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! #5

Reflected Images Not My Own

By Ralph Angelo

Last issue recap: The Fire elemental who was once Martin Stein, once half of Firestorm the nuclear man returned, and was quite insane. He attacked Ronnie Raymond, the man who is now totally Firestorm, and defeated him while others watched. That brings us up to now.

Ronnie Raymond awakens from a pained sleep, his arms are shackled above his head, and he feels warmth on his wrists and ankles.

"Wha-what th-?" Ron stammers out as his vision clears. He looks around him, and sees his hands and feet bound by flames, that surprisingly do not burn him. Then his eyes adjust even more, and he realizes he's being held captive in a cave somewhere. His ears perceive the crashing of waves upon a shore, not far from where he currently is. Wherever that may be...

"Time to get outta here, and find out what Martin did to me." Raymond begins to change to his Firestorm persona, when suddenly the bands of flame holding him begin to burn hotter! Instantly he stops the change, as he suddenly hears the clapping of someone who is amused at his predicament. His head turns towards the source of that sound, and once he locates it, he shrugs mentally in almost defeat, but his body remains defiant.

"What are you doing to me, Martin?"

Out of the shadows steps a burning man. All red and white flames cover his body as he laughs almost heartily.

"What do you think I did to you, Raymond? I contained you here so you could serve as my , shall we say , captive audience?"

"What happened to you? This isn't you, this was never you. You're a gentle, quiet man who's always been interested in science and broadening his horizons. Why are you doing this to me, to the world?"

"Ronald, Ronald, Ronald. What do I have to do to get this through your thick head? I am not the man you once knew. I am one with the planet itself. And the planet screams to me. Mother Earth cries to me in pain."

"I think you better have your ears cleaned out, Martin. You need help."

"I NEED NOTHING, YOU FOOLISH WHELP!" He shouts insanely!

Then he turns and storms out of the rough hewn cavern room, and Ronnie can hear him fly away.

"He's gone. In more ways then one. I have to get out of here and stop him. At least when he flew away, the headache stopped. That's one good thing about him being gone." Raymond thinks to himself.

Then he struggles again to pull himself through the cool flames that surround his wrists and ankles, and immediately they heat up once again, bringing instant pain.

"Uunnnhh." Ronnie sinks back against the cold stone wall. Feeling its cooling touch on his back. "This is not good." He mumbles aloud.

High over the ocean, a flaming red being is being pursued by two fighter jets. And amid the chase, the fire elemental smiles devilishly as he turns back upon them.

"You fools seek to stop me? ME? You are nothing, I am like unto a God!"

Inside the cockpits, one pilot confers with the other, "Revenger what say we teach our errant God a lesson ?"

The other answers "Agreed Top dog, you have the first shot."

The first pilot fires two streaking missiles at the floating Firestorm elemental, and in a huge explosive blast, he disappears from sight!

Ba-ROOM!

"Good hunting, Top Dog. I believe you scragged the target."

"Agreed Revenger. I want to verify the kill before heading home, though."

"That's why you're the Top Dog , ace."

Suddenly, as the two planes circle back to view the kill spot, a flaming figure streaks from the cloud of smoke, hands blazing!

"Fools! Your pathetic weapons only serve to make me angrier then I already was! Feel my wrath!"

He unleashes flaming torrents from both hands! The pilots immediately bank ooth planes away, splitting their directions.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Shouts Top Dog

"No kidding!" Yells the other pilot , as they both bank and roll across the sky.

Finally both planes line up the Firestorm elemental in their sights and fire a hail of bullets from their planes cannons! Striking deep and hard!

"We got 'im!" Whooops Revenger

"Keep up the attack. This guy survived a direct hit by two hellfire missiles, you really think these cannon shots took him out?"

Suddenly, as if in answer to Top Dogs wary words, Firestorm pulls up, and attacks again, this time catching Revengers plane square on!

FWOOOSH!

Revenger quickly ejects, just before his plane explodes into a million shards of burning debris.

"Pilot down! Pilot down!" Howls Top Dog into his headset, as he stares out his cockpit window at the billowing parachute below his plane, as a terse voice replies,

"Engage the enemy, Top Dog, repeat, engage the enemy."

"What the hell you think I been doin' ?" He grumbles to himself as he sets his firing mechanisms again, banking around quickly, avoiding yet another blast of flame.

He rolls his plane around yet again, this time ending up directly facing his foe.

"Okay red, this time we go for broke."

The pilot unleashes everything he has in a barrage of firepower! The Fire mental disappears in a cacophony of explosive fury.

"Yee-ha! I got 'im , base, I got 'im!" The pilot shouts gleefully, as the Fire elemental drops to the ocean below like a rag doll.

Sploooossshhh!

The oceans surface turns to steam, as he disappears beneath the waves.

Above, the fighter plane circles once, then twice.

"No sign of the enemy, base. No sign."

"Return to base, rescue is already picking up Revenger."

The pilot turns the plane back to his base, as behind him the ocean begins to froth and boil...

Meanwhile, back at the cave where Ronnie Raymond finds himself trapped a voice suddenly makes its way to Ronnies ears, as he hangs against the wall.

"There's a kid whistling out there, somewhere nearby." he thinks, then begins to shout, "Hey Kid! Help! I'm stuck in here! Help! Kid!"

Suddenly a boy, around 12 or 13 cautiously enter the cave, holding a bucket of shells..

"Hey Mr, what are you doing here? What's that on your arms?"

"I'm trapped here kid, you have to go get help. Call the police, heck call anyone and tell them I'm trapped in this cave."

"Are your arms on fire? The kid asks quizzically, cocking his head sideways.

"Yes, and no. The fires not burning me unless I try to get away. If I just hang here, it doesn't hurt."

"I'll be right back."

"Wait! Where are you going? " Ronnie shouts after the youths back, as it rounds the corner out of his sight.

"Great." He thinks.

Miles distant... A geyser of flame erupts from the ocean , as a flaming comet rockets upwards, after the jet fighter.

"You think that could stop me, little human? You and all your toys of war? I am no mere weapon wielding enemy. I AM a weapon, a weapon of the Earth itself!"

As he talks he streaks through the planes wings, one after another. First from behind, then he turns around and goes back to do it again from the other side! Instantly both wings are severed from the plane, and the pilot quickly ejects, hoping the crazed super human will not burn his helpless form from the sky.

"You are lucky today, human. You will be my messenger. Tell them all that mans time is over on this pathetic orb, and that I will not be denied!"

The pilot stares after the Fire-mental as he recedes into the sky, his own parachute taking him to a soft landing in the water below. As he splashes down, he can hear the rescue helicopter approaching already.

The Fire-mental lands outside the cave he secured Raymond in, and as he approaches, he suddenly sees a flash of light from within!

"What?" He storms inside the cave, and the sight that greets him gives him immediate pause!

There stands Firestorm, the real Firestorm free, with nuclear signatures glowing around each clenched fist. Next to him is a small boy with an empty bucket, and on the sandy cavern floor are drying puddles of water, where Ronnie Raymond had been trapped!

"Guess it wasn't such a good idea to leave me stranded by the ocean, huh Professor?"

"It doesn't matter , Raymond. This is over now. I was waiting to do this, out of sentimentality, but no more. You will die first!"

"Give it your best shot, wannabe!" Is Firestorm the Nuclear mans angry answer through clenched teeth!

To be concluded!

Nuclear Fallout

C/O CptMarvell@aol.com