EVERYBODY NEEDS A HERO

Part III: And a Friend As Well

By Mark Lake

Muir Island Research Center, off the coast of Scotland. Ex-home of Moira MacTaggert, and the British superhero team called Excalibur. Who owns it now is kind of up in the air.

Earlier today Agent Strickland, apparently acting on the authority of W.H.O. special services and the British Government, confiscated the property and arrested Moira MacTaggert. However, a little later after that Kurt Wagner, a.k.a. Nightcrawler, transported himself and an injured Brian Braddock into the Research Center’s Med Lab. Around the same time he also locked down the whole of the research facility meaning that no one who is in can get out, and no one who is outside can get in.

Confused? You’re not the only one. – two unlucky operatives under Agent Strickland have no idea whats going on either…

“Erh, Greg, just what are we meant to do? I can’t raise Strickland.”

“We hang around doing nothing.”

Just then, a scratching noise came from a above.

“You hear that, Greg?”

“Look, anything could be happening right now! Okay, I have no idea what the hell is going on around here, so scratching noises is the least of our problems.”

“Wrong!” said Pete Wisdom, as he launched through the air vent grating, piercing the weapons the two ops were holding with the hot knives that sprung from his fingers.

The two ops turned and faced him, as Wisdom landed into a crouched position ready to strike.

“You’re one of us!” cried Greg, completly confused as Wisdom smashed him round the back of the head with his own gun knocking him cold.

“Bloody idiots,” grumbled Wisdom, as he then booted the other operative in the gut knocking the wind out of him and against the wall.

The operative gave a satisfying sigh as he too went into the land of the unconscious.

“Come on out Dougie,” said Wisdom calmly, sparking a cigarette.

“You are smoking a lot more nowadays Mister Wisdom,” said Douglock as he dropped from the air vent shaft.

“Oh, I’m so sorry glad to see you became a bloody health advisor when Excalibur split up.”

“Actually I’ve been helping Moira and Rahne with research, what have you been doing?”

“Drinking and smoking.”

“Right.”

“Open this bloody door,” Wisdom said, pointing to the door in front as he nicked the radio from one of the downed operatives.

“Yes, Mister Wisdom.”

“Please call me Pete,” sighed Wisdom taking a long drag of his cigarette

“Yes…”

“So, anyway then after I’d spent all that time fixing the flaming Blackbird, it got shot down by these people who were very similar to us and claimed that they were X-Men,” said Kurt, supping his coffee and looking over the med lab table, “Mein freund, please talk just a little bit?”

Kurt was of course referring to Brian Braddock, who was being cared for by the auto-doc by his bed side. Brian was finally showing stability, and although he could be deemed critical in some eyes, Kurt had complete faith in the auto-doc.

“I am away for a month or two and you go an nearly get yourself killed Brian,” said Kurt, now moving to sit down next to Braddock.

“When I went to the X-Men I thought that was the right decision, and in many ways it was. Kitty and Peter seemed a little happier among their close friends, no offense, it was most definately more relaxing following than leading. Ororo is, after all, a fine leader.”

Kurt now leant forward, intensly involved with his ‘conversation’ with Brian.

“Also, I could be more my old joking self, realizing that I wasn’t the one that everyone turned to anymore,” Kurt shook his head, “It should have been the perfect life, but since I have been gone, Meggan has gone missing, you were nearly killed, and Moira and Rahne are more aggressive than ever.”

Kurt stood once more and looked at Brians diagnostics chart.

“Ach, but you’ll make it I suppose. Am I needed here Brian? Does the world need an Excalibur? Does Excalibur need a Kurt Wagner? For that matter, does Kurt Wagner need an Excalibur?”

As Kurt looked over the diagnostic chart he paused as he reached the report that showed Brians reflexes.

“Yet if there had been an Excalibur, mein freund, would I have to tell you what I have to tell you when you finally wake up.”

Just then a large noise was heard from the other side of the Med Labs entrance.

“Well you are a popular man, and it’s time for me to take care of these extra visitors.”

With that, Kurt was gone with a BAMF and a smell of brimstone.

If there had been any witnesses in that room after Kurt’s departure, they would have seen Brian Braddock’s nose twitch and his mouth bend awkwardly into a smile. Even in his sleep, Brian was happy for a friend to be there with him.

To say that Meggan was scared would be an understatement. Her arms and legs were both strapped down in a chair that had more than a passing similarity to execution chairs.

If that were not bad enough, the room she was in was dimly lit and all she could hear was the noise of electronics going on in the background and pistons hissing. Her arms, legs, and neck had also all started to chafe where they had been rubbing up against her bonds’ bruises, and in some places blood had now taken the place of skin.

She was more scared now that she had been taken away from Tangerine, for a thirteen year old girl she certainly had alot of inner strength about her. She also had the power to make Meggan feel alot brighter and happier, despite her scenario. Meggan pondered whether this was Tangerine’s powers taking affect on her, or something else altogether.

Just then, Meggan heard an electronic door open and the sounds of the pistons get closer, along with that came the sound of metal upon metal.

“Hello Meggan, let me pass on my condolences about your husband.”

“Who are you,” said Meggan, the sound of fear evident in her voice.

“We did have to kill him frankly.”

“Why?” asked Meggan, hoping her captor was playing some sick mind game with her.

“Excalibur must die.”

“There is no Excalibur.”

“A broken sword can be reforged, though of course it is rarely as strong as it once was.”

“Where is my husband?”

“Laying bloody and broken on the floor of your home, well and truly dead.”

“Why aren’t I then?!” screamed Meggan, the pictures of Brian in that state were strong in her head.

“Your handywork on one of our bases has shown Black Air what we could do with you.”

“I’d rather die.”

“That would be a shame, since in a few hours you will be all that is left of Excalibur.”

“You can’t get them.”

“Well true, Peter Rasputin and Kitty Pryde are not in our grasp, though we have everyone else.”

“How do you know their names?”

“We are an intelligence agency, Missis Braddock, we make it a habit of knowing the name under the codenames, such as Kurt Wagner and Rahne Sinclair.”

“I… I won’t tell you anything!”

“We don’t want you to, I’m here to break you girl, and that I will.”

Just then a large metallic object was thrust in Meggan’s direction, stopping mere millimeters from her face. It was a crude claw shaped thing, clearly a robotic arm, the speed of it however had made Meggan scream in shock and now tears fell down her face.

“Oh please, at least let’s have a challenge here,” sighed her interrogator.

As the tears flowed down her face Meggan suddenly experienced bright images flashing through her mind. There in her mind she saw a bright light, and at the center of the image were the figures of her friends, Excalibur. There in the center Kurt stood, his arm outstretched upward wielding his sword. Gathered around him were all the faces she had met since she joined Excalibur. She could see Brian standing proud in his Captain Britain uniform, and next to him all armoured up and smiling was Peter. It was a scene that she certainly did not remember, and yet it seemed to have an extraordinary influence on her.

“Now, I want to hear about Wisdom.”

“Wisdom?”

“Yes, what has he been up to?”

“Why are you so interested?”

The second arm came hurtling at her, only for it to stop just shy of her face. However, this time Meggan didn’t cry. For as this happened the same image of Excalibur flashed in front of her, except this time it seemed to have an even more dramatic effect – she found herself smiling.

“That is perhaps the worst thing you can do young lady.”

“Not when you know who your friends are.”

Meggan could not believe it, she certainly didn’t mean to say what she had just said. Then the picture in her mind changed to that of Tangerine smiling. Meggan knew exactly what was going on now, and knew that she could get through this with the help of a very special young girl.

The poor guards didn’t know what hit them. One minute, they were burning through the closed door that would lead them to the nuisance that had locked down the Muir Island, the next an overpowering smell of brimstone had meant that the ‘nuisance’ was now knocking them unconcious.

This was definately something that Kurt took a liking to. He knew he shouldn’t, but there was something about knocking these people out. Risking his own life for that of a friends. Though he had to argue that right now he was hardly risking his life. There had been five operatives all busy trying to open the door to the Med Lab, and all 5 had been concentrating on their task so hard that when Kurt did finally appear they posed no significant threat to him whatsoever.

“You really do need more training my friends,” laughed the elf. This was the types of fight he enjoyed, the ones where quick witty replies were possible.

In no time at all a very smug Kurt Wagner stood over the unconcious bodies of his assailants, though assailants was a word that could only be used flippantly.

“Ah, the heat of battle does strange things to you doesn’t it,” smirked Kurt.

Kurt was so happy at the exercise he had just had that he didn’t realise a lone gunman aiming quietly at him from around the corner. Beads of sweat ran down the mans head as he aimed at the strange blue demon ahead of him.

He was so focused on the task at hand that he did not feel the thin yellowish cables wrap around the arm he held so still and poised. The man screamed as his arm cracked loudly and the gun fell to the floor. Kurt almost instantly teleported from his position to behind where the scream came. The scene that greeted him was to say the least strange.

In front of him he saw Douglock – his hand shifted into a large collection of wires all holding the arm of a man now writhing in agony. This was of course no surprise, since the part of his arm that Doug was holding was at a right angle to the rest of it.

“I am so sorry sir!” whimpered Douglock.

“I don’t think hes going to forgive you anytime soon,” sighed Wisdom slowly, as he looked on from a few feet away.

“Are you okay, mein freund?” asked Kurt, his hand reaching out to Douglock.

“I’d been practicing, but I didn’t expect it to do that!” Douglock whimpered again.

“He was going to kill the elf, you saved the elf’s life, you did what was necessary. Jesus, you lot are an over-sympathetic bunch!”

“I am so glad that you tagged along Wisdom,” replied Kurt, almost spitting his name.

“It was my bloody idea ya blue-arsed pillock! Do I get the bloody credit for coming up with the idea of bloody assisting you, bollocks do I?”

“Is he going to be okay?” asked Douglock.

“He’ll be fine, thankyou for saving my life mein freund.”

“That’s good, but I have a problem…”

“What’s that?” queried Kurt.

“I can’t move my arm…”

“Flaming typical,” groaned Wisdom, “I hope you have an idea on how to get back out of here, Wagner.”

“I always come prepared,” smiled Kurt.

“I won’t leave you Moira,” cried Rahne loudly, now trying desperately to stand in the crowded van.

“If I am to get ya to safety I haveta be the diversion,” replied Moira coldly.

“There hasta to be another way!”

“And what would that be, girlee?”

“Kurt?”

“How is he gonna teleport to somewhere he doesnae know about.”

“I cannae leave ya.”

“Yae will tho girl, yae will.”

With that Moira moved toward the door of the van and knocked on it.

“Shut up,” came the cry.

“Me friend is ill,” whelped Moira, as at the same time she placed a stern gaze on Wolfsbane.

With great reluctance the young Rahne lay down, feigning unconciousness. This had to be the worst plan she had ever taken part in.

Moira’s logic, however, was sound. They could use Kurt’s break-in as a diversion, thus allowing them to create yet another diversion. With all the chaos that would be caused, one of them should be able to get away. Despite a long and lengthy argument over who had the right to be an escapee, Moira determined that they needed her alive, whereas there was no such reluctance to kill Rahne.

The guard slowly opened the door and looked at Rahne, a cyncial look over his face.

“You must think I’m bloody Irish you mad c-”

The guards insults were cut short as Moira struck him round the back of the head.

“Rude braggart,” whispered Moira through gritted teeth.

Hearing the loud noise of a guard falling to the floor Moira and Rahne were joined by the second guard. He was quickly dispatched as Rahne flew from her laying down position and knocked him to the ground.

“I cannae believe this is working,” said Rahne in wonderment.

“Ah the English my girl, they think the Irish are stupid, well I doubt you’ll find a more arrogant group of people!”

“They cannae all be like Mister Wisdom.”

“You’d be surprised how many are.”

“What d’ye mean?”

“Watch stage two of the plan.”

With that Moira jumped out the back of the van, gun in hand from one of the fallen guards. A few choice shots were fired up into the air.

“Arh, Mad Scottish Woman!” screamed Moira before running away, “Chase me ya poxy English!”

“Bloody Scots!” said one of the guards, watching an apparent mad Scotswoman run from the van firing wildly in the air, “They’re so flaming xenophobic.”

With that he and several others ran after the aparent mad Scottish woman.

“Ye are mad, thats for sure,” sighed Rahne as she charged from the van. Now in her werewolf form, she homed in to the Flit.

Amazingly, Moira’s plan was working far better than expected. Indeed, with half of the operatives surrounding the complex, amazingly confused at exactly what was going on inside and at least a third of the remaining chasing a mad Scottish woman who was running around the complex, Rahne was having no trouble.

That was until a few guards saw her and decided to start using her for target practice.

“I guess ya were right,” whispered Rahne to herself as she went on her way. Of course, at full pelt it was doubtful whether any of them had the aim to hit her. Not many Black Air Operatives trained in shooting wild animals.

As she neared the Flit, Rahne started to think about the next problem how did she get inside when it would require her to stop to open the door. She would definatley be a very stationary target, something that the Black Air Ops were probably very well trained in. Of course, if the door was magically opening in front of her eyes as she approached, which indeed it was, then that was all for the better. A very bemused Rahne charged into the Flit and halted in just beyond the door. The door then closed behind her.

“I am making a bloody habit out of pulling your arses out of the fire!” smirked Wisdom, dragging on a cigarette

“Ho…”

From the cockpit, a very weary Kurt Wagner emerged.

“That would be me…”

“Yae look terrible!”

“Well, thats just what I want to hear… I still have to teleport up some more supplies and Brian,” smirked Kurt, leaning against the entrance way.

“Is he okay.”

“Fine, Rahne, fine, now if you don’t min..” and with that Kurt was gone in a blue puff of smoke.

“Nice to see you Rahne,” smiled Wisdom.

“We have to save Moira and Dougie.”

“Oh, Dougie’s fine.”

“How do you know?”

“I’m the one who got him out of the van,” With that Wisdom giggled, obviously pleased with himself.

“Why didn’t you get me or Moira?”

“I needed the Tin Man to get me into the building, what use is a bloody dog and a mad Scottish Woman?”

Instead of striking out at Wisdom in anger at the last comment Rahne smiled to herself about what Wisdom had just said. Moira was right, as usual.

As Meggan was once more cast into her cell she fell awkwardly. The pain in her wrists and ankles was now nearly unbearable and she struggled to fight back the tears.

It took her a while to once more get associated with the darkness of her cell, since she had just been transported through the bright corridoors.

Originally she had wondered why she was not blindfolded for the journey between interrogation and her cell. It had become obvious however, since it took so long for her eyes to adjust to the vastly different brightness.

“Meggan, are you okay?” asked Tangerine as she caringly bent down to her.

“Fine… thank you…” coughed Meggan.

“That’s no problem, I like helping friends.”

“How about I repay you Tangerine…”

“How are you going to do that?”

“Lets get out of here, hmm?”

With that the two prisoners embraced, and Meggan finally let the tears roll down her face.

As the two guards hauled Moira MacTaggert toward him, Strickland thought about what exactly was going on at that moment. He had thought things were coming back into order. With Moira back in his hands and the guards gradually breaking down the doors inside the complex he honestly thought that Excalibur would be his.

Of course seeing the Flit take off all of a sudden and shoot away from the grounds was a surprise. Though he didn’t know who was on the Flit, the fact that the rest of Excalibur were missing did clue him in.

He turned to face Moira as the Flit left his sight range.

“Ever watched The Empire Strikes Back?”

Moira looked up, slightly bruised and battered. It seemed that the guards had been a little too rough on her.

“Well, all I’m saying is this is all a bit too similar for my liking… of course Wagner hasn’t lost a hand, but there is a familiarity.”

“What are ya saying, ya mad man?”

“Basically? I hope I’m bloody not Darth Vader because I hate Return Of The Jedi.”

“Ye’ve lost it, son…”

“Says you! ‘Mad Scottish woman’ indeed…”

Kurt looked around him. Here in front of him was what passed for Excalibur. Not bad he thought, since they hadn’t been in action for around a month.

Yet this less than well-oiled machine had got out of Black Air’s hands – though they were now two members short, and one of the people on the Flit was still unconscious.

He took in Wisdom very closely, despite how rude and abnoxious he had been when they met it was he who had rescued both Rahne and Dougie. Of course, as he looked at Wisdom he thought deeply about what he was about to say.

“I am very sorry that we had to leave Moira behind,” said Kurt, his face automatically started to look at the floor in dissapointment.

“And although Excalibur is no more, I ask of you three one more adventure, an adventure for old times sake.”

“What?” said Rahne, eyes wide. It was obvious for all around that she had expected Excalibur to reform at that very moment.

“I am sorry Rahne, but Excalibur is dead. However, the friendships that were born out of it are not, and so for friends I am going to rescue Meggan and Moira, I will not leave England until this is done.”

Kurt surveyed the room at this point and was happy to see that a slim smile had formed on Rahnes’ face.

“What I ask of you three is that you join me in rescuing our friends.”

“Yes!” snapped Rahne immediatley.

“For friendship,” smiled Douglock, “I saw something like this on TV once you know.”

All eyes turned to Wisdom.

“Not for friendship,” he muttered, “because I want to stop Black Air.”

“Fair enough mein freund,” smiled Kurt.

The atmosphere in the small room inside the Flit was now lifted, smiles were on the faces of the four people there.

“What now?” asked Rahne.

“Now? Now we go to our new home Rahne, myself and Brian had another base setup and ready if ever Excalibur needed it. And we need it now…”

“And Brian?” said Douglock, concern all over his face.

“He shall live,” said Kurt though his mind slipped to the news he had to tell him.

At that moment, without thinking, Kurt left the room and entered into the cockpit of the Flit.

He gazed from the window as he thought of his friend and his wife, of the woman he had known for years. Despite the smiles, he had just left this group of friends a hard task ahead of them, yet he himself smiled. Through all the self-questioning he had been through in the last few hours, he was now happy and in control of his doubts.

“I’m coming for you Black Air, and may God be merciful on you… because I’m not going to be.”

NEXT ISSUE: The remnants of Excalibur hunt Black Air in an attempt to find Meggan! Brian wakes up and he finds out what terrible news awaits him! All this, and Meggan and Tangerine plan their escape!