Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2001 12:05:02 -0800 (PST)
From: Author James <authorjames2002@yahoo.com>
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.
	<Eric, Kurt is almost done.  He is going to get me and then Peter.
I will tell you when it is all clear. >
	<Okay, > 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.
	<Kurt is taking me, Eric.  Peter is after me and he's the last one.
Besides you, that is, > 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.
	<We're all out, Eric!> 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.