To all those who were expecting the chapter last Friday, I'm sorry I'm late! I got banned, and the site wouldn't let me upload a new story until today! I will continue following the Friday schedule of new chapters, but until this Friday, enjoy this semi-late chapter! Now let us learn about Justin's connection to Gideon.
CHAPTER 11: Revelations
"WHAT??!!!" chorused the Blind Master, the Secret Scouts, the Dinosaucers and Allo all in unison. The Misfits, Roadblock, Spirit, Low Light, and Shipwreck just continued to glower silently at Justin, still lost in their insane rage as they were held by the incarcerating rings of light. Cover Girl was still solid stone from Bonehead's fossilizer gun. Justin turned cold with fear.
"For some reason, I'm getting a sense of déjà vu from 'Star Wars'," David moaned with a grimace.
"Who are you??" demanded Allo roughly, stunned beyond belief and growing with anger. This heartless tyrant was Justin's birth father?? The man in the silver and white robes with the goatee then pompously and coldly answered.
"My name is Gideon, the Elder and leader of my race and clan of immortals, the Whitelighters."
The Dinosaucers and the Secret Scouts could not have been further shocked from this statement.
"Whitelighters?" echoed Ryan, still thinking maybe the blow to his head did something to his hearing and cognitive thought.
"Immortals??" echoed Montacera in the same tone of incredible disbelief and wry doubt.
"Boy, first we have mutants, then G.I. Joe soldiers, and now some white nuts saying they're immortals?! Geez, what is the next two hours gonna bring?!!" groaned Bronto-Thunder.
Paul has an incredible look of confusion on his face as he repeated in a hollow, shocked tone, "But…but that is a scientific impossibility!! There is no such thing as an immortal! It is a mere myth, legends passed from ancient days!! There is no physical proof that immortals exist!"
"I assure you, you narrow-minded fool, that we are real and that we are of no myth! And you would do well to watch that tongue of yours, you dense twit!!" snarled the man with the giant, black axe next to Gideon, fingering the smooth handle as if he was itching to use the weapon in the most gruesome beheading.
Teryx then murmured to Paul thoughtfully, "Keep in mind, young one, just because certain things are no longer around us do not mean they have never existed. Simply just because you have never witnessed an immortal with your own eyes does not indicate that they are not there."
David then added thoughtfully, "Yeah, and before the media exposed them, we would have never thought mutants existed, right?"
"You have a point," groaned Paul.
Meanwhile, Allo was looking at Gideon with a mixture of shock, defensive anger and extreme loathing. He couldn't believe it. This person was Justin's biological father? This person who helped create him, was one of the sole reasons Justin even existed? Allo couldn't help but feel a chill of something foreboding, looking into the harsh eyes glaring at his son, but there was also a small feeling of protective, stubborn jealousy there as well. There was no way he would let this man, this Gideon, take away Justin. Meanwhile, most of the group standing alongside the Dinosaucer leader were still confused.
"Why did you attack Plato?! He was thanking you for helping us!! He didn't do anything to warrant that he was putting you in danger!!" demanded Struthio, riled and incensed at seeing his comrade being struck for no reason.
"I can assure you, demon-spawn," snarled the man with the hammer, "we certainly did not intervene in this battle for your sakes or the half-breed's. We did it because it is only the Whitelighters that shall impose their judgment on Justin for his crimes against our bloodline!"
Everyone turned to gape shortly at the trembling Justin, who was actually looking at Gideon and his Whitelighters with wide, round eyes of innocent puzzlement. What in the world…Justin? Guilty and a criminal? Tricero, despite the bleeding gashes in his back, managed to utter hoarsely, "So you're not our allies."
Gideon replied, "Correct, desert-dweller. The being bearing the hammer that had just attacked your friend is my son, Krygaw, and he is a high-ranking immortal of law and the mystic. No knowledge of any magical arts has ever escaped him for Krygaw can sense all sorts of dark and light magic. The other beside me with the axe is Damionax, my other son, and he is the general of the Whitelighter armies and militia in my realm where I rule and reside. Together, we have arrived at this very place to proclaim our hand and to eliminate the very being that threatens the race of all Whitelighters."
"Those lights," wondered Bonehead out loud, "They're…they're exactly like Justin's powers! You have the same abilities as he does!"
Itchy crinkled his brow in confusion as he asked, "But…but you guys aren't mutants??"
Krygaw sneered, "May the fates forbid it if we should ever dwell into the filth and muck of your barbaric level."
"What do you want with Justin?" Allo demanded roughly, his voice thick and deeply animalistic.
"That is none of your concern, reptilian scum! Now get out of our way and leave us to decide Justin's fate! You have no part or say in our private affairs with this half-breed! So step aside, right now!" Instead of obeying Krygaw's request, to the insult and infuriation of the Whitelighters, none of the group moved away. If anything, the aloof demand of the Whitelighter made the Dinosaucers, the Secret Scouts and Blind Master even more defiant as stood firm, challenging.
"Like hell we will," rumbled Bronto-Thunder, his teeth bared.
"Leave Justin alone, you creep!!" demanded Montacera fearlessly as she stood from her position of squatting next to Tricero, her hands balled into fists.
Plateo, despite recovering from the intense light that struck him earlier, tried to reason heatedly, "Under what right do you have to denounce him and declare that Justin must be punished by your authority?! Justin is just an adolescent, a young child!! By no means would he ever injure or cause grievance to any person!! He's innocent of whatever crime you accuse him of! And if you claim to be such righteous servants of justice, then why did you wait so long until as of now to show yourselves?! If you truly were on the side of right, you would know that there is nothing lawful of accusing Justin of nonexistent crimes from long ago!! This isn't justice! It is plain bigotry!!"
The other Whitelighters immediately took this to offense as they became enraged at the plateosaurus' bold accusations.
"Wretched dinosaur!" shouted one furious Whitelighter wielding a dark scythe, "You dare question the royal decisions of the Whitelighters?! I'll have your head!!!"
"Whitelighters, kill them all for their treachery! Attack the scourge!! Kill the half-breed!!" Damionax ordered steely as he raised a finger and pointed at the group. With a rush, the strange, robed men in white gently levitated above the ground before rushing in the air directly at the Dinosaucers and their friends, the sun glinting off the swords and scythes and charging in with deadly speed and soundless grace. The blitz came in a full circle on all sides. There was no way they could all safely avoid the maneuvered attack.
"Aw, crap, not again!" cried out Stego as he prepared for the worst. Yet then Allo intervened one more time, knowing this would be a final resort. Without releasing his hold on his son, the brown allosaurus Dinosaucer extended the palm of his hand directly out into the open field in front as the Whitelighters approached with frightening and impeding ruin.
"Bryalta rusamitho qualith samasaurus!" Allo intoned in a voice not unlike his usual baritone, but rather ethereal, possessed, and radiating with ringing might. Teryx shrieked with fear as a male was about to bring down his scythe directly on her head, ready to cleave her entire body in two straight down her backbone. Yet, it never happened. To the shock of the Whitelighters, there was a semi-transparent shield of brown aura surrounding Justin and the rest of his friends and family as an orb of protection. It was a barrier, a force-field. And the Whitelighters could not penetrate it, no matter how hard they struck at the wall with their weapons.
Gideon, though angered, was still calm enough to say with conviction and dynamic, "Hmph, I should have known better than to not expect demon-spawn such as your pathetic races to know a few spells of magic of your own. Krygaw, sense for a weakness in the shield with your sight of the Oracles. Damionax, be ready for a second strike, and be sure not to allow yourself or your soldiers to be hindered again."
All this was quickly done without hesitation. Krygaw immediately took the ruby pendant off his forehead before swinging the stone in gentle, cyclic behavior on its silver chain in front of his face with one hand. With his pupils disappearing in a soft, white glow, the Whitelighter commander continued to probe deep within the surprising mystical force, trying to break its mystery. Damionax and his men had their weapons drawn and ready. Gideon just stood idly by with his arms crossed in front of his broad chest, his face stony and stern with a bit of disappointment from this setback. Still, it would be inevitable. No force could ever withstand the sight of his son, Krygaw. The others, still in awe at the sight, turned to Allo, questioning.
"Allo?" gasped a weakened Dimetro, "How in the name of Reptilion did you even do this??"
The allosaurus just sidelined the question, ignoring it, as he stood up, cradling his son in his arms, as he and Gideon met each others' gazes. Allo then uttered warningly, "I will not stand by and allow you people to hurt my clan and family, and as long as Justin is with me, he is under my protection. So I suggest you tell me what your business with Justin is. Attacking without reason certainly won't help you, Gideon."
The Elder raised an eyebrow sardonically. He said disdainfully, doubtful, "You expect me to be able to reason with the likes of you?"
"If your pride means that much to you, then I don't. However, what you tell me will determine his fate." Justin went white in the face at this statement, but he knew Allo would never sacrifice him willingly, so he just bit his tongue as he silently listened. The rest of the Dinosaucers, Blind Master, and the Secret Scouts also turned their weary attentions to the Whitelighter leader. Gideon frowned, but then started to talk with his voice slightly on edge.
"As I have said before, I am Gideon, the Elder and sole leader of the Whitelighters. We Whitelighters are of an ancient and immortal race, a race that coincides with the feys, the fairy folk, the demons, the angels, and the legions of descendants that stem from the powers of the mystical force that separates us from the human and mortal race. For we have lived and existed for centuries and millennia, ever since the beginning and creation of this world."
"I still cannot believe this," murmured Paul to himself.
Blind Master then whispered back, convinced, "There is more to this world than what we know of, Paul."
"Why are you here?" Raptor growled, his tail twitching in an agitated manner.
"We are here to execute the half-breed, the human child, the one you know of as Justin."
"We know that, but why?" the velociraptor elaborated, still not satisfied with the answer.
Gideon then said with fervent rage, "Because Justin is a threat to our race! He is a child that desecrates our noble and pure blood, solely because of the reason he exists! Because of him, our heritage will be in danger of dying out, for by the universal law of all Immortals, if a drop of human blood finds its way into an immortal's heritage, the evil of humanity causes the bloodline to grow dark, to bring the race down in ruin, strife, and destruction. As such, Justin is a parasite that can drain away everything of the Whitelighter glory."
"But…but why now, then?! Why did you decide to act now when Justin has lived for the past sixteen years?!" asked a horrified Bonehead.
The Elder then cursed with bitter poison, "For several reasons. By the code of the Whitelighters, I cannot perform any harm on the child unless he proves himself to be an imminent danger to myself or my tribe. Even though he is of Whitelighter descent, it is still not enough to justify to the Council that his execution is necessary. Yet now that he has shown powers beyond human capability, it is enough to warrant our actions against Justin as of now, deeming him as a threat that must be eliminated quickly. I was absolutely livid to learn that you were still alive, Justin, you miserable, troublesome cockroach. And I foolishly thought that the half-breed would have been dead already from the hate curse I placed on him the moment he was brought into this world."
The teenager's eyes went wide at this sentence. So did Allo's, shocked at what he had heard.
"What??" gasped Justin faintly.
Gideon said coldly to the young adolescent mutant, "Did it ever occur to you that having people abhor you and look down upon your filthy flesh and blood was no coincidence? Did it ever feel like you were especially burdened with the unfortunate curse of cruelty and anger whenever you met any human stranger? It was no accident, Justin. It was because of a magical spell I placed on your body on the very day you were born into this world. I placed an enchantment of hate on your disgusting soul."
Everyone's faces blanched at this. A hate curse? On Justin??
"Oh my God," whispered Sarah with revulsion and dread as she put a hand to her mouth.
"No way!" gasped Struthio.
Ryan wordlessly looked at the young boy next to him before his mind clicked. It was so hard to believe and yet…it made sense. It truly made sense. It certainly explained a lot regarding Justin's past.
"A…A spell?? There's a spell on me??! You put a curse on me??! Wh…why??" Justin asked, his voice hoarse and high-pitched with fear and astonishment.
"To punish you, of course. Did you really think that I would take pity on a bastard child such as yourself, Justin? Did you really think that I would simply leave you be and carelessly allow the day when you could truly be a threat to my kingdom and my legacy? I knew that the possibility was very real, and I was furious that I could not kill you outright. Yet the laws never stated that I could not put you under a sort of enchantment, only that I could not attempt to murder you by my own hands. So I did the next best thing. Since you would always be an outcast to the immortal race, I found it appropriate for you to be an outcast with the human race as well, so that you would never find a moment's peace and refuge. After all, if I could not exterminate you, I may as well depend on the humans to do it for me. So I placed a powerful charm of hate and anger that would cause any mortal human to instantly hate, loathe, mistreat, and damn you, Justin, up to the point of insanity and murderous desires, the instant they laid their eyes upon you. You would never be welcomed with the Whitelighters, and to ensure you would be dealt with, I made sure you would never be welcomed in the human race as well. I made you into nothing but a hate puppet."
"By the gods," Tricero managed to cough.
"That's cold," growled Struthio.
"How could you?!" gasped Teryx, her eyes quaking and shining already.
Paul's quick and rational mind then came across a hole in that logic.
"Wait a minute," Paul interrupted, "That's impossible!! If there was a hate curse on Justin, it would have affected the four of us!! But none of the Secret Scouts ever gave in to the curse!! We were immune to it!!"
"Well…most of us," muttered Sarah darkly as she glared at Ryan accusingly.
"Not now, Sarah," Ryan groaned. Gideon frowned at the Secret Scouts.
"I know not what you pitiful mortals have done to gain such an unwarranted mercy to provide for that filthy brat, but apparently, I am just as shocked, and all the more outraged, that you four have not attempted to finish off the half-breed like the rest of this sorrowful race. And I am just as curious as well. Whitelighters have been immersed in powerful magic that has existed for eons and eons, ever since the world was anew, and when the race of men were no more than a secluded waste of flesh and bone. The spell of hate I placed on Justin could not possibly be countered by any Earthly means for our power and our magic expertise is far more powerful than any source the human race could ever invent, much less dream of. So how is it that you four are able to care and love the wretch?" he asked coldly, yet with a hint of morbid curiosity.
"We don't know, and even if we did, we wouldn't tell you, you prick!" snapped Montacera.
"There is no need to question that, Elder Gideon," Krygaw then spoke from his trance, "My crystal has located the source, and it is quite surprising. It turns out that these mortals also have a powerful epicenter of magic around them, and it is not of this world, of this Earth, of this realm."
Ryan then remembered what Gabriel had said earlier when he sensed their auras, and he was further amazed to hear this being validated. David, still bruised and battered from his battle with Shipwreck, managed to give a short laugh.
"Looks like your so-called powerful spells weren't that good after all, Gideon. Hate to tell you this, but we're just ordinary humans, no more magical than some used butt-wipe. We haven't done anything involving magic, so it looks like your spell-casting abilities leave a lot to be desired."
"David…that's not…entirely true," Allo said wearily and slowly, not sure how to put this explanation delicately. Everyone stared at their leader, not sure if they were going to like what was coming.
"Allo??" Itchy managed to croak in confusion. The Dinosaucer leader winced, knowing this wasn't going to be easy to confess.
"David, Ryan, Sarah, Paul…you all really have been subjected to magical forces. I just…didn't tell because I thought it would be better had you four never known. Justin doesn't know this as well. But…it's your rings of power, the Secret Scout Rings I gave you when we first met in the desert so many years ago when you four were all teenagers and we Dinosaucers just landed on this planet. It is your rings, Secret Scouts. That is the only reason you were even able to be spared from the curse Gideon put on Justin."
In petrified disbelief, all of the Secret Scouts just gazed down on their hands, the emblem of the Secret Scout rings facing up to them, the sunlight reflecting off the smooth surface and casting little glints of white all around. Paul then spoke, "Allo…these rings are magic?! But…but that's impossible! I thought these rings were due to the extraordinary technology back at your home planet, back at Reptilion!! I mean, I'm trying to be open-minded, but having magical rings seems a bit too far-fetched!!"
"You're forgetting that I am the sole nephew of the former rulers of Reptilion, the sage Dinosorcerer and Dinosorceress, and I have remarked in the past that both of them have used powerful magic and incantations to protect and rule the planet in peace and harmony. In fact, they were the most powerful users of the mystic in our galaxy, and no mage or wizard was ever foolish enough to challenge them in a battle of magical arts and craft. Unfortunately…they had no son or daughter, no heirs to teach and pass on their knowledge to…and since I was the only dinosaur of the next family generation…"
Allo trailed off, but everyone immediately guessed the truth.
"By the mother planet, they taught you some of their magic skills?!!" Bronto-Thunder blurted out in surprise. This was a huge jolt.
"Whoa, and all this time, I thought you'd be pretty lame compared to your uncle and aunt!" Compy remarked insensitively.
"Shut up, Compy!" snapped Teryx who overheard the diminutive dinosaur.
Blind Master then realized why Allo was so secretive about the Secret Scout rings when he examined them. It also explained how Allo was even able to bequeath such instruments of power to the four humans, and why he was so pensive when Blind Master revealed that he was able to sense something different about the Secret Scouts.
Blind Master then said softly, "That was why you didn't want to tell them, because you didn't want to reveal the fact that you knew magic, wasn't it?"
Sarah was white in the face as she asked in a zombie-like mode, "You mean…if we never had these rings…if we simply just lost them or took them off…" Dear Lord, then she would have been no better to Justin than her parents, and it further made her all the more grateful.
Gideon then had a look of clarity on his face as he remarked to the Secret Scouts, "I should have known. Your damned magic is not of this realm, but of another planet, and as such, it is a different source of power and skill compared to the Gaia forces and might of earth magic. Though thankfully it was not able to suppress the spell when that half-breed wore his ring, the curse however was not able to overcome the layer of protection given to you four when you possessed your rings of power."
The African-American Secret Scout then turned his attention to the incarcerated Misfits in the rings of light.
"But…but mutants are of another species! Then how come they still can hate Justin like this? Gideon said that he cursed Justin to be harassed by humans, not mutants!!" Paul asked.
Blind Master then solemnly stated his guess, but deep down, he knew it could be the only reason, the only truth.
"That is one thing you have forgotten, Paul. Humans did not evolve from mutants, but mutants have evolved from humans. A mutant is basically a type of human. As such, a human and a mutant are part of the same race, of the same category of 'the mortal man', just as Gideon had intended. Even though the Misfits and Joes have some extraordinary power, they are generally human, and as a consequence, the curse would still affect them. Even for our artificially created assassin, Xi, was made from human DNA which brings forth a human soul, human blood and flesh and bone, so he too, qualifies as a mortal human even though Xi was created by unnatural means."
"So even though because mutants are different genetically…" gasped Teryx, catching on.
Raptor roughly growled, "They are still, in all senses of the word, blood brothers with the species of homo sapiens, and both homo superiors and homo sapiens would share the sole line of the human race, of the mortal ancestry. Since they are of the same family, they would both fall prey to Justin's curse."
"Wait a minute! Then how come you're not affected, Gabriel? It doesn't make any sense!" Sarah asked the G.I. Joe soldier, puzzled.
The black ninja said, "Actually, it does, Sarah. Magic, such as this, needs to affect a person both in sight and in mind, and though I can sense Justin and his presence, I cannot visually see him. Thus, it would make sense that the hate curse would not affect me such as it did with my teammates…because I cannot physically view upon your friend in order for me to hate him."
"And the Dinosaucers wouldn't be empowered by the curse either," realized David, "because they're not mortal humans…they're mortal aliens from another world!"
"And since they're of another race entirely…it wouldn't affect them unlike all the people Justin's ever run into! That also means Gideon's magic doesn't work on them! Just like how it doesn't work on us or the Blind Master!!" Ryan guessed, dawning.
Gideon frowned resentfully. He grumbled, "Another oversight I had failed to anticipate."
Itchy then roared angrily at Gideon, red in the face, "What kind of asshole are you?! You claim yourself to be Justin's father!! Justin's your son, your flesh and blood!! How can you do this to your own child?!! How could you treat him like this?!"
"HE WAS BORN!!!" snarled Gideon, his voice now majestically and deafeningly echoing throughout the desert, "How can you fools be so blind to see this?! I do this to protect our race, to protect the holy bloodline of the Whitelighters!! Justin is an anomaly in the immortals' fates that should have never happened! Because Justin is still alive, his blood has caused our legacy to be impure, to be dirty with human filth, to be tainted with the evils of Justin's human half!! Can you fools not see?! Justin's death is the only way to right the strain of the Whitelighter bloodline, to keep it in distance from the mortal race!! And it is also to prevent the child from becoming a threat to our race as well with his damned powers!!"
"Purity?!! Purity over a bloodline?!! You mean to tell us this is all because you want to keep your race pure-blooded?!! Because you want to remain pure?!! That's insane!!!" shouted Stego angrily.
"All scourges can grow into deeply-rooted problems, and as such, Justin must be destroyed before he can mar our race in the distant futures," Gideon said with cold finality.
"You're wrong about that, Gideon!! Then, as of consequence, Justin is a Whitelighter by blood!! He still carries the legacy in his veins and flesh, so you have been tormenting the young one for nothing!! You can't possibly justify yourself of this! You're committing treason against your own kind!!" shouted Blind Master.
Damionax sneered, overhearing this outburst, "Don't make me laugh, you crippled fool! Justin is not worthy to be a member of our race because of his humanity! Because he is half-blooded!! Because he is half-human!! As such, he is not a Whitelighter, nor we will ever allow such a half-breed into our family, into our blessings!!"
"Wait a minute! Justin's half-Whitelighter??!!" Compy blurted out insensitively.
Damionax sneered disdainfully, "It finally took you dunces long enough to figure that one out. By the Great Immortals, and I thought calling the little whelp 'half-breed' was enough of a hint for the likes of you slow-thinking mortals."
Bonehead was piecing together the answer with growing comprehension, saying dramatically, "Wait a minute. If Gideon is Justin's father…and Justin is half-Whitelighter and half-human…and if Gideon is the Whitelighter…then doesn't that make Justin's mother…"
Justin then realized the connection.
"Mom?" he whimpered softly, "My mom…my mother, she was a mortal woman, wasn't she?"
Gideon just frowned, being silent, fuming at the reminder.
"Please, Gideon! Tell me who my mother was! Who was she?! Please, I want to know!" Justin pleaded, wringing his hands in front of him. It was always a mystery that had haunted the teenager, the never-knowing, the blank slate of his chalkboard of memories. He never knew his mother or even recalled what she was like. As long as he could recollect, Justin had always been alone and defenseless without his parents there with him. He didn't have anybody in his life before he was adopted into the Dinosaucers.
"She was no one," muttered Damionax maliciously, "At most, she was as big of a burden on this world as you are, half-breed! She was a pitiful waste of human life!!"
"How dare you!" Sarah screamed, standing up furiously and ready to rush out and slap the Whitelighter soldier with all her strength. Gideon then spoke belligerently, reluctantly.
"My son is correct, you pitiful vagabond. Your mother was simply one of my…past errors. As much as it may please you to fantasize about it, I never loved your mother nor had any feelings of devotion and affection towards her. Humans are beneath the Whitelighter race, and to associate with one like that is a sure disgrace. Even though I had committed a single act in my eons of abstinence, the fates conspired against me when I soon learned that the tramp was impregnated by my aura. Such a feat should have been impossible! Whitelighters are immortals, and as such, we cannot create brethren in such a physical manner for there never will be children or kin born of flesh and blood of a womb, but the Oracles have told me the truth, no matter how much I dreaded it. Justin was of my blood and was a part of the Whitelighter bloodline. I could not even begin to tell you how wrathful and outraged I was at such an event. It was a pure blessing when the bitch died in the hospital from complications of your birth, and I had hoped that when she died, she would take you with her. Yet you still managed to survive and was born into this world. As such, I had to do something to make sure you would follow your mother's fate."
"You tyrant!!" bellowed the wounded Tricero in rage, "The only reason Justin was born was because of your foolishness and vanity! You have no right to take it out on Justin!! He didn't ask to be come into this world!!"
"We have every right!" snapped Damionax, "Now that Justin still managed to exist, he stands in the position to truly destroy what we have upheld ever since time began! And with his unusual powers, it makes him even more dangerous!!"
"What are you complaining about?! You have the same powers as Justin does! How does that make him a threat, other than the fact he's not pure-blooded?!!" yelled Ryan angrily.
Damionax then looked slightly envious, though still just as vengefully deadly, as he remarked, "Not so, Secret Scout. We Whitelighters have the ability to heal wounds and to orb to various points around the globe by teleporting and materializing with essences of light. This is our way of transportation, our way of movement called 'orbing'. However, it seems Justin has an unusual mix: not only can he orb, our seers and Oracles were able to deduce that he also has the ability to orb objects to his possession!! That undeserving brat was given the blessing to use our Whitelighter auras to move and reflect anything he chooses, whether it be a physical object or an intangible entity!"
Blind Master then took note of the battle Justin had unintentionally with the Misfits and the Joes. It made sense now. Those strange flashes and sparks of light were able to engulf anything, causing it to dematerialize, and Justin, though it was not of by his will, was able to force it to reappear again, almost allowing him to throw it back. The seismic energy from Lance's tremors, Wanda's hex-bolts, the bullets from the Joes' guns…Justin could summon and deflect anything if he wanted to. No wonder the Whitelighters were threatened. And what would make this the perfect time to assassinate Justin was the fact that the teenager was not in control of his powers.
"Looks like Damionax's a little jealous," growled Bonehead.
"It is a disgrace, a mockery!!" shouted Damionax, close to losing his composure, "That whiny brat is of no royal descent, has no magical line in his family, and is not of a descendant of any powerful human witch or wizard!! By all rights, Justin should not even have had such powers in the first place!!"
"The X-Gene," breathed Paul, realizing, "That's why Justin's powers were able to manifest! That's why his powers came up from the Whitelighters' blood, even though it was magically impossible! Because Justin's a mutant!"
"So his powers didn't come from magic…" Teryx realized.
Plateo finished for the female archaeopteryx , "It is because the powers manifested from the young one's genes, from his genetic structure! In other words, it is not a miracle of magic…but of science! Even though Gideon is of mystical descent, Justin's matriarch must have inadvertently passed down an X-Gene to her son, and when combined, it resulted in Justin having a mutation that is based from the power of a Whitelighter!"
Dimetro then weakly turned his head to Justin, his voice soft but still laced with wonder, "Then that means Justin…you are not only a Whitelighter…but you are a mutant Whitelighter."
"Huh?" Stego was still confused.
Montacera then hurriedly explained, "It's sort of like having a lemon and having meringue. Both are really good, but if you mix them together, you got a whole new kind of treat, a new dessert."
"Yum!" drooled Stego dumbly to himself. Plateo frowned at the young, female montanoceratops.
"That wasn't the analogy I was elaborating on," he scolded.
"Hey, he understands it now, right?" Montacera shot back rudely.
Gideon then glared at Allo, now at the end of his patience.
"I have told you my purpose and my reasons, monster," he declared in a cold voice, "and I shall further try to dissuade you from your foolish notions. Hand over the half-breed to us, and we shall keep our word that we will not perform any harm or wrongdoing to you and your allies. We shall even release the mutants and soldiers who were attacking you earlier. All their lives in return for one, pitiful life of a bastard-child. It hardly requires any thought."
Allo then stood erect, his jaw twitching at the elder Whitelighter.
"No."
Gideon was now furious, his face turning scarlet and the other Whitelighters were displaying similar faces of affront.
"You fools!! Then you shall all die alongside the half-breed!"
"Being half-human isn't necessarily a bad thing!! It's the human side that gives Justin his heart, his gentleness!" Sarah protested.
"It is also what makes him impure, what makes him a true scourge to the Whitelighter bloodline. Gentleness, compassion, love?! You pitiful fools!! Those are things of weakness, not worthy of being virtues upheld by the Whitelighter standards! But it comes no surprise that they are the only things the mutt would ever have of value in his life!" sneered Damionax.
"Better to be a mutt than an arrogant bastard such as yourself!" snarled the Blind Master, "Your stubborn pompousness and views of superiority only show that immortals are no better than humans!"
Krygaw then smiled as he declared with extreme satisfaction.
"I have located the pinpoint of the protective barrier, Elder Gideon, and the magic shall not last much longer. You shall be able to perform the act of judgment soon, Father." To the Dinosaucers' horror, the Whitelighter spoke the truth. Krygaw's ruby pendant began to glow even brighter, draining the energy bit by bit as he probed with his sight harder and harder, cracking the foundation. Within seconds, the sphere of light was starting to flicker, extinguishing bit by bit. Allo realized that if he didn't do something soon, his friends and family would be in extreme danger.
"Grybumin pevasaurus!" Allo chanted, and with a sharp burst, the orb maintained its hold. Allo tried to strengthen and reinforce the barrier around them, but encouraged, the other Whitelighters began striking at the screen with their black weapons, and each blow was excruciatingly felt by the allosaurus, leaving him dizzy and his willpower and strength diminishing bit by bit with each hammer and flail.
"Please, stop this!! Don't do this to Justin!!" pleaded Sarah, trying to appeal to the Whitelighters' mercy. Yet the Elder was untouched.
"I have tolerated this jabber and the half-breed's cowardly luck far too long! Justin dies…now." With that, Gideon produced from the sleeve of his robe a long, jeweled dagger carved from the blackest stone, shiny and smooth like quartz, yet wicked and sharper than any mere mortal blade produced from any forge. Justin whimpered. It was the last omen of his dream, his premonition of his own death. Elder Gideon saw the fear in the trembling teen, and he smirked maliciously.
"You should be afraid, you little accident."
Allo felt Justin hold on tighter to his suit of armor as the Dinosaucer glared at Gideon. Then the Blind Master, the Secret Scouts, including Ryan surprisingly, and all the other Dinosaucers all immediately flanked in front of the allosaurus and his son, wordlessly providing a secondary protective cover.
"Touch him, and we will kill you," rumbled Raptor softly, yet dangerously. Even though it may have been pointless the minute the barrier was down, it was unanimous that they would defend Allo and Justin to the end. Undaunted, the Whitelighters continued their assault, and as the other Dinosaucers conversed to each other worriedly as they witnessed the force-field weakening with each passing moment, Blind Master took Justin aside.
"Justin, there may yet be a way out of here, if you're willing to trust me."
Compy, who overheard the Blind Master, snapped in sarcastic doubt and grating wit.
"Oh yeah, and what're you gonna do?! Pray for wings to sprout from your back, and fly Justin outta here?!!" Compy snapped.
"No, but I think that if I had one of those teleporter bands that my teammates still have with them, I could use the Mass Device to take Justin out of here, take you far away from the battle! With you trying to escape, the other Whitelighters will have no choice but to pursue after you, and hopefully, they will leave your friends, your family, and the Misfits alone!" Blind Master said hurriedly.
Justin then looked at Blind Master sorrowfully before he whined, "No, I can't! It's too risky! I can't leave my family, Blind Master! I…I can't just go and let Allo and the Secret Scouts get hurt or killed."
"Justin, if Gideon or his soldiers get their hands on you, you will die."
"Is that really so bad, then?" Both Compy and Gabriel just stared at Justin in shock, horrified. The question was said quietly, resigned, but it couldn't have been more tragic. The teenager's eyes were wet as he numbly looked at the G.I. Joe soldier.
"At least…that way, no one else would get hurt, and I wouldn't have to live with this curse anymore." Furious, Compy grabbed Justin roughly by the shoulder, hissing.
"Kid, so help me, by the mother planet, if you don't stop spewing this bullshit, I swear I'll beat you until some sense comes into ya! Just shaddup and let Blind Master help you, and stop feeling so damn sorry about your pathetic life!! Blind Master, I know I speak for all of us, including the Big Guy, when I say do whatever it takes to keep Justin safe!"
Blind Master then repeated in frustration to the compsognathus Dinosaucer, "Compy, you're forgetting I can't do anything yet!! Not even my ninja skills can fight against a group of magical immortals!! The only thing that can buy Justin some time is that if I had one of those teleporter-watches from my allies!! But I cannot leave the shield Allo placed over us!"
Compy then removed an object from his pocket of his uniform and held it out to the ninja master. Justin gasped as he saw it. It was another wristband of the Mass Device, with the straps of the communicator recklessly and awkwardly torn apart, as if ripped off forcibly.
"I managed to take this one from one of those Trinity girls when they jumped me earlier," Compy explained, as, at the same moment, the field of force suddenly collapsed, fading into nothingness, leaving everyone protected by the sphere completely vulnerable. Allo sank to his knees in exhaustion, nearly passing out, the strain too much for him to take.
Blind Master snatched the communicator-teleporter wristband from the dinosaur gratefully as the Whitelighters then again sent another wave of magic force crashing against the resistance, sending many of them flying, though several quick enough such as Struthio, Raptor and Sarah were able to dodge the attack, and with a vengeance, they set themselves onto Damionax and Krygaw, brawling and lashing. The other Whitelighters were surprised to find out that the Dinosaucers and Secret Scout simply got back up without much pause and flung themselves, brawling, at the Immortals. Despite their injuries, Justin's family were no pushovers or quitters.
Within seconds, General Hawk's irate and pensive voice emerged from the transmission speaker the minute the ninja activated it.
"Damn it! What is with you girls?! Report, Private Trinity!!"
"Hawk, it's me, Blind Master!"
"Gabriel, what the hell is going on?!! What the blue blazes is going on over there?!! Report!!"
"We're under attack! I need permission to place a child, a mutant, under solitary confinement and lockdown back at the Pit where no one can find him!!"
Thankfully, General Hawk didn't ask why, but he still briskly and sternly asked more questions, which was starting to become nerve-racking considering that the battle was going quite badly for the Dinosaucers. Every second spent just brought Justin closer and closer to his demise by his own race.
"Gabriel, where are the rest of the Misfits?! And for that matter, who's attacking?!! Is it the Dinosaucers?!"
"General Hawk, now's not the time -"
"Blind Master, report!!"
"General, it is not the Dinosaucers, but it is a magical race of immortals known as Whitelighters! They're attacking us because the Dinosaucers have been protecting a mutant child named Justin for the past ten years! Justin is the reason the Dinosaucers have not surfaced for the past decade, and not only is Justin a mutant, he's also half-Whitelighter!!"
There was a small intake of surprise as General Hawk asked, "Did you just say Whitelighters?"
"General, please, listen to me!! Justin needs to be in solitary confinement and lockdown until we can help him!! He's under some sort of enchantment or curse that causes every human around him to try to kill him, and the Misfits were subjected to the curse!! General, I need to take Justin back to the Pit before the Whitelighters and Misfits kill him and the Dinosaucers!! He needs help, and we need to break the curse on the Misfits!"
There was nothing but a wrenching silence from the communicator, and Blind Master knew that General Hawk must have had trouble believing what he was being told. Hell, if the tables were turned, Blind Master himself, despite what he had seen throughout his lifetime, would have been slightly skeptical. The ninja master then tried again.
"General Hawk, do you read me? Blind Master reporting! General! Look, I know this seems unbelievable, but -!!"
"The leader of these Whitelighters is named Elder Gideon, isn't he?" General Hawk asked quietly, but his voice was so calm and solemn that it was able to stop Blind Master with his tirade, pausing the repetition of previous information.
"Wha-…uh…affirmative…but…but how on Earth did you -?!!"
"Blind Master, I need you to teleport back to the Pit ASAP without Justin and take me to Gideon."
"General?!!" Blind Master could not have been further floored. Justin and Compy's jaws also dropped at the request. The General actually wanted to put himself into this mess? It was like marching up towards the lion's mouth, unarmed and strutting all the way.
"Soldier, that's an order!"
"But, General, Justin's curse…it'll affect you as well!"
"Gabriel, Justin's life and the Dinosaucers' lives will be on the line if I cannot get there in time, along with the Misfits and their handlers. Take me to Gideon immediately. Is there a possible way to shield myself from the curse on Justin?"
Both Compy and the Blind Master then had the solution hit them simultaneously as they stared back at the Secret Scout who just looked at them, puzzled.
Amidst the fighting, Gideon calmly strolled along the battlefield, knife in hand, his eyes scanning the land for his target. He was immensely pleased when he saw the boy kneeling next to a small lizard and the blind cripple before the solider immediately disappeared into thin air. Though a bit nonplussed, Gideon had no fear. As long as the G.I. Joe soldier didn't take the wretched brat with him, Gideon couldn't have cared less.
Justin turned around, only to fearfully see that Gideon was only mere feet away from him.
"Are you ready to die for your sins against our race, half-breed? Oh come now, don't act like such a coward. I promise I shall make your death as quick and painless as I can."
"Justin, quick, get outta here!! Try to teleport yourself!!" Compy shouted encouragingly.
"I can't!! I don't know how to!!" cried Justin as he tried to willfully summon the auras again, but there was only a faint glimmer of sliver and white outlining his body before it disappeared again. Justin failed to orb away from Gideon. Compy then ran directly at the Elder, claws and teeth ready.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!!!" barked Compy as he tried to tackle Gideon, but with a fling of his hand, a strange myriad of rings of illumination emerged before binding Compy helplessly to the floor. The Dinosaucer cursed every four-lettered profanity he could think of as Gideon raised the knife. Justin was too scared to move. There was a sudden blur as a heavy mass then leapt in front of Justin, shielding him.
It was Allo.
"My, my, my…" sneered Gideon in a pompous, degrading air, clearly not the least bit scared at the sight, "It appears the half-breed has made a surrogate father with this…monstrosity."
"Get the hell away from my son," growled Allo dangerously, his eyes flashing red.
"If anyone is the monster around here, it's you, Gideon," a battered Ryan managed to utter with controlled fury as a Whitelighter pinned him down painfully on the sand, the immortal's foot pressing down with agonizing pressure on Ryan's neck. Allo then tried to rush at the immortal by clawing his head off with one swipe, but with a flash, Gideon orbed out of reach, leaving the Dinosaucer to only strike thin air.
"Wha -?!" but Allo realized his mistake too late as Gideon orbed directly in front of the Dinosaucer's chest. There was a swift, black haze.
Justin could hear screams of pain and anguish before he was able to comprehend that the wails were his own as he saw Gideon stab his father directly in the chest, ruthlessly bringing forth a waterfall of blood from the allosaurus' ribcage. Stunned, Allo could only quake slightly before he toppled over, his body twitching as the blood was already starting to pool around his body. It was a fatal stab to the heart, and given that the dagger was made by dark magic, it was surely lethal as well. Justin was now inconsolable, sobbing with great sorrow and pain. The Secret Scouts and other Dinosaucers were also stunned, crestfallen and in grief at the sight of Allo dying. Even Raptor was pained.
Gideon then addressed to his men, giving a final order.
"Kill them all. Both the half-breed's family and those mutants we earlier imprisoned."
"Please, don't hurt them!! Please!! I'll do whatever you want!!" Justin was now on his knees, trying to beg for Gideon's mercy as he kept crying.
"Nothing you say can dissuade me, half-breed! It is finished! I just wanted to take delight at seeing you watch your own demonic father die before you and your pathetic band of friends join him!"
"That is enough Gideon. Justin shall not die on this day," a voice of steel and authority rang out strongly behind.
The Whitelighters, the Dinosaucers, the Secret Scouts and Justin turned to the voice, stunned. There, standing before them, was the Blind Master and General Hawk of G.I. Joe. Hawk was wearing Justin's Secret Scout ring, the band of energy that protected him from Gideon's curse placed on Justin. Hawk, with crossed arms, just glared at Gideon. Damionax was adamant.
"How dare you speak to the Elder Gideon in such a tone, you impudent mortal?! I'll have your tongue -!!"
"Damionax, silence!!" snarled Gideon at his son. Damionax mulishly backed off. The Elder of the Whitelighters than finally spoke.
"Hello, General Hawk," Gideon said coldly.
"Hello, Elder Gideon," Hawk said just as icily.
Author's note: Yep, turns out General Hawk's full of surprises! Check back Friday for the next chapter, but the danger is far from over, and the Misfits will actually get a chance to help the Dinosaucers this time! Oh, and special thanks to review Dru for guessing right! Whitelighters are from the TV show "Charmed", and Gideon was actually the Elder of the Whitelighters! And asha-man72 was right in that it is the same Elder Gideon and the Whitelighter in the TV series "Charmed", but I'm just twisting the universe a bit to fit with Red Witch's Misfit-verse. "Charmed" and all references and characters used are property of Aaron Spelling. And yep, now you know what the deal with Justin is! If you're still confused, Justin's power is based off Paige's power since in the series, she too is half-Whitelighter. Until then, read and review!