(PROLOGUE) The Washington D. C. Strikeforce had received a emergency summons to Arlington National Cemetery. Upon arrival, they discovered that the three known members of Followers of Germanicus that were at one point matched up with Vision were taking hostages and terrorizing visitors to the Unknown Soldier tomb. When asked if they should call in the D. C. Defenders, Fredrick Wyte answers, "No. I made a promise, and now its time to keep it." Reaching into his utility belt, Wyte pulls out a piece of old parchment and rips it in half.

(1) After the disbandment of Freedom Force, Pallequin and Ravenclaw once again found themselves on their own in search of the Followers of Germanicus. Such travels had taken them to Los Angeles and Strikeforce headquarters. They where introduced to Fireforce and were allowed to examine the evidence taken a few years before when the Champions of Justice uncovered "Marvelous" Mark Lee's alter. While going through the evidence, Dynamo receives a magical summons given to Wyte and teleports Pallequin to Washington D. C.

Upon their arrival, Wyte fills the heroes in and provides a map of the grounds. He also promises to not call in the Defenders as backup, as he knows that Pallequin has a personal vendetta. Ravenclaw also warns Pallequin that the Unknown Soldier's tomb is known to be one of the mystical hot spots in the world and that they should be careful. The heroes transport to the front of the tomb, finding Patrick Florent, Charles Thurgood and David Montgomery preparing a sacrificial alter. A battle quickly ensued with Ravenclaw entangling Charles in a mystical web and flambéing David after Pallequin had stunned him. Pallequin finished off the trio by slashing Patrick into unconsciousness. As they released the hostages and prepared to carry Charles to the police, Vision emerged from the crowd to confront the heroes. "Do you really thing I would set up an ambush like this without having some backup?"

While Vision opened a mystical portal, Ravenclaw to put up a force wall around the area and sent Jade to get help. Through the portal came multiple soldiers of Der Nacht, who instantly set out to dismantle Pallequin. When Ravenclaw attempted to assist his friend, Doltar stunned the miniature magician with a smack. After a few seconds of being on the receiving end of the unholy fury of six of Boogey Man's elite, Pallequin fell. As he bordered on the bubble of consciousness, he heard Ravenclaw attempt to come to his defense, only to be told by Vision, "I didn't forget about you, little one."

The portal that she had opened shifted as more strange creatures poured forth. The last thing he heard before being pounded into complete unconsciousness was Ravenclaw scream, "NO! I won't go back there again!"

By the time the marines and D. C. Defenders arrived on the scene, all traces of the other-dimensional visitors, Followers of Germanicus, and heroes were gone.

(2) As Pallequin began to return to consciousness, two things brought him to the surface. The first and most prominent was the searing, excruciating pain that pierced throughout his entire body. After centuries of "life" in Der Nacht, he had become used to different levels of pain and suffering, but this was beyond anything that even he could imagine. Through some force unknown to him, he was also paralyzed, unable to move anything below his neck, even if he had wanted to. It took every ounce of his willpower to not scream out in constant pain. If he had, he would have missed the other noticeable thing, the conversation going on in front of him.

Few things made Pallequin nervous, but only one thing had ever truly scared him. When most people laid eyes on the Boogey Man, they saw their worst fear come to life before them. For Pallequin, he saw the true face of the Boogey Man, for that was what he truly feared. In this case, he was glad for the excruciating pain that forced him to keep his eyes shut, because the voice emanating from in front of him belonged to the master of nightmares himself.

At the moment, the Boogey Man was speaking to the woman that had gotten Pallequin into this mess. The Boogey Man was thanking Vision for returning his wayward servant to him, though Pallequin could tell that Vision was far from pleased to be in Der Nacht. Her screaming was his first hint.

The Boogey Man laughed as he continued on. "My dear girl, what is the matter? Are all of the tortured souls that you have condemned here finally getting a modicum of vengeance? I seem to remember last time you were here, you had a similar reaction to their presence."

"Why did you bring me here, dark master!? I fulfilled your wish! Haven't I always served you faithfully!?"

"Yes, my dear. But, you see, even those who serve me eventually end up here. In fact, all of the creatures you see around you once served me above as you have. All but the traitor, that is. This is their end reward."

"But I can still serve you above! I have not died!"

"Not yet." Pallequin could feel the evil pass as the Boogey Man walked past to another side of the chamber. "These three. You were willing to sacrifice them in order to achieve your own agenda. I can respect that. With such callousness toward life, you will make an excellent servant ... someday." The mystical energy that flowed throughout the chamber was enough to send Pallequin's senses reeling. "These three are now my slaves, bound to my will the same as those around you. But I will loan them to you while you continue to serve my purposes."

"Anything, master! Just free me from this torment!"

"You will return to the surface world. I have an errant servant who has begun to serve the wrong master. And, of course, I can't count on the so-called protectors to dispatch him properly for me. They don't make champions like they used to. Used to be that I could count on them to kill a misbehaving soldier. Not any more. They all think they're too good to kill."

"Who!"

"Go back and find the man known as 'Marvelous" Mark Lee and kill him. Then we will consider your further use."

Pallequin could tell that Vision and her three demons had left by the ceasing of her screams. This did not make him happy, however, as it then allowed the Boogey Man to turn his attention to the fallen hero. "You may as well open your eyes. If you don't, I will be forced to have Maltron rip off your eyelids."

Pallequin stirred and cracked his eyes open, less out of fear than knowing that the Boogey Man meant what he said. It was his first revelation that he was actually hanging upside down. "Before you make any smarmy remarks about hanging you upside down on a cross being cliché, keep in mind that we have a new twist ... the fact that the support beam is driven through your spine."

The Boogey Man walked up to Pallequin and crouched down in front of his face. If Pallequin had been able to raise his hands, he could have attempted to wring his neck. Instead, he was forced to smell the foul stench of demon breath. "We aren't going to drag this out for long, my dear boy. You have cost me far too much time and patience to even enjoy this victory. So, before I kill you, do you have any final words?"

Boogey Man's apathetic gaze tore into Pallequin's heart. That gaze was the first thing he saw when he was exiled to Hell over two thousand years ago. Unaware of what he lost, who he was, who he left behind. Pallequin was cast into the depths of torment and despair, an unknowing servant of the dark lord. Two thousand years of dispensing fear, chaos and pain to mortals he once called brother. Two thousand years of doing a demon's bidding, leading demon hordes into battle to claim new dominion for his master.

It is that gaze that now unlocked what Pallequin had kept inside himself for millennia, his identity; his true self. At once, he became aware of his stolen humanity. He had been a good man. An honorable man and a leader of a great people, he was betrayed by a friend. He lost his honor, his people, and most importantly...his love. The last thing he saw with mortal eyes was his wife being dragged away by Roman soldiers. She was carrying their unborn child. He remembered how his soul sang for the strength to save her, to save their child, his people; to save his soul.

All the feelings of loss, vengeance, wrath, washed over him in a single heartbeat. Something touched him so profoundly, he calmly met Boogey Man's gaze. Holding the look, he spoke.

"Kill me. End this farce once and for all, braggart. But know this, your day of reckoning is coming, and I promise these eyes will be the last thing you see. No power you possess will stop me, I swear it."

"That is what I always loved about you, your passion and dedication. But did I catch a spark of recognition there? Has the truth finally dawned upon your poor, misguided brain, Arminious? I saw the regret of your lost life flash across your face. What a wondrous delight!"

The Boogey Man once again stood, a renewed smile dancing across his face. "With those final words, I am tempted to keep you alive a few decades longer, just to continue your torment. But, if I were to, there would always be the chance that those friends you made above would try to storm my gates once more to save you. And we can't have that. But your torment isn't over yet. I may be releasing you from this demon coil, but you will not be joining your beloved in the afterlife. I plan on keeping you here ..." The Boogey Man reached out and took a hold of one of the spirits floating about, absorbing the spiritual essence into himself. "... until I'm ready to devour you, like the rest of these. But not to worry, I'll make you suffer until then."

As The Boogey Man spun around, a sword appeared in his hand, slicing swiftly and cleanly through Pallequin's immortal neck. As his soul left the body given to him centuries before, The Boogey Man bent down to catch the rolling head and pick it up by the hair. "See the head?"

As the demons of Der Nacht howled in laughter, a vortex began to open above their heads, a swirling tornado of mystical energy. Storming out of the whirlwind came an army of angels brandishing swords and shields of gold. Every demon that attempted to stop their entrance was struck down, knocked unconscious by the mystical blades. Within moments, every servant of The Boogey Man was smote and the dark lord stood facing an army alone. One angel stepped forward and leveled his blade. "Your atrocities against God have gone unanswered for too long! No longer will you be allowed to take those that do not belong to you! The time of judgment is upon you!"

"What more can be done to me!" was The Boogey Man's response. "You can send me no deeper!"

"Your supply is no more," the angel stated, as the captured souls fled through the portal to finally achieve their eternal rest. "Nor will you be allowed to barter power for human souls! The rein of terror your human agents have run will soon come to an end, and you will stand powerless before the other fallen! So stands the judgment!"

The soul of Arminious had lingered in the area as the others had fled, as if rejoicing in this holy turn of events. As the angel finished, he turned to the lingering spirit and reached out, drawing it closer to himself. "Come with me, warrior. Your fight is not yet finished." With that, he and his fellow angels flowed through the dimensional rift, back to Der Tag, leaving the broken Boogey Man and his men in their wake.

(3) As Arminious opened his eyes, they were met with such glorious beauty that words could not describe. It was so gorgeous that it was a full minute before it dawned on him that he had eyes to open. As he stood, he marveled at the wonders around him and the flesh and bone that he now bore. Feeling his own face and looking at his own form, he realized that he was once again Arminious, the man he was before the battle with Germanicus, but also more. As he flexed and stretched, he learned that he felt stronger, faster and invulnerable. * The appearance of the man I was with the power of the demon I had become. *

"No longer a demon, but of an angel." From above (* was there really an above or below here? *) a man (?) descended on wings. Like everything here, he had an otherworldly beauty about him; clearly what mankind had imagined angels to look like for an eternity. "You may call me Wrath. Welcome to our home. For lack of a better term for now, you may refer to it as Der Tag. The Light that countermands The Night in which you have known for so long."

Motioning for Arminious to follow, Wrath began to walk. "We are the self-appointed agents of God. There are multiple dimensions through the multiverse. Within these dimensions are places like Der Nacht, which have placed themselves in direct opposition of the Almighty. We have taken it upon ourselves to stand in direct opposition to them and their kind."

They continued to walk, Wrath continuing his lecture without leaving room for interruption. "Just as they have agents of chaos on the earth realm, we have placed our own to countermand them. You have already met some of them, though you may not know it. The largest difficulty that we faced was in combating Der Nacht was the fact that they had made you, an innocent and pure soul - the first sacrifice in the longstanding dark pact - one of their own soldiers. As long as Pallequin existed, we were unable to free the souls that followed you. The best we could do was send agents to try and stop the advancement of the evil."

Wrath stopped and turned to face Arminious. "When The Boogey Man killed Pallequin, he released your soul and relinquished his hold on you. With that hold broken, we were finally able to save those poor souls and send them on to their eternal rest. With your death - your second death - millions of souls were saved. Thank you for your sacrifice."

Wrath turned back and continued to walk. "With his souls removed, The Boogey Man is weaker, but not yet defeated. Unfortunately, others will take his place, but he still has his human followers in the Earth realm. This is where you once again come in. We would ask you to once again take on the role of avatar, but this time working for us. We would ask you to return to the Earth realm, empowered with the holy power granted to you, until the evil The Boogey Man created is eradicated."

Wrath once again turned to address the warrior. "Upon the completion of this task, we would ensure your safe and painless ascension to be rejoined with your wife and child. In the time that it will take for you complete this mission, you may use the powers to your best discretion to ensure the safety of humanity. The question is, however, if you will accept."

Arminious closed his eyes. Clearing the surrounding noise from his mind, he concentrated on his heartbeat. This was a habit he had to help him concentrate. He began to recall his mortal life. He recalled the faces of treasured friends and adored family members. Memories of them filled him with sad sentiment as he mourned their passing. The feelings soon faded as nimbus forms collected near him, bathing him in light and warmth. They were the spirits of past friends, family and loves. The sadness was replaced with joy and a desire to join them. His spirit began to drift with the cloud when suddenly he felt a pull on his soul. He was brought back to the moment by a familiar touch.

Arminious's opened eyes were greeted with beauty and love for Rowanne; his wife stood before him. Millennia of tears and heartache threatened to flow from his eyes, but Arminious would not have Rowanne see him cry. Instead, he smiled trying to hold the torrent of emotion back, embracing his beloved. Rowanne smiled, wrapping her arms around her husband's neck. She could sense the emotion pouring from Arminious, but she was also aware of her husband's pride. Knowing his soul cried out for release, Rowanne said three words into his ear. "Let it go."

With that, Arminious looked into her eyes and fell to his knees, sobbing as two thousand years of loss and sorrow drained completely from his heart. Rowanne kneeled next to Arminious. Holding him, she kissed him passionately, kissing away the tears. "I waited for you." She whispered. "You are tired and so deserving of rest my love. But you are still needed to make things right." Rowanne's touch opened his spirit to the suffering of the world below. It rekindled the spirit that united the barbarian tribes against the Roman invasion. Arminious became aware of his true destiny, his purpose and unspoken oath to the Father.

His mind clear with purpose and his spirit strengthened in Rowanne's presence, Arminious looked at Wrath. "I am committed to the task before me. Evil has been tolerated far to long. As the Father's avatar, evil on Earth comes to end."

Wrath nodded, sparking an onslaught of information flooding into Arminious' mind, learning not only of the new powers he possesses but memories of both of his lives. His wife faded from view with a blown kiss and a "I'll be waiting."

Wrath concluded with a simple "Go." A cloud seemed to descend over Arminious' eyes, causing him to blink savagely, not out of pain but to attempt to clear his sight. When it had cleared, he found himself lying on a field of green grass as if just waking from a dream. With the exception of the modern-day clothes, he would have sworn that the past two thousand years had been but a dream. Gathering his surroundings in, he found that he had been returned to his homeland - the exact location of his demise - to begin again.

(4) Arminious took in the beauty of the land, reflecting on his past. Remembering that his tribe had once stored their stolen wealth in a nearby cave, he uncovers an untold fortune. Concealing the treasure again, he reflected back on his capture, remembering that Ravenclaw had been taken as well.

Using his newfound extra dimensional travel powers, Arminious not only traverses the distance from Europe to Canada, but also learns to be selective about which dimensions he chooses to step through. Arriving on the doorstep of his old friend, Arminious enters the magic shop and, after becoming reacquainted, is greeted. Stories are exchanged, leading to the discussion of Ravenclaw's predicament. The old man tells Arminious stories of an ancient mystical war that ended with the losers being banished to another dimension. In order to find someone capable of helping find the lost mage, he sends Arminious to England in search of Doctor Arcanum.

Thanking his friend and promising to visit again soon, Arminious portals once again to England. Waiting for a sign from the wizard at Stonehenge, he was soon greeted by Valiant, leader of the New Pendragons. When asked what he wanted, Arminious explained his needs, leading Valiant to take him to New Camelot, where Arcanum waited. An additional visitor was on hand to greet him as well; when Jade had been told to go find help, the little dragon had flown to England and was taken in by Arcanum. The two men compare notes as Arminious learns that Ravenclaw was taken to Dulling Mire. They agree that Arminious should go and search for him, but neither of the two Englanders are able to go with him. With Arcanum opening yet another dimensional portal and armed with a mystical map, Arminious and Jade step through to find their friend.

(5) Upon arriving in Dulling Mire, Avatar and Jade began walking the streets in search for clues of Ravenclaw's location. When they happened into the path of Carnage and Bandsaw, Jade took to the sky and Avatar tried to play the part of a stranded tourist. Not believing him, Bandsaw attacked, leading Avatar to play unconscious to be taken to their master.

Once in front of Zardox, Avatar changed his story to being an interdimensional traveler who was trapped in Dulling Mire by Ravenclaw. As such, a deal was struck where they would take Avatar to him in exchange for finding the secret to returning to Earth and killing the diminutive mage. To hold him to his agreement, Zardox placed a magical bomb around Avatar's neck, binding him to Dulling Mire.

Headed back into the domain of Grandiff, Bandsaw and Carnage question the wisdom of trusting Avatar, but follow orders nonetheless. Taking him to the home of Quagmire, Avatar is introduced to Firestorm. After striking up a quick counter-deal with her, the pair turned on Zardox's men and knocked them unconscious.

Meanwhile, inside the locked room, Quagmire was once again torturing Ravenclaw for information when the hero once again felt his mental link with Jade working. As the dragon tried to convey how he had gotten there, the fight outside was heard. As the pair entered the room, the story was conveyed to Quagmire as Avatar tried to reveal his identity to his old friend. After convincing Quagmire to release Ravenclaw from his bonds, he was able to begin healing himself and establishes a telepathic link with Avatar, who let him in on his plan. Once fully healed, Ravenclaw summoned Jade and teleported the magical bomb onto Quagmire's neck as Avatar opened a dimensional portal, returning them to New Camelot.

Upon their return, Avatar returns the map and the two men retire to rest in their own ways. Reuniting an hour later, Ravenclaw learns of how the change from Pallequin to Avatar took place and the new goals of his old friend. Renewing their partnership, the two men agree to return to Chicago and visit their old friends in The Hawk.

(6) Upon their arrival at the Hawks' Nest, Avatar and Ravenclaw are reunited with Captain Miracle and Eidolon, who was on his way out after going on extended leave from the team. Miracle called down to Howard Saunders and Larry Carter to inform them of the duo's return. All of them agreed to go to lunch together, returning to their old stomping grounds of Moe's Tavern.

Once there, Larry remembers prior appointments, calling Tina to send Midnight and Cathy (Onyx) Blackborne to the tavern upon their arrival. While waiting, the group discusses the events with the Hawk since Pallequin's departure, as well as his transformation into Avatar. Midnight arrives at the tail end of the discussion.

Meanwhile, the woman known as Randi Roanoke arrives in the Earth dimension, having traveled through a portal from Dulling Mire created by a goblin mage. Her race had been hunted for sport by the Warlord Rathsham, causing her to go into hiding after the death of her husband and child. When Avatar transported himself and Ravenclaw out of the dimension, the goblin tracked the path to Chicago and sent Randi through to safety, knowing only that the one who she followed was very powerful. She arrived in the city to find herself completely out of place, making her way to a local fast food establishment and asked for food. A gentleman in line behind her assisted not only in providing food but also information, sending her to find The Hawk.

Upon her arrival at Lexington Tower, she informed the receptionist and Tina that a mage attack was imminent, causing the pair to summon the heroes back from lunch. Upon their return, Avatar and Ravenclaw attempted to determine what was happening with Randi while Larry and Miracle talked with the newly arrived Blackborne.

At one point in the discussions, Larry mentions his desire to see Avatar, Ravenclaw, and Midnight rejoin the Hawk, only to find that Avatar had plans on a larger scale. Describing his plans for creating an independent nation of soldiers to combat evil on a global scale, he was verbally countered on all sides by the concerns of his peers, ranging from Ravenclaw and Midnight being unsure of how such a thing could be accomplished to Miracle comparing him to those who have sought world-domination in the past.

Reeled by the dissention, Avatar instructs Ravenclaw, Randi, and Midnight to meet him at Moe's, expresses that, though they do not agree with his goals, that he still considers Larry and Miracle friends, and leaves for an unknown destination. Midnight, still wanting to convince Miracle to join their cause, asks him to travel ahead to discuss the matters further, though fails to convince him. Ravenclaw and Randi also made their way to Moe's, traveling on foot, and discussed the Dulling Mire dimension.

While Avatar met once again with Wraith to get guidance, Midnight and Ravenclaw debate the best way to gain the army needed for a strike on IOGWP island, with the Englishman wanting to recruit the goblins from Dulling Mire in exchange for fighting the wizards. Both Ravenclaw and Randi try to convince him that this is not a wise course of action until Avatar's return, when he informs them that he will hire an army while they go around the globe, looking for more heroes to join their cause. He gives them directions to a location in Germany and telling them that he will meet them there in two days, Avatar then disappears once again.

(7.a) As Avatar leaves his recruits, he uses his interdimensional teleport abilities to travel to Washington D.C. and the office of the local Strikeforce commander, Fredrick Wyte. After going through the standard routine of having to prove his identity, the entity known as Wrath imprinted Wyte with the parameters of Avatar's mission, leading the Strikeforce officer to declare the hero insane. With that established, Avatar asked for information on a potential army to use in his battle with IOGWP. Wyte told him about a friend of his who might be just insane enough to help, and set up a meeting for that night.

Traveling back to Chicago, Avatar was waiting in front of the Museum of Science and Industry at midnight when an elderly man, dressed all in black, approached. Introducing himself as Colonel Kirby Vandervoot. After a short period of discussion, the two reached an agreement: Kirby's mercenaries would help take the island in exchange for equal use of the island as their base of operations. As Avatar prepared to leave, putting the mercs on call, Kirby sends three of his soldiers along to help in any way the hero needs.

Traveling back to Germany, Avatar once again returned to his burial site to retrieve his fortune while Private 1st class Donald Ving began work on creating an alter ego for Avatar as German-born philanthropist Arminious Wolf. A nearby mansion was quickly rented and transformed into a command center in time for Avatar to create a winged horse to ride and meet the others.

(7.b) Realizing that the best place for him to start is with his United States attorney, Dwight Jones, Midnight called the law firm and asked Spectrum to gather the Champions of Justice for an important meeting, only revealing that Avatar was amassing an army to go global. Having lunch with his law partner, Dwight was able to do one better and arranged for the American Rangers to be present as well. With the help of a teleportation spell from Ravenclaw and a lift from Boston to Washington DC by Spectrum, Midnight found himself standing before a dozen of the most powerful individuals on the face of the planet in the Koezar Embassy.

Once seated, Midnight explained what he knew of Pallequin's transformation into Avatar and his new mission to eradicate evil on the face of the earth, requesting that Spectrum join the cause to help him ride herd. Multiple questions abounded, ending several heroes angry about the presumptions made by Avatar. In order to aid Midnight in the cause and analysis, however, Phoenix Fire takes a leave of absence from the American Rangers to join Avatar's crew.

After the meeting was over, Spectrum agreed to keep an eye open for any potential recruits through his bureaucratic channels. One that was on the top of his head was The Hero in Philedelphia. With Phoenix Fire agreeing to tag along, the three men rocketed over to the home of the Liberty Bell, with Spectrum leaving immediately after promising to stay in touch.

While debating the different options to track down The Hero, the two men are found by him, who invites them to return to his home, the Hero House. Upon their arrival, they are introduced to Beejay, Hawkeye, Radar, Henry and Trapper, the clones rescued by the Champions of Justice in Antarctica. Midnight gave his sales pitch, driving Glenn into depression remembering his deceased teammates.

The duo agrees to meet in England, giving Midnight a chance to talk with his daughter before traveling to Germany. Midnight travels ahead, but as Phoenix Fire prepares to leave, he has second thoughts about the mission and sends a telegram, backing out of the group. Midnight then travels ahead to meet up with the others.

(7.c) After teleporting Midnight to Boston, Ravenclaw and Randi traveled to New Camelot, seeking an audience with his former mentor, Doctor Arcanum. In debriefing the ancient mage of the situation, Ravenclaw introduces his traveling companion, sparking a question and answer session about the existence of indigenous life forms in Dulling Mire. Upon learning of the fate of the resident goblins, Arcanum leaves to summon his troops, causing Ravenclaw to pursue and become irritated by the lack of care about their cause.

After being dismissed by Arcanum with a promise to scry for potential recruits later, Ravenclaw returns to Randi to join in a banquet. Minutes later, they are joined by Fenian, who has arrived for Arcanum's summons. While the assembled heroes debate the proper course of action, Arcanum returns, informing Ravenclaw and Randi that he has found one other to join their team. After giving them Damon's address in San Fransisco, the duo leaves.

Teleporting across dimensions, the two arrive outside the run-down hotel, with Ravenclaw casting an illusionary spell to hide his diminutive status and another to telepathically summon the injured Followers of Germanicus-fighter. After introductions are done, the trio retires to the hotel bar, where Damon tells of his battle with the Thunder Twins and the realization that he is unable to battle this evil alone. After Ravenclaw accelerates the healing of his wounds, Damon agrees to join them as long as they fight the Followers.

Stopping over in the Rocky Mountains before traveling to Germany, Ravenclaw casts his own scrying spell to find more allies, but fails to find anyone through magic means. He also casts a spell to create a campsite, heightening his physical and magical awareness to watch for intruders. At night, Ravenclaw gets his first glimpse of Randi's shapeshifting ability. When the two days are up, Ravenclaw transports them all to Germany to meet up with the others.

(8) Upon meeting in Germany, Avatar invited the assembled heroes to join him in the rented mansion on the horizon. When Midnight begins to demand more information, Avatar pulls him off to the side, berating him for not falling in line. Meanwhile, Damon and Randi make their way into and through the house, finding their own points of interest. Once Avatar and Midnight rejoined the others, they sat down to eat and begin discussing plans for attack. While Avatar and Midnight wished to concentrate of attacking IOGWP's island training base, Damon wanted to launch their attacks versus the Followers of Germanicus immediately.

After dinner, Vanderhoot himself arrived at the mansion with the results of the scouting mission of the island, whose coordinates were given by Midnight. He reported that IOGWP's island had been completely destroyed, leveled to beneath the water line. He also reported that there was another island in the vicinity of the old one, roughly thirty miles away, which was still standing, though it suffered greatly from tidal wave damage. Avatar took this as a great victory, assigning Vandervoot and his men to begin working on renovating the island for their use, despite the fact that a year was estimated for construction time.

Accepting the fact that the island was now a finished subject, Avatar listened when Damon suggested taking the fight to the Followers, going so far as to recommend a potential target in Germany. Meanwhile, Midnight left the room apparently disappointed that the strike against IOGWP was no longer a part of the plan. Randi followed him with concerns of her own, feeling more as an outsider. Ravenclaw joined these two in order to alleviate their concerns.

After several minutes of individual conversations, Avatar recalled the group together to discuss the assignment. As the planning session began, Valiant arrived on the scene, explaining that the New Pendragons had been fighting in Dulling Mire to save Randi's people and was ready for her to return to reclaim her birthright. While only three days had passed on earth, almost a year had passed in Dulling Mire. With few words, Randi agreed, said goodbye to her new comrades, and left for home.

While plans for the potential raid on The Pit continued, Midnight pulled Ravenclaw off to the side, stating his concern about the sudden switch in direction and the apparent aimlessness of Avatar's actions. Worried that this trend would continue, he stated that he was thinking of accepting Spectrum's offer to join the Champions of Justice, seeing it as a way to do what he had signed up with Avatar for. Ravenclaw agreed with the Brit's assessment and stated his own concerns over the fact that Avatar was no longer his old friend and that he too had a desire to move on and strike out on his own for a while.

With a united front, both men approached Avatar, breaking the news to him quickly and leaving before being hit with a tirade. Finding that his two closest friends have left him, Avatar begins to once again rethink his strategy, wanting to once again dedicate himself to creating a safe haven for geniuses and men of power. In the middle of this, Prophet realizes that he has once again been shoved to the sidelines and quietly departs from the mansion, leaving Avatar alone with his dreams of grandeur.

© Copyright 2002, 2004 - James Caswell