Winds of Change

 Chapter 2:

Modus Operandi

 

© Jake H.

 

Chaos reigned supreme. And Europe was in Chaos.  Despite the long planning and operational time that Doom, Sable, and Bruce himself put into the reunification of Europe, none of them had planned for this contingency: being counterattacked by superior numbers wielding weapons and armor that matched Latavia’s own.

Bruce paced his War Room floor, listening to reports and monitoring the deployment map. The lines across his face belied the worry that he had for some time now.  These…creatures…were tough.  They could take much damage from small arms and keep coming.  On a better note, the creatures could not stand up to a Doombot.  But Bruce only had so many of those.

For months now, the forces of the nearly unified Europe had fought a constant battle without knowing the reason.  Losses were grievous for both sides, and numbers were simply getting the better of them.

“Frank?”  Bruce called out without turning.

The Supreme Commander of Europe’s military faced his Lord.  “Yes, sir?”

“What’s our current situation?”

Frank Castle’s bionic eye refocused as he got an overview of the total situation.  “My Lord, the situation is bleak.  Paris has fallen with Herninsky losing about half of her forces.  She is on her way to Zurich to reinforce the lines there.”

“So we are holding the lines at what: Hamburg, Frankfurt, Zurich and Milano?”

Frank nodded.  “That’s correct, my Lord.”

“What else?”

“Madrid is under siege.  Although we no longer have troops there, it is still a hopeless situation for the natives.  The same can be said for Palermo, although our navies have been left pretty much alone.  The port at Istanbul has been devastated and the supply route to Israel has been cut.”

Bruce turned to his commander, the lines in his face growing deeper.  “Damn.  With that plague, they will have a much harder time defending themselves now.”

“Yes, sir.”  Castle stated grimly.  “Shall I continue?”

“Go ahead.”

Frank Castle paused in his report.  His hand instinctually went to his day-old stubble and he began to stroke his chin.  Bruce had seen this idiosyncrasy from him before and knew that his Supreme Commander was unsure of an answer.

“What is it, Frank?”

“I don’t know, my Lord.  It’s Rome.  The invaders are giving it a wide berth.”

“Why?”  Bruce mused, his mind recalling what little detail they had in that area.  “I thought Rome was deserted?”

“To our knowledge, it is.”

Bruce’s brow furrowed as he mimicked Frank unconsciously.  “I’ll look into that.  What else can you tell me?”

“Moscow has been overrun and our forces have now been pushed back, almost completely out of old Russia.  We hold the lines from Minsk to Kiev then to Volograd.  Their forces have begun to invade the Scandinavian region in larger numbers.”

The Lord of Europe pointed to a smaller map to the side.  “What about Briton?”

“Arthur seems to be doing well.  Despite the small counter-force that he has been able to assemble, they seem to be at stalemate right now.”

“That’s pretty damn good for six meta-knights and just about…what?  A couple of battalions?”

Frank nodded.  “That’s about right sir.”

“What about the U.S.?  What’s going on there?”

“My sources have confirmed that Peter is about to launch his counter-attack against Ft. Raines.  Luthor has a firm grip from Metropolis to Jacksonville extending almost two hundred miles from the coast in some areas.”

Bruce’s mind drifted to the woman he loved.  Although it was rare that she could break from her duties to see him, they relished the time that they did spend together.  “How are the odds?”

“They are still strong, sire.  But I think that Luthor will win.”

“What’s the advantage…”  The Batman never completed his sentence.  The main screen of his display had gone black and static began to flash on and off. Instead of questioning, he simply listened as the technicians began to bustle, trying to weed out some type of interference.

When the screen cleared, a strange face dominated the area.  There were no words in the room to describe his appearance.

“Finally!  I have the attention of the so-called ‘Lord of Europe’.”

Bruce stepped forward.  “You do. And whom might you be?”

“I am your opposite number.  You may call me Apocalypse.”

“Why have you attacked us?”

The face contoured into a bemused grin.  “Survival of the fittest. And you will not survive.”

“We’ll see about that, Apocalypse.  You haven’t seen the determination of my people fail yet.”

“You are not even a challenge, human. My generals will crush you without my lifting a finger.”

Frank Castle leaned over to his Lord.  “Sire…draw him out.  Any intel we can get may help on the battlefield.”

Bruce nodded.  “What generals?  All we have seen is leaderless troops.”

“Very well…”  The screen blanked out and was soon replaced by the pictures of four grotesque monsters.  The first looked similar to Tolkien’s balrog, wielding a great axe and flail.  The second looked like a demonic man with the head and wings of a vulture and holding a long staff.  The third was simply grotesque; a large, flatulent creature that constantly oozed a green ichor and had miniature versions of himself crawling about him.  And lastly, in a most bizarre fashion, a great four armed, bull-headed, semi-female form the wielded a vicious weapon in each hand.

“I allow you to see your conquerors.  These are my horsemen: War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death.”

Even Bruce had to admit…the images were terrifying.  “You have no idea what you are dealing with, Apocalypse.  You cannot defeat us.”

“We shall see, mortal.  We shall see.”  And the screen returned to normal.

The Batman rushed over to the side of his communications technician.  “Can you trace that signal?”

“Already done sir.  It came from the far side of the moon.”

Bruce stepped back and looked at Frank.  “The moon…we don’t have enough craft to get an attack force there.”

The Supreme Commander’s eyes narrowed as he stepped past his Lord. “Perhaps we don’t need to.  Look what is happening in Scandinavia.”

The red was disappearing. Bruce watched as the thermal scans showed massive enemy casualties as sections of red faded from view.  “Find out why, Frank.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

 

 

Arthur was not happy.  He and his entourage had been fighting for weeks, almost non-stop.  Although the people of Briton had gladly rallied around his leadership, they were hopelessly outmatched.  The invaders could not harm him and his knights, but the loss of his people was unacceptable.  He sat at a private table at the defacto mess hall along side the troops that had flocked to his banner.

“Gawaine, are we prepared to strike again?”  The King of Briton asked his friend.

“My Lord.  We are prepared.  But the people are afraid.  They are inspired by the fact that these soldiers cannot harm us personally, but many others have still fallen to their weapons and our supplies grow thin.”

Lancelot considered his lifelong friend carefully.  “Do you have another suggestion, Gawaine?”

“I know that the Queen is recruiting whom she can, trying to support the effort to rid this land of this invasion…I just wish word of our return would spread quicker.  I think that will bring more people to our cause.”

Arthur leaned back in his chair as an aide handed him a note.  Nodding his head, the King sent the messenger along and began to return to the discussion.  “I must agree.  This invasion has delayed our ‘announcement’, but I feel that given time, our ranks will grow. I also know that we…”  Arthur paused as he watched Lancelot rise slowly and draw his sword.  His eyes gazed upward as if he could see through the roof of the tent.

The King of Briton needed no other incentive.  He jumped to his feet and drew Excalibur, his other Knights following suit in moments.  The rest of the tent froze, and then quickly rushed for their weapons.

Lancelot wavered slightly then ran for the door.  “Drop-pods coming in!  To Arms!”  That very moment, the tent emptied and everyone assumed a defensive stance.  The Knights instinctively formed a semi-circle around Arthur, ready for the assault.

Then they appeared.  But, their appearance was deceiving.  Although they simply seemed to be tall humanoids, it was impossible to determine what they actually were. The tactile armor they wore could shrug off all but the most powerful weapons and their own weapons could easily punch through most light armor.

Squads of ten appeared in random locations throughout the camp, weapons on both sides already blazing.  Arthur was about to charge a unit that was making its way around the flank of a heavy weapon turret when another squad appeared right in front of him.  When the first one swung a blade at him, Arthur could not even parry the weapon himself.

Lancelot’s blade blocked the blow and his dagger tore a gash in the front chest plate of the armor.  As the creature gushed the black ichor that composed its blood, it swung again, only to have its arm sliced off by Galahad’s sword.

“My Lord,” Gawaine said with a smile.  “You may decide to join this fight before your knights have all the fun.”

Arthur smiled and charged, his blade swinging in a deadly arc around him.

 

 

 

Unlike many people across the globe that remembered how life was before the world went mad, Jerrod actually enjoyed the way his life had progressed.  Ten years ago, he was simply a student who had lost the faith that his parents had attempted to instill.  It simply didn’t have a place in his life.

 

The global war came and went, famine, madness in the shape of Artifact-enhanced metas, collapse of governments, the death of Kal-El all seemed trivial to a young man who fancied himself big on adaptation.  He simply rolled with the punches and made do with what he could.

 

But there was always a hole in his heart; an unknown longing that could never be explained. That is until he stood before the God of Thunder, himself.  This God was a large man, powerfully built with flowing, flaxen hair.  The blue-steel armor he wore seemed to defy time itself and added to the regality of Thor.

 

But the most amazing thing was the hammer itself.  Beautifully crafted from a mystic metal and supposedly a gift from Thor’s still-sleeping father.  Jerrod had seen it strike one of his foes and felt the thunderclap of the raw power behind the weapon.  But it had not taken that to bring him into the folds of his priesthood.

 

That hole was filled now, overflowing with the faith that he had been given by the God of Thunder.  He was one of few, scattered across Norway, Finland, and Sweden.  But his was the honor to accompany the God himself when they marched to war.  His was the job of reconnaissance for the mortal followers that fought alongside their deity to expunge their land of these murderous invaders.

 

“Holy One, where shall I send the scouts next?”

 

Jerrod’s mind was elsewhere.  He had a premonition that today was going to hold something extraordinary, something different. That somehow he would be responsible for the betterment of all man…but he knew not how or why.

 

“Holy One, are you listening?”

 

A long silence ensued, but Jerrod finally diverted his attention to his subordinate.  “I must apologize for my rudeness, Bain. I was…preoccupied.”

 

“I understand, but I must request an answer.  Thor will no doubt want to move ahead and attack again.”

 

True,” the young priest said as he unrolled a map before them.  “Send the men to this juncture and have them report back.  I believe this is a rally point for their soldiers and bound to be an attack option.”

 

“Right away, Holy One.”

 

He watched as Bain raced off and gathered his men.  They were anxious to get moving and were gone in mere minutes, leaving the young priest alone at his field desk.  The rest of Thor’s followers were taking a well-earned rest from fighting and slept or ate or did maintenance on weapons and vehicles.  Jerrod knew that Thor himself would also be resting, conferring with his highest priest.

 

But now, nature called and Jerrod rose and made his way to the hastily built latrine that the men had dug.  As he relieved himself, the young priest again had the premonition of something about to happen, but again didn’t know what.  Just as he had refastened his clothing, a hand clamped around his mouth and began dragging him backward into the forest.  He felt his pistol being taken and the cold metal of the gauntlet against his skin.  Immediately a grudging fear had possessed his mind, telling him that the enemy had captured him.

 

Suddenly he was released.  Quickly turning to face his assailant, he was surprised when he saw another human male in an advanced form of armor, obviously built for speed and stealth.  He held his pistol in one hand, but the other seemed to be a platform for a multi-barreled energy weapon, one that was not being pointed at him.

 

“Who are you?  What do you want?”  Jerrod demanded in his baritone voice.

 

“Keep it down!”  The man looked over his shoulder and then beyond the young priest.  Handing him back his pistol, he crouched low motioning for Jerrod to do the same.

 

What confused the priest was the fact that his weapon had been handed back, so he was more inclined to stop and listen.  When he crouched, the older man spoke.

 

“I am Bill Riley. Former Sergeant First Class for the old U.S. Army, former special ops for Lex Luthor, and now permanently a deep-strike covert operative for the Batman.”  His voice was firm, his words steady, his actions calculated.

 

“What do you want from me?”  Jerrod asked quietly.

 

“Just some answers if you don’t mind.”

 

“Why the espionage?  Why not simply walk to the guards and request audience?”

 

Riley held up a hand to stop him.  “Guards have the tendency to want to disarm any potential threat, and allowing that was not a viable option, so I waited until I could get a member of your hierarchy alone.”

 

Jerrod nodded.  “Understood.  What questions?”

 

“First…who is the commander of this army?”

 

The priest smiled.  “He is Thor. Norse God of Thunder and the Protector of the Faithful.”

 

There was nothing but shock and silence from Riley.

 

“You do not believe me?”

 

“No…I believe you.  It is just surprising.  Everyone knew that Hercules was a Greek god, but I was under the impression that they had all left this world to its own devices long ago.”

 

Jerrod again grinned.  “That is true. But my Lord said that his people would need him soon…and he was right.”  He looked the old veteran over, noting the details of his equipment and markings.  “You and your Lord also fight this enemy, do you not?”

 

“We do.  Lord Wayne had almost united Europe under his banner of protection when this invasion began.  He had routed the megalomaniac idiots and united those that would help.  Why haven’t your people contacted us yet?”

 

“If I am not mistaken, that was the choice of Thor himself.  He wished to see if Lord Wayne was a tyrant or a savior.”

 

Riley’s eyes narrowed to mere slits.  “And has your God made that decision?”

 

“Yes, I have.”

 

Both mortals were shocked by the sudden appearance of the God of Thunder.  Jerrod immediately bowed his head and dropped to one knee while Riley stood in awe, but finally showed his respect to the aura of power before him.

 

“It is good that you did not harm my priest, scout.  I would have been most displeased.”

 

“I had no intention of harming anyone but our mutual enemy.  I was simply looking for answers to my Lord’s questions.”  Riley was unsure on how to address a deity.  None of his training had prepared him for this eventuality.

 

“He wishes to know if I fight alongside him?”

 

“That and more, Lord Thor.”

 

“The time will come soon that I will have to fight a battle that he cannot join.  But, like me, he has protected the innocent and helped the weak and, his doing so has made us allies.”

 

Riley bowed at the response and readied his next question.  But before he could speak, the God of Thunder leaned closer and peered at him.

 

“You have been in the presence of the off-worlder.”

 

“I have.  He had…important words to say to me.”  Riley’s mind traced back to the day he had assaulted the Kryptonian women at Thief Neck Island, in Tennessee, and the resulting battle with the new Superman as he protected them.

 

“He changed the course of your life?”

 

“Yes, Lord Thor.  I have seen evidence that he has helped many people change their lives for the better.”

 

“I know.  His continued presence here after this universe bonded to another is what woke me…me and others like me.”

 

The sergeant could not believe his ears.  “There are other gods that have returned?”

 

For the first time in the conversation, the God of Thunder smiled.  “Yes. They gather their power even as we speak, but few will involve themselves as I have.”

 

Averting his eyes in thought, Riley stood there in awe at his newfound knowledge.  But still, he was a professional and had to complete his mission. “Lord Thor, I must request one final thing: My Lord will wish to converse with you, to help your people regain the amenities that have been lost and which we now can provide.  With famine and plague spreading through Briton and Israel, respectively, we have supplies of medicine and food to help if such an occurrence should happen here.”

 

Thor’s head raised high and his eyes shone in the sunlight.  Finally, he bellowed a great laugh, he settled back down, but resulted in many others rushing towards the trio.  “I shall meet with your Lord when it is convenient for the both of us.  For now, we have enemy amongst us and must concentrate our efforts on war…not diplomacy.”

 

Riley bowed and glanced at the semi-circle of armed men and priests.  “I am sure that will please my Lord greatly, Lord Thor.  I will need to report back to him at once; he is awaiting me.”

 

“Very well, but you will wait.”  Turning to his kneeling priest, the God of Thunder laid a hand on his shoulder and had him rise.  “Jerrod, you are respected by the people and your peers and can speak for us on many matters.  Go with this man to his Lord and there stay.  For you shall know my words and shall speak for us.”

 

Jerrod’s gaze met Riley’s.  Both men were stunned to say the least, but recovered and turned back to the deity.  “I would be honored, my Lord.”

 

“And I am sure this will be appreciated by Lord Wayne as well.”  Riley added.

 

“Then go, for our enemy draws near.  More wish to die by my hand tonight.” Turning, the God of Thunder strode away, his other followers in tow.  Once again, the two men were alone.

 

“Let’s get your gear.  We have a long flight ahead of us.”

 

“Your name was Riley, correct?”  When the sergeant nodded confirmation, the young priest continued.  “I am Jerrod.”

 

“Well, nice to meet you.  But he is right.  The enemy is closing.  We must go.”

 

 

 

 

In the makeshift headquarters at Cumberland River, the leaders of the S.U.S.A. stood in the last planning phase of their counterattack.  Simply a large tent equipped with the latest portable technology, one would think it was unprotected.  But when Alpha Flight themselves stood guard over it, not much at all would breach this meeting.

 

Peter Parker stood over the tactical display of the proposed attack on Ft. Raines as his General and Brigade commanders stood to his flanks, explaining the details of what they had achieved.  His eyes were alert as he stood silently, listening.

 

“Pete,” Jim Raynor said as they finished.  “In order for this to work to any advantage, we have to get everyone moving as soon as possible. Our window of opportunity grows thin.”

 

“General, you answer a few questions and I will okay everything.”  The King of the S.U.S.A. fidgeted slightly.  He was not in the habit of sending men off to die in a conflict but war was now upon them and there were still many thousands that had to be protected.  He reminded himself one last time that the military was a completely voluntary force.  Everyone was here of their own volition.

 

Jim Raynor gestured to the board.  “By all means, my Lord.  I am sure we can accomplish that.”

 

“First, I see where you want to drop the paratroopers, insert the armor and take out the airfields, cut their supplies.  That part is flawless as far as I can see.  They are bound to have metahumans, probably more than what we faced last time.  How do you propose to deal with them?”

 

A woman that reminded Zal so much of Jean Grey that it was uncanny, stepped forward.  Alicia Sullivan was a strong-willed woman of great character who, without formal military training, always knew the proper tactic, always had an answer to most any problem.  “My Lord, the answer is simple.  We still have an AMAS squad that performed admirably in the last battle.  They should easily be able to handle most.  In the case that they get over their heads…”  She motioned to Katherine Pryde who stood by her fiancée on the far side of the table.  “I am positive that Ariel’s team can mop up.”

 

Peter looked to his longtime friend and former teammate.  “Any problems with that, Kitty?”

 

The small but powerful woman simply nodded her head in confirmation.  “None at all.  Although, as you know, we have all been in over our heads before...including my fiancé’.

 

Zal smiled and laid his hand on her shoulder.  “Somehow I get this feeling that this lady here has lost some of her faith in me.”

 

“Not at all, my love.”  She looked up into his crystal blue eyes.  “I just don’t want to see you hurt again.”

 

Sherri Pennison couldn’t resist commenting.  “That’s right.  It’s becoming a habit of mine to patch you back together.”

 

Superman’s eyes held Sherri’s for a moment, and then went around the room, stopping at each individual.  All here had spent many days, weeks and longer with this man, and they knew him well.  “Better me than any of you.”

 

“How can you say that?”  Colonel Price of the Third Brigade spoke for the room.  “What makes you any less important than the rest of us?”

 

Before he could respond, Sherri cut him off.  “Zal, don’t make me start scolding you again.  Remember what we said at Peter’s election, right?”

 

With a sigh, Zal grinned and glanced down at his fiancée.  “I’m not saying I am less important.  I just simply heal faster than the rest of you, so I can take the brunt of damage for this council.  In fact, I have realized that militarily I am the single most important asset you have.  Think about this: If I weren’t here, fighting with you, what extra resources would Luthor have to bring to bear?  He wastes his time on trying to kill me, giving you all the opportunity to whittle away at his defenses.”

 

Peter Parker’s eyebrows raised in thought.  “That’s a good point, Zal. I hadn’t thought about that.”  Turning back to his General, the King fielded his next question.  “And what about him?  Where does Zal fit into this plan?”

 

Sherri took the floor and answered for the rest of the military.  “He doesn’t.”

 

Katherine could not believe her ears.  “Excuse me?  Why not?”

 

“Because of what he just said, Kitty.  Luthor has ways of dealing with Zal.  He is bound to send Nar-Ur or Doomsday, or something else to try and counteract him.  And…”  Fate was unsure of how her two friends would take this message, but it had to be said.  “…we must learn how to cope without a Kryptonian.”

 

“What?!”

 

Sherri could hear the pain in the younger woman’s voice.  But she decided to address the Last Son of Krypton instead.  “You won’t be around forever, Zal.  We all know this.  Whether it be a dimensional Ripple, an enemy, old age, or your family…you won’t always be here for us, and we need to learn not to rely on you to solve our problems for us.”

 

Zal stood in silent shock.  He had never expected to hear those words, but was ultimately proud too.  Over and over in his head had the words of his uncle…his real uncle Jor-El been repeating for years, without his notice.  It is in the human’s habits to abuse their resources.  Do not let them.  Instead allow yourself to act as a guide.  They are a great people…they only lack that light to show them the way.  For this reason above all others, I have sent them you…Kara.

 

The Brigade Commanders looked nervously between one another.  They were the ones that had realized this, and they were the ones that had elected Sherri to tell him when the time came.  What they were unsure about was his reaction.  Even Peter stood wondering at what the young Kryptonian would do.

 

“You are right.”  He finally said. “There will be times that I can’t or won’t be here.  There will come a time that I will grow weary and will wish to retire.  I may fall to a foe in just hours…but you are right.  Humanity will go on…no, must go on without me, even in that possibility.  You all have made a very wise decision.”

 

Peter soaked in the words of his friend and grinned.  Zal did understand what they meant, and he was glad for them.  He could hear it in his words; see it in his body language.  He turned his attention back to the tactile map.  He ran his fingers over the area of Ft. Raines, noting the known positions of Luthors artillery, supplies and headquarters.  He knew that they too were planning an offensive and were going to strike soon.  And that was why the plan was so time critical. Strike them before they were ready to strike the SUSA.

 

“General Raynor,” Peter said without further hesitation.  “Deploy the troops and get the planes in the air.  I want to strike within two hours.  Katherine, get your people moving.  I need your deployment a few moments before we get there.  Take out the anti-aircraft and run interference for their fighters until we have everyone on the ground.”

 

Jim Raynor took over the conversation.  “If we staccato the paratroops, they should be on the ground in a matter of two minutes.  The cargo drops should be able to land the armor and the self-propelled 155’s with our ground cover.  That should give you enough time to target and engage any enemy metas.  The AMAS squad knows what you look like so don’t be alarmed if they give you a hand.”

 

The room went still and silent.  All eyes went to Peter.

 

“Lets go do it.”

 

 

 

 

In less than a half-hour, Alpha Flight and Superman were flying along at a steady pace.  That in itself was amazing to the rest of the team.  Instead of letting Fate magically levitate and drag him behind them like the rest of the non-flying members, Paradox took to the air under his own power for the first time.  How he had acquired this new power was a mystery to all, even to him.

 

Just like the last time they flew together to Ft. Raines, squadrons of aircraft took up parallel positions around them, allowing their team of metas to take the point of the attack.  Mere miles behind them were the C-130’s…loaded down with soldiers, weapons, supplies, and ammunition.

 

The attack was underway.

 

“I’ll help out with the air-drop as long as possible.  But as soon as I see trouble, I will have to go.  And no matter the situation I am in, don’t interfere.”  Superman spoke calmly as they flew along.

 

Kitty sped forward slightly and took his hand in hers.  He glanced back at her and felt comforted in her grasp.  He was worried and she knew it.  Last time they were here, it was not a victory.  Granted, it was not a loss due to their efforts, but it was still a dampener of morale.

 

As they approached the outer limits of Ft. Raines, the fighters began to pull off, engaging targets of opportunity and intercepting the first line of fighters that Luthor had scrambled.

 

Turning behind her as they stopped their flight, Kitty hovered in front of her team and they all gathered to her.  “Last time we did this, right before the battle Zal told us to fight passionately, to remember what we were fighting for.”

 

“That’s right.”  Artemis said as her and Exodus held each other’s hand tightly. “We remember.”

 

Kitty nodded.  “That was several months ago. Do you all know what has changed since then?”

 

When the rest of the team, including Sherri glanced among one another and exchanged confused looks, Kitty finally answered.  “Nothing has changed.”  Turning to her fiancé, she brought her lips to his and allowed herself a moment of bliss.  When they parted, she whispered into his ear.  “For Luck.”

 

Without another word, Superman took off, veering towards the nearest air-to-air battle.  Kitty watched him go and turned back to the team.  “You all know your jobs.  Go to it.”

 

Sherri released her bubble and grabbed Artemis and Syren.  Together with Paradox, Solitare and Ariel, they dove towards the ground in the area that intelligence had confirmed that their opposing metas were camped.

 

Legion, however caught Exodus and they dove as well, but their target was the enemy barracks.  On the way down, they both could hear the cries of ‘Incoming!’ and people rushing from the building and tents to meet them.  When the enemy soldiers saw Legion begin to open up with his scatter-lasers, some ran, some charged and some attempted to fire back.  Row after row of infantry fell to Legion’s lasers, howling and dying burned husks of flesh.  This bothered Dwayne not in the least, knowing it would protect his wife back home.

 

Exodus on the other hand was having a fantastic time.  The first response to Legion’s landing was a Bradley Fighting Vehicle pulling around their flank.  Brian wasted no time in helping his friend and promptly dismantled the guns…forcefully.

 

Suddenly, he felt the air go cold.  Ice began to rapidly form all around him.  Seeing what was happening, Exodus took a deep breath and held it just as the air in his nose began to freeze.  He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth as he was completely sealed in ice.  When he felt the pressure relax around him, he simply flexed and the ice shattered.  Before him stood a man in a familiar uniform.  This wasn’t one of the rag-tag metas that he had fought many times before.  This one belonged to one of Luthor’s strike teams.

 

“Personally, I prefer sandy beaches and volleyball to ice fishing.  You think you can summon those up for me?”  Brian always had a smart remark for his enemies and couldn’t resist sometimes.

 

With a snarl, the meta fired again, the ice forcefully blasting its way to Exodus.  But Brian was a bit faster.  Brian dove to the ground and rolled back to his feet right in front of him.  A backhand swipe of his massive paw sent the meta reeling but did not finish him.  A blue haze flickered around his body then faded away once again.

 

“Force field,” Exodus sighed and dove at the smaller man.

 

Meanwhile, Legion had also been prevented from laying waste to more of Luthors troops.  A ninja-like meta had infiltrated behind him and attempted to pierce his armor using his sword.  When that failed, he simply swiped once and cleaved the barrels off of one of his scatter lasers.

 

“Dammit, do you know how hard it is build those things?”  Dwayne cried as he activated his energy blade on that arm.  The ninja leaped back and swung, but thankfully due to Elizabeth’s reactions back in New Independence, Legion parried the blow.  Dwayne allowed his wife to handle the battle with the ninja for a moment and opened up his other laser on a machine gun nest that was firing at the troops floating down from the sky.

 

The ninja plunged his blade into the port for the blades, shorting them out. With another swipe, he had removed all threat to himself from that arm and leapt up, planting a shattering kick to the side of Legion’s head.  The blow was powerful enough to stagger the great suit of armor and he went crashing through a nearby tent.

 

“I will take you apart, Legion.  I may not be able to pierce that armor of yours, but I will make it so that you can do no harm to anyone.”  The ninja kicked again, sending Legion to his back.  Quickly rolling away from his assailant, Dwayne rose to one knee and opened fire on the meta.

 

This man was fast.  What shots he did not dodge were defected harmlessly away from him by surgical swipes from his blade.  He leapt in again, intent on taking out the weapon from Legions arm, but Elizabeth reacted in time and deflected the blow with his now unarmed wrist.

 

Thinking quickly, Legion grabbed at the ninja who was all too happy to get closer for another blow.  They both went down in a heap, but as the ninja tried to recover, he found that he was unable to break the grip of the armor.

 

Flipping in midair, the meta hammered a series of blows on the arm that held him fast, but to no avail.  Dwayne however, had another idea.  Allowing this man to pummel him, he grabbed the ninjas shoulder, now holding his upper body still.  The ninja’s feet still pounded him mercilessly until Legion’s shoulder-mounted anti-armor laser ground into position.

 

The barrel began to track to the ninja and Dwayne could see his eyes go wide.  He redoubled his efforts to break free and had about managed to get one arm loose when the weapon fired.  The effects were as ugly as they were successful.  The bolt passed right through skin, bone and brain without stopping until it had burned a hole clean through a barracks building tens of meters away.

 

Dwayne dropped the now-headless meta on the ground and quickly turned back to the troops he was sent to neutralize.  He heard cheers and found himself surrounded by friendly troops.  A Lieutenant stood at his right.

 

“Legion, I had a couple guys retrieve your lost weapons.  I’ll have them sent back to Cumberland River if you want.”

 

“Thank you sir.  That would be great.”

 

“Also, we could use your help.  They have mobilized some armor up ahead and we could use some fire support.”

 

“You got it.  Let’s go.”

 

It didn’t take long for Zal to run across his quarry.  He saw Nar-Ur as he leapt into the sky like a surface-to-air missile.  He braced himself for the impact, but at the last minute sidestepped and allowed the older Kryptonian to bypass him completely.  As Nar circled back closer to Zal, he slowed his flight for a showdown.

 

“You really should learn some new tactics Nar.  The direct path will not always work.  Especially when your enemy is ready for you.”  Zal was taunting him, wanting him to make a mistake.  But he didn’t.  Instead of responding, Nar reached into his belt and produced a small bluish stone.

 

When Zal didn’t even flinch, Nar’s eyes grew wide. “How are you not affected?!”

 

“As I said Nar,” Superman smiled sarcastically.  “The direct path doesn’t always work.”  What he was not about to tell Nar was the fact that he had Sherri block the radiation temporarily.

 

With a snarl of rage, the older Kryptonian tossed the stone aside and raced for his prey.  The force of their impact reminded some of a violent thunderstorm, but the battle had just begun.

 

Nar swung hard, his left hook being deflected by the much more experienced fighter as his own fist impacted his jaw.  Nar’s counterpunch connected and sent the young man back several meters.  Feinting to the right, Zal rapidly switched his angle of attack; only to have Nar, completely counter the maneuver.  Not having the proper positioning forced Zal into the only move that he had available.

 

Lashing out with his foot, Zal leant in way too far for a kick.  When Nar saw this he reacted quickly and blocked the blow, which was exactly as he was supposed to.  Superman scissored his head, sending him crashing towards the ground, while he was hot on his trail.  Just as Nar impacted the ground in the exact same place they had fought before months ago, Zal planted both his feet in the older Kryptonians chest.

 

Rolling away from the blow, Zal allowed his enemy time to rise to his feet.  What he did not expect was for Nar to unleash his full heat vision upon him, blowing him across the field.  As he rose to his feet, the murderous man swung a steel girder, slamming the heavy metal into his head.

 

Slicing the metal down with his heat vision, Zal lashed out with his foot, sweeping Nar off his feet.  Before he fell, the Last Son of Krypton punched, sending Nar down the field on his side.  When he recovered, Zal noticed a thin trickle of blood form the corner or Nar’s mouth.

 

“Having a bit of trouble this time Nar?  What’s wrong?  You can’t win because you weren’t able to blindside me this time?”  Zal goaded.

 

Nar simply snarled back.  “There is no need for me too.”

 

Zal had just realized the implications of the sentence when he felt the blast come from behind him.  His reactions were quick enough; he just wasn’t expecting an attack so large.  The magical cone of force blasted its way through him just as his heat vision sliced through the mage that had been concealed until now.

 

The pain that raced through his nerves hurt, but thankfully did not seem to cause serious damage.  Nar flew up to the younger man and stood over him like a victorious conqueror.  “You cannot beat me, pup.  You will never beat me again.”

 

With all his might, Zal kicked straight up between the older man’s legs.  Catching him in the groin sent Nar doubling over in pain, holding the affected area.  A punch to the jaw followed up by backhand sent Nar sprawling.

 

But that wasn’t the only damage.  Zal looked down at his knuckles to see that they had split open when he hit Nar.  The blood flowed freely down his hands as he tried to concentrate for a moment to heal.  When the wounds did not close he looked up at Nar who was laughing.

 

“Something wrong, pup?  Not quite able to heal the way you are supposed to?  Invulnerability not quite up to par?  That’s too bad.”

 

“The spell.” Zal thought as his enemy gloated. “I need to get to Artemis or Fate, this fight just got a whole lot harder.”

 

Nar swung, catching the younger Kryptonian unaware.  Blood spurted from his mouth and sent him down once again.  But Zal immediately replied in kind.  His heel slammed Nar’s ear and then his chest: sending him through a building.  Recovering quickly, the older man flew into Zal: catching him around the middle, knocking his breath out.

 

Zal-El brought both of his elbows crashing down onto Nar’s shoulders, forcing Nar to lose his grip.  They both crumpled into a pile, punching and maneuvering for position.  When the older Kryptonian was able to force one of Superman’s arms behind him, he knew his advantage had come to an end.  Grabbing his golden hair, Nar slammed his head into the ground, again and again. He felt satisfied that with every blow, another spurt of blood came from his enemy.

 

Finally, Zal was able to shake off the pain and in an amazing feat of flexibility, brought both of his feet foreword and slammed them into the back of Nar’s head, sending him flying.

 

Zal felt horrible. Even though he felt he was winning the conflict, he was definitely getting the short end of the stick when it came to damage.  Nar would have pretty much already healed the blows that he had delivered, and he wasn’t healing at all.

 

When he rose, Nar was ready again.  Grabbing the young man, he swung him into the side of a building like an old rug.  While inside of a wall, Superman grabbed onto a girder and held on, forcing Nar to stop.  When he did Zal’s foot flashed out and sent him to the ground.

 

Nar was up and diving into the hole that he had made, only to be ambushed half way though it.  Superman’s fist drove him into the basement, followed by a series of blindingly fast kicks that impacted the older man in many different vital areas.  But the pain from the fight had made it impossible for Zal to press his advantage.  He paused for a moment to catch his breath.  Every nerve was on fire; every muscle was aching for the torment to stop.

 

But there was no end in sight.  Nar simply kept coming.  He was already on his feet again, apparently already recovered from the beating that he had just taken.

 

“Why do it?”  He asked.  “Why go on?  You are beaten but you still want to fight.  It makes no sense, Zal-El.  You have met your better, and now you shall die.”

 

“I still have a few tricks up my sleeve, Nar.  This isn’t over, yet.”  Superman spat back, knowing that the older man was half correct.  This could not last much longer.

 

Settling back into a defensive posture, Zal waited for his quarry to come nearer.  His right hand cocked back in a practiced maneuver, his left ready to deflect any attack.  As artificially experienced as Nar was…as programmed as Thanos had made him, he was not ready for this.

 

Zal’s hand struck out at just the proper moment, impacting his chest while adding his entire strength to the momentum of Nar’s movement.  The resulting sonic shockwave took out the buildings remaining supports just as both of the Kryptonians were flung back, blood trickling from Superman’s ears as he heard Nar’s bones breaking.

 

Superman’s wrist and hand had been shattered, but he was able to find a small niche to dive into just as the building came crashing down around them.  In the ensuing silence, he listened as Nar’s breathing and heartbeat were ragged, but gradually began to get stronger.  He would recover, once again.  And Zal would not be able to fend him off again…not without help.  The mage’s spell was still keeping him from healing, so he laid his head down and rested, drifting off until sleep claimed him.

 

 

 

 

As Kitty and the rest of her team landed, she realized that her surprise attack was never meant to be.  The metas that stood waiting on her were no surprise either as Solitare simply relayed a mental image of the capabilities of one of their members.  Cursing their luck, she wasted no time in deploying her forces to counteract Luthor’s metas.

 

Solitare was launched magically towards their psionicist with a little help from Sherri, who knew she was in for a protracted battle with a pair of mages that emerged from a nearby tent.

 

Artemis on the other hand seemed to be a woman possessed as she confidently latched onto an opposing meta who was unprepared for the solar flare she instantly bathed him with.  Although still alive, he looked as if he had stood a little too close to an inferno and come out the worse for wear.  Binding his hands behind his back, Artemis rolled away just in time to deal with several soldiers that had decided to join the battle.  As they dodged her light grenades, one of the soldiers fell to a precision plasma blast seemingly from nowhere.

 

Kitty knew where the shot had come from.  One of the members of the AMAS squad was a superb marksman and already in position to give them fire support from a safer area.

 

As one bestial-looking meta circled Syren, waiting for an opening, another wielding blades made from his own bones that grew from his arms began parrying her blows from the Witchblade.  She obviously outmatched him in skill, but he was quite powerful and was using his shard-enhanced strength to his advantage.

 

Using the enhanced senses that came from being a wielder of the mystic weapon, Sara ducked low, just as the beast dove for her back.  It instead landed on his partner’s lap and the both of them went down in a tangle of limbs and curses. A quick thrust from her blade and she was down to one opponent again.

 

Paradox seemed intent on taking the brunt of the fighting today from the air.  Four of Luthor’s metas met him in the sky, surrounding him easily.  Encasing himself in the silverish energy of the Power Cosmic, his defenses were just barely able to hold off their first onslaught.  In the pause after their energy dissipated, Matt thrust himself forward, slamming his fists into the nearest enemy.  With a backward swipe of his hand and redirection of his attention, another meta found himself suddenly falling, encased in a block of steel.

 

The other three seemed horrified at their teammate’s predicament and backed away from Paradox as they altered their battle plan.  Giving them no reprieve from his attack, Matt hurled bolt after bolt of searing energy towards them and scattered the three in different directions.  He had just begun to follow as he was grabbed from behind and his arms pinned.

 

Kitty watched as he gathered his energy, and with a wink towards her, exploded in a brilliant flash of light.  When her vision cleared, Katherine saw his assailant lying crumpled on the ground.

 

It was too easy.  It was as if Luthor had nobody left to match against Alpha Flight and was scraping the bottom of the barrel to keep them occupied.  A nagging feeling came over the leader of the team as she scanned the area.  No meta had dared come her direction.  Had her reputation neared her fiancé’s and now many feared her as well?

 

The answer to that question came from behind, broad-siding her with a massive fist after grabbing the back of her head.  Kitty felt the headband she wore come off in her attacker’s hand, releasing her dark locks to her shoulders.  She rose to her feet and fell into a fighting stance, ready for a follow-up attack.

 

The meta was as large as Exodus, if not bigger.  He swung sloppily, allowing Ariel to dodge his blow that shattered a main battle tank that was parked behind her.

 

“Damn. This one is strong,” she muttered as she punched her way around him. Her blows seemed to be affecting him, driving him back with each that landed.  A great backhand sent her reeling back, the force from his blow causing her lip to split.  As she touched her finger to the cut, a small sharp pain emanated from her mouth.  She glanced down at her hand and saw her own blood for the first time in many years.

 

Not knowing what came over her, Kitty tore through the air at the large man, her eyes almost red with rage.  When he swung again, she simply parried the blow with one wrist and grabbed his head and twisted.  Feeling several of his vertebra snap in her hands was not enough.  She pulled back and slammed her fist as hard as she could in his chin, snapping his head back in a profane angle.

 

Kitty stood over the fallen meta for a moment, realizing what she had done.  A sickening feeling came over her as she looked down at her hands…hands that for the first time in her life had taken the life of another human.  The seconds ticked away, each an eternity as her mind tried to cope with the actions of her subconscious.

 

“Kara, you take too light of a role with these metas.  You, Kal, and I were working for a better world and these metas are the greatest danger to the well being of this world.  They should join that cause or die.  There should be no other choice available.”  The words rang in her head.  She had heard them the first day she met her future husband, and although she opposed his methods then, supported him when these words began to ring more true by the day.  Finally coming to terms with her actions, Kitty brushed her hands off and turned from her victim.

 

“Now I understand, Zal.  It’s them or us.  He would just as easily have killed me or any person I care for if I let him,” she thought to herself.  “I think I can handle it now.”

 

Just as she began to look around for her teammates, Kitty froze.  Not ten yards in front of her stood one of the most respected members of the old Alpha Flight in full costume, Captain America.  His stance was unnerving, and his gaze unsettled her drastically.

 

“Masterfully done, Katherine,” he said as she slowly circled him, unsure of this imposters’ motives.  “You are becoming more like him everyday.  How soon until you are murdering in his name just as his followers did years ago?”

 

Kitty shook her head, but remained in her defensive crouch.  “I don’t know you.  Even if you are Steve Rogers, you have no idea why I do what I do.”

 

“But I do, Katherine. I had never imagined you as the type to have a teenage crush, but it is inevitably so.  He has set one half of this nation against the other in his schemes of world conquest.”  He held out his empty hand towards her.  “Join back with me, Kitty.  Together we can rid this land of him.  Together we can bring peace to all the people of America.”

 

“No!  You don’t understand!  You’re being deceived, Cap!  Luthor is a tyrant!  We need you, we want you to help us rebuild what America is supposed to be!”

 

“I know what America is supposed to be.  A land free of Superman’s oppression!  A land that Lex Luthor is the legitimate President of.  And therefore the man that I support until death.”  Unable to stand listening to his words, Kitty lunged at the person she had looked up to, trained with as a teenager.  She was scared.  Steve Rogers had only ever been personally defeated once, and that was on the day of his death against a vastly more powerful foe.  Her first blow she rapidly had to pull for he quickly raised his shield and blocked it.

 

He leapt over her foot sweep and pounded his fist into her back, succeeding in only hurting himself in the process. Katherine was confused for just a split second.  It wasn’t like Captain America to make a mistake like that.  As she lashed out with her foot, Captain America found out a moment too late that the blow was a distraction.  She had a hold of the pavement beneath his feet and tossed upwards, sending him rolling back, already on his feet again ready for her next attack.

 

Throwing the shield at her in order to recover his offensive position, he wasn’t concerned that it only bounced harmlessly off of her invulnerable skin.  Due to the massive training that his father Lex Luthor had given him, and the practices that he constantly endured, he was positive that he would be able to defeat her in a fair fight.  But her invulnerability made it quite an unfair fight, in her favor.

 

As she dove back into the fray, Captain America was forced to block and dodge her blows, until he had her off balance.  Grabbing her wrist and her now loose hair, he spun, thrusting his hip into her stomach and tossed her down with all his might.  She simply bounced and rolled back to a ready position, poised to attack again.

 

“Kitty, this is getting us nowhere.  I can fight you to a stalemate any day of the week, and you know this.”  Captain America eased the fingers of his shield hand over to the compartment in his glove, ready to withdraw his ace-in-the-hole.  Looking decidedly around the area, he saw the massive amount of men and equipment that were now in play against his father’s attack force.

 

“I must admit he has done well, subverting as many loyal American men and women as he has.  This will most definitely dampen his plans of reunifying the nation now…”  He turned back to the leader of Alpha Flight, his eyes deep pools of concentration. “…But that is still inevitable.  You may be able to win this battle, but you cannot win the war.”

 

“My teachers at the original Alpha Flight School taught me that symbolism is what rallies armies together.  Whether it be a flag, a person, or an idea didn’t matter. This army rallied around you…but I will show them and you that honor and justice are the ideas that describe the symbol I wear.  Not tyranny, not madness, not pain or suffering. These are the things that Lex uses to subvert people like you, Steve.”

 

Without another word, she charged, knowing she had to defeat this man once and for all.  Kitty knew it was going to be downright impossible and had hoped that at least one of her teammates could get free to help her.  This was Captain America.  The Captain America.

 

The clone of Steve Rogers had no choice.  He had to end this fight so he could go and lead a counterattack against their forces.  He withdrew the small chain with an attached blackish stone from the pouch at his cuff and held it up in her path.

 

The wash of radiation slammed into the enhanced mutant.  Very rarely had Kitty felt agony as she was now.  It was as if every cell in her body cried out from the torture and refused to function.  Her charge was stopped dead in its tracks as she doubled over with pain.  She tried desperately to get away from him, knowing that somehow Luthor had found out.  Black K.

 

Captain America stood over her as she tried to crawl away.  “See?  This is what I mean.  You are forcing me to resort to methods that I find…unneeded.  All you had to do was join with me…” his voice began to grow louder with every word.  “…But instead you have chosen to side with America’s enemies, Katherine!  I have no choice but to see you neutralized for the good of America.”  Grabbing her hair, he lifted her head from the ground and looped the chain around her neck, locking the clasp.  He watched as the sigils glowed briefly, confirming the magical aura around the chain itself, insuring that Superman would not be able to remove it.

 

Kitty cried out in agony, but there was nothing she could do.  Clutching her throat, she tried desperately to remove the chain, but to no avail.  Slowly, she curled up in a fetal position and began to shudder from the pain.  “I…I will…see you…defeated.”

 

Cap just shook his head.  “I think not, Katherine.”  Raising his shield, Cap threw his entire strength into the blow, sending her into unconsciousness.  Another blow simply ensured that she would not be waking anytime soon.  When he raised his hand for a third blow, he was not able to complete it.

 

Matt had seen all he wanted to.  Although he had been tied up for most of their battle, he was able to keep tabs on his teammates and now rushed to rescue one.  His first energy bolt splashed across the shield, throwing the imposter off of their leader.  A second was also blocked, but now forced the American Icon back even further.  As he threw the last bolt, he saw the clone was now withdrawing and regaining his composure, his advantage lost.  He turned once well enough away and called back to them.

 

“I will return to finish this, no matter that it takes an eternity.  You will either join our forces against that Kryptonian, or force us to bury you beside him!”  Captain America turned and ran for his headquarters, knowing he needed to rally the troops.

 

Back on the ground, Paradox worked frantically to save his friend’s life. He tried himself to remove the chain, seemingly easy to break, but as the metal strained, it glowed briefly. He started to simply infuse her body with more energy to fight off the effects of the radiation, but a stray thought finally caught up with him and with a wave of his hand, he encased the small stone in a block of lead.

 

It was then that Syren and Artemis came rushing to his side. Seeing Kitty in the shape she was in was a little unnerving.  They had both seen Zal hurt severely by Arakis, almost to the point of death, but only once had ever seen a sign of weakness from their leader, and that was in Zal’s den with the only known piece of Black Kryptonite.

 

“Matt!  What’s wrong?  What happened?”  Sara Pezzini cried as she knelt by her friend.  Artemis wasted no words and began to bathe Kitty with her healing powers and soon felt her life force return as strong as ever.

 

When Kitty opened her eyes, she was relieved only for a second.  Instinctively, her hands went to her throat and felt the chain still attached, her eyes darting in confusion.  All three breathed a sigh of relief at her recovery.

 

“You had us worried, girl.”  Sara stated as she helped Ariel to her feet.

 

“I still am.”  Kitty said as she tried to dig her fingers between the chain and the collar of her uniform, but was unable to do so.  “Can you get this thing off of me?”

 

Paradox shook his head grimly.  “I am unable to do so. It is magically sealed somehow and wont come loose easily.”

 

Artemis brushed her fingers over the armor that Sara wore.  “Hey isn’t this magical as well?  Perhaps you can cut it off.”

 

In a moment of uncertainty, Matt held up his hands in defeat.  “I guess it’s worth a shot.  But I think that Sara will have to focus all of her energy onto breaking it, so you will have to remain still.  I will reinforce the strength of your uniform to ensure that she doesn’t accidentally take your head clean off.”

 

After a few more moments, the chain lay in two pieces on the ground. Katherine picked up the half that had a ball of lead attached to it and pocketed it. When the questioning gazes of her compatriots fell upon her, she was compelled to answer.

 

“Zal says it’s almost impossible to create this anyway.  There is no reason for it to be left of the battlefield to be used again.  Is there?”

 

Without an argument, the four friends strode onward, seeking out Sherri and the nearest firefight.

 

James Raynor was a very happy person.  Even though he had already lost a battalion and a half of men from various units, Luthor’s losses had been much more severe.  Regiments of armor were laid waste by his hit and run crews while the pilots could claim a four to one kill ratio.

 

The AMAS squad had confirmed that nine enemy metas had been neutralized or killed and Alpha Flight was now joined in the battle against their support units. As expected, Frostfire had indeed been able to infiltrate into their back lines and had hit their ammo dump, creating an awesome display of explosions and fireworks that continued even now.

 

He had been proven right about Superman though, much to his chagrin. Nar-Ur had indeed picked out the young Kryptonian as a target and the two fought for a long time, but neither had been seen since the collapse of the barracks.  He had been tempted to send out a search party, but knew that not a single man could be spared and left Superman to whatever fate had befallen him.  This bothered General Raynor for a moment, but there were more lives than just his on the line here.

 

The worst thing that had happened was the death of Colonel Wayne Hensley. Like the rest of the Brigade Commanders, he fought along side of his troops from inside his personal M1A Abrams.  Unfortunately, it took two direct hits from a 105mm howitzer firing phosphorus rounds and the tank and the entire crew were reduced to molten slag in seconds.

 

Alicia Sullivan and Tom Mason on the other hand were quite successful in their objectives.  Each was given the assignment of hitting the power supply and the communications array, respectively.  Sullivan had her Rangers demo the communications tower and sweep the defending forces aside.  When they got pinned by enemy fire, Alicia went in herself, machine guns blazing a trail to the beleaguered unit.

 

Tom Mason’s snipers had been picking out targets of opportunity all morning, and with a bit of technology given to them by Bruce Wayne, fired a high-explosive guided shell into the heart of their generator. The explosion was heard from a mile away as the diesel fuel ignited and began to burn through the magnesium casing of the turbine.

 

It was only then that Raynor broadened the scope of the tactile map to cover the entire eastern seaboard. He saw a hundred units being mobilized and sent in the direction of Ft. Raines.  He knew that when they arrived, the battle would already be over and his people should be in a full retreat.  Peter had figured correctly.  They could hurt Luthor, but they would not be able to hold the fort.  It was simply too deep in their controlled territory.  But the attack itself had been successful, and perhaps…just perhaps Luthor would see the foolishness of attacking the S.U.S.A. again.

 

 

 

 

Glastonbury, Briton

 

King Arthur was pleased.  Not only had his Queen been able to rally many more people to his side, but was able to mass them just at the proper point where their help was needed most.

 

He and his Knights had seen many men die today, and the thought of those deaths did weigh heavy upon his heart.  But more importantly, they had succeeded in wiping the area almost clean of the stench that was the invading marines.  Once their own weapons had been turned back upon them, they began to fall in a much more regular basis.

 

This was, of course, not counting what he and the Knights themselves did.  The confusion that could be felt by the enemy as their weapons bounced harmlessly away from them only seemed to fuel the their feeble attempts to try again.

 

Lancelot had proven his valor by single handedly defeating many of the marines that carried heavy weapons.  His blades had flashed time and time again as they tried to down him.  They eventually figured out to shoot at the ground before him, to slow his pace, but that only succeeded in prolonging their defeat at his hands.

 

Gawaine had also performed a mighty feat today by burying his axe into an enemy marine.  While that in itself was not spectacular, the fact that he had thrown it through two other marines before it stopped in the third was amazing.  He would be marking the kills on his belt at a later time, Arthur was sure of that.

 

Guinevere herself played an important role in the battle as she hurled spell after spell into the ranks of the marines.  Their armor didn’t seem to be effective against her knowledge of the mystic arts, and Arthur thought that she perhaps took a little too much joy in being able to fight along side her husband and friends in the thick of battle.  One marine had actually been able to get right upon her, but when his weapon fell against her alabaster skin, the blade shattered…right before she shattered him.

 

Standing in the midst of many of the enemy bodies, Arthur continuously gave commands to his people, having them concentrate upon the remaining cells of enemy troops.  A stray thought crossed him as he thought about the lay of the land.  An unnatural famine had pervaded the lands in Briton and many people were starving.  Many of those who looked to movies or novels about his life being tied to the land itself were wrong.  It had nothing to do with it.  There was a force at work here, intending to starve out the island nation…to keep them from helping their European or American Allies.

 

He had heard of the one called Amanda Parker, the wife of the King of the S.U.S.A. and her ability to rapidly encourage growth of all things.  He wondered if it were possible to get her to help ease the suffering of the people.  Upon his next encounter with Lord Parker or one of the ones called Alpha Flight, he would request her intervention at the earliest possible moment.

 

For now, they had to make do with what little supplies they did have as crop after crop had failed in the preceding months.  Livestock had mysteriously died and put even more hunger in the minds of the people.  Yet, where they could, town after town, village after village offered food and shelter for those who fought for their freedom.  Most would offer more than they could spare, and could not be convinced otherwise, gladly helping the effort to rid themselves of this new threat to their lives.

 

It was then and only then that Arthur felt that there was something terribly wrong.  A cold shiver ran down his spine and for the first time today, he felt the cold of his armor seep through his clothing and bite at his skin.  Only the warmth of Excalibur seemed to comfort him, although even that seemed to be a warning to his senses.

 

As if in slow motion, he watched as Galahad raced towards him, blade held at the ready.  He was screaming something.  What was it?  Move?  No…duck!

 

Arthur slid to the side just in time to escape having his head taken.  Instead, the blade bit deep into his left shoulder.  Arthur could feel the pain of his wounded flesh; the rivulets of blood run down his back, the tingle of the evil magic that had cut him.  He felt the blade being removed and the air part from it as it was swung again.  But this time the King of Briton was a bit more prepared.

 

His shield intersected the blade and the metal clashed together in a brilliant display of released magical energy.  He turned to face his assailant, ignoring the wound that continued to bleed, causing him much discomfort.

 

In front of him stood a monstrous being of gargantuan proportions.  It seemed as if it were a cross between a man and a blue feathered vulture.  In one hand it held a great, gnarled staff, while the other a blood soaked blade.  It was wearing a robe of white, adorned with runes of power.  Its eyes were deep pits of black with red pinpoints set within the globes.

 

With only a moment of rest, the Horseman known as Famine swung its blade again, this time in a high arch above its wings.  It came crashing down, only to be blocked by the Sword of Power itself.  Arthur stumbled back from the force of the blow, but was caught and held upright by Galahad.

 

“Come, Arthur. Let us see if your return to the land of the living was for naught, for I, Famine, have come to add your head to my collection,” the great demon howled.

 

At those words, Galahad frowned.  He had personally wanted to duel the general of Apocalypse, but with this…a proper challenge…the rules of chivalry had to be followed.  “My King, you must fight it alone.”

 

“I know Galahad.  Even though this beast strikes from behind, I must still face it as if it were an honorable opponent.”

 

Arthur wasted no time. He charged the great beast and swung true, surprising the demon.  As it took a step back to see what the man had cut, it was amazed as the top half of the staff fell away, cut clean through with such subtlety that even it didn’t know it was cut.

 

“Well done.”

 

“I care not for the compliments of a perverse being like you, Famine.”  Arthur stood his ground, ready for the demons counterattack.

 

The great sword swung again in a deadly arc, only to be parried again.  Arthur brought his blade about, crashing into the steel of the Horseman’s weapon once again.  Time and time again were blows parried, neither having any advantage.  They circled one another in a bizarre dance, their blades clanging in unison.

 

The warriors that fought for Arthur and his Knights had long since finished clearing the troops from the area and now formed a circle, watching as their Lord fought a death match against the General of the opposition.  What worried them the most was that the demon seemed to be unhurt as their King’s armor was smeared red with blood.  But they watched and cheered him on, just as his presence helped their morale, so would they help his.

 

“Do you hear that, Horseman?  That is the sound that you will not understand.  It is Loyalty!  Devotion!  My people follow us because our deeds are legendary, not because we said so, but because they did!”  Arthur said as he struck once again.

 

“Paltry children’s bedtime stories!  I will show them who is your master!”

 

The great demon swung again as Arthur attempted to move past him, slicing into his thigh with ease.  But Arthur had gotten into a position to strike as well.  Excalibur flashed upwards, severing a wing from the back of the beast.

 

Screaming in pain, Famine retreated partially and cursed in a language unknown to all that listened.

 

“You will pay for that, weakling!”

 

“I am ready.  Come and collect what is due to you.”

 

Bellowing in rage, the demon swung again, but again was parried.  Arthur followed his advantage and pressed the attack, forcing Famine back with every blow, keeping him in the defensive.

 

What he did not notice is that the demon had been intentionally neglecting the offensive from his left, where the other half of the gnarled staff rested in his hand. Famine swung both weapons at once, only to have the blade deflected away by Excalibur. But the staff connected on the side of Arthur’s helmet, sending him crashing to the ground, blood flowing freely from where it cut along his ear.

 

Quickly swinging the blade again, Famine pressed back.  The shield deflected the first blow, but the staff tore the wall of metal from Arthur’s hand.  From the corner of his eye, he saw Galahad have to restrain Gawaine from entering the fray.  He was proud of his friend for his loyalty, but prouder of Galahad for maintaining the code that they all lived by.

 

“You see your death, fool.  My blade will take your soul, forever ridding this land of your influence, and I shall add your sword’s power to my own.”  Famine stood over his prey like a vulture, just ready for it to die so it could feast.

 

“There is one thing you have yet to defeat, Demon.”  Arthur said as he turned to face his opponent.

 

“And what is that?”  He asked sarcastically.

 

“Me!”

 

Excalibur flashed, severing the hand that wielded the sword. As it clattered to the ground, the demon looked at the stump like it would miraculously grow another hand, giving him back his advantage.  When the blade flashed a second time, Famine watched as his other hand clattered to the dirt, the rest of his staff with it.  Looking back to the King of Briton, it snarled like a caged animal.

 

“Do not think you have won.  Soon you will fall to my brothers and I shall be avenged.”

 

Arthur tightened his grip and sliced clean.  The demon’s head rolled off of its shoulders and along the ground until it came to the feet of Guinevere, his Queen.  She picked up the trophy and held it up to the troops, who all roared in triumph.

 

“At last! We are victorious!  The magic of the famine is broken!”  She cried before tossing the head into the crowd.

 

Lancelot stepped forward and raised his sword high.  The Knights knelt before their King and the troops followed suit.  “All hail King Arthur!”

 

Arthur smiled and sheathed his sword.  “Rise my friends, my compatriots, my countrymen.  We have all participated in the victory today…but there are battles still to be fought.  Many of the enemies still stain our land.  We must see them destroyed for us to be able to rebuild our lives.”

 

As the men cheered and dispersed, Arthur gathered his knights and wife. After tending to his wounds, he had only one question.  “I need to know this,” Arthur said as glanced at the body of Famine.  “How long until we can go to help Lord Wayne?”

 

 

 

 

-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2004 by Jake H

-- and may not be reprinted without permission.

-- The Continuum Worlds Concept is a joint creation of

-- Dylan Clearbrook and Eldric.

-- Otherverse and Multiverse, as depicted in the

-- Continuum Worlds, are original creations of Dylan Clearbrook.

-- Alterverse and The Inheritors, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,

-- are original creations of Eldric.

-- The Realm, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,

-- is an original creation of John P

-- Some characters in Continuum Worlds stories are original creations

-- of Dylan Clearbrook, Eldric, Michael Liebhart, Jake H., Jason G.,

-- Andrew Shields, Kyle M., Brian, or Jason Froikin and may not

-- be used without express permission of the respective author.

-- All DC characters are property of D.C. Comics.

-- All Marvel characters are property of Marvel Comics.