Lights flickered. Dogs barked. Barking dogs was usually a good sign. It meant that there wasn't something around that scared the dogs away. Eddie decided now was as good a time as any to get up. He pulled his blanket off him and rose from his makeshift bed.

"Hello again London," he said.

Eddie didn't use his last name, didn't like it. He just told people his name was Eddie and left it at that. There was another title they might call him by, but he didn't use that either. If he'd told them they'd have locked him up in a loony bin anyway.

He pulled his coats around him and stumbled forward. It wasn't raining and he didn't particularly feel the cold, but his coats were a source of comfort and reassurance. The inner one was an old dusty brown leather jacket. He'd worn it for his first real kiss. It had been present for most of the important events of his life.

Over the top he was in a ragged green longcoat. It was almost a layered wax jacket, almost, but not quite. It had lots of pockets, lots of secrets.

His hair was unkempt, long due to neglect. He had no beard, just a slight layer of fuzz and stubble, due to an inability to grow one. A long scarf hung off his shoulders which generally covered his face in the smellier places he had to sleep.

Eddie was homeless. He saw no stigma, just a dislike for the mundane existence required to keep a roof over his head.

He'd been forced to move around more in the past few days. Some crazies seemed to have targeted some of the Black Air buildings and the fallout was still coming down. Now he'd never been inside one of the libraries, but he'd encountered Black Air brothers and sisters out on the streets. He was never quite sure what to make of them. They didn't act like a religious sect, they just turned up and listened. Every so often there would be storytellers at gatherings with food and warmth. He'd also heard tales of Black Airites stopping beatings on the street. If you needed to know something and you had some information to trade, then you should look for some of them. They weren't people you got to know though. Eddie couldn't remember when he'd met one of Black Air, more than twice. They were fairly weird, but he couldn't think why someone would want to blow up some of their buildings.

He could probably identify with Black Air. He too liked to hear the stories.

Eddie generally kept to the lower London. Closer to the ground. The upper city was too bright, too false. He needed that closeness. Being detached did not suit him. If he had to be honest the tales told by the trees down below were far better than those higher up. He'd never tried spending too much time up in the real cities since before puberty and he didn't think he'd really want to. People would tell you Eddie was strange. Eddie might very well agree, but only in the fact that by his very nature he could do things most people would never even think of. That made him strange, but he saw no reason to feel ashamed of that. It was who he was, not something to be hidden.

He kept his abilities to himself, on the whole. A few did know, but most of those weren't human and unlikely to be questioned. He'd never really sat down to question what he was. Probably because he assumed his purpose would be revealed soon enough and he didn't see the point donning any kind of outlandish costume and gallivanting of on a foolish quest. To be honest the tales of the Marvels bored him. Why would anyone want to read about them when there were Kings and Queens to hear about. There was so much hidden there that he'd rather hear stories of them. The true history of the land.

EARLIER

It was on the morning after the explosions and Eddie had found all the commotion upsetting his sleep. He'd given up on his rest and found himself rooting around the ashes of one of the libraries. What was unusual was that the destruction had been largely confined to just the Black Air buildings. That had aroused Eddie's curiosity and he'd found himself sneaking past the Police cordons set up to clear the areas while they checked the structures above in case of damage. With no obvious deaths in this area the Police were quite happy to steer clear of the building until the all clear was given.

Eddie took this as an opportunity to be nosy. He'd slipped by the Police quietly, when one of the buildings had kindly shifted and deposited some more rubble on the street, and was now picking his way through some old tomes. The majority of the non structural rubble seemed to be electronic. He could find little that was still in one piece as whatever had destroyed the building had ripped apart the monitors from the inside. His eyes caught on a glint of light coming from an ashen pile and he edged across to it, careful not to display a silhouette.

Sliding down the other side of the rubble, he pressed himself against the ruins. His fingers ran over the carcasses of the tomes, the strewn wires, to the circular end to his quest. What had they hidden from view?

LATER

Eddie had ducked into the den of ill repute after being stalked through the streets. Strange looks he was used to, but he was in a hurry, so he slipped in quietly and had headed up a back stairs. There he waited for the screaming to start. It always came sooner or later. Sure enough it started and a frantic rush to leave the building as something entered it. Gradually the screaming stopped, but had not been peppered by gunfire, which Eddie had been expecting. Eddie didn't move, he just waited. He was someone who liked to wait. He was fond of roots.

Silence settled again and Eddie sat listening to his very breath, certain everyone else could hear it too. He shuffled a little and opened one of his pockets slowly. Slipping his hand inside slowly he held his hand over a carved coin. It was black etched in silver. It was the symbol of the Night Raven.

Floors creaked, but no one came.

Eventually Eddie shifted. He could have stayed in that spot all night, but that would have accomplished nothing. Slowly rising Eddie pocketed the coin, and glanced out from the cupboard he had settled in. It was then he saw them.

The eyes had it. Soulless things that fed on the night.

He'd not seen their like before. Bizarre creatures made of sorcery and technology. Tubes buried into blue flesh. These were not creatures of the light. Eddie moved back a little, his eyes looking for an exit. The closest creature turned slowly and then it saw him.

All notions of stealth went out the window at that point. As the creatures all turned towards him, Eddie leapt forwards crashing through a door across the hallway. The hairs on the back of his neck rose slowly as the floorboards creaked behind him. Even the lurid pink of the room could not distract him as he hurtled towards the window. He hurried to open it up, wishing it were merely glass which he could have smashed through.

His feet landed heavily and he span to look up at the ghastly creatures gazing down. Eddie wondered why they made no move after him until he caught a glimpse of movement behind him. They were not coming after him, because they already had him cornered. Three of the creatures walked slowly down the streets, leaving only one avenue for him. He sprinted quickly, well aware where his path was taking him. Into one of the unpoliced zones, closer to the forests. Down Bell Street, across into Doyle Avenue, Eddie ran, his overcoat flowing behind him. At every junction there was one of the tubed monstrosities. He was being herded through ages old pillars.

They were closing him down fast and he was running out of options. He turned another corner and came face to face with the end of the line. He'd managed to back himself in.

Hands reached down, clawing at his coats as they tried to catch him. Eddie slid down the wall, kicking his feet out to move him downwards. His mind tried to race through options, but the stench of death they carried suggested he was out of luck. If his ears had been paying attention they might have caught the sound of discussion and crumpling forms.

Eddie felt the clawing hands removed sharply as if they had been pulled away themselves. He turned his gaze upwards to see a white haired woman looking down, offering him her hand. Her pale complexion was framed in blue and her eyes piercing. "Do you want saving?" she asked firmly. Eddie grabbed her hand and was surprised by her strength as she pulled him from the alley. He sailed up onto the wall as the streets came into view again. Scattered around were the shattered forms of his pursuers. Some were cut and torn, others imprisoned in ice. 'Where had the ice come from?' Eddie found himself wondering, looking for the bizarre rather than dealing with the reality of the situation.

The woman who had pulled him from the alley carried no weaponry, but displayed no obvious need for it. A flame haired woman flipped along the wall to land besides them. As she landed she reached to her belt to unsheathe a sword. Compared to the white haired woman she was very much the fighter. There was steel forged with her fire. She looked over Eddie quickly and asked to no one in particular, "Is this who they were hunting?"

"Looks that way," her white haired companion replied. She turned to Eddie and asked, "Why were Psychowarriors after you?"

Eddie struggled for a reply. "Psy... Psychowarriors?"

"Oh question him later, Snow. We have to get out of here before another wave come in." The orange haired woman activated a button on her right wrist and, in a circular motion, an energy shield formed.

"This way," the woman called Snow said to him, as she jumped off the wall forward onto the street below. The others followed her, sprinting over what appeared to be mock cobbles. Snow brought herself quickly to a stop. "The temperature is dropping all around us. I think we've just walked into trap 2."

Her orange haired companion gave a look that sent the temperature well past freezing and prepared herself to fight. From around them the Psychowarriors came, shambling forwards to overwhelm them.

Then the world turned green.

And Eddie's life changed forever.

NEXT ISSUE - Where have Eddie, Snow and Tangerine found themselves? Why would Psychowarriors be after a Homeless man, or don't you buy that Eddie is just a nice ordinary guy? In another generous display you'll also get some answers. Now isn't that nice? All this and more obscure Marvel references in CHAPEL. Oh and just wait till next month's ending 8)

No letters this month, just MFS got swamped in props. One of which is even set in Europe yay. If you've not noticed Heroes, the internet Fanfic Magazine, in its December issue published not only an interview about Future Shock with the likes of Biohaz, Robin Sutton, Jac Milnestein and me, but also the first prelude of Paradise Lost, the big MFS event that starts roughly a week after issue 11 of this title comes out. In the prelude you'll find things like some more information on that war in the Antarctic that was mentioned in connection to Meggan many issues ago and also a look into the Black Air Library in Milan. Parts of Excalibur will be very involved in Paradise Lost, and those we don't see, well I'll deal with them when it's all over. Let's just say issue 15 which deals with one section of the large cast we have running around these pages will lead to quite a dangerous playing field for those people you consider the heroes in this book. And you'll even get to have a team. Whether it's a team of good or bad guys I'm not saying.

This issue is actually Eddie's second appearance with the first being issue 8. It's a case of blink and you miss him, but he is there. I'm quite fond of him and you'll get to see a lot more in the upcoming issues.

Fanfic picks this month - hmmm well I'd do my usual read Batman DCFS and guess who the Batman is before I do. I've had two guesses so far and both are wrong so I'm going to keep trying. I do love a good detective story. I'd also suggest going over to Yesteryear where the reboot has taken on a new form as the old series have metamorphisised into 6 monthly magazines. Those of you who used to read Sand and Stage Mist there will find it sharing Thrill Theater with a certain Flash Gordon in Hawkman of Mongo by Ali. Now if I can only get the Phantom into that title and my Defenders of the Earth idea is on course.

I'd also suggest Allies: IFS by Tommy Hancock which should be up to its second issue by now. It's a bizarre amalgam of pretty much every single Golden Age connected character from Image, Awesome and Wildstorm, minus just a few who I've already sneaked out to use later in the year.

Comics wise I'd suggest Planetary which is one of those books that reveals more the more attention you pay to it and adds more to each previous issue when a new one comes out. I'll also go with Blaze of Glory - the last ride of Marvel's western heroes by Ostrander and Manco. It's proudly on my shelves next to my Desperadoes now.

Other than that not a lot. I'm surprised this issue is short, but I've covered everything I wanted to. Probably means next issue will be huge as always seems to happen. If you've got any comments or questions mail me at Crib Notes at Starman26@hotmail.com

or go post on the MFS message board which is now a hive of discussion mainly about the Avengers and Doom at the moment. Ah I'll get to my controversy in issue 13 hehehehe