Jonah made his way to the grave he was searching for. Satisfied it was the right one, he pulled the vial of thick red liquid from his trench coat, and proceeded to pour the liquid into the cold, wet ground. As he poured, he made the required pattern and closed his eyes, summoning the strength to release the spirit, from which aid he currently required.

“Gravedigger,” he whispered almost inaudibly as the last of the vial’s contents poured into the soil below.

“I know you, Jonah Hex,” declared a slow and eerie voice, as a form began to appear next to the tombstone. “Why have you brought me from my grave?”

The spirit was a rather ghastly sight. To almost anyone, the specter would have been too much to bear, but to one who had lived a life such as Jonah Hex, one seeped in both mystic arts and horror, the creature was nothing shocking or amazing. He remembered the man once known as Charles Blackwater. He was a brilliant mage, but he tried to learn too much. He sold his soul to Mephisto for forbidden knowledge, and in turn lost his body as well. Now he was the creature known as Gravedigger, a doomed spirit cursed to never leave the mortal plane. But to the benefit of others, he still had his knowledge, and if you made him the right offer, he might even give you the information you need.

“I require information,” said Hex in a rather frank manner.

“Ask away,” said the creature as its ethereal head seem to circle in an inhuman manner, as the creature tried to get a full picture of the stars above. “You want to know if there is a way to bring her back, don’t you?”

“You know?” asked Hex in a voice that did a poor job to mask his surprise.

“There is little you can hide from a cursed ghost such as I. You want to know if you can give her the life back. To save her soul?” The creature smiled in a manner that sent chills down Hex’s spine.

“Yes,” replied Hex, almost inaudibly, his eyes lowered to the ground and his shoulder’s shrugged.

The creature seemed to be enjoying this immensely. “Seems strange coming from the man who killed her.”

Hex bit his lip, and thought his next answer over very carefully. “Those were different times. She made a mistake. She went too far. I had to stop her before she her others.” The regret in Hex’s voice was unmistakable now, and even the spirit seemed to be moved by Hex’s honesty. “I didn’t know the spell would mix with her own and kill her. She didn’t deserve to go to hell, she made a mistake, and she didn’t have a chance to correct it.”

“And . . . ” said the creature, as he knew there was a little more to the story to be told.

“And,” said Hex, “I loved her. I love her still. Even when she turned ‘evil’, I still saw the woman I had fallen for inside. It was partially my fault. I helped foster her love of the arcane magics. I helped her recover the pieces of the Darkhold Gate. I was so absorbed in my own interests, I didn’t see the signs of her descent until it was too late. Now, I want to make my amends.”

“How admirable,” said Gravedigger, and Hex wasn’t sure if his voice was full of pity or scorn. “What can you offer me in return for my aid?”

“Five minutes,” said the mournful Hex, “and I even brought you a bottle of ’34 Crest Valley for you to imbue.”

The creature seemed to be in deep thought, but Hex knew better. The offer Hex was making him was far too good for Gravedigger to resist.

“Agreed,” said Gravedigger. “Now, you don’t have the pieces of the Darkhold Gate still, do you?”

“No,” said Hex. “After the battle, Dr. Fate took the pieces and scattered them across the planet, so that they would not be used together again.”

The creature smiled. “But you have a piece still, don’t you?”

Hex sighed, then answered quietly, “Yes, I kept one piece.” Hex then pulled a black clothed, laced with golden ruins from a pocket. He slowly unfolded it, revealing a piece of a black obsidian medallion.

“Use it,” said the spirit, in a very matter-of-fact manner. “Use it to find the other pieces. Reassemble the Darkhold Gate. Then you must journey inside and find her. Her soul lies, in torment, inside. You will have to be stronger and braver than you have ever been in your life. In the end, you will probably fail, but this is sadly, the best chance you have. Now, if you would so kindly give me my five minutes, then I will give you the spell you need to find the other pieces of the Gate.”

Hex stood straight, and flung his arms as if to embrace the spirit. Suddenly the creature, known as Gravedigger, was gone, absorbed into the body of Jonah Hex. For five precious minutes he was alive again. He used his time to touch to cold stone of his grave, to feel the texture and the temperature. He watched with glee at his breath swirling in the air, then popped the cork off the vintage bottle of wine, and drank it as though it were the greatest thing ever created. He danced in a circle and screamed loudly into the air, enjoying his brief time again amongst the living.

When his five minutes were up, the spirit removed itself from the body, and offered the vivid description of how to perform the search spell Hex required to find the other Gate pieces. Each “man's” request filled, the spirit departed and Hex moved on his way. His destination was his casting room, where he would begin his new journey, and attempt to save the soul of the woman he loves.

Fortunately, everyone else was too busy with their own lives to wonder about Mike. He casually slid inside, and headed for his intended destination.

"Ally," he whispered, knowing that his earpiece was picking his words up. "How are you doing?"

"I have hacked into the security systems, and am reseting the cameras to replay the last ten seconds over until I give the override code," the female on the other end replied.

Mike smiled. Ally, what would I do without you? Ever since I saved you that day from the stray blast, you've been most valuable as a computer whiz. He continued walking. "You better have this right," he whispered.

"Don't worry," Ally replied. "You're safe."

Mike walked down the corridor until he came to a door with a sign that read "RESTRICTED -- AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY."

So much for that, Mike thought. He pushed on the door. It was unlocked. Mike forced back a chuckle. This is what passes for national security?

Mike walked into the room. He had already spent two weeks learning all of the security devices, and was able to bypass them, and not set any alarms off.

In the middle of the room sat a computer. Mike walked over. He opened a briefcase and pulled out a disc. He slipped it into the computer, and clicked on the folder entitled 'superheroes.'

About three minutes later, the disc was full, and Mike had all the information he needed. He took his disc, and replaced it with another. He uploaded a file and then left.

As he left, the computer deleted a file. It might have been important to someone, but Mike didn't care. He had targeted a small file, enough for to let the government know that someone had been there, but wouldn't leave any information on who, when, or what they downloaded.

Ally Robeta was waiting for him in front of her computer terminal. She was an attractive Oriental girl in her late twenties, with black hair and eyes. Ally was extremely talented at computers, and could hack into almost any system.

"Good job," Ally said.

"Thanks," Mike replied, putting the briefcase down. He took off the jacket and tie and tossed them on the sofa which he had brought in for any potential visitors. It was rarely used other than the nights that Mike slept on it when he stayed too late, working on his latest project. He took the disc out from his briefcase and handed it to Ally.

Ally put the disc into the CD-Rom drive. Mike stood behind her as she examined the contents.

"Click here," he said, pointing to a folder marked 'Spider-Man.' "I'm most curious why he became a superhero."

"Wasn't he a TV star or something?" Ally asked.

Mike nodded. "But for some reason, he became a 'superhero.'"

"Are you going to investigate that next?"

Mike shrugged. "It's one of my top five priorities. I have a few other cases to wrap up first."

"Should I book you a flight to New York?"

"Not yet."

"Do you really think you can prove your theory?" Ally asked. "I mean, you've been investigating for years."

Mike suddenly got a determined look in his eye. "I have a feeling that I will be getting some answers soon. Somewhere, there is going to be a slip-up, and I will find it."