All characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyrighted to Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. I've taken the idea for the Unseelie Court from the TGS. Characters and concepts from Star Trek are property of Paramount and created by Gene Roddenberry. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of SN.
Note: I'm disregarding the events of the "Goliath Chronicles", with the exception of "The Journey" because I do not wish to use the rest of the "Goliath Chronicles" as canon to my story. Also, I am altering large sections of the Star Trek storyline, especially concerning events like WWIII and the Eugenics Wars, which without the Cold War as a backdrop probably wouldn't happen the way Roddenberry wrote them, if at all. This story takes place one week after "Alpha and Omega".
Invasion
By SN/TVfan
Email: Sam_Nary
Unknown Location
The Illuminati Council sat in a nervous session as they tried to figure out to do after Arthur and his travelers invaded Site Omega and made off with the gargoyle hatchlings they had been preserving and the ingredients needed to restore Merlin's powers. This left the Illuminati with very few options available too them, and many of them they didn't want to consider.
"We can not allow Merlin to regain his powers!" Six said urgently, "We must do something."
"And what do we do?" Five countered, "Pendragon's group is moving around too chaotically for us to be able to track him. He's been spotted everywhere from Austria to Cambodia. And most recently in Switzerland. We can't even guess where he'll show up next."
"We do not need to follow Pendragon," Two spoke up, "the question is are we willing to do what is necessary to insure that he is ultimately defeated."
The other council members turned to face Two, who looked relatively calm.
"While they have the ingredients for Merlin's cure," Two began, "they must return to Stonehenge to perform the spell, which would mean returning to England."
"Are you saying we lay in wait on the Salisbury plain?" Four asked curiously.
"Not the Salisbury plain," Two answered, "that might give him some opportunity to bide his time until we lose interest, or martial forces necessary to distract us. No, I am saying we must wait in England for him."
"But we already control England," Six spoke up, "we control that country the same way we control every other country…"
"With the exception of Khan's holdings in China," One reminded the gathered Council members.
They all nodded.
"But covert rule will not allow us to grab Pendragon the instant he appears again in England," Two spoke, "he has no criminal record and was decorated and knighted by the Queen for his part in stopping Morgan Le Fey. We must take outright control of the country."
"Directly?" Three gasped, "that's never been done in the history of the Illuminati!"
"I don't think we have much choice in the matter," Two replied, "it's either that or let Pendragon save Britain one way or another, thus destroying the Mage's prophecies."
The others were silent for a few moments. Coming out into the open had never been done by the Illuminati, largely to leave the people's of the world with the notion that they controlled their own destiny. And if Tibet was a sign of anything, the world was not yet enlightened enough for them to come out into the open. But, the Mage's prophecies were important to the Illuminati's survival. And they had predicted the Illuminati saving Britain from some evil force. If Merlin regained his powers and Pendragon saved Britain, those prophecies would be broken, which they couldn't allow.
"Is there any other way we could track them?" Four asked nervously, "any other way?"
"We would need to have a lot of luck on our side, which we haven't had a lot of," Three commented, "if we can't track his movements, or predict when he will show up, we'll need to know where he needs to go to. And that is Stonehenge."
"So we directly take over England, then," Six spoke up, "do we know what will happen to the rest of Europe when we do this?"
"At best we can only guess," Two sighed, "more then likely, they'll end up having to fall into line as well. The Americans, thankfully probably won't even notice. They're too distracted by the chaos in China and other matters."
"Thankfully," One sighed, "It is decided then. We will take direct control over the British Isles. Two, Six, the two of you are to directly handle the affairs of taking the islands. You may use any means necessary."
The Skiff
Arthur quietly pushed the skiff along through Avalon's mists, not knowing where they were headed. He had hopes of returning to London, where they could plan restoring Merlin's powers to his old mentor, but Avalon wouldn't necessarily send him there for that reason.
"Have we arrived anywhere yet?" he heard Rachel asked as the woman woke up from a short power-nap she had been taking.
"Not yet," Arthur answered quietly, not want to disturb the others, "although the mist seems to be weakening. We might be emerging soon."
Almost as if on cue, the mist cleared and they found themselves looking at large white cliffs standing tall above waves crashing into them. The increased rocking of the skiff served to wake the others, except for Una who was still in stone sleep.
"Where are we?" Beth asked groggily, her eyes not fully open, yet.
"Dover," Rachel answered, "We're back in Britain."
"We can make our way to London fairly easily from here, then," Merlin commented as he stood up, "although, we should still wait for Una to wake up."
The others nodded in agreement.
"So where will we wait until then?" Beth asked curiously, "I'm sure the people will be surprised to see Una's statue in a little skiff like this."
"We're not at the city of Dover," Merlin corrected, as the port city wasn't in view, "but we are close, judging by the rock formation."
"We'd still need to go into the port if we are to disembark the normal way," Arthur spoke up, remembering back to the brief moments he and his knights had once held some political control in the region.
Merlin nodded in agreement.
"I suppose this is where I come into the conversation then," Coyote commented, and in a flash of green light, they vanished.
The group reappeared on top of the cliff looking down toward the waters of the English channel below. They could vaguely see the skiff sinking into the water. Rachel could see the city from that spot on the cliff side.
"There goes our ride home," Beth said to Coyote as they looked down to toward the Channel and the now sunken skiff.
"We can arrange a return flight Arizona for you when we get to London," Arthur offered, "and if not Arizona, at least to New York."
"Thank you, you're majesty," Beth nodded, "what will you do now?"
"First we'll return to London and see how things have gone since we've been gone," Arthur commented, "while Merlin and Una prepare Merlin's cure. From there, we'll probably end up driving to Salisbury to cure Merlin."
"Isn't that where Stonehenge is?" Beth asked, and then after the gathered British natives nodded, "isn't it only some sort of sundial?"
"That is the external function," Merlin answered, "but the stones are magically charged, expanding the powers of any sorcerer inside the formation."
"Never knew that," Beth spoke glancing to Coyote.
"Well, before the Illuminati used it on Merlin, it's probably been several millennia since anyone used Stonehenge for that purpose," Coyote commented.
Beth nodded as the sound of helicopter engines began to come within the range of their ears. The group turned to see several black helicopters fly overhead and head inland, toward London.
"What was that?" Rachel wondered aloud.
"Maybe some sort of maneuver," Merlin guessed, "although I didn't see any insignia on any of those helicopters."
London
Macbeth sat quietly at the main dinning table, drinking some tea, and reviewing the day's paper, now that his day of teaching was over. Things had remained rather quiet in London, but not without it's own worries. Although, much of that had to deal with waiting for Arthur and his group to return to London. He had just turned the page in the paper when he heard the phone ring. When he got up to answer it, he heard Arthur's voice on the other line.
"Macbeth?" Arthur inquired.
"Yes, I'm still here," Macbeth answered, "where are you?"
"Right now?" Arthur answered, "Dover. We'll be making our way back to London when the sun goes down."
"That will certainly be good news to the others," Macbeth commented, "although I will inform you that not much has gone on in London while you've been gone."
"I'm sure what we've run into makes up for it," Arthur answered, "We'll be there shortly."
"Did you get a cure for Merlin?" Macbeth asked curiously.
"Yes," Arthur answered, "We'll let you know more when we arrive."
"Very well," Macbeth answered, "We'll expect your return."
With that he hung up the phone and returned to the newspaper. He was grateful that so far things had gone successfully, as he knew from experience that quiet times didn't last for long.
Warehouse, On the Docks
"Why do we have to do this here?" Six grumbled as he slowly followed Two into an old warehouse that belonged to a company owned by an Illuminatus.
The warehouse was large and sufficiently quiet enough that they could operate in relative secrecy, but it didn't exactly look like the place that members of the Illuminati Council would operate out of.
"We are about to reveal our organization to another nation," Two answered, "when that happens, you can expect a certain amount of chaos If we were in more appropriate accommodations, we would likely get caught in that chaos, and would thus fail to capture or kill Pendragon when he returns."
"Still doesn't mean that I think this is the wrong spot," Six grumbled, "If Pendragon's London allies strike against us, they'd be more likely to strike here then against what would appear to be a more obvious target."
"More then likely they'll be drawn into the direct fighting that will result from our little proclamation," Two spoke confidently, "and even if they don't, their magicians are not here, which means we have the advantage."
Six slowly nodded. The London clan's only sorceress was Una, and she was with Pendragon as far as they knew, but Macbeth was still in London, and the Illuminati had long learned that the immortal Scottish king was not to be underestimated.
"What about Macbeth?" Six questioned, "his condition might make him somewhat resistant to our sorcery."
"Not enough that he can't be killed, temporarily," Two reminded him, "He will be taken prisoner and held there until we could find a way to get him and Demona to battle to the death of both of them."
Six sighed and nodded again, and then approached several large crates that were stacked in front of him. He raised one hand and said something in Latin. Six then watched as the lids to the crates came off and lay flat on the ground behind them. Once that was done, six took a closer look at the crates.
"Is everything there?" Two asked quietly.
Six turned back to face Two and nodded, "Yes, everything is here. Cameras, microphones, and the equipment needed to override every television signal in Britain. The jammers will likely also affect Ireland and parts of France an Belgium."
"France and Belgium are of no concern," Two commented, "and we may have to occupy Ireland as well. They're close enough to Britain that Pendragon could use the island as starting point to get into Britain."
Six nodded, "Then I guess we'd best get to work."
Dover
As the sun began to set, Arthur and his small group had moved back to give Una and the small gargoyle hatchlings they had liberated from Site Omega the room to awaken from their stone sleep. The sound of the young gargoyles awakening seemed almost cute as they tried to imitate Una's awakening cry. The young hatchlings, however, couldn't match the power of the adult gargoyle at the moment.
"Where are we?" Una asked as she turned to face the group.
"Dover," Arthur told her, "we're home, essentially."
Una nodded and then looked down toward the channel below them, as if looking for the skiff.
"The skiff sank into the channel shortly after we left it," Merlin spoke up, "likely returned to Avalon."
"These hatchlings are too young to begin formal gliding lessons," Una spoke, "and even if they were, the distance between Dover and London is too great for a beginner. And I can't carry all of them."
"I suppose they could walk with us," Merlin commented, "although that would require Coyote's services."
"Anything to help," Coyote nodded.
"Have you thought of names for them, yet?" Beth asked curiously.
Una glanced down to the hatchlings gathered around her ankles. One was English gargoyle who looked like a blue furred female version of Leo. One was a Scottish gargoyle that pink and yellow coloring, while one looked like a polar bear cub with wings and its wings and tail were both covered in soft fur. One was a Roman gargoyle, whose feathers were so dark they were almost black, and the final one looked somewhat like an oriental version of a Scottish gargoyle.
The others had decided to let her name them, which left Una somewhat nervous. When she wanted hatchlings of her own, Griff was still going on about fighting the Nazis, and when he disappeared into the phoenix gate, in her grief, she had never participated in the Breeder's Moon with Leo. As a result she had no experience with hatchlings and didn't really know what to do in regards to naming them. For the most part, she was grateful that all of the hatchlings were old enough to have been weaned.
"I hadn't given it much thought," Una admitted, "I was thinking I'd save that for when we return to London. Besides, they still seem rather skittish to sit still long enough to be named."
Beth glanced down at hatchlings, which were rather quiet and stayed as close to Una as possible. The seemed especially fearful of Rachel and Coyote, but she wasn't about guess why that was.
"It's all right little ones, we won't hurt you," Beth tried to urge them to walk out from behind Una.
The hatchlings all looked up to Una with some fear evident in their faces.
"Go on, they won't hurt you," Una urged, "we're going back to your new home."
They slowly walked toward Beth, Merlin, and Arthur, who didn't move as they walked toward them.
"Now, I will need to perform a little magic so people spot you," Coyote spoke as carefully as possible, "but it won't hurt you, and it will only be an image."
The hatchlings looked on nervously, but let Coyote cast his illusion spell while Una dove from the cliff and took to the air.
"I'll see you in London," Una spoke down to them.
With that, Una began gliding toward London while the rest of them began to make their way toward Dover.
London
"They're on their way back?" Leo asked, sounding very relieved that Una was on her way back with the others.
"That's what he told me," Macbeth spoke, "although they arrived in Dover, so I would think that it will be late when they arrive."
"I take it they've found a cure for Merlin then?" Giff spoke, hopping they had solved all of the problems that the Illuminati had thrown their way.
"I would assume so," Macbeth nodded, "Arthur didn't sound depressed, and he did mention something about a cure."
"Then they were successful," Julia answered, "That is good."
Macbeth answered the questions concerning Arthur and Merlin's return with a fair bit of patience as the clan gathered their breakfast and prepared to eat. While they ate, Macbeth made his way into a living room to see if he could catch the day's news. The gargoyles would most likely be deciding their patrol routes for the night, and with nothing big gong on at the moment, he wasn't needed for that.
He tuned into one of the BBC news stations to get some update on anything that had happened during the day that the clan might interest in. The story currently being run was an update on the events in China, which seemed to remain chaotic, but after a few moments, the screen changed to show a single red banner with a man in red robes standing in front of it.
"Good evening citizens of the United Kingdom," the robed man spoke, "I am Two, Council Member of the organization known as the Illuminati, currently at war with the man called 'Khan' in China."
Macbeth's eyes narrowed as he continued watching.
"What is it, Macbeth?" Chloe asked as she approached the couch he was sitting.
Macbeth only motioned one hand, as if to try and keep her quiet as he kept watching.
"We had not wanted things to continue as they are, but considering Britain's continued non-commitment to the crushing of Khan's forces, it is the decision of the Illuminati Council that you be made directly subservient to the Council," Two spoke, "This may seem frightening to you, but if you submit, your individual lives will not change… and we will even bring forth an age of prosperity that you have never seen."
"Oh my…" Chloe breathed out in shock, and turned and shouted, "come quick! You must see this!"
The others were quick to arrive as Two continued to speak.
"You have two choices," Two said calmly, "You can fight or accept our rule, and our forces will arrive in one hour to accept your submission to the Illuminati Council. If you fight, our forces will win to insure your submission. Thank you for your time."
"That sounds like the speeches Hitler gave after France fell," Griff spoke in shock at what he had heard.
"Yes," Leo nodded, "but the Illuminati and Hitler were two very different monsters."
"We must stop them," Lancelot urged.
"The question is how, though," Macbeth turned to him, "we are here in London. The Illuminati may make their headquarters, but this will be going on throughout Britain. This is an invasion."
Leo's eyes widened at the word invasion and remembered things that Merlin, Arthur, and Una had been talking about concerning Britain's 'Greatest Hour of Need'.
"This could be what Merlin was concerned about," Leo spoke up, "Britain' Greatest Hour of Need."
"I take it stopping them isn't going to be easy then?" Gawain asked.
"And everything will depend on how the government responds to this," Macbeth answered.
Number 10, London
The Illuminati announcement triggered an almost immediate response and the Prime Minister was in no way ready to respond to the announcement. Members of parliament had called to voice their worries and asked what the Prime Minister's opinion was, while he was trying to get in touch with his cabinet trying to figure out what they would do, or at least figure out what position to take when they were to go before parliament. He entered the main conference room to find his cabinet waiting for him.
"I thank you all for rushing here on such short notice," the Prime Minister said politely, "but we must reach some decision what we are to do, considering everything."
"I'm not sure there is anything we can do," one cabinet member spoke, "we don't know where they're coming from, and they're coming in an hour. And even if they come from within, we don't have time to do an investigation."
The Prime Minister sighed heavily at that. They were being invaded by some secret organization that had been controlling China, and they only had an hour to prepare for it. Regardless of what they decided to do, things would not be easy.
"Maybe we should submit," a different cabinet member spoke up, "we can't repeal their attack and we don't know where it will come from… or whether or not it will come from within. Submit for know until we know exactly who our enemies are. Then begin to agitate once we know who to target."
"Many could still die before we figure that out," a third cabinet member argued, "Why would you urge that we give up?"
"I…," the second cabinet member spoke nervously, "I guess I don't want to put our people in a situation where they would lose, but would also potentially face betrayal… if we wait until the opportune moment, we'd be able to win and could potentially take some good from these 'Illuminati'."
"Nothing good can come from them," the first cabinet member, "they will plunge us into the same chaos that is currently plaguing China and hurting the global economy."
"There could be some good," a fourth cabinet member spoke up, "what they represent is great and dramatic change, just as the Anglo-Saxon invasions of the fifth century, the Viking raids of the ninth century, the Norman conquest in 1066, and the development of what would become Parliament during the reign of John I. There were good things that came from each of these, but, we must also remember that the Celtic Britons still fought the Saxons. The Vikings did devastate the entire island, along with the rest of Europe. And the Saxons fought bravely against William I. The question we should be asking is what are the potential benefits of 'submitting' and are they better then the likely negatives that will also occur."
"And Nigel, what do you think we stand?" the Prime Minister asked, "on the positive or negative?"
"To be honest, we can not truly know what their 'positive' aspect will be, if there is any," Nigel answered, "It is usually a historian's job to figure out what consequences of a specific action were good or bad, but I can guess at some of the likely negatives."
The others turned to Nigel with very concerned looks.
"They claim we've been helping this 'Khan' in Tibet," Nigel answered, "Which we all know is a lie, but in their own deluded minds, if they see us, or at least some of us, as enemies… they are likely to execute those they perceive to be their enemies. And by using the tone that they used, and specifically the word 'submit', I doubt they will let us govern our own people any longer. We could be in for a long dark night before any possible 'good' comes out of all of this."
The Prime Minister sighed heavily. He had been good friends with Nigel before getting into politics, and he had always trusted his advice. It was clear to him that from Nigel's answers that what the Illuminati was bringing couldn't be beneficial.
"So we should fight?" the Prime Minister asked.
"I don't really know," Nigel answered, "they haven't given us any other options besides submitting or fighting them… and if they're already among us, we may not have a chance of winning in the long term."
The Prime Minister then sighed heavily, "we will defend our island and our people. But the Queen and the Royal family are to go to Scotland for their own safety. Even if they're already there, I doubt they'll focus on that part of the country initially. And if things go bad, they can flee to some place where they aren't attacking."
"Of course," the others all agreed.
"But we are to still try get them to negotiate if at all possible," the Prime Minister sighed, "try to talk them into backing off… and if they don't, we do what we must."
The others all nodded again.
On the Road to London
"You're lucky I was already making this run," a truck driver spoke to Arthur, as he and Rachel squeezed into the cab of his vehicle, while the others were in the back of the truck, "I normally don't do this."
"Pick up hitch-hikers?" Rachel questioned.
"No, drive at night," the driver answered, "I just don't like it that much. What takes all of you to London, anyway?"
"Returning home, actually," Arthur answered, "we had to go into Dover on business, but our ride was unable to pick us up, and our business lasted longer then expected."
The man only shrugged and kept his eyes on the dark road.
"So where in London do I drop you off?" the man asked after a few moments.
"If you could just get us into the city that would be fine," Rachel answered, "once we're there, we can walk, and you can keep on your schedule."
"Thank you, but it really is no problem," their driver began to answer when he noticed something in the distance, "hold on."
Arthur and Rachel both looked at each other for a moment before looking out to see a Challenger tank moving to block the road, and with the Union Jack flying from its radio antenna.
"Is the army running maneuvers or something?" Rachel asked as she watched the tank turn its turret so that the main gun was pointed directly at them.
"I don't think so," their driver spoke, "it'd be rather odd for them to be out right now, and around here."
The driver stopped his truck as a lone soldier came out from the ditch and motioned for him to roll down his window.
"Where you headed?" the soldier questioned.
"London, sir, is something wrong?" the driver answered.
"You don't know?" the soldier asked back.
"Know what?" the driver wondered.
"This road is closed to all traffic," the soldier spoke, "to make sure that the Illuminati can't land a huge army on the coast and advance on London."
"The Illuminati…" Rachel breathed out in shock.
"Do you know something?" the soldier barked angrily, "Out, all of you! OUT!"
Arthur, Rachel and the driver slowly got out of the cab, and they then looked to see two more soldiers pulling Beth, Merlin, Coyote, and the disguised hatchlings out of the back of the truck. The hatchlings looked utterly terrified and clung to Merlin's legs. The soldier in front of them, however, didn't care about that.
"What do you know about the Illuminati?" the soldier demanded leveling his rifle at Arthur's chest.
"Mostly that they are not to be trusted," Arthur answered slowly, "could you please tell us what is going on?"
"As if you don't know," the soldier grumbled, "Now, why are you invading Britain?! Tell me NOW!"
"Invading, I've lived here all my life," the driver protested, sounding utterly confused by everything.
The soldier began to turn to him when the sound of helicopter engines broke the silence and three Blackhawk helicopters and two Apache attack helicopters came into view. They were all painted black and bore no insignia.
"Those are American choppers," the British tank commander spoke, "what are they doing here?"
The first Blackhawk stopped and turned so that the main passenger area was visible to the small group of soldiers and Arthur's group of travelers. In it were several men in black and red commando gear, and looked like they were wearing body armor. Their apparent leader looked like he was wearing medieval robes that were a bright crimson.
"I am Agent Chatham of the Illuminati," the robed man spoke, "I trust this gathering is hear to submit to Illuminati rule…"
The man paused for a moment, looked at Arthur and then added, "…and to surrender Pendragon into Illuminati custody."
"Pendragon?" the driver asked Arthur, "I thought you said your name was Arthur."
"Pendragon is my last name," Arthur answered, which made the soldier's eyes bug out of his head.
"Do you submit?" Chatham demanded.
"We're here to defend England!" the soldier that stopped them shouted and fired a series of shots with his rifle at the exposed passenger area of the helicopter.
What came next was sheer chaos. The soldier's shots hit Chatham and a few others, which made that Blackhawk pilot pull back, but the two Apaches, which had taken flanking positions returned fire with a pair of hellfire missiles which completely destroyed the British tank before it even had a shot at firing on the attacking helicopters. The resulting explosion knocked all of them down, and rolling into the area along the side of the road to avoid being a clear target.
Meanwhile, the three Blackhawks moved back a ways to let the commandos inside get out while the two Apaches stayed close to provide cover.
"This is just great," the soldier grumbled, "they took out our tank which was the only weapon we had available with a large enough caliber weapon to deal with those helicopters."
"We'll do fine," Arthur answered him while the driver cowered between them, "so long as we can take care of the two helicopters closest to us. Coyote, how are you at summoning storms?"
"I'm only good with ones that people here do not see every day," Coyote answered, "but then, I don't think that really matters."
Coyote then moved out into the center of the road, and with glowing eyes pointed first at the truck and then at the closest helicopter, which was closing in on him. The truck then seemed to slowly dissolve into sand and blew directly into windscreen of the Apache helicopter. The pilot tried to maneuver out of the improvised sandstorm and ended up colliding with the other helicopter. The two vehicles fell into a small field nearby and exploded.
The move left the soldier in awe, but gave Coyote little time as up to twenty commandos came advancing up the street, and the other British infantrymen fired on the southwestern fey. Coyote was hit roughly five times before dropping to the ground.
"Coyote!" Beth screamed in terror as the soldier returned fire against the commandos, hitting two of them.
"The rounds aren't iron," Rachel whispered to the youngest Maza sibling, as she felt her claws lengthen, "he should be fine."
"We can't stay here," the soldier grumbled when a bullet suddenly grazed one shoulder.
He looked up to see that it was his own compatriot that had shot at him.
"Harry! What are you doing?!" the soldier demanded.
"If you will not submit, then you are an enemy," Harry answered and was about to fire again when he was hit in the chest by an electric blast fired from the electric blaster Arthur had with him.
The blast successfully knocked Harry out and left them facing the approaching commandos.
"We could use some mist, Merlin," Rachel grunted out in a growling voice as she continued to transform, "give us cover."
The soldier and the driver then noticed Rachel, and noticed that she was clearly larger then before, and covered in a downy coat of brown fur and wearing a specialized jumpsuit.
"Holy…!" the driver gasped.
"Don't worry," Arthur told them both, "they aren't like the movie monsters."
Arthur then fired a series of shots at the advancing commandos while Merlin frantically worked to cast a spell that would bathe the area in a thick mist. As the mist rolled in, Coyote rolled over and in a brief flash of light seemed to disappear and was replaced by an actual coyote, and Rachel howled as her tail grew out behind her. This totally freaked out the soldier and the driver… although by that time, the driver had fainted.
"And this is where the fun begins," Rachel commented with a toothy smile.
Arthur, Merlin, Beth, and the soldier then watched as Coyote and Rachel disappeared into the mist. The disguised hatchlings stayed close to Merlin and Beth. They waited quietly as the sounds of barks and howls soon echoed through the mist, along with several gun shots that appeared to be rather wild. When the mist cleared, Coyote and Rachel were both standing over the unconscious Illuminati commandos. The Blackhawk helicopters were retreating into the distance.
"Unbelievable," the soldier gasped.
"They didn't expect to fight in conditions in which they couldn't see," Rachel commented, remaining in wolf-form for the moment.
"You're… you're…" the soldier gasped, trying to collect himself.
"A werewolf?" Rachel sighed, lowering her ears in frustration, "yes, yes, I am, but that doesn't necessarily make me a monster."
The soldier managed to gain some degree of personal strength back as Rachel was standing still and making no wild or aggressive moves. The incident had thrown his entire world on its head, and he desperately needed to figure things out.
"And they called you 'Pendragon'," the soldier said to Arthur.
"Yes," Arthur answered in a heavy voice, "that is my name. Arthur Pendragon."
"Named after the legend?" the soldier asked.
"He IS the legendary king," Beth spoke up, "He is King Arthur."
The soldier's eyes bugged out of his head, "What…? How…? Why…?"
"Every legend has some truth to it," Merlin explained to the soldier, "as I'm sure Rachel's presence proves. And the legend of Arthur Pendragon going to Avalon to await Britain's Greatest Hour of need is true."
"And you've come back to rule?" the soldier asked.
"No," Arthur answered, "my time as 'king' was more then a millennium ago. I am perfectly willing to let the House Windsor rule. Besides, most would probably consider me too 'old fashioned' for the modern world."
"So why are you here?" the soldier asked curiously.
"Hopefully, to save Britain," Arthur answered, "as the force you're facing is an old one."
"Yes, the Illuminati," the soldier answered, "they think we've been helping Khan and are trying to take over."
"Actually, they ALREADY rule Britain," Merlin spoke nervously, "they rule the entire globe, but they do it covertly. Illuminati members have never directly run for many political offices, but they have served as advisors to insure that those who are in office, or on the throne, do as they wish."
The soldier looked horrified.
"It's probably why your friend, Harry fired on us," Merlin sighed, "he was an Illuminati agent placed in the army, probably to at least monitor the army's activities."
"Why?" the soldier asked weakly, "why would he do this?"
"Probably under the perception that through the Illuminati's secret advising, the world would be made better," Merlin sighed, "they aren't entirely evil… but recent events, like Khan in China, and Arthur's presence here in Britain, their organization is becoming more and more desperate."
"They're your enemies?" the soldier asked, confused.
"Something to do with some prophecy they have," Arthur told him, "they believe that if I fulfill the role the legends say I am to fill, their power will wane, so they've become desperate. Unfortunately, none of us know what their prophecy is or why I would stop it… so there is much that has both of us in the dark."
"This is a lot to take in," the soldier then sighed.
"Yeah, it is," Coyote spoke as he approached, "can you 'take it in'?"
"I guess," the soldier sighed, "what do we do with these guys though?"
"I guess the first thing would be to see if non-Illuminati forces control the base you were sent here from," Arthur sighed looking at the unconscious Harry and Illuminati commandos, "if not, we'll have to take them with us to the mansion that I have been living in."
"I don't think we have enough room to imprison all of these people," Merlin commented.
"It's either that or we let them go," Coyote warned, "and considering the Illuminati are trying to take over, openly anyway, it might be a bit dangerous to let them go."
Merlin only sighed. The evening had begun so well with the hope that he would be cured of the curse that Six had put on him to rob him of his powers. Now, Britain had been invaded and they was facing an uphill battle for freedom. Things were not going to be easy.
Warehouse, London
Two and Six stood triumphantly around a series of communication equipment and computers. The reaction that they expected to happen, had happened. There was violence in the streets, and the local police and military found itself trying to control riotous mobs more then being on the lookout for the Illuminati units moving into London. While that was disrupting the British army's reaction, it also slowed down the Illuminati's attempt to take control in London.
Two Illuminati squads got jumped by gangs or British citizens who didn't want to be ruled by the London. By the time everything they had beaten off the attacks, they had suffered enough casualties to make it impossible for them to engage the army.
"Things are progressing well," Two commented, "or at least as well can be expected."
"We're still taking resistance," Six pointed out, "we've sewn confusion, but other then in a few of the outlying cities in southern England, we do not control much. The area around London is a mess, and we haven't heard any reports from the areas around Wales and Scotland. And there hasn't been anything out of Northern Ireland, not even regular news reports."
"That was expected," Two spoke, "and it will take time to subdue all of them. For right now, the British are trying to sort out who is an Illuminatus and who is not. When they get over that confusion, they will have only us, and they will be too weak to even oppose us, let alone win."
"If you say so," Six sighed.
Elsewhere a small formation made their way through London through the air as though they were looking for something.
"Shouldn't we be doing something to stop the Illuminati's attacks on the people?" Griff asked as he occasionally looked down to see various fights breaking out on the ground below them.
"This is confusion related to the Illuminati deciding to take over," Macbeth answered from his hoversled as he lead Griff, Julia, Octavia, Chloe, and Lancelot over London, while the rest of the clan remained behind to guard the mansion, "We'll only play into their hands if we stop to aid the local resistance groups."
"So what do we do, Macbeth?" Chloe asked nervously, "because everything about what the Illuminati is doing is wrong."
"We need to do what we can to make sure the Illuminati can not communicate with the rest of their forces," Macbeth spoke, "their broadcast likely came from somewhere in London, and that is likely where their nerve center is."
"We take out their transmitter and their invasion fizzles out?" Griff asked.
"Hopefully," Macbeth nodded, "although, I'd think that all we'll actually do is slow it down… but that might buy us some time and allow Arthur and his group to make their way back safely by distracting them."
"And what would their transmitter look like?" Lancelot asked.
"Probably like some high tech radio antenna," Griff commented, "and probably in a place where an antenna shouldn't be."
"Like that one rising out of a warehouse?" Julia asked while pointing.
Griff looked up and saw that Julia was pointing toward a warehouse near the Thames, a warehouse that had a tall spire rising from its middle with several satellite dishes on it. Clearly something that didn't belong in the warehouse district.
"That's probably it," Griff nodded.
Griff turned and banked toward the antenna while the others moved to follow him. He was the first to hit the tower, and with his combined weight and momentum, the antenna quickly began to tilt in the direction in which Griff was headed. When Octavia, Julia, and Lancelot added their combined momentum to Griff's, the antenna fell downward, crashing into the roof of the warehouse.
Inside the warehouse, Two and Six were still following the stream of reports coming in when they heard a sudden crashing noise above them and several of their monitoring screens went black. They were forced to dive away when their antenna suddenly crashed through the roof of the warehouse they were in.
"What the devil?" Six exclaimed and then looked to a screen that was showing the security footage.
On it he saw five gargoyles and a hoversled circling overhead.
"We're under attack!" Six spoke, "It's the London gargoyles!"
"I had wondered when we'd have to deal with them," Two commented, "although I didn't think they'd figure out where WE were and attack. To the roof, quickly."
The two quickly rushed up a flight of stairs that took them to the roof. They arrived to find that the gargoyles were still circling above them.
"Well, you were right," Chloe spoke as she noticed Two and Six come out onto the roof, "they do have members present."
"Only two, though," Lancelot said confidently, "we can take them!"
Chloe and Lancelot both dove toward the two figures, intending to grab and carry them off as prisoners. They made it half way when one threw a ball of green colored energy at Lancelot, who quickly found himself encased inside a large bubble that he couldn't escape from. The other threw a lightning spell at Chloe, who barely managed to dodge it.
"They're sorcerers!" Chloe shouted as she broke off her attack.
Macbeth fired his electric blaster at one of the two men from his hoversled, hoping to give the others some cover fire. The blast made the robed man dive away and distracted the other. Macbeth then fired a second blast that freed Lancelot.
"Don't give them a clear shot," Macbeth shouted, "Move quickly!"
Griff and Julia both dove at the first robed man that Macbeth had shot at before he could fully recover. Six managed to duck under Griff's punch, but found himself grabbed by Julia's feet, and the eagle-like gargoyle began to carry the councilmember into the air the way an eagle would carry of a fish or rabbit.
"You can't do this!" Six roared in anger.
"Don't consider attacking," Julia answered back with a growl, "If I drop you, you'll be in a world of hurt."
Six ignored her and cast a lightning spell that made Julia release him. His victory was short lived, however, as he found himself falling, and hit in the chest by a blast from Macbeth's electric blaster. He ended up landing on his back on the edge of the warehouse, and didn't move.
Two, meanwhile, remained alert as Octavia, Lancelot, and Chloe tried to launch attacks on him from various directions and Macbeth fired electric blasts down on him. He was strong in magic, but with several opponents attacking from multiple angles, there were limits to what he could do. And since most of the men available to the Illuminati were trying to suppress either British citizens wielding clubs an chains or British soldiers in confused battles, he wouldn't likely get any help any time soon.
Chloe and Lancelot both dove and attempted to make a pass at two from opposing directions, hoping that the Illuminati councilmember couldn't dodge both attacks. Two managed to duck under Lancelot's slashing swipe at him, and then used his magic to raise up the roof so that Chloe glided head first into it. The green female then fell to the surface, unconscious.
"That's a start," Two commented.
"And your end," Macbeth growled as he hit Two in the chest with an electric blast, knocking Two toward the hole in the roof when the antenna collapsed.
Two had barely recovered when Octavia swooped in low, and landed a kick that knocked Two into the warehouse. He landed on a pile of crates, and didn't move. Octavia looked down and heard the councilmember groan. She was soon distracted by the sound of helicopter engines.
"They must have called for help before coming up here," Macbeth commented, noticing the sound of the helicopter's engines as well, "Lancelot, take Chloe. Griff, I trust the one councilmember up here to you. Having him as a prisoner might put us in a better position."
They all nodded and did what they could to get away and leave the area. Hopefully they did enough to slow the Illuminati down.
The Mansion
Una was fairly nervous as she came within sight of the mansion. Much of her trip had been fairly calm, but as she got closer to London, the countryside seemed to come alive with fighting between British troops and citizens and with unmarked vehicles and soldiers. It was totally confusing, and Una feared that she would become a target. And she found that London was in much the same shape as she came in to land on the mansion's roof, to find Leo nervously waiting for her.
"Una!" Leo gasped sounding surprised.
"Hello, Leo," Una spoke, "it is good to see you. What is going on? All of southern Britain seems to be in arms."
"It's the Illuminati," Leo growled in a frustrated voice, "something has made them desperate and they're invading Britain to drag us down with them."
"Our finding Merlin's cure," Una breathed nervously.
"What?" Leo asked her, sensing her unease.
"We recently recovered the ingredients needed to cure Merlin from an Illuminati base," Una informed him, "and we began our return here. Didn't Arthur tell you?"
"Arthur has not yet arrived," Leo told his mate, "you are the first to return. He might have gotten caught on the road between Dover and London. The Illuminati are doing this all over Britain."
"This is bad," Una spoke, "We'll still need to get Merlin to Stonehenge to cure him, and now, we can't be certain that he'll make it back here."
"Macbeth and some of the others have gone to take out the antenna the Illuminati used to block out all the television signals," Leo updated Una on what they were doing, "Hopefully that'll slow down their ability to communicate, and Arthur and his part of the group can sneak in. We can discuss how to get Merlin to Salisbury once they arrive."
I hope you're right, Leo," Una answered, "because I fear that this is only the beginning of a very long metaphorical night."
To Be Continued…