"After Images"
TEAR ASUNDER
Part I
Issue 16
Written by Gary Dreslinski
Edited by Alvaro Ibáńez
With Special Thanks to Barry Reese and Neil Gow

"Lord Dane, I fear that we are under attack once more."
Dane Whitman, Lord of Garrett Castle looked out over the grasslands that surrounded his hold, and saw nothing but rows and rows of men in black armor.
"So, he's come for us at last has he?" Dane heard himself saying,
"Well, I must say, he shall be in for quite a surprise!"
Beside him, he felt the presence of his squire, known throughout the realm as Squire Charlie.
"We'll beat 'em back sir," Charlie said with a smile, "And we'll do it with youthful optimism!"
Dane beamed, "That we will old friend - that we will." He reached over for his old armor, the armor he had not touched in what seemed to be a hundred years. He handed it over to Charlie with a smile, "I believe this is yours now," he heard himself say.

Charlie reached out and took it from his liege's hands, the traditional armor of the Black Knight.
"This might be of use as well." Dane said, holding the Scarlet Blade out by the hilt.

Charlie held it in his hand for a moment, the awe in his face speaking volumes. He placed the blade on the ground in front of him as he donned the armor.

Dane watched with a twinge of regret. Once upon a time, he would have been the one going out to face the forces of evil. But now, he was the one sitting on the sidelines, hoping that everything would go all right for the youngster.

Charlie attached the sheath at his side with a practiced precision. Dane looked him over, he had to admit, it was a good fit. Squire Charlie, the efficent lad who had stood at his side for so many years was gone. In his place stood the latest in the long line of those to bear the name Black Knight...

In his place...

Dane Whitman turned over in bed, shaking his head back and forth. "Not like this," he muttered to himself, "Not like this".

Dane Whitman stood alone in the rain sans umbrella, allowing the comforting drizzle to fall lightly on his face. It hid the tears that were streaking down his face.

He stood, in front of the memorial statue Parliament had erected to the fallen Crusaders. Their faces were etched in stone now, part of history. They had been his teammates - his friends. They had... he shook his head, it didn't matter what they had been. What mattered was the fact that when that final moment had come, it should have been him.

There was no other way to look at it. He was the Avenger. Now and forever. Captain America had said as much. HE was the one who was supposed to leap into the void, valiantly sacrificing himself in order to stave off the darkness.

He was the one...

"Penny for them," he heard a familiar voice say from behind him.
Dane turned with a start,"Linda?" he mouthed, seeing the figure of Captain UK in front of him, standing with her arms folded in front of her, and a smile on her face.
"None other."
He took a step toward her, hesitantly. "But... I thought that..."
She shook her head, "News of our deaths were greatly exaggerated."
He said nothing in response, but rather grabbed her and held her close.
He felt her body against his, felt her warmth, smelled her hair... and felt the rain falling on them, filling them with...

"Not like this," Dane repeated, throwing his head back in bed. "It wasn't like this,".

"How was it?" a soothing female voice inquired from the darkness, "Tell me Dane, tell me what happened to you."

Dane tried to reach out for the voice, but his fingers couldn't get passed the darkness that surrounded him. He couldn't reach her...
couldn't reach...

"I'm sorry I've been hard to reach. I just needed some time to think." Dane turned with a start to see Karla Whitman, the time lost Black Knight of 2099... his descendant he reminded himself with a catch in his throat.

She smiled slightly at his awkward stare.

"What... What did you need to think about?" he found himself asking.

Her smile faded at the edges of her lower lip first, before vanishing from her face entirely, "I'm still not entirely sure how to tell you this..."

He unfolded his arms from his chest, where they had placed themselves in his defense. He hoped that she hadn't noticed, or at least appreciated that he had stopped himself so quickly. He hoped... he hoped he wasn't about to hear what he thought he would hear...

"Just tell me" he said with a brave smile that he had practiced in the mirror time after time. "This moment was going to come sooner or later." he told himself, "She had to leave some time. She needs to have her own life again - she needs to..."

"Well, aren't you going to say something?" she asked.

He stared at her blankly. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "I was wool gathering again. Did you say something?"

She stared at him in shock, "I don't believe it!" she exclaimed, before bursting out in hysterical laughter, "Here I had worked myself into a frenzy about the best way to tell you that I was pregnant and you don't even hear it!"

"Well, in my defense, I do have a lot on my... you're WHAT!"V"Pregnant. Preggers. In the family way - literally." she raised her left eyebrow in mischief, "Congratulations Mr. Whitman - you're going to be a daddy!"

"I'm a Daddy" he heard himself saying.
"Yes" he whispered in truimph, "I'm a Daddy. I'm going to be a Daddy... Karla and I are going to - no, not Karla, that's wrong."

"Then what is right Dane," the soothing woman's voice asked from the darkness, "Who is going to be the mother of your child?"

He sensed his thoughts slipping away again, slipping down the path toward an image, toward...

A blank wall.

Impassable.

Immoveable.

He stared at it for a moment.

"Who put this here Dane?" the voice asked, "And why?"

He shook his head, "I don't know." his lips said, but his heart knew a different truth. He could feel it, all he had to do was to get his heart to talk to him, to tell him its secrets.

"This is stopping you from getting better Dane," the voice revealed, "We need to get through it. But I can't do it myself. You have to help me."

"I... can't."

"Yes you can Dane. You're a hero - an Avenger - a Crusader. This is just a projection of a wall. Its only as real as you make it."

He stared it for a moment, "Looks pretty real to me," he muttered as he took a deep breath and took a step closer to the wall itself.

His feet gained weight, shortening his step forward to half that it would be. He felt sluggish, as if gravity were increasing around him.

"Ignore it," the voice told him, less soothing and more commanding," You can't stop now. Not when we're so close. Can you feel how close we are?"

"Yes" he answered in whisper. He could feel it. It was just beyond the wall. He could feel it calling to him. He had felt it for quite some time, calling to him... even before he had known of its existence, even before the...

"Wall" he exclaimed to the voice, "The wall wasn't here until I..."
"Mentioned the baby," the voice interrupted, "Yes, I noticed that as well. I was wondering when you would make the connection. Obviously the idea of a child is something that someone did not want you to have access. Obviously someone with a great deal of power, otherwise I would be able to do more to help you. As it is, I'm straining to keep the forces arrayed against you at bay."

"Forces at bay?" he asked in confusion, "What forces?"

"You don't want to know." the voice confidented, "Suffice to say that the wall was not the only barrier put between you and this secret. Whomever set this block in place did a very good job of concealing it, and a better job at guarding it."

"We're the last guard!" someone shouted at the top of their lungs, "We have to give the others enough time to escape!"

Dane looked over to where the exhausted Captain America was rallying what was left of the Avengers.

His lips started to form the question, but he shook it off. "This isn't real is it?" he asked aloud.

"I wish it wasn't either Dane," Cap answered, "But we have to accept that this might well be humanity's last stand. Its up to us though, to make sure that there is a chance for at least some of the populace to rebuild among the stars."

Dane shook his head, "This isn't how it was." he said.

"But its how it is." Cap replied solemnly, "You've got to pull yourself together and..."

Captain America's head tinted sideways suddenly, a sinister smile spreading across his face, "You should have listen little Dane." a dark voice said from Cap's mouth, "You should have listened and been a good little soldier. But now... now, its all too late."

Dane looked to where the rest of what was left of the Avengers had been standing. Their bodies had been torn to pieces - their flesh ripped from their forms and thrown to the winds.

"This isn't real," Dane repeated.

The creature who had taken over the form of the symbol of a fallen nation among nations laughed and took a step closer to him, "Its all going to be history soon for you anyway..." the creature hissed, "What's a little reality among friends..."

Dane closed his eyes. "This isn't real" He repeated to himself, steeling the image of the wall in his mind.

"Do not do that," the woman's voice barked from the void.

He opened his eyes again. He was once more in front of the wall.

"Do what?" he asked.

"Use the wall to draw yourself back here. The more you feed it, the stronger it gets."

"What are those images I keep seeing? Other realities?"

"After images. Things that might have been. Things that might be. Pieces of you. I haven't sorted it all out yet, but pay attention when you slip in and out of them. There are truths there."

"Great," Dane muttered, "Can you be any more obscure."

"I'm sure I could try."

Dane rolled his eyes, "That's just what I need right now..." he sighed, "What I need to know right now is what is real and what isn't. That - and where I am... and while you're at it, identifying yourself would go a long way toward my believing the rest of your answers."

"You may not be ready to handle reality" she replied.

"Why don't you try me?"

"What is the last thing you remember?"

"Fighting... we were the last hope..."

"Of course you were." she retorted, "Who were you fighting? Who were you with?"

"We were fighting... The Adversary. I was with the Crusaders. They..."

"They sacrificed themselves." she told him, "Do you remember that?"

He shook his head frantically, "That wasn't real. They... we won."

"Yes, you did. You won because they were willing to throw themselves into the void. Because they were willing to be heroes."

"I'M a hero" Dane yelled toward the wall.

"Of course you are" the voice answered in a placating tone.

"I AM!"

"Of course you are Dane. That's why you're here, with a wall in your way. Instead of fighting. That's why you're stuck here, because you won't fight."

"I thought I was supposed to ignore the wall and make it go away."

"That isn't what you have to fight Dane. Think hard. Who is it that you have to fight?"

Dane thought for a moment, suddenly his face lit up, "Myself?" he asked, waiting for confirmation.

"How telling" the woman replied, "But that's not it. It's someone else. Someone close to you. Someone, holding you back."

"Who then?"

"I can't tell you that Dane. Only you know the answer to that."

"So it might be that I have to fight myself?"

"You're really stuck on that idea aren't you? That your faults are holding you back from becoming the hero you should be."

"I didn't say that."

"You don't have to."

"Who are you anyway?"

"All in good time" she responded calmly, "The priority here is getting you better, not talking about old times."

"Do we HAVE old times?"

"Perhaps"

"How the hell is this getting anything solved?"

"One layer after another has to be peeled back. That's the only way to get passed this wall that's holding you here. What do you remember after the Crusaders died?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"What happened afterwards? Did you just go home? Have a sandwich? What did you do?"

"I... don't recall."

"Don't you?"

"Isn't that what I just said?"

"Then you don't recall flying into a blind rage and killing all those people?"

"WHAT!?!?!"

"You don't remember doing that?"

"NO...no, I don't recall that happening."

"Good," her voice seemed to smirk, "Since that never happened. Nice to know that you have at least a small hold on reality."

"That wasn't fair," he found himself muttering.

"Life so rarely is." she replied, the calmness returning to her voice. "Are you ready for what came next?"

"Yes" he said without hesitation.

"You collapsed."

"And?"

"There is no and. The Crusaders died. You collapsed a couple hours later as a result of the strain you've been putting on your body. All the magicks, all the chronal energy - they seemed to combine to bring you to your present state."

"Which is?"

"Not good."

"Listen, I need to know what's going on here. Who do I have to fight to get the hell out of here?"

"You're never going to 'get out of here' Dane. This is YOUR mind we're in. Its a place that for better or worse, you're stuck with. Personally, I can think of much nicer places to be. You're quite the mess."

"Gee, thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"Is Karla all right?"

"Funny you should take this long to ask about her."

"Why is that?"

"No reason. Just an observation. Of course, the fact that you thought of her at all does add a dimension or three."

"Are you going to speak English anytime soon?"

"Would you rather I speak German?"

"Do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Speak German?"

"Aber natürlich*" she replied fluently.

<"Of course I do" - Alvaro von Editoren>

"Are the Avengers doing anything for me?"

"No"

"What do you mean no? Where are they?"

"I have no idea. There have been no calls or visits from your former teammates from the states."

"So I'm still in London."

"Yes"

He thought about it for a moment and closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in the middle of a circular room.

"I was wondering when you were going to come back to me." a woman said.

He jumped.

It wasn't the same voice... or was it?

"You were gone for the longest time, I thought we had lost you."

He turned to see an exotic looking woman with long flowing hair. His mind stumbled for a moment before grasping the name.

"Roma" he said with a smile, "So I got to the other side of the wall?"

She nodded, "It was difficult to get you through. But you managed. I knew that you would find a way."

"What's happening? What have I missed?"

"I think it best if you have a chance to rest before I fill you in. Your strength, your power, is sorely needed. You would be of more use though, once your mind catches up with the rest your body took."

"Something tells me I'm not going to like this." he said.

She shook her head, smiling sadly, "Your instincts serve you well Dane Whitman. But I would rather you wait until you can better cope with the blow I must deal to you."

"Just tell me"

"In time. Now, go and..."

He felt his muscles tensing before he had made the decision.

"Tell me" he said.

She looked into his eyes for a long moment. "Very well then," she answered, the hesitation in her voice slipping away,"Your Mistress - the Lady of the Lake - is dead."

NEXT: What has happened to Dane Whitman? What is going to happen to him? Stay tuned.