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#16 |
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| Ivar The Timewalker: Ivar, the Timewalker has experienced the passage of thousands of years, just like his immortal brothers, Gilad and Aram. Unlike them, or anyone else, Ivar has spent his years skipping around from one point in history to the next. Able to find natural "time arcs" that carry him from era to era, Ivar might be in the present one week, and in 41st - Century North Am the next. This gets to be tricky for Ivar, who must take care to do nothing that could change history--even though this pledge of non-interference often leads to some difficult choices. But his time jumps aren't motivated by curiosity or adventure, Ivar only hopes that the next time arc will place him back in the arms of his one, great love--lost in another time. | Dr Erica Pierce:Erica Pierce was Doctor Phil Seleski's colleague at the Edgewater Center. During the accident that granted Seleski his powers, Erica Pierce was caught in the reactor as well and granted similar powers. |
| Solar Man of The Atom: In the Muskogee, Oklahoma of another
reality, a young Phil Seleski grew up a comic book lover. Phil's favorite
comic,
Dr Solar, Man of The Atom, inspired his interest in
science and helped determine his field of study. Like his comic book hero,
Phil excelled in the sciences and became a brilliant nuclear physicist.
His crowning achievement was the design and construction of the first nuclear
fusion reactor for the Edgewater Advanced Fusion Energy Research Center.
During the reactor's first test run, something went horribly wrong. There was a core breach, and a reactor meltdown was imminent. Doctor Seleski, in an attempt to stop the disaster , threw himself into the reactor's leaking anti-proton pumps. As a conscious Seleski floated in the plasma, he wished that the whole incident would stop. It did. The pumps stopped leaking and all of the deadly radiation that was in the process of being released simple disappeared. Seleski survived the incident and made a startling recovery. However, things would never be the same for the good doctor. The accident had somehow transformed him into a being of pure energy. He also soon discovered he had the power to manipulate energy in all it's forms. A suspicious world mounted an attack against Seleski and in the ensuing conflict, Seleski inadvertently created a black hole and destroyed his world. Faced with the horror of his actions, Seleski abandoned his timeline and found his way to the Valiant Universe, to a point in time before the accident happened. Once here, the grievous Seleski split himself into two personas; one a physical manifestation of his guilt, and the other an incarnation of his childhood hero, Doctor Solar, Man of The Atom. "Born" with the collective memories of Seleski and his own comic book origins, Doctor Solar believed the Phil Seleski of the Valiant Universe to be a potential murderer, and set out to destroy him. Seleski convinced Doctor Solar of his intent to save the world during a final conflict in the reactor that spawned them. Seleski managed to absorb Doctor Solar and emerged from the reactor at the point that this timeline's Phil Seleski was about to hurl himself into the anti-proton pumps. After absorbing this timeline's Phil Seleski, the fully recombined Phil Seleski successfully prevented nuclear disaster, and fulfilled his dream of being a hero. Seleski was granted a second chance at life as Solar, Man of The Atom. |
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What if nothing mentioned there had happened? That's what Ivar will try to find out for us! |
Muskogee, Oklahoma.
The whole town is covered in a white light, emanating from the Edgewater Nuclear Research Center.
People are out of their homes, watching in awe as the Center explodes in an incredible flash of white light.
Suddenly, a familiar looking time arc opens in the middle of the crowd, and a familiar long-haired, coat wearing figure steps out of it.
It is Ivar Anni-Padda, the older brother of the Forever Family.
Ivar: "Now when am I?"
Ivar: "By the looks of it, it's definitely not Egypt."
Ivar starts to walk in the same direction everyone else is: towards the center.
Suddenly a man walks by Ivar.
This man is wearing his pajamas, half naked, wearing glasses and constantly saying the same 2 words: "It's bad".
The man gets inside a jeep and speeds towards the center.
Ivar starts looking around, "smelling" for the next time arc.
After a few minutes Ivar senses a time arc inside the center, and heads there.
A few minutes later Ivar arrives at the main gate of the center. He sees a Stop sign, with the words "nuclear power" sprayed painted in it.
Ivar: "Cute."
Ivar, using a hand held laser he obtained in a previous adventure, cuts himself a "door" along the fence.
Suddenly 2 guards stop Ivar.
Guard 1: "May I ask where do u think you are going Sir?"
Ivar: "Sure...I'm going to Egypt, to find my lost love Nefertiti, and you are going to sleep for awhile."
Ivar takes out a sleep gun from his jacket and puts the 2 guards to sleep.
Ivar: "Locals. Sigh."
Ivar makes his way into the center, making sure not to be seen.
After awhile he arrives at the nuclear reactor's pumping station.
Ivar hears people talking:
Worker 1: "Hey--! You can't go down there!"
Worker 2: "Let him go. Let him burn. That's the genius who designed this thing."
Ivar decides to hide behind the pumps.
From there he sees the same man who had almost earlier pushed him on his way to a jeep.
The man is getting inside a radiation suit.
Ivar: "It's too late fool, the radiation all ready got you *."
* It means he is whispering.
Ivar takes a look at his compass.
The time arc will be here in less than 2 minutes, inside the reactor pumps.
Ivar: "It will be interesting to feel the effects of radiation again. Haven't done that since Hiroshima."
Ivar sees the man, inside the radiation suit, moving toward the valves, trying to turn the reactor off.
Ivar: "Local fool, that won't work...Why does all of this sound so familiar to me?"
Suddenly the man, angry or maybe crazy, heads toward the pumps, intent on throwing himself in.
This makes Ivar come out of hiding.
Ivar: "No! Stop you fool, what do you think you are doing?!?"
Ivar tackles Phil into the ground, preventing him from going inside the reactor.
Ivar: "Are you crazy man!?! The radiation will kill you!"
Phil: "If one of us doesn't go inside the reactor to turn the accelerators off this whole place will explode! So let me go, please"
Ivar: "I can do that, no sweat! **...Look man, you go back upstairs, I'll take care of things down here."
** It means he is thinking to himself.
Phil: "But...but..."
Ivar: "But nothing, now go!!"
Phil, having no other choice, does as Ivar tells him and goes back upstairs.
Phil: "Maybe I should tell Gayle how I feel before the end."
Ivar takes a look into the mouth of the reactor.
Ivar: "No sweat! I'll just go in a minute before the time arc arrives, save the day and that'll be that. But still, why do I have the feeling I should have let that poor man throw himself in? Nah, nothing to worry about I'm sure. I mean, what's the harm in preventing a man like that from living, it's not like he dying inside that thing can alter the time stream or anything."
Suddenly a brunette woman comes out from behind the pumps.
Erica: "Wait! Don't do it yet!"
Ivar: "Who are you? Why are you down here? You should go back up, before this place explodes...If I don't go in I mean."
Erica took a hard look at Ivar, who despite the high levels of radiation didn't exhibit any sigh of radiation poisoning or anything related to it.
Erica: "How is this possible? Look at the rads! How can you be standing?!?".
Ivar's hand went inside his coat pocket, looking for his sleep gun, but it wasn't there.
Ivar: "Damn, it must have fallen off!...Look lady, I don't have time for this, so adieu!"
Suddenly a ping ping sound came out from Ivar's coat.
Ivar: "The Time Arc, I have to hurry!"
Ivar took 5 steps back and then threw himself into the reactor.
Ivar: "Cowabunga!!!!!"
Erica: "Noooooo!!!"
Erica was prepared to throw herself in, but suddenly 2 security guards, send by Phil, stopped her.
Guard 1: "What do you think you are doing lady? Come with us."
The guards took Erica into their arms and carried her out of the reactor.
Erica: "But I have to know how he did it. Please, the man..."
Guard 2: "She's hallucinating, poor thing."
Inside the reactor, Ivar found himself floating in the radiation, just like if he were swimming.
Ivar: "This is nice, but the time arc better come here fast, or my time tracker will fry."
Suddenly the ping ping sound from Ivar's jacket became constant, and a time arc appeared before him.
Ivar entered the arc, but not before making sure all the radiation from the reactor was neutralized, using a device he had on his pocket from the late 65th Century. The device dropped 2 Alka-Seltzer-type pills into the reactor.
Ivar: "That should do it."
Ivar entered the time arc and at the same time it closed the radiation stopped.
The answer is never.
He never has done it.
And if you believe that you don't know Ivar.
The truth is Ivar is famous for making blunders like this.
As far as I know only Phil Seleski know the truth of his origins.
If others had known maybe Ivar wouldn't have prevented Phil from throwing himself in.
As far as Ivar knows he saved a no-bodies life.
Next Issue: Ivar arrives in Muskogee, Oklahoma a year later and finds out what the world is like under the rule of Erica Pierce, Woman of The Atom!!.
October 27,1999.