Date: Sun, 25 May 2003 17:55:44 -0700 (PDT) From: Author James <authorjames2002@yahoo.com> Subject: Judgments of a Real Dark Knight 16 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. 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. The Vampire Chronicles and all related characters created by Anne Rice. Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice. Star Wars and all related concepts created by or based on the universe created by George Lucas. Copyright 20th Century Fox, LucasFilms Ltd. and Lucas Books/Ballantine Books. I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in case, I have myself covered. Other stories set in this universe: "Marvel Knights" "Tales of a Young Mutant" (no new postings in a while) "Tales of a Superhero Band" "Tales of the New Phoenix" I have received many emails from people who have enjoyed it and some from those who do not. I would enjoy hearing from you. Any emails you send, please tell me what chapter and story you are commenting on. Thanks. authorjames2002@yahoo.com I also have several online messenger services. If you want to chat with me in real time, email me and tell me the services you use and I will tell you my screen name. If anyone has artistic talent and/or design capabilities, check out the "Real Dark Knight" Contest. Chapter 16 Regrouping Jessica sat at the computer console doing some internet searching on Kane. She was surprised at how many sites had the word "Kane" in them. The sound of a phone ringing caught her attention and she clicked on the small communications icon. Instantly Quentin Travers' image appeared. "Jessica, how good to see you." "Quentin," she said. She still had not forgiven Quentin for keeping the survival of her friend a secret. "We seem to have run into a problem. Kara and Batgirl are hypnotically under the control of Kane. Have you come up with any information yet that would be of help?" "None yet," Jessica answered. "We are doing our best though. We have injured." "Who?" "Eric and Punisher. Eric was hurt badly by Death and Punisher was hurt pretty bad by a group of vampires." "Wasn't there anyone with Punisher? He is a human being with no special powers." "Before you get all huffy on me, Quentin, we were going to a very powerful wizard's house to get help in saving Johnny's life." "Did you say wizard?" "Yeah, I...hold on a second." Jessica jumped up and ran down the corridor to the infirmary where Dr. Strange and Shiro were just exiting. "How is he?" the Slayer asked. "He will survive," Dr. Strange replied. "He needs rest, but he will be okay." "Good, I need to ask you something else. Have you ever heard of a vampire named Kane?" Dr. Strange's eyebrows rose in apparent recognition of the name. I sat in the computer room with the others. I looked over at the screen and found the face of Quentin Travers staring back at me. He barely looked at me. I think it was because of the evil eye Jessica was giving him. Blade had assisted Punisher into the room and Lance sat next to me with Justin on the other side and Jessica beside him. Dr. Strange took center stage as he cleared his throat. "I have had some experiences with the vampire Kane. I understand he is in Orlando, Florida attempting to take over the city. For what purpose, I do not know." "There's been a vampire war declared," Jessica replied. "He is working for someone higher up." "Kane would be a good general to have in this war. He has a very clear picture of how things should be and he has planned for such a time as this to implement his vision. What is going on with him exactly in Orlando?" "To be precise," Quentin began, "he has a Slayer and her Watcher in some catatonic state. There have been several attempts to revive them but none have been successful. At this very moment, he and his minions have them pinned down in the lair." "It's ten o'clock here," Shiro stated. "It should be dawn there." "That could work to their advantage," Blade answered. "Sunrise." "True. But you are also dealing with the fact he is in the heads of your friends," Dr. Strange added. "He is very manipulative when in the mind. Therein lays his power. He knows his mind in and out and he studies the minds of others. That gives him an advantage. He will use whatever one's hopes and fears are to manipulate and control them. "That is also his weakness. In this world, he is very powerful, possibly invulnerable. But in his mind, when faced with a strong mind, he can be defeated much more easily than in the physical realm." "This could work," Jessica said. "Excuse me," I replied finally giving voice to some of my thoughts. "This is all well and good. I'm serious about that. But what about right now? Batgirl and her Watcher need to be rescued. They can't use this information when they are cut off from it." "Very true," Dr. Strange replied. "Mr. Travers, I'm assuming you have connected us with the other team." "Yes, we're here," Nightwing replied via communication. "Listen to me very carefully," Dr. Strange replied. "There is a spell you can do to pull the two out of their unconscious mind. That is where they are at the moment. But you need to have the following ingredients and you must perform the spell precisely or it will not work." Punisher's head fell backwards. Blade's attention immediately went to it. Something was definitely there. "I'll help you," I said getting up and helping Blade take Punisher out to a room where he could rest. The door closed before I could hear the list or spell instructions. "I've noticed how you act around him," I said to Blade as we wheeled Punisher down the hall. He wasn't very forthcoming with information so I decided to help him. He needed to face these emotions he's been attempting to keep hidden. "I can tell you have feelings for him. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't know already." "He doesn't. He's focused on getting his boyfriend back. He doesn't see anything else." "That must hurt you," I stated as we turned the corner and entered the room for Punisher to rest in. "You have feelings for him, feelings that are just under the surface, and he doesn't even see them." "I'm used to rejection." "It doesn't make it any easier," I replied. "Rejection hurts deep. And the more you bury it, the more damage it will cause you. It makes you a liability." Blade turned and looked at me. We moved Punisher over to the bed and I followed him out. He continued down the hall. "You can't run from it," I called to him. "What choice have I got?" Blade said turning around. "He wants Johnny. He has Johnny. And of all the times for these feelings to be manifest, we are on a hunt to try and save his partner from whatever forces control him. If it comes down to us having to kill him, any one of you would suspect me of not trying my best to save him. Anyone would easily believe I allowed him to die because I wanted Michael for myself." Blade's voice rose with emotion. "And you know what scares me? I want him so much that I don't even trust myself. I could easily allow Johnny to die just so I can be with Michael. Now you tell me why I can't run from it? You tell me I shouldn't repress my feelings. You think I don't know I'm a liability? You're wrong. All my life I've done exactly this, without regard to my personal life or sacrifices I've made. And when finally one thing comes in my life that I want more than anything else, I still can't have it. "Do you know what else scares me? The fact that he so easily takes a human life, a life that he finds guilty, and these feelings still developed for him. What does that say about me? I care about someone who isn't afraid to kill. His actions are choices that I don't agree with. It isn't like he follows a different religion. He kills! How in the fuck can I love a killer?" The hallway was quiet for a moment. All you could hear was the sound of our breathing. "How ironic," I said. "The man who keeps himself closed off to any and all forms of emotion and caring cannot close off the one feeling that is more powerful than all. Do you know what that says about you, Daywalker? It says that you are human. And the fact that you are willing to hide those feelings to save the life of a man involved with the person you are in love with says you are self-sacrificing. Those are great qualities to have. But you forgot the one person who can benefit most from being open about those feelings." "Do you mean Punisher? It would only tear him apart at this moment. We are searching for his lover. He would..." "I meant you." Blade became silent at my words. "Excuse me?" "You spend so much of your time keeping others at a distance. For what? Their protection? You spend all your time trying not to care to keep others from harms way that you are hurting the most important person in your life: you. You have feelings, too. You have needs, wants and desires. You are a human being, too. And by denying yourself those feelings, you deny yourself the rewards of the job you do and the relationships you can have with the people you care about." "What am I supposed to do? Go in and tell Michael that I want to be with him? Go in and say, 'I know we are trying to find your boyfriend but I want you, too.' Tell me how that would help!" "I'm not saying you go in and make moves on the guy. For God's sake, he wouldn't be able to handle it in the first place after what he's been through. But you need to come clean with your emotions. You need to tell him you care about him. "Do you know what he is going through? He has never felt so alone in his life! The one person he has allowed himself to love is being controlled by a very dark and powerful force. And he doesn't know if he can trust the people around him. He doesn't know he is loved by one of the closest people to him. He may have some trust, but does he have compassion and understanding? Those come about through love as well. And you telling him what you are feeling, you being honest with your feelings, but also reassuring him that you will do all in your power to save Johnny will help him get through this, too." "You don't know what you're talking about." "Don't I?" I said walking up to him. "I know what it is like to be self-sacrificing. For several months, I was cut off from my lover because the fate of the world rested with me being kept secret. And each day part of me died because all I could think about was what Lance was going through. "I was so far gone that when I showed up here, I easily dismissed his love for me because he found comfort in the arms of another. I let what I was feeling stay inside me for fear it would upset his future. I found out a while later that the guy he was seeing was abusive. All that could have gone away had I told him I was alive and that I loved him. He could have been spared the pain. That guilt is something I will live with for the rest of my life. So don't tell me what I do and don't know about self-sacrificing and what could result from keeping my emotions to myself. "If you tell him what you feel. If he knows he has someone who is willing to be vulnerable in front of him, he will know he has someone he can trust and confide in. He will know he has someone to bond with, especially in this time of strife for him. All you have to do is be honest and open up. You don't have to damage what he has with his partner. You can do it tastefully and respectfully." Blade nodded. I could see by the relaxing of his face that he understood me. He finally opened himself up to understanding. "I'll talk to him," Blade said finally. "Good," I said stepping up to him and placing my hand on his arm. "It will do you both some good." I released my grip and walked passed him heading back to the computer room. I opened the door and watched as Quentin's face disappeared from the screen. "I trust all went well?" I asked Lance as I took his hand in mine. "Yeah. The others got the information they needed." "And I think I have all the information I need," Dr. Strange stated. "The ritual is intense, but I believe it will give us the door we need to free Johnny from the mystical control over him." "Will the spirit be destroyed?" Northstar asked. "I'd hate for it to be free, possess someone else and come after all of us." "The spirit can only possess through the ritual Johnny Blaze did. If it were to be cast out of Johnny through the ritual, it would enter the spirit realm never to inhabit again unless someone was to complete the ritual." "You said 'if'," Cyclops stated. "What is this 'if'?" "The spell we are going to do on Ghost Rider, a.k.a. Johnny Blaze, a.k.a. Death, will break the spell giving the spirit complete control. Based on the information you have given me, I cannot ascertain to which degree the counter spell will affect him. It could free him from the spirit's control and give the man control, or it could cast out the spirit completely. The only way we will know is to do the spell and see what happens." "I always thought magic was very cut and dry," Northstar stated. "This doesn't sound cut and dry." "Magic is never cut and dry," Shiro replied. "There is always room for error. And there are always consequences to it." "What could be the consequences to this spell?" I asked. "Not sure. Often times the consequences go unknown until after the spell is complete. Do not worry, though. I believe we have the best chance of saving Johnny intact. Regardless of the end result, the spirit will have no power over him." "Then let's get started," I said. To Be Continued... What do you think of this chapter? Eric had a lot to say about Blade's feelings toward the Punisher. Do you agree that Blade should disclose his feelings? What about Johnny in all this? And how do you think Punisher would respond? Questions, comments, thoughts?