Broken Chains, Part One |
What Has Come Before: The Pendragons have added a new member to their ranks -- Dr. Bruce Banner, aka the Incredible Hulk. Once again in control over the Hulk's actions, Banner assisted the Pendragons in handling a crisis situation involving Moira McTaggert and the High Evolutionary. These events Meanwhile, a new power has ascended in British politics, one who may not view the Pendragons in a very favorable light. And in the realm of the Red Lord, Dark Albion and Blackheart have agreed to aid one another -- Blackheart will ensnare Shamrock for the lovesick Albion while the former Pendragon deals with Ghost Rider....
Weird Happenings Organization, London
Adam Crown sat in his room -- his "cell," as he liked to think of it -- and wondered where and how it had all gone so wrong.
Once upon a time, he'd been a history student with no greater prospects than anyone else his age. He'd been bright enough, surely, but there had always been a sense of disappointment about him. Like he had been destined for greater things, but never come upon the means to achieve them.
And the Lady of the Lake appeared to him in his shower, saying "It is time for the king to ride out once more for the sword of the new dawn." The words had both chilled and excited him. They reached into the core of his being and made him feel whole and complete. He didn't question her directive to steal an ancient sword from the Museum of Pagan Antiquities and he'd actually felt empowered when he'd led the forces of Pendragon into battle against the Bane. His time alongside the Knights of Pendragon had been very pleasant, indeed... He'd felt himself growing into the role that had been set out for him: He was to be the new Arthur, England's greatest champion. When the time had come to truly live up to that role -- to face down the Red Lord himself, Adam had risen to the occasion. He'd sacrificed himself so that others could live and his reward was to be resurrected in Avalon.
He had returned in the hour of England's greatest need... alongside Miracleman, he'd joined the new Pendragons in defeating Blackheart. He'd seen himself as the logical successor to the group's fallen leader, Albion... but the others had turned to Captain Britain instead. He'd felt himself chafing under her rule, but thought that he'd overcome his problems by meeting and falling in love with Ginny. He'd single-handedly defeated Mordred, as well, but that victory had been short-lived. During the Jaspers Warp, he'd become a plaything for Mad Jim. He'd spurned Ginny and betrayed his teammates.
And now he was a total nutter. Or so he believed.
"Adam? How are you feeling?"
Adam stirred only slightly. His room was mostly barren, with only a small bed and desk to occupy him. He gestured to the one chair in the room. "Why don't you have a seat, mate? Sorry I can't offer you something better, but my state of affairs is a bit muddled."
The Hulk nodded, smiling grimly. Adam thought it interesting that Banner spent so much time in the Hulk persona... but then again, if you had the choice between being a 120 lbs. weakling and a seven foot tall behemoth with muscles on top of muscles, the decision might not be a difficult one. "I'll stand, thanks."
"Don't blame you. The chair's not worth squat. No nails in the wood and no harsh corners, either. They're afraid I'll hurt myself."
"Your friends are worried about you."
"What friends?" Adam barked with laughter. "I've failed them all so many times, Banner... I've never been a true friend to them and they've returned that in kind."
The Hulk shook his head, looking strangely comical to Adam. His facial expressions were those of the sensitive, melancholy scientist... but his massive physique carried with it a confidence that made it seem at odds with his tone and gestures. "You're being too hard on yourself. These people love you, even if you have been annoying at times." He flashed a grin. "I know a thing or two about being a hardass. I've driven away more friends than I can count. But the real ones -- the ones who love you unconditionally -- they won't be pushed back. Ever."
Adam glanced away, closing his eyes tightly. "You weren't there when Jaspers put us through the wringer. He made me hate Ginny. He... Bloody hell. He made me forget the face of my father."
The Hulk blinked in surprise. That was a phrase he'd heard only a few times before and never so far from the heartland of America. Forgetting the face of your father meant that you'd lost touch with your true self, with the men and women who had come before you. It was akin to saying that you had lost all honor and it was a feeling that Bruce had shared on many occasions. His own father had been a cruel, verbally abusive man -- a man whose face Bruce had deliberately tried to forget on many occasions. But the understanding of the feelings behind Adam's word struck home hard, nonetheless. Almost hesitantly, the Hulk said "Have I ever told you about Betty?"
Adam opened his eyes. "No."
"She was a woman who loved me more than I deserved to be loved. She put up with sheer hell over and over again, just to stand by my side."
Adam thought of Ginny and nodded. He missed the way she looked at him... It had made him feel noble and pure, like he truly was the hero he strove to be. "What happened to her?"
The Hulk sat himself down on the floor and began to talk, about things that he'd kept bottled up for far too long. He told of tragic mistakes he'd made, of a love forever lost and the woman whom he had loved more than life itself.
And for Adam Crown, the loneliness seemed to abate, if only for a moment.
Pendragons Castle, Lyonesse
"I cannot believe you would bring a known felon onto the group. Especially at this point in time."
Captain Britain sat back in her chair, a frown beginning to spread across her lips. As Betsy Braddock, she'd grown up in a world of high fashion and shadowy intelligence, so she was used to these sorts of verbal sparring matches. But they never got any less taxing. "Mr. Halpin, I understand your concern... but I'm willing to vouch for Doctor Banner. The Barrier has left him in complete control of his transformations and--"
"Again," Harrison Halpin replied. "He's in control of his transformations again. This isn't the first time, is it? But he's lost control each time. It's inevitable."
Betsy resisted the urge to press into this man's mind. He had come to Lyonesse by boat this morning, eager to question her about the reports of Adam's mental health and the Hulk's addition to the Pendragons. With the government currently in a state of emergency following Tony Blair's murder, Halpin had been placed in power much more quickly than would have been possible otherwise. Now he sat in the team's meeting room, looking far more angry than he had any right to be. I won't go prying, Betsy promised herself. Whatever his problem is, it'll come out soon enough. "I wouldn't say that -- I trust in Bruce's ability to sense any coming problems and to notify us of the same. Besides," she added, taking a deep breath, "Who we bring into the group is not up for discussion. Our members are empowered by the Lady of the Lake and the Green Knight. They're Pendragons not just because we call them that... but because that's who they are."
Harrison leaned forward. He was handsome enough, Betsy thought, but there was a gleam of something in his eyes. It wasn't evil by any means, but it was disconcerting. Righteous indignation, she realized. His voice betrayed something else as well -- pleasure. Like he'd just caught her wandering into a trap. "Yes, so I've heard. So your first allegiance is to this otherdimensional realm, yes? But it's the British people who fund your exploits."
"Only some of them," she retorted, a bit more hotly than she'd intended. Her tea was growing cold on the desk before her, long since forgotten. "Most of our equipment is supplied by the Lady of the Lake. This castle... this island... all gifts from her."
"Bully for her."
Betsy almost lost her cool at that. "Are you questioning our loyalty, Mr. Halpin?"
"Yes."
Silence loomed large for a moment. It was finally Betsy who said "If you want to cut our funding, feel free. We provide a valuable service to the British people but if you--"
"Valuable service?!" Halpin exclaimed. "You've destroyed vast stretches of land, so I suppose you could say you qualify as some sort of demolition company, but other than that... What have you truly done? Metahuman crime has increased 43% since your group became active. You not only failed to stop Blackheart from erecting the Barrier but you've done precious little to remove it since then! And don't get me started about the expense the British government went to in replacing the lot of you when you jetted off for parts unknown*!"
(*See the "A Secret War" storyline)
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Halpin too a deep breath, reining in his own emotions. He'd wanted to remain calm today, but it had been too hard... When confronted with this kind of hypocrisy, it was hard to remain quiet. "I'm saying that Parliament will be looking into your activities. I want to know if you've spent our money wisely."
"I'll make sure our books are open to you." Betsy rose and waved a hand dismissively. "Gully, do you think you could show Mr. Halpin out the door?"
The holographic form of Gulliver Jones materilized beside her. In life he'd been Captain Kerosene, Pendragon and hero. In death, he'd come to be reborn as something more than man. "Gladly, m'lady. Will you follow me, Mr. Haplin?"
Harrison regarded the glowing form of the man before him. He nodded stiffly and moved to follow, not sparing another glance in Betsy's direction. She waited until he was gone before letting her shoulders slump. "What did you think?"
Shevaun Haldane -- the Dark Angel -- shimmered into view. "Well, my invisibility spell worked like a charm. He never even knew I was here... but I don't think much of him, to be honest. He really seems to dislike the very notion of the Pendragons."
"Think he's a pawn of the Bane?"
"No... They have a certain scent to them and he's missing it. Whatever mad-on he's got for us is more personal than that. Want me to dig around in his past?"
Captain Britain removed her helmet, letting her purple-tinted hair spill down around her shoulders. "Please. I hate the idea of doing so, but we need to know."
"Will do." Shevaun grinned at her friend and put an arm around her shoulders. Though they seemed quite different at first -- Betsy being a more classically refined beauty, while Shevaun brandished a series of tattoos and piercings that marked her as a quasi-punk -- they had forged a close relationship. "Nervous about your date tomorrow?"
"A bit," Betsy admitted. "I'd be less nervous if you'd tell me who it was with."
"I promised to hook you up, didn't I*? And I will. Trust me."
(*Way back in Captain Britain: House Braddock # 7)
Betsy rolled her eyes playfully. "Why do I have a feeling I'm going to regret this?"
Ancient Tomes Bookstore - London
Molly Fitzgerald stifled a yawn, not wanting to appear rude. It had been a nice gesture on Breeze's part to invite her along on this excursion and Shamrock definitely didn't want to offend her. "Have you found anything yet?"
Breeze James looked up from her place on the floor and smiled. The former journalist dressed far more outlandishly than Molly ever would have dared. Her leather mini showed off a large amount of well-toned leg, especially with Breeze sitting with her legs beneath her and several books splayed about. "Sorry, luv. Am I boring you?"
"Oh, no...Not at all!" The redhaired girl knelt beside her fellow Pendragon. "It's just that I don't think you're going to find anything in there. Despite what Ghoul said, you're not some sort of living dead girl... You're alive, as much as me! Jaspers made it so!"
Breeze looked down at the dusty books before her. Some of them were ancient, with crumbling papers and cracking spines. The store's proprietor had been kind enough to bring some of them out of storage for her, but even they hadn't satisfied her longing. "Maybe you're right, Molly. It's just that I feel so out of place. All my old friends -- my family! -- think I'm pushing up daisies. They buried me... I've even been to my grave!"
Molly took Breeze's hand in hers. "I think you ought to call your mum. Tell her... She won't be anything but thrilled to have her baby girl back!"
"Maybe you're right. I've just felt like a ghost, like I don't belong here. And what if... I know this sounds daft, but what if I go insane later on? I mean -- Mad Jim brought me back, but why did I stay alive when the warp faded? Why did he bring me back at all? Am I a spy of some kind?"
"Who can say? He was a nutter, pure and simple. But you're here. That's what's important--"
A scream from outside the shop made both women jump. The next few seconds were lost in a horrible cacophony of shattering glass and howling shrieks of pain. Pages from rare books rained down upon them, along with dangerous chunks of glass. One piece, large enough to rip open a person's throat, narrowly missed them, landing with a thud in the center of Breeze's open book.
"Chalk up another one to your luck power, luv." Breeze mentally activated the magical spell that brought forth her battle-armor, noticing that Molly had already begun to shift into costume, as well. "You check on the people here in the store, see if they're hurt. I'm looking outside."
"Be careful," Shamrock warned.
Breeze nodded and rocketed forth, glad to have something to hit. Hitting things always made her feel better.
What she saw outside the smoking ruin of the store-front, however, almost made her regret those desires. A woman stood there, holding a passerby by his collar. The poor victim was bleeding profusely and Breeze could see a magic wand protruding from his jacket. No doubt he was one of the new magic elite on the streets -- street toughs who'd found they could manipulate arcane forces since the Barrier arose. But the woman holding him looked like anything but a hero....
 |
The woman wore battle armor that shimmered blue in the evening light, with a mask that hid her features. Her movements were graceful, but full of promised savagery -- and her voice was even more disturbing. She sounded young, but full of a hate so deep and abiding that any promise of hope was obviously lost forever. "You are not the one I seek, Breeze James. Step away and live!" |
"Bugger that, you crazy old bird!" Breeze rushed forward, extending the sharp wrist-blades that adorned her arms. She slashed at the armored woman, but the stranger moved at superhuman speed, grabbing hold of Breeze's hair as the speedster went past. She yanked back, eliciting a scream of pain from Breeze, before raising her other hand and driving it hard into the hero's back. Blood sprayed, hot and red.
Shamrock watched in horror, having pulled a few bookstore customers from the rubble. She set one of them down gently and moved forward. "If you've killed her..." she began, her voice quavering with rage. Breeze couldn't be dead -- she couldn't! To get a second chance at life, only to have it snuffed out like this?
The mystery woman regarded her with obvious amusement. "Sweet, sweet Molly. Do you know what I am?"
"I have no idea. And I could care less." Shamrock dropped into a fighting stance, reaching down briefly to activate her Pendragons alarm.
"I'm a Spirit of Vengeance. Pao Fu. And my master has told me that you have greatly wronged a young man... Left him feeling unloved and full of woe. Is this true?"
Molly hesitated, wondering at her words. What could she... And then it came to her, in a moment of awful clarity that left her horrified. "Are you talking about Cam?"
"Oh yes. The strumpet confesses..." Pao Fu rushed forward, leaping into the air. She landed behind Shamrock, easily blocking a blow from the Pendragon. Once, in another life, she'd been a young girl named Lian. Her death at the hands of slavers had led her soul into the clutches of Blackheart. He'd given her power... power she'd used against his enemies, like Ghost Rider. And this Irish lass in green leggings would not stop her.
Their battle was brief, but impressive to all who saw it. The two women were lithe and deadly, but in the end it was Pao Fu who struck home, driving her sharpened fingertips into the Pendragon's belly.
Quickly, Pao Fu! The enemies approach!
Pao Fu caught Molly as she sagged forward, looking about. It had been her master's voice, but she saw no sign of these enemies. A quick sniff of the air, however, brought understanding. The dragon was coming. "Come, little Shamrock. Let those you have wronged finally have their day....."
A glow enveloped them, leaving no sign of their passing. When Rathoon the Dragon arrived moments later, he found only a bloodied Breeze left behind.
Highgate Cemetery, Near Dawn
Cam McClellan was grateful for the armor he wore. It had become like a second skin to him, protecting him from harm and hiding him from the world. The fact that he'd perverted it beyond belief mattered little to him, for his descent into madness at the side of the Red Lord had been nearly complete. Only rarely did his old morals try to reassert themselves... and on some evenings, he cried for a mother he had lost... but there were always women to break and wines to drink. They always assuaged his pains.
This, however... This was horrible. He hated cemeteries, especially big ones like this, which had become homes to roaming bands of the undead. The stinking creatures milled about aimlessly, like retarded children, while some nibbled on stray bones or their own flesh. It was hard to believe that Blackheart's greatest nemesis lived here... if living was the right word for it.
Dark Albion moved forward stealthily, trying to avoid thinking about what awaited him back in Darkmoor. Sweet, delicious Molly... hair so red and skin so milky white... he shuddered.
He paused. There, not more than twenty feet ahead of him was a young man in a leather jacket. He looked handsome enough, with the kind of too-cool-to-care good looks that Cam would never possess. It made Cam hate this youth without ever even knowing him.
A motorcycle was nearby, propped against the open doorway to a tomb.
"Dan Ketch," Albion whispered, remembering what Blackheart had told him. The youth was bonded to the spirit of Noble Kale, the original Ghost Rider... at night, the Spirit of Vengeance roamed the Earth, but during the day, it was weak little Daniel who held sway. Cam looked up at the approaching sun and wondered if it was safe to attack... He also wondered idly if the Ghost Rider could appear in the daytime at all? Perhaps it was just a matter of preference, after all....
No need to confront him directly, Cam mused. Not when I'm the heir to the power of the Bane, after all.
He knelt, punching his fingers into the dirt. Immediately, the air went still and the ground began to rumble.
Dan Ketch looked up, his sixth sense kicking in. He was tired and ready for sleep, but there was something wrong here... Something not right. Something foul.
And then they came, by the dozen. Servants of the Bane -- some shambling on multiple legs, others crawling or slithering out of the receding darkness. They stank like death itself and their eyes shone with a horrible malevolence.
Dan backhanded the first to reach him and then made a mad lunge for his bike. It might be too soon to summon Noble again, but he could certainly flee if he got the chance.....
Searing pain lanced through his right leg and he looked down to see a legless worm-thing sinking its teeth into his jeans. He stumbled and fell... and was lost in a wave of Bane as they converged.
Cam watched in silence, letting his pets have their way. They would not kill him... but they would hurt him enough that he would not protest during the long trip back to Darkmoor. Once there, Blackheart would claim his prize...
And Cam would claim his.
TO BE CONTINUED
Next Issue: "Broken Chains" continues, as Shamrock finds herself in the grasp of a former friend... one with deadly intent. Also, the Spirit of Vengeance returns to Lyonesse and Betsy Braddock goes on a date!
AUTHOR'S NOTES
A letter from Harry VanHoudnos this time:
I have to admit, this one was an interesting issue (Not that they all aren't interesting, just that this one was a little more interesting than others!) Symkira: That means that Silver Sable and her crew are involved somehow. And I like the way that Banner is working out with this incarnation of Pendragons. He seems to have more control over the Hulk than he has in the past. I also wonder if we will be seeing any more of Doom in the future. He may be a pain, but he does have honor and if it appeals to him, he can be of help.
Keep up the good work and GO PENDRAGONS!!
Glad you enjoyed issue 43, Harry! The Symkarian connection will be examined following "Broken Chains," so stay tuned for a possible Silver Sable appearance. As for Doom... the Pendragons couldn't be so lucky as to avoid him, could they?
You can reach me at aric_dacia@yahoo.com
