He was weak now. Trapped with no food, no water, he was slowly beginning to whittle away into the very nothingness that surrounded him. He found that somewhat ironic.
He felt a tugging-- very subtle at first. The void around him shifted. The features of a room took shape, slowly focusing before his eyes. A spark of hope filled his being. Perhaps this torment was coming to an end?
Just as that spark formed, it died. The image about him began to fade once more. In a heartbeat all that remained was the nothingness about him. Once more he floated-- growing still ever weaker...
| Roll Call: |
|---|
 Black Diamond |
 Muskateer |
 Enchantress |
 Firestar |
 Lightburst |
 Nightingale |
 Thing |
Black Diamond soared over Central Park. "What a glorious morning," she silently mused. "After what I've been through over the last week, even something as simple as flying feels wonderful."
Since being ambushed by the mysterious Artemis, Black Diamond had spent far more time bedridden on Sanctuary than anything else. Learning of injuries to other Avengers, Black Diamond had returned to New York. Linda was a fast healer, and she pushed her recuperative abilities to the limit when the Avengers and their allies took down a DEMON Base hidden under Central Park.
It was this same DEMON Base that brought Black Diamond to Central Park this morning. "At least relations with PRIMUS are going smoothly once more. Of course, with Major Thomas away and Corporal Lewis filling in, that is to be expected." The outspoken PRIMUS Major was not a fan of superheroes, feeling that all they did was make his job all that much harder. His over zealousness had led to a battle between the Avengers and PRIMUS operatives. It was all a ruse that Major Thomas had swallowed hook, line, and sinker. While his forces were away, DEMON raided the PRIMUS base itself.
Due to the dangerous nature of DEMON and spurred on by the concerns of the Enchantress, Black Diamond had arranged with Corporal Lewis the opportunity for the Avengers to explore the DEMON Base first. Gwen fully expected to discover traps and dangerous objects that had been left behind.
Black Diamond was closer now. She passed over the field where Willow Witch had created the large rift that was used to penetrate the DEMON Base. True to her word, Willow had restored the field to its previous condition.
Continuing onward, Black Diamond entered a parking ramp and proceeded to its lowest level where one of the main entrances to the DEMON Base was located. PRIMUS operatives were still on guard from the night before. The Enchantress was already present and seemed oblivious to the approving stares she was getting from the government operatives.
"All eager and ready to go?", Black Diamond noted as she landed.
"DEMON is not to be taken lightly." The Enchantress was always gravely serious when it came to dealing with this particular organization. "I have had many dealings with them in the past."
"I've taken care of everything. Corporal Lewis will hold his men back until this afternoon."
"Very good," the Enchantress responded. It was clear that she was eager to get this operation underway. "Will I have any assistance?"
"Probably not until after lunch. Ben will be over after he's off Monitor Duty. I have some errands to attend to this morning, then I will join you as well."
"Muskateer is not coming?" A slight trace of disappointment furrowed the Enchantress' brow.
"No. He and Firestar reserved time in the Combat Simulator for most of the morning. I'd rather have Muskateer or myself present at the Mansion as much as possible. Just in case. We are rather low on members at the moment."
"I understand. I shall begin my search at once."
"Good luck!" Black Diamond turned and took to the air once more. She was quickly out of sight.
The Enchantress sighed. She had really hoped that Muskateer would have accompanied her. She enjoyed his company, more than he seemed to suspect. Gwen couldn't explain it herself, but she felt an attraction towards the swordsman far greater than anything she had ever felt before. It was not something that she could rationalize, or even put into words. And that scared her very much.
Casting several preparation spells, the Enchantress launched herself into the air and entered the DEMON Base...
Mercy Hospital, located on Fort Hamilton Military Base, slowly came into Black Diamond's view. Lightburst had been taken here last night after being found in the DEMON Base. It was the most secured medical facility in the area and PRIMUS agents on guard duty could be spotted from the air.
"I really dislike this place," Di thought as she descended towards the ground. The last time she was at Mercy Hospital was the night when Hunter passed away. It was an evening that Linda wished she could forget.
Black Diamond landed as onlookers watched. She ignored them and made her way inside. Flashing her Avenger's ID card, the heroine was escorted by the officer in charge of the PRIMUS guards to Lightburst's room. Entering the room, Black Diamond found a doctor examining Lightburst.
"How is he, doctor?"
The doctor looked up from his task, mildly startled to have Black Diamond standing over him. "My word---" He stood and offered his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Black Diamond. I'm Dr. Kinkaid."
Black Diamond shook the doctor's hand. "How is Lightburst, Dr. Kinkaid?"
"Very weak, near exhaustion. Dehydration had set in as well. His physical wounds were minor at best. A few days rest and he should be as good as new."
"That's good to hear." However it did not come as much of a surprise to Black Diamond. Whatever had been done to Lightburst, it was his mental scars that would take the longest to heal. Linda had learned from Gwen the sadistic tendencies that Lady Darkness possessed. At least the villainess was now behind bars where she belonged.
"If you'll excuse me, I have other duties that require my attention." Dr. Kinkaid moved towards the door and grasped its handle. However, instead of exiting, he turned back to Black Diamond. "You may visit, but not for too long. The patient needs his rest."
"I understand. Thank you for everything." Black Diamond watched the doctor depart. "Seems to me that's the advice I had been getting lately as well."
Turning back to her teammate, Black Diamond moved a seat up along side of Lightburst. She sat and grasped his hand. "Seymour?"
Lightburst stirred slightly. His eyes flickered open and he looked toward Black Diamond. "Di--?"
"That's right. I'm here. How do you feel?"
"Lousy.... Mouth's dry."
Linda reached for the water pitcher and filled up a glass of the liquid. Gently, she gave Lightburst a long drink. "There you go."
"Thanks. How long--?"
"Almost two weeks," Black Diamond answered. "What do you remember about your ordeal?"
A pained look came over Lightburst's face. "I'd-- rather not talk about it." He closed his eyes once more.
"I understand. We can talk later. You get some sleep." Black Diamond gave Lightburst's hand a friendly squeeze and then released it. The hero was rapidly falling asleep once more. Black Diamond stood up and departed the room.
A short time later, Black Diamond returned to the Avenger's Mansion. Jeeves informed the heroine that Muskateer and Firestar were still using the Combat Simulator. Intrigued by exactly what they were up to, Black Diamond headed down to the training area to find out. (Editor's Note: For full details, see Muskateer #11)
As she stepped into the control room of the Combat Simulator, she was assaulted by extremely loud music. Di saw that Muskateer appeared to be putting Firestar through a series of combat exercises.
"Ah, there you are," Black Diamond said to Muskateer.
"What's on your mind, fearless leader?" Muskateer looked up briefly to acknowledge Di's arrival and then went back to continuing Firestar's drill. He lowered the volume on the music to a level more suited for conversation.
"Pushing her pretty hard, aren't you?", Di remarked.
"You noticed that, did you?" Muskateer activated a few controls on the command console. "I want to make sure she's serious about this. Plus, how's she going to get better if I don't push her past her comfort zone?"
"When did this start?" This was the first that Black Diamond had heard of training sessions specifically pertaining to Firestar.
"This morning is the first one."
"I certainly don't mind it, but what brought this on?"
Muskateer paused for a moment. He hadn't planned on needing to tell anyone about it just yet. "Well, Cassie seemed to think she got worn down too fast in the fight with the Crystal," Muskateer quickly explained. "So I told her I'd give her a hand with some training."
"I noticed that in the attack on the DEMON Base as well," Black Diamond said, recalling the battle her team fought deep inside that foul place. "She did seem to tire easily."
"So, what are you up to this morning?", Muskateer asked attempting to change the subject.
"Running errands," Black Diamond explained. "Gwen's checking out the DEMON Base for whatever the Morbanes might have left behind. I was thinking of joining her with Ben, once he's done with Monitor Duty."
"You should have said something to me." Muskateer continued to watch the action in the room below and control the proceedings while he chatted.
"I saw that you had the Simulator reserved, so I figured you had other plans. Gwen can take care of herself."
"Good point."
"I just came from visiting, Lightburst," Black Diamond added.
"How is he?"
"Weak, but recovering nicely." Black Diamond paused a moment before continuing to speak. "But why I really came looking for you is that we need to make some decisions about the group. Judging by the shape of Lightburst, and knowing him as well as I do, I have the feeling that he's not going to return to the group. He didn't come out and say it, but..."
"Okay, let me just finish this up." Muskateer flicked some switches and the program came to an end. "Alright, Cassie!", he said into the microphone. "You can hit the showers." Firestar looked quite relieved to be finished with the ordeal. "We can recap the results later, kiddo." Turning back to Black Diamond, he said, "Okay, what's the problem?"
"In case you haven't noticed, we're down to only five active members."
"Yeah? And?" Muskateer didn't seem the least bit worried about the Avengers reduced roster.
"The Avengers Charter provides for a full compliment to be seven active members," Black Diamond explained.
"Is that a requirement of the Avengers or the government?", Muskateer asked.
"It was a governmental requirement, but it has always been an Avengers tradition since the group was formed."
"Then the first question should be: do we actually need any extra members? I mean, we're still pretty tough with just you, me, Gwen, Cassie and Ben."
Black Diamond paused to think of that point. "That is true. There is no rule requiring us to have seven active members at all times. It is handy at times, but..."
"I think it could be a bad idea to add someone just to make our numbers come out right," Muskateer explained. "However, if someone fit in with this bunch of whackos, then I'm all for sharing monitor duty."
After a pause, Black Diamond continued. "I was considering the idea of setting up a Reservists list. That way, if someone were unavailable for whatever reason, then we would be able to call upon that list for a short time."
"Or if we needed to bolster our team for something like a DEMON assault," Muskateer added.
"Exactly. Plus it would form a natural pool to add full-time members from should we need to."
Okay, assuming we go with that idea, how do we decide who we pick? Is it up to the two of us, or does everyone have a say in the Reserves?"
"Full membership requires a 2/3 majority vote, but I feel that the Reservists would be up to us."
"You're the boss," Muskateer responded. "So I imagine you have a few people in mind?"
"I feel that Helena would be an obvious choice. She's here quite often anyway. And she possesses skills that would benefit the team. But beyond her..."
"Yeah, it's not like there are many old members who are uncommitted right now."
"Other than Vortex and Quantum, everyone else is either missing, passed on, or currently in other groups," Black Diamond explained. "Those two are basically doing their own thing these days."
"It's a sure bet we can't just take an ad out in the newspaper."
"It may have interesting results, but I concur. So what do you think about adding the Huntress as a reserve member?"
Muskateer thought for a moment. "I would have some objections to making her a full member." He saw Black Diamond frown, and continued his explanation. "Some people have concerns about her methods. She certainly has talent and skills that we can use. I would also question adding another rookie at this point. We are lookin' sorta green these days."
"You do have a valid point. I also don't think she's ready to be an Avenger,... yet. So do you agree on her as a reservist?"
"Sure, why not? We use her like one now anyway."
"Exactly." Black Diamond made her way towards the exit. "That seems to cover everything. I'll have to tell Helena the good news."
"You might as well wait until this evening. She's coming over to give me a hand in a little side project."
Black Diamond gave Muskateer a surprised grin. "Well, not too long ago, you were ready to fight her. Now it appears that you two are as thick as thieves."
Elsewhere, the Enchantress flew through the deserted DEMON Base lost in thought. "I don't like this-- don't like it one bit." Many things about the fall of the DEMON Base were nagging at the heroine. Feelings and suspicions that she couldn't, as of yet, put into words. That coupled with the idea that the strange Crystal and the real Demon that had been summoned to Earth were both still on the loose didn't help matters any.
Much of the space in the DEMON Base was personnel areas for the agents. The Enchantress had come across several large barracks, recreational areas, cleaning areas, and other requirements for housing large groups of people.
No, anything interesting in the base would most likely be hidden. After some searching, the Enchantress managed to locate the room where Lightburst had been found. The Brute had made his own entrance into the secret section of the base.
From this area, the Enchantress found several labs. The first held a multitude of electronic equipment. Another was accessible only through an air-lock type arrangement. The search proceeded slowly as the base was currently deprived of power. The only illumination was that which the Enchantress herself had conjured. This only added to the DEMON Base's eerie atmosphere.
"I'm not certain what all this paraphernalia is for," the lovely sorceress mused. "Science never was my strong suit. Too bad Steven couldn't be here..."
A sudden noise interrupted the Enchantress' thoughts. Something large was heading this way! The heroine cautiously moved towards the source of the noise. Ahead of her, a light illuminated the curved wall. Whoever it was, they were coming closer!
The Enchantress ducked into a side corridor and waited. The sounds grew louder and talking could now be heard. The intruders drew closer and closer until finally they could be seen. To the Enchantress' relief, it was just her teammates, Black Diamond and the Thing.
Gwen stepped out of the shadows before the two Avengers.
"Holy jumpin' cats!", the Thing exclaimed, nearly dropping his flashlight in the process.
"Ah, there you are, Gwen," Black Diamond stated, trying to conceal her amusement over her companion's antics.
"Sorry, Benjamin," the Enchantress replied sheepishly. "It's the decor of this place-- it makes people jumpy."
"Yeah-- early creepy. Sheesh, give me a heart attack er somethin'."
"Find anything interesting?", Black Diamond asked.
"Unfortunately, no. This is certainly not developing as I had anticipated. I have yet to encounter a trap. The Morbane Quarters did not turn up anything interesting either. I had discovered several labs right before you arrived. My science skills are rather weak-- I have no idea what kind of laboratories they are."
"Welp, I may not look like it," Ben grumbled, "But I'm no dummy. Let's check out these labs."
"After you, Gwen," Di said gesturing for the Enchantress to lead the way.
On the way to the laboratories which Gwen had located, Black Diamond brought them up to date on the latest news.
"So Sprout's going to be a reserve?", the Thing stated rhetorically. "I think that Lane, bless his soul, 'd be pleased."
"Are you sure this is a wise move?", the Enchantress asked. "She is such an unknown quantity and her methods..."
"I understand your concern, Gwen, but Helena has proven her value. She has skills that the rest of us do not possess," Di explained. "We've already been using her in this capacity. I'm just making it official. Plus we get the chance to soften up some of her rough edges as well."
The Enchantress did not seemed pleased with the idea, but knowing of the long relationships Helena had with Linda and Ben, decided to drop the matter. Gwen knew that friction in the group was a bad thing from her past experience with the Crusaders. She was determined to not let something like that happen to the Avengers.
Later, after exploring the labs...
"What do you make of this, Ben?" Like the Enchantress, Black Diamond was also not much of a scientist.
"I'd have ta say that the lab with the air-lock has somethin' ta do with biology-- maybe even viruses or toxins. Experiments what need to be performed inna germ-free environment. The other's pro'ly a multi-purpose lab. I didn't see anythin' that looked like a work in progress."
"That just goes along with the feeling I have as well," the Enchantress added. "That somehow this is all a deception."
"What do you mean?" That idea had Black Diamond more than just a little worried.
"I have no solid evidence for my theories, but this situation just-- feels wrong. For instance, we never encountered the Chameleon, nor Thermax who had been working with them."
Black Diamond considered for a moment. "Since the Chameleon can look like anyone, he could have easily slipped away in the siege. As for Thermax, we have no evidence that he was still being controlled by Lady Darkness."
"That is true," the Enchantress conceded. "The last I saw of him, he was flying away from the warehouse where we encountered the Morbanes and the Crystal. There is no evidence either way to support where Thermax's loyalties currently lie."
"Perhaps your disdain of DEMON is letting your imagination get the better of you," Black Diamond added. "Let's finish up searching the base. Might as well grab some of these gadgets while we're here. Perhaps Muskateer can figure out what they are."
"Gotcha, Di." The Thing scooped up electronic components and devices scattered about the lab. "I think we should let Junior in on the fun as well."
Still later, that afternoon, Black Diamond, the Thing, and the Enchantress had returned to the Avengers Mansion.
"I'll run this stuff down to the lab," Ben announced. Picking up his burdens once more, the Thing made his way towards the elevator.
"Talk to you later, Benjamin," the Enchantress said with a wave. "I had best be relieving Firestar."
"I'll accompany you," Di replied.
The two heroines made their way to the third floor of the Avengers Mansion and the Communications Room. Entering, they found Firestar slumped in her chair. The Enchantress gave Black Diamond a disdainful glance. "Rather difficult to perform monitoring while asleep."
"Cassie's had a rough day. Muskateer worked her pretty hard this morning." Black Diamond tapped the young heroine on the shoulder. "Up and at'm, kiddo."
Firestar stirred and realized what was going on. "Uhm, hi, Di... I'm sorry, I..."
"I'll let it slide this time," Black Diamond interrupted. "I saw how hard you worked this morning."
More than a bit embarrassed, Firestar got up and stretched. The Enchantress quietly took her place and looked the equipment over. "Everything seems fine," Gwen reported.
Linda nodded her understanding. Putting her arm around Firestar's shoulder, she led her out of the room. "I was thinking of visiting 'Gale tonight. Interested in coming along?"
"Sure! That would be great."
"I've got some things to do, so why don't you catch a couple of hours of sleep? I'll come get you when I'm ready to go."
"Okay," Firestar answered. She always felt better when Black Diamond was around. Like Muskateer, she was always very supportive and understanding. "Thanks, Linda."
The Enchantress watched the two depart, her mind filled with troubling thoughts. "What does he see in Firestar? She's just a girl. I'm a woman..."
Later that evening, Firestar and Black Diamond made their way through the hotel on Sanctuary Island. The duo first went to the Medical Center in their search for Nightingale. Dr. Marin informed them that Christina was most likely resting in her hotel room. Once at the hotel, Black Diamond went directly towards the elevators.
"Should we check with the desk first?", Firestar asked. "Find out what room she is in?"
"No need. 'Gale has a specially prepared room reserved for herself. If she's in the hotel, that's where we'll find her."
Firestar nodded her understanding and kept pace. Shortly, the pair were on the fifth floor of the hotel standing before the last room in the West Wing. Linda pushed a button beside the door.
After a pause, the door slowly opened to reveal Christina Blackledge. "Well, I wasn't expecting visitors," she said, visibly surprised. "Please, come in."
Linda and Chris exchanged hugs as Cassie entered the room. It was much larger than she had suspected, more like a small suite instead of a single room. A spacious living area was the first thing seen. Off of this was a bedroom and private bath.
"Nice place," Firestar said looking around before taking a seat on the couch.
Black Diamond took a seat as well. "How are you doing, Chris?"
"You'll have to look at me when you speak-- my telepathy is not functioning at the moment."
Black Diamond complied and repeated the question.
"So far so good. Dr. Marin thinks that it'll take at least a week for my system to flush out all of the Psychnocaine. How long it will take for my telepathy to start working normally again is anyone's guess."
Firestar waited until Nightingale was looking at her before speaking. "So you have no idea when you're coming back?"
"Not at the present. We're probably talking at least a month, if not more."
"That long?"
"I have to make absolutely sure that the drug is completely out of my system. If your fire powers were behaving erratically, would you not take every precaution too?"
Firestar sighed. "Yeah, I can see your point. I certainly wouldn't want to put others at risk."
"Precisely."
Before 'Gale could turn back to Di, Firestar asked another question. "At the risk of sounding selfish, what's going to happen now with my tutoring?"
"It's a legitimate question, Cassie." Christina considered for a moment before continuing. "Give me a week or two and we'll try to pick up on your studies. I'll assign you some work to do in the meantime."
"Okay, thanks." Firestar leaned back and allowed Black Diamond and Nightingale to chat.
Back at the Avenger's Mansion, the Enchantress was alone on Monitor Duty. Muskateer and the Huntress were out pursuing some matter. (Editor's Note: As seen in Huntress #10) Benjamin was taking in a Yankees game. Black Diamond and Firestar were currently on Sanctuary. Jeeves was having a well deserved night off.
Gwen was curled up in her chair, reading a magazine, sipping wine, and listening to classical music when an alarm went off in her head. It startled her so much, that her magazine fell to the floor.
"What in the world was that?" Concentrating, the Enchantress realized that one of the many magical alarms that she had cast over the last few weeks had just been triggered. The alien Crystal's powers were in action!
Casting a spell, Gwen quickly determined that the source was inside the Avengers Mansion itself! The Enchantress flew from the Communications Room and homed in on the source of magic she was detecting.
The trail ended in the dining room. Upon entering, the sorceress noted that something was beginning to take form on the other side of the room.
"The Crystal must be attacking the Avengers!", the Enchantress reasoned. "No doubt teleporting its agents right into our midst! I've got to stop them!"
The Enchantress began spell weaving and cast a counter-spell. The strange form quickly faded from sight once more.
"That was close," Gwen gravely thought to herself. "Too close..."
Epilogue:
He was tired, no longer having the energy to even move. Even something as simple as thought was a Herculean task. The world changed around him once more and he found himself falling.
Real colors played before his weary eyes, real sounds filled his ears. The ground beneath him felt damp, but not cold. A warm breeze blew over his body. Waves could be heard crashing to shore nearby.
Taking a good look, he found the sky to be a clear blue. He was on a beach, where he did not know. High tropical grasses grew off in the distance, palm trees gently swayed overhead.
There was movement off in the grass. Unseen hands parted the grass and stared at the prone man on the beach. He could sense their approach and then his world faded to black...
