Firestorm must stop Tokamak from sacrificing Senator Reilly and his daughter, while the truth about Ronnie Raymond's father comes to light in "All The Answers…"
Firestorm floats in an eerie black nothingness, white plasma rings surrounding his body. He was just overpowered by Tokamak in a battle outside Manhattan General Hospital. Tokamak’s plasma rings compressed and shrunk Firestorm until he disappeared from sight. “Professor - - these plasma rings - - they’re crushing me!” Ronnie yells. Stein tells him that the rings have compressed their very molecular structure. “We’re shrinking into the sub-atomic universe,” Stein warns, “and I can’t think of a way back!”
Ronnie cries out under the crushing magnetic pressure. “Professor - - do something - - it’s killing me!” Tokamak has sealed them inside a plasma bottle, Stein explains. Their unique atomic structure is causing the rings to shrink them in size instead of crushing them to death. They will not survive much longer if the process is not reversed!
Tokamak stands triumphantly outside the devastated hospital. Patients, doctors, nurses, bystanders, and police officers look on at the silver-armored monstrosity. “That blasted, meddling flame-head is dead!” Tokamak declares to the stunned crowd, “And I killed him! Enforcer…Multiplex…even my own creation, Firehawk…they all tried and they all failed…But now I’ve triumphed where they met defeat!” Tokamak drinks in the feeling of his new physical power after years of living as an invalid, likening it to a veritable feast for a starving man. He tells the wary crowd of onlookers that he has one thing remaining to be done, which is the reason he came to Manhattan General Hospital and fought Firestorm. That reason, he explains, is Lorraine Reilly. “Come to me,” he beckons to Lorraine, “Come to your Master.”
Two police officers run up to Tokamak, announcing that nobody is going anywhere, except him. He’s going straight to jail, the police tell him. One officer keeps his gun aimed at Tokamak while his partner moves close to make the arrest. “Imbeciles,” Tokamak snarls, “You see but you do not learn. Other police tried to stop me - - and as I did to them, I do to you!” BWHOOOOM! Plasma rings explode from Tokamak’s hand, blasting the doomed police officers through a concrete wall.
The crowd starts to run away. Tokamak pauses in the debris. The magnetic power of the sun itself, plasma energy, is his to control and wield at his command. He feels odd, suddenly weak just for an instant. The feeling passes and he looks up. Lorraine Reilly lies nearby on a pile of collapsed debris. “Miss Reilly, you heard the man - - he wants you!” an orderly tells her as he scrambles past, “We’ve got to get you and the other patients…” Tokamak overhears someone speaking Lorraine’s name. He makes eye contact with her and orders her not to move. Like a bird caught by a cobra’s gaze, Lorraine finds herself paralyzed. “As I expected…the sensory deprivation ‘brainwashing’ still controls your mind,” Tokamak tells her, “making you my willing slave.” Lorraine, bent on all fours in her hospital gown, looks blankly back at Tokamak, answering softly, “Slave.”
Tokamak scoops Lorraine up into his arms. He cradles her close to his armored chest and the two take flight. Tokamak tells Lorraine that she has been a disappointment to him. He ordered Multiplex to kidnap her for use as a blackmail tool against her father, Senator Reilly. After the Senator broke on Tokamak, he tried to turn Lorraine to a more direct use as a guinea pig in an experiment to duplicate the nuclear accident that created Firestorm. The two fly higher and higher, rising far into the sky above New York. Tokamak rid himself of the first Enforcer when he failed, and part of Tokamak wants to do the same with Lorraine. “The experiment was a success,” he explains, “but you, my dear, proved a failure. You were sent to kill Firestorm - - and you did not.”
Tokamak soars over a cloud bank towards his hovering command craft. He may be overly optimistic, but he thinks Lorraine may yet prove useful. Tokamak orders the command craft to open the lower hatch so he may board with Lorraine. Tokamak flies into the airlock. Mica, wearing green fiber-plastic armor, is there to greet him. “Ah, Mica, my dear…or perhaps I should call you Enforcer, now,” he tells her, “Take this baggage to the cargo hold.” Lorraine looks around and mumbles. Tokamak observes her behavior and tells Mica that Lorraine’s conditioning is wearing off. “Pity. We’ll have to put her back in the tank, when we return to Arlington,” Tokamak decides. He hands Lorraine to Mica. “Come with me, sweet pea,” Mica tells a listless Lorraine, “your father is going to be pleased to see you.” Lorraine asks if her father is aboard. Mica says that he is, and it is he who will suffer if Lorraine does not behave herself.
Tokamak stands in the airlock bay. Multiplex and a few technicians stand ready to assist their leader. Multiplex questions the wisdom of bringing Lorraine aboard, worried that she may get over her shock and remember her nuclear powers. Tokamak is not appreciative of Multiplex’s concern, and warns Multiplex that he is out of line. A technician asks Hewitt to be still so they can assist him out of the armor. Inside, sweat drips down his forehead. Scoffing at the request, he grows angry and thrusts his hands down on two of the technician’s heads. “Don’t be absurd,” Tokamak tells them, “I have no intention of removing this armor - - now or ever!” The two helpless technicians cry out in pain. Leaving them slumped on the floor, Tokamak turns to leave. “I’ll be in my private quarters, Multiplex,” he growls, “reporting to the 2000 Committee. See that I’m not disturbed.”
Mica carries Lorraine to the detention wing of the command craft. Senator Reilly stands in a prison cell and reddish-pink energy beams keep him locked inside. Mica flings Lorraine roughly down into the hall where she lands on the floor in front of her father. “A regular family reunion,” Mica announces, “Say hello to your prodigal daughter, Senator.” Pointing angrily at Mica, Senator Reilly wishes he could get his hands on her. Mica reaches through the beams and grabs the Senator by the lapel. She lifts him up in the air, where he dangles and squirms. “The name’s Enforcer, now, Senator,” she hisses, “Listen to your baby. Her advice could keep you alive.” Lorraine gets to her feet; she curls a fist and glares at Enforcer, telling her not to hurt him. Enforcer, feigning compassion, shoves the Senator backwards where he lands hard against the cell wall. Enforcer deactivates the energy beams momentarily and pushes Lorraine inside. “Good night, Senator…Pleasant dreams,” Enforcer tells them. She reactivates the energy beams and leaves. Inside the cell, Lorraine apologizes to her father. He takes her hand softly. “We’re together now, sweetheart,” he comforts her, “That’s all that matters.”
Somewhere, in the strange emptiness of subatomic space, Firestorm floats, back arched, arms tight to his body. Three plasma rings continue to encircle him, squeezing and compressing his very essence. “These plasma rings - - are getting tighter, Professor!” Ronnie struggles, “I think our body’s compressed as much as it can!” Stein solemnly says they have but a few more seconds to live. Ronnie gathers determination and will power. “All over? The heck it is!” he exclaims.
A single atom floats in the blackness just ahead of Firestorm. Ronnie strains against the plasma rings and is able to free his arms! He aims both hands at the atom. “These rings - - they’re made of - - energy, right?” Ronnie asks, “So to break ‘em - - what we need is more energy!” Ronnie beams twin rays of nuclear energy directly at the atom. Stein looks on as the atom begins to react to Ronnie’s nuclear burst. “Ronald…what are you doing to the atom? Hitting it with a nuclear burst?” Stein asks, “Stripping it of its electron shell - - Ronald, do you know what you’ve done? You’ve started a chain reaction!”
Electrons leap from one atom and land against another nearby. The reaction spreads, now self-sustaining and moving on its own. “That’s the idea, Professor,” Ronnie answers. He may be just a thick-headed high school jock, but he has taken a science course or two. He knows some of what Stein knows via their shared persona. Firestorm is gaining strength against the plasma rings. “I figured what we needed to tear us free - - was a bona fide - - nuclear explosion!” Ronnie yells, “Hang on, Professor!”
In the street outside Manhattan General Hospital, police and firefighters have set up barricades and crowd control lines. A large group of spectators looks on at the aftermath of Tokamak’s rampage. From deep below them, the people feel a low rumble. It starts softly, then spreads like a tremor. It grows louder and louder until…BWHOOM!
Like a nuclear missile launching out of an underground silo, Firestorm blasts up through the ground! He rises up on an explosion of fire and energy and flies away, leaving a small mushroom cloud expanding above the street. Stein yells “Dear Lord! You shattered the plasma rings - - but in the process, Ronald - - you’ve set off a small nuclear explosion!” Police officers and firefighters close to the epicenter fall away, trying to shield themselves. The explosion is propelling dangerous gamma rays towards the people! Firestorm hovers above, and Ronnie reassures the worried Stein. Spreading his arms wide overhead, Firestorm absorbs the full power of the radiation into his body. “There - - so much for the big bang,” Ronnie says, “Now before I go after that tin can calling himself Tokamak, let’s fix up Lorraine’s hospital.”
Using nuclear restructuring bursts, Ronnie restores the hospital as best he can. Looking around he is unable to find Lorraine anywhere. Stein says it is a distinct possibility that Tokamak took her. “Don’t forget, you can’t hide your feelings from me. We share the same mind. You are worried sick about Lorraine,” Stein notes. They land along the sidewalk near a group of police officers. Several are being treated by paramedics for injuries from Tokamak’s attack. The police wonder where Firestorm had been. They could have used his help against Tokamak. Ronnie asks them which way Tokamak went…and if he had a girl with him. A police officer points skyward. “Mister, he went that way,” he answers, “If you catch up to that creep, trounce him one for the NYPD, okay?”
A short while later, Firestorm flies high in the clouds. He has searched an area encircling a hundred miles around New York, finding no sign of Tokamak or Lorraine. Ronnie and Stein are perplexed. Tokamak’s jet boots could not have carried him so far so fast. Neither can explain Tokamak’s disappearance. Ronnie suggests they head somewhere where they can think. “First my Dad dies - - now Lorraine’s in danger!” Ronnie worries, “What’s happening to my life, Professor? What’s happening?”
Interlude: Doreen Day rides in a car driven by her father, Bert. He is taking her to police headquarters. They will be looking at investigation files, and Doreen wonders what they will find. She is surprised her father wants to help Ronnie. Bert confirms that for a while he didn’t like Ronnie. He thought Lorraine was too good for him. “Now, I think he’s had a bad break - - his father being killed - - and the way he’s handled himself - - let’s just say Bert Day respects a man who doesn’t fall apart when there’s pain in his life,” he tells Doreen as they climb the stairs into the police station.
Bert greets the lobby receptionist, introducing himself as Sergeant Day of Special Assignments. Flashing his badge, he says he is heading for the archives. He and Doreen make their way to the secluded archives, and Bert sits down at a computer display to begin searching. “Yesterday, two goons from the Shine family tried to run you down,” he tells Doreen, “Let’s start with an official case file on the family head, ‘Shoe’ Shine.” Doreen worries that Ronnie might be somehow mixed up with the Shine family. Bert reassures her that Ronnie is not, but that his father may somehow have been involved with the Shines. Bert punches the keys and a file comes up on the screen. “I don’t believe it,” he says, “Special Reference File 800887…That’s code for a federal agency.”
He and Doreen step away from the terminal. Doreen asks if the agency code could be for the FBI, but that doesn’t make sense since it was a Shine family file. They step outside to a phone booth. Bert explains that it is not the FBI but some other federal agency. He asks Doreen to wait while he makes a private call. While Bert talks to someone, Doreen thinks. She feels like the bottom drops out of her heart whenever she thinks about Ronnie. She senses that something is wrong between them, but she doesn’t know what it is. Bert hangs up the pay phone and calls to his daughter. Climbing into their car, Bert says they are going to a nearby coffee shop. A friend of his will meet them there to tell him about the Feds and the Shine family. Doreen worries as they drive off, “Ronnie, where are you? If only I knew…If only I knew.”
Firestorm arrives back in Manhattan, landing on the rooftop of Harry Carew’s apartment building. Looking on from a window across the street, a woman notices the Nuclear Man. “Harold,” she calls to her husband, “there’s a man on the roof with flames shootin’ out of his head.” He replies, “Hm-hmm. No more after dinner wine for you, Maude.”
Ronnie wonders why Stein asked him to land here at Carew’s place when they should be thinking about finding Lorraine. They descend into the stairway. Stein reminds Ronnie that his clothes are here. He was working out with Carew when Ronnie arrived to transform them. Stein needs to get his suit and wallet to replace the old sweat suit he had been wearing. The two transform into their separate selves. Ronnie urges him to hurry as they head into the hallway towards Carew’ apartment. Rounding a corridor, Stein says he doesn’t intend to dawdle and then abruptly stops with a startled look on his face. Just ahead, still unaware of he and Ronnie’s presence, is his ex-wife Clarissa!
Harry Carew leans out of his apartment door, talking to Clarissa. He explains to her that Stein left hours ago and she’s welcome to wait for him since he did leave his clothes here. Ronnie reaches for Stein to pull him back to the corridor, but Clarissa sees them. “Speak of the devil, there’s Martin now,” she thinks, “This could be interesting.” She reaches for Carew as Stein watches. She thanks Carew for the sweet offer, but says she should better just say goodnight. She pulls Carew close and kisses him, much to Stein’s surprise. Carew pulls away from her, and she asks if he wasn’t enjoying their kiss. Carew tells her he’s not dead, but it would have been more enjoyable if she wasn’t his friend’s ex-wife. Clarissa bids him goodnight and walks down the hall. She pretends not to see Stein and Ronnie, and they walk behind her. “Martin must be going out of his mind after that,” she thinks, “Too bad about Harry, he would have been - - entertaining.” She heads into the elevator. The door closes and she reaches for a radio microphone in her purse. “Operative Nine to Command Craft,” she reports, “I’ve found him.”
On board the Command Craft, Mica listens to Clarissa on a radio. She walks nearby to the chambers of Henry Hewitt. He sits in a large chair. He has taken off his helmet, but still wears the rest of his armored suit. “Mica…why do you disturb me,” he asks meekly as she approaches, “I told you all…I need rest.” Mica reports that Clarissa has located Martin Stein and reminds him that he requested to be notified if Stein was found. Nodding, Hewitt replies, “Stein…yes…He escaped me, once…escaped Multiplex…Get him, Mica! Bring him to me. Do it, now!”
Mica walks to the nearby airlock. She looks forward to the opportunity she has. She has wanted this, ever since dragging herself out of the tough neighborhood of Watts. She descends through the airlock and into the sky. She flies away from the Command Craft. “I’m not going to blow it,” she thinks, “With all the power built into this plasti-armor suit, I can’t fail! Stein is coming back with me…dead or alive!”
Brief interlude: At the Tik-Tok Coffee Shop on the Lower East Side. Bert and Doreen Day sit at a table with Bert’s friend, Gelson. “You’re pushing, Bert. I’d say you’re this far from crossing the line,” Gelson tells his friend, “All these questions about ‘Shoe’ Shine and this reporter, Ed Raymond - - why the interest?” Bert explains that it is a personal matter, that Ed Raymond’s kid is a friend of Doreen. She pleads for him to help if he knows something. Gelson sips his coffee, but isn’t very cooperative. Bert suddenly reaches across the table and grabs Gelson’s shirt, spilling his coffee. Gelson yells and recoils in surprise. “Watch your mouth, Gelson,” Bert tells him, “I’m not spooked by the Feds. My girls wants answers - - and I want answers. You’ve got ‘em!” Gelson squirms, and claims he knows an ex-fed that can tell Bert all about Raymond and Shine.
Back at Carew’s apartment, Stein looks dejected. “I saw what I saw, Harry,” he tells his former colleague, “Clarissa and I have no claim on each other now - - but even so, seeing the two of you together - - I’m disappointed.” Carew backpedals and tries to explain what happened between him and Clarissa. Stein cuts him off, saying he only came by to pick up his clothes. A strange noise can be heard. Stein looks, thinks it is the wind outside. BOOOOM! Suddenly the wall of the apartment explodes open. Enforcer sails inside with weapons drawn, yelling “Now I’ve got you!”
Stein, Carew, and Ronnie are startled. Ronnie looks at Enforcer and thinks it’s not the same person he fought a few days ago. Enforcer turns and looks at the men. “Which one of you is…Ah, there you are, Stein,” she says as she recognizes him, “Hold that pose. I’ll just give you a love-tap with this new air-blaster.” Carew jumps up to attack her. Enforcer points her blaster at Carew and fires, throwing him back against a wall. Stein stands poised at the edge of the hole that Enforcer came through. He hopes Ronnie realizes what he is about to do. “Don’t come any closer - - I won’t let you take me!” Stein yells, and dives out of the hole into the air. Enforcer sees him fall out of the apartment, and launches herself out of the hole. She dives in pursuit. Ronnie executes the next phase of the ploy, initiating the transformation. Just as Enforcer reaches Stein and tries to wrap her arms around him, FZAM! He disappears! An instant later, Firestorm appears directly behind Enforcer. “Looking for someone, lady?” Ronnie asks her, “I may not be a middle-aged physicist - - but will I do?”
With a massive blast, Ronnie pummels Enforcer. She falls away stunned from the impact. “Believe it or not, I really hated doing that. You being a woman, I mean,” Ronnie tells her. Enforcer says she was caught off guard, a chance that Ronnie will never get again. Ronnie says he won’t need another chance. As Enforcer falls toward a movie marquee below, Ronnie uses an atomic restructuring beam to convert the marquee into a giant hand. It grabs Enforcer and closes its fingers tightly around her. Firestorm soars up next to her. “Fancy armor isn’t everything, is it?” he points out, “Tell me what happened to the other Enforcer, lady. And while you’re at it, I’ve got a few other questions I’d like answered, if that cop down there doesn’t mind waiting…”
One hour later, at Henry Hewitt’s Arlington home, Tokamak is lashing out at Multiplex. As two duploids look on aghast, Tokamak slams Multiplex hard against a wall! “Mr. Hewitt - - what are you - - Unhh!” Multiplex blurts upon impact. His leader angrily replies that he is to be addressed as Tokamak, and he is very upset that Multiplex tried to sneak up on him. “I was concerned,” Multiplex answers, “You need to be examined.” Tokamak grits his teeth and tells Multiplex, “No! No one touches this suit! Maxwell, the Reilly girl - - her father - - bring them before me - - for judgment!”
Elsewhere in the underground complex, Tokamak’s guards escort Lorraine and Senator Reilly from their jail cell. The guards lead them down the hallway, restraining their arms behind their backs. “Judgment?” Lorraine asks, “Are you nuts? Dad, who is this creep?” Senator Reilly warns Lorraine to be cautious about what she says. A guard reports to Tokamak that Lorraine’s conditioning has worn off and she is out of their control. Tokamak grins slyly at the news. “All the better. I’ve spoken with the 2000 Committee, and they agree - - for their failure, both Senator Reilly and his daughter must be sacrificed.”
Multiplex worries that the murder of a U.S. Senator will bring a lot of heat down on them. Tokamak punches Multiplex across the face! “I’ve had enough of your whining, Multiplex. Do you hear - - enough!” he snarls, “As Henry Hewitt, I found you useful - - but to Tokamak, the Human Reactor - - you are a worthless bore!” Tokamak encircles Lorraine and Senator Reilly with a plasma ring, and directs Maxwell to alert the Command Craft to expect them soon. Multiplex gets to his feet after the retributive strike. Maxwell and several guards follow along behind Tokamak with Lorraine and Senator Reilly. Maxwell inquires as to their destination. “A fitting locale for the good Senator’s demise,” Tokamak answers, “Washington!”
Watching them leave, Multiplex draws his arms close to his chest and radiates energy. “I’ve got to reabsorb my duploids,” he thinks, “Time I quit this lunatic asylum!”
Multiplex runs through the complicated maze of corridors with sliding wall panels and hidden passages. “I should’ve realized when I first got here, the guy’s freaked!” Multiplex thinks as he ascends to the upper levels, “Turning him into a human reactor just tipped him over the far edge!” Multiplex sneaks to the front door, looking around to be sure the guards have not seen him. He opens the door to escape and sees…Firestorm!
“Yulp,” Multiplex stammers. “My sentiments exactly,” says Firestorm, leaning against the door and blocking the way out. Multiplex moves to attack. Firestorm hammers him backwards with a powerful strike. He flies backwards into a corridor, surprising two guards. While they look at him in shock, Firestorm steps in and FZAM! FZOOM! Two nuclear restructuring bursts create metal stocks that lock down on the guards. “Old Multy was just about to take me on a guided tour,” Firestorm tells them, “Weren’t you, Multy?”
Firestorm tells Multiplex that he wants Lorraine Reilly, and warns him not to jerk around. Mica has told Firestorm all about Hewitt and his operation in Arlington. Multiplex answers that Hewitt is insane. “Now that’s a news flash,” Firestorm replies, “He’s Tokamak, isn’t he? From what Mica said, I gather you’re responsible for that - - and for turning Lorraine Reilly into Firehawk! You’re a real screw-up, aren’t you?” Multiplex sits on the floor. Firestorm pulls on his cape and shakes a fist at him. Suddenly, FWOOOM! Outside, Firestorm sees an aircraft jetting skyward from an underground hangar. “What’s that?” he exclaims. Multiplex explains that it is Tokamak’s Command Craft. He says that Senator and Lorraine Reilly are aboard and Tokamak plans to kill them. Firestorm leaps through a window, dragging Multiplex along behind him. “The hell he is!” Firestorm tells him, “Tag along, Bunky - - you and me are going to take care of business.”
Overhead, Tokamak looks into display monitors in the Command Craft. Seeing Firestorm rapidly approaching, he orders his pilots to take evasive action! Firestorm blasts open a bulkhead with a nuclear burst and flies in to the aircraft, still clutching Multiplex. “Firestorm and Multiplex?” Tokamak glares, “Should have known you’d turn traitor, Black! You’re weak - - no guts - - a coward!” Guards scramble to react in the entryway. “Breach in the bulkhead!” one yells, “Losing power along the starboard side!” Firestorm blasts several guards with nuclear bursts. “Hand over Lorraine, tin man,” he tells Tokamak, “Now - - before I pop you open like a can of dead tuna!” Tokamak scoffs at the threat. As Firestorm and Tokamak stand off against each other, Multiplex slips away and escapes out a hatchway.
The Command Craft is shuddering in the sky. Power is failing in the primary turbos. “We’re drifting, careening out of control!” the pilots announce, “Abandon ship!” The Command Craft slides downward near the Washington Monument as onlookers point and look from the Mall. Crew members bail out, descending below the Command Craft gently on parachutes. “Hear that, Tokamak?” Firestorm asks, “This baby’s going down - - and so are you! And I promise those plasma rings won’t work twice!” Tokamak tries to blast Firestorm with a plasma burst that just misses. “My power is too great - - even greater than the combined might of the 2000 Committee!” Tokamak rants, “Nothing can tear me down! Nothing can deny my ultimate victory!”
The Command Craft sails over the Iwo Jima Memorial as more crewmen parachute away. Stein wonders what victory Tokamak is predicting, and concludes that Henry Hewitt is now hopelessly mad. Insane or not, however, Henry Hewitt’s commands are still law to some of his devoted followers. Among them is Maxwell, his right-hand-man, who has Lorraine and Senator Reilly tied together on the aircraft’s lower cargo bay doors. Another explosion rings out in the craft, and two guards with Maxwell decide that fleeing the stricken ship is their best option. “Stinking cowards,” another guard yells to Maxwell, “What about the Reillys?” Maxwell runs to a control panel, explaining that he was instructed to dump the Reillys out the cargo bay doors. He hits the switch to activate the cargo doors. “Okay, so I’ll do the scut work,” Maxwell gripes, “Like always - - like calling the Shine family about the Raymond kid’s father.” A loud explosion rocks the ship, knocking Maxwell to the floor. The cargo doors creak loudly. Lorraine and Senator Reilly slip downwards as the doors begin to open. “Daddy! Explosions must’ve damaged the doors,” Lorraine observes, “Opening - - but so slowly! We’ve got minutes…maybe only seconds!”
And, as Lorraine and her father slide slowly toward waiting death - - below, two well-matched foes battle from one side of Washington to the other - - careening at last, into the marble façade of the Jefferson Memorial. Stein warns that Tokamak is wearing them down by sheer force, and recommends using a diversion. Ronnie aims a nuclear burst into the inner chamber of the Memorial behind Tokamak…and animates the historic statue of Thomas Jefferson! The statue raises a stony fist and strikes Tokamak. KRAK! The silver-armored Tokamak flies off of the Memorial steps after the Founding Father’s pummeling. Bemused, Firestorm sits and watches from the steps. “Thomas Jefferson would approve, I think,” Stein observes. Tokamak tumbles into the trees and mud alongside the Memorial. Ronnie asks if the Professor has had enough of a breather. Stein says that he has, suggesting it is time to finish Tokamak. Flying in pursuit, Ronnie sees Tokamak struggling to regain his footing. “Hey, look at Tokamak,” Ronnie tells the Professor, “the way he’s staggering! This might be easier than we…” KPOW!
Tokamak springs up suddenly and hits Firestorm dead-center in the chest with a massive energy beam! “Yaaaahhhh!” Ronnie cries out from the sudden blow. “Caught you by surprise!” Tokamak gloats, “Now, do you see? I - - am - - the - - stronger! I - - have - - always - - been - - more powerful! Only one nuclear man now - - ME!” Firestorm flies low over the ground, crumpled at his midsection. In a massive splash of water and steam, he comes to rest in the shallow waters of the Reflecting Pool. Stein urges Ronnie to get up or Tokamak will surely kill them! Lying face up in the water, hands and feet sizzling in the pool, Ronnie softly answers, “Let him, Professor…I’m hurting.”
The Command Craft appears overhead as Ronnie tries to shake off the effects of Tokamak’s blast. From a thousand feet up, the sliding hinges of the cargo bay doors finally release - - throwing Lorraine Reilly and her father toward a particularly grisly death! Tight restraints around their chests and arms bind them together. Terror unlocks Lorrain’s emotions, and with them, her memory - - she remembers what amnesia hid from her. Her eyes glow a fiery yellow-orange as she remembers what Henry Hewitt did to her. She remembers how he used her as a guinea pig to test Multiplex’s experimental nuclear reactor, in an attempt to recreate the freak accident that gave birth to Firestorm. After her, Hewitt used it on himself - - and became Tokamak, the Human Reactor. But before that, it was used on her, Lorraine Reilly - - and it changed her: Yes, she remembers, now…and in a moment of terrified rebirth, she becomes, once again - - Firehawk!
In a radiant flash of power and energy, Firehawk appears in the sky and majestically spreads her wings! Dazzling flames dance around her as she dives behind the plummeting form of her father. With just a few feet to spare before his certain doom, Firehawk catches Senator Reilly. She notices he is unconscious, probably knocked out when she transformed. She wonders if he knows…Then, the sound of battle nearby catches her attention. “Omigosh! What’s happening over there?” Firehawk wonders, “Isn’t that - - it is! It’s Hewitt in that armored suit he has - - and he’s going to kill Firestorm!”
Action follows realization, and the woman called Firehawk launches herself against the man who named her - - propelled by a mix of emotions. BWOOOM! Firehawk pounds a crushing blow into Tokamak! She warns Firestorm to look out as she and Tokamak fly over his head. Ronnie points at her, a little shocked at the sight, saying “Hey Professor - - did you see…?” Stein concurs that is it Lorraine Reilly, or rather Firehawk. “Puzzle out the how and why later, my boy! She’s bought us a second chance - - let’s not waste it!”
Firehawk and Tokamak land in the circle of flags at the base of the Washington Monument. Tokamak stands, gingerly gathering his balance after Firehawk’s attack. Pink energy radiates around him as Firehawk lands near him. Firestorm also lands near them and looks on as Tokamak beckons to Firehawk. “Listen to me - - girl! My will - - is your will!” Tokamak commands her, “I - - order you - - destroy him!”
“Why that lousy - - he’s brainwashed her, Professor!” Ronnie yells, “I’m finishing this right now!” Stein cautions that Firehawk must break Hewitt’s mental shackles, once and for all, on her own. Tokamak points at Firestorm. He commands Firehawk to obey and kill him! Firehawk turns her head slowly to look at Firestorm. Tokamak raves, “I - - created you! I - - own - - you! Obey me - - you - - freak!” Firehawk’s eyes glow, angry and red with a rising inner fury. She prepares to strike. WHOOOOM! Firehawk unleashes her power on Tokamak! “Aaaaaahhh!” he cries, tumbling crazily from the massive impact as Firehawk arches her wings behind her. KA-WHAM! Tokamak smashes against the base of the Washington Monument and crumples to the ground. He staggers, propping himself up on his hands. “Idiots! You - - haven’t - - you can’t - - I won’t…” he stutters. Shuffling slowly to his feet, he takes a few disjointed steps. “I’m Henry Hewitt - - I’m Henry Hewitt - - I’m…” he says softly. KRUNCH! With a loud thud, he falls powerless, face first, into the soft ground.
Firehawk rushes to Firestorm. She hugs him tightly and kisses him. While they kiss, Stein observes that they always knew Lorraine Reilly liked Firestorm, perhaps more than they imagined. Behind them, Tokamak has moved to sit up. He begins to glow. Soon, bright orange light and energy surround him in a spherical radiance! “Dear Lord - - Look at Tokamak, Ronald!” Stein exclaims, “He seemed ill before - - he must have been losing control over the powers within him! All that contained those energies was the armored suit he wore - - and with the suit now damaged, he’s a Human Reactor gone wild - - quickly reaching critical mass! Hurry!”
Firestorm aims a nuclear beam at Tokamak, lifting him from the ground with his back arched, head and feet dangling. Atomic rings surround Tokamak’s body as the energy glows brighter from within and around him. Firehawk asks Firestorm what he is doing. “Hewitt’s going to blow - - and there’s nothing I can do to stop it,” he says as he propels Tokamak high into the sky, “But maybe - - if we’re lucky - - and if I can get him far enough away - - he won’t take Washington with him!”
Tokamak reaches a point just below the Command Craft, rising vertically on a saber-like beam of Firestorm’s energy. Suddenly….CHAATOOOOM! Tokamak implodes in a massive explosion! Shock waves and radiation blast outwards, destroying the Command Craft and spreading fast to threaten the city below! Firestorm shields Firehawk and aims his hands towards the roiling mass of Tokamak’s aftermath. For the second time today, he absorbs the full power and energy of a nuclear explosion into his body! “There - - that’s the last of it! Everyone’s safe - - or as safe as you can get in this town.”
Firestorm embraces Firehawk as Stein looks on, smiling. The two kiss deeply, expressing both their relief and romance. A brilliant rosy afternoon sun lazily shines down over the Mall. “Now, where were we?” Ronnie tells her as she pulls him close, “Oh yeah…that’s what I thought.” Fade out.
Fade in: Doreen Day’s house, two hours later. Ronnie walks up the front porch steps with a lot on his mind. Back to the real world, he thinks. Lorraine is back to her normal non-Firehawk form. Senator Reilly is making all the necessary explanations to the Washington Police. Professor Stein has settled down for a good night’s sleep. Ronnie thinks that he really feels messed up. All this running around has kept him from thinking about his Dad. “Maybe that’s what I wanted - - just to forget for a while,” he thinks as he walks inside the house.
Ronnie greets everyone and starts to apologize when Doreen rushes up to him! She hugs and kisses him. “I feel like a first class heel - - having both Doreen and Lorraine in love with - - Huh?” Ronnie thinks as he notices the people that had been waiting on him. Ronnie looks with surprise at Principal Hapgood and several federal agents standing in Doreen’s living room!
“I can explain, Ronnie,” Hapgood begins, “With permission from my former associates in the Justice Department. That’s right, Ronald. Justice Department, Organized Crime Branch.” Doreen guides Ronnie to sit on the couch. “This isn’t easy. I wanted to tell you before this - - but there were reasons I couldn’t. Not good reasons,” Hapgood continues, “Ronnie, I know who planted that bomb to kill your father - - and I know why.” Ronnie gasps at him in shock!
Hapgood explains that he was a young lawyer with the Justice Department fifteen years ago. With the help of a journalist’s crucial testimony, he was able to convict ‘Shoe’ Shine, the notorious Gangland leader, on racketeering charges. That journalist was Ed Rockwell. Shine was enraged in the courtroom, lashing out against Rockwell. “You’re dead,” Shine screamed at him, “You and your whole family! Buy a coffin - - you’re a walking corpse!”
Hapgood continues, explaining that Ed Rockwell was a brave man, good reporter, and a good friend. He was a family man, the proud father of a young toddler son. Rockwell ignored Shine’s threats. All the people involved in convicting Shine did. But on the day that Shine entered a federal prison to begin his sentence, Elaine Rockwell, Ed’s wife and Ronnie’s mother, died when her car exploded. A bomb placed under her car’s exhaust pipe turned her Ford into a fireball.
Ed Rockwell was a different man after that, withdrawing into himself. Hapgood approached him at Elaine’s funeral. Ed could barely respond. Hapgood told Rockwell that his name can be changed. He can get a new appearance, a new identity, and a new life. Shine’s people would then never be able to find him. Rockwell was defiant. “Let them find me,” he told Hapgood, “I’ll take a few of them with me before they drag me down.” Hapgood reminded Ed of his young son, who deserves a father and a life. Ed looks at his son, cradled nearby in the arms of a family member at the graveside service. He agrees, and asks Hapgood to do what he can. But Ed vowed that he would not hide forever, and would someday return to New York.
A few years later, Hapgood left the Justice Department and became the Principal at Bradley High School. Ed Rockwell, now known as Ed Raymond, kept his word and came back. He was spotted and the Shine family was informed. “And they killed him,” Ronnie says softly. He wonders why his Dad never told him, why he kept it a secret. Hapgood explains that it was to protect him, just as Hapgood also did by not revealing what he knew. Ronnie hangs his head in hands, overwhelmed.
“There’s something else, kid,” an agent speaks up, “Something even Hapgood doesn’t know.” Ronnie looks up, feeling that he can stand no more. A voice calls out to him. A familiar voice. “Ronnie…” a voice calls from a shadowy form in the darkened hallway. The agent continues, “Shine and his top henchmen were killed in a shoot-out with our people a few hours ago - - but one of Shine’s other hired hands bought it last week - - while he was planting a bomb in the doorway of your house. Seems it exploded prematurely.” The shadowy form steps from the hallway into the light. Ronnie looks and gasps, “Dad?”
“Hello, son. I wanted to see you,” he explains, gently touching Ronnie’s shoulder, “but these damn fools had me in protective custody - - wouldn’t let me talk to anyone. For your safety, they said. Bureaucratic idiots. But now, Shine’s dead. It’s over.”
There are more things to say, more explanations to be made, more mysteries to be resolved. But not now. Ronnie tearfully embraces his Dad as his friends and family look on. For the moment, Ronnie Raymond has all the answers he needs. His father is alive.
Notes:
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