In issue #8, the Freedom Fighters engage in battle against Gonzo's metahuman taskforce at the Washington Monument and quickly gain support from the civilians. The public eye are now seeing them as real heroes, which was later revealed to be part of Father Time's plan all along. He tricked Gonzo into believing that S.H.A.D.E was against Uncle Sam, while in truth he was preparing the Freedom Fighters to help combat a major threat in the future. Father Time captures Gonzo and turns him into an 'Orphan Box' in the shape of a pair of spectacles. He plans to use it against Gonzo's creator, the Shadow Demons. All of the metahuman taskforce members disappear into the timestream, along with Father Time, shortly thereafter. A week later, the new President appoints the Freedom Fighters the new directors of S.H.A.D.E.