Blaise Morgan looked on with great interest once she got over her initial shock and revulsion. The blackness continued to flow from Lady Darkness' hands beginning to cover the bodies of Lady Zee and the Enchantress. The blackness moved slowly up their bodies and was just now covering their ankles.
The apprentice sorceress couldn't help but wonder just what it was she was witnessing. Just what was this inky black liquid? Was it something that Lady Darkness controlled? Was it possible that her impossibly tight outfit was actually more akin to liquid than cloth? By covering these two women, would they just become extensions of Lady Darkness? Was that what she had meant when stating that Lady Zee would also become Blaise's mistress?
The Enchantress groaned and her head moved slightly. Perhaps she was resisting whatever affect the black liquid was having on her. Blaise moved closer to observe better. She couldn't help but wonder just what was happening to the Enchantress...
Gwendolyne Alarice Kingston stumbled forward as she attempted to cross the rocky and desolate terrain. She didn't know where she was, or how she even got here. In fact, she was having trouble remembering a great many things. All she knew was that she awoke in this strange desolate place alone. She was currently garbed in her Enchantress costume, but her Avengers comlink was missing.
Her cries for assistance, for reassurance that she was not all alone out here went unheard. There was no one around. There was no sound other than her footfalls. The terrain was uneven and rocky. Many large boulder-sized rocks littered the landscape. There wasn't even any wind and the hot sun beat down torturously.
Tired and confused, Gwen made her way towards the highest point in this area. Perhaps from that vantage point she could figure out where she was. Inexplicably, her magic would not work. Spells that she commonly cast yielded no results on this day. She couldn't fly and was forced to take a more physical mode of travel.
Gingerly, Gwen neared the peak of a small hill. Loose stone and earth moved under her feet, causing the sorceress to use the larger rocks for support. The Enchantress was breathing heavily by now. She wasn't accustomed to such physical exertions.
Even worse, she felt completely alone. Isolated. The familiar feeling that she felt when her beloved Muskateer was around was gone. She had no explanation for the strange link the two shared, only that she felt it much stronger than he. Perhaps it was enchanted in nature? Her training and skills had made her more attune to those things magical.
With one last exertion, the Enchantress reached the peak of the small hill. Whatever miniscule hope had swelled up inside her was dashed by what she saw. There was nothing but barren terrain for as far as she could see. Nothing could be seen but a great desert of rock and dirt. There was no sign of any human habitation. No trace that anyone had ever been here before.
Gwen felt desolation and despair into the depths of her soul. Never before had she felt so lost, so alone. She fell to the ground and involuntarily sobbed. Where was Steven? Why hadn't he come looking for her? What was this forsaken place?
"It is my home," someone announced in a voice just above a whisper.
Startled, Gwen looked up and then surveyed the landscape. There was no one there. Even more ominous, the voice sounded very much like her own.
"Who is there?"
Wiping her tears away, the Enchantress rose to her feet. There had been no response to her query. Maybe it had just been a trick of her tired imagination. Then she noted movement several dozen feet away. A woman all in black stepped out from behind a large rock and casually advanced on the Enchantress. Gwen couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. The woman in black looked just like her!
"This is my home," the black clad Enchantress repeated, as she continued to approach. "Soon it will be yours as well."
"I don't understand. What do you mean?"
"The time of the Joining is at hand and you have been chosen for this great honor. You will serve me faithfully for many years to come."
Confused by all of this, Gwen turned and ran. Without her magic, there was very little else she could do. The Enchantress slid down the other side of the hill, kicking up rocks and dirt as she passed. Reaching the bottom, Gwen started to run.
"There is nowhere for you to go," the black Enchantress announced as she crested the hill and started to slide down in pursuit. "There is no place you can hide."
As if to demonstrate her point, the ground the Enchantress was running across began to bulge and rise into the air. The flat ground inexplicably grew steeper. Gwen slipped and started to slide back down the rising hill.
"Leave me alone!" Gwen yelled as she tried to scramble up the hill again. She clawed at the dirt and rocks in an effort to get better traction. But the terrain was too steep, and Gwen slid back down once more.
The black Enchantress was waiting for her at the bottom. Gwen's doppelganger reached out and grabbed her by the ankle. Gwen tried to shake loose, but could not. She was too tired, to weak to put up much of a fight.
"I've got you now," her black clad copy announced. "Enjoy your last moments of freedom for they shall be fleeting."
Gwen's eyes bulged in horror as the dark version of herself began to merge with her! The Darkness had rapidly spread from the moment of contact. The blackness was coating her body!
| Roll Call: |
|---|
 Black Diamond |
 Enchantress |
 Firestar |
 Nightingale |
 Supreme |
 Texas Ranger |
Guest Starring Guardian Angel |
 Scarlet Sabre |
Saturday, May 10th: Avengers Mansion, Early Morning
Black Diamond moved slowly through the pre-dawn Avengers Mansion. A large cup of steaming coffee was in one hand, several bagels in the other. The famous heroine was not up early this morning; rather she had never turned in from the night before.
First came the call about Ben being changed by the strange white radiation. He had fled in a Quinnjet that later crashed far north in Canada. The team had then taken what Ben had become to Sanctuary for examination. Inexplicably, he had generated a secondary shell for protection. It resembled a stony egg more than anything. Radiation exposure had played havoc with Ben's body in the past. Just what sort of change was he undergoing now?
Upon returning home, Diamond had borne the blunt of Muskateer's fury. He was visibly upset and would have nothing to do with listening to reason. He claimed that the Enchantress had been captured and that Lightburst had set her up. Muskateer didn't try to explain his deductions, instead he stormed out and Diamond was simply too tired to argue with him any more.
Instead, she loaded up on black coffee and would push her already long day just a bit further. Now back inside the office, Diamond set her burdens down and collected the papers that Muskateer had thrown across the room in his rage. The answer to his accusations and behavior must be in here somewhere.
Half an hour later, the picture had become much clearer to Black Diamond. The boost from the coffee didn't hurt either. Lightburst had indeed set up the Enchantress. He directed her to go to Ryker's Island without Ryker's Island first contacting the Avengers for assistance. There was no way he could have simply sent the Enchantress to Ryker's Island and not be aware of what was truly going on. It was also the last confirmed sighting of the sorceress. There had been a phone message from her, but in hindsight, that could have been faked to cover up Gwen's disappearance.
From the looks of it, Muskateer had been right all along about Lightburst. Hunter would have nipped this situation in the bud right from the start. But why hadn't Diamond? Could it be that she still had some feelings for him deep down inside? Black Diamond did plan on having Nightingale monitor Lightburst, but that really never happened. 'Gale had her own share of personal problems and her duties on Sanctuary took up much of her free time. Maybe things would have been different if Diamond had been more on the ball. Small wonder Muskateer was so cross with her earlier. Had the situations been reversed, she probably would have been upset too.
It also explained some of the past suspicions concerning Lightburst as well. Such as his assertion that CII never called for assistance when their complex had been attacked by as of yet unidentified supervillains. The Scarlet Sabre had claimed that they had tried to contact the Avengers for assistance, but Lightburst denied it. Clearly, Lightburst had been a traitor in their midst from the beginning.
A great many things started to fall into place with that revelation. The Enchantress had always felt, but could not prove, that the fall of the DEMON base went too easily. Her claims that DEMON operated by deception had proven to be accurate. Maybe Hunter would have taken the sorceress' concerns more seriously.
If anything, the whole sequence of events had gone down just like the Morbanes had planned. Lightburst, now working for them, was 'rescued' and returned to the fold. Lord Evil and Lady Darkness had seemingly been captured and sent to Ryker's Island Stronghold. However, none of their associated villains were captured in the raid. There was no sign of the Chameleon or Thermax.
"Oh, hell," Diamond muttered to herself upon realizing the full implications of her thoughts. The Morbanes had raided PRIMUS headquarters many weeks ago and Lady Darkness had acquired the Stone Crown. Other things were stolen as well, but PRIMUS had not released the exact details on this matter.
PRIMUS was responsible for security at all the Strongholds. They regularly rotated the guards on a monthly basis from their pool of agents. What if the Morbanes had acquired the names and address of those who were currently working at Ryker's Island?
According to records, the Stone Crown was a magical artifact that increased the power of any psionic who wore it. Lady Darkness, the current wearer was also a psionic. It was not that far fetched to believe that if they had uncovered this information that they could have taken control of key Ryker's Island personnel.
Originally, the identity of the villains who robbed CII could not be figured out with ease. However, several of the likely candidates were crossed off the list because they were supposed to be imprisoned at Ryker's Island. But if Lady Darkness was now in control of Ryker's as Diamond feared, than that changed everything. All the villains who had been incarcerated there were now at her disposal. The very thought sent a chill down the back of Black Diamond. The Avengers had turned the Ravager over to RI just last Sunday!
The ringing of the phone interrupted Diamond's train of thought. She reached out and grabbed the device. "Avengers Mansion. Black Diamond speaking."
"Hey, Di, Jaime here."
"You're up early this morning. What can I do for you?"
"It's more like what I can do for you," Jaime explained. "To make a long story short, Muskateer called Scarlet for assistance about an hour ago. Right now they're using Hunter's computer to do some snooping into Ryker's Island. I wormed my way into their network and found some rather shocking things. Check your E-mail, I'm sending you some video as we speak." (Editor's Note: See Muskateer #23 for complete details.)
Black Diamond spun back to her computer terminal and signed on. Just as Jaime promised, there was a video file waiting to be downloaded.
"How is Muskateer?" Diamond wondered as she waited for the file to download.
"On edge," Jaime admitted. "He's also called in the Sorceress from Texas. She should be arriving in about an hour or so. Together, we're going to try and find Gwen."
"I see." Down inside, Black Diamond felt a little bit hurt. Muskateer had seemingly turned his back on the Avengers and sought outside help to rescue Gwen. Did he really think that little of his teammates?
"In the meantime, I thought I'd give you a heads up on what's going down on Ryker's Island. Something needs to be done and fast."
The download complete, Diamond began to play the file. She watched in silence as the video unfolded. Before her eyes, Diamond witnessed Lady Darkness taking control of the Ryker's Island prisoners, with the exception of Esper and Dark Seraph who apparently escaped. Based on the file's time index, this had taken place nearly three weeks ago! Even worse, the ebony clad villainess and some unknown associate simply vanished with the Ravager!
"This pretty much leaves no doubt to my suspicions," Black Diamond admitted. "Ryker's Island has been compromised. The question remains just what do we do about it?"
"I have a suggestion," Jaime offered. "With any luck, we'll clear up this whole mess in one fell swoop."
"I'm listening..."
Less than an half an hour later, Black Diamond was down in the main Conference Room with the remaining Avengers. The gathering was smaller than it had been for many weeks now. Supreme and the Texas Ranger sat on one side of the table, Nightingale and Firestar on the other. At the moment, this was all that remained of the Avengers. At Black Diamond's request, Guardian Angel was present as well. While only a guest of the Avengers, the heroine was more than happy to lend aid and sat at the far end of the conference table.
Missing from the meeting was the Huntress, who had retired and was currently healing on Sanctuary. The Thing was also on Sanctuary and still in his strange current state. The Enchantress was missing and presumably the prisoner of Lady Darkness for some nefarious purpose. Muskateer was off searching for her with the help of others. The traitorous Lightburst was currently missing as well.
Black Diamond had just completed her explanation of what had recently transpired and what she intended to do about it. Reactions were strong and in some cases quite vocal.
"I knew that bastard was up to no good!" Supreme cried out. Lightburst had not made many friends among the Avengers; the least among them was Supreme. The large, muscular man had it in for the light-wielding Avenger given his past indiscretions with Black Diamond. "So help me, I'll kick his butt up around his shoulders when I get my hands on him!"
"That's enough, Terry!" Black Diamond chastised. "Lightburst is obviously not responsible for his own actions. Lady Darkness is the one pulling his strings. She's the one your rage should be directed towards."
"Any idea on where we can find this feller?" the Texas Ranger wondered aloud. "Before the varmint makes matters any worse?"
"Unfortunately, no," Diamond reported. "Lightburst had a downtown apartment during his first go around with the Avengers, but had stayed in the Mansion during this tour. He either turned off or discarded his comlink. Simply put, we have no way to track Lightburst at this time."
"Lucky for him," Supreme grumbled under his breath.
"I could always try to locate his mind," Nightingale offered. "It's a real long shot, but sometimes we get lucky."
"Provided he had one," Supreme continued to grumble. An angry glance from Black Diamond ceased the large man's griping.
"It's worth an effort, Chris. See if you can locate either Lightburst or the Enchantress. In the meantime, we have other issues to grapple with."
"Yes, the situation at Ryker's Island does concern me greatly," Guardian Angel spoke out. "Should they free the Ravager..."
"I am very much aware of the danger. We can only hope that they haven't freed him from Hot Sleep just yet. That's why you're going to be accompanying me on a little visit to Ryker's," Black Diamond stated. "We'll be departing as soon as our guest arrives."
"What should the rest of us do in the meantime," Firestar asked. "Sit and wait?"
"Essentially, yes. I don't want to commit the whole team to the Ryker's situation. If we've got this figured out right, there's actually going to be very little danger," Black Diamond explained. "In addition, the Scarlet Sabre promised to make contact should Muskateer and his associates locate the lair of Lady Darkness. Given that, it's better to leave a force in reserve for either contingency."
"Who is this guest you speak of?" Guardian Angel questioned.
"I believe he has just arrived." Diamond pointed towards the doorway where a man in a costume entered. He wore a patriotic red, white, and blue uniform. He was easily recognizable as the local Silver Avenger Jake Koweleski. Jeeves had beeped Diamond during her presentation alerting her to their guest's impending arrival.
"Good morning," Jake said in greeting as he approached. "Now can you tell me what's so fired up important that you dragged me over here this early in the morning?"
Instead of answering, Black Diamond glanced at Nightingale instead. The Psionic-Avenger had her eyes closed for a few moments, but now opened them. "He's clean," she announced.
"My apologies for not being so forthcoming, Silver Avenger, but at this point I was not sure whom I could trust inside PRIMUS," Black Diamond responded. The heroine was confident that Nightingale could tell if the Silver Avenger was under Lady Darkness' control or not. 'Gale indicated that he was not being mind controlled.
That made the Silver Avenger pause. "Just what are you getting at?"
Upon seeing the Silver Avenger arrive, Guardian Angel had gone to meet him at the doorway. He had greatly impressed her when they had met in the aftermath of the Ravager's rampage. (Editor's Note: Back in Avengers #26)
"Greetings, comrade," Angel stated, shaking the Silver Avenger's hand. "I only wish that we could meet under more pleasant circumstances. You would do well to listen to Black Diamond's words. The forces of chaos are running rampant in your own backyard."
Still more than a bit confused, Jake allowed Guardian Angel to lead him deeper into the conference room. He was not sure just what the heroines were alluding to, but after seeing their evidence the Silver Avenger was not a happy man.
Interlude: Saturday, May 10th: the Mindscape
The Enchantress felt herself slipping away as the Darkness covered her body. Her black copy could no longer be recognized as such. The blackness now covered her from the waist down, altering her costume into skintight black as it passed. She could feel the cool touch of it on her skin.
Gwen had struggled at first to be free of the Darkness, but was not strong enough. As it covered more and more of her body, she became weaker and weaker. The touch of Darkness had a tranquilizing effect on Gwen. It calmed her down and she no longer struggled for her individuality.
Gwen thought she heard voices calling her name off in the distance, but they soon faded. She didn't pay them any further heed, as her body became more numb.
Strange images and thoughts began to creep into her mind as her own memories were being suppressed by the Darkness. She could see in her mind a landscape very much like this. It was a place where no normal creature could hope to survive.
But something did survive. Not even the Darkness knew how it came to be. It seeped from the ground one day and slowly began to realize that it was sentient. It was aware, but the Darkness was without form, without sensing capabilities. It assumed the shape of whatever it was resting upon. It could move itself across the ground, but only with great effort. Only vaguely aware of its surroundings, the Darkness wandered the desert for many untold years.
Then one day something wonderful happened. The Darkness made contact with another living creature. The Darkness moved to surround the strange creature to examine it. As it did so, the Darkness felt as it made contact with the mind of the creature. It easily overpowered the creature, enforcing its will upon it.
With the first Joining complete, a whole new world opened up around the darkness. It could see via the creature it covered! It could smell and touch and taste. Later the Darkness learned that it had merged with a lowly snake, but for those first few days it was exhilarating.
In time since that first Joining, the Darkness moved on to larger, more powerful creatures. Wild animals were its first targets and then later on people became unwilling hosts. With each upgrade in host, the Darkness' knowledge continued to grow. In time it realized that it existed only to control and dominate others. It was a symbiotic relationship, as the Darkness gave its host powers, while its host gave the Darkness its senses.
At first the Darkness choose powerful warriors to bond with. They were strong hosts that the Darkness desired, but the constant fighting was at counter purpose with the goals of the Darkness. It became annoying having to constantly locate a new host. Fortunately, the Darkness discovered that every few years it could split into one or two copies of itself. Each copy housed the intellect of the Darkness. This way it could control more than one host and the hosts could work together for the Darkness.
Later, the Darkness came to realize that those who harnessed the forces of magic were those who held power on this world. It chose female spell casters, as they tended to avoid the direct physical conflicts of their male counterparts. Locating his target, a sorceress of great power, the Darkness struck.
The sorceress, an elfin maiden named Ectolia, fought the darkness on this very mindscape for three days before submitting to the inevitable. She became the first Lady Darkness and went on to forge a mighty empire for her unseen master. The Darkness was pleased as much of Terra Nova fell under its sway. Thanks to these new Lady Darknesses, the Empire of Darkness would now cover entire worlds...
Saturday, May 10th: Ryker's Island, Just after sunrise
It was shortly after dawn when Black Diamond and Guardian Angel set down on the Ryker's Island landing pad. Following behind them on his hover cycle was Silver Avenger Jake Koweleski. Powering his vehicle down, the Silver Avenger joined the two blonde women.
"Our arrival should have gotten their attention," Black Diamond noted. She pulled her comlink out of her sash and checked it one last time. The communication circuit was currently open. "You remember the plan?" This last bit was directed towards the Silver Avenger.
"Perfectly. I don't know which I find more troubling: the information you showed me or how you came to possess it. In either case, RI security has been compromised."
"It was a tip from a concerned citizen," Diamond diplomatically answered. "In either case you'll have your answers soon enough."
"I just pray that the villains in this affair were not foolish enough to think that they could possibly control the Ravager," Guardian Angel commented worriedly. "The devastation could be beyond belief."
"I just don't know," Black Diamond answered. "The fact that there has been no sightings of the Ravager thus far does provide some hope." The video Jaime had provided earlier showed the comatose Ravager vanishing with Lady Darkness and some unknown associate just a few short days ago. What happened after that remained a complete mystery.
"I share your optimism as well."
A nearby door flew open and Warden Kowalski and RI Guards stormed out. "I must ask you to leave these premises immediately! You have no authorization to be here! Leave now or I will be forced to place you under arrest!"
"The ladies are here under my authority, warden," the Silver Avenger replied as he stepped out from behind the heroines.
"Silver Avenger Koweleski! I didn't see you there," the warden stammered out. "What can I do for you today?"
"We are here to check on the status of the Ravager. Guardian Angel has some concerns that I wish to alleviate."
"I am afraid that will not be possible. You will have to take my word that the Ravager is still secured at this facility. Good day, ladies and gentleman." The warden and his men turned and started to walk away.
"You misunderstand me, Warden Kowalski," the Silver Avenger continued. "I was not making a request."
The warden turned back once more, confusion and concern evident on his face. "The Ravager is a highly dangerous individual! I cannot in good conscience simply conduct tours for anyone showing up on my doorstep. I am sorry, but the matter is closed."
"Trust me, warden," Guardian Angel spoke up, "for I have battled the Ravager on nearly a dozen occasions. I am most aware of just how dangerous this beast can be. I can also assure you that only the most secure facility can possibly hope to contain the Ravager. Every precaution must be taken to ensure that he not be released on the population of this fair city. The lives of every man, woman, and child are at stake here!"
"I can assure you, madam that every precaution has been taken. Good day."
The warden started to turn away once more, but this time the Silver Avenger moved forward. "Warden, I ask you to reconsider once more. In the PRIMUS command structure, I do outrank you. Failure to follow the order of a superior officer is an offense not to be taken lightly. Now, will you take us to the Ravager or should I order these guards to place you under arrest?"
The warden paused once more and exchanged glances with his two guards. No words were exchanged, but the looks did hold meaning to the men. "Very well," Warden Kowalski relented. "Follow me. But I will be lodging an official protest over this intrusion with my superiors!"
"Such is your right," the Silver Avenger noted. He stood aside to allow the passage of Black Diamond and Guardian Angel. With Warden Kowalski leading the way, the heroes were led inside the Ryker's Island facility.
"So far, so good," Diamond thought to herself as she went inside. All the while her sixth sense for danger was tingling.
Warden Kowalski led the trio deeper into the Ryker's Island complex. The group arrived on Level Four without any fanfare. Everything seemed normal enough as they were escorted along. The guards were all at their posts and the occasional security robot could be spotted.
But Black Diamond's senses were telling her a different story. Her sixth sense had been warning her of trouble ever since she arrived on Ryker's Island. Looking closely, Diamond realized that the body language of everyone here was wrong. It was a subtle thing, but their movements were just a bit sluggish. It seemed unnatural in her mind.
Finally, they arrived at the last cell in a corridor on the fourth level of the complex. It was on this level of the prison that the most dangerous of criminals were incarcerated. Warden Kowalski walked up to the cell door and operated the control panel beside it.
"The Ravager is secured inside," he announced as the door slid open. A dark room lay beyond the portal. "Do not disturb anything and keep your visit brief."
"Thank you, Warden," Black Diamond answered with a smile. "This will only take a minute."
The heroine casually entered the cell, with Guardian Angel and the Silver Avenger following behind. A moment after they entered, the cell door slammed shut behind them! With the door closed, the cell was plunged into darkness.
"Kowalski!" the Silver Avenger yelled out loud. "What is the meaning of this?" The patriotically clad PRIMUS operative pounded on the cell door, but received no response. "Kowalski!"
"This pretty much confirms everything," Black Diamond calmly noted. So far everything was still going according to plan. However, this next bit could get tricky. "Be on guard, everyone."
"Have you taken leave of your senses?" Guardian Angel cried out, joining the Silver Avenger at the cell door. "Release us immediately! We are not criminals!"
Sound and movement drew the heroes' attention to the back of the room. A small group of security robots were powering up, the lights from their bodies barely illuminating the cell. The largest of the robots stood a full 7' tall and had weapon barrels on the side of its rectangular head and along its arms.
Two of the robots were man-sized and were roughly humanoid in shape. They also were heavily armed. The remaining robots were small oblong constructs that floated in the air. A sensor array rose up from its back on a small shaft and it had a gun barrel mounted on the front of its body.
"Capture of escaped prisoners imminent", the largest of the robots announced. All five of the robots moved into action.
"Now see here," Guardian Angel objected. "Surely you recognize me as one of the most famous heroines in the world? How could these things possibly confuse us with the criminal element?"
"Be careful, ladies," the Silver Avenger noted. "These robots are designed to handle the most powerful criminals on the planet!"
As if to further emphasize the Silver Avenger's point, the robots attacked! The largest concentrated blaster fire on Guardian Angel. The energy discharged struck the heroine and threw her back hard into the cell door. The reinforced metal actually cracked from the force of the impact!
Black Diamond dodged an energy net fired by one of the man-sized robots, but couldn't avoid the blaster fire coming from a smaller floating unit. The leader of the Avengers was also sent flying back and crashed into the cell wall before collapsing to the floor.
The Silver Avenger avoided the blaster fire, but could not escape the energy netting. The net wrapped around the PRIMUS operative, pinning his arms to his sides. Losing his balance, the Silver Avenger fell to the floor. He strained mightily, but could not free himself.
"That does it," Black Diamond grumbled as she picked herself up off the floor. Nearby, Guardian Angel was doing the same thing. "I'm tired of being used as a punching bag!"
"I am with you, comrade! Together let us strike a blow for decency and freedom!"
Black Diamond and Guardian Angel surged forward. Diamond connected with a two fisted smash on one of the man-sized robots. Likewise, 'Angel struck the largest of the robots, sending it hard into the back of the cell wall.
Much to the heroines' surprise, the robots they had struck were quickly on their feet once more. "Unit 5C is undamaged," the largest robot reported. "Continuing capture of escaped prisoners."
Black Diamond continued forward after the robot she had just struck. She landed another punch, this time partially embedding the construct into the cell wall. Undaunted, the robot simply pulled itself free. "Unit 8D functioning within acceptable perimeters."
"Oh hell," Black Diamond mouthed. Her most powerful punches hadn't even phased the security robot! "Jaime now would be a good time!"
The robots went on the offensive once more. The two flying robots concentrated their fire on the Silver Avenger and he was easily rendered unconscious. The largest robot wrapped up Guardian Angel with its own energy net. The heroine struggled to free herself, but ultimately fell to the cell floor.
Black Diamond was struck by blaster fire once more, and tossed across the cell. As she scrambled to her feet once more, Diamond came to a sudden stop. Four of the robots were moving right towards her menacingly!
"Did I mention that now would be a really good time?" Diamond announced out loud as she eyed the approaching robots. The heroine was severely overmatched when it came to four of these robots. Even one would be a stern test of her abilities. It would only be a matter of moments before they would overpower Diamond and render her helpless like the others.
The robots marched closer and closer to their target. Inexplicably, they suddenly stopped in mid-stride! Then they stepped back and walked towards the rear of the cell.
"New commands accepted," the constructs intoned. "Powering down to standby mode."
Black Diamond let out a long sigh of relief. As she did so, Diamond pulled her comlink out of her sash. "That was cutting it a little close, don't you think?" she said into the device.
"I was working as fast as I could," Jaime responded from the comlink. "Once the alert had been sounded by the staff, I was able to take over their security systems without being noticed. I've gassed the rest of the complex and deactivated the security 'bots. You won't have any more trouble now. I'll open up the cell door once the gas clears."
"Good work, Jaime."
"But of course!"
Diamond ignored the comment and went to free Guardian Angel and the Silver Avenger from the energy netting. On the whole, this had all gone according to plan. Ryker's Island had been reclaimed.
Fifteen minutes, Ryker's Island was crawling with PRIMUS reinforcements. The mind-controlled staff had been rounded up and secured. Nightingale was examining them right now. She and Supreme had arrived shortly after the complex has been liberated. Firestar and the Texas Ranger had been dispatched to back up Muskateer and his associates.
"That's basically the whole story Major," Black Diamond explained. With the arrival of the local commander of PRIMUS force, Major Thomas, the heroine had been explaining the Avengers' involvement in all of this. "The forces of DEMON have been orchestrating this whole situation for a very long time. They've used both of us."
For once, Major Thomas was not his bombastic self. Rather, he was somewhat subdued. Much of what had transpired had gone on underneath his very nose. There wasn't a whole lot he could say. His superiors were not going to be pleased.
"I suppose I should thank you for your assistance in this matter," Major Thomas begrudgingly stated. "But I have grave concerns about this hacker friend of yours. Breaking into a government computer system is a serious crime."
"Given the productive nature of this particular intrusion, I'm sure that we can overlook this one incident," the Silver Avenger added diplomatically. Major Thomas glared at the Silver Avenger for a moment, but finally relented.
"Just this one time," the Major finally responded. "But we'll be working on upgrading our computer security so that this stunt can't be pulled again!" With that, the Major stalked off in a huff.
"Thanks for everything, Black Diamond," the Silver Avenger said as he offered his hand to the heroine. "From the looks of it, the rest of your information was correct as well. The Ravager is missing, along with the security box containing him. We haven't located any of the other inmates either."
"Muskateer has a few leads that might direct us to the missing inmates. I'll keep you informed on that situation. Ryker's Island might be filled up again faster than you might have thought possible." (Editor's Note: See Muskateer #24 for details)
"At least the complex is under our control again. I suppose that counts for something."
"Our pleasure, Jake. Good luck handling the Major." The Silver Avenger just smiled slightly at Black Diamond's comment and moved off after his commanding officer.
Black Diamond made her way to the prison infirmary where Nightingale was examining some of the mind-controlled men. The psionic-Avenger was just finishing up her initial examinations.
"Find anything?" Diamond inquired of her friend.
"Yes, something very frightening. A very powerful form of mind control was used on these men. It literally smothered their individuality. I've never seen anything this powerful before."
"I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at?"
"In my experience with mind control," Nightingale started to explain, "the victim does retain some free will. In simple English, it's hard to command someone to do something that they are violently opposed to doing. The more opposed they are to the task, the more likely they'll break the hold on them."
"But it's different in this case?"
"Very. These men have had their will to resist completely removed. They would do whatever was commanded of them no matter how opposed to it they might normally be. They were literally puppets."
Black Diamond considered this troubling notion for a few moments. "So Lightburst could be under this same form of mind control as well. What can you do about it? Can you free them from the control?"
"Mind control this powerful must be regularly renewed or its effects will fade. The simplest and least time consuming method is to just let the effect wear off naturally. I'd estimate that it would take about a week at most. It depends on the individual and how long ago the mind control was renewed."
"Hey, Di! Check out what we found!" Turning, Black Diamond could see Supreme approaching. He was carrying a featureless man in white by the scruff of his neck. Two other PRIMUS Agents accompanied the Avengers strongman. "It's our buddy the Chameleon! They found him lying unconscious in an office."
"At least we captured one of Lady Darkness' agents," Diamond responded with a smile. "That's something."
"You may gloat for now, heroes," the Chameleon sneered. "You've merely won this battle. The war hasn't even started as of yet."
Of that, Black Diamond could only agree.
Epilogue: Saturday, May 10th: Carrington Estate, Early Morning
It was almost over now. Blaise had watched the Darkness slowly advance up the two women for over an hour now. It was almost to their necks. Lady Darkness had remained silent during the all of this, her eyes tightly closed. Her body was trembling by now. Blaise moved beside her mistress, afraid that she might collapse at any moment.
"It is done," Lady Darkness announced. Her eyes shot open and blinked a few times. Then her legs buckled and Lady Darkness collapsed into a startled Blaise' hands.
"Mistress?", Blaise whispered as she cradled Lady Darkness in her arms. "Are you okay?"
"She will recover in a few hours."
The voice drew a shocked Blaise's gaze up towards the table where the Enchantress and Lady Zee were laying. Or rather had been lying. Both were currently sitting upright.
"Take her to her chambers so that she may rest," the black clad Lady Zee commanded.
"Then return here," the black clad Enchantress added. "There is much work yet to be done, Blaise. There are entire worlds to enslave. By the time we are finished, all that lives shall grovel before us!"
