THE OTHERWORLD SAGA

Part V: Thunder and Lightning

By David Wheatley

Pete Wisdom would never have admitted it to another soul but he was enjoying himself immensely. It was the first time since he and Kitty had split up that there was even a chance of doing something, not because it needed doing, but for the sheer pleasure of it.

And wearing the suit of a Captain Britain certainly made it that and he could see why his other self had become the Captain for his world, why he had stayed that way.

“Come on, then!” he shouted at the warriors as they came at him. He was flying – flying for God’s sake – and his senses, his strength, his powers, all his moves were all enhanced to a level he could never have described. It was a good job that these things seemed unable to fly because that would have made things a little harder.

As it was, he was picking them off one by one and avoiding them with consummate skill, but in the back of his mind he knew that this was too good to last, and when they regrouped he was in trouble, but until then he was going to enjoy it while he could.

“I’ve taken harder slaps from women in a nightclub on a Friday night,” he said allowing one to get too close and then almost flicking him away. He knew it was easier here because of his proximity to the energy matrix that gave the Captain Britain Corps their powers and he wondered how much powerful he’d be if Ghath was taking almost all of that power for himself.

As he reminded himself of the current usurper to the throne of Otherworld, his thoughts went back to Roma, caring for Captain UK, whose injuries were more mentally inflicted than anything else, thought what Sat-Yr-Nine had done to her went deeper than that.

She had taken her husband, her world, her pride, her body and wounded her soul by the ugliness of her assault, and he swore the witch would pay for what she’d done to Linda.

All he had to do was get to her, and he went on with smacking about the enemy.

“How is he doing this?” demanded Sat-Yr-Nine of Ghath. “You were supposed to take care of his powers.”

“I did,” said Ghath, “but this one has had outside help.”

“Who?” she demanded as she watched Pete Wisdom take out her troops as they came toward him.

“I’m not sure,” said Ghath. “I thought Merlyn was taken care of.”

“So much for your newfound power,” she snarled. “We’ve lost Roma, Meryln and Captain UK.”

“We’ll get them back. This and the defeat on Earth 577 are only temporary setbacks. It’s not like there’s any serious resistance here. He’s just one man. One man can’t make a difference.”

“Really?” said Sat-Yr-Nine. “I hope you’re willing to stake your life on that.”

“I’ll stake everything on it,” said Ghath with a knowing smile. “It was thought that one man would make a difference on our world. He inevitably did not. I defeated him, took his world and slew his followers.”

“And thereby your story hangs you,” murmured Sat-Yr-Nine and decided it was getting close to the time when Ghath outlived his usefulness and she made her exit.

There was something she had noticed that Ghath had not. There was a similarity in his fighting style and that of the man from Earth 616. She had made detailed studies of his moves and such. From the records on the man from Earth 577, he wasn’t as reckless with his powers as this one seemed to be with these things.

The Peter Wisdom on Earth 577 had a good woman to love him and calm him down. This one seemed to be risking himself recklessly, as if to prove himself to a love who no longer did.

She smiled as she walked down to the dungeons, past the cell that held her Otherworld counterpart – Opal Luna Saturnyne doped up and in a state of bewilderment, and down to the cell where she had a special surprise waiting. She had planned on using her for herself, but needs must, she smiled ruthlessly.

She made certain she had a knife blade ready. She and the girl were roughly the same height and size. It was one of the reasons she had noticed the version of her on Earth 616. She would have made an excellent successor, she thought as she opened the door.

“Katherine,” Sat-Yr-Nine said, her voice sickly sweet and the young woman looked up. The knife was behind Sat-Yr-Nine’s back. “You have something I need.” And she closed the door behind her.

“Ready?” asked Professor Richards, as she monitored the devices attached to Widget. She looked at the monitors and made sure that they were on target for where Excalibur wanted to go.

“Yes,” said Brian, fixing on his helmet and mentally stilling himself for what was to come. Meggan and Sue had discussed it at length with him, and the actuality of what they were going to do terrified him.

“Don’t worry,” said Meggan, holding his hand. “We can do this, have faith.”

“I have faith in you,” said Brian. “It’s just I don’t have faith in myself.”

“You will,” she replied as the other members of Excalibur made themselves ready, five against an army. They remembered what had happened when there was seven of them, and how that had turned out, but this time there was a renewed sense of confidence.

They had helped save this world from the clutches of the enemy; they would do so on Otherworld.

“Let’s go,” said Martinique, and Kylun and Khaos nodded, both readying their swords for the coming war.

“Good luck,” said Peter Wisdom, who was not joining them. Without his suit he was not the fighter he used to be. The power had made him lazy, he had got dependant on it and he found it had hampered his natural abilities.

He hadn’t practiced much without the suit on, and so he knew he wasn’t ready for what awaited on Otherworld, as much as he would have liked to have gone.

Widget triggered a portal and opened the gate between Earth 577 and Otherworld. Thanks to the aid of Professor Richards they arrived just outside the ruins of the Starlight Citadel.

“We’re back,” said Brain, holding Meggan’s hand as the nausea returned once again, though this time she was ready. “How are things?” he asked her.

“Something’s wrong,” she said. “Otherworld is still dying but there’s something not right. It’s deeper than that.”

“Question,” said Martinique. “Where is everyone?”

“The sounds of battle are coming from over that direction,” said Kylun as he listened out.

“Towards the old citadel,” said Khaos. “Towards Ghath.”

“Right,” said Brian. “Kylun – you, Khaos and Mastermind head over that way and give whoever’s fighting a hand. Remember the plan, Mastermind creates the illusion of an army, you provide the sounds and Khaos and Ibic run interference with their magic blasts. Martinique, stay out of it. You’ve not got the strength or the skill to take these creatures on by yourself. I don’t want to see you killed.”

“Good luck,” said Kylun and the three of them headed away from Meggan and Brian, knowing the two of them had the hardest job. If they failed in their task, there was no way that the others could win.

Brian had to wrest control of the energy matrix away from Ghath, to strip him of his power so that they had a chance to stop him once and for all.

“Love,” he said, almost unable to bring himself to ask this, for it would be dangerous to them both. “We did this before, we can do it again.”

“I know,” Meggan replied and shifted to her true form, allowing her to see the lights and the focus of the powers and magics on Otherworld. When she had first done this, Roma had shown her how to take the energy of the matrix that had condensed in to Brian and release it throughout the ominverse.

Now they were going to do it in reverse, fighting a mad sorcerer and a powerful shade – with out the help of the omniversal guardian.

“To the lighthouse ruins,” said Brian and away they flew.

Inside the now ruined citadel, Roma watched over her father and Linda McQuillan, neither of whom was in any fit state to take care of themselves. Truth be told neither was Roma.

She sat down and carefully pondered the situation. It wasn’t often that she had to do the planning from the defensive position, but Pete Wisdom had bought her the time and freedom to do just that.

Her powers were no match for Ghath at the moment, as her magics were weakened and those she did have could not be wielded for any great length of time due to her own physical condition. Whilst she had not been abused in the way Linda had been abused, she had been tortured and almost hanged.

It had gone closer to the wire than she had ever dared to imagine, and her sheer helplessness had done nothing to aid her. She glanced outside; peering through the gaps in ruined walls of her citadel, and saw something that gave her greater cause for hope than she had ever dared to dream.

Excalibur, being led by Brian himself. He was giving instructions, making commands and showing himself to be the leader they all knew he could be, but even now she could sense his disquiet, and she watched them move off in different directions.

She glanced down at her father, then at Linda who was still quietly sobbing in the corner, her body shaking with the trauma she had undergone. Roma knew she could not help her father who was battling Ghath on the astral plane, and she could not personally help Linda but she knew of someone who could – but only if Excalibur succeeded.

“Linda,” she said softly, keeping her distance, as Linda was not comfortable around her and perhaps never would be around women again after her rape. Linda didn’t even look up. “Linda,” she said again, but still there was no response. “Okay,” said Roma. “I don’t know if you can hear me, but I have to go. Brian needs my help. You’ll be safe here,” not adding for now at the end, for nowhere was safe on Otherworld. “Brave heart.”

She looked at Linda again, who had made no indication of awareness to her, and then she started out after Brian and Meggan. She didn’t want to leave her or her father because if the enemy came they would both be slaughtered, but if they were all to survive this, she had no choice.

“Okay,” said Pete to himself, “I am now officially knackered.” His energies were spent so he was out of hot knives for now, and he had started o get up close and personal with these things and they were very strong, very powerful and very many.

He had just got time for a breather whilst these idiots realised he didn’t have his hot knives flying about anymore and came on to him at once. He had thought that one of their generals would have noticed it by now, though Ghath and Sat-Yr-Nine were conspicuous by their absence.

Then it came, just as he was thinking about it – the image of Ghath in the air.

“Get him, you fools!” he said. “Can’t you see he’s spent?”

Pete and reached down for his pockets, except this suit didn’t have pockets, and besides he remembered he’d left his cigarette packet in his trench coat on that other Earth. He noted the recorder thingy that his counterpart used to record what was going on. Why not, he thought and switched it on. There was only one thing he wanted to say anyway.

Captain’s Log – Earthdate haven’t a clue

Bugger.

It was apt, to the point and more or less what he was. Plus he didn’t have his cigarettes. Then he heard the sound of them marching towards him. He turned away from the gauntlet recorder wondering why they were marching in such a uniform manner. From the other encounters they just huddled on mass, like a rugby team.

“What the hell?” he said as he looked around to see that the enemy were wondering what the marching was as well. At the moment they were doing nothing, much to fury of Ghath.

“There’s nobody there,” he shouted. “There’s…” He paused as he saw three people coming towards them. “It’s just three of them.” He looked harder through his mystic sphere back in the citadel and realised that they were “Excalibur.”

“Who says the cavalry never show up on time,” said Pete looking back as well. Kylun’s voice was enhanced by the magic of Ibic. Some kind of amplification spell, Pete figured with a smile. Even Feron could do that back at the manor. But why marching he wondered? Then he saw why as a mighty army appeared behind them. “Marti.”

Mastermind’s illusion took the warrior’s personal view of an army direct from their minds using her own psionic abilities and making them real. Complete with tanks.

“That’s stretching credibility a little,” he muttered and then realised that when he thought of an army he thought of tanks as well. “Cheeky bint,” he muttered, but for the effect it was having on the enemy he really didn’t care. Then the army stopped

“It’s an illusion, you cretins,” shouted Ghath. “There’s just the three of them, you weak willed morons. There are no tanks on Otherworld.” Then his image dispersed, as one of Kylun’s mystic blades shot through the air, cutting the mystic image and sending it away screaming in pain.

Pete got a second wind all of a sudden, his adrenaline started flowing and his hope redoubled and he flew up and caught the sword. The mystic swords of Zz’ria were something they didn’t want to lose to this lot. Both swords were a potent tool against the enemy’s abilities, as a regular sword would never have sent Ghath’s image packing like that.

Khaos looked over at the army, knowing that he had once been a general in his own army and he had the authoritative voice and tone to make this convincing. He placed a hand on Mastermind’s shoulder and she nodded.

“On my command!” he shouted. “CHARGE!” He and Kylun ran forward and the army followed suit.

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more,” muttered Martinique, as she focused he concentration so that she would be able to direct the illusionary army as if it were real, reacting as the enemy expected they would in the worst-case scenarios of their minds.

The three of them all knew it wouldn’t last for long, but hopefully it would be long enough for Brian to do what he had to.

“Kylun,” shouted Pete and threw him the sword. Kylun smiled as he caught it whilst he ran, using the other sword to slice through the villains as he did so. There was no time to greet Pete but the smile on his face and on the face of Khaos acknowledged his presence. Pete rubbed his hands together and quickly hit the button to record.

Captain’s Log – Supplemental

Forget the last entry. The boys are back in town.

NEXT ISSUE: The final battle for Otherworld, Excalibur reunited and Brian faces off against his ultimate foe – himself!