JANUARY, YEAR 5
HUMAN TORCH: MV1 #13
“The Approaching Tempest!”
Written by Jeff Melton

WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE: Human Torch met with Challenger’s group, learning of the heroes appearing—and suddenly vanishing—in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Meanwhile, the abductions continued, and the ones behind those abductions have started to plot their revenge!

PROLOGUE

In western Virginia, a river snakes a path along the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains. Along the banks of the river, small trees and shrubbery adorn the beachline. In January, the trees are barren, and the shrubbery has turned gray. Snow covers the shrubbery, and trees are adorned with icicles, as the entire area from the mountaintops to the beachfront is white with the winter snow.

A cold wind blows, causing small whitecaps along the river. On the beach, a blond-haired woman kneels in a small area where the sand can be seen. She is shivering from the cold, as her clothes—blue leggings and a yellow shirt—are drenched, evidence of an earlier swim. She breathes heavily, exhausted from the cold and her swim across the river.

Her memories are incomplete, and she looks across the river at the base of the mountain from which she came, trying hard to remember how she got there—and even to determine where here might be. These questions go unanswered in her mind, as she holds onto her shivering body, trying to collect herself sufficiently for a walk into town—if there is one nearby—to try to get some help, and find out the answers to these questions.

Suddenly, she hears a branch snap behind her. Perhaps some hunters? She quickly turns around, looking towards the source of the sound. However, as she does so, she finds no trace of anyone—or anything—in that direction. Not even a small animal can be seen. Perplexed, she turns back around towards the river once more, her teeth still chattering uncontrollably.

As she turns her head back to the river, she is struck suddenly by a red-gloved fist! The blow knocks her onto her back, as she instinctively throws out her elbows onto the ground to break her fall. Before she can get to her feet, the figure is upon her. He is wearing a black costume, with a black mask that covers his entire face. There are red lines along his sleeves and pants legs, and they come down into a point along his chest. He is wearing red boots and gloves, and where his eyes should be, she can only see red slits that glow in the early morning light. He kicks her in the face, slamming her head against the cold ground.

Fighting off unconsciousness, she tries once more to get to her feet. She only manages to rise to her knees, however, before he whirls around, kicking her once more in the face. She falls to the ground, unconscious, her physically exhausted body unable to fight off the rest it craves any longer.

The figure looks down at her, satisfied. He pulls out a small communicator and speaks into it. “Stealth to base,” he says, looking around cautiously for signs of movement around him. “Prey apprehended. Bring us in.” Immediately, he and the blonde-haired woman are surrounded by a pale yellow glow. Just as suddenly, they totally disappear from view.

END OF PROLOGUE

An hour later, the scene by the river is transformed by the sight of two wildlife officers talking to two shaken hunters. The two hunters, their shotguns propped up against a tree behind them, look to the river, and then back to the officers, gesturing as they convey the story of what they saw.

“Are you sure you two haven’t been drinking?” one of the officers asks. He is a middle-aged man of medium build. He pulls his hat off for a moment, revealing a mostly bald head. “I mean, a woman disappearing like that…!”

“Like what?”

All four men turn their heads upward, where they behold a sight they cannot believe. Human Torch is flying down towards them. Behind him are Challenger, Captain Wonder, Silver Scorpion, and Tim—all occupying a large boat effortlessly carried by Fiery Mask, who is flying them downward as well. He sets the boat at the edge of the water, and the other heroes disembark, as the Human Torch glides down in front of the four men at the scene.

“The Human Torch!” the younger officer exclaims. He’s heard of the Human Torch, but never thought he’d actually see him. Heroes don’t come around here too much, after all. He draws back the back of his hand across his forehead, suddenly feeling the heat from the Torch’s flames, which break through even the bitter cold of the mountain air this time of the year. He even thinks some of his blond hair might be getting wet under his hat.

Human Torch, however, pays little attention to the outburst. He turns to the older officer instead. “What did they find?” he asks calmly, but with a hint of inpatient irritation in his voice.

“Well….Torch,” the officer replies, trying to be professional even though he, too, is surprised to see the Torch here. “They claim that they were hunting ducks just downstream when they heard the sounds of a fight, and were coming to investigate when they saw a woman disappearing…”

“That’s right!” one of the hunters responds. He is wearing a flannel jacket and water-proof boots cover his faded blue jeans. He looks to be in his mid-30s, and has a full brown beard on his rough-looking face. “Me and Charlie heard what sounded like a woman getting attacked, so we came running down the river…”

“Yeah!” the other hunter interjects, unable to keep quiet any longer. He is the first hunter’s son, and has some of his same features, although a clean-cut face that reflects his youthful age of perhaps 17 years. “And when we got there, we saw her too—and a man in a solid black costume. Just as we were getting there, they…floated over the water, and disappeared!”

The Torch listens intently to what is being said, his heat generating all around him without any effort on his part. As he does so, the snow turns into water all around him, and starts to flow into the river just beneath him. Soon, there is a large circle of damp ground in a circumference around where he and the others stand. He pays little attention to the fact that Challenger and Silver Scorpion have emerged from the boat, and are looking over the scene themselves. Challenger is kneeling down, looking at the formation of the dirt and taking samples. Silver Scorpion looks on with interest, and gestures at different locations on the dirt and damp grass.

“Where was this?” the Torch asks.

“Well, pretty much right here!” the younger hunter replies. “I mean, we were still probably twenty yards away when they disappeared, but it’s pretty much where we’re standing now.”

“Torch,” the older officer says, shaking his head. “Don’t tell me you buy into what they’re trying to tell you. I mean, a woman just disappearing like that…!”

“Well, how many people would believe it if they saw a man made of fire?” the Torch asks. The officer doesn’t have a response to that, other than to just lower his head, and shake it from side to side once more.

“Actually, officer,” Challenger says, stepping forward and moving over to where the Human Torch is meeting with the five local residents, “we know that at least some of what they are saying is true. We just didn’t witness it ourselves.”

As Challenger explains the situation to the officer, the Human Torch motions for the younger hunter to walk over to the water with him. As they do, the Torch looks down, seeing two sets of footprints, and signs of a struggle.

“Did you see anything else?” he asks, growing anxious. “Were they fighting?”

“They had been, I think,” the hunter replies, thinking back to the events of a short time ago. “The thing is, by the time we got here, she was out cold, and he was covered in some crazy glow.

“Did they disappear…or go into the water?” the Torch asks.

The hunter merely stares at the Torch for a minute, trying to get a clear picture of what he saw. “I don’t know,” he admits. “I guess they could have. It happened so fast.”

Human Torch starts walking into the water. As he does so, the water becomes super-heated, and steam surrounds him, making its way onto the shoreline, as the Human Torch soon disappears behind the solid wall of steam left behind by his flame powers and their interaction with the water.

“I wish he wouldn’t do that!” Silver Scorpion complains, her face wet from the steam. “Now my hair’s going to be a mess!”

“You can’t be surprised by that,” Tim replies, even as Challenger can be seen in the background, rolling his eyes as his fiancé’s comment. “After all, he knows who we’re here to find.”

“I know,” Silver Scorpion agrees. “He and Sun Girl were an item. I remember.”

“She was definitely here,” Challenger adds. “I’ve checked the instruments, and it was unmistakably her signature. How I don’t know.”

“And there was a fight as well,” Captain Wonder adds. “We definitely saw the signs of that.”

“From what I’ve been able to piece together, it wasn’t much of a fight,” Challenger responds. “And I know why. If she swam across that river, she was exhausted when she got here. She’d be no match for someone lying in wait of her.”

“What’re y’all talking about?” the elder officer asks, perplexed.

“Someone was here, waiting on her when she got across the river,” Challenger explains.

“You seem to know who the victim was?” the officer asks.

“Yes, we do,” Challenger responds. “A lady named Sun Girl. I picked up her readings on my instrument—I won’t waste the time explaining the process to you—and came over here to try to find her before she was captured.”

“Why?” the younger officer asks. “Why would someone want to capture her? And how could you know that was going to happen?” He has been watching the water where the Human Torch disappeared, the steam slowly dissipating. But now, he turns his head to face the others.

“There has been a series of such disappearances in the past few weeks,” Challenger explains. “I have been trying to track them. I’ve never been this close to actually reaching the person before they are apprehended.”

“But who’s doing it?” the officer asks, not satisfied with that answer.

“We don’t know,” Captain Wonder replies. “That’s what we’re here to find out.”

Just then, the Human Torch emerges from the water, his flames super-heating the water at the surface as he flies into the air towards shore once again. Although there is no face to betray any emotions at the moment, it is clear that he is not satisfied with what he found—or didn’t find—beneath the waves.

“Nothing!” the Torch exclaims, as he floats back to the ground once again. “I don’t know where they went, but it wasn’t into that river.”

“I’ve got to admit,” the elder officer comments, looking at his younger counterpart, “I have no idea how to report this one.”

“I know,” the younger officer replies. “I feel like we’re not doing our jobs. I mean, is there a woman who disappeared—or not? And if there isn’t shouldn’t we establish a search party for her?”

“It wouldn’t do any good,” Fiery Mask says, walking up behind them. “Whoever got her is long gone now, and there’s no way to track her down that way.”

“At least not through conventional means,” Captain Wonder responds. “But, I do have some ideas that might help us get to the bottom of things here. If we can trace the energy…”

“Can we go now?” the elder hunter asks the elder officer.

“Sure,” the elder officer replies. “If we need you, we know how to get up with you.”

Meanwhile, seated around a circular table, the Shocker, Stealth, the Fiddler, the Black Claw, and the Parrott talk amongst themselves, as they await the arrival of those in charge of their operation.

“We’re sailing through our charges,” Stealth comments, looking at the Fiddler. Since he met the Fiddler, he has been quite interested in his natural artistic skills, and he has enjoyed discussing the classics with him.

“Yes, but we are getting no closer to our objectives,” the Fiddler replies, looking down at his fiddle on the table beneath him.

“I disagree,” the Parrott chimes in. “We have been promised a shot at the Human Torch…,” he hesitates, realizing that everyone has their own agenda, “…and our mutual foes. I see that objective very much in sight.”

Ignoring their conversation, Shocker turns to the Black Claw. “Hey, you want to hit the pool hall later?” he asks. “It’s 99 cent draft, and you know that brings the women out.”

“That will be…” the Black Claw starts to respond, but is stopped by a loud banging at the other end of the table. As they turn to look, they see a metal fist smashing into the table, as a familiar figure walks into view, out of the shadows.

“Enough!” Colonel Klaue exclaims, as the others look on with surprise and respect. At his right is his son, Klaw. At his left is Dr. Noah Black. “I have called this meeting because we must be prepared.”

“Parrott,” Klaw asks, “have you made the preparations we discussed?”

“Yes, I have,” Parrott replies.

“Good,” Dr. Black responds, nodding with contentment. “Soon, we will be mobilized. Those fools will lead us to where we need to go. “

“Yes,” Colonel Klaue replies, nodding his head, a sinister smile etched on his face. “When they discover the location of the keepers, we will then strike…and take what is rightfully ours!” Back in Virginia, Challenger and Captain Wonder have led Human Torch, Silver Scorpion, Fiery Mask, and Tim into a catacomb hidden by the cold lake waters, its entrance just beneath the surface of the water. As they enter the catacombs, they look around, trying to get their bearings.

“Might I put a little light on the subject?” the Torch asks, as he takes to the air ahead of them. As he does so, he notices several torches along the walls, leading down into the darkness beyond. He lights them with his powers, as he trails off in front of the others.

“Thanks, Torch,” Captain Wonder comments, but the Torch has already disappeared in front of them, continuing to light the torches along their path for them.

Challenger walks along the walls, and touches the inner wall, looking on with great interest. “These walls are thousands of years old,” he notes. “And yet, there are definite signs of a past civilization here—with the lights and the pathway.”

“But leading to what?” Silver Scorpion asks, suspiciously.

“Only one way to find out!” Tim replies enthusiastically.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Tim,” Captain Wonder assures his young partner. “The gauges are leading directly down the path. Although you couldn’t tell it from the looks of this place, the readings are definitely coming from up ahead.”

Fiery Mask looks down on the ground below, his eyes aglow in the dimly-lit cavern. “If that was Sun Girl, it looks like she came this way,” he comments. I can see signs that she passed this way.”

“I’ll have to take your word for it,” Silver Scorpion responds. “None of us have your eyesight.”

Human Torch blazes back into the cavern, turning a corner in front of them, as he hovers above them, before touching down and relinquishing his flames. “This place is a lot bigger than it looks,” he comments. “But I didn’t want to go much further until I came back to check on the rest of you.”

“Oh, we’re doing fine,” Fiery Mask replies. “But, what have you seen so far?”

“We’re almost there,” he replies, as they turn a curve. As they do so, they find themselves in a dimly-lit hallway. On both sides are lit torches. At the end of the hallway to the right are two large 12-feet doors, made of solid oak, and locked with large wooden pins from the outside.

“I wonder what’s in those doors?” Tim ponders.

“No need to wonder,” Fiery Mask replies, as he flies up to the large door. He removes the large pin, which weighs in excess of two tons, as if it was a mere paper weight. He then grabs hold of the edge of the oak door, swinging it outward towards him, as it creaks in opposition to being opened.

As they enter the room, Challenger instantly turns his attention to the enormous collection of antique weapons. On the wall are three swords. He picks up the first, a Japanese sword—a long, single-edged, curved sword. He holds it with both hands, and swings it through the air. “Amazing,” he comments. “An original Amakuni design, circa 720 AD.”

Putting the sword back into its holder on the wall, he turns his attention to another sword. This one a straight, dull-surfaced sword with ridges along its pummel. He holds the sword in his right hand, noting the single-edged, flat surface with his left index finger. “A 9th century Viking sword,” he mentions, in a matter-of-fact way. However, the look on his face betrays his own enthusiasm at the find.

The final sword catches his attention, and he returns the Viking sword to its holder as well. This sword is longer than the Viking sword, but is also made of unpolished steel. It has a two-edge blade, with a pummel that resembles flower petals on its edges. “A 15th century Flemish sword,” he notes, as he walks through the room, holding the sword in his right arm, noting various firearms from historical periods as well.

“Let’s get out of here before he thinks he’s died and gone to Heaven,” Silver Scorpion remarks. She knows her fiancé’s interest in any kind of weapon, and she must admit that she’s never envisioned the sight of so many weapons kept in one place.

Captain Wonder, monitoring the tracking machine, looks excitedly at Challenger. “Look!” he exclaims. “The figures are going off the chart! What we’re looking for is in the next room!”

They leave the first room, and enter the second—with Fiery Mask leading the way once again. When they do, they see a sight that takes their breath away. It is a large room, 100’ x 50’. Along the inner wall, bordering the room they just left, they see two rows of canisters in long shelves. Inside the canisters, they can make out the images of costumed heroes. Although the lighting makes it impossible to make out everyone, Captain Wonder starts making a mental note of some of the heroes he can make out.

“Guys!” Tim excitedly calls out. “Look!” As the other heroes rush over, they see four shattered canisters on the bottom row. Just above the last shattered cannister, on the second shelf, they see another smashed cannister.

“Four canisters!” Silver Scorpion says, looking over the destruction, careful to avoid stepping on the glass, littering the floor at her feet. “Isn’t that how many you said you’d come across?”

“Yes, it has been,” Challenger replies. “I wasn’t sure how many there were before I started tracking…!”

“But there are five!” Tim points out. “Look at the one on the second shelf!”

“Five?” Captain Wonder asks. “But it looks like it just got opened recently.

“You’re missing something else,” Fiery Mask points out. Human Torch stands beside him. “Look at the different shelves. The second shelf has duplicates of the first!”

“What have we stumbled across here?” Human Torch asks.

To be continued next issue, when we answer Human Torch’s question!

FLAMING FIREBALLS

Welcome, everyone, to the 13th issue of Human Torch. This issue leads into the climax of a storyline that’s been building for a number of issues now. It’ll answer a few questions that you may have been asking, and it will also feature some more characters that you may be unaware of.

This issue’s story featured the brief return of Sun Girl. Sun Girl was the Human Torch’s partner for a brief time in the 40’s. She even had her own book for a little while (three issues) in 1948. Sun Girl was Mary Mitchell, a blonde beauty. She wore a yellow blouse with blue pants and yellow boots. Mary was Jim Hammond’s secretary, and was also an accomplished acrobat. Look for more on her in future issues.

The new villain introduced in this issue is Stealth. He is not a Golden Age villain himself, but you’ll be learning more about him—and his agenda against the Golden Age heroes—in upcoming issues.

That’s about all for now. I hope everyone enjoyed this issue, and I hope you’ll enjoy next issue, when things really start to heat up.

Jeff Melton