Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2001 12:05:02 -0800 (PST) From: Author James Subject: Chronicles of a Real Dark Knight 9 Disclaimer: This story, though maybe not in this chapter but in subsequent chapters, will have celebrities in it. I have no knowledge of their sexuality and this is not intended to imply their sexuality. This is all from my own mind. Scary!! People actually get a glimpse into my mind!!! Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss Whedon. Copyright 20th Century Fox. Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics and Warner Bros. X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox. Talamasca, Lestat, Louis, and all related characters created by Anne Rice. Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice. I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in case, I have myself covered. In this story, which has been floating around in my head most of my life, you will find many universes merging, as the above copyrights reveal. I hope you all enjoy this. I appreciate any feedback that you may want to give. This story doesn't deal so much with sex, sex, sex, but more of my feelings that I struggled with and am starting to come to terms with. Part of his background is mine. I do hope that you enjoy it!!! Any emails you send, please tell me what chapter and story you are commenting on. Thanks. jmsotc@yahoo.com Chapter 9 Foggy Trap We rode along the highway, heading north, further away from London. The road became rather treacherous. It was a good thing Captain Britain knew the roads. "Where are we headed?" Kurt asked. "Lord Marmaduke Fogg's castle. He is on our list of suspects." "Shouldn't we be checking mutants?" I asked. "We don't have a Cerebro, so we don't have the ability to identify mutants." The van turned a sharp corner as we made our way up the mountain. In no time we pulled up to the castle and disembarked. "He's not going to be exactly forthcoming if we march in there dressed like this," I replied, referring to our extravagant costumes. "If he is behind these attacks and he sees us dressed for serious war, he may put a halt to his activity." "You're the boss." The van pulled up to the castle door and we disembarked. Captain Britain walked up to the door and knocked. A rather dapper man in a tuxedo opened the door. "Can I help you?" he asked. "We are here to see Lord Marmaduke Fogg. I am Captain Britain." "I know who you are, as does he. Please wait here a moment. I will see if he is available." The man closed the door, leaving us outside. "I highly doubt he will want to see us," I said. "He may think we already believe him guilty. Would you want to face that?" "No," Peter said. "Be patient. Us English have surprised many foreigners before. We may yet still surprise you." "I have an idea," I said. I relaxed my molecules and floated up to the next floor. "Batman," Meggan called to me. "He's got the right idea," Nightcrawler said. And he disappeared. "What's he doing?" Captain Britain asked. "Be patient, brother," Betsy reassured. "I've trained with him. I don't doubt his abilities." "I hope you are right, sister." I climbed into the second floor window. Nightcrawler appeared beside me. "Hello," he greeted. "I like your idea." "Thanks." "What do we do? You've been fighting crime longer than I have." "Look around for anything that may indicate Lord Fogg's involvement in any attacks against the royal family. It might be better if we separate. I'll check the other end of the corridor. You stay at this end. Any sign of trouble and you get back to the van. Got it?" "Ja," Nightcrawler replied in his German accent. I exited the room and made my way down the well-lit corridor. I went down two rooms and listened at the door. When no sound came forth, I entered. It was a bedroom. By the look of it, it had not been used. I went over to a desk and started opening drawers. There were papers and writing utensils...but nothing that indicated any feeling toward the royal family, positive or negative. I exited the room and went across the hall. It was a bathroom. I checked the drawers even though I did not think I would find anything beyond normal toiletries. I was right, nothing outlandish, so I moved on to the next room. Nightcrawler transported into the room across from where he and I were. Quietly he looked around. He opened desk drawers and dresser drawers. Finding nothing, he transported to the next room. "Jackpot," he said with a grin. The room contained plans and blueprints to Buckingham palace as well as schedules of the royal families travels. "Now, to tell Batman." Downstairs, Brian Braddock, Meggan and the rest of Excalibur were ushered into a room where a gray-haired, clean-shaven Englishman sat in a high-backed chair. "Please, have a seat," he offered to his guests. "Thank you." Brian sat. "Thank you for seeing us on such short notice. We came to ask you some questions." "Really? Concerning what?" "Concerning the royal family." "What have you to ask?" "There have been several attacks on their lives. We thought..." "You thought I might be behind them. You believe because of my past that I would be causing trouble for them now. I assure you, any animosity I may have harbored is dead and buried. I'm too old to be holding a grudge against an old friend's family, no matter how grave the slight." "Do you know who could be behind them?" "While down at the Haberdashery to buy a new hat, I overheard someone talking of stealing the crowned jewels. Thievery is a rather pedestrian act, but it is possible that there may be more behind the plotting than just theft." Nightcrawler appeared behind me scaring me half to death. "What are you doing? That's not very sneaky!" I exclaimed. "Actually, it is rather sneaky. I snuck up on you, didn't I?" "I got your point. What's so important that you want to give me a heart attack?" "I think I found something important." "Where?" "Come here." Nightcrawler grabbed me and instantly we were in another room. "This is what's so important." The room was full of maps, blueprints and travel schedules. Lord Marmaduke Fogg was definitely planning an attack against the royal family. This was all the evidence we needed. All we need do is take some back to the Watcher's Council. Talking came from the corridor and footsteps followed. "They're coming here," Nightcrawler said. "Grab me and transport us out of here." "It's quite simple," Lord Marmaduke Fogg was saying to his butler as they entered into the planning room. "Telling Excalibur of Jervis' plans has taken them off our path. You did have Johnson take care of their vehicle?" "Yes, sir. The brake lines have been severed." The butler paused and sniffed. "What's that smell, my Lord?" "Smell's like sulfur," Fogg replied. "What could be in here that smells so horribly?" "What WAS in here is more like it." Lord Fogg walked across the hallway and into another bedroom. He looked out the window and saw the van driving away. "Perhaps it was one of them. They shouldn't fuss with me." Lord Marmaduke Fogg raised his hands and his eyes began to glow white. The van drove down the road away from Fogg Castle. Nightcrawler and I had appeared beside the van as everyone was climbing in. "Did you guys find anything?" Pete asked. "We found many things," Nightcrawler replied. "Like plans for Buckingham palace. Travel schedules for the royal family. We brought some of it with us to show as proof." The van rocked hard. "What was that?" Betsy asked Peter, who was driving. "The wind is really picking up," Peter replied. "There shouldn't be a storm front coming up for a while," Meggan said. The van rocked harder. Peter applied the brakes but nothing happened. "The brakes are gone!" "Sounds like Lord Fogg is not happy with our investigation," I said. "What do we do?" Meggan asked. "Peter, keep us on the road. Nightcrawler, start transporting people out of here." Nightcrawler grabbed Kitty and they disappeared. "What do we do about the road and our speed?" Peter asked. "I cannot slow us down enough to make the turns coming up." "I have a thought." I went over to the passenger side door and rolled the window down. Nightcrawler appeared in the van, grabbed Pete Wisdom and then disappeared again. I grabbed the top of the door and kicked out through the open window. I spun around and landed on top of the van. Grabbing hold to the bike rack I held fast as the wind blew harder. I relaxed my mind and stretched out my molecules, trying to mix mine with the van's molecules. I was hoping to lighten the van enough that I could lift it up and control it's fall. The wind whipped past me, my cape billowing behind me. I relaxed more, stretching myself out even more. I felt airy and lighter. Looking down I saw myself disappearing. The wind must have been passing right through me. Peter turned the van around a sharp turn doing his best to keep it on the road. I was able to lift it a bit so it wouldn't hydroplane. I was concentrating hard on the road that it completely surprised me when I heard Betsy's voice. I thought back to her, not wanting to take my complete concentration from my work. After a few more hard turns, we were coming up on the sharp turn that had an abrupt drop-off. Judging by the speed I did not believe the van would make it. said Betsy to my mind. I couldn't respond to her. I was doing all the concentration I could on helping Peter keep the van on the road. Betsy and Kurt appeared beside the road. Everyone else came running up to them as Kurt disappeared to grab Peter. "Where is Eric, sis?" Brian asked Betsy. "Still on the van. He's been keeping it from going over the edge, and doing a very good job of it." "Hurry, Kurt," Brian said out loud. The van flew into the guardrailing and smashed it to pieces. Kurt and Peter appeared beside the rest of the Excalibur team. Betsy thought loudly. The van careened over the edge. Everyone heard the crash and the explosion of the gas tank being ignited. "Oh God, no!" Meggan declared. Kurt bowed his head and said a quiet prayer. "He came all the way here to help. And it cost him his life," Pete Wisdom stated. The group turned and started their trek back toward the castle of the Council of Watchers. Kurt, Betsy, Peter and Nightcrawler took it harder as they trained with Batman. "Why is everyone so sad?" They turned around to see me standing behind them. "You're alive!" Kitty said grabbing and hugging me. "We thought you died!" "Nah, I've got too much to live for. Plus, it's going to take a lot more than a van crash to kill me." "I'm so glad to see you," Betsy said hugging me as well. "I'm glad to be seen by people. Not that I wouldn't be delighted to be in heaven, mind you. It's just I have too much to live for at the moment." When we arrived at the Council of Watchers, we gathered in the briefing room with Jayce. "It's good to see you are alright. What, may I ask, happened to the van?" he asked. "It appears Lord Marmaduke Fogg is our mutant, Mr. Haverhill," Brian replied. "He caused a wind to blow our van off the road. If it wasn't for Peter, Kurt and Eric, we may not have survived." "I'm glad you are all right." "I saw evidence of his schemes," Kurt said. "He has travel dossiers for the royal family. He knows where they are going to be and when." "I guess we will just have to change that, won't we?" Jayce answered. "Where are the Slayers?" I asked. "Christine and Jessica are still with the Princes. You and Serena are to trade up with them shortly. You best change." "Good idea." I ran upstairs and changed my clothes. Sitting on my bed was the tracking equipment I had asked for that morning. I showered quickly and changed into some drier, more normal clothes, and went downstairs to meet Serena in the Foyer. "Nice of you to join me," she greeted. "We missed meeting with the Talamasca." "Sorry." "Not a problem. From what I hear, though, it sounds as if you uncovered some new information. Good work." "Kurt uncovered it. It wasn't really me." "Ah, but if you hadn't decided to go into the castle on your own, Kurt may never have gone. That's good work. No wonder you caught me sometimes." "What do you mean 'sometimes'?" "Meaning, I've been much busier than you know. I won't underestimate you any more. I'm going to be extra careful when we get back to the States." I chuckled and we exited the castle, climbed in the waiting car, and made our journey toward Buckingham Palace. We arrived and exchanged out hellos with Christine and Jessica as they departed. The Princes were in their rooms so we headed upstairs. I found William's room and knocked. "Come in," he said. I opened the door to see him pulling on a pair of thong underwear. It's weird to see royalty appearing as an object of lust to many people. What many wouldn't give to be in my position. "Hello, Eric." "Umm...hello...perhaps I should wait outside." "Oh, no. Stay. I insist." "But you're getting dressed." "And I don't have any body parts you haven't seen before. Well, you haven't seen mine, but you have seen a guy naked before." William turned and walked over to his closet, turned back around and asked, "Haven't you?" "Yes, I have." William smiled at me with his charming smile and entered his walk-in closet. "Why are you getting dressed?" I asked. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for bed?" "Not tonight. Tonight I'm going to a club." "Oh, no you're not. You can't be out in public." "It's not for the common people. It's a club for rich teens." "I don't know if you should be going out," I said. "It may not be safe." "But I need some fun, Eric. You should know what it's like for a teenaged boy, hormones raging and all. And with the fact I'm gay..." "You're not going out looking for other guys to be intimate with, are you?" William smiled at me. "No. I just wanted to see you stir, that's all." "I hope you're happy." William disappeared into the closet and I walked over to the window. Looking up at the night sky, I remembered what it was like as a teenager. It was a nightmare for me. I was gay and didn't want to accept it. I was gay and fighting it tooth and nail. It caused much emotional damage and mental anguish. Being a teenager wasn't normal for me. Part of me wished it were. I missed out on parties and dating and having a good time. I was busy struggling internally with the morality of being gay. I believed myself to be a sinner. How could I enjoy being gay if it was hurting God? "Lord, I'm sorry for putting You through that struggle," I prayed. "I wish I could have dealt with it easier than I did. I didn't have it easy like many do. So many are coming out younger. So many have parents trying to love and understand their children. I was too busy hating myself for it. I know it hurt You as much as it hurt me. You are part of me. You placed part of Yourself in me. I hope now I can live up to being Your child." "What's that?" William said coming out of the closet dressed. "Nothing." "Whom were you talking to?" "God." William looked at me strangely. "Oh." He primped in the mirror and then Serena and I were on our way with the Princes toward one of their teen clubs. To Be Continued... Wow! Eric almost died! Scary stuff! How do you like "Chronicles" so far? Are you enjoying the storyline? I hope so. Things will be getting better, I assure you. If you would like to find out what is going in the United States while Eric is in England, read: Tales of a Young Mutant jas931@hotmail.com Tales of a Superhero Band dylan@celticwarrior.com Tales of the Protectors aj_williamson@yahoo.com I don't know if "Tales of the Protectors" is out as of yet, but it will be taking place during the same time frame.