Pendragon Comics - The Pendragons 16

The Pendragons

# 16

Brought together in defense of Avalon and the British Isles, the Pendragons are the officially-sanctioned heroes of Great Britain. Originally led by the Black Knight, the group is composed of the remnants of the old Knights of Pendragon group, as well as several other heroes. Willing to die for their beliefs, the Pendragons stand united as England's best defense against threats of a superhuman nature.

Tangerine,
of the New Pendragons

Written by Barry Reese

What's Been Happening: The Pendragons have been thrown through time and space by some unknown force and are now taking part in the legendary "Secret Wars" event. The group has been deposited on an alien world, where they have learned that a group of villains -- including Pendragons' foes such as Slaymaster, Mordred and the Ebony Knight -- are hoping to win a contest sponsored by the awe-inspiring Beyonder. After being injured in an early skirmish, Union Jack has received a strange new costume that seems to respond to his thoughts and emotions.

Back on Earth, Shamrock and Kate McClellan have been told by the Prime Minister to form a replacement team of Pendragons. For the 'New' Pendragons, almost two months have passed since the majority of the team disappeared....

The supervillain known as the Jack O'Lantern banked to the left, urging her antigravity platform to greater speeds. She'd lured the Pendragons into another trap, this time augmented by nearly two dozen of the Vixen's top agents -- with any luck, she had hoped, this skirmish with the Pendragons would be a more successful one than her last*.

Instead, it had been a disaster from moment one. Jack O'Lantern had planned on facing known commodities like Union Jack, Adam Crown or the bladeswoman named Grace. But she'd gotten a very different group of Pendragons from the ones she'd come to know.

Oh, Kate McClellan and the Irish lass Shamrock had been there, but the rest of the group had consisted of the so-called New Pendragons that the press was raving about. And they had powered and abilities that had left Jack O'Lantern off-balance from the start.

Even as the villain sped through the darkened skies of London, ignoring the busy streets below, the revamped Pendragons team was moving into place to finish her off. While Shamrock and Kate watched from below, finishing off the last of the Vixen's armed agents, the mutant telepath codenamed Tangerine reached out with her mind, touching that of Jack O'Lantern. While she did so, she couldn't help but feel a touch of awe go through her. She had come to this place and time from only a few years in the future, but the differences between her home and this one were so pronounced... Where she came from*, the Sentinel threat had spread from America to Great Britain, driving the Pendragons below ground. People like Kate McClellan were nothing more than legendary names to her, the tales of her heroic demise mixing with those of Union Jack, Spitfire, Miracleman and so many more. All dead in the name of mutant oppression. But that's not going to happen here, she promised to herself. I'm going to make sure of it.

The telepath ran a hand through her long red hair and transmitted the following into the minds of her teammates: She's running scared, mates. She's heading towards Thames University and hopes to lose us in the alleyways.

Warren Worthington, the high-flying mutant known as Archangel, thought back an acknowledgement of her words. He was wearing a blue and white costume, with a bright yellow halo insignia across the chest. It was, in fact, a costume he had worn years before alongside the X-Men, though he only vaguely remembered that time. As a result of the Black Mass Barrier, he'd not only regained his original skin color, but had also lost a good bit of his memory in the process. Doctors seemed confident that he would regain everything he had lost, but it would take time.

Archangel, following coordinates downloaded into his brain by Tangerine, circled around and surprised Jack O'Lantern by streaking out right in front of her. The handsome blonde man couldn't resist a grin as she drew up short. "Hey, pumpkinhead! It's time to give up the ghost... You're done."

Jack O'Lantern hissed like a cat, projecting inky blackness from her fingers. The shadows writhed like snakes, surrounding Archangel. The mutant felt the cold tendrils wrapping about his throat and hands, while Jack O'Lantern roared past on her sled.

Even as he began to descend against his will, Warren kicked out with one foot and caught the villain in the small of her back. The blow sent her toppling off the sled and hurtling towards the ground.

The towering man-hulk known as Thunderfist looked up to see Jack O'Lantern hurtling towards him. The grandson of a Golden Age hero*, Robbie Parkinson had waited many long years for this moment. Taken into the same government program that had once produced Micromax, Robbie was a powerful being just waiting for a group to come along and give him a place to call his own.

Seeing Thunderfist waiting below, Jack O'Lantern twisted, calling upon the primitive magic she now possessed. She slowed her fall enough to land on her feet just a few feet from Thunderfist and whirled about to attack him. "You're not taking me tonight, boyo!"

Thunderfist laughed heartily. "Listen up, you little git, the new Pendragons aren't about to let you get away from us again! So you just close your eyes and I promise to end this as quick as I can!" The brute drew back his right hand and unleashed a blow so powerful that a thunderclap seemed to ring out as he made contact with the villain.

The blow sent her flying -- right into the arms of Shamrock, who had moved into view of the battle. The Irish heroine grunted as Jack O'Lantern slammed into her, but she kept her footing and held the villain tight. "Did anybody get the number of that lorry that just hit her?" she asked, showcasing the vibrant personality that had kept her spirits up through endless trials.

Thunderfist grinned back at her as Archangel landed nearby, Tangerine in his arms. The girl looked as if there was no place else in the world she'd rather be, and Molly couldn't blame her. Warren, even with his mind as muddied as it was, was still quite a catch. And, if the stories were true, he was quite a legendary figure in Tangerine's own time.

Kate moved forward, even as sirens began to blare, growing closer and closer. "That about wraps it up, I think. If the chaps don't mind, though, I think Tangerine ought to poke around a bit in Jack O'Lantern's brain. See if we can find out where the Vixen is holed up."

Tangerine reluctantly stepped away from Warren, nodded at Kate. The telepath was a good fit with the team, eager to please and willing to defer to Kate and Molly on most issues. "Shouldn't be a problem. Just give me a sec."

Archangel moved up besides Robbie, who was examining the equipment that powered his gloves, producing his "thunder-punch." The young man looked pleased with what he saw and Warren inquired "Nothing broken?"

"Nah. My dad's a scientist for W.H.O. -- he made modifications to grandpa's old gloves and I just wanted to make sure they held up to the test."

"Guess they did." Warren folded his wings about himself, shivering in the damp air. "I think I'm used to balmier weather. It's always chilly here in England."

"Heh. You yanks always say things like that. This is practically beach weather, chum!"

"I've got it," Tangerine said. She turned to the face the others, who had ceased their chatter immediately.

Kate, in particular, had been impressed with how quickly this 'New' Pendragons team had come together. Their ability to build a good rapport with one another, yet remain business-like was quite becoming. She still held out strong hope that Wynter and the others would return, but until then England was in safe hands with this group. "Then we turn these blokes over to the authorities... and head over to the Vixen's lair to wrap things up."

Thunderfist slammed a fist into the opposite palm. A deep "thoom" rang out when he did so. "Sounds like a smashing plan to me, love!"

Adam Crown moved with the stealth of a jungle cat, covering the distance between the walkway and the small landing pad in seconds. He searched amongst the parked vessels for one that suited his needs and, making sure that no one was watching, popped open the hatch and slid inside.

The ship smelled faintly of leather and oil, but Adam paid little attention to the ship's details. He was more focused on whether or not this ship was fast and capable of transporting the entire team from this base to another.

Two days before, the Pendragons had agreed to flee the heroes' base rather than risk revealing important details of the future. It wasn't a decision made lightly, as all felt a sense of guilt at leaving these men and women behind to fight in this war -- but it was their war, not the Pendragons'. For Adam and his friends, this was the past -- and, somewhere out there, was a means of returning the team to their rightful homes.

The reincarnation of King Arthur slid into the pilot's seat, making sure that the controls looked clear to him. Like everything else in this base, it seemed quite intuitive. Finally satisfied that this one would do, Adam made a move to reach his signal device and summon the others. They had opted for that means of communication rather than telepathy for fear that Prof. X might 'overhear' Betsy's psi-link.

Before he could press the signal button, however, a loud rapping on the viewport window made him jump. He looked up to see a furry blue face grinning in at him. "Bloody hell!" he yelled, standing up so quickly that his head slammed into the ceiling of the ship.

The figure outside the window disappeared with a 'bamf' and reappeared, amidst a cloud of brimstone and smoke, alongside Adam. With a quiet "Sorry, mein freund," the two of them disappeared in another burst.

Kate McClellan rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of the fatigue that was plaguing her. She was sitting in her bed in front of her laptop monitor, the soft glow from the screen illuminating her bedroom. Her room seemed so bloody empty lately -- it was amazing, really, how quickly she'd gotten used to Wynter's body next to hers.

Sighing, she turned off the monitor and felt darkness surround her. She'd had her share of heartache over the years but in many ways, this was the worst blow of all. She had no idea if Wynter were alive or dead... and his disappearance had forced her to abandon her hopes of retiring to raise her son. Now, she was back in the superhero game, an indispensable source of experience for the new Pendragons.

She rose from her bed, setting aside the laptop and moving to stare out her window. Several large sea serpents had come to call the area just off the island's coast their home and she could see the one she'd nicknamed Champ swimming by now. The whole world had certainly been turned on its head when the Pendragons had clashed with Blackheart... Gawain and Albion, both dead; England and an ever-increasing amount of Europe caught under a field of pure magical energy; most of the team had been spirited away by some alien object in Hyde Park; and now Kate was playing leader to a group that included an amnesiac X-Man, a refugee from dark, dystopian future; and two gung-ho spirits who were just way too perky for Kate's taste.

Kate turned away from the window, her eyes closed. She could almost feel Wynter's presence, comforting and strong. She smelled the delicate scent of lilacs and felt a breeze kiss her cheek....

With a start, she opened her eyes to see that she was no longer in her bedroom. She had somehow been transported somewhere else -- the center of a beautiful field of flowers and grass. A sun shone down brightly upon her and for a moment she thought she was in Avalon... but the appearance of the blonde-haired man, dropping down from the sky above, destroyed that illusion. She was in Otherworld, and the man before her was Brian Braddock.

Brian smiled, landing gently in the grass. "Kate! Sorry for showing such cheek, but I wanted to get you here as quickly as possible."

Kate, clad only in a long nightgown, crossed her arms in front of her and said "Here I am, then. What's wrong, Brian?"

The man who had once inspired a nation as Captain Britain stepped towards her. "I've been trying to find out where my sister and your teammates went to... It was extremely vexing, because I could find them nowhere in the omniverse!"

"Yes," Brian said, a bit of hesitation coming into his voice. "And it's led to some troubling discoveries about the nature of your universe."

Brian nodded. "Yes. Ours. I'm sorry, love -- Spending so much of my time dealing with other realities, it makes it hard to think of any of them as my own."

Kate waved a hand dismissively. She could really care less about the nuances of Brian's new career. "What have you found out?"

"Your universe -- for lack of a better name, let's call it the Pendragons Universe -- has a number of anomalies surrounding it that makes it difficult to predict and control. This has led a number of entities to seek to probe its secrets: Immortus and his various other guises, for instance. For some reason, this universe has a sort of shielding about it, making it hard to manipulate. Being such as I and Immortus frequently make changes here and there as we desire, seeking to create favorable outcomes*, but your universe is almost unique in that it appears to resist such things."

(*See Avengers Forever for a nice look at how Kang and Immortus have attempted to eliminate failed universes and cultivate others that are more favorable to their plans. Also check out the "Dystopia" storyline from Black Knight: Destiny Walk.)

"I think that someone wants to manipulate the Pendragons but found themselves unable to make the sort of changes they wished to in their native timeline, due to the reasons I just named. So they created a small shift in the fabric of space/time -- one designed to bring the Pendragons and a few others to a different timeline. One where they could be manipulated and altered, though I have no idea why."

"Yes." Brian gestured in the air, causing images to slowly form. The act surprised Kate and reminded her that the former Captain Britain was a quite different man than before. Kate watched as the shapes took form, becoming the Pendragons alongside a number of other heroes, including the Avengers and the X-Men. "I found them here, in the central timeline of Earth-301. They're currently taking part in a contest of champions fashioned by an entity called the Beyonder."

Kate reached out with her fingertips, letting them pass through the images. "Can you bring them back?"

"I've tried, but much of my power is tied up in helping the Captain Britain Corps deal with a threat elsewhere. I can, however, send you and your new teammates to deal the man behind it all."

"Another identity, created by too many trips through time. The Centurion has spent most of his time trying to conquer the world known as Earth-S, but apparently he's taken an interest in the heroes of the 21st century again."

Lightning crackled about Kate McClellan's eyes and hands, evidence that her Pendragon-given power was ready for use. "Then let me get the rest of the new Pendragons together, Brian, and then you can send us on our way. Because I intend to give this Centurion a row he'll never forget!"

Shevaun Haldane sat in a chair, lazily watching as Betsy Braddock and Grace Luxley sparred with one another. The two women were both amazing to watch, each moving with a fluidity that seemed inhuman. She could also tell that both were using this sparring match as a means of escape.

For Grace, her entire life had been filled with turmoil since the death of Albion. She'd gained a measure of peace following a visit to Avalon, but with this trip through the past and the knowledge that somewhere out there, in this time and place, another Peter Hunter lived on, was eating away at her.

And for Betsy Braddock, the woman who now proudly wore the name and colors of Captain Britain, this match was an easy way to put out of her mind the fact that Slaymaster, the brutal killer who had blinded her and left her for dead years before, was out there, waiting on her.

Shevaun froze in mid-action, holding an alien fruit up to her lips. She'd been snacking on the things for the past half hour and had eaten an embarrassing number of the little pulpy things. Looking up somewhat sheepishly, she saw that Miracleman was standing there, his eyes locked on the combat before them. Putting away the fruit, Shevaun said "Yes... I feel badly for both of them, but I can understand what they're doing. I can't count the number of hours I've spent buried in a book or in the lab, trying to avoid thinking about something else."

Micky nodded. "Yeah. I used to read in the papers, studying all the cricket action. Took my mind off of things." The blonde-haired man turned to face her and Shevaun felt her heart skip a beat. It wasn't that she considered Miracleman sexy -- he was almost too pristine for that -- but that he was just achingly beautiful. "You really think Dickie is alive?"

"He wasn't in the Realm of Dead Superheroes... And you heard the same things I did. Marinna said he'd returned to Earth." She sat up, leaning closer to him. "And I promise -- Once we get back, I'll find him for you."

Miracleman smiled and it was like a rain of sunshine breaking through a bank of clouds. "I owe you, Shevaun."

They turned to watch as Wynter entered the room, followed closely by Union Jack and Spitfire. Joey was still clothed in his new costume, which seemed to be molded to his body like a second skin. His gloved hand rested lightly in Spitfire's and it was obvious that the two had given up all pretense of pretending not to be lovers.

Grace blocked one final blow from Betsy and gestured with her head towards the new arrivals. As Betsy relaxed into a non-battle stance, Grace whispered "Good show, Bets."

"You, too. It's funny. I learn more from fighting you than I did in all my sparrings with Wolverine."

The two women walked arm-in-arm to join the rest of the group, who were forming a semi-circle around Wynter. Since the Black Knight's departure and Albion's death, the group had lacked a formal leader, but it was generally agreed that Wynter was one of the leading candidates. The white-skinned mage waited until everyone was settled before speaking and it was obvious from his tone that he did not like what he had to say. "I have failed to transmit a message to Otherworld. It was my hope that someone there could have assisted us, but there seems to be no way for my magic to pierce the barrier surrounding this world."

"No surprise there," Grace murmured. "Nothing we've tried so far has worked. I think the best thing is for us to go ahead and get out of here -- see if we can find answers on the outside."

"What I want is for us to make up our minds. It's the sitting around and waiting that kills me."

Grace glanced back at Wynter, stunned by his words. "Adam...? Why didn't you send someone with a bit more experience?"

"Cut the kid some slack," Union Jack said. "He wants to prove himself, so let him do this on his own. Besides, if he is the reincarnation of Arthur -- and I think we all suspect he is -- then he's got to start taking some bigger steps."

Betsy held up a hand to stop the conversation. "Hold it, guys -- We've got company coming." The X-Men, she projected into everyone's minds. And they're not alone.

Prof. X walked into the team's quarters, followed by his students and a bound Adam Crown. The youth was tied securely and a large bruise was beginning to darken his left cheek.

The X-Men -- Cyclops, Colossus, Rogue, Storm, Nightcrawler and Wolverin -- stood united behind their mentor and team founder. Xavier, for his part, opened his arms wide in a gesture of peace. "I realize how this must look, but I assure you -- We come to talk, not fight."

"Is that true, Adam?" Union Jack asked. He picked up one of Grace's wrist-mounted blades and tossed it to the warrior, who smiled at him in thanks. "Because if you give the word, we'll thump these mutants back to the U.S."

"Big talk, bub." Wolverine extended his claws with a loud snikt that echoed in the chamber.

Adam frowned, looking from the X-Men to the Pendragons. "I don't know what to think. Nightcrawler jumped me in the hangar and when I tried to resist, the bloke with the blades hit me. But they claim they're on our side..." He glanced at Betsy meaningfully. "And they know we're from the future."

Captain Britain tried to keep her face impassive. In just a few years' time, for the X-Men, she would be joining their ranks as Psylocke. Those had been both the happiest and most harrowing days of her life -- But she also knew that at this time and place, they did not know her. And Professor Xavier, still flushed with his then-newfound ability to walk, was being close to a dictator. "Then cut Adam free. And we'll talk."

Storm nodded at Wolverine, who raised his claws high and brought them down with a slicing motion. They cut through Adam's bonds and the Pendragon staggered away, drawing forth Excalibur from the scabbard at his side. He pointed the blade at the Canadian X-Men, warning "Strike me again, Wolverine, and I swear by the Lady of the Lake that I'll have your head!"

Xavier's mental command sent most in the room to their knees, X-Man and Pendragon alike. Only Captain Britain remained where she was, untouched. "A bit brutal isn't that, Professor?"

Xavier betrayed no reaction to her ability to block him, instead saying "This is a war. And we have precious little time to waste!" Moving forward, he said "We know of your plans to abandon this lair and we have come to make an alliance. Captain America and his forces may prove to be allies, but they are not mutants and we will labor under suspicion as long as we are here. Some of you," he said, gesturing to the Pendragons, "are mutants, as well. The rest are outsiders, as well, though of a different sort. There are whisperings about all of you, for the forces of Captain America do not know what to make of you."

"But you do?" Union Jack asked, his skepticism evident. "If you know so much about us, you should know that we're not trying to get away from Captain America -- We're trying to get away from all of you."

"There's no need to speak to the professor like that," Cyclops warned. "We're only here to help. If you're discovered trying to make it out of here, you're going to look even worse than before. Same with us. But if we leave together, we'll not only have a better chance of making it out unscathed but we can work together on the outside as well!"

Captain Britain responded, saying "That's a generous offer, but we have to refuse it. However you found out, you did -- We are from the future. You X-Men have a role to play here, but we don't. Not one that's meant to be, anyway. And we need to find out what--"

"Betsy! Stop!" Dark Angel's cry made everyone turn and stare. The woman was clutching the sides of her head, staring at Prof. X with a look of stunned horror. "I've been running background scans like you asked me to -- and Xavier's been needling his way through the shields you put on the rest of the team. I caught him peaking into Union Jack's mind!"

The leader of the X-Men looked defiant. "As I said before, this is a war. Your refusal to help us find a way home is disturbing. I assure you that I won't put any knowledge I have gained to unfair usea--"

Xavier's words were swallowed up as Spitfire slammed into him at superspeed. The blonde beauty had acted at a mental command from Betsy, who had made her final decision during Xavier's speech. It was obvious that Prof. X meant to use whatever knowledge he could, even if it meant disturbing the personal sanctity of the Pendragons' minds.

The X-Men were stunned for only a moment, quickly responding in kind. Cyclops unleashed his powerful optic blasts, only to find them absorbed by Dark Angel's cosmic armor. The woman flew into the air, continuing to draw forth Cyclop's optic energy "Sorry about this, Scott. In a few years, you and I will be mates, but for now -- You X-Men have got this coming!"

The rest of the battle was soon joined, as well. Storm took to the air, summoning a powerful wind that sent Grace tumbling off her feet. The Pendragon was back on her feet in a flash, however, hurling a blade at the mutant. It never struck home, however, as Storm lashed it aside from another gust of wind.

Miracleman, meanwhile, flew like a rocket towards Colossus. The impact sent the Russian X-Man hurtling back, through one of the glass-like walls of the room. Micky followed him out, aware that his was the only strength that could match the mutant's.

Meanwhile, Rogue streaked after Spitfire, anxious to touch the woman's skin and steal her powers. "Ah hate to do this, sugah. Ah used to read about you and the Captain in the old papers, but ah can't let that stop me."

"Then let me ease your worries," Jackie replied. She whipped about, running straights Rogue. Just as they almost made impact, she flipped up onto Rogue's back and grabbed hold of the scarf the girl wore around her neck. Though she lacked superstrength, Jackie twisted the scarf in her fists and began thrashing the girl's head at superspeed. The attack had Rogue reeling quickly and she flew right towards one of the walls. Jackie leaped off just in time to avoid the impact. Rolling to a stop, she looked up and said in her best impersonation of a southern drawl "Ah hope you didn't hurt yourself, honey."

Nightcrawler crept up slowly behind Wynter, who seemed lost in his study of the growing combat. Though Kurt Wagner knew nothing of the older man's abilities, he'd sensed that the Pendragons saw him as a leader of some kind. Hoping to take him out quickly, Kurt jumped towards him.

To his great shock, however, he tumbled right through him... landing at the feet of the true Wynter. "Vas...?"

Wynter looked down at him. "An illusion. The merest of my abilities." Making a dramatic sweep with his hands through the air, he added "Sleep."

Grace jumped out of the way of a lightning bolt, hurled by the weather-witch known as Storm. The Pendragon knew that Storm's ability to get herself airborne gave her a distinct advantage, so the obvious thing to do was bring the mutant down to the ground. She pounced up on top of a nearby shelf, then jumped through the air directly towards Storm. The mutant seemed surprised by the tactic and was unable to dodge in time. The two women tumbled to the floor, Grace managing to make sure that Storm took the brunt of the impact.

Ororo Munroe, who had once been worshipped as a Goddess, smiled coldly. "You think me some weak-willed fighter who must rely only on her powers, don't you? You could not be more wrong! I have survived on the streets of Cairo itself!" The mutant brought her legs up quickly, locking them around Grace's shoulders and tossing her off.

Wolverine found himself confronted by both Adam Crown and Union Jack. Though both were good, neither of them was good enough. Adam hacked and slashed his way into a wide-open position and Wolverine took advantage, ripping his claws through Crown's uniform and stomach. "Too bad you don't have a mutant healing factor like me, kid. You're awful sloppy."

Joey felt his eyes widen as Adam's blood sprayed on the floor. The wound wasn't life-threatening but that wasn't the point. Betsy's friends or not, these X-Men had wandered in after taking one of the Pendragons captive. And now blood had been spilled....

"Let's see your mutant healing factor handle this, you little sociopath...." Union Jack unleashed a powerful backhanded blow that caught Wolverine square on the jaw. The feral mutant let out a brief cry of pain before a soft, almost inaudible snap accompanied the twisting of his neck. His entire body spun for a moment, sending a liquid plume of blood and spit into the air as he turned. And then Wolverine hit the ground, hard.

Joey staggered back in shock, seeing the mutant's head almost twisted around backwards. How did I bloody well do that? he asked himself, staring at the blood adorning his knuckles. I haven't felt that strong since the Pendragon powers were in me. Maybe it's the suit -- I've felt stronger since I've had it on.... his thoughts slipped away like rain water as he noticed that Wolverine was no longer moving. Kneeling, he brought a hand to the mutant's throat and felt for a pulse. There was none. Oh no....

Betsy Braddock was unaware of the horror creeping over her teammate. Instead, she was walking slowly, but with purpose, towards the man she'd come to regard as a surrogate father. Charles, she thought, an odd butterfly-shape forming over her eyes, signaling the use of her telepathy. I wish you hadn't forced our hand like this. I'm shocked that you would.

Betsy felt a momentary surprise that he'd gotten her name, but she felt sure that he had retrieved it from one of the others' minds, not her own. You certainly act differently, that much is true.

So everyone keeps telling me, he replied, slowly rising to his feet. I've recently gained a new body -- courtesy of the Shi'ar. Now that I'm no longer wheelchair bound and far more proactive, even my oldest students find me a bit... off-putting.

Maybe you should stop and listen to them, then. Don't make me fight you. Please.

Xavier stood face-to-face with this young woman, sensing her strength and her confusion. He felt regret now, strong and pure. Perhaps he had acted rashly, using his mental powers to take what was not freely offered. Aloud, he said "So be it."

The mental command brought all combat to a halt, though few of the X-Men were still conscious. Rogue, Nightcrawler and Wolverine lay still on the ground, while Storm had come close to eliminating Grace from the combat. Cyclops staggered, nearly spent, while Colossus was tossed back inside the facility by a victorious Miracleman.

"We're the best that my country can offer, Charles." Betsy offered him a smile. "And don't worry -- Whatever moral crisis you're going through right now is only a phase. You'll come out of it and be fine."

Xavier nodded slowly, eager to ask more. Before he could, however, he heard Cyclops utter something that would haunt him the rest of his life. "Sir! There's something wrong with Wolverine!"

All eyes turned to the scene before them, where Cyclops had lifted Wolverine into his slender arms. The mutant's eyes were staring blankly ahead and his neck was twisted at an awful angle. Behind this tableau, Union Jack stood standing, blood dripping from his fist. "I swear... I didn't mean for this to happen," Joey whispered, letting himself sag against Jackie as she came to hold him.

And Charles Xavier felt a small piece of himself die, along with the mutant known as Wolverine.

"Praise be to Allah," Slaymaster murmured. He was kneeling in his quarters, incense filling his nostrils. His body ached from his battle with the new Captain Britain, but it was a good feeling and it gave him hope that, at last, he would find a suitable opponent.

Slowly rising from the floor, he reached over and picked up several blades and other weapons, hiding them in pockets and folds of his battlesuit. The last thing he picked up was his helmet, which he slid down over his features.

Slaymaster moved through the villains' lair, his mind still trying to understand how he had come to be here. Many of those assembled were famous -- or infamous -- throughout the world, but few outside the circle of mercenaries and assassins that he favored were familiar with the handiwork of the Slaymaster. So why did the Beyonder choose me? Because of my connection to the Captain? Perhaps it has to do with the woman's bizarre speech and attitudes. She seemed to know more about me than she should have....

A metallic clanking to his left brought him up short, just before the exit from the facility. Outside, lightning was flashing brightly in the sky, with just a bit of rain beginning to fall. There would be bad storms ahead.

Slaymaster turned to see Dr. Octopus looming over him, the pudgy inventor elevating himself via his artificial tentacles. Smiling, Slaymaster replied "I am going hunting, my friend."

Next Issue: "A Secret War" continues! Joey Chapman must come to terms with his actions, even as the Scarlet Centurion makes his play for power! Plus: the New Pendragons embark on a plan to bring back the originals from the Secret War!

The lineup of the new Pendragons is one that I've been looking forward to unveiling. Expect the group to get more detailed fleshing out next issue, but Warren should be well-known by most of you. Thunderfist is a revival of an obscure Golden Age character who was a member of the English-group the Crusaders. They appeared in a couple of Invaders issues. Tangerine appeared in a couple of different storylines in Excalibur, both alternate future tales. In the first, she wore a quasi-1970s outfit complete with bell bottoms and an afro. In the second, a play on the "Days of Future Past" classic, she was a red-haired lass with a taste for leather. Our version is from the latter story, come back to the past to help avoid her horrific future. Standard X-Men fare, I know, but she's a fun character that I plan to explore.

As for the treatment I give Xavier and co. in this issue -- It's harsh, but consistent with the portrayals of them at the time. Prof. X was being a royal jerk at that point, as mentioned repeatedly by the X-folks in their own book. And he used his powers to manipulate minds in a very loose manner several times around then, so his theft of knowledge here isn't off-base.

The current storyline will run for another couple of issues, so hang in there. We've already seen Joey get the alien costume and the death of Wolverine... What else is going to happen? Big stuff, I promise!