Crisis at PRIMUS

Tires squealing, Proteus ran through another red light to the accompaniment of honking horns and the screech of other car's brakes. "Only two more lights," he thought to himself, as the sirens ahead of him merged with the ones still echoing in his mind, the ones that had cut short his conversation with Terry only minutes before. Ahead of him, he could see smoke rising from the portion of the Presidio where PRIMUS had its San Francisco headquarters, and he jammed the accelerator down further.

The radio was still crackling with traffic, but the nature of the messages had changed from the curt, abbreviated voices of men and women in combat during his drive, and now was more concerned with combatting the devastating fire that raged through the area. From the earlier messages, it'd been easy to figure out what the alert sirens that'd taken Terry away from the phone had been for - The captured Dragon Queen had somehow managed to summon aid -- apparently in the form of Dragon Fist in his Dragon form. Together the two dragons had coordinated attacks on the base, with the aid of VIPER air support. While PRIMUS had managed to bring down several Quetzalcoatls and air cavalry agents, the two dragons had escaped out to sea. The Navy had been contacted, and while all air patrols in the area had been diverted to the escape path, no trace of the dragons had been discovered; they had apparently vanished from all radar.

Slamming on his own brakes, DJ swerved to avoid an ambulance leaving the base, and killed the motor, leaving his Jeep parked on the shoulder outside the base entrance, the swarm of emergency vehicles at the entrance making it impossible to get closer. Abandoning the Jeep, he hurdled the fence with a surge of strength and began to run through the trees, heart pounding in anxiety as he neared the portion of the base assigned to the PRIMUS facility. "Please," he thought, simply running through several small bushes without pausing, trampling them with his increased density, "Please let Terry be all right."

Dodging around several emergency vehicles, DJ pulled up to a halt at the edge of the crowd of technicians and civilians, arriving just Cassie arrived with a plain-clothed Dragon Fist and two others. One was the paranormal heroine who operated in New York City, Selena, a known healer, and the other was completely unknown to him. Dark plumes of smoke drifted angrily up from between the eucalyptus trees. As the paranormals approached, several fires become obvious through the sea of red and blue lights, from where they are consuming the PRIMUS base and older Army buildings alike. An explosion throws the group back momentarily before they land. "There went the science labs!" a white-coated man shouts. "My samples!" another mourns.

Of the paranormals who had assembled at Cassie's house to help her move, the Comet is the first to arrive at PRIMUS, though he is swiftly followed by Selena bearing Cassie and Kharis bearing Dragon Fist. When Selena touches down on the ground with Cassie, a shocked Proteus sees that Cassie is a radically changed person. She is dressed in jeans, tennis shoes and a UC Berkeley shirt. It provides a strange contrast to the blue skin and white hair that she now boasts. It looks like someone has cosmically repainted her, if that is even possible.

Proteus runs up short his hand raised halfway in a stunned greeting. "Odyssey?" He stares incredulously for a moment, then shakes his head. "Let's get to brass tacks. What's the first order of business?" He stands in front of Cassie, a powerfully built, gray-skinned, gray-eyed man, wearing a black costume with a white atomic symbol on the front, each atom a bright red color. His chiseled, stone-like features sweep the chaos, drinking in the scene, searching for the familiar sight of Terry's face.

Surveying the scene quickly, Cassie says, "We help these people," then rushes toward the central area of destruction.

Landing next to Cassie and Selena, the unknown man bearing Dragon Fist sets him down and turns to face the fire. He is wearing a suit of green and gold armor in an obviously Egyptian design that reflects the ocean of flashing vehicle lights and the dull orange firelight as if it were metal, but stretches as though it were flexible cloth as he moves forward to stand behind the two heroines. In the reflected light off of his armor, the strong planes of his face cast odd shadows under the cowl he wears over it, making him seem far older than he appears.

Dragon Fist.. no... Matthew is still wearing his jeans and sweatshirt. There had been no time to change into his costume, and he really didn't know if there would be any point in doing it if he had time. A ring, the gift of Yung Kong, gleams brightly from his right hand.

Several hundred people are milling about as firefighters move towards the buildings. With horror, Cassie notices several children -- part of a tour group, given the number of school buses now threatened by the fire -- directly in the path of a massive, falling redwood beam that held up the roof in the main lobby. Before she can even shout a warning, however, Agent Kestler launches herself into the path of the beam, and throws the children out of harm's way -- just before the ten-foot-wide beam crashes down on her, burying her under tons of burning rubble.

"No!" shouts Maria Chow from somewhere the crowd, leaping forward, towards the ruined building. The heat from the intense fire pushes her back, though she charges forward again, with the aid of several Iron Guardsmen, in an effort to pull the beam from Kestler.

Proteus becomes a blur as he launches himself forward towards the ruins. Amazed onlookers see the pieces of rubble fly past, no . . . wait. . . through his body as he sprints to the spot where she was standing.

"Oh my god, Terry!" Cassie screams, seeing the beam come down. A white-hot anger grips her. We should have let that stupid dragon stay cursed for another 1,000 years, she thinks. "Damn dragon, damn VIPER!"

Rushing closer to the scene, Cassie's mind is a jumble of conflicting emotions. I've got to help Terry, she thinks. Searching for something to do, Cassie concentrates. If I've got the powers of a water goddess, I'd better be able to call up water or something that will stop these flames and let Maria and those agents get to Terry.

Pointing her hands at the burning wreckage, she thinks of something cool and soothing wiping away the flames. Please, please let this work she prays earnestly, tears streaking down her face. For Terry's sake let these flames be quenched.

Meanwhile, Comet flies just above the flames, trying to absorb as much of them as he can., while keeping an eye out for the children below him. The flames and heat vanish into his form as if drawn into a vacuum within him, the fierce warmth that they spread throughout his body unable to thaw the icy chill that grips his heart. The acrid smoke tears at his eyes, almost blinding him, but he keeps on reaching out for more flames, more heat to absorb, desperately praying that his efforts were going to be enough to help, and silently fearing that it was to late already.

As she attempts to put out the fire, Cassie hopes that despite the fact the a ton of burning debris has come down on Terry Kestler, somehow she has survived. "You've got to be OK Terry," Cassie whispers forlornly to herself.

Raising a golden-gloved hand to shield his exposed face from the flames, Kharis watches Cassie intently as she tries to summon her powers, then turns his gaze across the collapsed building in front of them as if searching for signs of life. An expression of profound sadness crosses his face for just an instant as his eyes rest upon the spot where Terry vanished, then is replaced by the immobile features that had been there an instant before.

Blinking away some of the acrid smoke from his eyes, Comet sees Odyssey out of the corner of his eye, waving her hands about as if casting some sort of spell. "What's she doing," he thinks, mind racing back to their discussion earlier in the day. "She can't teleport any more, and she'd have to be next to another person to heal them if she could still do that... But she can - Summon water! Oh, hell! " 

Just as Odyssey completes her summoning, Comet frantically dives for cover, trying to get out of the area her powers will cover, twisting as the skies seem to open up above and around him, forming a deluge. The edge of the downpour still catches him, and he winces in pain, as he lands behind her, wrapping his cape around himself; remembering that Steph had insisted that it seemed to be nearly as water-proof as it is fire-proof.

The effects of Cassie's attempt to stop the fire can be felt almost immediately. The air around the paranormals and PRIMUS officials grows heavy with moisture. It feels as if the humidity has jumped from 50 to 100 percent in a matter of seconds and then the skies above the base just open up.

At first the downpour is like rain, but the water is only falling over the base and it's not coming down like rain - It's more like air itself has been transformed into a water. As it cascades down, it smothers the fire and everything else in cold, wet water that smells faintly of the ocean.

While the water succeeds in extinguishing most of the fire, there are still hot spots where structural timbers smolder. The interaction of the cold water and the fire has also raised a cloud of steam, effectively turning the area into a sauna.

Cassie drops her hands back down and the water ceases to fall. Everyone is soaked. Where before Maria and the PRIMUS Iron Guardsmen fought against the incredible heat of the fire, now, they struggle against slipping as they cross water-drenched debris and mud.

Matthew gaped at the disaster, lost in utter shock. He was unable to reconcile the fact that the Dragon -- HIS Dragon -- had caused all this destruction. Things struck him faster than he was able to cope with – the separation, Terry's fall, the heat of the flames -- fire had never bothered him before. His mind plainly refused to absorb it all.

Nevertheless, one thing imposed itself in his thoughts: there was nothing he could do. Even with the fire gone, he still can't lift tons of rubble. This is a job for superheroes... and he isn't one anymore, not without the dragon.

Then, the young man spots the children whom Agent Kestler had saved. Frightened and shaken, they are still dangerously close to the wreckage. He quickly trots over and begins herding them towards safety.

"Come on... " a quick check of name tags "..Amy. Come on, John. We're all going over to the police cars now." The children's eyes are wide, and Amy is crying as she clutches Matthew's arm.

Kharis steps forward, his raised hand lowering as the winds from the Bay sweep the clouds of steam away from the rubble in front of them. Stopping next to Cassie, he speaks without taking his eyes from the sight before them. "Excellent Cassandra." Continuing without moving his eyes from the rubble, he asks, "Can you assist them with the rubble, friend Comet?"

"Just give me a second to dry off," he answers the Egyptian, concentrating for a moment. His body heats up quickly, and steam rises from his wet costume. Within seconds he is dry, and turns his attention to the rubble -in vain, for before the Comet has a chance to move, the Silver Avenger and a score of Iron Guardsmen have begun tearing the rubble from where they know the young agent lies, finally reaching the redwood beam, and pulling it from her.

Proteus stands in the middle of the mud, suddenly solid, pulling at the rubble, tosses huge beams around like match sticks as he helps the PRIMUS agents. He furiously pulls at the destruction around him, outwardly silent, without hesitation, without any emotion - just pure energy. Inwardly, his mind begins to repeat, "Omigod, Omigod, Omigod, Omigod, Omigod, Omigod . . ."

Selena moves forward, instinctively, towards the muck. "Here she is," one of the guardsman cries. From their vantage, the Guardians can only see a dirty and torn piece of her uniform, though they note several of the closer bystanders avert their eyes.

"Let me try," Selena says, pushing through the throng of PRIMUS agents. "Let me see if I can help." The fierce look the Silver Avenger turns on the paranormal is one of animal wrath, but she nods once. Silver light glows intensely for several seconds, stops, then grows in intensity. Somehow, Cassie knows before Selena turns to the Silver Avenger that it's too late, manages to feel the hopelessness Selena feels when she fails, remembers how it felt when she could still heal. "I'm sorry," the young woman says quietly, looking up at the Silver Avenger. "I believe that she died instantly...there is nothing anyone could have done," she emphasizes.

"Oh God not Terry," Cassie says, tears cascading down her face as she remembers the friendly young agent.

Proteus stands still as a post, his mind shrieking in disbelief. His eyes close, his fists clench, and the popping of his knuckles sound out like gunshots in the sudden silence.

For a second, there is no sound other than distant sirens and the buzz of the media helicopters overhead. Then Maria Chow howls. "No!" she cries, as paramedics run forward.

Cassie heart cracks at the sound of the anguish in Maria's voice. She stumbles forward through her haze of tears trying to think of something to say, but finding no words to express her grief or to solace Maria's. All she can do is look dumbly down on Maria, Selena and the body of Kestler, tears falling.

Having seen the children to safety, Matthew turns at Maria's forlorn cry and sprints across the scorched grass to where the heroes gather. His eyes fill with pain when he sees Terry's still form and the anguish that everyone wears openly. He drops to one knee next to Maria. He doesn't say anything, but a comforting hand rests on her arm.

Kharis follows Cassie to the small gathering in the rubble, standing slightly to one side. He stands silent for a moment, eyes on the still form lying before him, his face expressionless. Then he raises his right hand and makes an odd gesture towards Terry's still form. "May your Passage beyond the Veil be swift and true," he says quietly, in a solemn voice.

Anger and grief overwhelm Comet, banishing rational thought. He stares at Selena, stunned. "Dead?" he whispers softly. "She can't be dead. How could they..." He breaks off, his entire body going cold. He turns toward the sea, trying to spot the two flying figures, now far out to sea. "You'll pay for this!!" he screams at them uselessly, hurling the words like weapons across the waves. He wants to go after them now, bring them back to face justice...

Proteus turns and grabs Cassie gently, but firmly. "No. I refuse to believe this is the end. I refuse! You can heal. I've seen the TV footage. You've brought people back from worse. Knightblade was missing his chest. You can do this! I believe in you, Odyssey. You must do this. There is no way this can happen!" Cassie's heart breaks as she hears the emotion in Proteus' voice. Something inside the large man is very near breaking. "Please tell me you can do something, Odyssey . . . Cassie, please!"

"I would if I could!" Cassie yells, tears running down her face. "I would've done anything to save her. But I don't have the power to heal anymore Proteus. It's gone! Selena tried to save her. But she couldn't. Terry's gone," Cassie says her voice coming out in a choked whisper now. "She's gone."

Rather than his shoulders slumping in defeat, an odd gleam sparks in Proteus' eyes, a frightening gleam. He walks slowly to where Terry lies in the Silver Avenger's arms. He gently reaches down and kisses her hand in a gesture of tenderness that leaves no doubt as to the cause of his reaction's strength. His farewell done, he holds the Avengers shoulders for a moment, then turns to Cassie. In a voice that cuts through the screams and sirens with a terrible, quiet intensity, he says simple, "Dragon Fist is a dead man."

The young man in question looks up at Proteus, then shakes his head. "You're right," he says simply, "But he didn't do this. The one you want is his Dragon, Yung Kong." Matthew slips the ring - Yung Kong's ring- from his finger as he speaks, and holds the thing loosely in his hand.

From one side, the previously silent Kharis speaks up, his voice carrying through the din around them as Proteus' had a moment before, but without the emotional charge that had driven the hero's, "Before an error is committed here, I must tell you that the young man speaks the truth. I myself separated them only minutes before this woman," he indicates the grieving Maria, "called to tell him of Shuk Wah's capture. Our warning of Yung Kong's intentions to free his mate were cut off by the attack here."

Comet glares furiously at Kharis, his hands clenched tightly at his side. "Why did you do this?" he shouts. "Why didn't you just leave them as they were for a while longer?" He points at the rubble and the grieving Silver Avenger. "This didn't have to happen! How could you let that monster free?"

His head drops, as does his voice. "Why couldn't we stop it?" he says, almost in a whisper.

Kharis remains silent during the hero's outburst, simply standing there until the Comet falls silent. "Despite what these people hold to be true," he says with the quiet sincerity of belief, indicating the crowd swelling behind the barricades only now being erected by responding police and PRIMUS agents with a small gesture of his hand, "we are not gods. Even were we such, we could not anticipate every possible reaction that our actions might create, for we are not omniscient; and could not remove all possibility of failure from our actions, for even gods may fail. Every time you don the Mantle of Guardianship there comes with it the risk of failure - the chance that despite all your efforts, no matter how hard you try, someone will perish because you could not save them. If you have not thought on this before, you must now. Do not seek answers to questions that have none - instead, seek solutions to those that do."

Comet shakes his head. "Excuses. Those dragons did this, and you... we... set this in motion. Fate is an excuse for failure; it always has been, and I don't need to be a god to know that this didn't have to happen." He turns away from Kharis, joining Odyssey and the others.

"All of you Guardians, paranormals, whatever," Silver Avenger Maria Chow says flatly, without looking up, "Go wait somewhere else. Agent Frohicke will take your statements shortly."

Matthew gives her arm a quick squeeze and stands to meet the gaze of Proteus. Absently shaking the ring in his right hand he begins to move away in the direction that Maria pointed. But he moves slowly, waiting to see what Proteus will do.

Cassie shakes her head listening to the accusations fly and Kharis' attempt to defend Dragon Fist. "How can they be arguing at a time like this," she thinks. "Terry's just died and Maria is holding on through sheer willpower. Don't they realize they're just hurting everyone more?"

Looking up, Cassie steels herself to deal with all of this. "Maria, I'm so very sorry for what has happened here. If there's anything, I can do..." She trails off. Well there's one thing I can do right now, she thinks. "Gentlemen I suggest we do as the Silver Avenger requested and move out of the way. You're doing no one any good standing here arguing."

With that, she turns and walks out of the middle of ground zero. "I may have lost my healing abilities, but I can still help move people to a safe area," she mutters to herself. "Maybe put out any other fires. At least then I'll feel like I'm doing something to help all these people who were injured by the dragons."

Kharis reaches out and touches Selena on the arm gently, indicating the grief-stricken Cassie, now purposefully moving away from the scene. "I believe that the lady is correct - should we not find some way to assist the others who may be injured here? There are those here that we may yet snatch from the Barge of Night before it sets sail."

Selena begins to move away, a small prayer to Miret on her lips. She flies gracefully towards several more injured, and the silver light begins to glow from hands. Kharis notices another who watches the young Chosen intently -- a man in the red, white, and blue of a Sentinels' uniform.

Kharis moves to assist where he can; erecting walls of stone from nothingness to stabilize rubble and make access easier for the rescue workers, and transmuting needed medical supplies and blankets out of shattered stone and splintered wood for the emergency services personnel. He says little beyond inquiring where and how he can be of assistance, but always tries to keep the others in sight from wherever he is - particularly Selena and her flag-wrapped shadow.

Cassie tries to help people get away from the rubble, pitching in to move some of the wounded on stretchers to where Selena is at work healing people. As she goes along she puts out some of the still smoldering fires when she encounters them.

Proteus looks at Matthew, his eyes piercing the young man, but the questions Proteus asks with his gaze are nothing compared to the ones Matthew is now asking himself. Walking over to him, he gently guides him by the elbow away from the crowd.

Once alone, he turns and looks at Matthew. "Please, tell me what you know. I have to find that Dragon. You look familiar, sound familiar but. . ." His eyes harden as he realizes. "Explain yourself, son. Before this gets any bloodier than it needs to be."

Matthew stares at Proteus with dull eyes. "My name is Matthew," he tells Proteus in a voice devoid of emotion save perhaps a hint of.. weariness. "The Dragon, Yung Kong has been bound to my family - bound inside us – for centuries. While I contained him, I was called Dragon Fist. Yung Kong is now free, as he wished to be, and I am Dragon Fist no longer."

"When we realized that PRIMUS had Yung Kong's mate, we tired to warn them and chase..." He looks back at the wreckage and falls silent. Matthew considers giving Proteus the ring, then changes his mind. "The way he's been acting, Proteus would likely try to kill the Dragon. Yung Kong must be brought to justice," he thinks, "but death? I think there's been enough of that already."

Proteus stares hard at the young man in front of him. He hears Dragon Fist's words as if they are coming from a point far away from him and he can barely hear the echo. In his mind all he can feel is the pain. Terry, she's gone. Just when he'd was ready to be serious about someone she's taken away from him. The pain is overwhelming and threatens to consume him, but as Matthew's words pour out Proteus's feels something come between him and his pain - rage.

Rage against this dragon. Rage against VIPER. Rage against a world of crime and villainy that would take the life of the one person he was ready to commit to. Rage allows him to push the feelings of pain away into a small corner of his mind where for now he could ignore it. Rage gives him purpose.

But before he can speak, two PRIMUS agents stop Matthew.

"We'd like to have a few words with you," the taller agent – Frohicke -- says, venom lacing every word. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

"Hey you don't think he's responsible for this," Comet says, coming to Matthew's immediate defense. "He's not the dragon. The dragon.."

"That's OK Comet," Matthew says, smiling at the young hero's vigorous attempt to defend his actions. "I understand these gentleman have a job to do," Matthew says, resigning himself to his fate. Whatever comes out of this, I must deal with, he thinks. I must not let my friends shoulder the blame. "I believe I can answer your questions."

Comet looks to Proteus, realizing the man has not moved. "What now?" he asks.

"I want information," answers Proteus dully, eyes still following Matthew and the two agents as they head for a nearby building. "I'm going to wait for him."

Comet looks uncertainly at the man who has suddenly become more stone-like than ever before. "They may hold him a long time."

"Yes," says Proteus dully, not even looking at Comet.

The young hero considers a moment. Best not to leave him alone, he concludes. And to make sure I get a piece of this Dragon when the time comes. He settles onto a boulder to wait.

Hours pass, neither hero speaking. Comet is resolved to learn everything he can right now, and waits uncomfortably on the boulder. Perhaps part of him doesn't want to go home, isn't ready to admit there's nothing to be done now. As for Proteus...He stands so still his shadow could pass for a sundial.

Everywhere else, the scene is a blur of activity. PRIMUS agents, firemen, paramedics, police, news crews and gawkers shift about the Presidio like windblown sand. Selena, Odyssey, and Kharis are balancing helping the injured with trying not to draw attention to themselves – and impossible task. Eventually, however, a young Asian man exits the building which has served as the focus of Proteus' attention.

Seeing the pair of heroes still waiting where he'd left them, Matthew's fatigue hits him. He's already been over this time and again with the PRIMUS crews inside, and it looks as though the ordeal isn't over yet.

He wonders absently if Proteus believes him, or will attack him. But it never occurs to Matthew to try to avoid the man.

"I want to know how to beat the Dragon," says Proteus without preamble.

Matthew is too tired to do anything but respond directly. "The Dragon is about what you'd expect," he begins, "He's very strong, has claws and teeth that can rend steel, and he breathes fire. His most devastating attack was always his tail, which he could use almost as a whip. He can fly by means of a spell, his skin is proof against gunfire, and he can virtually ignore any fire-based attack."

"The incident with VIPER was his first encounter with anti-tank weaponry," Matthew continues. His interrogation by PRIMUS have made this almost rote. "It seems he's not quite strong or deadly enough to get through a tank's armor, nor can he take shots from that class of weapons. He's fast, though, and I doubt anyone but VIPER or the military has weapons that strong which would still be able to hit him."

"He's vulnerable to cold. He's arrogant, overconfident, and curious. These probably haven't changed since he's been freed. However, I always had the feeling he was restrained in some way." Matthew looks around at the damaged base. "I'd say he's a lot more powerful than when he and I were joined.

"He almost always opens a fight by breathing fire," adds Matthew, "So, if you are vulnerable to that...be careful."

"Don't worry," Answers Proteus, "Between the Comet and I, we should be able to show him the error of his ways. Maybe Odyssey's new water powers could help . . ."

"Oh, yes," agrees the Comet fervently, rising from his stone perch. "I was thinking we could use that monster for a wishbone. I'll grab one leg, Proteus, and you grab another, and that dragon will wish he'd never been hatched."

It occurs to Matthew that he has lost his power, that he has nothing to offer these two when they face the Dragon. Except perhaps...The young man presses the ring into Proteus's hand. "He gave me this before he left. Maybe it can help you find him - I'd ask Kharis for help. It’s the only object I have that has a connection to Yung Kong, and I don't want it anymore."

Proteus looks at the ring. "Could this be some measure of his power?" He asks. "It might be a parting gift to you after so many years of being together." He turns the ring over in his hand. "I'll ask Odyssey or Selena first. I don't know this Kharis person too well."

Matthew starts to say something, then stops. Will he see Odyssey again? He wonders. Did he want to?

He spares Proteus one more look, then turns and begins walking across a grassy stretch towards the bus station. Comet looks first at the retreating Matthew, then at Proteus. "What now?" He asks.

Proteus looks at the ring in his hand. "I'll be in touch," he says, and walks away in another direction. Comet is left alone on the edge of a field while the sun sets on a swarm of human ants and their broken hill.

"The PRIMUS Spokeswoman for the San Francisco PRIMUS Base concluded that PRIMUS would continue to function, despite the heavy damage to the base, and that PRIMUS’ crime labs would continue to operate, though samples will be sent to Rubicon Technologies until the PRIMUS labs are rebuilt. PRIMUS Commander Peter Glenn has stated that the base will be up and running at full capacity by the end of the year. Bill and Lise, back to you."

The perky blonde reporter cocks her head sideways as she listened to the anchors’ questions. The area around the PRIMUS base was really muddy – had already stained her shoes! – and it was getting cold as night fell. A few rescue crews moved behind the yellow tape behind the reporter, though nearly ten times their numbers in media swarmed the other side of the line – the PRIMUS disaster had brought out news crews in numbers similar to the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City. She forced herself to concentrate on the question at hand.

"Annette," Lise begins, "This attack appears to be the work of Dragon Fist, yet PRIMUS questioned and released him earlier this afternoon, without making an arrest. Has PRIMUS stated why that is?"

Annette nods vigorously. "They released a small statement to that effect yes. Apparently," and Annette consulted a few notes she’d jotted down, "Dragon Fist, the paranormal, was composed of two separate individuals – the dragon, and the human martial artist. Earlier this afternoon, the two different beings, if you will, were separated in what was reported as a magical ceremony. This story has been corroborated by nearly all of the Golden Gate Guardians."

"There were several school tours taking place at the time, Annette," Lise says, interrupting with another question as if to milk the tragedy for a few more Emmy-winning moments. "Miraculously no children were killed, is that correct?"

Again, Annette nods. "Yes, Lise. The children had been leaving when the Dragon had attacked, and though two children had been threatened by falling debris, a PRIMUS agent jumped in the way, and threw the children to safety. That agent was the first of the three casualties reported by PRIMUS, two others died later of injuries at the hospital despite the presence of healers at the scene. Bill and Lise, back to you."

Maria Chow switches off the television set. Reporters had arrived before most of the rescue vehicles, and stayed and grew in numbers – they’d pushed back their cordon, but everywhere she’d turned at the base – the ruined base – she’d felt the eye of the cameras boring into her. She’d stayed long after Terry's body had been hauled away, long enough for the Golden Avenger to fly out from Washington to survey the damage that had been done to ‘his’ base. The deference the six Sentinels paid to him as he’d stepped from the oddly-configured F-14, rushing up to greet him and brief him on the situation -- would have been something to laugh about, if she’d felt like laughing.

My fault, my fault, she intones repeatedly in her mind. Mad about Matthew not helping with the Dragon Queen investigation, she’d proceeded on her own. Confident the Dragon Queen would be in the secret orbital facility by dawn, and that Matthew’s dragon would be suppressed for several more weeks, she’d even called him to tell him the news. Matthew – she couldn’t even stand to watch as Frohicke and Anderson hauled him off for questioning.

Maria shakes her head. I don’t deserve this job, she thought. I don’t deserve any of it. My stupid mistakes got Terry killed, my base destroyed. I should have known what was coming, should have seen it somehow. She sighs, and put her head in her hands. She knew there was nothing that could have been done, but fighting the helplessness was worse. Her fault.

 And the Guardians…Maria knew she should have been grateful for their help – they assisted with taking people to the hospital, healing, administering first aid – but she inwardly seethed at their presence, their intrusion. Paranormals are dangerous, a PRIMUS academy lecturer had intoned years ago, but untrained paranormals are doubly dangerous.

Doubly dangerous, the Silver Avenger thinks. I won’t forget that lesson again.

The phone rang, loud despite Maria’s ringing ears. "Yes?" she answers abruptly, noting the Golden Avenger’s cellular phone number on Caller ID. 

"Maria," DJ said softly. "How are you doing?"

"Been better," she responded, her voice softening. DJ had only hugged her when he’d arrived, not issued recriminations, took over when Maria faltered.

"I’m at home now," he says, referring to the large house in China Beach, a wealthy neighborhood near the Presidio.

"When are you going to sell me that house?" Maria asks, making the old joke out of habit. True to form, DJ chuckles.

"Never," he responds with quiet amusement. "I inherited it fair and square. And it gives me an excuse to come back from time to time." He’s silent for a second before asking again, "How are you really doing, Maria?"

"Numb, I guess," she sighs. "I wasn’t even really thinking about the base until I got home and watched the news. I think I’ll be heading back after I take a quick nap, try to help out."

"There’s not too much that can be done right now," DJ counters. "You know that. How about I bring some food by and we can talk. When was the last time you ate?"

Maria thinks back through the day, through the time before and after the attack. "I don’t remember," she admitted. "Dinner last night?"

"I thought so," DJ says. "I’ll be by in a few."

A half-hour later, the Golden Avenger arrives, bearing a pizza and bag. "White garlic and olives, just for you," he said. "If you’re going to be spending your night in self-recrimination, you might as well have some energy to do it right."

Maria scowls, but DJ ignores her, and instead opens the pizza box. "I also brought beer," he said, sitting down. "Why don’t you really tell me what’s going on in your head?"

Maria sits, finally, and opened the beer, ignoring for the moment the rumbling in her stomach at the pizza’s smell. "I feel awful," she says, swallowing a gulp of the beer. She grimaces. "Coors Light, DJ? Yuck!"

 He shrugs. "It was the best they could offer," he admits. "And you’re trying to change the subject."

"This is revenge for making you open up after Kimmy died, isn’t it?" When he fails to answer, only narrowing his icy blue eyes, Maria sighs. "It’s all my fault, DJ. I knew part of what was going on. I knew that Matthew was having trouble controlling the dragon. I knew that the dragon wanted out – I just didn’t think it would happen like this. When he gave me the clues about where the Dragon Queen was, I ran with it. It didn’t occur to me that his evasiveness about her whereabouts might be indicative of, oh, I don’t know, some type of loyalty. I thought…I thought she’d be in Orbital Stronghold within a day." She fell silent. "I didn’t know…why didn’t they tell me what was going on – I could have prepared? Those people – Terry – they’re dead, and I could have stopped it." Maria fought tears again, instead gulping down the rest of the beer. Especially vulnerable to alcohol by grace of her tiny size and Cyberline treatment, Maria began to relax.  

"Maria, you couldn’t have stopped any of it," DJ says after a pause. "And you can’t count on paranormals to help out or to even be responsible, even the ones you like. Christine is the exception, not the rule, you know that. They have no sworn oaths, no obvious loyalties. I’m starting to wonder if maybe it’s not a better idea to have no relationships at all with paranormals, except when we’re hauling them in. Who knows, maybe Kaufman had the right idea with his pet Paranormal Registration Bill."

"You don’t really believe that, DJ," Maria says scornfully.

 He merely shrugs. "I don’t know. No, I don’t believe in the bill. I’ve had some good experiences with a few – had it not been for the Hudson Hawks, I would never have known about the Sentinels project."

"I thought that was because of Christine," Maria states, willfully keeping the subject on something neutral.

 He shook his head. "No, it was Orion and Olympian, actually," he says. "And Eleanor, their amazing AI. They told Christine after they told me. They even asked how they should break it to her."

 "Eleanor is the computer who keeps calling you?" Maria asks, finally reaching for some of the pizza.

"The very same," DJ responds. "She’s trying to build herself a body right now. I think that the Hawks are partially proud, partially frightened about it."

 "Weird."

 "But the point is, I’ve been an Avenger for thirteen years now, Maria. I’ve had a few good experiences with paranormals – Christine, the Hawks to a certain extent, Selena to a certain extent – but other than Christine, I wouldn’t trust any of them to be there in a crisis. And why should they? They aren’t getting paid to do this. It’s not their job – it’s our job. They’re rank amateurs for the most part, and the ones who consider it their jobs are usually fruitcakes. What’s happened here, with the Guardians, is a perfect example. There’s Cassandra Salvatore, who means very well, but is a danger to everyone around her, especially now that she doesn’t even know what her powers are. By the way," DJ adds, leaning forward to grab another piece of pizza, "You were right about the Wild Geese being involved. Good call, but don’t let her know we know – Intelligence has her under surveillance and hopes they show up again so we can nap ‘em. Then there’s Knightblade, who was so easily controlled by VIPER that he jeopardized everyone’s safety. And Protector, who came back so loopy from World War II that he should have been committed."

"Any word from the Caribbean on him?" Maria asks, playing with a napkin

"UNTIL has spotted him several times, but he and his female companion are always gone before they can move in." DJ runs his hand through his blond hair, pushing it out of his face. "And there are the real part-timers, like the Comet and Starlight. Sure, they mean well too, but you can’t count on them. And they have no training." He seemed to avoid the subject of Dragon Fist, Maria noted before interrupting.

"I just got this speech two weeks ago from Colonel Glenn," Maria says dryly, irritated by the lecture.

 "Did it sink in then?" DJ challenges.

 This time, Maria’s eyes narrow at the pointed question. "What does that mean?" she asks sharply. "Are you saying that because –"

"I’m not saying it’s your fault," he smoothes over, covering her hand and squeezing it firmly, a gesture that would crush the bones of a normal human. "It’s not, there’s nothing you could have done to prevent this attack. Capturing the Dragon Queen was our first priority, and there’s no way you could have done anything to stop this other dragon from showing up. You couldn’t have known that. What I’m saying is that I think you’ve always believed in the inherent goodness of paranormals – you’re an optimist, Maria, that’s nothing new. The point is that you aren’t only feeling let down by yourself – you’re disappointed that they didn’t help you out. You call in paranormal help more than any other Avenger. You let them participate in busts, let them hang out on stakeouts. I think you expect that they’d do the same for you – and if they had given you warning, yes, perhaps those lives could have been saved. Terry might still be here. But you can never count on them in that way. It’s not because they’re bad people, it’s because they’re indifferent, or busy, or unskilled, or whatever. That’s what I’m trying to say."

"I think I know what you mean," she says quietly. "But I don’t think I was ever aware of it myself." She sighs. "Things are going to change around here, DJ. I wonder what the role of paranormals should be here. It seems like such a waste to let them just do nothing, but at the same time, I can’t let myself get involved with then anymore."

"I know what you mean," he answers, twisting a cap from a bottle of Coors. "But PRIMUS is unwilling to train them, and every time the FBI or local police make noises about hiring paranormals to work for them, it gets everyone up in arms. I think it would be better if they had something to do. But cities aren’t willing to pay the insurance to hire them, either. I imagine we’ll see more and more working for corporations in the future."

 Maria nodded. "I know that Cassie got an endorsement offer from Honda for several million dollars."

"Not for advertising only, but private security – or enforcers," DJ corrects. "In Japan, almost all paranormals have affiliations with corporations now. Since there’s not much to be done with them here, it’ll probably happen in the US as well."

 Maria looks thoughtful. "Now that’s scary," she says. Both Avengers remained silent for a few minutes. "So how is Alex doing?" she asks.

"Not too bad, we had a party for him a week ago – he’s been back for a year now. He’s getting married," DJ adds.

"Really? That was pretty quick."

"Well, it was almost twenty years in the making. It’s to the girl he dated while he was at the Academy."

"How is this going over with your family?"

"Well, for the most part. Dad went to school with her dad. Mom thinks she’s an idiot, but that’s Mom. She's still nice to her." He shrugs. "She’s OK. Typical officer’s wife type, but OK."

 "What about you? Dating anyone?" Maria ventures.

DJ squints. "Not exactly, not yet," he says, smiling slightly. "I’ll tell you more later, when I figure out what’s going on with that situation. But for now, I just wanted to see how you were doing. I know how hard it is to lose a friend, well, we both know that." His eyes stray to the lone photograph of Kim Emori on the wall. "I’ll stay through the funeral, Maria. I’ll pick you up tomorrow, how about that?"

"I don’t need a babysitter, DJ. I appreciate the concern, but I’ll meet you there in the morning. Provided I have an office left."

"Most of the underground offices are fine," he says. "Except the labs, which blew up, taking out almost everything above ground, as I’m sure you know. But your office is still there – I checked." The Golden Avenger stands, and stretches. "I’ll meet you there, then. I imagine you’ll be there at four in the morning, knowing you."

"Ha, ha," Maria says, walking him to the door. "Thanks, DJ," she hugs him.

"Maria, I owe you for everything. If you hadn’t stopped me…" he broke off softly, knowing that Maria knew what he was referring to. "You take care of yourself, Chow."

"I will. Thanks for dropping by, Johnson."

GM's Note: This is the last turn in the Golden Gate Guardians PBEM Campaign. The game has been run regularly for a year now, and while I've really enjoyed it and I've had some absolutely terrific players, it's time to bring things here to a close and to move on. Thanks to everyone who wrote in and voted about Cassie and Tony -- I had no idea so many people were following the story! Don't worry -- Once I return from my vacation at the end of May, I will be starting a new campaign, also set in San Francisco. Keep your eye out for Armitage Investigations, Inc., which will have a web site.

In addition to AI Inc, there will be additional posts to the G3 site over time. If you'd like your name added to a mailing list for notification of additions to this site, please e-mail me at scm@intercomm.com. Those votes for Cassie and Tony's future were not in vain, so make sure you follow the new game!

If you send me mail in the next week or two and I don't get back to you, never fear. I'll be with my husband at the American Occupational Health Conference in Orlando, as well as visiting relatives in other parts of Florida. I'll answer all mail when I get back. Thanks again for following the game! It's been great.

PBEM Turns