#24 - "The Interogation"

"Well, this is a fine kettle of fish," Spectrum lamented to himself, ignoring the churning in the pit of his stomach. He was currently riding in a transport carrying himself and other prisoners towards PRIMUS Headquarters. Acting on an anonymous tip, PRIMUS went to the Carstairs' Estate to take several injured criminals into custody. Much to the surprise of all those present, they arrested Spectrum as well for involvement in a bank robbery and the killing of several PRIMUS agents. Deciding it better to not resist, Spectrum turned himself in.

Absentmindedly, Spectrum stared at the oversized manacles around his wrists. They were called Suppression Cuffs that supposedly neutralized the superpowers of those wearing them. The devices had proven to be effective in the field. Jim wondered how well they would work against his particular powers, not that he had any desire to test the cuffs at this time.

The transport had entered Los Angeles by now, its progress being slowed by the Sunday night traffic of the big city. All throughout the trip, Spectrum tried to make some sense of the situation. He had no recollection of robbing the First National Bank of California. In fact, he couldn't recall ever being in that particular banking institution. Jim had to concede that robbing a bank wouldn't be overly difficult for him. His ability to become invisible to the naked eye could easily cover such actions.

When the inevitable interrogation occurred, Jim would have to be very careful how he chose his words. Unfortunately, he had been an unwilling accomplice to a bank robbery in the past. But that had been back in Denver, Colorado just after escaping from Genocide with Shadow Queen and Icicle. (Editor's Note: back in Spectrum #5)

"The incident back in Denver is what made me firmly convinced that I wasn't a criminal," Spectrum silently mused to himself. However, reality kept insisting that he was. It was public knowledge that Spectrum had been associated with Terror Incorporated, in spite of his not being able to recall those particular events.

Even worse, while trying to free his friends inside the citadel of the Crimson Claw, Spectrum encountered one of his former Terror Incorporated teammates: the lovely but lethal Scorpia. It turned out that the two had been lovers in the past and shared a passionate reunion. The fact that Scorpia recognized him out of costume scared Jim. It meant that the reports of him being in Terror Incorporated could only be true. Somehow, all his criminal activities must have been blocked out of his mind.

Spectrum's mind was still a bit muddled. But ever since his reunion with his sister Stephanie up in Seattle, memories had been starting to come back. Now there were only two time periods that he had absolutely no remembrance of. The first was the time between his disappearance in August of 1984 and waking up in Genocide's Arena. Sometime between those two events, Jim gained the power of Spectrum. Since he seemed to be skilled in the use of his powers, Jim could only reason that he had them for a significant period of time and had practiced using them. Changing into his Spectrum costume didn't take any effort, meaning that he had done it many times before.

The second time was between the plane crash and waking up at Whitney's apartment. After escaping from Genocide, Spectrum, Shadow Queen, and Icicle took a flight back to Los Angeles, using money that Sque had liberated from a bank. Icicle woke up in the hospital and fled, fearing that her criminal identity would be discovered. Shadow Queen must have done likewise. At some point she had been captured for points in the Great Supervillain Contest of the Crimson Claw.

But Spectrum's wakening wasn't until four months later. Somehow, he had traveled from the plane crash and ended up on Whitney's doorstep. Where was he during these two long periods of time? There was almost 18 months of his life that Jim still couldn't account for. More ominously, all of Spectrum's criminal activities occurred during these time periods. An evil second personality was the only thing that made any sense to Spectrum.

Now he was paying the price of this other Spectrum's activities. Or was it really himself all along? "I really should have changed my name when I changed costumes," Jim mentally concluded. "Would have saved me a world of problems. I wonder why I never thought of it before now?"

And what did Whitney's apartment have to do with all of this? In both cases, Spectrum came to be inside Ms. Park's residence. Could it just be a coincidence? Maybe wishful thinking on his part? Or something far more sinister?

Jim still cared deeply for Whitney. The time he had spent with her after his latest reappearance was probably the happiest time of his life. Until Spectrum managed to drive a deep wedge between the two of them. Why couldn't he have trusted her enough to tell the complete truth? How could he have hurt her so?

"She still cares," Jim thought to himself. The fact that she still came around proved that. "I've got to find some way to make things up to her..."

Spectrum's thoughts were interrupted as the PRIMUS transporting van neared its destination: the PRIMUS Base for Los Angeles. Jim could see a small mob of reporters gathered outside the four-story building, hoping to get pictures and interviews. "This is just what I need: a story like this plastered all over the media."

But it was the press who was to be disappointed. The PRIMUS convoy was ushered directly inside the Headquarters through a private entryway and into a basement parking lot. Regular PRIMUS agents dressed in their red, white, and blue field suits held onlookers at bay. Finally, the transports came to a stop and the slow process of escorting prisoners to their cells began.

Spectrum was the last one to be moved. He was escorted out of the van and into the main building by the local Silver Avenger himself Joseph Gray. The processing procedure was fast and featured the latest technological advances. Spectrum's fingerprints were electronically scanned into the PRIMUS database right through his gloves, as was his retina pattern.

Seeing the grim looks on the PRIMUS operatives, Jim thought it best to keep his mouth shut. Three heavily armed Agents escorted Spectrum out of the processing center and through a short hallway into the prisoner holding area. Several blaster turrets were in plain view on the ceilings. "Heavy security," Spectrum noted. "Of course, given the power of the folks held here, it would have to be."

Passing through an over-sized solid metal door, Spectrum was ushered into the cellblock itself. Directly to the left of the entrance was the guard station. Metallic cell doors lined the walls of the main chamber, most having a small viewing window set into them at shoulder height.

"Hey! Aren't I supposed to get a phone call or something?"

The PRIMUS Agents exchanged glances. Finally, the Silver Avenger spoke. "That is your legal right. Don't try anything."

"Perish the thought." In spite of his bantering, there was something about the PRIMUS agents that unnerved Spectrum. It was the same sort of feeling that he had when Whitney had taken him to the police station to report his being found. A strange combination of nausea and fear gripped him.

Turning around, Spectrum was led out of the cellblock and into an adjoining chamber. The room was an interrogation chamber, just like out of the movies. A rectangular table with several chairs were the dominant features of the room. A large mirror filled one wall.

"Wow. Did you guys get this set from Dragnet?"

"Sit down and shut up, wise guy," one of the Agents ordered gruffly.

Another PRIMUS agent came into the room carrying a phone. Uncovering a jack in the wall, he plugged the telephone in and handed it to Spectrum. "Make it quick. Dial 9 and wait for the tone."

"Yeah, yeah. I would hate to run up your phone bill," Spectrum commented as he accepted the phone.

Picking up the receiver, Jim began to dial, but stopped suddenly. "Who the heck do I even call?", Spectrum thought to himself. "I only know three phone numbers-- Whitney's, the house, and Shockwave's. Shocky already knows, so no point in calling her. There was no one else back at the house to answer the phone anyway. That just left Whitney.

But did he really want to draw Whitney into this mess? PRIMUS wasn't aware of his secret identity, at least not yet. There wasn't much Whitney could do to help him out at the moment. Should he bother her or not? Just the sound of her voice would sound so good right now.

Spectrum's fingers danced over the keypad and the phone began to ring. Whitney answered after the third ring. "Whitney Parks, private investigator. How can I help you?"

"Hi, it's me, Spectrum. I've got a problem."

"Spectrum? J--?"

"Shhh," Spectrum interrupted. "No names. I'm currently in PRIMUS custody and didn't know who else to call."

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone. "I think I understand. How can I help?" There was a noticeable trace of concern in Whitney's voice.

"I'm not really sure. I could probably use a lawyer."

"Agreed. I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it," Jim answered in relief. "I'm getting some nasty looks here. I guess that means that want me to wrap up this call."

"I understand,--- Spectrum. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"Count on it. Bye."

"Goodbye."

Replacing the receiver, Spectrum set the phone back on the table. At the urging of the PRIMUS Agents, he stood up and exited the interrogation room. Re-entering the cellblock, Spectrum could see that they had his cell all ready for him. The door was currently open and he was nudged inside.

"What about these things?", Spectrum asked, referring to the Suppression Cuffs he still wore.

"They stay on," Silver Avenger Gray informed him. "Get inside."

"What charming personalities you guys have." Spectrum received a shove into the cell for his wise crack. Turning, he could see the metal door slide back in place leaving him alone in his small cell. It was at most eight feet long and six feet wide. A bunk took up most of the space along with a sink and toilet. "Well, this is depressing. One moment, I'm the leader of the newest superhero team on the scene, the next I'm behind bars."

With a heavy sigh, Spectrum plopped on his bunk. It was going to be a long, long night.

"Here you go." Mind Slayer refilled Shamrock's breakfast plate, piling it high with eggs, bacon, and home fries. The large muscle-bound Irishman could certainly put it away.

"That's a good lass," Shamrock answered appreciatively, digging in once more.

"I'll have some more OJ, when you get the chance, gorgeous," the rainbow-striped Spectrum requested. He leaned back to admire the sway in the petite mentalist's hips as she walked to the refrigerator.

"Can we get back to the business at hand, lads?", Scorpia asked in an annoyed tone. "We need to finalize our plan of action."

The members of the recently formed villain quartet of Terror Unlimited were seated in the kitchen of a guesthouse on the estate of a famous Hollywood actor that Shamrock would not name. The actor was sympathetic to the plight of the Irish and a secret supporter of the IRA. He allowed the use of his guesthouse as a safe haven for Shamrock. In turn, it became the place where Terror Unlimited had gone to hide after their successful robbery of the First National Bank of California.

The acquisition of capitol was only one of the first steps in Scorpia's plans for power. "We'll need to locate agents loyal to us and our cause. Acquire weapons and equipment for our organization. Then we can begin our true objectives."

"Wow! Check this out!" The trio of villains seated around the small table turned to see what Mind Slayer was going on about. The purple and white clad mentalist pointed to the small TV resting on the counter top. A local newscast was currently showing. "They're doing a story about us!"

"...Calling themselves 'Terror Unlimited'. This new villain group stole over three million in cash and are responsible for the deaths of at least three PRIMUS Agents."

"So good for the American press to get the facts straight," Scorpia commented proudly. She wanted everyone to know that this was her doing, not that fool Muerte.

"In a recent development, one of the members of Terror Unlimited was apprehended last night along with several other villains in the San Fernando Valley."

The members of Terror Unlimited exchanged puzzled glances. They were nowhere near the San Fernando Valley. "Could it be--?", Spectrum wondered aloud in a hopeful voice.

"Still no word on the location of the rest of Terror Unlimited, but the authorities say it's only a matter of time before they join Spectrum in PRIMUS custody."

"Yes!", Spectrum yelled in joy, rising to his feet as he did, hands raised into the air in victory. "They finally caught that lousy imposter! The idiot who dared to call himself Spectrum and pretends to be a hero!"

"There really are two of you...", Scorpia muttered to herself. She found the explanation to be shaky when she first heard it, but now here was the proof right before her eyes.

Mind Slayer came back to the table, orange juice in hand. She set it down a second before Spectrum unexpectedly took her into his arms and gave her a big kiss. "Babe, this is going to be a wonderful day!"

"I'm-- happy for you," Mind Slayer stammered out in a confused voice. "So, is he your evil twin or something?"

"Nah, just some loser who thought he could steal my thunder. There's only one true Spectrum and you're lookin' at him, doll!"

Elsewhere, the man who also considered himself to be the one and true Spectrum was roused from his sleep. It was mid-morning, not that Spectrum could tell from his cell. Sleep had not come easy as Jim had spent the night going over things in his mind, trying to make sense out of his predicament. Unfortunately, no revelations had come to light as of yet.

"Time to get up!", the PRIMUS Agent shouted. "Your lawyer's here to see you."

"Yeah, yeah." Spectrum sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bunk. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and followed the PRIMUS Agent out of the cell. Exiting the cellblock, Spectrum was led back to the same interrogation chamber in which he had used the phone the night before.

But unlike his previous visit, the room was not empty. Morning Star was present and that cheered up Spectrum greatly. "Star! Boy, are you a sight for sore eyes."

"How are you holding up?" Spectrum couldn't help but notice the concern in her voice. Or was it nervousness?

"Okay, I suppose. The room service is pretty lousy around here. I'm definitely not leaving a tip."

"I see you still have your sense of humor," Morning Star noted.

"I don't leave home without it," Spectrum explained.

"I see."

"So... you're my attorney?"

"Actually, he'll be in momentarily. I wanted to speak with you in private before the others arrived. Perhaps clear up a few concerns I have."

The statement made Spectrum pause. He pulled out one of the chairs and slowly settled into it. "I'm not sure I know what you're getting at."

Morning Star pulled another of the other chairs out and spun it around. Sitting on it backwards, arms resting on the top of the chair back, she stared at Spectrum. "You'll find that trust is an important ingredient for any team in any profession. Especially so in a dangerous line of work like ours. There are some nagging issues about you that really need to be cleared up."

"You mean like if I really am the Spectrum who was in Terror Incorporated or not?" Without really even realizing it, Jim was retreating into his habit of not telling any more than he had to. Secrecy was paramount.

"Among other things." Morning Star looked down for a moment, as if trying to find the words to express what she was trying to say. "Maybe we should just start at the beginning. I know who you really are."

That revelation caught Spectrum completely by surprise. "Well, that certainly came out of left field. How did you find out?"

"Shockwave told me yesterday. Please don't be angry with her. We're trying to help you out of this mess, but we also needed to learn everything that we could about you."

This time Spectrum paused trying to formulate a response. Shockwave was a good egg. She wouldn't have revealed that secret if she hadn't felt it necessary. "I appreciate you trying to help me out, I really do. I haven't known you all that long, 'Star, but I feel I can trust you."

"Good. Hopefully, my trust in you won't be misplaced either."

"What do you want to know?" Deep inside, Spectrum hoped that her queries wouldn't be too difficult to field.

"From what we've pieced together, you claim not to recall any details from the eighteen months that you were missing. Is this actually true?"

"Not entirely," Spectrum answered simply after a pause. He wasn't comfortable with confiding in the heroine. Nausea gripped his stomach. It was almost as bad as when Whitney had confronted him about being Spectrum.

"And would you care to explain further?"

"It's sort of a long story, 'Star. I wouldn't want to bore you." His palms were starting to sweat.

"We have all day. I am trying to help you, remember? You need to quit being so evasive!"

Spectrum let out a sigh. Clearly, there was no way in getting around this. "With the exception of a couple of days, I don't recall anything from those eighteen months."

"And what do you remember from those days?"

"I woke up in--." Spectrum paused again. Since this was a PRIMUS Interrogation room it was most likely wired and their conversation could be recorded. He had to speak carefully, lest he incriminate himself or reveal something about his secret Identity. "Woke in the apartment of my girlfriend."

"I spoke with her last night," Morning Star interrupted. "She's very concerned about you."

"She's a good woman. She deserves better than me."

"Stop trying to change the subject. You said you woke up in her apartment. Then what happened?"

"Things get weird from there," Spectrum continued, ignoring the churning in his stomach. "I was working when Giganto burst through a wall. Ugly claimed that he was looking for me and wanted to take me back."

"Back to Terror Incorporated?"

"I didn't even know what they were at the time, but in hindsight, I'd have to say 'yes'. Naturally, I tried to get away from this monster. From there I ran into Shadow Queen and a bit later Icicle. Sque was being chased by the Thugmaster's Elite; Icy by Grond."

Morning Star considered what she was hearing. "I make it a point to keep track of what goes on around here as far as superheroes and villains are concerned. Frankly, this is the first time that I've heard of these particular people all assembled in one area. I find it very hard to believe that there were no reports of a Grond rampage."

"It's not that surprising. You see, none of this was real. We had all been captured by Genocide and were trapped in some sort of virtual reality simulation."

"That is rather weird," Morning Star commented. "It seems like they went to a great deal of trouble just to contain three mutants."

"That's because there were more than three in the simulation. As we traveled along in this virtual world, we ran into other real mutants. Panda, Raccoon, Black Mamba, Void, Mind Slayer, Brother Basilisk and the Fox."

"Mind Slayer? You've met her before?"

"Yeah. Briefly." Spectrum couldn't help but notice the concern in his teammate's voice. "Is that important?"

"It could be. The charges against you all stem from a robbery committed by a group calling themselves 'Terror Unlimited'."

"Never heard of them," Spectrum stated confidently.

"Scorpia is their leader. Others in the group include Shamrock, Mind Slayer,... and Spectrum."

"That's impossible!"

"Not as impossible as it sounds," Morning Star pointed out, "because it's the truth. Now you were saying that you were trapped in a virtual simulation with other mutants?"

"Hmmm? Oh, yeah. We managed to overload their system and broke out and back into the real world. Turns out that we were in a Genocide base located in the Colorado Rockies. We simply tried to get out and avoid their Minuteman robots. Icicle and I managed to escape. We later found Black Mamba, Mind Slayer, and Shadow Queen. Slayer and Mamba struck out on their own. That's that last I've seen of either one of them."

"How long ago was this?"

"About six months ago," Spectrum answered. "Me and the girls stayed together and made it to Denver. Sque acquired some cash and we planned on flying back to LA. We never made it,... the plane crashed. That's all that I remember from those eighteen months."

"So this was when you befriended Icicle?"

"Yeah. She's just a kid, scared and alone."

"Few kids turn to VIPER for support," Morning Star noted.

"No, I can't argue with you on that point."

"You've had contact with her since Denver, then?"

"On couple of occasions," Spectrum admitted. "The first was at the Tanghal Tower."

"I read about that. You were guarding it with Shockwave and Blizzard as part of 'Heroes for Hire'."

"That's the one. Icy was part of a VIPER force that attacked. We talked for a few minutes after she realized who I was. I had changed costumes after all."

"And then she told you about HART?", Morning Star wondered.

"Yes. I also learned where the Claw's dome was from her when we rescued you."

Morning Star considered the implications of that for a few moments, before continuing. "Ok, that brings me to my next major point. You wore the 'other' Spectrum's costume when we broke out of the dome. How do you explain that?"

"That one's easy," Spectrum stated proudly. "Since it was a contest for villains, I reasoned that by disguising myself as the other Spectrum that I could get inside and freely mingle. For the most part, it worked. And it wasn't difficult to pull off as I can change clothing with just a thought."

"That makes some sense. You turned the situation to your advantage."

"Something like that. Anything else that you want to know?" Spectrum dearly hoped that all this questioning was over now. Perspiration covered his forehead, making his mask stick to his face.

"Amnesia is not an easy thing to sort through. Did you ever visit a doctor about your condition?"

That was another question that Spectrum didn't see coming. He involuntarily stood up and took a step away from Morning Star. "No. No I didn't."

"Why?"

Spectrum did not answer. Instead he tried to get further and further away from the heroine, eventually reaching one of the room's corners.

Rising from her own chair, Morning Star moved closer. "You're trembling. Why? Why didn't you go see a doctor? What are you hiding?"

"Nothing! Nothing!", Spectrum yelled in a panic stricken voice. "I've got to get out of here!"

Seeing Spectrum make a break towards the exit, Morning Star intercepted him, blocking a clear path towards the door. "You're not getting out of here until you give me an answer. I'm trying to help you. What is wrong with you?"

"I can't! I can't!!" In spite of Morning Star blocking the way, Spectrum tried to get around her. The heroine easily picked up the panicky mutant and held him tightly in her arms.

A moment later, the door opened and PRIMUS Operatives stormed into the room. One of them held a needle in his hand.

"Let go of me!", Spectrum screamed, but Morning Star's grip was unbreakable. He tried to summon up a light blast, but the Suppression Cuffs caused the attempt to fail. With his arms pinned, Spectrum was held fast and couldn't move away when one of the PRIMUS agents plunged the needle into his arm. He struggled and screamed for a few more seconds before his world faded to black.

"He's coming around." A woman's voice reached Spectrum's ears. It was a voice that he did not recognize. Opening his eyes, he found a woman in a black and silvery-white costume hovering over him. He was currently laying flat on his back; the woman standing on his right.

"Where am I?"

"You're in the PRIMUS infirmary," the woman stated. She looked familiar, but Jim couldn't quite place her. "How do you feel?"

"I'll be fine as soon as the pounding in my head goes away. Do I know you?"

"We haven't been formally introduced. You may call me Nightingale."

Spectrum could have kicked himself for not recognizing the famous mentalist of the Avengers. "I should have known that. You were at Bryn's Clinic yesterday."

"And it's a good thing she was. You desperately needed her help." Stepping in from the left was Morning Star. Concern was clearly etched on her face. "You gave us all quite a scare."

"What do you mean?" Spectrum didn't understand what was going on. "Was I sick?"

"In a fashion, yes," Nightingale answered. "You've been suffering under several very deeply rooted post-hypnotic suggestions. A sort of mental conditioning has been influencing your behavior. I can't say for how long this has been going on."

"What?" Spectrum couldn't believe what he was hearing. It sounded like nonsense to him. "What are you taking about?"

"Spectrum, why didn't you ever go to a doctor about your amnesia?", Morning Star interrupted.

"I-- I never really thought about it," Jim answered sheepishly. "I didn't think I needed to."

"The actual reason is because you were conditioned to deliberately not seek out medical attention," Nightingale explained. "Whoever did this to you did not want your conditioning to be discovered."

"That's why you reacted like you did to my questioning," Morning Star added. "How do you feel about being in a PRIMUS installation?"

"I'm not exactly thrilled to be here under these circumstances. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Consciously avoiding the authorities was another one of the directives programmed into you," Nightingale continued. "As was keeping your dual life a secret. When certain key words were pronounced, you would have entered into a trance. A zombie-like state where you would mindlessly obey commands."

Spectrum laid there for a few moments, considered what had just been explained to him. Could it be true? If so, it did explain a few things. Such as why he was so skittish when Whitney took Jim to the police station to report his resurfacing. Jim wrote it off as being nervous since he thought he was a criminal. Was this mental condition also the reason why he never told Whitney about Spectrum until she forced the issue? Jim knew that he should have told her and yet he didn't.

"Maybe you're right," Spectrum finally conceded. "I don't feel sick to my stomach anymore. Actually, I feel pretty good, all things considered."

"Then perhaps you're ready for some more good news." Turning, Spectrum and the two heroines saw Silver Avenger Joseph Gray rapidly approaching. "We've examined the information that Morning Star provided us and have decided to drop the charges against you at this time. It's clear that you were elsewhere when the robbery in question took place."

Spectrum sat up in his bed and looked at the PRIMUS Operative. "I did try to tell you guys that yesterday but you weren't in the mood to listen. I guess that means you can finally take these things off now, huh?" Holding his hands up, Spectrum indicated the Suppression Cuffs that he was still wearing.

"No, I wasn't listening to you," Gray conceded as he reached the front of the bed. Reaching forward, he removed the manacles from Spectrum's wrists. "We lost some damn good men in that skirmish. I promise you that the parties responsible will be brought to justice."

"Amen to that. I owe that other Spectrum big time." Sliding off the side of the bed, Spectrum stood and stretched.

"That was another of your other mental directives," Nightingale added. "Not changing your name."

"Good thing that didn't include not changing costumes."

"No argument there," Morning Star added with a grin.

Turning to Nightingale, Spectrum gratefully shook her hand. "Thanks for everything you've done. I never even realized that my behavior was being controlled. I owe you one."

"Don't worry about it, Spectrum. Morning Star asked me to help and I was glad to be of service."

"And you," Spectrum spun around and pointed at Morning Star, "Thanks for believing in me. It means a lot to me."

"That's what teammates are for," 'Star explained with a smile.

"I don't know about you gals, but frankly I'm starved," Spectrum stated. "How about lunch? My treat."

Nightingale and Morning Star exchanged quick glances. "Why not?"

Silver Avenger Joseph Gray watched the trio as they departed the Infirmary.

"In spite of all that you've been through, you seem pretty chipper," Morning Star noted of Spectrum.

"Like I said, I feel pretty good."

"Not to rain on your parade, but this isn't over with yet, you know."

"What do you mean?" Spectrum wasn't sure just what Morning Star was getting at.

"Two very important questions remain. Who did this to you? And why?"

For those particular queries, Spectrum had no answer...