Dragon's Claws #28

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
- Theodore Roosevelt

"I'm turning this thing around," Jack ordered as word came from Resistance HQ that the Martians were heading for the South Pole. They had realised their assault on the moon had failed but they were going to try something else instead. "All of us are heading for the South Pole."

"But the barrier," started Sam and Jack shook his head.

"It's still up and the breech is too small for the majority of the warships to get through and those that can will go through one at a time. We need to take out the enemy that's massing at the South Pole, because if they destroy the icecaps, or alter the environmental forces at a fundamental level…"

"I see your point," said Sam. "A co-ordinated attack?"

"Stop them by any means necessary," said Jack. "I've pulled rank and ordered a load of vessels to join us. "He wistfully looked at the Barrier that was just on the horizon. "We'll defend it later." The ship shot through the skies, joined by about a dozen other vessels, engaging the enemy fighters as they went. There had been no such air warfare of this intensity since the second world war. This was where they would make their names as aces, or fallen heroes. Jack had studied warfare and the arts of combat enough to know that every army had a general, someone from whom everyone took their orders. If they could find that person and take them out, then maybe, just maybe the Martians would enter a state of disarray.

The small fleet of vessels quickly adopted the codename of Claw Squadron, the Claw Leader being Jack's ship. The pilots were quickly adapting to the ships and they were doing what they could, as they flew through the skies. It was going to take them some time to get to the South Pole.

Resistance Headquarters was taking a serious pounding from a sustained attack by several tripods and reports were coming in that the same was happening across the planet at the other Resistance sites in Wakanda, Genosha and the SHIELD headquarters. This wasn't so much an assault as an attempt to break the back of the Resistance once and for all, as if the Martians had decided enough was enough. Before the Barrier had been breached they'd not made such a ferocious assault on the Resistance, but the Martians knew that if the world were united then they would be on the road to defeat.

The War Master Prime would not let that happen and he was prepared to devastate this world and take any survivors for breeding purposes and leave this world for dust. He watched as the heroes tried to fight back, but they were not having a great deal of luck in their endeavours. They had been scattered, fighting a guerrilla war and the fall of the Barrier had also caught them by surprise. They were trying to regroup but this was not something that the War Master would allow, hence the intense fighting. The Antarctica operation was also a bold gamble, but it was drawing a fleet of ships to them, and the fleet was getting larger and for the first time the Martian ships would have a true engagement on their hands.

He knew he could take them to their mid-point, suspended in the time stream, but that was a last resort. The understanding of the technology that they had been given to access the null particle had been a gift from forces beyond their ken, but these forces had their own reasons. The null particle was a result of the use of the Ultimate Nullifer, and it had created a point in the time stream that was dimensionally transcendental. It was much like the fabled Limbo, but it was a special place, where all time could exist at once without causing a problem and, thanks to the technology of the Watcher, the Martians had been able to access and pinpoint the location of entry and exit. Null time wasn't the same as an absence of time, which was in essence a gap in the time stream, it was more a scar on the surface of time.

Their benefactors had approached the High Overlord and the High Overlord had convinced the High Council of the worth of their mission, but the Overlord had been a fool. Their scientists learned more and more about the technology they worked with every day, except how to return home to their timeline. They could be contacted from their reality, but they could not contact it in return. Their initial confrontation on the Moon had obviously damaged something here and as yet their scientists had not been able to work it out. The War Master smiled, thinking that was not what they had told the Bane.

They had told the Bane's agent many things, none of them true, but they had accepted his gift, his alternate self. They had killed him in their timeline, and only later learnt of the Destiny Force and the High Council hoped that their scientists could find a way of tapping the Destiny Force from within Rick Jones and using it to their advantage. That was why they used humanity for breeding, so they could use the power of the Destiny Force to their own advantage, transferring the power from human, to human-aline hybrid, to pure alien.

The battle wasn't over yet, but there would be a reckoning soon enough.

"We're too late," said Sam as the Claw Squadron approached the Martian's Antarctic Task Force. Their weapons were boring in to the ice and clouds of steam were rising, as small vessels kept it safe.

"The hell we are," said Jack as he turned towards the lead ship. "We're going to take a leaf out of Pen's book - we're boarding that ship and taking it."

"You're mad," said Kaine. "There'll be a lot more of them than there are of us."

"Hopefully the rest of the squadron will keep them busy," Monroe said. "Eto, tell them not to worry. Sam, take the flight controls a mo, I've going to change."

"Change?" she said, and she saw him pull the top from the locker. It was more body armour than a super-hero costume, but the colouring was the same, except more the SHIELD blue. "You got a mask that goes with that?" she asked and he smiled.

"Never did like the wings," he said, grabbing the shield. "Now I'm ready." She smiled, and nodded and set the course, flying up, over and directing the vessel to plough in to the lead vessel. The three heroes stood by the open hatch and as the ship passed over, they jumped towards the top of the enemy ship, Jack using the shield to protect himself from the impact, Sam forming glider wings with her powers to swoop down and Kaine extended his energy claws for a gentle landing and then the three of them bashed and hacked the vessel. They had gotten past the vessels shielding because it had been designed to absorb the energy of the weapons, but it was not geared to stop an impact and beneath the shielding, it was simple enough to open up. Then the vessel rocked as their now empty ship barrelled in to the side of it. They dropped in through the breech they had made as shards of burning metal flew past and they were inside.

"Plan?" asked Sam.

"We fight," said Jack. "Here they come…"

As alarms blared throughout the vessel, one of the technicians noticed that something was amiss.

"War Master! We have intruders! Our troops are attempting to repel the boarders, however, they seem to be a small, but deadly strike force."

The War Master Prime's eye's narrowed. The humans were getting desperate, to try such a gamble, and he knew that both sides knew that they were getting close to a reckoning, that neither side could keep this pace up forever.

"I think I shall deal with this myself," he said, his voice soft and he picked up his war staff from the side of his command chair. "It has been too long since I engaged in combat." He rose from his chair and walked in a swift yet controlled manner, his cloak flowing around him. "Continue your works."

The three Claws stood back to back, fighting almost in a circle to keep each other covered. They were surrounded by the enemy, but their powers were such that close quarter combat suited them and, in such narrow corridors, the advantage was certainly to them.

Kaine hacked and slashed with his fire claws, slicing through the enemy as if they were made of little more than butter, the stench of burning alien flesh filling the air every time he struck. He had fought many enemies in his life, and this battle was yet another in the struggle. He fought like a warrior of Otherworld and he could feel the love of battle rising inside him. There was something about the atmosphere of Otherworld that exhilarated those who came from there, that made them ready for action, and violence and he could sense that the Earth was changing to be more like that. The fall of the Barrier meant that what had begun underneath it was now spreading and Kaine had a revelation as to what was going on, what the Bane was truly doing - it was creating it's own Otherworld. They had been thinking too small in terms of what was happening. It all made so much sense to him now and he didn't know what he could do about it, not from here. He needed to get to the Green, to work with the Pendragons. A dark version of Otherworld, perhaps a true Netherworld, created from the prime time line? That was too horrific to contemplate, however it was amazing how the rush of battle cleared the mind, and with luck, others had noticed it too.

Sam's metallic armour was doing her many favours, as she had adapted it to be more jagged and spiked, so as she hacked and slashed with claws and swords of her own, the enemy would be snagged and torn on the barbs of the armour. The sooner they won, the sooner that she would be able to return home to Ravenscroft, to find her family. They had been apart too long and she needed to know if everyone was safe. There was a nagging feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn't focus on that yet. The priority was ensuring that the aliens did not flood the planet. She had never understood the true goals of the enemy, was it to rule the Earth, was it to destroy humanity, or was it something else entirely? They always thought of the aliens as thinking along the same lines as they did, but they were alien and their goals and concepts were beyond them. It seemed that there was only one thing they wanted - victory. Honourable if possible, however it was not the be all and end all. They would have some kind of prize, and she realised how much she missed Newton. Perhaps her brother would be able to explain it to her. He was a genius in all forms of thinking, but the Barrier was breached now. She would see him soon enough.

Monroe on the other hand was focused solely on the fight. His mind was thinking strategy, targets, how hard he needed to hit these things and what did he need to do to get them to move forwards. So far they were doing nothing more than killing the enemy, and that wasn't good enough. He didn't have half the experience that Steve Rogers had done, but he was still supposed to live up to the dream that was Captain America and then he had an idea.

"ON ME!" he called and he lowered his shoulder in to the curve of the shield and hefted forward, taxing his muscles to their limits he began to push them back, slowly but certainly and although the Martians tried to fight back, Sam threw small shards of metal out, striking like shuriken at the enemy while Kaine kept them from coming from behind them. They ploughed through and then the resistance ended and the Martians seemingly withdrew, but in truth they were clearing a path for the War Master Prime.

"Holy shit," said Jack, as he looked at the War Master, knowing this was not going to be easy. "You two, keep the Martins busy, I'll handle him." He stared at the War Master. "You're in charge." The War Master nodded and Jack cracked his knuckles and then they went at it, Jack flinging the shield towards the giant alien creature, who defelected it with the staff he carried and Jack pivoted to grab the disc in his hand as the War Master went on the offensive, striking in a combination of moves involving the staff and his own mighty fists and feet.

Jack used his own reflexes and shield to deflect the shots, and he could feel the power of the creature and he knew he was holding back. The alien was toying with him and he sized himself up and went back to it. His own shots weren't even getting close to the War Master and Jack knew that this was no ordinary grunt soldier, as they had faced before; he was an elite member, powerful, strong and confidant. Then the War Master grabbed one of his fists and twisted the hand, causing a loud snap in the wrist and pain shot up Jack's arm. He winced, having taken worse things, but it was not good to take that kind of damage so early on.

"Might need a hand here!" he called and Sam looked at Kaine. Eto wasn't his grandfather, he couldn't create a barrage of hot knives, but he could do one thing.

"Cover me," he said to her and he clasped his hands together and reached deep inside himself, tapping in to every erg of energy he could tap in to. Around him heat began to rise and he focused his inner energy and he spread his hands open, revealing a small ball of super heated energy, which grew larger the wider he spread his hands. "DOWN!" he shouted and he unleashed the energy as a wide reaching beam guided by his hands, using his fingers as a funnel and the aliens within the corridor were chased and hunted and burnt alive as they were caught in it's path, and then it was over and Eto fell to his knees, every bit of his energy expended. He was barely alive from using such power, but he had done what was needed and the area was clear, and sealed from the rest of the ship.

"What was that?" Sam said, as she ran over to him, amazed how cold he was to the touch..

"It was a trick taught on Otherworld, that if you can focus your inner power, you can channel it as you channel any energy your body can produce. Mine manifests as super heated plasma." His voice was weak. "It's just very, very dangerous." She nodded and she knew he was out of this one and she went to join Jack in the attack on the War Master.

Kaine shifted his position and watched as the two members of the Claws fought against the alien, and yet the War Master still seemed to have the upper hand. He was using the staff to deflect the shield that was protecting Jack's damaged hand, while at the same time he was fighting against Sam, who had created a staff of her own for the fight. They hit each other repeatedly, fighting over, blows raining down on each other and then the War Master turned and in a rapid movement, he cast Jack away, who hit the wall with a sickening thud, and as the War Master did that, he rammed the staff through chest of Sam, piercing the armour, easily pushing through flesh and bone and emerging the other side. Then the War Master lifted her and started to slam her about, on the end of the staff. Jack shook his head, knowing he was concussed and he knew this was going to hurt. He grabbed the shield in both hands and he jumped, screaming in pain at what he was doing and he slammed the shield in to the War Master's back.

The War Master staggered, realising he had underestimated the man and he tried to turn but Jack was in a fury and he kept smashing the shield's edge in to the War Master. The War Master was almost cut in two by the time he grabbed hold of the shield and he turned it back on it's wielder, smashing him one last time in to the wall, the edge of the shield, pressing against Jack's throat and the War Master meant to decapitate him and then before he could, he felt something wrong, but he wasn't sure what was wrong. He couldn't move his head and Jack smiled, looking up to see a very thin slice of metal piercing his head. Behind him, Sam was only just standing and she'd used her powers to a small filament of metal through his head. The War Master tried to move but he couldn't and then he fell to the floor, dead.

"We're screwed," said Jack after a moment. None of them were in any kind of shape to fight any more. Kaine was still powerless, Sam was badly wounded and he wasn't in a great shape either. "I think we blew it."

"We killed one of their leaders," Sam said. "Not a bad way of spending an afternoon."

"Internal injuries aside," Kaine said, hoisting himself to his feet. "We're not going out like this."

"Last time it took a miracle rescue from Magneto to get us out," Jack said. "I just wish we had a way of taking this thing with us."

"There is a way." Sam looked at Eto. "Your whole channelling your inner energy, can you borrow other people's?"

"In theory," Eto said, "but you two aren't in any state…"

"I'm the prodigy of an immortal and a genie," Sam replied. "I've lifeforce to spare. Take mine."

"Not with your injuries," Jack said. "You've blood coming from your mouth - this is going to kill you."

"We're dead anyway," Sam replied. "My choice." Eto looked at Jack and Jack closed his eyes. She was right and he nodded. Kaine took hold of her hand but she shook her head. "If I'm going out, I'm going out my way." She pressed her lips against his, putting her arms around him for support. Kaine could taste the blood in her mouth and feel her willing her life-force, using her blood as a conduit and a tear trickled down his cheek as he tapped in to it, ready for a final assault. He could feel his own energy being restored at her expense and he prepared the attack, the energy building until he could no longer hold it and he unleashed everything towards the main area of the ship. This was not a wide assault, but a focused energy, piercing the ship like a needle and they could hear the sound of explosions. Then the energy release stopped and both of them collapsed.

"Jack," croaked Eto. "She's not breathing." Jack went to work, applying CPR, not knowing why he was doing it, they were all dead anyway.

"Need a hand?" said a voice and Jack turned. It was Cable. "Figured I owe you one."

"Bodyslide?"

He shook his head. "Used the tesseract generator, but it was only good for one way, however I can protect us in a TK bubble." Jack nodded and went back to work on Sam as the ship cascaded around them in a series of explosions and Cable took them in to a waiting SHIELD ship, as Sam started to breathe on her own.

"Thank you," Jack said, looking at Nate and the two men shook hands, whatever enmity that was between Cable and Dragon's Claws evaporating in that single gesture.

"Least I could do," he replied. "We need to get you looked at, there's still much to be done. The war's still to be won."

In Limbo, Kate was following the instructions of Brian to restore the Pendragons. They were adrift in time, suspended and unaware they were even lost, and they had no way of exiting the time stream. It had taken some doing, but she had found them and what they needed was a push to put them back where they belonged, but without the temporal scoop, there was no way she could direct it and she focused the power of the Limbo systems to open a hole, which sucked the inert heroes through. Looking at the time scanners it seemed they would appear some months after they had left, but they were back and she had done the best she could.

She watched what had happened in their absence, how the Barrier would fall slowly, and the Martians would be hard pressed to take advantage of it, due to their numbers being thin, but they would make sure it happened and she watched as the replacement Pendragons fought to ensure they did not make it easy. She could also see that there were members of Dragon's Claws, but not all of them. Sam would heal, and go to in the UK organising Resistance pockets, Kaine would become a new Pendragon and Jack would be co-ordinating the defence. However there was something wrong.

There was no sign of Pen, of Jessica or Elena. It didn't make sense to her, where were the others? Why was there no sign of them? "Why haven't they appeared where they were supposed to?"

"Because you've interfered for the last time," said a voice and she turned.

"Lady Kang," Kate said, knowing Ravonna. "You have no power here."

"On the contrary," Ravonna replied. "There are greater things happening than you could possibly know, and in this business you are an amateur." She through something and it surrounded Kate, trapping her as if she were an insect ensnared in amber. "We will deal with you later, but for now…" Ravonna walked across to where Widget was infused in the computer systems. "Omega, omega seven."

Kate couldn't even cry out, forced to watch as her friend was over-ridden by codes installed by Kang long ago. The computer files started to erase, his personality files began to decompile and the systems at the heart of Limbo eventually fell silent, making the place nothing more than an eternal tomb.

"Farewell," Ravonna said, and then she was gone.

Dragon's Lair
Notes from the Author

This has been an absolute bugger of an issue to write. I think maybe it needed Barry to finish Pendragons #91 to give me something to inspire me. Damned if I know what I'll do next time, but as a side note go and read the finale of the series, then get ready for the New Year as we work to clear the slate of Barry's plots - namely the Martian War.

What happens then? A good question. There were hints given last issue and the next issue will also help. There are still things to be done, and while Dragon's Claws isn't Pendragons, I hope I can live up to a legacy set down by the master himself - Barry Reese, so I'm going to take this opportunity to thank Barry for his work, for the opportunities and for making Pendragons what it is.

Kudos to you, my friend, and your accomplishments at the site. I know you'll still be webmaster and supreme being of the Pendragons Universe, but you've left a lot to live up to. The baton you held is now in the hands of people like myself, Gary Halpin, Dave Evans and the rest of the writers. Let's do him proud, and in the words of Freiheit:

The game will never be over
Because we're keeping the dream alive

David
December 23 2005