Kitty Pryde, Excalibur and the X-Men are trademarks of Marvel Comics. This story is an unauthorised work done purely for my personal enjoyment, and is not intended to infringe on any of their rights in or their profits from these characters. But this story is copyright to me.
Comments, especially (constructive) criticism, always
welcomed. Please e-mail me at
mshakespeare@callnetuk.com
Notes:
< > indicates thoughts
Mark Shakespeare presents :
Excalibur Redrawn - Part 2
"Betsy?" Brian's voice was hesitant as he came over to where his twin sister sat hunched in a seat in the main hall. The tall, blond man towered over her, but his manner was diffident, as if he didn't know what response he was going to get. The purple-haired woman didn't even look up at her twin. "Betts, whatever's wrong, speak to me. PLEASE! I want to help if I can. " He knelt down by the side of the chair, and took her hand in his. "Betts, I thought we once agreed, no secrets between us. Come on, sis, talk to me!"
"Go away, Brian, I am not in the mood for idle small talk. And I do NOT want to speak to you, or any of the others, about what happened the day before yesterday, is that understood? What happened is a matter for me to deal with, and I have no intention of opening myself up for public inspection, even by my friends - even by my family!" A fist clenched where it rested on the arm of the chair, then slowly relaxed.
The huge man threw his hands up in the air. "All right, have it your own way! I give up! I just hope Kitty's having better luck with Meggan than I am with you!" He stalked away, muttering imprecations under his breath. Betsy didn't even watch him go - she was far too engrossed in self-examination of her own mind. The aftermath of the last night's attack, by creatures and powers unknown, was still having its effect on her. The way that the three-headed attacker had reached into the core of her being, dredging up the Crimson Dawn psychic link that she'd tried so hard to ignore, tried so hard to suppress, had shaken her self-belief. Now she was trying to see what could have happened to her during the attack, whether the Crimson Dawn link had affected the rest of her mind, and whether it could happen again. She was not sure she wanted to know the answer, but she was not going to run away from her problems. THAT was not in her nature.
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Brian headed for the kitchen. He was going to put the kettle on, and get a good, strong pot of tea brewed up. At least it would give him something to do! Kitty had taken Meggan outside to talk to her, and Betsy was cutting herself off from everyone else. It frustrated him, that he was being excluded by everyone else! Meggan hurt the most, though. He was her husband, yet she couldn't, or wouldn't, talk to him about what had been done to her during the assault, but had agreed to speak to Kitty instead. Why? Why wouldn't she tell him?? He resisted the urge to smash his fist down onto the table - it would probably have broken under the force of the blow.
The kitchen was cold - the fire hadn't yet been lit, and there was no central heating in here. Brian struck a match, and lit the fire, to get some warmth into the room, then filled the kettle and switched it on to boil. He looked out of the window, with its small lozenge-shaped glass panels set into lead frames, scanning the extensive mansion grounds for any sign of Meggan and Kitty. But they were nowhere in sight. Not under the trees, not on the lawn, not sitting on the stone banisters set around the house. Nowhere. He grunted in annoyance, and set about getting breakfast ready. A so-called 'traditional English breakfast', of the sort that almost nobody eats except when on holiday at a hotel. He put the bread in the toaster, the sausages into the oven, the bacon under the grill, the eggs into a pot with butter, ready for scrambling.
By the time the scrambled eggs were ready, Lockheed was sitting on the table with an eager look on his face, but no-one else had shown up. Brian put the rest of the food onto a slow heat, so that it didn't burn whilst they waited for the others to show up, and gave the little dragon a plate of scrambled egg on toast with a side-order of bacon rashers and grilled tomato, a gift which was most gratefully received.
The kettle was just coming to the boil when the phone rang. He took it on the kitchen extension. "Hello, Braddock Manor, Brian speaking. Oh, hello Professor. Have you managed to come up with anything on the artifacts we managed to recover from the fight?" He listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. "Celtic? PRE-Celtic?? What does that mean, exactly? No, they weren't recently made by us - why do you ask? Of course it's not a hoax, Professor, you know me well enough by now to know I DON'T hoax people!" The other voice spoke for a few more moments, then the line went dead. Brian hung up the phone with a puzzled look on his face. The Professor, Derek Harmon, was an old associate of his from his time at University. Now he headed part of the Antiquities Department at the British Museum, specifically that part dealing with British history and prehistory. And what he had had to say was confusing Brian immensely.
< Dating to a period prior to the Celtic occupation of Britain? Yet made recently? The armour being of a form similar to Celtic, but with other influences? What in the name of the devil is going on? >
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"Kitty, I .... I want to speak to you because I think you'll understand better than Brian might. I remember what you once told me about .... Ogun, was that his name? About how he possessed you, imprinted his mind on yours, tried to turn you to evil. And how he came for you again, that time in the restaurant. You've HAD something evil in your mind, possessing you. Brian has never had to face that, he wouldn't understand what it's like. He sees me as this sweet, innocent thing that he has to protect, he wouldn't be able to deal with this."
Kitty put her arm around the older woman's shoulder. "I think you underestimate Brian, Meg. I think he'd understand, and want to help you through it. After all, he forgave you for your feelings for Peter, didn't he? And, once we finish talking, I think you need to talk to him about this. But, I'll listen, if you want me to." She pulled Meggan's head onto her shoulder, and rested her cheek against the soft, golden hair. The wind was cool but refreshing, and Meggan felt her tension start to drain away as she relaxed in Kitty's gentle grasp. Her tension had started to drain away as soon as she'd stepped outside; the feel of the natural world around her soothed her nerves, made her feel stronger, more alive, cleansed, as it always did. She knew the younger girl was stronger than she was, inside; knew that she would understand what she was going through; knew, above all, that she was a friend, and would do anything to help her. She began to speak, hesitant and unsure of herself.
"I-it was like a black claw, reaching down into my heart. It ripped and tore at me, at what made me me. I couldn't seem to fight it. no matter how I tried. I felt it, Kitty, it was ALIVE, the darkness. It HUNGERED for something within me, something it simply took from me. And .... and I couldn't stop it!" By now the tears were starting to flow down her cheeks, as the memory of the pain and fear she'd felt became too much for her. Kitty merely hugged her tighter, saying nothing, letting her presence comfort her friend. Meggan's words became more and more incoherent as she told of what she'd felt in her mind - an evil, hungry, corrupting presence - and how part of her had responded to it, welcoming it, encouraging it. < Like that time in Inferno > Kitty thought.
Finally Meggan quieted enough for Kitty to decide it was worth speaking. "Okay Meg, you've found out you've got a dark side to you. Welcome to the human race! We've all got one, Meg - though yours, I'd hazard a guess, isn't as strong as in some of us. For instance, I've got a bloodlust and capacity for violence that pretty much matches that of Sabretooth or Wolverine - I found that out in Madripoor. It's only the self-control that Logan taught me to exert that keeps me from walking that path. And when that creature attacked you and Betsy, it also attacked me. I suddenly wanted to just cut loose and kill, and nearly did. And I have done, once before, during the Cross-Time Caper - remember? Or there's the Professor. He tried to ignore his own darkness , and look what happened - Onslaught! Brian's killed, so's Betsy; heck, even Kurt has! You can't just ignore it, Meggan; now you have to learn to control it. I'll help you; we ALL will, you know that. We'll all be here for you, Meg, for as long as it takes. Okay? And anyway, how do you know what you felt was YOUR anger and darkness, not just an echo of whoever was attacking you? You're an empath, Meg, you feel things the rest of us can't. TRUST me, Meg; you're not an evil person, or a killer, or whatever else that thing made you feel - you're one of the kindest, gentlest people I've ever met!"
The blonde elfin woman burst into tears, hugging Kitty tightly. They stayed like that for a few moments, before Kitty stood up, pulling Meggan to her feet. Together they went back inside. Scenting cooking bacon and other delicious smells, they headed towards the kitchen, before Kitty pulled away from Meggan. "Just a minute, Meg. You go ahead, I'll go and grab Betsy - she's having breakfast, like it or not!"
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The pub door opened, and the tall, dark man stepped in, looking round to locate his target, which should have been a difficult task given the very busy nature of the establishment. It wasn't. The large crowd of young women clustered around one person made it quite clear to the black man where his target could be located. He walked over, scanning the crowd as he did so, wary, making sure he wasn't being observed.
The target was easily discerned. The tall, blond man with the physique of the professional athlete, piercing blue eyes, and chiseled features, had a small crowd of women sitting on the arm of his chair, or in his lap, or hanging round his neck, all laughing and giggling. He was making no attempt to get rid of them, but was in fact reveling in their attentions. He saw the black man approaching, and smiled in anticipation. "Mr. Lucas? I've been expecting you." He waved the women away, much to their annoyance, but promised to call them back 'once business is concluded'. Lucas ordered a beer, and sat opposite him. "Well, Mr. Lucas, I believe you have a proposition to make to me?"
Lucas nodded. "Indeed that's so, Mr. Gregory. You are, according to our sources, currently in some financial difficulties, and in urgent need of money. My employer is willing to make an offer, in exchange for services rendered."
Gregory snorted. "Your employer can't be very well researched then! I don't HAVE any skills, except those to do with women!"
"Exactly, Mr. Gregory! In exchange for the sum of two hundred thousand pounds", he smiled at Gregory's expression, " my employer wishes you to use your 'gift' with women against a number of, shall we say 'targets'. Your mutant gift, oh yes we know of that, your mutant gift to attract women and make them compliant to your will, would be of great help to my employer."
Gregory smiled at that. "You mean, your boss will pay me to seduce some women? Sounds good to me!"
Lucas smiled thinly. "Exactly. Here are your targets. " He slid a packet of photos across the table.
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"I just think we need to try to find out who or what's behind the attack, that's all Brian. You have to admit, it's not a comfortable idea, that we could be attacked again at any time." They were sitting around the breakfast table, their empty plates piled high in the centre. Betsy had been 'persuaded' to have something to eat, before Lockheed had had her share. Meggan had finally told Brian what had been troubling her, and had cried when he had been understanding and supportive, just as Kitty had predicted. He had even understood her reason for speaking to Kitty first, "but next time, Meg, I AM your husband. I'd like to think you could tell me anything, that, no matter what, I'll keep on loving you regardless."
Betsy nodded. "She has a point, Brian. In the X-Men we have frequently been in the position of being attacked in our own home by villains who know about us, and try to take us by surprise. I think Kitty's right, we need to try to find out where our attackers came from. And Meggan is our best hope. Is it not so, Meggan, that during the attack, when your mind was being invaded by the evil force you felt, that you sensed something about the source location of the assault?"
Meggan nodded her agreement. "It lay to the west of here, I could sense that. And there was a tang in the air, like the smell of the sea. I think I heard the crash of waves against rock, cliffs maybe. And ...... and there was a tower of some sort, I think. The evil emanated from there." She shuddered at the remembrance of that evil, and Brian put his arm around her protectively.
"In that case, then, I think we should try to locate this tower, and see who or what's there" Brian said firmly. The others agreed.
"Okay everyone, into costume and back here in ten minutes. Brian, you get the Runner prepped for takeoff. There's a few pieces of kit I'd like to get ready as well. Let's go, people!" Kitty took charge instinctively, and the others moved to follow her orders.
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The Runner headed west, as Meggan had indicated. Everyone was in costume - Brian his power amplifier suit, Meggan her trademark green, Betsy her purple body suit, Kitty her blue-and-yellow costume. < I think it's time I got another look >, Kitty mused to herself. < I've worn this for ages, and it's not really a very good colour scheme for blending into shadows, is it? The yellow's too bright. Besides, it's far too close to my old fourteen-year-old's costume for me to like it too much, and nothing like what I've been wearing for the last few years. I think black and blue, or maybe grey and blue, would be a lot better. That impromptu costume I wore in Madripoor, with Logan and Sabretooth - that might be a reasonable basis for a new look - though maybe not quite so bondage-style, with all the belts and buckles! I'll think about a redesign when we get back. >
She turned her attention back to the matter in hand, and checked the readings on the electromagnetic energy scanner. Brian had installed it in the aftermath of Onslaught, as a precaution in case the team had to face a similar enemy in the future. Now she was using it to scan for any possible energy source, electromagnetic or psionic, which might indicate that they were approaching their target. She remembered being informed by Forge that magic could sometimes show up on technological sensors - < and he should know! >, so that was what she was using it for.
Brian held the Midnight Runner in a low-level, stealth-mode flight. They had by now crossed the Irish Sea, and were approaching land. He glanced back at Kitty. "Anything showing yet?" Kitty shook her head. Brian turned back to concentrate on flying the plane. There was a storm gathering up ahead, and strong side-winds were making it more and more difficult to keep to an ultra-low level approach, as they had planned. The sky was getting darker and darker, as the clouds thickened. Brian switched on the terrain-mapping radar, and the head-up display began to glow with green symbols and information. He pulled the control column up a little, to give some leeway during approach to the coast. The first spots of rain hit the windscreen, then they were joined by more, as the intensity of the rainfall increased. The sky was soon black, and driving rain obscured the land ahead. Brian was flying on instruments alone, the radar now supplemented by lidar for greater accuracy. Lightning flashes illuminated the interior of the plane, and thunder sent shock waves through the metal skin. Meggan spoke hesitantly, "Should I try to control the storm, Brian? Make it easier for you to fly the plane?"
Brian didn't take his eyes from the control panel as he answered. "Better not, love. You might need your strength later. We don't know whether this storm's got a natural cause, or whether it's being caused by whatever or whoever we're hunting.. Better not take the risk, not just yet anyway."
Meggan felt, from the darkness ahead, the evil that had invaded her mind earlier. It seemed to come from somewhere deep within the storm, almost as if the storm itself was a living thing, or as if the source of the evil was generating the storm. She opened her mouth to speak, to warn the others, but she never got the opportunity to alert them. Nor did Betsy have the time to warn the rest of the team of the hunger she suddenly sensed in front of them. The engines died. "WHAT THE HELL?!?" Brian shouted, as the Runner began to drop towards the sea. He pulled on the controls, but they didn't respond. "Brace for crash-landing!" he bellowed, as the Runner fell. Suddenly, through the driving rain, he saw a rocky beach that he hadn't noticed before. He didn't hesitate, but aimed the stricken plane for the unexpected landing site.
The impact almost tore the underside of the plane open, but it held. Its passengers, however, were thrown violently forwards in their seats, then slammed back, only the neck supports on the seats and the seat belt restraints preventing whiplash injuries, but still suffering bruises from the impact.
Silence.
The side door slowly opened, manually, as power was out. The team emerged, stunned and dazed, but otherwise not badly hurt. They had barely had time to get the ringing out of their ears, when Lockheed growled a warning. "Oh hell! Someone REALLY doesn't like us!" Kitty gasped, blinking the rain out of her eyes, as the team made ready to fight.
Diving on them through the black storm clouds were birds. Huge birds, crows or ravens. Each with a body as long as a man is tall, and wings over twice the span, huge beaks ready to stab, taloned feet ready to rake. Scores of them. Intent on the kill