All characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyrighted to Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. I've taken the idea for the Unseelie Court from the TGS. Characters and concepts from Star Trek are property of Paramount and created by Gene Roddenberry. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All real persons belong to themselves, and no offense is intended. All original characters are the property of SN.
Note: I'm disregarding the events of the "Goliath Chronicles", with the exception of "The Journey" because I do not wish to use the rest of the "Goliath Chronicles" as canon to my story. Also, I am altering large sections of the Star Trek storyline, especially concerning events like WWIII and the Eugenics Wars, which without the Cold War as a backdrop probably wouldn't happen the way Roddenberry wrote them, if at all. This story takes place immediately after "Once and Future King: Retreat".
Once and Future King: Rescue
By SN/TVfan
Email: Sam_Nary
London
The Illuminati's leader for their forces in London waited quietly in the entrance area to what was a police detainment center in London, specifically a part of London that they controlled. Not that the Illuminati had lost London, but there was some time period over the past night where it had come astonishingly close. Macbeth, Scotland's legendary king, though the legend had more to do with Shakespeare's interpretation of history than anything else, had launched a revolt against them in London, and one that had cost them more losses than they had anticipated to put down the rebellion.
Even with the rebellion now crushed, he was still nervous. He was only a colonel and wasn't really fit for anything higher. Yet, he'd had to confront a rebellion launched by an 'immortal' king that had killed the general and killed more Illuminati soldiers than expected. In addition, he had had no contact with Two, the overall leader of the Illuminati effort and the troops around Stonehenge. He needed something that he could use to turn the overall tide, as there was still quite a lot of action that needed to be confronted, and the Colonel didn't feel confident, yet. He hoped that what his men were bringing here would be of some use to him.
"Where are they?" the colonel demanded to a nearby.
"They should be here soon," a nearby security man answered.
"Have you heard from Two?" the colonel asked.
"No, sir," the security man answered.
Just as the security man finished a nearby door opened and two armed soldiers entered. Behind them came another two soldiers that were dragging an older looking man, though he looked remarkably fit. The man seemed to be only barely conscious.
"Is that…?" the colonel asked.
"Macbeth?" the first soldier responded, "Yes, yes it is. We had to shoot him when we caught up with him, but given his immortality he should be fine."
The colonel came closer and looked to the immortal King. While he didn't look perfect, he was certainly recovering, and that was to be expected given what the Illuminati knew about Macbeth. His time in Medieval Scotland and then years of chasing the gargoyle Demona were all indicators of who he was. He'd done well to try and hide it, but there were too many incidents to be coincidence. All 'them' were the same man, and as such, Macbeth was immortal and would be able to heal from the wound he had taken.
"How long will he be like this?" the colonel asked.
"Don't know for sure," the first soldier answered nervously, "Two didn't share all the files with us, as you know. Just enough to know that he is immortal and connected with Demona."
The colonel only sighed and put his face in one of his hands and then pulled down, showing his frustration clearly. His frustration was not helped any more when a communications officer from his own headquarters came rushing in, looking out of breath and frightened about something. The colonel immediately began to wonder of Macbeth's resistance allies had launched a new attack on the building, since the fight the previous night was started with the assassination of the general in charge of the Illuminati forces.
"What's going on?! Why aren't you at headquarters?" the colonel demanded at the out of breath soldier.
The man gasped for a few minutes while working to catch his breath. After a few moments he managed to regain his composure and began to answer the question asked of him.
"Sir, I bring news from Stonehenge," the man said, still sounding nervous, but attracting attention.
"Did he at least catch Arthur?" the colonel asked, sounding hopeful.
"I'm afraid that Two is dead, sir," the communications officer said slowly, much to the horrified gasps of the others, "it would appear that Pendragon's werewolf got him."
"That means Merlin will have his powers again," the colonel grumbled, and then looked to the unconscious Macbeth, "Macbeth better be able to help us get them all! Because things seem to be falling apart all over!"
Underground
Meanwhile, the local resistance to the Illuminati's rule was in a very similar discussion. Their leader was Catherine Silver who had allied with Arthur and Macbeth in the hopes of overthrowing the secret society that had invaded the UK and seemingly won. The previous night they had started a massive uprising in the city with the hopes of 'retaking' London. That had clearly failed as Catherine paced and listened to the suggestions she was receiving. While Macbeth and the gargoyles had helped them deliver a much harder blow than the Illuminati could ever expect them to deliver, London was still in the Illuminati's hands.
"I tell you, we never should have listened to that old goat!" one of the other resistance men grumbled, "look where we are! In a sewer, like rats and London is still under THEIR occupation."
"We delivered a much harder blow than they likely expected," one of their mutate guards warned the resistance member, "and we've managed to make sure you all cannot be tracked here. That means you can keep your fight going."
"So we can keep losing," the man retorted.
"What would you have do, Foyle?" Catherine Silver asked in frustration.
"Not take them on head's on, that's what!" the man, Foyle replied, "hit and run sort of things…"
"Foyle might have a point there," another resistance member spoke up, "all of our weapons and equipment came from that base that Arthur's team managed to take over before leaving for Stonehenge… and we just used up a lot of it in Macbeth's little uprising… and we also still have the responsibility to protect the gargoyles as well."
Catherine looked over to the wall behind her. The London clan was there and locked in stone-sleep for the moment.
"We can protect them during the day," one of the mutates spoke, "if you wish to go runnin' about and giving the Illuminati trouble…"
"Which might do us more good," another mutate grumbled, "Having all of them down here will surely attract attention to us and we cannot hide the gargoyles indefinitely if they make a concerted effort to search the sewers, subways, and tunnels under London."
"So, you'll kick us out to get killed?!" Foyle challenged, listing to the mutate's tone.
"No, what you do above ground is up to you," the mutate answered, "but the gargoyles are helpless during the day, and while our mutation can allow us to lift them, it won't work if they make a real effort to find us. We can get you away from where they think you are, but it might be safer for you to move away… at least until tonight."
Catherine sighed heavily as she listened to this. The fighting the night before had been savage, and the only thing that had kept them from being truly beaten was the help they had received from Macbeth and the gargoyles. So affective was their help, that when things did go bad, they were able to disengage without taking massive casualties. And now, Macbeth and the gargoyles were being blamed for failing to bring them an outright victory.
"We can try that," Catherine Silver nodded, "though I would ask that you allow one of your community to come with us. We could use a gargoyle's strength."
"We're mutates, madam," the leading mutate in the room answered.
"All the same… we'll need some muscle while trying to resupply ourselves and trying to think of a way to save Macbeth," Catherine Silver replied.
"I will go with you," a female mutate pushed through the crowd.
Catherine nodded to the female mutate. They had kept a very clean home, despite its location, and the mutate's fur, which resembled that of a Siamese cat looked very healthy and free of disease or dirt. With their volunteer, Catherine turned to Foyle and the other man present to give them their instructions.
"Gather the men and get them ready to move," Catherine ordered, "make sure we have all the supplies we can carry. If there is anything we can't carry, leave them to the mutates to defend the gargoyles."
Foyle and the other resistance man glanced and then moved to carry out the order. As they did so, Catherine then turned to the mutate that had been with them as their present bodyguard for the moment.
"You will let the gargoyles know what we have decided on?" Catherine asked him, "They will surely want to know about Macbeth and where we are…"
"Of course," the mutate said with a nod, "though trying to rescue Macbeth might be a bit of a stretch. The Illuminati will keep him well guarded. Your force won't be strong enough to go in, free him, and get out safely."
"Unless Arthur returns in the day, we probably won't go as far as trying to free him," Catherine answered, "we'll need to ambush some groups to replace the supplies we've lost in the fighting… and maybe gain some intelligence on where they might have him. Then we can put a plan together for the coming night."
"You seem very willing to do much to help one you know little about," the mutate commented.
"We all owe him for his help," Catherine answered, "Foyle may not like me saying this, but if it weren't for Macbeth, we wouldn't be here to discuss the failure of the attack on the Illuminati last night."
The mutate only nodded.
Illuminati Prison, London
Macbeth awoke to find himself alone and dumped inside a small cell. It was surprisingly well built and up to date with technology that he didn't think would be part of a standard police jail or major prison. He was lying on a metal bench with a small platform coming from the wall that could serve as a table, should he need one. There were no bars for the door to the cell. There was only an energized field, and on the other side of that field was the colonel now commanding the Illuminati forces.
"Well… you and your friend have certainly been up too much these past nights," the colonel commented, "Arthur kills Two and allows Merlin to continue to threaten Britain's prosperity and you murder the general in charge of our forces and start an uprising that ties down a sizeable portion of the garrison defending London."
"Defending?" Macbeth questioned.
"We are not the villains in this saga; YOU are," the colonel snapped back, "You and Pendragon both! We intend to move the world forward into a better and brighter future. And people like you fight us! Pervert people with superstition! Block the rise of new sciences and technologies!"
Macbeth only sat up. This colonel likely wanted information on where the others were, as he would have mentioned capturing them if the Illuminati had captured the resistance members. Macbeth was privately sure of that. He managed a slight smile, as the colonel had also revealed the success of Arthur's overall mission. Clearly, this was this colonel's first interrogation, as he had given away a point he might have used to keep the pressure on Macbeth to comply. If he had killed the general, and Arthur had killed Two, the Illuminati would be effectively leaderless, which might help those that weren't loyal to the Illuminati.
"Neither one of us have blocked anything," Macbeth said slowly, "if you had left us alone in the first place, neither one of us would have bothered with your organization's prophecies."
"Your existence is proof enough of your interference," the colonel answered, "though it is mostly Pendragon in that regard. We might be willing to return you to New York if you let us know where the rest of your little rebel army is."
"And if I refuse?" Macbeth inquired, "Unless you've somehow recruited Demona, I doubt you can kill me."
The colonel pressed a button that deactivated the field that was the cell door. It buzzed off just as two armed guards came from elsewhere in the prison and into Macbeth's line of sight. Knowing that he was unarmed, Macbeth didn't fight as they advanced into the room and restrained him. They pinned his arms behind his back and held onto him firmly. Once that was done, then the colonel entered the room with a fairly confident smile on his face. That look, was one Macbeth didn't like.
"There are fates worse than death," the colonel commented, "You will tell me what I want to know… or I will take measures to make you talk."
Macbeth only stared back as defiantly as he could.
"Take him to the interrogation room," the colonel ordered the guards.
"Right away," the guards answered.
Basingstoke, UK
"Is there any reason we're stopping here?" Arthur asked as he felt the armored personnel carrier they had been riding in begin to slow and pull over to the side of the road.
"Mostly fuel," came Reginald's answer, "we'll need to get fuel somewhere, though I'm not quite sure on where… or if we even can. Remember we got about a division's worth of troops coming after us, and they aren't likely to be in a merciful mood."
"What about the gargoyles?" Beth asked, "Merlin may have his power back now, but he and Coyote can't hold off a whole division and move a group of gargoyles in stone-sleep over the countryside."
"Especially when we need to make to London," Rachael agreed, "and my wolf form is negated if I have to use it to carry the gargoyles."
Arthur only sighed and climbed out of the armored personnel carrier now that it had stopped. He found that Reginald had found a relatively good place to stop as it had come near a small farmhouse on edge of the town, and there was a high hedge that surrounded it. All Arthur could see of it for the moment was the hedge.
"We may have to hold out here for the day," Arthur admitted, "hopefully the owner of the farm is not supportive of the Illuminati."
"Then let's hop to it," Coyote snapped, began to magically move the sleeping gargoyles.
Beth and Merlin quietly watched as each stone statue floated out of the vehicle and onto the other side of the hedge. Rachael and Arthur were busy joining Reginald in getting their gear out of the vehicle and making sure that there was nothing the Illuminati could get from it that they could trace.
"You and Coyote don't need to stay with us," Merlin said to her quietly, "now that I have my powers back… we are not desperate for his help and he is not bound to help us if he doesn't want to."
"No, we don't… but you're one of Elisa's friends, in a way, and for the moment, I'd imagine the Illuminati will be after us too," Beth sighed back, "So, it's not like it matters. For now, we'll help you get back to London and then we'll see what our situation is."
Merlin nodded, but didn't say anything for a few moments. Eventually, the APC's engine started again and it slowly began to roll forward. Beth turned to see Reginald jump out the driver's door and let it roll away from them. He then led them to a small gate in the hedges that Arthur and Rachael had already found. They quickly followed and went in, if only to get out of where they could be easily seen.
"Won't someone see where we went?" Beth wondered aloud once they were out of sight.
"Come on, Beth," came Coyote's voice, who then appeared suddenly, "you should know me by now."
"All traces of us outside that van are no longer there?" Merlin asked.
"Correct," Coyote nodded, "all we need now is the help of the farm owner."
And dealing with the farm owner was precisely what Arthur and Rachael were up to. Removing signs of their location could be left to Coyote and Reginald, as they knew how to do that better then Arthur did. But the farm owner was likely an innocent, and would need to persuade to join in a war he or she likely didn't want to be in. The farm owner, also, was not blind, and as they approached the house's backdoor, it opened to reveal man brandishing a pitchfork.
"Please put that down, sir, we mean you no harm," Arthur spoke as they approached, "in fact; we actually need your help."
"Help you take over England?" the farmer asked, "You're behind this war. We were all fine until you Illuminati came and trashed everything. My only son is DEAD because of you!"
"We aren't Illuminati," Rachael told the man, "we've actually been trying to stop them."
"Bloody failures, you've been then," the farmer answered, keeping his pitchfork aimed at both of them.
"Regrettably," Arthur sighed.
The farmer looked at both of them and then raised an eyebrow. After a few moments, his face took on a look of realization.
"You're Pendragon," the farmer gasped, "the guy the Illuminati said they were here for."
"I am Arthur Pendragon, yes," Arthur said with a sigh, knowing full well that the alias he had lived under since being awakened on Avalon wasn't going to work, "and the Illuminati did start their invasion because of me… but I have no true reason for their decision. Neither Merlin nor I have any intention of being a threat to you or deliberately waging war against them."
"They brought the war here," Rachael added.
"And what if I turn you over to the Illuminati?" the farmer asked, "They promised they'd leave if they had you…"
"They'd likely still stay," Arthur warned him, "in some way. After all, this invasion had to come from somewhere. If they leave, and the British government recovers and removes the Illuminati from its own ranks…"
"They'll then have to find out where they came from," the farmer finally lowered his pitchfork.
"Which would mean the war would continue," Rachael finished for him.
The farmer was silent for a moment.
"That might happen anyway," he finally said after a moment, "I don't really care where they came from. Just so long as they leave and never return."
"We're doing our best to try and stop them, but it isn't an easy task," Arthur answered, "and for today, we need your help."
The farmer looked at Arthur and Rachael and then sighed, "I'm no warrior. Even if I was, I'm too old."
"We don't expect to draft you, sir," Arthur answered, "we only ask for shelter and some place where we can hide some friends."
The farmer strained to look over Arthur's shoulder, using his pitchfork to help lift himself up. His eyes widened in surprise at the sleeping gargoyles resting closer to where Coyote and Merlin were standing with Beth between them. He then slowly began to make his way past Arthur to look at them. He approached Griff's form directly.
"This one looks like the statue in London… the creature that fought with us against the Nazis," the farmer said slowly, "is he a… a gargoyle?"
"Yes, he actually is the gargoyle from the blitz," Arthur answered, "He was brought to this general time by a time traveler. The others are members of the London Clan and are my allies in fighting for Britain's freedom. But they are helpless until dusk. We need a place to hide him and the other gargoyles."
"That will be easy," the farmer answered, "if you can gather the muscle to move them, we can hide them in my barn over there."
They all turned to see him point toward a stone and wood structure nearby.
"I got some dairy cows in there, but they shouldn't mind," the farmer then spoke, "all I ask from you is that you help get rid of the folks that killed my son."
"We'll get them, sir," Reginald vowed, "I promise you."
"It will take a while though," Arthur added.
"Just so long as justice prevails," the farmer replied.
London
Meanwhile, things were not as calm in London. The Illuminati were still looking for the rebels that had launched a massive uprising against them. The rebels had hit them hard and somehow managed to escape in good order. They had captured Macbeth at the end of the engagement, but the forces he had led had escaped. That put the Illuminati troops defending London on edge. Some units had gone into the subway and sewer tunnels. Most had found nothing and of the clues that the rest found, it seemed to indicate that the rebels had moved to some other part of London and went back above ground again. And now they were searching the city for any sign of the rebels.
"Man, it's like they vanished," one grumbled to another, "they all rise up like 'he we're gonna fight you' and then they run and hide from us when they know we've clearly won. And now we can't find them."
"The colonel has their leader," the second in the small two man patrol answered, "he'll talk eventually."
"Hopefully," the first nodded in agreement, "because I'd honestly thought the fighting around London was LONG over. Maybe an occasional riot, but nothing like the raid on our north base and last night…"
"Hopefully," the second shrugged and the two soldiers continued on.
They continued along quietly until they heard the sound of footsteps behind them. One turned to see what the noise was only to catch a cricket bat to the face. The blow sent him flying and left him seriously disoriented. The other turned, as if expecting a good fight and raised his rifle to fire, only to be shot by a second assailant. The men attacking the two Illuminati soldiers then turned to the first soldier who was only just staggering back to his feet. The first attacker with a cricket bat led the way and got in another blow that took the man down. As the Illuminati soldier began to sit up again, the second attacker landed a strong kick that finally knocked the soldier out.
"Come on," the second man said urgently, "these two are only part of several patrols."
"I know," the first answered, and began to help his partner remove the weapons and ammunition from the Illuminati soldiers, "ung… more than half of what they have is American…"
"The Yanks will sell to anyone with money," the other replied, "which isn't the problem right now."
"We'd also best get the one we knocked out back to Ms. Silver," the first added, "said something about their colonel having our leader."
"Ms. Silver IS our leader," the second replied, "and she wasn't captured."
"And what about the old guy that helped set up the uprising and covered our escape?" the first rebel questioned.
"That guy isn't our leader and never was our leader," the second replied.
"The Illuminati don't know that," the first shrugged as the let his partner carry the weapons and ammunition while he gripped the unconscious Illuminati soldier by under his harms and began to drag him away, "and I've heard a lot of grumbling about her supporting some old guy."
The second only sighed as they quickly disappeared into an alley. After leaving the mutates they had set up small and loosely coordinated groups trying to raid and gather supplies for what would likely be their next big push. They still had their contacts to keep in touch, and if anyone came across anything that could be of use, they were to report it. And given what they'd overheard the first of these two rebels seemed to get the impression that Macbeth was someone they would want to rescue.
Illuminati Prison
And in the facility that he was being held in, Macbeth certainly felt like he was ready to be rescued by someone. The Illuminati wanted information on where the rebel base was and they had proven quite persistent at asking the question and quite insistent with regard to getting answers they wanted to hear.
"I ask you again, Macbeth, where is their base?" the colonel in charge of the Illuminati in London asked
"There is no base," Macbeth answered, "they just move every few hours to keep you looking. Maybe you just missed them.
The colonel snapped his fingers and a nearby soldier pressed a button on a console near him. There followed a resounding sparking noise and Macbeth screamed in pain as he felt electricity run through him. It lasted only a few seconds, and once it ended, Macbeth dropped in his chair, letting the restraints hold him up. It hurt a little, but not as much as the electricity the Illuminati were torturing him with.
"Where is their base," the colonel asked again, "they have to have a base that they are operating from. Some place where you've stashed your likely stolen arms and ammunition."
Macbeth didn't immediately answer. They likely didn't know that most of their ammunition was likely used up in the previous night's uprising. He would need to keep that from them. If they didn't know, they'd overestimate their foe and potentially make a serious mistake and allow Silver to completely withdraw and get away.
"There is no base," Macbeth said slowly after a few moments, "no permanent one anyway. We try to move it around so that you can't find it and steal it back."
"I don't believe you," the colonel responded and gave the signal again.
Again, Macbeth screamed as the electricity flowed through him. The colonel and the Illuminati technician watched on. This time, they kept the voltage going.
"Where is your supply base?" the colonel asked, leaving the voltage on.
Unable to bare it, Macbeth tried to see if he could lead them away from where he knew the resistance would be.
"The docks… on… the east… side…" Macbeth managed to wheeze out as he screamed from the pain.
"There, that wasn't so hard," the colonel finally said, "Increase the voltage."
Again, Macbeth screamed, but this didn't last long and soon he fell silent and the room smelled of burnt flesh.
"He lasted longer than expected," the technician commented.
"He is still immortal," the colonel answered, "he's likely seen things like this before and survived. And our files are not truly concrete on him. We know he's immortal and connected to the gargoyle Demona, but there isn't that much we know with regard to many specific issues. He's been fairly good in that regard."
"But he still breaks in the end," the technician answered.
"Yes," the colonel replied and turned to two officers who had just come into the room, "send half our forces toward the docks on the east side of London. The rebel supply base is somewhere around there. I will be by eventually to supervise its capture and the retrieval of our weaponry."
"What of the other half of our men, sir?" one asked back.
"They will continue our sweeps to find where they all ran to after the battle," the colonel answered, "I've been getting scattered reports of small ambushes all day, so it's clear that they didn't run away."
"Of course, sir," the officer that had asked the question replied.
London Apartment
The Illuminati soldier who had been knocked out and abducted by the resistance awoke to find himself in a small and crapped apartment. He found himself stripped down to his underwear and surrounded by armed resistance members. Leading them was a female figure, Catherine Silver.
"I hear you have information that I would be interested in hearing," Catherine said slowly as she crouched down, "please go ahead."
"You won't get away with this!" the Illuminati soldier vowed, trying to sound brave.
"And your side won't succeed in oppressing us, so we're even in the end," Catherine replied, "and you personally have lost. Where is the prison where Macbeth is being held?"
The soldier didn't answer, though his fear was evident on his face.
"Macbeth, the 'old guy' as I am told you called him," Catherine Silver continued.
The Illuminati soldier didn't answer again, and it was finally here where one of Catherine's associates came forward.
"You know it's nearly dusk," the resistance man commented, "maybe we should just let the gargoyles have their way you. I hear they don't kindly to traitors."
The Illuminati soldier lost his nerve as a result of the treat that was made. While the Illuminati had enough paperwork on gargoyles to know that such an act would be unlikely, this soldier hadn't read them and had only joined to settle a series of bad debts that he had fallen into that attracted the Illuminati's attention.
"Alright! Alright! Please don't kill me!" the soldier screeched.
"So much for fanatics," a different resistance member quipped.
Catherine glared him and then once he backed off, she turned back toward the soldier whose cowering had surprised her greatly.
"Where is the prison that you've taken Macbeth?" she asked.
"It's under the Parliament building!" the soldier said quickly, fearing death at the hands of the gargoyles, "It's been there for years as the main command and control center… at least while our rule were hidden!"
"Where is the door?" Catherine asked.
"I don't know! I don't know!" the soldier answered.
"Why were they using a different place last night?" the first associate of Catherine Silver demanded.
"Images," the soldier whimpered, "before it was only a small area where we could do things in secret and the size hasn't changed much. The other HQ was to establish a formal base and is still being used, despite your attack."
"Thank you," the first associate said calmly and drew a pistol and fired at close range.
"Foyle!" Catherine gasped in horror at the execution of their prisoner.
"We can't hold him forever," Foyle answered as he holstered his weapon, "and given your wish to try and save the guy that put us in our present position, we're not going to get any stronger."
"We owe him," Catherine growled back, "we would not have escaped if it was not for him."
"We still can't divert men to guard individual prisoners," Foyle answered, "Geneva flew out the window when these people came in. Now, do you want to save the old codger or not?"
Catherine only sighed, "Come on. We'll need the gargoyle's help for this. Get a well-armed team ready. We'll meet you on a rooftop near the parliament building."
Basingstoke, UK
Arthur watched quietly as another armored truck drove past the farm where he and the others had presently taken shelter in. They were all in a barn and waiting patiently for the sun to set. Once that happened, they would begin to search out a way to get to London. The barn wasn't big and smelled heavily of hay and dairy cows, but for the moment it would be enough to keep from attracting attention. And while they were there, Arthur went up to a loft area where he could look out and observe the goings on.
"Any come our way?" Rachael asked him as she climbed up to join him.
"No," Arthur shook his head, "They've all gone past us, but they've gone in great numbers."
"At least it means they don't know we're here," Rachael assured him.
"And that they could do harm to the people here if they suspect our presence," Arthur answered, "and you know I can't allow that. I can't let the people suffer."
Rachael carefully took Arthur's hand and squeezed it, "I know. And we'll find a way to save them all. It may not be today to tomorrow, but we will. If there is anything I've learned since I was bitten… it's that you can accomplish anything."
Arthur gave a soft smile and looked out again. He could admire the growth in Rachael's character. The confidence and acceptance of her 'condition' that she had gained were all good. No longer was she the scared woman who couldn't believe anything she had been told and couldn't accept what she had become. She was strong, brave, intelligent, and everything else Arthur expected from anyone who would fight for justice, male or female.
"I thank you for your confidence," Arthur said simply.
"Do you have any idea on how to get back to London?" Rachael asked, "they'll likely camp for the night somewhere, but I'd bet they'd also block most, if not all of the routes to London."
"I don't really know for sure," Arthur sighed, "we'll need a new vehicle, which may mean we'll need to raid one of their camps. Merlin, Coyote, and maybe Beth can help reduce the number of enemies we'll face with magic… but that will still alert them to where we are…"
"And could lead them back into town when they realize that someone here had to have hidden us," Rachael nodded.
"We'll need to check and see which group is the weakest," Arthur sighed, "that might give us a better chance…"
Rachael was about to say something more when they noticed the farmer approaching the barn. With that, the two of them rapidly went down to join the others on the barn's lower level. They arrived just as the farmer opened the main doors and slipped inside.
"Your pursuers seem to have gotten into a fair bit of trouble recently," the farmer commented, "several look like they've been scratched up by rose bushes."
"That was us last night," Reginald answered, "They were trying to prevent Merlin, here, from getting his powers back… and we managed to outwit them."
"Hopefully you can do more of that, then," the farmer commented, "but they seem to have moved by…"
"Yes," Arthur nodded, "Once the sun goes down we'll make our way toward London. Hopefully we can do enough to make the Illuminati give up."
"How do you plan to get there?" the farmer asked.
"We'll probably try to liberate one of the Illuminati vehicles and make a run for it," Reginald commented, "it's not like we have many options."
"And in theory, we can make freeing it fairly easy," Coyote gave short smirk, "and will hopefully keep you safe."
Merlin and Beth both nodded besides the southwestern Fey.
"I have a proposition for you that would allow you to go without having to steal from them," the farmer commented, "I have an old truck. It may not amount for much, but it will help you get going quickly."
"You would help us?" Rachael asked, surprised.
"If you truly are helping get rid of the Illuminati, I'd give you my soul," the farmer answered.
"Thank you for your kindness, sir," Arthur told him and then turned to the others, "and that will only leave us with which route to take back to London. The direct or the round-about way."
The others all nodded.
London, Underground
Una and the rest of the London gargoyles that had not gone out on the mission to help Merlin awoke to find that they had been moved from where they had originally gone to sleep for the day. She also found that Catherine Silver and several of her resistance members were there as well, along with two mutates, one being a male bulldog based one.
"Where is Macbeth?" Una asked, noticing the immortal Scottish King was not with them.
"The Illuminati got him while we were escaping at the end of the uprising last night," Catherine said slowly.
"They got him!?" Chloe gasped pushing forward.
"Yes," Catherine answered, "but now, we have the chance to rescue him before they decide to move him out of the UK."
"I don't think we can stage another major uprising," Leo commented, "you used up a lot of what we got out of that Illuminati fortress last night and will use up all of it if you try it again to rescue Macbeth."
"We've got to do something!" Chloe insisted.
"And we will," Una nodded, "but Leo is right, we cannot just assault them again."
"It isn't an assault," Catherine interjected, trying to get things under control, "They're holding him in some sort of secret prison underneath Parliament. Most of their forces are presently trying to find where we fled to after last night's uprising. And from what I saw when I came here, it would appear that those patrols are even weaker. So if they're searching in force, it's nowhere near where we will be going."
"We zapped a couple that came snooping around the tunnels," the bulldog mutate commented, "but they have had even fewer down here than elsewhere. If this prison is under Parliament, it's underground and we can get to it."
Una and Leo traded short glances and then turned back to Catherine and the two mutates.
"What do you need?" Una asked.
"Do you have any potion or powder that could dissolve whatever armor this prison has?" Catherine asked, "Something that wouldn't attract a lot of attention… like say, an explosion?"
Una rubbed her chin for a moment and gave a sigh, "We might have had something in the shop that might work along those lines… but I'd wager the Illuminati or looters have already closed it down."
"Do you know for sure?" Catherine asked.
"Not really," Leo admitted.
"Go and look," Catherine urged, "The mutates will meet you in the closest underground entrance and guide you to where the underground bunker is."
Catherine then turned to Chloe, "and we will need your help too."
"I'll do whatever I can get Macbeth free," Chloe vowed.
Catherine came forward slowly and placed on hand on Chloe's shoulder, "I need you to come with me. The Illuminati may be spreading themselves trying to find us, but I doubt the place will be lightly guarded. We'll be creating a distraction above ground."
"And I will help provide it," Chloe vowed again.
London Docks
Meanwhile, the colonel who had found himself commanding the Illuminati's entire invasion was with the units that were intended finish of the resistance in London. While he didn't think they had an indefinite supply of weaponry, he was certain they'd taken enough to hold off his forces far longer than they had. Now, he would make sure they could never challenge the Illuminati again. There were reports of some ambushes coming throughout London, but they were small and seemed to be focused in a part of London that was becoming smaller. Once their supplies were gone, their resistance would stop entirely.
"Remember, it could be in any of the warehouses in this area," the colonel said to a subordinate officer nearby, "and they will all certainly be defended. I want you to shell the edges first and draw any resistance fighters out. If none come out, you are to begin going in and dynamiting each warehouse."
"And if we find nothing?" the other officer, who technically outranked the colonel asked back.
"Then we are back at square one," the colonel sighed, "begin."
London, Near Westminster Palace
Chloe came in for a landing as Catherine and her resistance members joined Foyle and another small team on the roof of a nearby building.
"Anything?" Catherine asked.
"We can make out guards at every door, but there is no telling how many are actually in the building," Foyle answered, "and I will repeat my objection that this is suicidal to be a distraction."
"The only other option is to go in and be the cavalry," Catherine reminded him.
"Distraction it is," Foyle then spoke.
"So when do we move?" Chloe asked.
No one said anything for a moment. Catherine was about answer when a loud booming thump cut them all off. It was soon followed by others.
"That's cannon fire!" one of the resistance members exclaimed.
"But it's from the docks on the east side," Foyle commented, "we all went to the west side after last night. We aren't doing it…"
"Maybe the Illuminati is," Catherine commented.
"Why?" Foyle wondered.
"Does it matter?" Chloe answered, "now's our chance!"
And with that the Scottish gargoyle leaped and dove down toward the palace, abbey, and location where traditionally Britain's Parliament met. Her aim was focused on one of the two guards that were standing near the door entrances to the building. Neither of them was looking up, and Chloe easily reached him without any difficulty. She reached down and grabbed the first soldier by his shoulders and then began to bank upward again.
"She's moved too soon!" Foyle grumbled from the roof.
"Maybe, but they're off shelling some other part of the city where we aren't, maybe the timing doesn't matter," Catherine replied, and then commanded the men there, "take out their men on the ground before they can draw a bead on the gargoyle!"
"Right-to."
Una and Leo's Shop
The two London Clan members that had lived through the blitz and waited for Griff to arrive from the past when Goliath decided to bring him into the future with the Phoenix Gate were somewhat surprised to find that their shop hadn't been touched. No looting by street punks or by the Illuminati. The move from one of the subway entrances had been tricky, but they managed.
"We need to be quick," their mutate escort answered, "It sounds like someone's taking cannon fire."
Una turned her head toward the sounds that they were hearing. Where they were, the sound wasn't as loud as the sound of the bombs going off during the blitz, but it was enough to know that it wasn't something good.
"We will move quickly," Una nodded, "but I don't think what you're hearing is that dangerous… yet…"
"Not that dangerous?" the mutate asked as Una and Leo rapidly went from the front to their shop's stock room, "those are explosions. Practically as bad as what went down with the Unseelies… makin' us attack your friends in New York."
"They're low grade artillery explosions," Leo answered, "perhaps a mortar. Nothing that will do much to most houses and certainly has nothing on the bombs from the blitz."
The mutate blinked and then remembered all that he and the other mutates had been told when Arthur and Macbeth helped them get settled into their new 'home' in London after their return. Una and Leo had been alive and lived through the blitz the Nazis had made on London in 1940.
"I'm sorry, but the blitz was my grand-father's day," the mutate admitted, "I wouldn't know much about it."
Una and Leo nodded and focused on going through the isles that made up their stock room. They quickly found a few necessary materials and Una began packing them into a small satchel as they went. They only paused when Leo handed some items to Una.
"Do you have it all?" the mutate asked as the two gargoyles met at the end of the isle in the middle of the storeroom.
"Yes," Leo nodded, "its older stock, but it should work for what you plan to do."
"It'll eat away the wall?" the mutate wondered as he began to lead them out.
"It will allow us to move through it as if it weren't there," Una answered, "in a sense it will lower the wall's density to the point that we can pass through. But it will only last a short time."
The mutate nodded and looked out. For the moment the street seemed fairly clear. They were soon out and moving back toward the subway entrance they had come from earlier.
London, East Side Docks
The colonel watched quietly as warehouses took some mortar fire. Some were armor piercing and could go through the building and then explode while others were high explosive and did damage on impact. The hope was that the combination would draw the resistance fighters out. He could see all of the warehouses they were laying siege to, but it would appear that they weren't coming out to fight them.
"They're trying to hold out," an officer near him commented, "that old guy must have drilled them in some sort of military discipline thing…"
"A man with outdated military experience trained a bunch of rebels overnight?" the colonel asked.
"Either that or they're too scared to come out," the colonel answered.
The other officer nodded, "Shall we send in the infantry, sir?"
"Yes," the colonel responded, "make sure they are not able to escape or hide."
Southeast of Basingstoke, UK
The farmer's old truck didn't move that fast as they drove along a more minor road in a southeasterly direction. It would take them away from a direct route to London, but the Illuminati force that they had tangled with at Stonehenge had expected them to take the direct route and was blocking the direct routes to London. There would likely be a roadblock of some kind, but Arthur expected it to be small in size.
"I would have thought that the personnel carrier would have been safer," Griff commented from where he was seated in the bed of the truck, "it was armored."
"It was also out of gas," Coyote answered, "and the Illuminati may be monitoring your gas stations closely. They'd surely notice an armored personnel carrier stopping at one."
"Petrol, the word is petrol," Griff corrected.
"Same difference," Coyote answered, "besides, they don't know you're now travelling by truck. Surprise is now on your side."
"You're sure?" Julia asked, travelling in the bed of an old farmer's truck did not entirely sit well with her either.
"Positive," Coyote nodded with a smile, "and I can help make sure of it."
"And Merlin has his powers back," Rachael added, "any impediment they thought Merlin would be on us is now over."
Griff and the other gargoyles nodded, when they suddenly felt the vehicle come to a slow stop. Griff got up and slowly looked out into the night, resting on arm on the cab of the truck. He could make out what looked like campfires ahead of them. If it wasn't fire, it was still some form of light.
"Looks like we got a checkpoint up ahead," Reginald spoke from the cab, "what do you want to do about it, Arthur?"
Arthur joined Griff in standing up and looked out. His vision was not as good, but he could see the points of light in the distance.
"Can we go around them?" Arthur asked.
"Not without drawing a lot of attention," Reginald answered, "and this truck is old enough that we wouldn't last long."
"It might only be a small camp," Griff commented, "we might be able to overpower them…"
"No, we need to get back to London," Arthur answered, "we attack and they'll surely send a distress signal to their other camps. By the time we get by them, their reinforcements will be on our tails."
"Could you make them sleep, Merlin?" Lancelot wondered, "You know… doze off and not notice us driving by?"
"I'm not strong enough to make that many fall asleep," Merlin commented, "not for long enough to get by them, anyway."
"I might be, though," Coyote commented, "give me a few moments, and keep your headlights low."
The southwestern fey then jumped out of the bed of the truck, waved to Beth seated in the cab with Reginald, and then seemed to turn to mist. Arthur and the others could only watch.
Up the street, the Illuminati soldiers manning the road checkpoint stood calmly on guard. They were part of the division that had been 'defeated' at Stonehenge. Many of them wanted another shot at whoever had erected the massive rose-thorn maze that they had to cut their way out of. The route wasn't considered a likely route, but was still one that would have to be monitored. After all, Pendragon would likely try to return to London, and they had to catch him. And so they had moved down this road and set up a small camp.
The camp was made up of a few rows of tents, where most were presently sleeping, but there were at least five sentries on duty. Two were watching the road while the rest were watching the rest of the camp. That didn't help them as creeping mist seemed to drift up from the side of the road and toward them. The first sentry didn't notice it, but the second one did.
"Wha…" the man said in a surprised voice, and then fell over backwards.
Noticing the mist didn't help them much. It rapidly drifted over them, and as they breathed it in, they fell asleep and fell over. They didn't notice it as it then spread further out and began to move into the rest of the camp. A few short gasps from those that were still conscious or semi-conscious were heard before the camp fell into a dead silence.
"Be safe, Coyote," Beth whispered nervously from the cab of the truck as she tried to make out what was going on, but with the truck's lights presently off, she couldn't see much.
"With as much as he can do, I don't think you have anything to worry about," Reginald commented, "all the stuff he can do that breaks every law of science I was taught in school."
"The fey are not entirely invincible," Beth reminded him, "stronger magic or iron, or any noise generated from iron, like a bell, can kill them, or at least cause them severe pain."
"We don't rely on iron as much anymore," Reginald commented, "he should be fine."
Beth was about to answer when the mist that Coyote had turned into returned. She watched as Coyote reappeared out of the mist and then dropped to the ground by the truck. She was out of the vehicle and to his side in a second.
"Coyote! Are you okay?" Beth demanded, sounding frightened.
"Just a little tired," Coyote answered in a few short gasps, "might have over done it a little."
Beth sighed and began to help him up and move him toward the cab of the truck.
"Here, rest in here," Beth urged, "I'll ride in the bed with others."
Coyote nodded and didn't argue with her.
"We are safe to go," Coyote announced as loud as he could manage, "we'll get by them all."
"Thanks," Reginald smiled while he waited for Beth to climb into the bed of the truck.
London
The battle near Westminster Palace was rapidly evolving into a shifting firefight. The guards around the palace that were seen from the buildings that Catherine Silver and her teams occupied were taken down fairly quickly, and Chloe in her diving attacks managed to grab a couple of Illuminati soldiers and throw them far enough away that they were knocked out cold by the impact. However, several men had rushed out of Westminster and were rapidly firing toward the buildings the resistance members were on. Thankfully, the shots weren't super accurate.
"That one was close!" Foyle gasped as a round zipped by them and ricocheted off of another part of the roof behind him.
"Not close enough," Catherine answered, "It was still way high."
"Only because they're all now so nervous that the gargoyle will grab them," Foyle answered, "they're firing at random which is keeping her at bay and limiting what we can do."
"So long as they focus on us, they won't notice that we aren't the main rescue party," Catherine answered.
"And that's assuming the gargoyle didn't launch this distraction too soon," Foyle answered, "they could call in reinforcements and nail us all."
"Do you ever see the bright side in things, Foyle?" Catherine asked.
"Not when my life is on the line, no," Foyle answered.
Catherine only sighed as one of the team then took a shot at an Illuminati soldier running toward some cover, managing to wound the man in the knee.
The East Side Docks
"You found no one?" the colonel in charge of controlling Illuminati invasion demanded as the infantry returned.
"No one," an infantryman answered, "no people, no guns, no grenades, no intelligence of any kind. Most of what is there is stuff that was intended to be shipped OUT before our invasion."
"Damn it!" the colonel swore, "How could this be?"
"Perhaps the old man has given you false information," the subordinate officer commented to him, "after all; he was alive in the middle ages. I'd have to assume he knows torture techniques and thus knows how to resist them."
"Macbeth," the colonel growled in a low and clearly frustrated voice, when he heard faint gunshots in the distance, "they've gone to rescue him!"
"How many are guarding him?" the officer asked.
"Not enough!" the colonel gasped.
Illuminati Prison Cell
Macbeth had only just recovering as much of the battle outside had begun. He couldn't hear the shots being fired or Chloe's occasional battle cry, but he did hear the surprise and almost panic that had shaken the Illuminati men manning the prison he was in. At first, he was too weak to pay much attention, but some of the Illuminati men alerted him to why he should pay attention.
"It's the resistance!" a call echoed down the hall, "they're attacking us!"
Macbeth lay quietly on his bunk trying to recover.
"They've got their gargoyle diving on us!" the call then finished.
That made him sit up and watch as he saw several guards ran past his cell. They paid little attention to him and rushed by.
"How many of them?"
"Just one, but the others are shooting at us from rooftops. I don't know how many of them are there."
Macbeth gave pained groan and hoped Catherine Silver had something better than simply rushing the Illuminati forces guarding him.
Nearby and still underground, Una, Leo, and their mutate guards made it to where the other mutates figured they'd found the underground prison. Four other English mutates were waiting quietly by what looked like a metal wall. Una was also quick to notice that they mutates had removed several bricks from the wall, which would mean that the Illuminati had disguised the prison.
"This is it?" Una asked.
"This is the only metal box underground that isn't on public maps," the first of the waiting mutates answered, "and it was disguised. If it isn't the base, it's at least another Illuminati facility."
"That doesn't do Macbeth much good if we fail," Leo commented.
"We have no choice," their mutate guard commented, "We have to do something."
Una and Leo traded glances and set down to begin mixing their ingredients. It would take them a few minutes to mix things and then get the incantation right.
"This will take a few moments," Leo told them.
Outside the battle continued. By now, the Illuminati men were focused almost entirely focused on Catherine Silver's men out on the rooftops. Chloe had been deterred by wild shots that had forced her back and she was now moving along the roof of palace, looking for any opportunity to strike at the Illuminati men while their guard was down. Chloe did her best to stay in the shadows as she maneuvered along the palace roof. The building was historic, and she didn't want to damage anything.
"They're running out of men," Chloe thought to herself as she looked at the Illuminati men in small groups trying to return the resistance group's fire, "Time to go…"
Chloe then leaped again dove toward the closest Illuminati soldiers to them. They fired on the resistance and took fire from them. One did manage to look up, but it was far too late. Chloe grabbed the Illuminati soldier by his back, clubbed him upside the head and began to carry him off. Chloe heard a few shouts and then a shot or two, but when the Illuminati tried to fire at her, they were picked off by the resistance members. As she glided back to the rooftop the battlefield grew quiet.
"I think this is the last of them," Chloe spoke as she tossed the unconscious Illuminati soldier to the rooftop.
"And you got us some supplies," Foyle commented, "Hopefully what he's using is compatible with our weapons."
"It should be," Catherine told him, "our weapons are their weapons under OUR control."
Foyle didn't say anything. Chloe meanwhile turned to the palace.
"We can go on in," Chloe commented, "Free Macbeth."
"That is up to your clan mates and the mutates," Catherine answered.
Outside the wall, Una and Leo had finished mixing the ingredients and now the white unicorn-like gargoyle began to apply it to the metal that made up the wall of the underground structure that had been found.
"Now we are ready," Leo said to the six mutates with them as Una applied it.
"We're ready," a bulldog mutate answered, electricity crackling at his fingertips.
Una nodded and then spoke the command in Latin, "Infirmarent ut perambulent!"
The mutates looked on quietly, while Una turned to the others, "Come on. We must move quickly. The spell will only last for a minute or so!"
Macbeth managed to keep watch as the battle went on. Things had managed to quiet down, but he guessed that was because the prison's garrison had left to deal with the attack that Catherine and one of the London Clan was making. There was one man left, who was guarding him with every weapon an individual infantryman could carry. If Macbeth weren't still recovering from his interrogations, he would have told the soldier that he was over armed to guard a man held by an energy field.
However, the opportunity to say even that faded when he was blinded by a sudden flash from the far side of the hall. What followed was a series of footfalls. The soldier on guard turned, only to take two electric blasts in the chest and sent flying. Leo, Una, and six English mutates then appeared in front of the energy field.
"Here he is!" one of the mutates exclaimed, "He don't look too well."
"Are you alright, Macbeth?" Una asked.
"Give me time and I will be," Macbeth managed.
"Are there any more in here?" Leo asked.
"No," Macbeth spoke, "I think all of them went out to counter your attack on the men outside."
"That's Chloe and Catherine's forces," one of the mutates answered, "they're our distraction."
Macbeth managed to blink while the mutates then simultaneously blasted the controls that kept the energy field up. Under that much electrical energy, the device overloaded and went down. Una and Leo were quick to enter and help Macbeth to his feet. Both gargoyles could see that he wasn't in any shape to fight anyone. He might not even be able to walk.
"We're here to rescue you," the mutate then finished.
"Then, let us go," Macbeth managed weakly.
On the Road…
The colonel braced himself as they road along London's streets, hoping to get back to the Westminster area. They were taking turns quickly and barely had time to prepare for each one they took. As they tried to keep from flying around the inside of the vehicle they were in, the colonel and those with him silently grumbled to themselves over the situation. The colonel, himself, was especially frustrated. He had been lead to believe that the warehouse district was the Rebellion's main HQ and supply area from his interrogations of Macbeth and now, not only had that been a rouse, but someone was attacking the prison where Macbeth was being held.
"Another fine mess you've gotten us into," his 'subordinate' officer commented to him, "deceived and now failing utterly… again!"
"Shut up!" the colonel responded angrily, "if we hurry we might arrive in time."
The colonel's anger was mostly due to the fact that his 'subordinate' was technically right. He had been made a fool of, and now it was likely that his prisoner was going to escape. He knew Macbeth's only hope was that he couldn't get away quickly, but the deception might be good enough that it would not matter. He honestly hoped the units Two had sent to Stonehenge returned to London. They at least had a general officer that the men would respect. He felt he'd done a decent job, but decent isn't always good enough.
Westminster Palace
Macbeth still felt rather weak as he made his way out of the palace with the mutates as well as Una and Leo staying close to him. He half expected to find several armed Illuminati waiting for him, but instead, all he could see was the remains of the firefight. There were some, but they were all firing at a nearby building, and were paying no attention to the rescue party. Una and Leo helped steady him as he slowly made his way down the stairs. The mutates, meanwhile moved forward.
"Allow us…" the bulldog mutate spoke.
Macbeth barely had the energy to nod and watched and listened to the crackle of electricity as the mutates blasted the Illuminati soldiers from behind. The soldiers screamed, but soon fell unconscious. With that, Macbeth managed to make out Chloe's shape gliding down toward them in the darkness.
"Macbeth! Are you okay?" Chloe asked him as she gripped him and wrapped him in her wings.
"I will be," Macbeth managed, "sore from their questioning and their strategy of asking the questions, but I will be fine."
"Good," Chloe spoke firmly, "we'll need to get out of here. Ms. Silver feels the Illuminati may rush here when they realize that we're attacking their prison."
"Then, let us go," Leo nodded in agreement, "our rescue mission is now complete."
Ballymena, Northern Ireland, UK
"This guy's impossible to hit…" an Illuminati soldier cursed as a barbed spear flew through the air and cut down another soldier manning a heavy machinegun.
The fighting away from London and where the Illuminati had been fighting the British army in Scotland was just as savage as it was in other portions of the country. And like Arthur Pendragon and Macbeth, fighting behind the lines in England, Northern Ireland had its own 'super powered' individual fighting against their invasion. This was Cuchulainn, the ancient Celtic hero, who was secretly Rory Dugan. And it was Cuchulainn who was attacking a small Illuminati patrol in Ballymena.
The Irish hero then leaped from the roof of the building he had thrown the spear from. It was only one story, so it wasn't too much. Cuchulainn landed on one soldier and shoved his head to the ground hard, knocking him out, and then swung one fist to catch the last of the soldiers. The blow sent the man flying and he landed in a small street fountain.
"This guy has seen worse than men with guns running spooked about a 'ghost'," Cuchulainn said calmly and looked down the area around the portion of the town he was in.
He'd been privately sure that there were more Illuminati soldiers in the area, but at the moment there were only three. He shrugged and guessed the others had either fled or weren't close enough to notice him. He gripped Gae Bolga and in a flash of light returned to the form of Rory Dugan. His fight had been one of ambushing infantry patrols in Cuchulainn's form and then reverting to Rory Dugan when he was sure no one could see him. It had been a fairly successful one that had allowed him to create a great deal of fear among the Illuminati. They seemed to refer to him as a ghost. It wasn't much, but he figured that if he could do enough, the Illuminati would back off or leave altogether. He wasn't quite sure on what to do from there.
Rory looked up when he heard a few shots in the distance. They didn't sound like executions, more like a firefight. That left him fairly puzzled, as from what he remembered, the British army in Northern Ireland was clinging to the north coast. He moved to the northern edge of the town only to see an armored personnel carrier came around the corner with the Union Jack flying from one of its antennas. It came to a stop in front of him, and a hatch on the top opened. A British soldier appeared there shortly after.
"You British?" the soldier asked.
"Irish, from Ulster," Rory answered, "You?"
The soldier nodded.
"What are you doing down here?" Rory asked, "I heard you were all pinned down at Ballycastle."
"Was," the soldier smiled, "Blighters around here been spooked by some ghost or something and our intelligence says they're all concerned about events closer to London… apparently the guy they want is helping us in his own way."
Rory nodded.
"Plus our last reserves got pumped into the fight here," the soldier added, "They came in during the day and we got the men to drive them out… especially if they're all still chasing this ghost of theirs."
"I see," Rory said slowly and then let them pass.
It appeared as though rescue was getting closer at hand. He'd have to do more as Cuchulainn, but if he could get rid of the Illuminati, he'd do a lot to keep his hometown and his father safe. For the moment, while he wasn't quite sure as to whether or not the man identified as 'Arthur Pendragon' was good or not, but he did have to admit that his presence was already turning the tide. Rescue was not far off…
The End…