I take it that's a rhetorical question. However, there're several people still alive below street level there. So, you can stand here and be a twat, or you can help them. 
The Authority: Revolution #2 is an issue of the series The Authority: Revolution (Volume 1) with a cover date of January, 2005. It was published on November 24, 2004.
Synopsis for "The Eternal Return, Part 2 of 12: Ghost of Authority Yet to Come"
Jack Hawksmoor emerges from the ground and confronts two firemen. One of the fireman heavily berates Hawksmoor, telling him that he and The Authority are responsible for what has happened to the city. Hawksmoor takes this as a "rhetorical" statement and tells them to help people who are trapped below the streets and leaves. He then contacts his teammates: The Engineer and Apollo have been trying to track the Sons of Liberty and their followers but discover that they have completely disappeared beyond the city's limits. The Doctor has been treating Swift's wounds and is deeply upset of what the Sons of Liberty and the rioters have done to the Shamanists. Hawksmoor goes to the city's Church of the Shaman where he finds the church's followers slaughtered. Seeing a Midnighter action figure in a young Shamanist's hand, Jack then realizes that he hasn't heard from Midnighter.
In the future, Midnighter is incredulous of the future Apollo's words but finally believes him when scanning his body. The future Apollo explains to him that the world has been shaped by the Carrier but is cut short when they are found by sentry robots. Apollo quickly destroys them and takes Midnighter back to the future Carrier. Midnighter demands to know what is happening, in which Apollo confesses that he brought him as an act of rebellion that may cost him his life by his lover, the future Midnighter. Apollo further explains that they are safe on the Carrier as it stopped opening Shift-Doors to the future Midnighter "forty years ago" and the other Authority members. The Carrier allowed them on board now because Apollo and the shiftship made a deal to "fix" the future. Apollo then shows Midnighter a visual explanation of the future of how it came to be in the last forty-five years.
After The Authority have taken over America, they have also been shaping the world into a utopia, but forgot to factor in the human need for free will. They decided that, rather than using sheer force to change the world, they would give mankind the option of changing on its own. Eventually however, The Authority conquered the world's nations and took over the entire planet. After this The Authority improved humanity's life-style such as providing peace, clean-burning energy, medical attention and etc. However, even the most benevolent dictators are still dictators, as Apollo explains that The Authority strayed away from Jenny Sparks' ideals and becoming more like former Weatherman Henry Bendix.
Apollo further explains that this chain of events caused Midnighter to murder Jack Hawksmoor after Hawksmoor disbanded the United Nations. After killing Hawksmoor, Midnighter's implants were damaged, causing him to become more aggressive and paranoid towards his teammates. The Engineer was institutionalized for fear of her seeking revenge for Hawksmoor. The other members separated: The Doctor and Jenny Quantum departed to the multiverse and were never seen again, and Swift lives on a mountaintop monastery in Tibet. Apollo and Midnighter's relationship eroded and leaving the latter as a dictator of a fascist utopia. After Apollo finished the presentation, Midnighter is aghast of everything that will turn out and asks Apollo what he will do to preventing this. Apollo answers that the only way to prevent the future from happening is by disbanding the present day Authority. Suddenly the Carrier is attacked by the future Midnighter's forces, with plans to kill both Apollo and past Midnighter, despite the consequences of killing the future Midnighter. Apollo takes the past Midnighter to the Carrier's junction room and then tells him that the Carrier is downloading all its memories into Midnighter so he can remember everything Apollo had told him. Before leaving to the past, Apollo gave Midnighter a deep kiss.
Arriving in Philadelphia, Midnighter meets up with Hawksmoor, who was at the time wandering about him. Midnighter, not wanting to tell of his adventure in the future, lies to Hawksmoor that he had been trying to tracking down the Sons of Liberty. Hawksmoor tells Midnighter to round up everyone back onto the Carrier.
On the Carrier, The Engineer explains to her team about the Sons of Liberty, who were active more than sixty years ago. Disturbingly, the team that was seen in Philadelphia are younger than their actual age. Security camera surveillance of the elderly Paul Revere and others showed that they were visited by a person in a cloaking field, and they disappeared until their appearance in Philadelphia suggest that they were rejuvenated by this person. Even stranger is that the Sons of Liberty and the rebels have disappeared off the face of the Earth, since none of the Sons of Liberty has this kind of power. Therefore, someone have provided them with this ability. Upset to hear that the only way to battle the Sons of Liberty on sight is to wait for them to appear, Hawksmoor decide to announce a press conference to call their opponents out. Midnighter protests Hawksmoor's move, arguing that this is the reason why the Sons of Liberty don't want to fight yet is because they want the American people to hate The Authority more than they already do. However, Hawksmoor doesn't take heed of Midnighter's words and focuses on the press conference. As each member of The Authority follow Hawksmoor, Midnighter remembers the future Apollo's words of disbanding the team.
Appearing in "The Eternal Return, Part 2 of 12: Ghost of Authority Yet to Come"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Future Apollo
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
See Also
- Cover gallery for the The Authority: Revolution series
- Images from The Authority: Revolution Vol 1 2