CAPTAIN BRITAIN # 1
BEGOTTEN, NOT MADE part 1 -- "Faith"
By David Wheatley
"Brian," said Alex Knox as he and the rest of the
Office of Scientific Creation and Research, an executive agency
of the Home Office that was commonly referred to as OSCAR, watched
the TV debate. "Brian, it's starting."
Brian Braddock, senior physicist and Knox's number
two at OSCAR didn't look up. He was working on the techniques behind
the process that converted ambient solar energy in to beams of force.
There had been reports of several mutants that were able to do this
and the idea had fascinated him.
He'd put forward a proposal that if they could
figure out how the process could be achieved in theory then there
was a possibility that they could create new non-lethal weapons
that could be used in law enforcement and possibly for other means
as well. He'd been given the go ahead and now was the thing that
took up his attention.
"Brian!" said Knox, a little louder and this time
Brian looked up and turned his head to the television screen.
"Al," he said. "It's not the first time Courtney's
been on TV. I do know what she does and everything. I'd be a pretty
lousy fianc? if I didn't."
"Bri, Bri, Bri" said Alex, shaking his head with
bemused wonder. "It's her first speech on the first results of the
sub-committee's findings. You know this is the speech that will
make her a household name."
"I can recite the speech backwards," said Brian,
looking back down at his figures and conversion theory. "She's been
practicing all bloody weekend."
"So you didn't get to Canterbury?" said Alex, sharing
his friend's disappointment.
"Nope," said Brian, and his watch beeped for two
o'clock. "Enjoy the show, Al."
Knox turned his attention back to the Parliament
Channel and waited for Courtney Ross, Minister of State for the
Home Office to begin speaking. She was speaking for the Home Office
because the Secretary of State was at a meeting in Ecuador, and
she was the next ranking official. This was the result of several
months of work by the committee in to the problems with organised
crime and the like within the UK. It was not a big a problem as
it was in the States or Russia, but there was an increasing problem.
The committee, using information gathered from
the Research and Statistics Directorate and evidence obtained and
analysed by OSCAR, there had been definite progress made and as
Courtney's portfolio contained the crime brief, she had been charged
with finding a resolution. This speech was the first step in that
direction, and Alex was proud of the fact that OSCAR had contributed
to the decision. He'd seen the results of the committee for himself
but today the results went public.
From his office in the MI6 offices on the banks
of the Thames, W watched the television with interest. The government
was taking a big gamble on this bold stance against crime and he
wondered if it would blow up in their faces. He was the head of
the XL unit, a group of mutant operatives in the employ of the secret
service. James Bond stuff without the nifty gadgets. The XL unit
had their talents and abilities but W knew the main reason they
were used was their expendability. It was easier to waste a few
mutants than properly trained agents but that didn't bother W in
the slightest. He chose the right people for the right jobs and
they got on and did it.
What bothered him was this kind of muck raking
exercise. Taking out the mob was one thing, publicly having a go
was another. This was either a report for the former or the latter
and seeing as there had been nothing from his contacts, he knew
it had to be the latter.
"Better make this good, sweetheart," he said as
he drained a shot of whiskey and pulled a cigarette from his pocket.
He placed it in his mouth and placed his finger on the exposed tip,
which quickly ignited at his touch. He smiled at the casual use
of his powers and thought that it was better to use the gifts they'd
been given to help their lives, not fight for them.
Vixen sat and watched the first fifteen minutes
of the speech being given by Courtney Ross, with veiled amusement.
She was the head of organised crime across the UK, with a power
base that would give even the notorious Kingpin cause to stare.
It was after those fifteen minutes that her amusement started to
fade. Ross had outlined in detail what the problems were and now
she was going through what the solutions were.
The solutions were not just hard hitting, but extreme.
They involved a zero-tolerance campaign against any and all operatives
of the organised crime syndicates, a special unit called the Inter
Regional Taskforce set up in Scotland Yard for the sole purpose
of investigating and hunting down organised crime. But it did not
stop there as there would also be special technologies used to monitor
suspected syndicate houses, new laws passed to revoke current privacy
legislature and finally the suspension of all the bank accounts
of the head of syndicates until their finances were passed by the
IRT. It was going to be a major revamp of the laws and done in accordance
with European legislation and anything against it would be done
with their approval. If the methods adopted here were successful,
then they would be spread across the continent.
She didn't know what deals had been done across
parties and with the EU but this was not what she had been expecting.
This upstart, this slip of a girl would cripple her organisation
and wreck any chances for the Denouement to take place. The Vixen
had not done all this, made so many sacrifices to be stopped by
one such as Courtney Ross.
"No," muttered the Vixen, her anger rising. "I
will not permit this to happen. Miss Ross is going to find out the
full power of my, of our, wrath..." She picked up the telephone
and started to make some calls. As she did so, her eyes blazed in
a solid emerald green with the fire inside her.
"So how'd I do?" asked Courtney when she met Brian
in the Central Lobby. It was fairly busy, as always in the Palace
of Westminster, but the business made it possible for discretion.
It was almost like being alone, thought Brian pondering of the oxymoron
of the situation.
"You did great, love," he said, putting his arm
around her. "There's a great future ahead of you in this game."
"Brian, you say the sweetest things," she said,
unhooking herself from him and he grinned. "So what d'you want to
do tonight, sweetheart?"
"How about we have a nice night in, take the 'phone
of the hook, switch off the mobiles and let the world go away for
a night," suggested Brian. "It's going to be a while until we get
another one, now that this is done. You're on Newsnight tomorrow,
aren't you?"
"Yes," she said, and slipped her arm in to Brian's
as they made their way towards the exit. "This is the big one, we
have to get it underway before the election fever sets in. So, tonight?
No shop talk?"
"Expressly forbidden," he said, his false frown
betrayed by the sparkle of his eyes. "It'll mean death by tickling."
"You vicious, vicious bastard," she said, and kissed
him on the cheek. "Let's get a taxi and get the hell out of here."
"Yes, ma'am," said Brian, and picked up her briefcase.
"If you'd follow me?"
"To Hades and back again," she breathed, as he
held the door open for her. A taxi was waiting outside and they
got in.
"Southward Street, Kensington," instructed Brian,
and Courtney held his hand.
"Yes, mate," said the driver and pulled away from
the buildings and took Brian and Courtney on their way home.
"Hello, Martin," said Vixen as she stood there
in the doorway of the Rochester Club in the West End of London.
"Vixen," he gasped. "Didn't expect to see you here,
not after the little speech today."
"Exactly why I'm here, dearest," she said. "Ready
the boys, I have a small operation planned for them."
"Now?" said Martin. "But the Denouement?"
"Will get less focus if we do this. Imagine the
fear, the terror, being struck in to the hearts and minds of the
people?"
"What kind of hit?" said Martin, knowing it was
obvious he wasn't thinking big enough. "Who is it?"
"The source of all our pain," she said. "Call the
boys, get them ready. I've alerted our other people and they will
be out of the way for the event itself. The United Kingdom will
be burned at the core and the world will catch alight from the heat."
"You know this will push their opinions on the
Syndicate to the limits?" said Martin, knowing that he didn't have
the full details yet but also knowing that this could backfire on
them.
"I know," she answered. "Except I have a very nice
decoy lying in wait to take the blame."
"Who?"
"Why none other than the delectable Courtney Ross,
MP," said Vixen, a smile coming over her wizened, face. "She's about
to learn there's more in the darkness than just the criminal element."
She gave a laugh and then looked at Martin. "Prepare your people
then meet me and the Circle at the usual place at midnight."
"What will you be doing?" asked Martin.
"Paying a new friend a visit."
"Father!" called Roma, as she hurried through the
corridors of the castle The fortress had been built many millennia
ago by the elder gods, who now were content to do little more than
watch. "Father, where are you?"
"I am here, my child," said the old man at the
end of the corridor. His white hair flowed down his back, contrasting
against the deep crimson of his garments. His eyes were a piercing
blue, in which Roma could see the power that her father wielded,
in accordance with the rules set down by the elder gods.
"Father," she said. "I have been reading in Scrolls
of Prophecy - the time is coming, the time of the Denouement. We
must prepare."
"I know," said Merlin. "I indeed know what the
time is, for the portents have been showing themselves for days
now. What else do the Prophecies tell you, my child?" Merlin knew
that Roma was the only one who could read the Prophecies, written
in a language so archaic that there were none left who could read
it. Even he, for all his fabled power could not translate the words,
and he was surprised that his daughter had one day been able to
do so, and since then she had been the caretaker and scribe for
the Scrolls.
"I am working on them," she said. "However the
Prophecies have revealed a new aspect."
"Indeed?" asked the elder mage. "Explain."
"As I have told you, the scrolls write over themselves
as the Prophecies come true or are defeated, however they no longer
simply erase the past so the future can be seen. I have watched
them rewrite the current Prophecies as well."
"Events are altering beyond our ability to contain
them," said Merlin. "Curse my bones for not seeing this could happen.
Denouement must not occur, for if the forces of darkness rise, the
balance will be shifted."
"Father, is it..."
"Yes," he said, his brow furrowing. "This is Kahn's
doing. She will unleash her demons on the world and the Earth will
be sucked in to the Nether Dimension."
Merlin closed his eyes. If Earth were swallowed
there would be a gaping hold in that state reality and a vortex
would be created, dragging in the rest of the universe. Once the
universe was gone, then the many aspects of reality would start
to collapse inwards as the infinite began a state of regression.
This process would give reality to the Nether Dimension and all
would be lost. He knew that once the vortex was opened it could
never be closed.
"How can she rewrite the Prophecies and push forward
the Denouement?" asked Roma, the fear in her eyes. Merlin may not
have been able to read the Scrolls, but he knew the lore behind
them.
"There must be something happening on Earth something
that Kahn is orchestrating so that events spiral out of control,"
concluded Merlin. "We are not ready for the war yet. If Kahn is
changing the rules and the Elder Gods allow this, then we too must
bend the rules. We can no longer simply use our powers to thwart
her from Otherworld for we do not have the mystical energies to
fight her yet."
"But we cannot openly work on Earth," gasped Roma.
"The Elder Gods will not permit it."
"Agreed," said Merlin. "We cannot openly break
the rules. However we can bend them, as does Kahn. If we cannot
operate outside our dimension, then we must find someone who can
act for us."
"An agent?"
"Yes," said Merlin. "However this is not the time
of Arthur and a King with an enchanted sword will no longer suffice.
Kahn has grown more powerful since the dark ages and even Excalibur's
powers will not protect our champion from her touch."
"So what can we do?" asked Roma. "Whom can we call
on?" Merlin looked directly at her neck, where her amulet lay.
"The Heart of the Lady," he said, no joy in his
voice at what he asked. "We must use it, my daughter."
"No," she said, tears of shock and grief forming
in her eyes. "Please, Father, there must be another way. It's all
I have left."
"Roma," he said, softly, his fingers caressing
her cheek. "We always knew that one day a price would be paid. Now
is that time."
"Father..." the tears were flowing freely now
"Never be afraid to let go of your tears, my child,"
he said. "It tells us we are still mortal beings. Come, we must
make ready."
Brian and Courtney sat at home, the candlelight
flickering around the room, creating shadows across the walls and
the curtains. Softly, almost inaudible, the music from the CD played
in the background, as they passed tender moments with each other.
There was no need for talking as they explored each other, the ros?
wine cooling in the ice bucket, their glasses on the table waiting
to be refilled.
Neither of them paid any heed to the trio of armed
guards outside, the surveillance tapes that watched each side of
the house, nor any of the security counter-measures that had been
fitted by OSCAR to the house. You didn't make threats or promises
like the ones the Government had done without preparing for reprisals
of some kind.
As far as they were concerned the world consisted
of only two people, and they were right with each other. However,
neither of them realised that gas was entering the room until it
was too late.
"BRIAN!" coughed Courtney in alarm as he tried
the door, but to no avail and within moments they were both out
cold. The door opened and several masked people came in and picked
up Courtney.
"Both of them?" asked one of them, his voice muffled
behind the gas mask.
"Both of them," came the reply. "The instructions
specified them both." Two of them grabbed hold of Brian and carried
him out. The cold air hit him and Brian was dimly aware of the guards
lying dead, as if wild animals had mauled them. However they'd died,
they'd done it silently and Brian passed out once more.
When he came to, he found himself bound to a chair,
however the room was in almost total darkness and he couldn't see
anything else.
"Courtney?" he asked, more worried for her than
himself. "Courtney!"
"I'm sorry," said a voice, the voice of a woman
he didn't know. "She won't be joining you, though she is quite safe.
For now."
"Who the hell are you?" he asked, straining at
the ropes that held him in place.
"I don't really feel like telling you that," she
said. "However, very soon you won't have to worry about it." As
his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could swear he could see a
knife.
"What do you want from me?" he asked, suddenly
afraid and then a light came on and he could see his captor and
his eyes went wide. The eight foot high demonic being before him
struck terror in to his very soul. There were no pupils in its emerald
green eyes, the snakes like scales that covered it's body gave way
to wings on it's back and claws on its hands and feet. From each
forearm came a spear-like device, which is what he had mistaken
for the knife.
He could see from its naked body that it was female
and for a moment he felt that there was almost an elegant beauty
to her and though she terrified and repulsed him to the core of
his being, he felt a rising lust for her. She laughed as she saw
his reaction, her pointed tongue rippling between her fanged teeth.
"What do I want?" she echoed, coming close towards
him and he could taste the death within her exhalation. "Easy,"
she whispered in his ear as he struggled to be free and tried to
fight the desire he felt for her. "I want your blood," and then
she bit in to his neck. Brian screamed as she began to drink on
his blood, while she placed her hands on his temples, draining away
a part of his soul.
Then the pain stopped as she released him and he
knew he was dying. He looked at the demon who was now altering her
shape, shrinking to a more petit form, skin wrapping itself around
the scales and he saw her as a human creature.
"Thank you," she said and kissed his lips. "My
love."
"Courtney?" he asked before closing his eyes, trying
to fight the call of the quiet darkness, wondering why she had done
this to him. He was barely aware of footsteps and her voice.
"Take him outside and lose him, I have what I need
now." Then he surrendered to the darkness and the silence rang in
his head.
He recovered to a blaze of light and a singing
in his head and he looked about.
"Where am I?" he called out.
"You are in the countryside, 70 miles outside of
London," came the voice of a woman and he could vaguely see her
in front of him. This woman was no demon but a goddess.
"Are you an angel?" he asked. "Am I dead?"
"Alas," she said. "However you are indeed dead.
Your body ceased to function about thirty seconds ago."
"Who are you?" he asked.
"I am Roma, daughter of Merlin. I am here to give
you a gift."
"Why me?" asked Brian. He wasn't sure what was
going on, but he was certain he was dead and the rules he had known
no longer applied.
"Another time," she said. "However, I must warn
you this gift is not without price."
"Go on," said Brian, his curiosity as a scientist
getting the better of him.
"I will give you back your life," she said. "I
will give you power, weapons and a cause to fight."
"What is the price I must pay?" he asked.
"You will be the defender of Earth against the
demon Khan and her minions. The battle will be long, and you may
never know peace again. Your loved ones will be a target as long
as you take continue the path. Once accepted then you cannot resign
the role without giving up your life."
"If I accept, will I be immortal?"
"No. I can restore you to life this one time only.
Do you accept the role?"
"I don't have a choice."
"There is always a choice, young man" came a man's
voice, which Brian assumed was Merlin. "Be aware of that."
"Yes, sir," said Brian. "I accept your gift, your
cause is my own."
"You have chosen wisely," said the man, coming
in to view. "The path ahead of you is filled with discovery. Be
mindful of who you trust." He pulled a sword from beneath his scarlet
cloak. "This is Excalibur. With it I dub thee 'Britain', warrior-knight
of Earth." Merlin used the sword to touch each of Brian's shoulder
and Brian felt a mystical power enter him, as if the sword accepted
him to be its wielder. Then the lady Roma stood before him and removed
the pendant around her neck.
"This is the Heart of the Lady," she said, placing
it over his neck and it hung under his chin for a moment, a touch
lopsided and rested just over his heart. Then Merlin raised Excalibur
and plunged it through the pendant, through Brian's heart and out
of his back.
"ARISE!" he commanded as he released the hilt and
there was an explosion of mystical forces around them. Brian's hands
instinctively grasped the hilt and he found the strength to remove
the sword and the light abruptly faded and Merlin and Roma were
gone.
The sword fell from his hand and for the final
time, Brian Braddock surrendered to the quiet darkness that called
his name.
To Be Continued....
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