He stretched out his arms, revelling in the feeling he experienced, pleased that he had been able to get himself a new body to inhabit, one with which he would be able to take over the world, however he would start out small. A power base was needed first, then an army, then a country, then a continent, and finally the world. He would take his time, for though he had defeated his enemies before, it would only take one or two to break through his power and that would be it. He still remembered his last encounter, though he had not been at either his full strength or in contact with his full powers. 

His amulet was destroyed now, and he knew that this time on the Earth would be his last. Without the amulet, he would not be able to transfer his soul, but at last he was free, and none knew of his return. Strange believed him trapped still, and the Undying... well, she believed him dead and gone. He owed the heroes from the Excalibur project a debt, one that he would now repay. He smiled, as he thought of his plan to keep them apart for six months, so that the pieces of the puzzle would not be put together.

He smiled and wrote his signature on the piece of paper, and put it in the envelope addressed to Colonel Nicholas Fury, Director of SHIELD. He would relaunch the Excalibur project and start to build his army from their up. They were easy enough to manipulate and he had touched their hearts, their minds, and their souls. He had a fix on them now, and he would use it when the time was right. It was close, but not yet, for there was a coming that was being prepared for.

He could feel the presence out there, the coming of the Destroyer. While he did not fear his coming, he dreaded the consequences of what would happen should he be unleashed. He knew there were forces at work to contain this, but the Destroyer was a being of mystical ability and his coming marked the start of events. The dark magics would give him free rein over this world, he knew it, but first of all he needed to direct his troops in the right places and keep his enemies busy.

And for what he had in mind, they would certainly be busy.


Three days later, the memo arrived on Fury's desk, informing him of the reactivation of Project Excalibur.

"Six months already," he said, wondering why he'd not been summoned to the consultations with the United Nations Security Council. This was indeed annoying as he had wanted to see if he could test the mettle of the being within the Secretary General. However, he had little choice in the matter and he made the arrangements to place a call to Bridge and let him know that it was all on again, and that he could recall his people to action. Bridge had been assigned to the bio-tech division after his brief sojourn as Armory and Fury knew he wasn't too far away at the moment. The Helicarrier was in Europe and if he remembered right, Bridge was at the SHIELD Egyptian test center, doing some work on the armor, to see it work in action, without his guidance at the controls, and offer any improvements. 


"8 ball, middle pocket," said John Walker, as he hung out in his favourite bar in Texas, his friends watching as he lined the cue up with the white ball, his eyes focused on the black ball towards the cushion at the far end of the table.

"Not a chance in hell, J," said Alan. "Twenny bucks."

"Fine," said Walker, without looking up. These people didn't know he was the costumed hero known as USAgent, but they did believe he was some kind of Special Forces operative. His build gave him away in all honesty, as did his current supply of cash. He smiled as he fired the white across the table, slamming in to the black ball. The ball cannoned forward, smacking in to the cushion and bounced from the top cushion to the right side, spinning across the green felt, a red ball sitting in it's path. Walker looked up as he friends, not worried in the slightest. "Watch and learn," he said, as the red was struck by the black, sending the red in one direction and the black in another, the red towards the top part of the cushion of the left hand middle pocket and the black slotting nicely in to the right hand pocket. "Game."

"No," said Alan. "Look again, J." Walker looked at the table to see that the white ball was missing. "The red nudged the white in. Your angle was just slightly off."

"Sunuva..." muttered John, reaching in to his pocket for the twenty.

"Yup," said Alan, taking the bill and slotting it in to the pocket of this shirt. "Hell of a try though."

"Tell me about it," said John. He'd been shown it by Hawkeye, and though it had been a while he thought he'd mastered it. Good job Barton wasn't about to laugh at him. "I'm gonna hit the head," he said with a sigh. "And you're buying."

"Why me, I won?" said Alan.

"Cause you just took my damn money," retorted Walker with a smile and walked through the door marked 'gents'. He started to relieve himself when he heard the noise outside subside, and one voice stand out from the others. He quickly finished what he was doing and looked about. If they were being robbed, like he guessed they were, then they should check in here. The obvious place was the cubicle, but it was too obvious, and he looked up. The hot water pipes looked sturdy enough and stood on the basin to get up, just as the door opened.

"Clear," said the masked crook and Walker smiled. He wasn't going to need his guns or shield for this, it was going to be a simple task of taking out the masked men. As the door closed he dropped down. The door swung both ways, which was handy and he knew the guy wouldn't be too far from the door so he kicked it open, sending the villain flying.

"Okay, assholes," shouted Walker as he came out. "Who's first?"

"So someone wants to play hero?" said a voice above him, and Walker looked up to see a man on extendable legs. 

"Oh, you have got be shitting me," muttered Walker as he recognised the man from the Avengers files. It was Wilbur Day, the Stilt-Man. He wasn't exactly on the grade A list for villains, in fact he wasn't even on the grade E list for villains, but he was still a bit more than a thug with a gun. His bag was just over there, and he didn't have his guns with him either. "Damned right," he said, his voice full of false bravado. 

"Fine," said Day and was on Walker in a moment, crushing him underfoot, as Walker pushed up with his arms, bracing himself from the pressure, then releasing it and moving out of the way. Stilt-Man staggered but experience had taught him how to prevent his fall and Walker was at his bad, where he slipped on his gauntlets, and smiled. It gave him a bit more of an edge now he had his shield.

"You might want to give up now," he said.

"Little man, I've fought Captain America, and you are no Captain America."

"That was the wrong thing to say," muttered Walker and jumped at Stilt-Man, energising the shield and taking out the extended legs, then began to pound at Day's face. "Yer an idiot, with an idiot's gimmicks, with an idiot's name." He said as he kept hitting him. His compatriots have taken discretion as the better part of valour and made a run for it. Then Day flung him back, his exoskeleton giving him enhanced strength and protection, and Walker hit the side of the bar, the wind knocked out of him, but instead of pressing the advantage Day, headed for the door.

"We will meet again, hero," he said as he started to make his escape.

"And I'll kick yer ass again," called Walker as Alan helped him up, but if Day heard him he gave no indication as he was out of the door. "Prick." He stretched his arms to relive the stiffness and the pain. 

"Nicely done," said Alan.

"Yeah," said Walker, sourly. The bad guys had got away. They'd got nothing from it, but they'd still got away. "Now where's my damn beer?"


"We're being reactivated?" said Bridge as Nick broke the news to him.

"Yup," said Fury. "Get yerself aboard the Helicarrier, GW, yer back in business."

"Still not happy about it?"

"No," said Nick. "I was kinda hopin' they'd give you somewhere to work out of, not just my Helicarrier. Still, them's the breaks."

"So what now?"

"I brief you on what's going on at SHIELD. You ain't got a mission as such, but there's some stuff you'll need to know about. I'll expect you over here in a few hours."

"On my way, Colonel," said Bridge and signed off. Fury sat back in his chair and looked at the files again. It was a good idea to get up to speed on the team members.


"Excellent work, Rock," said Brian as he looked at the weapons that Union jack had crafted. "These are exceptional pieces of work."

"It's taken me a bit of time," said Percival Rockford. "However I've installed a couple of tracking devices to the guns, that will allow them to get a better fix on the targets, as well as give a tactical analysis of what kind of target they're aiming at."

"Linked through the suit?"

"Yes," said Rock. "I don't know who designed the circuitry behind it, but it's an incredible piece of work. Your modifications have also helped."

"It's not working for you though as it should," said Brian. "You only have slightly enhanced strength, you certainly can't fly and there's not a great deal of protection."

"I think it's because I'm not attuned or receptive to the mystical energies. As I recall, neither are you which is why you're no longer Captain Britain."

"Yes," said Brian, softly. "However, you're a worthy successor. The suit enhances your natural abilities, but just not to metahuman standards."

"Given time it may work," said Rock. "There's a lot here to try. Just because we can't tap the energy matrix it doesn't mean we can't see it or touch it."

"If you get there, you also must remember you're strongest when in the United Kingdom," said Brian, as he poured a cup of tea. "Caused me grief a few times, I can tell you."

"I've read your notes," smiled Rock. "Do you have time to go through a combat session this afternoon? I'm in the mood for a bit of a sparring session."

"I'd love to," said Brian, "except I've a previous appointment."

"Anyone I know?" asked Rock. "Are you taking Meggan out for the afternoon again, or is it another session in the house?"

"No, there's nothing urgent in the Commons this afternoon," said Brian. "And Meggan's over at the Eden Project at the moment."

"Oh, I forgot she was helping run that."

"Well, she was instrumental in getting it set up," said Brian. "It gives her something to do now that Excalibur's gone... Well, my Excalibur."

"Have you heard anything?" Rock asked, but Brian shook his head.

"Not yet," he answered. "I know it went for debate, but after that, I've nothing."

"Okay," said Rock. "Guess I'll go over the streets, see if any of the local thugs are trying their luck."

"I miss those days," said Brian, as his telephone rang. "Braddock," he answered as he picked it up. "Ah, thank you, Feron." He put the receiver down and looked at his protégé. "My appointment's arrived. Agent Del Ruiz of SHIELD, working with Pete Wisdom's X-Force."

"No, never met her," said Rock. "Or his team for that matter. However the Helicarrier's not that large a place, if we get the recall. I'll take the back entrance." Brian nodded and Rock removed a book from the shelf, which opened a secret passageway and Rock hurried away as the passage was sealed once more.


"Oh, Hiro," whispered Leyu rolling over in her bed to look at him, as he casually stroked her hair. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said as he ran his fingers down the curve of her spine, and watched as the hairs on the back on her neck stood to attention. "You really are beautiful, you know." She flushed slightly, as she swung her legs from the bed and went to get her dressing gown.

"Hiro," she said, as the young man reached for his glasses.

"I know," replied the young man, as he reached for his clothes. "I have to go now. When are we going to tell your brother?"

"Not yet," said Leyu as she walked over to him and held his hand. "He's a very protective man."

"I know all about him," reminded Hiro. "I just don't want to hide it anymore, Ley." He kissed her, and pulled his jeans up.

"Soon," she said. "Just be grateful that between Yashida Enterprises and being a superhero, he's not back here that often." She pulled him close and grabbed his crotch. "Otherwise I wouldn't get to eat that nice sausage." 

"Ley," he said, in mock disgust. "That's it, I'm leaving."

"Bye," she said playfully as he walked out of the room, then he turned and blew her a kiss and she collapsed back on to the bed, her eyes closed in delight at having such a loving boyfriend, and she heard a noise and she looked up. "Hiro, I..." Then she cried out as she saw a stranger in the room.

"You're not your brother," the being snarled. "But you'll do."

"Damn right," she said and unleashed an aquatic attack at the being, who leapt up out of her reach with ease.

"A blast of water won't stop the Puma," he said, and slashed at her, tearing through the thin cotton, and searing her skin. Leyu cried out in pain as the creature's claws struck home again.

"Why?" she said as she struggled to get out of his way.

"A present for the Wolverine, courtesy of the Yakuza. I was going to kill the head of his adopted family, but you'll do instead. You're a much easier mark." Suddenly Leyu was angry. She had been called many things in her life, but an easy mark was not one of them. There was a flash of pride as she realised that Puma did not realise who he was dealing with here and she focused and seized a hold of the water in Puma's body.

"Easy mark, am I?" she said, the power flowing through he as Puma suddenly found himself unable to move. "You know that the majority of the body's made of water? Guess what I control? Can you feel the water filling your lungs?" Puma started to cough and retch. He had not expected this at all. He had been prepared for Shiro Yoshida, and he had known the atomic fire that course through him would have had no effect, but this was something else.

"Kill... you..." spluttered Puma, but Leyu was having none of it and Puma slowly started to drown in the waters she was creating for him and just as he was about done she freed him from her hold.

"Not today," said Leyu. "Tell the Yakuza that if they ever come after the Clan Yashida again, they won't have to deal with Wolverine or Sunfire - they'll be facing Tsunami." Then a tidal wave formed around him and the Puma was cast out of the compound. Leyu sighed as she looked around the ruined bedrooms, out of the broken doors and down the sopping wet hallway. The water damage would be easily fixed with her powers, but the damage...

"I hope they fix this before Shiro gets home," she muttered and went to change her clothes in to something a little more suitable for repair work.


Sabra was waiting for her flight to Israel from Australia, where she had been visiting her friend Joseph, where he resided with the X-Men team that lived out there. It had been a break for her from the activities in her homeland, and it was a break she needed. It was getting to be truly depressing the way the world was turning out, and she had very few friends she could talk with. Joseph was one of them, though he seemed to have a different view on the world after realising he was in fact from another universe, a world that should never have existed and for a brief time replaced their own. 

It amused Sabra that one of her friends had been birthed by events in her homeland, the crystal wave was an event she had remembered in fear as it had approached, and then the relief as the effect simply went away. She had known the X-Men had been involved in saving them all, somehow and the times she aided them was a way of repaying what they had done. One day she would tell Joseph, but when she was comfortable saying it. She was not used to being saved by people, rather being the saver.

It was then she noticed something odd in the area, and she wondered if it was the idea that she was a heroic type and that she should be on guard, but it was not her imagination. She had worked hard on grounding her senses after the fight with Darkstar, as the darkforce had made her feel small in a way she had not felt since the crystal wave.

She looked amongst the crowd of people, looking for the person who seemed to be out of place, using her Mossad training as her guide. There was a man towards the end of the hall, near the gateway, looking out of the window. For some reason he seemed to be out of place and she wondered why. He turned and she glimpsed his face but could not place it and then she realised the problem. It was the same man she had seen in the film on the flight out. His coat though was wrong, too bulky in the wrong places and she realised there was a problem and wandered across to him.

"Excuse me," she said, "are you...?"

"Yes," he said, "I am..." but before he could answer, Sabra had grabbed him by the arm and had subtly bent it round his back in a manner that would not alarm the other people in the area.

"Resist and I break it off," she whispered, and the man stopped straining. "What are you carrying?"

"Not much," he said and kicked at her legs, the force knocking her back forcing her to let go. There had been more power in that than she had expected and she had not braced for the impact. It had been an error on her part and by the time she had stood again, the man had put on a mask and dispensed with the coat, to reveal a selection of throwing blades, and two blades attached to his wrists, which also had small holes, which she suspected dispensed some kind of arsenal. Much in the same way she was also wearing.

"Hail Hydra!" said the man, and started to hack through the tourists who were shouting and screaming as the man started to kill indiscriminately. Sabra felt her anger rising. This was the kind of thing she'd taken a break from, the mindless killing. She recognised something in the files about this man now; he was an assassin named Splice. He would do no further harm and she flew towards him, firing blasts from her gauntlets as she did, however he threw blades that deflected them and lodged in the firing chambers, preventing her from firing again.

It would not stop her and for all the things Splice threw at her, she easily avoided.

"This cannot be," said Splice. "I've fought Wonder Man."

"You're dealing with a professional now," she said as she struck at him, but he blocked, and her hand connected with his body armour.

"Nice try," he said as he grabbed her arms, and slowly began to squeeze her wrists. "I'll break your hands and then gut you slow."

"No," she said. "You won't." Then her gauntlets exploded, sending the paralysing energy cascading around them both, and taking the two of them out. She knew it would wear off soon, but she also knew the authorities would arrive sooner and deal with this madman and she watched his eyes as they fell to the floor, seeing the hatred in his eyes and she knew she would never understand people such as him.

Inwardly she smiled at a job well done.


"Dimitri!" called Lanyia, as she stepped across the street, waving at her boyfriend, Dimitri, who was waiting for her outside the Vernadsky Geological Museum.  

"Lanyia," he greeted her, as they embraced and they kissed. It had been several weeks since they had last seen each other, with his work at the Ministry of the Interior keeping him busy, and her assignments with the Winter Guard serving to keep them further apart. "I've missed you, my love."

"And I you," she replied. "I need to talk you, Dimitri."

"Oh?" he said, in concern. "Why did you not mention it earlier, we could have met somewhere a little more private."

"I..." she hesitated, in her words, and turned away a moment, and Dimitri knew there was something wrong with her.

"What is it?" he said, turning her back to see him, to look her in the eyes and see if he could see the truth.

"I am resigning the Winter Guard," she said. "I no longer feel comfortable as a hero. It has not been an easy choice..."

"Come with me," said Dimitri and took her to a nearby bar, where he ordered two coffees and sat her down. "Tell me."

"You know I have great power," she said. "The darkforce is a form of energy we have never been able to fathom, or to even chart as to the potential of its use, and it scares me that the very thing that makes me a hero could also make me a villain."

"The happening in Alaska?" said Dimitri. "I thought we had been through that."

"So did I," she said as the two coffee's were placed on the table before them. "It's just it has preyed on me since then. My comrades in the Winter Guard are powerful in their own right, but in their own way they fear me and what I can do. The very word, darkforce, instils fear as it signifies a force for darkness, and the potential is within me. I do not want to risk what I am, to use what I have in a situation where I may be forced to hurt those I care about. I cannot have my powers removed, so I will stop myself from being in situations where it may happen."

"Oh, my love," said Dimitri, holding her hands and looking at her. "Do not be afraid of what power you weild, because if you did not have the darkforce, then you would find another reason to hide away."

"I am not hiding away."

"You are. You saw the evil in your soul and it scared you, it has made you doubt yourself. Throughout your life, you have fought for the right cause, and you have been just. The good within outweighs the evil, but it does good to let the devil out once in a while, because in doing so you show him you are not scared of him and that you can beat him back whenever you need to."

"I don't know if I can," she said. "I feel the coldness of my powers within me, and I cannot contain the power. I have lost my focus."

"Perhaps I can help," said Dimitri, as he pulled a small box from his pocket. "The best cure for ills is love. You know that is why I work at the Department, trying to find better ways than violence and destruction, but I know how powerful fear can be, even over love. Yet I believe our love will help you, and to focus on that I give you this."

"Dimitri?" she said as she opened the box to see a gold ring with a diamond in the middle, surrounded by two sapphires.

"Will you marry me, Lanyia?"

"Yes, Dimitri. Yes, I will." She smiled as he placed the ring over her finger. "As long as I wear it, I will have my focus."

"I know," said Dimitri and the two lovers kissed.


"Pete Wisdom's dead?" said Bridge in shock. 

"Go one better," said Fury, as he aprised the Project excalibur team leader on events on the Helicarrier. "There's a traitor in the organisation, and that person may have been the one who killed him."

"Damn" said Bridge. "This is incredible, Nick. What are you doing about it?"
"Not a great deal we can do," said Fury. "We've no evidence, no leads and X-Force has drawn a blank on finding anything. I've even drafted Shadowcat back on to their team to see if she can turn up anything, you know what these X-types are like."

"How many people know and what do you need me to do?" asked Bridge.

"Not many, and watch my back. I'm not an easy target, but if something should happen to me..."

"I getcha," said Bridge. "Goes no further and I'll keep my eyes open."

"Good," said Fury. "That's all I can ask."


Hauptmann sat in his apartment in Munich watching the football game on television. He'd had a fair few matches in his break from Excalibur, but it had not been enough to get him selected for the Germany squad, for the game against Argentina. That said, he still enjoyed watching the game, and though the first half had been a little unimaginative from where he was sitting and the weather hadn't helped, he held out high hopes for the second half. Soccer was the second love of his life, after the heroics.

He smiled as he cracked open a bottle of Becks and sat down to watch. It was only a couple of minutes until kick off and he looked about the chair. There were no crisps left and he muttered a small curse as he screwed up the empty packet and went to the kitchen to find them. He knew they were in there somewhere but he just couldn't figure where he'd put them. They weren't in the usual place where he kept the snacks and he tapped the base of his chin, thinking about it. He heard the kick off and decided to forget it and that he could do without and hurried back to his chair, but in his haste he knocked over his beer.

"Scheisse," he said as righted the bottle and then he hurried to get a cloth from the kitchen, pausing only to steal a glance at the screen as his team mate Oliver Khan made a spectacular save off a long range shot. He hurried to get the cloth and quickly swabbed the floor, then put the damp rag back in the kitchen and sat down to drink his now two thirds empty beer. He shook his head, as he watched an exemplary display of passing from both sides and he was impressed with what he saw. He knew that both sides would raise their game for the World Cup in a couple of months and it made him think of the quality that was in store. Suddenly one of the Argentineans who he wasn't familiar with tripped Miroslav Klose, and the team was awarded a free kick and it was in a very dangerous area for Argentina.

Then the telephone rang.

"Nein," muttered Hauptmann, wondering why anyone would be calling when the game was on, and more than that why had he left the telephone at the other side of the room. He also knew the limited amount of people that had his number and that it might be important so he reluctantly turned away from the screen. "Hello?" he said as he picked up the handset. "Yes, I am he." He turned back to the screen as he spoke, but he'd missed it and from the gasp of the crowd it had gone close. "No, I'm not interested in double glazing and if you call this number again, I'll kill you." He slammed the telephone down and went back to the game, where the Argentinean who'd tripped Klose was now rolling on the floor, in a form of agony.

"Get up, you're not hurt," said Hauptmann as the referee pulled out a yellow card. "Cheating bastard," Hauptmann seethed as he looked at the screen and decided that in the momentary break while the faking little runt was down, he'd get another beer. He got back to see the game had resumed and he settled back in to his chair. Then there was a knock on the door. "You have got to be kidding me," he muttered and went to see who it was, because they would know he was in from the noise of the television. "Yes?"

"Guten abend," said the first of two men. "We represent the Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland. Do you believe in God?"

"At the moment I'm beginning to wonder whether he even exists at all," said Hauptmann as he heard a cheer and he turned to the television to see that Germany had broken the deadlock and was now 1-0 up. He crushed the beer bottle in his hand in frustration. "Go away." Then he slammed the door shut, only to catch the tail end of the replay. And he didn't have a beer either. The restart would take a moment so he'd wipe his hand and get another drink. However he absently touched the light switch, which resulted in a flash and a bang as the water hit the power line and the lights went out and the room went quiet. 

"Nein," screeched the German hero as the realisation that he'd shorted the power to the apartment. His hand also hurt from the shock. Now he had to replace the fuses and get his home back in order so he could watch the match and he went to the cupboard to get the spares. 

After about twenty-five minutes of frantic fumbling around in the dark he managed to make the repairs and the television came back on. He had about ten minutes left of the game, and he sighed as he sat down and was about to tune in to the remainder of match when he heard a crash. He sighed and put his mask on, because he knew when somewhere was being broken in to.

"Did you pick the wrong place at the wrong time" he said to the would be criminal and proceeded to give him the kicking of his life, before then throwing out of the window he'd just climbed through. He sat down to watch the remainder of the game, but all he managed to see was the last thirty seconds and he buried his head in his hands.


"Wow," said Neal as he looked at the woman who was walking towards him. "You look fantastic."

"Thank you," she said, blithely ignoring the heads that turned to look at her as she walked by. "I was wondering when you'd ask em out again, Neal."

"I was wondering if you'd say yes," he admitted. "Someone sort of told me to get over myself and ask you."

"How is Jim?" she smiled as he pulled out her chair and she sat down.

"He's fine. I'm not sure what he enjoys more, hassling the board of directors or hassling me."

"Good afternoon, Miss McCabe," said the waiter. 

"Good afternoon Francois," she said in reply. "My usual, please."

"Right away, Miss McCabe." He headed towards the bar, to get her the dry white wine she so loved.

"It must be hard being popular," said Neal with a smile.

"Popular, no," she said, resting her head on her folded hands. "They know they've seen me in some films, but not which ones. Which isn't a surprise."

"Francois knows you."

"Francois' seen all my films. The last person who did that was a homicidal dictator, so I smile and be nice." Neal smiled at the joke as Francois brought her drink. "Thank you," she said.

"Have you decided on what you would like to eat?"

"You order," said Lindsay and Neal selected the peppered lemon chicken breast with mixed vegetables and. Francois nodded and walked away, leaving the couple to their drinks and conversation. "So how are things at Tachyon?" asked Lindsay.

"I'm getting to grips with it," said Neal. "It's been six months of hard work, but it's been worth it. I'm learning a proper trade in computer programming, thanks to Jim's teaching. He misses you though, even after a few weeks."

"It was only temporary until I got back on my feet," she said. "Jim knew that. I'm not cut out to be a secretary."

"You were a good one though."

"I'm a better actress, and that's where my heart is."

"I see," said Neal. "So what's next on your list?"

"I'm doing an orange juice commercial tomorrow," she said and saw the sparkle in Neal's eyes, as he bit back a chuckle. "Don't," she said, with mock warning. "It's not much, I know, but I've been out of the business a while."

"You heard from Jessica?" asked Neal, seeing her wilt slightly at the mention of her recent past.

"Not for several months," said Lindsay, with a taint of sadness. "We've been friends a long time, it seems a shame to lose it all over some silly argument. I've tried calling her, but she's not answering her messages. I just hope nothing's happened to her."

"She'll be fine," said Neal as the food was brought over. "So let's enjoy our lunch, and think of other things."

"Such as?" said Lindsay.

"Oh, we'll find something," replied Neal as he picked up his fork and stabbed the chicken in front of him.


Hellios smiled as he flew across the skies of Greece, keeping an eye on his country as he did so. It was not his job to deal with the common criminals, but to take out the threats to the national security, or any other super-human menace. The people who had given him is powers had intended him to be their answer to Captain America, but he would be nobody's tool or weapon. He did what he had to do, and they recharged his cellular structure periodically using the serum they had developed from alien cultures they had discovered many years ago.

He was Hellios, and to all intents and purposes he was a god. However of late the serum that powered him had been losing its longevity, which was why he had signed up to the Excalibur Project. Do that, or lose your powers he had been told, and without his gifts he was just ordinary and he would never go back to the street sweeper he had once been. He had tasted power and he liked it. The project had died and he was satisfied. He had done his part, and a man like him did not need the others holding him back. The kind of threat they had faced in Alaska was one for the Avengers or Defenders or other American group.

They liked problems like that - let them deal with it.

Suddenly his head began to spin and nausea overtook him. He couldn't see straight and began to plummet to the Earth out of control and he hit the ground like a missile. He stood up, groggily and looked about, his vision double. The serum had never done this to him before, so he discounted that, which meant that he was probably under attack.

"Show yourselves, cowards!" he demanded, but he was still too dizzy to see if there was anyone there.

"You are the first," the voices chanted, in front of him, behind him, to his left, then his right, echoing inside his head.

"No," he stuttered and unleashed solar bolts from his hands as his eyes were not responding, but he did not know if he was hitting anything.

"First," they repeated and he could not make them stop and he did not know what was happening to him and he cried out as the voices continued and continued and continued and he flew up in to the air, where he was met by two concussion missiles, and he fell to the floor again.

"I'll kill you for this," he said as he tried to stand but was met by energy blasts hitting him and keeping him down until his resistance simply broke down and he stopped fighting. Ridge had shown him his invulnerability had limits and now so had these people and he surrendered to the darkness.

His attackers gathered around the fallen hero.

"Hellios has fallen," said their leader. "Take him to Kalymnos. The Doctor is waiting for a new test subject."

"We obey," they said and Hellios rose in to the air and everyone of them vanished.