| Roll Call: |
|---|
 Black Diamond |
 Muskateer |
 Enchantress |
 Firestar |
 Lightburst |
 Supreme |
 Thing |
Guest Starring Blizzard |
 Sabre |
 Satara |
 Sorceress |
 Spinnerette |
 Texas Ranger |
While a small contingent of the heroes met to discuss their upcoming strategy in dealing with the Crimson Claw and the horde of villains at his base, Firestar wandered absentmindedly through the halls. She tentatively examined an impromptu tunnel that had been created when Morning Star had been smashed half-way through the base during her battle with Ripper. (Editor's Note: See X-Factor #1 & #2)
"Hail, cousin!"
Firestar looked up to see what was going on. Up ahead an oddly dressed woman was approaching. She was only a bit taller than Firestar. The young woman resembled a historical viking battlemaiden more than anything else; complete with a nasty looking battle axe and horned helm.
Firestar turned to look behind her, but no one else was in the hallway. "Are you speaking to me?" There was something odd about the girl, but Firestar couldn't put her finger on what that was.
"Of course!", the viking-like woman stated. "You are of the Blood. That makes us kin."
"What are you talking about?", Firestar asked, a genuinely confused look upon her face.
"You are of the Blood," the woman repeated as she approached. "I'm of the Blood. Therefore we are cousins."
"Whose blood are you talking about?" None of this was making any sense to Firestar.
The woman turned and hollered up the corridor. "Hey! Sabre! Marie! I've found a cousin!"
A moment later, Sabre of X-Factor rounded the corner. With him was a woman in a sailor-esque outfit. They were trailed by another blonde woman, who looked like she could be the sister of the viking woman.
"Say, you're right, sister," Sabre said as he approached. He presented his hand to Firestar. "Hello, cousin. I am Sabre. This is my sister, Satara," he gestured towards the viking woman. "Our cousin, Marie Debray", the woman in the sailor outfit. "And my mother, Bryn."
Before Firestar could say anything, the woman introduced as Marie Debray spoke. "Oh, she doesn't know what we are talking about."
"How could you--", Firestar stammered out. Both Sabre and Marie had the same odd look to them that Satara had.
"She never knew her parents," the woman continued. "Her father abandoned her mother. The mother died in childbirth." Turning to face Firestar she added, "I'm clairsentient."
"What are you? A mind reader?" Firestar was more than taken aback when she realized that the strange woman had answered her question before it had even been asked!
"Okay, children, give the girl a chance to breath," the woman who resembled the viking woman said as she approached. The other three seemed to defer to her. "If she truly doesn't know about her heritage, this all must be quite a shock to her."
"Come on," Marie said to Sabre and Satara. "Let us leave them alone." She turned and headed down the corridor, the siblings trailing behind her.
"Why don't you three run along, while I--" Bryn stopped in mid-sentence after she realized that Marie was already complying with her wishes. She watched the three depart and then turned back to Firestar. "You never quite get used to Marie's talent."
"Can you tell me what's going on?", Firestar asked, genuinely concerned and rather confused. "What are they taking about? How can they be my cousins?"
"Because they recognize you as being 'of the Blood'."
"What exactly does that mean?"
Bryn sighed. This was not going to be an easy task. Spotting an open bench, she made her way towards it, gesturing for Firestar to follow. "Come along, child. Sit and I'll try to explain."
After a pause, Firestar followed and tentatively sat down.
"As my son mentioned earlier, you may call me Bryn. My husband is known as Blade. He is also 'of the Blood'. In your case, this means that 'you are of the blood of Azor'."
"What's an Azor? Sounds like some blue guy."
Bryn smiled softly. "No, child. Not azure, Azor. Azor is your ancestor, I'm guessing on your father's side. Each child of Azor has superpowers. Typically some sort of energy discharge. There is a thing called a 'recognition factor' among the Blood. Simply put, one Blood can recognize another Blood even if they've never met. That's how my daughter knew you were her cousin."
"This is all very, very strange," Firestar muttered. She always wondered about her parents, but nothing had ever prepared her for anything such as this. "Do you recognize me as well? I thought there was something-- odd, about those three but I didn't know what."
"Yes. Even though I am not 'of the Blood', if you are around them long enough, the skill rubs off on you. You see, the Blood are not from Earth. A small family of them came here during the 1930's. Your father must have been one of them. Tyrkan most likely, since he also has fire-based powers."
"How do I know I can believe you?", Firestar asked. The whole idea of suddenly having a family was both an appealing and frightening prospect.
"I have no reason to lie to you," Byrn answered with a shrug. "I have nothing to gain one way or the other."
Firestar sat, lost in thought for a time. "But, aren't the Blood bad people? What were they called--? Insane alien mutants?"
"That's vicious propaganda started by the Bloodletter," Bryn explained. "With enough of a grain of truth to make it believable. As I explained earlier, the original Blood are from another dimension. A place where their Earth is called Ean. It is believed that Azor was originally from Earth, but in the distant past. From a medical stand point, Blood are virtually identical to humans, so the idea of them being aliens very much depends on your point of view."
"The Blood are not mutants by definition, since they possess abilities similar to their parents. However, Earth detection devices can't tell the difference."
"I'm afraid that insanity is one label that applies in some cases. Many Blood do go mad, like Affrighter. However, you are the result of a human/Blood union. Like my own children, you may avoid much of the unpleasantness of being Blood."
Firestar sat there for a time, unsure of what to say, even what to think.
"You're confused. That's understandable. Your brother went through the same thing several years back. He didn't take being a Blood very well either."
With an astonished look, Firestar faced Bryn. "I have a brother?!"
"Assuming that Tyrkan is indeed your father, then yes. A half-brother to be technical. He's older than you are. Richard is in his thirties, I believe. He's a part-time hero who goes by the names Phantasm and Phosphene."
"I have a brother...", Firestar repeated.
"That's right," Bryn answered softly. "Not to mention several cousins, aunts, and uncles."
"That makes you my aunt then, doesn't it?"
"Correct. My children, Sabre and Satara, are your cousins. Marie is also a cousin to all three of you. Her mother was Blood, but she was killed by the Bloodletter. Marie can be trying to be around, but we try to be very nice to her as she's had a very difficult life."
"Tell me everything, Aunt Bryn," Firestar stated with great interest, the shock of this startling revelation beginning to fade. "I want to know everything about the family."
Eventually, the planning session was completed. The teams gathered into their respective groups as the details were handed down. Black Diamond filled in the Avengers aided by Muskateer.
"Most of the Avengers will be with me in the Secondary Engagement Group which is going into the base," Black Diamond explained. "We tried to keep teammates together whenever possible."
"How many groups are there anyway?", Supreme asked.
"Yeah, there mus' be thirty or forty heroes here by now," the Thing added.
"Actually, there are forty-four heroes," Black Diamond answered.
"Plus that twit Foxbat," Muskateer added gruffly. The loony criminal's antics had driven Muskateer over the edge. He had to be held back by Black Diamond to keep from throttling Foxbat.
"Like I said, forty-four heroes."
"We will have five teams total," Muskateer said, answering Supreme's earlier question. "Four of those teams have very specific objectives, while the last is a reserve group."
"The reserves," Black Diamond continued, "are in case anything goes seriously wrong. We can't cover every contingency, so this is our ace in the hole. Enchantress, you are going to be working with the Reserves. Your versatility will be invaluable there."
Gwen didn't seem happy with the idea of being on the sidelines in the upcoming engagement. "While I am not pleased with the assignment, I can understand your reasoning."
"Ben, you're in the Exterior Assault Force," Muskateer said, reading from a clipboard. "Your team's job is to cause as much havoc and mayhem as possible outside the Claw's Dome and draw as much villain attention as possible."
"I think I've just been drafted," the Thing retorted. "'Course, it might be fun whackin' villains around."
"I knew you were a perfect choice," Black Diamond added. "My team's job is two-fold. We're also going to draw villain attacks from the inside as well as attempt to rescue as many captured heroes as possible."
"That makes for a natural group of reinforcements," Muskateer explained, "since some of this group may be attrited in their running battle."
"Attrited?", Firestar asked nervously.
"What Muskateer is trying to say," Black Diamond spoke up, giving the sword-wielding Avenger an unhappy glance, "in an indelicate way, is that not everyone in my group may be standing when this is all over with."
Firestar swallowed uncomfortably. Lightburst looked on stoically, while Supreme cracked his knuckles loudly in eager anticipation.
"What is your role in this operation?", the Enchantress asked of Muskateer.
"I'm goin' along with Defender and Cap Lightnin's group," Muskateer responded. "We're goin' in to try and neutralize the teleporter of the base and try and take control of the whole place if possible. Whichever group going inside will also try and take out the Claw if they get a chance." Muskateer began passing out computer printouts of the team rosters. "Each team's organizing in a different location of the base. They're printed at the top of each sheet."
"Ah realize that ah'm not a 'Venger or nothin', but how can ah help?", the Texas Ranger asked.
"Already taken care of," Black Diamond replied. "You're with Muskateer's group," she added, handing the Ranger a printout.
"Come on, Tex," Muskateer said as he headed for the hangar bay. "Get along little dogie."
"Just a moment, Muskateer," Diamond said. The heroine slowly began to circle the room. "This isn't just any ordinary mission that we are about to embark upon. We will be encountering an incredible number of powerful foes." Black Diamond came to a stop behind Firestar and placed her hands on the young heroine's shoulders. Firestar smiled and blushed slightly. "But I have the utmost confidence in each and every one of you." Moving on, Black Diamond came to the Texas Ranger. "You may not know all of the people that you're going to be working with. Watch your backs and your teammates' backs. With a little luck, we'll be victorious and come through this unscathed. Let's be careful out there."
The meeting broke up and everyone headed towards their assigned destinations. The Enchantress jogged after the quickly moving Muskateer and Texas Ranger.
"Muskateer! Wait!"
The sword-swinging Avenger came to a stop and looked back at his teammate. Turning to the Ranger he said, "Go on ahead, Tex. I'll be there in a minute."
"Yup," Ranger answered with a nod and continued on.
Turning back, Muskateer found the Enchantress to be right before him. "Something I can do for you, Gwen?"
"Was this your idea? Keeping me in reserve?"
Muskateer sighed. "Tactically, it makes a world of sense. You are easily the most versatile Avenger. We have no idea just what the reserves are going to have to deal with. That makes you ideal for the job."
"I understand that, but--"
"Ultimately, it was a group decision. Everything was. We tried to put the proper people in the right places to ensure maximum results and cover the most possibilities."
The Enchantress moved closer, placing her arms around the back of Muskateer's neck. "So, this was a logical choice then. Here I had been hoping for something much more-- romantic."
"I see." After a long pause, Muskateer added, "You know, we'd better get moving. Lots of folks are waitin' on us."
Gwen broke her grip and moved her hands to Muskateer's full mask. She pulled it up to reveal the lower part of his face. Standing on her toes, she gave him a lingering kiss. "Just something to remember me by. And something to give you the incentive to come out of this in one piece."
"Pretty lady, count on it!"
Elsewhere, Black Diamond led the rest of the Avengers toward her group's gathering point in the gymnasium. They were the first to arrive.
Quietly, Firestar approached Black Diamond. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Diamond turned to face the shorter heroine. "Of course. What's on your mind?"
"Do you know or have you heard about a woman called Bryn?"
"Sure," Diamond answered. "Bryn's a formidable fighter, not to mention a top rate doctor when it comes to superbeings. She has served as the unofficial physician for West Coast supers for many, many years."
Firestar was impressed by Black Diamond's answer. "Then her reputation is impeccable?"
"As far as I know. What are you getting at, Cassie?"
The young mutant sighed. "Bryn is married to one of the Blood--"
"Blade."
"Right, Blade. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I ran into Bryn and her family. They say that I'm Blood too."
Black Diamond showed a momentary look of surprise. "This is certainly an unexpected development."
"Tell me about it." Firestar sighed again and leaned against the wall. "I don't know what to do about it."
"What can you do about it? It's not like you can choose to be a mutant or a Blood. You either are or you are not. Do you think that you're Blood?"
"Bryn spoke about an recognition factor among the Blood," Firestar explained. "One Blood will know another just by looking at them. Sabre, Satara, Marie, and Bryn all recognized me. There was something odd about Sabre, Marie, and Satara. They looked-- different-- to me. Bryn thinks it was me recognizing them as being fellow Blood."
"That seems like a logical conclusion. I really don't know what to tell you, Cassie. I don't think they would come forward with this information if they weren't sure that you were their kin."
"I know," Firestar sighed again and looked down. "On the one hand, it'll be great to find out about my parents and their family. But on the other--- I just don't know about this particular family."
Black Diamond lightly touched Firestar's chin, making her look up into Diamond's face. The young mutant's eyes reflected the confusion in her mind. "Bryn and Blade are good people. You could do a lot worse than having them for your family." Looking around, Diamond could see other heroes starting to file in. "We can talk about this later, once this Supervillain Contest has been dealt with."
Imperial was co-leader of this assault force along with Black Diamond. Given the cramped quarters inside the Crimson Claw's ship, it was inevitable that the heroes would have to separate into even smaller groups. It also gave them more chances to complete their missions.
In addition to Black Diamond, Imperial, Firestar, Lightburst, and Supreme, Spinnerette, Speedster, Tritium, Comet, Blizzard, and the Sorceress rounded out the attack force.
Black Diamond had encountered the Speedster before, since he served on New York's other hero team, the Freedom League. Spinnerette was a former teammate from the brief Avengers/Guardians co-existence. The others were less known to her.
Tritium was a long time member of the Champions who wielded nuclear forces. From the Dallas-based Superior Seven came the Comet and the Sorceress. The former was a flying battering ram, the later a mage who used magic items. Last, but not least, was Blizzard. Black Diamond knew next to nothing about him other than his cold-based powers, related to her by Spectrum and Morning Star.
"All right, let's get this party started!", Blizzard stated as he strolled into the room. Longingly he gazed at several of the heroines present and received several displeased looks in return. "Man, I love this profession!"
"Settle down, rookie," Imperial told Blizzard. "This is time for rough housin', not chasing ladies. That's for afterwards."
Blizzard went to say something, but wisely held his tongue. A particularly nasty glare from Spinnerette made his decision an easy choice.
Imperial turned to speak to Black Diamond. "That looks like everyone. The floor is yours, oh Diamondy."
Diamond turned to face the rest of the assembled heroes. "Thank you. As most of you know, our task is to infiltrate the Claw's Dome itself. Our goal is to cause as much trouble as we can. To spread the opposition as thin as possible. We have several goals that we may or may not be able to perform. Rescuing the captive heroes is our main concern. Capturing the spaceship and defeating the Claw himself are others. This being said, our goals are not to defeat the villains directly. We will need to keep moving and not get bogged down with protracted battles if we are to succeed. Avoid capture at all costs. If you find yourself outnumbered then retreat. Everyone comes out alive, understood?"
The others present nodded, but couldn't conceal their apprehensiveness. "Good. Then let's get moving."
A short time later, Imperial and Black Diamond's force was hidden among the rocks overlooking the hidden valley that currently contained the Crimson Claw's ship. Flashes from numerous energy discharges illuminated the night as another force of heroes were engaging numerous villains in an effort to lure them out of the Dome. (Editor's Note: See X-Factor #3)
While this was going on, Blizzard made his way to Firestar's side. "Say, babe, someday when this nonsense is over we could make some serious steam, ya know?"
Surprised, Firestar just looked at Blizzard. "What are you talking about?" Her thoughts had been on her newfound family and the meaning of his words went right over her head.
"You know-- fire and ice makes steam." Before he could explain further, Supreme roughly grabbed Blizzard by the nape of the neck and dragged him away. "Hey! What's the idea, you big gorilla!?"
Turning Blizzard to face him, Supreme sneered at the frosty hero. "Leave the girl alone. Understood?"
Blizzard didn't know what to say. Supreme was so incredibly muscular that it appeared as if his muscles had muscles. There was no way he was going to cross this guy. "Perfectly. Now hands off, you overgrown ape!"
Supreme released Blizzard and let him drop to the ground. Slightly embarrassed, Blizzard moved away from the others to sulk.
"I thought I worked fast," the Speedster whispered to the Comet with a laugh.
"Yeah, really."
Supreme walked over and re-joined Black Diamond. He stared at Lightburst as he passed and gave him a menacing grin. A 'if you get out of line, I will hurt you' kind of look. Lightburst didn't return the gaze.
"Paternal instinct kicking in?", Black Diamond whispered in appreciation for Supreme's action.
"Hey, she's just a kid. She doesn't need that guy hounding her. Kind of reminds me of my little sister."
"If we can get away from the soap opera," Imperial suggested, "just how long are we gonna wait for Captain Lightning-Bolt to open a door for us? I would have brought some brews along if I knew it was going to take this long."
"We'll wait as long as it takes," Diamond answered bluntly.
The Sorceress moved closer. She had been listening from a short distance away and finally decided to reveal an idea she had in mind. "May I make a suggestion?"
Imperial, Supreme, and Black Diamond gave the mage a puzzled look. "Whatdaya have in mind, doll?" Imperial asked. Now here was the kind of woman Imperial could fall for. Hard. Not only was she gorgeous, but she was rich. Of course, she was probably too refined for a man's man like Imperial.
"I can get us into the dome undetected."
"How?", Black Diamond questioned.
"By way of my Shadow Cloak," the Superior Seven member explained. "Everyone will go inside my cloak, travel as far as we need to, and then come out inside the Dome itself."
"Oh, that sounds reasonable," Imperial muttered sarcastically. "What have you been smokin' down in Dallas, Red? Tumbleweeds? Cow patties?"
The Comet moved to join the conversation. He felt the need to protect his teammate from this-- this man. "Hey, back off from the lady! I know it sounds screwy, but Tanya has done this before and it works. You have to trust her."
Black Diamond and Imperial exchanged unsure glances. Finally, Black Diamond spoke. "If you can do as you claim and get us inside undetected, then I think it's worth trying."
"It's your show, Di," Imperial added with a shrug. "I'm just the understudy."
"What do we have to do?", Black Diamond asked of the Sorceress.
The mage didn't answer right away. Instead, she stood upright as her cloak become more animated. It billowed around the sorceress on unfelt winds. The inside of the cloak grew darker and darker until it was jet black. Taking a portion of the cloak in her hand, the Sorceress raised it as high as she could reach. "Just walk into my cloak," she simply stated.
The heroes all exchanged concerned glances. The situation was becoming weirder and weirder with each passing second. No one seemed to want to go first.
Finally, the Comet approached his teammate. "Come on, you guys. I'll lead the way. What a bunch of chickens." The Comet stepped into Tanya's Cloak and disappeared.
"Who wants to live forever?" Spinnerette leaped into the Cloak and also disappeared from sight. Her spider senses didn't detect anything amiss.
As the others entered the strange cloak, Black Diamond alerted team leaders via her headset. "We've found an alternate entrance," she reported. She paused as Supreme stooped over to pass through Tanya's cloak. "Diamond out."
One by one, the heroes passed through Tanya's cloak until the red clad sorceress was all alone. Then she gathered the cloak about herself. It appeared as if the cloak folded in upon itself, then she too was gone.
Black Diamond found herself in a dark, misty place. She felt ground underneath her feet, but could not see anything solid underneath her. Likewise, there were no landmarks of any type. Just a great expanse of nothingness.
She was not alone as the rest of her assault team was present on the unearthly plane as well.
"You never get used to this place...", Comet muttered to no one in particular.
"I will never get used to the improbabilities caused by magic." The Speedster had considered running off and exploring, but ultimately decided against it. Getting lost in this strange land wasn't his idea of a good time.
Finally, the Sorceress shimmered into existence, her cloak still billowing upon her slender form. "Welcome to the Shadow Lands", the lovely spell caster announced with a flourish.
"What is this place?", Tritium asked, more than a bit unnerved. She hoped that her own magical teammate, Solitaire, was not capable of doing things like this.
"I can't say for sure. What lies between here and there? Perhaps a place between the dark and the light," the Sorceress answered with a shrug. "Or perhaps something lurking just out of our sight."
"Don't any of you magic types ever give straight answers?", Imperial added in an annoyed tone.
"It's against our union," the Sorceress answered with a grin.
"Whatever this place is, it's creepy!", Firestar added.
"How is it possible for us to be 'inside' your cloak and yet you still wear it?", the Speedster wondered aloud. "It's scientifically impossible!"
"It's magic," Tanya explained with a smile.
"Now what do we do?", Black Diamond asked of the Sorceress.
"First I need to cast a spell." The Sorceress went into her spell casting incantations. The mannerisms and words were similar to those used by the Enchantress.
"Makes sense," Black Diamond thought to herself, "since they had the same teacher."
Upon finishing her spell, Tanya Chamberlain's eyes glowed with a bright white light. "There, that's much better. We shall travel in this direction." The Sorceress pointed off into the misty darkness and began to walk toward the area she had indicated.
"How can you be sure, doll?" Imperial moved alongside the heroine, keeping pace with her.
"As you might have noticed, it's extremely difficult to navigate in this void. However, I have given myself the ability to 'see' into the real world. All we need to do now is simply walk to a location that is inside the Dome. There we will all exit the cloak and be inside the lair of the Crimson Claw."
"Let's get moving, people," Black Diamond ordered. "Unless you want to be left behind here." Upon hearing that, everyone quickly followed the Sorceress.
Deep in the bowels of the Claw's ship, a dark blue form took shape. The Shadow Cloak unwrapping itself from around Tanya slowly warped into existence in this dimension. The mage gave a quick look around in order to confirm that the area was deserted. Holding her cloak out, she allowed her passengers to disembark.
Imperial was first, followed by Black Diamond. The heroine took to the air and inspected the immediate surrounding area. The heroes found themselves in a huge chamber filled with futuristic machinery. They were emerging from the Shadow Cloak on a wide walkway elevated some twenty feet from the room's floor. The machinery hummed with power; a multitude of lights were blinking. "What is this place?"
"I'm no mechanic, but I would guess it's a power plant," Spinnerette offered as she took in the huge room. "Or maybe the engine for the spaceship. It's like nothing I've ever seen..."
"I knew we should have had more scientific types in this group," Imperial lamented.
"Any ideas, Speedster?"
"Sorry, Black Diamond. Chemistry is my area of expertise. Your guess is as good as mine. But, off hand I would say leave it alone."
"Why?" Supreme looked around at all the strange gizmos. "I say we smash this stuff-- maybe crippling the ship."
"Or blow it all to kingdom come," Spinnerette added. "If you don't know what it does, then keep your hands off."
The large Supreme considered for a moment. "You might have a point there, Widder Lady."
"Where in the dome are we?" Imperial directed his question to the Sorceress.
"The lowest level," she explained. "Since the others are going in near the top, I figured it would be to our advantage to come from below."
"Good idea," Black Diamond stated with an approving nod. "The fewer villains we encounter initially, the greater our chances of succeeding. Let's get moving."
"We've got two exits," Imperial observed. What appeared to be doors were at either end of the elevated walkway. "Might as well split up here."
Black Diamond nodded in agreement. "Firestar, Lightburst, Spinnerette, Speedster and Blizzard, you're with me. Everyone else is in Imperial's group."
The heroes divided into their assigned groups and moved to the exits. As they did, the air behind them began to shimmer and Servants of the Claw began to appear!
"We've got trouble!", Spinnerette announced as her danger sense started to tingle. The Sorceress felt it as well. She reached into her cloak and pulled forth a silvery sword from its folds.
Turning, the heroes could see a dozen of the strange servants had appeared. Each bore a strange weapon of some type. Among them appeared a trio of demonic-looking beings. They were scaly humanoids with claws, fangs, horns, bat-like wings, and barbed tails. They stood nine feet tall and ranged from bright red to rusty brown in color.
"Wrath demons!", the Sorceress hissed. "Shock troops of the underworld!"
And Check out X-Factor #3 and Muskateer #15 as well!
