Elsewhere in the Otherworld, approaching the Nexus, above which floated the magnificent crystalline snowflake known as the Starlight Citadel, seat of Merlyn, and later his daughter, Roma...
A group of cloaked and hooded figures were nearing the transfer point, from which they could teleport into that stronghold, their leader pausing for a moment, looking back at her fellow travellers, eyes reflecting the eerie crimson glow that shone sullenly as she wove reached out with her own brand of magick.
The crystalline gargoyles that guarded the fortified bunker at the top of the hill suspected nothing as their shadows deepened, and animated...distracting their watchful eyes until they leapt at them, sinking in liquid night to never be seen again...
[All clear...] she mindspoke to her compatriots, feeling Meggan's surprise at how easily they'd been dispatched, her green aura flickering as Liz turned to sooth the elemental.
[Ick...they're dead??] Meggan asked, blinking at how cavalier her sister- in-law was about the whole thing, shivering as she looked across the valley, the plumes of pale smoke and disturbing glow of fire making her heart and soul ache.
[Let's just say their days of raping and pillaging are quite over,] the warrior jested with grim humor, easing her hood back so she could take a closer look at the technology used to secure the portal before them.
"Good riddance," Crusader X murmured as he joined her, gathering his magic to follow her scan with the Sight, "and while I don't fancy all this skulking about, without the element of surprise on our side..."
"...we're all as good as dead," Talisman whispered, finishing her twin's sentence as was oft the case, setting wards around them to protect them against any unseen enemies that might be lurking about.
Meggan shivered as she and Linda kept watch with Dane, looking a little lost and overwhelmed--but it was not her fault that the destruction and profane use of magic made her nauseous and nearly ill, she was holding up remarkably well, all things considered.
[Have a little faith, folks,] Liz told her and Talisman, [...with all of us, and our collective experiences, victory's a foregone conclusion...all we gotta do is have faith in ourselves, a bit of luck and judicious usage of the unexpected, and there ye've got it...]
Dane nodded firmly, "She's right...we've all faced worse, and made it...what's our next move, Liz?"
Switching back to regular speech, Liz looked at them with a dangerous smile, as if she were truly in her element, "Simple, get inside the Citadel, find those reponsable for turning the Otherworld into a bloody hellhole before they can do it t'the rest of the Omniverse..."
"Listen t'ye, Liz!" Meggan chuckled tiredly, "Sounding all "Wolverine"...when did ye get so tough, "bub?" I wish I could be as tough...."
Stern violet eyes met Meggan's washed out green ones, "I'd not wish that on ye, Meg...yer strong, but I'd hate t'see ye get as hardened as I've become...but the truth is, Merlyn, Roma, Sabretooth, Kuragari and others've mucked with m'life so many times, I'm bloody well sick of it...I don't play games any more..."
Linda nodded as she slid her cowl back, understanding all too well what her old friend was talking about, "With the Corps decimated, we are the last, best hope, and that means we play for keeps, Meggan...no mercy."
"At least, until 616 returns with that damned sword," Bran muttered as he and his twin further probed the security system, "We'll give this beasties the manner of thrashing they've earned..."
Liz cut him off as she examined a portion of the locking mechanism's scanner, "...there's something familiar about 'em, though...link with me, Meg..."
"Yes....yes!" the blonde Fey exclaimed, her eyes widening at the revelation, "I feel it too...I can shift...and with Talisman and Crusader's magick, in we go!"
Her hands flowed, shifting to match the crystalline creatures her sister-in-law'd banished to the tender mercies of the Crimson Dawn, perfectly matching as the shaman and his sorceress sister forged the proper aura to trick the doors into opening...
And it worked...the blast doors obligingly retracting to admit them, the sounds of chanting greeting their ears as they stepped through the portal into a scene straight from Dante's Inferno!
The Starlight Citadel aglow with fiery brilliance, the sight of an immense hoarde gathering in the great hall below them, Meggan's trepidation speaking for all of them, [Oh..my....]
Roma's voice rang out as she appeared on the dais, "Behold, my children!! The first stone be laid in the foundation of our new realm! The genesis of a new legacy... Behold the Amulet of Right!!"
A cheer went up from the throngs of solidiers, as the mad sorceress held the huge ruby aloft, its light blazing forth like a miniature sun, "...Do you remember those who tried to destroy us...who cut you up and then discarded you as if you were rancid meat....Can you ever forget the fear....they held you beneath in their mechaniations?"
A thunderous "NO" resounded throughout the hall as Roma continued to speak, "One thing stands between you and your manifest destiny...The legendary sword of might...but come the morrow, the Spoils of Anwynn will be united...and in their union, a new era dawns!"
Her words fed their hunger for vengeance and retribution, no doubt encouraged by some insidious spell, "You will never need to fear any living creature again...for the power shall be yours...and the Omniverse shall be mine!!"
Meanwhile, in the shadows, cloaked by the alien magicks of the Crimson Dawn, the small group of interlopers shared their worries, Meggan sensing the utter 'wrongness' of the scene before them...
[This makes no bloody sense...] she declared, tears running down her face, [When Merlyn died, he left the Otherworld in Roma's care--she's been it's most ardent defender and protector...this simply can't be right...it can't be Roma!]
[So much for the 'beneficent caretaker',] Dane muttered back, his heart sinking.
Talisman turned to her brother and Linda for comfort, voicing her concerns, [The only thing Merlyn passed on was a legacy of deciet and maniuplation..a fact to which we all can certainly attest....we've all had our fair share of headaches thanks to them!]
Liz's grim humor greeted them yet again, [Oy, and daughter dearest here seems t'be simply picking up where the old man left off...the apple not falling far from the bloody tree...]
[Amen, sister...] Dane agreed heartily, resting his hand on her shoulder, as her sigil flared brightly, the sense of wrongness reaching beyond the Starlight Citadel as her eyes narrowed in concentration, [What is it, Liz?]
[It's time t'cut it down...] she affirmed, as Meggan's teary gaze and plain-jane face confirmed what she suspected, [...which I'll have t'leave t'ye...Something's happened t'that half-witted twin of mine, and look at Meg...it's written all over her face...]
Linda nodded slowly, knowing that Liz and Brian shared the same DNA, else the second suit her friend and former partner'd worn would've never been fucntional, [...And now, you're our best chance...]
[Yep...] she replied with grim determination, gently embracing Meggan as she touched her sister-in-law's mind, [Meg, yer going t'have t'be strong for all of us...ye said ye wished ye were more like me...well, time t'try walking a mile in m'shoes...]
The empathic metamorph nodded, understanding what Liz and the others needed her to be, and whom...their foes would expect Meggan to take off in search of Brian--but they'd never expect her to stand in for Liz...while the real thing tackled the mystery of the Sword of Might, her face and form shifting to exactly mirror the grim, iron willed determination on Liz's face--which would also permit Meg to access the shadows as she did, her mindvoice proving to be as good a match, [I'll not let ye down, Sis...I swear on m'sword, I'll not give up!]
The two Elisabeths embraced tightly before the original merged with the darkness and faded from their view, leaving them to carry on without her...
She emerged in a shaded glen, hearing the sound of rushing water ahead of her, quietly picking her way through the virgin timber, listening...watching...until she saw Aragorn placidly grazing on the lush greens along the bank.
There was a bridge of untold age stretching across the falls of a river that probably didn't even have a name in living memory, and the beauty of the place gave Liz pause to take it in and evaluate the lay of the land--no good defensible positions, though the cloudy skies and dense foliage gave her shadows to work with--and that was a blessing!
She saw the draconinoid step forth from his place on the other side of the bridge and raised a brow as she looked at him...formidable bloke, she thought to herself...and he had a good two feet of height, and at least a hundred pounds on her--and she wasn't a small woman, at just over six feet, and 215 pounds of solid muscle!
"Greetings, m'lady," the resonant baritone greeted her as she slid off her leather jacket, knowing it would restrict her movements too much, "As I told the other fellow, I am Sir Aurelius Drake, Guardian of the Falls...what business have ye with me?"
Liz regarded him calmly, her violet eyes never leaving those peculiar quicksilver eyes of the bridge's "troll", "Wellmet, Sir Aurelius, I'm called "Psylocke", and yer standing between me and the other side, luv..."
The dragon-man grinned at the violet-maned beauty who looked him dead in the eye and sported such strange warpaint...he began to draw a sword to toss to her, "It'd be a pity to have to hurt such a lovely lady, as so very few passed this way, but I'm afraid ye'll have t'come through me t'get to the other side..."
"Well, then..." she replied, smiling at Aurelius, catching the bastard sword without even breaking their staredown, stabbing it point-first into the ground, "...I shall have t'see what I can do t'oblige ye, Sir Aurelius. Thank ye for the sword, but t'is truly unnecessary as I've already got m'own."
"How now?" he inquired, not seeing any weapons on her person, unless he counted that mocking smile, which reminded him of someone he'd known a very long time ago... "Look at this...aren't ye the cheeky lass?"
She laughed aloud, not at him, but at the memory of her father saying the same thing to her many times as a girl, "And where've I heard that before?"
Aurelius spread his hands widely, a look of utter innocence on his oddly handsome face as he boldly approached her, "Why, how could I possibly know, m'lady? Ye and I've never met before today..."
"M'thinks ye'd remember if ye had..." Liz replied as she drew a katana from the darkness at her feet, taking a passive stance after she took several steps out onto the bridge, the sigil flaring brightly, "...it's said I'm rather memorable, after all."
Aurelius's laughter boomed throughout the vale and over the torrent of water that surged over the falls, "Let us hope so, as ye may be just a memory very soon...."
She struck at the big warrior, testing his reflexes and reach...dancing out of the way of his parry, "...Funny thing, luv. I was about t'say the same about ye!"
They traded blows, neither gaining advantage over the other, neither leaving the bridge as the verbal sparring was proving to be a pleasant diversion from the first real challenge she'd had in recent months...and from the light in her eyes, Aurelius was certain the young woman was thoroughly enjoying pitting her strange fighting style against his...he knew he was.
He was a dragon, after all, and couldn't help but bait her a bit..poking at her quiet confidence and surety with a barb here and there, all while parrying her mystical blade, "Y'know, m'lady, only the bloke who unhinges ol' Aurelius from this bridge is going t'get his shot at the glory of the Sword of Might... And that drunken sod certainly wasn't he... what makes ye think ye'll succeed where he failed?"
She shrugged as she flipped over his head, just out of reach, to land behind him with enough force to set the bridge asway underneath them, "Dunno..maybe it's becuase I'm not a bloke...and a lady's more prone t'keeping her wits about her when confronted by a dragon pretending t'be a man?"
She brought the fingers of her free hand to her lips and let loose a shrill whistle as Aragorn's ears perked up and he dove toward her...the dragon-man being between them, the thunderclap of his wings, the gust of air and the swaying bridge all serving to send the big man arse over tea kettle into the river!
"Blimey!!!" Aurelius exclaimed in surprise, having forgotten about the coal-black pegasus on the far shore, his arms windmilling as he strove to regain his balance--sword falling from his hands as he went under.
Liz had jumped with the momentum of the bridge and landed on Aragorn's back as the pegasus swooped past her, wheeling skyward to circle around and come back for a landing in the shallows where the guardian was emerging, shaking off the surprise...only to find the edge of her blade resting along his throat, "I could kill ye now..."
"Get on with it then...", Aurelius growled as he looked up into Liz's eyes, knowing that she was perfectly capable of following through, but there was more there...something indefinable, that marked her as a different sort.
"No." she told him, shaking the violet hair out of those hypnotic eyes, "I'm trying t'save lives, not take 'em...there's a great deal more at stake here than ye'd think."
He gently brushed her katana aside straightening up to look her nearly in the eye, from where she sat on the back of the pegasus, who was also regarding her with a curious gaze, "...and that makes ye worthy, m'lady...m'liege..."
Liz gave him a very peculiar look, one brow quirking upward, "Ummm...pardon?"
Her katana melted into nothingness as Aurelius took her hand and kissed her knuckles lightly in the most courtly of manners, "...since Arthur himself bade me watch over this blade, I've waited for the rightful monarch t'claim his--or her--birthright, thousands I've slain in the name of that geas, and that many more I'd've faced had ye not come along, m'lady..."
He reached up and lead Aragorn out of the shallows, and then helped Liz down, looking deeply into her eyes, "Me geas is fulfilled, and m'duty done... and I thank ye for this blessin', m'lady...yer humility does ye credit--but ye are the Sovereign of Otherworld. If it weren't yer destiny, ye'd be dead by m'hand like yer brother...from now on... consider me yer most humble servant, Majesty..wherever ye go, I go...Lady Braddock."
The big dragon-man set her upon the ground, his large hands resting on her shoulders, seeing the confusion and surprise in her eyes, given voice by her words, "Ye...ye know who I am??"
"Aye," he confirmed as he escorted her to the bridge, "Elisabeth, daughter of Sir James Ewain and Lady Elizabeth Falsworth...sister of Jamie and Brian, the second Captain Britain of Earth 616...yer da told me ye'd be coming around eventuaully....glad am I that I need not kill ye..."
She shook her head, smoothing her bangs behind her ears, her mind flooded with all manner of things she wished to know, "Ye know m'father...when? How?"
Aurelius gently laid a finger over her lips, knowing she had a thousand questions for him, but there were other matters to attend to first...he shook his head once he had her attention again, "...save yer questions, lass...all yer answers lie on the other side..."
She turned to see the waterfall at the other side of the bridge turn to a veritable river of fire, looking back over her shoulder at Aurelius, she favored him with a questioning look, "How am I t'pass through that?? Would that not even burn ye alive?"
"T'a crisp, m'lady, IF that's what ye believe," he counseled her, knowing that she was made of sterner stuff than her brothers, "But...if ye have faith? Well, then the river of fire's as cool as a spring rain and as comforting as yer shadows..."
She nodded, understanding dawning in her eyes as she looked between her new champion and her destiny, "It could be a trap, but how will I know if I don't try..."
Liz smiled and steeled herself, trusting her own iron will, the Crimson Dawn and the gods of her ancestors to see her through as she vanished into the inferno, the magic not even touching her as she emerged on the other side, greeted by blinking lights and shimmering crystal formations laced with silver and gold...something so beautiful she stared around herself in wonder, thinking aloud, [Firewall, eh? Gives a whole new meaning t'that term...like the the interior of some manner of..something..technological? A supercomputer like my father'd built...or a shrine...]
She made her way inside, seeing artifacts from diverse side real timelines, pictures of herself, Jamie, Brian...of siblings she could've never imagined, but had, had things happened differently...mementos of what must be her half-siblings, if her father'd gone from reality to reality fathering children, seeking just the right combination, which had come to fruition in her...
She saw something she recognised as the original uniform of the Corps, reaching out to touch the case that held it in stasis, on permanent display...a voice she'd not heard in the better part of a decade startling her out of her reverie, Just like the one worn by your dear old dad...
[Oh...Blessed Lady....] she mindspoke, slowly turning to see the youthful visage of her father, with the same dark hair and exotic violet eyes she had always seen in the mirror.
Hullo, Elisabeth... he greeted her, walking slowly toward her as she stared back, shell shocked, eyes wide and bright with unshed tears of her own.
Aurelius watched the river of fire, scratching the pegasus behind the ears, ruminating about the fate of his liege lady, "...been in there a long time, she has...either burnt to a cinder, or right about now, she's facing the greatest challenge of her life...I don't know which is the worse fate, Aragorn..."
The stallion whickered and leaned into the scratch, Who's to say? For now, we wait..."
Liz staggered on the uneven footing as she stared up into the eyes of her father, as he must've looked when she was born, "Dad..?? But yer..."
Dead? he replied with fond smile at her bemused expression, "Quite so, if you're seeing this...and what you're seeing is actually a hologram, imprinted with his psionic engrams...your arrivial triggered the activation.
[I've come for the sword...] she began as the hologram strode past her, looking at her with a mixture of pride, love and hope...mixed with the regret of not having been able to see her grow into the woman, the warrior she now was.
The Sword of Might... Yes, he knew. He'd been expecting you for quite some time, now, the projection revealed to her as she looked back at it in askance, her mindvoice almost accusatory, [I...ye mean...he had??]
Believe it, Elisabeth, or not, the 'ghost' of Sir James assured her as he turned back to her, But somethings in this universe...the Omniverse...are actually written in stone, as you see, it began several millennia ago...
The walls shimmered, coming to life with scenes of the past, of Camelot...of Arthur, Guinevere, Morgause and her son, born of her incestuous relationship with her younger half-brother..Mordred, and the trickster, Morgaine Le Fay... Sir James's mother?
To safeguard the infinite realities from evil, Merlyn founded an elite cadre of heroes, knights, the Captain Britain Corps. No greater force for good existed in the Omniverse, and no greater hero bore their legendary standard than your father, Sir James Ewain Braddock, son of Morgaine and Uriens of Gore: Scientist, warrior, philosopher, mage and strategist...these attributes made him the ideal candidate to embark up on the quest that would shape the future and preserve Clan Pendragon..the quest to sire a savior, to sire a sovereign... the 'ghost' continued to elucidate for Elisabeth, who listened in rapt silence, certain things suddenly making sense to her, A genetically compatible mate, of suitable noble lineage and descended from both the greatest peoples of Otherworld--your mother, Lady Elizabeth Falsworth--was selected for him from the world you call home, Earth 616...
She nodded, taking a seat upon a pile of coins, still listening and learning as the scheme was revealed to her, [Go on...]
Their union produced twins, your elder brother Jamie, whose twisted soul was born devoid of anything remotely resembling the divine spark, and his twin sister, Tessa, whom others have sought to use for their own ends, but has served her purpose so very well... 'he' continued, pacing before her, revealing a truth she'd never known--that Tessa, of the Hellfire Club, who'd disuaded her from her missoin, saving her from a fate that wound up belonging to Jean Grey, and truly being worse than death!
Not so with your elder sister, the hologram explained, showing her pictures of her mother and father, as they'd been around the time of her and Brian's birth, some ten years later...Or with you or your twin, Brian...the moment you came into the world, it was apparent that you were destined for glory...and so, in the caverns beneath Braddock Manor, he created a surrogate to watch over you. He created Mastermind, a hyper-sentient techno-organic super computer, created from a node of the Omniversal knowledge, and thus programmed to help you fulfill your destiny...and with his quest an an end, Sir James bid farewell to this mortal coil, leaving your fate in the hands of destiny...."
[Now hold on a tic, mate,] Liz interrupted, turning to face the hologram of her father, her face etched with skeptical doubts, [Yer telling me that Mastermind didn't murder m'folks...that they comitted suicide??]
Sir James created the Mastermind matrix. It in turn saw to his euthanasia. Logic dictates that your father programmed it to do so.... the 'ghost' pointed out, it's contenace sympathetic.
[But that was a glitch in the matrix,] she protested vehemenantly, having heard Brian's account of it in the minute details, [He corrected it himself...]
..or so it would have you both believe, 'he' pointed out gently, touching her cheek lightly as she sought answers to her oldest questions.
[But why...] Liz demanded, old hurts and anger welling to the surface, her long fingers brushing the indigo uniform's unstable molecular fabrics, [Why would they do such a thing?]
Only you can answer that, Elisabeth... her father's 'ghost' pointed out, gesturing around the cavern, as she looked at 'him' again, chewing on her lip thoghtfully.
[I didn't come here looking for answers, per se,] she admitted, looking at the same stern expression that oft graced her face, [I came here t'help m'friends...and others.]
You came seeking the Sword of Might, Elisabeth, the ghost pointed out, hands resting on her shoulders trying to offer her some comfort, You came seeking the truth, which is precisely what you found...it is now up to you to do with it what you will, daughter.]
She looked at her father, stormy violet eyes meeting his lavender gaze, [And if I'm not worth it?]
The ghost folded arms around her that she'd not felt since she was a child, stroking her hair lightly as she wept for the first time in years, unaware of the faint glow coming from 'his' eyes and hands, You are what you believe, my daughter. You were Captain Britain...you have changed, yes...been forged and tempered...to become something far greater than what you ever imagined you could be, Elisabeth. You are your father's daughter...in body and soul...YOU are Excalibur. Wield your power wisely, my child, where lesser folk would do so foolishly...us it not to hack, but to heal!
The hologram pulled back from her as the spell was unleashed...arcane energies unleashed within Elisabeth, warring with the Crimson Dawn and what little human remained within her...a scream born of equal parts agony and ecstacy torn from her mind and soul as she met her destiny head on, eyes wide open daring to embrace it without fear or doubt.... and outside, Aragorn's head snapped up as he pawed the ground restlessly, Aurelius turning toward the river of fire, "Hear that, Aragorn? Lady Braddock's in trouble!"
A cold voice greeted him, along with a mocking laugh, "Fear not, Guardian..."
The visage of the mad sorceress Roma greeted him as he murmured an oath and a prayer in his native tongue, just as she smote both him and the pegasus with her seemingly foul sorcery, "...her troubles shall soon be over, as shall mine..."
In the Starlight Citadel, Meggan/Liz almost lost her shift, the mixture of telepathy, Sight and empathy being a combination she was most unused to, in addition the strangeness of the Crimson Dawn that strained her being as she used it to protect herself and her allies...
[Hang on, ye lot...] she plead with them, rubbing her temples as Linda supported her, easing her down to the ground for a moment, [..something's very wrong....]
[What is it, luv,] Linda asked gently, noting that the metamorph had broken out in a cold sweat, [What do you feel, Meg?]
[Pain...so...so...horrible...] she whispered back as Linda rocked her gently, the faux sigil flaring with agonizing brightness as she pointed upward...
[Where?] Bran--Crusader X--and his sister, Talisman wanted to know, until Dane realized it was one of the higher towers, [...up there, I'm thinking!]
And so, the young sorceress unleashed a mighty spell, breaking through the interference surrounding them, demolishing a large portion of the nearest wall so that Meggan/Liz and Linda could carry them upward...through the gaping hole, to see the interior and a techno- magickal containment cell that contained Roma, bound in thin cables of "true" Cold Iron, effectively neutralizing the arch-sorceress and imprisoning her within some sort of virtual Reality!
Meggan/Liz dropped Dane and Talisman, a look of shock registering on her face, "Roma?!?! But she was down there...then who's up here??"
Bran, Crusader X, stripped out of his cowl and cloak knowing that there was something amiss, but turnabout, needing to determine the nature of what lay before them... "Meg, this may be a trap... I need to t'try and read her mind--or at least see if she 'feels' like the real thing to ye..."
"I...I'll try t'reach her on some level," the morphed Meggan promised, going aloft for a closer look as Linda and Talisman surveyed the large tower chamber that held all manner of odd techno-magickal gear, "Talisman? Can ye try to...'break'...that techie looking stuff?"
"I can try, but I can't guarantee anything, as my magick deals with the natural world, rather than the virtual or technological..." the young Amerind woman replied, "But... a too much electricity might do the job--just have to see if it's possible without hurting her any further..."
"Then it's the devil we know versus the one we don't," Linda grumbled as she too, divested herself of the concealing cloak, "Judging by the sorry shape this poor woman's in, I'd say we oughta get her outta there..."
Dane followed the pathways that Bran and his sister traced, the shimmering motes of fey fire that seemed to "pull" at the Ebon Blade, he charged forth, sword drawn and a target in his sights when the crackle of lightening slammed into his armor, sending him crashing into Meggan/Liz, a staticcy voice behind him, Sorry, boyo, but Ms. High an' Might ain't goin' nowhere...and neither are you lot!
Meggan/Liz turned to look over her shoulder, blinking in surprise, "Who in the world...??"
"Aw, c'mon, Betsy..." the voice cajoled and taunted, "Ol' girl, you gottta remember us, dontcha? It's yer ol' mates, the Warpies...."
"The who?" Dan gasped as Linda turned to help him up, as well as satisfy his curiousity, "Mutated children from your Earth...a result of the Jaspers Warp, an unfortunate by- product of a mad-man's desperate bid for power, Dane... They were rescued by the RCX, and..."
Meggan/Liz muttered to Linda, Dane and their other allies, "...and acutally the W.H.O, that's "Wierd Happenings Organisation", which came after the RCX, or Resource Control Executive.....which had superceded STRIKE...but that's a whole other cock-up...."
One of them snorted and waved a dismissive hand...or was that tentacle? "We were Warpies a'fire the Black Air took us...before they tortured us...before they changed us, into this....mockery..."
The cyborg slashed at Talisman, but suffered the backlash of the elemental magick she'd summoned: the raw force of lightening..and though Dane was temporarily blinded, he fought on, thanks to the blindfighting he'd learned from Captain America...they were most valiant, but ultimately they were out numbered and out 'gunned'...
Meggan/Liz snarled at them, "How can ye do this? Captain Britain saved yer lives! He took ye in and gave ye a home....is this how ye repay us, ye ungrateful sods??!"
One of them backhanded her into the wall, "HE left us to die..."
And with that, blackness descended upon them...
Elisabeth had donned the indigo armor her father had left for her, the cloak resting on her troubled shoulders as her eyes burned brightly with Fey-fire...her gloved hand closed around the hilt of the burning sword, pulling it free...
"Magnificent, isn't it?" the intruder remarked, a statement rather than a question, wearing the face of Roma, Liz Saw the truth, though she remained silent, sword in a passive stance as the figure regarded her with casual disdain, "Forged in the fires of creation, tempered by the power of the universe...to wield the Sword of Might is to hold the hand of Eternity... Surely you don't truly believe yourself worthy of such an honor? Such is not the place of mortals..."
The form wavering, trying to tear the sword from Liz's grasp...she then Saw what the creature wanted...and simply let go...reshaping shadow to show it what it wished to see...letting the simlucrum of Brian ground the brunt of the lightening bolt "Roma" channelled through the sword...watching as the voice changed, becoming something far more familiar to her as synonymous with treachery...
As if still speaking to Brian, whom it thought it faced, the interloper dropped its visage, taking up the sword, Your mind is too slow, your vision too limited.. You have no conception of the infinity of knowledge and complexity of cause and effect of which I am a part... You lost sight of your purpose and were distracted, Brian. I have been sent to tutor your haphazard mind..I have assumed control as I was intended to do!
The inhuman visage of Mastermind was revealed as Liz merged with the shadows, cloaked and obscurred by magickal forces that this...simulcrum...couldn't possibly comprehend!
She still had an edge...Mastermind had seen the uniform, not the face that wore it... and with that, she could tip the scales...
A group of cloaked and hooded figures were nearing the transfer point, from which they could teleport into that stronghold, their leader pausing for a moment, looking back at her fellow travellers, eyes reflecting the eerie crimson glow that shone sullenly as she wove reached out with her own brand of magick.
The crystalline gargoyles that guarded the fortified bunker at the top of the hill suspected nothing as their shadows deepened, and animated...distracting their watchful eyes until they leapt at them, sinking in liquid night to never be seen again...
[All clear...] she mindspoke to her compatriots, feeling Meggan's surprise at how easily they'd been dispatched, her green aura flickering as Liz turned to sooth the elemental.
[Ick...they're dead??] Meggan asked, blinking at how cavalier her sister- in-law was about the whole thing, shivering as she looked across the valley, the plumes of pale smoke and disturbing glow of fire making her heart and soul ache.
[Let's just say their days of raping and pillaging are quite over,] the warrior jested with grim humor, easing her hood back so she could take a closer look at the technology used to secure the portal before them.
"Good riddance," Crusader X murmured as he joined her, gathering his magic to follow her scan with the Sight, "and while I don't fancy all this skulking about, without the element of surprise on our side..."
"...we're all as good as dead," Talisman whispered, finishing her twin's sentence as was oft the case, setting wards around them to protect them against any unseen enemies that might be lurking about.
Meggan shivered as she and Linda kept watch with Dane, looking a little lost and overwhelmed--but it was not her fault that the destruction and profane use of magic made her nauseous and nearly ill, she was holding up remarkably well, all things considered.
[Have a little faith, folks,] Liz told her and Talisman, [...with all of us, and our collective experiences, victory's a foregone conclusion...all we gotta do is have faith in ourselves, a bit of luck and judicious usage of the unexpected, and there ye've got it...]
Dane nodded firmly, "She's right...we've all faced worse, and made it...what's our next move, Liz?"
Switching back to regular speech, Liz looked at them with a dangerous smile, as if she were truly in her element, "Simple, get inside the Citadel, find those reponsable for turning the Otherworld into a bloody hellhole before they can do it t'the rest of the Omniverse..."
"Listen t'ye, Liz!" Meggan chuckled tiredly, "Sounding all "Wolverine"...when did ye get so tough, "bub?" I wish I could be as tough...."
Stern violet eyes met Meggan's washed out green ones, "I'd not wish that on ye, Meg...yer strong, but I'd hate t'see ye get as hardened as I've become...but the truth is, Merlyn, Roma, Sabretooth, Kuragari and others've mucked with m'life so many times, I'm bloody well sick of it...I don't play games any more..."
Linda nodded as she slid her cowl back, understanding all too well what her old friend was talking about, "With the Corps decimated, we are the last, best hope, and that means we play for keeps, Meggan...no mercy."
"At least, until 616 returns with that damned sword," Bran muttered as he and his twin further probed the security system, "We'll give this beasties the manner of thrashing they've earned..."
Liz cut him off as she examined a portion of the locking mechanism's scanner, "...there's something familiar about 'em, though...link with me, Meg..."
"Yes....yes!" the blonde Fey exclaimed, her eyes widening at the revelation, "I feel it too...I can shift...and with Talisman and Crusader's magick, in we go!"
Her hands flowed, shifting to match the crystalline creatures her sister-in-law'd banished to the tender mercies of the Crimson Dawn, perfectly matching as the shaman and his sorceress sister forged the proper aura to trick the doors into opening...
And it worked...the blast doors obligingly retracting to admit them, the sounds of chanting greeting their ears as they stepped through the portal into a scene straight from Dante's Inferno!
The Starlight Citadel aglow with fiery brilliance, the sight of an immense hoarde gathering in the great hall below them, Meggan's trepidation speaking for all of them, [Oh..my....]
Roma's voice rang out as she appeared on the dais, "Behold, my children!! The first stone be laid in the foundation of our new realm! The genesis of a new legacy... Behold the Amulet of Right!!"
A cheer went up from the throngs of solidiers, as the mad sorceress held the huge ruby aloft, its light blazing forth like a miniature sun, "...Do you remember those who tried to destroy us...who cut you up and then discarded you as if you were rancid meat....Can you ever forget the fear....they held you beneath in their mechaniations?"
A thunderous "NO" resounded throughout the hall as Roma continued to speak, "One thing stands between you and your manifest destiny...The legendary sword of might...but come the morrow, the Spoils of Anwynn will be united...and in their union, a new era dawns!"
Her words fed their hunger for vengeance and retribution, no doubt encouraged by some insidious spell, "You will never need to fear any living creature again...for the power shall be yours...and the Omniverse shall be mine!!"
Meanwhile, in the shadows, cloaked by the alien magicks of the Crimson Dawn, the small group of interlopers shared their worries, Meggan sensing the utter 'wrongness' of the scene before them...
[This makes no bloody sense...] she declared, tears running down her face, [When Merlyn died, he left the Otherworld in Roma's care--she's been it's most ardent defender and protector...this simply can't be right...it can't be Roma!]
[So much for the 'beneficent caretaker',] Dane muttered back, his heart sinking.
Talisman turned to her brother and Linda for comfort, voicing her concerns, [The only thing Merlyn passed on was a legacy of deciet and maniuplation..a fact to which we all can certainly attest....we've all had our fair share of headaches thanks to them!]
Liz's grim humor greeted them yet again, [Oy, and daughter dearest here seems t'be simply picking up where the old man left off...the apple not falling far from the bloody tree...]
[Amen, sister...] Dane agreed heartily, resting his hand on her shoulder, as her sigil flared brightly, the sense of wrongness reaching beyond the Starlight Citadel as her eyes narrowed in concentration, [What is it, Liz?]
[It's time t'cut it down...] she affirmed, as Meggan's teary gaze and plain-jane face confirmed what she suspected, [...which I'll have t'leave t'ye...Something's happened t'that half-witted twin of mine, and look at Meg...it's written all over her face...]
Linda nodded slowly, knowing that Liz and Brian shared the same DNA, else the second suit her friend and former partner'd worn would've never been fucntional, [...And now, you're our best chance...]
[Yep...] she replied with grim determination, gently embracing Meggan as she touched her sister-in-law's mind, [Meg, yer going t'have t'be strong for all of us...ye said ye wished ye were more like me...well, time t'try walking a mile in m'shoes...]
The empathic metamorph nodded, understanding what Liz and the others needed her to be, and whom...their foes would expect Meggan to take off in search of Brian--but they'd never expect her to stand in for Liz...while the real thing tackled the mystery of the Sword of Might, her face and form shifting to exactly mirror the grim, iron willed determination on Liz's face--which would also permit Meg to access the shadows as she did, her mindvoice proving to be as good a match, [I'll not let ye down, Sis...I swear on m'sword, I'll not give up!]
The two Elisabeths embraced tightly before the original merged with the darkness and faded from their view, leaving them to carry on without her...
She emerged in a shaded glen, hearing the sound of rushing water ahead of her, quietly picking her way through the virgin timber, listening...watching...until she saw Aragorn placidly grazing on the lush greens along the bank.
There was a bridge of untold age stretching across the falls of a river that probably didn't even have a name in living memory, and the beauty of the place gave Liz pause to take it in and evaluate the lay of the land--no good defensible positions, though the cloudy skies and dense foliage gave her shadows to work with--and that was a blessing!
She saw the draconinoid step forth from his place on the other side of the bridge and raised a brow as she looked at him...formidable bloke, she thought to herself...and he had a good two feet of height, and at least a hundred pounds on her--and she wasn't a small woman, at just over six feet, and 215 pounds of solid muscle!
"Greetings, m'lady," the resonant baritone greeted her as she slid off her leather jacket, knowing it would restrict her movements too much, "As I told the other fellow, I am Sir Aurelius Drake, Guardian of the Falls...what business have ye with me?"
Liz regarded him calmly, her violet eyes never leaving those peculiar quicksilver eyes of the bridge's "troll", "Wellmet, Sir Aurelius, I'm called "Psylocke", and yer standing between me and the other side, luv..."
The dragon-man grinned at the violet-maned beauty who looked him dead in the eye and sported such strange warpaint...he began to draw a sword to toss to her, "It'd be a pity to have to hurt such a lovely lady, as so very few passed this way, but I'm afraid ye'll have t'come through me t'get to the other side..."
"Well, then..." she replied, smiling at Aurelius, catching the bastard sword without even breaking their staredown, stabbing it point-first into the ground, "...I shall have t'see what I can do t'oblige ye, Sir Aurelius. Thank ye for the sword, but t'is truly unnecessary as I've already got m'own."
"How now?" he inquired, not seeing any weapons on her person, unless he counted that mocking smile, which reminded him of someone he'd known a very long time ago... "Look at this...aren't ye the cheeky lass?"
She laughed aloud, not at him, but at the memory of her father saying the same thing to her many times as a girl, "And where've I heard that before?"
Aurelius spread his hands widely, a look of utter innocence on his oddly handsome face as he boldly approached her, "Why, how could I possibly know, m'lady? Ye and I've never met before today..."
"M'thinks ye'd remember if ye had..." Liz replied as she drew a katana from the darkness at her feet, taking a passive stance after she took several steps out onto the bridge, the sigil flaring brightly, "...it's said I'm rather memorable, after all."
Aurelius's laughter boomed throughout the vale and over the torrent of water that surged over the falls, "Let us hope so, as ye may be just a memory very soon...."
She struck at the big warrior, testing his reflexes and reach...dancing out of the way of his parry, "...Funny thing, luv. I was about t'say the same about ye!"
They traded blows, neither gaining advantage over the other, neither leaving the bridge as the verbal sparring was proving to be a pleasant diversion from the first real challenge she'd had in recent months...and from the light in her eyes, Aurelius was certain the young woman was thoroughly enjoying pitting her strange fighting style against his...he knew he was.
He was a dragon, after all, and couldn't help but bait her a bit..poking at her quiet confidence and surety with a barb here and there, all while parrying her mystical blade, "Y'know, m'lady, only the bloke who unhinges ol' Aurelius from this bridge is going t'get his shot at the glory of the Sword of Might... And that drunken sod certainly wasn't he... what makes ye think ye'll succeed where he failed?"
She shrugged as she flipped over his head, just out of reach, to land behind him with enough force to set the bridge asway underneath them, "Dunno..maybe it's becuase I'm not a bloke...and a lady's more prone t'keeping her wits about her when confronted by a dragon pretending t'be a man?"
She brought the fingers of her free hand to her lips and let loose a shrill whistle as Aragorn's ears perked up and he dove toward her...the dragon-man being between them, the thunderclap of his wings, the gust of air and the swaying bridge all serving to send the big man arse over tea kettle into the river!
"Blimey!!!" Aurelius exclaimed in surprise, having forgotten about the coal-black pegasus on the far shore, his arms windmilling as he strove to regain his balance--sword falling from his hands as he went under.
Liz had jumped with the momentum of the bridge and landed on Aragorn's back as the pegasus swooped past her, wheeling skyward to circle around and come back for a landing in the shallows where the guardian was emerging, shaking off the surprise...only to find the edge of her blade resting along his throat, "I could kill ye now..."
"Get on with it then...", Aurelius growled as he looked up into Liz's eyes, knowing that she was perfectly capable of following through, but there was more there...something indefinable, that marked her as a different sort.
"No." she told him, shaking the violet hair out of those hypnotic eyes, "I'm trying t'save lives, not take 'em...there's a great deal more at stake here than ye'd think."
He gently brushed her katana aside straightening up to look her nearly in the eye, from where she sat on the back of the pegasus, who was also regarding her with a curious gaze, "...and that makes ye worthy, m'lady...m'liege..."
Liz gave him a very peculiar look, one brow quirking upward, "Ummm...pardon?"
Her katana melted into nothingness as Aurelius took her hand and kissed her knuckles lightly in the most courtly of manners, "...since Arthur himself bade me watch over this blade, I've waited for the rightful monarch t'claim his--or her--birthright, thousands I've slain in the name of that geas, and that many more I'd've faced had ye not come along, m'lady..."
He reached up and lead Aragorn out of the shallows, and then helped Liz down, looking deeply into her eyes, "Me geas is fulfilled, and m'duty done... and I thank ye for this blessin', m'lady...yer humility does ye credit--but ye are the Sovereign of Otherworld. If it weren't yer destiny, ye'd be dead by m'hand like yer brother...from now on... consider me yer most humble servant, Majesty..wherever ye go, I go...Lady Braddock."
The big dragon-man set her upon the ground, his large hands resting on her shoulders, seeing the confusion and surprise in her eyes, given voice by her words, "Ye...ye know who I am??"
"Aye," he confirmed as he escorted her to the bridge, "Elisabeth, daughter of Sir James Ewain and Lady Elizabeth Falsworth...sister of Jamie and Brian, the second Captain Britain of Earth 616...yer da told me ye'd be coming around eventuaully....glad am I that I need not kill ye..."
She shook her head, smoothing her bangs behind her ears, her mind flooded with all manner of things she wished to know, "Ye know m'father...when? How?"
Aurelius gently laid a finger over her lips, knowing she had a thousand questions for him, but there were other matters to attend to first...he shook his head once he had her attention again, "...save yer questions, lass...all yer answers lie on the other side..."
She turned to see the waterfall at the other side of the bridge turn to a veritable river of fire, looking back over her shoulder at Aurelius, she favored him with a questioning look, "How am I t'pass through that?? Would that not even burn ye alive?"
"T'a crisp, m'lady, IF that's what ye believe," he counseled her, knowing that she was made of sterner stuff than her brothers, "But...if ye have faith? Well, then the river of fire's as cool as a spring rain and as comforting as yer shadows..."
She nodded, understanding dawning in her eyes as she looked between her new champion and her destiny, "It could be a trap, but how will I know if I don't try..."
Liz smiled and steeled herself, trusting her own iron will, the Crimson Dawn and the gods of her ancestors to see her through as she vanished into the inferno, the magic not even touching her as she emerged on the other side, greeted by blinking lights and shimmering crystal formations laced with silver and gold...something so beautiful she stared around herself in wonder, thinking aloud, [Firewall, eh? Gives a whole new meaning t'that term...like the the interior of some manner of..something..technological? A supercomputer like my father'd built...or a shrine...]
She made her way inside, seeing artifacts from diverse side real timelines, pictures of herself, Jamie, Brian...of siblings she could've never imagined, but had, had things happened differently...mementos of what must be her half-siblings, if her father'd gone from reality to reality fathering children, seeking just the right combination, which had come to fruition in her...
She saw something she recognised as the original uniform of the Corps, reaching out to touch the case that held it in stasis, on permanent display...a voice she'd not heard in the better part of a decade startling her out of her reverie, Just like the one worn by your dear old dad...
[Oh...Blessed Lady....] she mindspoke, slowly turning to see the youthful visage of her father, with the same dark hair and exotic violet eyes she had always seen in the mirror.
Hullo, Elisabeth... he greeted her, walking slowly toward her as she stared back, shell shocked, eyes wide and bright with unshed tears of her own.
Aurelius watched the river of fire, scratching the pegasus behind the ears, ruminating about the fate of his liege lady, "...been in there a long time, she has...either burnt to a cinder, or right about now, she's facing the greatest challenge of her life...I don't know which is the worse fate, Aragorn..."
The stallion whickered and leaned into the scratch, Who's to say? For now, we wait..."
Liz staggered on the uneven footing as she stared up into the eyes of her father, as he must've looked when she was born, "Dad..?? But yer..."
Dead? he replied with fond smile at her bemused expression, "Quite so, if you're seeing this...and what you're seeing is actually a hologram, imprinted with his psionic engrams...your arrivial triggered the activation.
[I've come for the sword...] she began as the hologram strode past her, looking at her with a mixture of pride, love and hope...mixed with the regret of not having been able to see her grow into the woman, the warrior she now was.
The Sword of Might... Yes, he knew. He'd been expecting you for quite some time, now, the projection revealed to her as she looked back at it in askance, her mindvoice almost accusatory, [I...ye mean...he had??]
Believe it, Elisabeth, or not, the 'ghost' of Sir James assured her as he turned back to her, But somethings in this universe...the Omniverse...are actually written in stone, as you see, it began several millennia ago...
The walls shimmered, coming to life with scenes of the past, of Camelot...of Arthur, Guinevere, Morgause and her son, born of her incestuous relationship with her younger half-brother..Mordred, and the trickster, Morgaine Le Fay... Sir James's mother?
To safeguard the infinite realities from evil, Merlyn founded an elite cadre of heroes, knights, the Captain Britain Corps. No greater force for good existed in the Omniverse, and no greater hero bore their legendary standard than your father, Sir James Ewain Braddock, son of Morgaine and Uriens of Gore: Scientist, warrior, philosopher, mage and strategist...these attributes made him the ideal candidate to embark up on the quest that would shape the future and preserve Clan Pendragon..the quest to sire a savior, to sire a sovereign... the 'ghost' continued to elucidate for Elisabeth, who listened in rapt silence, certain things suddenly making sense to her, A genetically compatible mate, of suitable noble lineage and descended from both the greatest peoples of Otherworld--your mother, Lady Elizabeth Falsworth--was selected for him from the world you call home, Earth 616...
She nodded, taking a seat upon a pile of coins, still listening and learning as the scheme was revealed to her, [Go on...]
Their union produced twins, your elder brother Jamie, whose twisted soul was born devoid of anything remotely resembling the divine spark, and his twin sister, Tessa, whom others have sought to use for their own ends, but has served her purpose so very well... 'he' continued, pacing before her, revealing a truth she'd never known--that Tessa, of the Hellfire Club, who'd disuaded her from her missoin, saving her from a fate that wound up belonging to Jean Grey, and truly being worse than death!
Not so with your elder sister, the hologram explained, showing her pictures of her mother and father, as they'd been around the time of her and Brian's birth, some ten years later...Or with you or your twin, Brian...the moment you came into the world, it was apparent that you were destined for glory...and so, in the caverns beneath Braddock Manor, he created a surrogate to watch over you. He created Mastermind, a hyper-sentient techno-organic super computer, created from a node of the Omniversal knowledge, and thus programmed to help you fulfill your destiny...and with his quest an an end, Sir James bid farewell to this mortal coil, leaving your fate in the hands of destiny...."
[Now hold on a tic, mate,] Liz interrupted, turning to face the hologram of her father, her face etched with skeptical doubts, [Yer telling me that Mastermind didn't murder m'folks...that they comitted suicide??]
Sir James created the Mastermind matrix. It in turn saw to his euthanasia. Logic dictates that your father programmed it to do so.... the 'ghost' pointed out, it's contenace sympathetic.
[But that was a glitch in the matrix,] she protested vehemenantly, having heard Brian's account of it in the minute details, [He corrected it himself...]
..or so it would have you both believe, 'he' pointed out gently, touching her cheek lightly as she sought answers to her oldest questions.
[But why...] Liz demanded, old hurts and anger welling to the surface, her long fingers brushing the indigo uniform's unstable molecular fabrics, [Why would they do such a thing?]
Only you can answer that, Elisabeth... her father's 'ghost' pointed out, gesturing around the cavern, as she looked at 'him' again, chewing on her lip thoghtfully.
[I didn't come here looking for answers, per se,] she admitted, looking at the same stern expression that oft graced her face, [I came here t'help m'friends...and others.]
You came seeking the Sword of Might, Elisabeth, the ghost pointed out, hands resting on her shoulders trying to offer her some comfort, You came seeking the truth, which is precisely what you found...it is now up to you to do with it what you will, daughter.]
She looked at her father, stormy violet eyes meeting his lavender gaze, [And if I'm not worth it?]
The ghost folded arms around her that she'd not felt since she was a child, stroking her hair lightly as she wept for the first time in years, unaware of the faint glow coming from 'his' eyes and hands, You are what you believe, my daughter. You were Captain Britain...you have changed, yes...been forged and tempered...to become something far greater than what you ever imagined you could be, Elisabeth. You are your father's daughter...in body and soul...YOU are Excalibur. Wield your power wisely, my child, where lesser folk would do so foolishly...us it not to hack, but to heal!
The hologram pulled back from her as the spell was unleashed...arcane energies unleashed within Elisabeth, warring with the Crimson Dawn and what little human remained within her...a scream born of equal parts agony and ecstacy torn from her mind and soul as she met her destiny head on, eyes wide open daring to embrace it without fear or doubt.... and outside, Aragorn's head snapped up as he pawed the ground restlessly, Aurelius turning toward the river of fire, "Hear that, Aragorn? Lady Braddock's in trouble!"
A cold voice greeted him, along with a mocking laugh, "Fear not, Guardian..."
The visage of the mad sorceress Roma greeted him as he murmured an oath and a prayer in his native tongue, just as she smote both him and the pegasus with her seemingly foul sorcery, "...her troubles shall soon be over, as shall mine..."
In the Starlight Citadel, Meggan/Liz almost lost her shift, the mixture of telepathy, Sight and empathy being a combination she was most unused to, in addition the strangeness of the Crimson Dawn that strained her being as she used it to protect herself and her allies...
[Hang on, ye lot...] she plead with them, rubbing her temples as Linda supported her, easing her down to the ground for a moment, [..something's very wrong....]
[What is it, luv,] Linda asked gently, noting that the metamorph had broken out in a cold sweat, [What do you feel, Meg?]
[Pain...so...so...horrible...] she whispered back as Linda rocked her gently, the faux sigil flaring with agonizing brightness as she pointed upward...
[Where?] Bran--Crusader X--and his sister, Talisman wanted to know, until Dane realized it was one of the higher towers, [...up there, I'm thinking!]
And so, the young sorceress unleashed a mighty spell, breaking through the interference surrounding them, demolishing a large portion of the nearest wall so that Meggan/Liz and Linda could carry them upward...through the gaping hole, to see the interior and a techno- magickal containment cell that contained Roma, bound in thin cables of "true" Cold Iron, effectively neutralizing the arch-sorceress and imprisoning her within some sort of virtual Reality!
Meggan/Liz dropped Dane and Talisman, a look of shock registering on her face, "Roma?!?! But she was down there...then who's up here??"
Bran, Crusader X, stripped out of his cowl and cloak knowing that there was something amiss, but turnabout, needing to determine the nature of what lay before them... "Meg, this may be a trap... I need to t'try and read her mind--or at least see if she 'feels' like the real thing to ye..."
"I...I'll try t'reach her on some level," the morphed Meggan promised, going aloft for a closer look as Linda and Talisman surveyed the large tower chamber that held all manner of odd techno-magickal gear, "Talisman? Can ye try to...'break'...that techie looking stuff?"
"I can try, but I can't guarantee anything, as my magick deals with the natural world, rather than the virtual or technological..." the young Amerind woman replied, "But... a too much electricity might do the job--just have to see if it's possible without hurting her any further..."
"Then it's the devil we know versus the one we don't," Linda grumbled as she too, divested herself of the concealing cloak, "Judging by the sorry shape this poor woman's in, I'd say we oughta get her outta there..."
Dane followed the pathways that Bran and his sister traced, the shimmering motes of fey fire that seemed to "pull" at the Ebon Blade, he charged forth, sword drawn and a target in his sights when the crackle of lightening slammed into his armor, sending him crashing into Meggan/Liz, a staticcy voice behind him, Sorry, boyo, but Ms. High an' Might ain't goin' nowhere...and neither are you lot!
Meggan/Liz turned to look over her shoulder, blinking in surprise, "Who in the world...??"
"Aw, c'mon, Betsy..." the voice cajoled and taunted, "Ol' girl, you gottta remember us, dontcha? It's yer ol' mates, the Warpies...."
"The who?" Dan gasped as Linda turned to help him up, as well as satisfy his curiousity, "Mutated children from your Earth...a result of the Jaspers Warp, an unfortunate by- product of a mad-man's desperate bid for power, Dane... They were rescued by the RCX, and..."
Meggan/Liz muttered to Linda, Dane and their other allies, "...and acutally the W.H.O, that's "Wierd Happenings Organisation", which came after the RCX, or Resource Control Executive.....which had superceded STRIKE...but that's a whole other cock-up...."
One of them snorted and waved a dismissive hand...or was that tentacle? "We were Warpies a'fire the Black Air took us...before they tortured us...before they changed us, into this....mockery..."
The cyborg slashed at Talisman, but suffered the backlash of the elemental magick she'd summoned: the raw force of lightening..and though Dane was temporarily blinded, he fought on, thanks to the blindfighting he'd learned from Captain America...they were most valiant, but ultimately they were out numbered and out 'gunned'...
Meggan/Liz snarled at them, "How can ye do this? Captain Britain saved yer lives! He took ye in and gave ye a home....is this how ye repay us, ye ungrateful sods??!"
One of them backhanded her into the wall, "HE left us to die..."
And with that, blackness descended upon them...
Elisabeth had donned the indigo armor her father had left for her, the cloak resting on her troubled shoulders as her eyes burned brightly with Fey-fire...her gloved hand closed around the hilt of the burning sword, pulling it free...
"Magnificent, isn't it?" the intruder remarked, a statement rather than a question, wearing the face of Roma, Liz Saw the truth, though she remained silent, sword in a passive stance as the figure regarded her with casual disdain, "Forged in the fires of creation, tempered by the power of the universe...to wield the Sword of Might is to hold the hand of Eternity... Surely you don't truly believe yourself worthy of such an honor? Such is not the place of mortals..."
The form wavering, trying to tear the sword from Liz's grasp...she then Saw what the creature wanted...and simply let go...reshaping shadow to show it what it wished to see...letting the simlucrum of Brian ground the brunt of the lightening bolt "Roma" channelled through the sword...watching as the voice changed, becoming something far more familiar to her as synonymous with treachery...
As if still speaking to Brian, whom it thought it faced, the interloper dropped its visage, taking up the sword, Your mind is too slow, your vision too limited.. You have no conception of the infinity of knowledge and complexity of cause and effect of which I am a part... You lost sight of your purpose and were distracted, Brian. I have been sent to tutor your haphazard mind..I have assumed control as I was intended to do!
The inhuman visage of Mastermind was revealed as Liz merged with the shadows, cloaked and obscurred by magickal forces that this...simulcrum...couldn't possibly comprehend!
She still had an edge...Mastermind had seen the uniform, not the face that wore it... and with that, she could tip the scales...