ENTER THE STALKERS 3: RAINBOW SLAYER
The Merry Prankster

Chapter Seven: Escape From Innsmouth

Arkham Road, Five miles outside town

Innsmouth, Massacusetts September 29, 2000 2100 hours (The Wandererverse)

Saint looked back at the flickering torches that were coming closer and closer. The Jedi-in-Training flicked off the safety and readied the Heckler & Koch Mk23 for action. I had better let Obi Wan lead Brian and Ruth out while I take care of the posse.

Clearing his throat to get the other's attention, Saint outlined his plan, "We need to make a change of plans. Ben, I need you to take the lead and get our two charges to safety."

Obi Wan looked suspiciously at his companion, "Just what are you planning this time?"

The Jedi-in-Training held up his pistol, "There are too many bad guys coming up the road for you to handle in your unique manner. I, on the other hand, have three extra mags for my H&K and can cover you guys long enough to escape."

"Anthony, you don't have to play the hero. We are far enough to be gone by the time the mob get here," chastised the Jedi.

"Will you two make up your minds already? I really don't want to stay here any longer," complained Ruth.

Obi Wan placed both hands on his friend's shoulder, "Anthony, you have good intentions and your heart is in the right place. However, in spite of training with your teachers and St, Wolf, you are still showing too much recklessness when performing your good deeds."

"Can we discuss this later?" asked the Jedi-in-Training.

Brain and Ruth looked back at the town. "Yes, Can we?" chimed the two teens.

+++ The four had been walking along the road for at least at least twenty minutes, when Obi Wan experienced a tremor in The Force. Heeding the warning, the Jedi knocked Brian and Ruth to the ground just as a bullet passed where Brian had been standing. With his charges safe, he turned his attention back to his partner. The Jedi-in-Training was not in sight. He reached out into the Force to locate his companion.

Saint dove into a ditch at the sound of the first shot. He slowly peeked over the edge of the ditch to see a flash appear from a nearby tree.

Making a quick mental note of the shooter's position, Saint began to low crawl through the high grass. He silently moved behind a nearby rise and waited for the next shot. The third shot was real close if the sound was any indication. Saint, took a deep breath and waited, one, two, and three. After reaching three, he rose up, pistol ready. The hybrid sniper was only fifteen feet away and facing in the other direction.

Jebediah Marsh had suspected that the strangers were on their way out of town after Walter Billingham's phone call earlier that evening. Playing it safe, the hybrid had assigned men to each road with the purpose of slowing down the strangers enough that any assembled posse could catch up with them. Walter Gilman, a hybrid who normally was found at the firehouse had been chosen to watch the road to Arkham. Spotting the strangers walking up the road, he quickly fired. Thanks to Obi Wan's quick response, he missed. Stifling a curse, the hybrid reloaded his hundred-year old Remington. The sound of a snapping branch off to his left caught his attention. Walter had not even turned completely around when three bullets caught him in the chest and head.

Saint slowly walked over to the prone figure. Kicking the body over, he discovered that their attacker threatened them no more. Finally, he raised his hand and gave the all clear and rejoined his companions.

+++

The group had not gotten five hundred yards down the road, when Saint noticed car coming up the road from Innsmouth.

"We've got visitors, TAKE COVER!" ordered the Jedi-in-Training.

Two minutes later a late model blue Ford Taurus stopped next to their hiding place. The driver, a middle aged man of average height, exited the car and took a long puff on his cigarette. He looked around for another minute before yelling out, "Anthony Christopher, Ben Quigby, you can all come out now. Horace sends his love."

Obi Wan motioned for Brian and Ruth to stay hidden while he and Saint checked out the stranger. Saint kept his pistol visible, yet pointed to the ground as he took the lead.

"You said Horace sent you?" asked the skeptical Jedi-in-Training.

The man blew a smoke ring and growled, "Yeah, here we were nicely settled in, monitoring developments when who should show up but you two. Then you blow the operation to Hell." The man stalked Saint and poked him, "You just ruined two years of hard work. Thanks to your little stunt, the locals have turned on any stranger who was left in town. My people were barely able to escape with their lives. Although after reading your file, I should have expected you to pull a stunt like burning down half the town."

The Jedi-in-Training began to see red. "Now wait just a gosh darn minute. Those locals were about to drag Brian to some temple and be sacrificed. I had to do something to distract the guards so Ben could break him out of that jail. Wait a minute, Horace has a file on me?"

"Yes he did and when I first saw how thick it was, I nearly had a heart attack. The 'Old Man' described you as a younger, more reckless version of 'The Wanderer' and boy was he right about that." The gentleman finally revealed the grin he had been holding for so long and held out his hand. "The name's Lucas Mackay, Bureau 13. Luckily we had already discovered what the Marshes had been up to and were about to withdraw our assets to get ready for the next stage."

"And that stage would be?" asked Obi wan.

"Taking out the bad guys in this town once and for all. The hybrids are plotting something major. Near as we can figure they worship this great beast named Cthulhu and intend to free it from it's sleep. Then, there is the fact that we have identified known Department Satan agents frequenting the Marsh mansion and the Order of Dagon for the last two months."

Saint let out a low whistle, "That ties in to what we know about them wanting to sacrifice Brian. By the look on your face, that's not the half of it. Let me have it."

"One of my operatives reported seeing what looked like battle droids from that Star Wars movie guarding the Marsh Mansion and the Order of Dagon."

"How much do you know about me and my companion?"

"We know that your companion is a real life Jedi Knight and you are currently training to be one. Horace also informed us of the attacks in California last week. I did love that video from the car chase. Thinking about trying out for the lead in the latest Mad Max movie?"

"Cute, real cute," responded the Jedi-in-Training. "How many people did Horace assign to this operation?"

"Basically, my team, Team Steelclaw and the mermaid's" responded Lucas.

Saint began grumbling, "That's not going to be enough."

Obi wan recognized the look on his friend's face, "I know that look. What are you planning this time?"

"The assets assigned to Lucas are not going to be enough to pull this off. In fact, I'd say all we have going for us right now is hope. Since I don't put much faith in hope, I'm going to make some calls.

+++

317 Bryant Terrace

Sunnydale, California

2130 hours September 29, 2000 (The Wandererverse)

Faith and Shaw winced as the office door slammed shut. The dark slayer turned to Buffy and asked, "What's gotten Steve so riled up?"

Buffy Summer started towards the office, "I don't know but I'm going to find out."

+++

Steve St. Wolf, leader of Section 7 knocked back his drink as his second in command walked through the door.

The blonde Slayer moved behind Steve and began massaging his shoulders, "Want to tell me what's gotten you so pissed off?"

Steve sat back and let her rub his shoulders for a moment before responding, "One of my customers stopped by the antique shop this afternoon. The guy writes adventure novels and I've sold him a few antiques off and on over the years."

"That doesn't sound so bad," observed the slayer.

"Normally, I would agree with you. However, this gentleman also collects classic cars and was attending that car show in LA last week."

A feeling of dread fell over the young lady, who immediately plopped into a chair, "Oh No, this doesn't have something to do with."

Steve began rubbing the bridge of his nose, "If you mean, Saint, you're right on the mark. Turns out that my customer loaned my 'little brother' that hot rod he drove up in on the condition that he bring it back in the same condition he got it in."

"Let me guess there was some damage that Anthony missed before he brought it back."

Steve nodded, "Yeah, there were a few bullet holes and scratches in the car. That by itself wasn't too bad. Then Anthony had the nerve to tell him to give me the bill."

"That still isn't too bad."

"No it isn't, the worse part was that the kid had the cahones to give Klyde Kustler directions to the shop and my work schedule so he'd be sure to catch me."

Buffy thought for a moment, "You know I seem to recall passing Anthony and Obi Wan on the way out of Sunnydale that day. So that's why Saint was sporting that evil grin as he drove out."

Steve stared at his lover in surprise, "The kid was in town? I'm going to have to get in touch with Qui Gon and JD to come up with an appropriate response."

The phone began ringing. Buffy, being the closest, answered the phone and handed it back to the Wanderer, " Steve, Horace wants to talk to you."

"Hello"

+++

Brian had grabbed a Coke when he noticed a flash of light from the living room. Checking on the disturbance, the boy discovered a older man wearing a flannel shirt and jeans looking at the office door.

"Hello Merlin. What brings you here?" asked the boy.

The old man smiled, "Just dropping by to visit Steve and Buffy."

"Here, I'll let them know you're here."

Brian's hand was inches from the door when the telephone began ringing, followed closely by shouting. The boy simply shook his head in resignation and knocked. The door opened and Buffy stepped out.

"Oh hi, Merlin come on in. what's with the visit?" asked the Slayer.

Merlin grinned , "I had a feeling something was about to happen and wanted to see the fireworks in person."

Buffy led the wizard back into the office where Steve was in the midst of a conversation with the director of Bureau 13. "He did WHAT!!!!"

"Your boy and his buddy dropped into the middle of a two year investigation. We were checking rumors about Department Satan being involved with some local cultists. The cultists were into worshiping one of the great beasts, a being named Cthulhu in hopes of freeing the creature from it's slumber. Local police had jailed the teenage manager of the local grocery store and were about to turn him over to the cult as a human sacrifice. Turns out the whole local government is associated with the evildoers. We were about to spring the boy when guess what."

"Saint and Obi Wan drop in to rescue the boy," concluded the Wanderer.

Horace growled, "You got it. But since the jail was heavily guarded,"

Buffy shared a look of resignation with Steve as they imagined what went on. "Saint had to create a diversion," surmised the Slayer.

Steve began feeling a massive migrane coming on. He really didn't want to think about but he asked, "How much damage did 'My Little Brother' do THIS time and how much is it going to cost?"

Horace responded in a disgusted tone, "The boy blew up one house and the resulting fire wiped out two city blocks. Fortunately, the buildings had been abandoned for some time but my people barely kept ahead of the mob."

Steve closed his eyes and began counting to himself. Finally, he told the Bureau 13 director, "I'll take care of it." With a sign, he reached over and hung up the phone. The sound of heavy laughter filled the room. Steve turned around to glare at the wizard. "Okay, now what do you find so funny?"

Merlin grinned, "I was waiting for you and Buffy to have children so I can gloat about the shoe being on the other foot, so to speak."

"What are you talking about?" asked Buffy.

"After all the grief I got from you, it's great to see you being on the receiving end for once. Do you remember when I told you, I hope you have a kid just like you?"

"Laugh it up old man but there's something else you wanted to talk about."

Merlin became all business, "Your boy is on to something in Innsmouth. That cult Horace mentioned has the ability to raise Cthulhu. It is currently imprisoned in its buried city but if they raise it, well lets just say Cthuluhu makes Throlog look like the Ghostbuster's Slimer."

"So you want me to deal with it?" asked Steve.

Merlin shook his head, "No, your 'Little Brother' is taking care of it even as we speak. In fact." Merlin turned to the phone as it began ringing yet again.

Steve picked up the phone, "Hello."

+++

Lucas first drove to Margorie Burnham's house to drop off Brian and Ruth. Saint, Obi Wan, and Lucas waited in the car as the two teens knocked on the door. Margorie had thrown on an old pink robe to answer the door. She could not understand who would have the nerve to come around at such an hour. All thoughts of giving her visitor a piece of her mind vanished upon seeing who was on her front doorstep.

"You know, it's scenes like this that really make this job worthwhile," commented Saint.

Obi Wan nodded and patted his friend on the shoulder, "You're right. Watching a mother being reunited with her lost child leaves me with a good feeling even if you went a little overboard with your distraction."

The Bureau 13 agent crushed out his cigarette and threw it out the window. "A little overboard?" snorted Lucas. "Hell, I almost believed that JP Withers had dropped in to say hello to the townspeople with that little stunt you pulled."

The Jedi-in-Training began objecting strenuously, "Look, I am nowhere near as destructive as JP. Maybe one day I can reach his level." Silence settled in the sedan and Saint turned to his companion's shocked faces. "Hey, a guy can dream," grinned the teenager.

Lucas Mackay put the car in gear and pulled into the street, muttering, "The 'Old Man' said this kid was not as bad as 'The Wanderer', but he's getting there."

+++

Upon entering the hotel room, Saint walked over the phone and began dialing. Lucas locked the door and asked Obi Wan, "What's going on?"

"You are about to see, as an old friend put it, 'The Boyscout Corollary' in action."

"Let me guess, our boy's calling up his friends and drag them into helping us with this good deed." The Bureau 13 agent hung up his coat and listened in. I thought Lucas.

Obi Wan joined the agent to watch as their companion spoke into the receiver. The two shared a grin as Saint held the receiver at arm's length. Even from halfway across the room, they could make out the person on the other line explaining what she thought about Saint's request in language that was both colorful as loud.

+++

Heart Residence Los Angeles, California (The Wandererverse)

JD Heart kicked the front door shut as she pondered, She followed her partner into the living room to see Katie and Jessica studying on the couch.

"Did you do the chores I assigned this morning?" asked the blonde detective.

Katie looked up from her calculus lesson, "Yeah Mom, Jessica and I got the stuff you needed this afternoon and decided to study for next week's calculus test."

JD looked at her watch, "Don't you girls have a morning class tomorrow?" The two teens nodded, "Just don't stay up too late, you don't want to be falling asleep in class tomorrow. Trust me."

+++

Mark Sloan was sitting at the dining room table, reading the newspaper when his son walked in. "How was your day?"

Steve pulled out a coffee cup and poured some coffee. "Not bad. We actually had a lighter than usual case load today. Some gangbanger got himself shot by a rival this morning. Other than that, all we had to do was finish up some paperwork and we were able to leave early." The detective pulled a chair across from his father and asked, "Anything happen at the hospital?"

"I think I saw to your shooting victim. We patched him up and he's in ICU under guard until he's well enough to get transferred to the jail. Now what was really interesting concerned Katie's on again off again boyfriend Alex. I noticed that he was sitting with one of our new interns in the cafeteria when I grabbed something to eat. If I didn't know better I'd say he was close to asking the girl out."

Steve thought for a moment, "Well Katie and Alex have been moving apart ever since Anthony has returned. It might turn out to be a blessing in disguise."

The detective and his father sat back to enjoy their coffee when the phone rang. Someone in the other room picked up the phone and the two listened as a muffled yell of anger could be clearly heard throughout the house.

Mark listened to the cursing that followed for several minutes before turning to his son. "I wonder what Anthony has done THIS time?"

"Why do you say that?" asked Steve who winced as JD shouted particularly descriptive expletive concerning her former student.

Mark looked at his watch, "Your lover has been ranting and raving for the last fifteen minutes non-stop. There are few people that have the ability to make JD lose her temper like that. Of those people, Anthony has been the most prolific of late."

"Point," conceded Steve.

+++

Jessica winced at the sound of a object hitting some wall on the other side of the house. The red head turned to her study partner and commented, "Your mother seems to be on a roll this evening. I wonder what set her off this time?"

Katie only shook her head as Godzilla added, //I wonder what Anthony blew up this time?//

//Knowing him, he probably blew up an entire town and now I have to face mom alone. I had better take it easy if I know what's good for me. //

Katie turned to respond when her cell phone rang. Suppressing a sigh, the Amazon reached into her purse and answered the call. "Hello?"

+++

Anthony sat down next to the window and waited for the other person to pick up, "Hey Katie, Just thought I'd give you a call as see what's going on."

"Anthony what have you done this time? Mom has been in her room for the last thirty minutes fussing and cussing over a phone call. You are one of the few people around who can set her off like that."

Saint was impressed, "Man, that Horace doesn't wait around does he?"

"Spill the beans Grasshopper. Mom was in a good mood when she got home. What did you do that made Horace call here and set her off?"

"Well, you see we were just looking around like I told you. You remember Mrs. Burnham from the high school? Well Obe and I ran into her right after we landed and she asked us to check up on her son, Brian. Turned out the kid had been captured by some cultists who were going to sacrifice him to some elder god. I couldn't allow that to happen so I sprang him."

"What did you blow up this time?"

Saint paused, "Only an abandoned building near the jail. You know, to distract the guards."

"Horace wouldn't call about one measly building. There has to be more to it."

"Well, the fire spread and took out two city blocks then we had to rescue Brian's girlfriend who happened to be the daughter of one of a town elder and cultist."

"That explains why Horace called. I know you didn't call to shoot the breeze. What do you want?"

"We have a situation here and it's a little too big for me and Obe to handle on our own. I remember your mother talking about being taught by JP and I was wondering if you could get her to ask JP to drop in and lend a hand."

+++

Obi Wan watched in amazement as his partner jerked back and hold the phone at arms length from his body. Even from across the room, the Jedi could clearly hear Katie tell Saint in no uncertain terms what she thought of his request."

Lucas turned to the Jedi and asked, "I take it she doesn't think too highly of his request."

"You could say that."

+++

JD Heart had finally cooled down and was walking towards the kitchen when Katie's cell phone rang. The detective had just entered the living room when she was startled by her daughter begin cussing out the person on the other end. Concerned, she got Katie's attention and asked, "Honey what's wrong?"

Katie handed her mother the phone, "Anthony wanted to ask you something."

JD forced down her anger for the time being and accepted the phone. In a emotionless voice, she asked, "Just what are you into this time?"

Lucas and Obi Wan watched as the color drained from Saint's face. The Jedi- in-Training stammered, "Uh, hello JD. I take it Horace called about this little misunderstanding here in Innsmouth." Saint had to hold the phone even further away from him as his former teacher began explaining what she thought about the misunderstanding and what she was going to do to him when he got back."

Finally, the teenager was able to plead, "Look JD, it wasn't my fault, really. I had no idea that Horace had an operation in place and was planning a rescue when we showed up. There were too many guards around the jail and I had to get there attention. Yes, I know Horace wasn't happy about cutting his operation short and getting his people out before he was ready. But, I really had no choice. Honest."

JD snarled, "When you get back here, you are going to have a long talk with Master Jinn and myself over recent events and you are going to learn to be not as reckless in the future. Do you understand young man?"

"Yes ma'am" Saint responded in a quiet voice. "However, it turns out that the bad guys have lots of forces in place and are planning something major for the near future. Horace's people were planning on taking care of threat but they don't have enough forces allocated to do the job."

JD shook her head, "And you just had to offer them your help and pull a St Wolf."

"Well yeah, the bad guys are really well equipped. More so than your normal run of the mill cultists so I was wondering if you would ask JP to drop in and lend a hand."

"This is going to cost you major, boy. If you think you need JP, then you must be in some serious crap. I've got some vacation time saved up so Katie and I will be on the next plane out. Don't worry about calling Qui Gon, I'll drag him along. All I can say is that you had better have a damn good explanation when we get there."

JD hung up and the Jedi-In-Training stared at the phone for a few moments before murmuring, "I hope Steve is in a better mood or this will be turning ugly really quick."

+++

317 Bryant Terrace

Sunnydale, California (The Wandererverse)

Robin began passing out earplugs to the assembled Scoobies. Shaw pulled the pieces of green foam and asked him, "Why are you passing out earplugs?"

The fairy grinned and replied, "Let just say, I got a heads up that Steve is about to get another call. Based on the information supplied by my sources, well let's just say you will not want to be in the house without some serious ear protection. Trust me. You will want to put those plugs in right about now."

+++ Steve St. Wolf leaned back in his chair and began some serious planning.

Merlin had left soon after briefing Steve and Buffy about what was going on and the Slayer had left to get some coffee, leaving The Wanderer by himself. It was not long before the phone began ringing yet again. He thought,

"St.Wolf residence."

"Uh Steve, we have a situation here and I need your help." responded Saint.

Steve closed his eyes and counted to three before growling, "What did you blow up now?"

"Only an abandoned house," answered Saint. The teenager paused for a moment before adding, "Oh, then apparently a couple of blocks caught fire. That's not the half of it. Turns out there are boo coo bad guys here and they are attempting to raise a really nasty creature. From the description Agent Mackay gave me, it appeared to be something similar to one of those 'Great Beasts' you mentioned some time back"

Steve slumped into his chair, shook his head. Buffy walked in just in time to see him look at the ceiling and mutter, "What the Hell have I done to deserve this!!!?"

Robin and Amy had followed the Slayer into the office and the sprite could not help answering Steve, "Oh where would you like me to start? With the comic irony or the short simple you asked for it version."

A loud slap echoed throughout the room. Robin turned to face his girlfriend who answered his unspoken question, "That was for being right."

Steve simply shook his head in resignation at their antics and turned his attention back to the phone.

Saint added, "And I could really use my big brother's help on this one"

"Look I'm pretty tied up here in Sunnydale. I know someone who might be willing to lend a hand. I'll give him a ring and see if he can send them your way."

Anthony could not help twisting the knife a little further, "I would appreciate that. You know you're the best 'big brother' I never had".

"Watch it Grasshopper, you are going to learn that there are consequences for your actions. You and I are going to have a nice long talk about what you can and can't get away with putting over me."

"Sorry, you will have to take a number. JD and Qui Gon have already called dibs."

Steve grinned as he began planning the payback, "They may have called dibs. But I will have whatever's left over and let's just say it will make you think that your drill instructors in basic were a bunch of big softies."

*Gulp*

+++

Arkham Police Station 302 E Armitage Street Arkham, Massachusetts (The Wandererverse)

Arkadi Novikov took a sip of coffee before going over the results from the morning's training exercise.

Arkham may have been a quiet place with few of the major crimes common to larger cities taking place. However, it's police department had not acquired it's reputation by ignoring the outside world. Chief Asa Nichols, the head of Arkham's law enforcement, watched the latest outbreak of terrorism with a growing concern that terrorists could consider his town to be a soft target, ripe for an attack and decided to be prepared. First, he formed a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team from the best officers on the force.

Prior to joining the force, Asa had served two tours of duty in Vietnam and continued to stay in touch with his comrades after the way. One of those comrades was a John Kelly who was also known as 'The Snake'. The chief had run into his old friend during a stopover in DC a couple years ago and learned that he was leading a counter terrorism group that had stopped a madman from gassing the Olympics. So, the good natured Nichols had asked his old friend if he could spare somebody to help train the Arkham SWAT team.

Rainbow Six had been considering how to get his people in place should they be needed and Chief Nichol's request was just what the doctor ordered. Clark immediately dispatched Arkadi Novikov and his team to Arkham with instructions to be ready should Anthony call.

Arkadi stood up from the conference table and pointed towards a wall chart, "Chief Nichols, your officers are doing extremely well. Today's exercise dealt with a terrorist attack on Miskatonic University. As you know, the Science annex has several labs dealing with various contagions that if released, could wipe out the town and surrounding area. The scenario had the terrorists capturing the lab and threatening to release some plagues. Your people were able to secure the vault undamaged and eliminate the opposing forces within five minutes from the go code."

Asa smiled, "That is good to hear. What do you have planned for tomorrow?"

"With school shooting drawing national attention, we will be dealing with the possibility of a group of students entering the local high school and."The Russian's train of thought was interrupted by the sounds of Tchaikovsky. Pulling out his cell phone, the Russian responded, "Hello?"

+++

Saint breathed a sigh of relief. He gave his companions a quick 'thumbs up' and started explaining.

"Hello Arkadi? This is Saint. Six gave me your number and told me to call if anything came up. Well something did and I need your help."

"Clark warned me you might be calling and had my team positioned nearby in case something happened. So what's the situation?"

"This is an unsecure line so I can't go into any detail. Needless to say, I uncovered something big and need some serious backup. I noticed this phone number is local, so where are you?"

"My team has been assigned to help the local police form their SWAT team," responded the Russian Rainbow operative. "Tell me where you want us and we'll be there shortly."

"That's fair, I'm currently staying at the penthouse suite of the Hotel Miskatonic." Saint looked over to the Bureau 13 agent and asked, "Lucas, you have the address to this place?"

Lucas pulled some stationary from a nightstand. "The hotel is located on the 200 block of West College Street."

Anthony quickly relayed the information to the Rainbow operative and hung up. He walked over to the mini fridge and pulled out a Coke. Turning to the B13 agent, he asked, "When will your people be getting here?"

"Within an hour," answered Lucas. "I noticed that you had some interesting reactions from your friends. Just how much help can we expect?"

Saint gave him a evil grin. "Don't worry, even though I've pissed them off they will come through. Now, they will be getting me back once this is over, mind you. But like family, when things get really bad, they'll back me up."

"You seem pretty confident," observed Lucas.

"I am. JD is my first teacher and still likes to make sure that I stay in line. Steve is my commander and won't let his people hang out to dry during operations. Those two may get mad but they will hold off implementing the consequences until the operation is over. They haven't let me down yet." The young man snapped his fingers and walked back to the phone. "That reminds me, I need to call Willow."

Saint waited for the Wiccan to pick up the phone. "Hello Willow, I need you to put your computer magic to work and get some info for me."

Willow smiled and ribbed her friend, "Anthony, you had better be on your best behavior for the foreseeable future. Getting Steve and JD angry for two weeks running is not a good way to stay healthy. You do realize that Steve is going to get back at you in a major way for that little stunt with the author."

"Yeah, I know but the opportunity was perfect and I couldn't resist. You wouldn't have saved the store's video?"

"You know I did. As soon as I heard about The Wanderer being had, I drove to the store and copied it. Robin has agreed to help with the post production and getting it ready to hand out to the usual suspects. To get back on track, what did you want?"

"I need everything you can find out about the town of Innsmouth. I particularly need city maps, builder's plans of the various locations and anything showing sewers and tunnels. The government files on the 1928 raid will be very useful."

"For that I think I should call General Gordon. Give me a couple of hours and I'll transfer it to that laptop Obi wan took with him."

"You're the best. I'll have to so something special for you when I get back."

"Eliminating me as the target for future pranks will be thanks enough."

Saint smiled, "You have a deal. I'll check back in two hours. Bye."

+++

Abandoned Warehouse Muscat, Oman 2330 hours September 29, 2000 (The Wandererverse)

Ahmed bin Laden looked out the window to see who had driven up. Recognizing the driver as the mysterious 'Mr. Morden', the Omani terrorist signaled his companions to raise the gate.

A few minutes later, Ahmed and several companions were examining a green canister, about the size of a fifty-five gallon drum, which sported Russian writing and the universal sign for bio hazard. The black haired, pleasant looking young man had removed his hood and began explaining how to safely emplace the contents of said device.

"As agreed, my superiors have provided the chemicals your people requested."

One of the lower ranking terrorists asked, "What exactly have you provided to us?"

Morden smiled and held out his hand towards the drum, "An excellent question my good man. Inside said drum are thirty gallons of an older nerve agent, Kursov-DK. Now, for those who are not up on their Cold War weapons of mass destruction, Kursov-DK is a particularly dangerous agent developed by the former Soviet Union back in the fifties. According to my sources, the Soviets only had a couple tons of the stuff made before deciding it was too dangerous to be used in any case. The Russians were in the process of destroying the weapon when my contacts in the Russian mafia managed to get hold of the thirty gallons you see here today."

"If it is so dangerous to it's users, why weren't you wearing a full chemical suit when you unloaded the stuff?" asked Ahmed.

"Normally you will need a full suit but the drum has been sealed and is safe to be around for the time being. Now to get back to my briefing, Kurov-DK is a powerful and specialized nerve agent, much like its more famous cousin, VX. Nerve agents function by entering the human body and inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, which disrupts nerve impulse transmission, leaving muscles unable to move properly. Victims of Kurov-DK will collapse and be unable to breathe within minutes of exposure; fatal dosage is no more than 10 milligrams. So once you are ready to emplace the weapon, you will need full chemical suits."

"We plan on placing it where we can threaten the countries water supply and force our decadent leaders to kick out the Western infidels that have invaded our country since the first Gulf War. Are there any problems with that?"

"No, not at all, I have some dispersal units in the back of my van that will keep the agent safely contained until you decide the release it. Now, there is something else you need to know. Kurov-DK is a persistent threat, and will remain on the ground or in water for several weeks before breaking down. If Kurov-DK is released, the authorities will be forced to quarantine the entire area (and all vectors leading from the area) for at least three months."

The terrorist shrugged, "Either way, the American will no longer defile this land with their presence and that is the main goal."

Morden got up and began walking back to his van. Pausing, he turned back to the terrorists, "Do as you wish. But remember, Kurov-DK is not something to be played with. Take the precautions I give you when placing the devises near the plant. If any of it were to escape prematurely, everyone within the general location will be meeting Allah very soon."

"How we use this weapon doesn't concern you," answered Ahmed. "You can be assured that we will succeed."

+++

Morden had driven a couple of blocks away from the warehouse before pulling into an empty lot. Parking the van, the agent made a call.

"The ball is in play. I say again, the ball is in play."

+++

Abandoned Warehouse Sunnydale, California (The Wandererverse)

The eighteen wheeler pulled off the main road stopped at the closed gate. Letting off two short blasts of his horn, the driver waited for someone to come out. He did not have long to wait.

William Brown was another person, whose family had evaded the Federal roundup of Innsmouth natives back in the later twenties. For the last seventy years, the Brown family had kept in contact with various survivors of the raid and readily answered the Marsh's call to rejoin their relatives in their quest to awaken Great Cthulhu. However, before they could attempt such a feat, their enemies needed to be weakened or destroyed. So they would not interfere with the Order of Dagon.

As it turned out, there were other groups in the world that whose goals mirrored that of the Order of Dagon. One of these groups was the infamous Department Satan and it was not long before the Cthulhu cultists and Department Satan began teaming to eliminate common foes and make the world a better place for the forces of darkness.

One such foe lived in Sunnydale, California and the twenty-five year old Brown had been assigned to eliminate that threat. So, pursuit of that goal, the hybrid purchased an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of that California town and began preparing for the strike.

Walter had been waiting patiently for the few days for the rest of his forces to show up. Watching closely as the truck as drove up, he thought, .

The driver of the truck rolled down the window and greeted the hybrid with a grin. "Hello, you the guy who wanted the shipment of battle androids"

Walter's jaw dropped and he began looking around, It took a minute for him to gather his senses so he could respond.

"What do you think you are doing? Telling the world about our darkest secrets," Walter asked.

The driver waved his hand. "Calm down. Nobody in his right mind would believe that there are actual battle robots outside science fiction movies. If there is anybody listening, they will more likely assume we are just joking. Besides, you going to let me in?"

The hybrid opened up the gate and directed the driver to pull his rig around to the loading area. The gate was quickly shut after the truck and the hybrid quickly made his way back to the warehouse.

Outside, the building appeared to be the picture of a decayed American industry. Inside was a different matter. Upon purchasing the property, Walter had made several changes to the inside of the building. The 'broken windows' on the outside were in fact illusions created by Department Satan mages, who had also paced a ward that compelled visitors to be somewhere else. There was a heavily armored droid control room where the offices used to be and the warehouse itself was divided between barracks for the living operatives and storage for various mechanicals.

Several hybrids were at the loading area when the semi pulled up. They waited for the driver to come inside before unloading the vehicle. Walking over to William Brown, the nondescript man handed him a pad and a pen.

"So what exactly did Department Satan send me this time?" asked the hybrid.

Mr. Morden, just back from the Persian Gulf, responded, "Technically, I am not part of that organization. However, my associates recognized the importance of this operation and transferred a large number of the latest battle droids to your control."

Walter's eyes lit up at this information, "Oh really. Now, what is so special about this new batch of droids? The older batch we used against the local good guys did not work as well as we hoped."

The evil agent smiled, "Ah, but those droids were poorly utilized. The plans used in those previous assaults did not take the abilities of their targets into account and thus too few were assigned to each assault. I'm sure that you have studied the accounts of those defeats and taken steps to see that the same mistake are not to be repeated."

'Yes, my predecessor did attempt to do too much with too little and was defeated piecemeal. But, from my conversation with Mr. Marsh, I was led to believe that I would be given a new model druid that puts the standard battledroid to shame."

"Yes, the new 'Destroyer Droids' are definitely more powerful than the ones used in the failed operations a couple weeks ago. Unlike the older models, these droids have quadruple the firepower in that they have four pulse laser weapons. Plus they are much faster and can even operate independently on a limited basis."

"Those are good points, but I sense that there is something else."

"In addition to the protection provided by their armor, the destroyers or droidekas have an energy shield that will stop most energy and projectile weapons. Heck, it would take a heavy vehicular mounted laser to punch through these defenses."

"That is welcome news indeed."

Morden unlocked the back gate to the others could unload the truck. The agent observed the unloading for a few minutes before following Brown into the conference room.

Closing the door, the agent asked, "So have you decided where you plan to strike at this St Wolf character?"

"Actually it will be in a secluded cemetery about five miles from his house." Morden was about to say something but was waved off by the hybrid, "Before you ask, attacking his house is out of the question even with the reinforcements your friends have so thoughtfully provided. I took the liberty of doing a quick reconnaissance of the area to see what kind of defenses this Wanderer has. Let me tell you, the strength of the wards around the house are so strong, many deities would have trouble breaching them. Thus, the attack needs to occur when he is in a less protected area that is far enough away that we can finish him off before help arrives."

Morden nodded as the plan became clear, "So, you hit him when he is out on patrol and away from his friends. How many people does he take with him?"

"From what I learned, he usually has but his second-in-command with him when he's patrolling. I believe she is known as 'The Slayer'."

"With those two, you will need everything you have and even then you may fail. However, your plan is better than the last guys and you might pull it off. If successful, you will have damaged one of our mortal enemies beyond repair. When do you plan to launch the attack?"

Walter leaned back in his chair, "As planned, I will time my attack to go off at the same time as our friends hit the Omani water supply. Both attacks should keep our enemies too busy to unite against us."

"In any case, I can't wait to see how this comes out," observed the agent of Darkness.

"As do I, as do I, "agreed Walter.

+++

Hotel Miskatonic 200 block of West College Street Arkham, Massachusetts. (The Wandererverse)

Obi Wan watched his friend as he went through his personal phone list. He was startled out of his introspection by the Bureau 13 agent commenting, "I never had the misfortune to be on the Wanderer's phone tree and from I've seen tonight I wouldn't want to be on this kids."

The Jedi nodded, "I would agree with you, having been on the receiving end of Anthony's call for help. However, it was for a good cause and a lot of innocent children who might have lost their lives are still alive."

"You have a point," conceded Lucas.

+++

Finally after two hours, the Jedi-In-Training put down the phone and sat back in his chair. He held up the phone card he had been using and commented, "I sure am glad Steve issued me a section phone card. The long distance charges I just placed on this baby would have busted my budget for the next two months." "You did appear to be burning up the phone lines," agreed the Bureau 13 agent.

Obi Wan ignored the small talk and asked, "Did you get everybody you needed to pull this off?"

Saint got up and poured himself a glass of water, "About as many as possible on such a short notice." He turned to Lucas. "So far I've managed to recruit both of my teachers, JD and Qui Gon, into taking part in the operation and Katie is tagging along as well."

"YOUR GIRLFRIEND?" exclaimed the stunned agent. "Are you out of your mind?"

Saint simply shook his head and responded a little too condescend manner, "For your information, the girl is a full fledged Amazon and member of Section 7. Besides she is definitely JD's daughter in temperament."

"What my friend is trying to say is that there is no way he could have prevented it, short of locking her in Alcatraz," supplied Obi Wan.

"We also have a full team from Rainbow dropping as well as Steve's friends. He would say who they were over the phone. But he did say that they are both numerous and well trained. So combined with Team Steelclaw and the Mermaids we should have a fighting chance. Although, I would not mind have more friends in this operation."

"Sometimes you have to accept what you have and do the best you can with it, "offered Obi Wan. "In fact you should."

His point being interrupted by a knock at the door, the Jedi walked over to see who it was. Opening the door, he revealed a tall, well built Caucasian young man wearing black armor with a grail emblem on the breast. thought the young man.

Not missing a beat, Obi Wan asked, "Yes may I help you?"

The stranger smiled, "You must be Obi Wan Kenobi. My commander was asked by Sir Steven if he could you out and here we are."

Saint called out, "Who's at the door?"

The Jedi responded as he let in their visitor, "Sir Steven's reinforcements have arrived."

Anthony noted the symbol on the newcomer's chest. I've seen that same symbol on my C.O.'s coffee cup. I wonder if their connected in some manner? Finally, he extended his hand and made introductions, "Hello I'm Anthony Christopher, sitting on the bed is Lucas Mackay, and letting you in is my good friend Ben Quigby."

Knight Captain David Sims let out a warm laugh, "You can drop the camouflage. I already know that the Jedi are real and your companion is in fact Obi Wan Kenobi."

"How the heck did you know that?" asked Saint as he reached for his light saber.

David held up his hands as he explained, "Your 'Big Brother' is Merlin's personal champion and holds high rank with the Knights of the Grail. Sir Steven called my commander who ordered my men to come by and aid you in this endeavor."

"You said Knights of the Grail as in King Arthur and Camelot?" asked a skeptical Saint. He paused as he thought about the symbol. "I noticed several of the officers in my Guard unit had coffee cups with that symbol. You wouldn't happen to have any of these Grail Knights in the California Guard, would you?"

"Yes, we do have several knights serving in your unit, including your commanding officer. They have had a lot to say about you."

Saint began to get a little nervous, "Oh really, and what did they say?"

"I'll tell you after we finish taking out our enemies. Let's just say, your Road Warrior impression was most entertaining."

"I'll accept that. How many friends did you bring with you?" asked Obi wan.

David answered, "One hundred twenty Grail Knights, six mages, along with four specially equipped Blackhawk helicopters."

Saint nodded as he digested that little piece of information, "One hundred twenty troops, that will be a great help. We are still waiting for the rest of our other friends to arrive. Can I get you anything?"

"No that's alright. When should we expect the rest of our forces to arrive?" asked the Knight Captain.

"Arkadi should be by any minute and the rest in the morning," answered Saint. "Willow should also be uploading the various plans and intel on our objectives any minute now."

The Jedi-in-Training noticed the room had become deathly silent. Looking up he noticed the looks of surprise on his companions. They appeared to be staring at something or someone behind him. The faint aroma of a lit cigar filled the room and he felt the presence of another. He was about to turn around to see what his friends were staring at when he heard a raspy voice chuckled, "For the last two weeks I keep hearing about somebody constantly pissing off Horace, Wanderer, and my student JD. So, I decided to see the kind of person who was able to pull off such a feat and what do I find?"

Saint grinned as he recognized the voice, "So JD was able to convince you to come out here so quickly. I am both impressed and happy to see you."

"Boy, I was already on my way when your teacher made the call. What's the mission?"

"Well I was going to wait until everybody arrived but lets just say it involves Department Satan and a town full of cultists trying to awaken one of the Great Beasts."

TBC

Author's Note: Action is on the way. "Chapter Eight: A Call to Arms" will see a gathering of forces assemble for the final battle to cleans the taint of darkness from New England town of Innsmouth. At the same time, terrorists make a play in the Middle East that could make an entire country devoid of life for decades, driving the world's oil prices through the roof and tying up Rainbow's capability against other threats. Finally, the Sith put their plot to take over Department Satan, one of Earth's premier Evil organizations, into effect as the current leader tries to take out the leadership of the mysterious organization known as Section 7. Lets here some input from the readers as to where this fanfic is going, so READ AND REVIEW.

Merry Prankster out.