Cover shows the back of a man's hand, splayed as though indicating the number 5. On the back of his hand is a starburst tattoo made of five golden ankhs, and the letters F-I-V-E are inked upside down on his fingers, spelling out the word if he balls his hand into a fist. The text proclaims: THE IMPOSSIBLE FIVE! =========================================================================== . Blackbird & Countinghouse Presents: ( ) CONCLAVE OF SUPER-VILLAINS ( ) I An Academy of Super-Heroes Universe Comic I I copyright 2007 by Tony Pi I edits by Dave Van Domelen #28 - FOUR TO NEVER: Lap 4 "Time Flies" =========================================================================== Active SULTRY Zuri Angeline Croft Weather Control CONFLICTO Eugene Kwan Friction/Viscosity Control MYRIAD Alpha Rho Fourteen Shapeshifting GLYPH Zephirah Reuben Magical Sigils KALIBAN Kaliban Kalibos Monstrous Strength TIARA Princess Ursula of Monaco Master Thief BURNOUT Trish Catrall/Tyra Dumont Ash Elemental LIGHT ERRANT Petra 'Irrlicht' Hollander Wispform, Hypnosis LABYRINTHE Yvan Viau Spatial Magic CARYATID Claudette Viau Magic Inactive TERRASTAR Polla Hectrix Termiddo Earth Control CHALLENGER Robert Coulter Cybernetics SPIRAL Anya Kirova Telekinetic Torque TRITON Derek Murdock Radner Gadgeteer/Electricity ============================================================================ [April 15, 2026 - Skyhaven Lab, Monaco Bay] Burnout glanced out the window at the sea through the windows of the Skyhaven lab, her mood dark. Triton had built Skyhaven well, anticipating the eventuality that one day the airship might crash into land or ocean. For the foreseeable future, Skyhaven would remain anchored in Monaco Bay, but it was on the surface, not under it. Through the reinforced glass, she spotted a few curious fish, and promptly turned them to ash. If only she could have done that to Anhydra! Though the fight was over, Glyph maintained truce with the so-called heroes, determined to find out what was inside the mysterious sarcophagus ASH had recovered. Burnout had been against bringing it onboard. For all they knew, it could be a bomb. Hells, Fury from the Academy of Super-Heroes was a walking bomb. "I think I've found a way to open it," said Glyph, her scales rippling as she smiled. She had called the Green Knight, Fury, and Arc to the lab to help with her plan. "Rather clever device, actually. Whoever designed this sarcophagus anticipated all our powers, and built it to resist our paranormal efforts. However, they failed to anticipate the fact that we have two very potent techno-mystical weapons at our disposal. The AstroSpear and the GeoMace." Ah. Burnout nodded, starting to understand Glyph's plan. The GeoMace had been sealed in the dimensional fissure with TerraStar. It was a mystically-enhanced collapsiron weapon like the AstroSpear, built by the same extradimensional culture. The Green Knight crossed his arms. "Why would that work, when raw force can't?" "Strength alone cannot open the sarcophagus. Neither can my magic open the device by itself," continued Glyph. "However, if I inscribe glyphs of sympathetic magic on the GeoMace and the AstroSpear, then the Green Knight and Arc can strike the front and back of the sarcophagus with the weapons, hitting at the same time, the force coupled *with* mystic resonance should crack open the coffin like an egg." "And my role?" asked Fury. "Boosting Arc's strength, of course," said Burnout disdainfully, anticipating Glyph's answer. "You can give her as much kinetic energy as she needs, quickly." "Let's do it," said Arc, offering her good hand to Fury. Fury cupped her hand over Arc's and concentrated, detonating controlled blasts into Arc's palm. Arc absorbed the kinetic energy, stockpiling it for the attempt. Glyph finished painting the sigils on the two weapons. "Ready?" They were. On the count of three, The Green Knight swung the GeoMace and Arc the AstroSpear, and struck the sarcophagus simultaneously. An ear-piercing sound echoed through the whole of Skyhaven as the sarcophagus shattered into a hundred pieces, freeing a figure mummified in black bandages within, who collapsed to the floor. "Friend or foe?" Burnout growled, and brought her power to bear on the bandages, disintegrating them to a cloud of dust. A naked young man, barely conscious, looked up at them. When he saw Fury, he smiled. "Mom?" "Ch...Chris?" Fury whispered. Burnout could feel Fury's confusion and fear, even catching a glimpse of recognition. Wasn't Fury's kid only a couple years old? But then again, with time as fractured as it was, it could be her son after all. There was a resemblance between the two, and Triton had mentioned something about her kid having time powers. However, from what she recalled, those powers had disappeared. The man fainted. "Get him to the infirmary," Glyph said. "If he is indeed your son, Fury, then we're in more trouble than we think." * * * * [Skyhaven Bridge, Monaco Bay] "Chris Kelsey?" said Grind, after the Green Knight came on the bridge to report the strange turn of events. "Damn, I should have considered it earlier. A future version of a kid who has time powers." "You can't imagine how surprised Arin is," said the Green Knight. "She called Nancy Balzer in Milwaukee to make sure Chris was OK, and he was." Nancy was the Anchor nurse who had adopted Chris back when his powers had threatened him with an early demise, but Arin had regretfully let the adoption stand even after Chris's powers had been mysteriously removed. "Excuse me, guys, but you better take a look at this," said Breaker, monitoring the strange phenomena occurring around the world with Sultry. "A number of Marshals in the region have responded to the poison gas situation in Dallas, but it's not going well. They need back-up. Boomer reports that Cassandra's possible future scenarios aren't predicting any of this." Cassandra was an old Academy burnout victim with precognitive powers, who had returned in cybernetic form a couple of years ago. She and Boomer had both been part of an informal "Legion of Net.Heroes" group at the Academy, but while it had since broken up, they kept in touch. Grind came over to check the message. "They're not the only ones who need help. Send a message to the Academy...they're best equipped to respond." He glanced at a couple of other screens. Students from ASIE, the Academy's counterpart in the Eurasian Union, had been dispatched to assist with the Panzers that had appeared in Poland. The Otakuza, of all people, were responding to the Mongol fleet approaching Japan. Who knew what other gateways in time had opened up? Jay Teller stared at one screen in particular. "Um, Grind? A really big dinosaur just appeared in Venice." Damn. They were just being stretched thin, and there were still the problems of where their four teammates had disappeared to, and where the four villains had gone. "Teller, Drake, and Ymir, go," Grind instructed. "Take a Crab from the hangar." Sultry crossed her arms. "You could ask first, Nose." Grind was about to reply when Oni and Fadeaway entered the bridge, carrying a sample collector/analyzer filled with grey dust. "Good news and bad," Oni said. "The dust from the Jardin doesn't seem to be organic, so it's unlikely that our friends were disintegrated. However, it does seem to be made of the same substance that Matrioshka's shells were, after they fell apart." "We think that Jen and the others were encased in one of those shells that Ursula was trapped in," Fadeaway added, hope in her voice. "Maybe they were caught in transportation devices and teleported away. What do you think, Dan?" "Could be," Grind said, but he wasn't so sure. The truth had to lie with the man who claimed to be Chris Kelsey. "Keep monitoring the situation. I'm going to the infirmary to get some answers." * * * * [A cave deep in the Rock of Gibraltar] In a hidden cavern, the woman from the yacht awaited her teammates patiently, walking the perimeter and admiring the scintillating nano-bloom colonies that powered and protected their new headquarters. Soon, the central stalactite, crystal blue from the nano-bloom modification, pulsed with golden rings of light, conjuring the four who had wreaked havoc in Monaco and beyond. Chiaroscuro strode forth and bowed when he saw her. "It is good to see you again, Mistress..." She cut him off. "Do not call me by that name. I do not care for it, not with *her* claiming it for herself. From now on, you will call me Never, nothing else." Anhydra chuckled. "Never, never, play with fire. It suits you." Chiaroscuro snarled. "Cut the act, Ann." "Only if you drop the mask, bright stuff," Anhydra said. The mage waved a hand, and the shadows obscuring his face fell away, revealing a handsome young man in his early twenties. Matrioshka said nothing, only walking around the cave examining the nano-blooms. "I had Cronyx create them, following your specifications," Never said to Matrioshka. Talos stomped around the cave. "Where is my father?" "I'm sorry, Talos," said Never. "The one you know is gone." Talos broke a stalagmite and made a stool for himself. "Gone?" "All of them are gone, at least as we knew them," said Never. "As I expected, the heroes and anti-heroes of this time interfered with our one chance to recreate our future...and now that you exist in this time, your creator is unlikely to follow the same path he did in our history. I'm afraid we five are all that remain of the CSV of 2052, thanks to Timeslip." "If you hadn't told us to use kid-gloves with those old-timers, we would still have that brat," said Chiaroscuro. "All in good time, Olivier," said Never. "We need to be careful how we tread." Matrioshka opened her hand, and a miniature Cronyx appeared to speak her thoughts. "Mater says that with our superior technology, we should be able to take over the world within the year," reported the daemon. "Why hold back?" "Because we are only five," said Never. "We five are well-prepared to destroy ASH and CSV, but we alone cannot hold all that territory by ourselves. Remember how Antiochus VI tried in 2044, and how he lost everything in the end? We need chaos and minions to achieve what we did in our time." Anhydra nodded in understanding. "Radner's rule number eighty-six: 'Media, when manipulated right, can be a villain's most powerful ally.' I remember that from his autobiography." "Exactly. I could have kidnapped the Four Keys and used them to free you from temporal oblivion, but that would rob us of the opportunity to strike fear in our enemies' hearts while inspiring potential allies to join us," Never explained. "The deaths have already marked us as true villains on par with the most powerful teams in this time." Chiaroscuro grunted. "I still say we should have killed more. I could have slain Scorch easily." "No need for overkill," Never said. "There is a fine line between a leader who kills strategically and a leader who kills for sport. We need to project the first image, not the latter, lest our potential recruits think we'll also kill our own as casually. The timestorms and the loss of their team leaders will keep our enemies busy enough while we recruit the manpower we need to stand against any threat." Anhydra seemed skeptical. "Fearless leader, how do you propose we amass an army in this backward age?" "There are already people who will rally to our cause," said Never. "There are paranormal villains of the power level we need, held in four high-security facilities during this time period: The Cavity in the Combine, Prison Omega in the Eurasian Union, Five Elements Mountain in China, and The Hecatomb in Khadam. They are all itching for a taste of freedom. We will give it to them." Chiaroscuro stroked his chin. "What makes you think they will rally to our cause?" he asked. Never produced a wafer-thin symbol, five ankhs in a star pattern. It looked very much like a rub-on tattoo. "We organize them into five-man cells, and give them access to Matrioshka's teleportation technology. Being able to flee to a sanctuary will give them an edge over those who try to recapture them." Matrioshka seemed to whisper into her Cronyx's ear. The holographic image nodded and danced in glee. "Mater says it is a wonderful idea, Mistress Never. Once they are dependent, we would be able to monitor them through the tattoos." Anhydra's dust-hair writhed in excitement. "And control them when we need to. Brilliant." Never smiled. "Glad you think so. The world will belong to us. The CSV of 2052 is dead. This world, this *time*, will come to fear _the Impossible Five_." Talos nodded. "Five's easier to count than 2052 anyway." * * * * [Skyhaven Infirmary] Burnout glanced at TerraStar's mindless body on one of the infirmary beds. If only she could separate one of the two minds trapped in her present body, the other could easily enter the shell of that witch, riding the flesh like a puppet. The Tyra part of her missed the Mister Strings days. Grind's voice interrupted her reveries. "His DNA proves it," he said, reading the results off a computer display. "Arin, that man is indeed Christopher Kelsey, your son. He is also, as far as I can tell, the man who kidnapped your son last year." Fury still looked at her grown son in disbelief. "How can it be?" "If he has time powers, Fury, then he must be the cause of the time distortion in the first place," Glyph said. "We can't trust this man." "He's coming to," Burnout observed. Chris Kelsey's eyes fluttered open. "Where am I? When am I?" he managed. "You're on Skyhaven," said Glyph. "I demand to know who you are and what you and the others have done to Triton, or else I'll let Sultry have at you." Chris winced. "What's been happening?" "What hasn't been?" Conflicto rasped from his bed. "Water. I need water!" Burnout grabbed the nearest cup of water and dashed it in Conflicto's face. Not exactly recommended medical procedure, but she didn't exactly care. The IV was taking care of his treatment anyway. "Thank you," Conflicto whispered. "Is that really you, Chris?" asked Arin. Chris nodded. "One version, Mom. Not how your Chris will turn out, but that's a complicated story. They call me Timeslip." "Timeslip, ironic as it sounds, we're running out of time," said Grind. "Listen carefully. Here's what has just happened." Grind ran through the events systematically and efficiently, recapping all the relevant points. "We need to know who these people are, what those fissures in time are, and why this is all happening." Timeslip coughed. "It's my fault, I'm afraid. You see, I had to come back in time and change my own fate." He paused, as if trying to put the best spin on bad news. "I came to the realization that if I was going to start doing more with my time powers than just speed up or slow down time, if I wanted to actually *travel* through time, I was going to start attracting the attention of other time travelers. I know about the Causality Wars, and how wiping out someone's past was a common tactic in the opening phases of that trans-temporal conflict...so I set out to become a closed loop. I also managed to save the city of Milwaukee from being cast adrift in a timeless limbo in the process, but I wish I could say I was being the selfless hero. I just saw it as the best time to convince myself to give up our powers to me, and also change the timeline." He stopped, swallowing dryly, then continued. "Of course, by averting that tragedy and ensuring I'd never grow up to become a villain, I also tipped over a bunch of other dominoes. The whole 'It's A Wonderful Life' effect, except instead of removing a good person from the timeline, I yanked out a real jerk...me. What I didn't anticipate was that my former colleagues in the CSV in 2052 found a way to protect themselves from being erased or altered. One of them captured me, and tried to tap my power to restore things back the way they were suppo...used to be. I think you managed to stop them, but now five of the deadliest villains from the future are loose in your time." "Who are they?" asked Glyph. "Your legacy, gone wrong," Timeslip said. "Matrioshka, one of Rasputin's daughters. Talos, a creation serving Q'Nos. Chiaroscuro, Light Errant's son. Anhydra, Burnout's daughter." Burnout's jaw dropped. "I wasn't aware I was even going to be a mother. I don't suppose I could get rid of her by getting my tubes tied?" Chris shook his head tiredly. "No, they're in the same rootless loop I am now. They probably had to be careful not to kill you initially, when they were still hoping to restore our timeline, but now all bets are off." "You said five. Who's the fifth?" Grind asked. A pained expression flashed across Timeslip's face. "I...I'm not sure. I feel I ought to know, but I don't remember a face, a name, a power. All I can think of is the name, Never." "Do you know their weaknesses?" Burnout asked. Timeslip frowned. "Again, my memory's...gone swiss cheese. All I know is that they're well trained to fight you. We all were. You were Basic Level threats. Be careful against them," Timeslip said. "Ya think?!" Conflicto shouted in a hoarse voice from across the room. "I'd hate to think what Advanced Level is," Burnout muttered. "What about the cracks in time?" asked Grind. "How do we stop them? And where are our people?" "I'm afraid your friends are lost in time," Timeslip said. "They've probably been sent to the past, where their very existence threatens disruptions in the present. That's why there are timequakes. Until they return, dead or alive, the disruptions will continue." "And how do we get them back?" Grind asked. "I don't know," Timeslip confessed. "After what they did to me, my power's virtually gone. I can still feel that things are messed up, but I can't do anything about it. If your friends return, it might not even be in your lifetime. If they have a choice between coming back too early or too late, they're smart enough to pick 'too late.'" Conflicto lay back down and covered his face with a pillow. "Someone tell Sultry. Anyone but me. I've died enough already." * * * * [August 23, AD 79 - Pompeii] Triton was surprised by where he and the others ended up. The last thing he remembered was the scarlet beam enveloping him, and when the light cleared, he found himself standing in the middle of what appeared to be an oval Roman amphitheatre, next to Solar Max, Jen Kleinvogel, and Aegis. His longtime foes...it was still hard to think of them as allies...seemed as perplexed as he was. "We're not in Monaco anymore," he said to the others. His AstroSpear was gone, probably still stuck in the ground at the Jardin. They weren't alone. Apparently, by the looks of the crowd screaming and racing out of the amphitheatre, and the stunned looks on the combatants' faces, they had interrupted a gladiatorial game. Soon, the amphitheatre cleared, leaving the four of them quite unsure of where or even *when* they were. Aegis marched up to Triton. "What did you do to us?" "Don't be hasty, Cas," said Jen Kleinvogel. "We were trying to fix time, and it seems we might have made things worse." Solar Max floated high into the air, before descending again. "Worse isn't the word for it. By the looks of it, we're quite close to a volcano." "Crap." Triton had an inkling where and when they were, and called up a geography program installed in his helmet. He used the armor's thrusters and lifted himself high to confirm his suspicions. He also scanned through all the radio channels he expected to be used, but found nothing but the electromagnetic roar an active volcano pumped out. He came back down. "We traveled through time, all right. We're in Pompeii, before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. By my readings, that volcano's going to blow any day." Jen Kleinvogel's eyes widened. "79 A.D. How are we going to get back?" Solar Max put an armored hand gently on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Jen, we'll find a way. Or else, our teams will." Aegis crossed his arms. "If the volcano's about to explode, shouldn't we do something to help?" Solar Max shook his head. "If we *are* in the past, Aegis, anything we do might change the future. We've interfered enough already, simply by disrupting this gladiatorial fight, although the impending destruction of the area will probably lessen any effects we might be having if we take care. I hate to say this, but it may be for the best that the city's inhabitants go to their fate under the volcano's ashes, as history meant it to be." Triton grunted, not at all agreeing with Solar Max. He remembered the Temporal Ethics class at the Academy, and hated what the teachers preached. After all, if they weren't meant to change events, why invent time-travel in the first place? In fact, a few ideas came to him. This was an opportunity too good to waste. There were many events that could be averted in the future. Of course, he would be very careful about how he approached it, but he was certain he could save a few lives. Like Peryton's. "We need to be very careful about what we do from here on," Solar Max said. "Jen, you can reconnoiter without being seen, so you're our best bet for figuring out exactly when we are, and how close to the eruption time it is. Don't forget our comms are limited to short range mode, since we can't exactly tap into the grid." "I'm on it," she said, and flew into the air, disappearing as her sheath veiled her. "Triton, we should try to find a place where our presence is least likely to make an impact on the past, like Antarctica or an uninhabited island," continued Solar Max. "Great. You want to exile us to the coldest and most desolate continent on Earth," Triton mocked. "Look, Zachary, it doesn't matter if we're in Rome, Egypt, or Timbuktu. All we need to do is to figure out a way to travel back to where we started, and you can't do it without my genius." "How do you figure that?" Solar Max asked. His tone told Derek that he'd at least considered the problem himself, though. Maybe even tried to time travel himself once. "Any attempt to travel through time requires precision, or we might overshoot our target," said Triton. "Our only hope is to home in on something like the AstroSpear, which will act as a beacon. Only I know enough about the weapon to ensure we don't end up in the Precambrian, 1281, 1939, 3689, or whenever," he said, throwing out a few random years that popped into his head. "Look, Zachary, there might be some residual space-time anomalies floating around. Could you scan for them from orbit?" "I'll give it a shot," Solar Max said, and flew straight up, his armor's boosters leaving a trail of flame behind him to momentarily rival Vesuvius. "Might I speak to you a moment?" Triton said in a soft voice to Aegis. "I have nothing to say to you, killer," Aegis replied. "Really? Because I have an idea on how we can save your brother," Triton said. "Save Pol? You killed him in cold blood two years ago," Aegis said. "I still intend to see you executed for your crime, Triton." "Think about it, Aegis," Triton said. "We are in the past. I didn't kill Pol two years ago, I *will* kill him nearly two *thousand* years from now...but there are all sorts of things we can do to ensure that the same tragedy doesn't happen in the future...provided we can get away from these do-gooders and *lightly* tamper with the timeline." "What makes you think you can do it without destroying us all?" Aegis asked. "Because I'm me, and I layer contingency upon contingency," Triton replied. He opened a small compartment in his armor and showed Aegis what he hid inside. It was a tiny piece of plasm. "What is it?" Aegis asked. "A piece of Myriad, a seed with which we can grow a future and fool the world," Triton said. "Trust me. I need not be your brother's killer, and we could have Pollux back, along with Peryton. Are you with me? Because if you are, we need to get away *now*." Aegis was torn, that was certain. But Triton knew Aegis would never pass up a chance to resurrect his beloved brother. "All right. What do we do?" Aegis said at last. "Sheath us in your invisibility, and we find a place where we can scheme in peace," Triton said. "Don't worry. I know enough tricks to keep them from finding us. When our preparations are done, you and I can travel back to our proper time." "What about Solar Max and Kleinvogel?" Aegis asked. "We can't strand them here!" "If I know Zachary, he will turn the sun inside out to reunite with Meteor," Triton said. "They'll find their own way back." "Then let's go," said Aegis. Triton smiled behind his faceplate. He made for a great Mephistopheles. * * * * The Pompeiian messenger, hiding behind a steep tier of stone seats, watched in fascination as the last of the two strangers flew into the air, disappearing. They spoke in a foreign tongue unknown to him, but there were a few words he thought he recognized. The words Rome and Egypt, for example, or "astro". What did it all mean? Were they gods? Two wore armor that could only have been forged by the gods, that much was certain. Yet, one bore tokens of that Jewish cult, the Christians...who denied the existence of any God but theirs. Faced with such wonders, he was convinced the road to immortality could be found in the riddle of these magical men. They spoke of Rome and Egypt, so that was where he would find his destiny, if not for himself, then for his bloodline. He would leave Pompeii this very day for Rome, and begin his search for the secret to life immortal there, then in Egypt. One day, the world would come to worship Remus Arcus Angelus and his descendants. * * * * [April 15, 2026 - The edge of Lakshmi Planum, Venus] Light Errant, in the form of a will-o'-wisp, led Labyrinthe to a small grove on the border of the vast grasslands west of the inhabited part of the continent. Labyrinthe seemed oblivious to the fact that he was even there, staring blankly forward. Three other photonics awaited Light Errant and Labyrinthe in the grove. Whiteout, his ultraviolet companion-puppet Oblivion, and the murderous Mothflame. Light Errant turned back into the shape of a woman. "Told you my powers have grown," she smirked. "Labyrinthe is completely under my control, and won't remember a thing about his presence here today." The orange Mothflame snarled. "So, he is to be the father of your miracle child?" Light Errant chuckled. "Oh, our son will be even greater than Doublecross himself, commanding light and darkness with the blood of a Viau mage. This child will be the messiah of photonics, I promise you. Our kind will shape the destinies of Earth and Venus, in a way even our old master never thought possible." Her new ally on Earth, the woman who called herself Never, told her what the future held. For that information, she had been quite willing to erase the woman's identity from Timeslip's mind. "And it all begins with a single kiss." Light Errant pulled Labyrinthe's head towards her, and kissed him. Light and darkness would never again be the same. ============================================================================ Next: "Four to Never" may be over, but "Timequake" is just beginning! See ASH #79 for the attempts to deal with the unleashed temporal chaos in "Divine Wind"! As for the four stranded in AD 79, their story will unfold soon enough.... ============================================================================ Author's Notes: Yes, there was a swiss-cheese tribute to Quantum Leap up there. Editor's Notes: Tony graciously put me in as a co-writer in the header, but I decided that this time my contributions were a bit more limited, so I tweaked it. :) My longest single stretch of text here was Timeslip's recounting of his plan to seal off his old timeline, if you're curious. Timeslip's quest to become without beginning was laid out in the "Time and Space" arc of ASH, mostly in ASH #64. At the moment, Tony's not sure if the Pompeii storyline will continue as an arc in CSV, or as its own miniseries, hence the vague "Next" box. How much the Impossible Five are in the foreground for the next few months will depend on Tony's schedule, though. ASH is going to concentrate on dealing with the consequences of the time fissures, distracted exactly as Never intended. ============================================================================ For all the back issues, plus additional background information, art, and more, go to http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/ASH ! To discuss this issue or any others, either just hit "followup" to this post, or check out our Yahoo discussion group, which can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ash_stories/ ! ============================================================================