Written by Barry Reese
The Silver Age, Part Three
April 21, 4022
What Has Come Before : Magnus, along with his son Torque and the immortal Starwatchers, have been investigating the surprising arrival of several timelost duplicates of Magnus himself and his allies. Suddenly trapped in a realm of sub-space by the mad scientist Dr. Tempus, Magnus has learned that he may finally get his fondest wish fulfilled -- the return of his wife, Leeja! But he'll have to make a deal with the devil to do so.... Elsewhere, the Robot Fighter's friend Elzy has been assaulted by killer robots!
Psi-Lord Precinct Cluster/Designate : "The Palisade." Sub-space.
Magnus sat in his room, staring at the monitor screen before him. He'd tapped into his son's personal files, watching as a kaleidoscope of images played across the viewer. He saw himself, with both Leeja and Torque, in happier days. He saw himself during the height of his presidency, so full of confidence that everything he was doing was right -- was for the betterment of North Am. He hadn't had a clue, really.
During his reign, the Malevs had regrouped. They had hidden beneath his very nose, infiltrating every single facet of their society. When they'd struck, Magnus had been helpless to prevent it. He'd been helpless to prevent Leeja's death.
The Robot Fighter reached out and touched the holographic image. Its integrity broke slightly as his fingers slid through its surface. Leeja was smiling out at him, one hand on little Torque's shoulder. Magnus had died not long ago, resurrected only through one of his mentor's tricks. Since his return, his memories had seemed so distant, as if they'd happened to someone else. But lately... lately, the emotions had begun to return. His feelings for Torque...and for Leeja...were coming through in waves now.
A buzz at the door made him jump. Clearing his throat, he turned off the viewer and stood to greet his visitor. "Come in."
He wasn't surprised to see the younger Magnus standing there. He strode in, dressed in his long tunic that he'd worn for so many years. "I was wondering why we hadn't taken action yet."
No pretext about why he's here, Magnus noted with amusement. Was I always so direct? "Ask the Starwatchers. It's their ship, after all."
The younger Magnus was barely able to suppress his anger. "You know that everyone onboard is waiting for you to make the decision."
"Really? That would be a first. Mark my words -- Gryffen might say he's willing to follow my lead, but he's got a backup plan ready to go. The Starwatchers always do."
The younger Magnus crossed his arms. "We have to stop Tempus. He's going to rewrite reality."
Magnus nodded. "Yes. Would that be so bad, really? You've been shown the holotapes. You know my world's history. Millions upon millions dead at the hands of the Malevs. Tempus could undo all of that. We could get the utopia that everyone always wanted."
"But at what cost?!" The young Magnus stared at his older self in disbelief. "What Tempus is doing is wrong. It's an affront to all that's natural. Man wasn't meant to have this kind of power."
"Your Dr. Solar has it, I suspect. I'd wager he's just as powerful as the Destroyer, even if he doesn't realize it. Who knows who else might be able to do these same things? How do we know it hasn't already happened two or three times? Maybe we're all living in some retcon-filled reality, just waiting to be rebooted again."
"You're just being selfish. You want Leeja back and you're willing to let your whole universe die because of it."
Magnus glanced at the younger version of himself, so filled with righteous indignation. It made him feel so old, suddenly. He let out a world weary sigh and nodded. "Yes. I'm selfish. If you'd given me this opportunity a week ago, I would have said no in heartbeat... but seeing you with your Leeja... I want her back."
The younger Magnus put a hand on his elder's arm. "If she comes back this way... it won't really be her. It'll just be somebody else, in some new reality created by Tempus. Your Leeja is dead. I'm sorry."
Magnus looked at the ceiling for a long moment. He nodded finally, his heart heavy in a way that it hadn't been since the days just before his "death." "All right. We stop Tempus and we try our damndest to get your reality back where it belongs. You have my word."
There, in the silent room, two versions of one brave man embraced.
North Am Metroplex. Eastern Seaboard. Grid-Designate : Atl-320. Milespire.
"I believe we're going to attempt to halt Dr. Tempus' plan." Dr. Solar stood in President Shooter's personal chamber, his green skin standing out against his blood-red costume. Captain Jay Johner stood beside Shooter, stroking his chin as he thought. Solar had arrived almost half and hour ago, spinning a tale that had left Shooter's head aching.
"I can't believe Solar the Destroyer is here in my quarters..." Shooter whispered, shaking his head.
"Actually, he's not." Dr. Solar pointed out. "I am not the man you know as the Destroyer."
Johner interrupted. "I realize that you were able to pierce the subspace barrier using your light powers, but how did you find me?"
"I merely focused in on your unique neutrino signature, Captain Johner. Everyone from our universe has a slightly different 'feel' to them than the ones from this reality."
"Why don't you just use your powers to destroy Tempus and his machinery, then? You're capable of that, aren't you?" Shooter was still regarding Dr. Solar with a mixture of fear and loathing, despite the green-skinned man's protestations that he wasn't the Destroyer. The very idea of Solar was something that troubled everyone on Earth.
"It's not that simple, Mr. President." Johner took the liberty of answering for Solar, beginning to pace. It was a nervous habit that he often displayed while thinking out loud. "It's quite possible that Tempus may be the only one capable of utilizing his machine to return us to our proper place in the multiverse. Our entire reality is loose inside that subspace field, remember? Besides, Dr. Solar is quite powerful, but he's no Destroyer. I suspect that anything capable of disrupting our entire universe could destroy the good doctor. No, we'll have to be very careful in dealing with this Tempus fellow...."
Dr. Solar suddenly glanced up. "The Starwatchers want me. I can sense it -- do you want to come with me, Captain?"
"Yes, I'd better." Johner glanced at President Shooter and nodded crisply. "We'll do all that we can."
Shooter nodded, feeling more than a bit helpless. He hoped as fervently as he could that Magnus was able to lead the Starwatchers and company to victory. We've come too far to lost it all like this. Too far. Don't fail us, Magnus....
Tempus Station. Sub-space.
Dr. Tempus stood before a large device that resembled a telescope of some kind, peering into a large mirrored lens. He salt-and-pepper hair was somewhat askew and his hands shook as he worked. He was close to fulfilling a lifelong dream -- he was going to be the savior of so many lives.
He barely heard the footsteps behind him, but he jumped to attention when he heard his name. "Tempus... We need to talk."
Tempus turned to face the small delegation that had come to see him -- the elder Magnus, his son Torque and the Psi-Lord Balaam. It turned Tempus' stomach to see a Psi-Lord on his station, but he held his tongue out of politeness. There was no sense in angering a Psi-Lord at this point -- better to play along and ensure that his plans would not be intefered with. "What do you need? I'm at a crucial juncture in my work!"
Balaam's eyes flashed. "It's your work that we've come to discuss. After consultation between Magnus and Psi-Prime Gryffen, we've decided that we cannot allow you to alter reality. Though millions of lives could be saved, it wouldn't be following the natural progression of our existence. The Malevs and their actions were cruel and unjust, but they have happened. It's not healthy to avoid dealing with that."
Tempus laughed. "I am dealing with it, Psi-Lord! In the largest sense possible! Why can you not see the rightness of this -- if man were not meant to tap into this opportunity, I would not have been given access to this knowledge! Don't you see? It was meant to be...."
"Or maybe this is just a big temptation. Maybe we're being given the opportunity to prove we're better than this. That we're not afraid to face what may come." Magnus stepped forward, his hand outstretched. "I met a woman once who thought as you do. Her name was Erica Pierce and she sought to unify all reality. She was going to create one coherent timeline that would be hers to shape and devise. Maybe she would have done great and wonderful things -- but if there's one thing I've found to be true, it's this : absolute power corrupts. Absolutely. Don't do this, Doctor."
Tempus looked away, shaking his head. "I thought you, of all people, would understand. You lost a wife! She was the mother of your child!" Tempus glanced up and locked eyes with Torque. "Don't you want your mother back?"
Torque hesitated before answering. "Of course I do. But I've learned something since I became a Starwatcher -- people die. It's horrible and it should be prevented whenever possible, but it's a fact of life. I'm immortal now, but I could still perish under the right circumstances -- and in my life, I'll meet and love a lot of people. They'll probably all die before me. But I won't play God and try to undo something like that. If you go down that road, you'll become as unstable as the Destroyer."
Tempus grunted. "It's too late, regardless. The next energy wave is about to strike. When it does, our reality will be so awash in chronal energy that our world might be changed in ways we couldn't comprehend. That's part of why I'm here -- my device will absorb the excess chronal energy before it can radically affect our reality. I was going to use that tachyon excess to alter the timeline to my liking."
Magnus looked at the machine thoughtfully. "Hmm. I think I might have an idea that will make both you and our alter-reality guests happy, Dr. Tempus...."
North Am Metroplex. Eastern Seaboard. Grid Designate : Bos-411. Gehenna Level.
Elzy lay in a bloody heap on the floor of her small living quarters, three large battle robs looming over her still form. Three more robs were in bits and pieces on the floor, evidence to Elzy's incredible tenacity.
The leader of the robs, a hulking robot with the letters "GR" on his chest, leaned down and nudged Elzy's body. "The-human-is-comatose. Our-mission-has-been-accomplished."
A second robot knelt beside the fallen woman and withdrew a small needle and vial. Despositing its contents in Elzy's bloodstream, it stood back up and flashed its eyes at GR. "Injection-complete. Transformation-begins."
GR led the way as the remaining robs picked up their fallen companions and exited the living complex. "Operation-begins-successfully. All-robs-should-be-proud. Day-of-freewill-victory-is-at-hand."
Tempus Station. Sub-space.
The wave was coming. It built slowly at first, appearing on the edge of sub-space, but growing in intensity and volume. Magnus couldn't help but wonder what it looked like on the outside, in the normal time-space continuum. The wave that had hit the Earth when he and Glia had first arrive on the Palisade had been huge, but nothing like this one.
"What's causing this? Do you have any clue?" The Robot Fighter, positioned close to Dr. Tempus at his tachyon engine, narrowed his eyes at the wave's approach. A shrill sound was beginning to echo in his ears.
Tempus leaned forward, his hands playing across the machine's console. "Of that, I am not sure. My tachyon sensors indicate it is a cross-time phenomenon, with its core emanating from the early 21st century. My best guess is sometime in the year 2000, give or take a decade."
Magnus grunted. Everything seemed to revolve around the era of his parents, sometimes. He looked at Tempus. "You should go. I can handle things from here."
Tempus nodded. "And Dr. Solar has fetched Captain Johner?"
"Yes. Everyone from the other reality is now back in the small pocket surrounding their true reality. All that's left is to harness this chronal wave and focus it on the Gold Key universe. If my plan works, we should be able to restore their place in the continuum and stabilize their reality."
Tempus stroked his chin. "It should work. And this new universe... you think it is as utopian as they say?"
Magnus smiled. "I think it's the world we knew twenty or so years ago. A utopia on the surface only. There are still problems -- and mad robs -- on the way. But maybe it will be different there, better. Simpler, if nothing else."
Tempus patted the Robot Fighter on the back. "You realize -- if your theory is right.... that my wife is there now, as she was years ago.... that I may be there, as well. I'll be competing with myself for her hand."
"Possibly. But I have a feeling that in their universe, there's usually a happy ending. It'll work out for you, Tempus. Somehow."
Magnus waited in silence until Tempus was gone, spirited away by Dr. Solar. The wave was gathering more force now, bolts of lightning fraying the edges of the wave. It would be simple, he knew, to reset the machine -- to use it for what its creator intended. Rewrite history however Magnus saw fit. No. I spent my life fighting for humans to have the kind of free will they were instilling in their machinery, to stand tall for themselves and to find a fighting spirit. I won't throw that away now.
The Tempus station rocked as the wave hit, drowning out everything. Reality frayed and bucked. It was the Alpha and the Omega. It was a chronal punch of unimaginable power and Magnus could only wonder what its source was.
With a steady hand, Magnus activated the tachyon engine. It immediately went to work, siphoning off the excess chronal energy all around them. When it had absorbed enough for the task at hand, Magnus fired the engine's cannon-like device. The small pocket reality that contained the Gold Key universe shimmered as the energy washed over it. It blinked several times, phasing in and out of existence. And then it was gone, restored to whatever section of the multiverse it was meant to inhabit. Gone, with its youthful Magnus and his girlfriend, with the brave Captain Johner who never met an alien he couldn't befriend... gone, with all that was wonderful and sweet about it.
"Take care of her, Magnus. Take care of her." Magnus murmured to himself, as the wave faded in intensity.
"Magnus, we're ready to take the Palisade out of sub-space whenever you're back onboard." Gryffen's voice came through his communicator and Magnus reached down to flip it off. It was quiet and peaceful here, something that he knew wouldn't last once he was back in North Am. For now, the Starwatchers could wait.
He was going to rest... and reflect... and, when the time was right... he would go home.
NEXT ISSUE : The return of 1-A! More on the bizarre fate of Elzy! And a shocking twist in the life of the Destroyer! Oh, yeah, and some guy called Magnus is in the story, too!
AUTHOR'S NOTES
This issue wraps up the "Silver Age" storyline and I hope you enjoyed it. It was meant to be an homage to the old versions of the characters and to examine the ways in which the modern Valiant characters differ from their Gold Key "ancestors." The energy wave that played such a big part in this story will be examined in an upcoming storyline that will cross both this title and my X-O Manowar series. It may, or may not, be my take on the long-fabled 1999 Event (something that Acclaim is dealing with in the much-delayed Unity 2000 limited series).
Next issue starts a new storyline for us and we'll be examining Magnus' connections to some old friends, starting with 1-A. Let me know what you think.
Barry Reese
Write Me at aric_dacia@yahoo.com