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 two days after "Once and Future King: Rescue".
This is the most up to date chapter for the Britannia saga and will now go into my normal rotation of stories.
Once and Future King: Rise Up!
By SN
Email: Sam_Nary
London
The military commander who served with Two at Stonehenge paced in a very frustrated manner in the offices that had once belonged to the overall Illuminati commander before he was assassinated at the beginning of Macbeth's brief uprising in London. In front of him, the colonel that had found himself in charge in the wake of the overall military commander's assassination stood nervously. The room was quiet of nearly all noise, and that which could be heard was not a serious matter. The buzzing of a fly's wings or the hum of the air conditioning and heating units were about all that could be heard besides the general's boots hitting the floor.
"You've half doomed us!" the general finally growled, "Doomed us!"
"I didn't fail to defend Two, General Crawly," the colonel said nervously, trying anything to defend himself, "Macbeth and his compatriots seem to be smarter than anyone anticipated. Stronger too…"
"That's a pitiful excuse," General Crawly answered, "You know full well that we'd pulled troops from the front lines to forge the trap that Pendragon escaped at Stonehenge and you furthered it by overreacting to Macbeth's uprising?!"
"He could have had more men," the colonel answered, "and his first move was to assassinate the Illuminati's military commander for the entire invasion. What was I supposed to do? Just let them take London?"
"I expected you to understand the overall situation!" the general screamed, "this resistance that has grown up around Pendragon and Macbeth is small and insignificant in size. ALL of their supplies are originally ours and came from the ambush they launched on our north base! There was no way they could have taken London! No way!"
The general then turned to face the colonel, whose nervous look had grown even greater. He could see sweat pouring down the colonel's face. That nervousness, however, didn't ease his mode or make him try to reassure the colonel's nerves.
"And in overreacting, you've weakened our fronts in other sectors and the British pushed us back a bit in the north, but worse they secured Northern Ireland," General Crawly growled, "As a result, we've lost ground, we've lost face, and we lost Two all in one fell swoop! Any one of these could be problematic, but we could overcome them. All of them are a recipe for defeat!"
"But you…" the colonel began to point out.
"Pendragon will surely attract more to his banner and we will need to pull more men away from the front to confront him and his allies, which defeats the entire military purpose of the invasion in the first place!" General Crawly continued as he slammed his fist down, "It will give the regular British troops confidence and hope that they can turn things around."
Scapa Flow
Rory was somewhat awestruck and surprised by where he was. Finding out that he was carrying the 'avatar' of his ancestor, Cuchulainn, had found him doing far more than just goofing off or engaging in petty crime… though he figured that that had been more Molly, Banshee's, influence. He had become somewhat of a local hero in dealing with things like cats up trees and even managed to find some honest work, though it wasn't much, but he never pictured anything like this. Scapa Flow was once the headquarters of Britain's navy, and had been reactivated thanks to the Illuminati invasion, and now Rory found himself there. He was escorted by a lieutenant through hallways that he never figured he be wandering down.
"I'm still not sure if I belong here," Rory commented as he looked at the wall, looking to see that paintings that had once been there had been removed, likely for their own protection.
"From what the reports that the men in Ireland gave, I'd wager that you would be quite valuable here," the lieutenant replied, "at least for a short while."
"I really didn't see much," Rory answered.
"Yes… but you did see this armored warrior that the Illuminati called a ghost?" the lieutenant answered with another question.
"Cuchulainn?" Rory shrugged, "He's a hero in my part of Ireland, and was an ancestor of mine… but much about him is merely a legend."
"Every legend has some truth to it," the lieutenant replied, "but anyway, I'm only here to escort you."
Rory only nodded. He then quietly followed the man on. He was eventually lead into a small sort of conference room with sever high up looking officials in the room. It only added to his feelings of unease with being where he was.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Dugan," one of the generals there spoke calmly, "We've been told that you were involved in assisting our units retake Northern Ireland."
"Not directly, sir and nothing I did was special," Rory answered.
"Not according to the reports we've received, both from the units that met you when they retook Northern Ireland and from prisoners that we've taken there," the general answered.
Rory stood there nervously. He really didn't want to let anyone know about his connection to Cuchulainn, but if pressed, he might not get that chance.
"Many of the Illuminati troops in interrogations ranted about being attacked by some 'ghost' wielding a spear made out of light," a different general answered, "and this included many of the men we took prisoner when our men first ran into you."
"If anything, I was only a small part of things," Rory spoke up, "I really don't think anyone should be ruled over by these Illuminati…"
"And we are grateful for the help," the first general spoke, "but I don't think you were a small player in this."
Rory gulped.
"Either you've found some powerful weapon that the Illuminati troops misidentified and couldn't counter, or you planned out the actions that a warrior undertook to disrupt their campaign," that first general said slowly.
That made Rory give a sigh of relief. They didn't say that he was essentially the reincarnation of a Celtic hero from ancient times.
"We were hoping you and possibly your warrior or group of warriors could assist in the coming campaign against the Illuminati in Scotland and England," the second general spoke, "We know that Pendragon and a man called 'Macbeth' have been helping us out around London, but we haven't been able to make contact with him. We need someone we can communicate with and help disrupt the Illuminati… especially near York…"
"Which is where we intend to begin our main drive back toward London," the first general finished.
"I'm not really much of a military man, sir," Rory answered, "I might be able to give them a little trouble here and there, but nothing that would really help you directly."
The gathered generals all looked down and looked almost frustrated by things. It was as if they were expected more. Rory only gave a sigh in response to that. He didn't like the Illuminati any more than they surely did, and he had taken on the role of a 'hero' after becoming Cuchulainn. He also noticed that the generals also mentioned the names Arthur Pendragon and Macbeth. From what he remembered, the Illuminati seemed to blame at least Arthur for the war, and the generals did seem to think they were helping them.
"I might be able to find this Arthur Pendragon, though," Rory then commented, "You said he was active around London?"
The generals all looked up.
"You would get him for us?" the first general asked.
"He would be better served to helping you than I would, and by going alone, I could get to him without drawing too much attention to you," Rory answered, "It'd be the least I can do."
Rory watched as the generals then whispered something among each other. After a few moments, the first turned him.
"Will you need any help to get through the lines?" the first general asked.
"A distraction, maybe," Rory answered, "though, I'd assume you'll also want me to take some sort of radio so that you can talk with him once I find him?"
The generals nodded.
Farnham, England, UK
Meanwhile the man that the 'free' British generals wanted to meet was standing guard over the statues of the gargoyles that had come with him. Arthur had hoped to get back to London quickly where he could reunite with Macbeth and figure out the next move, or force some endgame that they could win, and at first, things had looked like they might just make it. They got through a guard post near Basingstoke with little trouble, but they sound found other checkpoints that were far more alert. One even opened fire on the truck they were in and it was only Coyote's magic and Griff diving on them in surprise that enabled them to escape. Even with that, the truck took enough damage that they had to go on foot. As such, they only made it as far as Farnham.
They were presently hiding on the roof of the town's church. Griff, Lancelot, Julia, and Octavia took positions where their stone forms would blend in with the church's appearance while their human companions sat quietly in one of the bell towers. The only one who had gone out was Coyote, and mostly as a scout to see what was going on in the city and come up with some route to take once the sun set, and that had seemed like an increasingly more difficult as the Illuminati seemed to be setting up more check points and patrols that were becoming more difficult to avoid.
"Troubles?" came a soft voice from behind Arthur as he looked out from his spot inside one of the bell towers.
Arthur turned to see Rachael standing quietly on the wooden platform that was made up the internal framework and portions of the church's bell towers. He knew she was still dealing with the tough decisions she had to make with regard to Two, but she did look like she was doing okay with it. She had come a long way from when he and Merlin had first met her when she was still afraid of her werewolf form. Now, she could not only control it, but had really become part the 'team' as it were, even if that hadn't been her original goal. Remembering that made him sigh.
"I'm sorry to have drug you into this," Arthur said slowly.
"All this?" Rachael asked.
"You didn't want to be part of all my adventures once," Arthur answered, "merely to adapt to what the Illuminati's lycan did to you."
"Things change," Rachael answered, "I'm not the same woman you met back then."
There was something about her that looked somewhat serious, but still very concerned. Arthur also remembered what he had been told after the battle with Two at Stonehenge.
"I've become stronger… and I'm not just talking about my physical strength," Rachael continued slowly, "and you aren't a bad man… certainly better than these Illuminati nitwits."
"Thank you," Arthur gave a weak smile, and then looked out over the town, "Now if only there was a way to defeat them without having to run and cower every day to protect the gargoyles… not to mention avoid the risk of them deciding to do something truly wicked in retaliation."
Meanwhile Coyote was making his the town and observing various things as he did so. There weren't too many soldiers there in Farnham, and most of those that were there seemed to be the garrison type troops that were intended to only handle minor police work. But there were some that looked like they were parts of the units that had been around Stonehenge. In that sense it was clear that the army that they had tricked and escaped were now either hunting them, or at least trying to force a rematch of the earlier battle. However that wasn't the only thing he heard.
"They're doing too much," said a voice, "to many men and demanding too much."
"All to catch this 'Arthur Pendragon' if he really is who they say he is," another commented.
Coyote quietly came around the corner to see two women grumbling at the door of a nearby market building. They seemed to be discussing something that related to the Illuminati invasion. They were against it, but were clearly confused over why the Illuminati had invaded. At this, Coyote decided to try and see what he could do to help get them on Arthur's side. He then made his way closer and used just enough magic to ensure that the face they would see wouldn't be one that the Illuminati would recognize.
"Would it really matter if he is Arthur Pendragon or not?" Coyote then inquired as he made himself known to them, "The Illuminati is making everyone suffer anyway. Even if they had Arthur, I'd bet they'd still make our lives miserable."
The two women looked him at him slowly and then acknowledged him.
"But he is still the reason they attacked us, son," one said, "If we get rid of Arthur… maybe we could convince the Illuminati to back off."
"Back off for what?" Coyote retorted, "We still know they're out there… and they've gone so far… what reason would they really have to back off?"
"None," the other said slowly, "but… to have one man bring all this on us…?"
"That's akin to saying World War II was Churchill's fault," Coyote charged, "that if we just let Hitler have his way with Europe, we wouldn't have had a problem. The Illuminati are just as bad."
"So what would you do, young man?" another asked in both suspicious and irritated voice, "hide and just let them take over? As you appeared to do?"
"I did want to fight!" Coyote answered, playing the role of a young man who the war had passed over quickly, "but what was I to do? I was too young to formally join the army before the invasion, and when they came… they came too quick. I didn't even know they were there until after they went PAST my home!"
"So what do we do then?" the other woman demanded, though it a bit more hushed voice than her neighbor, Cathy and I are too old to be soldiers."
"I'd say we all fight," Coyote urged, "find this Arthur and fight with him. Age doesn't matter. We've got to do something to slow them down, and maybe this Arthur will know what to do."
"With what?" the first woman, Cathy said back, and then glanced down the street, "Knitting needles?"
"With whatever we can get… if a husband or brother has a gun, get that… steal some weaponry from the Illuminati themselves," Coyote answered, "I've scouted around their little camps here… some of them aren't too hard to get into."
"You're quite an adventuresome young man," the second woman said slowly, and then gave a sigh, "but I would like to see these Illuminati buggers gone. Find this Arthur and we'll see if we can find you some volunteers. We'll meet at the cathedral."
To that Coyote did smile. While Arthur may not want an army that would best function as guerillas and causing mayhem, he knew that he wasn't going to get an army of trained warriors. Those were far to the north. Arthur would need to get the average British citizen to unite and rise up with him. It wouldn't be much, but Coyote had the gut feeling that that and some trickery was the only thing that would work.
Buckhaven and Methil, Scotland, UK
Rory sat quietly inside what looked like a sort of private yacht combined with a speed boat that was being hidden under tarps at its small mooring. Given its location it looked out of place, and Rory felt even more out of place given how they had dressed him. He was dressed all in black with even a black cap that hugged his head a little too tightly for his tastes. They were now presently waiting for both the sun to set and enough darkness to come down that they could try to sneak past the main front lines. Some of it was still a bit odd, since he had been told that the army had pushed the Illuminati forces back in some places as well and had made it as far south as Ainwick when their units in Northern Ireland had ran into him, and that still made Rory wonder if he had made the right choice in agreeing to find Arthur for them.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Rory asked nervously as he scratched at his chest, "I could always go overland."
"You're more likely to attract attention that way," a naval lieutenant answered, "we want to get you behind Illuminati lines without having to fight a major battle to do so. Going overland would require that."
Rory looked across the room to the lieutenant, who had a couple of naval NCOs manning the actual controls of the ship.
"Here… the navy will stage some raids along the coast and we'll go out further and move further down the coast," the lieutenant continued, "and you said you could swim well?"
Rory nodded.
"And once we get close enough, you'll take that waterproof box, which has the radio in it, and you'll swim in," the lieutenant finished, "You won't be in the town, but you may still want to get away from where you land fairly quickly. I can't really be sure how active they will be or how much attention they will be posing."
"That's what has me nervous," Rory answered and then looked out to see the sun set over the western horizon, "they could blow us to smithereens without a second thought."
There was no answer and Rory only sat quietly as the navy men began to start up the ship's engines. It was doubtful that it would stand up to any sort of fire, but it did look just civilian enough that maybe no one would really notice it. After a few moments he felt the ship lurch forward and pull away from the dock. A few moments later another NCO came in.
"We're clear of the dock, sir," the sailor reported, "and the fleet should already be on their way to their diversions."
"Then let's up we can get through this safely and see if you can stir up some rebellions against the Illuminati while on your way to finding Arthur," the lieutenant nodded with his eyes looking directly to Rory.
Rory only sighed again.
Farnham
Griff and other gargoyles that had gone with Arthur to restore Merlin's powers awoke with the setting of the sun, and the griffon-like gargoyle looked forward to resuming their journey to London and making their movement. He joined Julia and Octavia in heading in through a window into the bell tower that Arthur and the others were waiting in. He found them all talking with Coyote who was reporting on what scouting errands he had been asked to run during the day.
"An armed insurrection?" Arthur asked, "That would…"
"It would give you the thing you need," Coyote answered, "an army. As you are, you're nothing more than a mosquito bite to the Illuminati. If they're smart, they'll finish off the regular army and THEN move on to you."
"These men won't be soldiers," Reginald spoke up, "and we don't have the arms to give them, even if they do join us."
"One doesn't need to have a trained army," Coyote answered, "Tribes in America's west held off vastly better trained and better armed soldiers for years before disease and starvation rather than military defeats forced them to surrender."
"Most of those tribes though had strong warrior cultures," Beth reminded him, "they may have had no formal training, but that doesn't mean they were strangers to war."
"What's going on?" Griff asked as he came in and gave Octavia and Julia room to enter. Lancelot, meanwhile, followed in behind them.
"Coyote believes we need to try and incite more rebels against the Illuminati," Merlin told him…
"And use alternative tactics," Coyote finished, "hit and run… nibbling at small units and taking any and all weapons they had with them."
"A bit different from the Battle of Britain," Griff said slowly.
"Or the stories of Arthur's reign," Lancelot added.
Arthur gave a frustrated nod. What Coyote had proposed was something very different from what he had ever experienced as king. And it was true that he didn't have an army with which to defeat the Illuminati in a traditional fight.
"Guerilla tactics would still require some training," Reginald pointed out, "otherwise, your guerilla won't know when to retreat and disappear."
"Between Merlin, Beth, and I… we can provide enough of a distraction that you, Arthur, Rachael, and the gargoyles can provide whatever training may be needed," Coyote answered, "and remember, you will need to start somewhere."
"I know," Arthur gave a slow nod, "I know… but they're all so innocent… so outside…"
"That's the fifth century talking," Coyote warned, "more honorable, perhaps. But it isn't the way the Illuminati or most other armies wage war today. Especially when it seems that both sides are evenly balanced."
"Total war," Griff said slowly, and fears of what might have happened if Hitler had won flashed through his mind.
"And they said they would come here," Coyote spoke, "Give them a chance. This invasion can't be popular and you will need ALL the help you can get."
"All right," Arthur sighed, "I'll meet with them, "You and Griff will come with me. If they are to help… they'll need to know some of the… eccentricities that will go along with working with me."
Coyote nodded while Arthur turned to the rest of them.
"I'll need the rest of you to keep a look out as we may need to make a quick getaway," Arthur spoke calmly, "and the more surprises that we'd have on our side, the better."
"Of course, sir," Reginald saluted.
"You can count on us, your majesty," Lancelot vowed.
"And good that you've agreed," Julia commented as she looked out of a different window, "because we have about twenty people headed this way… some look like they're armed with old hunting rifles."
Arthur only gave a sigh and began to walk down the stairs. Griff followed quietly, with only the sound of Arthur's shoes hitting the floor being heard. Rachael watched both of them descend the staircase and privately hoped they weren't making a mistake. She glanced for Coyote but saw that he had vanished.
One of the two women that Coyote had spoken with earlier, Cathy, lead the procession toward the cathedral. It had been a fairly small one and a slow procession as they didn't wish to attract attention from the Illuminati garrison, which was fairly small, but still well armed. The young man who had spoken of rising up against the Illuminati spoke passionately and was highly defensive over the fact that the war had passed him by when they first invaded. But while the Illuminati were not popular in Farnham with all their curfews, rations, and removing them from governing themselves, Cathy and her friend hadn't found that many that would be willing to consider openly taking arms. Most of those that were, would be too old by most standards, but it wasn't like they didn't have much choice. As they approached the cathedral, the young man they'd met before was waiting for them at the door.
"This is all incredibly risky," Cathy announced, "but there are those that are willing to take a stand against the Illuminati."
"And any and all help would be appreciated," Coyote answered.
"Did you find him?" Cathy questioned.
"Yes," Coyote gave a smile, "Came here to pray for a miracle and found him actually making similar prayers… to free the people of Britain."
Coyote slowly opened the door, which creaked slowly as he did so. Once it was open, Coyote held it open and let the people go on in.
"Go on, he's waiting," Coyote urged.
Cathy slowly led the group through and went into the room where she remembered going to church since she was little. The grandeur of it was largely gone as the Illuminati had looted it when they passed through, claiming that there might have been some sort of 'magic trinket' that had been there. Trinket or not, that was more than enough for Cathy to hate the Illuminati. Standing at the head of the nave, near the alter was a lone man. He wore a long coat, jeans, a sweatshirt, and boots that were tucked inside the jeans he was wearing. Cathy also noticed what looked like the hilt, handle, and pommel of a broadsword sticking up behind the man's head and in front of the jacket he wore. This had to be Arthur, but strangely, he wasn't what attracted the most attention. That honor went to the gargoyle beside him.
"I saw him in London!" came a voice in surprise.
"The man?"
"No, the gargoyle! 'E's the one from the memorial!"
"Sir Griff did serve during your Battle of Britain," Arthur answered him, "and it has been my great honor to have him as one of my knights."
"So you do seek the throne?" a different man challenged.
"No," Arthur answered, "My time to live as Britain's political ruler has long since passed… I've found that in the world of today, the concept of 'kingship' and 'knighthood' are more metaphorical than anything else… to live up to the idea of Camelot… of chivalry and using might to protect and serve what is right."
There were a few hushed whispers that went through the group. Cathy only stood quietly.
"And today… that is you, the people of the United Kingdom… England… Great Britain… Britannia, whatever name you use," Arthur continued, "I will serve you, your people and your government, Parliament, Queen and all!"
"And you'll fight the Illuminati?" Cathy asked.
"To free you? Yes," Arthur answered, "To do what is right? Yes. To give you justice? Yes."
Cathy listened as several of the people there actually cheered. She glanced to see that Coyote had joined them.
"But the fight will be tough and the forces arrayed against me are too great to fight alone," Arthur continued, "I will need those brave enough to risk their lives in rising up against the Illuminati and joining me in what will be a form of warfare that you probably did not read about in the legends about Merlin and Me."
"Can he help?"
"He can and will," Arthur answered, "and there are others who will help. Some are like Griff here… they are gargoyles. One… one is also a different version of human…"
"Different version of human?" the question sounded suspicious.
Arthur was slow in answering. He didn't want to reveal to them that Rachael was a werewolf, as they might break off from them thanks to the common stereotypes that werewolves were brainless murderers. But the suspicious tone they had taken made it impossible for him to avoid it. He looked up to try and explain her condition when he noticed that Rachael had come downstairs, fully transformed and wearing the jumper that allowed her to avoid being naked when she returned to her human form.
"He means to say that I am a werewolf," Rachael spoke in a clear voice as she approached, "but hopefully you can see that I am NOT some mindless monster."
There were gasps as Rachael approached and they actually stepped aside to let her past them. She came up to Arthur quietly and then put a clawed hand on his shoulder in a way that made it clear that she wasn't going to just attack anyone.
"And I will also tell you that I fight by Arthur's side for a better future," Rachael finished, "You will find in me a strong protector. Just as strong as the gargoyles."
There were a few hushed whispers, but no one left the crowd. Arthur meanwhile took pause to whisper to Rachael.
"What brings you here?" Arthur whispered to her.
"We have a squad of what look like local garrison troops," Rachael whispered back, raising a hand to make sure that no one might read her lips, "They're headed this way. Merlin will bringing in some mist to obscure vision and Reginald is preparing to bring down some fire to pin them down while Lancelot, Julia, and Octavia take care of them… however, we will need to leave here shortly. Once they know something is up, their reinforcements will be coming in."
"We'll need to raid somewhere to arm these people if they side with us," Arthur answered.
"We might get some from the approaching guard, but we'll need to wait to get more arms from elsewhere," Rachael spoke slowly, by this time attracting attention of a different sort.
Cathy was as surprised as any other to see the female werewolf enter. Her tall and fur covered frame also displayed a great deal of muscle mass that actually managed to reinforce her femininity rather than take away from it. She was also surprised to see what looked like attraction between Rachael and Arthur, but said nothing on that. But they were whispering about something, and she thought she heard 'garrison' somewhere in it.
"What are you talking about?" came a demand from the crowd.
Arthur carefully motioned for Rachael to step to a side. He then spoke slowly.
"I am afraid that we may be having some unwanted company very soon," Arthur spoke, "I assure you that I and my friends and allies will do everything we can to make sure that you aren't captured by them. I would ask you to join us in fighting them and that we will ultimately do what we can to see that you are armed… but I will leave your decision to you. If you do not wish to join us… I will not hold it against you. But I will still ask that you take cover while we deal with this attack."
Off of Ashington
The thrashing and bouncing in the surf did not make Rory feel well. Their ship made it out quietly and had little attention paid attention to them. So, for the early nighttime hours, they made their way south until they came off of the town of Ashington which was still under Illuminati control. There was not any fire directed at them, but Rory could hear the sound of rockets and artillery in the distance. That had to be the distraction operation that Rory had heard the other sailors mention earlier.
"Okay, we're about in position, are you ready?" the lieutenant asked to Rory as he sat there.
Rory swallowed and lifted up the waterproof box that held the special radio he was to deliver to Arthur when he found him.
"About as ready as I'll ever be," Rory replied, knowing that it wasn't much.
He then turned to head out when the third sailor came up to him.
"I'll escort you onto the deck and will give the last checks before you go into the drink," the sailor spoke, "remember to go quick once you're ashore, as we can't stop and we have no way of knowing how much of a view we're giving them."
Rory nodded and made his way toward the stairs and then went up them. He made it topside to find the wind a bit refreshing, but much of it seemed to be from the movement of the small ship they were in. He then glanced out to see there were very few lights on along the coast. That gave him some hope that he'd be able to carry out the insane mission he'd volunteered for.
By this time the sailor had made it out and began to usher him to the stern of the ship. From there, Rory could see the wake of the ship.
"We're not too far from the coast, but you'll still want to be careful," the sailor instructed and took the box with the radio, "Remember, you're to jump behind the ship… you won't get sucked into the propellers that way."
Rory then felt his back being jerked around as the sailor began to fit an aluminum harness to his back that would hold the box and the radio while he swam.
"Right," Rory nodded as he accepted the straps to hold the harness to him and then snapped them shut.
As the last strap shut quietly the sailor then patted Rory's shoulder.
"Okay… you're good to go," the sailor responded, "JUMP!"
Rory did so, albeit with a little reluctance given how odd the overall situation was for him. He found the water cold and rapidly began to swim toward the coast. The 'uniform' he had been given clearly was not designed for being wet, and Rory figured he'd need to spend some time drying his clothes before doing anything else. His strokes were strong enough to avoid drowning, but also soon found that it wasn't entirely enough as he could feel the tide pulling at him.
"Come on," Rory grumble and briefly stopped to reach inside his coat where the stick that was the disguised spear of light held by some concealed straps. The straps had probably been intended for gun, but Rory wasn't about to complain about having something that could help them.
He gripped the stick tightly and then thrashed it in the water, and in a flash of light, Rory appeared to have vanished and Cuchulainn remained. He could still feel the aluminum frame and the radio on his back, but the effects of the tides was much less and Cuchulainn made much better progress toward the coast. However, the flash of light and the thrashing in the water also served to alert defenses along the coast. Cuchulainn squinted heavily as two flood lights came on and centered on him.
"Who's out there?" a voice shouted from the Ashington harbor, "speak or we shall shoot."
"So much for quietly landing away from their defenses," Cuchulainn thought to himself and then shouted back, "How is this for speaking!?"
He then threw his spear of light toward the flood lights. Gae Bolga hit one, which exploded, and then returned to Cuchulainn. The Irish hero did continue to swim while his spear struck that first flood light, but he also noticed that the other light was destroyed when the first was destroyed. The area rapidly fell into darkness and the men manning that defense point opened up with their machine guns.
Thankfully, without their flood lights, their aim wasn't perfect, though close enough for Cuchulainn to hurry. He made his way to the small dock, likely designed for small scale fishing and private 'pleasure' sailing rather anything big or official. As Cuchulainn climbed out of the sea, he found that the two defense points were a set of sand bags that were positioned more to check traffic coming down a small road along the coast than stopping any sort of amphibious operation. They did however notice his spear and tried to turn themselves.
"There he is!" one soldier shouted.
Cuchulainn ran hard and managed a swift leap into the first set of sandbags and tackling the Illuminati soldier manning the gun. The man bent backwards, lost his footing and fell unconscious when his head hit the ground. Cuchulainn back handed the other soldier in it, who tripped over the sandbags and was actually gunned down by the other sandbagged area.
"Damn it!" the soldiers cursed and tried to reposition their machine gun again.
Cuchulainn hit it with the spear of light, and a quick flash, they were unconscious. That left him in a moment of quiet, but he did hear shouts from the south and there were approaching flashlights in the distance and he rapidly left the area, vaulting a wall and returning to Rory's form. Once there, he removed the aluminum frame and took the radio by hand. He was still sopping wet, but he figured he'd be able to hide a bit better this way than as the Celtic hero he was descended from.
"Well… now I'm here," he said slowly, "Now to find this Arthur."
Farnham
The squad was made up of members of the local garrison that had been left behind in Farnham to 'protect' it after the Illuminati had conquered that part of the UK. General Crawly had men in the overall area, but they were largely sweeping the countryside for signs of Arthur and his allies. Their present investigation was focused on a few reports from one or two other patrols and a very small handful of informants that had reported strange activity near the cathedral. They assumed it would be a quick march in, arrest or shoot some lone rabble rouser and chastise the people he'd attracted. They felt it would do them good after news had come down to them that Two was dead and that Illuminati had been defeated in Ireland.
They did not march unnoticed as Merlin had helped Reginald get to a point on the roof of the cathedral where he would get a better shot at them than from the bell towers. He was also preparing to bring in a fog that would obscure the vision of the Illuminati garrison troops. Griff, Lancelot, Octavia, and Julia waited quietly on the top of the bell towers for the signal, which would be Reginald's first shots where they would dive down from the flanks. Beth remained behind as an additional lookout, just in case the squad wasn't alone.
"You realize the fog will also obscure your vision," Merlin warned Reginald.
"They're only one squad," Reginald answered, "All I need is one good shot. From there, the gargoyles and Rachael… who have better vision than I do can take over."
Merlin could only nod and then chanted quietly, "Venite caligo!"
And with that a thick fog erupted from Merlin's fingers and then sank down to the roof where they were crouched and then went further down toward where the soldiers were marching. They hadn't noticed it, but Reginald was not about to let them wait to find out if there was any trouble. He squeezed the trigger, and the first man in the line fell dead, and the ambush had begun.
On the ground level, the shot came as a great surprise. They expected a troublemaker, but they didn't expect that troublemaker to expect them.
"It came from the roof!" the third man in the squad shouted and pointed.
The others looked up only to see the thick fog descending from the roof toward them. This was immediately taken as another bad sign. Two men shot in the general direction of where the shot that had killed their leader came from, but with the fog coming in, they couldn't make the man out. In fact it even looked like he had backed off a bit and wasn't alone on the roof. As the fog began to envelop them, the third soldier even thought that he saw three winged shapes leave the bell towers.
"It's an ambush! Frank, get on the radio! Tell 'em that we found Arthur's crew!" the third soldier shouted.
The third soldier only turned the fourth, Frank, who had begun to reach for a walkie-talkie when he was grabbed by something that looked vaguely like an eagle in Roman armor grab him and throw him through window of the cathedral. An "urk" made him turn back toward the second soldier, and he found that a green colored griffon like gargoyle had made a hard dive and knocked the soldier out with one punch.
"You won't be warning anyone!" Griff said in a firm voice.
Before the third soldier could raise his weapon and fire, something hit his ankles and took his feet out from under him. The other soldiers behind him were soon pushed into a panicked run as Lancelot and Julia dove down and carried off one soldier, each. Griff only grimaced when he heard two 'thumps' as they were thrown into something made of stone.
"And hopefully Arthur and Rachael can grab the rest of them," Griff thought, remember the hasty plan that Reginald had to ambush the patrol as it made its final approach.
Arthur and Rachael made their way out of another door in time to see the fog roll in and begin to cover the area. As Arthur readied the electric blaster that he had been given, he found that the fog had turned everything into a greyish white haze.
"Can you still see?" Arthur asked to Rachael who was still in her wolf form. Her eyes presently seemed to glow a bright gold, amplified by the water particles in the air that went along with the fog that had come in.
"Yes," Rachael nodded, "Not perfectly, but I can still see quite well."
Arthur let her take the lead, as he would need her help to see through the fog as he couldn't see too far into the haze on his own. He heard the sounds of the gargoyles roars and some scattered gunfire as well as one set of windows breaking, and assumed that the ambush was going fairly well. Soon, a series of heavy footsteps was heard approaching them. Arthur managed to make out Rachael turning one of her ears to the sound.
"Get ready," Arthur instructed, "here they come!"
Arthur nodded, but only moved when Rachael leaped out onto the sidewalk in front of where they expected the fleeing Illuminati garrison men to be. They weren't all quite there, but they were close enough that when Rachael leaped, they did come to a stop. Hoping to get a good scare in, Rachael let out a loud growling snarl that revealed to them just how big her teeth were in wolf form. The men skidded to a halt and gave a panicked scream.
By this time Arthur had gotten in position to fire the electric blaster. He hit two in the chest, which knocked them out, but didn't fire on the third and final man in front of them. The soldier took advantage of Arthur's slower reflexes and raised his gun and fired. Arthur was knocked backward by the impact of the bullet into his thigh and fell onto his back.
"ARTHUR!" Rachael gasped and then grasped the soldier and lifted him up and then growled, "I ought to EAT you!"
The man screamed and pivoted his arms again and fired. Rachael gave a grunt as the bullet went through her abdomen and then out of her back. However, the round wasn't silver. Pain burned like fire in her midsection, but she managed just enough composure to toss the man up into the air where Julia and Octavia, who had been pursuing the soldiers from the air, caught him and then dove with the man into sidewalk. The blow finally knocked the man out.
"Are you alright?" Griff asked as he came running.
"I'll be fine," Rachael gave a groan, "Lycanthropic regeneration and all that… but Arthur may need direct help…"
Griff turned to see Arthur on his back and clutching at his thigh. He couldn't easily get up because of Excalibur, which was still on his back.
"Julia, get to Merlin," Griff instructed, "Arthur will need him to get over this. Octavia, help Lancelot gather up the ones we've knocked out. Remember that Reginald will want ALL of their gear."
"Right," Octavia sighed, "Though we may need to do more of this in order to arm anyone who volunteers for the idea of launching an armed revolution."
"Baby steps to saving the country and its people," Arthur said with a pained sigh from where he was.
Inside the church, Cathy and many of the others stood by nervously. The sight of the transformed Rachael had unnerved them and the report of their being found made many of them nervous. The sounds that echoed from outside raised even more fears, as inhuman roars echoed and gunshots interrupted them. However, the nervous waiting ended when a lone Illuminati soldier was thrown through one of the windows. Cathy watched in surprise as the man's gun landed on the floor and slid across the room until it hit the far wall. The man didn't go as far, and hit one of pews head first and then bounced backward and turned four hundred fifty degrees in the air and finally landed on his stomach at Cathy's feet.
"It is one of the garrison!" a man commented and came up and kicked the soldier as he lay there.
The soldier didn't move.
"And defeated to protect us… to protect you," Coyote spoke from where he was, which Cathy soon saw was where the gun had landed, "You must trust Arthur!"
"And if we decide not to?" Cathy asked carefully.
"Then he's given you the time needed to escape," Coyote countered.
Cathy looked to the others. Many of them were now focused on the unconscious or dead Illuminati soldier.
"What say you all?" Cathy asked.
"We'll stand with him!" then echoed loudly through the room.
The cheer was soon cut short as footsteps were heard. Some came from the main entrance area, and soon produced Merlin, Beth, and Reginald. Some of the people were a bit nervous by Reginald's appearance, but hadn't said anything, yet. What attracted the most attention was Rachael and Griff helping a wounded Arthur hobble into the sanctuary. Merlin and Beth were quick to rush to his side.
"I'll be fine," Arthur said in a pained voice, "but I think I will need medical attention…"
"I can provide it," Beth offered, "if we can get you to a spot that they won't think to look for you…"
"And I can remove the bullet without having to result to major surgery," Merlin promised, "It is the least I can do after all you've done for me through all of this."
The twenty that had answered Coyote's call through Cathy crowded toward him. Surprise and shock and confusion were among their thoughts. The Illuminati had blamed the war on him, and while they may have agreed that they were wrong to invade the country because of him, they hadn't truly thought he was the real man of legend. Merely a man who was playing to it, but he had all these powerful friends who could have helped him escape. And yet here he was, still in Farnham and wounded besides.
"You've been shot…!" Cathy found herself gasping.
"Yes," Arthur nodded, "What is coming will be rough and hard… and I would never ask you to undertake risks that I, myself, would not willingly take myself. I will need help to save Britain from the Illuminati and for the present government that represents you… and I will not sit by and sacrifice you for politics… If you die, I will die with you."
"As at Camlann," one man said slowly.
A few looks turned his way. Arthur gave a pained sigh as he remembered the battle against his own son and the wounds he had sustained there. The wounds that had sent him to Avalon to heal.
"Everyone's heard the stories of King Arthur and his knights," the man said defensively with all eyes on him, "and you all know I've had an interest in them."
"Not all the stories are one hundred percent accurate," Arthur said with a small smile, "…but it is a bit of a surprise to find someone who knows the name of my last battle as King without consulting a book."
"We will fight with you!" a voice said firmly.
This made Cathy nod in agreement.
"You are still a king among men, Arthur Pendragon; even if not in political stature," Cathy spoke, "We will fight for you… we will rise up…"
"No matter how long it takes to defeat the Illuminati!" another voice vowed.
"Come," Cathy then said, "We'll help you all get to a place of safety… though your werewolf will need to resume human form."
"We'll try to glide overhead," Griff told her, "You'll be safe… or at least as safe as you can be, given the circumstances."
Cathy could only nod. She doubted the twenty she had found could really help Arthur, but if it inspired others to rise up, maybe there would be some hope.
The End…