Highgate Cemetery

Since the arrival of Ghost Rider over a year ago, this beloved cemetery has seen more than its share of strange events. In the estimation of the Caretaker, however, there were few that could match up to this one.

A member of the ancient race of immortals known as the Blood, the Caretaker had served as a guardian and advisor for more than a few of Noble Kale's incarnations. He'd seen hosts come and go -- some of whom had distinguished themselves quite well. There were a few he wouldn't have given the time of day, too, of course... but they had thankfully been few and far between.

As he drove his shovel deeper into the earth, disturbing the soil, the Caretaker turned his head and spat. He couldn't stop thinking about Jennifer Kale, the current host for the Spirit of Vengeance. A bright girl, with a good head on her shoulders and a knack for magic that even Stephen Strange would be envious of.

But she'd made some mistakes, some big ones.

She'd failed to save Strange and the other mages during Blackheart's reign of terror... and, worst of all, she'd recently made a pact with the Earth Mother. She's listening too much to Satana, he mused, and not thinking enough with her own mind. It's not just a matter of gaining more power when you do somethin' like that -- you gotta consider what it really means. The Spirit of Vengeance is an aspect of death -- and Gaea is anything but death. She's life itself. 

And how will the two mix?

Not very damned well, I'd sa--

The Caretaker's thoughts drifted away as his shovel hit something hard and unyielding. Bending low with a creak in his joints, he slowly dragged a pine coffin from the ground. He spat again before pulling the lid up and away, revealing the still fresh form of a young woman.

She was beautiful, with a soft, almost gypsy-like look to her. Her dark hair hung in curls about her shoulders and a sweet, playful smile resided on her cupid-bow lips. 

The Caretaker was somewhat taken aback by her, for the pictures he'd seen of her had shown a blonde woman with a decidedly California-girl air about her. Nothing at all like this....

The Barrier. Its magicks have soaked into the soil. And she's been resting in it.

The woman opened her eyes and screamed.

The Caretaker placed a dirty hand over her mouth to silence her but the girl bit him hard, causing him to jerk away. "Damn it, woman! Be quiet!"

The empath named Topaz stared at him for a long moment, quieting her screams. Her eyes flashed with recognition. "The Caretaker...."

"That's right," he answered, shaking his hand to rid himself of the lingering pain from her bite. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

Topaz rose unsteadily, staring about herself. The cemetery was dark and unkempt, having fallen into disfavor during the recent months of magick and evil. "I was buried alive...?"

"No, you were buried dead. Blackout killed you. Remember?"

Topaz nodded slowly. Her face was a mask of confusion. "Yes! I'd come here because of visions that were haunting me. I knew that the Ghost Rider had to be reborn... to fight the Dark One who was coming to destroy England." She turned to him. "Did he succeed?"

"If you mean, Ghost Rider, then yeah -- Blackheart's dead." The Caretaker reached out and touched her shoulders. He gave them a firm squeeze. "You were dead, but Gaea's seen fit to restore you. I felt it. You've got a destiny still to fulfill."

Topaz looked away, noticing her body for the first time. Her skin and hair were so much darker than before... "I... look different."

"So you do." He looked up, as rain began to fall on a London plagued by the occult. "Come with me. I have some people you should meet."

Not having much else to do, Topaz did as he asked.

The Slimelight Club

The trendiest Trance club in London was packed to the brim this evening. And the partying types that surrounded Jennifer Kale and Satana were anything but the usual crowd -- nowhere to be seen were the college kids, the Ecstacy-addled or the local club kids. In their place were figures from myth: vampires, werewolves, succubi and things far less savory. 

Jennifer found herself both intrigued and repulsed by all of this. On the one hand, she found it somewhat liberating to lose herself in the music and in Satana's company -- and not have to worry about what others thought. After all, these beings were like her... creatures of the night, each set apart from the run of the mill humanity.

But many of them were also hunters, preying on mankind like wolves in the darkness.

And the part of her that was merged with Noble Kale could almost feel the stink of innocent blood on their hands.

"You look like you're thinking non-fun thoughts again, Jen."

Jennifer glanced back over at her dance partner, the alluring young girl called Satana. The succubus had weaved quite a spell on Jennifer, enticing her through her sexuality and love for life. Jennifer spun about, throwing herself into the music. "I don't know what you're talking about -- Does this look like a girl who's not into the party?"

Satana grinned at her, moving forward to wrap her arms about Jennifer's waist. The song slowed, becoming a bump-and-grind number and Satana accommodated the DJ by straddling Jennifer's leg and pressing against it. She saw Jennifer flush with an uneasy embarrassment and it made her laugh. "Relax! We're celebrating, remember?"

"I remember... But I wish you'd chosen somewhere else. This place is a powder keg, ready to explode at any second. It could get real ugly, real fast."

"The danger's what makes it fun," Satana teased. She pulled Jennifer off the dance floor, towards the bar. "Besides, I'm not here just for the music."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. Word on the street is that something big's coming down tonight. That someone's looking to pull all the covens and such together in one big group."

Jennifer frowned. She didn't need Noble's urging to prompt her to ask "Any idea who it is? And what they plan to do with all these forces?"

Satana shrugged. "Who knows? I'm sure the Pendragons will be all over them before they can get anywhere close to their goal, though. That's the problem with the world conquering types -- they don't consider that by being so above-board, they attract too much attention."

Jennifer laughed merrily at that, checking out Satana's skimpy attire. "You're one to talk about staying low-key...."

Satana started to reply but she hesitated, feeling a strange sense of unease pass over her. "Hey, Jen -- You feel that?"

Jennifer did, indeed. She scanned the crowded club for anything that looked suspicious but found altogether too many suspects... "It's the same feeling I got outside Bansi's store*. A feeling of fear and unease...."

(*Back in issue 12.)

Satana tapped her friend on the shoulder and motioned towards a stage, upon which a spotlight now shone. "Looks like the master of ceremonies is about to begin...."

Jennifer followed Satana's gaze, though she felt reluctant to end her searching for the source of this new emotion. The music around her had suddenly come to an abrupt halt, leaving only the buzzing of voices behind. A thin, pale woman stepped into the spotlight, immediately catching the full attention of everyone in the club. She wore a thin bodysuit that hugged her every curve, with gossamer webbing hanging from the sleeves. Her voice was hauntingly beautiful, with the confidence of one born to lead. "Welcome, children of darkness. Welcome to the beginning of something profound. I am the Baroness Blood and I give you these words of comfort: this Barrier was just the beginning. This is now our time. The time of the Immortal."

Jennifer felt her heart lurch. The Baroness -- she'd heard Spitfire of the Pendragons mention her in passing, as the woman who had seduced Spitfire's son into becoming the second Baron Blood. She could feel Noble inside of her, urging her to release him. She fought it down, though, thinking Not yet, Noble. There's no way we can fight our way through all of this -- let's wait and see what she's up to.

Onstage, the Baroness was continuing her spiel. The crowd seemed to be hanging on her every word, more than eager to accept her leadership, it seemed. "The governments of Europe are in disarray. More than half of them are already turning over the keys to the kingdom. They think Doom and his Latverian forces will protect them. They are wrong. We are the wolves who will prey amongst the sheep -- and all of our Europe is our hunting grounds!" A roar of approval nearly deafened Jennifer, who readied several protective and offensive spells, just in case the situation took a turn south.

"I have placed agents in all levels of government, throughout England and France. They are loyal to me and, thus, to all of you. I propose that the heads of the various covens, guilds and societies come together and form--" The Baroness paused in her speech, her eyes narrowing. For a second, she seemed to sniff the air, like a wild beast stalking her prey. She glared out into the crowd. "Familiar blood is here tonight, my friends. Very familiar." 

"She's on to us," Jennifer whispered. 

Satana blinked. "What are you talking about? She doesn't know either one of us."

Jennifer felt the change coming over her, even as someone in the crowd shouted something about a slayer being present*. It was too late for her to prevent Noble's ascendance, however, for the Spirit of Vengeance was all too eager to deliver righteous vengeance. The Baroness fairly stank of innocent blood and the Ghost Rider would not be denied.

(*If this is confusing, check out the other side of the same scene in Pendragons # 21)

There, amidst the crowd, appeared a figure clothed in leather, with a flaming skull atop his body. A chain was wrapped tightly around one hand and the sound of a roaring motorcycle swelled to a deafening crescendo before the mystic bike burst through a locked set of doors and moved to its master's side. The Ghost Rider cast one baleful glance at Satana, saying "Do you fight with me, daughter of darkness? Or do you stand with the enemies of all that is good and pure?"

Satana rolled her eyes. "Seven Hells, could you be any more dramatic? Yeah, I'm on your side." Eldritch energy swirled about her hands and she turned just in time to blast a vampire who was lunging towards her.

The Ghost Rider whipped out with his chain, knocking aside several more creatures. The battle had begun, but he feared that the true target of his anger -- the Baroness -- would flee in the confusion of the moment.

He was right.

The Baroness rushed into the alley behind the club, her eyes narrowed into cat-like slits. The necromancer named Nekros was at her side, looking frail and old. "I warned you against coming here, Baroness. What if we are captured?"

The vampire smiled coldly as she moved towards a waiting car. "Have no fear, old man. Even though this evening ended early, I accomplished my goal. My name will be on the lips of every undead in the city -- and soon, the rest of England."

"I quite agree," a new voice said, cracking like a whip from behind them.

The Baroness came to a stop, whirling about and preparing to face any threat that might have presented itself. What she saw, however, was a bit surprising.

The lithe man before her wore a long, dark coat and his eyes shone with an ancient wisdom. His mouth was long and sneering, with rows upon rows of needle-sharp teeth that gleamed in the moonlight. 

The Baroness clenched her hands into fists, whispering "Identify yourself quickly -- or prepare to meet whatever God you worship."

The man laughed merrily, though there was no kindness in it. "My Gods are far too old for you to recognize, my dear." He moved forward quickly and without fear. "I am Flay -- and I will join you, if you wish."

"And what makes you think I would care one whit for your 'help'?"

"Because I have killed the being called Vengeance. And I could do the same for Ghost Rider... or any other enemy you may call your own. And in exchange, you can help me spread fear and chaos in the land of man." 

The woman paused, sizing him up. There was certainly an air of great age -- and great power -- about him. Knowing that she had to decide quickly if she wished to escape, she nodded. "Get in. We will talk at my lair."

And the man called Flay moved forward, into an alliance of unholy proportions.

John Blaze woke up with a terrible pain in his neck. He lay under a bridge, the sounds of people above giving ample evidence that morning had come. The sun hung in the sky, having just risen, and it was presenting a fresh start to a new day. He remembered suddenly the strange flight to freedom that had led him and Amber Greene from the headquarters of the Weird Happenings Organization, and he cried out "Amber! Where are you?"

"Over here," she answered. She stepped into view, her clothes and hair dirty and unkempt. "I was admiring your bike. It barely looks the same without the flames and all. It's bloody amazing." She regarded him evenly. "You look different, too."

"That's not hard," he answered. He rose and brushed himself off. "I imagine my head not being on fire would make me look a bit better."

Amber smiled. "True." Her expression faltered slightly. "W.H.O. is going to be after us. We need to find Kale."

John nodded slowly, his mouth feeling dry. He wanted a drink really badly. His dreams had been filled with visions of Roxanne and the kids, making his heart feel heavy and leaden. "Yeah, let's do that." He looked at her seriously for a moment. "You put yourself on the line for me. I owe you."

Amber looked away. How could she tell him that it had been less about him, and more about her silent infatuation with Jennifer Kale... a woman whom Amber had grown to desire, despite having known her mainly through reports and surveillance. "You got me out alive, Blaze. The debt's repaid in full."

And John Blaze nodded, sensing there was more to this than she was saying. Whatever her reasons, however, he knew he could trust her. And friends were in short supply, these days. Grunting, he moved towards his bike and murmured "Let's ride."

The Ghost Rider and Satana returned to her apartment as the sun was first rising. Both of them bore numerous signs of a battle that had been hard fought, but the duo had proven surprisingly deadly as a team. Between Satana's mystical might -- recently augmented by Gaea -- and the Spirit of Vengeance's strength and penance stare, many a dark creature had been felled.

"We are here," Noble said. "And Jennifer is anxious to once more walk this world."

"Great. I'm so tired, I could sleep a week." She looked at him critically. "You ever get sleepy?"

"Not as you know it. I do need to rest, however." He hesitated slightly. "I do not trust you."

"No duh." She shrugged. "You shouldn't worry, though. I like Jen, even if she is a bit stiff."

Noble stepped away from her, concentrating to cause the shift between the Ghost Rider and Jennifer Kale. "Be true to your word, then."

Satana watched with a smirk as the flesh began to return to Ghost Rider's skull and the Spirit's form grew smaller and more feminine.  It was fascinating to watch and Satana found herself intrigued by--

Jennifer fell forward, screaming in terrible agony. Flames continued to flicker around her face, even as Jennifer resumed control of her form. The burning was horrible and Jennifer's face looked like she was in the worst form of pain imaginable. 

Satana lunged forward to try and smother the flames, but the mystic fire would not respond. "Jen! What's wrong? Please tell me!"

"She's discovering that being a servant of Mother doesn't go well with being a servant of Vengeance."

Satana turned to look at a grizzled older man who stepped into view. His battered and worn hat looked like it had seen better days -- much like the rest of him. "Who the hell are you?" she asked, continuing to pat down Jennifer to no avail.

The Caretaker kneeled down beside Jennifer and whispered a few words, of an ancient and powerful language. The flames died away, leaving a shaken and pained Jennifer. "I'm a friend, Satana. You have to believe that. And right now, I'm the only one who knows how to save Jennifer's life. Because this is only going to get worse -- eventually, the pain will come even when she's not making the change. Because life and death -- or even aspects of it -- are not meant tto coexist in one mortal form."

Satana watched as the Caretaker lifted her easily into his arms and turned back towards Satana's flat. A woman was standing there on the doorstep, dressed in an off-the shoulder peasant blouse and ankle-length skirt. The woman looked familiar to Satana, though she could not place her. In the end, Satana concluded, she didn't care who they were. If they could help Jennifer, that was all that mattered -- and even Satana was surprised at how strongly she felt about it all.

Jennifer woke up to a strange sense of emptiness within her. She felt refreshed, as if she'd slept for days... but the sense of having lost something precious still remained.

She looked about her, seeing that she was in one of Satana's spare bedrooms, one adorned with posters of the Russian pop group t.A.T.u. "Satana?"

There was no answer, forcing Jennifer to move out of the room on her own. She felt alone, so alone... and she wanted badly to find Satana or the Caretaker or Bansi or anyone. 

Voices from the living room, talking quietly and with voices filled with concern. Despite her pressing need for companionship, Jennifer found herself stopping to eavesdrop.

"It's the best thing that could have happened," John Blaze said. His voice, which Jennifer recognized immediately, was a welcome surprise for Jennifer. She'd feared she wouldn't see him again. "She'll realize that. Eventually."

"That's easy for you to say," Satana retorted. "What if she hates us for this?"

"It was necessary," the Caretaker said. "Gaea had marked her as an agent of the Earth, of the life-giving forces. A decision had to be made."

"But why this one?" Satana asked, pressing. The girl sounded almost guilty, as if she had committed some grave misdeed. "She should have been given a fucking choice!"

Jennifer leaned closer, a frown forming on her face. They're talking about me. But what on Earth....?

Blaze again. "The only concern I have is where he's ending up next. If he's in one of my kids, I swear to God that--"

"Calm yourself!" the Caretaker hissed. "I've told you that he rests for now. The barrier has made it possible to halt the curse, if only for a brief time. Where he goes after that... Well, we will test whether or not your bloodline is truly free or not."

"They're not," someone answered. Jennifer placed her voice as Topaz, the empath who'd died months ago. "The Kales are still in danger."

"Then I have twice as much reason to get out from under this damned Barrier and help my family!"

Jennifer stepped into the room then, silencing Blaze and the others. They looked at her in alarm, obviously fearful of what she had heard. It all made sense now, the feeling of loss... 

She touched her stomach, as if she had lost a child. It was a strange comparison, she knew, for Noble was far older than she and was certainly not childlike in any way. But he had been a part of her, a member of her bloodline and they had been stronger together than either had been apart. 

"Jen...?" Satana asked.

Jennifer Kale backed away. "You trapped him the void. All alone."

The Caretaker looked at her with sympathy. "You have become one of Gaea's Witches, Jennifer. You have a great destiny now, one that does not include Noble Kale. You may even become the Sorceress Supreme of --"

"Shut up," she said, in a voice so cold that all in the room felt a chill go through them. "I never would have chosen this path if I'd known it would cost Noble his freedom."

The girl, trained years before by a mage of lost Atlantis, rushed from the room and locked herself away in the bedroom. She ignored the concerns cries of those on the other side of the door, instead slowly sliding to the floor and crying. I'm sorry, Noble. I let you down. First the mages, and now this....

And somewhere, in a Void far away from mortal men, a being who once loved a woman so much that he pledged his soul to the Spirit of Vengeance, stood all alone, in a field of pure emptiness.

He faintly heard Jennifer's mental voice, though it was slipping away now, like Noble Kale's every attempt at happiness. You were stronger than I, Jennifer. And you will recover from this... for I feel that you, Satana and Topaz may yet turn the tide in the war for England's soul.

And the time will come again when the Ghost Rider shall ride forth.

We must only have patience.

THE END

AUTHOR'S COMMENTS

Well, we've reached the end of my run on Ghost Rider U.K.  

I'm not leaving the title because I've lost interest in the characters -- far from it! -- but I am leaving because I don't want to overstay my welcome.

Whenever I do a project, I start out with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm -- after all, I write these things because I truly love the characters involved. 

But for some time now, my desire for this series has been waning. Hopefully, you haven't been able to tell, but it's true, nonetheless. So I'm leaving now, on what I hope is still a high note. Maybe someone else will drop by to do their own version of the Ghost Rider but, if not, you can expect to see some of these characters  pop up in Pendragons. Flay, for instance, will appear next in Pendragons # 22.

So, it's been a blast for me -- and, I hope, for you as well. Let's leave things with a review, shall we?

The following was part of Tom Deja's "Black Air" series and was posted to the Heroesfanfic list:

As you know, one of my biggest complaints about some of the issues I've
reviewed is the lack of exposition designed to bring people up to speed.
I'm not looking for laughably stilted dialogue, mind you--just a few
short lines so I can tell the players with a scorecard. One of the
reasons I pick issues at random is so I can experience them as if I'm a
reader 'off the street,' sampling the wares.

You want to see how to handle expository information in a fanfic series?
Then take a look at this issue.

In a few short pages, Barry is able to give us everything we really need
to know about series protaganists Noble Kale and his ancestor, Jennifer
as well a little about the lay of the land in Pendragons Britian and the
Barrier--and he does it without once stopping the narrative action. It's
so seamless that I was able to continue onward without missing a beat in
enjoying this quirky, enjoyable read.

Barry Reese has always been a really good meat-and-potatoes fanfic
writer, and here's an example of him at his best. The Pendragons
Universe is obviously a labor of love to him and it shines through in
the prose--so much so that even if you're not a Barry Reese fan, you're
sucked in very quickly.

You want to know how much I was sucked in? I'm now looking at the
backlog of Pendragons material. For FUN!

This issue does seem to be a bit of a place setting exercise, placing
people in the proper position for the next Big Story and some characters
do get short shrift (the scene with Amber Green, Zarathos and Blackout
might have been tied into the main thread a little tighter), but Barry's
enthusiasm coupled with his talent makes even those parts sparkle. There
are some theories thrown out here also about magic that could have been
integrated a little better, but these are very minor cracks in what is
otherwise an enjoyable story.

Understand that I don't particularly like the Ghost Rider concept. But I
will be continuing to follow this iteration of the theme.

THE SKINNY: An odd little premise is made extremely entertaining by a
writer on the top of his game approaching the subject with enthusiasm,
knowledge and skill.

(The Black Air Dossier uses the Black Air Breathability Scale of 1-10.
The lower the number, the greater the stink, 0 being unreadable, 5 being
average and 10 being pure O-Oxygen....)

BLACK AIR BREATHABILITY SCALE RATING: 8.1

Thanks for the review, Thomas. I remember reading an interview once where Jim Shooter stressed the importance of explaining who your characters are each issue, because every issue is someone's first. Since fanfiction (at least the way I write it) is serialized like monthly comic books, I try to do the same here -- briefly catching you up on who the characters and why they behave the way they do. Sometimes I fear I do it too much, but thankfully, most of the comments I receive tend to suggest I've hit it just right.

Thanks for reading, everyone. I've had fun.

Barry