Stormwatch #25

Timespan and Battalion materialize in Death Valley one year in the future.  Before Battalion can get any information from Timespan, they see Skywatch crash into the ground.  Stormwatch emerges from the wreckage with two members—Fiend and Undertow—Battalion does not recognize.  They initially dismiss Battalion as an imposter, claiming he is dead, but Timespan verifies his identity and explains they have come from the past.  Stormwatch finds their new leader, Spartan, with special dampening collars that block their enemy’s telepathic powers. Battalion asks Synergy what has happened to the team, but, before she can answer, the Warguard attacks.  Timespan stands by as the two teams battle until everyone except Battalion suddenly passes out.  Strafe appears and tries to warn his brother before being mentally taken over.  Battalion knocks him out just as the Warguard’s leader arrives.  He is Battalion’s father, Isaiah King a.k.a. Despot.  With Diva’s reanimated corpse by his side, he explains his plan to bring order to the world by taking telepathic control of the entire human population and eliminating free will.  And, he wants Jackson to join him.  Battalion refuses, and Despot tears Diva’s body apart.  No match for his father’s powers, Jackson removes the dampening collar and lets Despot sense his love for him.  Enraged, Despot moves to kill Battalion, but Timespan teleports him away.  Despot begins enacting his plan but is struck down by a new figure ready to challenge him.