Crouched over a bewildering array of circuits and relays, Daryl's head snapped around at the suggestion of a faint sound behind him.
"Getting too jumpy for my own good," he thought. The Director's Grandfather clock, set oddly among the lab's high-tech equipment, ticked loudly. Suddenly, it began to chime- the midnight hour. Daryl nervously ran his hand through his thinning hair. "Who am I kidding? It's Michael's disappearance that's got me going, that's got us all going. How could he just vanish like that, from one of the country's most secure research labs? If I could just get this lot going, we could be out of here..." He glanced over the pile of circuitry, shying away from the flat disk set on an adjoining counter top.
As the clock finished chiming, Daryl abruptly started to jam tools into an open box. "Midnight," he thought, "that's it. I'm outta here." Daryl threw in a last screwdriver, and turned for the door. A sudden look of horror crossed his face and he drew in a gasp of air, readying a scream.
He never made it.
"Okay, where to start this thing. Guess I shoulda let 'Tress do the log, when she offered. Oh well, my problem now. Let's start at the beginning. I was exercising in the gym, when I got the call from Di."
Black Diamond was already in the meeting room by the time I got there. She seemed to be a little bit looser the last couple days. Certainly made me work getting that first laugh out of her. The Enchantress was seated there as well. She always seemed to surprise me. Gwen was a lot more down to earth than outward appearances would lead one to believe. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to either one of them, but they were both outta my league.
"We've got a 'situation' developing that requires each of your unique abilities," Black Diamond explained. She was always so formal, when it came to these briefings.
"Sorry for the delay. I was having 'cape troubles'." I took a seat at the table. "What's up?" It was a good feeling being needed by an organization like the Avengers. I still couldn't figure out why they added a couple'a relative newcomers like Firestar and me to the group, but what the hey!
"I just arrived myself," the Enchantress offered.
"Here's the situation: PRIMUS has asked us for assistance involving the disappearances of several individuals from a locked-down secret lab," Di stated.
"Oh good. A game of hide and seek." I turned to the Enchantress to say this, rather than at Diamond, since she was not thrilled with jokes while she was talking. She usually just ignored me anyway.
"Something like that," Diamond continued. "They were doing research on a device captured from DEMON. All the trouble started shortly after that."
"Trouble and DEMON go hand in hand." Gwen actually had a fiery look in her eye when Di mentioned DEMON. She had told me that she had a few nasty run-ins with them in the past.
"As I see it, you two are the best choices for the job," Black Diamond said.
"Of course!"
"Because, you're the most high tech of the group and Gwen deals with magic," Di added. She didn't know just how much electronics knowledge I actually had, but then compared to the rest of the Avengers, a kid with an erector set could be considered a techie. I was feeling a little odd about keeping everything about me a secret from everyone. I hadn't told anyone my name or much about myself. It didn't help to have Nightingale make me feel like I was constantly being watched. Maybe that's why I was being so secretive.
"Sounds good to me. I'm ready for some more action. What kind of device is it, anyway?"
"A Teleportation Disk. PRIMUS captured it in a raid and the scientists are trying to unlock its secrets," Diamond answered.
"A worthwhile endeavor," Gwen added. See what I mean? How many people actually say things like that?
"When do we leave?"
"Continue recording. They were hoping to be able to set up a force field or something which could prevent usage of the Teleport Disk. Or else possibly duplicate the technology used. With luck, they might even be able to home in on the 'sending disks' which DEMON has in operation. This flat rubber disk, which looked like a big, squashed hockey puck, was just the receiving station, or so they thought.
"They were doing the research at this super secret place to keep DEMON from stopping them and keep anyone else away from their work. PRIMUS had even been picnicking outside the grounds. And yet somehow, there managed to be not one, but two, count 'em, disappearances. It was strangely intriguing and since I'm the resident techie, I would be perfect for the job. The Enchantress, being a magic-type, would be joining me to cover the arcane aspect of the job, DEMON being a bunch of sorcery-slingers themselves. Pause record.
"Okay, that pretty much sets the stage, now what did we do first? Oh yeah... PRIMUS provided the taxi service. Continue record."
"After hitching a ride from our friends at PRIMUS, the Enchantress and I first met with the director of the labs: Chicoma Mountain Labs, for those of you out there keeping notes. The director was a Dr. Watal. He explained that each of the previous two nights there had been mysterious disappearances. Both disappearances happened at midnight. The first night a lab assistant in the Bionics department, named Michael Patterson, disappeared without a trace. The next day, it was Daryl McDonald. He was last seen in the lab working on the Teleport Pad. Strangely, although actually this whole caper could be called 'strange', his toolbox had been packed up. There was no video of him leaving the room. Something fishy was definitely up.
"We looked around the lab where the Teleport Pad was being tested. The thing really didn't look like much, but it would've been cool to work on it. The disappearances, while located relatively close together, were still on opposite sides of the hall. And there were no detectable traces of anything to be found anywhere.
"After showing us around the basic facilities, we were introduced to Jeanette Wilbryn, head of the bionics division, Lance Sterling, the security chief and a few others, who I can't remember at the moment. Most of the people in the lab weren't too happy about giving us information, but they were stumped and needed our help. 'Course while it all started slow enough, this adventure would turn out to be a doozie...."
"I want to see the video myself. I get the feeling that Sterling guy might be trying to hide something." Gwen and I had a private room to discuss the situation as we knew it so far.
"He's probably threatened by our presence," Gwen offered.
"Good point. But we're not going to get anywhere, either, if they're gonna keep fighting us."
"It's often difficult for career-oriented individuals to look past their own needs. If we solve this, his career as chief of security is..."
"In the dumper. Yeah, I know. By the way, you know you can sound just like Nightingale?"
"Would you rather I sound like you?", Gwen taunted.
"Good luck! It's taken years to perfect this level of smart-alecness. But anyway, whataya make of that clock?"
"It's a charming antique," she stated flatly.
"That's not what I meant. I was talking about the magic you detected on it earlier." Talk about a smart alec.
"It was more like a residue," Gwen explained.
"Kinda like when you eat fried chicken with your fingers?"
"Not quite the analogy I would have chosen, but it would suffice." Hhmm. Not the answer I would have expected from her. Like I said, always a surprise. "Mostly likely, at some time in the past, the clock was present at a magical event. That's the simplest explanation for the minute traces I detected."
"Unfortunately, simple rarely seems to be the way things go in this business. I can't help but think that something appeared in the lab, whether it had anything to do with Teleport Pad or not. They said that there were anti-teleport fields in place, but anything can be circumvented."
"All things are possible. That's the main difference between science and sorcery."
"What do you mean by that?" Now, my curiosity was peaked.
"Nothing in particular. Simply that things that can't be explained scientifically tend to be classified as magic," she stated.
"I haven't been convinced that anything and everything can't be explained by science. It's just a matter of not understanding it yet."
"You don't believe in magic, do you?" Gwen seemed slightly amused.
"Well, I've seen some things that I haven't understood. I accept the fact that your powers work the way they seem to, but then I can accept the Thing too. He isn't what you would call easily explainable, but he isn't magic either."
"Why, my dear Muskateer, you are a bonafide skeptic. I like that."
"I aim to be difficult. The thing I would like to concentrate on, while examining the video, is trying to see if there are any clues to someone appearing or disappearing. We may not be able to see it happen, but there must be some kind of after effect."
"What do you mean?", she asked.
"Well, the video showed Daryl on one pass of the camera and by the time it had swung back, he was gone. But he never entered the other camera's field of view either. If he really did disappear, then there should be some result of something appearing or his disappearing. A human sized object takes up a certain amount of space. Something appearing from somewhere else has to push the air out of the way. There could be a rustle of papers or a shadow or some other sign that a large amount of air was being rapidly pushed out of place. Likewise, if something as big as a person disappeared, the air would have to rush back in to take its place."
"Come on, you can tell me: you're a scientist, right?", she asked.
"Well, actually, yes. Is it that obvious?"
"It is to a non-scientist. Which makes me all the more curious as to why you chose to combine high-tech gadgetry with a Renaissance style trapping?"
"An interesting contradiction, isn't it?"
"You're a most interesting puzzle. I'm going to enjoy figuring you out."
"'Trying' to figure me out. Sometimes, I can't even understand myself. Anyway, my father was an archaeologist. I guess I inherited a love of history from him. The knights and the musketeers were my favorite periods. And it seemed like too much work to try and come up with a complete suit of armor and a flying electronic horse!"
"'Was'? You mean, he's..."
"Yeah, my parents disappeared on a trip into the Antarctic. They were pursuing a old Viking expedition that ended up traveling too far south."
"I'm sorry. I had no way of knowing..."
"Don't worry about it. It's been quite a few years now."
"I think I'm going to take a nap. Since all the excitement seems to happen around midnight, I might as well be fully rested."
"Sounds good, Gwen. I'm going to go over the tapes. See if I can find anything. Sweet dreams..."
"Continue recording. The video never did come up with anything conclusive, but I was still unconvinced. There was a clue there somewhere. I just hadn't found it yet. Unfortunately, it was rapidly approaching midnight by now. Something might just happen on its own again, without needing the clue."
"We deduced that the disappearances each seemed to be the person closest to the lab with the Teleportation Pad. We had the area cleared. I would be in the lab when the clock struck midnight, with the Enchantress in reserve, watching and ready to take action. Turned out to be a good idea having her in the shadows."
"I was trying to not be too conspicuous, when the old grandfather clock starting chiming. On the tenth chime, I pulled my sword. On the twelfth, IT showed up. In front of the clock, a bright light started to form and a figure stepped out of it. It was tall, winged, fanged and nasty. I remember that it smelled like rotten eggs, too; sulfur. The Enchantress says that I was frozen in place for a few moments. I can't say I recall what happened during that time."
Whoa! Musta blacked out for a sec when that nasty lookin' thing showed its ugly puss. Gwen was busy blasting it with some kinda magic energy.
"Awright, ugly! Let's see you if you can stand up to both of us!" I swung my sword at the creature. No time to be cute with the thing. I hit it hard; nice and solid. The thing was still standing though! "Playing the silent type, eh? Well, in that case, let's just see how you like this again... Wha!?" I almost threw my shoulder out when my sword passed right through the beast. I was expecting a little resistance!
Then it decided to run off! "Hey! Get back here, you slimy, stinky,..." It went right through the wall and was gone before we even knew it. "Oh great. Now what?"
"That was a demon. And they don't fight fair," the Enchantress explained.
"A demon, huh? How can we find this thing? Can you track it?"
"That might not be necessary. If I'm right, it's bound to the clock. It has to come back here," she said.
"Then if we chase after it, it might lead us on a wild goose chance and actually get away. But if we stay here,..."
"You're going to have to stay here and prevent it from going back inside the clock." That didn't sound easy, but I had hurt it. If I could hurt it, I could beat it.
"And what are you going to be doing while I guard the clock?"
"Going inside there..." She pointed to the light coming from the clock.
"Inside where?"
"It's obviously a portal to wherever the demon dwells."
"Oh, obviously, it's a portal."
"Do your astute, scientific observations have an explanation for how something so big came out of such a small clock?"
"Ever see a baby being born? I rest my case."
"You're going to have to trust me on this. If it were something scientific, I would defer to your judgment, but this is my area of expertise." Now she was getting a little testy.
"Fine. I can be a good watchdog. Sit, Fido. Woof."
"This is hardly the time for levity. If my theory is right, our missing people are on the other side of this portal. I need to get in there and get them out, before the demon returns."
"Well, then quit telling me about it and go do it..." She sighed, shook her head and disappeared into the light. I pulled my sword and waited.
"Continue recording. It seemed to take awhile before anything happened. I sat there twiddling my fingers, which is tough to do while holding a sword in one hand. Eventually, the beastie returned. It was carrying a janitor in its arms. He was frozen in place, just as the Enchantress said I had been. But if it was carrying someone, it was no longer immaterial. In short, it could be hit."
I leveled my sword at the sucker, my thumb prepared to press the stud on the hilt that would emit its electrical discharge. I needed to take as much time as I could, just in case it had a trick up its sleeve. Come to think of it, it wasn't wearing a shirt.
"Freeze, stinky! You have to go through me to get back in this clock!" It sounded stupid when I said it.
"First I will feast on your body and then I will drink your soul." The demon dropped the janitor and raised its claws toward me. I saw its leg muscles start to flex, like it was going to rush forward, so I lunged forward as well. My sword dug into the craggy skin and it roared in pain. Probably anger too!
"Let me tell you about these things we have here on Earth. They're called fast food joints." I ducked under the demon's claws and we traded a few swipes. It raked me across the chest once, but my armor held up. "Much better eating."
The thing was as fast as I was, but nowhere near as good looking. Not much of a conversationalist either. I decided to quit yapping and just stab the sucker.
"Take that, stinky!" I swung a last time and the beast suddenly disappeared in a poof of sulfur and smoke. "At least, you coulda said 'Excuse me'!"
I turned to see Gwen leading two people out of the light. "Daryl and Michael, I presume?"
"They won't be able to respond for a little while," the Enchantress explained. "The pocket dimension has properties which render normal people comatose."
"Well, it looks like we solved this little caper. Not quite what I would've expected going in."
"No, it wasn't. But all's well that ends well." I don't believe she actually said that.
"That pretty much wrapped things up. We guessed that DEMON, the group, not the thingie, had intercepted the clock when Dr. Watal had it out for repair. They must have bound the creature to it in an attempt to shut down the lab, so they could get their little Disk back. Unfortunately, they didn't plan on dealing with the Avengers' version of sword and sorcery. Okay, it's a bad cliché, even for me. So sue me. End Record."
