Pendragon Comics - The Pendragons #99

"We're here to see Adam Crown," Captain America announced as he and Peter Parker stormed in to the palace at Darkmoor. He had a diplomatic status due to his current work and if Jack Monroe wanted to see someone, he got to see them. That was the agreement, and this was a matter of some urgency.

"I'm sorry," the attendant said, "His Majesty isn't..." Peter grabbed hold of him and lifted the attendant up by the throat, raising him high in the air.

"Normally I'm in the mood for a laugh," he said, uncharacteristic irritability in his voice, "but my wife's been kidnapped because she knows him and we've just travelled a long way and..."

"PETE!" Monroe said, placing his hand on Spider-Man's shoulder. "Put him down." Pete paused a moment and lowered the attendant who had started to turn blue. He closed his eyes, lowered his head and regained his composure.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I'm just... she's missing... there was nothing I can do." He looked up and the attendant could see through the bleary eyed face that he felt bad about it all, the same way the Pendragons had when they had failed to prevent the kidnap of their colleagues and he felt sorry for the man.

"It's ok," the attendant said, with a true British stiff upper lip mentality. "Happens a lot round these parts, think nothing more of it."

"Is Pen Dragon about?" Jack asked, wondering where his former leader was. He had heard that Pen had got a new team together, but he'd been too busy working with the other heroes towards rebuilding the war torn planet to come by. Peter had demanded it after he'd lost Mary Jane, and Jack had gone along to keep him out of trouble.

"Pen Dragon is currently on Otherworld," said the attendant, "but is due back." He looked at Peter. "If it helps, your wife was not the only one taken, and the Pendragons were taken from their own homes. They even took His Majesty, but Jessica Drew and her new Pendragons are on their way to rescue them even now." He put his hand on the man's shoulder. "I shouldn't doubt they'll be home any moment. Now, who'd like a cup of tea?"

The Pendragons

Issue #99

Brought together in defense of Avalon and the British Isles, the Pendragons are the officially-sanctioned heroes of Great Britain. Originally led by the Black Knight, the group is composed of the remnants of the old Knights of Pendragon group, as well as several other heroes. Willing to die for their beliefs, the Pendragons stand united as England's best defense against threats of a superhuman nature.

Pendragons logo created by David Wheatley
based on designs by Des Davies and Kell Carpenter!

Written by David Wheatley

What's Been Happening: Necromon has sent his Druids to capture the Pendragons and they have gathered many of those who were formerly part of the team. Jessic Drew has gathered those who remain and has gone to the Netherworld to find them, but Necromon has set a trap in the hope of being able to capture the last of the Pendragons and claim the powers of the Box of Delights.

The druids, in the stolen forms of Adam Crown, Molly Fitzgerald, Android Andy, Cybermancer, Iron Man, Peregrine, Sibilla, Mary-Jane Watson-Parker, and Thunderfist waited for the arrival of their would be rescuers, the Pendragons. And they knew that soon they would be here.

Jessica Drew had led her team of Captain Britain, Union Jaq, Kate McLellan, Etorian Kaine, Feron and Pete Wisdom in to the depths of the Netherworld, with Wynter and Dark Angel coming along for the support. Those with a connection to Otherworld had felt it first, the hopelessness that attacked their very beings in this place. The Netherworld was an opposite of Otherworld, and while the layout and structure of the place looked the same, there was not the hope, the positive energy in the air. The forces of the Netherworld tapped in to the energy matrix the same as the denizens of Otherworld, but theirs was a lust for power, a greed and desire to become more powerful and not the Otherworld way of using their power for the greater good. This translated to those from Otherworld as a negative charge in this place, and while their powers remained the same, there was doubt in their hearts, and the doubt was infectious. Each of them had a secret fear, something that they didn't want to face, but the thing that they kept repressed in the back of their mind was making it's way to the front, and making this a psychological battle as well as a battle for their former comrades, and so far they had fought several druid contingents, and for the moment they were resting and taking stock of the situation.

"We could really do with the blessing of the Green right now," muttered Joey. "It would have given us hope."

"The power of the Pendragons isn't in the Green," said Jessica. "It's in our belief in the values of the Green. We hold on to that we'll be fine."

"Then believe in yourself, as I do." Kate nodded and they hunted, Wynter and Feron using their magic to try and locate their friends.

"This is weird," Wynter said after a moment. "I get a fix one way, you get it the other."

"That way," he said, pointing in the direction Feron had conjured, "is where we'd find House Braddock on Otherworld. Mine is towards the castle my father constructed."

Kaine was watching and he nodded to Wynter. "Yours is closer, and Necromon would be more likely to use something like that, as it has more chance of having a counterpart here than the more recent House Braddock."

Jessica paused a moment and contemplated. "We try Wynter's, the druids seem to have been pushing us that way. Could be a trap, but at least we're ready for it..." She trailed off. "I get the feeling we're being watched. Shevaun, what do your powers tell you?"

"That's the problem," Dark Angel answered. "I'm torn between both routes." She closed her eyes. "I don't know if we're being watched though. You may just be imagining things."

Jessica was on her feet in an instant. "Same as before – Joey, Jackie, Wynter and Eto will fend them off, the rest of will head for the others. We go Wynter's way, sorry Feron, but he's the more powerful of the two of you." Feron nodded and everyone prepared to move off again

"Here we go again," said Eto, manifesting his claws. This was getting to be tiresome.

The team caught up and regrouped a short while later, just at the foot of a dark and foreboding monument. Just before it, the captured Pendragons were bound to stone tablets and they were surrounded in a light blue haze, as the transference of the vestiges and traces of the Green were drawn out, as well as parts of their souls. There were perhaps half a dozen Druids there, watching as their comrades cast the incantations.

"A dozen of them," said Joey, looking at the scene. "Going to be tricky is that."

"We know the plan," said Jessica. "You fight the Druids, Pete and Feron use their powers to drain off the magic that's holding them in place and disrupt the ritual while the rest of us set them loose." They nodded in agreement of the plan, and went to work, Joey and Jackie leading the charge as Captain Britain and Union Jaq, with Eto and Wynter bringing up the rear. The six on watch converged on them, leaving the other six to continue the chanting and the other Pendragons went in, Wisdom firing mystic blades as best he could, burying them in the Druids and siphoning off their powers. He didn't know how long he could do this, but it only needed to be long enough to get the others free and then they would face a united army of Pendragons. As he did so, Feron weaved his own magic to try and undo what they had begun and so doing allow the others to free them with greater ease

As the others approached to confront the remaining Druids, Wynter held back a moment, putting out a hand and stopping Eto who was a step and a half behind. "Watch this," he said and the two men watched as Jackie and Joey went to work.

Joey reached out as he shot through the air, grabbed two Druids and smashed their heads together in a fast and fluid movement. On normal men their heads would have been pulped like over ripe melons being slammed in to each other, but the Druids were made of sterner stuff than that and were only slightly dazed, but it gave Joey chance to bring his fists together and plough in to the third one that was unwittingly waiting. The Captain maximised the impact, using the power of his punch and the momentum of his flight to do as much damage as he could and then he reigned down blows on the seemingly helpless Druid.

Jackie on the other hand was using her speed instead of the raw, brutal power at her disposal and she had a much greater finesse with what she was doing, her fighting moves and style working so that when the Druids thought they were fighting her they ended up fighting each other. It was poetry in motion, the grace and elegance with which she moved between them, striking as and when necessary to annoy and enrage the Druids who could not keep up with her. Jackie was super-humanly fast anyway, but with the powers of Otherworld flowing through her, she simply had to be the fastest woman alive.

"Are we even needed here?" Eto asked, as the husband and wife team ripped through the enemy.

"Doesn't look like it, does it?" said Wynter. "It..." He stopped in mid-sentence and a look of consternation came over him. "It doesn't look like it...." Before he could say anymore he was struck from behind and Kaine turned to see another Druid there. He hoped Wynter was ok, but knew there wouldn't be time to check on him as he struck with his claws, slashing swiftly against the target. Maybe Joey and Jackie didn't need any help, but he was going to have a fight anyway.

Jessica, Shevaun and Kate had succeeded in freeing their captured friends and the Pendragons were assembling.

"Can't hold this anymore," shouted Pete and his mystic knives died and he sank to his knees. "Sorry, they were fighting me and there's too many."

"Got it!" called Joey as he flew in, pulling the sword free as he did so and throwing it so it whirled round like a helicopter blade decapitating the six weakened Druids and ending up caught in his hand and he landed next to them Pendragons and wiped the blood from the sword on the clothes on the nearest corpse. "Wondered if that would work," he said, as casually as if he had just stepped off the kerb.

"That was a bit blood-thirsty," said Kate, not sure she liked this side of Joey. "Cutting off their heads?"

"I used to hunt vampires, sometimes in much the same way" said Joey. "And I was good at it, and now I've the power to back it all up. I'm Captain Britain, don't forget it."

"Maybe he's sick of your leadership," said Adam, coolly. "Let's face it, Jess, even you don't think you're up to this." Jessica's face fell and Adam sneered. "A woman leading the Pendragons? Didn't work with Elisabeth and it certainly won't work with you."

"Leave her alone, Crown," said Joey, getting in Adam's face. "I like her, she's better at being leader than you were. How many Pendragons died on your watch, Adam? How much did we lose? Remind me!" He grabbed Adam by the throat. "You're PATHETIC!"

"Joey?" Jackie was looking at her husband, almost afraid of him. He'd never displayed this kind of anger.

"This place," said Jessica, shaking off what Adam had said. "It's affecting us."

"Not us," Molly said. "That's because we're the Pendragons, not you. They didn't take you, they didn't want you. You're second stringers, riding on the coat tails of your betters!"

"I was a Pendragons long before you," said Kate. "There's a few of us who were part of your era, but guess what? Things have changed. Like it or not, we're the Pendragons now."

"Really?" said Molly, and punched her. "Time to take you out then, and prove who the Pendragons really are." The ones they had come to rescue started to attack their rescuers, using their full range of powers and abilities, to try and destroy and humiliate their friends, who did not want to fight back. All except one of them.

"I'll take you all on!" shouted Joey, rushing forward. "COME ON THEN!!" Cybermancer, Molly, Iron Man and Thunderfist struck at him at once, the combined force of their powers taking him down quickly.

"Jackie, get him out," Jess shouted as Adam charged in to her, slamming her to the floor, and putting his hands around her neck and started to squeeze.

"Nobody's going to bail you out this time," he said. "No magic swords, just you and me, and you aren't good enough..."

Kate and Molly were fighting each other, Mary Jane had seemingly reverted to Red Sonja and she was going for Shevaun along with Cybermancer, while Android Andy and Iron Man were double teaming Wisdom, leaving Sibilla, Peregrine and Thunderfist to fight with Jackie, and because the Pendragons on the defensivce did not want to hurt their comrades, thinking that this was part of what had happened to them, they held back.

Wynter groaned as he looked up and he could see the battle below. Eto was going one on one with the Druid still and Wynter knew he didn't have time. He had perceived it, just on the range of his mystic senses and he knew that the figures they fought were not the Pendragons they knew, and he knew he had to stop it, but the Druid had done something to him with the strike he had inflicted and Wynter was pretty much powerless. He reached out, pushing himself to his limits, casting his powers wide, stripping the enemy of their illusions to reveal the Druids before the Pendragons. His head was pounding but he had managed to undo the spell, and that was him done.

"Bravo," said a voice and he turned to see Necromon standing there. "I did not think you'd be able to see through the veil."

"My father mastered that trick before you were born," Wynter said, "and I have seen through all of his deceptions."

"Then maybe you should ask him about your mother some time," Necromon said, magic energy forming at his fingertips. "Or maybe you will ask her yourself!"

"NO!" said Kaine and slashed at the wizard, who turned so the claws only caught his robes and Necromon gestured and Kaine was flung back.

"You're right, we do not have time for this," Necromon said, giving a wave of his hand in the direction of the main battle and the Pendragons seemingly disappeared, leaving only the Druids. "I have them and I have the Box of Delights. The Elixir of Life will be mine!" He looked to his minions. "Kill them." Then he was gone, leaving a drained Wynter and a disorientated Kaine against nine full strength Druids.

"Why didn't you do that to us earlier?" demanded Jessica, as the team were placed with the other Pendragons.

"Because he didn't have the power," said Shevaun. "He needed to use the Druids to get to us, as he did the others. They tag us and he can draw us in, even Joey and Jackie, because in this place his powers are at their peak."

Necromon smiled. "You will make me an excellent Queen," he said. "If there's anything left of you after I'm done. I've used my powers to disconnect you from consciously accessing the piece of the Fabric of the Universe, but I think the cosmic power you possess will keep you alive, but we'll soon know." Then he turned to Kate and started searching her body and she spat in his face, so he slapped her. "I want the Box, not your insipid body." He wrenched it free of her and held it aloft. "At last, I possess the Box of Delights. Time itself will be mine to command, and I will bring forth the Elixir of Life!"

"When I am finished, I will be the Bane," he crowed. "I will alter the flow of history so that the Bane is no longer some formless power, but the spirit of Necromon!" He turned and waved his Druids in to begin the ritual. "Farewell, Pendragons, your time is over..."

"I hate it when they do that," said Kaine as he picked himself up, only to see the Druids coming towards them. "Oh, this isn't good," he muttered. "Wynter!"

"Can barely get myself together," the mage replied. "Had enough focus to get rid of the illusion, but that was it." He looked at him. "You need to get out of here, get the others. Stop Necromon."

"Because I can do this." Kaine closed his eyes an placed both his hands together, ball of hand against ball of hand, his fingers up and open like the strange impression of a flower. "Let's see them deal with this..." He tapped in to the core of his being, focused his energy and called it forth, adding the power of his soul to the energy, and summoning a soul flare. This was the kind of thing that was only called for in an emergency and Kaine considered this to be an emergency. It would leave him pretty weak, but he wouldn't leave Wynter. The energy crackled and coalesced in a ball between his fingers, growing in size as it grew in power and then he released the energy in one devastating assault on the Druids. Energy poured from him, channelled through his hands in one solid burst and he turned his hands and spread his fingers wide so that the energy was released in as wide a beam as possible. It struck the Druids who tried to defend with their magic but the energy was too raw and potent for them to react and it ripped through them, tearing them to pieces and leaving a gaping wound in the landscape from which smoke poured and Kaine collapsed to his knees, exhausted. "Got 'em," he rasped through ragged breath. "Ok, now let's save the Pendragons." Then he fell over.

"There has got to be a way out of this," said Jessica, as she struggled against the mystical bonds that held her. The Druids were anointing those who had not been prepared for the ritual and the only one of the other Pendragons awake was Ghost Rider and he was saying nothing. "I'll take any good ideas?"

"I can't break these bonds," said Joey. "It's like they're designed specifically for me."

"There's not enough slack for me to move at super speed and create vibrations to free me," Jackie added.

"I can manifest my hot knives," Wisdom said, hopefully, "I just can't get them more than in an inch or so in front of me, and it'll take me a while to absorb the magic."

"I'm trying to undo what he's done to me," Shevaun contributed. "I'm trying a few incantations to break the block he's put on me, but it's like I'm blindfolded and trying to hit a bull's-eye with a peashooter."

"He took the Box," she said, tears in her eyes. "I could have done something to stop him, and now he's taken the one thing we were supposed to protect. Without the Green I'm nothing, and I wasn't much with it. I'm not meant to be a Pendragon."

"Yes you are," said Joey, "otherwise you wouldn't be here. Doesn't it strike you as odd that Cole Rawlins would give you the Box just as we head for the place where it's most at risk?"

"He had a plan," said Jackie, seeing what her husband meant. "What did he say to you, Kate? About the Box of Delights?" Kate closed her eyes and tried to remember what had been said. She remembered that he had given it to her, told her how to use it and she had asked why her, and he had said she would need it, but there was something else as well. What had he said to her?

"When you were blessed by the Green, there was the spirit of Guinevere about you, and that spirit has an... affinity with the Box. I was a Pendragon as well."

"He was a Pendragon," she said. "He had the spirit of Guinevere through the Blessing, the same as I did and the Box has an affinity with the spirit of Guinevere."

"Which Necromon is about to try summon forth, at least whatever part of the spirit is still left," said Jessica. "There's only one thing we can do then." The others looked her. "We let him complete his ritual."

"Yes," said Jessica. "I think we have to trust Cole Rawlins and more than that, we have to trust the Green." She looked at Kate McLellan and nodded. "And in Kate."

"Looks like someone thinks it's a good idea," said Wisdom and they looked at Ghost Rider, who was nodding. "Okay, that's just creepy. How does his skull not full off when he does that?"

"We do nothing," said Jessica, crossing her fingers. It came down to a matter of faith.

The Druids completed their tasks and they were ready and Necromon appeared before them, dressed in his finest robes and looking every inch the evil sorcerer. He nodded to his minions and raised his hands, chanting words none of them could understand or translate, but they kicked up an incredible light show. Then he pointed at Adam and clenched his fists and luminous energy was removed from Adam, who took on a greyish hue to his skin as his essence was removed, Necromon harvesting the Green energies first. He then pointed to Joey and removed his essence and Jackie called his name out as he took on the same colouring of Adam, but Necromon laughed as they two essences met and then he did the same to Kate, and removed hers. The three essences merged in to one ball of spiritual energy and the energy seemed to take on a life of it's own, reaching out and touching each of the other Pendragons, whether they possessed the Green or not. Necromon looked worried, as he had not bargained on this, and neither had he bargained on the energy growing and separating in to three distinct forms.

"What trickery is this?" he demanded as the forms took shape and Necromon gasped. "This cannot be!" Before him stood the figures of Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere, a light green hue surrounding them, and the Pendragons now were revived and watching as their historical ancestors stood confronting Necromon. Arthur drew his sword, which they all recognised as Excalibur and pointed it at the Sorcerer as Lancelot went to work on the Druids, showing why he was the greatest warrior of his era. The Druids could not hurt the spirit, but the spirit could hurt them. "BEGONE!" howled Necromon. "BEGONE I COMMAND YOU" but he did not have the power here and Guinevere reached out and in her hand appeared the Box of Delights. She opened it up, revealing a bright white light and Necromon was drawn in to the Box, screaming as he went. He tried fighting it but there was nothing he could do and then he was gone and she closed the Box, looked at Kate and smiled, then she and Arthur freed the captive Pendragons. Arthur put his hands on the shoulders of Adam and Jessica, acknowledging his descendants and then there was a flash of green light and the Pendragons were alone, the Druids slaughtered and Kate held the Box of Delights once more.

"He tried to usurp the power of the Green," said Jessica. Arthur's touch had told her and Adam all they needed to know. "Unfortunately he was trying to harness a magic beyond his true understanding."

"Herne knew," said Joey, also knowing what had occurred thanks to Lancelot. "Wasn't Peter possessed by his spirit at one point?"

Kate nodded. "It needed all of us in the right place at the right time," she said. "Guinevere told me herself. The Box of Delights contains part of her aspect, and with it she was able to control it beyond anything Necromon could suspect." She smiled. "So can I."

"You don't see this too often," said Adam, as he looked around and saw Pendragons old and new gathered together for the first time in a very long time. "Shame it can't be under better circumstances." He looked at Jessica. "You did well, all of you. Our legacy is in good hands." She smiled. "Now let's go home."

Kate nodded and opened the Box of Delights. It's power was hers to command now and she would get them all home safely. The Netherworld adventure had been a rebirthing for them all, and while there were things they all needed to deal with, Kate knew that everything was going to be ok. They were the Pendragons, and she had faith again.

"NO!!!!!!" Necromon screamed as he fell through time and then he stopped. He was in the middle of a crowd, and people were running, screaming in terror. "Where am I? he mused. "When am I?" He grabbed someone. "What is going on!" he demanded, using a simple translation spell.

"Run, the Gods have abandoned us!" Necromon looked up at where the man was pointing and he could see smoke and ash. "Pompeii is doomed!" Then Necromon was hit from behind by a panicking villager and he fell and hit his head.

"No," he muttered, but it was too late and even though he tried to raise a mystical shield, the hot ash fixed itself to his skin and clothes and soon he was covered, petrified and buried in the tomb of Pompeii.