hopes to intercept the missiles. He gets the correct answer and enters, persuading Wallace to abort the launch. Fed up and disinterested, Zenith leaves - while St. John uses his mental powers to trap Wallace in his vault with no electricity. Zenith returns to his flat and is confronted by Chimera, a hugely powerful creature composed entirely of thought, created by Peyne at the same time as the other Cloud 9 members, which after assuming a myriad of shapes turns itself into a small-scale omnihedron. In an epilogue Lux, Spook and Voltage travel to Ayers Rock and meet with Black Flag, a team of superhumans from Alternate-5 who arrive by Einstein-Rosen bridge and plan to help battle the Alignment when they are interrupted by the arrival of a dying messenger - Jimmy Quick - from another world, fatally injured by the Lloigor. Another interlude - printed in the 1988 2000AD Winter Special (with art by Manuel Carmona rather than Steve Yeowell) debuts the Maximan of Alternate-23, who survived the atomic bomb and lives at Axis Mundi. Mantra of Black Flag tells him Alternate-257 has fallen, with its defender Hotspur possessed by the Lloigor. She also tells him the history of Zenith, who Maximan claims is their last hope of victory. Phase III Originally published in 2000AD Progs #626-634 & #650-670 (13th May - 8th July & 28th October 1989 - 17th March 1990) Maximan's allies gather superheroes from myriad alternate Earths, including Zenith and St. John, who are united with the surviving members of Cloud 9 and scores of others at Axis Mundi. He introduces Big Ben from Alternative-666, a world almost completely overrun by the Lloigor and the source of the message brought by Jimmy Quick. Recorded by Prince Mamba, it tells of how the Lloigor possessed the world's most powerful heroes and devastated the planet. The heroes are charged with using powerful Chaostructor bombs to destroy Alternative 666 and Alternative 257 to introduce a flaw and prevent the alignment of the Omnihedron in a month's time, which the Lloigor plan to use to ascend and gain control of all reality. The conference is interrupted by the arrival of Hotspur, who was able to mutilate himself and throw off the Lloigor which possessed him. Ruby Fox meanwhile is shown how to access a youthful energy form by Lux and Spook. Maximan's forces are split into two groups, one dispatched