Dragon's Claws #25

"Illusion, Temperament, Succession, Surface, Surprise, Reality, Subjectiveness,—these are the threads on the loom of time, these are the lords of life."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson , 'Experience' - Essays, Second Series

Part 1: Death and Rebirth

Pen Dragon looked on in horror as the Red Lord of the Bane gave an evil smile. He was talking to Jessica, but his words were directed at Pen and then he did it, crushing Dragon's extracted heart in his hand, turning the life-giving organ in to nothing more than pulp and Dragon knew he was dead.

"NO!" Jess shouted, but Pen knew this was all part of the plan and the Red Lord had made a very big mistake. He'd taken a fake sword, thinking it was Caliburn. If he'd restored Dragon as he'd promised, he might have been given a merciful end. Now he was screwed, even if the mistake had gotten Dragon killed and he gave a dark smile, as the life drained from his body.

"Kick his arse," he muttered and closed his, thinking that it would be good to finally rest. He'd wondered what it was like to be dead and he knew he wasn't really destined for heaven. He'd done too much in his life that would count against him, but there was a light and he could feel himself being drawn towards it and then it was gone.

"Oh come on," he said, but nobody heard him. He could see the Claws confronting the Red Lord and he couldn't help but laugh when the commander of the forces of the Bane realised he'd been had, however he was still here. "Anytime now. Anytime." However nothing was happening and he began to get a sinking feeling. He didn't really belong here, not in this century, not even in this timeline. What if he was trapped between worlds because of it, not able to move on? "Oh bloody hell…" he cursed. "I don't want to be a sodding ghost. Unless they find a way to bring me back." However if there was anyone hearing him, there was no sign and in effect he was talking to himself, or projecting his thoughts, or whatever the hell it was ghosts did. "Oh bloody hell," he said again. Then he felt it.

The call of the sword. Caliburn was keeping him here; the power of the sword was holding him in this place, for whatever reason. The magic within the blade, the power of the Green and of Excalibur, was making certain that things fell out as they were supposed to and Dragon smiled.

"Got it," he said. "I'll wait and see what happens then."

He didn't have to wait long, for while the minions of the Bane seemed to have the numbers, the Claws had dispatched them, leaving only Jessica and the Red Lord. The Claws were all in position and from his ethereal point of view, Dragon could see lines of mystical energy forming, connecting them all, including himself. A pentagram was formed by the mystical lines and Dragon knew it was the sword doing this, and the Red Lord had been so distracted by the battle with Jessica he hadn't noticed it, until it was too late. Dragon could feel him wondering how, and the Red Lord touched his spirit for just a moment, searching for the missing player in the game.

Pen Dragon? The Red Lord's shock was electrifying and Dragon smiled. This was a sweet revenge indeed.

I was as surprised as you are, he taunted the Red Lord and the Red Lord lowered his defensive stance in his disbelief at what was going on and Jessica struck, the power of the sword within the Pentagram tapping the power that the Bane had been using to cloak itself from the forces of the Green. It was a mortal wound she inflicted and if he stayed here, he would die. The Red Lord knew he had no choice, but to cast a spell and take himself to a limbo like dimension where the wound would one day heal, but he also knew that his forces would be drawn in with him and he cast a spell to take the minions of the Bane with him, to regroup and recover. It would be a long time before they could return to the physical plane, but the Bane would never be truly defeated.

The vortex began to rip the fortress apart and the team knew they had to leave. This was what Dragon had been waiting for, they gather his body, leave and somehow the Green would restore him. No mess, no fuss. Except the place was coming down very quickly. The castle walls were crumbling.

"Oh no," he said, realising they had no choice and watched as they were forced to leave his body in order to save themselves. "This officially sucks." He had no choice but to watch as the castle came down and turned his corpse in to a pulped and mangled mess, buried beneath the stones of a ruined fortress. He couldn't even see it now, and he knew that was it. "Bollocks." But there was still no light and he willed himself to the Claws, where they were grieving over his demise. Then Kate appeared and told them they had fixed the timeline and said she could take them home. She was his one hope of being seen, because she was little more than a ghost herself, but there was no indication of it. The Claws left the mountain to return Caliburn to the Green, leaving Kate alone to gather the technology and other items and ensure they did not pollute the timeline.

"Goodbye, Pete," she said and then she went to work, leaving him alone, a ghost out of time, out of everything.

"Bugger," he muttered and then the light appeared. "Guess I'm done," he sighed and surrender to it, letting it gather him and take him to become one with universe, or whatever it was that came next.

"Caliburn, My Lord," the Lady of the Lake said as she presented the Green Knight with the sword. The Knight nodded at her, accepting the blade and as he did so, he knew that this would be her last official act as the Lady of the Lake. Her pregnancy meant that she would soon become mortal in order to give birth, though the children would have the power of the Green in their veins. He would not and did not expect her to return after she had done so, for her children would need their mother and so he would have to appoint a new Lady of the Lake. Or perhaps a Lord. If recent events had taught him anything, it was that the gender of a being was not indicative of status with the greater plan.

"Thank you," he said and she nodded and withdrew, giving acknowledgement to the sorcerer to whom she was now bound in love and in body. No smile came across Merlyn's lips but his eyes greeted her and she knew it was a sign of his respect for her. For now there were other matters for him to attend to, matters of the Green and of Otherworld. "Well, Merlyn, did things turn out the way you anticipated?"

"Very much so," said the ruler of Otherworld. "Perhaps the only thing today that did." He spoke of his plan to unite the powers of Otherworld and the Green, the pregnancy of the Lady of the Lake to give birth to one single power, born of both, who would bring unity to the forces of the light. However, he had not foreseen that the power would have other plans, for she carried twins and the power was separate still. "The timeline is as it should be, you have Caliburn and I Excalibur. The power may not be unified, but in time perhaps there will be a way. There are always possibilities."

The Green Knight nodded. "What of Pen Dragon? He was your agent. Surely this end is not how it should end?"

"I am unsure," Merlyn admitted. "Peter Wisdom will be my agent some day, and perhaps if I now know of his fate, I may be able to change things without… changing things."

"Of course," said the Knight. "However you know that the Bane will be coming for you, that there will be… retribution. The Bane spans the Omniverse, as does the Green. Attack could come from anywhere."

Merlyn nodded. "I am aware of that. However I have had in mind for sometime an organisation who would… patrol the various realities. Trained and birthed of Otherworld, tapping the energy matrix for their power. They will be the first line of defence against the Bane, amongst… other enemies." The Green Knight pondered this.

"It would not be easy to create such a group."

"Perhaps," said Merlyn. "However I always believe there are possibilities to achieve a single outcome and eventually I will find something that works. Perhaps many different defenders, perhaps one man across a multiversal variant. Experimentation will be the key, and until the formula for success is done, Otherworld is not without defences or defenders. I will prepare, for it will take time for the Bane to regroup. They have been dealt a substantial blow this day."

The Green Knight nodded. Whatever differences the two of them had, they did make a truly formidable alliance. "If you need the aid of the Green, all you need do is call." He chose not to say ask, for he knew Merlyn would never do so and the sorcerer nodded.

"Now I must return to Otherworld," he stated. "There are matters that require my attention. We will meet again."

"Of that," the Green Knight replied, "I have no doubt. Good fortune, Merlyn. I will send the Lady to Otherworld, as soon as her successor is in place." Merlyn smiled and then he was gone, back to the Starlight Citadel. He had not dared to say anything while he was on Earth, for he did not want the Bane to be aware of what was about to happen. Merlyn had acquired many spells and devices in his travels and this would be a test of magic and science, both so advanced none but himself knew quite which was which. The journey of Pen Dragon, or Pete Wisdom, or whatever name he would be known by, was not over yet. He would rebuild him from the ground up and make certain alterations to the man's physiology and once a new body had been fashioned, he would gather the man's soul and refuse it. Pen Dragon would live, he would see to that.

First he reached out, stretching out his powers and taking hold of the body of Peter Wisdom. There was very little of it, but there would be enough to make the process easier and he reached out, gathering in the bio-fog that created Otherworld, that had formed it and kept growing, out on the farthest reaches of the place. This was the stuff of creation, of imagination, of magic. It was the substance that could create organic life, that had the right energy to build life. Merlyn had rare use for this, and in fact this was a technique he did not use often, for it took a lot of energy to muster, drawing on the energy matrix to charge the bio fog and create the growth he needed. However he had foreseen this, knowing that the shadow of death was over the man called Pen Dragon. How he knew he was unsure, but that was one of the things about this man - his future self would choose him as an agent, one way or another and perhaps he had been touched with something only he could recognise. He was unsure but he knew he would find out and he had prepared the complex, drawing on the power of Otherworld, mastering the energy matrix for this.

He placed the remains of Wisdom in to a mystical stasis field, fusing it with the bio-fog. Wisdom's body would be rebuilt, atom by atom until a new form was created from the original, in much the same way as the phoenix was reborn from the ashes. That was where this power had come from, the writings of Feron's studies of the Phoenix force, the mystic knowledge of life and death taught by Necrom and his own mystical might and ability. Some day he would have assistance with this, but for now he worked on it all himself. Of the ruins the skeleton began to form, slowly becoming tangible within the fog. Once that formed, the basics were ready and Merlyn paused a moment, examining the way the DNA had formed. He could tell that there had been a lot of work done on it, genetically altered from the original genome and he could also see that there was an enforced evolution as well, that somehow the body had been exposed to other forces and naturally changed in order to survive. This was an instability that he was unsure of and he worked on it, tweaking it so that the basic premise was the same, but making it a part of the genetic coding. There was also the other matter, that this body could and should not be part of this timeline.

There was a definite time signature that was different from the one he should have been in. The temporal signature would create problems at some point, unless he dealt with it now. He knew what to do and he removed the temporal signature, making it possible for the man to exist in any time period without issue. Merlyn smiled at this, thinking that it would be an advantage that would come in handy for other matters. The adjustments were made and he allowed the rebuilding to continue. Science and magic, when would they learn that both should be used in conjunction and not as separate issues, for early science would say magic could not be possible and early magic would not allow for the development of science. However the recreation of the body was not something that now required his attention. There was enough material to allow the process to go on without issue. His main task now was to reach in to the afterlife, through the Pool of Being, and retrieve the essence of Pete Wisdom, rebuilding the spirit of the dead man. He was at peace, unaware that he was alive or dead, just aware that he was resting. He did not even know his name and Merlyn reached in and began to reassemble the memories, the mind, the very things that made him who he was, a task made more difficult for these were events that had not happened yet. He taxed his powers to their limits, finding the bits and pieces and learning of future events, events that had happened in both another reality and this one. It was an interesting glimpse of what could be. He looked across and saw that the body was ready, awaiting the essence to bring it back to what it should be and Merlyn focused, gathering the glow of the spirit of Wisdom in his hands and with a deep breath he fused them together and Wisdom sat bolt upright

"Jesus Christ Almighty!" he said, barely believing what had happened. He was alive again. "How the? What the? Who the?" Questions flooded his mind.

Merlyn smiled, a sly grin. "For the what, you have been reborn. For the how, science and magic in the hands of it's consummate master. For the who, I am Merlyn."

"Figures," said Wisdom. "Don't think me ungrateful, but why?"

"Because I feel you still have a role to play in this. The alien told us much, and I learnt more by restoring you. There are things coming that will need to be dealt with and you will help me."

"Not without a price," Wisdom answered. "The way I see it, you just paid me back on a debt. I lost a lot sorting out your mess. I want to go home."

"Your world doesn't exist. I have looked and it seems that whatever happened is irrevocable. You could go to the world that you feel you came from, one fused of two worlds but the you that exists there now would still be there. However I have enabled it so that if you did go back you would not damage the time stream or create a negation paradox."

"Interesting. If the Barrier falls, I'll be able to meet… me." Wisdom mused on that. "And I can go Woodstock too… Wait. I've 300 years to wait. I'll be an old man."

"Not necessarily. Part of the alteration I made ensured that you are… immune to the same ravages of time as you were. You will age slowly, very slowly. By the time your time period is here, you will be barely a year older in physicality."

"Okay, that's kind of cool," he concurred. "But what about…?"

"The Bane do not know you are alive, however going to Earth for now is not possible. You will not be able to go back until you are born, for they will focus on you as you were not as you are. In the meantime, I offer you a place in my court, as an advisor or enforcer, or whatever role I may have for you."

"I get a choice in this?" asked Wisdom and Merlyn just smiled. "As much a choice as anyone gets in their dealings with you." Wisdom knew of Merlyn and he'd have to be on his guard, but he made a promise to never make it easy for him. There was going to be fun had with this and Merlyn had no idea what he'd done. He might have seen what made the man, but he had no real understanding. Maybe that's what he was back for, to give Merlyn a more humanising experience. It couldn't hurt. "Fine, let's do it."

He had a new life to work on and there were one or two things he would make sure he kept an eye on. Someone was going to betray them all, and now he was in an ideal position to find out who…

"However," Pen said, "there'll be time enough for that story later. Now, let's deal with…" The door of the council chamber burst open and in a moment Pen wheeled around, his hot knives at the ready, then they faded. "Oh, there you are," he said. "What kept you?"

"Pen?" said Sam as she looked at him in disbelief, the other members of the team with her. She had been the first to react though. "Is that you?"

"It's me," he said, with a grin and they gathered and greeted them, giving Sam a big hug and shaking the hands of the other two men. "How've you been? Jack, Eto." He nodded Eto, who nodded in return. "Well done, kid, it all went according to plan."

"Thanks," Kaine said. "I still walked in to your trap though."

Pen shrugged. "Sorry," he said. "Thought you'd have known better."

"So you're the mysterious benefactor, mentor and everything?" said Jessica. "Should have seen that coming."

"Yes, it's not much of a surprise is it, really? But yes, Etorian works for me. I found him, trained him, taught him almost everything he knows and sent him down here to help you lot. The Bane haven't forgotten us, not at all. Have they, Rick?" His gaze wheeled on Rick Jones.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jones said. "Surely you're not buying in to this, that I'm the traitor. We have the traitor, it's Cable."

"Yeah, but I gave him the Arsenal stuff," Pen said, "I sent the signal that you got to capture him and I was the one who blew everything up in the Arsenal complex. That takes care of charge four and you're the traitor, Rick. Except you're not really him are you? You're an agent of the Bane and I have been watching you."

"Amongst other things," Kaine said, and Dragon inwardly grinned. Life on Otherworld had certainly kept him occupied…

Part 2: Trust and Betrayal

"What's happening?" said Wisdom as he headed for Merlyn's castle. Otherworld was shaking, and from what he could tell this wasn't normal. He'd only been here just a little under a year and he had learnt of much in that time, and he had certainly become a known figure in the hierarchy, usually because he asked questions nobody had answers for, such as who assigned numbers to the universes, and who could he speak to about having them changed. Merlyn tolerated his impudence, because he still had his uses as well as the fact he quite liked him. Everyone else treated him with reverence, but Pete Wisdom didn't give a toss. It was very refreshing, which was why Wisdom had a freedom that none else had, or normally had. A single guard blocked him from entering.

"I'm sorry, my Lord," he said. "Merlyn has given instructions he is not to be disturbed during the birthing. There are… complications."

"Oh hell," muttered Wisdom. The Lady of the Lake had taken a mortal guise for the birthing of her children and the Lady Althea had been a friend to him. He knew she was scared, that the children had great power and even though there was a remnant of the power of the Green within her still, this was the thing they had feared the most - that a mortal form could not handle the stresses of the power being born. Otherworld was shaking because Merlyn was obviously doing everything he could to prevent the death of Althea or the children and he was tapping in to every bit of power he could. "He doesn't know what he's doing," Wisdom said.

"I can't let you pass," the guard said.

"Fair enough," said Wisdom and slammed his fist in to the man's gut and as he doubled over, he slammed his knee in to his head and the guard went down. He'd be up in a bit, but that was all he needed to do. Merlyn wouldn't see sense, because Wisdom had seen that he truly loved Althea and as he headed towards the inner sanctum of the sorcerer, he knew there would have to be a choice made and he knew what it would be. He wasn't able to change the timeline, he knew the stresses it was under and ensuring that Althea lived… wasn't an option. He hated this part of knowing what should be. In all his dealings with Captain Britain and Roma and Merlyn, he had never heard of Althea in the future. That could only mean one thing. "Merlyn!" he shouted as he entered the room.

"NOT NOW!" Merlyn roared. "I HAVE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO!"

"YOU'RE DESTROYING OTHERWORLD, YOU OLD FOOL!" Wisdom shouted back. "I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO BUT IT WON'T WORK!" Merlyn shot him as cold and as evil a look as Wisdom had ever seen and instinctively he knew he should run, but that wasn't his style. "You need to make a choice, Merlyn. One or the other." He knew which it would be.

"Merlyn," Althea said, her voice ragged at the birthing process, "my love, the children. You must save the children…"

"I can't let you go," Merlyn said. "I won't."

"Then you'll lose everything," said Wisdom. "And you know that's not what happens."

"I thought I could change the future," Merlyn said, not speaking to anyone in particular. "I thought I could have it all. All this power, and I can't save you, Althea."

"I will live through the children," she said and Merlyn nodded, a single tear rolling down his cheek and Wisdom felt he was intruding. He shouldn't be here for this and he started to make his way out.

"Stay," said Merlyn, without looking up. "I will need your assistance."

"Okay," said Pete. "But I know bugger all about delivering babies."

"You don't need to," said Merlyn. "That will be my area." He kissed Althea on the forehead and went to work with his magic. Althea could not be saved but the twins could and with a fervour that Wisdom couldn't keep up with he delivered the first of the children, a girl. "Althea," he said. "Choose."

"Roma," she said, holding her baby in her arms for a moment, before the contractions began anew and Roma appeared in Wisdom's arms. Soon a little boy appeared and Merlyn gave him to Althea. "Wynter." The child appeared in Wisdom's other arms.

"Why am I always the one left holding the baby," he muttered, but nobody was listening. All Merlyn could do now was to ease Altheas' passing and there was a tremor as the Green Knight appeared in the room, to witness the passing in person. It didn't take long and the room was filled with silence.

"I failed," said Merlyn, holding her in his arms. "I couldn't do it."

"You tried," said the Green Knight. "It is all you could do." He turned to see Pete Wisdom. "So you are alive."

"Yeah," he replied. "I guess these are kind of like your grandkids."

"I know," the Green Knight answered, "however they are not the reason I am here. Merlyn. The body."

"She is mine," Merlyn snapped.

"Her body belongs to the Lake," the Green Knight said. "She will become one with it, as all the previous hosts have done. The Lake will be incomplete, the Green weakened. Let her go." Merlyn looked at him and Wisdom could see the pain on the Knight's face. "Please." Merlyn released her.

"They will not know their heritage until the time is right," he decreed. "As far as the children are concerned their mother was a maiden of the court. That way there will be no reprisals. The sight of the Bane does not reach Otherworld, they will not know the children are also of the Green." The Green Knight nodded.

"There will be a reckoning," he answered. "But only when the time is right."

"Maybe that will be the union of the Green and Otherworld," said Wisdom. "Just because it's not worked out like you thought it would doesn't mean it hasn't worked." Merlyn and the Green Knight looked at each other - could this mortal being be correct? "We'll see, anyway." The Green Knight took Althea, picking her up.

"Farewell, Merlyn."

"Begone." There was no courtesy in his voice, but no dismissal either. His voice was empty. The Green Knight nodded and then they were gone. "I will take my children, Wisdom." They floated over to the sorcerer and Wisdom knew he should say something but he never got the chance. "Now get out of my sight." Wisdom sighed, shrugged and went back to his dwelling. This was the turning point, he knew that. Merlyn would be colder from now on, less forgiving. In his mind, he had killed her, and he would never forgive himself.

The Merlyn they all knew and loathed had arrived.

Wisdom spent the next few decades watching as Merlyn raised the two children. He obviously favoured Roma, who even at an early age personified her mother. Pete knew that was the main reason, but she also had a greater proficiency than her brother. Wynter was more headstrong and obstinate, a lot like his father in many ways, which was perhaps why they never truly got on. Otherworld was not really big enough for the both of them, and the boy resented the fact his sister got the attention.

For his part, Wisdom had done what he could for the boy, tried to be his friend but Wynter just didn't like him. There was very little that could be done about that, Wisdom thought to himself - he tried to reach out but his friendship was rejected. Wynter was a very solitary figure, learning the ways of magic and studying the lore of the land. It was interesting, his name had never come up in any of the conversations he'd had with Brian, so Wisdom had to assume that if he did exist anywhere else then he had disappeared and was at large somewhere in the Multiverse. It also seemed as if the Multiverse did not concern Wynter as it did Roma and Pete suspected that it was the natural division, the aspect of the Green and the aspect of Otherworld separated in to the male and female. What would have happened if Althea had survived, he mused, how different it all would have been? Merlyn might have been a more kindly man, their children might have grown up knowing love and things could have been so very, very different.

However, Wisdom knew he couldn't interfere with history. There were tools within Otherworld for watching the time stream and he sometimes looked in on Kate, watched as she struggled to keep things together. Because she was in Limbo, time had no real meaning there, so her struggles in what Pete knew as the past were the same struggles she was facing in the future. It was all very disconcerting, but he had found friends and allies in the form of the Proud Walkers, the six who had come to Otherworld and dwelt in the castle known as Camelot. It was a golden realm, as if the Camelot of legend had been reborn, but it was really the first line of defence against the Bane, who were behind the Great Abyss in the Netherworld, where the Red Lord regained his strength after the battle with the Dragon's Claws. The Bane could not see past the Abyss, could not tell what was happening within Otherworld, at least not yet. The Abyss had protected Otherworld since it's formation, it was the source of the bio- fog that created it and kept it going, but Merlyn had taxed it during the birthing of the twins and the natural defences were weakening. It would take a long time for the Bane to be able to perceive Otherworld, but it would happen eventually. This was why Camelot had been built, to serve as fortress and guardian of the borders of Otherworld, and Wisdom found he spent a lot of time there, learning, drinking, and cavorting. The Walkers were good people and he knew they would go back to Earth someday. Wisdom, in time, became an honorary warrior of Camelot, which amused him greatly, though he did learn much about more the classic arts of combat. He was even very good with a sword after a few decades of practice

In his more reflective moments, he visited the island of Avalon in the oceans of Otherworld. Avalon, the resting place of the original Arthur, and he found some comfort in sitting there and thinking of things, how he had gotten to this point in his life. Arthur's body wasn't there, of course, having been stolen many years before by agents of the Bane, but it had been recovered by the Pendragons of the day and now it rested in the Avalon on Earth. Many of the landmarks on Otherworld had been based on the other places from when the Green was more connected with this place. Once there had been a natural link, but that had faded with Necrom's actions. Otherworld had been the kingdom of the Green, but with the energy matrix in the hands of Merlyn, it was the Green's no longer and they had been restricted to the Earth realm. That was where the animosity between Merlyn and the Green Knight lay, because Merlyn had never offered to give up the power. He had mastered the energy matrix, taken control of it and made it his own. Wisdom could see why the Green wanted it's power back, but he could see that Merlyn too had worked hard to gain this. His idea to bring union had been a good one, benefitting both in the end. They were allies against a common foe, and how many times had Wisdom seen the differences between potential allies drive them apart?

After nearly a century of living on Otherworld, he'd learnt and done much, improving his own fighting abilities and in his own way, he was at peace. Merlyn, on occasion, sent him out in to the Multiverse, giving him tasks to accomplish and later he would send the children with him, masking them so that they could see first hand the life out there, the humanity and what they were protecting. It wasn't just about the Multiverse, it was about the life out there as well, and that while in some cases life could be restored, it was difficult to do. Death was a part of the natural order but killing should be of consequence. The taking of life was not something to be done lightly.

Wynter seemed it see it as just another way of his father getting rid of him, but Roma seemed more interested in learning of humanity, and she and Pete often spoke about things, of live, of love, of what it meant. That was where the two of them had started to get closer, leading to that fateful day in Camelot where she had come to him for advice and they had ended up in bed, taking the step from friends to lovers.

Wisdom had been careful, occasionally taking a lover from one of the women in the taverns but it was something he needed to do to get it out of his system. They were drunk and willing and he didn't really care so it had been a while since someone had truly wanted him. Though he fought the attraction between himself and Roma, he had been unable to hold back in the end and Roma, for her part, had wanted it as much as he had. He was her first and there had been serious repercussions when Merlyn had found out that Wisdom had deflowered his daughter and they had been intimate with each other on a fairly regular basis. He was unsure how he had found out, but he had and the mystical thunder had been heard across Otherworld. Roma had been banished to the Siege Perilous, where she would learn and meditate on what had happened but Merlyn's wrath was not limited to her. Wisdom was a trusted ally who had betrayed him, and there was no greater crime and Merlyn condemned him to the harshest punishment he could. Wisdom would be cast in to the Abyss to exist in the void for the rest of Eternity in a state of living death. He would not die while within the Abyss, but he would beg for it as thirst and hunger ravaged him, however Wisdom gained an unlikely defender - Wynter.

He opposed the severity of the punishment, not because he cared for Wisdom, but because he opposed his father whenever possible, looking for a better way of doing things. Wisdom needed to be punished but surely, there were other ways of doing so and ensuring he was still useful. Merlyn had initially been angry, but then he had considered it and smiled. He had a plan, and Wisdom had the feeling he was caught in the middle of it all and that he was a pawn in the games between Wynter and Merlyn. It would solve several issues, including the problems that would occur when the Bane saw in to Otherworld and targeted Wisdom in revenge. The spirit of the Pendragon was out there, taking hold of the rightful heir every generation and inspiring a new group of Pendragons to fight for the Green, against a Bane that was growing ever stronger once more. The spirit did not need a body, but there were those that needed a body to believe in the spirit. Arthur would someday be needed, but his body was removed from here and in a place of safety. Wisdom had protested, seeing where this was going. They were going to make him Arthur, place him in a state of suspended animation and wait until he was needed. Now he knew why he had been called Pen Dragon, he'd been played. He knew that Merlyn had had a hand in the forming of Kate's Excalibur, but on a subliminal level, he must have ensured Kate chose him for this reason. His protests had given him nothing and he had been surrounded by magic, shaped and reformed and laid in Avalon, buried in a tomb, waiting beneath the ground for someone to revive him. However, that wasn't his true punishment, for Merlyn had kept him aware of what was going on above him. He had been unable to move, trapped in a living death, and guarded by elementals to ensure that none could free him without Merlyn being aware.

He had no idea how long he had been aware when Merlyn brought Roma to see him. She was aware of the truth, but if she had any vestige of her former feelings for him remaining, they had been buried by her imprisonment within the Siege Perilous. If he'd been capable of tears he'd have cried them, but Merlyn knew exactly what he was doing. "You will never touch my daughter again," he whispered. "She doesn't even remember who you are." Wisdom made a promise that one day he would find Merlyn and beat him stupid for this, but after another few decades of immobility, he'd forgotten that. Mostly he slept, but in those times he put together the aspects of his life, what he had seen and done and more importantly who was it that had betrayed him and the team. He was fairly sure he knew, but he needed proof positive. He was visited, by the Walkers, and by Wynter who would keep him apprised of what was going on in Otherworld, from the small teams that had been gathered such as the Special Executive, to the establishing of an Omniversal Majestrix, to the foundations of the fledgling Captain Britain Corps. Wynter rarely visited, not wanting his father to know he was about, but he felt it 'only fair' and he often apologised for his earlier mistakes and that he was working to be a better man than his father could ever dream of being.

Wisdom wished he could tell of how the sorcerer used to be, but he was trapped on the inside looking out. What he did learn was that Roma was no longer considered to be an effective heir to the throne, because of her impurity. She would be fine in the interim, but a true heir would eventually be needed. Wynter cursed his father for playing them both so, for Roma did not speak to her brother, and her father did not reveal the truth. Wisdom had done that, he had made her impure and set up the eventual rise of Brian Braddock. He wished he could have laughed at that one, because everything King Britain was, or rather would be, he owed to Pete Wisdom. Now that was funny, but it wasn't long before the two of them came face to face - at least from a certain point of view.

"Hold on there a moment," said Reed, looking at Dragon in amazement. "Rick is and always has been one of the most loyal people any of us have ever met. How can you believe him to be the traitor?"

"Oh, he's not really Rick Jones," Pen said. "Well, he is, but he prefers the name Thanatos." Rick's eyes went wide, the revelations Pen Dragon was making was ruining everything he had planned, everything that he was working towards.

"I know that name," said T'Challa. "How?"

"The Avengers files," said Vision, "list Thanatos as an alternate version of Rick Jones from the year 2099, who used the Spear of Destiny and the Destiny Force to try and become the ultimate Rick Jones, one version of Rick throughout the multiverse. He was thought to be have been turned in to a brick in a final battle with an older version of Rick, Captain Marvel and our own Rick Jones."

"He was," said Pen. "However when Thanatos died his energies were cast through time and space. His remains became a green brick, but that wasn't the first body Thanatos had possessed. It was a body that he inhabited in the 2099 and transformed it in to the one he had."

"How do you know this?" T'Challa asked.

"Because I watched it happen," Pen replied. "I watched the Bane take advantage of the disruptions to the timeline, saw it gather the essence of the Destiny Force that had been part of Thanatos. I know that some of the agents were in Black Air… I was one of them. I helped bring the little fucker back, or at least the version of Pete Wisdom in this timeline did. There are differences."

"You can't stop what is going on," Thanatos said, no longer allowing the pretence of being Rick Jones. "I have enough of the Destiny Force…"

"No, you don't," said Pen. "You've not got the strength, the power, the abilities you had, that's why you're pretending to be Rick Jones. You have some, but your job was to ensure that the heroes on this side of the Barrier were sufficiently weakened before the Barrier fell, so the Bane could take hold. The Bane knew the aliens were coming, they knew what was going to happen and they took steps. You took steps of your own, to use SHIELD to keep track of the Avengers, to find Destiny Force outlets, to regain your power."

"You could have stopped all this," said Magneto. "You had the power to alter time, to ensure none of this came to pass."

"No, he can't," said Rick. "Time is fragile, and any alterations would shatter it. Pen Dragon couldn't change what was going on without risking the time stream itself. It must have broken your heart…"

"Not really," Pen said. "I always knew I was going to stop you."

"You took your eye off the ball," Thanatos muttered. "I have power to do this!" In a flash he was gone, leaving everyone staring at Pen.

"He has enough Destiny Force to do stuff like that," Pen nodded. "He contacted the Martian forces when they arrived in this timeline, set things up. The Scarlet Witch supposedly died when the Barrier went up, but Thanatos used the Destiny Force to recreate her, and use her to provide the aliens with a precise target."

"You let him get away?!" Magnus roared. "Why?"

"Because I put a tracking device on him," said Pen. "He's fled to the Martians, and I'll find him. We'll find him."

"When you told him of the intruder," said Jessica. "You put your hand on his shoulder. Pen nodded. "He's just given us the path to the Martian leadership."

"A dangerous gamble," said Reed. "How did you know?"

"Sometimes you have to make do with what you've got," said Pen. "Jess, get the rest of the Claws. We're going after the War Master Prime. I'm sick of these bastards having the upper hand. I've had the heroes freed, but now I'm going to do what I do best."

"Which is?" Dragon smiled.

"Take the fight to them. Believe me, I've had a lot of practice."

Part 3: The Rise of Pendragon

"Wisdom."

The voice echoed in the mind of Wisdom and he knew Merlyn was contacting him. How long had it been? He didn't know, but he wondered why the wizard wanted him now.

"I know you cannot answer, but hear me. The Bane has broken through the Barrier and an assault on Otherworld is at hand. The Walkers are scattered, but are gathering for the fight, but even they will not be enough to combat the Red Lord, who walks once more. From the Netherworld they will come, and the army of the Bane will take Otherworld, under the leadership of Necromon, the new name of the Red Lord. When they break through I will not be able to keep the truth of things a secret. I have sent the Black Knight, Captain Britain and the elf Jackdaw to you, to break the spell of confinement."

Interesting, Wisdom thought to himself. This was the moment they had been waiting for, the time when he would rise as Arthur. Merlyn had a spell of concealment about him so that he would look like Arthur, as Merlyn currently looked like a bearded old man with flowing white hair, instead of the thin faced man they all knew and Roma was also in another visage.

"They will see you as Arthur, hear you as Arthur and present you with Excalibur. You, as Arthur, will fight the Red Lord. The fate of Otherworld will be in your hands, and those of the Black Knight. From this time on, you will be the Pendragon."

It was finally here and Wisdom prepared himself. Above the ground he could feel the battle of Brian and Dane with the rock elementals and then he felt it, the release of the power of the mystic dragon pearl and the spell was broken and he was free.

"Yes" he said, as he burst free of the ground. "Oh my God, I've been waiting for that!" He stood there a moment as the wasted body was restored, the magic making him whole, allowing him to walk and move as if he had just got out of bed. He smiled "That is some good magic, I can scratch my shoulder again. Thanks, guys, it's about time you got here." Both Brian and Dane got to their knees, in reverence to the man they saw as their king. "Sire… I have sacrificed much to bring, this moment forth, but now I offer that which is rightfully thine - my undying allegiance and Excalibur!" He offered up the sword and Arthur smiled, accepted the blade and lifted it high. "This is way cooler than I imagined," he muttered, feeling the power in the sword as he held it up. The sword was telling him what to do next. "Ok, you two. This is what's going to happen. We're going to find the Red Lord and then we're going to kick the shit out of him." However he knew one of them would not take part in this battle. "I remember that this fight isn't for you, Brian. You have to go home, defend the world from Jim Jaspers and the Fury. For what'll happen to you, I'm sorry." He gestured and Brian was surrounded in a mystical energy. "Oh and take the elf with you, because what you really need is a sidekick." The energy surrounded the elf and then the two of them were gone, leaving Arthur and the Black Knight. "I just hope when he finds out, he doesn't beat the crap out of me." He pointed and the Black Knight, and with a single finger, beckoned to him. "Yes, sire?" the Black Knight asked. "Get us to Camelot. I'm in the mood for a bit of payback!"		"I am free!" spoke Arthur as he burst free of the ground. "Free to walk once more among men!" He stood there a moment as the wasted body was restored, the magic making him whole, making him Arthur once more. As it happened he spoke. "Let the centuries fall away… Let my bones be clothed with fresh so that all may know Arthur has arisen!" Both Brian and Dane got to their knees, in reverence to the man they saw as their king. "Sire… I have sacrificed much to bring, this moment forth, but now I offer that which is rightfully thine - my undying allegiance and Excalibur!" He offered up the sword and Arthur smiled, accepted the blade and lifted it high. "Excalibur, safe in my hand once more," Arthur said, mystic energy appearing around the sword as he held if aloft, king and sword as one. "Approach me now, my friends. Whatever victory is attained will be due to your courage and tenacity! And yet the battle is only beginning." Arthur looked at Captain Britain and considered. "Our foes are everywhere! In every time they wait and watch for the chance to do harm! So, Captain Britain, hero of another time, return to thy rightful home!" He gestured and Brian was surrounded in a mystical energy. "And take with you the elf, Jackdaw - you may have need of his special powers." The energy surrounded the elf and then the two of them were gone, leaving Arthur and the Black Knight. "So it is done. The circle of destiny is complete." Arthur gestured to the Black Knight, and summoned him forth. "Yes, sire?" the Black Knight asked. "Take me to Camelot, and then the battle will be joined!"
The two heroes flew across Otherworld on the back of the winged steed, Valinor. The Black Knight's determination to deliver his kind to the battle driving him on in silence, which gave Dragon time to think. In the back of his mind he could sense the presence of a thousand eyes watching him, and he pulled a hood over his face, just in case the forces of Necromon could see through the illusion that masked his true identity. He could sense Merlyn reaching out to him. "What's happening?" asked Wisdom. "The forces of the Bane, have broken through the Barrier, however Herne is gathering the Walkers.The warriors of Camelot are prepared, and Roma is ready. I had hoped Wynter would aid us, however we have not been able to locate him. I am currently ensuring that the Bane think that you are Arthur, if they can pierce my thoughts." "Wait a minute," Pete answered, not liking this part of the plan. "What if they come for me?" "They cannot, the battle is here and the illusion that Arthur has returned to fight them will be as powerful a weapon as the actual Arthur." "You'd better be right, old man," Wisdom mused. "We'll be there soon." "Hurry," replied Merlyn. "Owein has informed me the enemy has arrived. The battle for Otherworld has begun." Then the sorcerer was gone, attending to the battle.
"We need to go faster," Wisdom said to Dane. "It has begun." "Yes, my Lord," the Black Knight replied. "Good," Dragon murmured, but he looked worried.		"We need to go faster," Arthur said to Dane. "It has begun." "Yes, my Lord," the Black Knight replied. "Good," said Arthur, but he looked worried.
Valinor flew over the battle, the heroes of Camelot engaging the enemy, and Dragon smiled, seeing his old firends fighting an older enemy, but the battle was not going well and Dragon felt a chill as he looked down. The figure down there had to be Necromon, and he looked very, very like the Red Lord and he fought the urge to reach his chest, remembering how he'd had his heart pulled from his body. Valinor was high and the enemy did not see them land of top of the battlements of Camelot, but just below Dragon watched as Vortigen dispatched Sartac and Balorm with exceptional ease. There was some satisfaction in seeing that, and he knew the other evil Walkers were about somewhere, with the exception of Mordred, who was still on Earth having been sent to stop the Black Knight from restoring Captain Britain. The Bane had known Brian had the ability to change things, and Necromon had done his best to take him out of the great game. He had almost succeeded, but Merlyn had taken steps to ensure his champion was restored. However they were not totally unnoticed and Necromon knew the Black Knight was here and he scaled the walls of the castle and Merlyn mentally contacted Dargon, letting him know the enemy was coming and help was on it's way.
"Dane, get cover, Necromon is on his way. The motherfucker's mine." "I won't leave you, sire," the Knight replied. "Don't be a dick and do as I tell you!" he snarled and the Knight nodded in acquiescence. Then they heard the cries of a warrior being slaughtered by Necromon and Dragon ran towards the cry. Dane felt the call of an old friend, and smiled. Meryln had delivered him a means of staying in the fight and he followed his king. "None who oppose me may live!!" Necromon roared in triumph. The forces of the Bane were winning, Merlyn had been outmanouevered and Camelot, the first line of defence of Otherworld, would soon be his. "Unless you've killed them already," said the cowled figure, standing before him. "Who dares?" Necromon said in incredulence at this upstart. The figure threw off his cowl to reveal his face, and the sword Excalibur. "I'm Pen Dragon, and this time, you'll die at my hand." At the same time the Ebony Blade flew across the ramparts and in to the hand of the Black Knight, who stood side by side with Dragon to face the Red Lord. "I am now worthy to stand beside you, my Lord," Dane said, and Dragon nodded in acceptance. "The Black Knight awaits your command." "What the hell, I can share! Let's take this loser out like the trash he is!" "I will not be thwarted now!" the Red Lord snarled. This was not the way it was supposed to be, but he would make an example of them. "Advance then, and pit your strength against mine in a fight to the death!" "Fucking bring it," said Dragon and the three blades met in a duel that would decide the fate of Otherworld.		"Sir Knight, the enemy approaches. Without a weapon you will be at his mercy." "I won't leave you, sire," the Knight replied. "A royal command, Sir Knight," he commanded, and the Knight nodded in acquiescence. Then they heard the cries of a warrior being slaughtered by Necromon and Dragon ran towards the cry. Dane felt the call of an old friend, and smiled. Meryln had delivered him a means of staying in the fight and he followed his king. "None who oppose me may live!!" Necromon roared in triumph. The forces of the Bane were winning, Merlyn had been outmanouevered and Camelot, the first line of defence of Otherworld, would soon be his. "I oppose you, Netherlord," said the cowled figure, standing before him. "Who dares?" Necromon said in incredulence at this upstart. The figure threw off his cowl to reveal his face, and the sword Excalibur. "Arthur, rightful king of this realm has returned!" At the same time the Ebony Blade flew across the ramparts and in to the hand of the Black Knight, who stood side by side with Arthur to face the Red Lord. "I am now worthy to stand beside you, my Lord," Dane said, and Arthur nodded in acceptance. "The Black Knight awaits your command." "Prepare yourself, brave knight, together we will banish this usurper for ever!" "I will not be thwarted now!" the Red Lord snarled. This was not the way it was supposed to be, but he would make an example of them. "Advance then, and pit your strength against mine in a fight to the death!" "So be it, evil one," said Arthur and the three blades met in a duel that would decide the fate of Otherworld.
Merlyn had known what he was doing, sending the Ebony Blade to the Knight, because while Dragon was good with a sword, thanks to his training, he was still an amateur compared to the Red Lord, even with Excalibur. Dane evened up the odds and the battle raged, between them, Necromon fighting hard against the two of them, but being backed away, down the castle ramparts, being driven out of the gates of Camelot. Swords rang as the power of the Bane met the power of Otherworld in a mortal combat and the passage narrowed, forcing the Black Knight to stay back, for he could not get through and so Dragon and the Red Lord clashed alone. Dragon was tempted to use his hot knives, wanted to take them and ram them down the Red Lord's throat so very badly, but that would ruin the illusion that he was Arthur and if Arthur defeated Necromon, the armies of the Bane would falter. For the first time, Pen truly realised the power of the Pendragons and he fought more with more ferocity than he done before. He was no longer Pete Wisdom, he was truly Pen Dragon and he had a name to live up to. Those who watched the conflict stared on in anxious wonderment as the enemies clashed and then Excalibur struck home, shattering the sword of the Red Lord, who started to back away, to regroup with his forces and acquire a new weapon.
"Score one for the good guys," Dragon taunted,as the Red Lord fell back. "Yo, Dane, get over here and finish this with me. I'm sick of this ugly looking bastard." "Be wary, my Lord, in retreat he is a far more formidable foe," the Black Knight warned.		"Yes! Excalibur triumphs," Arthur crowed as Necromon fell back. "Come, Knight, add your strength to mine - drive this monster from our homeland!" "Be wary, my Lord, in retreat he is a far more formidable foe," the Black Knight warned.
True, mused Dragon, but even Necromon makes mistakes, as he'll learn to his cost. He smiled thinking that Necromon had underestimated him again and with Excalibur he sliced through the ropes that held the portcullis to the entrance of Camelot and the massive gate hurtled down on top of the Red Lord, who knew if the gates fell, then the battle was over and he used his immense strength to hold the gate aloft. "Now, my Lord, NOW!" shouted Dane and as one both he and Dragon drove their swords in to the Red Lord, Excalibur piercing his gut, while the Ebony Blade slid in to his chest and Necromon cried out in pain, as he knew the battle had been lost. He needed to retreat once more to the Netherworld and regain his strength. Soon the Barrier would rise and he would be restored, but Merlyn and his agents had triumphed this day. It was a heavy loss for the Bane, and the Bane growled in anger and frustration, sending shockwaves across Otherworld and the other realms, and the Red Lord knew his life would be forfeit if the Bane so desired. In his anger, he tore the portcullis from the walls of Camelot. "Curse you!" he screamed. "Curse you all! The Dark Dream is over, the Great Wheel had turned, but if I must die, then you die too!" His gaze was fixed on the two men who had beaten him. "The Gulfs of the Netherworld await us!" He hurled the gate towards them and the two of them moved out of it's way, realising too late it was not meant for them, but to strike the support bridge that held all of Camelot adrift, a bridge held in place by mystic forces, but the power of the Bane ripped it away as a final act of revenge and Camelot fell in to the Abyss, swallowed back in to the bio-fog as the Bane retreated to the Netherworld to once again count it's losses. "Valinor!" shouted the Black Knight and his steed swooped down as he and Dragon fell, catching them and carrying them out of the Abyss and to the safe ground of Otherworld, greeted by Merlyn and the other warriors of Camelot.
"Merlyn," said Dragon, greeting his former friend. "A good job I knew this was how it was going to end. The Bane is defeated." "For now, yes," replied the mage."However there has been much cost. Camelot has fallen, we have lost many warriors and Otherworld has been weakened. I have only enough energy to continue this illusion." Dragon nodded, knowing this was how many more enemies would come and threaten the safety of their reality from now on. "My Lord," Vortigen said, "I offer my kingdom, far from the eyes of men or demons. We shall build Camelot anew." "A new Camelot?" said Pen, thinking. "Now that gives me an idea that you'll like, Merlyn. Dane, you sticking about? We could do with your help." "You honour me, sire," Whitman replied, "And I would gratefully accept, but there are other battles in other worlds. The Black Knight's quest is never ended! The only world I seek now is the green Earth, and home." "Fair enough," Pen shrugged. "Besides, we'll meet again."		"Merlyn!" said Arthur, greeting his old friend. "Great mage and mentor of kings. Once again you have engineered our victory." "Yes, my Lord," replied the mage, "the victory is ours, but so is the loss. Countless brave souls have been lost defending our castle, and that too no longer remains. Camelot has ceased to be!" Arthur nodded, knowing that many more enemies would come and threaten the safety of their reality from now on. "My Lord," Vortigen said, "I offer my kingdom, far from the eyes of men or demons. We shall build Camelot anew." "Well said, Vortigen," commended Arthur. "So be it! We shall build a land fit for heroes and prince of them all will be the Black Knight." "You honour me, sire," Whitman replied, "And I would gratefully accept, but there are other battles in other worlds. The Black Knight's quest is never ended! The only world I seek now is the green Earth, and home." "Of course," Arthur answered. "Good luck, Sir Knight."
It would be some time before they met again, however. Once Dane had gone, the illusion was lifted and Dragon could be himself again and the healing of Otherworld began, however plans were made between himself and Merlyn. Dragon told him all he knew, that the Fury was coming and that it was the only thing that could stop Mad Jim Jaspers from conquering the Omniverse, but also that Necrom would return and that Merlyn would have to fake his own death. The catalyst in all this was Brian Braddock, the only man in all the multiverse who could do this, and that Merlyn needed to redirect him from returning to Earth 616, but rather to Earth 238. Merlyn considered this and agreed, setting on course the confrontation with the Fury. While Brian fought on that Earth, Jackdaw had returned to Otherworld to be healed of his injuries, and the deception of Arthur was resumed, if only for a moment. Merlyn and Arthut hinted at a greater destiny for the Captain and Jackdaw had heard this and went about his task of protecting him with greater care than before. Pen didn't like how they were using him like that, but that was the way the timeline had played out. That left the Necrom situation, and Pen and Merlyn had arranged the greatest deception of all - they would fake Merlyn's death and Pen would arrange for him to be safely hidden in the new Camelot. This would ensure that the wizard could do what needed to be done, but nobody would know of this, not even Roma, who would take on the mantle of her father. From New Camelot, Pen Dragon watched, seeing where things happened on Earth, watching and taking note, learning and watching the Bane as it made it's arrangements and plans. In New Camelot he had met a young warrior called Kaine and he had given him specific instructions, and he trained him and made him in to his agent on Otherworld, doing certain tasks for him and making sure that things happened the way they were supposed to, even retrieving the St Christopher medallion that had been lost. Pen had used the Otherworld technology to alter it so he could use it to contact Kaine in the same way Kate had been able to contact him and he watched, gathered his evidence and prepared. Everything continued as it was supposed to, and he even donned the Arthut guise one last time to attend Merlyn's funeral, where the body was cast in to the Seige Perilous, and ended up in New Camelot, thanks to Merlyn's powers. Jim Jaspers was defeated, the Adversary was stopped, Excalibur was formed of the ashes of the X-Men, the battle with Necrom occured and the evil wizard was stopped, allowing the return of Merlyn. Eventually Brian rose to become King Britain, ruler of Otherworld and then the truth of his past was revealed to him, at which point he slammed his fist in to Dragon's face, which Dragon had been expecting. The Barrier rose, time was altered and changed, several times, the aliens came and Necrom returned. Dragon watched himself arrive in this reality, all the time waiting for the moment when he would be able to go back to Earth and reveal the traitor and put a stop to this invasion once and for all. Now it was time.

"You're kidding?" said Jessica. "You fought the Red Lord?"

"Beat the crap out of him too," Pen said with a smile, as the others were gathered. He looked on, staring at Kaine, Sam, Jack, Elena and Roberto, who had insisted in joining the fight. They had all started this together, and that was how they would end it. "God, it's good to be back."

"Forge?" said Jessica, addressing the genius who had ensured the tesseract generator was working once again and he had come over to tie it in to the scaning device provided by Dragon. Forge was familiar with Otherworld tech and Otherworld magic, and with his mutant gifts he had been the only real choice.

He nodded to them. "You're good to go. Finish this." Jessica nodded.

"I have one question though," she said. "You came to me in my dreams. What was that about?" Dragon simply smiled.

"When we get back," he said. "Trust me..." A tesseract appeared before them and they stepped through. There was one last battle to be fought.