Dragons |
What Has Come Before: The Pendragons have found themselves unwitting pawns in a grand conflict between Roma and King Brian of Otherworld, leading to a terrible battle that claimed the life of Jamie Braddock. In the wake of all this, the team's most powerful member, Miracleman, has taken a leave of absence from the group -- leaving the somewhat obscure Golden Age hero known as Captain Kerosene to replace him. Meanwhile, Adam Crown is troubled by signs that a new, darker version of the Black Mass Prophecy might be coming to light... but he is unaware that the group's youngest member, Albion, has betrayed the Pendragons to the mysterious Penance Council.
The Museum of Pagan Antiquities
Adam Crown stared at the so-called 'Heart of Darkness,', resting a hand on the clear glass case that separated him from it. He had no doubt that it was genuine -- that it was, indeed, the last remnant of the being called Blackheart. There was a sense of evil that radiated from it -- a sense that this was not a thing of Earth or of mortal man. This was the was the heart of a demon so powerful that he had reshaped the world in his image.
And the Pendragons had been left to pick up the pieces.
"So that's it? It hardly looks like more than a chunk of rock...."
Adam turned to see Cam McClellan moving up next to him. The young man had recently inherited the powers of Albion from his mentor, Peter Hunter, and he was struggling to live up to the legacy. Adam nodded once, tapping on the glass. "A heart as cold and hard as the creature it once belonged to."
Cam nodded, looking distracted. Adam could tell that the boy was fairly bursting at the seams with some sort of news, but he had yet to share it. All in due time, Adam murmured. It probably has to do with some sweet young lass that he's taken a fancy to... or perhaps with his mum. She's still in the hospital, I believe. "Where are the others?" he asked, hoping to distract Cam from whatever dark thoughts were plaguing him.
"Betsy and Shevaun are over in the Marduk exhibit... and Joey and Jackie had to step outside. The baby was fussy."
Adam suppressed a shudder when he thought of Jackie's vampiric grandson. The infant survived on a regular diet of fresh blood and the whole affair made Adam nauseous. "What about Commander Combustible?"
Cam let out a snort. The entire team was having a bit of an adjustment to the often stodgy Captain Kerosene, who never seemed to tire of criticizing the 'heroes of today.' "Can't say I've seen him since lunch. He and Joey got into a bit of a row over something or other."
Adam nodded. He'd noticed Kerosene's extreme interest in Jackie and Adam was willing to bet that Joey hadn't missed it, either. "I'm glad we came out as a group today. We need more time away from Lyonesse... I sometimes think that being there makes us forget who we really are. What we really mean."
"I feel the exact opposite," Betsy Braddock said. She and Shevaun Haldane had rounded the corner and were walking towards their teammates. Both Betsy and Shevaun were beautiful women, though they looked very different in appearance -- Betsy was a classic beauty, given a modern touch by the purple streaks in her hair. Shevaun, on the other hand, had a much more contemporary sort of allure, with numerous piercings and a somewhat punk-inspired hairstyle. "Lyonesse reminds us that we're not just a European branch of the Avengers. We're Pendragons, charged with a sacred trust."
Adam frowned slightly, which made Cam chuckle. Everyone on the team was well aware of Adam's continued discomfort about Betsy, which stemmed from her election as group leader -- a post which Adam felt he deserved. "I wasn't trying to downplay our role as defenders as Avalon," Adam countered. "I just meant that ever since the Barrier went up, we've been doing virtually nothing but playing hero. We've lost track of our personal lives -- and I've been taking steps to reclaim mine."
"Is this a reference to the new lady love, Adam? We've all been dying to meet her." Shevaun's playful tone seemed to cut through some of the tension that had developed and Adam relaxed visibly.
"Her name's Ginny... and I do want all of you to meet her. She's a wonderful person."
"Why don't you invite her over to the castle for dinner one night?"
"That's a great idea, Shevaun." Betsy smiled at Adam, making an obvious attempt to reach out to him. She'd done similar things in the recent past, with limited success. "I think all of us could invite a guest or two to the island. Make it a special event."
Adam started to make a smart-aleck reply, but held his tongue. Since his encounter with the spirit of Arthur in Glastonbury, he'd been making a concerted effort to mature and grow into the role that he knew awaited him. "That's a gracious offer. I know I'd like to meet the important people in your lives."
Cam watched as they began to make their plans, but he felt a little out of place. Who would he invite to such an event? Peter, Gawain, Molly... All of them were dead or gone. The few friends he'd made at boarding school were now several years in the past and he felt little kinship with them now. And the only true friends I have -- the Pendragons -- are the very ones I'm spying on for the Council. His thoughts darkening, Cam realized with a start that Shevaun was staring at him. Does she know? Did she peek into my head? A sense of panic nearly overwhelmed him, but he tried to keep his voice neutral when he said "Something wrong?"
Shevaun shook her head, though her eyes remained locked on his. "Not with me." She offered a small smile and offered a hand. "Walk you out?"
Cam took her fingers in his, feeling guilt sneak over his heart as he willed all thoughts of the Council away.
Darkmoor Prison
The man once called Captain Englander stared out of his cell, watching as the guards led another unlucky soul into purgatory. Englander had been the leader of the Emissaries of the Dark, a metahuman strike force empowered by an ancient evil. They had lain waste to a dozen worlds in pursuit of the escaped criminal known as Wynter... before their journeys had led them here, to a world caught up in the grip of sorcery.
The Emissaries had found themselves defeated by the Pendragons, the individual members being rounded up and dispersed. Most of them had ended up here, at Darkmoor Prison, a massive structure designed with one goal in mind: the containment of superhuman criminals, many of whom were violent offenders. As such, the cells were outfitted with a variety of power-nullifying equipment, including the cuffs that now shackled Englander's wrists together.
"Who's the new guy?" a voice asked from behind him.
Englander turned to look at his cell-mate, a minor supervillain who had operated under the rather unimaginative codename of Dr. Demento. Demento was actually Karl Volson, a balding, fiftyish account who had gained the ability to force others to revisit their most embarrassing moments. The poor souls upon whom Volson had used his power had been forced to undergo costly and painful psychological treatments, but Englander found him to be far from imposing. "Some Yank named Eddie Brock."
Volson looked intrigued and moved to join his cellmate at the bars. "Big fellow, isn't he? I heard that he nearly killed Spider-Man a few times."
Englander's grunt was his only response. He found so many of the preening fools that danced about in the prison's exercise yards to be tiring in the extreme. "On my world, Spider-Man was killed by the Black Marvel. We spread his ashes all over Manhattan."
Volson rolled his eyes. He was frightened of the large man who shared his cell, but he had also grown weary of Englander's stories. He stared straight ahead, watching as the guards began to open up Brock's prison cell. The lights in the prison flickered and dimmed, but Volson heard the mystically-powered back-ups come online almost immediately. The Barrier had caused all sorts of technology to grow unreliable, but the upsurge in the mystic population had led to some innovative alternatives. As such, Volson thought little of the current decline in electrical power.
It was when the magical back-up generators failed that he and the other residents of the prison began to shout with mounting joy. "The spells have failed!" he yelled, squinting in the darkness. He couldn't see Englander but he could feel his presence. "That means the inhibitors aren't working! We can--" Volson's words died in his throat as gunfire echoed loudly through the shadows. There were screams, too -- screams of rage and of terror. Volson heard one man's shouts die out in a wet gurgling sound and something warm and wet splashed through the bars of his cell and landed hotly on his face. "Heavens above," he whispered. He backed up into his cell, not stopping until his body was pressed hard against the wall.
And the screams died as quickly as they had begun.
All was silent for a long moment, though some of the prisoners began to shout to one another and to the guards. Confusion was running rampant.
A voice seemed to slice through the rising din, sounding hungry and dangerous. "They said my other had been taken away...."
A woman answered, sounding as if she were just outside Volson's cell. "It was in the possession of the Weird Happenings Organization... but I liberated it. Just as I'm doing with you and the others."
"And what about the Other that was worn by Union Jack....?"
"Still in their custody, I'm afraid. All in due time, my friend."
A light flared then, revealing a tall, thin woman clad in blue armor. Her hair was purple, wrapping around her shoulders. Her features, Asian and elegant, looked like they could have stepped off the front cover of a fashion magazine. "Captain Englander?"
Volson saw his cellmate move forward. "Yes."
The woman smiled softly, glancing back as Eddie Brock -- newly rejoined with the symbiont that made him Venom -- stepped up beside her. Venom's mouth was open wide, revealing a writing tongue and row upon row of sharp teeth. "You probably already know my companion," she said, revealing a sensuous voice tinged with a Japanese accent. "But you may call me Lady Mandarin. If you are interested, you may help us claim power in this country... Power that will allow us to fulfill all our dreams."
Englander studied her face closely. Apparently satisfied by what he saw, he replied "I need my uniform. And assurances that you have planned an escape from this facility."
"Our exit has been prepared -- the other two members of our group are providing a distraction even as we speak. As for your uniform," Lady Mandarin nodded once at Venom, who held out the colorful costume that Englander had made into a symbol of fear and oppression. "Now... Are you willing to join us?"
Englander placed a hand on the bars of his cell. "Lady Mandarin. The name is familiar...."
"A mutual enemy of ours -- Betsy Braddock -- once used the identity as her own."
"Intriguing that you should choose it, then... I am with you, however. Let your mysteries remain your own."
Lady Mandarin stepped back while Venom gripped the iron cell door and ripped it from its hinges. Captain Englander stepped out, reclaiming his uniform and beginning to pull it over his muscled form.
"What about me?" Volson asked, moving forward. He looked frightened still, especially since he could see the bodies of the guards behind Lady Mandarin and her new allies. Many of the other inmates were beginning to free themselves, as well -- and some of them held Volson in little regard. "Can I come?"
Captain Englander, now clad in his uniform, reached out to grasp Volson on the shoulder. "Karl. You have been a good companion. But you are not suited for this. You are a sheep. I -- and I daresay both the Lady Mandarin and Venom, as well -- am a lion. We have little in common."
"But--"
"Hush," Englander whispered. He moved his hand up quickly, wrapping his fingers around Volson's throat. A loud crack gave ample evidence to the villain's actions and Volson tumbled backwards, a trickle of blood spraying out from his lips. Flexing his hand in response to the sudden pleasure of killing, Captain Englander turned back to Lady Mandarin. "What do you call this conglomeration of ours?"
"I should think that would be obvious. We are the new Emissaries of the Dark -- and our dread lords, the Parliament of Darkness -- wish to lay claim to England as their own!"
W.H.O. Headquarters
Situated in the very heart of London, some several dozen miles beneath the ground, lay a base dedicated to the exploration of the strange and the unknown. The Weird Happenings Organization had seen its fortunes rise and fall numerous times over the years, but with the rise of the Black Mass Barrier, it had been W.H.O. that had flourished in the eyes of the politicians. Increased funding had led to a dramatic rise in those recruited to work for W.H.O. -- including the world's foremost leader in human/cybernetic interfaces, Suzi Endo....
With a prolonged sigh, Suzi wondered -- again -- if she were doing the right thing. She slid the Cybermancer helmet over her head, marveling at the sensations that threatened to overwhelm her. The helmet connected immediately with her cerebro-implants, bombarding her eyes and brain with computer read-outs. With a thought, the helmet switched scans, suddenly reading the temperature of every object in the room. It brought with it a sense of extreme power... Suzi could easily see how her doppleganger had become overwhelmed by it.
That thought brought a hard frown to her face and she jerked the helmet off, severing her connection to its interface. She stared at the visored helmet for a long moment before setting it down on her lab table. She noted that her hands were shaking.
It had been months ago, but the memories were still so fresh... Kidnapped by a Suzi Endo from an alternate timeline, she had been kept prisoner while the other Suzi joined the American superhero team Force Works under the name Cybermancer. She'd finally been freed -- and had even helped capture her doppleganger -- but the experience had altered her forever. She'd seen that other Suzi Endo consumed by electronics, so packed full of cybernetic implants that she had literally become the armor*.
(*As shown in Force Works # 17-22.)
"And the thought, though disgusting, is tempting, isn't it? To join with the armor and become something more than human..." She spoke out loud, wanting to hear her own words. They sounded silly and childish when expressed that way... and that was oddly comforting to her.
Suzi turned away from the helmet, looking over at her other project. Since coming to work for W.H.O., Suzi had found herself granted access to technology that she could never have afforded before. With the Barrier's strange effects on technology wreaking havoc all over Europe, Suzi had been part of a council dedicated to creating magic-proof machinery. Their work had met with mixed success -- though Suzi had recently learned that the Pendragon known as Wynter had used his magic to augment the team's own equipment... equipment that was based upon theories and programs that she was well used to.
Suzi walked over to the holographic projector and flipped the power switch. A holographic figure emerged in the air above her, glancing about with an almost sardonic gaze. "Well, well... You haven't bothered yourself with keeping the place clean, have you?"
Suzi frowned slightly. She'd rewired the sentient computer called Plato since his near-destruction, following Tony Stark's plans exactly... but there was undeniably something different about him. Another effect of the Barrier? she wondered. "It's a laboratory," she answered. "It's supposed to look this way."
Plato sniffed, tilting his nose skyward. "If you say so. It looks like a pig sty to me, but YMMV."
Suzi blinked. "YMMV?"
"Your mileage may vary. Honestly, didn't you ever chat on the Internet before the Barrier went up? Next you'll tell me that you don't know how to make an emoticon."
Suzi shook her head. Perhaps she'd made an error in the artificial intelligence algorithms... Still, that was something that could be touched up later. "I wanted to let you know that we're going on a trip to Lyonesse."
Plato seemed to perk up a bit at that. "Ah. I'd anticipated a 67% chance that you would take me to meet the Pendragons within the first seven weeks of my reactivation. I am pleased to see that I was correct."
"Good for you," she murmured, feeling a bit perturbed by the hologram's attitude. "Parliament wants you to try and interface with the computer system currently used by the Pendragons. Their early-warning system is based on Tony Stark's designs for you*."
(*As mentioned in issue two of Pendragons.)
"Well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery -- or so they say. If I do this... interface, would I be expected to remain in the care of this Pendragons group?"
"Most likely. Down the road, the British government might implement their own version of you." Seeing the nonplussed expression on his face, Suzi elected to play upon the hologram's version of an ego. "The Pendragons are considered an essential part of national defense right now... and there's no denying that you're the finest computerized mind in existence."
Plato made a very convincing imitation of a shrug. "I'm pleased to be of service." He turned his computerized face to look directly at her. "Why not keep me, Ms. Endo? You can peel on that Cybermancer suit and I can assist you... Finally become a hero in your own right and --"
"No!" Suzi surprised even herself with the force of her response. Shaking, she forced herself to calmness. "I am no hero. I am a scientist. It wasn't me that joined Force Works."
Plato regarded her evenly, the clarity of his gaze making Suzi redden. "So you say. Then why have you worked ceaselessly to repair the armor's damage? You have streamlined the interface, removing all chance of physical harm to yourself. And W.H.O. has not asked you to do so... Why perfect such an exacting piece of science if you do not intend to use it?"
Suzi frowned, looking away. She reminded herself that Plato was a holographic program. It had no true intellect, beyond that which he had been programmed with. His points, therefore, lacked the proper emotional context. With an expression of annoyance, Suzi reached out and flicked off the power switch.
Plato disappeared immediately... but it seemed that his presence could still be felt long after.
Lyonesse
Gulliver Jones stood in the doorway to the castle's grand dining hall, taking it all in. The tapestries, the suits of armor, the very air of magic that hung in the air... It all came together to give Lyonesse, and Pendragons Castle in particular, a feel that was unique in all the world.
And, of course, the people who called it home were unique in and of themselves.
Gulliver didn't truly feel like one of them yet -- and, perhaps, he never would. He was a man from a different time -- he had fought for the protection of England during the Blitz, during the days of Churchill and Tommy Thunderfist. Those had been days of honor and devotion... and of love.
His eyes drifted over to Jacqueline Falsworth Crichton. During her original stint as Spitfire, the two had met and engaged in a torrid romance. It hadn't lasted, mostly because Gulliver had been too stubborn to admit how much he cared for her.
And now they were reunited, in what should have been their golden years... Only Jackie was in the body of a woman in her twenties again, having been youthened by a blood serum from the original Human Torch. And I'm just a has-been superhero who looks like he should be her grandfather....
Sighing, the man called Captain Kerosene turned away from the happy scene before him. Many of the Pendragons had invited friends over for the evening and Gulliver had enjoyed meeting the beautiful Ginny and an old friend of Betsy's from S.T.R.I.K.E. Most of Gulliver's friends were dead and buried, leaving him feeling a strange kinship with the young Cam McClellan. That saddened him, for a boy so young shouldn't be surrounded by so much death.
Stepping through the darkened corridors, Gulliver thrust his hands deep into his trouser pockets. There were mystically-lit torches along the walls, flaming to life as he approached. Most of the castle's magicks had been put into place by Wynter during the mage's tenure with the group, but Dark Angel had recently added a few twists of her own.
Gulliver stepped out onto a balcony, intending to watch the crashing of the waves below. He came up short, however, when he saw that the balcony was already occupied -- by Joey Chapman, the heir to Union Jack's legacy... and Jackie's current lover. "Oh! Sorry, mate... I'll find my own spot and--"
Joey held up a hand to stop Gulliver's words. "No worries. Join me, if you like."
Gulliver paused for only a moment before accepting the invitation. "A wee bit of a chill tonight, isn't there?"
"It's always cold on Lyonesse. You'll get used to it." Joey flashed that wicked smile of his. "Of course, I figured you'd be able to warm yourself up pretty easily."
Gulliver laughed. "A living space heater, I am." He examined the younger man's face, noting the stubble that lined Joey's cheek and the haunted look in his eyes. "Something bothering you?"
"A bit, yeah. You remember that bloke I was fighting with when you saved the day*?"
(*In issue 24.)
"Venom. Yes. Hard to forget a face like that."
"Well, I had my own version of his suit -- a living one, just like his. I was terrified of it. It was trying to take me over, body and soul."
"Seems to me you'd be glad to be rid of it...."
"I am." Joey made a pained expression. "But I'm not, too. I miss it. Isn't that sick?"
Gulliver wasn't sure what to say, as symbiotic costumes were a bit out of his field. Plus, he didn't particularly like Joey, who was far too common -- and far too coarse -- for a woman like Jackie. "Perhaps it's like stopping drinking, or smoking. You have to go 'cold turkey,' as they say. It will get easier, I'm sure."
Joey nodded, saying nothing. Gulliver had begun to grow uncomfortable as the silence began to lengthen, but then Joey whispered "Look to the east."
Kerosene followed the younger man's gaze, his own mouth dropping open in surprise. "Bollocks," he whispered, and immediately felt ashamed. It was the sort of language that he would have expected out of Joey's mouth, not his own. He cast a glance over to Union Jack, but the hero was far too preoccupied by the shape on the horizon to have noticed Gulliver's faux pas.
Union Jack sprang over the side of the balcony, landing smoothly on the ground below. He took off at a fast clip, pulling his clothes off as he went. Beneath his shirt was the legendary uniform of Union Jack.
Captain Kerosene ignited and took flight seconds later. He could scarcely believe his eyes, even now that he had a clearer view from the sky. For there before him was a dragon, the size of which brought a gasp to his lips.
The winged creature was mammoth, with bright green scales that glittered in the moonlight. Its head was elongated, with a wide mouth that was emphasized by several curved, protruding fangs. Pale yellow eyes studied Captain Kerosene's flaming form for a moment and the Pendragon feared an imminent attack.
Kerosene felt an overwhelming -- and stunningly nonsensical -- urge to shout out "For Avalon" and plunge into conflict, but he quelled the desire with a bit of common sense. The dragon was unlikely to be harmed by a fire-based attack -- and the last thing Gulliver wanted to do was enrage the beast.
Union Jack drew his pistol, brandishing his dagger in the other hand. He was no fool, however, and had activated the team's communicator alarm -- the big guns like Dark Angel and Captain Britain were going to be needed here. He took a quick step back as the dragon landed hard on the beach's shore. "Get your arse down here, Gully. I don't want to face this thing alone."
Captain Kerosene forgave his teammate for calling him by the far-too family nickname. At a time like this, all Englishman are like brothers.
Landing beside his teammate, the two men stared up into the blinking eyes of a giant.
Joey could feel the hammering in his chest and he tried to remind himself that he'd faced down werewolves, vampires and worse in the past. A dragon -- even a huge one -- should not be so unsettling.
A yellow blur beside announced the super-fast arrival of Spitfire, who joined the men in gaping. "Heavens above," she whispered. "What does it want?"
The dragon lowered its head, close enough so that its fetid breath washed over them. "I have flown all the way here from Glasgow..." it roared, in a voice that sounded ancient and powerful.
Union Jack raised his pistol, ready for the inevitable attack.
And then the dragon said "... and boy, are my wings tired."
Spitfire and Captain Kerosene blinked in surprise as the dragon reared back and laughed, a deep, throaty sound that echoed throughout all of Lyonesse.
Joey Chapman joined him, grinning from ear-to-ear beneath his face mask.
Spitfire clutched at his arm, staring at him like he'd lost his mind. "Are you daft? Why are you laughing?"
"Because when a dragon tells a joke, luv... You'll laugh if you know what's good for you."
Paris, France
There were two dozen of them, identically clad. Each wore a long black robe that hung loosely over bone-white features, their sunken eyes staring at the world with a mixture of disdain and curiosity. The members of the Scrier Cult stood hand-in-hand, encircling the prone form of Paradox -- a magician whose origins lay in a cast-off portion of Dr. Strange's soul. With Strange's death, the state of the magical world had been turned upside down -- despite the fact that sorcery was now holding sway over England and Europe, there was no Sorceror Supreme to harness all that power...
But that would soon change.
"The witches of Gaea -- Kale and Satana -- will seek to challenge us," one of the Scriers murmured.
"And we must not forget the son of Merlyn," said another.
"None of them matter," whispered Paradox, who began to stir and rise. "All that matters is that the secret of the Dragons rests with us... and with it, I will claim the title that is rightfully mine."
TO BE CONTINUED
Next Issue: "Dragons" continues, as the Pendragons learn that an ancient evil is loose upon the world once more. Plus: Thrill to the stunning public debut of Tina Thunderfist! And more with Cybermancer, the Emissaries of the Dark and the Penance Council!
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Welcome to another issue of Pendragons! This issue evolved a few times as I was writing it, but I'm pretty proud of the end result. This was meant to be a 'bridge' issue, with the characters (and the readers!) getting a fresh breath of air after "The Shaping" -- and getting a good look at where we're going with a new storyline, "Dragons." This storyline will revitalize the Emissaries (and wait'll you see who the final two members of the group are!) and introduce a dire new threat into the series... one that will push us towards a more mystic-oriented slant over the next year or so.
The Cybermancer scene is fairly heavily re-written from the one that appeared in Cybermancer # 1 at Avengers 2000 -- I always liked the scene and the tie-in to our second issue (in the form of the Pendragons' early-warning system) made it fun to do. Suzi Endo will be a nice addition to our cast, I think -- and don't expect her to necessarily join the team, either. I have weirder plans for her than that.
You can reach me at aric_dacia@yahoo.com
