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"Never laugh at live dragons."
- J R R Tolkien, 'The Hobbit'
There was definitely an anomaly in the timeline. Kate couldn't understand what had changed, or how it had changed, but it seemed that everything that she had done to ensure the security of Earth was about to be undone and that when the Barrier fell, the Martians would be ready and could and would neutralise any and all magic and metahumans that emerged. They even had a sanction for the Hulk, which had intrigued her as there were very few beings on the planet who knew as much about Bruce Banner as that. It wasn't possible that they could know what was going on behind the Barrier, but somehow they did and Kate shook her head. Somehow the aliens had altered the timeline and ensured that they won the war and she was not about to let that happen.
It all came back to the collision of the two universes and the subsequent rebuilding of reality - that was where the problems had begun and she for the umpteenth time she reviewed the data. It didn't make sense… she couldn't see what the problem was and then she had a radical idea. What if that was what she should be looking for - not what was there but what wasn't.
"An absence of time," she whispered.
The timeline was battered, bruised. What if there were gaps forming, slight tears in the space-time continuum, that she couldn't detect because she wasn't looking for gaps like that. Widget instinctively grasped the concepts she was considering and refocused the computers of Limbo to search and there it was. A slight gap in the timeline, miniscule by comparison to everything else and that was how they had missed it. The tear was a hole that shouldn't be there and was almost resealed now as time itself repaired itself, but if Kate was right the damage was already done and she focused the computers on that tear, looking at it and examining the effects of it. It would take a while to do, she knew that but there was a suspicion in her mind, a suspicion that the tear had allowed a Martian to go through, undetected and end up in the past. If that was true then they could have gone past the Barrier before it was even formed and they could be in England, reporting somehow to it's master on everything it saw.
"But how could it be undetected?" she said. "An alien in England wouldn't be exactly hard to spot." There were things that didn't make sense, but then again she wasn't exactly sure of the concepts as she would like to have been. Her knowledge came from Widget, the computers in Limbo and her own expertise with years of working with the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and other heroes, for whom this kind of thing had crept up on over the years. It was her idea to go back in time and undo the assassination of Senator Kelly to undo the future they existed in, yet it had all been for nothing. However that was years ago and this was now. She knew there was work head to find out what had happened, and she knew what she had to do to fix it.
If only he hadn't left his medallion on the bedside table…
"Now that's something you don't see every day," Pen Dragon said as cooly as he could muster as the Black Dragon of the Kokuryu-kai arose in front of him. Both he and Roberto DaCosta were to be sacrificed to it as punishment for Dragon's misdeeds, or rather the misdeeds to the man he would have been in this reality. His team weren't about, his powers were gone and he'd just gotten married. However there were surprises still in store. Kimiko, his new bride has told him this would happen as they were before the holy man who had married them. She had told him his powers were gone again, her father's attempt at humour, but she had no desire to see the father of her child dead. She had his vow, that was enough for her. Lei Kang was not going to like what happened next…
"So," the Black Dragon boomed, "you are the mighty Pen Dragon."
"Yeah, that'd be me," Dragon replied, thinking it'd work so much better if he had his cigarettes with him but the wedding clothes he wore didn't have any pockets so he'd not been able to bring them with him. "And you're the Black Dragon. Guess we must be related."
"Youy are no kin of mine, mortal," the Dragon chuckled.
"Any more than you're a real dragon," Dragon answered. "Nice trickery though. Smoke and mirrors, the art of the humbug."
"You dare to mock me?" the Dragon thundered.
"Seeing as I'm supposedly dead anyway, I've not much left to lose. No powers, no friends…"
"But you have one friend," the Dragon sneered, and Roberto was marched forward, his eyes fixed on Dragon waiting for a sign that he was going to make whatever move he had planned. "Perhaps I should kill him first, and see how much you brag then."
"If you could kill me you already would have, instead of posturing. If it were the other way around I'd have rammed a barrage of hot knives down your throat five minutes ago." He could feel himself growing cockier but then again he knew what was coming. "Besides, I don't really give a toss about Bob, so you should just kill him anyway. You'd be doing me a favour."
"What?" DaCosta said. "What about what you said earlier, that you had my back in a fight?"
"That was for the image," Dragon said, choosing his words carefully. "People only see what we want them to see, and you were forced on me. Besides, wait until Magneto finds out this lot killed one of his people. Whatever happens, I win."
"Enough!" said Lei Kang, loosing patience with the two of them and he approached the Black Dragon. "Master…"
"Kill his friend. I believe Dragon is bluffing." Dragon shrugged and hoped Roberto had gotten the message. He'd emphasised the right words when he spoke, it was all up to Bob now. The knife struck, but Roberto wasn't going down without a fight. His fist struck at the knife man, sending him sprawling and a brawl ensued and Dragon watched as Roberto's hand lightly pushed past the small of his back as he moved, and then the knifeman scored a lucky blow and the knife plunged in to Roberto's chest, skewering through the heart. Roberto looked at him and then fell to the floor in a chaotic heap, blood leaking on to the floor.
"Sorry, Bob," Dragon whispered. "This wasn't your fight…"
At the back of the room, Fudo was doing as his mother had told him, to go to the great machinery in the yard and hit it with the big metal stick she had placed out there for him. Fudo didn't quite understand what was going on as his grandfather had told him never to go near the machinery as it would make him ill, but he knew his mother loved him for all the world and would never do anything to harm him so he did as she told him, thinking that maybe she was afraid it would make him ill anyway and if he warned it away then it would not matter. The metallic clangs from just outside the Shinto were masked by the sounds of the fight of Roberto and the Kokuryu-kai members. The machine hummed and sparked with energy and then the sounds died for a moment and the machine began to give a high pitched whine that cut through the air, attracting everybody's attention.
Fudo ran to find his mother, thinking he had done something wrong, only to find that there was someone in his way and he called out to her, but as he did so the machine exploded masking his cry for her and he knew he was in trouble.
"Impossible!" shouted Lei Kang as the whine was followed by the explosion. "How could the machinery have been…" Dragon smiled as he felt his powers come back.
"I swear to God that's the last time anybody is doing that to me," he said, as hot knives began to glow in the air around his body and then they flew off in every direction, sending people running, including Lei Kang. Kimiko had come through, she'd shut down the machinery keeping his powers in check and now the odds were a lot more even. There would be trouble for this later on and he knew that the Martians had to have been attracted by the explosion and the fire that his hot knives had started. On the other hand, the rest of the team might have been able to pick it up as well and if so reinforcements would be on their way. If not, then this wasn't going to be their day, but the mission was only half done.
"I'll find out who you are," Dragon said to the Black Dragon, who wasn't even moving. "And when I do, I'll snap your neck like a twig…"
"I'll see you again, Pen Dragon," the Black Dragon sneered. "Remember me…" Dragon was suddenly paralysed to the spot as the claws of the Black Dragon flashed towards him and Dragon suddenly realised the Black Dragon wasn't as ineffective as it seemed. There was definite power, perhaps a limited amount that took time to focus, but there was power and he was about to feel it's touch, but instead of that, he felt someone push him out of the way and he fell to the floor as the claws raked Kimiko instead, ravaging her face.
"NO!" shouted Dragon and fired hot knives at the creature but the Black Dragon vanished before they struck it, and the shrine in it's honour was devastated. "Kimiko," he said, going over to her. Her face was badly slashed and would be horribly scarred. He had no real love for her, but she had saved him and did not deserve to be scarred like that. They were married after all. "I'll find the bastard, I swear it."
"Pen," said Roberto, coming over, his hand on his chest. "You okay?"
"No," he replied. "You?"
"The image inducer did it's work. He stabbed my shoulder, not my heart. That was your plan?"
"Yeah," said Pen, but he hadn't looked at him yet, his eyes were fixed on Kimiko, then he heard the scream of a child and he knew Fudo was in trouble, being punished for his part in this. "Look after her," he answered as he stood up. "I'll get the kid."
Outside the Shinto, the boy was being beaten by the guard as the place burned and the guard raised the metal bar above his head as Dragon ran out, tackling the guard. He wasn't going to use his powers for this, that would be too quick, too easy. His fists rained blows on the man and he grabbed him, ramming his head in to the floor.
"I told you what would happen if you touched him again," he said in a hushed tone and as the man lay dazed on the floor, Dragon stood up and then stood on the back of his neck until he heard the snap of bone and the guard lay dead. "You okay, kid?" he asked, helping the boy up. His face was beaten, but the bruises would heal. The child said something in Japanese. "I don't understand." Then he heard a bang and before he could react properly, something hit him in the shoulder and he knew he'd been shot.
"He said he wants his mother." Lei Kang's voice said and Dragon turned to see the man holding a gun in his hand, payback for the shot Dragon had taken earlier. "Yet again you have brought ruin to us, but this time there will be a reckoning."
"Then bring it," Dragon said, through gritted teeth and Lei Kang through the gun away as he charged at him.
"Damn it," said Jack Monroe as he checked the figures again. He'd recalibrated the systems to mask their teleportation signature from the Arsenal to the Yoshida compound in Japan, but X was going to have to recalibrate it again to bring them back and they wouldn't be able to get back for several minutes. It wasn't what he was after, especially if they got in to trouble and he contacted the others. "We're good to go, but getting back won't be as easy, unless we're really lucky and find them as soon as we get there."
"It never works that easily," said Jessica. "Guess we go in loaded."
"Agreed," said Sam. "If we get in to trouble, we'll just have to deal with it."
"We have to hurry," said Elena, suddenly panicked. "I can sense them properly now. Whatever blocks were protecting them, they've gone. And if I can sense them…"
"Then the Martians can as well," said Jack, shaking his head. "The sooner we go, the sooner X can get us back." He activated the tesseract portals, creating one at each location for the rest of the team that formed an exit at the Yoshida compound and they hurried through to find the place in chaos, but no sign of the others. The portals closed and Elena led the way, as they fought through the Kokuryu-kai who were evacuating the compound.
~Roberto~ she psionically called out ~Pen~
~Over here~ Roberto replied. ~I need your help~ The team hurried but found they were at a wall, preventing them from getting to their colleague, however walls were not an issue as Jessica hit it with her bio blasts and Nomad and Samantha pounded the weakened structure, breaking through. Inside they could see Roberto was trapped, but he was also shielding a young woman using his powers to keep the damage away from her, but not being able to do much more than that. Monroe was the first to react, using his enhanced abilities to jump and dodge and weave through the flames, showing the prowess he'd displayed from his days as Bucky to Captain America.
"I've got you, ma'am," he said, helping Kimiko up and he saw the ruin of her face and he took a sharp intake of breath.
"She's not spoken yet," said Roberto. "I'm not even sure if she can." Nomad nodded and ran through the fire carrying her in his arms, getting to the other team. He was scorched, but not too badly burnt and he laid her down. Elena placed her hand on the bloodied forehead of the woman and used her telepathy to ease her discomfort.
"She needs urgent attention," Nomad said. "I'm going to have to take her back through the portal and come back as soon as we get chance."
"Where's Pen?" asked Sam.
"Went to save a kid," Roberto said, "but we were being hunted by aliens, and the Martians are sure to investigate this."
"Too late," said Jessica, looking up. A Martian warcraft had appeared above them. "It's on now…"
"Don't be a fool, Kang," Dragon said as he dodged an uppercut from the crime lord. "You'll not win this…"
"Vengeance will be satisfied!" Kang shouted back and a roundhouse kick connected with Dragon's chest, sending him back. Dragon knew a bit about fighting, but he was more a brawler than anything else. He wasn't as refined in his movements as a martial artist, nor was he as powerful as a boxer, but he knew where to hit, he knew how to fight dirty and he'd fought enough people in his time to know how and where to dodge when needed, but he knew that Lei Kang's skill outweighed his own and at the moment they were fighting on his terms. Plus with his shoulder shot, his arm was pretty much useless for fighting. He grabbed dust from the floor and threw it in to Kang's face, and Kang shielded his eyes as Dragon launched a hot knife at the wound he had inflicted earlier, but Kang moved and it grazed the man instead of exacerbating the wound.
"Nice try," said Kang as Dragon jumped up to his feet and Dragon fired another hot knife towards the powered up arm of Lei Kang. The last time it had been absorbed by the arm, but this time Pen wasn't aiming for the arm, but around it. The hot knife wrapped itself around the arm and Dragon yanked Kang forward, pushing past the pain to raise his fist and slam it in to Kang's oncoming face. Kang's head shot back as Dragon allowed the knife to dissipate and the man fell to the floor, dazed from the swift blow, and the slight break in the fight allowed a moment for Dragon to realise that something was not right.
~Dragon!~ Elena's voice echoed in his head and he wondered how long she'd been trying to reach him
"About time you guys showed," he said. "We're almost done here…"
~Not yet. The Martians have arrived and we can't transport out yet~ Dragon closed his eyes and cursed under his breath. They were in trouble. ~X will create a portal underneath us when it's ready to get us back to the Arsenal, but until then…"
"We're on our own," Dragon said. "Do what you guys can, but have X create a portal under Lei Kang and Fudo as well. He has answers I intend to get, and I won't leave the kid~
~Understood~ she said and he smiled as he felt her presence recede and she would be with the others, with luck keeping the enemy of his back.
"Kang," he said, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck. "The aliens are here, and we're going to have to work together to stay alive. We can finish this later, do you get me?" Kang nodded.
"I understand," he said and three Skorpsmen entered their immediate area. The two men shared a look and then went for them.
The warcraft energy weapons were met and countered with Jessica's bio blasts and Roberto's plasma bursts, and he was trying to focus and rain fire down on the vehicle but he was having difficulty doing so at the distance it was at. However while they were doing that, Nomad, Sam and Elena were fighting off the Skorpsmen as they entered. It was not an easy fight but they were holding their own. Blades, fists and energy weapons were used and the team were also being joined by members of the Kokuryu-kai who were doing what they could to cover the escape of their comrades. There was no way they could escape punishment from the Martians and those that stayed knew that they would sacrifice themselves for the greater good.
Monroe quickly checked the telemetry of the suit, seeing it was linked to the Arsenal and wondered how much longer it would take for X to get them out of there because reinforcements would be on their way and they couldn't hold out forever. It was a case of which of the opposing sides got there first.
"Come on," he whispered and then there was a green light on the suit. "ELENA!" he shouted and she alerted the others they were about to leave. The tesseract portals opened beneath them all, and the heroes dropped in, taking Lei Kang, Fudo and Kimiko with them and the portal closed above them as quickly as they had opened.
"Am I glad to see you lot," Pen said as he looked at them and he saw they were all perturbed at something. "What is it?"
"Look around," said Jessica and Pen took stock of the area and he saw the problem and heard the familiar chimes he had wondered if he'd ever hear again.
"What the hell?" he said as he looked down from the hill top where they were over the landscape that was the city of London.
