France, 1917
Flash looked around the devastated landscape. Bodies still lay where they had fallen. The signs of war were everywhere. But this was not World War Two, the war that the Flash was familiar with. This was the First World War. Flash, having escaped from the Speed Realm, found himself in the past. He was overwhelmed by his situation. How could he get home? What should he do now? He tried to calm himself and think like a scientist.
Science! That was the answer! He needed a laboratory and equipment and the tools of modern science. He had always had faith that. It was like a religion to him. Science held the answers to everything! But where could he find such equipment?
Perhaps Doc Savage? True, he would only be a teen at this point in time, but he was already a verified genius and would certainly have the equipment that the Flash needed. So, Flash had to head for New York. Running around the world was a trifle to the Flash, but it would be easier if he knew where he was. He had to know where he was starting from, to know where he was going. Obviously, it was somewhere in Europe. He just needed to know precisely where. He started to run, to look for landmarks.
But then, something happened, something that would delay his trip to America. He spotted something unusual.
There was a single soldier lying alive and wounded on the battlefield. Standing over him was a strange, frightening creature. Tall and skeletal in its thinness, it had greenish skin and a witch-like nose. Its eyes were sunk into its head. The creature wore a torn, faded, ragged Zoot Suit and a derby. Tufts of scraggily hair protruded from under the hat. The Flash winced at the sight of it. It was horrible!
The creature laughed a menacing cackle as it waved its bony hand over the wounded man. The man's face was a mask of despair. He wailed like an infant. He was being tortured by something. Perhaps it was his wounds that were inducing this fit of inconsolable grief, but the Flash suspected that it also had something to do with the eerie creature that stood nearby, laughing.
Flash rammed into the scary creature, knocking him to the ground. Even if the monster wasn't responsible for the man's cries, the ugly creature deserved to be flattened for standing there and laughing. The Flash stared defiantly at the demonic looking figure, which floated back to its feet without using its hands to push itself up. The strange being studied the Flash, curiously.
Finally, it smiled and spoke in an ominous voice. "So, a being with power, much like myself. You're fast. But not fast enough to escape the horror of despair and misery!"
The creature waved its hand. Suddenly, the Flash felt a wave of emotion. But not happy or pleasant emotions. It was a torturous flood of misery and sadness! Flash was overwhelmed with the loneliness of being lost in time. Of never seeing his wife again. Of letting his friends down. Of his absence causing the United States to lose the war. The grief was too much to bear! Flash dropped to his knees and cried!
The creature smiled, as if the Flash's misery was sustenance to it. It closed its eyes in ecstasy, as if the emotion were a drug to it.
"Magnificent!" the greenish thing said.
The creature was in such rapture that it didn't even notice the sounds of airplanes coming closer and closer. The rat-tat-tat of machine guns jarred the strange being out of his trance. As it looked up at the aerial dogfight that was taking place, it inadvertently lessened its hold on the Flash's mind.
Flash, however, was a man of rare strength of will. He wasn't the type to easily give in to despair. With a Herculean effort of will, he forced himself to shake off the incredible sadness. He focused on being angry. His anger was focused on the thing that had done this to him. To the ugly, green being who had laughed at the torment of a dying soldier.
Flash ran forward and slammed a fist into the large proboscis of the demonic looking thing. He knocked the frightening creature all over the field. But before he could finish it off, one of the planes from the aerial dogfight came crashing down in the vicinity. The plane exploded and knocked the Flash off his feet. It took a few moments for him to recover. The creature, obviously highly resilient, also got his thoughts together. It was hurt and knew that it needed to retreat and regain its strength.
It sneered at Flash. "This is not over, human!" the creature hissed. "I'll get you for this! You have not heard the last of Misery!"
The creature faded in a green haze. Flash sat, confused. "Misery?" he muttered.
Flash remembered the wounded soldier and rushed to check up on him. He was unconscious and his pulse was weak. He needed medical help. But where to take him? Flash had to limit his exposure in the past. According to Einstein, any interaction with the indigenous population of a past time could have catastrophic effects. In fact, saving the life of this man could possibly change the future. But how could he just leave a dying man here?
Flash looked up at the dogfight. Amazingly, there were a mere five planes fighting off over a dozen German fighters. And they were quite an unusual group. One of the five planes was covered in some sort of shining armor, which deflected bullets. A second, which was flown in an extremely reckless manner, had wolves painted over it and ornamental fangs on the front. A third was a small plane with black halos painted on either side. The fourth, strangely, had Germanic writing under an American flag. If the Flash remembered his German correctly, the writing said, "Flight of the Valkyrie."
The fifth plane was the most unusual. It wasn't a BI-plane, but rather it had one wing on each side, like modern a plane. Colorful and maneuverable, the plane could change direction on a dime. Its red and black wings - which spanned about 32 feet - flapped like a bird's wings. Its wheels could close like a hawk's claws and grab other planes from above. It had multiple machine guns on each wing and another on the tail. It was a fearsome war-bird, ripping through the enemy forces like a falcon hunting sparrows.
The fight was a savage one but it looked like the good guys were winning. At least, the Flash hoped they would, because he was about to help them. If they were going to win the battle anyway, helping them wouldn't do any damage to the future. Would it? The Flash crossed his fingers, hoping he was right.
Flash spun around with incredible speed, creating a tornado-like vortex that rose up to the skies. The suction caught several of the enemy planes and caused them to lose control. They were unable to shoot straight or maneuver well enough to avoid the bullets of the five allied planes. With the Flash's secret help, the battle ended quickly, with no casualties on the side of the good guys.
After the battle, the Flash needed to attract the attention of the air fighters. Running across the battlefield, the Flash kicked up a trail of dust. It was enough dust to be seen as a trail from the sky. The Flash wrote, in script, a dusty message to the planes . . . "SOS."
The air fighters saw the message. They would have landed anyway. It was standard procedure to search for survivors among the downed enemy crafts. The SOS wasn't really necessary, but it intrigued the pilots. They landed, and searched for the source of the strange signal.
Flash placed the wounded soldier where he could easily be found and then kept out of sight. By moving at speeds beyond the human eye's ability to perceive, the Flash was able to remain among them, zigzagging around, unseen.
The Flash remembered where he had seen that incredible plane before . . . in the aviation museum. It was the famous "Birdie", the craft of the legendary Davie Nelson, better known as Airboy. The Flash had read a lot about Airboy when he was in college. He tried to remember the whole story.
Not long after the Wright Brothers flight at Kitty Hawk, the government asked brilliant Professor Daniel David Nelson to revolutionize the new aeronautics industry with a prototype propulsion system. Professor Nelson left his young son David in the care of Brother Martier, a monk from a monastery in California. The Professor spent several years working on the new engine. Meanwhile, Martier raised Davie, teaching him philosophy, history and Martial Arts. Martier was a lover of bats and so playfully designs some new airplane bodies with bat-like tendencies. When Davie was eleven years old, he went to watch his father fly the test flight of the new plane. Unfortunately, the Professor perished when the flight went awry, and the plane crashed.
The project was abandoned and Davie returned to the monastery. But Brother Martier managed to get his hands on the discarded plans of the prototype plane. Martier promised Davie that he'd find out what went wrong with the flight and vindicate Dave's father. Having once been a skilled mechanic and amateur inventor before he turned to religion, Martier worked hard with some help from some of the other Monks, many of whom were talented craftsman and tinkerers in their own right. They spent five years working on the problem. During this period, Davie had become fascinated with flying. He slipped out of the monastery daily to get flying lessons. An old friend of his father's gave them to Davie for free. Over the next five years, Davie showed a unique aptitude and a rare determination. By the time he was 16, he was an Ace flier. Meanwhile, the Monks had found out the problem with Professor Nelson's flight. The engine was prone to clogging. But with a minor alteration, it was perfect and ready to go. The monks used old pieces of discarded metal from a junkyard to hammer out a new body based on the designs that Brother Martier had sketched. They dubbed the revamped plane "Birdie" and Davie, revealing his flying ability, became its pilot. After vindicating his father's theory, World War One broke out. The 16-year-old Davie vowed to make his fathers plane a legend by wrecking havoc on the German Luftwaffe. Donning a costume, which was modeled after his ancestor, Marquis Francois Martier de L'Orleans, a hero of the French revolution, Davie took to the skies as the scourge of the German air force. People gave him the nickname "Airboy". Over the next two years, he gained several allies, great pilots in their own right. They became the legendary Air Aces!
The Air Aces landed. They emerged from their crafts and searched the area, looking around for the source of the SOS. The Flash tried to identify each of them. The obvious leader was a blonde hared 18 -year-old youth. He wore blue breeches and a scarf, a red shirt, yellow boot and gloves, with aviator goggles. This was certainly Davie Nelson, the Airboy.
As for the rest . . . the tall, stocky man with the fur jacket and the wolf's head helmet was probably Skywolf. The man in the suit of armor just had to be the Iron Ace, best flier in the RAF. The girl in the skin-tight black body suit who looked like a Paris runway model was most likely the Black Angel. And finally, the exotic, buxom, raven-hared woman with the sexy walk and the generous cleavage was almost certainly Fraulein Valkyrie. She was a German defector who joined up with Airboy. Legend has it they were lovers.
It was the Black Angel who first found the dying man. The group gathered as she did a first aid effort.
"We have to get him to a hospital, quickly!" Black Angel said.
"I'll take him!" Airboy said. "Birdie is the fastest plane in the world. The rest of you rendezvous with me at the evac hospital."
Skywolf helped him carry the injured soldier to Birdie, and gently load him inside. Just as Airboy was climbing in, Valkyrie grabbed his arm.
"Be safe," she said, and gave him an affectionate goodbye kiss.
"I'll see you soon," he said, stroking her hair.
Flash watched. Yep. Definitely lovers, he thought.
Airboy flew off. The rest of the group did a final search for survivors and then headed for their airplanes. Flash decided to hang around until they were clear of the area. The idea that that ugly thing might still be lurking around bothered him.
Airboy was flying Birdie as fast as its engines would go to get the wounded soldier to the evac hospital. But he ran into something that he hoped he would not see. He saw an old enemy.
The familiar plane swooped out of the clouds and closed in on Birdie. It was the infamous craft of Hans Van Hammer, known to his people as the Hammer of Hell, but to the British as the Enemy Ace. He and Airboy had a running feud going on. They had fought three times already with no definitive victor. Each time, their battle had been interrupted by other fliers. Actually, Von Hammer was the superior pilot, having much more experience than young Davie. Airboy, however, had the finest, fastest plane in the world and that made up for the difference in skill.
Airboy didn't want to get into a dogfight with the Luftwaffe's greatest pilot while the life of this wounded soldier hung in the balance, but confrontation seemed unavoidable. The Enemy Ace was between Airboy and the hospital, and Von Hammer was too good a pilot to simply evade and do an end-run around. So, if this dying man was to have a chance to live, Airboy had to defeat the unbeatable Enemy Ace. And he had to do it quickly. Davie uttered a prayer and met the enemy in battle!
Before the foursome of Skywolf, Iron Ace, Valkyrie, and Black Angel could get back to their planes, they seemed to fall into a sudden melancholy.
"Why do we bother to try?" Black Angel said. "With all the horror of war around us, what good do we really do?"
"The bird's right," Iron Ace said. "The bloody Krauts are flaming well going to kill a lot more blokes that we can."
"Yeah," Skywolf growled, "we kill five of them, they kill fifty of our boys."
"We can't affect the outcome of this war," Valkyrie said sadly. "I should never have been foolish enough to believe I could defy the Kaiser!"
The two women seemed on the verge of tears. The men slipped into a depressed silence. Flash, who was still watching covertly, was alarmed. Misery! he thought. That thing is still here!
Flash raced around, trying to find the creature, which was certainly hiding close by. He spotted a thin silhouette on top of a hill. He could make out the distinctive shape of the prominent nose and derby. "There you are!" he muttered.
Flash raced up the hill, preparing to give Misery a blow so powerful that the thing wouldn't land until it reached Paris. But he had no idea that he was running into a trap. Misery had surrounded himself with shell craters that had filled with mud. Flash, who wasn't going fast enough to hydroplane over the mud pits, fell into one. He felt like a blundering novice as he tried to pull himself out of the deep mud pit.
Misery grinned down at him menacingly. "I warned you that you were in for a world of pain when you dared to interfere, to strike me, human! A demon does not forgive!"
Flash tried to think fast, to distract Misery long enough for him to free himself. "A demon? Aren't demons supposed to rhyme? Etrigan always rhymes."
"Ah, so you know Etrigan, do you?" Misery said. "I'm surprised that you survived the encounter. Etrigan is usually very thorough. He's a vicious creature. That's why he made it to the Rhyming Legions. But a hybrid, like myself, would never be inducted into the great Rhyming Legions."
Hybrid, Flash thought. So, he's not a full demon. Could he be half-human? That would make sense. If his human half keeps him out of this Rhyming Legion that he thinks so highly of, it stands to reason that he would hate his human side, and therefore hate all humans by extension. That's why he wants to make humans suffer. Given his name and what I've seen him do so far, I would guess that his demonic ability gives him the power to alter human emotions. So far, he has only created emotions of sadness and despair. Maybe he needs those emotions. Dr. Fate once said that some demons feed off of one particular emotion. Maybe this creature feeds of misery and so uses his emotion-altering powers to make people miserable and thus feed off their grief!
Misery raised his hand. "No more delaying . . . suffer! And feed me with your torment!"
Waves of emotions of all kinds flooded the Flash's brain, threatening to overwhelm him. The highs and lows of joy and sorrow assaulted him like a physical force. Flash almost screamed.
But he didn't scream. He didn't submit and he didn't break under the power of the mental attack. His will was amazingly strong and Jay Garrick had too many things to hold onto . . . his wife, his friends in the JSA, his duty to the world of his time, among other things. He forced himself to overcome the emotions and focus on his foe. The Flash vibrated, causing mud to splash in every direction, splattering over Misery, breaking his concentration. Then Flash raised his arms and twirled them like rotors, creating powerful winds. The winds blew Misery off his feet, and into one of the mud pits he had surrounded himself with. The Flash, having splashed all the mud out of the pit he was caught in, leaped out and ran to the pit Misery was wallowing in. The Flash looked down at his demonic enemy, wondering what to do with him.
"That is twice you have dared to attack me!" Misery shouted. "I will tolerate this no more! I don't know who you are, but when I return, you will suffer the worst torture that a creature from Hell can imagine!"
Misery started to fade into a green haze again. The Flash didn't want him to escape again, and live to threaten soldiers again. The Flash threw himself into the middle of the vanishing haze and proceeded to vibrate and spin. The Flash had the power to pierce dimensional walls by doing this. By ripping open dimensional doors as Misery was fading out, he hoped that he could scatter Misery's atoms across multiple planes of existence, rendering Misery a powerless group of floating molecules, spread out through all time and space.
The tactic worked. Misery lost cohesion and found himself in microscopic pieces, spread out across multiple realms of existence. He was no longer a threat, or at least, not in the near future. It would take him years to reform himself.
However, the tactic had ramifications for the Flash as well. The combination of Flash's speed power and Misery's mystic power caused a dimensional rift to momentarily open. The Flash was sucked into the vortex. The vortex closed behind him. Both Misery and the Flash were gone, as if they had never been.
The four Air Aces, freed from Misery's influence, had heard something going on over the hill and went to investigate. By the time they passed over the hill, there was nothing left to be seen. This was just another mystery, like the SOS and their strange fit of melancholy. With a confused shrug, the four pilots returned to their planes to rendezvous with Airboy.
Airboy was engaged in a furious dogfight with his archrival, the Enemy Ace. Airboy was, as always, impressed, and a little envious, of Von Hammer's unmatched aviator skills. Several times, bullets pierced Birdie. Airboy was concerned that the soldier would be hit by some of those bullets. He needed to get away from Von Hammer somehow.
At one point in the battle, Von Hammer swooped over Airboy, and looked down at the young pilot. He also saw the wounded man. Airboy wondered what would follow next. To his amazement, the dreaded Enemy Ace veered off, and headed back to Germany.
Airboy smiled. Obviously, Hans Von Hammer had a sense of honor. He wouldn't stop a mission of mercy. He wouldn't keep a dying man from getting medical attention. Airboy had an even greater respect for Von Hammer than ever. But he had no time to waste. Airboy flew quickly toward the evac hospital.
Flash found himself in a void, a surreal kaleidoscope of color and random images, like windows into alternate realms. The Flash floated in this realm of wonder, not knowing where he was or how to get out. He tried vibrating again, to get a look into other dimensions. But navigating dimensions without a frame of reference was like a blind man traveling the world without a guide. There was no way to know where to look. The Flash tried to contain his panic and think of an option.
To his amazement, the Flash saw something that looked like a large pyramid floating in the void with him. Further along, he saw something that looked like a big rock cliff. He didn't know what they were, but it gave him hope. Spinning his arms again, he propelled himself toward the pyramid. Finding an opening in the outside of the pyramid, the Flash crawled inside.
Inside the pyramid was normal gravity. The Flash walked along a dark corridor until he came to a vast terminal annex. The place was crowded with strange beings. Not all of them looked human and the ones that did wore extraordinary clothes. Some of them carried equipment that looked futuristic. And strangely, one man, who sat on a weird looking device, was dressed in the fashions of turn-of-the-century America. What was that H. G. Wells story? The Time Machine! Could that have been a true story?
Flash was feeling overwhelmed. He continued wandering about. No one took any notice of the Flash as he slowly made his way across the busy terminal.
The Flash saw a big sign. At first it seemed to be in some strange language, but it suddenly changed to Modern English. It said . . .
WELCOME TO THE TIME TERMINUS. ARRIVALS ON THIS LEVEL, DEPARTURES DOWNSTAIRS. TEMPORAL INFORMATION DESK ON LEVEL 15.
Flash couldn't believe what he was seeing. It seemed like an airport in the time-stream. The Flash studied some of the non-human beings that crossed his path. What was going on here, he wondered?
"Flash, hello," a strong but familiar voice said.
The Flash turned around and saw the large, muscular, bronze form of Dr. Clark Savage, Jr.
"Doc Savage?" The Flash said in relieved surprise, "I'm glad to see you."
"Nice to see you again, as well," Doc Savage said, "What are you doing here?"
Flash did his best to explain. Doc Savage nodded, understanding. "And why are you here?" Flash asked.
"I'm on my own time-traveling adventure," Doc Savage said, "I left from further in your future."
"Where are we, Doc?" Flash asked.
"It's the Time Terminus," Doc Savage said, "Its sort of a crossroads between all times and all places, a central convergence. That big rock outside is the Rock of Eternity. It's where the wizard Shazam lives. This is also the central headquarters of the TVA."
"The who?"
"The Time-Variance Authority," Savage said. "They're sort of the policemen of the time-stream. They oversee the universal timeline and make sure no one disturbs it."
Flash winced. He hoped they weren't watching his adventure in WWI. "Can you tell me how to get back to August 1943?" he asked.
"Go down to the level 15 information desk," Doc Savage said. "They'll direct you to the proper time passage."
"Thanks Doc," Flash said, as he raced off, "See you in the Future."
Flash raced down the stairway, passing some strangely familiar figures. The Flash shrugged it off and continued on. He reached the information desk. Manning the desk was a tall man with a large nose, curly hair and a broad, toothy smile. He had a long coat, and an extremely long, multi-colored scarf.
Flash waited in line. He saw a big, brawny man with a leather jacket and sunglasses, carrying a rifle, walking around the complex. He was asking for Sarah Conner, whoever she was. The Flash's turn finally came. The man with the scarf held out a bag of candies. "Like a Jelly-Baby?"
"Uh, no thanks," Flash said, "I'm trying to get to -- "
"Jay Garrick. Flash of Earth!" a stern voice said.
Flash turned. A stern looking man, in an outfit that looked like a cross between a black business suit and a Priest's uniform, stared at him with an unfriendly demeanor. The Flash wondered who this man was and how he knew his real name. "Come with me, Mr. Garrick."
"Who are you, fella?" Flash asked.
"I am agent 1134, of the TVA," the man said. "You are charged with three separate temporal violations. If you are found guilty, there will be severe penalties!"
August 1943
Sentinel left the Earth and flew into the stratosphere. He was filled with determination . . . The determination to save a friend! He was resolute in his efforts to find his friend Jay Garrick and bring him home. All he knew was that the Flash was lost in time. Sentinel had been doing research about time-travel. He even consulted Albert Einstein. He had an idea.
Einstein speculated that even Time itself could be affected by the forces of gravity. And other scientists had postulated the theory of the hypothetical Chronoton molecule, which is a bi-product of time. The Sentinel hoped that by using the power of the Starheart, he could utilize both gravity and Chronotons to open up a portal in time. Perhaps then, his green flame could be some sort of time beacon for the time lost wanderer and lead him home.
Sentinel floated in orbit around the moon. He summoned up all his will power. His ring was fully charged. It was now or never! He unleashed all his raw energy! The massive glow could be seen on Earth. People wondered what it was. But the Sentinel wasn't worried about what people were thinking. All he wanted to do was to find his friend. He burned a hole in the fabric of time itself!
Back in the Time Terminus . . .
Flash was trying to explain his actions to a council of TVA officers. "I tried my best to keep from changing anything," he said to them.
"I'll admit, you were more careful than most people are when they time travel," THX1138 said, "but you still made some careless mistakes. By dissipating Misery into time, you kept him from being destroyed. In the original history, Misery kept up his reign of terror until the late twenties when he was destroyed permanently by Doc Savage. Unfortunately, thanks to you, Misery was still incorporeal during that time. He doesn't reconstitute himself until 1939. Therefore, he is alive and well during the Second World War."
"This is very bad news!" Agent NCC1701 said. "Misery is a powerful mystical being. Considering the backdrop of the second World war - The God councils and that stuff - Misery is set to be a major player in the war and could possibly affect it's outcome. All because of you!"
"Such a time disruption cannot be overlooked," THX1138 said, "Your violation is very serious. It -- "An alarm suddenly started to ring out. Another TVA man ran in. "We have a dilemma!" he said.
He activated a screen. They saw the colorful time-stream, but a strong green light was piercing through part of the time corridor. "What is that?" NCC1701 asked.
"Earth meta-human, circa 1943, by the Terran calendar. Highly powerful. Designation, Sentinel!"
"Alan," Flash said, smiling.
"A friend of yours?" 1138 asked.
"You bet!"
"We have to stop him!" 1701 shouted. "He'll damage the fragile fabric of time!"
"We can't!" a third man said. "He's extremely powerful, and we can't spare the resources to reign him in just now. We're short handed as it is. That Kang situation is still causing chaos!"
"Damn it!" 1138 bellowed. He thought for a minute, then he looked at the Flash. "You! You can stop him!"
"Me?" Flash said innocently. "Why should I?"
"We'll rescind your charges and let you go!" the TVA agent said. "In return, you make your friend stop! And, you must make up for your mistake with Misery. You must destroy the creature!"
"That's a promise!" Flash said. "I clean up my own messes. Now, point me to the door."
The TVA agent nodded. "We'll send you back to your own time. You'll re-appear where ever Misery is!"
Late August 1943
Captain America, Uncle Sam, and Bucky the Star-Spangled Kid were returning to the USA after their adventure in England when they were detoured by an emergency summons from Sergeant Rock, leader of Easy Company. Rock used the W.E.B.* which Cap had given to Sergeant Nick Fury not too long ago. Cap met Rock at a transient Allied command base outside of occupied France.
*(War Emergency Beacon)
"Thanks for coming so quick, Cap," Rock said. "I know you're a busy guy, but I think Nick is in trouble."
"What's happened?" Cap asked, concerned.
"He was sent into occupied territory to investigate reports of some kind of demon ambushing soldiers and civilians," Rock said. "He was supposed to do a recon and be back the following day. He's been gone four days now. I got a bad feeling about it. Nick and I are buds, y'know."
"I understand," Cap said. "He's my friend, too. The Kid and I will check it out. You coming, Sam?"
"Right there with you, Cap," Uncle Sam said. "And I think I know who can get us there jiffy-quick! Let me get to a field phone and make a call to the CID!"
The Blackhawk fighter planes flew over occupied territory with their passengers . . . Cap, Uncle Sam, and Bucky. Cap rode with the leader, Blackhawk. Uncle Sam flew with Andre, and the SS Kid was riding with Stanislaus. The others four Blackhawks - Olaf, Boris, Chop and Zeg - flew in close formation, as escorts.
"We're almost over the drop zone, Captain," Blackhawk said.
"I'm ready," Cap said. "Thanks for the ride."
"You be careful down there," Blackhawk said. "It's rough in occupied areas."
"I've been there before," Cap said. "I can handle it."
"All right, Cap. We're here. Start your jump now. And good luck!"
"Thanks, Blackhawk. See you again, sometime."
With his parachute strapped on, Cap leaped from the plane. Uncle Sam and the Star-Spangled Kid did the same. The Blackhawk planes turned and headed back to a safer zone. The three costumed heroes drifted to the ground. Once safely on solid ground, the trio stealthily made their way to the area where Nick Fury was last known to be.
Lieutenant Jeb Stewart, of the 41st Motorized Tank Division, was separated from his platoon during a battle with German forces. He was heading back to a safe haven, where he would rendezvous with his fellow soldiers. As the southern born Stewart drove his tank, which flew a Confederate flag, across the battered terrain, he hoped that he didn't run into more Nazis.
Just then, an apparition appeared to Lt. Stewart, which only he could see. It was the Ghost of his ancestor, a Civil War General, who frequently appeared to Jeb to advise him. The ghost only appeared to Lt. Stewart when he was in his tank. Because this was no ordinary tank. It was a haunted tank!
"Jeb Stewart!" the ghostly General called. "You are needed. Let my words be heeded."
"What's wrong now?" Young Jeb asked.
The ghost of General Stewart continued. "There is a triumvirate of heroes brave. There is a soldier they wish to save. A demon lurks whom on sadness feeds. Despair and Misery are his needs. Help the men in the red, white and blue, and the speedster who will come, too."
The ghost vanished, leaving Jeb to figure out his cryptic clues.
Cap, Uncle Sam, and the Star-Spangled Kid tried to keep as low a profile as three men in colorful costumes could. They heard the sound of a tank. Cap signaled to his two partners to duck for cover. The trio hid behind some bushes as the tank past.
The Haunted Tank rolled past the hidden heroes. They quickly identified it as a US tank with an American driver. "He's one of us," Bucky said.
The star-spangled threesome revealed themselves. Jeb Stewart spotted them and stopped his tank. Immediately, his mind clicked on some of the clues that General Stewart had given him. A triumvirate of heroes. The men in the red, white, and blue.
"I take it you fellows are looking for a lost soldier," Jeb said.
"How did you know that?" Uncle Sam asked.
"A ghost told me."
The three of them looked at each other. Is this guy nuts or just sarcastic, they wondered. "Maybe the ghost can tell us where Sergeant Fury is?" the SS Kid mocked.
"I'll ask him."
Cap, Uncle Sam, and the SS Kid crept up on the camp where Fury was supposedly being held - according to a ghost. They were skeptical but had no other clue to go on. To their amazement, Fury and his Howling Commandos were really there. Also present were a group of men in red outfits with strange tattoos.
"I know these guys," Uncle Sam said. "I read some reports about them while I was in England. They're called the Hells Wind cult. Demon worshipers."
"I wonder which demon they worship," the SS Kid said. "Hope it's not Etrigan. He's spooky."
"Look at Fury and his men," Cap said. "They're not restrained. Not resisting. They're just sitting there."
The Howling Commandos and their leader were all slumped onto the ground. They seemed miserable, close to tears. Some actually were crying. Even Nick Fury looked to be in the grip of despair.
"Something's happened to them," Cap said. "Someone has done something to them."
"Right," Uncle Sam said. "They wouldn't just sit there unless they were under some outside influence."
"Okay, here's the plan," Cap said. "As soon as our friend starts the distraction, we move in. Sam and I will engage the enemy. Bucky, you try to rouse Fury and his men from whatever is gripping them."
The two men agreed. Moments later, a tank shell exploded near the camp. The cult members were shocked. Some were knocked off their feet. There was a moment of chaos. Nearby, in the Haunted Tank, Jeb smiled. He didn't notice the nearby figure, hiding behind a tree. He was observing, watching, and waiting.
Cap signaled to his partners. They moved in. Cap and Sam plowed into the cult, while the SS Kid tried to motivate the Howling Commandos to fight back. Unfortunately, they seemed too caught up in their misery.
That was when Misery himself appeared. The demonic being with the big nose and derby showed itself. Cap spotted him immediately. This was obviously the demon, which commanded the cult. Cap knocked its cult servant's aside and charged the creature. Misery exerted his influence on the American trio.
Bucky started to cry. "I'm nothing. Useless. I don't belong in the JSA. I'm dead weight. A loser!"
Uncle Sam slumped sadly to the ground. "I'm too old. I can't do this. I'm a useless old man. A loser!"
Cap saw his partners succumb, but that didn't stop him. He continued his advance. Misery increased his influence on Cap . . . but it did no good. Cap didn't give in to despair. He never felt hopeless. No matter how bad things seemed, Cap's indomitable will drove him on. No obstacle was insurmountable. This was the fighting spirit that inspired all those who met him. This is why he was a living legend.
"Whatever you're doing, it won't work on me!" Cap shouted.
Misery was shocked. No one had every shrugged off his power so casually before. Cap leaped at Misery, slamming his shield into the demon. Misery fell. Cap tried to follow up his attack with some powerful blows to the creature. However, members of the Cult leaped on Cap, dragging him away. Cap wrestled alone against the Cult.
The mystery man who had been watching, leaped out of hiding and ran into the encampment. He aided Cap, pulling the cult members off of him. Cap saw his new ally and was surprised. His face was covered with bandages. He wore an American army uniform but his name had been removed. He had no dog tags. He was an Unknown Soldier.
As Cap and the Unknown Soldier battled the cult, a bright burst of light lit the area. When it faded, everyone was surprised to see . . .
"Flash!" Cap yelled, delighted to see his missing friend again.
Misery and the Flash faced each other. "You!" Misery said, hatefully. "I've been dreaming of killing you for decades!" The demonic creature hissed, as he waved his hand and cast his spell over the Flash.
The TVA had returned the Flash to his own time. He needed to fulfill his obligation and destroy Misery. However, there was a problem. Now that he was in Europe, the Flash felt the power of the Spear of Destiny affecting him. Just as it had before, it was reaching into his mind, trying to turn him to the dark side. Flash could fight the power, as long as he didn't use his super speed. The Spear seemed to home in on any type of super power. If he moved even one molecule at super speed, the power of the Spear of Destiny would overwhelm him once again. He dared not use his power. But without it, he couldn't fight Misery.
Worse, as strong as his will was, he couldn't fight the combined force of the Spear and of Misery. Flash's mind was being overwhelmed by the combined assault. And without his super power, there was nothing he could do about it! He dropped to his knees, overcome by mystical forces.
"Flash, fight it!" Cap yelled.
But there was nothing the Flash could do, as long as he was in the Spear's area of influence. He was powerless to defend himself. His mind was a battlefield. He felt like his brain would explode! He gave in to despair. Misery laughed a frightening, triumphant laugh.
The Unknown Soldier also fell under Misery's power. He surrendered to the power of despair, of misery. He staggered away from the fight, crying. One of the cult members hit him over the head. He fell to the ground, unconscious.
And so, Captain America was alone, battling the odds. The cult was numerous, and fairly well trained in combat. But he was Captain America. He never gave up!
Back in the United States, in the mansion of Miss Venus . . .
Dr. Fate entered the mansion. He had been trying to mystically trace the missing Flash for weeks. Now, he had succeeded. He sensed that the Flash was in France. But he couldn't go to France himself. The Spear of Destiny prevented his going there. He had to send someone else. But who? Namor and Hippolyta were away on a mission to save a ship at sea. The Human Torch was having some repairs done by Phinneas Horton. Toro was too inexperienced. Dr. Mid-Nite and the Black Canary were not powerful enough to deal with the menace, which Fate sensed near Flash's location. So whom else could Fate send?
Just then, Thomas Halloway, the Angel, came in. He saw Fate.
"You!" Fate said, pointing, "You're the one to go!"
"Go?" Thomas asked, "Go where?"
"To France!" Fate said, "To save Captain America and the Flash, but not as Thomas Halloway. But rather as your monstrous alter ego."
The Angel cringed. "You don't mean . . . "
"I do!" Fate said. "I need the Hulk!"
Continued next issue! It's the Hulk to the rescue. Can he deal with the emotion powers of Misery? And can he defeat the new opponent who will arrive to challenge him…Hercules! It's power against power as the Rampaging Hulk does battle with the son of Zeus. Plus, The Sentinel's life is about to change, when he meets the Harlequin! All this and more, next time, in Justice Society of America #29.