| Roll Call: |
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 Black Diamond |
 Supreme |
Linda Taylor, far better known to the world as Black Diamond, moved quietly through the Avengers Mansion. It was just a little before dawn and the heroine was finally ready to begin the task she should have completed days ago. Adjusting the coffee and bagels in her hands, Diamond opened the door to her office and flicked the light switch on. She moved behind the desk, set her burdens down, and booted up her desktop computer. After sampling her breakfast, Black Diamond began to type, concentrating on her report.
"I'm not really sure just where to begin. So much has occurred over the last few days that I've fallen out of my regular routine of filing reports first thing Monday morning. It's taken me all the way to Thursday to even put the whole picture together in my mind. As the saying goes, it's always best to start at the beginning..."
"In hindsight, I should have realized that something was wrong a long time ago. That's the great thing about hindsight-- it always points out your mistakes."
"For months heroes had been disappearing and villains were behaving stranger than normal. This all came to a head last weekend. The cause of all this chaos was a contest among the villains conducted by a being calling itself the Crimson Claw. The prize was ultimate power and there were many willing to play his dangerous game."
"In the early stages of the contest, the criminals were to perform acts of villainy to gain points. Capturing heroes gained the most amount of points. Hence, the reason so many heroes started to suddenly disappear. Our own Supreme disappeared many months ago-- even before the Crystal destroyed the Mansion, killing Sargon and Black Tiger."
"I just assumed that the attacks and the disappearance of Captain Valor all stemmed from the same source. Much like I did when Lightburst also vanished. Turns out that I was wrong again."
"For a number of weeks the Avengers encountered villains attempting to earn points for the contest. The Destroyers, for instance, laid a trap by derailing several subways cars, in hopes of ambushing heroes." (Editor's Note: As seen in Avengers #6)
"Muskateer witnessed Black Paladin capturing Silver Arrow, but was unable to stop the evil knight." (Editor's Note: As shown in Muskateer #4)
"Later, he encountered the odd alliance of Half-Jack, Thermax, and Ogre. Assistance from Lady Blue proved pivotal in that encounter." (Editor's Note: See Muskateer #8)
"These were only a handful of incidents. More occurred all across the country. As I mentioned above, the whole thing came to a head last weekend. Last Friday, several West Coast hero teams were attacked, in what we know now to be a desperate last ditch effort by a multitude of villains to gain points. In Los Angeles, the headquarters of the Freedom Squad was completely destroyed in the assault." (Editor's Note: Shown in Spectrum #20)
"Across town, the Guardians were also attacked, as were the Protectors in San Francisco. Several members of each team were captured. After these attacks, things seemed to calm down, but it was only the prelude for what was yet to come."
"The contest had reached round two. The top eight villains were each assigned a single target hero to capture. Capture the hero, advance to round three. I had the misfortune of being selected by none other than Dr. Destroyer himself. The armored megalomaniac waited until I was alone in the Mansion to strike. It was a decidedly one-sided contest." (Editor's Note: See Avengers #15)
"A random element entered the picture at this point. A man calling himself the Texas Ranger attempted to assist me, at the expense of being captured himself. Destroyer locked a device onto me, something that hurt me like nothing else ever has. He spoke of my bones being like metal, and that sounds of certain pitches would resonate in them. Dr. Destroyer is well known for researching his opponents and exploiting their weaknesses. Perhaps he's done me the favor of uncovering one of mine that I didn't realize I had. Still, it may explain why certain attacks seem to harm me more than others. Such as when Deathsinger dropped me with a single sonic scream down in the subway station. This is something that I must look into." (Editor's Note: Also back in Avengers #6)
"When I awoke from Destroyer's assault, I was his prisoner, as was the Ranger. In short order, we were delivered to the lair of the Crimson Claw. In a surprising turn of events, Destroyer removed the device that kept me in pain. I broke free of my bonds and escaped with Ranger." (Editor's Note: Back in Avengers #16)
"The way that all went down surprised me. Destroyer didn't lift a finger to stop my escaping. It was as if he had planned it this way. Perhaps he did. Judging by his later actions, he appeared to want to stop the Crimson Claw almost as bad as we did." (Editor's Note: As shown in Avengers #19 & X-Factor #4)
"Now free, my companion and I found ourselves in Los Angeles. I lived here for several years while a member of the Guardians during their short-lived partnership with the Avengers. It took awhile, my knowledge of the layout of LA was a bit sketchy, but we eventually reached the Guardians Base."
"To my great surprise, none other than Supreme was there to greet us! Turns out, some of the local heroes had staged a daring raid on the Claw's base and had managed to free some of the captured heroes, including Supreme." (Editor's Note: See Spectrum #21-22, and X-Factor #1)
"Once they realized just exactly what they were up against, they started to call in hero teams from across the country for assistance. The Avengers included. It was my team's turn to be very surprised when they found me waiting for them at the Guardians base!"
"My next shock came when I noticed that Lightburst was among them. We had rescued Lightburst from the clutches of DEMON several weeks ago. He had been hospitalized for a time. 'Burst wouldn't speak about what happened to him at the hands of the sadistic Lady Darkness. I don't think I even want to try and imagine what he went through. But he did seem like a changed man. He was an Avenger and he answered the call."
"There was instant tension between Supreme and Lightburst and understandably so. Years ago, Lightburst and I had an affair. I was younger, more naive... Well, let's just say it ended badly and leave it at that. Seymour was not the one woman kind of man. I suppose he saw himself as God's gift to women and it was his goal to reach as many ladies as possible. That's always gotten him into trouble. The list of superpowered ladies, heroes and villains, who would love to bash his face in is quite long."
"Before he had disappeared, Supreme and I had been casually seeing each other. Now Terry isn't lacking in the ego department either. After all, you've got to have a high opinion of yourself to choose a name like Supreme. But unlike Seymour, with Terry it's more of an act. Beneath that bravado is a loving and tender man. Supreme's imprisonment had given him plenty of time to reflect on things-- including our relationship. He says he's not like Lightburst, that he would never hurt me. I think he believes what he is saying. Only time will tell if he does as he claims."
"I've brought Supreme up to speed on the events missed during his captivity. At this time, I thought it wise to not get into the specifics involving Muskateer and Firestar joining the team. Both have more than proved themselves and the original suspicions about them found to be untrue. No need to aggravate the situation needlessly."
"But unlike in the past, Lightburst seemed to be cowed by the presence of Supreme. Perhaps his own ordeal has made him re-examine his own life and caused him see the err of his ways. Or perhaps there is some darker force at work. Given that he was held captive by DEMON for two weeks, Lightburst may very well have been conditioned to do their bidding. I must keep a close eye on Lightburst."
"There was tangible tension between Supreme and the newer Avengers. After all, he was completely unaware of the destruction of the Avenger's Mansion and the deaths of Hunter, Black Tiger, and Sargon. To him, they were strangers. He and Muskateer hit it off poorly right from the start."
"But these were issues and problems for a later date. First of all, we had to stop the Crimson Claw. Having assembled a veritable army of heroes, we planned our assault. I was to lead one of the raiding teams into the Claw's base, assisted by Imperial from the Capitol Patrol."
"While other heroes attacked the outside of the base in an effort to draw villains out, my team watched from a distance. While we waited for our time to move, the Sorceress, a mage from the Dallas-based Superior Seven, presented an alternative."
"Much like the late Sargon, Tanya-- the publicly known real name of the Sorceress-- used magical powered items. One in particular, the Shadow Cloak, would gain us easy access. I am unable to explain how this actually worked-- magic is such a gray area. In passing through her cloak we were led to a place she called the Shadow Lands. It was a dark, misty, and generally featureless place. She claimed that it existed parallel to Earth, and by moving a certain distance, you would move the same distance on Earth. Using this method, Tanya got us into the lowest level of the Claw's base. It was my hope to come up on the enemy from the rear unawares. But that was not meant to be."
"Guardians of the Crimson Claw assaulted the group almost immediately after we entered the base. We had appeared in what we guessed to be the engine room of the ship. Oh, I should mention that in reality the base was a space ship and that the Crimson Claw was an alien. Just how alien we would soon learn."
"The true nature of the Claw rapidly became apparent. Creatures identified by Tanya as 'wrath demons' attacked. It had been our intent to avoid protracted battles; to not get bogged down as we had several objectives to attain. But, Supreme threw the planning out of the window and rushed to attack, joined by several others. I may be fond of Supreme, but he has this problem with following orders that drives me up the wall."
"I ordered the others in the raiding party to continue on with the mission while I helped Supreme. Most listened, but Imperial remained behind. Which in a way was fortunate, as it was his power of teleportation that extricated us from the situation."
"We appeared in Imperial's old cell. Like most of those whom I have encountered who can teleport, distance isn't usually a factor if you're not in a rush, but location is. Teleporting blind is extremely dangerous, so Imperial sent us to a place he was very familiar with."
"The cell was currently occupied by the American Eagle, long time leader of the Freedom Squad. He had been badly beaten by Black Paladin and was in dire need of medical attention. Between Supreme and myself, we were able to break out of the cell. One of our goals was to free the other captive heroes anyway, so in a roundabout way, we were fulfilling our mission objectives." (Editor's Note: See Avengers #17-18)
"But events transpiring elsewhere would soon overwhelm us. With all the distraction caused by the assault of the heroes, several villains went after the contest's prize: the Emerald Eye of Azog. The Eye is a magical artifact, or so I am told."
"Some of the most powerful villains on the planet fought each other to possess the Emerald Eye. Borealis claimed the grand prize, although I suspect that he really wishes that he hadn't. The Emerald Eye bonded to him creating a gateway to the home dimension of the Crimson Claw." (Editor's Note: Shown in Troubleshooters #12)
"Things called 'Shadow Demons' started to poor through the gateway. It was like a dam had burst and a flood of darkness was issuing forth. Rapidly the ship began to fill up with these horrible creatures."
"While Supreme and I were forcing open cells, Sabre of X-Factor joined us. Sabre was supposed to be a part of a smaller raiding party specifically aimed at freeing captive heroes, but that plan also hit a snag and the hero was now alone. Sabre was a tremendous help in freeing the prisoners. He placed his volatile energy into the keypads beside each door, destroying them and causing the cells to open."
"Numerous missing heroes were freed, but our celebration was short-lived. The Shadow Demons had reached our level and exploded out of the elevator shaft as if shot from a cannon. It was like a living sea of darkness. These creatures were aptly named, as they were as difficult to harm as a shadow. Our salvation came in the form of a new LA hero by the name of Starburst. His power of light projection, somewhat similar to Pulsar in that he emits light and heat, was the demons' Achilles' Heel. I forced myself through the demons and managed to shut the elevator off, buying us some much-needed breathing space."
"Those with special movement powers had already fled the hallway. Those of us left behind were hurt, but not seriously. The demon's teeth and claws were nasty, but my super-dense skin resisted their efforts. My costume was horribly damaged and left little to the imagination. I quickly repaired the damage using my ability to alter clothing. I shudder to think what would have happened if these things had gotten loose in a major city. It would have been a blood bath."
"We were stuck in the hallway with nowhere to go. The elevator was the only normal way out and more of these creatures were on the other side trying to get in. I was stumped as to what to do next. Most of us there could have survived another short encounter with these Shadow Demons. I suppose that we could have tried to fight our way out, but would have probably end up overran. Even worse, we had little idea where we even were in the ship. Running into a dead end could have had lethal implications."
"But it never came down to that as suddenly the Shadow Demons at the door were gone. My special sixth sense agreed that the demons were gone."
"Tentatively, I ripped the elevator door open and found the shaft to be empty of the creatures. Several other supers, members of the reserve force, flew past. They were being trailed by a man that I had never met before. He stopped, hovering in the shaft and conversed with us."
"The strange man introduced himself as one Vincent Dimitrios, a name that I did recognize. I have been teammates with several spellcasters in my time. Warlock and Sargon, primarily; the Enchantress most recently. From what I have learned, most of the mages associated with the Avengers had received training and tutoring from a man calling himself the Master. But in addition to the Master, there was another ancient sorcerer calling himself the Revered Elder. Reputedly, he was the Archmage of Earth's Dimension. I'm not sure exactly what that means either. Vincent Dimitrios was his student, and hence, the next Archmage."
"It wasn't until later that I learned that when Borealis formed the gateway, the event had sent a magical shock wave across the planet. Those in tune with such things sensed the event. It was this fact which had brought Vincent Dimitrios onto the scene. Using his own magic, he had given many of the ground forces the ability to hurt the Shadow Demons. Something that only those with light-related powers or spellcasters had been able to do so far."
"I was eager to join in and assist Vincent and those with him in their task. However, he wisely realized that without his gift there was very little I could do. He probably used magic to make me change my mind. For instead of joining the fight, I picked up Supreme and led the remainder of the heroes with me back to the safety of the surface."
"What happened from this point on has been related to me by others who were on the scene. The one-time Avenger Quantum seemed to be operating at her highest power level. She was able to destroy hundreds of Shadow Demons with just a single blast. In short order, she cleared the demons from around Borealis and sealed the gateway off behind a force field. Vincent Dimitrios used his magic to transport the gateway, including the Crimson Claw himself, back to the Shadow Demons home dimension. If Borealis continued to be a gateway, then now the demons would no longer appear on Earth."
"Down in the engine room, Helios of the Protectors accidentally blasted some machinery, causing an explosion. A chain reaction started and it appeared as if the Crimson Claw's ship was going to be destroyed at any moment. All I could do was watch from a distance. I bet that was also part of Vincent's spell."
"Heroes and villains alike were being taken out of the ship. Many had been mauled pretty bad as the Shadow Demons simply attacked whatever they encountered. My heart was in my throat when I saw Firestar and the Texas Ranger being taken out. Their clothing was torn, their skin bloodied. Thankfully, their injuries were not overly serious."
"The ship went up in a spectacular, but very suspicious explosion. No trace of it remained."
"But I paid little heed to that as many heroes were still missing, including several Avengers. The Sorceress saved the day as she had dozens of passengers safely inside her Shadow Cloak. She simply walked away on the Shadow Plane as the ship exploded."
"One battle had been won, but another was still in progress. The sheer amount of injuries were overwhelming. Bryn and Satara did what they could, but they lacked the necessary tools to treat so many people out in the wilderness. I suggested that we take everyone inside Tanya's cloak for transport. Then I would just fly her to the nearest hospital."
"Bryn improved upon the idea. Once everyone was safely inside the cloak, her son, Sabre, teleported Tanya to Bryn's Clinic. I met Bryn several years ago during my time in Los Angeles. She's married to Blade, one of the handful of Blood on Earth. She's also a first rate doctor, specializing in superhuman medicine. It was lucky that she was here as there would have been fatalities otherwise."
"I found my missing teammates on the Shadow Plane. Muskateer had been --- I can't even find words to describe how bad he initially looked. It was a miracle that he was even still alive. The Enchantress was there with him. Gwen just held him as she wept. From what I gather, the two had just gotten together, or were in the process of getting together. The details are murky. In hindsight, I could see that there was an attraction between the two from the first day they met. I just hoped that this particular love story wouldn't have a tragic ending."
"Found with Muskateer was the Scarlet Sabre of the Freedom League, and Ace of the Protectors. Neither lady was in good shape either."
"Given the situation, I lost track of what happened to many people. After the terrific battle we had gone through, many just wandered off. Some villains actually assisted in the assault once they learned the true nature of the Crimson Claw's game. No one stopped them from departing."
"Once at Bryn's Clinic, the injured were treated as quickly as possible. Many present knew a thing or two about first aid, but only Bryn and Tritium of the Champions were real MD's. Realizing this, I pulled the Enchantress off to one side."
"'Gwen, listen to me. You've got to pull yourself together.', I told her. It was obvious that her mind was more on Muskateer's condition than anything else. 'If you want to help him-- and help everyone here-- than go to Sanctuary and bring back as many of their medical staff as you can. Are you up to it?'"
"That seemed to do the trick. She teleported away to Sanctuary a moment later. Within fifteen minutes, she was back with Dr. Marin, Dr. Brinton, several nurses, and my good friend Chris. She had been staying on Sanctuary while recovering from her problems stemming from the experimental drug Psychnocaine."
"But there was little time for a reunion with so much work to be done. I did what I could and kept out of the professionals' way. Even found time for some sleep and a bit to eat."
"Fortunately, everyone survived the attack of the Shadow Demons, although many were going to be bedridden for a while. With the crisis over, many of the hero teams started returning to their homes. Most of the Avengers returned home Monday afternoon."
Black Diamond sat back and worked the kinks out of her back. Sunlight was beginning to filter in through the windows. Rising, the heroine raised the blinds to allow the light in and turned the office lights off. Glancing at the clock, Diamond saw that she had been working for several hours now. A break was in order. Besides, she could use another cup of coffee.
A short time later, Diamond returned to continue her report.
"We are presently operating with four active members: Lightburst, Supreme, Ben, and I. Muskateer, Firestar, and the Enchantress are still in Los Angeles, but are due back in the next day or two."
"The severity of Muskateer's wounds required him to remain at Bryn's clinic for several days. It was an effort in getting him to comply, but in the end he was physically in no condition to resist. The Enchantress stayed with him while he recuperated." (Editor's Note: See Muskateer #16 for details)
"One positive thing to come out of this is that Firestar has discovered the family that she never knew. Bryn, Sabre, and Satara have identified her as being one of the Blood, making them her aunt and cousins. There are problems that go with being Blood, just as there are problems that go with being a mutant. I am confident that Cassie is strong enough to overcome them. She is currently spending a few days in Los Angeles with her new family. Firestar is scheduled to return with Muskateer and the Enchantress."
"Our reservist roster has grown to three in number. Joining the Huntress are Nightingale and the Texas Ranger. Ranger has proven his courage during the battles in Los Angeles. While not being a full-fledged Avenger, having him as a reservist will allow me to monitor his progress much like the Huntress."
"I've asked Nightingale to return to the group, but she felt that she was not ready to return to active membership. So, we settled upon reserve status for her as well. She has commitments on Sanctuary that would interfere with her being a full time Avenger anyway. The primary reason I asked Chris to return is to help me keep an eye on Lightburst. I may just be imagining things, but I have the suspicion that there is more to the changes in him than merely trying to mend fences."
"While our adventure in Los Angeles was going on, the Huntress had problems of her own. Helena was captured by Artemis, the same woman who tried to kill me with poison a few weeks back. The Huntress managed to turn the tables on her captor. Artemis was accidentally killed while the two fought. I can't honestly say that I'm sorry to see her go." (Editor's Note: See Huntress #12-14)
"I can sense that a great burden has been lifted from Helena's shoulders. She's tried so hard to live up to her family reputation, that she can come across as being arrogant and selfish. I think she's calmed down now that her father has been avenged. I've noticed a change in her attitude just in the last few days alone. The Huntress is going to be a fine heroine and will carry on the family tradition in a worthy manner."
Black Diamond paused once more, unsure of what to type next. Thankfully, things had been quiet since the teams return from the West Coast. It was as if even the criminals needed a breather. Remembering a recent development, Diamond went back to work.
"On a sad note, Comet of the Superior Seven was killed during a raid on a VIPER installation in El Paso. He was a fine man, a great hero. He will be missed." (Editor's Note: See Young Champions #1)
"A wake is being planned on Sanctuary this coming Monday. I plan to attend."
"We were fortunate to not have any casualties from the action in Los Angeles. Although the injuries to American Eagle, Silver Arrow, and Ace may force them into retirement. At the very least, they are still alive."
Diamond sat back once more, somewhat relieved to have gotten the report out of her system. Putting her thoughts down on paper, or rather in a data file, was always therapeutic.
A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. A moment later, Supreme stuck his head around the door. "Hey, Linda! You gonna work all day or what?"
"Hi, Terry. Just trying to get some of this paperwork done."
"How about taking a break then? Say, how about a nice walk in the park and some lunch?"
Diamond considered for a moment. "That's really tempting, but I--"
"Look, I know that you're now the leader of the Avengers, that you've got big shoes to fill, etc, etc, etc. But you've got to relax once in a while or you'll be so tense that you'll drive yourself batty."
Linda could only grin at Supreme's argument. "How can I argue with that kind of logic?"
"Besides, I know your weakness," Terry continued. He held up a large bag that he had been holding behind his back. "A picnic lunch complete with thirty pounds of chicken wings. Your favorite kind, as I recall."
"Oh my...", Linda stammered out. It was times like these where she was certainly glad that fatty foods never seemed to go to her figure. "There's an offer that I can't refuse."
Black Diamond saved her work and shut off her computer. She and Supreme exchanged a short kiss at the doorway. "You know, I think I like the new you."
"The best is yet to come," Terry answered as he put his arm around Linda. Together they walked off. "It's gonna be a great day."
