His gauntleted hand reached into the selection bowl and pulled forth a piece of paper. Unfolding it, he silently read the name written upon it. Without showing a trace of emotion, he handed the paper to the contest master.

"Black Diamond," the contest master announced for all to hear. Turning back to the selector, he added, "Are you satisfied with this choice?"

"Yes," came the answer in a deep bass voice. He turned and departed the chamber. The remaining selections were irrelevant to him. All that mattered was winning the game and to do that he would have to take down Black Diamond...

#15 - "Caught in the Game"

Roll Call:
Black Diamond
Muskateer
Enchantress
Firestar
Lightburst
Thing
Returning... Supreme
Introducing... Texas Ranger
Guest Starring: Morning Star

April 19th, 1986:

It was a rainy Saturday afternoon in New York City. Another bus arrived at the local terminal, its passengers disembarking. One in particular was looking forward to his arrival in the Big Apple.

He stepped off the bus and looked around. Mirrored sunglasses looked upwards at the great skyscrapers. A cowboy hat covered thick reddish hair, complete with mustache. He wore matching, but well-worn, blue jeans and a denim jacket. Snakeskin cowboy boots completed the outfit.

"It's something isn't?", one of the other passengers remarked as he passed. "Have you ever seen so many tall buildings before?"

"Sheeoot," the man remarked in a thick western drawl. "Ya'll ain't never been to Dallas before. Still, it's a might too crowded a skyline fer my tastes. Always been more partial ta the open range."

"Uhm, yeah." The passenger was slightly taken aback by his fellow traveler's lackluster reaction. Shaking his head slightly, he collected his luggage and entered the terminal.

The cowboy did the same. He departed the station and merged in with the crowds out in the streets. Reaching a corner, he set his burdens down and pulled a crinkled map out of his back pocket.

"Let's see if I can find my way around this town...." Checking the street sign, the cowboy found himself at the intersection of 42nd and 8th Avenue. "Assuming these city slickers can scrawl a decent map, I need ta get ta 70th Street and 5th Avenue."

Replacing his map and shouldering his burdens once more, the cowboy started his journey to the north and east, towards the Avenger's Mansion...

And at the Avenger's Mansion, Black Diamond found herself in the midst of a boring day. "Normally we barely get the time to catch our breath around here, but lately I'm almost wishing for something exciting to happen." Diamond had been sitting at her desk, absentmindedly tapping a pencil to the desktop. "Better be careful what you wish for Linda Taylor... You just might get it, considering what's been going down on the West Coast." (Editor's Note: As seen in Spectrum #20)

Almost a week had passed since the team, and their allies, had invaded the local DEMON base. Some of the team had seen action during the week, but nothing demanding the attention of all the Avengers. Black Diamond stood up with a sigh. With no serious paperwork to keep her desk bound, there was no reason to even be in the office.

"Chris is right, as usual. I need to get out more."

Shutting off the lights, Black Diamond departed her office, vowing not to set foot in it again until Monday morning. "Everyone can use a weekend off once in a while. Might as well see what the others are up to."

Linda took the elevator to Sub-Level Two. As she suspected, the Enchantress was busy using the equipment in the Main Conference Room. The teams's sorceress sat before one of the computer stations, occasionally pressing a button. On the screen overhead was the image of some portion of the New York sewer system.

The Enchantress was so engrossed in her project that several moments passed before she realized that she was not alone.

"How goes the search, Gwen?"

Turning, the sorceress smiled as Diamond approached. "Good afternoon, Linda. I have to admit that I had my doubts about using this approach to try and locate the errant demon, but Scarlet has more than put them to rest."

Last weekend, DEMON Priests had summoned a real demon from some unknown plane and let it loose in New York City. (Editor's Note: See Avengers #12 & 13) Since that time, the creature had remained in hiding. The Enchantress was prepared to physically search the sewers one by one in order to find the offending creature until the Scarlet Sabre offered an alternative.

"I can imagine. Using a technological means to accomplish a goal must be as foreign to you as using magic is to me."

"Quite," the Enchantress responded in agreement. "Steven has teased me to no end over this turn of events. However, in this instance, it is a more practical means to accomplish my goal. I am beginning to see the fascination that many people have with video games."

Borrowing a couple of the Scout probes used by the Freedom League, the Enchantress was using the remote units to scour the sewers. The search was proceeding far more quickly and efficiently than even the Enchantress could have done by magic.

"Any luck so far?"

"Unfortunately, no. This particular beast is acting most peculiar. Very undemonlike."

"I'll just have to take your word on that," Black Diamond conceded. "I can't say that I've had much experience with them."

"Count yourself among the lucky." Pressing several of the buttons, the Enchantress shut her search system down. "I shall have to try again tomorrow. I have an engagement tonight for which I must prepare."

"Oh, the masquerade party? I forgot about that. Hope you both have a good time."

"Thank you," the Enchantress said with a smile. "I have high hopes for tonight myself. Have a good evening."

"Bye, Gwen."

Casting a spell, the Enchantress disappeared from the chamber.

Several hours later, Black Diamond entered the Communications Room to take over Monitor Duty from Firestar. The young fire-wielding heroine was buried in her schoolbooks. "At least she's staying awake," Diamond thought to herself.

"Hi, Linda!", Firestar said as the Avenger's leader approached. "Relief time already?"

"That it is. You're free for the rest of the evening." Black Diamond gave the equipment a cursory scan and concluded that everything seemed to be in order.

"Wow. This afternoon just flew by." Firestar quickly gathered up her schoolbooks into a pile.

"Doing your homework during Monitor Duty does make the time pass faster." Black Diamond took her place in the seat next to Firestar. "Almost like a high school study hall."

"I guess it is at that. But this is much nicer than high school. Oh, Rose says 'hi'."

"How is your step-mother doing?"

"Okay, I guess," Firestar answered. "She doesn't come out and say it, but I think she misses having me around."

"I would imagine that you miss her as well. It's hard being out on your own for the first time. Far away from your family and friends."

"At times. I didn't have that many friends, so I don't miss them that much. But I do miss Mom..."

Black Diamond leaned forward in her chair. "Then why not go visit her? Just ask Ben to fly you there in the Quinnjet tomorrow morning. It's a short flight and he can pick you up that night. That'll give you a day off at home."

That seemed to perk Firestar up some. "You think I could... I mean, it's okay to do that?"

"I have no problem with it. Things have been pretty quiet lately, so going away for the day shouldn't be a problem."

Firestar gave Black Diamond a hug, picked up her books, and made her way out of the Communications Room. "Thanks, Linda! Thanks so much! I'll ask Ben right away!"

Black Diamond watched Firestar depart with an amused look. "Ah, to be that young again..."

Firestar looked into the Rec Room to see if the Thing was inside. She didn't think he was there, since the Rec Room was located next to the Communications Room and she hadn't noticed any noise coming from it. But she had to check to be sure. Finding it empty, Firestar continued down to the second floor of the mansion.

The door to the Thing's quarters opened and the rocky hero exited, nearly bumping into Firestar. "'Scuze me, small fry."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mister Grimm."

The Thing grimaced. "Geez, kid, yer makin' me feel ancient."

Firestar hung her head and blushed. "I didn't mean--"

"Look, it's Ben-- jus' Ben. No Mister Grimm, 'r stuff like that. 'Kay?"

"Yes, Ben."

"Good," the Thing said in a relieved tone. "Catch ya later." Ben ambled towards the stairs.

Firestar ran after him a moment later. "Ben! Please wait!"

"Can't wait, small fry. Got tickets to the Yanks game and I'm runnin' late!"

"I need to ask you a favor..."

Ben Grimm stopped and turned to face the young heroine. "What's on yer mind, kid?"

"Would it be any problem for you to fly me to St. Louis in the Quinnjet tomorrow morning?"

The rocky Avenger considered for a moment. "Depends, small fry. Whatcha got goin' on tonight?"

The question took Firestar somewhat aback. "Uhm, not much really. Wash my hair, do some homework, watch a little TV..."

"It's Saturday night, fer Pete's sake! What's a pretty girl like yerself stayin' home fer?"

Firestar stumbled for an answer, but nothing would come out.

"Tell ya what, small fry. Ya come with me to the game and I'll play pilot in da mornin'. Deal?"

Cassie considered for a moment. She wasn't much of a sports fan, but it was true-- she hadn't been out for in a long time. And she really did want to go home in the morning. "Okay, Ben. You got yourself a date."

"Then git yerself in gear, we've gotta roll to make the first pitch!"

An hour later, Firestar found herself in the outfield bleachers at Yankee Stadium, surrounded by frenzied fans ready to cheer their team on. That coupled with the fact that she was in her heroine costume, and sitting next to the world famous Thing, made it a unique experience. Surprisingly, the fans tended to stay away. There were some autograph seekers, that was to be expected, but for the most part it was a pleasant experience.

"This is really different," Firestar said to her companion.

"'Course it is, small fry! Ya've never been to a Yanks game with the blue eyed idol o' millions!"

Cassie sighed. "That's not really what I meant..."

"Jes' joshin' ya, kiddo. As fer me, I'm just gonna enjoy this. Got a great game goin' on with a pretty girl on my arm, what could be better?" Ben considered for a moment and added, "Other than a cold brew 'n some pizza, 'natch."

Another blush came to Firestar's face. "You're such a kidder, Ben..."

Ben turned to face his much younger teammate. "What's the problem, small fry? It's like I told ya earlier, you're a cute kid. Why keep yerself cooped up at the Mansion all the time? You should be out with people yer own age, havin' fun and breakin' hearts."

After a long pause, Firestar answered, "It's difficult to explain..."

"Try me. After all, I used ta be human, ya know."

"Now that I think about it, you probably can relate. Ben, I don't want to hurt anyone. Like your great strength, my fire can really hurt someone if I'm not careful. I couldn't live with myself if that should happen."

"Kid, yer heart's in the right place, but yer solution stinks."

"What do you mean, Ben?"

"You can't live yer life givin' in ta fear, small fry. You're 'fraid o' burnin' people, so you avoid 'em. Life's meant ta be lived, not hidden from. Ya think I'd be out in public if I was concerned about what people think o' my looks?"

"Well, I--," Firestar tried to answer.

"Heck, no! Sure, ya've got a dangerous power, but that doesn't mean ya gotta stop livin'. Life's too short ta live in fear."

"So you think I'm being overly cautious?"

"There's nothin' wrong with a lil' caution, small fry. Jes don't let it rule yer life."

"You've given me a lot to think about," Firestar said appreciatively.

"Want anutter hot dog?" Spotting the nearby vendor, Ben waved to get his attention. "I'll take a dozen fully loaded 'dogs, and whatever the lady wants."

Back at the Avengers Mansion, Black Diamond sat down her magazine and rose from her chair. As had been the case for most of the week, all was quiet. Silently, she stretched, working the stiffness out from sitting for so long. The heroine turned as she heard movement in the hallway outside. Bearing a silver-serving tray, Jeeves entered the Communications Room.

"Good evening, Madame. I took the liberty of brewing up a spot of tea."

Looking pleased, Black Diamond accepted the cup and saucer from the tray. "Why thank you, Jeeves. This is most unexpected."

The manservant filled the cup and added cream and sugar to the heroine's tastes. "It's a quiet evening, Madame. With the other Avengers gone, I thought you might like a cup of tea... and some company."

"I certainly won't refuse either. You know, Jeeves, you've been with us-- what?-- nearly a month and I still don't know a thing about you?" Black Diamond regarded the older man. He had to be in his late forties by now, if not early fifties.

Jeeves took a sip of his tea. "Not really much to tell, Madame. Suffice to say that your former employers thought me the best man for the job."

"I can't argue that. You've fit in wonderfully around here. In spite of all the usual mayhem and chaos."

"It does my heart good to know that you are pleased with my services, Madame," Jeeves answered sincerely.

"I just call it like--." Black Diamond stopped in mid-sentence as the lights in the Communication Room flickered. At the same time, her unique sixth sense started buzzing. "This is not possible..."

The lights flickered once more and did not come back on. Likewise, the communications console was dead as well.

"My word... It must be a power outage," Jeeves stated.

"Can't be," Black Diamond countered. "Our power is self-contained. Something must be wrong with the reactor on Sub-Level Three..." Concerned, the heroine ran out of the Communications Room and out onto the roof of the Avengers Mansion.

The lights of the city were bright all around her, illuminating the night sky. Only the Avengers Mansion was in blackness. A chance glance overhead revealed a craft of familiar design hovering silently above the Mansion.

"Oh my...", Black Diamond uttered as she stared at the craft. It certainly wasn't something she had been expecting to find. "Jeeves! Activate the emergency alarm and then get to a place of safety! Move!"

The butler complied, but didn't quite understand the significance of the act. After all, if there was no power, how could the signal be heard by the other Avengers? Taking one last look at Black Diamond, Jeeves quickly made his way to the sub-levels of the Mansion.

High overhead, a hatch opened on the strange craft and an armored man descended. Black Diamond waited as the man approached, having not moved an inch. There was no doubt to his identity, as they had crossed paths before.

The man's armor was red and blue in color, with bone white trim. "Once more we meet, Black Diamond," the armored man announced.

"And once more, the Avengers will stop you, Destroyer!", Black Diamond spat out angrily.

The man known and feared the world over as Dr. Destroyer laughed. It was a horrible thing to hear. "Brave words for a lone woman." Destroyer raised his gauntlet and fired a powerful blast of energy at the heroine.

The Avenger's leader tried to avoid the attack, but was clipped despite her considerable agility. The force of the blast sent Black Diamond off the roof of the Avengers Mansion, but otherwise did her no serious harm. She took flight to avoid hitting the ground below.

"Nice try, Destroyer, but now it's my turn!" Black Diamond looped around and flew directly at the arch villain. She swung, but Destroyer ducked under the powerful blow.

"Predictable to a fault," Destroyer observed. He fired another energy blast at the fast-moving flyer, but was wide of the mark.

"I have to stall him," Black Diamond thought to herself. "Give the others time to get here..."

The Avenger circled back around and made another run at Destroyer. This time he didn't try to avoid the heroine and they collided with a metallic clang! The two crashed into the English Conservatory and landed among the plants.

"Why are you here, Destroyer?! What do you want?"

Destroyer rose, violently discarding a bush that had landed on top of him. "I want you," he stated in his mechanical voice.

"Me?", Black Diamond replied in an incredulous tone as she warily observed her foe. "Normally, I'd be touched by someone being interested in me, but I don't think you're my type!"

Diamond flew at Dr. Destroyer once more. However, the villain was prepared for the attack. At the last moment, he shifted position and drove his shoulder hard into the heroine's stomach. Black Diamond landed awkwardly on the roof, gasping for air.

"Now to end this charade..." Seizing his advantage, Destroyer pulled a wide collar from underneath his cape and snapped it on Black Diamond's neck.

"You think this piece of jewelry is going to stop me? You've--" Black Diamond never finished her sentence as the collar produced an incredibly high pitched hum. She screamed in pain and sought to cover her ears, but it didn't stop the dreadful sound.

Destroyer rose to his feet and inpassionately observed the heroine writhing in pain on the floor before him. "Yes, even you can be hurt, Black Diamond." The arch-villain pulled a small control device from his belt. Slowly, he turned the dial, increasing the heroine's agony.

"What-- are you-- doing to me?!" The pain was incredible. Black Diamond didn't know how much more of this she could withstand. With another turn of the dial, Destroyer decreased the heroine's pain.

"You are a most impressive female," Destroyer responded in an almost appreciative tone. "Your skeleton is closer to metal in strength than ordinary bone. It affords you the ability to withstand tremendous amounts of physical harm. However, it is also your greatest weakness. An intense burst of sound, at the proper pitch, will resonant within your skeletal structure. Your very bones begin to vibrate. The result? Well, even a simpleton such as yourself can guess the results of my ingenious device."

Destroyer turned the dial once more, and Diamond screamed again.

"Get away from her, ya fur-bearin' bucked-toothed varmint!"

Both Diamond and Destroyer couldn't help but turn towards the voice of the new arrival. Hovering nearby was a man in a white costume. His gloves, boots, trunks, and mask were golden in color, with a red neck bandanna. A white cowboy hat rounded out his costume. Snatches of reddish hair, complete with handlebar mustache could be seen.

"Go away, cowboy," Destroyer commanded. "I have not the time for fools."

"When the Texas Ranger tells ya to do somethin', ya'll best heed his words!" The man calling himself the 'Texas Ranger' concentrated and a battering ram of pure thought was projected from his forehead.

The attack was insignificant to Destroyer. He neither tried to avoid it or showed any effect from it. He pointed his gauntlet at the man in white and fired once more. The blast overpowered Ranger's force field and sent him flying backwards. The western-flavored hero plummeted from the sky.

"You're scum, Destroyer!", Black Diamond hissed. "If you killed him, I'll--!!"

"Silence!", Destroyer thundered. He turned the dial on his control once more, sending Black Diamond to new levels of pain. Her screams were heard blocks away. Finally, her body could take no more and she blacked out.

Destroyer turned his device off and stored it in his belt once more. He reached down and picked up the heroine, flinging her roughly over his shoulder. Activating his boot jets once more, Destroyer rose upwards. Silently, he entered his craft overhead.

A tall, incredibly handsome man in white flowing robes awaited Destroyer's arrival. Long blonde hair reached past his shoulders. "Your plan was flawless, Master. The Torpor Field performed perfectly."

Destroyer didn't acknowledge his aide's statement. It was of no concern. Of course his plan had worked perfectly. It was the only possible outcome. "Secure the prisoner and return us to the Claw's Dome."

"What of the stranger?", Menton asked.

That made Destroyer pause for a moment. After consideration, he instructed, "Bring him. He must be taught the folly of trying to interfere with my goals."

"It shall be done." Menton bowed in respect, then hurriedly moved off to carry out his master's wishes...

Less than ten minutes later, the Enchantress and Muskateer materialized in the Main Meeting Room on Sub-Level Two amid a reddish display of magical energy. Both were dressed in their rogue outfits from the party at the Madigan Estate. (Editor's Note: As seen in Muskateer #14)

Muskateer rushed to the main computer station and quickly checked the system for the source of the emergency signal. Next he cycled through the views provided by the Mansions security cameras. The Enchantress watched, pausing only to magically change into her standard heroine garb.

"I'm not finding anything out of the ordinary," Muskateer reported. "No emergency messages of any kind have been received. Everything seems annoyingly normal."

"Then why were we summoned?", the Enchantress asked. "If this is just a false alarm, I'm really going to be miffed."

"No, that's not Di's style... What a minute, someone's tryin' to contact us..."

Muskateer punched a few buttons and Firestar's voice was heard over the loudspeakers. "... to base. Come in please. Firestar to base. Is there anyone there?" The sound of a great multitude of people in the background filtered in as well.

Taking out his own comlink, the sword-swinging Avenger responded. "Muskateer, here. What's up, hot stuff?"

"I don't know," the heroine explained over the speakers. "We got an emergency alert, but have been unable to reach the Mansion. What's going on, Musky?"

"I wish I knew, kiddo. Stay put for now. I'll contact you as soon as we figure out what's goin' on. Where the heck are you anyway?"

"Yankee Stadium. Ben's here too."

"I see. Well, I'll be in touch." Muskateer set down the comlink and turned to his companion. "That accounts for those two."

"But not for Black Diamond. Is she not supposed to be on Monitor Duty?"

"You're right, Gwen." Muskateer activated the communicator again. "Muskateer to Diamond. Come in, Di." The pair patiently waited a few moments.

"It seems she is not answering your signal."

"Yeah, 'is not' or 'can not'," Muskateer added. "Let's check the Monitor Room!"

The pair raced from the room and to the elevator. Pausing to stop briefly at Muskateer's quarters, so he could retrieve his sword, the pair made their way to the Communications Room.

Muskateer cautiously peered inside. "Di's not here..."

"Will you look at this?!", a distraught Enchantress called out from the hallway. Muskateer was quickly by her side and immediately saw what she found so distressing. The greenhouse that held the plants and flowers that the sorceress had spent so many hours working on was in shambles.

"Looks like Diamond. had guests... And rambunctious ones, at that. But where is she?" Muskateer considered for a few moments. Di had been alone in the Mansion. Looking around, he saw that the damage was pretty much confined to this room. Either the fight had begun here and continued outside or else it ended here. Spotting something, he reached down and picked up a comlink that was laying amongst the foliage. Muskateer turned to his teammate. "Suddenly, I have a very bad feeling about this..."

"Agreed. Do you think that Artemis is behind this?"

Muskateer considered for a few seconds. "Possibly, but it could be any number of others as well. You don't do the hero gig as long as Di has and not gain a bunch of enemies. In fact--" Muskateer stopped in mid-sentence and gestured for Gwen to remain silent. The Avenger moved back towards the stairs. After a short pause, he pounced!

"My word!" Jeeves was dragged into the light by Muskateer.

"Sorry, 'bout that Jeeves", Muskateer said as he released the Avengers butler. "I heard a noise and--"

"It's quite all right, sir. I was uncertain who was up here and thought that stealth would be a prudent course."

"What happened, Jeeves?", the Enchantress asked. "Where's Black Diamond?"

"Oh dear," Jeeves said in a concerned tone. "I was afraid that something like this would happen. It all started less than twenty minutes ago..." The manservant proceeded to cover the events that led up to him seeking shelter in the Sub-Levels of the Mansion.

"I waited a few minutes after the lights came back on, then carefully made my way back up here."

"And found us," Muskateer finished. "You never got a good look at the aircraft?"

"No, sir. I was still in the house when Black Diamond ordered me to seek shelter. Perhaps I should have remained to watch her back."

The Enchantress placed her hand on Jeeves shoulder. "You did the proper thing, Jeeves. From what you've told us, Black Diamond recognized her foe. She would not knowingly place you in danger."

Jeeves sighed. "You are correct, Madame. I had best clean up this mess."

While Jeeves departed to retrieve a broom and dustpan, Muskateer turned to the Enchantress. "Fly recon around the immediate vicinity. I'm not expecting you to find anything, but we need to at least check. When you're done, meet me in the Main Meeting Room."

"Understood." The Enchantress took flight and departed on her mission.

A short time later, the Thing and Firestar returned to the Mansion. They, along with the Enchantress, were talking with Muskateer, back in his standard hero costume, in the Main Meeting Room...

"What's our next move, Junior?", the Thing wondered out loud.

"I'm honestly not sure. Based on what little evidence we have, Di was attacked by someone extremely dangerous. Not only were they able to take Di out, but they also had the technical know-how to temporarily shut down our reactor. There can't be that many bad guys out there with those qualifications."

"All of which does not tell us where Black Diamond is right now," the Enchantress concluded.

A light flashed on the panel before Muskateer. "We're getting a call," he said as he activated the communication circuit.

Up on the large overhead view screen, an unexpected image appeared: "Supreme to Avengers Mansion. You guys reading me?"

"Talk about out of the blue," Firestar commented as the team exchanged puzzled glances.

"This is Muskateer. Go ahead, Supreme."

"Who? Who the heck are you? Where are the Avengers?"

Muskateer grabbed the microphone and answered in an annoyed tone, "You're lookin' at 'em. We're the Avengers."

"Not the last time I checked," Supreme retorted. "Where's Hunter at?"

Ben took the microphone away from Muskateer. "Give me that, Junior..."

"Is that you, Ben?", Supreme responded in a puzzled voice. "When did you rejoin?"

"Look here, Supreme, ya have to take my buddy's word on this. Lots o' things've changed since ya disappeared two months back. But, the folks ya see here are the current Avengers."

"I don't understand, but if you say so, Ben, I'll believe you," Supreme answered. "You'll have to fill me in on all the details later. Right now you guys have got to get out to Los Angeles PDQ."

Muskateer took the microphone back. "Los Angeles?! Look, Supreme, we've got some major problems of our own right here. We can't go gallivanting across the country without a damn good reason."

"Is there someone else there I can talk too? Black Diamond perhaps?"

"That's part of the problem," Muskateer responded. "Di appears to have been attacked earlier this evening. We can't locate her."

"I bet dollars to donuts that Di is half-way to California right now. Look, some of the heroes out here helped break me out of the fortress of the clown running this supervillain contest. They've advanced to the next round where specific individual heroes are being targeted. Sounds to me that Di was on someone's hit list. If that's the case, then they're bringing her out to Los Angeles."

"He is making some sense," the Enchantress observed.

"Yeah," Muskateer answered, "maybe, but how do we know this isn't just some set-up?"

"Man," Supreme said in an exasperated tone. "What kind of idiots did Hunter recruit?"

"Hey! Now just a minute..."

On the view screen, Supreme stepped away from the screen as the woman known to the world as Morning Star came into view. "Let me handle this," she told Supreme. He responded with a go ahead gesture.

"Hello, Ben, Enchantress," the purple and lavender clad heroine said. "Nice to meet you, Muskateer and Firestar."

"Good evening, Morning Star," the Enchantress answered. "How are you?"

"That's definitely Morning Star," the Thing whispered to Muskateer. Muskateer grumbled something under his breath, but no one could hear him.

"I've been better," Morning Star answered, "but we need to get down to business. What Supreme is telling you is the truth. If Black Diamond has vanished, then I'd wager that it has something to do with this contest. We're planning to launch a major offensive and are calling in all the heroes we can assemble. The Protectors, Superior Seven, Champions, Capitol Patrol, even some of the Freedom League are already on their way, to join with X-Factor and what remains of the Guardians and the Freedom Squad. Your aid would be greatly appreciated."

"Well, when you put it that way, then I guess we'll be out to LA ASAP," Muskateer conceded.

"Great. Just come to the Guardians Base. We'll give you more details once everyone is here. Morning Star out." The heroine appeared to shutting down the communication circuit, but stopped short. "Oh, I'll explain things to Supreme, too. Bye."

"Thanks, Morning Star." Muskateer set the microphone down and looked at his remaining teammates. "Ben, get the Quinnjet warmed up. We're taking off in ten minutes."

The large, rocky hero made his way out of the room and towards the hanger. "Gotcha, junior. The Thing stopped suddenly, as a purple and white costumed man stood in the doorway. "Lightbulb! Whataya doin' here?"

Lightburst walked tentatively into the room. "I got the emergency call on my comlink. I'm tired of laying around and wanted to help. Especially if Di is now missing."

"Oh, this is just bloody great..." Muskateer didn't even try to conceal his annoyance. Things were going from bad to worse...

Epilogue:

Nearby laid the man who called himself the Texas Ranger. He was likewise secured. Black Diamond scanned the room, but found nothing that could be useful to her. A view port in the wall informed her that she was inside an aircraft of some type. Most likely the one Dr. Destroyer had emerged from. It was still night outside.

The Texas Ranger started to come around. Black Diamond stared at him, trying the place the man, but she could only draw a blank. "I appreciate you trying to help," Diamond stated, "but you were foolish to try and take on Destroyer by yourself."

Ranger took in his surroundings and experimented with his own shackles. "Shucks, ma'am, I've been doin' foolish things mosta mah life." The man concentrated towards his bonds, but was unable to free himself. "Got any idea what this polecat has in mind fer us, lil' lady?"

Black Diamond found that remark amusing and smiled. "Not a clue. Destroyer said he wanted me, but I don't know what for. Your guess is as good as mine as to why you are here as well."

"Than we wait until the varmint makes the next move," the Texas Ranger concluded.

"I am curious as to why you just happened to be at the Avengers Mansion in my hour of need. Coincidence or planned?"

"Ah heard about you losin' some o' your members a ways back-- Spent mosta mah time out on the range so ahm a bit behind on news-- and thought I'd come up to your town to lend a hand."

That took Black Diamond aback. "You just showed up figuring that you could join the team out of the blue?"

"I reckon that ya got the gist of my story, ma'am. I have ta say that yer a might bit prettier then your pictures show."

"Thanks," Black Diamond answered. "Why didn't you just call first instead of coming all the way to New York City from-- from the 'range'? We might have said no."

"Nah, I figured you could use a cowpoke like myself. 'Sides, the Avengers helped me out of a jam a ways back and I'd figured I'd return the favor."

Now Black Diamond stared at the man more intently than ever. "Are you saying that we've met before?"

"Shucks, ma'am. Not quite like what yer gettin' at."

Suddenly, Black Diamond noticed the aircraft beginning to slow down. Its vertical thrusters had been activated. "Sorry to cut your story short, Ranger, but I think we've reached our destination."

Looking out the window, the heroine could see that the aircraft was descending toward a mountainous region. Below waited a large, blue dome...

...To Be Continued!

And Check out X-Factor #1 as well!

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