Beyond the Veil - part 5
A tale of a possible future of Freedom Force by Silver Age Fogey

Chapter 11 - "The Moving Finger Writes And, Having Writ, Moves On..."

"Oh, dear heavens..." Merry uttered softly. "Sukhov finally got him..."

"No," Mentor answered definitely. "That is not possible."

Nick turned on him. "What do you mean? I saw him, I carried his body, I buried him! What could you possibly know about it?"

"Nick, remember, he left with me to return to the world of the Domain. He was aiding me in fighting for our freedom."

"And so?" The other man asked bitterly. "He left, he came back, Nuclear Winter caught him, and that's all there is to it."

"Nick, I tell you, it cannot be MinuteMan."

"It WAS, damn it!" Nick bellowed. "I knew him! I knew him better than anyone! It wasn't possible for it to be a fake or impostor, and even if it were - why would Pan do it? What gain?"

Autumn answered, "If it were me, I might do it to try to confuse you if MinuteMan were my prisoner... throw you off the scent."

"But a perfect copy? An exact copy? I don't think it can be done Autumn-"

"The powers of the gods are unknown to us, Nick," the erstwhile Shadow answered. "It's not impossible."

Mentor replied, "No. That cannot be the case either."

"How do you KNOW?" Nick yelled.

"We must return to the Freedom Fortress, for it will be far easier for me to show you than to tell you."

Merry said, "We do need to return soon, Nick. I have to get back to my chamber."

"I know, I know. Autumn, can you come with us?"

"Sure." She started toward the door. "I'm not certain what else I can do here... except wait for the end."

The quintet, humans and ant, made their way down to the front lobby of the building. In the lobby waited four young men. "Sorry, guys," Nick said, "we don't have time to help you out today."

The tallest young man answered, "No... we're here to help you."

"Excuse me?" Nick asked.

Another one of the teens said, "We're the new members of Freedom Force."

"At least we want to be. How do we join?" he continued.

The quartet looked at each other, and Nick answered, "Um, boys, there really isn't-"

Mentor interrupted, "Why would you wish to join Freedom Force, young men? Surely you do not believe that it is an easy life?"

"No, we know that," the tall one with thin black hair answered. "But we felt that we should try to help somehow."

"How can you help?" Nick asked.

In response, the shortest of the teens, a blocky young man, held out an empty canister. "We came across dis an' opened it," he said in with thick speech. "We t'ought it was dat energy stuff."

Mentor took the container and examined it quickly. "It is indeed an Energy-X canister. How did it affect you, boys?"

"I'm Buddy," the husky one said. "Dey call me Buddy Blockhead now. I got real strong and tough. See, watch," and with that, he turned and charged headlong into the side of the city hall building, smashing a hole six foot in diameter. "See?"

Merry answered, "Well... um, nicely done. But... why the building we're using?"

"I told him to," the tall one said. "My name is Walter, but I've taken the nickname ‘Patches.' Please watch." He approached the wall, and waved his hands in mid-air. As he did, the air in front of his hands started to shimmer and twist slightly. This shimmering reached the hole in the wall, obscuring it through almost an underwater effect. When the effect dissipated, the wall was whole again. "I can fix things. Cracks, holes, crevasses... I can fill them in with the same material they were before they broke."

"Oh my goodness!" Shadow exclaimed. "You're the one who's been fixing the buildings we brought down!"

He suddenly went bright red and nodded quickly. "Um, I didn't think you would mind, and so many people needed somewhere safe to stay..."

"Mind? You've done a very wonderful thing with your ability," Merry answered him. "Even little skyscrapers aren't exactly designed for transiting down through the Earth."

Mentor's eyes were suddenly bright with anticipation as he silently turned to the third lad. A fit looking young black man said, "My power isn't really much. I can... well..." He stopped, and looked at his friends.

The fourth young man said, "Tell them, Derek. You've nothing to be ashamed of."

He took a deep breath and said, "I can clean stuff."

The members of Freedom Force looked among themselves, and the young man blushed. Blockhead said, "Hey, don' laugh at 'im! You ain't seen what he can do!"

Mentor replied, "We are hardly laughing, young man. But I am uncertain of the nature of what you describe. Can you show us?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Here, lady, you're in water, right?" he asked Merry. She nodded and he said, "Okay. Watch."

A quick pass of his hand, and there was the briefest flash, as of sunlight on a mirror. But a moment later, Merry exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! He purified the water! It's clean - completely pure!"

"Yup. Here, I can do this too." He laid a hand on Nick, and, after a similar flash, all Nick's clothing had been cleaned - it looked as if he were wearing a brand new outfit.

"Remarkable!" Mentor exclaimed. "Young man, your power is incredible! Have you been using it down here?"

"Yeah," he answered shyly. "I've been wandering around, cleaning the air and the water when it needs it. I mean, it's nothing special, but-"

"No, it is special indeed!" Mentor answered. "Your power can save a man's life! If only it works in the way that I perceive it to. With just a small bit of fortune, there may yet be hope for the world."

Nick asked, "What's your name, young man?"

"Derek Connelly. But my hero name is-"

"No, let me guess," Merry said. "You would be... Decon?"

"Yeah," he answered, slightly crestfallen. "That obvious?"

She laughed and said, "Not at all. And it's probably far better than 'Sea Urchin' was."

Mentor pondered, and asked, "Patches, does your power work on organic material? Can you affect living creatures?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, I've never tried."

"Here," Mentor said. He pulled up a blue sleeve to show a small gash on his arm. "I received this when grappling with Nick. Please try to repair it."

"Um, I don't know..."

Nick patted him on the back. "It's okay, son. Give it a shot."

The young man called Patches concentrated, and again the area around his focus - the wound on Mentor's arm - began to shimmer. While he did this, Decon waved his hand at the wound, which winked with a bluish light.

He said, "Just want to make sure it's clean, avoid infection - you know."

As the wavering disappeared, Mentor's arm was unmarred - completely whole again. "Remarkable. I felt almost nothing. Your ability is incredible, Walter."

They group turned to the remaining teen. "And what of you, young one? You've stood quietly in the back. Have you also been exposed to Energy-X?" Mentor asked.

"No," the handsome young man said. As he stepped forward, the older heroes were struck by his strong features and handsome appearance. His blonde hair and blue eyes called a memory to mind, but before any of them could voice it, he was able to confirm their suspicions.

The young man softly said, "Your assumptions are correct. My father was... Astro."

Chapter 12 - "Once Departed, May Return No More...?"

"ASTRO!?! Why you dirty rotten-" Nick leapt forward at the teen, diving at him.

Suddenly, the youngster calling himself Blockhead was between Nick and the teen, grabbing Nick and pushing him roughly aside. "Back off, ya big bum! He never did nothin' t'you!"

"Astro's... SON?" Merry asked incredulously. "Did you inherit his... his..."

"No," he answered in a clear strong voice. "I do not have my father's powers... and neither do I have his weaknesses. I'm little more than a standard man. My name is Winston Drake."

Nick and the young strong man were still rolling on the ground, tussling. "You don't... know... what he is!" Nick growled.

"He's my friend! Dat's all dat matters!" Buddy answered, slamming an elbow into Nick's head.

"He's the son of a monster!" Nick twisted around and grabbed Blockhead by his collar and back of his belt, and hefted him straight up into the air. The young man couldn't reach anything to free himself, and Nick, still holding him aloft, whirled back to the last youth.

"Do you know what your father did?!?" Nick roared. "Do you have any idea?"

Winston strode right up to Nick and stared him hard in the eye. "Of course I do," he said softly. "My father was a hero who did the best he could, even when his best seemed to be the very opposite of everything you stood for. I am proud of my father."

He turned around and said, "But I am not him. I'm my own man, and I want to help. I know what's happening in the world."

Mentor answered, "Then you must know that there is little that may be done... no matter what your lineage."

"Stop this!" Shadow said. "Nick, put that young man down. We don't have time to fight or bicker! I don't know who this Astro is, and I don't care. If he isn't around now, then he isn't any consideration. Mentor, you said that there was hope - can you explain?"

As Nick slowly and cautiously lowered Blockhead, Mentor related, "This young man, Patches, can fix any break or tear. I believe it possible that he might repair the gouge in the Earth's crust in Russia, stopping the flood of lava."

"Whoa!" Patches answered. "I don't think my power is that broad based! We're talking about tons of material..."

Winston said, "And even if he could - all he could do is make a 'patch' of what is there - which is to say, more lava."

"I understand, young friends, but I would appreciate if you would return with us to Freedom Fortress anyhow," Mentor answered. "If naught else, we can at least see the possibilities more clearly. Will you attend us?"

Nick answered, "No. Not him," pointing at Winston Drake. "He may not be Astro, but blood runs true. I won't have him in the Fortress."

"And I will, Nick," Merry answered. "As will Mentor. Autumn, what do you say?"

The erstwhile Shadow softly answered, "I can't see any reason why not."

Merry turned to Nick gently and grasped his arm. "Will you accede to the majority? As you always have?"

Nick Craft stared tightly at the son of Astro for a long moment, and the young man returned his gaze coolly. "Fine. Then I'll go along with what you want. But I'm not taking my eyes off him."

"Then let us return, quickly," Mentor declared.

Nick remained silent during the return, but Mentor, Merry, and Autumn were quizzing their new friends.

"We met basically because we sort of sensed each other," Patches said. "I suppose there might be some other Energy-X empowered humans in New Patriot City, but I don't know of any."

Blockhead said, "Yeah, I kinda could feel 'em, so I met 'em. We been cleanin' up the city an' fixin' buildings that come down. But there ain't been any in a while..."

"There really hasn't been anything to bring down," Shadow answered. "Most of what is left in Patriot City is at least partly devastated - and those that are in some useful condition are too large. I tried to salvage what variety I could..."

Winston said, "And thank goodness that you decided to salvage the university and the library. Now we have a chance to keep society literate."

Merry and Mentor shared a look, and he could hear her thoughts; What good to save a library when the world is doomed?

"Tell me, Winston, what is your relationship with these others lads?" Mentor asked. "If you do not have Energy-X enhanced abilities, then how did you find them?"

"I built a detector, Mentor. I've spent most of the past ten years in what libraries I could... and when Shadow and the Ant were able to bring the university's library and some of the classroom buildings down, I was able to go further in my studying. I excelled in my studies of electronics, and then computers. And I learned a lot about biology too, as much as I could learn. I thought I might have to be a doctor - I don't know if any doctors made it down to New PC."

Merry said, "There's no shame in being a doctor, Winston."

"Yes, but I had hoped to be so much more, to make up for my father. I've made a little headway. Did you notice the rocks and walls around the lake down there?"

"We didn't get to see it," Merry answered.

"I was able to develop a strain of moss that thrives in low light. It surrounds the lake, and it's living on its own now."

"How incredible," Nick suddenly said harshly. "Moss. You made moss. I guess that makes up for everything your father did. What a wonderful balance you managed to achieve."

Decon suddenly said, "Yeah, he made moss. And you know what moss does?"

"Nothing!" Nick snapped. "You can't eat it, you can't do anything with it!"

"Not true," Decon answered. "You can make air with it."

"You can what?"

"Air. Oxygen." Patches waved his hand in front of his nose. "Stuff you breathe. There aren't any air holes down there. The moss that we made has a high respiratory rate; it absorbs a lot of carbon dioxide and puts a lot of oxygen back into the air."

The husky lad chuckled, "Heh, heh, an' they call ME the blockhead...."

Mentor said, "Please. Let us not argue among ourselves. Our time is too short. Shadow, am I correct in assuming that we are very near Freedom Fortress?"

She reached down and whispered to her mount, the former Ant. After a moment, she said, "Almost there, Mentor. Yes, there's the access through the bottom."

"Decon, would you and Nick please attend me?" Mentor dismounted and strode through the lowest levels of Freedom Fortress, the two younger men behind him. He led them to the craft that he had landed from his home world of the Dominion, and took them inside.

They saw the large tube Mentor had brought with him. The Mind Master took a small transparent canister filled with a thick liquid and handed it to Decon. "This liquid you see is a clear sample of that which is in this life cell. It is a liquid that supports life in a type of suspended animation. I will need you to purify the amount in the cell, but not yet. Once we have placed this in the Freedom Force's medical bay, I will connect it to the life support mechanism that will recharge it."

;Soon, my friend. Soon, we will have you out of there.

;It's been so long... since I was free...so long...the mental voice responded.

"Nick, will you be able to move it for us? It weighs hundreds of pounds..."

"No problem, Mentor. No matter what else has changed, I still have my powers. Just don't have cause to much use them anymore."

Nick doffed his coat and knelt to the base of the tube. Mentor cautioned, "Be very careful; when you lift it and remove it from the power system of my shuttle, we will need to proceed quickly to the medical bay."

"Can do... WUUFF!" He rose erect, balancing the cell on his shoulder. Immediately Mentor led off again at a brisk pace, through the lower levels and quickly to the medical area.

The others were there as Winston studied the computers in the next chamber and Shadow, Patches, and Blockhead were discussing the Force. Mentor ran to the diagnostic computer panel and began programming rapidly. From an unused wall, a tall panel harshly grated as it pulled aside into the wall itself, disclosing a large platform that slid out. It had raised prongs which corresponded exactly to the base of the life cell that Nick bore.

"Gently, now, Nick, gently... you must set it down straight and easy on those nodes. Do you require help?"

"Umm... I think... I can... yes, I need a hand!"

Blockhead was suddenly there at his side. "I gotcha, partner. Lemme get a grip here..." The two strong men eased the tube vertically, and lowered it onto the pad as a hand into a glove.

The cell suddenly lit up again, and Mentor said, "Now! Decon, use your ability! Make that liquid in the tube the same as it is in that small canister."

"Got it..." The teen focused on the liquid in the tube, using what he held in his hand as a model. A flash of light flared... and then another... and a third. Slowly, the liquid began to clear, and a monitor on the side of the cell showed life signs... and showed them beginning to improve.

Decon said, "Boy, that's tough... but it's... almost clear... one more shot... now!" A final explosion of light filled the chamber with radiance, showing every detail in clear profile.

When the glare faded, the others looked at the tube, and its content. Nick and Merry gasped aloud. Nick stumbled back against the wall and cried, "Not him... not him! It CAN'T BE HIM!"

To be continued...

To Be Continued...