Issue #7: "The March to Megiddo"

Martin Stein exited a cab and stepped onto East Street, in front of the famous Waldorf Towers. As the cab drove away he looked up, admiring the way the grey façade reached up and blended into the New York sky. He couldn’t help but reminisce about some of the times he spent here with his ex-fiancée Clarissa Clemens, whose parents owned an apartment on the 42^nd floor. After the Killer Frost incident of a couple of weeks ago had destroyed her previous apartment building, Clarissa had been staying here while her parents were on holiday. Martin figured they were probably somewhere in Europe.

He had wanted to come and see her sooner, and make sure that she was okay. He had tried to call her, but would only get her voicemail, and, for the most part, his messages were ignored. It was like that until a couple of weeks ago when, to Martin’s surprise, Clarissa called him and invited him for some coffee, but Firestorm’s business with Eclipso had gotten in the way.^*

Since Ronnie Raymond had made the revelation to Martin Stein that they were the two halves of the composite known as Firestorm, his life had grown more and more hectic, but also more and more fascinating. His mind started to flood with the knowledge and memories of not just his experience as Firestorm, but those from the others that comprised the collective that he dubbed the Firestorm Matrix. The memories from the previous hosts of the Firestorm Matrix, that had once haunted him, now helped Martin develop new groundbreaking theories on nuclear energy and transmutation. Stein was believed that it was only a matter of time before he could develop new technologies that would not only be more energy efficient, but possibly break the reliance that much of the western world had on fossil fuels. All of this was much to the delight of his new employer, Concordance Research. Martin was quickly promoted to head of Research and Development and his once damaged reputation among the scientific community was repaired to its former pristine status.

Martin took a deep breath and started to walk towards the entrance of the Waldorf. How am I going to explain my recent absence to Clarissa? I was lucky that Eclipso kidnapped me during my vacation from Concordance… maybe I should’ve called her when I got back. Maybe I should’ve called her before coming over here… what if she’s not even here?

That question was answered shortly as he saw Clarissa walk out of the door. Martin soon had a swelling feeling in his chest, the same feeling he had when he saw her for the first time. He lost his breath looking at her, remembering how her feathery blonde hair felt when he used to run his fingers though it, and seeing her long, toned legs which were currently on display, thanks to a pair of short, tight-fitting jean shorts, and her chest, covered with a skin-tight white t-shirt that stopped just above the waist of her shorts, leaving a little bit of midriff showing. Martin thought about how good if felt when she was pressed against him, or wrapped around his arm when they went out to dinner, or just for a walk.

But it was her blue eyes and smile which really made Martin wish for the days before their relationship fell apart. They had a way of sparkling, no matter what time of the day it was or how much light was around. Martin wished that they were directed at him now instead of the handsome young man that walked out of the Waldorf Towers with her. The sparkle in her smile and eyes faded quickly and was replaced by a look of surprise when she noticed Martin.

“Martin, what a surprise,” Clarissa said with an unexpected and surprised tone in her voice.

I should’ve phoned ahead, Martin thought to himself.

“Well, Clarissa… aren’t you going to introduce us?” the young man next to her asked. He was wearing a pristine black suit, and a matching tie with a white omega symbol embroidered into it.

“Of course, how rude of me. Martin Stein, meet Morgan Edge.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Martin said, extending his hand. Martin was actually taken aback by how handsome this young man was. His hair was clean cut and spiked up with gel, and he had piercing blue eyes and a facial bone structure that would make any male model jealous. Under the suit, it was clear that Morgan Edge was very well acquainted with his local gym.

“Pleasure’s all mine. After all, how many people get to meet a former Nobel Prize winner?” Morgan said grabbing Martin’s hand with a firm shake. Edge’s hand felt cold and clammy, like a corpse, even though he appeared very virile. Martin’s skin began to get goose pimples, despite the ninety degree weather. Martin tried to pull away from the young man, but couldn’t break Morgan’s grip, as he began to feel wave after wave of darkness, hate and chaos overwhelm him. These feelings began to wrap around Martin Stein, working their way up his body and tightening around his throat. As he struggled for breath, he looked into Edge’s eyes, which were completely black and seemed to be the source of darkness that began to cover the professor’s eyes and squeeze. Martin, seeing nothing but the tightening darkness, wanted to scream but no sound came out of his mouth.

“Professor Stein, are you okay?” Morgan Edge asked, laughing with a voice that now had a deep demonic tone to it.

“Martin?” he heard Clarissa’s voice say.

The tightness left Martin and he noticed that the sun was shining again. He also realized that he had fallen on the ground with Morgan loosely holding onto his hand. Morgan and Clarissa, as well as many of the people passing by, looked at each other and then at Martin, a look of confusion on their faces the whole time. Clarissa grabbed Martin’s other arm and helped Morgan to pick him off the ground.

“Martin are you okay?” Clarissa asked. “You just kinda fainted.”

“Yeah, I think I’m fine,” Martin said, scratching his head as he dismissed the episode as something that came from his connection to the Firestorm Matrix, as he had experienced similar occurrences before Ronnie had made his revelation. I thought these episodes had ended when I found out I was Firestorm, Professor Stein thought as he began to wonder why he saw such darkness and hate.

“Now, if I could only have that kind of effect on women when first meeting them,” Morgan chuckled. “I guess I’d know what Obama would feel like.”

“Maybe we should get you to the doctor?” Clarissa suggested.

“I’m fine, it’s probably the heat,” Martin said.

“Yeah, there’s been a lot of that going on with this heat wave,” Morgan suggested as he patted Martin on the back. “Well, I’m sure you two have some catching up to do. Clarissa, I’ll catch up with you later.” Morgan turned to the professor and extended his hand once more. “Again, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope that we can meet up some time. I’ve read some of your work and find it fascinating.”

“Sure, I’d love to,” Martin said and he shook Morgan’s hand again. For a moment, Martin thought he saw a black cloud swirl over Morgan’s eyes, but dismissed it once he blinked his eyes and saw they were normal. As Morgan left to catch a cab, Martin Stein couldn’t help but feel happy and relieved that he didn’t have to interact with the handsome young man anymore.



^* To read about Firestorm’s meeting with Eclipso check out the DC2 Challenge series



Ronnie Raymond sat in a lightly-cushioned chair, eagerly waiting as he watched the second hand move around the clock on the wall across from him. Every tick seemed like an eternity as Ronnie grew uneasy, waiting for his turn to see his family’s physician. He was uneasy at first, feeling that if he went to Dr. Smith for an exam, his father would know what transpired from the visit, but the doctor assured him over the phone that he couldn’t break doctor-patient confidentiality, even to Ronnie’s father. Plus, the only other alternative was the Student Health Center on Hudson’s Campus, and Ronnie didn’t feel like being used as a textbook for a med-student to learn on. Also, the Health Office would’ve been next door to the waiting room, and he didn’t want to explain to any of his friends or former teammates on the basketball team what he was doing there if they happened to go in to get free condoms.

Shortly after becoming Firestorm, Ronnie began to feel a myriad of symptoms, which started as fatigue, bruises and joint pain. Ronnie dismissed it as just a by-product of his cleaning up New York City as its newest hero, much like he would if he was working out or playing basketball. But these symptoms would show up, even on days when he didn’t become Firestorm. The list started to grow to include excessive and unexplained bleeding, nausea, flu-like symptoms, headaches, and malaise. He continued to dismiss them, but three moments caused him to reconsider.

His father’s girlfriend, Felicity, had decided to surprise him with a visit, bringing some new clothes along with some of Ronnie’s favorite foods and snacks. Finding Ronnie’s room a mess, she decided to clean it up a bit and found a bloody pillowcase among a pile of dirty clothes Ronnie had on his floor. When confronted with it, Ronnie said he had gotten into a fight at a bar and some guy got a lucky shot in. Felicity accepted Ronnie’s explanation with some unease and promised not to tell his father, after Ronnie promised to be more careful when he went out and to go and see Dr. Smith.

The second came when he was with his girlfriend Doreen. While in an intimate moment, Ronnie began feeling pain deep in his bones, as if someone was drilling out from his bone marrow. Ronnie fell off of Doreen’s bed and began to spasm on the floor, but begged Doreen not to call anybody. The pain subsided after a few minutes, whereupon a tearful Doreen begged him to go to a doctor, telling him how she’d noticed how his complexion had been very pale and he seemed to be losing a lot of weight.

He started to concede and finally agreed to see a doctor, but his plans were delayed as a result of his possession by the demon Eclipso. It was the Prince of Darkness who had confirmed Ronnie’s suspicions about his new powers.

“You don’t have it in you, that’s why you smell like death,” the demon said to Ronnie in the Abyss, where the possessed souls of the Tears of Hel were held captive.

“What are you talking about? What do you mean?” Ronnie demanded.

“You should consider yourself lucky, Ronald Raymond. Not many people, in this world or the one that preceded it, were lucky enough to live this live this long while in possession of powers reserved for the Gods without dying or going mad. Your dual nature with the one you call Martin Stein, the true keeper of the counter balance, has kept you alive this long but has only delayed the inevitable.”

“Do not fret, Ronald Raymond,” the demon continued. “I will give you the gift of ending your life quickly after you’ve helped me engulf this planet in darkness. Such has been the way between us since the time of the Old Gods. Such will it be beyond the death of the New.”

“I’ll never help you,” Ronnie said, but Eclipso just laughed.

“Well, if my mercy will not be appreciated, then maybe I should let nature take its course and destroy you slowly and painfully.”

“Ronnie Raymond?” the nurse asked as she opened the door that separated the examination areas from the waiting rooms. Her voice brought Ronnie back to the present, but Eclipso’s words still echoed in his mind. “Dr. Smith will see you now.”



“Wake up, Multiplex,” a voice said as Danton Black felt something slam into his side as he regained consciousness. His vision was blurry, but he recognized that he was sitting at a table inside of an interview room. He tried to move his limbs only to find them shackled to the chair he was sitting in. Earlier, two guards pounded on the door, announcing a surprise inspection of Danton’s solitary confinement cell of the Metahuman Wing in Rikers Island. Two guards entered his room and injected him with a tranquilizer that rendered him unconsciousness in seconds.

“I thought I made it clear that I didn’t appreciate the name Multiplex,” Danton growled. His vision was still blurry but he recognized the voice of his least-favorite Correctional Officer in the Prison, Officer Ramon.

“Last time I checked, I didn’t give a damn about what a convicted murderer would appreciate.” Officer Ramon had the habit of giving all of the inmates of Rikers who had a power a special code name, even though the majority already had a handle. Most of the time the nickname was some offensive attempt to mock the prisoner or question his masculinity, but in Danton’s case Ramon gave him an actual villain handle since he didn’t have one. Ramon was of the mindset that all super-powered bad guys should have some kind of handle to go by. Officer Ramon thought that calling a guy who could make copies of himself Multiplex was genius, while Danton didn’t think so and tried to kill him with a shiv. The name stuck and everyone began calling him Multiplex around the prison yard. It was even leaked out to the media during Danton’s trial and, soon thereafter, everyone was calling him Multiplex. Danton swore to himself, that before he was shipped off to his special cell in Sing Sing, that he would somehow kill Officer Ramon.

“Now, Officer, please show Dr. Black some respect. After all, he is going to help us survive the coming end of the world.”

“Who is that?” Danton asked before his vision finally cleared up. Across the table was a man who looked to be in his fifties, with balding white hair and glasses on. The man sat in an electric-powered wheelchair and was dressed in a black suit, with a matching tie that had a white omega symbol embroidered onto it. “Henry Hewitt?”

“I’m glad you remember me, Dr. Black. It seems that fate has brought us together once again,” the president and founder of Hewitt Industries said.

“All due respect, Mr. Hewitt, but I’m not interested in stealing more industrial secrets for you.” Hewitt Industries was the business rival to the Hudson Power Company and had paid Danton Black to steal plans and equipment for their groundbreaking Hudson Nuclear Power Plant. Once Danton was caught, Henry Hewitt used his connections with the Nuclear Regulations Council to launch a formal investigation claiming that Martin Stein stole Danton’s ideas, hoping the delays caused by the inquiry would allow the Hewitt Corporation to steal the contract that was given to the H.P.C and build their own power plant.

“Please, Danton, I’m not here to insult you or your newfound abilities with a task as menial as that. We’ve got something bigger planned… far bigger.”

“We…” Danton said, looking at Mr. Hewitt. “What do you mean by we?”

“I’m here representing a group of individuals that believe that it is imperative that we prepare for the coming final days,” Hewitt said as he straightened out his tie and traced the white omega symbol with his forefinger.

“And what would make you think I would be interested?”

“Because it ties into what you want, which is what we are willing to give you as payment for your services.”

“The Firestorm Matrix…” Danton whispered

“Yes,” Hewitt smiled as a black cloud flooded his eyes, rendering them completely black. “It is the key to the end.”



Martin Stein sat in his plush leather chair in his den and began to read a manuscript that he was going to review for the physics journal Classical and Quantum Gravity. The manuscript, written by Michael Holt, proposed the possibility that intense gravitational fields in space-time could be the result of the force extruded on it by a parallel universe. Martin found it fascinating and the math, at first glance, seemed to work, but he found it hard to concentrate with his thoughts still on Clarissa.

Their talk earlier in the day went very well as they discussed the various facets that caused a rift in their relationship. Martin assured her that he was a changed man, that his work was no longer the main focus in his life and he was willing to do anything to make their relationship work. She agreed to see him again for lunch the following day and Martin could barely contain his exhilaration.

This is no time for Classical and Quantum Gravity, Martin thought as he opened his desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label. He reached for the top of the bottle to open it, but hesitated. 26 weeks and counting… he reminded himself.

Martin placed the bottle back inside of the desk draw and picked up Michael Holt’s manuscript again, before dropping it on his desk and leaning back in his chair. Maybe there’s something good on TV tonight… Stein closed his eyes for a moment to contemplate what he should do. He began to feel his body temperature rise from the center of his chest and spread throughout his body. The sensation was a surprise to the Nobel Prize winner, but it was also pleasurable. Once the sensation spread to his entire body Martin Stein opened his eyes…

… and found himself on fire.

“What the hell is going on?” Martin screamed as he tried to jump out of his chair, only to find that he was no longer sitting in it. He was floating. He looked at his body. He realized that he wasn’t on fire; it was that his flesh was now composed of fire. And instead of feeling a burning sensation, it only felt like he was sitting out in the sun on a summer’s day. Martin tried to move towards one of the walls, but found that the distance would grow the closer he would get to it. He turned around to move in the opposite direction, but found the result was the same, in all directions.

“Who’s doing this to me?” Martin screamed as he floated in the middle of the room again.

“It is what you are, Martin Stein. What you are destined to become,” a booming voice said from every direction.

“Who is that? Who are you?”

“You must find the others. The four of you must be ready for you have been chosen to protect what is most precious in existence.”

“What’s that?”

“Life…”

… Martin Stein opened his eyes and was in his den again. He looked around and everything seemed just like it was when he’d first closed them. He took a deep breath and looked at his desk where the manuscript he was supposed to review for Classical and Quantum Gravity lay.

Just when I thought things were starting to get normal…





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