"Our plan goes apace," Junn Moon-Lord announced. "We have made contact."

"What of reprisals?" asked Tinn, one of the Pantheon.

"The Council are sticking by their oath of non-interference," said Wastha. "As we predicted." He turned and looked at the crippled and broken being who laid in the corner of the citadel. "Not even the breaking of one of their own is enough to bring them in to the arena."

"The Earth is ours," said Junn Moon-Lord. "The Watcher is powerless, the altar is ready and even now the people of Earth are starting to come to us as believers."

"Can you hear the voices cry to us in exultation?" said Mikah.

"It is ironic that in exchange for freedom they give themselves to us," said Wastha. "Pathetic and easily manipulated."

"The heroes of the world are powerless, the value the opinions of the public, because they know that it is their image that allows them to operate as they do." Moonlord looked down. "Soon, they will come and we will take them and control them and use them to crush the Celestials - once and for all."

Reed Richards sat in the Baxter Building and watched the tapes of the events of the day before. While he was sleeping he had considered something that had caused him to wake up. Unsure of what it was his subconscious mind had seen he was now working on it, hoping the answer would come to him.

"Mornin' Stretch," said Ben Grimm as he entered the room. "Watcha watchin' that for. To see us get our tails kicked again."

"No," mused Reed. "There's something else on here, something that… yes… there it is."

"What?"

"The markings on the shoulders of the Pantheon. I've seen them before and recently as well. I doubt very much that this is a coincidence."

"Where've you seen 'em before?" asked Ben and Reed's arm shot across the room as he used his powers of elasticity to get to another console.

"Here," he said as more images were overlaid on the screens. "In Missouri."

"Crop circles?" said Ben. "What kind of whacko…" Then he saw what Reed meant. In between the majority of the circles were seven that matched each of the markings on the Pantheon.

"I had believed there to be no specific pattern to them," said Reed, "but looking at them now, I can see what the pattern is." Ben said nothing, his eyes fixed on one part of the circles and Reed knew that he was experiencing the same memory flash as he himself had experienced on seeing.
"What the heck was that?" said Ben, snapping out of it. "It felt like memories, but not just memories, it was as if…"

"As if we were watching it and understanding every nuance of what was happening and why it was happening," said Reed, the pieces falling in to place. "I don't believe these are crop circles at all, old friend. I believe it's a message."

"What kind of message?" asked Sue as she entered the room. "What's going on?"

"I suspect the Watcher," said Reed. "It would fit. The symbols match the dark gods. The dark gods are residing on the moon. The Moon is the home of the Watcher. It may be a warning."

"How did the Watcher know you would see the crop circles?" asked Sue. "And what about the precious oath of the Watchers to not interfere."

"Why does the Watcher do anythin'?" asked Ben. "Ain't our call Suzie-Q."

"I think we're going to have to pay a visit to the Moon and find out for sure," said Reed. "Darling, would you mind…"

"Waking Johnny?"

"Thank you," said Reed. "I'll check on the children and let them know we'll be going away for a little while."

"Does Victoria understand?" asked Ben. "I know she's gonna be smart, but that smart?"

"Who can say," said Reed. "However, it doesn't hurt to try."

"Guess I'd better go make the jet ready to go." Ben sighed and left the room.

"REED!" there was a cry and both of the men ran upstairs.

"Sue!" called Reed. "What is it?"

"He's gone," said Sue, looking concerned. "Johnny's gone."

"Gone?" said Reed and looked in his room. "He's not slept in the bed either. In fact…" He looked at the bed. "I'd say he was up all night staring at the moon."

"You don't think?" said Ben. "He ain't become part of the cult?"

"It's possible," said Reed. "However the window is open and the door is unlocked, which means he's not there."

"Unless he collected something on his way out." Sue was concerned. "But what could we possible have to deal with these beings?"

"Franklin," said Reed. "His powers could be the only thing on the planet that could influence them in some way or even stop them." His head left the room and shot down two levels to where the children would be sleeping. Franklin was still there, playing with his Minimon computer game. "Franklin, have you seen Uncle Johnny?"

"Yeah, he came in earlier and said you wanted to see Victoria and I could play my game until breakfast."

"Victoria?" said Reed. "But why Victoria? She's not displayed any abiltites as yet."

"Yeah she did. Aunt 'Licia felt it last night. She could see."

"Really?" said Reed, his heart sinking a little. He had hoped she'd be a normal child, however it appeared that it was not going to be the case and it seemed that she was already being used in some kind of game. There was too much of a coincidence at work here for everything to be happenstance. The Dark Gods wanted his daughter. "Thank you, Franklin." His head started to return to his body where he met the other two on the way and he broke the news to Sue.

"I'll kill him," said Ben, angry at the apparent betrayal by the Torch. "I'll break him in two fer this."

"She's barely six weeks old," said Sue, heartbroken at the turn of events. "Why do they want her? What do they want her for?"

"I don't know," said Reed. "However I'm not going to let them harm her. We're not going to do that and I can't believe that Johnny would allow them to either."

"The kid ain't in his right mind," said Ben. "May have to slap him a few time to knock the sense back in 'im."

"I hope not," said Reed, "otherwise we may lose him. The hold on him has to be strong, I just hope that we're stronger."

"Reed!" called Alicia using the intercom system. "It's Johnny. He's on television, he's gone back to that monolith…"

"Call the police and have them cordon it off," said Reed. "I don't want anyone else going near it." He looked at the others. "To the Fantasticar."

FINALE

Johnny Storm held his niece in his arms as he landed next to the monolith that the Dark Gods had proclaimed to be their altar. It called to him, and from it they who watched from above called to him. He had stared at the moon for hours until he realised that there was someone who was calling him and he knew what they wanted him to do. They wanted Louise.

Part of him was shocked at what they wanted, but the rest of him wanted to do as they asked. Sue and Reed would understand that this would be for the best and they would come to accept it. Louise was special to these people and for some reason they feared her. But if they were willing to tame their fears and convince the girl from an early age that they were not the threats they were perceived as.

There was quite a multitude there, all standing before the altar and staring at the sky. Even though it was early in the morning, they were still able to see the moon in the sky, a pale shadow against the light blue sky. After alien invasions, mutant demagogues, and other cataclysmic events in the past year, people needed something to believe in and this was as good as anything else. They offered freedom for obedience, which was the same as most religions except these being were proof of a higher power.

"Hey Torch, you here to cause trouble?" shouted one of the crowd.

"No," said Torch. "I'm here because I believe." He looked to the crowd. "I BELIEVE!"

"I believe," the crowd began to chant. "I believe… I believe…" Torch felt the desire to join then chant but the voice in his head told him to come and he walked up to the monolith and entered it, walking through the obsidian oblong and emerged the other side in front of the Pantheon.

"Welcome, Illuminator," said Moonlord, impassively. "Allow me to introduce the Pantheon - my Queen Wastha. Mikah our Warrior-Prince. Tinn the Creator. Atkhu, the Navigator. Gorum, the Voyager. Sheana, the Mother. For your service, I bequeath you the name Illuminator, our prophet on Earth."

"My thanks, Lord Junn," said Johnny. "I did as you asked and I've brought you Louise."

"You serve without question, which is why you are rewarded, and we know that what we asked of you was not easy."

"I admit I had reservations, but the way I see it you could easily kill everyone and you haven't, and there's been more than our fair share of misunderstood beings. Isn't this the Watcher's place?"

"It was," replied Junn, "however Uatu has abandoned this place for reasons unknown. The Watchers are a strange breed and their powers are vast, yet they are a law unto themselves."

"Give me the child," said Sheana, "so I may give the babe a mother's touch." Johnny looked at Louise a moment and then handed the child over to the Dark God. Louise made no cry as she was passed to the stranger and simply looked up at Sheana, her eyes bright and twinkling in the lights of the domicile.

"By the Darkness," said Sheana as the child gurgled in her arms. "Do you feel that?"

"Incredible," said Junn, his eyes wide. "Her power is incredible."

"Power?" said Johnny. "What power does she possess?"

"A gift of healing, a gift of peace," said Junn. "The child possesses the ability to render complete calm over a world, to repair any damage physical, emotional, psionic or cosmic. Her control is limited though and she does not yet have the power to maintain the effects for more than a second at best. In time she will be one of most powerful beings in creation."

"Similar to Franklin," though Johnny out loud.

"We have visitors," said Mikah and Junn turned.

"Your family are coming for the child," said Junn. "Will you stand with us or against us?"

"Let me talk to them, I'll make them understand," said Torch and the rest of the Fantastic Four appeared through the monolith.

"We're here for our family," said Reed. "We do not want to fight you."

"In a pig's eye," growled Thing.

"You would not stand five minutes against us, though you might at best entertain us," said Junn. "The child will not be returned to you. We have need of her."

"No," said Sue and grabbed hold of Louise in a force field and attempted to pull Louise from the grasp of Sheana, but Tinn waved his hand between mother and child and the force field shattered, sending the Invisible Women recoiling from the mental feedback as Sheana took a hold of the child.

"As you see," said Junn, "you cannot hope to stop us. Not one, not two, not four, not four thousand."

"I do not believe that," said Reed. "I believe that you are not as powerful as you claim, otherwise why would you need Louise?"

"That is not your concern, terran," said Atkhu. "Leave now, or we will make you." Mikah's axe appeared in his hand.

"Guess it's clobberin' time," said the Thing and charged towards Mikah who stood firm, but Ben Grimm was not fooled the same way twice and the Fantastic Four were a team. Susan focused her powers, her concerns for her daughter fuelling her will and she formed a wall around Mikah, so slight that it would have been impossible to notice in between the small amount of time that the force field was created and the moment the Thing landed a blow.

Mikah flew back and through one of the walls of the citadel.

"Guys, no," pleaded Torch, flaming on.

"Torch, stand down," said Reed.

"Illuminator," said Junn and Torch closed his eyes and made his decision, throwing a ball of flame around Reed.

"Please stop this," said Torch. "These are God's, they're trying to save us all, like we try every day to do. But it never gets any better. We never get anything done. We knock Doom down and he comes back again. The Hate Monger, Malice, Blastarr, Annihlus, all of them. How many times do we have to fight and fight and fight before enough is enough and we turn it over to people who can handle things? If we obey them, then we are free."

"Yer an idjit, Torchy!" said Ben. "What happens when they say 'now give us your firstborn children', we do it? Or maybe they want us to enslave a few alien races, or do somethin' else? It ain't freedom if you have no control."

"That's only what we have now," said Torch. "Except when we break the rules we get punished."

"And what is the punishment for breaking the rules in this case?" said Reed. "They have never made it clear." He saw a figure through the mess the Thing had made of the wall and pointed. "Is that what happens when the rules are broken, or was that just someone else who got in the way?"

Torch turned to see the inert form of the Watcher.

"You said he'd abandoned this place," he said of Junn. "You lied to me."

"No," said Junn. "I did not. I…" A force gripped hold of Junn and he struggled against it and the other Dark Gods looked on in amazement.

"Release him or die," said Wastha, in anger, looking directly at Sue.

"It's not me," she said.

"It is I," said Uatu, standing. "You have invaded my home, you have attacked me, used the technology of the Watchers for your own ends and you have broken the restrictions that bound you. He has been summoned."

"No, you cannot!!" Wastha cried in horror.

"Silence!" said the Watcher, his voice loud and the Fantastic Four could have been forgiven for assuming he was angry. The Dark Gods were held in place, motionless against his powers and Uatu gestured and returned Louise to her parents.

"You have my thanks, Reed Richards. Your child is powerful indeed, perhaps moreso than your first progeny."

"I don't understand," said Reed, perplexed. "How?"

"She has the power to heal," said Torch. "That's what Junn said, on all levels."

"Once I was exposed to the presence of the child, I could draw upon her inherent power and restore myself after my own grievous injuries, though it pained me to use a child thusly."

"They were that powerful?"

"Once they were equal only to the Celestials," said the Watcher, after a moment. "But were stripped of their power by a higher force. Given the opportunity they could be again, and that is what they wanted."

"With Louise?" said Ben. "Damn it, Stretch, we're gonna have to be on our guard again…"

"Louise was the tool they needed to protect themselves from the higher powers. Her calm could be used as a shield," said Reed. The Watcher nodded. "Something is coming isn't it?"

"I cannot tell of the future, and I have bent my oath telling you of the past," said Uatu. "You must leave now, for these things are not for mortal eyes." He waved his hand and they were back in the Baxter Building, as if they'd never left.

"Reed, Sue…" started Johnny. "I'm sorry, I thought…"

"Don't worry about it, lad," said Reed. "Least said, soonest mended."

"Yeah," said Sue, a little coldly for her brother's tastes. "It's over now."

"Is it?" said Ben. "Something's comin' and they wanted to use it."

"Another time," said Reed. "I just hope that the people out there don't expect to see their new gods sometime soon." He stared out of the building at the monolith in the distance which still stood impassively. People were touching it, trying to go through it, but it was solid now and he couldn't help but wonder what damage had been done here?

EPILOGUE

The Living Tribunal stood in the domicile of Uatu.

"They will not trouble you again, Watcher."

"As it should be."

"There is the question of how this happened, though."

"An observation that I focused on too deeply, no more."

"I understand. Take care, Watcher, that your watching does not distract you further. The next time we may not be so lucky and the universe may pay the price."

"That is not my decision," said Uatu. "I simply obey my oath."

I thought I'd post a quick comment here and just say that this was probably not the ending that people had in mind, least of all Will Short, who was writing this series but has had to step down because of personal commitments. He did a stand up job with the last two issues, and it wasn't easy to conclude the arc in one issue.

The M2K policy is that any series that is unfinished and that the new writer doesn't want to conclude the arc is finished for them so that the new writer can take over the reigns freely. I've done so with Iron Man already and there's a few more issues for me to go at as well. Not been an easy few months, but you do what you got to do and I won't disrespect any writer at the group by removing an arc that they worked hard on, or by not making it easy for new writers to pick up the ball.

But wait, you say, isn't there a loose end or two here anyway? Yes, there is. And next year, all will be revealed. Stick about, the party's only just beginning.

David
EiC of M2K
9/10/2002