- “The Road Back's offering you power. Power. We are everywhere. In every city, every country, every part of government. Join us, and you and I will control the world's fate.”
- — Susannah's pitch to Tom[source]
The Road Back, formerly the Icarans are a secret cult that operates across the globe, with deep ties to politics, laws, and governments. They were formed in the 1930s in Horseshoe Bay, Maine, but were nearly annihilated and forced out of the town by a rival group. Among their goals is the prevention of technological advancement.
History[]
In 1920, women won the right to vote. A cult of men arrived in Horseshoe Bay called the Icarans. They began barring women from casting ballots through intimidation and violence.

In 1929, a meteorite crash landed near Horseshoe Bay, in Acadia National Park. A group of men found it and put it on display, where they began making money. They used the money to purchase real estate which made them more money. They resold the estate and became wealthier. A few years later, they formed a fraternal organization and called themselves the Icarans. They stopped touring the meteorite in 1935, which is when they built Icarus Hall.

In 1939, ten Icarans operated as a secret society in Horseshoe Bay. They sought to make a member of theirs, Neil Roskin, the Mayor of Horseshoe Bay. They were amassing serious power, including deeds to properties of land. At the same time, a new generation of Women in White worked under the radar, and were scorned by the Icarans after learning of their sexist and mysogynistic ways. They decided to hex the Icarans with murderous fury. They placed a hex over the location of a meteorite that hit Horseshoe Bay, which the cult were guarding. They made it so the hex would release when the compartment was open. On Christmas Eve, the ten Icarans opened the compartment and nearly everyone was inflicted with the curse. The men turned on one another and murdered each other. Their souls were trapped in their secret meeting room and became vengeful phantoms, protecting the meteorite from anyone who came to collect it. The official story was a gas leak killed them.
Two members survived the massacre and left Horseshoe Bay, traveling across the country to Boston where they rebranded themselves as The Road Back. They became a powerful Illuminati-esque group with people everywhere; governments, business, and law. Across the span of several decades, the group managed to operate completely under the radar with no official trace of their existence.
Plot summary[]
Nancy Drew[]
A former murder-for-hire, Daniel West, blackmails Ace's half-brother Grant with the threat of killing his mother if he doesn't retrieve a device she hid in Red Gate. Ace and Grant recruit Nancy's help and learn that the device holds the names of witnesses who helped dismantle a corporate company called the Holt Group. When the company was shut down by a whistle-blower, Grant's mother, Daniel was forced to testify and go into witness protection. She and the Holt Group were connected to paying Daniel West to commit crimes, including murder. She had a list of names for witnesses but the one person she did name was killed, so she refused to hand over the list to the police. She instead buried it and went into WITSEC.
When Ace is kidnapped by Daniel West, Nancy tries to bargain with Daniel but he isn't interested as he only wants the names. That's his way to The Road Back and remarks that they have no idea who they're up against, as the Holt Group is part of something larger which is why she went stateside. The Road Back wants the list of people and then they'll owe him, and he'll get his life back. Ace tells Nancy not to give the list over as he doesn't want the deaths on his hands. Nancy can't risk losing Ace and gives the list over. West inadvertently reveals that the Holt Group was just a small part of an Illuminati-esque group called The Road Back. He refuses to reveal more and escapes, though Nancy assures Ace that Celia Hudson will get the device back without hurting West. Celia upholds her end of the bargain, and the list of names are locked away in one of the Historical Society's boxes.[1]
When billionaire Tom Swift rolls into town in search of a meteorite, he recruits Nancy's help in finding it. They learn that the meteorite did land near the town, but was collected by a group of men who toured the meteor. They made a profit off it and began buying real estate around town, that they then re-sold to become wealthier. A few years later, they formed a fraternal organization and called themselves the Icarans. They stopped touring the meteorite in 1935, which is when they built Icarus Hall. They stored the meteorite in a secret compartment. Nancy and Tom go to the Hall only to ambushed by the phantoms of eight dead Icarans. They learn that the men died violently in 1939 when they slaughtered one another, though their deaths were covered up as a gas leak.
They return to the Hall with the Drew Crew, and Bess is affected by a green smoke that is released when she opens the hatch to the meteorite. Nancy realizes the smoke, animal bones, and insects around the Hall are trademarks of the Women in White; a spooky sorority who still operated in 1939. They hexed the trap with murderous fury, though Nancy breaks the hex with her blood. With the collection of the meteorite, Ace and Nick reveal that two men escaped the massacre and traveled to Boston where they reinvented themselves. Nancy recognizes the logo as The Road Back, the Illuminati-esque group that went after Ace's half-brother's mom. The Road Back still has deep connections to business, laws, and banks beyond the towns borders.[2]
When Celia Hudson is brutally murdered, Nancy, Ryan, and Gil jump to the conclusion it was her husband Everett Hudson. They later begin to explore other reasons for Celia's death, which Nancy points out is ritualistic and cold, though the way it was posed was similar to Icarus. Ryan knows it's Greek mythology and means someone might have paid the price for something. Nancy realizes that Celia stole the list of names from The Road Back to help Nancy. Everett, who is restrained, recognizes the name as a powerful group with infinite means and unflagging resolve. The general public doesn't know of their existence but the scarce few know they exist. The Road Back wouldn't hesitate to make a move against anyone who angered them. They would have left a calling card, like a symbol, and Ryan gives Nancy a coin with a symbol on it from Celia's belongings. She recognizes it as The Road Back's symbol. Everett points out that Nancy is responsible for Celia's death as she's the one who asked her to get the list. The message was meant as a warning for Nancy.[3]
Tom Swift[]
In 2022, Barton Swift departed on his yearlong journey to Saturn and back, one of The Road Back's satellites planted a device on his spaceship. After finally making it to Saturn six months later, the device caused an explosion as Barton was calling his son, Tom, who, along with the rest of the crowd, watched in horror as the ship was destroyed. Tom was later able to access footage of the satellite's actions from six months prior, and noticed a logo on the satellite. Tom forwarded the logo to Justin Chase, who discovered that the logo was associated with The Road Back, and that Nathan Eskol, Tom's congressman, was a founder for a company believed to be a front for The Road Back. Unbeknownst to The Road Back, Barton survived the explosion and was able to send a capsule back to Earth with a message for Tom. Tom, along with Zenzi Fullerton and Isaac Vega, set off to find the capsule's fragments, unaware that Eskol's bodyguard Rowan had hacked into Tom's AI Barclay and was watching their journey.[4]
Tom confronted Rowan, who warned Tom that The Road Back wanted to turn back the clock to a time when people like them were in charge. By defying or angering them, Tom would only get the people he loved killed.[5] Tom's crew learned that Eskol, on behalf of The Road Back, assassinated several leaders in tech by staging their deaths as accidents or flukes. His list of names and initials corresponded with the deceased inventors, which begins with Barton Swift.[6]
Members[]
- Neil Raskin - 1939
- Nine unnamed members - 1939
- Nathan Eskol - 2022, affiliated
- Rowan - 2022, affiliated
- Susannah Robb - 2022, alleged leader
Image gallery[]
Trivia[]
- They are the first secret society introduced in Nancy Drew.
- Their name is derived from the Greek God Icarus, who was given wings but a warning not to fly too high for the wax in his wings would melt, or too low as the sea would clog his wings. Icarus ignored the warnings and flew near the sun, his wings melted, and he fell to his death. The moral of the tale is that Icarus was too imbued with glee and wonder at the prospect of flying, that he forgot his fathers warnings which led to his death. It is a tale of person over-ambition and how to led to the downfall of even the mightiest of men.
- This group is responsible for the murder of Celia Hudson and the attempted murders of Ace and Barton Swift.
References[]
- ↑ Nancy Drew 2.12 The Trail of the Missing Witness
- ↑ Nancy Drew 2.15 The Celestial Visitor
- ↑ Nancy Drew 2.17 The Judgement of the Perilous Captive
- ↑ Tom Swift 1.01 ...And the Liftoff to Saturn
- ↑ Tom Swift 1.03 ...And Nine Inches of Danger
- ↑ Tom Swift 1.04 ...And the Chocolate Cowboys