the seekers

What Has Come Before: Jennifer Kale, driven by visions of unspeakable evil, has begun assembling a new band of Seekers. The Seekers are the world's only hope in stopping a demonic entity calling itself Roland Fannin, but they must band together before Fannin picks them off one by one. So far, Kale has found Ghost Rider and Magik, but Moon Knight was killed in battle with the alien Stark, leading to one final resurrection in Egypt. And the team's mysterious fifth member is unaware that Fannin and his ally Lilith are actively seeking them out... but they are about to find out.

I'm going to die.

Angelica Jones couldn't stop thinking that. It wasn't a very positive outlook, but there could be no denying the severity of the current situation. 

She was on her hands and knees, clad only in a tank top and a pair of Vance's boxer shorts. Blood was spilling from her lips, running in a long stream to pool beneath her. She could actually see her own reflection in the pool and it wasn't a pretty sight. She looked like a mistreated doll, with her hair twisted in every direction and dark smudges on her cheeks.

A scuttling sound in the darkness made her stand up suddenly, fear clutching at her heart. She was unsteady on her feet, but she managed to summon a bit of fire about her left hand. Her microwave powers had always frightened her on some level, but now they offered protection from the evil that had invaded her life. 

A dark shape, demonic and inhuman, ducked past the open bedroom door. It was the child... or whatever it was. Small and feral, with a face that spoke of ancient nightmares. 

Angelica crept towards the nightstand, trying to keep from looking at the bloody shape in the bed. Vance would be okay... he had to be. But he was so quiet and still -- and there had been so much pain in his voice when he'd cried out....

She saw her goal, next to the alarm clock. Her old Avengers Communicard would summon help....

"No, my dear... That can't be allowed."

Angelica whirled about, seeing a figure silhouetted in her closet. She knew from the voice that it was a male -- meaning that it was probably the person who had awakened her with a hard slap to the face. Vance had already been attacked by then... the baby-thing had been perched on his chest, chewing--

The figure strode forward and Angelica could make out a few details in the dim lighting. He was tall and thin, with an immaculate suit that hugged his lithe form. A small was on his lips, but it lacked all traces of true mirth. "Stupid little cow, did you really think I wouldn't find you?"

"What are you talking about?" Angelica asked, side-stepping her way towards the open window. It had been a warm night and they'd left the window open... it had been Vance's idea to do that. He was always warmer than she was -- now she wondered if that was how their attackers had entered. "I don't know you."

"Perhaps not in this life, but I've long suspected that many of you Seekers are just reborn again and again. I wonder if I've killed you before, by chance?"

Angelica screamed as Fannin's left hand transformed into a scaly appendage that ended in sharp claws. The demon slashed out at her and she instinctively lashed out with her powers. The flames burned the demon badly -- far more than they should have, Angelica thought -- and she took the sudden opportunity to jump through the window. 

Her powers bore her aloft and she flew higher and higher -- through the clouds and up so high that her lungs ached. She felt like crying, because she was so grateful to be free.

And then she thought of Vance, all alone and defenseless against this Fannin and his child.

Gritting her teeth, she soared back downwards, sheathing herself in a field of flame. Though she was terrified, she wouldn't turn away from the man she loved... since leaving the Avengers, they had tried to start a home for themselves. There had even been talk about a family -- Vance was her heart; her soul.

She burst in through the window, shattering the entire wall surrounding it. She looked like an angry goddess, come to claim her vengeance. 

But there was no sign of Fannin or his child.

She flew through the apartment, ignoring the broken and tattered remains of her life with Vance. It had all been shattered with an eager malevolence, as if they hoped to destroy all signs of her happiness. The apartment door was open, with only a few bloody footprints to give evidence that her foes were gone.

"Vance," she whispered, her eyes filling with moisture. She landed, letting her feet touch down on the carpet. Her toes touched something wet, but she ignored it. Running into the bedroom, she saw Vance lying there... his face was covered with a fine splatter of blood and his throat... his throat was a mass of exposed tissue, dotted by horrible rips and tears made by the baby's teeth. "Oh God... What's going on?" she whispered.

"Did you kill her, my beloved?"

Fannin stepped into the alley, his adopted child nestled tightly against his chest. "She escaped... but I found her somewhat wanting. I don't think we need fear her."

Lilith, Mother of Demons, wrinkled her nose. "You're burned."

"Yes. But it will heal... the weakness I sensed in her has nothing to do with her powers. They're potent enough. But there's no trace of the warrior within her. She's a child, playing at being a woman." Fannin's eyes twinkled. "Let her unite with the others. I have a plan to deal with them, all at once." He glanced down at his burned right hand. "And she's the one who gave me the idea. Bright girl, that."

Egypt

The interior of the tomb was filled with broken statues and debris, remnants of a past long covered by age. The priest who accompanied Marc Spector broke away from him, moving to stand in front of a statue of Khonshu, joining two of his brothers. Marc felt his heart contract at the sight of the statue -- for it was an exact replica of the one he kept in the Long Island home of Steven Grant.

Marc's eyes traveled over the small altar that rested before the far wall. He recognized the items on its surface -- the golden wrist and ankle bands, the crescent darts, the golden ankh.... they were all items he'd used in the past. A new costume was also spread out on the altar's surface -- it was only slightly different from the one he wore now, with a gold ankh over the breast, harkening back to his days as an Avenger.

The oldest priest waited for Marc to glance his way before speaking. It was obvious that the other two priests were deferring to their elder. "Marc Spector, you have served Khonshu well. He is most pleased by all that you have accomplished. His enemies, great and small, have been vanquished by your hand."

Marc waved away the comment, showing his displeasure with the proceedings. "I'm thrilled that Khonshu's happy with me. Terribly. But I want to go back. Now. Khonshu knows I'll serve him well -- there's no need for all this pomp and circumstance. In fact, it would be nice if Khonshu would protect me before I died, so that we could skip this."

The priest smiled slightly, ignoring the angry tone of Marc's words. "Your death was a necessary detail. With each resurrection, you have become more suffused with the glory that is Khonshu. Your body has become more attuned to the mystic forces of the universe, drawing you towards areas of mystic chaos and supernatural horror. You have become less man and more god."

"Is that what the three of you want to be? Gods?"

"We act only as vessels for his holy purpose, Marc Spector. Though our methods may seem distasteful to you, they are only for the greater good."

Marc grunted, moving towards the altar. He quickly began stripping out of his soiled clothing, putting on the clean suit that was resting on the surface of the altar. "Go on. I have a feeling I'm not going to get out of here until you're done."

"As we said, you shall find your mental and physical faculties altered by your experiences. You are not as you were. This is to prepare you for what is to come."

Marc pulled the mask over his face. As soon as it was in place, he felt a change come over him. Gone was Marc Spector, former mercenary for hire. In his place stood Moon Knight, the Fist of Khonshu. "And that is?"

"Khonshu believes that the enemies of man have returned once more, weakening the walls that separate us from the demons of air and darkness.  He has stated that mankind now stands on the brink of destroying itself. Tensions between humans and mutants continue to mount, and the mystic threats of the world are massing. Khonshu shall need his fist to deliver justice upon those who would seek to destroy man."

Moon Knight had placed his weapons on his belt while listening. Something inside him had changed. The priests had been right about that. He could sense their sincerity and he could feel the vibrations of evil in the air when they spoke of the threats to mankind. "Does Khonshu want me to change what I'm doing? Focus more on different kinds of threats?"

The priest shook his head. "Khonshu is pleased with you but he has foreseen a rising evil in the world. He has decreed that you shall ally yourselves with those who are Seekers of the light."

"You've lost me. Who are they?"

"An order of heroes, banded together against a demon most foul and dangerous. There have been previous groupings known as Seekers, arising in step with their enemy. Now that he has returned, so shall the Seekers. And you will be one of them."

"I don't work well with teams."

"This time, you shall." The priest spoke with such force that Marc almost believed him. Maybe it would be different this time. His mind drifted over the unhappy experiences he'd had with the Avengers and Daredevil's short-lived group of vigilantes. There had been so many disappointments there... but he'd longed to find a place where he belonged. Kindred spirits.

"Marc Spector." The priest moved forward, staring deep into Moon Knight's eyes. "There is more. This is your final resurrection. Khonshu can do no more for you. Your human form can only touch his wondrous power so many times."

Moon Knight glanced at the statue of Khonshu. Is this true? Is this what you want of me? I've lived and died in your name -- but I still haven't repaid my debt to you, have I? "Where do I go from here?"

"Touch the statue. Bathe in his glory."

Moon Knight stepped forward and placed his palm on Khonshu's statue. White light surrounded him... filling him with the essence of Khonshu. He felt the Moon God in his mind and in his heart. They were one, for a few wonderful seconds.

And then it was done.

"I'm not sure how long I'll be gone. I know... Listen, Stacy, I really can't go into any more detail. Trust me. Please?" Dan Ketch glanced over his shoulder, holding the phone close to his mouth. He saw Jennifer Kale and Amanda Sefton in the other room, looking over a map of New York City. They were gorgeous, but neither of them were all that enticing to him. Jennifer was his cousin, after all -- and Amanda was a bit too aloof for his tastes. Besides, Stacy Dolan was his love for many long years. Even as children, she'd held him spellbound. "Love you, too... Always."

He placed the receiver in its cradle and remained standing there for a long moment more. There were times -- a lot of them, really -- when he wished that it had been he instead of his sister Barbara who'd been injured on that awful night. The two of them had stumbled onto a crime scene, interrupting the transfer of bio-toxin canisters to the followers of Deathwatch. Barbara had ended up dead some weeks later, never reviving from a coma she'd entered into that night in the junkyard. Dan had ended up with her innocent blood on his hands... and it had never washed away; not really. 

"You okay, Dan?"

He turned, smiling at his cousin. "Fine, Jen. You guys figured out where our other Seekers are?"

Jennifer Kale nodded, her eyes studying Dan's expression closely. She knew that he was hiding something, but didn't want to press. All of the Seekers had their own personal demons to fight, after all. She just hoped they didn't get in the way of fighting the all-too real demons led by Fannin. "Moon Knight should be on his way back from Egypt... and our final member has finally shown up in my scrying pool. We should go collect her."

"Is it dark yet?"

"Almost... Why?"

"Noble likes it better in the dark. It's Ghost Rider's natural element." He sighed, plunging his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans. "This is going to get very bad, isn't it?"

"I wish I could it wasn't going to, Dan... but I think you're right. I've had nightmares like you wouldn't believe... I just can't help but wonder why I was given this task. It should belong to Dr. Strange or Wanda Maximoff. Someone who's more adept than I am--"

Now it was Dan's turn to play the encouragement card. He smiled at her, eliciting a frown from Jennifer when she thought he was mocking her. He held up a hand to stave off her anger. "I was just thinking -- we've got a living Spirit of Vengeance; the Sorceress Supreme of Limbo; the avatar of Khonshu; and the greatest acolyte that the Zhared-Na Cult ever produced. And we're both afraid we won't be up to the task."

"Low self-esteem. I think it's a family trait."

"Johnny never seemed to suffer from that," Dan whispered. "The Blaze motorcycle show would have been a disaster if he hadn't been so confident that he could survive any jump."

"John had his own problems, Dan. You know that."

Amanda Sefton stepped into the room. She smiled prettily, though there were bags beneath her eyes that showed that she, too, had not slept well. "You two ready?"

At Jennifer's nod, Amanda stepped forward and swept her arm through the air. A sword appeared in her hand, joined by magical armor that covered her from head to toe. Long horns protruded from beneath the hood she now wore. "Then I'll teleport us over to St. Mary's Hospital -- That's where we'll find Firestar."

Dan's eyes opened wide. "Isn't she an Aveng--"

His words were lost as magical energy surrounded the three Seekers, carrying them across the city.

He pushed the tack so hard into the boy's eye that it caused the orb to expand and then burst. Ichor and blood splattered out onto his hand, eliciting a groan of pleasure from him. He liked this. He liked it a lot.

He continued driving tacks into other parts of the corpse, making it into a human pincushion. When he was done, when his savage lust had been sated, he sat back and licked his lips. He was naked, with perspiration making his baby flesh shine... 

"Bad child."

His eyes flicked over to the morgue's doorway, where he saw his mother watching with disapproval. Lilith was wearing a long coat and a wide-brimmed hat, which did much to hide her inhuman appearance. Her skin tone was far too pallid to belong to any living human and her forehead split into two arched shapes. She was beautiful. "I was just playing."

Lilith  stepped into the room, letting the small child crawl to her on all fours. He leaped into her arms and she hugged him tightly, not carrying that he stank of death and was covered in slime. "You could have been discovered."

"I killed the men who worked here," he said, hoping to stave off her disapproval. "I was careful!"

Staring into the face of her child, Lilith could not maintain her anger. He had been born of two powerful bloodlines -- her own and that belonging to Zarathos, an ancient demon whose reign of terror was still whispered of in dark circles. His features lacked all flesh, bearing instead the skull-like appearance of his father... but his eyes, calculating and hungry, were those of his mother. When angered, mystic hellfire would ignite about his skull, making him all the more terrifying. "We have to go, child. Our trap has been set."

"We're going to kill the Seekers?"

Lilith smiled broadly. "They're dead already. They just don't know it yet."

Angelica felt cold and clammy all over. The doctor's words were barely registering in her brain now... she'd begun to lose track of the conversation when he'd begun using phrases like "has a good chance of recovery but..." and "a mild possibility of brain damage."

She stared past the doctor -- who barely looked older than she was, if that was possible -- and saw her lover. He was connected to a variety of tubes and monitors, looking so frail that she thought he'd break at the slightest touch.

"Ms. Jones?" the doctor asked, lightly touching her arm. "Perhaps you should sit down."

"No. No, I'm fine."

"Well, if you need anything, please let me know."

Angelica nodded, wondering what she should do next. Should she start calling Vance's friends? The Avengers, the New Warriors... or should she be out there looking for the bastard who did this? What did he say his name? Roland Fannin?

"Angelica... Can I have a word with you?"

Firestar turned, expecting to see another doctor or nurse. Instead she saw a woman with strawberry blonde hair approaching, followed by another female and a rather handsome -- if neurotic-looking -- male. "Yes?"

"My name is Amanda Sefton, but some people call me Magik. My friends are Jennifer Kale and Dan Ketch -- you might know him better as Ghost Rider."

That brought a look of surprise to Angelica's features. She saw Dan shift uncomfortably under her gaze, as she tried to reconcile his appearance with that the leather-wearing, flame-skulled vigilante. "You're here about Fannin aren't you?"

"Yes, we are. He struck at you because you're part of a prophecy... you're meant to be part of a group called the Seekers. We're meant to stand against Fannin and his demonic followers. They're trying to--"

"I don't care."

Amanda paused, surprised at the cold assurance of the girl's voice. She was even more surprised by the words Firestar said next.

"You can fill me in later." Flames flickered deep in the recesses of her eyes and Jennifer Kale smiled when she saw them. She needed her teammates to be hard and dangerous for the war that was looming. "If you guys know where I can find Fannin, I want in."

Fannin stood down the block from the hospital, looking at his Swiss-made watch. "It's time."

Lilith bounced her baby boy on one hip. "You don't really think this is going to kill them, do you? Ghost Rider has survived much worse."

"He's in there as a mortal, not as the Spirit of Vengeance." Fannin snorted in distaste. "I admit to some unease, though. The old ways are more natural to me... Using plastique, bartering with terrorists... Bad form, I say."

"We make do," Lilith pointed out. She directed her child to look towards the hospital. "Watch, my little one. Bright lights!"

Dan Ketch felt a sudden twinge of pain. He gripped his forehead in surprise, nearly toppling over. 

"Dan? What's wrong?"

Waving Jennifer off, Dan moved to the window. He saw nothing unusual, but he felt... uneasy. "Something's not right. I don't... I don't know what."

Firestar looked concerned. "Is Vance in danger?"

Amanda Sefton stood a few feet away, her eyes closed as she called upon the eldritch forces at her command. "Dan's right. I'm sensing a powerful confluence of energies here. " Her eyes shot open. "Oh shit...."

Roland Fannin was one of the few people on the street who didn't have to avert their gaze as the hospital exploded. Debris and body parts began to rain down amid the flames, even as Lilith's son cackled with glee. 

A bloody stump of an arm landed at Lilith's feet. "Are they dead? Can you tell?"

Fannin sniffed the air, his lips thinning into a smile. "I don't sense them here at all. However many of the Seekers were in there... they're beyond this plane now."

Next Issue: "Secrets Beneath Your Flesh" continues! Moon Knight goes about setting up a headquarters for our heroes, even as his teammates fight for their lives! Guest-starring Dr. Strange!

SCRIBBLINGS OF MADNESS

Welcome back! This issue took me a while to finish, but I hope the results were at least somewhat entertaining. I promise to get the whole team together soon -- and yes, they'll have an HQ and everything. I see the Seekers as being, for lack of a better description, the "Avengers of the Supernatural." You'll see some big names floating through the series (like Doc Strange, next ish!) but the core group has been introduced already.

No letters. No comments. No nothing. Anybody out there?

See You Soon,

Barry Reese