An emergency meeting was underway at the Pentagon.
Smoke filled the conference room, where generals had gathered.
The secretary of defense sat at the head of the table, his face livid.
He clutched a top-secret report that had just arrived from New York.
A photograph was printed on the cover of the report-a man engulfed in flames stood in the center of a crater, smiling at the camera.
"A guardian angel? A meteor landing?"
The secretary of defense slammed the report onto the table with a dull thud.
"Can someone tell me what the hell this thing is?!"
"Where did it come from? Is it friend or foe? What does it want?"
The barrage of questions made every general present lower his head.
An officer in charge of intelligence analysis steeled himself and spoke.
"Mr. Secretary, according to the preliminary report from our New York station, this... Human Torch has been very gentle so far, with no signs of aggression. He knows nothing about human society."
An Air Force general sneered.
"A guy who can make a crater twenty meters across isn't aggressive? Thank God he landed outside the city. If he'd landed in Manhattan, we'd be discussing how to rebuild New York right now!"
"More importantly, we can't control him! Are our weapons even effective against him? We don't even know what he eats or drinks, or what he relies on to maintain his form!"
The unknown was the most frightening thing of all.
Soldier Boy was powerful, but at least he was still human.
He had human emotions and desires, and he had weaknesses.
But this Human Torch, who had appeared out of nowhere, was completely beyond their understanding.
"Lynn Morris."
The secretary of defense squeezed the name out through clenched teeth.
"First Soldier Boy, then Captain America, and now this Human Torch has appeared! What the hell does he want? Does he want to tear the roof off the Pentagon and take my seat himself?"
His furious roar echoed through the conference room.
But after the shouting came an even deeper sense of helplessness.
They couldn't go around Lynn.
Whether it was Soldier Boy or the Human Torch, all influence over public opinion and all the "official explanations" were firmly in that young man's hands.
They couldn't even take any coercive measures against the Human Torch.
In the public's eyes, he was a guardian angel sent by God.
Anyone who dared touch him would be making an enemy of the entire nation.
"Contact him."
The secretary of defense wearily rubbed the space between his brows.
"I want to find out exactly what he's up to."
Lynn picked up the phone.
He listened to the Pentagon liaison's polite words, which concealed subtle attempts to probe him.
"I completely understand your concerns."
Lynn's voice was sincere.
"In fact, I've been troubled by this matter myself."
He had long since prepared a perfect explanation.
A "research report" on the "Human Torch," dozens of pages long, lay quietly on his desk.
"Based on analysis by my office and several religious and occult experts I hired, we've reached a preliminary conclusion."
Lynn turned the pages of the report, his voice sounding rigorous and professional.
"The Human Torch isn't a life-form in the traditional sense. He is a... conceptual entity."
"A conceptual entity?"
"Yes. He came into being in response to the collective will of our nation. The public's worship of Soldier Boy and hatred of Red Skull-this intense emotional energy gave rise to this embodiment of light and heat on some unknown level."
"His mission is to cleanse the evil that Red Skull represents."
Lynn didn't believe a single word of this charlatan's theory himself.
But it was mysterious enough and impossible enough to disprove.
It was also enough to give those Pentagon generals, who believed only in data and artillery shells, a headache.
"So... you mean he just appeared on his own?"
"You could put it that way."
"He's a blank slate, with an instinct to cleanse evil, but he doesn't understand what goodness or love is. He needs to learn and receive guidance."
There was silence on the other end of the line.
Lynn presented his "solution."
"I suggest putting him in an environment of love and justice, so he can experience firsthand the values we protect."
"We need a perfect mentor, a moral role model, to teach him how to use his powers properly."
"You mean..."
"Captain America, Steve Rogers."
Lynn gave his final answer.
"What better way to show the world our goodwill and tolerance than to have him join Captain America's patriotic tour?"
"Let a divine messenger fight alongside our hero and learn humanity's noblest qualities. That in itself would be a perfect piece of political propaganda."
Silence fell on the other end of the line.
Lynn could even imagine the man rapidly weighing the pros and cons.
The proposal was exactly what the military wanted.
It would put the Human Torch under the dual supervision of the public and the military, tying him to the thoroughly upstanding Captain America.
No matter how they looked at it, it was a brilliant move.
They would both reassure the public and place a shackle called "education" on this unstable "god."
"Mr. Morris..."
The man's voice came through, filled with admiration.
"Your wisdom is as astonishing as ever. The committee agrees to your proposal in principle."
"It's my honor to help shoulder the nation's burdens."
Lynn hung up the phone, a smile appearing on his face.
Steve Rogers?
A perfect moral standard.
A perfect... babysitter.
A hero overflowing with a sense of justice would teach an artificial human who obeyed only Lynn's orders what "justice" meant.
This show was going to be absolutely spectacular.
Steve, my good captain, I hope you can hold on to that innocence of yours when you learn the truth someday.
A few days later, backstage at Captain America's patriotic tour.
Steve Rogers was backstage, warming up.
Just then, the backstage door opened.
Lynn walked in.
Behind him was a young man in a specially made fireproof combat suit, curiosity filling his eyes.
It was the "Human Torch," Jim Hammond.
"Lynn?"
Steve stopped what he was doing, a little surprised.
"Steve, let me introduce you to a new partner."
Lynn patted Jim on the shoulder.
"This is Jim Hammond. He'll be joining your future tours as a special guest."
Steve's gaze fell on Jim.
He had seen the "guardian angel's arrival" that had caused a sensation across the country a few days ago.
Was the young man before him the god who had emerged from the meteor?
He looked... so harmless.
There wasn't a trace of impurity in those orange-red eyes.
"Hello, Captain Rogers."
Jim held out his hand with a friendly smile.
"Mr. Lynn said you're the noblest person in the world. He told me to learn from you what love and justice are."
His voice carried a sincere innocence of the world.
Steve froze.
He looked into Jim's pure eyes, then reached out and shook his hand.
That hand was warm and strong.
An inexplicable sense of closeness welled up within him.
In the young man named Jim, Steve saw a reflection of his former self.
The weak, lost young man from Brooklyn who nevertheless held justice in his heart.
"Welcome, Jim."
A sincere smile appeared on Steve's face.
"I'll teach you everything."
He had no idea that he was making a brotherly promise to an artificial weapon that obeyed only Lynn's orders.
That evening's tour performance was an unprecedented success.
When the Human Torch used brilliant flames to form the pattern of the Stars and Stripes onstage, the entire audience went wild.
He stood shoulder to shoulder with Captain America.
One represented the pinnacle of the human spirit; the other represented divine favor toward the United States.
The combination was a match made in heaven!
War bond sales broke all previous records.
Backstage, Steve excitedly patted Jim on the shoulder.
"You were amazing, Jim! You were born for the stage!"
Jim merely smiled, his gaze turning toward the man on the phone in the shadows in the distance.
Lynn.
His god.
The sole meaning of his existence.