hyperion.

“What the hell!” said Dr. Spectrum. “I thought the Nth Man was gone!”

Wundarr released his grip on Hyperion and turned toward Dr. Spectrum. His eyes had gone completely black. The ebony fire played along his fingertips.

“The Nth Man is gone. Now you will kneel before the might of Blacksun!”