Date: Sun, 17 Mar 2002 19:36:28 -0800 (PST) From: Author James <authorjames2002@yahoo.com> Subject: Chronicles of a Real Dark Knight 24 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 24 Demon Rising Macai appeared in his old lair. He approached his throne where Excalibur rested in its metal sheath. He picked it up and held it in his hands. "Batman will trouble me no more. He stopped me once with Merlin and that blasted vampire and female warrior. He could have stopped me here, but I made sure that he wouldn't. And I killed a Slayer as well. The Watcher's Council will think twice before sending any more precious vampire slayers after me. "Besides, my time of quiet has appeased them. They no longer believe me to be a threat. I will have my kingdom. All I wanted was Camelot. I was kept from it. In my hibernation, my desire for conquest and power has grown. I must have all of England. The island will be mine." Around the corner there was a flash of light. Macai looked in that direction and smiled. A blue demon wearing purple robes walked around the corner and smiled at Macai. Macai smiled in return. "Greetings, your majesty," the being said as it kneeled before Macai. "Welcome, Puz." "I trust things are in order for your rise to power?" "Soon, Puz. Soon. I have Excalibur," Macai said motioning to the sword, "and the Batman is out of commission." "You were able to kill him, sire?" "Unfortunately no. He seems to have gained a power in which it is difficult to kill him." "That doesn't sound like the one we knew so long ago." "His garb was different, Puz, and he did not seem to recognize me." "Perhaps he is not the same that fought you years ago. Could it be that he is a different being?" "You may be right, Puz. He may be a protégé to the one I encountered years ago. It would explain the similar fighting styles." Macai was thoughtful for a moment. "We must rebuild my army, Puz. Come. We have much work to do." Macai stood, grabbed Excalibur and left the chamber, followed by Puz. Justin awoke to find Jessica looking out the window at Lance's house. He wiped the sleep from his eyes. "Good morning," Jessica greeted, not even appearing tired. "Good morning to you." Justin let out a yawn. "What time is it?" "Seven thirty." "Did you sleep at all?" Jessica turned and looked at him. "No. I wanted to be awake if Lance woke up." Justin thinks back on when Lance and Jessica were together. She was with him as much as possible. The two would always talk on the phone for hours when the group was on tour. He knew that Jessica loved him deeply. What was going on with Lance was obviously affecting her as well. "Would you like a ride back to your hotel?" Justin offered. Jessica nodded. "That would be appreciated." Justin started up the car and drove off. In a few hours, Jessica returned to her Watcher's mansion. She found Garrett sitting at a table with open books and scattered papers. "What's going on?" she asked. "Our friend of fear still out there?" "Yes. There was another incident last night. The victim was a young woman, college student, and, like the other victims, we have not been able to ascertain why she was targeted." "Where were these people when they showed symptoms of fear?" "Here are copies of the police reports. Let's see." Garrett looked through them. "One was at a corner store near the college campus. Another was a few blocks away at the coffee shop." "And the others?" Garrett looked at the other ones and found the correlation. "They are all close to the college campus." "That's the connection they all have. They were near the campus and the girl is a college student. What's her name?" "Hailey. She's a friend of Brian's." "That was one of Eric's classmates when he went here. Looks like Huntress is going to investigate the area tonight." "Shall I have Brian meet you anywhere?" "No. Right now I need stealth. Brian's good, don't get me wrong. But his suit is not of the stealthy variety." "All right. I'll have him stand-by here in case you need help." "Make up a small map for me of the locations of the attacks. I'll patrol in that area and pay special attention to those spots. They may even be hotspots for the perpetrator." Garrett nodded to her. "Do you know where the X-MEN are?" "I haven't heard from any of them, if that's what you mean. Why do you ask?" "I need to tell Joshua. As far as I know, the mutants may not have been told." "It will be rather difficult to find them. The Friends of Humanity are making sure of that." "The Friends of Humanity?" "A radical anti-mutant group that sprung up when you left for England. They are becoming quite famous in many parts of the country. "Last I heard, the X-MEN have been in hiding." "I guess I'll have to figure out where they are, as well." Jessica stood and walked up to her room to get some rest for her work tonight. I lay quietly in the bed looking out the window, the sun moving toward the horizon. Life had a way of giving moments of peace and clarity, innocence and the miraculous. I was having one of those moments. Christian seemed to be a Godsend. I felt a familiarity with him from the start. And considering I had no idea who I was or what my life was like before him, a trust grew. And I felt these stirrings deep within. I thought he was attractive as well as kind, caring and sensitive. I liked him a lot. Deep within the body of Eric McCoy, abnormal cells were moving throughout making repairs, moving as if they had a mind of their own. Many were focused on his organs and his skin. A few months ago, all were concentrated on keeping his basic organs working, keeping him alive. After basic repairs were made so his organs could function on their own, they moved through his body, building his muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones. Now that he was awake and moving around a few split off to take care of the last organ that was damaged. His mind. Christian walked in and I turned to face him. "Hello, Christian." He was carrying a bowl of popcorn, a bottle and two long-stemmed glasses and a box. "Hi, Eric." "What movie did you pick out?" "It's called Titanic. Does that name ring a bell?" I thought hard and then answered, "No." "It's about a luxury liner that everyone believed was unsinkable. Some said that God couldn't sink the ship." "Let me guess. It sunk." "See, you are remembering," Christian replied with a smile. I felt God. I remembered the voice, the being that visited me. And I knew that it was God. The being itself wasn't God but came from God to deliver a message and to bring comfort and strength. Anyone who would mock God would be bound to find out just how real the Almighty is. Christian walked over to the TV and placed the video in the VCR. He walked over to the bed, helped me sit up and placed the bottle in a bucket of ice. He sat the popcorn between and I sat amazed as the movie opened. The Huntress roared down the street on her motorcycle heading toward the University. She had a mission to perform. Her prey was a man or woman who enjoyed causing fear. This person was picking people for a reason. She knew it. They may have appeared random to an outsider. But they were all in close proximity to each other when the attacks took place. There had to be some connection. And she was going to find it. As the Huntress's motorcycle pulled into an alley, she cut the lights. Hiding it in the shadows, the Huntress turned and walked toward the opening. She pulled out her map and clicked on her mini-flashlight. The corner store was open all night and it was near her location. The attack happened close to 2:00 am. She decided to check that place first. Sticking close to the shadows, the Huntress moved down the darkened street until she came to the store. She moved as close as she could and peeked inside. The store looked rather quiet. The cashier was standing at the counter looking at a magazine. Other than him, no one else was inside. "All clear here. Time for the coffee shop." The Huntress moved on to the coffee shop. She moved around checking all the places hit before by the fear-inducing perpetrator. All was quiet so she moved around to examine the areas laying in between, mainly the campus. After a while, the Huntress found a large tree that was full. She climbed into it up several branches where she could see the campus. She knew of Hailey, Eric's friend, who fell victim to this master of fear. Alan and George were not affected yet. But they may be attacked next. She kept that in mind. All was quiet for twenty minutes. Then silently a shadow moved from the bushes. The leaves rustled and then a young man came running out. Huntress recognized him as George, a friend of Hailey's. Was he being attacked? Soon a figure in brown followed. George ran toward the tree she was in. He went underneath. As the figure in brown came underneath, Huntress dropped down on him. "Hold it right there," she said. "You're through." "May I go, then?" a male's voice said. It sounded eerie. The figure stood up and to the Huntress's surprise, it was a scarecrow, or, at least, a man in a scarecrow suit. "Who are you?" she asked. "I am the master of fear. You may call me Scarecrow." "Whatever your game is, it's over. You've put too many people in the hospital who've succumbed to overwhelming fear." "You're not taking me without a fight." "I was hoping you would say that." The Huntress moved into a defensive stance. The Scarecrow prepared to fight, as well. He swung a leg up and nearly connected with the Huntress's head. She ducked and pushed the Scarecrow while he was off balance. He fell forward, away from the Huntress. At the last moment, he took control of his fall and rolled up to his feet. He turned and grinned at the Slayer. "Nice try." The Scarecrow pulled out a small test tube and threw it at the Huntress's feet. It shattered and a green gas bellowed. The Huntress coughed as she breathed in the gas. When the gas dissipated, the Scarecrow was gone. "Whatever that was, it had no effect on me." She took a deep breath. "At least I know who I'm dealing with. It's not a demon or a wizard. It's a chemist in a costume." The Huntress turned and looked for George, who was nowhere to be found. She returned to her motorcycle, started it up, and headed back to Garrett's mansion. I watched in despair as the elderly woman finished her story of her love affair aboard the fated ship. Then the scene switched to her lying in bed with pictures of all the adventures she went on in life. Then she died. The clip went to the ship as it was now with coral and seaweed growing around it. A light flickered and it went back to when the ship was vibrant and in use. Jack, her lover, stood by the clock and she went to him looking as she did when she was young. She had died and was reunited with her true love. Then the song came on. Every night in my dreams I see you I feel you That is how I know you Go on Far across the distance And spaces between us You have come to show you go on Near Far Where ever you are I believe that the heart does go on Once more You've opened the door And you're here in my heart and My heart will go on and on Love can touch us one time And last for a lifetime And never let go till We're gone Love was when I loved you One true time I hold to In my life we'll always Go on Near Far Where ever you are I believe that the heart does go on Once more You've opened the door And you're here in my heart and My heart will go on and on You're here There's nothing I fear And I know that my heart will go on We'll stay Forever this way You are safe in my heart and My heart will go on and on Christian placed his hand on my face and wiped the tear away. Then ever so gently he leaned in and kissed me. Lance sat in his bedroom listening to the end of Titanic and the song that played. "You're in my heart, Eric. And my heart will go on." Lance lay his head down and cried himself to sleep. To Be Continued... I don't want people to be offended by my mentioning of God and the main character's devotion and beliefs in God. There are many religions in this world and each has their own God. If there are some who do not believe in God, think of this as science fiction. I think anyone who would put down another because of his or her beliefs needs to rethink that position and have more compassion and tolerance. Not everyone is identical in his or her thoughts, beliefs and morals. With a smile on my face I type this: That's how God made us. Questions and comments can be sent to the above address. I enjoy hearing the opinions of my readers. Thanks.