All characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyrighted to Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. I've taken the idea for the Unseelie Court from the TGS. Characters and concepts from Star Trek are property of Paramount and created by Gene Roddenberry. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All real persons belong to themselves, and no offense is intended. All original characters are the property of SN/TVfan.
Note: I'm disregarding the events of the "Goliath Chronicles", with the exception of "The Journey" because I do not wish to use the rest of the "Goliath Chronicles" as canon to my story. Also, I am altering large sections of the Star Trek storyline, especially concerning events like WWIII and the Eugenics Wars, which without the Cold War as a backdrop probably wouldn't happen the way Roddenberry wrote them, if at all. This story takes place two days after "Once and Future King: Resupply".
Once and Future King: Revenge Planned
By SN/TVfan
Email: Sam_Nary
London
General Crawly brought his fist down on the conference table in front of him, making a handful of cups and mugs bounce into the air under the impact.
"Damn it!" General Crawly cursed, "First the man hijacks our supplies in Portsmouth, now you're saying he disappeared?"
"Not quite, sir," a young lieutenant answered nervously as he shrunk away from the aggravated Illuminati general, "You see… he's managed to avoid close enough contact that we haven't been able to engage him…"
"He's travelling with gargoyles!" General Crawly roared in a rage, "he can only fight at night! I don't care how many magic users he has… He can't afford a full on engagement during the day!"
"He can't, but he could be able to hide, sir," the lieutenant said weakly, "you've even said that your research into Merlin's powers could allow him to alter how people perceive things…"
"That only works when one is not actively looking and doesn't know what to look for…" General Crawly growled, "and while we may need a lot to overcome Arthur's magic users… what we have chasing him should be more than enough to take him down…"
The lieutenant only stood by quietly as General Crawly looked down at the desk for a few moments. The tight lipped frown on the general's part was more than enough to keep the lieutenant quiet. Generals were always powerful and dynamic figures and when things went wrong, woe to those that brought the bad news to them. He eventually cursed again.
"And Pendragon isn't the only problem we have!" General Crawly growled, the anger still obvious in his voice, "thanks to our Council member's obsession with Pendragon, the best real strategy we had for Britain was lost. Their army and people have recovered and with surprise gone, we HAVE to push on to occupy the whole country… but were distracted by the pursuit of Arthur Pendragon over an old prophesy…"
The lieutenant stood quietly as General Crawly sighed and ran a hand backward through his hair, slicking it back and rubbing some sweat off of it.
"…to the point that now we can't avoid continuing that strategy if we want any true hope of victory in the campaign," General Crawly then finished.
The lieutenant paused to look to the table and noticed that it included a map of the UK. On that map were various lines that demonstrated where the front was or had been. And most recently, the Illuminati forces had been pushed back in their efforts to try and take the entire country. The anti-Illuminati British forces had capitalized on the distraction of hunting Arthur Pendragon and had driven them from the southernmost part of Scotland and back into northern England. They had also lost Northern Ireland entirely. All of these were signs that the war that had been started was not going the Illuminati's way.
"On the plus side, sir, their attacks in the north have stalled," the lieutenant commented, "with the units the Council had chasing Pendragon moved back up to the lines… we might be able to do more…"
South Shields, UK
Gawain Green was a young sergeant with the army and had served it faithfully, even as the Illuminati invaded the UK. He had made it to Scotland where the anti-Illuminati forces had managed to recover and retain control and had participated in the push back of Illuminati forces so far. He felt it was his duty to fight and thus protect the UK from any threat that might do the people harm, and for the moment the Illuminati certainly qualified as that. He couldn't fully understand why the Illuminati invaded the country. They claimed something about Arthur Pendragon being real and being a threat to them, and while that might have been their reasoning, he couldn't understand it.
His family had always been interested in Arthurian Legend, hence his name and his drive to protect the UK from threats to it. As such, if King Arthur was in fact real, he couldn't see him as a threat. If he was real, he couldn't help but see Arthur Pendragon as a man of honor who would never do anything to harm anyone. If he was real, Gawain Green figured he would even fight harder to protect the man, as he was the man who inspired Gawain Green. And if real, he figured that he would be Arthur Pendragon against the invasion as well. That would give Gawain Green all the more reason to fight on.
At present they were on what was supposed to be an intelligence raid. The liberation of Northern Ireland from the Illuminati and some battle against the man they identified as 'Arthur Pendragon' had led to some big advances south and toward London. But most recently, the Illuminati lines had strengthened and the rush south had begun to grind down. Thus, Gawain Green and his squad was to cross the Tyne River, grab some prisoners and take them back through the British lines and find out what strength the Illuminati had and what could be done to block them.
"Be ready boys," Gawain Green said to the men under his command as the quietly rowed a large canoe toward their targeted landing area, "we got to do this quickly and quietly…"
The men with him nodded and continued to row closer toward the far shore. A motor boat and heavier weaponry would have been preferred, but they weren't on a mission to launch a major offensive and thus stealth and low tech solutions were the key to this particular mission. They slowly made their way up to far side without attracting attention.
"They got two machine gun nests right near the edge of this ramp," a private in the lead reported softly, "we'll need to silence them both if we're to infiltrate the city and get anyone important."
Gawain Green nodded, and motioned to another private, "mount your silencers and take them out simultaneously."
"Yes, sir," came the answer.
Gawain Green and most of the men with him sat by quietly while the two privates fitted silencers to the handguns that were issued to them and they took up crouching positions. Gawain Green only watched to see their pistols be fired with a very soft 'thump' that wouldn't register to most ears as a gunshot. Gawain was only barely able to know it because he was watching the two privates on point. Once they fired they immediately waved forward, as a signal for the rest of them to charge toward the large stone building behind the ramp that they had just climbed. Their intelligence had it that the building was a forward HQ for the combat units the Illuminati had in South Shields, and figured that an officer from there would be most helpful for planning out the next big push against the Illuminati.
"Let's go!" Gawain Green ordered with a harsh whisper and they rushed out of the ramp area and toward the stone building. Thankfully no one seemed to notice them as they moved across the open space.
They made it in quickly and after a private had kicked the door in. For the moment, there was no obvious response outside, but Gawain Green did notice that interior lights were on and there were a few footsteps that were heard.
"Quick!" Gawain Green commanded, "We need only one officer, and it doesn't need to be a high ranking one. Go and go quickly."
They moved quickly, shooting one guard who emerged from a backdoor to shoot at them. From there, the raid was beginning to run into trouble and Gawain Green knew it. He could hear more footsteps as the gunfire had alerted more Illuminati troops in the building. The heavy thumping of combat boots and not just those of what Gawain Green and his troops were wearing could be heard. The age of the building though, and its stone floors and walls, however, made the sound echo and no one could even tell where it was coming from.
Gawain Green was quick to take the lead and came to a lone door and he kicked it in. They'd stormed into a small communications room with a lone communications officer standing there. He drew a pistol and fired a wild shot that caught Gawain Green in the arm and sent him staggering back. He gave a grunt of pain as his men rushed past him and grabbed the Illuminati communications officer. He screamed and hollered, but Gawain Green's men carried him out.
"You okay, sir?" a corporal under his command asked to Gawain Green.
"I'm fine," Gawain Green cringed trying to track the sound of the responding Illuminati troops in the building with his eyes, though clearly distracted and frustrated by the echoing of the footfalls.
They began to make their exit when two Illuminati soldiers came out from other hallways behind them. Gawain Green got lucky in pinpointing the sound of their footsteps and turned to face them.
"Get the prisoner back to our lines!" Gawain Green ordered.
"Sir?" the corporal asked him as Gawain Green managed to fire a round at the newly arrived Illuminati troops, groaning with pain when his weapon recoiled against the pistol wound he'd taken from their prisoner.
"Go!" Gawain Green ordered, "I'm not that important. He his! Go!"
His men rushed on and Gawain found himself holding back toward the rear of their small formation. Firing back and ducking behind whatever was available to break up the Illuminati men's line of sight on him. His arm stung with pain with each shot that he took, but he cringed through it. He had to endure it, and nothing less would be expected from a Knight of the Round Table, which Gawain Green saw himself as. However, as they reached the doors they had stormed through earlier, he caught another round. This time it was a rifle shot and in the leg that took him to the ground.
"Sir?!" his corporal asked, turning from the doorway.
"Get the prisoner to our lines!" Gawain Green screamed, "That is an order! Leave me!"
His men ran off as he heard the sound of the Illuminati men approaching him. By now though, he'd lost enough blood that he was beginning to feel faint. As he blacked out he managed one line.
"Arthur will stop you!" he declared.
London, Ten Minutes Later
General Crawly sighed heavily and was actually on his way to bed. Chasing Arthur Pendragon and his ever growing bad of resistance through the English countryside was extremely frustrating, particularly as the small garrison units were getting mauled when he passed through. The fact that the war in China was also going badly had also forced many of the combat units chasing Pendragon to leave their own members behind to regain control over the towns that Pendragon had gone through. It'd mean the forces chasing Pendragon would continue to grow weaker and ultimately weakening the forces needed at the front lines. It was a consequence of the same problems that the Council had inflicted on them earlier in the campaign.
At the same time there was the failed sweeps through London trying to find Macbeth and his portion of Pendragon's resistance as well. They hadn't launched a major uprising again, but their periodic raids on either bases or patrols were becoming more annoyances than threats. They might gain enough equipment to eventually challenge the forces in London again, but because the gargoyles with Macbeth lacked Merlin's power and didn't have a member of the Third Race helping them and because they were staying rather stationary in London, catching them only a matter of time. Not to mention that the need to catch Macbeth was far lower than the need to catch Pendragon, who was beginning to have a greater influence on the war as a whole.
"Sir!" a voice called to him, making him stop as he was about to reach for the doorknob that lead to his bedroom.
General Crawly turned to see what amounted to another faceless lieutenant that he didn't know come running with a great deal of urgency. He came skidding to a halt in front of General Crawly and saluted hastily.
"What is it, Lieutenant?" General Crawly asked in a very tired voice, expecting more bad news.
"This just came in from South Shields, sir," the lieutenant said slowly, "the British launched a raid on one of our strong points there…"
"That isn't news, Lieutenant," General Crawly groaned at being disturbed by this.
"That isn't the news in question, sir," the Lieutenant answered nervously, "it's what the guy we captured from the raid said. He said that Arthur would stop us…"
General Crawly raised an eyebrow to that. For the most part outright support for Arthur Pendragon hadn't been that obvious. Some people did here and there, but it was usually random teens or civilians with spray paint or people that had run into Arthur Pendragon or Macbeth. It was not members of the British army who, in theory were supposed to be loyal to the British government which Arthur Pendragon was not officially a part of. Yet a soldier had made that statement.
"A soldier said that?" General Crawly asked.
"Yes, sir," the Lieutenant answered, "the people in South Shields thought you should know… apparently the British government thinks highly of him… and see him as a hero."
"Have the man transported to the POW camp in York and get a call to our commando unit here," General Crawly ordered, "there is more that I want to know… but if it's true… there might be an idea in this…"
York, the Next Morning
Gwendolyn Winters sighed as she approached the door that had been the door to her sister's room. The room her sister stayed in until the Illuminati werewolf bit her and she left with King Arthur of all people to gain some control over her abilities. When Rachael left, she had stated that it was only to get control over her powers and that she would return, but in time Gwen's teasing joke became more and more a reality.
Rachael sent her letters from time to time, and even called her once or twice when she could. The first had been merely updates on her training and expressing the desire to return home. In time though, they began to become different. She expressed more admiration for Arthur's work and his personality. She expressed more acceptance of her lycanthropy and even had some lines that made it seem as though Rachael had come to like what she had become and that she wanted to help Arthur with the things he had to do.
"Hopefully he treats you right and you're all safe," Gwen said to the door and then turned to get herself some breakfast.
Gwen missed her sister, but she couldn't hold anything against Arthur, as he had solved the problem that the werewolf that bit Rachael had caused and gave Rachael a real shot at recovering. There was nothing wrong in that, and despite looking a bit older, Gwen did think the man looked rather well. That's why she had made the joke of Rachael going off to London with two single men. Her greatest concern and worry had more to do with the recent Illuminati attack.
She could never picture Arthur Pendragon as a threat to Britain, and given that he had done so much for her and her sister, she had no trust for the Illuminati's pronouncements, but she had no way of getting out of York. She had no place to go and much of the Illuminati's advance had been rapid. She probably couldn't have gotten out of York if she tried. That left her living under their occupation and unable to get any word from her sister concerning what was going on. She only hoped that Rachael and Arthur were safe, wherever they were.
She made it to her kitchen when she heard a sudden knocking on her door and her heart skipped a beat. She feared it might be the Illuminati, as while they didn't round up everyone there had been a handful of arrests when they arrived. All of those who had been arrested were non-Illuminati members of the city government or prominent city members who made commentary aimed against them after they came into the city. Gwen feared that they had figured out she was Rachael Winters' sister and that she had met Arthur Pendragon before and that they had come to arrest her for that connection. She grabbed a frying pan from a cabinet and slowly made her way from the kitchen to the door.
She was relieved to find that it was young man who looked a bit scruffy and overdo for a shave. He was dressed in a pair of jeans that were covered in grass stains and carried a heavy scent that wasn't good, but at least he wasn't the Illuminati. He looked to her with a bit of a weak smile, and was almost apologetic in a way before he spoke.
"Good morning, miss," the young man said with an obvious Irish accent, "I don't suppose I may come in… I'm a bit tired and moving around has been rather tough with the Illuminati around and all."
"Sure," Gwen said quickly and looking around, "Come in. Come in."
She stepped back and let the man enter. He looked around the entryway quietly before carefully setting his back down.
"Where have you come from?" Gwen asked, "not to many people have moved around since the Illuminati's armies passed through… some because they don't want to… others because they're scared… and the rest because of the curfew."
"Their curfew has been a problem," the young man agreed, "I'm Rory Dugan… originally from Ulster."
"You've come a long way," Gwen commented, "what brings you all the way to York? And how did you avoid the patrols enforcing the curfew?"
"I avoided them by mostly hiding out and moving at night," Rory answered weakly and rather softly, "though I did have to jump a couple of patrols here and there just to make sure no spotted me…"
"You don't look like that much of a fighter," Gwen gave a soft snort at that.
"They got their soft parts as everyone else and I never said I gave them a fair fight," Rory answered, "It was more of an ambush…"
"I see," Gwen chuckled slowly, "well… you are in very much need of a bath and your clothing washed."
"You'd do that?" Rory asked, "Launder my clothes, I mean?"
"Sure," Gwen answered, "I haven't been able to do too much since the Illuminati came through. They had the place I worked at closed down because my employer made some rather critical remarks about them. Now I mostly take in some baked goods and things to sell to the POW camp south of town. So it'd be nice to talk with someone about something other than neighbors about how tough things have been…"
Rory blinked at the mention of a POW camp, but smiled and said, "thank you."
York POW Camp Medical Area
"This is an unexpected pleasure, sir," a man in a white lab coat which hung over sea green scrubs commented as General Crawly walked through what was a rather primitive ER.
"The prisoner did survive, correct, doctor?" General Crawly asked, ignoring the comment.
"Yes, sir, he did," the doctor answered, "there was nothing life threatening about the man's wounds. Why do you ask?"
General Crawly turned to the doctor with a very serious look on his face.
"The man said something that has attracted my attention," General Crawly said sternly, "If true, it'd mean that there might be a way for us to turn the tide of the war."
"I see, sir," the doctor answered, "though I'd still ask that you not stress him any more than is necessary. The wounds weren't life threatening, but I don't really think he's going to be that up to being interrogated."
"I will do what I think is right to the war effort doctor," General Crawly answered, "and that includes turning the tide of a mess the Council started and poorly prosecuted. He will cooperate, or he will pay for wasting my time."
With that, General Crawly opened the wooden door and went through it. He came across a man in an undershirt and had his lower half covered by a blanket. There were bandages on his arm, and there were also bandages on one of his legs, but those weren't seen through the blanket. The man was conscious, but looked rather defiant.
"You are Gawain Green?" General Crawly asked of the man.
"What do you care?" the man, Gawain Green, shot back, "you're here to take over my country. I'm just a sergeant in your way."
"I care because the Illuminati has always looked out for what is best for the world," General Crawly answered with a forced smile, "it's just that the best is not something that many understand or see…"
Gawain Green only blew air over his lips and let his eyes turn away. General Crawly took that as an invitation to keep talking.
"And Arthur Pendragon is an honest threat and his involvement will only bring about greater trouble for the world in the future," General Crawly answered, "Our actions here have only been intended to set things right for the future…"
"Who's future, yours?" Gawain Green snorted, "Don't make me laugh."
"Yes… mine, in a way," General Crawly answered, "but it would benefit EVERYONE eventually. And I will see to it that that happens."
Gawain Green only continued to stare out toward a far wall. He was a bit puzzled as to why an Illuminati General had decided to come and talk to him. He had regained consciousness in a helicopter while being flown to the prison camp in York, was put under while his wounds were treated, and finally regained consciousness again. He didn't really sleep and he didn't feel fully rested, which left him wanting to sleep. But a general of all people wanted to interrogate him.
"And you came all this way to tell a sergeant this?" Gawain Green asked after he got no further commentary from General Crawly.
"I came because of something that was reported to me concerning something you said," General Crawly answered calmly, "something about you having confidence in a man who is a threat and is presently on the run."
General Crawly did his best to hide his frustration with the overall issue concerning Arthur Pendragon and his whereabouts. It was true that Arthur was on the run, but he wasn't running to hide. It was Fabian tactics to try and build up support behind him, which was frustrating to no end. But, General Crawly knew he couldn't let this sergeant know that as he had to play as though the Illuminati was in a stronger position than it in fact was.
Gawain Green actually gave a confident smile when he looked back to the Illuminati general. He sounded confident, but he also seemed out of touch with every story there was about Arthur Pendragon. The end of his kingdom was tragic, but even in that battle Arthur managed to win, if taking 'mortal' wounds to do so. And if the Illuminati had been truthful with regards to whom they claimed Arthur Pendragon was, the man had the same noble spirit that the king of legend did. Gawain Green actually remembered seeing the knighting ceremony with the man the Illuminati identified as Arthur Pendragon being knighted for defending the Queen directly. Gawain Green saw that as more than enough to prove the man's 'goodness' over what the Illuminati claimed.
"Because the man is a hero," Gawain Green smiled, "when has he ever failed?"
"Camlann, according to legend," General Crawly answered.
"He still won that battle," Gawain Green laughed, "Mordred was slain as well… and according to you, he's still around, so he did survive… and he's done a lot for Britain."
"And the British government is encouraging its troops to fight because of a made up tale of Arthur rescuing the Queen from some terrorist organization?" General Crawly asked.
"If it is, that'd be news to me," Gawain Green answered, "regardless… you and your little band of invaders will lose."
General Crawly only turned and left the room. He fought hard to resist the urge to smile as that would betray the entire game he was trying to play. The man believed the old legends that Pendragon was a hero who could do no wrong, and seemed to be of the opinion that the Illuminati would lose because of those legends and Arthur Pendragon's known actions in the modern world. And if one believed these things, then it was possible that others did as well. It would likely also include the Royal family since Arthur had been officially knighted. And it was that thought that presently went through General Crawly's mind ideas to break either Arthur Pendragon or the British army and essentially win the war.
Gwen Winters' Apartment
Rory sat quietly at a small kitchen table and felt privately embarrassed by the bathrobe he was presently wearing. He wasn't the biggest of men, but the robe was clearly designed to fit a woman and he had a little trouble making sure it covered him. He was thankful that it was of a greenish color, but its smaller size was still obvious.
"I'm sorry about the bathrobe, but it's the best I can do…" Gwen said slowly, "the men haven't been banging down my door for dates as it were."
"Can't be easy with the war and all," Rory nodded, "but I did notice you had a spare room…"
"It was my sister's room," Gwen answered, "but she… uh… she moved out."
Gwen figured that Rory was anti-Illuminati, but didn't want to reveal the reason Rachael had moved out was because of her lycanthropy. If Rory didn't ask about it, she wouldn't have to say it, and if he did ask, she could always say that Rachael had gotten a job that would require her to leave York. That wasn't that far from the truth.
"Bad terms?" Rory asked, thinking back to how fractious his relationship had once been with his father.
"No, she just got a new job and that required her to move out," Gwen answered, "So… what's got a young Irishman out on the countryside in northern England? A secret mission against the Illuminati?"
Rory wasn't quite sure on how to answer that. He was, and his host didn't seem to be all that pro-Illuminati, but at the same time he couldn't really say all that much. If the Illuminati found out about her housing him, she could face trouble. The real trouble was the fact that he had needed to stop and rest and Gwen Winters was the first person who actually took the chance on letting him in.
"Just a bit of a rebel, I'd suppose," Rory finally managed.
"You'd be dead by now if you were just a rebel," Gwen answered, "I'm not dumb."
"I never said you were," Rory answered, "but if I was on a secret mission, you don't think I'd blab about it, do you?"
"No," Gwen sighed, "I suppose not… but I would like to know more about what's going on…"
Rory watched as the woman turned to a small window over the kitchen sink. The room wasn't super spacious, but would serve a young couple well enough, provided they either got along or engaged each other in conversation. Gwen at the moment had a sort of distant look. Her mouth was closed and straight and her eyes were focused on something through the window. It was like her mind was elsewhere.
"Are you okay?" Rory asked after a few moments.
Gwen blinked and shook her head, realizing that the young man had caught her.
"I'm fine," Gwen gave a weak smile, "Just thinking a bit about my sister. I do miss her and wish I could talk with her more."
"She hasn't been caught up in this war, has she?" Rory wondered, "If she hasn't, I could look her up for you. Let her know that you miss her."
Gwen didn't immediately answer. She was sure that Rachael was involved, probably using her strength to protect Arthur personally, but she couldn't just tell strangers her sister was a werewolf who was King Arthur's 'bodyguard.'
"I'm sure she's fine," Gwen said after a moment, "and when this is over she'll be able to come for a visit."
"So she is involved in all this," Rory surmised.
Gwen turned and blinked to him.
"Trust me, I can tell when someone is trying to hide something," Rory answered, "I used many of the same tricks once upon a time… usually get my dad off of my case."
Gwen only sighed, "Okay… she is involved in the war and is fighting against the Illuminati. Let's leave it that. I don't even know where she is at the moment."
Her voice grew weaker as she got to the end of that sentence and Rory could tell. He hoped he hadn't offended her, as she had been kind enough to let him shower and had his clothes in the wash.
"I'm sorry, this war with the Illuminati is rough and surprising," Rory answered, "I'm no soldier and if they hadn't invaded, I would have stayed in Ulster and made a living there… but the war did find me and that's what lead me here. I'm afraid I can't tell you anything more."
"Secret mission and all that," Gwen nodded, "I hope they armed you with more than that backpack you're carrying."
"As I said earlier, I try to avoid fighting them, but when I do, I make sure I'm in a position to win," Rory answered.
"By fighting dirty," Gwen shook her head.
Rory managed a nod. He held back that the way he beat the Illuminati patrols he had run into by turning to the form of Cuchulainn, as he didn't think the woman would respond well to the fact that he carried the avatar of the ancient Celtic hero.
"Well… you did say that I don't look like a great brawler," Rory answered.
Gwen gave a soft laugh when there came a sudden and loud banging on her door. It made Rory jump and Gwen only motioned for him to be calm.
"I'll handle it," Gwen spoke, "they do keep the police working to maintain law and order in addition to their own agenda. It's probably just a public safety statement."
Rory privately scowled as he watched Gwen walk out, as he didn't think this would be anything quite so mundane. She also looked a bit nervous and he figured that if her sister was fighting the Illuminati somewhere, they might eventually come and arrest her because of who her sister was. Gwen had the same fears, but for the moment she didn't want to get Rory in too much of a nervous state. If it was something more, she figured she'd manage to buy him time to escape. After all, if they were there to arrest her because of her sister's help for Arthur, they wouldn't be looking for some random British secret agent on a mission.
She calmly walked to the front door to be greeted by the growling of a German Shepard Dog being held on a leather leash. Gwen recoiled from the dog and looked up to see two uniformed soldiers behind it. One held the leash while another held up what looked like an old mug shot picture.
"Excuse me, madam, but have you seen this man?" the soldier holding the picture asked, "He's wanted in connection with several crimes…"
The soldier was cut off as the dog growled and barked heavily and began to pull on the leash that held him. The soldier holding the leash struggled to hold the dog on it, but retained a firm look about him.
"No, I haven't," Gwen answered, "please go. And take that dog with you."
The dog began to bark harder, and Gwen figured the dog had Rory's scent and wasn't about to give up on what it had been trained to do. The soldier hold the leash did enough to prevent the dog from running wild but either didn't keep the dog from scaring Gwen or couldn't accomplish that.
"Madam, this man DID come here," the soldier the leash spoke firmly, "our question is if you have seen him. If you have… where did he go and what did he do? If you haven't, you will consent to us searching your home to track where he might have gone."
"No hold on a minute!" Gwen protested, "I've stayed out of your way, and this is still MY home. I have rights!"
"And we have a war to win," the man holding the picture answered, "and this man has been involved with the opposition to our victory, which is criminal. And he has come here."
Gwen was about to say something when the soldier holding the leash took a step closer and let the snarling dog come closer. Gwen only raised an arm, as if to shield herself from the dog's teeth and backed away until she bumped into a wall. The soldiers only pressed on, sensing that the woman would cave and accept their demands when there was a flash of light that looked like it came from deeper in the house and made them look up toward it.
"And I am still here," Gwen heard Rory speak, though it didn't quite sound like Rory.
Gwen turned and the Illuminati soldiers look up to see a taller and more muscular man emerge from Gwen's kitchen area. He had dark eyes with a reddish mustache, but other than the bathrobe that Gwen had let Rory borrow, he wore no other clothing. The fact that the clothing given was too small to fit Rory well, it was even less effective on this man, who had one hand between his legs trying desperately to hide his nudity while holding a glowing spear in his other hand.
"Let the woman be!" Cuchulainn demanded.
Gwen watched in horror and shock as what happened then went by almost too quickly for her eyes to catch. The soldier holding the picture dropped it and began to reach for his weapon while the other soldier released the dog.
"Get him, Bruno!" the soldier commanded the dog.
The dog lunged forward, passing Gwen by, and running for Cuchulainn at near full speed. The Celtic hero caught the dog with the hand he'd been using to cover his privates with, and Gwen saw him cringe when the dog bit his forearm. The pain, however, didn't stop him, and Cuchulainn hefted his spear at the man who had released the dog. The spear struck the man and he cried out while Cuchulainn lifted up the dog and then slammed it down onto the ground with enough force that Gwen heard the snapping of bones. He then threw the wounded animal into the other soldier who had just drawn a handgun. The soldier dodged the dog, but that bought Cuchulainn the time to move across the room and backhand the man with enough force to knock him out. Gwen could barely blink as she watched all of this.
"So," Cuchulainn began to say as his body began to glow and shifted back down into Rory's form, "I suppose you'll want an explanation for all this…"
Illuminati Headquarters in York
General Crawly found many of his subordinate generals to be surprised by his presence when he arrived at the building being used for their headquarters. He saw looks of frustration given the reverses they had taken in the field. The loss of Northern Ireland to the anti-Illuminati forces and being pushed back from where they were in Scotland were all serious and affected all of them. General Crawly didn't know if they had the same frustration with WHY these reverses happened or if they truly believed the Council was incapable of making mistakes, but for the moment he didn't have time to find out.
"Don't look so surprised, gentlemen," General Crawly said calmly, "you knew I was coming."
"We were told you were inspecting the POW camp and something about it being urgent… but the report to us didn't get into too much more," came the answer from one general officer in charge of the units on the eastern half of England.
"It was urgent," General Crawly spoke calmly, "I assure you that it is urgent, General Bison."
The lower ranking general, General Bison, nodded and stepped back. General Crawly used this to approach a table on which a map of the UK sat spread out. Much like the map in General Crawly's own headquarters in London, this map indicated where the lines had been and where they were now.
"I came to inspect the POW camp because last night we managed to take a British soldier prisoner," General Crawly explained, "and that prisoner had said something that gave some indication that he believes Pendragon to be a hero."
"The MAGE is the only real hero," one of the other officers in the room snorted with disgust, "without him the Illuminati wouldn't exist!"
"Yes," General Crawly agreed, "but the man has his beliefs… and I believe they are a way to turn the tide in this mess of a war that the Council started and then ran so poorly. Too much was focused on Arthur, who managed to run around us and escape to the point where we have to hope to trap him in battle just to get some sense of accomplishment out of this operation."
The others nodded, which was expected. General Crawly was certain these men didn't like being pushed back by the anti-Illuminati British forces any more than he did.
"Was this soldier in contact with Arthur Pendragon?" General Bison asked, "our intelligence units haven't picked up any illicit radio traffic."
"Nothing quite that direct or obvious," General Crawly answered, "more of a belief… they believe that Pendragon will save them. That is why we have to catch him of course… but what if we could do something that might break their will… make them realize that Arthur Pendragon can't save them from EVERY catastrophe that comes Britain's way."
"But what more can we do?" General Bison asked, "we've invaded the country, driven them into Scotland, and as far as I know have Pendragon on the run. What more is there to break their faith in the man… out… outside…?"
General Crawly watched as General Bison's eyes widened in shock at what the idea was.
"You're seriously considering this?" General Bison asked when the shock came down, "even with them siding against us… keeping them around has been part of the plans for Britain's security and stability."
"We have no other choice," General Crawly answered, "if the British army fights because they believe that Arthur Pendragon will save them, that faith must come from those they serve and those that they see as symbols. The death of the Royals will demonstrate that Pendragon can't protect everyone and will shake their will to fight on."
"Yes, yes," General Bison said quickly, "we all understand that… but who will fill the role? Who will take the throne when we declare the war over and leave? The Council never wanted a British Republic. We need someone that they will support as King or Queen."
General Crawly nodded. The Illuminati Council had once considered the idea of Britain becoming Europe's first established republic, but they rapidly found that the men who came after Cromwell to be less than adequate with regard to keeping things functional and as such their policy with Britain had been to preserve the monarchy. Killing the family members would have the potential of doing what they had avoided for years, but Pendragon was forcing things to the point that he didn't have much of a choice.
"Perhaps we can name one of the family members that we DID capture regent until the war is over," General Crawly answered, "as we don't have much choice in this regard…"
"Many of them haven't been that keen on us," General Bison warned.
"And we've used them as hostages to make sure the anti-Illuminati troops don't murder any prisoners that they take," another officer added.
General Crawly again nodded and whipped his brow for the moment. There had been a lot that had been done when the invasion began in the interest of a rapid and peaceful assumption of power to remove Arthur Pendragon, but as General Crawly knew all too well, the situation had changed.
"We'll need to talk with them and offer them the best possible deal," General Crawly finally spoke after a few moments, "because the war has changed and we cannot keep going as we are. The British grow in confidence with every day."
Gwen Winters' Apartment
"So that guy is an ancestor of yours?" Gwen asked as Rory was back in his own clothes which were now dry and with the two Illuminati soldiers tied up in Gwen's living room.
"Yes," Rory nodded, "Cuchulainn… a great warrior hero way back… I didn't even know it until I met the gargoyles Goliath, Angela, and Bronx and the human Elisa Maza."
"They're from London?" Gwen asked.
"New York, actually," Rory answered, "but they did get me to see more to the responsibilities that I had… before the war."
"And I take it this ancient hero was how you were able to deal with the Illuminati soldiers," Gwen surmised.
"Yeah," Rory nodded, "and the British army recruited me for a mission as a result… and that's what led me here. Their mission…"
"I trust you can tell me now… the Illuminati will probably be after me for not handing you over quicker," Gwen commented.
"I'm to get in contact with Arthur Pendragon, or at least the man the Illuminati have identified as Arthur Pendragon," Rory answered, "they want to coordinate their attacks with what he does behind the Illuminati's lines."
Gwen blinked and then gave a sort of smile, "and I'd be glad to help… it'd lead to a family reunion for me."
She figured she could share Rachael's secret with Rory now. If he was an avatar of an ancient Celtic hero, surely he'd understand her sister's lycanthropy. She sensed some confusion as he raised an eyebrow as he looked back to her.
"You see… my sister, Rachael… she's not only fighting the Illuminati she's been with Arthur Pendragon as an ally and friend," Gwen answered, "perhaps more."
"She's into Arthurian Legend?" Rory wondered.
"No," Gwen shook her head, "do you remember the news talking about a beast prowling York's streets?"
"Yeah, it…" Rory then blinked, "your sister was the one who got attacked!"
"Yes, yes she was," Gwen nodded, "and what attacked her was a werewolf. She was attacked and survived and thus became a werewolf. She joined Arthur's employ to gain control over her abilities."
"I see," Rory said slowly, though unsure as to how to go from where they were.
The explanation made sense and he couldn't really discount it outright. After all, if gargoyles were real, who was to say that were-creatures weren't? However, that wouldn't make the job easier to do. He still didn't know where Arthur Pendragon was and Gwen had said she didn't know where her sister was either.
"This would be tough though," Rory warned, "I can get you out of York and you could probably hide out where they won't be looking for you…"
"But they'd still be hunting you, and if they use dogs it won't matter," Gwen answered, "and besides… from what the Illuminati has reported in the news, Arthur has been giving them some trouble in terms of raiding spots… and I have an idea on how we might be able to attract attention that might help."
Rory blinked and then shrugged, "Go on…"
To Be Continued…