Servant12

My name is Apex of Chorzan. I come to you with a request.

I've recently become aware of a place called the Shadow Shard, a dimension filled with wonder and danger. I've been there on a few occasions. The very atmosphere is what you would call breathtaking and reminds me of the plains on Chorzan.

Recently, I met with one Justin Augustine through my friend Servant-XII. We met at Portal Corps over a somewhat paltry luncheon. As we began to discuss various things Justin explained his situation:

I'm a...well...a mystic of sorts. Working with the UN expedition. General Hammond's asked me to investigate some of the stranger things out here, and I think I may have found about the strangest. Floating out in the center of this area may be the key to understanding this whole place, but if I'm gonna figure it out, I'm gonna need help.

Intrigued by all of this, I agreed to gather a competent team that would help out in this endeavor.

((This is the Faathim The Kind TF. It requires 8 team members between levels 45-50, and gives the Protector Of Kindness badge. It is what I dub an Incarnate TF. It will be run at +4 difficulty so being an Incarnate is in your best interest though you do not have to be. Apex of Chorzan will be leading it. It begins at 10:30 a.m. EST on Saturday, December 17th. Slot out about 2.5 hours to run all the way through. Do NOT join if you don't have the time. Post here for a guaranteed spot. You can also meet in Firebase Zulu at the entrance near the General or send an in game email to Apex of Chorzan before Saturday. However, this does not guarantee you a spot. Only posting here will do that. See you then!))

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Hmmm...can't find it in my notes right now for the quotes, but both co-op and cross-faction play have been confirmed. "Cross-Faction" meaning Heroes can play Villain arcs and vice versa without having to team with the opposite faction.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is the March 24th date a solid confirm? I'm putting this on my calendar. If so, what was the source?

Hmm. Well after seeing the responses here it's apparent that even though I'm a veteran of the game that my decision to simply lurk on the boards was well founded.

That being said, I've been looking forward to this for quite some time and I'm liking the way it looks. I just wish there was some way to make SG specific missions. Maybe they'll have that later on down the pike. I remember the Mission COmputer was suppsed to do that and that ended up being pretty much nothing.

All in all, I'm truly looking forward to this still. Kudos.

God bless.

Mykal barely acknowledged Simon's inquiry, already flipping through the pages past what he already knew.

The Fir Bolg, or the etymology which was commonly considered to mean "mean of bags", were rulers of Ireland at the time it was known as Eiru. It was said that they had been enslaved by the Greeks and had finally effected an escape from their bonds, sailing across the sea to their destination. They ruled Ireland for 37 years until the Tuatha De Danaan came and conquered them, exiling them to the outer Aran Islands. Up until that point, the legends had all pretty much concurred the same thing. It's what happened after this the legends diverged dramatically.

Mykal scanned the hall way and spotted a small bench under a window. Hurrying over to it, he sat down and eyed the pages that Percy Winkle had authored.

Two main theories were given.

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Many more Fir Bolgs had tried to escape from their Greek captors but half of them were lost at sea, ending up in what is now known as Salamanca. Embracing their fate, they settled the area and made good of the land.


Overseas, the Tuatha De Dannan had formed a radical group devoted to imperialism. Through the use of divination, they discovered that their enemies found other lands and set out to conquer that area also.


However, unlike the battle in Ireland, this one was not so decisive. It was long, brutal, and bloody, each side resorting to all kinds of heinous acts for victory: child sacrifice, necromancy, and witchcraft.

[/ QUOTE ]

Mykal shook his head.

"Lord have mercy."

The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.

[ QUOTE ]
At the height of the conflict during what was dubbed simply as The Great Battle, an unknown sorcerer from the Tuatha De Dannan cast a spell which he was unable to maintain. The forces went wildly out of control, engulfing everyone on the battlefield and in the land, shifting it out of sync with this reality. The land was once more silent and unoccupied.

[/ QUOTE ]

Mykal looked intently at the pages, resting his chin in his hand.

What almost passed as a grin played on the corner of Mykal's mouth.

"Actually, the reason why we're here is because of the Fir Bolg and Tuatha Dennan. You see, me, Simon, and another associate name Kura had a run in with them in Croatoa recently. It prompted me to do some research and history speaks of the battle between men and women in the Ireland area, not...whatever these things are. There's no record of how they got that way or even how they got here."

Mykal leaned forward.

"Being that you're a top bar historian, I figured you might know more about this than us."

Larkin held up a finger as if a light bulb had went off in his head.

"You know, I happen to know a friend over at Oxford. He'd be a little more versed in this kind of thing. European history specialist."

He got up from his chair and looked past them at the back wall bookcase, walking and searching, inspecting with squinted eyes the titles from the spines of the books.

"Seems like I vaguely remember a reference to that in the updated edition of Paragon City: The Living City. It's an in depth history of Paragon and all it's many changes since the mid 1800s. It's on it's tenth volume now and Percy Winkley, I believe, contributed a chapter that gave an impressive and detailed account on the background of Croatoa."

His eyes scanned the fourth shelf which was eye level and stopped at a one and a half inch thick maroon book with gold lettering.

"Ah! Here we are."

Smiling from ear to ear as if he'd located some lost treasure, he took the book from the shelf and handed it to Mykal.

"Much of it may be things that you've already read. But if my memory serves me correctly, he gives several different... esoteric theories on some of the more obscure details of the area that many in academia would relegate to utter nonsense. But knowing the kind of man you are, I highly doubt that would be the case with you."

Larkin took his seat behind the desk again, a look of satisfaction painted on his face as Mykal stared down at the heavy volume in his hands. Books were his Achille's heel. He loved them. He could sit down with five books in front of him and a laptop and lose himself for a solid eight hours.

"Thank you Professor. I'll make sure to get this back to you as soon as I'm done."

Larkin waved his hand dismissively.

"Not to worry. Take as long as you like."

Mykal cringed inside. He never understood why the Lord had chosen him to lead. He certainly had proven in the past that his attitude was not worthy of leading anyone. He knew Simon was kidding but it stilled bothered him to some degree.

Walking in through the doorway, the two of them were greeted with the smell of books and wood. The professor's office was in a section of the Steel Canyon campus that was still a part of the old wing. There was a certain stale odor that seemed to linger yet at the same time it reminded him of better days and better times. Or maybe just simpler.

Simon and Mykal saw the professor at his old oak desk pouring over volumes of books. An older man in his late sixties, his hair was the gray that was actually a mix of silver and white which was gone form the top of his head and clung desperately to the sides and back. His nose was pudgy and carried a pair of stylish glasses which he seemed to be looking over most of the time.

"Simon. Mykal. What a pleasant surprise. Please, come in, come in," he said waving them over to him.

Both of them settled into the old matching chairs that sat in front of his desk.

"So...what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? You haven't signed up for the PCU Gestapo have you?"

Though a playful smile ran across his face, there was a hint of seriousness hiding in his tone. Larkin had always been an all around likable guy and had gotten along with just about everyone. That was part of the problem. He even got along with people like Mykal and refused to choose sides or break relationships because of it. This had been a bone of contention with the current faculty and if it hadn't been for the fact that he had tenure, he would have been long gone.

Mykal never understood why the man stayed on. He could have retired and written books. A top rate historian, he had the credentials and contacts to live out life in relative peace. Yet, he endured the political wrangling at PCU because he genuinely felt it was where he was best utilized.

"Now you know me better than that professor," Mykal said, firm reassurance in his voice. "I'm a far worse pariah on this campus than you'll ever be."

Larkin nodded with a grin.

"On that point I must acquiesce."

Paragon City University was teaming with students walking from class to class in pursuit of an education that was costing a small fortune. To many, it was a haven from the shackles of their parents. For others it was a step into independence, working towards a life long dream.

Mykal saw the same thing happen year in and year out. A fair amount would waste their time, caught up in the college lifestyle of decadence and debauchery which was somehow defined as fun. They'd barely graduate if at all. More than likely drop out.

When he was that age, he was working on his second PHD, his first one acquired in physics at the age of seventeen. He was, of course, not the normal seventeen year old. Back then he always had something to prove and that was that he was the smartest. He was the best. There were few who could refute the fact that he was one of the foremost minds in the world.

Back then, he looked down on all the kids who attended school with him, especially the ones who didn't take it seriously. They weren't even in his league and he was sure to let them know. His arrogant and pompous attitude was legendary. You either admired him or despised him. Most despised him.

Man....how things changed.

Mykal and Simon walked up to professor Larkin's office which was on the first floor of the Humanities building. It was formerly the red-headed stepchild of PCU as they had positioned themselves as college with a top notch Science department. They had state of the art equipment and an aggressive fundraising department that favored them. It was through the efforts of people like Mykal who gave and the re-emergence of the Midnight Squad that the Humanities had made a phenomenal comeback.

Mykal knocked on the snow glass paned door that sported professor Larkin's name in black letters.

"Come in."

Mykal looked tat the screen in front of him intently, transfixed by the information there.

"One moment Simon. I've got something here."

The next ten minutes were spent scrolling through paragraphs of information concerning the Fir Bolgs and the Tuatha De Danaan.

The struggle between the two tribes originated from Ireland. The Fir Bolgs were there beforehand and the Tuatha De Danaan had demanded half of the land having come in later. When the Fir Bolg refused, a battle ensued which the Tuatha De Danaan won in the end. Eventually, the Fir Bolgs were diplaced to the Aran Islands.

Mykal ran his finger down the screen, simultaneously scrolling with the other hand looking for clues of their journey to the United States but could find nothing. There were no immediate records as to why the came. In addition, there wasn't even a hint as to what has transformed them into the beings they were now.

"Well," he said, pulling back from the screen and sighing. "I at least know some of the background concerning this. But it doesn't answer any of the questions that I have."

Turning from the console, he looked at Simon.

"Let's see if professor Larkin can shed a little more light on the subject."

Mykal snapped out of his fixation.

"I'm sorry Simon. Guess you've been around me long enough to know what my facial expressions mean which is scary."

A small grin played across his face.

"But I agree with your assessment. In order to be successful against an opponent, it's wise to know thy enemy. Which is why I want to do some more research on the Fir Bolg's. Specifically that trip that brought them to the U.S. and the power behind transforming them into what they are now because that's the real threat."

TKK.

One keystroke took him to a screen that flashed with two empty fields on a dark blue background waiting for a username and password to access the Paragon University Library database. Because of the kind of activity that transpired in Paragon City, there was information here that was not in any other university in the world. A financial contributor to the university's religious studies department as well as a honorary professor in theology and physics gave him free remote access to information that cost others money.

The only reason he received such privileged treatment was because of his money. He wasn't stupid. Though his scientific views were respected to a large degree, a good portion of the faculty didn't like him. He was an anomaly with influence. Black. A genius. A scientist. A Christian.

He never fell in step with the majority of the scientific community who were agnostics at best. All of his research in his short thirty eight years on Earth did not disprove God's existence. It validated it. He taught that in His classes and they hated him for it. Some more than others. That didn't bother him much because he wasn't trying to win a popularity contest. He was interested in spreading the Truth.

TKK, TKK...TKK, TKK, TKK...

Typing in his name and password, the screen instantly came alive with the home page and fields to perform a search on specific information.

"I have a feeling that I'll get some preliminary information here at the university."

The monitor in front of him blinked, a photo of a Fir Bolg battling a Tuatha de Denann in the foggy woods of Croatoa. To many they were simply magical creatures but he knew better. Magic was a nice way of saying witchcraft. He never fell for it even with all the extraordinary people and beings in Paragon City. Evil was still evil and Croatoa was full of it. It was the kind of evil many flippantly dismissed.

Just like the Circle of Thorns. They dealt with the same occultic practices which were the highest forms of evil. Satanic, demonic forces. Dark. Unregenerate. Unredeemable.

He never would get used it.

The Fir Bolg's with their jack-o-lantern heads and thin, tree -like bodies he found more disturbing than the Tuatha de Dennan. It was that grin carved into their face. That stupid, sinister grin.

Servant 12 looked intently at the computer screen in front of him.

"Good. Just about to input that information we came across in Croatoa on the Fir Bolgs and Tuatha de Denann,"

Analyzing the graphs and data that had popped up, he went into the control room. It was arrayed with a bank of computer screens and monitors alive with data flashing across them. Huge mainframe servers lined the back walls, blue lights announcing they were in operation.

"I'm curious as to what exactly happened on the trip from Ireland to turn them into the...beings they are. I'm guessing it was some kind of witchcraft but who did it is the mystery."

His left hand reached over to a touch sensitive screen, fingertips touching it lightly registering new information.

"Really has me....curious."

Mykal glanced over to his right. Kuragari Umbra, a young, extremely loyal member of the Paladins who had a knack for the technological as himself. He had a feeling that he just may be one of the Twelve but he wasn't sure yet. The sign hadn't been revealed. Yet....he just had a feeling.

"Kura. Good to see you? How's everything?"

Servant 12 walked slowly through the halls of the Upper Room, the rubber soles of his boots faintly echoing off the steel alloy walls. So much had changed. New allies. A remodeled base. New teammates. Or more aptly, new family.

Through all of that one thing hadn't changed.

The Millennium Paladins were still here.

Years ago when he was called to look for The Twelve, he had no idea what his journey would entail. What roads he would travel. How God would shape his character through them all. It had been an adventure.

He stepped into his favorite room in the base. The workshop. He was in his element here. Free, and in a sense, king.

The Lord had not gifted him with great powers emanating from his body in some fashion. He had gifted him with a mind able to understand things far beyond many people. To create wonderful things like his Creator coupled with the skill, prowess, and discipline to use them. People called him a superhero because of it. He didn't looked at it that way. He was just blessed.

Stopping in front of one of the worktables, he glanced around, taking it all in as if it was his first time. Some many ideas he had that he wanted to try.Not enough time.

However, he had some time now.

Firing up the worktable, he made his rounds, turning on the linear accelerator, diagnostic computers, and a whole bank of other equipment.

He clicked on the the small earpiece to activate his commlink.

"Servant 12 here. Anyone out there on this channel?"

PREVIOUSLY:

With the Upper Room now having a remodeled control room, the Millennium Paladins put it to work immediately. Using it's capability of satellite uplinking and Internet 2 connection, Servant 12 and Kuragari Umbra began to search for any news on the Reuter's and Associated Press wires. They soon came across a small article detailing an earthquake that had been registered in the High Park area of Kings Row.

Going on a hunch, Aegirian Templar agreed to go the area and investigate while while Servant 12 called a friend, Sheila Francis, at the local United States Geological Center.

It soon became apparent that something was going on after a second phone call shortly following the first. Going to investigate personally, Servant 12 went to Talos Island to Ms. Francis' apartment where he discovered her missing along with her laptop and desktop hard drive. Suddenly, he was attacked by two men later identified as Crey agents.

Meanwhile, Aegirian Templar discovered a low level pusle emanating in the High Park area that was increasing at an alarming rate. Taking several readings, he calculated that the pulse would continue to increase to 100% and be a geological disater for Paragon City.

That's when the zombies attacked.


EXCERPT:

[u]Kuragari Umbra[u]: Man, this place is a mess.

Two men in black suits and glasses lay on the living room floor.

[u]Servant-12[u]: Friends look familiar?

[u]Kuragari Umbra[u]: Kind of...where did those two come from?

[u]Servant-12[u]: I'm thinking that closet over there.

[u]Kuragari Umbra[u]: Might wanna check and see if Sheila is in there.

[u]Servant-12[u]: Highly doubt that. But...

[u]Kuragari Umbra[u]: You never know what could be hiding. Look at the Upper Room for example.

Servant-12 kneels down and grabs the wallet from inside on of their inside jacket pocket.

[u]Kuragari Umbra[u]: Who are they? Crey?

[u]Servant-12[u]: Bingo.

[u]Kuragari Umbra[u]: That would be why they look familiar.

[u]Servant-12[u]: Which means calling the police is a waste of time. She'd have them out in half an hour.

[u]Kuragari Umbra[u]: More than likely these guys are just muscle.

[u]Servant-12[u]: Simon...tell me you have something.

[u]Kuragari Umbra[u]: Hm.

[u]Aegirian Templar[u]: The pulses seem to be coming from beneath a twelve-story brownstone.

[u]Servant-12[u]: What?

[u]Aegirian Templar[u]: Right on the edge of High Park.

[u]Kuragari Umbra[u]: It's a good thing it's Crey. I've already got back-door access to all of their files. I have a tendency to keep tabs on them.

[u]Aegirian Templar[u]: We all know that Crey can hide secret labs anywhere in the city.

[u]Servant-12[u]: I don't know...does this seem a little out of their comfort zone? Their normal modus operandi.

[u]Kuragari Umbra[u]: A little.

[u]Aegirian Templar[u]: I didn't know that Crey had a comfort zone.

[u]Kuragari Umbra[u]Good point. When I worked for them I was trying to work on getting wounded men back in action as quick as possible....oh crap!

[u]Aegirian Templar[u]: What is it, Kuragari?

[u]Kuragari Umbra[u]: I may have an explanation for the zombies... I told them it wouldn't work. See what happened was me and my team were working on getting people back in action ASAP. We had a promising test batch, until it reached about 16 hours after the drug was administered. We didn't notice anything on the mice, but we saw what happened when it was used on human beings. We got the soldiers back in action, but they started to become almost... lifeless. They were essentially just empty containers.

The deafening sound of tearing cement and crumbling rock is suddenly heard through the commlink.

[u]Servant-12[u]: Simon?

[u]Kuragari Umbra[u]: Temp? That did not sound good.

[u]Servant-12[u]: Simon...you there?

[u]Aegirian Templar[u]: Zombies!

[u]Kuragari Umbra[u]: We're on our way!

Servant 12 activates the Ouroboros Portal. Incoherent shouts and steel slicing flesh and bone.

[u]Aegirian Templar[u]: BACK! GET OFF ME!
____________________________________________

Looking for an RP SG? Head on over to The Millennium Paladins website and join us today!

Name: The Millennium Paladins

Currently Recruiting: The Millennium Paladins are currently looking for new members. There is a one week probationary period to see if everyone will be happy with the arrangement.

RP Level: We are RP intensive. Our MP Saga is every Wednesday though that has currently been put on hold until we find a good mix of reliable and dedicated people again. But we RP about 80% of the time. Now, you don't HAVE to RP, but you do if you want to reach the higher ranks. Our promotion is based partially on RPing.

Theme/Concept: The Millennium Paladins are modern day examples of honor, courage, commitment, and purity. Chosen by Almighty God Himself, among them are The Twelve, men and women prophesied in the Eleazar Prophecy to have key roles in the Unknown Certainty, a 1000 day milestone event that changes the world forever. They are identified by a star shaped birthmark on their body. So far, only four of them have been found.

Activity: Currently, we have over 20 unique members but we're in slow down mode. Our focus right now is to grab about ten to fifteen solid, active players, active meaning you play at least two or three times a week.

Requirements for Membership: There are no level requirements. You agree to adhere to the MP Code of Conduct at our website. And again, there's a one week probationary period where we gauge things like activity, RP ability, and the like. We're easy in this regard. 30 days of inactivity and you get the boot. No demonic, fallen angel, devils, witches, or anti-hero characters. We're paladins and that just will not mesh with our theme.

Leadership: Servant 12.

In-Game Contact(s): @Servant12 or Servant-12

Out-of-Game Contact(s): On the forum here it's Servant12. (with the period). You can also send me an email at prezman@hotmail.com.

URL: The Millennium Paladin website.

Coalition(s): We currently have no coalitions to speak of since the ones we had never did much of anything so I canned them. But we are looking for some coalitions with other RP SGs. Be interested in hearing from you.

Other Details: Normally we have scheduled events every week which anyone can sign up for. We also have a detailed and impressive award, promotion, and ranking system.

Looking forward to speaking to you.

Wow. What in the world can you complain about with this?

This is way too cool and with the other options that the game has, this is the unsung 'hero' of MMORPGs. Kudos!

Supergroup Name: The Millennium Paladins
Website: The Millennium Paladins
Leader: Servant 12
Recruiting Officers: Servant 12, Vic Furious, Atomoboy, Sincere Agape, Andrealphus, TSCU-013
Preferred Method Of Contact: Roleplay your interest to one of the recruiters OR go to our website and apply for membership.
Guild Description: This can be found on the home page of our website at www.mpaladins.com.

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Great guide.

Just one little note: Quickness does currently increase fly speed and will take fly enhancers. One SO doesn't really increase your flight speed by a noticable amount but my scrapper, Kid Buzzard, currently has a fly enhancer in his (anxiously awaiting his wings, heh.)

[/ QUOTE ]

Uh...no it doesn't. It only takes running enhancers only. I know it because I'm looking at it on my stalker as I type this. :-)

Mykal saw Lion roll out of the way which he was thankful for. It left him with more freedom to deal with the threat.

He glanced quickly at his UGD-1. The former bio-scan had been analyzed thoroughly.

"Now let's just end the party."

Raising his gauntlet in the same fashion as before, her saw he duck as Lion threw a chair leg at her which hit her squarely in the forehead. She thought another lightning bolt was coming which is what Mykal wanted her to think.

A green almost flourescent aura suddenly appeared around Lion's sister. The chair leg had distracted her long enough that she was unaware of the sheath around her. Moving towards Lion, she attempted to kick him but Lion easily avoided her. The gamma radiation aura was taking effect, making her lethargic, her second attack was more wild and wide than the first.

Mykal knew the signs. Tapping buttons on his belt, he leapt five feet upwards towards her, both arms raised high above his head. Her eyes responded instantly but her reflexes were severely hindered from the radiation. She tried to put her arms up but it didn't help. Mykal swung his arms downward, the force knocking her backwards through the same window she entered through. It was mere seconds before she fell the three stories and hit the ground hard, losing consciousness.

Mykal stood and went to the edge of the window, the broken glass crunching under his boots. Lion's sister was lying face down, unmoving. He began tapping keys on his right UGD-1.

"This is Servant 12 at the Chiron Medical Hospital. Security clearance number five, zero, dash, five, zero, a, h. I need instant transport of a felon to the Paragon Penitentiary. Unidentified female. Currently unconscious. GPS coordinates are uploaded."

Almost instantly, Lion's sister's body disappeared from the hospital grounds.

Mykal turned and walked over to Lion.

"The rest of your family this amicable?"

He smiled but saw that Lion was in pain.

"Hold that pose."

Walking out into the hallway, he looked for a doctor or nurse. Rushing towards him were security guards from the right, obviously alarmed by the ruckus. Looked like someone beat him to the punch.

"We need to move this guy to another room. Stat."

The guards stopped in their tracks, hands on their guns. Mykal sighed.

"Let's not make a stupid mistake. Get a doctor. We've got a situation here. If I wanted to hurt you you'd be face down by now."

They paused, still reticent.

"Move!!!"

Both guards rushed away at his exclamatory request. Mykal turned to go back into the room when he saw Kegan, one of the newest and impressive recruits of the Millennium Paladins, coming towards him from the elevators. She had a frantic expression.

"Kegan? What are you doing here? What's wrong?"

Mykal threw himself to the ground and rolled towards the far side of the room away from the showering glass. He was used to being in the middle of danger so his reactions were being ruled more and more by instinct.

Crouching on the ground, he quickly surveyed the room. A dark figure was holding Sam in the air by the throat as he flailed about gasping, pinned against the wall, his feet kicking wildly. He didn't know who or what it was exactly but he had heard them call Sam 'bro', so he was confident this was the sister spoken of moments earlier. Things were looking grim rather quickly and he knew it would be mere moments before Sam was dead.

Reaching at his waist, he tapped a button on his tech belt which was was followed by the rapid succession of his fingers moving over the keys on his left UGD-1. His goggles became dim. Numbers flashed in front of his eyes a quarter of a second. Milliseconds after, his suit AI made an announcement.

"Bio-scan complete. Targeting initiated."

In an instant, everything was a soft white in front of him, her image the only dark one. A red holographic reticle appeared floating around her body. The reticle's appearance startled her slightly and she shot it a sidewards glance which bought Mykal precious time.

"Target locked."

The reticle now blinked in an area that looked to be around her neck. Punching in another sequence of numbers, he pointed his left arm in her direction. The small screen display showed a slope increase of electrical energy. His left arm began shaking and he had to use his right arm to steady it, grabbing himself around the wrist. Sam was beatiing at her arms to get her loosen her grip but it wasn't doing any good.

ZZZTKKK!

A jagged, shock white lance of lightning formed and connected with her neck. Instantly, she dropped Sam, her body convulsing radically in place. Sam laid on the ground and began hacking profusely, holding his neck, small drops of saliva dripping from his mouth.

"You do NOT have the luxury of choking right now....MOVE!"

Kid has heart Lord. He definitely has heart.

Mykal looked at Sam, a soft smile growing on his face.

"Gives a whole new perspective on family feud, doesn't it?"

Sam chuckled and winced.

Mykal's eyes wandered around the room. Being at Chiron, or any hospital for that matter, agitated him. Sickness and injury only reminded him of sin...which reminded him of his own heart.

He knew the truth which many people ignored or fooled themselves into believing what they wanted to believe about themselves. On a daily basis he fought evil men, women, and beings. But that term to describe them, evil, was really a misnomer. Mankind was evil, his heart prone to sin. Everyone, every man, woman, child....everyone was sinful and their hearts deceitful. It included him.

He never forgot that because when fighting the darkness that loomed throughout Paragon City in it's myriad forms, he knew he was fighting a reflection of what he could become because of the heart that was in him. A human one.

"There but for the grace of God..." he said softly under his breath to himself.

"What?" said Sam.

Mykal turned his attention back to Sam.

"We need to see about getting you out of here...now."

Mykal looked at the amorphous black figure that now spread itself on the ground. He didn't like this. Didn't like the feeling of this whatsoever. It was apparent to him that it could not be trusted at all. That's what it was, an it...not a he or she.

He lost himself in thought for a moment, brooding and wary. None of this sounded good and he was sure that more than half of it was misinformation, especially the one about the Millennium Paladins being at the battle of Armageddon. No one one knew the end so he concluded that it was one of three things. One, he was lying. Two, he was lied to. Three, he was misinformed. If the latter was the case, the possibility existed that whatever the Paladins were to be a part of, it was big enough to where it seemed like the end of everything. But, since he could do nothing about that, he turned his mind's eye to the present.

The Circle of Thorns had been after the Paladins before they were even three people strong. It was obvious that they were a threat. Not only that, they were the antithesis of everything the Paladins stood for. For them to be involved didn't surprise him at all and, quite frankly, it filled him with satisfaction knowing that they were afraid. So whatever they were up to needed to be quashed as quickly as possible.

* * * * *

Tax season always had Tannan Industries a flutter with activity. When Celia Summers interviewed for the job three months earlir, she was sure that she wasn't going to get it. It sounded too good of an opportunity and she never seemed to catch a break when it came to good things happening to her. Story of her life.

Nevertheless, she decided to put in an application and resumé while she was at the Galaxy City Job Fair. It couldn't hurt. To her surprise, the phone call came later on that same day asking for an interview. The first interview was three days later, followed by a second and a third with Mykal Tannan himself.

Now, here was a man that simply oozed confidence. So much so that he didn't have to say anything. His presence and how he carried himself spoke volumes. It was hard not to be intimidated with his serious demeanor. While he asked her questions, he more than listened. He was examing her, cataloging her response. But he did it with a soft alertness. When he smiled at you with those natural white teeth and deep dimples, she knew she had the job. And for the first time in a long time, she was right.

So there she was in the outer office of Mykal Tannan's office as his personal secretary. The phones were a much busier than normal so she had to quickly put people on hold, a trait Mr. Tannan didn't like but it couldn't be helped today.

"Tannan Industries please hold."

It was a split second longer than normal, but that pause was all it took to hear what came through on the line.

"Paladins... I need help. Its... my sister... shes alive.

Her finger was poised over the hold button, her face now marred by alarm.

* * * * *

"Well then first things first," Mykal said, resolve filling his voice. "We need to...""

BEEP! BEEP!

Looking down at his left UGD-1 gauntlet, he pressed a key to allow the incoming transmission to come through.

"What do you need Celia?"

"I know you told me not to call this line unless it was an emergency and I'm not sure if it is or not but...I just received a disturbing phone call.

"From who?"

"I don't know. But it's recorded. I sent it to your voice mail."

"O.K. Thanks for the heads up."

Mykal tapped a key to hang up then lifted his gauntlet closer to his face, speaking into the built in microphone.

"Voice mail."

There was a pause before a woman's voice announced, "Message. April tenth. 5:35 p.m. Sent from Celia Summers, extension 8901."

Mykal, Cal, and Scion listened to the message coming through the speaker, the caller choking and wincing through his words.

Mykal's eyebrow's furrowed.

"That sounded like Lion Hart."

Cal looked bemused.

"How in the world can you tell from that?"

Mykal stared at his UGD-1 while tapping in a code sequence.

"I listen well."

Alert sent.

"I just put out a call for all the Paladins. We're going to have to put the Circle of Thorn investigation on hold...our brother needs us."

"Hmm."

Looking down at his tech belt, Mykal tapped a small key. A woman's voice announced, "Equipment diagnostic initiated."

"I find it interesting that you come here and presume that you have a upper hand. The truth of the matter is that if we don't find out what's going on, your existence, and therefore your hopes, is going to be nothing but a thing of the past."

Looking up from his belt, he stared expressionless at Arthur.

"I don't like this. I don't like you. Neither am I going to play God just to get you a human body. I've read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein."

Mykal tapped some keys on his right UGD-1 gauntlet.

"However, if your help turns out to be valuable, I can help in containing your amorphous anatomy in a suit. If I have the right materials, I can synthesize synaptic impulses that would give you an idea of what it would feel like to be human. That's if I can analyze your make up and that's a big if."

BEEP.

"Equipment diagnostic complete. No viruses detected. System integrity at 97.56%.

He frowned upon hearing the announcement, tapping more keys on his left UGD-1.

"That's as far as I'm willing to go."

Mykal's face went stolid.

O.K. Bad guess on my part Lord. Help me communicate what I sense Your spirit is telling me.

"My intent was not to make you angry but there are many missing pieces to the story that you told. Things are not adding up. For example, how were you conceived in a place that is for people who don't conceive anymore because they are dead ostensibly? How is Nimue simply able to keep you out of Avalon and arbitrarily pick a new heir if you are so powerful? And why is there this veiled disdain for men she has? Hasn't she locked Merlin away and betrayed him? How is Avalon better off?"

Mykal's faced soured more.

"Why was the Circle Of Thorns interested in working with Morgan Le Fey? And, even though I've only done a cursory study of Celtic lore, the question that keeps coming up in my head over and over is...where is the primary High Man of Avalon? Where is Nudd?"

Mykal paused.

"Something else is going on here and I think this goes beyond just you Henry though it's started there. This has something to do with The Twelve. I'm just not sure exactly how yet."

Mykal stared off for a few moments, silence weighing down the air. Then, he turned to both of his friends.

"I think we should plan a trip there and find out exactly what's going on in Avalon."