(Flashback, takes place in between the pages of Ultimate Power #1)
In the middle of the night at the White House, the President of the United States makes a phone call. ‘Is that the actor and his “wife” in the Lincoln Bedroom?’ the President asks. ‘I believe so, sir’ comes the reply. ‘Okay, no more sleepovers! I don’t care how much they gave to who!’ the President exclaims, before fluffing his pillow and lying back down, ‘This is the White House, for Heaven’s sake…’ the President mutters, when shortly, there is a loud boom, and his security staff burst into his room.
‘Sir, we need you to come with us, immediately!’ one of them exclaims, declaring that they have to get him to the safe-house. One of the security staff radios to someone else, informing them that they are in the residence-main hallway and heading South, so he wants everyone out of the way, now. The President asks what is going on, but his staff tell him to keep moving. However, the President glances through a window, ‘What is that?’ he asks.
Outside, spreading all over the White House is some kind of organic organism is spreading, further and further, all over Washington D.C. But this world has heroes, the Squadron Supreme, who are currently investigating. Power Princess asks Hyperion what it is, before noticing that Hyperion seems to be in some kind of pain. ‘Something’s wrong…’ Hyperion replies, before he and Power Princess set about rescuing civilians.
Meanwhile, the President’s staff inform him that they do not know where these creatures have come from. ‘They just appeared?’ the President asks. Someone tells him that they are working to gather information as they speak. The President asks if they are only in America, before someone motions to the reports on the screen, explaining that the creatures are everywhere, all parts of the globe, and there are thousands of them. The Presidents staff inform him that there seems to be a major concentration of the creatures on the Eastern seaboard of the States, which is why they have to evacuate all the major cities.
The President exclaims that it looks like they are growing. ‘Yes, sir’ his staff reply. ‘Oh my God, look at Manhattan!’ the President cries, to which his aide tells him that he needs to call for a full scale evacuation. ‘Of the entire Eastern seaboard? And where should I put everyone? Your house?’ the President snaps back sarcastically. The President is reminded by his staff that the organisms are growing with each second, to which the President demands to know what they are. His aide tells him to calm down, to which the President snaps back ‘You calm down! My entire presidency is going up in flames because of these…these…’ his voice trails off before turning to Steadman and declaring that he knows he did this.
The President declares that this is Project Hyperion coming back to bit him. ‘I inherited that stupid crap and now look at it!’ Steadman tells the President that, right now, Hyperion and his teammates are the thing out there saving people from –
‘What is it?!’ the President shouts. The President and his staff watch the Squadron Supreme on recordings and the President asks what is happening now. As Nighthawk and Doctor Spectrum appear on screen, Steadman informs the President that Hyperion and the rest of the Squadron Supreme are engaging the organisms.
Someone else informs the increasingly-agitated President that they are getting some more reports, and according to FEMA, the organisms are changing the oxygen content and barometric pressure of the atmosphere in their direct vicinity. ‘Oh my God!’ exclaims Steadman. The President asks what that means, and Steadman declares that it means the organisms are probably alien. ‘Oh my God!’ the President exclaims.
Steadman informs the President that one theory is it seems the organisms are changing the environment to suit their needs, and the second is the possibility that the environment is being changed just by the aliens being here. He declares that, either way, this is a high level threat to their own way of life and they have to get the people out of there so they can run tests. Someone else announces that they are still waiting on more environment readings, to which the President declares that they have to find out who the creatures are, what they are and how they got here.
Steadman replies that he agrees, but that first concern is the safety of their people. ‘Are we being invaded? We’re being invaded!’ the President exclaims while civilians flee in panic. Steadman tries to calm the President down, who now exclaims that it is a biological attack. Steadman points out that they don’t know that, but the President continues his rant, exclaiming that it is a terrorist attack, and orders someone to get him the Joint Chiefs and the United Nations.
Steadman tells the President that if it were a biological weapon, then they would have some intelligence reports, some knowledge of the type of attack. ‘What if this is Hyperion’s daddy coming to get him?’ the President asks. ‘Sir?’ Steadman replies. The President exclaims to Steadman ‘No offense, but you don’t know what this is, you don’t know what you’re doing and all you can tell me is how stupid I am for knowing as much as you do!’ Steadman motions to the monitors and reminds the President that people are dying.
Someone else enters the room, ‘Now what?’ the President mumbles, before the new arrival reads off some new reports and exclaims that right before the – whatever they are – showed up, there was so sort of surge. He adds that it was some sort of fluctuation and that the SECAT 56 picked it up from space. ‘Speak English!’ the President exclaims, before asking what kind of surge. Steadman declares that he needs to speak to Hyperion on the communicator and get Hyperion to New York.
Hyperion flies past one of the organisms and asks why he can’t pick them up, and Steadman, who is communicating with him, replies that he doesn’t know. ‘Why can’t I lift them up and throw them into the sea?’ Hyperion asks, to which Steadman again replies that he doesn’t know. Hyperion remarks that they have no weight, no substance, to which Steadman informs him that he doesn’t think they are from this plane of existence. ‘What?’ Hyperion exclaims. Steadman replies that they are working on it, before Hyperion asks what he is looking for. Stedman replies that hopefully Hyperion will know it when he sees it, adding that there was an energy surge of some kind, but they have no school of reference for it. Suddenly, Hyperion screams before flying into the mass itself.
Steadman tells him to get out of it, to which Hyperion replies that there seems to be some sort of radiation. ‘Get out of there!’ Steadman exclaims. Hyperion replies that he has never felt anything like this, before discovering what he is looking for. He informs Steadman that he has it, and Steadman warns him not to touch it. But Hyperion doesn’t listen, instead he grabs the small spherical object, before forcing his way up and out of the organism, gasping for air. Hyperion asks Steadman if anything is happening, to which Steadman asks if he touched it. ‘A little’ Hyperion replies. Steadman begins to remind Hyperion that he just told him not to, but Hyperion interrupts, asking if the organisms are still growing. Steadman replies that he can’t tell yet, to which Hyperion tells him to get Nighthawk and Spectrum.
Shortly, the Squadron Supreme have gathered, and Hyperion asks what it is. Spectrum asks what it is doing, and Nighthawk replies that he thinks it is broadcasting. ‘Broadcasting what?’ Spectrum asks. ‘Data’ Nighthawk replies, Steadman asks where it is broadcasting to, and Hyperion suggests it might be another country, or another planet. Someone announces that the President is asking for an update, to which Nighthawk motions to the energy signature from the object and asks Dr. Spectrum if he can make out the reading.
Spectrum replies that he can’t, before Nighthawk asks if perhaps it is alien technology. Spectrum replies that he doesn’t think so, that he thinks it is just very advanced. ‘But it is an attack’ Hyperion exclaims. Steadman replies that he doesn’t think so, to which Hyperion exclaims that whoever it’s broadcasting to is who they need to get their hands on. Steadman asks Spectrum if he would mind using his power crystal for a different type of cursory examination, to which Spectrum replies that he isn’t sure what he is looking for. Steadman replies that neither is he.
Spectrum approaches the object, when suddenly a recording is heard. ‘I didn’t do that!’ Spectrum exclaims as the recording exclaims ‘Hello, greetings!’ A holographic image of four heroes, a young man, a young woman, another young man in flames, and a rock-like man appear. The first young man introduces himself as Reed Richards, explaining that he is broadcasting this message in colloquial English, which is a popular language on the planet Earth in his home dimension. Reed remarks that he is a scientist from Earth and is conducting a data retrieval experiment across multiple dimensions.
The recording of Reed goes on to explain that scanner or probing devices will have triggered this message, and that his message to them is one of peace. He assures his listeners that the data retrieval sensor is just that, and in no way a weapon or an act of hostility of any kind. ‘What is he, nine years old?’ Spectrum asks, only to be hushed by Steadman. The recording of Reed informs the Squadron Supreme that he is part of a group of super powered adventurers and scientists working towards a goal of peace and technological advancement. Reed explains that al the data recovered from their dimension – ‘Dimension?’ Steadman exclaims – is being used for the grand idea of scientific advancement. Reed adds that if they have the technology to respond to this message, then he will gladly share his research with them as a matter of good faith. He concludes by asking his listeners not to destroy or dismantle the sensor until it has run its program in full.
‘Oh my God…’ Steadman exclaims. ‘A child!’ Nighthawk declares, while Blur asks what it means. Nighthawk replies that it means a child tried an inter-dimensional scientific experiment and by doing so nearly destroyed their world and endangered the lives of everyone on the planet. Nuke asks how he managed to do this, to which Nighthawk replies that he doesn’t know, ‘I don’t do inter-dimensional exploration because we didn’t know there were other dimensions to explore until four seconds ago’.
Power Princess points out that the boy did, and Spectrum reminds everyone that he spoke English, that he is American. Hyperion asks if they can reverse this, to which Steadman replies that it will take them months, maybe years to match the technology that this kid is working with. ‘We just don’t have that kind of time’ Steadman adds. Hyperion declares that they will bring the kid here to fix it. ‘Just like that?’ someone asks. Hyperion points out that it is broadcasting, so they can follow the broadcast trail right back to where it is broadcasting to. ‘In theory’ Hyperion is told, before Hyperion tells Nighthawk to gather the Squadron. ‘Everyone?’ Nighthawk asks. ‘The boy said they have powers…we might have a little fight on our hands!’
(Present)
A mighty gathering of heroes, the Squadron Supreme and the heroes of Reed Richard’s America are battling it out in the destroyed Baxter Building. ‘Reed Richards, you’re under arrest!’ Hyperion shouts. ‘Oh yeah? How about you’re under arrest?’ Reed’s teammate the Thing exclaims, before calling to Nick Fury and asking him to put them under arrest. ‘Yeah, you’re under arrest!’ Johnny Storm a.k.a. the Human Torch exclaims. Nick Fury orders everyone to calm down, but a furious Hyperion shouts ‘Richards! You put my entire world in danger!’ before declaring that he is going to come back with them and fix what he has done, before standing trial for his crimes against humanity.
Power Princess holds up the small globe and tells Richards that he better pray to his God that he can fix the mess. Everyone stops fighting and Ben Grimm a.k.a. the Thing asks his friend what he did. ‘Reed?’ exclaims Susan Storm a.k.a. the Invisible Woman and Reed’s girlfriend. Captain America looks to Fury for their next move, but Fury orders everyone to stand down. Reed announces that he will go, to which Kitty Pryde of the X-Men asks him what he did.
Reed begins walking towards the Squadron who have all gathered together, but he cannot get past an invisible force field that Susan creates. His teammates go towards him and Susan tells her boyfriend to get behind her, but Reed turns to her and declares that the Squadron is right, he has to go. ‘I did this!’ he exclaims. ‘No!’ Susan shouts, while her brother Johnny suggests that the Squadron might just be lying. ‘They’re not, Sue, drop the force field’ Reed declares. Angry, Susan screams at Reed, telling him once again to get behind her, when suddenly Hyperion smacks his powerful fist into Susan’s force field, the force of his blow causes her pain and she is sent careening backwards, though the Thing catches her.
The Ultimates and the X-Men prepare themselves for battle again, but Fury tells them to get back. Reed holds his hands up, ‘Stop! Stop! Please, no more!’ he tells his friends. A bright rainbow colored light from Arcanna’s quantum abilities signals the teleport back to the Squadron’s world, while Reed declares that he did this, informing Ben that he was trying to find a cure for him, like he promised he would, but he didn’t mean for any of this to happen. ‘I wasn’t trying to hurt anybody…I made a promise’ he remarks, before admitting that Fury was right and he didn’t listen. ‘Ben, Johnny just keep her safe’ Reed remarks, before vanishing along with the powerful Squadron as he exclaims ‘I’m sorry’. Susan just screams. Arcanna’s power lights up the surrounding area, while the Thing tries to comfort Susan, who just tells him to get off her, then walks away and sits down on her own.
Susan then turns to everyone else, ‘And you did nothing!’ she exclaims, before declaring that Fury is supposed to protect them. ‘All he’s done for you and you did nothing! You people just stood there!’ Nick Fury goes over to the Invisible Woman and tells her that they stood there because he told them to, ‘And I told them to because we’re not having a super power battle of that magnitude in the heart of New York City on a weekday!’
Fury remarks that regardless of the fact that Susan’s boyfriend went against his direct order and did that which he was told not to do because something of this very nature might come back to bite him in the butt, he is still going to put together a rescue team, to go wherever the Hell they went, fix their world, and get Susan’s boyfriend back. ‘So I would appreciate if you not get all up in my face while I do it!’ Fury shouts. Ben and Johnny both exclaim that they are in, to which Fury replies ‘Not all of you, some of you’. Captain America asks what the plan is, to which Fury replies that he is working on it.
