#26 - "The Origin of Spectrum"

"James?"

Jim Sculley looked up upon hearing his name being called. He was currently sitting inside the lounge at Bryn's Clinic. So lost in thought was he that he never did hear Whitney Parks as she approached. Jim was still in his Spectrum costume, but had willed away the fullface mask. Looking beaten and world-weary, he rose to greet Whitney.

Whitney took him into her arms. "I heard...", Whitney uttered, not really knowing what to say to comfort her boyfriend. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry for your loss. Your teammate, Blizzard, told us much of what happened while he drove us here."

Jim responded in kind, holding on to her tightly. He couldn't answer her, unable to find words adequate to express his feelings. All he did was hold on to her, not wanting to let go.

"I never should have let him take part in the fight," Jim finally said, more to himself than to Whitney. "My first thought was to get him to safety too. But no, I had to let him talk me into staying." Letting go, the couple sank back down, side by side.

"That was the choice he made, James." Whitney put her hands over Jim's, trying to comfort him. "It's the same choice you make every time you put that costume on. The chance that you may not come back."

"I never really thought about it that way," Jim realized. "Never thought about the possibility of being hurt or dying. It always seemed more like a game than real life."

"How are Stephanie and Bryan?" Not only had Hexmaster experimented upon Jim, but his siblings as well. It was all part of some grandiose plot of vengeance against his father. Hexmaster ended up having to do his own dirty work and was personally responsible for Jordan Sculley's death. In retaliation, Spectrum unleashed the most powerful light blast of his short career. It literally blew Hexmaster to bits.

"Bryn has them sedated while Nightingale works to remove the mind control Hexmaster put into them. All I can do now is wait."

"Excuse me. I hope I'm not disturbing you?" Looking up, the couple could see LAPD Detective Jackie Carter standing in the doorway. Like Whitney, she had been held captive by Hexmaster in this plot. They had been tools that could be used to further manipulate Spectrum.

"Detective Carter. Come on in," Spectrum responded with a gesture.

"I really can't stay. I have to report in and try to explain all of this." It was clear that the Detective was trying to choose her next words very carefully. She now knew Jim Sculley was Spectrum and wasn't sure just how she was going to deal with it. "I'll clear up everything, including your sister's and father's disappearances. As for the particulars-- I'll just let them remain confidential."

Jim rose to shake the Detective's hand. "Thank you. Thank you very much."

"It's the least I can do. My condolences on your loss." Without saying another word, Jackie turned and departed.

Jim rejoined Whitney on the couch. The couple just held hands and waited. It was going to be a long night.

"Spectrum?" Hesitantly, Morning Star peaked into the lounge. It was now nearly 3 AM. The lavender and purple clad heroine could see Spectrum stretched out on the couch, asleep. Whitney was curled up beside him. They made an attractive couple, much to Morning Star's dismay. "Spectrum?", the heroine whispered once more.

This time, Jim's eyes slowly opened. "'Star? What's going on? I'll be right there." Gently, Jim separated himself from Whitney, allowing her to continue sleeping. As quietly as he could, Spectrum walked out of the lounge and into the hallway. Bryn Carstairs was waiting for them a few steps beyond the lounge door. "You have news?"

"Nightingale has done what she could for your brother and sister," Bryn answered. Her blood was tinged with the power of the ancient Norse deities; Bryn was far more than human. While having a warrior's heart, she was also compassionate as well, a trait that led her to becoming one of the leading experts on superhuman medicine. "They are now free from any mental influence."

Spectrum started to head down the hallway upon hearing that. "I want to see them."

Dr. Carstairs chased after him. "They're still sedated, Spectrum. I estimate that they won't be coherent until morning. I promise you that they are both going to be just fine."

"That's a relief," Spectrum said, coming to a stop. Morning Star appeared at his side a moment later. "What about these powers Hexmaster gave them? Are they permanent?"

"I cannot be certain. At the moment, I can only say that time will tell if they are permanent or temporary." Bryn put her hand on Spectrum's shoulder for reassurance. "Why don't you get some rest? Tomorrow promises to be just as trying a day for you."

Spectrum nodded in agreement. "Thanks for everything, doc."

With a wave, Bryn walked away. She would make one last check on her patients before turning in for the night.

"Don't worry about the team or anything else for now," Morning Star announced. "I'll take care of things while you work your way through this."

"Thanks, 'Star." Jim looked deeply into the heroine's brown eyes. "I don't know where I'd be without you."

Morning Star smiled softly. "Just looking out for my teammates. And my friends." The heroine just stood there for a few beats as if something was going to happen. But nothing did. "I probably should get going myself. You take care of yourself, Jim."

"Thanks for everything,--", Jim struggled to come up with the right word. "You seem to have me at a disadvantage. You know my name, but I don't know yours."

"It's Denise."

"Thanks for everything, Denise."

Morning Star took a couple of steps, but then stopped and turned back to face Spectrum. "I lost my father also, a few years back. He died in a car crash right before my eyes. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I know what you're going through and if you need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on, give me a call."

Silently, Jim watched his teammate depart. If you had told him that he would be this close to the famous Morning Star a few months back, he would have said you were nuts.

"That's pretty much all I know at the moment." It was now mid-morning on Thursday and Spectrum was visiting with his brother and sister. He had just finished telling them everything he knew about the situation.

"This is unbelievable," Stephanie Sculley remarked, her bright blue eyes echoing her confusion. There was no mistaking Jim and Stephanie as brother and sister. They both had similar facial features, the same shade of brown hair and matching eyes. "Dad's gone... All of us with weird powers..."

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" The question came from Bryan Sculley. Unlike his older siblings, Bryan took after their mother's side of the family. His hair was blonde and his blue eyes didn't quite have the same twinkle as those of his brother and sister. He stood a tall 6'3" and was solidly built. His physique befitted the starting middle linebacker at USC. "Dad was a superhero. That Jimbo is one too. Wow."

"I haven't know for all that long either," Jim explained. He just hated to be called Jimbo. There never had been any deep understanding or connection between Jim and his younger brother. It was his sister that he could relate to more easily.

"Our father is dead!", Stephanie snipped. "All you care about is why you weren't told things?"

"Hey, back off!", Bryan retorted. "If you ask me, dad died with mom years ago. What's been walking around ever since was just his shell. All of us knew it was just a matter of time before... Before he drank himself to death."

An uneasy silence filled the room. Both Jim and Stephanie had to agree with Bryan's assessment. Jordan had died years ago. He just never knew it.

"Maybe I should have told you," Jim finally stated. "Given my own muddled mental state I haven't been making very many right moves lately. I'm sorry if I cut you out of the loop. We've never exactly been all that close."

"True, Jimbo. True." After a pause, Bryan added, "So what do we do now? How long do I have to stay here? The coach is going to be wondering where I am."

"Bryn wants to keep an eye on you for a few more hours. Assuming no problems arise, you'll be released this afternoon. In the meantime, I'll handle the details of dad's funeral."

"What about these 'powers' that Hexmaster gave us?", Stephanie wondered. "Are they gone for good? Or are they permanent?"

"Only time will tell."

"I think having powers is going to be a blast!", Bryan exuberantly stated. "It's going to be even more fun than sacking a quarterback!"

"You do realize, that if your powers are permanent, then your football career is over with," Jim noted.

"What do you mean?"

"I've been on the receiving end of what you can do, little brother. Even with all the pads and protective gear, your powers you could kill someone on the football field."

That notion momentarily shocked Bryan. "I think we've all got a lot to think about when it comes to our future," Stephanie quietly noted. She had always wanted to be a lawyer. Having superpowers never figured into the equation. Even after learning that her father and brother had them. It just wasn't her style.

"Curse those witches!", Lightmaster raged as he slammed his fist into the wall. It was Thursday evening and Terror Unlimited had just returned to their temporary headquarters, a guesthouse on a sprawling Hollywood estate of a famous, but unnamed actor. Their mission at Lawrence Technologies had been successful, but they had been forced to retreat when confronted by Morning Star, Shockwave, the Scarlet Sabre, and an unknown male hero. (Editor's Note: As shown in Scarlet Sabre #1-2)

"Hey, chill out," Mind Slayer responded. The attitude of her teammate was getting old very fast. She wasn't sure just how much more she could take of him. "We got what we wanted. I just wish I could have taken those smug heroines down a few more pegs!"

"They made us look like fools! I am no one's fool! I am Lightmaster!"

"You're also quite delusional," Mind Slayer thought to herself, but decided not to let her feelings be known out loud.

Disgusted, Lightmaster willed away his fullface mask and looked into the mirror. First he was surprised, then puzzled, and finally quite confused. "My face? What's wrong with my face!?"

Catching the rather odd comment, Mind Slayer rushed to join Lightmaster in front of the dresser. Her hands went to her face in horror when she saw what Lightmaster was raving about. His face was literally in the process of changing! Old features were melting away as new ones took their place. He was changing into someone else!

"What's wrong with me?", Lightmaster wondered in astonishment. "What am I? Why is it so hard to remember? Who am I?" Mind Slayer had no answer either.

Friday evening at Slombski's Funeral Home. The place was packed with those who were paying last respects to Jordan Sculley. Jim, Stephanie, and Bryan stood near the entrance, greeting the new arrivals.

"I never imagined that dad had so many friends," Bryan said in amazement. "Half the LAPD must be here."

"Not to mention almost all of your teammates from USC," Stephanie noted.

"Hey, my buds look out for their star player! The guys know who their bread and butter man is."

"A most eclectic collection to be sure," Jim added. "LAPD, most of the USC football team, and a few superheroes as well."

"Real live superheroes?" The prospect seemed to excite Bryan. "Where? Which ones? Any heroines?"

"Keep your voice down!", Jim chastised. "I'm not going to reveal any of them. Their identities are supposed to be a secret."

As if on cue, Denise Long and Victoria Lacey entered the parlor. Denise was secretly Morning Star. She was nearly as tall as Jim and had extremely long dark brown hair. Victoria, in reality Spinnerette, was much shorter, just barely over five feet in height with short black hair. Both friends were dressed conservatively in black.

"Our condolences," Denise said as she shook the hands of the siblings in turn.

"Bryan, Steph, this is Denise and her friend, --?"

"This is Victoria" Denise explained, gesturing to her friend.

"Actually, I prefer Tori myself," Spinnerette countered. "I'm really sorry about your father."

"Thank you. Some of the others are already here," Jim explained. Sara Redmond and Samuel Carstairs had arrived earlier, followed shortly by Thomas Steward and Angie Szymanksi. Secretly, the four were Shockwave, Sabre, Blizzard, and the Empress, the rest of X-Factor. "I really appreciate your coming here."

"Your dad was one of my idols when I was growing up," Tori stated. "I wish I had known about your connection before hand."

"I guess I'm going to have to be around more often, Jimbo," Bryan added enthusiastically. "You certainly hang out with some very foxy babes!"

"Jocks," Tori muttered under breath as she and Denise went to mingle with the other mourners.

"Careful there, little brother. Some of the ladies I hang out with can hurt you. Even with your new powers."

"Ha!", Bryan laughed as he slapped Jim on the back. "Maybe you're not so square after all. Excuse me, I've got a little brunette I want to meet up close and personal!"

Silently, Jim and Stephanie watched Bryan walk off.

"I have this theory," Jim finally stated, "that he was found abandoned on our doorstep. We can't possibly be related to him."

Stephanie chuckled lightly. "It does make one wonder." Wrapping her arm around Jim's, Stephanie started towards the guests. "Come on, let's go mix with dad's friends."

"Friend of the family?", Denise Long asked. While mingling with the other guests, Denise had spotted a young woman seated off by herself. She seemed a tad nervous. There was something familiar about the woman, but Denise just couldn't place her. She was just barely taller than Tori and was quite thin. Curiosity getting the best of her, Denise finally approached the girl.

"Oh!" The young woman seemed genuinely surprised. She wore a dark brown skirt with a complimentary sweater. Her shoulder length hair was auburn in color. At most she was in her early twenties, but more likely her late teens.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. You looked like you needed some company. My name is Denise. I'm an associate of Jim's." Denise extended her hand to the young girl.

"Uhm, hi. I'm Jennifer," she answered, responding to Denise's greeting. "Jim has always tried to help me out when he could. I just came here to pay my respects towards his dad."

"I see. Have you known Jim long?"

"Not really." Jennifer was hesitant in her answers. "Just a couple of months. He's a really nice guy. I just wish I wasn't so afraid...."

That seemed to puzzle Denise. "Afraid? Afraid of what? If you need help--"

"No, no.", Jennifer took a few steps back as if to hold off Denise. She hadn't meant to say that. "I'm okay. Honest. Excuse me, I have to get going."

"Okay. It was nice to meet you, Jennifer."

"Bye." Jennifer quickly lost herself in the crowd. She had been nervous about coming here at all. This encounter just reinforced that opinion.

Denise watched her depart, slightly confused. Jim strolled up beside her, also watching Jennifer leave.

"I see you've met Jennifer."

"Yes, I did," Denise answered. "Is it my imagination or does she seem-- lost? She said she knew you and that you've tried to help her before?"

"Jenny is hurting inside. Badly. She's afraid of putting too much faith in anyone."

"I have the distinct impression that I've met her before. Perhaps you can elaborate further on all of this?"

"Believe it or not, but that young, confused girl is really Icicle," Jim whispered.

Shocked, Denise scanned the crowd in a vain attempt to spot Jennifer. "That was her? She's not what I would have expected." Maybe Jim was right when it came to Icicle. Denise was beginning to understand Spectrum's desire to help her.

"No, she's not. She's had a rough life and made some very bad choices. It took a great deal of courage for her to even come here."

"Given the number of police and heroes here it's no wonder she was so nervous." Denise turned back to face Jim. "So, how are you doing?"

"I'm okay. Taking it day by day. How are things going with the team?"

"So far, so good. Sara has gone through the remains of Hexmaster's base in her spare time."

"Yeah, I heard that she's got a job now," Jim interrupted. "Out at LawTech, I believe?"

"Yes. I sort of helped her get it. It's a long story and I'll spare you from the mundane details. Anyway, Sara has found some potentially useful equipment for the team. She's trying to convert those Hex-platforms into team transportation. I believe that she's dubbed them X-Forms."

"That would be handy, I suppose. Can't say that I'm too happy about the source material."

Denise empathized with that. "Me neither, but we are making do with what we have to work with. However, with the help of the Scarlet Sabre, they were able to salvage some of Hexmaster's computer records. There's a great deal of data about you in there."

"Maybe I'll finally get some answers about all of this," Jim added excitedly. "Answers to long nagging questions."

"There's also a lot of biological data as well. I passed that on to Tori since biology is her forte. Hopefully, we'll have all your answers in a day or two."

"I'll be looking forward to that."

Sunday afternoon at the home of Jim Sculley. Whitney Parks and Stephanie Sculley sat on either side of Jim in the front room. Across from them in padded chairs were Denise Long and Victoria Lacey. All the data on Hexmaster had been assembled. Now it was all going to be revealed.

"We've connected all the dots and made a pretty clear picture of what's been going on," Tori stated. "It was also helpful that I was a fan of Shadow while I was growing up. It enabled me to fill in a few blank areas."

"So what have you uncovered?" Jim wasn't quite ready to believe that they had found out all the information about his mysterious transformation into Spectrum. He had been working on the mystery for so long and now suddenly, all the secrets were right before him.

"Many years ago, the Gadgeteer was the arch-foe of your father. They had a conflict that lasted several years."

"Right. Dad mentioned that right before-- Before..."

"It's all right, Jim," Whitney whispered. "You don't have to say any more."

"I figured that Hexmaster was Gadgeteer's son carrying on his father's twisted agenda."

"Close," Tori answered, "but no cigar. The Gadgeteer was a whiz at machines, but very poor when it came to dealing with people. Shadow was able to outwit and defeat him at every turn."

"Destroying Shadow became an obsession to the Gadgeteer," Denise added. "So much so, that in his madness the Gadgeteer experimented on his own son in an attempt to induce superpowers into him."

"That sounds a lot like what Hexmaster did to me," Jim realized. "And to Bryan and Stephanie."

"I'm getting to that," Tori continued. "Gadgeteer experimented on his own son's DNA in a mad attempt to give him superpowers. It failed and the boy ended up in a coma. His wife divorced him because of this. Instead of blaming himself, your father got blamed for it. Gadgeteer blamed Shadow for everything that went wrong in his life. Finally, the Gadgeteer was captured and sent to prison."

"Instead of blaming himself," Stephanie repeated. "What a slime ball. But that sounds like the end of the story."

Denise picked up the narration. "This is where the exact details become a little fuzzy. At some point, the Gadgeteer learned Shadow's true identity. We're not sure when exactly."

"He was let out of prison early because he was dying and for good behavior," Tori explained. "Radiation from his gadgets was slowly killing him. So, he threw himself into a project to ensure his own survival."

"He became Hexmaster!", Jim exclaimed.

"Precisely. He's more machine now than man. Perhaps even entirely machine for all we know. We were unable to determine the location of Hexmaster's primary base. All the androids you encountered were controlled by the Black Hexmaster, who was in turn controlled by the real Hexmaster from some secret location."

"So this villain is still out there somewhere?" Whitney did not like the implication of that. She had hoped that Hexmaster was finally out of all of their lives for good.

"I'm afraid so," Denise stated in agreement. "All of you are going to have to be on your toes until this madman can be permanently stopped."

"This is where you come in," Tori said, pointing at Jim. "His transformation into Hexmaster complete, he took up his revenge against Shadow again. He planned to hurt his old enemy through his children. A vile and petty plan, to be certain. Hexmaster kidnapped you and experimented with your DNA. I would guess that being Shadow's children you all had the potential to mutate like your father. Hexmaster's process just got the ball rolling."

"The process took months of work," Denise added. "The entire time you were sedated and feed intravenously."

Jim tried to rationalize what he was hearing. "Then the reason I don't remember anything between disappearing and waking up with GENOCIDE is because I was asleep the entire time?"

"Correct," Tori nodded in agreement. "You don't remember anything because there is nothing to remember."

"Then how does the other Spectrum figure into this? And his involvement in Terror Incorporated?"

"This is where things get really confusing," Tori stated excitedly. She loved mysteries and this one was a dozy. "If you recall, Hexmaster experimented on his own son and caused him to fall into a coma. What really happened is that Hexmaster did succeed in giving him powers, but wiped away the boy's mentality in the process. His power is the ability to mimic the powers of others. His mutant power caused him to become you!"

"This is just too weird," Jim lamented. "So you're saying that the other Spectrum, now calling himself Lightmaster, is Hexmaster's own son?"

"Exactly. According to Hexmaster's notes, he possessed all your powers, only some of your memories, and none of your personality."

"A sort of dark reflection of yourself," Denise added. She was relieved to finally put to rest any notions of the true Spectrum being a criminal. Even when things seemed to be at their worst, she always thought him to be innocent. Her faith had been rewarded.

"Then it was this other Spectrum who joined Terror Incorporated and did all those evil acts," Stephanie stated. "But why travel so far away to do this?"

"My guess would be so that Shadow would know that his son was a criminal, but was so far away as to be unable to do anything about it," Whitney reasoned.

"Part of Hexmaster's plan was to destroy Shadow by turning his children into criminals," Tori added. "To slowly torture him to the point of madness."

"Dad helped him along with all of his drinking after mom died," Stephanie commented offhandedly.

"No wonder he treated me so badly when I returned home," Jim realized. (Editor's Note: Back in Spectrum 6-8)

"The mimicking process is not permanent," Tori continued. "The other Spectrum had to return to Hexmaster's lair every few weeks for booster shots of your DNA. Without them, he would loose his powers and slowly revert back to his true being. Basically, he'd fall back into his coma until he came into contact with someone else with superpowers to copy."

"Hexmaster's plan was rolling along nicely until GENOCIDE got into the picture," Denise explained. "Late last year, they did a major mutant hunt on the West Coast. They detected Spectrum and captured him from Hexmaster's lair. Without the drugs in your system, you finally woke up, but inside GENOCIDE's arena." (Editor's Note: As shown in Spectrum #1-5)

"The mental conditioning that Hexmaster had been doing to you was not fully complete," Tori noted. "We suspect that your imagining waking up in Whitney's apartment was something he planted into you. Once Hexmaster released you, he wanted you to pop up at Whitney's apartment. It makes sense, as Ms. Parks was more likely to be sympathic to your plight than your father would have been. The nature of the Arena tapped into this, making it seem real to you."

"Everyone in the Arena thought I was a criminal because of the other Spectrum's actions," Jim added.

"Understandable given the circumstances," Denise noted. "With you active, the other Spectrum was recalled by Hexmaster, so as to make it seem as though there still was only one Spectrum."

"Then Hexmaster caused the plane crash to get me back." All of this was starting to make some twisted sense.

"When he finished, he let you go again and you appeared on Ms. Park's doorstep for real. Since that time, Hexmaster has used you as a tool against your father. The other Spectrum continued to ruin your reputation by making it seem like you were a criminal."

"This explains a great many things," Jim finally said. "Like how Scorpia could recognize me for one. The other Spectrum was my exact double."

"I wouldn't say exact, James," Whitney cooed. "He is very lacking in manners."

"But what about my amnesia?"

"Probably a combination of all the drugs Hexmaster used on you to keep you asleep and mutate you and his son stealing your powers and memories," Tori explained. "Once they were completely out of your system, your memories started to come back. Except for the part where you had nothing to remember. And once free from Hexmaster, you continued to mutate, your powers changing every so slightly. The other Spectrum represents you when you first mutated. You're now more powerful than he is."

"The rest is easy enough to guess at," Denise continued. "Eager to complete his revenge, Hexmaster had the other Spectrum kidnap your father. When Stephanie came to visit, it gave Hexmaster the perfect opportunity to have all the Sculley children in one area. Your brother and sister were kidnapped as well."

"Since his first experiments with his own son and you, Hexmaster had refined his process. It only took a matter of days to awaken the powers in Stephanie and Bryan," Tori added.

"But luckily, you were arrested by PRIMUS and Hexmaster's plot started to unravel," Denise added. "We found his mental conditioning and Nightingale removed it. PRIMUS put that transponder into your body, allowing us to track you right back to Hexmaster's lair. I'm just sorry we couldn't save your father as well."

Jim sat back and whistled. "You weren't kidding when you said you had the answers to all my questions. You gals did a fantastic job. I really owe you two."

"You'll be getting my bill," Tori joked. "I have to admit that I'm happy you really are a good guy. I thought Denise was nuts in joining your little group. But she saw something in you that I didn't."

"Behave, Victoria," Denise informed her friend. Spinnerette was treading on turf that made Denise very uncomfortable. She preferred that her attraction to Jim remain their secret. He already had the love of another woman and there was no way she was about to stand between the two of them. No matter what her heart told her.

"I don't know about the rest of you ladies, but I'm famished", Jim stated. "How about some lunch? My treat?"

"No wonder you're hungry all the time," Whitney noted with a chuckle. "All that time you went without real food."

"Nah, he always ate like a horse," Stephanie added.

"It's just my way of showing my appreciation. You've all done a lot for me. I just want to show my thanks. And my gratitude."

"We better get moving before someone starts crying," Tori said, breaking the emotionalism of the moment. "As for me, I never turn down a free meal."

Everyone laughed at the comment, as they rose from their seats. A nice lunch out on the town would help lighten the mood. In spite of everything that had happened, Jim felt pretty good inside. His siblings had been found and the mystery of his past had been revealed. He was back with the woman he loved and was now getting to know his X-Factor teammates better. Things were beginning to looking up. The days and weeks ahead were still going to be rough, but with the help of his friends and family, he would make it through them just fine.

"This would make a great story," Jim thought to himself as he closed the door to the house behind him.