Dragon's Claws #4

"No more things should be presumed to exist than are absolutley necessary."
- William of Occan

The five SHIELD agents were shaken as the elevator ramp took them down to the lower levels of the Arsenal complex, the warehouse of weapons, technology and other memorabilia that the Commission for Superhuman Activities had captured over the many years of battles between heroes and villains. Between the CSA and the organisation known as 'Damage Control' there had been a vast array of items that had been obtained, and they were hoping that it would be those items that would and could turn the tide of the invasion against the Martians. The ramp slowed and eventually came to a stop and a door way opened to reveal the upper levels of the complex, connected by a series of stairwells, ladders and pneumatic auto lifts.

Pen Dragon let out a long whistle as he surveyed the complex. "Now that is cool."

"The last depository of the CSA," said Nomad. "I never thought I'd see this stuff again."

"And we were never sure we'd get access," Jessica answered and she touched a triangular shaped console before her but nothing happened. "Odd," she said. "There's power there but nothing responsive."

"Let me try," said Monroe and he touched the panel and it flared to life, a holographic data-readout coming up before them. "DNA sensitive." They looked at the inventory of weapons, vehicles and equipment, as Nomad touched the hologram and opened up the subfolders under each, displaying more and more information. "Is this what we're looking for?"

"I'd say we'd hit the mother lode," said Dragon. "Look at that." He pointed to another folder. "Accommodation."

"Of course," said Sam. "You'd need someone here to look after things. They'd need rooms, living areas, supplies."

"I sense nobody other than us within the complex," said Elena, reaching out with her telepathy.

"Confirmed," Nomad answered. "The files say the last members of staff evacuated the base just before the invasion began. It doesn't say why though. Apparently there is a tesseract portal generator."

"Sinister," muttered Dragon. "He used something like that."

"It is his," Nomad said. "Retaken after the attack on his base of operations by the Neo, according to the notes. It replaced another system they used to get the things here, but I don't seem to be able to find that in the records yet."

"So we have quarters, weapons, vehicles and teleportation system," Dragon mused. "That's cool."

"I have them," said Nomad. "If I can find a way to access the system menus and deputise you in to hierarchy, I'm the only one who can do anything."

"Can you get the computer intelligence to help?" asked Sam. "It recognised you before."

"True," said Nomad. "I say we find quarters and rest up. It's been a busy day so far and this might take me a while." They nodded and Nomad pulled up a map of how to get to the living areas from their current positions. As they worked their way down, using the stairs and lifts, Dragon considered the possibilities - what they had here was perfect for what was needed. They could supply the various resistance factions as well as take on the aliens themselves. It was like having the Helicarrier backing them up, but they had an autonomy of their own. Or rather he did. He was going to have to convince the others that what he had in mind would work, and that meant he had to tell them what was going on, what he was about. That said, he was going to need to ask her permission first, and he lightly touched the St Christopher around his neck.

While he was doing that, Elena was in telepathic conference with the others, relaying what she had seen inside Dragon's mind, and that while they were only flashes of things as the mental shields that protected him were still strong, she had seen enough to know that the man should not be here. He simply didn't belong.

~All I can show you is what I saw~ she said, sharing the images. ~Part of the deal with being a telepath is a pretty good recollection of things like this. There are things in his mind that did not occur~

~Not in this reality~ said Samantha. ~I've not been in the hero business as long as you all have, but I do know that there are countless incidents of this kind of thing. Trans-temporal duplicates, people from the future, dimensional crossings."

~The images in his mind though~ Jessica countered. ~He has a history in with both you and me. I've never been in a team with Wolverine, Maverick, and Shadowcat before~

~And that looked like Joey Chapman with me~ Sam agreed. ~I know of him, but we've never worked together. Whatever Pen is hiding, there's a lot he knows about us~

~And he's not had time to tell people yet, either~ Nomad reminded. ~If he is Pete Wisdom, as we all think he is, he must have a reason for pretending to be Pen Dragon. He has put his life on the line for us so far. We at least should give him a chance. We're not all innocent ourselves~ That shook them in to silence as they remembered the various darker times of their past. Jessica had once been a part of Hydra, believing that Viper was her mother, Elena had been a member of the KGB and Nomad had been used and manipulated by many rogue forces over the years. Then there was Samantha who was the daughter of an genie and immortal, and was not using her family name so the secret of the heritage of her brothers and sisters was not revealed. As with everything it was not cut and dried.

~Okay~ said Jessica, after a moment. ~He gets a chance to explain who he is, what is going on and what he's doing here. Sam and Jack are right. We've all been given several chances over the years and this isn't something totally unheard of. We'll let Pen Dragon tell us who he really is, but Jack…~

~As soon as I figured out how to give other people access to the Arsenal systems, I'll set you guys up, but Dragon has no access until we find out the truth~ he said, and the others agreed. Giving the benefit of the doubt was one thing, being naïve was something else.

~Kate…~ his voice echoed, with a lyrical quality to it. ~You monitoring, hon?~

~You know I am~ she replied. ~You did it. We hit the 50.3% mark that humanity can defeat the invaders. It's over half, and now we can leave the rest up to fate~

~Yeah, about that~ he answered. ~Have you found me a reality yet, one where I can blend in without it being too obvious I don't belong?~

~Widget and I are going through as many timelines as we can, but you need to know we're also cataloguing all the changes that Necrom's manipulations have made to time. We had a visitor…~ They both knew what that meant.

~You did wonder when the cosmic forces would be paying a visit. But I was thinking maybe I should stay here, on a longer term basis than we planned~

There was a pause and he knew that she was thinking it over, wondering what he was up to. ~How much longer term do you mean?~

~Until the job's done. Kate, I'm no use to you sat around Limbo. Here I can do some good. I can make a difference to things~

~I will want to call on you from time to time~ she said. ~There are still going to be threats out there, forces that need dealing with that I won't be able top handle alone~

~You need me, call~ he said. ~Kate, I want to stay here. I can make a difference~

~Your continued presence in the timeline is going to make it difficult to predict future events. You're an unknown quantity, and you can only exist as long as the barrier stays in place. As soon as it comes down, I'll have to bring you back before a schism occurs~

Dragon smiled. ~Is that a yes?~

~Just be careful. Remember you told Lydia you'd come back~

~Then don't make a liar out of me. Well, more of a liar, anyway~ He chuckled, thinking that some things couldn't be changed, even by altering the past. ~Speaking of which, if I'm sticking around then I need to come clean with people. This isn't a Quantum Leap kind of thing where if I tell them I'm condemned to travel on forever without going home?~

~No~ Kate replied, but her tone was uncertain. ~However there might be repercussions. And when were you that big on trust issues?~

~Since I got used to being in charge of stuff. Though the truth is kind of subjective.~

He could hear the tinkling of her laughter. ~There's the man I used to know~

~I do have a rep to live up to~ he answered. ~You're okay with me telling them then?~

~Just be careful, and not too much? Things are still quite fragile~

~Thanks, Kate. I'll be in touch~ He broke the neural link between them and they arrived at the first set of quarters where people started to break off and he turned to them.

"I think it's safe to assume you've figured certain things out about me," he said, hoping he was hiding the amusement at their surprise at his announcement. "When we've rested up, and given Jack time to figure out the systems, we'll meet in the lounge area over," he nodded to where there were some comfy seats and such, "and I'll tell you as much as I can."

"As much as you can?" said Jessica, the first to regain her composure.

"Yeah," said Dragon. "It'll be the cliff notes version of my life, how I got here and the like. There will be things I miss out, due to time or due to the fact I simply don't want to tell you. Then you'll need to decide what we do next."

"We?" said Nomad.

Dragon nodded. "Yes, we." He looked at them all. "You've no real reason to trust me, other than we've saved each others lives, but there are things that have been going on that make the invasion seem insignificant. We'll talk later." He stepped inside his room. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

"What's wrong?" asked Sam and Dragon pointed to the wall. It was a no smoking sign, and Sam chuckled. "Sorry," she said as she patted his shoulder and Dragon shook his head in disgust.

"There are days I really despise America…"

After they had all been assigned quarters, Monroe went to work trying to find a way of bringing the others in the great CSA family. He gave a cold chuckle as he thought of it, how they had used nanites to control him and make him in to the latest incarnation of the Scourge. Luckily, it had all been exposed in the end, allowing him to make a get away and start over, but then the aliens came and even his natural abilities, enhanced by the super soldier serum, were not of any use and he had used the suit of the Scourge once more. He was quite technically gifted and he wondered how much of that was down to the formula that ran through his veins. Either way he took what he could get and he sat down and began to tap away on the computer console, looking for something that would do the job.

"There has to be an easier way than this," he said after about half an hour of fruitless searching.

"How can I help?" the computer said and Nomad cursed himself for not asking the question earlier.

"Computer, I'm looking for a way of allowing my guests to access the facilities of the Arsenal. Can you show me?"

"Affirmative," said the computer and Nomad was about to ask another question but he didn't like using the term computer, especially with such a human sounding voice being spoken.

"Computer, do you have a name or reference? Computer is a little impersonal."

"You may refer to as me X," the computer answered and Nomad thought for a moment. X sounded familiar, as in X-Men obviously but there was something else at the back of his mind. Something that… It dawned on him and he took a swing.

"X, as in X-51?" he said. "You're Machine Man?"

"Only in the sense that I share his programme," X stated. "My main memory core was contained within the abdomen of my body, which was destroyed during the battle between the X-Men and the Red Skull aboard the SHIELD Helicarrier. That part was eventually recovered and my programme was downloaded and altered to serve as the systems of the Arsenal. Technically, in terms of logical sequence, I am X-52, however I am also unique in many ways and so I believe X is an apt frame of reference."

"Okay then," said Monroe. "What are your parameters?"

"I maintain defence and environmental aspects of the facility, as well as functioning as the main database of items within the complex. I am also adapted to scan the planet using whatever satellite and surveillance equipment is orbiting around the planet, using a piggy-back signal to tap into foreign systems."

That was interesting, but he wanted to know how far X could be stretched. "What about alien systems?"

"Unable to confirm at this time."

"I see," said Monroe. "We'll sort that later though. I want to give my friends access." Then there was a screen shift, as the process for activating new users to the systems rapidly scrolled through the screen and Nomad was fairly sure he could remember it in the future.

"System access has been granted to our guests," X confirmed. I will need a DNA sample and retinal scan to complete the process. Query - user Pen Dragon reads as an anomaly? Should I continue processing?"

"Hold on him," Jack said. "I'll get back to you later with a definitive answer."

"Acknowledged," X replied. "If you require my assistance just call me. I am always available."

"Thank you, X." Monroe smiled as he went and laid down on the bed. This was a truly weird place, but it also felt secure and for the first time since the aliens had attacked the Earth, he felt there was a chance of winning the war.

"Are we all met?" said Dragon as he sat in the lounge area, a cup of coffee in his hand. He'd had a look around and there had been a good selection of clothing, in various sizes and he'd found something that had fit and from what he could tell the others had done the same. "How's the arm, Sam?"

"It's a bit stiff," she replied. "It'll heal properly soon enough." He nodded and they took their seats and waited for Dragon to start. He swiftly glanced about, looking at them all. Samantha seemed to be the most receptive to him, looking the most relaxed as she sat back. Then there was Jessica, she seemed to be sceptical in her own right, but if he was reading her right then she seemed prepared to give him an honest hearing. He got the same vibes from Jack but then there was Elena. She seemed relaxed enough around the others, but he got the impression that she didn't trust him that much, but he was hoping that was because she wasn't going to be able to read him and that had to grate on her. Most telepaths he had met who couldn't read the minds of certain people always believed those people had something to hide and it annoyed them that they couldn't find out.

"All right then," he said, putting down his drink and then he pressed his hands together and rested his chin on his fingers. "My name is Pen Dragon, but it's not the name I was born with. It won't come as a surprise that my name used to be Peter Wisdom. I'm a mutant, from the UK, and I worked as an agent and assassin for an organisation called Black Air, and I was very good at what I did, but something happened to me and I changed my opinions, and joined the white hats."

"That part of your life we know," said Jessica. "You joined Excalibur up until a few months before the team disbanded. Then you pretty much dropped off the radar, but we heard you were working with or advising Department F66, but that was around the time the Barrier appeared."

"That person isn't me," said Dragon. "Where I come from, Charles Xavier died not long after the return of Magneto and the attack of the fake X-Men on Cape Citadel. The X-Men slowly fell apart and eventually SHIELD instigated a new project, called X-Force. A mutant team, sorting out mutant issues."

"Like a mutant police force?" asked Nomad

Dragon shook his head. "Not quite, more like a mutant peacekeeping force, who also took preventative measures where needed. I was recruited and put that group together and eventually the group was expanded from one team to six, with myself as project director. They dealt with the darker underbelly that teams like the X-Men couldn't take on, and were working to give legitimacy to groups like the X-Men so they were considered in the same league as the Avengers and Fantastic Four. Not long after that happened, I was called upon by a alternate future version of Katherine Pryde to join a group of heroes and defeat a foe who threatened time, and in turn all of reality."

"What happened?" asked Sam.

"A sorcerer called Necrom tried to merge every timeline in existence in to one solitary timeline, thereby gaining mastery of the universe. Myself and five others fought him and defeated him, but by the time we did, some damage had been done. My timeline had been merged with another and there was a version of me in that timeline, created from the merging. I couldn't go back, and even I had been able to it wasn't the timeline I had known. Certain things had changed and it wouldn't have been the world I remembered."

"You saved reality and got stiffed?" said Jack. "That figures. I swear there's some kind of universal order to that."

"No good deed ever goes unpunished," said Elena, her gaze fixed on Dragon and he knew that she was scanning him as best she could.

"Something like that," said Dragon. "Anyway, after being in Limbo for what would hve been two months of linear timeline, Kate looked on the world of her origin. Or at least we think it was of her origin and it gets confusing for me to try and work it out, but she saw the invasion and that the ultimate fate of humanity was enslavement and eventual extinction. She couldn't allow that and she pinpointed a specific moment in time where the crux could be shifted back in the favour of humanity."

"Now?" said Elena.

"Not quite," said Dragon. "It was the deaths of Jessica and Jack in Victoria Falls that turned it. It led to the destruction of SHIELD, which crippled the resistance and turned the tide completely against humanity. She sent me in to make sure it didn't happen that way. With help from Sam, we turned things around, and saved your lives." He looked at Jack and Jessica who had turned quite pale. "SHIELD was still attacked, but it wasn't as completely destroyed as it had been the first time around."

"So why change your name?" asked Jessica.

"Because Pete Wisdom is still here in this reality, behind the Barrier. It's the only thing keeping both him and me in the same timeline at the same time without creating a schism. The laws of time say we can't both be here at the same time, but with the mystical forces altering the natural order we've got past it for now. If the Barrier falls, Kate will whisk me out of here before something happens, and no, she can't predict when the Barrier will fall. It's outside the view of Limbo." He sat back again. "There's more, but that's as much as you really need, for now."

"It's a fantastic story," said Elena. "However it is a little hard to believe. I sense you are telling the truth, but there is also something else…"

"Yes," said Dragon. "There is something else, but it's not to do with the past. More the future."

"What do you have in mind?" asked Jessica. "You look like you have an idea."

"This place is amazing, it has everything we need, everything the resistance could need. I was thinking we use it. All of you, and me. We share the wealth of course, but at the same time we do things that the others don't. We take the heat of the big hitters, create chaos and dissension in the alien ranks and the collaborators who work with them willingly. The war isn't being won, but it could be and I think if we do it, a small strike force with impressive resources we'll be able to do it better and not put any… more pressure on the others."

"You want to recreate your X-Force," said Jessica, stressing 'your'.

"I want to create a team who'll go out there and whup ET's ass, yeah," said Dragon. "I didn't say I'd be leader, I didn't say we'd have a hierarchy. I just want a team that can do some much needed damage. It is up to you all, but I'm a wild card in this timeline, as Kate keeps reminding me. The future's up still pretty much up for grabs, but there's a small percentage in our favour. All I can do is ask you to think about it."

"Going back to Elena's point, it is a little hard to believe," said Jack. "We could do with proof. Dragon nodded and he took off his St Christopher, and it twirled on it's chain.

"This is a link in to Limbo itself, created by a robotic lifeform called Widget to be a way of contacting Kate."

"We scanned it," said Elena. "There is no technology there."

"Not that your era can find," he replied and he called out. "Kate." There was a shimmering and she appeared before them all. "Ask her your questions. Ask her anything. I'll be in my quarters when you've made up your minds." He slowly got up, picked up his coffee and went back to his room and crossed his fingers. He sat down on his bed, then laid back down and closed his eyes, waiting for the time to tick on. About an hour or so later he heard someone entered and he looked up to see Elena standing there, holding the medallion.

"We've talked it over," she said, and he sat up and he could see the others weren't too far away and he guessed they were all mindlinked anyway.

"And?"

She tossed him the St Christopher and he caught it with a clap. "We're in."