Once he was an average high school kid. He excelled in sports, and his grades were average, but then a strange and wonderful occurrence happened. In a freak accident, his very atomic structure was merged with that of a scientist, and the two joined to become Firestorm, The Nuclear Man!

Those days of a shared existence are forever over, but now College student Ronnie Raymond carries on the tradition he started with Dr. Martin Stein , as he fights the good fight, and struggles with maintaining his grades as well as knocking the villain of the week back into the last one! He has the power of atomic manipulation, can fly through space and can fire nuclear blasts capable of leveling a city block! But he still can't get to class on time!

The Fury of Firestorm, the Nuclear Man! #2

The battle for Manhattan!

A "Cold Armageddon" crossover!

By Ralph Angelo

Firestorm rockets across the devastated and burning Manhattan skyline like unto an avenging angel from on high! To his left and slightly behind him is the powerful Captain Atom, his former colleague , as well as sometime foe from years gone by. To his right is the Boy of Steel, Superboy, as well as Mister Miracle , super escape artist!

But it's not a Mister Miracle he's familiar with. Firestorm has known Scott Free, the second in a lengthening line of Mister Miracles , from his Justice League days. This new Mister Miracle is untested in time of war, and so Firestorm has his doubts, still Miracle is more then upholding his end, as the four of them strafe the forces of the multi planetary force seeking Earths destruction.

Then, Captain Atom breaks Firestorm from his silent reverie.

"Firestorm! Down there, along 40^th St. "

Firestorms head swivels, as his eyes burn brightly with anger!

"I see them Cap'n Atom, and I'm on it."

He cuts to his right, blazing like a missile from the sky, towards a scene of mayhem! A half dozen Branx warriors are engaging a small force of city cops and National guardsmen. And the Branx are mopping the street with the Humans!

"Not that easy you ugly things, this is MY town!"

Firestorm unleashes his molecular restructuring power at the Branx, instantly turning the street into titanium steel, that wraps itself around the Branx warriors, and pins them in place!, Suddenly two of the blue-black ogres known as Gordaniun leap from behind a buildings corner, firing exotic weaponry at Firestorm, slapping him from the sky painfully!

"Arrgghhh!" Screams Ronnie Raymond, as his mind and body convulse agonizingly!

Firestorm drops towards the street, a puppet with it's strings cut, but even in that bad a condition, he reacts instinctively . A blast of matter altering energy turns the street beneath him into a huge water filled mattress

Sploosh!

That bursts upon his impact with it!

"Okay..." He says as he rises up from it, soaked., "Not how I planned it, but it worked anyway."

The two Gordaniun laugh, loud and long at Firestorms plight, his soaked costume and flaming head are a sight that leaves them doubled over. It's also enough to annoy the Nuclear man to no end.

"You think this is funny?"

Instantly , in a flash of Nuclear energy, Firestorm dries out his uniform, and fires twin blasts at the Gordaniun, blasting them both off their feet and through a brick wall, into a sporting goods store. Where they tumble through racks of Nikes, Levis, and Addidas, before coming to a halt underneath a basketball hoop, where Firestorm converts the pole into a yet another binder for the Alien marauders, holding them in place.

"Sometimes the old ways are the best." He says as he slaps his hands together, wiping off the imaginary dust on them.

"Not bad 'Storm, you're getting the old moves back."

Firestorm turns at the sound of Captain Atoms voice, who is floating above him at the stores entrance.

Firestorm nods, "Thanks Cap'n, glad you noticed."

Lets take out the trash. Superboy and Mister Miracle are over on 48^th , there's a whole brigade of these aliens scum there , exterminating our people. I think it's time to show these pukes what real Earthmen are made of."

Moments later, and several blocks away... Mister Miracle and Superboy battle against an entire brigade of unearthly warriors!

"Things ain't goin' so well S-Boy, what's the scoop?" Asks Mister Miracle, as he uses his mother box to suddenly increase gravity in a localized area, riveting a half dozen alien marauders to the ground.

"What do ya think Shilo* ? These guys are tough! " Answers the boy of steel, as he uses his tactile telekinesis to break up the street violently beneath the aliens feet, scattering them!

*Mister Miracles real name is Shilo Norman.

"It's not so much their toughness Supes-boy, it's their numbers. These home-boys are everywhere!"

Superboy flies into half a dozen of them, scattering them like bowling pins!

"Tell me about it Miracle -man!"

Mister Miracle releases a hand full of small metallic balls, that attach themselves to the enemy troops, and then...

"Now Mother box!" shouts Shilo.

Suddenly , the aliens spring skywards, totally out of control, as they rocket towards the stratosphere!

"What were those?" Asks Superboy

"Miniature versions of my anti-grav discs, but without any kind of control. All they know is "up". "

But suddenly a powerful wave of energy slams them both backwards, smashing them where they stand! Blowing them across the road like chafe before a storm!

"Wha?" A groggy, shaken Superboy forces himself to his feet, but Mister Miracle is already unconscious. As Superboys eyes clear, he sees an enormous Gordaniun warrior filling his view, as the warrior pulls back his right fist powerfully, then... darkness.

"Where'd you leave them Atom?" Asks Firestorm, as he cuts a fiery arc across Manhattans night sky.

"They were supposed to be right here 'Storm. Where I told you . I don't make mistakes, and neither should they." Answers the silver blue Captain Atom, as both heroes dive down to the street level.

"Signs of a battle. " Is all Firestorm says, as he sees the damage done prior to their arrival.

"So I see. It looks like whoever did this , left moments before our arrival." Answers Captain Atom, as he kicks some rubble aside.

"No kiddin' shiny. If they were anywhere nearby, we would've seen 'em from above. How'd you hook up with those two anyway?"

" I was in flight here, to see you, and whoever else I can ad to our ranks, when I was crossing over Metropolis, carrying a woman back there from a spot where I saved her life.* Once I dropped her off at her home, I followed the sounds of combat to a side street, where I found Mister Miracle and Superboy duking it out with an entire regiment of alien warriors. After I helped them clear up that cities enemies, and secure it enough for the national guard, as well as local forces working in conjunction with that cities Government, to take control, we headed here. With all our combined might, cutting through the east coasts major cities, we can clean out the alien infestation before they can grab a foothold."

*Captain Atom is referring to Lois Lane, who he found, and saved from certain death, on his way to Metropolis in Superman #11.

"You hope so at least Cap. These things are everywhere. And from what I hear, our friends up on the moon* may already be dead ."

*The JLA, who haven't been heard from since this all began.

"I know. Since you and I are the only ones around at the moment who can survive unaided space flight, we may have to look into that, after we help out here."

"Hhhmmm." Is all Firestorm says as he continues to survey the damage.

"What's on your mind Firestorm? Besides the obvious I mean."

"I have a ...friend with the JLA now. Somebody who was more then a friend at one point actually."

"Oh." Smiles Captain Atom, "You mean Firehawk, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm a little concerned, ya know?"

"This is war my friend, and in war every soldier does his duty. I'm sure your friend up on the moon is okay right now."

"Yeah well, not all of us are soldiers Silver . Some of us are drawn into things beyond our control, that we're not really ready for, you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes Firestorm, I do. That's life. We really have no control over this roller coaster ride our lives are. We just have to buckle in and hold on sometimes, doing our best to ride out the stormy parts."

"Well I don't think it gets any stormier then this."

"Agreed Firestorm, this is about as bad as it gets. I've never seen my home country torn up like this at all."

"Ah," Thinks Firestorm, "Sometimes I wish Martin was still part of this. I miss his input at times, and the way C A is talkin' , he reminds me of him right now. I wonder where he is ?"

Across the galaxy to a little known corner of creation, the fire elemental who was once known as Firestorm awakens from a long slumber, and gazes towards the far away, and unseeable world of his birth.

"Once more I sense destruction upon the poor Earth. Once more man has disgraced the world of his birth by waging war upon it. Perhaps it's time for man to no longer exist on the jeweled world. After all I've seen, all I've done, no world is more beautiful, more paradise-like then the world of my birth. And to feel it's agony so strongly, even from this distance, maybe it is time for man to go the way of the Dinosaur, so that a more appreciative species would be born upon its beautiful shores."

Wordlessly, The Fire-mental leaps space-wards, towards Earth.

Back on Earths embattled shores...Firestorm and Captain Atom fly concentric circles outwards from the point where Superboy and Mister Miracle disappeared.

"Anything yet 'Storm?"

"Nothing Captain. It's like they were disintegrated."

"Would your matter altering powers be able to tell you that, if they were?"

"I don't know, maybe. I guess it's time to find out."

They both fly back to the starting point of this search, as overhead, a squadron of F-16's break formation to engage another large Psion vessel that comes closer to Manhattans shores.

Firestorm and Captain Atom alight to the ground, as Firestorm uses his molecular rearrangement powers to search for his missing team mates. Tendrils of energy dance from his fingertips, to play over the ground before him, but...

"No good. If they were disintegrated, I can't tell. Either that, or they weren't, and they just aren't here, period."

Captain Atom holds his chin in thought.

"What could've happened to them?"

Then , a powerful voice from behind them both roars its answer.

"I can answer that hu-mans!"

Pa-Kow!

A powerful energy blast sweeps them both off their feet, to land like rag dolls half a block away.

"Wh-what th--?" Stammers Firestorm, as his vision clears, and he sees the largest Gordaniun warrior he's ever beheld, holding Captain Atom above his head, to smash him into the pavement, hard! Then, hands glowing with bright yellow energy, the Gordaniun turns towards Firestorm.

"I am known as "Tengraaart, The mighty" Your race is not the only among the stars to breed ultra-powered beings. I am the mightiest among my kind, and you are this cities last defender. Prepare to die."

Firestorm gulps hard, as he tries to clear the cobwebs from his head, for what he knows is going to be the battle of his life!

To Be Continued!

Nuclear Fallout

C/O mailto:CptMarvell@aol.com

Hey Ralph! Well, I was outrageously happy to see Captain Atom in this
issue! He's the most underused cool hero in the faux-dc right now. (Of
course, I like the Question too!) The weird sort of relationship that
Captain Atom had with Ronnie since Millenium makes him a great guest
star! The beginning of Ronnie's new adventures is very cool as well. I
can understand his outrage at the Invasion, a really powerful moment.
The news that Martin Stein will be around is a big plus as well! Can't
wait to see who you recruit for the team he's putting together! (Looks
like it could be a new Seven Soldiers of Victory here!) Keep up the
great work, and I'll be eagerly awaiting the new issue!


TJB

Thanks TJ! I'm very  happy you liked this issue. I think Firestorm 's going to be a fun book to write for me, and I'm very happy to be bringing his adventures to the Faux DC. Keep reading! After "Cold Armageddon" is done here, I'll be sending Ronnie against some old foes, as well as friends!