What has come before: A hostile alien force has conquered The Earth. Earth’s heroes are fighting a losing battle as a resistance to the Martian oppressors. Hope comes in the shape of the heroes children, raised in secret in other dimensional Asgard. Great warriors with the sole purpose of freeing their Homeworld have trained these young heroes, in hopes that this secret army could do what they could not.
Legacy 5 – Part Two
(Britannia: Bethany Whitman-Braddock, daughter of the Black Knight and Betsy Braddock. Mustang: son of Hawkeye and She-hulk. Marvel Girl: daughter of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman. Rockface: daughter of the Thing and Alicia Masters. Makarra: son of the Eternal speedster Makarri. Together they are:
Previously: A tear in reality flung a team of the Legacy heroes into and another universe. There they meet a team of young heroes much like themselves, who were the children of their Earth’s greatest heroes. The tear in reality caused the universes to un-naturally meld together. However the combined teams managed to repair the damage with the help of the hero Access. Access sealed the tear from the inside but a resulting explosion threw some of the Legacy heroes in the timestream and into the path of dimensional travellers Di Vinci and Uru. The heroes awoke to the sight of heavily armed W.H.O agents from a time a place far from home. After escaping the facility along with new comer Jackdaw, the young heroes took refuge in the underground network of London’s criminal market. However a new threat has loomed in the form of a new Lord Hawk attacking the city with his troops and battle craft.
“Bloody! Flying! Idiots!” Nigel Smalls, the part time musician and super hero know as Firedrake sneered as one of Lord Hawk’s air borne troopers buzzed by his head. A ball of flame formed in Firedrake’s right hand with the help of a small lighter in his left hand. Nigel hurled the palm sized ball of fire at the passing Hawk trooper, missing and nearly hitting his friend and team mate, Sludge.
“Easy, little man,” the blue slime covered hero gurgled. “You’re supposed to take them out not me.”
“Sorry, Dude, my bad,” Nigel smirked as he quickly began forming another flame ball. “And less of the 'little', eh?”
Suddenly an arrow shot out of nowhere, slicing straight through the wing of a diving Hawk Trooper. “Need a hand, mate?” Jackdaw squawked as he landed next to Nigel, closely followed by the green-skinned archer who had fired the arrow.
“Hullo, Jack,” Sludge slurred. “Why am I not surprised to see you in the middle of utter chaos?”
“Guess it’s my winning personality,” Jackdaw grinned as he picked up a fallen Trooper's blaster.
“More the merrier,” Firedrake said breathing heavily as he hurled yet another ball of flame. “I was getting a bit tired.”
“Hiya,” the green-skinned young man grinned widely. “I’m Mustang, new kid on the block. Can you give me the low-down on what’s going on?” As he asked this, he used his gamma-spawned strength to hurl a nearby park bench into a squad of approaching Hawk Troopers.
“We probably know about as much as you do, lad. This guy calling himself Lord Hawk turns up in his giant robo-bird with all these bloody winged nut jobs and starts decimating the place. He claims to be wiping away the old world with their own technology so he can usher in some kind of new age,” Nigel replied. “Where’s the bloody Pendragons when you need them?”
“Don’t worry about that. Brought some friends with me,” Mustang grinned.
“Clobberin Time!” Angelica yelled with passion as she hurled herself into the fight. She immediately formed rock from the surrounding area into two giant stone fists encasing her own. She swatted Hawk Troopers out of the air and began quickly disarming and subduing them once they were on the ground.
“Leave some for me, fair Angelica” Uru called as he launched one of the troopers clear across the street with a powerful uppercut.
“Hear that, Ange? He called you 'fair',” Valeria teased her cousin.
“Shut up, Vee. I’m concentrating,” Angelica snapped back, then blushed. “Although he is kinda cute.”
“All the bystanders are cleared out of the way,” Makarra hurriedly said as he screeched to a halt next to his friends. “You can cut loose now if you want, Rocky.”
“Don’t think there is any real need,” Valeria Richards spoke up. “I’ve been watching these clowns and there is just no spontaneity to their attacks. It’s as if they’re almost mindless, following set patterns or commands.” She was pondering out loud, going into 'full nerd mode' as Angelica called it.
“Mistress Valeria is indeed correct, “ Uru yelled as he approached dragging a fallen Hawk Trooper behind him. He dropped the trooper in front of the others; his helmet had fallen away and revealed a blank expressionless face with a small chip implanted in the forehead. Valeria knelt close to the man, eyes focused upon the chip.
“I can't identify the technology, not without examining the chip itself, but I'd guess its some kind of neurological override. Kinda like a remote control,” Valeria gasped.
“That’s just sick,” Makarra agreed.
“Okay,” Valeria declared, standing. “We take them down, but try not to hurt them too much.”
“Great. Wonderful. Brilliant.” Angelica groused “An' mel known for my gentle touch.” She ground her rock fists together. Uru couldn’t help but grin and suddenly caught himself lingering on Angelica’s rear end as she dashed off into battle. It was Valeria’s turn to grin as she caught Uru blush despite himself.
An Abandoned Alley
Focused as they were upon the conflict, the trio of heavily-armed W.H.O. Agents were completely unprepared for a purple-clad figure dropping nimbly from a rooftop to land soundlessly behind them.
“Y'know, guys,” Hawkeye whispered in the ear of agent Stewart, the agent closest too him with his back turned. “Those big guns of yours you could always lend a hand out there.”
“Bloody hell!” Agent Stewart shrieked (sounding just a tad more girlish than was acceptable behaviour for a W.H.O field agent). The three agents quickly turned and aimed their weapons, Agent Gardener doing his level best to stifle the laughter brewing at Stewart’s girlish yelp.
“Mr. Barton,” Stewart snarled. “We are observing the quarry as instructed. Be assured that should these children get out of their depth or innocent civilians once again become endangered we will be right there”
“Good to hear,” Hawkeye smiled as he fired a grappling hook arrow up on another rooftop. “Me, I prefer a more hands-on approach.”
“Try to stay out of sight Avenger” Jordan called out, only to sigh, realizing the archer was already long gone.
The Hull of Lord Hawk’s Command Ship
“We’re locked on,” Monday announced over her internal comms to her two passengers: the reality explorer Vincent Di Vinci and the time-lost hero Bethany Whitman-Braddock, better known as Britannia.
“Thanks, Mon dear. If you could make us an entrance, I would be ever so grateful,” Di Vinci casually answered. With that, Monday morphed a laser drill from her undercarriage and quickly cut a hole large enough for the two adventurers to enter the ship.
“Thank you, Monday,” Britannia yelled as she dropped into the ship.
“Mah pleasure, Sugah,” the sultry robotic voice answered.
“Wait here for us, I can’t imagine this taking too long” Di Vinci said, preparing to enter the ship.
“Ah've seen you looking, you know, Vinnie Babe,” Monday added.
“What at who?”
“You know who.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Di Vinci grinned as her jumped into the hole.
“Ow!” Britannia yelped as Di Vinci landed on her. “Could have warned me.”
“My apologises, I did not see y….” Di Vinci trailed off as he suddenly realised he was pinning Britannia to the floor in a rather compromising position. One that she was notably not trying to squirm out from under.
“Er, yes, well...” They blushed as one. “Suppose we should get on then,” Britannia finally said.
“Yeah, let’s...let's do that,” Di Vinci agreed as they both got up and looked down the corridor ahead.
It was only at this point that they noticed the alarms going off. The pair raced down the corridor they had found themselves in towards what they hoped was the front of the vessel and where the bridge was located. As they rounded the first corner they came face to face with a full squadron of Hawk Troopers. Britannia immediately erected a TK shield in front of herself and Di Vinci. She pushed the shield forward causing the ricochets of the Hawk Troopers blasters to rebound into the troopers themselves, dropping them like flies.
“Ah, crap! I don’t know my own strength sometimes,” Britannia gasped. “Please tell me they’re not dead.”
“No, they are just stunned. Impressive display, though,” Di Vinci answered as he gave the troopers a quick scan. “It appears that these gents are been somehow controlled by a bio-circuit implant.”
“So they aren’t acting under free will?”
“It would appear not, which I can't say I'm surprised at. Better be careful how we handle these guys,” Di Vinci replied. After a few more skirmishes in the corridors the two heroes arrived at a large oval door. Di Vinci consulted his wrist-mounted terminal and muttered “More time...more time...c'mon...” He closed it with a frustrated snarl and turned to Britannia.
“This is the door to the bridge according the plans I pulled off the ship’s computer. You may want to put up a shield about now.” He pulled a small sphere from his pocket and let it drop at the base of the door, then turned and sprinted back to Britannia's side. Unsure but willing to trust, Britannia did as bade...mere seconds before the door exploded into a thousand pieces. The force was sufficient to push them both off their feet.
“Gotta to love that crazy Skrull battle tech,” Di Vinci chuckled crazily as he got to his feet and peered through the smoke.
Suddenly the two adventures found themselves in the grip of an energy beam that held them static, unable to move. They were dragged gradually onto the bridge, through the clearing smoke. The beam ended at the hand of a figure stood dead centre of the circular bridge. Technicians busied themselves at units all around the bridge’s circumference. The figure had his back to a large screen overlooking the destruction his forces were raining down on the city below.
“At last the heroes of this depraved city have decided to show their face,” the figure holding Di Vinci and Britannia announced as he used his energy beam to pin the pair against the far wall.
“Let me guess: the infamous Lord Hawk, is it?” Di Vinci said sarcastically. Lord Hawk himself was a young man with straight brown hair that reached to his shoulders. He wore a deep red coat with gold trim which fell all the way to the ground, beneath which was hi-tech battle armour, the main part of which was a huge gauntlet he wore on his right hand. It was this gauntlet that was the source of the energy currently holding Di Vinci and Britannia immobile. On his shoulder perched a robotic hawk, its lifeless eyes staring directly at its master’s prisoners.
“That armour is way too advanced for this time period, and the type of energy it is using isn’t even discovered for another 75 years,” Di Vinci whispered to Britannia. “Monday, dig up anything on this guy in your hacking of the local info highways?”
“Sometimes I amaze myself, ya know,” Monday’s voice whispered over Di Vinci’s comms ear piece.
“I know, I know. You’re wonderful, brilliant, and we wouldn’t survive without you. Now, what have you got?”
“The new Lord Hawk is one Matthew Scott, only son of a wealthy e-commerce mogul who’s business took a nose dive after the barrier went up. Apparently this sent young Matty over the edge as he already had a history of mental illness. He is quite intelligent though some would say a genius, he has multiple degrees from around the world,” Monday continued.
“Anything on why he’s on this pazzo crusade?”
“Ah, yes, just getting’ t’that. Well, after his daddy’s death, Matty-boy discovered that he’d been adopted an’ his biological grandpoppy was still alive. Turned out he was the original Lord Hawk. Figuring his current plans are something t’do with the old man,” Monday finished.
“Thank you, Mon,” Di Vinci whispered back. “Prep for a quick evac.”
“Quiet! He’s monologuing,” Britannia added.
Indeed, Lord Hawk was on a veritable tear right then, stomping about and ranting more to himself than them. “I have laid claim to the title vacated by my grandfather, who I so recently discovered. My genius, coupled with the gifts from my new alliance, will seal the fate of this country. I will use their own technology to wipe the slate clean so we can go back to a better way of life, one free from the shackles of material wants. The people today are far too dependent on these things and will have to be eliminated. My drones will raise the very young to follow my path, the path to a glorious world!”
“You’re a nutter,” Britannia stated aloud, only to be completely ignored as Lord Hawk carried on, lost in his dreams of empire.
Suddenly the energy beam holding Di Vinci and Britannia in place vanished and the two heroes dropped harmlessly to the floor. “What is this!” Lord Hawk screamed as Britannia sent a TK wave across the room hurling all the assembled technicians and guards into the view screen. Di Vinci was quickly back on his feet and pressing a knee on the would-be conqueror’s chest, keeping him immobile. Britannia was close behind him, summoning up a psi-sword and holding it at the ready.
“Well, while you were detailing your wonderful plans, I simply found the frequency of your gauntlet and reversed it. It’s all very easy if you’re very clever, which I am, and happen to have bio-implants allowing you to connect with a wrist microcomputer, which I do.” Di Vinci took great pleasure in explaining. He then pushed himself up and off the fallen man, who was equally quick to struggle to his feet. At that same moment, Di Vinci threw a metal disks at the would-be villain; the disk fixed itself the Lord Hawk’s armour, causing to freeze.
Di Vinci took a moment to turn and grin at Britannia, who couldn’t help but return it. “We make a pretty good team, eh?”
“Yah,” she agreed, despite herself. “Yah, we do.” As one, they turned back to the immobilized Lord Hawk, whose brow was glistening with sweat and looked ready to begin crying.
“Now, do you mind telling me where you got a load of 31st century technology?” Di Vinci smiled.
The Flagship of Marcus Tyrannus, hovering 2 miles above London
“It appears your pawn has failed my lord,” V1 addressed his master, Marcus son of Kang.
“Not at all, my robotic servant.” Marcus allowed himself a rare smile behind his metallic facemask. “Lord Hawk was merely a test to see what these children are made of. I must admit they are quite formidable, especially the one called Britannia.” Marcus frowned now, something tickling at his awareness. “Never mind. I have other alliances in this time frame that will prove much more useful.”
“What is our next move master?” V1 asked.
“MY next move is for you to ready my guard. I have a meeting in the city. If I’m right as to where these heroes are heading, then this hunt may turn into something far, far greater.”
“At once, my lord,” V1 answered as he backed towards the door.
The street below
“What gives?” Makarra asked. “They’ve all stopped dead. And I mean all of them.” He continued gesturing to the now prone Hawk Troopers lying motionless in the street.
“I don’t know. They all just stopped attacking and dropped to the ground.” Angelica pouted as her makeshift stone armour dropped away. “An’ just as I was getting warmed up, too.”
“I assume Bethany and Di Vinci were successful with old Hawky up there,” Valeria stated as she stared up at the giant robotic bird hovering overhead. “Wait! Is that thing descending?”
On board Lord Hawk’s ship
“I can’t believe it,” Di Vinci grumbled, for the eighth time, as he worked the controls of the massive hawk-vehicle. “I knew one of them was involved in this lunacy! Those brats don’t care about the sanctity of the time lines, so long as they can screw one of the others…” The ship sharply banked for a moment, nearly dumping everyone present to one side. Di Vinci hammered on a series of buttons and instruments, quickly righting the war machine.
“Oi!” Britannia called as she pushed an unconscious technician off her.
“Sorry about that,” Da Vinci called over his shoulder, not taking his eyes from the instruments before him.
“I assume you are referring to this Lord Marcus fellow that Hawk boy just fessed up to dealing with?” she asked.
“Sí. He’s one of the so-called ‘Heirs’. A collection of spoilt brats fighting a temporal war with each other, all just to be daddy’s successor. Never mind all of whom have a significant mad on for me,” Di Vinci answered.
“I take it this is not good then?”
“You’ve the gift of understatement. The sooner I can get back in the ‘Stream, the better.” Di Vinci continued as he touched the large robotic bird down the street below.
Britannia and Di Vinci exited the ship pushing a shackled Lord Hawk in front of them. Monday had since disengaged from the ship and returned to her original position on a disused building nearby.
“Nice going, B!” Mustang enthused as he appeared, the rest of their team close behind. “I’d like you to meet Mr. Sludge and Firedrake, local heroes.”
“Oh, you can call me Nigel,” Firedrake smiled as he took in a full body shot of Britannia. He was dissuaded from taking a second by a most unladylike gesture from the subject in question.
“I think I’ll call you in custody,” the voice of Agent Jordan boomed as he and his team surrounded the gathering.
“This ship and all associated technology is now in the custody of W.H.O., as are all of you,” the agent declared boldly. The fact his team was noticeably outnumbered hadn’t seemed to penetrate. “Stand down and submit yourself for restraints.”
“Are you feaking kidding me?” Firedrake yelled.
“Yeah! We just saved this bloody city,” Sludge added.
“I take you know our teammate is Miracle Man?”
“And you certainly took your time showing up didn’t you?”
“I am well aware of who you are Mr. Smalls, and my agents were just in the process of moving in to end this fiasco,” Agent Jordan replied. “But a full debriefing is needed and your associates are wanted felons…hey! Where the hell are they?”
The assembled W.H.O. agents frantically searched the area, but all they could find was a bound Lord Hawk and an equally surprised Sludge and Firedrake.
<><><>
“What is happening? Why can’t they see us?” a confused Uru asked as the Agents rushed past them.
“Valeria has invisibility powers, studly.” Angelica whispered harshly. “Now shut up before they hear us!”
“Back to the underground before one of these geniuses thinks to try infrared,” Valeria added as they all moved away.
“I thought you learned how to block that,” Angelica hissed.
“Not perfectly,” Valeria admitted hotly. “Quit arguing and move!”
“Did you hear something?” Agent Gardener asked.
“No. Hey maybe we should try infrared,” Agent Stewart answered.
“I think I like those kids” Sludge smirked, or at least as much as his gooey face would allow.
“Me to. I’m just gonna call MM and sort this mess out,” Nigel responded. “I hope they get to where ever they need to be.”
A nearby rooftop
Clint Barton watched the group of teenage heroes vanish, smiling to himself as the W.H.O. agents began frantically searching for them. He quickly donned a pair of SHIELD-issue infrared goggles he’d ‘liberated’ from W.H.O. stores. He’d had his suspicions concerning the little blonde back at the holding facility, particularly when the name ‘Richards’ started getting thrown about; good to see his instincts hadn’t gone totally screwy.
The goggles picked out eight very muted heat signatures heading into the London subway system. Hawkeye was just about to head off in pursuit when a flash of light in an alleyway below caught his eye. He quickly turned his attention to new arrivals, knowing that he could always pick up the signal of the tracer he put in son’s (alleged son, he had to consciously keep reminding himself) quiver back at the W.H.O. base.
Below Hawkeye could see a figure dressed in red and black armour exiting a glowing portal, followed closely by a smaller robotic figure coloured red, yellow and green. Behind these two mysterious figures came a four-man squad of heavily armour guards, who he was surprised to looked like bizarre futuristic versions of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and Ant Man.
“This better not be more time travel. I hate time travel,” Hawkeye grumbled to himself, making a snap decision which group to follow. He watched as the figures activated some kind of holographic field, making their armour appear as normal street clothes and the robot appear as a small child. They headed out into the street, Hawkeye in close pursuit over the city rooftops.
The Pig and Turnip tavern, The Lost Market
“Wait here. There’s a guy over there I think might be able to help you,” Jackdaw said as they took their seats once more in the shanty tavern.
“He’s not going get more of that disgusting concoction he made us drink before, is he?” Valeria asked wrinkling her nose at the thought of it.
“I doubt it. He’s talking to someone over by the bar. Can’t see who, though,” Angelica answered.
A few minutes passed and Jackdaw returned along with his disturbing looking friend: a cadaverous figure of middling height and build, clad in a badly-soiled pair of jeans and trenchcoat, staring at them with lidless eyes. “This is Ghoul” Jackdaw announced. “He’s had a few dealings with the Pendragons and reckons he can help us get to Lyonesse a little easier.”
“And what’s he want in return?” Di Vinci asked, raising an eyebrow at the shabby walking corpse in front of him. Only he and Uru seemed taken aback by Ghoul’s appearance. If anything, the Legacy 5 seemed to actually relax at the sight of him.
“Despite my appearance, mate, I’m not one of the bad guys here. “Just got a bit of trouble with my complexion is all,” Ghoul smirked with skinless lips. “The Pendragon’s are kinda friends o’mine. Well, one is, but he isn’t with them anymore.”
“Oh, that sounds reassuring,” Di Vinci grimaced.
“Look, mate. I’m helping you out of the goodness of my heart here,” Ghoul growled, then sobered a bit at the nonplussed looks the group was giving him. “Well, that and I kinda owe Jackie boy here.” Jackdaw grinned at this, virtually preening at the admission.
Ghoul continued, “As I understand it, you’re looking for a way onto Lyonnese, yeah? Well, I happen to know a chap who sails the island waters with the Pen’s permission in his fishing boat. Only wrinkle is he’ll require a little convincing.”
“Will this convince him?” Uru asked as he pulled a bag of golden coins from his tunic and plonked them in the centre of the table. Exactly where he’d been keeping it, given there wasn’t a lot of unfilled space within his tunic, was something of an immediate mystery.
“That will do nicely,” Ghoul grinned through rotting teeth.
“Just how much have you got in there?” Jackdaw squawked to Uru, to which the young demi-god just smiled.
Di Vinci headed off further conversation, nodding his thanks to Ghoul and saying “I’ll have Monday meet us a few streets away. Looks like we’re off to the coast.”
The Hellfire Club of London
A flash of light heralded the arrival of Marcus and his entourage to the private suite. The current head of the London branch of the Hellfire Club, Lord Pumpkin, remained seated and seemingly preoccupied with the few papers on his opulent desk; the Hellfire knights stationed about the room were less restrained, quickly brining their weapons to bear. As Marcus and company disengaged their holocloaks, revealing their impressive armour and weaponry, an eager Hellfire knight fired his automatic at the group, only to promptly be consumed by a blinding flash of energy from Marcus’ gauntlet. A small pile of ash on the floor was all that remained of the overzealous knight..
“I hope you have a very good reason for disintegrating my staff. I’d just had him trained.” Lord Pumpkin’s oddly-hollow voice was at once calm and menacing. He deigned to actually turn his large leather chair around to face his guests.
“Indeed I do,” Marcus smiled at the odd looking figure behind his large oak desk. “I come offering an alliance that will benefit all.”
“And you are?”
“Marcus Tyrannus Temporius, true heir to the legacy of Kang.”
“An alliance? And what do I gain this ‘alliance’?” Pumpkin asked as more of his knights surrounded the office and its trespassers.
“Why, only the one thing I know you and your, ahem, sponsor seek,” Marcus grinned. “Avalon.”
“If I had them, I would be all ears,” Lord Pumpkin said leaning forward in his chair and signalling his guards to stand down.
“Thank you” Marcus replied signalling his own guards to lower their weapons. “Shall we talk terms?”
<><><>
Outside the London Hellfire Club itself, Hawkeye sat secreted in an alleyway listening intently to the receiver of the tracking device he had managed to tag one of Marcus’ bodyguards with before they teleported inside.
“This is definitely not good,” he muttered. “Not good at all.”
Portsmouth, Southern Coast of England
The silver bike construct gently touched down a few miles from the town itself, settling on the untamed coastline. Nine figures exited and heading towards a small fishing vessel moored on the docks. Di Vinci paused and turned back to his vehicle. “I think a more discreet transport from here, Monday. Pack mode.”
“Sure thing, honey bunny,” Monday replied as she morphed and compacted her form to that of a metallic back pack, which Di Vinci then strapped to himself.
“That him?” Jackdaw asked his decomposing friend as they approached the boat.
Ghoul nodded. “Yep, sure is. Lemme do the talking for a bit, eh?” With that Ghoul hurried ahead to speak to the old man sat repairing a net on the dockside. The others stood some distance away as Ghoul chatted with the friendly looking elder. They saw it as a good sign when the old man burst into a fit of laughter at something the cadaverous one said. After a few minutes, Ghoul rose and beckoned everyone to join him by the boat.
“Captain Sparrow has agreed to take you to Lyonesse,” Ghoul announced. “He has an ongoing understanding with the Pendragons and often ferries visitors and equipment for them. Once you’re there, it’ll be up to you to convince them of your intentions.”
“Thank you, Mr. Martin,” Britannia said. Ghoul did a momentary double-take at the use of his actual name. “What can we do in return for all your help?”
“Oh, he’s paid up in full,” Jackdaw added. Ghoul could only nod, still agog at the younger heroes who treated him with such familiarity. The short blonde girl gave him a warm smile and a wave of good-bye, which he found himself returning easily.
The heroes quickly boarded the boat as Captain Sparrow prepared to cast off.
“So what did he ask for?” Jackdaw asked as he turned to Ghoul.
“Mystical charm bracelet to attract the attentions of the local widow who runs the pub,” Ghoul smiled through grimy teeth.
“We square now?”
“Yeah. Debt paid, mate. Until next time you get used as a scarecrow, that is,” Jackdaw squawked as he too hoped aboard.
The boat pulled away leaving Ghoul on the docks; it was at this point that Ghoul realised he didn’t have a ride home. He cupped his hands about his mouth, prepared to bellow for help, only to think better of it. Turning to head back to town, he started patting his pockets for any change hidden in there. It would be a long walk back to London if he couldn’t make a phone call.
<><><>
“Aye, young 'uns,” Captain Sparrow drawled. “Me an’ the ‘Dragons go way back. I was in the army and served wi’ Captain Kerosene on a few missions.” He steered the boat he had named The Elizabeth through the generally calm waters. “Saved me from a nasty sea serpent, they did. Been their unofficial taxi service ever since,” the old man grinned as he popped a pipe into his mouth. As the others listened to the captain’s wartime tales and stories of his pirate ancestors, Di Vinci and Britannia gravitated towards the rear of the vessel.
“That was some good work back with Lord Hawk,” Di Vinci said after a few agonising seconds of silence.
“I was just about to say the same thing,” Britannia replied, cheeks flushing from something other than the crisp air and salty spray. “So how get involved in this whole saving the Multiverse deal?”
“Who said I was ‘saving’ anything?” Di Vinci started, then smiled and looked into Britannia’s eyes slightly longer than was normal, causing both of them to turn away a little embarrassed.
“Well, we have a bit of time. If you’re willing that is.”
“For your ears only, okay?” Britannia nodded. “Well, it’s a damned long story. Nutshell version: I am the biological grandson of the artisan, Leonardo Di Vinci.”
“You’re what? But you don’t look…and wasn’t he you know…” Britannia stammered in confusion.
“I assure you, I am his grandson. And concerning my grandfather’s sexuality, well let’s just say he was open to experimentation in most areas of his life.” Di Vinci sighed and looked out to the sea. “My mother, Marie, was born in 1477 the result of an affair between my grandfather and a novice nun. Her birth was kept a strict secret and my grandfather made sure mother and child had everything they needed, thanks to the generosity of his patron, the Duke of Milan. My mother later married a soldier and bore me in the year 1497. When I was three years old, I was sent to live with my grandfather, who naturally began tutoring me as he had my mother before. On his deathbed he bequeathed me a chest containing many of his notes and diaries, as well as a map to a discovery he had made some years earlier. I was eighteen by this time and still had means thanks to the Duke.
“Following the map, which lead me all the way the mountains of the Pyrenees, I discovered an old lab of my grandfather’s hidden at the mouth of a cavern, within which I found the half-buried wreckage of a crashed starship. I spent years trying to understand all that this technology could teach, and fortunately I inherited my grandfather’s flair for empirical science and engineering. I used the equipment on the ship to craft a few early gadgets, some of which you saw me use today. Then I had my…accident.”
“What happened?”
“I actually managed to activate the ship’s engines, which I gather used a type of time/space warp field. They would actually fold space to move from place to place. Very efficient system if it works properly, although if you miscalculate your destination by even a hair…” He let the implications speak for themselves. “I figure it was such a miscalculation that resulted in the original owners burying themselves in a mountain.”
“So what was the accident?” Britannia enquired, excited despite herself.
“I’m getting there,” Di Vinci continued. “While experimenting with the engines trying to get the ship out of its mountain prison, I accidentally set off a chain reaction and overloaded the engines, the resulting blast of which sent me hurtling into the Timestream and dropped me slap bang in the middle of Chronopolis, right into the throne room of Kang himself. Oh, the Conqueror took me under his wing, saying he was suitably impressed with someone from my “backward” time been able to use even a fraction of the technology of my ship, and I was naïve enough to actually buy his line of leteme[1]. He even inducted me into his army.
“It was on my very first campaign that I realised Kang was a much a tyrant as the Borgias or the Roman Church and not worth serving. Coincidentally, it was also about this time that the temporal underground contacted me. They’re a group of reality surfers like me who are doing their best to stop the likes of Kang. Now that’s exactly what I do move from place to place, sorting out the mess others are making of the ‘Stream. When we aren’t trying to avoid getting caught at it ourselves, that is.”
“And what about Uru and Monday?”
“We kinda just tagged along after meeting up with Vinnie,” the metallic voice of Monday added, startling Di Vinci no end as he had totally forgotten he was wearing his sentient transport as a back pack. Further explanations would wait as they noticed everyone huddling in Captain Sparrow’s communications room.
“Ahoy, Elizabeth,” the voice of the Pendragon’s computer guardian Gulliver Jones, the former hero Captain Kerosene, was heard over the special comms unit Suzi Endo had in installed on the Elizabeth. “Declare your intentions, please.”
“Got some guests for you,” Captain Sparrow replied. “Don’t rightly know what it’s all about. There’s talk of Otherworld and time travel, and one of my passengers is a dead ringer for Miss Braddock.”
“I’ll get someone to meet you on the shore, Cap. Fair warning: defensive protocols are already active, and the defence grid is locked on you until we are sure who we’re dealing with,” Gully answered.
“Righty-o, Gully. Seeing ya soon,” Captain Sparrow signed off. “I hopes you lot know what ya doing. I’d hate to get on the wrong side of that flaming skull guy.”
As The Elizabeth pulled into the dock on Lyonesse the Legacy 5 could see familiar if a little different figures approaching them.
“Oh my god,” Britannia gasped. “I thought I was ready for this but seeing her…” She continued staring at the approaching Captain Britain who, not surprisingly, was her near-perfect twin (minus a decade at most).
“You look…a lot like her, you know,” Di Vinci added.
“So I’m told.”
The boat docked at the island’s small harbour and exited the vessel, giving their thanks to Captain Sparrow. A second later they were face to face with the assembled Pendragons.
“So, how can we help...you...?” Betsy asked the assembled young heroes, her voice drifting off as she eyed first Britannia’s costume, then the girl herself. The similarities between them were unmistakable. There was a silence as everyone waited for Britannia to answer.
“Mum?” was all Britannia could croak.
“What!” Betsy started, eyes going wide. “Believe me, young lady. I’d know if I’d given birth...especially if I’d been twelve at the time...” She cut herself off seeing the younger woman wince at her words, intuitively recognizing the same stance, the same manner.
“Sorry. You...you're not my mum...not yet, any way,” Britannia tried to explain, words quickly failing her. She glanced quickly over towards Val, hoping she might pick up the thread and explain.
Instead, Union Jack piped up. “Wait a tick. This is time travel-slash-alternate reality stuff, ennit?”
“Yes, sir, I’m afraid it is,” Britannia answered helplessly, unable to stop staring at Betsy.
“So who’s yer Da, then?” Union Jack continued, ignoring the looks both Betsy and Spitfire were giving him. “That berk Whitman?”
“Erm...” was all Britannia could voice.
There was silence as Betsy’s mouth fell open, staring still harder at the girl before her. The urge to deny her fought stubbornly against the wish to embrace her, freezing her in place. The silence continued until Union Jack couldn’t stifle his amusement any more and burst into laughter.
“Oh, that’s just beautiful! Betsy and the pillock...that has to one mixed-up reality!” Betsy said nothing and Union Jack quickly shut his mouth after he caught the eyes of Spitfire and Nocturne burning into him.
“Don’t worry,” Mustang grinned. “None of the rest of us are, er, yours.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” Polaris said, trying not to stare directly at Jackdaw. Instead she gave an appraising look at Mustang, Rockface and Marvel Girl.
Britannia cleared her throat, trying hard not to wilt under Betsy's unblinking stare. “Mu… erm, Captain? I have a suggestion.” Captain Britain said nothing, instead offering only a slow nod. “We could speed up this whole affair if you just...looked into my mind and saw our predicament...?” Britannia suggested.
“Okay. That's...if you’re willing, I’ll do a cursory scan,” Betsy said calmly, giving no hint how desperate she was for confirmation of the girl’s claims. They closed their eyes as one, Betsy's psychic probe brushing the girl's memory, seeking entrance but not forcing. A psi-signature, equally powerful yet distinct, gave its assent and allowed her flashes of memory:
Betsy and Dane visiting a young girl with violet hair...the same girl, growing under the tutelage of gods and heroes...the same girl, older, receiving the blood-stained ruin of a familiar uniform, struggling not to cry...the girl, now a woman, standing before a mirror in her new uniform based upon the old...battle in the Negative Zone...battle in an empty white space...battle with young man in an unfamiliar gray and black uniform...disaster in an impossible place...their capture and escape...their coming here, meeting her mirror twin, her own moth...
There was another presence, one as familiar to Betsy as her own heartbeat. A question came to mind, going unasked only because it was instantly answered...
AYE. SHE IS AS YOU.
“You’re a Pendragon,” Betsy exclaimed, quickly cutting their connection. She panted hard for a moment, at once relieved and overwhelmed. Shaking her head, she turned back to her own team and stated “They're telling the truth, as far as I can tell.” She didn't dare so much as glance towards Britannia; otherwise she'd reach out and hold her and never let her go...
“So, what can we do to help?” Spitfire asked.
The dark-clad Di Vinci stepped forward. “Our transport is too damaged to enter the Timestream from here. We need access to Otherworld.”
“If I may be allowed to enter the Cathedral of Owls, I can access Otherworld from there,” Britannia quickly added.
No! Betsy silently screamed, piercing her with a sudden stare, which Britannia returned with equal force.
The rest seemed oblivious to this. “Well, if you’re a Pendragon too, it’s your right. You don’t need our permission,” Nocturne answered.
“True, but you could have tried to stop us,” Di Vinci replied, sounding as if he still expected such a eventuality.
“You vouch for all of these?” Union Jack asked Britannia, whose gaze was still locked with Betsy, gesturing to her friends.
“Yes, of course,” she replied, unable and unwilling to break eye contact with Captain Britain. The air between the two seemed almost electric with tension as they set their jaws set and clenched in tandem. The others watched, at once confused and increasingly anxious as the silence between them stretched.
Ultimately it was Betsy who relented. She turned away and sighed aloud. “They’re the children of great heroes,” she stated, sounding strangely subdued. “I will accompany them to Cathedral and ask Brian to help them access to the Timestream. The sooner they get back in their proper place in the universe, the better. I think reality has been through the mill quite a bit recently as it is.”
To those who knew her, the words sounded strangely rehearsed, as if they were for their benefit alone...as if she didn't believe them herself. “The rest of you, stay put.” She waved the others off, halting even Nocturne. Britannia followed behind her, but not too close behind, the rest all falling in line behind her.
A short walk later, Captain Britain, Britannia and the others stood before the legendary Cathedral of Owls. The young heroes stood in stunned silence as they gazed around the treetops, which made up this “cathedral”. Hundreds of owls of all breeds stared back down at them with seemingly intelligent eyes.
“Have you ever seen the like?” Uru asked Di Vinci.
“Not in all my days,” the temporal renegade murmured quietly.
“So what do you do now?” Makarra whispered to Britannia, nervous as the rest and not wanting to spook the assembled birds of prey.
“Not sure,” Britannia replied, looking over at Captain Britain. “Shouldn't it happen instantaneously?”
“It will, Bethany,” the older woman assured her. “Just let the Cathedral accept you and your friends.”
It didn't register for several more seconds that Betsy had just addressed her by her first name.
At that moment the owls began to take to the air and circle the heroes with ever increasing speed. It seemed that they were in complete nothingness then suddenly the heroes found themselves standing in a lush green field.
“Welcome to Otherworld” Betsy smiled tightly, once again watching the younger woman at her elbow.
Marcus's flagship, hovering over the English Channel
“Now,” Marcus commanded at an arranged signal from Lord Pumpkin, who was in a trance-like state, surrounded by beings made from jet-black shadow. The ship powered up and dove at full speed in the direction Lord Pumpkin had indicated. There was a flash of nothingness and suddenly the ship hovered over a lush green field.
“Ravage this place!” Lord Pumpkin voice carried. “Show them the power of the Bane.” With that the shadowy beings hurried off through the walls of ship.
“I have released the forces of my benefactors on to this place. I suggest your warriors aid them in the conquest,” Lord Pumpkin crackled at Marcus, who nodded to V1.
“Release my armies.”
The Fields of Otherworld
“What the hell is that?” Mustang cried as a huge ship materialised above him, followed seconds later by streams of shadow beings pouring out of it.
“The Bane,” Captain Britain scowled. “We must hold them until my brother arrives.”
“Marcus,” Di Vinci grumbled as he looked at the ship. He watched in horror as the ship hatchways opened and Marcus’ twisted army of warriors poured out. An army based around the legend of the mighty Avengers. The young heroes of Legacy were visible taken aback by these time tossed warriors who so resembled their heroes and, in some cases, parents. Overhead soared battalions of armoured Iron Men and tiny warriors they heard referred to as the Swarm. Landing on the ground were shield- swinging super soldiers, muscular troopers armed with hi-tech warhammers, five-meter tall “Giant Men” and purple-clad archers. There was something unfinished about the lot of them, as if they were all blocky copies of the original.
One archer in particular, the only one with fully-formed human features, suddenly broke ranks and rushed forward to join the small team. “Looks like you could do with a hand here,” Hawkeye grinned as he turned to stand besides Betsy.
“That, Clint, is an understatement,” Betsy replied steeling herself for battle.
Meanwhile the Bane shadow wraiths had placed themselves around the arena and were quite literally melding themselves into the land, turning it into a dead and evil place.
“Ah crap,” Mustang sighed, notching and drawing back three arrows, just as his father did.
“Couldn’t agree more mate,” Jackdaw added.
The 'Stream
To the naked eye, the station-cum-warship appeared as a great pyramid of Egyptian design. Within it, swarms of individuals (most human-looking, many others less so) moved between reading stations or weapon bays, all dressed in simple tunics and sandals resembling slaves of some ancient Pharaoh.
One such technician turned and called to upwards towards a hovering throne. “Sire! Massive temporal readings are coming in.” The throne descended to his level, the technician averting his eyes as was proper obedience. “It appears your brother has launched an assault on Otherworld,” he stated to his master: Lord Rameses, son of Rama Tut.
“Which brother?” Rameses enquired.
“Marcus, sire.”
“A bold move indeed, and one that will prove his undoing. We shall take his prize from his grasp,” Rameses mused. “Set a course.”
Another technician called from nearby. “Three ships decloaking ahead, sire. Different configurations each.” Rameses studied the monitor before him: each of the newly-arrived vessels were distinct from one another, yet depressingly familiar to his eyes. One was a perfectly-smooth sphere of silver, another a roughly-shaped cylinder tapered at either end to a sharp point, and the last a small boxlike affair with a variety of smaller spheres connected to it and each other by a series of long columns.
“It seems we all have the same idea, brother,” a handsome young man in a immaculate if a little old fashioned suit announced as he appeared on the viewscreen.
“Timely!” Rameses snarled.
“Victor, please, my brother,” Victor Timely III smiled. “So, we will finally decide who is the heir to the Empire. If I’m not mistaken the other vessels belong to our little sister Termina and our whelp brother, Centurious.” He nodded to something off-screen, then declared “I shall see you in battle, brother. I would wish you luck, but it would only be a waste of breath!” With that, Victor severed his connection and his ship sped away.
“Otherworld! All speed!” Rameses bellowed.
The great pyramid shimmered and vanished, sliding between the higher dimensions in pursuit of its counterparts.
Elsewhen
Four figures watch these events unfold in a floating orb of light and crystal.
“That’s it! We are fraked.” the blonde girl nearly shrieks, gesturing helplessly. “We need to do something now.”
“Agreed. the time for waiting is over,” was added by the muscular blonde youth, tightly gripping his huge broadsword.
“This is all just wrong,” the young sorcerer mused, his usual (and irritatingly) calm demeanour slipping. “Di Vinci and our forebears should be the only ones in Otherworld. The course of events has been drastically altered.” He nods to the blonde girl. “Consult your grandsire. See if his efforts have borne fruit. We will wait for you.”
The girl looked between her three compatriots, then rushed from the room. The sorcerer gathered his red cloak closer about him. “Arguments?” he asked the other.
“None from me,” stated the man with the broadsword, glancing meaningfully towards the fourth of their circle.
“Then it is settled,” declared the final member of the quartet, his white teeth a perfect contrast and compliment to his dark skin. Hi hefted his mighty warhammer, its block-like head easily as large as his own, to empathise his words.
“We fight!”
To be Concluded...But first...
Office of Agent-In-Charge Kent, W.H.O. Holding Facility “Cromwell”
Kent handed the small stack of files across his barely-organized desk. “Understandably, we didn't have time to compile much hard intel on any of them,” he stated, sounding almost apologetic about it all.
“Please don't trouble yourself, Agent Kent,” his guest breezed out politely.
“Still, if we'd known The Agency had an interest...”
“My...superiors...make it a point to avoid advertising their interest in everyday matters. It only leads to other...complications.”
Kent sat back and studied his strange visitor, not really knowing what to make of the black jumpsuit and polished dress shoes. The slicked-back black hair and sharp-cut goatee, plus the intelligent eyes and aloof manner reminded him of something. Or someone. If he could just remember...
The Agent (you could actually here the capital “A”) glanced at the bottom two folders the longest, then looked back up, his cold, dark eyes fixing upon his own...holding them...overwhelming his will...commanding him to...
“You will now tell me everything you can remember, however irrelevant or inconsequential, about the ones calling themselves 'Da Vinci'…and 'Britannia'.”
Author’s Notes
A busy issue I know. But the characters are now all in place for the grand finale of Legacy 5. Who are the mysterious quartet watching events? Will Otherworld survive this assault? Who will be Kang’s heir? And who is this suspiciously familiar looking Agent interested in Di Vinci and Britannia?? All the will be answered next issue. Plus we find out more about the other heirs of Kang and their forces and we have a guest appearance by a certain king of Otherworld.
Let’s just hope the Legacy make it home after all this.
With thanks to Joseph Connell for editorial commentary and cleaning the dialogue.
As usual you can reach me via the Pendragon’s mailing list or at daveevans78@hotmail.com
Cheers
Dave
[1] Manure; crap