oy ee YBaghdad fell to the forces of CMEC Grummer LE Aur Tea Cure Nera the sum total of knowledge of world Cre Rn Aa es ial MeO eee mI EG SEG BG a were Used as the centerpiece fora great, hidden, Fortress of Knowledge. Sara OO Lens LICR eR eC Pea aCe ee Units information contained in the RCL tesa ory Perrcuina Uc aOR Cece ys OSA CaCO Pea tee Cee RC ees POS eeu Ce scattered to the four corners of the Nae eae Ce EG ENCE TC uaa oR Cer Ces aS cam co CRU a ecu eee ‘and today... they have Peet t Pe RUMuc Rui Cuur uv! ninety-nine gemstones which had aCe Rn er Ruka id Pracreru ] Tasty ase} ue O NAIF AL-MUTAWA ler mesial P= FABIAN NICIEZA ad HODGKINS py igo) (oe) TOT (05! RU ee vey 7 eee} [ema } ee 38 - lee el eg) a) eae praia Msicee)-eig) JUNE BRIGMAN & eel leh tea Stele ee = ea ©) (BS1S S5G1S 5 1C SSS SBS games ss EDITOR IN CHIEF BOOK LAYOUT tues eae hI Cala aa OO Se ==t od TL SVE SSN ILI IIS ONIN 0} Oe Ct ae tee ne ee ee Serer a eee) Perea era rn ee Te et ENT meee ESTE peor econ e Reena eer ene che ert Prien eeeginerec pitty Meaia Group KSC. No similarity between any of the names, ‘characters, persons and/or institutions in this magazine with any living oF dead person or institution is Intended prey Seren ones ] Teck ee ee er eee ee eer E LI) For advertising sales please contact advertisingathe93.org or eall (965) 6693-4747. Subscriptions enquiries, please Pee eee ee or et un ee ece no a et oa ia a e“IN 258 AD. THE FORCES OF HAG KHAN SURROUNDED BAGHOAD. “THAT WOULP REQUIRE Mor ‘SWORD AND CLUB, SINEW AND“THE CALIPH ENTRUSTED HIS ‘CALIPHATE GUARD WITH PROTECTING THE LIBRARIANS, THEY KNEW THEY HAD I LITTLE TIME LEFT. “THEY PREPARED A SOLUTION OF KINGS’ WATER, PN ALCHEMICAL. STEW WHOSE PROPERTIES WERE ‘ATTUNED TO THE VERY FIBERS: IN THE PARCHMENTS, SCROLLS AND MAPS THAT LAY STACKED IN WAIT. “THEIR PLAN WAS BORNE OF DESPERATION... BUT fey ALSO OF PERSPIRATION ~ [a ND ULTIMATELY, OF INSPIRATIONS"70 DISTILL THE ‘GUM TOTAL OF EDGE CONTA IN THE TOMES If He knoe ‘HAD BEEN“THROUGH UNDE REE TUNNELS AND 56: VIADUCTS THEY FLi ‘STILL HAD THE NOOR STONES — FLIGHT —~ WILLING ECEPTACLES FOR THemoeLves OF HUCAGUS ASSAUL' BerMs “THEY RIOTED AND CHEERED, TOPPLING OVER THE KINGS! WATER SOLUTION WITH NO UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT YTHE KINGS WATER SPILLED THROUGH THe AGUEDUCTS ALONG The LIBRARY'S ROOF ‘ASOFT HOMMING GLOW Li IN ITS TRAILING WAKE N TaRis BLACK WITH THE TEARS OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF BOOKS. %.. TEARS THAT WERE GREEDILY ABSORBED BY The KINGS WATER, WHICH CURRENTS THAT CARRIED THE ‘ALCHEMICAL SOLUTION, THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE Bc THE HOPE OF A “AMY FROM Te CARNAGE, AWAY baal reGheTei Te + = AND TOWARDS... TOMORROW! ’ i = FROM TH SON A RICKETY BRIDGE DOWNRIVER, THE LIBRARIANS WATCHED THEIR GREAT CITY FALL %<— NOT REALIZING, AT FIRST, THAT WHAT HAD. MADE It 90 GREAT WAS REACHING OUT TO THEML i) a — “THEY SAW THe "AND NERVOUSLY DARRENEE WTS “Tiey Ovento He 3 GEMSTONE CASE. INK, NOT BLOOD — Sees re Cte GEMINTO A SACK, 7 ED THEI HANDS SHAKING, THE “THEY WAITED. SECONDS, MINUTES, IT MUST HAVE SEEMED LIKE AN ETERNITY. THEY WAITED, UNTIL ~ *AND FROM ITS PULSING LIGHT THEY SAW LETTERS — ORMING WORDS: RMING TEXT * ._YI IN THE “THEY REJECTED RUGHAL'S VISION AS TOO INFLAMMATORY, TOO PRONOCATIVE. HE REJECTED THEIRS AS BEING TOO TIMI, TOO... IGNORANT. “THE HURAG KNEW THAT GRANADA WOULD INEVITABLY FALL AND WITH [fe THAT, ANDALUSIA... AND 20 WOULD THe FORTRESS OF KNOWLEDGE. “IN 1490, WITH RUGHAL IN DECLINING v HEALTH THe SPANISH ARMIES OF KING FERDINAND MARCHED ACROSS THE IBERIAN PENINSULA. “THEY DECIDED TO DISMANTLE THe FORTRESS, REMOVE THE DOME AND FLEESie KNEW A LINAR ECLIPSE WAG COMING, THe FIRST OF ice [*eucHaL “WHEN THE NIGHT OF LUNAR ECLIPSE FINALL CAME, He WAS READ *BONE-WEARY, 54 MIGHT BE THE LAST ACT FeUTLess Lire, He IMMERSED HIMSELF INTO THE KINGS’ WATER. UND LONG-FORGOTTEN Le BND TONES AND, COMBINE THE VAR ‘STREAMS INTO ON COHERENT BEAMSAND REDIRECTING, THEM INTO THE Kil Whiten RapiReeTNe ‘THEM INTO = HIM! | YT WAS SAID HIS SCREAMS AWAKENED ALL WITHIN THE FORTRESS THAT NIGHT. W) ats r 8 bea oN . 7 yun fate JK \ CSTE 4 “ me 7 [| “HOURS LATER, THE FIRE HAD SETTLED, BUT THE GEMSTONES STILL BURNED. “THE FORTRESS WAS DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR. IRONIC, IN LIGHT OF THE FACT ‘THEY'D PLANNED TO DISMANTLE IT ANYWAY. “THE KINGS’ WATER ITSELF HAD COMPLETELY BOILED AWAY IN THe EXPLOSION. OF RUGHAL....MARIFA —~ THE FORTRESS OF NOME E TWAT ITS RE LOST Fe Tia OTL WEEKS AGO.. the PoCTeRNTS. ‘OF JHE ORIGINAL. FORTRESS, I BELIEVE. CENTURIES AGO, ‘A SCIENTIST FAR AHEAD ‘ARE SURE TO. HAVE.‘YOUR TIME. ANTICIPATE CASHING Y CHECKS AT TON DINNER. ‘YM RUNNING OUT OF TIME:... OUT OF, MONEY, UNTIL THE RECEPTION...DRA TH ThE EIGHT: HOURS|LATER... TM SORRY, PARGI. YES, Ye5, OF COURSE, DONT WORRY...IF THEY KNEW WHAT WAS REALLY INSIDE YOUR PRIVATE "READING ROOM? YOU MIGHT, Lose THEIRI emeee oan | LUTE aU HT ue FIRST One” a ~—s IN bP == R A acre 2 ~~] UNCERTAIN. SB Pe eee a THE VICINITY AFTER’ see \) le | “4 eae a HAS THE TARGET BEEN SIGHTED yer? _ dlL ov | S| en i fA = 4 ie eS | ___A GS Za eae pat a mae eee” aire areal f &THAT ONL.345 JES re bun ut BEFOHE THAT MY FATHER WAS: OFFERED A LOT OF MONEY TO SELL OUR HOUSE. HE TURNED THE OFFER DOWN. THEN THE SAME PEOPLE TRIED TO FORCE HIM TO SELL. We WANTED TO GOTO THE POLICE BUT WE HAD NO PROOF. PAPA REFUSED TO GIVE IN. WE WERE AFRAID JUST ‘GOING TO SCHOOL OR THE MARKET. %... AFRAID SOMEONE WOULD TRY To HUET HIM BY HURTING US ~ SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, THEY SHOWED UP IN OUR DRIVEWAY AS We WERE GETTING READY TS VisiT MY AUNT. * THEY WERE “I REMEMBER... MY WAiTING FOR US. MGTHER SoREAMING PAPA TELLING US TO RUN = My SisTER AND T - We RAN ACROSS THe BORDER Be iro VeMen ‘ONE BULLET WHISTLED PAST Me ~ THEN ANOTHER ~~ 1 PREPARED FOR THE PAIN... 9... NOT REALIZING ‘The BULLET WAS THE LEAST OF MY WORRIES. “YOU SEE, THE FIELO WE WERE RUNNING| THROUGH WAS..." t Met heNO, BUT ONLY ‘A LAND-MINE COULD *... BUTT FELT... FELT STRONG 4 & - a A eveis Horr lu ; pig ah” “THE STONE?” WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? INE DETONATED — “THE Ma TEI TOROWNED IN FIRE THEN.— wit ‘A SINGLE BULLET 4 LEPTIN ANY OF THEIR GUNS.| 22 FL) Ne Saat Mime Zr J “ HOA MM CERIER LATEST“IN MANY WAYS, YES, YOU CANNOT CONTROL THE BOY. THE BOY CANO” CONTROL HIMSELF."THIET ALA So wy ier) “ane om oom + ys 2 a 5 Z 3 TOW many. — = WAVE YOU BEEN Z ABLE TO REMOVE AG GO FAB, DOCTOR 4 FRASEAI?. C UGS Al Q = A iy | \ Se } ul Z % ss “ONE HUNDRED’ DR tth8 Of CRAM T YX DOCTOR RAMZI, » eg We PREDICT THAT REMOVING Wo HUNDRED GEMSTONE FRAGMENTS WILL REDUCE YOUR SON'S Size AND STRENGTH : ‘TO A CONTROLLABLE LEVEL. dee <4 Doctor ~ Pes 3 aXg, 3 a CREW 1S THE PAPERWORK FOR THE) Yes. FRENCH visas P7ive Been wrt you A FAMILY FINISHED, BURAN? —/ ( WITH A COMMITMENT OF | V/ LONG TIME, RAMZ!, AND EMPLOYMENT FOR THE PARENTS WITH THE FOUNDATION. IT IS BUT THE FIRST IMPERFECT g OF PeRFéct WoRLD STEP TOWARDS A 1S WORTH HAVING... 21 PERFECT WORLD.3. IF IT'S FORGED BY THE FORCE OF GIANT FISTS...?SWE HAVE BECOME A GREAT | °TO REGAIN THE HOPE ~ PEOPLE INA GREAT WORLD , He Pore! THAT HAS BECOME OVERRUN PAST We HAVE LOST WILL, BY GREATER INDIFFERENCE. (RECURE MORE THON ONS INTHE SAME WAY WE HAVE FORGED THIS 655 OF BeA eéien 1 FOR ATTRACT, LIBHTNINGL ‘SOME MAY 62 WOMION S100 in, INFLAMMTOR, TOO 16.” IENORANT PROVOEATNE © "ORs JERORMT OPPORTUNITY TO FINALLY GRAB THIS WORLD BY THe HECK 2 TO. CHORE Ir ITO SUBMISSION, a 0 ee ; T a. oa HOW CAN THAT BE RUGHAL? fl | = Nno Wikt BE THE NEXT NOOR STONE [ RECRUIT TO JOIN RAMZI’S CAUSE? q FIND OUT AS THE MONTHLY ADVENTURES OF THE 99 BEGIN! ti ntGet Copies OF the } Tit © 2008 EDITION OF THE 99 TODAY! eaves Ps telanaers NO STORES CARRY Bie saunders Epler iii tore STORE SOLD OUT? cee Resi See TN cys) Sa Fsoito aire Ns MN YOU CAN PURCHASE area lata reel ey ANYWHERE INTHE WORLD FROM OUR fea Se yrel tas Snel ale Deen BRL _OPENINGISOON! va