Avalon Rising, Part Two |
What Has Come Before: The Red Lord, leader of the Bane, has returned and claimed Darkmoor as his own. At his side stands Cam McClellan, who has been corrupted and now calls himself Dark Albion. Meanwhile, Captain Kerosene's poor health has been discovered by several of his teammates and one of them, Dark Angel, is helping him prepare for dead in a most unusual manner. Captain Britain has returned to the team, with the knowledge that the Lady of the Lake is now missing. And two of the team's founding members -- Spitfire and Union Jack -- are only days away from marriage....
The Crichton Estate
"I look like a jolly old pig."
"Oh, you do not!" Betsy Braddock couldn't help but laugh as her friend turned and twisted before the mirror. Jacqueline Falsworth Crichton looked gorgeous in her wedding dress and any thoughts otherwise were ludicrous. "You're just being paranoid."
Jackie put her hands on her hips and exhaled slowly. Despite her seeming youth -- she looked no more than 25 at best -- she was actually a woman old enough to be Betsy's grandmother. Granted a second chance at life after receiving a blood transfusion from the original Human Torch, she'd found herself as fresh as any teenager. But sometimes when she looked in the mirror, she still saw the wrinkles and the sags that had been a part of her for years. "Do you think this is going to work?"
"The dress is perfect. I told you that Alvin was the best designer in Europe."
"Not the dress. Everything else. Joey and I. Us being parents." She turned towards Betsy and she looked for all the world like a nervous little girl about to go on her first date. Betsy didn't need to be a telepath to know how deeply troubled her friend was.
"Sit with me," Betsy replied, patting a cushion beside her. Once her friend was seated, Betsy reached out and clasped her friend's hands. "Joey Chapman loves you very much. You know that."
"He was my son's best friend. And he's young enough to be my--"
"You're physically about the same age. Besides, love doesn't always care about what's right or what's proper. It just is. So enjoy the fact that you have someone who loves you. As for being parents, I can't think of two people who will love that little boy more."
"But I didn't do a very good job with Kenneth, did I? It's because of my failures that he's dead and I'm raising his son!"
"What's done is done. All you can do is promise to take all that you learned the first go-round and apply it this situation."
Jackie nodded, smiling. "You're far wiser than your years, luv. I guess part of my worries comes from how depressing our lives are right now. The Bane... Shevaun's father coming back to betray her... and poor Cam! I've tried to be there for Kate, but she won't listen to me."
"She'll come around. You did."
Jackie laughed softly, remembering her own single-mindedness when Kenneth's son was missing. "Thanks for being a friend, Betsy. And to think that I was hesitant to join the Pendragons when Dane and Joey approached me. It was really your presence on the squad that convinced me to come along."
Betsy blinked, feeling a sudden sense of unease. "I'm not following you...."
Jackie's smile faltered. "Back when Mordred was staging his assault on Avalon*. Most of the group that the Black Knight brought together were members of the old Knights of Pendragon, but I was never more than a background figure with that group. It was your presence amongst Dane's group that made me feel that I wouldn't be out of place. Sersi was there, too, of course, but I never felt any kinship with her."
(*Back in Black Knight: Destiny Walk # 4-6)
"But I wasn't with the group then," Betsy protested. "I was in Otherworld, being changed back into my true form by Brian. Remember? I was there with Grace when all of you came looking for her*."
(*As shown in our sixth issue)
Now it was Jackie's turn to be confused. She rose from the couch, staring at her friend as if she were daft. "Betsy Braddock... Now is not the time for games. I'm on edge enough as it is. You were a founding member of the Pendragons. The first few weeks, it was all I could do to keep you and Dane from coming to blows over leadership of the group. We finally settled on you because you were an inspiration to us all. Your years as Captain Britain are legendary."
"Years..." Betsy looked away, her voice sounding full of fright. "You think I've been Captain Britain for years? Don't you remember my time as Psylocke?"
"As who?"
The door suddenly opened, revealing Kate McClellan and several of Jackie's servants. "Sorry I'm late. I picked up everyone's dresses but I was delayed by--" her voice trailed off as she noticed the look on Betsy's face. "Did I interrupt something?"
Betsy rose quickly, brushing past Kate on her way out the door. "No... Nothing at all. Please excuse me." She hurried down the hallway and burst through the front doors, coming to a stop only when the sun was beating warmly down on her face. She felt a pounding in her heart and she looked around wildly, as if afraid that some new shock was going to come to her. "What in God's name is happening to me?"
Lyonesse, Castle Pendragon
Shevaun Haldane was drunk. Rip-roaringly pissed, to be exact. She was down in the makeshift lab of the castle, having successfully barricaded herself within. The only person she'd allowed to enter over the past three hours had been Gulliver Jones, aka Captain Kerosene. The good Captain was very nearly as drunk as Shevaun. Both of them had ignored the shouts and fist-banging that had come from the other side of the door -- the team's resident scientist, Suzi Endo, was not pleased at being locked out.
Shevaun, leaning back in her chair and stretching out her long legs on a countertop, smiled at her companion. "So then I went into London and raided the Last Tome bookstore. No spells that could cure you, though I did find a number of ones that would prolong your life in exchange for your soul." She laughed to herself, having noticed that her words were growing increasingly slurred.
"You're a good bird," Gulliver replied, staring into a glass of gin. "But you don't have to go to such troubles. I'm an old man. I don't mind dying."
"Bollocks!" she said, leaning forward. She was giving him a rather stunning display of cleavage, but if she was aware of it, she didn't bother covering up. "You don't really want to die. I've seen the light in your eyes too often to believe that."
"Well," he said, sighing, "What good does it do me to have this fire, eh? My life is near an end and there's bloody well nothing that can be done about it!"
"That may not be totally true." Shevaun rose suddenly, crossing the room towards PLATO'S control console. PLATO was the invention of Tony Stark, but it had been heavily revised by Suzi Endo... capable of projecting holographic images of itself throughout the castle, PLATO was tied in to the team's early warning system. "How would you feel about being immortal, Gully? With no pain whatsoever?" She cast a grin at him. "You could even give yourself a full mop of hair and a trimmer belly."
Gulliver moved to stand beside her, not quite following what she was suggesting. "You can't cure me of my cancer but you can make me immortal? How will that work?"
"PLATO's circuits were altered when the Barrier went up, remember? Suzi told us that his personality algorithms were thrown way off scale and that he now possessed abilities that went beyond his core programming. I'm not just a sorcerer, you know... My father trained in me in the sciences, as well. I bet I can come up with a technomage spell that can bind your soul to this computer."
"And what happens when this unit is outdated -- am I obsolete?" Gully asked, the alcohol easing his acceptance of the notion.
"You wouldn't be thrown out like an old computer, Gully. I promise."
Gulliver stepped away, his fears and doubts crowding in amongst each other in his head. He couldn't quite fathom what life would be like as a machine... but he also feared death. Badly. Despite all his self-assured words, he was terrified of dying. He'd spent most of his life bursting into flame and now all his dreams were filled with images of him burning again and again, in writing agony. "I'd very much like to stick around." Swallowing hard, he asked "Do you think it'll hurt?"
Shevaun stumbled a bit as she reached out to him. "You might feel a teensy bit uncomfortable at first... but it'll pass. The transference of spirits into inanimate objects is level two sorcery. I've done it a billion times before."
"Then let's do it."
"Right now?" Shevaun asked with surprise. "Don't you want to wait until I'm sober?"
"No... Because that would mean waiting until I was sober, too. I trust you."
Dark Angel smiled softly. "I won't let you down, Gully."
"I'm going to rip her piercings out one by one!"
Ginny tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle a laugh. Her failure won her a withering glare from Suzi Endo, was pacing back and forth in the castle's kitchen. Ginny held up a hand, pleading for forgiveness. "You're just so upset. I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have laughed."
Suzi shook her head in exasperation. "You just don't understand. That laboratory is my entire existence. My world! Without it I can't--"
"When was the last time you got shagged?"
Suzi blinked and paused in mid-step. "Excuse me?"
Ginny leaned forward. She was sitting at the team's breakfast table, wearing a wooly sweater and long skirt. It was one of Adam's favorite outfits and she enjoyed wearing it for him. Unfortunately, he and Joey were away so it was all a bit squandered... "No woman should be speaking of her laboratory like that. You need to get yourself a nice bloke and relax."
Suzi held her tongue before she told Ginny just what she thought of her idea. She means well, she told herself. She can't help it that she's an idiot.
"Someone's on the beach! Proximity alert!"
Suzi jumped as PLATO's voice rang out. She was normally used to such events, having worked with the early warning system for years... but this time, his voice seemed so different.... "PLATO? Appear, please."
The image that flashed before her was hardly what she had grown used to. The figure was still composed out of hard light, with a greenish-tint to his appearance. But the features were... old... and strangely familiar. The holographic man was staring at his hands as if bewitched by them and his features parted in a smile. "It worked! Shevaun! It worked!"
Dark Angel flew into the room, looking a bit stunned. "How do you feel?"
"What the hell have you done to PLATO?" Suzi asked, her anger returning in full force.
"I saved Gully's life," Shevaun answered. She landed with a bit of unsteadiness and Suzi found herself reaching out to steady her.
"You're drunk!"
"Good eye."
"And you ruined PLATO."
"I wouldn't say he's been ruined," Gulliver interrupted. "In fact, we're getting along quite well."
"Shut up," Suzi warned. "I'm going to find some way to get you out of there and--"
That's enough.
The words rang so loudly in their heads that everyone in the room -- aside from Gully -- let out moans of surprise. Captain Britain stepped into the kitchen, with a young girl beside her. The girl was wrapped in a blanket but was otherwise nude, with soft Indian features that reflected fear and confusion.
Shevaun rubbed at her own temples. "You nearly blew my brain out, Betsy. A bit uncalled for, that."
"I come back here to find you drunk, Gully merged with a machine and an amnesiac girl wandering around on the beach. You'll have to excuse me for being a bit short." Captain Britain nodded at Ginny, maintaining her authoritative tone but softening the anger somewhat. "Ginny... Fetch our guest some clothes if you don't mind."
The young girl allowed Betsy to sit her down, pulling her blanket tighter about her as she did so. "Is this... Lyonesse?" she asked, her voice quavering.
Betsy nodded, looking into the girl's eyes. She saw a flash of familiar power there... the power of the Pendragon. "Yes, it is. Did the Lady of the Lake send you?"
"I... don't know." The girl's shivering intensified and Betsy could feel her fear coming through in mental waves. "All I know is my name... Chanda Patel. And I... I know I have powers."
"Powers?" Gully asked, moving closer. He frowned when Betsy waved him away.
"What can you do, Chanda?"
The girl held out a shaking hand, her light brown skin shining in the kitchen's light. Moisture was pulled from the air, coming together to form a small funnel of water in her palm. The funnel twisted and turned before taking on the shape of the Lady of the Lake. She was, as always, painfully beautiful, with a strip of cloth covering her eyes and a long dress outlining her trim form.
Suzi Endo gasped aloud and took a step back. She had never been to Avalon and had never seen the Lady of the Lake... All the stories she had heard had not prepared her for this. This was but the smallest display of Avalon's grandeur and it was still enough to take her breath away.
Betsy reached out to touch the watery form, her fingertips lightly touching the figure's surface. "You were missing when I went looking for you," she whispered. "And now I feel like I'm walking through a dream world, where my memories don't seem to match up with reality."
The Lady of the Lake shifted, her features changing. "I have gone forth to find the light that shall not be dimmed. The calmness of the sea can sometimes belie the stormy power within."
"What does she mean?" Suzi asked.
"Chanda. She's talking about you, isn't she?"
The young girl didn't reply, instead being transfixed by the Lady before her. The figure twisted twice, spinning about wildly, before dissipating back into the air.
Captain Britain straightened up and placed a hand on Chanda's shoulder. "You're welcome to stay here, with us."
"I don't know who I am," she replied. "I have no idea what I am."
W.H.O. Headquarters
Deep below London's busy streets, the Weird Happenings Organization studies the strange, the unusual and the profane. Within one of its many offices, two Pendragons wait impatiently for a foreign visitor.
The man known as Union Jack shifted his weight from foot to foot, which drew an annoyed stare from his companion, Adam Crown. "Do you have to do that, Joey?"
"Do what?"
"All that moving about. You're more fidgety than a mouse."
Joey Chapman forced himself to be calm. It lasted all of a minute. "It's just the wedding coming up. I mean, it's only days away."
"What are you worried about? Jackie's a great catch. We should all be so lucky."
Union Jack nodded, knowing that was true. Jackie was an incredible woman, with a spirit that could brighten up the gloomiest of rooms. And her body...! Not that her beauty was all that had captured Joey's fancy... but it didn't hurt, that was for certain. After all, he'd never chased her when she'd been all old and gray....
"You're doing it again. Zoning out."
Joey grunted. "Sorry. I was just getting around to fatherhood."
Adam grinned. "If I were you, I'd be chuffed about the whole thing. Just enjoy it. Besides... getting married means you get to have a bachelor party."
"Yeah... Who's planning that, anyway?"
"Your best man, I suppose. Who is it?"
"Good question... I better think of one, eh?"
A door opened then, silencing the pleasant banter. An agent of WHO accompanied a scarlet and white clad man. "Gentlemen. Thank you for coming. This is Josef Petkus, a product of the Red Guardian program."
"You make it sound as if I came off an assembly line," Josef retorted. He looked tired and Joey could easily picture the long hours of debriefings he'd probably gone through. "I am the sole bearer of the identity now and I am eager to see it redeemed in the eyes of the world."
"You're off to a good start by coming here," Adam said. He moved forward and offered a hand. After a moment's hesitation, Josef accepted it. "We've heard that you've got news about Doom."
"Yes. He's gearing up for war against the Red Lord... and that's just the beginning. If his Death's Head troops are successful there, he'll begin offering them as foot soldiers for the Commonwealth. England's power base will be completely eroded."
"I thought you served the Commonwealth," Union Jack countered. "Why betray them?"
Josef tilted his chin defiantly. "Sometimes one is forced to choose between one's loyalties and one's moral standing. This is such a case. Victor Von Doom is a despot and I do not desire his rule."
"So what do you think we should do about it?"
"I think," the Red Guardian said, "That we should allow his forces to clash with those of the Red Lord. Whichever one survives... We destroy. Immediately and without mercy."
Darkmoor, the Land of the Red Lord
Blackheart crept through the shadows, letting them wrap around him and hide his presence. He heard the screams all around him, echoing in the tall, high-ceilinged room. The man-child called Dark Albion had made this place his home and he was learning his lessons wells. The armored figure strode amongst his victims, letting their misery entertain him. If there was any of his former self still within, it was hidden well.
Dark Albion stopped behind one of the naked girls that he was tormenting and gripped her long hair in his glove. He liked fair-skinned girls with long hair, Blackheart knew, and had captured many of them. They all bore a definite resemblance to the former Pendragon known as Shamrock and Blackheart filed that away for later use, as well. "Do you think I'm too young for you?" Dark Albion whispered. His voice was a mixture of lost little boy and menacing sadist, all broken and rough.
Tears ran hotly down the girl's face. "No! No, you are... just right, m'lord."
"You lie. You don't like me. You think I'm silly. You think I like boys."
"No! No, I don't! Honestly!"
Blackheart chuckled to himself. The game was always the same. So predictable.
Dark Albion stepped before the girl, placing his gauntleted hands on her breasts. They were small but ample enough. He squeezed them harshly and she answered with a whimper. "I don't like boys. It's a myth about all of us boarding school boys doing all that experimentation. You know that?"
"Yes! A myth... Please, god, stop...."
Cam drew his hands away, but painful hand-prints remained on her skin. "If you kiss me, I'll believe you."
Hope and fear intermingled in the girl's eyes. "...I'll try...."
Cam reached up and slowly began removing his helmet. As his face came into view, the girl began shrinking away, fighting against her bonds. Her screams became louder, as well, as she gazed into Cam's twisted visage.
Blackheart turned away as Cam leaned in for a "kiss." He'd seen this part before and had lost its allure. But there were far more interesting things on the horizon... things that could possibly shift the balance of power and give Blackheart back what he deserved: absolute power.
"And it all begins with a wedding," he whispered.
Next Issue: The wedding of the year is here! Join us for the before-event parties, the grand ceremony and the shocking aftermath! The world of the Pendragons will never be the same after this!
AUTHOR'S NOTES
The Pendragons will be going through some changes in the next few issues, with a few long-timers headed out and some new faces coming in. There's a poll running on the Avengers 2000 mailing list, asking folks who they'd like to see join the new (or re-join, as the case may be) and it's neck and neck at present. Stop by and vote if you have a desire to.
Stay in touch everyone!
You can reach me at aric_dacia@yahoo.com
