Written by Barry Reese
The Silver Age, Part Two
April 20, 4022
What Has Come Before : Magnus has found himself back in the world of 4022, where he's encountered younger versions of both himself and his lost love, Leeja Clane. Along with the Starwatchers, Magnus has vanished in a tremendous wave of energy. Meanwhile, a mysterious gentleman identified as Captain Johner has been revived from a hibernation tube, claiming to be on an extremely important mission....
North Am Metroplex. Eastern Seaboard. Grid-Designate : Atl-320. Milespire.
"It all began with the False Men of Venus*." Captain Jay Johner clasped his hands behind his back, staring out at the runs of Atl-320. "They're a race of time distorters and...."
(*First seen in Magnus Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. # 11, 1965. The False Men of Venus were Captain Johner's main adversaries.)
President Shooter interrupted Johner, running a hand through his thinning hair and wincing. "You'll have to begin again, Captain. False men of Venus?"
Johner turned back to the president of North-Am, studying him closely. This era -- this entire world -- seemed so foreign to him. Where Johner came from, Earth was governed by the Earth Space Control agency and mankind was boldly going forth into the heavens. But on this strange world that he now found himself in, mankind was crawling from the wreckage of a second major war with the Malevs in the last twenty years. "I'm sorry, Mr. President. It's hard to remember sometimes that you and I are from different realities. The False Men of Venus aren't human at all -- they masquerade as such to further their own agendas. They are able to distort time, an ability that makes them very deadly. Just how deadly, we had no idea -- not until it was too late."
Shooter sighed. In the hours since Johner had awakened from his hibernation tube, Shooter had tried to make some sense of Johner's words, but the ideas continued to elude him. "For the last time -- you've come here from another reality?"
Johner nodded. "Yes, Mr. President. Where I come from, the world has taken several different paths. In the twentieth century, a man named Dr. Solar came forth and helped protect the world from all manner of threats -- from the few records you've shown me, an individual named Solar did much the same here. There were differences, however. Our Dr. Solar had green skin, while yours showed rather disturbing signs of mental instability. That's just one example, Mr. President. Numerous other differences make it clear that your world and mine are different. The alien races we encountered, for the most part, were all gentle and kind. There were individuals who were dangerous, of course, but they were exceptions to the rule. Only the False Men were a regular threat... here, however, you have things like those Malevs you told me of. I'd also wager that the North-Am of our Magnus' time has differences of its own, as well. The plain fact of the matter is that our universe seems... lighter... somehow than yours."
Shooter reached over and picked up his glass of wine. The heady narcotic effects were beginning to take over and he downed what was left of his drink. "Very well -- and you ended up here because of these False Men?"
"Yes. It began shortly after the third annual Human/Alien Peace Conference at the Martian Colony. We noticed a strange series of time anomalies popping up throughout the solar system -- by the time we traced them to the False Men, they'd already torn a rift into Sub-space. It's a level of unreality that somehow links our universe to yours. We think they were hoping to find another universe to conquer -- one in which their usual routine of impersonating humanity wasn't as well known." Johner turned back towards the window, glancing up towards the sky. "Something went wrong, however. The time distortion spun out of control and wreaked havoc all through the time stream -- our universe was going to be effectively..." Johner's voice cracked with emotion but he steeled himself enough to continue. "...wiped out. By this time, even the False Men were concerned -- their own survival was at stake. They managed to band together the greatest heroes of our universe and placed us in hibernation tubes. We were then jettisoned through Sub-space into your reality, where the time distortion effect was headed next. I'm not even sure how much the others know about what's going on -- the False Men plucked them from the timestream rather abruptly. Nevertheless, we knew we had to stop this anomaly before your universe suffered the same fate as ours...."
Shooter gasped. "So your universe... is destroyed?"
"Not yet. The aliens and the False Men managed to shunt most of our reality into an out-of-phase alignment within Sub-space. It's temporary, but our reality is safe for the time being. Hopefully, we can find some way to combat the time distortion and save our home, as well."
Shooter nodded, not needing to ask what would happen if some way wasn't found to stop the distortion. It's not fair -- we've overcome so much. Surely we can't die because of another universe's problem?
Psi-Lord Precinct Cluster/Designate : "The Palisade." Sub-space.
The Palisade, home to the race of being known alternately as the Starwatchers and the Psi-Lords, floated in a bizarre state of almost-existence. Streams of light fluttered past the space vessel, bizarre life-forms mixed in with the streams. It was Sub-space, a layer of unreality just outside the normal time flow continuum.
Inside the Palisade, pandemonium reigned only briefly. The Starwatchers, familiar with all sorts of bizarre phenomena, quickly adjusted to their new status quo. On the bridge, Psi-Prime Gryffen stared out the viewport and shook his head. "Astounding. Just when an immortal thinks he's seen everything...."
Gryffen turned slightly as the door to the bridge hissed open, allowing the small party who had been in the hangar to emerge onto the bridge. Two different forms of Magnus stepped forward, one looking very young and almost unsure of himself and the other looking more confident, if somewhat melancholy. Behind them trailed Leeja Clane, Torque, Starwatcher Balaam and the robotic companion of the elder Magnus, Glia.
It was the elder Magnus, the one whom Gryffen had betrayed, who spoke first. A dark glint was in the Robot Fighter's eyes and Gryffen felt almost grateful for the current emergency -- perhaps it would distract Magnus from the anger he no doubt felt. "What's going on? Were we teleported away? Did the energy wave continue on towards Earth?"
Gryffen glanced back at the viewscreen. "Apparently the wave enveloped us and transported us...here. Wherever that is."
Magnus grunted a reply. He didn't trust Gryffen at all, but he knew the Starwatcher wasn't lying about this. The Robot Fighter turned towards his younger self, who was standing protectively near a frightened Leeja. For a brief moment, Magnus felt a jealous pang but he brushed it aside. That wasn't his Leeja, after all -- she obviously belonged with his younger self. "It seems like an unlikely coincidence that this energy wave would appear so soon after you did -- do you recognize it?"
Leeja bit her lip and shook her head, answering before her lover could speak. "No! We've never seen anything like that -- it looks... unreal."
Torque moved next to his father. "You're right -- it seems too coincidental. There must be a connection."
A female Starwatcher glanced up from her station. "Psi-Prime Gryffen, I've finished my analysis of the energy wave that washed over us -- it appears to have been rich in tachyon particles. I believe it was some sort of time distortion effect."
Magnus frowned. "I think I've had enough of those lately. I just made it back from the Lost Land -- are you suggesting I'm stranded somewhere else now?"
Gryffen moved over to study the scanner readouts. "It looks like we've been shunted out of sync with our normal position in space-time. That explains the brief phantom images we're seeing on the viewscreen -- they're beings and places that are slightly out of vibrational sync with us."
The young Magnus suddenly strode forward, pointing to the screen. "Look!" All heads turned to the screen as a kaleidoscope of planets and images materialized, briefly, before them. Though it was only a small glimpse at another universe, it was enough for the young Magnus and Leeja to recognize it. "That's home...."
Torque glanced at him. "How can you tell?"
Leeja looked at him, not fully aware of the fact that, in this reality, she was his mother. "We could feel it. It's like it was... right somehow."
Gryffen nodded at that, as if the very notion that one could feel a sense of rightness about one's home universe was an easily acceptable fact. "Very well, then. We're trapped in some sort of sub-field within the time-space continuum. The question, then, is how do we free ourselves?"
The elder Magnus stroked his chin. Though many thought of him only as a fighter, he was also a brilliant tactian and statesman. "A time distortion. That could explain how a younger version of me could be here. When I was trapped in the Lost Land, it took the Destroyer himself to bring me back. Unfortunately, there's no way for us to contact him directly..."
Torque laughed out loud. It was such an out-of-place display of emotion that almost everyone jumped at the sound. "We don't need to contact the Destroyer, dad! We have our own Solar! In the hiberation tubes!"
Magnus winced as if struck. "Solar... was in one of those tubes?"
Torque nodded. "If anyone can free us, it'd be him...."
North Am Metroplex. Eastern Seaboard. Grid Designate : Bos-411. Gehenna Level.
Elzy settled into her rather snug apartment and looked over the few trinkets that lined her bag. She'd had a fairly good day scavaging for parts -- she'd found some photoreceptors from a top-of-the-line diplomat rob that could be sold for plenty on the black market. There were always a few blind robs willing to pay for new eyesight.
Elzy stifled a yawn and tried to shift her attention away from the memory that was trying to assert itself. She'd been one of the first to find the so-called "Gold Key 7", standing beside Torque when the young Magnus had been revived. Her joy at seeing Magnus alive had been tempered by the fact that he'd not remembered her. She hoped with all her heart that he would be well.
Elzy lay back on her bed, her eyes already closing. She was tired, bone-weary in fact. But it was a good kind of tired, the kind that came of doing work that you loved. She had almost drifted off to sleep when a rapping at her door jolted her awake. Muttering a few choice Goph curses, she pulled herself up. "Who is it?"
The sudden explosion sent pieces of the door flying throughout the room. Six large battle robs strode inside quickly, each scanning the room for any threat. The largest of the six, with the letters "GR" printed on his front surface, pointed a metallic hand at her. "You-are-Elzy?"
Elzy rolled out of bed, her hand drawing a small holdout blaster from the inside of her tunic. Years of living in the Goph levels had taught her the value of being prepared. "Elzy pay her bills! Out with you!"
The battle rob shook his head. "We-are-not-here-to-collect-funds.We-are-here-to-kill-you."
Elzy fired her blaster, blowing off the lead rob's left arm. The other robs surged forward, however, and she knew without a doubt that she would be overwhelmed. Where is Robot Fighter now? Never here when I need him!
Psi-Lord Precinct Cluster/Designate : "The Palisade." Sub-space.
"Do you think you can help us, Solar?" The young Magnus stood with his older self in front of the newly awakened hero.
"First of all, I call myself Doctor Solar." The green-skinned man in the red jumpsuit looked about the interior of the sickbay with an expression of mild amusement. "I don't have any idea about how to solve this particular conundrum, actually, but I'll do my best to help out."
The older Magnus studied the man before him and sighed. "He's definitely not the Solar I know -- either of them*. I think we might be grasping at straws."
(*Magnus is referring to Solar and the Destroyer.)
Doctor Solar grunted. "I wouldn't go that far -- just because I'm not as adept as the Solar you're familiar with doesn't mean I'm helpless. I'll check out this Sub-space and get back to you." The two Magnuses watched in fascination as the green-skinned hero faded from sight. He returned a brief second later, a look of confusion on his face. "Interesting. I was able to confirm the fact that we're in a strange time pocket of some kind. I was also able to find another intelligence in synch with us."
Magnus stroked his chin. "Another intelligence? From my timeframe?"
Solar nodded. "Yes. There's some sort of platform not far from our current position -- though any reference to distance in a realm like this is rather subjective, of course."
The younger Magnus glanced at his elder self. "I'm sure the Starwatchers will want to investigate. If they're from the same timeframe, they might hold the key to returning us to that era."
Doctor Solar began to blink out of sight once more. "I'll go up to the bridge and consult with this Gryffen fellow. I'm just as curious as the rest of you about how we ended up in those hibernation tubes. The sooner we're back, the better."
Magnus stepped out of the sickbay area and almost knocked over Leeja, who was entering. The two stood there for a moment, each at a loss for words. In Leeja's eyes, Magnus could see confusion and a bit of curiosity -- she was staring into the face of her lover, the way he would appear in twenty years. Magnus, for his part, was battling with the few stray emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him. Since his death and resurrection, his emotional attachments had been very hit-and-miss -- some memories were nothing more than movies that played inside his head. His love for Leeja, however, had steadily been returning.
"If you're looking for your Magnus, he's still inside."
Leeja nodded. "Thank you." She ran a hand through her long blonde hair and looked at him nervously. "Can I ask you something, Magnus?"
The Robot Fighter smiled briefly, an expression of amusement that she recognized. "Of course. You want to know how I let the world fall apart, right?"
"No! It's about...us. Did it work out between us? Is Torque my son? With you?"
Magnus looked away for a moment, the last moments he'd seen his Leeja alive still emblazoned in his mind's eye. "Things weren't always perfect between us. I was hard-headed a lot...but those memories are among the sweetest I'll ever have. We were in love." He glanced at Leeja's beautiful blue eyes. "We were married, we had a son. I don't know if that's what will happen in your timeline -- but I hope it does. I hope you live happily ever after together." The Robot Fighter raised one hand softly to her cheek, caressing it. "Love him and forgive him when he's a fool. Without you, his life would be very hollow...."
Leeja reached up to lightly touch his fingers. "You sound like you speak from experience...."
Magnus pulled away suddenly, his face cold. He wouldn't allow himself to fall prey to these feelings. This wasn't his Leeja and he had no right to treat her so. "I have to go. See to your man."
Leeja watched him go, her hand raised to her face. She could still feel his touch and it both warmed her heart and chilled her soul.
When Magnus reached the bridge, he found Gryffen and Solar both watching the viewscreen. A large spacestation of some kind loomed there, with a few repair robs dancing on its surface, repairing several sections. "Have you made contact with them yet?"
Gryffen didn't even spare the Robot Fighter a glance. "Not yet. I was waiting for you, actually."
Magnus shook his head and moved to stand beside the Psi-Lord. "I'm surprised you didn't contact them and then tell me you didn't. That's more in keeping with our relationship."
Before Gryffen could reply, the viewscreen's image changed. The Starwatcher at the communications station voiced an explanation for the switch. "Psi-Prime, we're being hailed. Should I put them onscreen?"
"Do so."
The image that flared to life was decidedly anticlimatic. No one was really sure what they'd been expecting, but it wasn't the rather inoccuous face before them. The man was human, in his mid-thirties, with thinning silver hair and a short salt-and-pepper beard. He wore expensive clothes, though they were soiled and in disrepair. "Greetings. You're the first guests I've had here -- and you're most unwelcome ones at that. I have no use for Psi-Lords. Begone!"
Magnus moved forward, blocking Gryffen. "I'm Magnus, former president of North Am. I can tell from your garb that you were once a citizen there -- how did you come to be here?"
The man blinked in surprise. "Magnus? This is a surprise... I am Professor Tempus. We met actually, you and I -- at a state affair some five years ago. I doubt you would remember me, I was just one of many in attendance."
The Robot Fighter searched his memory, which had always been picture perfect. "Tempus? Yes, you were there with your wife. I remember -- you were working on Tachyon Theory at the university."
Tempus smiled. "I'm honored! Yes, I was indeed working at the university. I perfected my research some time later and found a way to access this realm of Sub-space."
Magnus nodded. "Excellent work. I'm sure it will have all sorts of useful benefits to society -- I assume you can help us return there?"
Tempus's smile faltered. "Return? Ah. Well, Mr. President, there's a bit of a problem there. My wife was killed in the Destroyer's attack on Atl-320. I understand your wife died in that incident as well...."
"Yes, she did. I don't understand what that has to do with our current situation."
The professor's tone changed, becoming that of a teacher lecturing his students. "Time is a fragile thing, you see? I predicted some time ago that some force of nature was coming, I could see its signs. It was something that would cause the very nature of reality to shift into something new*. It's what made the False Men's time distortion go astray and it's what shifted you here to Sub-space, as well."
(*Confused? This will be dealt with in the future, both here and in my X-O Manowar fanfic series.)
Gryffen interrupted him. "The False Men?"
Tempus glanced at him with distaste. "They're from another reality. You'd be surprised what you can see from Sub-space. Regardless, I'm going to use the current tachyon instability to make some much-needed changes."
Magnus frowned. "What sort of changes?"
"I'm going to fix the world, Mr. President! I'm going to undo the Malev invasion -- I'm going to bring back not only my dear wife, but yours as well -- I'm going to bring back EVERYONE!"
Magnus, Robot Fighter clenched his fist suddenly. The emotions stirred up only moments before outside sickbay welled up to the surface now. Leeja... If this scientist is right, I could have you back....
NEXT ISSUE : The Silver Age comes to an end, as Magnus must face the most difficult decision of his entire life. Should he side with a madman in order to return his beloved to life? Or does he protect the fragile timestream, even though it means that Leeja is gone forever? Plus : More on Elzy's fate! A must-read issue!
LETTERS PAGE
No letters this time, unfortunately. Still, I hope you enjoyed part two of our current storyline. I'm enjoying the chance to use the old Gold Key versions of some familiar heroes and I think those of you who like those characters will appreciate next issue's ending. For those of you worried about any kind of retcon or reboot, have no fear -- but do expect the unexpected!
I have to admit that I'm having a blast writing this series -- I've never really written a science fiction fanfic before and I'm enjoying it. There's such an incredible cast of characters to work with, as well. Look for issue # 70 to slow the pace a bit, as Magnus will finally have a chance to get re-settled into 4022. That issue will also feature the long-awaited return of 1-A!
Keep those letters and comments coming!
Barry Reese