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Call Me Whatshisname
He was sick for a while, but he is feeling better now. Though you wouldn't know it from the pained look on his face. His name, well, he's had dozens over the millennia, but these days, he prefers to be called Gilgamesh. Here, on Olympia, he carries the large stone head carving of Zuras above his own head, with just one hand. He wears brown boots and a brown loincloth, and wraps around his wrists as he walks over the rubble of the once glorious Olympia.
'Excellent, Gil! You're back to full strength!' a voice cries out. 'Could you expect any less? Am I not an Eternal?' Gilgamesh responds, when suddenly, a slab of rubble is thrown at his back, causing Gilgamesh to drop the head of Zuras, which smashes into rubble as it crashes down below off the raised walkway where Gilgamesh is walking. 'Oh, loosen up, Mighty One!' the voice cries out again. It's the Eternal called Sprite, who laughs as he sits nearby, 'That was rich!' exclaims, before telling Gilgamesh to come and celebrate his return to health, with some mead.
Sprite uses his powers to materialize a goblet of mead, but Gilgamesh just whacks it, knocking the mead over. He looks angry as he tells Sprite that his juvenile levitation tricks fail to amuse him, and points out that there is work to be done cleaning the debris here in Olympia. 'Work, work, work! There's all Eternity for work!' Sprite replies. 'But play – now that's a precious commodity' he exclaims, before Gilgramesh grabs him by his shirt and tells Sprite that he has been due a lesson in priorities for eons – and boasts that today he shall have it. 'Hold, Gil!' Sprite pleads as Gilgamesh holds him up into the air. 'Surely you do not think I had any intent but to celebrate your recovery! If I overstepped my bounds in pursuit of mirth – I apologize. I apologize!' Sprite calls out. 'Your words are hollow – but amusing' Gilgamesh remarks as he drops Sprite back down onto the ground. 'Amusing? Then why do you not smile?' Sprite queries.
Gilgamesh remarks that he has returned from the edge of the abyss, and so, his soul is chilled by that experience. 'Exactly why you need some merriment!' Sprite exclaims. He tells Gilgamesh to forget such foolishness as his ill-dated stint with the Avengers, and that he should enjoy life. 'Shout happily to the world! Gilgamesh the Dragon Slayer is back!' Sprite exclaims, grinning and holding a hand up in the air. 'Back? The world scarce took note of me before! Always did some others take credit for my deeds!' Gilgamesh points out, before admitting that Sprite's idea does intrigue him. 'Should any mishap befall us... it is you I will hold accountable!' Gilgamesh warns Sprite, who, dripping with sweat, grits his teeth and smiles. 'No need for concern, Gil' he claims, before levitating himself into the air, Sprite shouts 'Let us begone!' Gilgamesh follows and asks 'Begone to where, imp?' Sprite boasts that they will go to the only place in the world of mortals to have fun, of course – Paris!
Shortly, the two Eternals drop down from the sky and land on a bridge surrounded by forest in Paris. 'Now... a little concentration...' Sprite begins, as he and Gilgamesh are suddenly clad in regular clothing. 'You've transformed the molecules of our garments to those more in keeping with this world of men' Gilgamesh remarks, now wearing trousers and a jacket. He doesn't like the hat on his head, so he tosses it towards the forest, as Sprite tells him that it is just a short walk from the Bois de Bologne to the heart of the city, before asking Gilgamesh if he doesn't like the “headgear”. 'Not a hat redolent of garlic' Gilgamesh replies, before asking Sprite if his pranks will never cease.
At Paris's Latin Quarter, where a daring daylight robbery of a cash exchange center is in progress. 'You want stop us!' one of the thieves shouts in his native French, while bullets are fired, and onlookers begin to run. 'Hurry! The car is just ahead!' one of the thieves calls out, carrying a case full of stolen money – only Gilgamesh has arrived and plants himself between the thieves and their getaway car. 'Miscreants! Though neither are you dragons nor super-human villains...your evil deeds speak for themselves!' Gilgamesh declares as he grabs two of the thieves and bashes their heads together. They drop to the ground, while civilians at a nearby cafe watch the battle. Another thief opens fire at Gilgamesh, but to the thieves’ surprise, Gilgamesh melts the bullets with beams of energy that he fires from his eyes. 'I'm getting outta -' the thief begins, before Gilgamesh casually flicks a finger, sending the thief crashing backwards into another of the thieves.
With the thieves defeated, Sprite rushes over to Gilgamesh and tells him that was magnificent. 'Surely now you will be a rightfully recognized hero!' Sprite suggests, before motioning to a group of journalists and camera crews rushing over. 'Listen! Even now throngs of mortal scribes and chroniclers approach!' Sprite grins. 'Eh?' Gilgamesh remarks, looking over to where the journalists are running towards him. 'Sir! Wait! An interview, please!' one of them calls out. 'You must tell us of your heroism in stopping those awful criminals!' another exclaims. 'You are a man of uncommon valor!' another declares. 'Well... I... um... that is – huh?' Gilgamesh starts to respond, as the journalists and camera crew ignore him, running past him, they come to a stop at one of the nearby café tables, where a man with long blond hair pulled back into a ponytail smiles. The blonde woman with him grins, and the reporters and camera crew gather around him. 'It was nothing – really nothing. To be a hero...is simply a full-time calling' the man grins. 'You have heard it, viewers from the lips of Jean-Paul Bel Tootho – heard the modesty that makes him not merely France's greatest soap-opera star but – a great hero, as well!' one of the reporters remarks.
'Why, that faker! I'll turn his head into a pig's snout so fast it'll -' a furious Sprite begins, clenching his teeth, until Gilgamesh puts a hand on his shoulder and tells him that he will not allow such a prank. 'Understand?' he asks Sprite. 'But – but – oh... all right...' Sprite mumbles. They carry on walking and Sprite tells Gilgamesh that there will be other chances – he can feel it. 'I'll see you crack a smile yet!' Sprite grins. Gilgamesh tells Sprite that his words are kind and intentions good, but that it is no use. 'My lot in life is to go unrecognized and unappreciated' Gilgamesh supposes. They walk across another bridge that looks out to the Eiffel Tower, 'If only there were modern-day villains like the dragons of old...foes worthy of my power! Then I would have a chance of being celebrated for my deeds!' Gilgamesh remarks, while fountains spray water up into the air nearby. 'Uh... Gil... you know that mortal saying about being careful what you wish for...?' a wide-eyed Sprite calls out. 'By Zuras – appearing out of nowhere!' Gilgamesh declares as he looks up and sees a blad man riding on a large dark green dragon, raising a whip above his head, while dozens of other dragons fly around him.
'The day of your doom has arrived, Gilgamesh! I have waited centuries for this opportunity – and today, B'Gon the Sorcerer will prove your life to be far less than eternal!' the sorcerer warns Gilgamesh. Suddenly, two dragons swoop down low and grab Sprite and Gilgamesh with their claws, pulling them into the air. Sprite looks terrified, but Gilgamesh tells him to be brave, and remind him that his powers make him nearly as formidable an adversary as himself. 'Wh-whatever you say, Gil!' the unconvinced Sprite calls back as the dragon holding him starts to fly away. 'Forget your friend, Gilgamesh – if such is your name – it is you who are my prime target – you who will fall before the dragons of B'Gon!' the sorcerer boasts. Two dragons begin pulling at Gilgamesh, as Gilgamesh tells the sorcerer that he has never met, and nor does he understand why he attacked. 'But I shall divine that after I neutralize the menace you pose!' Gilgamesh declares as he drops down from the two dragons, smashing their heads together, he begins to fly upwards and tells B'Gon to remain where he is.
B'Gon announces that he will stay right here, as he continues to ride the back of the dragon, but suggests that Gilgamesh will not find his winged allies so suggestible. 'As many dragons as you have – that many I shall defeat!' Gilgamesh exclaims as he releases a powerful punch that creates some sort of shock that sends seveal dragons careening backwards. Gilgamesh is then attacked again, as two dragons breathe fire towards him, which engulf him. 'Flames – of such intensity – they cause even me pain!' Gilgamesh utters. He wonders if he has escaped dearth only to have it find him today, but declares that he must not give in to despair. He flies over to the Eiffel Tower and climbs through the lattice work – the two dragons attempt to follow him, but are far to large to fit through the lattice work and instead crash into the tower.

B'Gon flies his dragon over to the tower and tells Gilgamesh that he is a powerful foe inddeed. 'Which is precisely why you must die!' B'Gon exclaims. Gilgamesh remarks that B'Gon speaks in riddles, and asks him why he is his foe, as he has never seen him before. 'But you have thwarted me before! In my youth – millennia ago – when I first discovered my power to control the creatures mortals call dragons – it was you who slew the one who would have paved the way for my conquest of this continent!' B'Gon reveals, while remembering Gilgamesh strangling the large dragon some millennia ago. B'Gon states that he saw that he must bide his time and allow his power to grow, and so he waited for centuries in his subterranean home in a deep sleep, induced with special potions until his new dragons were hatched and grown – dragons enough for him to enslave the entire continent.
'Imagine my rage upon my recent awakening, to hear rumors of one matching your description again walking the Earth' B'Gon snarls. Gilgamesh has moved out from the safety of the lattice work, and stands on a ledge, while B'Gon states that he knows Gilgamesh disappeared for a time, he sensed his re-appearance in Paris today, and have come here to erase him from existence. 'If, as you say, I vanquished you in the past, then I shall do so again -' Gilgamesh starts to reply, before realizing a large dragon has snuck up behind him. 'Too late, fool – too late!' B'Gon calls out, while the dragon grabs Gilgamesh in its mouth and takes flight, holding onto Gilgamesh by his coat. B'Gon boasts that, by sheer force of numbers, his pets will wear Gilgamesh out, and then burn the flesh from his bones.
But, before the dragon can fully clamp its teeth, Gilgamesh is able to flip himself backwards, escaping the dragon's mouth, he lands on the dragon's head. 'You pose too much danger, B'Gon – to me and to the people of Earth!' Gilgamesh exclaims, before slamming his fist into the dragon's head and warning B'Gon that his end begins now. The dragon plummets to the ground below, and Gilgamesh leaps up onto the head of the dragon that B'Gon is riding. 'To fight your many pawns is fruitless – I must bring the battle – directly to you -' Gilgamesh declares, while finding himself knocked off balance as B'Gon cries out 'There, my pretty! Shake him – and finish him!' as B'Gon pulls on the reigns, causing the dragon to writhe about, its long neck moves up and down as Gilgamesh tries to walk along the top of it, before the dragon flicks its tail forward, slamming it into Gilgamesh, who falls off, but maintains his position, flying alongside the dragon, as two other dragons start to fly towards him.
'Do you not yet understand B'Gon? You have not the power to kill me – and no matter how many dragons attack me – I will not surrender!' Gilgamesh shouts as he slams his fists into the dragons as they reach him, creating another powerful seismic shock that knocks the dragons away from him, while roaring 'I AM AN ETERNAL OF OLYMPIA!' B'Gon narrows his eyes and suggests to Gilgamesh that he will have all eternity to regret that he could not prevent his creatures from slaying those pathetic humans down below. B'Gon motions for his dragons to head down towards the city below, while Gilgamesh looks on in horror. 'No! No! NOOOOO!' he screams. 'Is that all the mighty Gilgamesh can do? Watch in horror the suffering I inflict on those mortals you seem to care for so' B'Gon grins. As he rips a large metal rod from the tower, Gilgamesh tells his foe not to mistake his alarm for weakness. 'You will not delay me with taunts, B'Gon – or with the treachery of one of your dragons you kept behind!' Gilgamesh declares as he slams the metal rod into the dragon's head.
Gilgamesh lets the metal rod fall to the park below, and announces that he shall save the mortals, and his fellow Eternal, Sprite, whom the dragons carried off. 'For as an Eternal of Olympia... I have formidable power at my disposal... power greater than even you can imagine!' Gilgamesh warns the sorcerer as he fires powerful beams from his eyes, striking three of the large dragons in unison, they all fall to the ground below, where some civilians run before the dragons can fall on them. Gilgamesh flies over to B'Gon and tells him that, importantly, he possesses power enough to defeat the mind controlling the monsters. 'Do you, grim one – do you?' B'Gon queries as the sorcerer suddenly transforms into a dragon-like creature himself, and lashes out at Gilgamesh with sharp claws, and wraps his tail around Gilgamesh, trapping him and calling him a fool as he reveals that the link to the dragons is more than empathic – that he is more kin to the dragons than he is to Gilgamesh. 'Your scream will be a serenade as my coiling tail crushes the life from you -' B'Gon begins, but Gilgamesh resists the sorcerer and raises his fists, slamming them into the transformed sorcerer, causing him to switch back to his human form. 'Braggart!' Gilgamesh declares.
Gilgamesh takes the reigns of B'Gon's dragon and states that if he recalls the techniques from his days spent adventuring with Buffalo Bill Cody, 'Herd 'em up – move 'em out!' he shouts as he crackes the whip he took from B'Gon. Gilgamesh's plan works, and the remaining dragons fly in front of Gilgamesh, who herds them through the air, while wondering that now he has them in formation, where should he put them? B'Gon rises and remarks 'Do not worry yourself...about such details hated one...'. Gilgamesh tells the sorcerer that he has regained consciousness only to journey to incarceration. 'No! Though you have today triumphed! My power is enough to enable me to flee – even as I vow that I will one day return to end your Eternal life... or see to it that it is spent in torment!' B'Gon vows as he, and all of his dragons, suddenly disappear. Gilgamesh begins to fall through the sir, 'No! Nooooo!' he cries out, when suddenly, 'Got ya, heroic one!' Captain America grins as he appears and catches Gilgamesh in his arms.
Gilgamesh and Captain America drop to the ground, and in French, Captain America tells the crowd gathering below that the day is saved, thanks to Gilgamesh. 'Since when does Captain America fly?' someone in the crowd asks. Reporters and camera crews gather around as Captain America explains that it is an experimental modification to his shield, but that is irrelevant, as he would like to assure the people of Paris, and the world, that today, thanks to the heroism of Gilgamesh – 'That's G-I-L-G-A-M-E-S-H' Cap spells out – disaster was averted. 'We all owe Gilgamesh a great debt of gratitude!' a reporter exclaims. Cap and Gilgamesh both take to the air, flying away from the crowd, Cap bids Gilgamesh farewell. 'Think I said your name enough times, Gil?' Cap asks.
'Grrr. “Captain America” indeed. There was no need to “rescue” me Sprite! My own powers would have brought me safely to Earth' Gilgamesh frowns as he drops down to the path in the forest where Sprite has materialized. 'Oh, but not in nearly so amusing a manner!' Sprite calls out. Gilgamesh then asks Sprite if “rescuing” him was to in some way make up for disappearing during battle. 'Dis -? My friend, had you counted dragons you would have noticed that you were not the only one slaying them today!' Sprite replies. He grins as he tells the unimpressed Gilgamesh not to mind that, and suggests he concentrate on the fact that the world will now finally grant him the recognition that he deserves, under the name that he craves. '“Captain America” made sure of that!' Sprite points out. 'Hmmm. We shall see...' Gilgamesh utters, while Sprite boasts that it is assured, and that his name will be on the lips of the world.
Later: 'LIES!' Gilgamesh shouts as he looks at a copy of the “Daily Bugle” (International Edition) which has a photo of him tearing the iron rod from the Eiffel Tower, and the caption “Gilgamesh on a rampage, terrifies tourists”, and then another photo of Captain America and Gilgamesh dropping to the ground with the caption “Captain America restores order”. 'They have reviled me!' Gilgamesh, back to wearing his boots and loincloth, shouts as he slams a fist down on a table on a balcony, knocking Sprite, who is sitting at the table, backwards so hard that he falls over the railing of the balcony. Clinging to the balcony, Sprite tells Gilgamesh that he is lucky to breakfast with a fellow Eternal, otherwise he would be a mere blot on the pavement. 'A pity such is not the case. Truly, with allies like yourself, Sprite, I've no need of adversaries' Gilgamesh responds.
But Sprite tells Gilgamesh that he misses the point: 'You have been recognized by your correct name! Correctly spelled! It's a start!' Sprite exclaims. Suddenly, Gilgamesh grins, 'Yes... yes... it is a beginning!' he declares, before suggesting to Sprite that they journey out of here and see what else this great world has to offer him. 'The Solemn One smiles! Truly, only an Eternal could have lived long enough to behold such a wonder!' Sprite remarks.


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Bitter Pill
One month ago, some thirty members of the Stone Perfs street gang met a fiery demise at the bottom of a quarry in the Mojave Desert. Since then, Hawkeye has been looking for the person or persons who ordered their deaths. But the results so far have been precisely zip. 'Where does it end? WHERE DOES IT END!' Clint Barton a.k.a. Hawkeye shouts as he slams his fist into the face of one of the Mode Blanks gang members. Hawkeye's search has led him to some interesting places – like this abandoned house in East LA that the Perfs used as their hangout. The occasion is a celebratory torching by their rival gang, the Mode Blanks. And as the old house goes up in flames, Hawkeye uses his bow, swinging it into three of the Perfs, knocking them over. 'Are you really that stupid to figure it out? If the violence doesn't stop – you're dead!' Hawkeye tells the gang members. 'If not this week, next week, if not in a quarry, then in a sewer!' Hawkeye calls out,  asking the Mode Blanks if they think they've won just because the Stone Perfs got themselves murdered?
'What did you win? Tell me what you won!' Hawkeye asks one of the gang members, grabbing him by his shirt and pulling him closer. 'The chance to die at 21 instead of 18? Is that it?' Hawkeye asks. 'You're so full of -' the gang member starts to reply. 'What then?' Hawkeye interrupts. 'To recruit your younger brothers and sisters?' an infuriated Hawkeye asks. 'And when they die at 21, they'll have you to thank!' Hawkeye shouts, telling the gang member that that is something he can be proud of – there is some meaning for his life. 'Shut up, you -' the gang member starts to say, before Hawkeye mutters 'Ah, what the heck...!' and tosses him aside. 'The power structure needs all the help it can get to keep you and your people excluded, right?' Hawkeye asks, as the gang member lands near some flames. Hawkeye tells him not to answer, as there is a more pressing question: 'Are you just gonna lay there till the fire reaches the gas line – or help me drag your friends to safety?' he asks. 'Well?' Hawkeye snaps.
A short time later, the abandoned house explodes, while Hawkeye ducks for cover outside, the Mode Blanks having all been dragged to safety. 'Personally, I think you made the right decision' Hawkeye remarks, his sky-cycle laying nearby. Hawkeye announces that he had been trying to break up the Perfs for months – and then they died anyway – firebombed, nothing left but ash. 'The gang wars have to stop...the violence has to end...for your sake, for the – No, never mind. I'm sick of hearing myself preach' Hawkeye mutters. 'Me too, man' the gang member complains. As Hawkeye gets on his sky-cycle, the gang member tells him that there ain't nothing else for them, and to fight the power is all they have. Hawkeye informs the gang member that “The power” couldn't care less if they slaughter themselves. As the fire roars behind them, Hawkeye tells the gang member to forget it. 'It's your life. Do what you want with it. Just tell me one thing: Who killed the Perfs? Does your gang know? Does anyone know?' he asks. The gang member shakes his head and assures Hawkeye that nobody down here knows nothing. 'And wouldn't admit it if they did, right?' Hawkeye asks. The gang member tells him that he is wrong. 'You take a bullet in the street, that's one thing. That's for your friends’ territory. Ain't nobody I know wants a bomb dropped on his head!' the gang member calls out as Hawkeye takes to the air on his sky-cycle, and emergency services arrive to attend to the fire.
Meanwhile, in Beverly Hills, in the backseat of an expensive car, the now well-dressed Prince Charming, formerly of the Stone Perfs, holds a glass of wine and tells Lotus Newmark that he thought she said they were going to her house, but points out that Hollywood is back the other way. 'What? Oh, you mean that little bungalow in the hills? You thought I lived there?' Lotus asks, informing Prince Charming that is nothing but a “safe house”, for visitors whose names could be embarrassing if found in a hotel register, and for people who shouldn't be seen on the streets – like him. 'So then – where do you live?' Prince Charming asks. 'Here' Lotus tells him, pointing out the window, at an enormous mansion, with towering pillars at the front of it. The car drives up around a fountain in front of the mansion, as Lotus reveals that the design was inspired by a comic book she read as a very young child, where the heroine lived on an island populated only by women, and made excursions into the male-dominated world to fight the nasty villains. 'I had no idea how important those silly stories would be to me...' Lotus adds.
As they walk towards the front doors, Lotus adds that the memory of those stories sustained her through a very difficult life. She bids good evening to a woman called Paula who stands by the front door, armed with a gun. Prince Charming tells Lotus that he doesn't understand why she is telling him this stuff, and as the door opens and Lotus steps into the mansion, she informs Prince Charming that she wants to see if he can keep this information to himself. A woman on the other side of the door then greets Mistress Lotus. Making their way into an office, Prince Charming is shocked and exclaims 'I don't believe this place! It looks like something off TV!' He admits that he never thought anyone lived like this in true life, before telling Lotus that if she is worried about him keeping secrets, then why did she let Auggie Slater show him the “ice” lab? Lotus opens a cupboard full of bottles of alcohol and tells Prince Charming that was business – he had to know. She adds that men deal differently with business than they do with women. She tells him to sit down and make himself comfortable, before asking if he would like a drink.
'Yeah, yeah, sure' Prince Charming replies, before noticing two severed fingers encased in a glass display box. 'Lotus? Are these for real?' Prince Charming asks, shocked. 'Real? Oh, yes. I took them from my father – before I took his life' Lotus reveals. She hands Prince Charming his drink and asks him if he would like to hear the story. 'I dunno. I guess, yeah!' Prince responds. Lotus sits next to Prince and informs him that her father was a jobber of imported goods, like gray market textiles, mostly, to discount outlets here in LA. She reveals that she was born here, too, but her father moved the family to Hong Kong when she was six years old, as he wanted to move one rung up the ladder – closer to the source.
(flashback images)
Lotus reveals that her father did quite well for himself for the first few years over there, noting that the ethical implications of selling the product at cut-rate prices in the United States never seemed to bother him – it was just business. Lotus didn't understand any of that at the time, it was explained to her many years later, by a man who was colder by far than her father, but less inclined to rationalize. Lotus remembers that she might never have met the other man if not for a runaway taxicab – and the fact that her father grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the taxi's path – rather than her mother, who fell and twisted her ankle. Lotus' father tried to reach his wife, but there wasn’t time – and Lotus and her father both watched in horror as she was struck by the taxi and died. Lotus' father was never the same after that, and for months he spent every day at her mother's grave, sobbing and begging her forgiveness – he even stopped talking to Lotus, and eventually, he returned to work, but he would disappear at night. The situation was as anyone would expect – he was drinking heavily, gambling heavily and running up markers beyond his means.
Lotus supposed that it would never have occurred to him that one day his creditors would insist upon payment, and she answered the door one day – they had come calling. She told them the truth, that her father was sleeping, and the told her they would wake him up. Which they did – and rudely, slapping him across the face, Li Fong addressed him as Jerome and declared that they had to talk. Jerome sat up, surprised to see Li Fong and asked him what was going on. Li Fong sat at the end of Jerome's bed and apologized for the intrusion, before informing him that he made it necessary – as he had not met his obligations, so he had come to collect in person. 'I – I – the money should've been here by now, but see, the problem -' Jerome started to explain, before blaming the client in the States, remarking that they are slow to pay. Li Fong wasn't interested and told Jerome Newmark that time had run out, that there are no more excuses, no more partial payments – they have to settle accounts.
Jerome asked if they could work something out, some kind of barter, and claimed that he had some inventory, almost enough to cover what he owed. Li Fong smiles and tells Jerome that he isn't interested, but he would accept two of his fingers as payment, to remind him to treat future debts more seriously. 'You're joking!' Jerome replied. 'There must be something else -' he started to say, when Lotus entered the room, calling out to him. 'Perhaps...yes' Li Fong remarked as he turned to Lotus. Lotus never heard her father's answer, but she left with Li Fong and his Tong brethren – and her father kept all ten of his digits.
Lotus came to learn that the Tong was a business, some of its dealings were conducted in back alleys, but its leaders met in a board room setting. She remembers how they laughed out loud the first time they saw her – Li's little American servant. Li Fong told his friends that their amusement was understandable, but that they should not underestimate the little lady. As she served tea during one meeting, Li Fong told his associates that his aim in taking Lotus as payment was to rob her father of his dignity, but he has discovered that her mind is keen and her will is strong. He added that in time, she would be useful to him in business, and for pleasure. The men laughed as Lotus ran from the meeting room in shame – the men did not grasp that Li was serious, and nor did Lotus.
As Lotus underwent physical and mental training in the years ahead, it became clear by the manner in which Li raised her – like a son, in many ways. She was taught the path to physical power, and rigorously drilled in academic subjects, as well. Although she found it strange, Lotus began to realize that Li Fong wanted to make certain no man could ever hurt her again, as her father had done. The favors Li demanded in return were, for the most part, not excessive. There was, at least, genuine affection between them, and she Lotus knew that Li had given more than he had taken, despite visiting her during the night.

On Lotus' 21st birthday, Li Fong gave Lotus the last thing she ever expected. Sitting across from each other, Li took Lotus' hand and told her that he was proud of her, and, more than that, respected her as one who could be his equal. Li told Lotus that she had an excellent mind for business, and that he had come to value her judgment above that of the men who surrounded him. 'You're trying to say something more than that' Lotus told Li, who announced that he had sensed Lotus' desire to strike out on her own. Li pointed out that though Lotus had never given voice to her thoughts, he knew she found his world, and her possibilities in it, far too constricting, and in that regard, she was still a very American woman. Lotus told Li that she was grateful for the education in reality that he had given her, which was as rare for American girls as for Chinese, and admitted that there are avenues she wished to pursue that would be impossible here. Li told Lotus that she must have her freedom, and stated that the other men would think him crazy for letting her go – but they think that already. He then asks Lotus what she wanted as a parting gift, suggesting money. But Lotus told him that there was only one thing she wanted – her father's address.
Lotus discovered that her father had returned to Los Angeles while she was still a child – and that he never even attempted to find her. She found him in Los Angeles and watched as he, dishevelled, crossed the road to an old apartment building. She followed him into the building and watched as he entered his shabby little room. She knocked on his door, and when he opened it, she told him that, if she wasn't mistaken, she had something to return to him. 'But I haven't lost anything. You must have the wrong apartment' Jerome Newmark responded. 'You've lost everything. You live like a pig... daddy' Lotus declared. 'What – Lotus?' Jerome gasped, wide-eyed. Lotus scowled and confirmed to her father that it was she – all grown up. 'I don't know what to – I've lived with the shame for so – you'll never be able to forgive me, will you?' he asked her, hanging his head. 'No' Lotus told him as she pulled a dagger from her purse. Then, after performing the “operation”, she held her father's bloody hand in front of his face and forced him to look at it for a full minute – then she drove her bare hand through his chest and into his heart, leaving him on the apartment floor in a pool of blood.

(present)
Grinning, Lotus concludes her story by telling Prince Charming that she was out that door and into the life of a California entrepreneur. Prince looks at her with wide-eyes, and she tells him that she is glad her little memento aroused his curiosity. 'That story always makes me laugh' she adds.
The following day, at a restaurant on Beverly Drive, 'This is the best birthday I have ever had, Hawkeye! Thank you!' Luis Gutierrez smiled as he sits around a table with his mother, Monica and sister, Anita. With them, in civilian clothing, are Hawkeye and his estranged wife Bobbi Morse-Barton a.k.a. Mockingbird. Clint smiles and tells Luis that it is the least he can do for a guy who saved his life. 'And you can call me “Clint” when I'm out of uniform' he adds. A waiter brings a large birthday cake to the table, and Clint tells Luis to blow out the candles and make a wish, so they can feed his face and still make it to the movies. 'Okay! Here I -' Luis begins, before he looks over and sees someone walking by: 'Hawkeye – look! Quickly – I thought you said all the Perfs were dead!' Luis exclaims. 'They are as far as I -' Hawkeye begins, turning to where Luis is pointing, Luis identifies a man as Fernando, one of the Stone Perfs. 'They called him “Prince Charming”!' Luis exclaims. 'Yours eyes are better than mine!' Hawkeye replies as he leaps over a banister and runs after Prince Charming, telling Bobbi to keep Luis and his family in their seats, as this could get ugly.
Hawkeye taps Prince Charming on his shoulder and asks 'Excuse me... don't I owe you a shirt?' 'Is this clown talking to me?' Prince Charming asks the man walking beside him. 'Looks it, man' the other man replies, before asking Prince if he is missing a shirt. 'Gimme a break. And you get away from me. I don't know you, man!' Prince Charming snaps, but Hawkeye smiles at him and tells him that they had some good times together. 'Are you crazy, man?' Prince asks. 'Aw! No! You remember the police station? The quarry?' Hawkeye enquires. Prince looks around nervously and tells Hawkeye to back off, as he looks over and sees his sky-cycle. 'Recognized the sky-cycle, did you? Good. Tell your buddy who I am. See if he wants to stick around and do business' Hawkeye tells Prince, who attempts to punch him, 'You got no right to harass me, man!' Prince calls out, as Hawkeye blocks his punch. 'No – but as a witness to mass murder, I've got a few questions!' Hawkeye replies as he knocks Prince backwards.
Prince's associate makes a run for it, and Prince pulls out a gun from his jacket. Hawkeye tells Prince that he is curious, and asks him how come he is the only one of the Perfs who survived. 'Who sent that helicopter, Prince?' Hawkeye asks. Prince declares that he doesn't have to answer, but Hawkeye grabs Prince's wrist and they start to scuffle, as Hawkeye asks Prince if someone paid him to lead his friends to their deaths. 'Talk to me, you miserable -' Hawkeye begins, when suddenly, the gun fires. 'Are you nuts? The street is full of people! That shot could've -' Clint begins, when suddenly, 'CLINT!' Bobbi screams. 'Anita's been hit!' she calls out, as Anita Gutierrez sits motionless in her chair, a pool of blood forming on her chest. 'My sister! You shot my sister! YOU ARE DEAD, FERNANDO! I'LL KILL YOU!' Luis shouts, leaping up on his chair and addressing Prince by his true name, while his mother, Monica, look on in shock, 'Oh no – oh, God – NO!' she utters.
'This isn't my fault, man! You wanted trouble!' Prince Charming snaps as he grabs Hawkeye's wrist and forces the side of the gun to his head, whacking him hard, causing Clint to fall to the ground. Prince picks the gun up and holds it in front of Clint, 'Okay – now you got some!' he exclaims, but before he can shoot Hawkeye, several police officers rush on scene. 'Freeze, punk!' one of them calls out. 'Drop the gun – nice and easy!' another warns him. 'Beverly Hills pigs' Prince mutters, before aiming his gun at one of them and opening fire: 'EAT!' he shouts, shooting one of the officers, who falls backwards. 'Gotta go, Hawkus. Blow your head off another time!' Prince remarks as he takes a device from Hawkeye's pocket and climbs on the sky-cycle. 'Hope this's what I think it is!' Prince remarks, as the sky-cycle takes off. One of the officers fires at him, 'Son of a -' the officer exclaims, but Prince just shouts back 'Go back to the firing range, porker!' while wondering where the breaks are on the sky-cycle.
A short time later, 'OWWW!' Prince calls out as Lotus rakes her sharp fingernails across his face. 'A gun – in broad daylight on Beverly Drive! And now this!' Lotus snaps, motioning to where Prince has crashed the sky-cycle into her lawn, creating a massive dirt ditch. 'Do you have any idea what you've done? That's not a Kawasaki you can buy at the mall! It's probably equipped with half-a-dozen tracking devices that will lead Hawkeye right to my door!' Lotus exclaims, before ordering Prince to get it out of here. 'C'mon, man I'm bleeding! Can't I -' Prince begins, but Lotus slaps him hard across his face. 'I said now!' she shrieks, before telling him not to come back, as he has proven himself an ignoramus and therefore useless to her. 'If you haven't gone in the next 30 seconds – you died in the crash! Is that clear enough?' she asks.
On Beverly Drive, John Walker the USAgent has arrived and hands Clint his bow and a quiver full of arrows. 'I never know what to say at times like this, Hawk. I'm, y'know, sorry about the little girl' USAgent tells his teammate, before asking if he wants his help nailing the creep. 'No' Hawkeye replies, before thanking USAgent for bringing the stuff so quickly. Clint turns to Bobbi and asks her if there is any work on Luis. Bobbi reports that he is still missing, she even called the hospital to see if he tode in the ambulance, but he didn't. 'What about Anita?' Hawkeye asks, although Bobbi informs him that she wasn't able to be saved, and tells Clint that she supposes he is going to decline her help, too. Clint tells Bobbi to stay with Monica, as she is going to need all the comfort she can get, before he takes off on another sky-cycle.

Sometime later, in Downtown LA, “Don't come back” Prince Charming thinks to himself, recalling Lotus' last words to him. 'Keep wishing, you stuck-up rich – keep wishing!' Prince thinks, deciding that once he gets the hang of things thing, she is going to fly it straight down Lotus' throat. 'You're gonna die, Lotus!' Prince declares, when suddenly, the sky-cycle Hawkeye is riding sneaks up behind him and knocks the back of the stolen sky-cycle, sending Prince off-balance and causing him to fall to a rooftop nearby. 'You don't belong in the sky!' Clint calls out. 'You belong in a sewer – with roaches and vermin nibbling on your brain!' Hawkeye roars as he leaps from his own sky-cycle, grabbing Prince and shoving him against the edge of the rooftop.
'You killed that little girl!' Hawkeye shouts as he stands over Prince, holding him up by his shirt. 'And you lured your own friends into a death trap, didn't you? Didn't you?' Hawkeye asks. 'So what?' Prince replies, causing Hawkeye to punch him in the face. 'Is there one good reason you should've been born?' Hawkeye asks. He holds Prince up by his collar again and asks him what good he is to anyone – even to himself 'You ever wonder about these things? Do you ever think about anything?' Hawkeye asks, before throwing Prince down onto the rooftop. 'Know what I've always wondered? Whether any human alive could be so totally worthless – that I could kill without remorse?' Hawkeye asks.
Enraged, Hawkeye stands over Prince and continues shouting: 'And you know what I just found out? The answer is “yes” - and it doesn't matter! I could pop an arrow through your skull and feel like I did the world a service – except for what it would do to me! I'd have to sink to your putrid level! And that would disgust me even more than you do!' Hawkeye concludes. 'Yeah...? Know what I just found out? You're really stupid, man! And it just cost you your -' Prince Charming begins, pulling the gun out from his jacket, he aims it at Hawkeye – but he's interrupted before he can fire it by someone shouting 'ALL PERFS DIE!' and Prince cries out in pain as a barrage of bullets is fired at him, several of the striking across his midsection, blood immediately begins to pool around him.
Hawkeye looks over and sees a young teenage boy drop a machine gun nearby. 'I am... sorry. I could not let him hurt you. I could not let any of them...hurt anybody anymore' the boy calls out. 'Oh, God...no!' Hawkeye utters, dropping his bow, he steps closer to the child, who wears a makeshift mask, probably a stocking, over his face. It's Luis Gutierrez – he's wearing the same clothes and shoes. 'If he was the last one, there is no more need for the Terminizer' Luis, identifying himself as the vigilante, announces, as he starts to remove his mask. 'No – stop!' Hawkeye calls out, raising a hand. Hawkeye tells the boy not to show him his face. 'I have to believe one good thing came out of all of this...I... have to' Hawkeye utters. Hawkeye drops down so one knee so that he is level with the Terminizer. 'Did I – what you said – drop to his level? Am I like him now?' Luis asks. 'I...don't think so' Hawkeye tells him. Luis asks Hawkeye if he has to arrest him, but Hawkeye, crying, just hugs Luis, 'No more questions. Just go home. Your mother needs you now' he utters.
That night, at the Avengers West Compound, Hawkeye and Mockingbird are drinking some coffee, sitting opposite each other in the kitchen. USAgent pours himself a cup and exclaims 'I don't understand you! You actually saw this Terminizer psycho – and didn't even try to capture him?' USAgent points out that if the cops ever get wind of this, it is going to look awful for the Avengers. 'You've got a responsibility to more than just yourself' USAgent adds. Hawkeye tells his teammate that he doesn't need a lecture on this particular subject, and adds that he won't talk about what happened. 'So let's drop it, okay!' Hawkeye snaps. 'Yeah, well, if you ever change your mind, I'm curious as Helena, Montana to hear the story' Agent frowns as he walks out of the kitchen. 'You'll be the first... if I ever change my mind' Hawkeye assures him.
'Second, you mean' Mockingbird remarks, looking at Hawkeye. 'You will tell your wife first, I hope' she adds. Hawkeye tells her it is a moot point, as he isn't going to change his mind. 'Not for ten years or so, anyway – till I'm sure I made the right decision' Hawkeye adds, taking her by her hand. 'Wonderful. I have to live your self-doubt till the year 2000?' Bobbi frowns. 'Maybe. If he's lucky' Hawkeye replies. 'They die young down there'.


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

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Curse of the Cat, People
Tigra is hungry. So hungry. She is about the size of a cat, and licks her lips as she emerges from some shrubs, where she sees an elderly woman feeding a dozen or so cats. 'Here, kitty. Nice kitty. Yes, you too, Kitty' the old woman smiles as she drops pieces of meat amongst the cats. 'No need to worry. Don't I always have enough scraps for all of you?' she asks, while one cat perches on her back, and two rubs against her legs. '... so very, very hungry...' Tigra thinks to herself. 'Yes, I even bought a tidbit for you, Bagheera. Or was it “Shere Kahn” I called you?' the old woman remarks as a brown and black cat swipes some meat. Tigra continue to watch from nearby and licks her lips some more, as the old woman decides that it doesn't matter what name, so long as she, Abigail Verpoorten, is hale and hearty, no poor ownerless cat on Portugese Bend is ever going to go hungry.
Tigra suddenly rushes down from the bushes and joins the other cats. Abigail sees her, and remarks 'Well, hello. You're a little one, aren't you? I don't recall seeing you on the Peninsula before. Not that these old eyes can see too well, even now, my glasses don't -' Abigail begins, before Tigra begins to growl. 'Now, now... there's no need to cause a snarl. There's plenty for everybody -' Abigail begins, as Tigra snatches the meat from her hand. 'Oh, my! You must really be hungry!' Abigail exclaims. Tigra turns her back from the old woman and  begins to eat. Abigail tells her to go ahead and eat, that she won't bother her, when suddenly, the other cats turn and run. 'Kitties? What's wrong? Why are you running -?' she starts to ask, before she is knocked to the ground by a large white dog that growls as it rushes towards the cats. One of the cats hisses, but the dog grabs the cat in its mouth and starts thrashing about, causing the cat to screech. 'Sic 'em, Creeper!' a voice calls out to the dog.
'Oh, my goodness – he's killed that poor kitty!' Abigail utters, before watching as the dog chases after Tigra, and grabs her in his mouth. A man arrives and looks on at the horrifying scene, while Abigail tells him that if that is his dog, to call it off. 'You gotta be kiddin,' lady!' the man retorts. 'What's the use of having a pit bull – if you don't get to watch it kill a cat once in a -' he begins, while Tigra screams, and the man notes that the strange cat sounds almost human from a distance. The dog continues to hold its grip down on Tigra, while the dog's owner tells him to hurry it up. 'You think I got all day -' the man begins, before Tigra manages to climb out of the dog's mouth and onto his face, where she starts clawing at his head. The dog yelps, then howls as Tigra draws blood. The dog continues to howl and thrash about, trying to throw Tigra off of his face, but Tigra doesn't relent. 'Creeper – you okay, boy?' the man calls out, before he turns and runs as Abigail throws her hat at him and shouts 'It wasn't the pit bull's fault, you stupid redneck! It was you who turned him into a killer! YOU!' while Creeper drops to the ground in a pool of blood.
'That other poor cat's dead... the dog, too... but this one... still alive, are you? Just barely?' Abigail remarks as she picks up the wounded Tigra, blood dripping from the bite marks in her side. 'Poor kitty. You really do sound like some hurt little child. You're probably too hurt to live... but at least I can see to it that she needn't suffer much longer' Abigail decides as she walks towards a large house nearby, unaware that she is being watched by a black cat.
Soon, a cab arrives. 'Mrs. Ver – uh -' the cab driver begins. 'Miss Verpoorten, young man' Abigail tells him as she holds Tigra in a small blanket. 'You're the one called for a cab, right?' the driver asks. 'Certainly. I haven't driven a car in 23 years' Abigail reveals, before instructing the driver to take her to the San Pedro Dog and Cat Clinic. And as the cab drives off, the black cat bounds through the long grass.
Inside the cab, Tigra is being held like a baby in Abigail's arms, and makes a strange noise, while the driver asks Miss Verpoorten if she has a cat wrapped up in there. 'Yes, of course! What else would it be?' Abigail responds. 'Search me!' the cab driver mutters, before pointing out that it doesn't sound much like a cat. 'But then, there's all kinds of cats, right?' the cab driver supposes. 'Just like there's all kinds of people' he adds. 'What was that, young man?' Abigail asks. 'Er, nothing, lady' the driver tells her, before announcing that they have arrived at the clinic. Abigail climbs out of the cab and tells the driver that she won't be long, she just has to see to this poor kitty. 'Look, lady, I've gotta -' the driver begins. 'You what?' Abigail asks. 'I'll wait' the driver tells her.
Abigail approaches the receptionist inside the clinic and reports that she is here to see Dr Larson. 'I'm Miss Verpoorten. I phoned a little while ago...' she tells the receptionist. 'Oh, yes. About the badly wounded cat. You want us to put to sleep?' the receptionist asks, which causes Tigra to cry 'NNOOOEEWWRRR!' before the receptionist asks her to take a seat. Other people in the waiting room move away from Abigail with their pets, as Tigra continues to cry. Before long, the receptionist announces 'Dr Larson will see you now, Ms Verpoorteen'. 'Miss Verpoorteen' Abigail corrects her as she walks past her and enters Dr Larson's room.
'Another of your cats mauled by a pit bull, is it, Mrs Verpoorten?' Dr Larson asks. As Abigail places Tigra on the examination table, she tells the doctor that they aren't her cats, not really, and that that particular pit bull won't be harming them anymore. 'This cat disposed of it... but not before those awful jaws got hold of her' Abigail explains. 'Well, in that case, the very least we can do is put the poor thing out of her misery, eh?' Dr Larsons remarks. Abigail asks him if he wants to examine the cat first, pointing out that he hasn't really looked at her. 'No need. Once a pit bull gets hold of a cat, I'm afraid it's all over' Dr Larsons replies. 'Why prolong the animal's agony?' he asks, before telling Abigail that if she wants him to give the cat a whole battery of tests it will be quite painful and expensive. 'No – I'm certain you're right' Abigail replies while looking down at Tigra, holding her to the examination table, as she begins to struggle, although she notes that her struggles are pitifully weak.
Tigra looks up at the old woman and makes noise, which Dr Larson remarks is an odd sound from a cat, deciding to ask his colleague, Dr Mitchell, abot it when they leave to play golf in a few minutes. 'C-could you do it quickly?' Abigail asks, explaining that she can't see the cat well with her failing eyesight, but she thinks from the way her heart is beating, it is almost as if she half knows what is about to happen. 'PLEEOWWRRR' Tigra utters, while Dr Larson raises a large needle to her and tells her to relax, that it won't hurt a bit. 'A squirmy one, isn't she?' Dr Larson comments, before telling Abigail that she needn't remove the blanket, as he can see an opening.
Suddenly, before he can insert the needle, a voice shouts 'STOP!' and Dr Larson looks up from the examination table. 'Eh?' he asks, 'Who?' Abigail calls out, as an elderly woman wearing purple and holding a black cat enters the room. 'My name is Harkness. Agatha Harkness. What, may I ask, were you about to do to my cat?' she exclaims. 'Your cat? But I thought -' Dr Larsons begins.. 'Oh, dear, we were only trying to -' Abigail begins. Agatha asks them to forgive her, that she didn't mean to sound so harsh, but that she has been quite conerned about Tigra. 'Well, of course, if she's yours. The decision whether to pur her to sleep or not is yours. But she didn't have a collar' Abigail remarks. 'Yes, she's always losing it' Agatha claims, before announcing that she will take Tigra home now. 'Look, Ebony, we've found your little friend Tigra' Agatha points out as she lets her black cat drop down onto the examination table.
Dr Larson asks Agatha if she is sure she doesn't want him to inject the cat, before he looks shocked, and exclaims 'Now that I get a closer look at her – she certainly is an odd-looking cat!' Agatha takes Tigra in her arms and confirms that Tigra is quite unique. 'Now, if you'll excuse me...' Agatha begins as she turns to leave the room. 'Wait!' Dr Larson calls out, and follows Agatha out of the room. 'I really think you should let me -' Dr Larson begins, but as he and Abigail arrive in the reception area, he asks the receptionist, Consuelo, where Agatha went. 'Who, Dr Larson? Nobody's come through that door since Miss Verpoorten went in' Consuelo reports. Dr Larson decides to figure this out after his golf date, while Abigail remarks that he hopes that strange woman knew what she was doing. 'I really don't believe that poor kitty can last much longer!' she exclaims.
'You see, Ebony? I knew it was a good idea for me to remain here at the Compound for a few days. Dear Wanda can still use a bit of cheering up...especially with her colleagues off pursuing those repulsive Termini' Agatha remarks once she arrives back at the Palos Verdes Compound, home to the Avengers West Coast. While Ebony skulks around the shadows, Agatha places Tigra on a table in one of Hank Pym's labs, and wishes that Hank were here, after all, this is his Pym Particle device. But, Agatha thinks she remembers which buttons to push from when Hank demonstrated it to her recently. She worries that if she is wrong, then poor Tigra won't survive another hour. Agatha presses a button on the Pym Particle device and shields her eyes as energy pours down onto the table – and transforms Tigra back into her true size. 'It's working, Ebony! She's grown back to normal size – right into the clothes in which I draped her!' Agatha calls out.
Agatha takes a closer look and realizes that reverting Tigra to her true size doesn't appear to have helped her grow stronger, as she had hoped, or regain her more human form. Agatha calls out to Tigra, calling her by her true name, Greer Nelson, and asks her to remember who she is – what she is. 'You're not one of the Cat People – not truly! They were spawned centuries ago by medieval sorcerers – who later exiled them to another dimension!' Agatha explains.
flashback images, narrated by Agatha:
Agatha reveals that for centuries, only an occasional emissary from their world, who is always called the Balkatar, can be summoned to Earth by mystical means. However, one pair of cat beings avoided banishment from Earth, and in time, sought to increase their number by turning humans into Cat People, thereby creating the first Tigra. In time, such experiments culminated in Dr Joanne Marie Tumulo, who wished to use her scientific genius to give feline powers to humans by artificial means. Greer Nelson is the result of Dr Tumulo's labors, and was sent forth to fight evil as The Cat – but sometime afterward, she was mutated by Cat People wizards into becoming the new Tigra, only, like the original, she gradually became more and more savage, until it took several of her fellow Avengers to keep her from killing Hawkeye, and at the point, she vowed to turn back to Greer Nelson, and never to become Tigra the werewoman ever again.
Agatha asks Greer to remember the dichotomoy between those two sides of her being, before reminding her that later, in the dimension of the Cat People, the scheming monarch vowed to take one of Tigra's souls away, either cat or human, if she would kill their enemy, Master Panemonium, and that Tigra secretly agreed to do so, in a moment of weakness – only, she found that when she had the villain at her mercy, she could not commit wilful murder, not even to end the torturous division within herself. Agatha thinks that that, more than anything, was the true Greer Nelson. So, the furious Cat-King removed her feline soul, and reverted her to her human form – but even that was temporary, for very soon, through accident, her cat-soul returned to her, and she became Tigra once more, and it was at this time that she thought herself fully in control of the feline side of her nature, a whole being at last.
Until recently, she reverted anew to her more bestial nature, became less human, more catlike, even in appearannce. She asks Tigra if she remembers this, deep within her atavistic mind, if she remembers Dr Pym shrinking her with his Pym Particles, for her own good, remembers escaping, her human memory fading as she roamed the Southern California Peninsula.
Present:
Agatha looks down at Tigra and supposes that she doesn't hear her, at least not on a conscious level. However, Agatha thinks she knows, at last, what caused Tigra's animal nature to assert itself – the Cat People did cure her that time, at least by their lights – for the idea of a cure for a double soul would be to make her cat side predominant, not the human. Agatha wonders if only the Cat People can help Tigra now, for her wounds have grown larger, even as her body did, so perhaps only they, off in their distant dimension, can cure Tigra's body, mind and even her soul. Agatha tells herself to make the preparations before it is too late.
Shortly, Tigra has been laid on a mystical symbol that Agatha has drawn into the ground. Candles are placed around Tigra, and Ebony lies near her, while Agatha stands over her and shouts 'Hecate, Demeter Rhiannon – once more I pray unto you three – open the gate to the World of the Cat – where the feline mystique flies free! Heed my call, that from afar – may come the bright-eyed Balkatar!' As Agatha speaks those words, a portal opens, and Balkatar appears. 'My incantation has succeeded!' Agatha exclaims, inviting the emissary of the Cat World to enter. Agatha kneels before noble Balkatar and informs him that the werewoman, Tigra, who was cast in her feline form by his proud race, stands in need of aid which she can find, perhaps, only in his realm. 'I beseech you, do what you can for -' Agatha starts to say, before Ebony looks up at Balkatar and begins hissing. 'What is wrong?' Agatha asks, before the large cat-man shouts 'Human vermin! I am no mere interchangeable Balkatar – I am TABUR!'
Tabur slashes his claws across Agatha's face, and the elderly sorceress drops to the ground. 'What, little one?' Tabur asks, as Ebony continues to hiss at him. 'You seek to protect the fallen human female? Do not fear. I care neither one way or another about her' Tabur explains, looking over to Tigra, he announces that it is she has come for, and she alone that he wants.
Soon: 'Who?' Tigra calls out as she opens her eyes, 'Who are you?' she shrieks as she looks up from the sofa where was moved to, and sees Tabur standing over her. 'Has it truly been that long? Well, if you have forgotten me, fair one, perhaps you will at least remember – yourself!' Tabur exclaims as he holds a mirror up to Tigra's face. Tigra looks shocked, 'Yes – I – it's coming back to me! I was changed – so small – there was this monstrous dog!' Tigra utters as her memories come flooding back. She looks at Tabur and announces that she remembers him, before asking him if he is the one who changed her back. 'Yes. With this amulet, which I bought from the dimension of the Cat People' Tabur explains, holding the amulet shaped like a cat's face. 'But – you weren't one of them! We found you – the Cat People and I!' Tigra recalls. 'Only because you did not realize we should all have been on the same side – against our human enemy!' Tabur declares.
Tabur then tells Tigra that he was devolved back into a mere cat then, by the very genetic ray he had stolen from the Cat People, but tells Tigra that it should not have surprised her, of all creatures, that in time, the ray's effects wore off – after all, is he not one of the “New Men” those evolved by the High Evolutionary from the so-called lower orders? He reveals that, in time, he found his way into the dimension of the Cat People, slew their king, and by their own laws, became their monarch himself. Tigra thinks everything is starting to sink in, but remembers so little since Dr Pym shrunk her, before asking Tabur why he is here with her and Abony, and if he brought her here. Tabur claims that he was searching for Tigra from his far realm, when he felt the call. 'Call?' Tigra asks, but Tabur tells her that is not important.
'What matters is that I restored you to your most natueal self...your most lovely self...that you might become my mate!' Tabur smiles as he leans in closer to Tigra. 'You...want to legitimize your rule...by mating with the heir of the Cat People's first Tigra?' Tigra asks. 'That, too, I suppose' Tabur adds, before remarking 'But mostly... I just want to!' He leans in even closer, his mouth only a couple of inches from Tigra's mouth as he asks 'Well?' 'I -' Tigra starts to say, when suddenly, Ebony roars and leaps at Tabur, 'What in the name of -?' Tabur begins, before he swats Ebony, 'Get away from me!' he snarls, as Ebony smacks into the wall. 'NOOOO!' Tigra cries out. 'How dare you... you black-hearted fiend!' Agatha Harkness utters as she enters the room and sees her beloved cat lying motionless nearby.
'WHAT? You are hard to kill, female!' Tabur remarks, while Tigra notices the scratches on Agatha's face. 'The mark of Tabur, little one!' Tabur boasts. 'And you wanted me to mate with you? Not evenn if that amulet of yours could change me back into an alleycat till Helsinki freezes over! Get out of here, Tabur, NOW!' Tigra exclaims. Tabur leaps at Agatha, 'This is your doing, woman!' he declares, warning her that he will make her pay – with her life's blood. Agatha falls to the ground, but before Tabur can deliver another blow, Tigra grabs his wrist and tells him that Agatha is already too weak from loss of blood to cast a spell to stop him, so she is happy to take a crack at it. Tigra then uses her enhanced strength to hurl Tabur across the room. 'Maybe you'd like to pick on somebody of your own species...for a change' Tigra suggests as she turns to face Tabur, as he starts to get to his feet. Tabur tells Tigra that her false bravado is more typical of her human nature than her feline self, and wonders if perhaps she is right – their mating is not destined to be.
'Of course – that being the case – you might as well die, too!' Tabur exclaims as he leaps across the room and lands on Tigra, pushing her to the ground, they knock over a small table in their struggles, and Tigra screams as Tabur bites down into her shoulder. Tigra responds bt slicing her claws across Tabur's face. 'You wanted a cat fight, mister – you got it!' Tigra tells Tabur, as she then kicks him backwards, towards a large cactus plant in the room, pointing out that just because they're cat-fighting, doesn't mean she can't try a few human tricks as well. Tabur roars as he lands on the cactus. 'Not exactly a happy landing, was it?' Tigra grins, as she moves closer to Tabur and starts to warn him that if she finds out that Agatha's wounds are anything more than superficial, that might turn out to be the high point of his day – but suddenly, Tigra grows weak, and Tabur is able to kick her to the ground. 'Pitiful, human-loving fool!' he exclaims.
Tigra appears to be unconscious, so Tabur goes over to her and tells her that she expended her last ounce of energy to protect the old witch, until she had no more to give. 'And if I allow you to awaken – you will doubtless attack me anew. Thus, my claws must rake the soft fur of your throat -' he begins, when a voice calls out 'O my triple goddess, add your power of law to this amulet from a world of claw!' It's Agatha, and she holds up the cat-face amulet, aiming it at Tabur, who snarls 'Put thjat down! Did you hear me, human?' he asks, but Agatha offers no response, as she continues her spell: 'May the cat-soul that in Tigradid rest – now come  to swell in Tabur's  breast!' Agatha concludes, as Tabur finds himself unable to speak properly, 'I said, purrr – spit – put that dowwrrrr – NO! Currrse you, wommrrooww – what it happening to meeeeeeowwwrr?' Tabur utters as he clutches his throat, and energy rises from Tigra's unmoving body and envlops Tabur, who begins to revert to a cat, while still wearing a now miniature version of his briefs, boots and cloak.
'Let him go, Ebony!' Agatha calls out as Ebony begins to chase Tabur, who scampers out of the room. 'Tabur's new, perhaps permanent form will be punishment enough!' Agatha remarks. Tigra, now in her human form, wakes and Agatha helps her stand up. 'You beat him, Mrs Harkness!' she utters. 'We beat him, child – together' Agatha replies, before handing the cat amulet to Tigra, telling her it is best left in her capable hands. Tigra realizes she is human again, that she is Greer Nelson once more. Agatha tells her that she shall be whichever she wishes to be as long as she holds fast to the amulet. 'But – even half-conscious – I felt my cat-soul being pulled from my body – flowing into Tabur's!' Greer remarks. Agatha explains that is only what made Greer's feline side dominant.
Agatha continues, telling Greer that her human side will remain paramount now, as it always should be, and that the Cat People erred in making her cat-nature predominate – after all, unlike Tabur and the Cat People themselves, Greer was originally a human being, not a cat. 'And yet – I dimly recall being a cat – or something very much like one for a while' Greer remarks, while gazing at the amulet, she supposes that she has Agatha to thank for curing that condition. 'I...and Tabur, I blush to admit' Agatha responds, before telling Greer, by the bye, that she was a very pretty cat, one of the prettiest she has seen in a long, long time. 'Yourself always excepted of course, Ebony' Agatha adds as she and Greer walk out of the room, leaving Ebony to lick her paws and purr, as Agatha suggests to Greer that they go get some cookies and milk. 'Well actually... just the cookies!' Greer replies.


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Cry Crusader!
'You're lost, aren't you?' a man wearing a tuxedo asks from the back seat of a car, which has stopped at a red traffic light. 'Did you hear me, driver? I said you're lost, aren't you?' the man repeats himself, before the driver admits that he is. 'I didn't think this was the scenic route back to Arlington' the man remarks, while his wife, wrapped in a fur coat sitting next to him, mutters that she blames Charles – getting sick like that and forcing them to rent a chauffeur for the evening. 'Don't worry, lady - we'll see to it you get a cut rate!' a  gang member suddenly calls out as several of them set themselves around the car, and two reach through the driver's door and pull the driver out of his seat and onto a dirty street. 'Oh, my god!' the man utters, before his door is yanked open. He tells the gang members that they can have his money. 'Real generous of you, man!' one of the gang members tells him. 'Just don't hurt us!' the wealthy man pleads. 'You trying to bribe us, sucker?' another thug asks as he drags the woman onto the street. 'That's against the law, trying to bribe people!' the thug aiming a gun at the driver jokes.
'I'll just bet he believes in capital punishment, too!' one of the gang members suggests as he aims a gun at the couple. 'No – please!' the man pleads – but before the thug can open fire, something from above blasts him, melting his gun and talking off half of his skin with it. 'I think it came from -' another thug begins, looking up, where everyone sees a spectacular sight – the Black Knight riding his winged steed, Valinor, and moving down closer to them all. 'Armored dude – on a flying horse!' one of the thugs exclaims. 'Got to be one of them supes – like the Avengers or somebody!' one of them exclaims, while wondering what he is doing down here in Washington DC. 'Maybe I came to show you punks – what a real sawed-off shotgun looks like!' Dane Whitman the Black Knight snarls, gritting his teeth as he swoops down and slices the thug's shotgun with his sword.
'C'mon, let's show the tin man some heel!' one of the gang members suggests as three of them begin to make a run for it. 'Talked me into it' one of them agrees. The Black Knight orders his horse down, and tells himself that it would serve them right if he skewered the three of them, but decides that there is a kinder, gentler way. He remembers how he used to think his late uncle was a real cornball for dreaming up a gadget like this, but somehow, things have come full circle, and the lance-bola seems like the perfect weapon of choice. He raises the strange weapon and fires it at the fleeing gang members – the bola then wraps around them, tying them together and trapping them, causing them to drop to the street. 'Face it, homeboys – we just got dogged on!' one of the thugs mutters.
A police car arrives on scene, and an officer emerges from the vehicle, 'Well now, must be the day for trash collection' he jokes, walking towards the captured thugs. 'You have the right to remain silent -' one of the officers begins, while one of the thugs tells him to look, and points over to where the wealthy couple and their driver have gathered next to the Black Knight and Valinor. 'Thanks a million – Black Knight, right?' the driver smiles. 'I really wish you'd accept a small reward -' the wealthy man smiles, but the Black Knight tells him 'No tipping' and starts to climb back onto Valinor, before noticing one of the officers approach him. 'Yes, officer? You wanted to talk to me?' the Black Knight asks. 'Somebody does, anyway – down at the station!' the officer remarks as he snaps a pair of handcuffs down on Dane's wrists. 'What? Are you crazy? This guy just saved our tails, and you snap the cuffs on him?' the driver asks. 'Driver, I'm sure the officer knows what he's -' the wealthy woman begins, before the driver interrupts her, telling her to shut up, and that he's talking to the officer.
The Black Knight asks the officer what the charge is, but the officer just tells him that he will find out, and orders him to hand over his sword and his lance. 'Oh, and one more thing. You have the right to remain silent...' the officer begins as he reads the Black Knight his rights. When Dane is loaded into the back seat of the police car, the officer tells the officer driving the car, Al, that back-up is here, and that he can go. 'Hey, I just realized the funny I made when I read Sir Galahad here his mirandas. He's got the right to remain silent, see? “Silent Knight” Get it?' the officer jokes. 'Wonder where the heck his horse got to?' someone else asks, while Valinor hovers above the street.
Soon, the Black Knight stands in front of a processing desk at the police station. Other officers and men and women they have arrested are nearby, being led to cells or questioned. 'Name?' the desk sergeant asks. 'He's the Black Knight, Sarge. One of those Avengers guys. They've got branches all over, these days' the arresting officer explains. 'He means his real name, Wilson. Like Moe, Larry or Curly' another officer mutters. The Black Knight tells the officers that if they know the rules, then they will know his Avengers status prevents him being unmasked, unless convicted of a felony – and he hasn't even been accused of one yet. 'Smart-butt, huh? Well, then, maybe you're smart enough to tell us about – this!' one of the officers exclaims, holding a photo up in front of the Black Knight's face, depicting the remains of two petty, unarmed crooks who tried robbing a church an hour ago.
'Good Lord...' the Black Knight utters as he looks at their severed remains, before he puts his arms in front of his face when the officer snaps 'Don't give me that “Avengers status” bull! That mask comes off' as he tries to reach for the Black Knight's mask. 'Listen, I'm warning you -' the Black Knight begins, before a voice over the intercom announces that the Black Knight is to be brought to the line-up at once – in full costume. 'That means mask!' the Black Knight tells the officer. 'Okay, so you got a reprieve. But I'll be waiting!' the officer snarls.
Shortly, the Black Knight stands with four other men, who aren't wearing costumes, in a police line-up. From behind the window, an elderly priest remarks 'I don't know' as he stares at the line-up. 'I just... don't know'. Two plain clothes detectives are with him, one of them smokes on a cigar, as the priest admits that the Black Knight is wearing armor and a cape like the man who mutilated those hoodlums, but that man had a sword. 'So did this man, reverend' one of the detectives informs him. 'I see' the priest replies, before asking if it would be possible for him to say “I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish” the priest asks. 'Sure, why not? He's not going anywhere' the other detective supposes. A moment later, '“I testify against you this day that you” - I mean - “Ye shall surely perish”' the Black Knight states as instructed.
But the priest explains that it was so dark, and with the way the light was behind the killer, well, he still isn't sure. 'As I told you before, I really couldn't even say if he were masked or not' the priest adds. 'It was all over... in those few horrifying seconds... all that blood...' the priest utters. 'Well, that tears it, Joe!' the detective with the cigar tells his colleague. 'We just arrested a card-carrying Avenger – and the only case we got against him is that he was sporting a sword!' the cigar-smoking detective remarks. 'A sword he was last seen using on three gangers, in defense of an influential lobbyist and his wife. If you don't want to try holding him, the glory's all yours' he adds. 'Thanks a heap' Joe mutters. 'If you won't be needing me any longer...' the priest begins, and Joe tells him that they don't need him anymore tonight.
'Ye won't be needing the Knight any more, either!' a voice calls out as a woman wearing brown robes and a younger man in jeans a white shirt enter the room. 'I'll handle this, Sean' the woman whispers to the younger man, Sean Dolan, before she introduces herself as Victoria Bentley from the Washington branch of the Memorial Metaphysical Institute. 'Oh, yeah, Sir Lancelot claims he was with you and the kid down in Virginia at the time of the murders' Detective Joe states, hands on hips. 'Not “claims”. Was' Sean Dolan snaps. One of the detectives asks Victoria Bentley what makes her so sure it was him. 'Guess you know what he looks like with his armor off, huh?' he asks. Victoria doesn't respond to that remark and instead tells the detectives that they are wasting everyone's time, and if he is going to release the Black Knight, or whether she should phone for a contingent of fellow Avengers to rush here with attendant bad publicity.
Soon, 'Here's your lance, fella. Sword, too. Lab couldn't find any trace of blood on it' the officer who attempted to take the Black Knight's mask remarks. 'Hope you don't hold it against us that we had to bring you in' the officer adds. 'You can hope' the Black Knight replies. He leaves the police station to find Valinor waiting for him outside, while the officer tells the Black Knight that even he has to admit that he pretty much matches the description of the killer. 'And since that Arab bigwig's coming to town for talks with Bush, we can't afford to take any -' the officer remarks, but the Black Knight interrupts him, simply bidding him goodnight. The Black Knight takes to the air on Valinor, while informing Sean and Victoria that he will meet them back at the estate.
'Devil sweep me, Miz Victoria, but it's never before I've seen the master in so cold a fury!' Sean exclaims. 'Even when he was being possessed by the ghost of the first Black Knight from King Arthur's day, he was no whit grimmer' Sean adds, deciding that one has to pity the Black Knight. 'The person I pity is the real wolf in Knight's clothing – when Dane Whitman catches up with him!' Victoria declares. 'He's still packing us, Miz Victoria, when he could have reached home long before he could get here in your auto' Sean points out, but Victoria tells Sean that she doesn't think Dane wanted to arrive first, that he just wanted some time alone to think.
Soon, as Victoria and Sean drive across the drawbridge and through the gate of the castle-like estate, the Black Knight descends from above on Valinor. Catherwood, the butler, is waiting at the entrance and asks 'Pleasant evening, Master Dane?' to which Dane replies 'If Victoria didn't tell you, Catherwood – don't ask!' 'Er, no, Sir' Catherwood responds, before asking the Black Knight if he should take Valinor to the stable for the night. 'Sean can do that' Dane states as he climbs off Valinor. 'I know, Sir. But I have grown rather fond of your winged steed' Catherwood admits. Dane apologizes to Catherwood and admits that he is in a lousy mood. He turns to Victoria and thanks her for being his one phone call, to which Victoria tells him that she is happy to help. As Catherwood leads Valinor into the stable, Victoria and Sean follow the Black Knight, and Victoria asks him what his plans are now, and whether he has any idea who could have murdered the church-thieves. 'Not offhand' Dane frowns.
The trio enter the castle and walk down a corridor lined with several armors as Victoria remarks that she gets furious thinking of the police officers putting the Black Knight in a line-up with common criminals. 'Those officious policemen -' she begins, but Dane tells her that it made more sense than he would like to admit, and explains that besides the usual crime problems, security is tight because of the Emir of Ghulistan's due in DC any minute. 'A moderate mid-east leader's always ripe for an assassination attempt' the Black Knight remarks, supposing that he should thank heaven for small favors that he wasn't booked on suspicion of that, too, while he hurls his helmet to the ground as they enter a  room full of swords and other weapons. 'Your helmet'll be being dented, Master Dane!' Sean calls out. Dane asks Victoria if she thinks he should phone the Avengers again, mockingly remarking that he is sure they will want him to become an active member again.
Victoria tells Dane that he never really ceased being an Avenger, he merely turned into solid metal. 'Or have you forgotten?' she asks him. Black Knight looks at his sword, and remembers “The Dane Curse” as Dashiell Hammett might have called it. 'Well, at least that's over with for good – now that the spirit of my Arthurian ancestor resides in the Ebony Blade' the Black Knight explains. 'You are still in there, aren't you, Sir Percy of Scandia – Black Knight #1 – for all the good it did me!' Dane shouts, lashing out, he swipes his sword towards some nearby armor, knocking it over. 'If you were tired of that suit of armor, wouldn't it have been more sensible to sell it in a museum?' Victoria asks, pointing out that the upkeep on a transplanted English castle is expensive, or so she recalls. 'Master Dane's had a devil of a night, Miz Victoria' Sean remarks, but Dane tells Sean that Victoria is just trying to jar him out of his dark mood. 'And who knows? It just might have worked...if your mind's eye didn't keep seeing the mutilated faces and bodies of those murdered thieves?' Victoria states. 'You read me like a book, lady. But then, you always did' Dane replies.
Catherwood enters the room and informs Dane and Victoria that there is a Mrs Blackwood here with her young daughter, and that she said she wanted to see the Black Knight. 'What?' Victoria asks. Dane tells Catherwood that he will be right there, and informs Victoria that he left his address as the place the Knight stays when he is in the DC area. 'Not really a profound cover story for a man who refused to be unmasked by an overeager policeman, is it?' Victoria remarks as she and Catherwood follow Dane down a corridor. 'Oh, didn't I tell you? My secret identity may not exactly be the most important thing in my life... but I really hate being pushed around!' Dane declares.
A short moment later, 'You asked to see me, Mrs Blackwood?' Dane, wearing a mask over his face but carrying his helmet, remarks as he enters a living room, followed by Victoria and Catherwood. A fireplace glows as a woman sits on a sofa near it, her daughter with her. The Black Knight introduces Victoria Bentley and claims that she lives in another wing of Mr Whitman's manor, before asking Mrs Blackwood what he can do for her. 'Maybe...I can do something for you' Mrs Blackwood replies. 'And in return, maybe you can restore my sanity' she adds. 'Beg pardon?' the Black Knight asks. Tears in her eyes, Mrs Blackwood reveals that she rushed to the police station when the TV said he had been arrested for tose murders tonight, but by the time she got there, he had already been released. 'I managed a glimpse of the address you gave them, and I drove here with Jenny at breakneck speed' Mrs Blackwood announces. 'If you've got some light to shed on those killings, did you also tell the police?' the Black Knight asks. 'No! No – that's the last thing I want to do!' the woman responds, before revealing that the murderer is her husband! The Black Knight sits down next to Mrs Blackwood and suggests to her that she begin at the beginning, and asks Catherwood to get their guests something to drink. 'Madam?' Catherwood begins, while Mrs Blackwood's daughter, Jenny, looks up at him. 'No, I – I've got to -' Mrs Blackwood begins, while Victoria tells her to take her time.
'But there isn't any time – not if Arthur's to be stopped!' Mrs Blackwood declares, before she reveals that her husband used to be a divinity student in Chicago, but was dismissed for pressing the church to be more ruthless in fighting what he called “paganism” in today's world, and after having a religious vision over his father's grave, he woke to find his medieval ancestor's armor, and vowed to become a modern-day Crusader against godlessness. Mrs Blackwood reports that the first “pagan” her husband went after was that super hero called Thor. 'You two are in the Avengers together, aren't you?' she asks, before explaining that to Arthur, Thor's claim to be a Norse god was sheer blasphemy. They fought, and somehow, Arthur's sword managed to inflict what seemed like a fatal wound on Thor – so when Thor recovered, even shattered Arthur's sword – it shook Arthur's faith to its very foundations. Mrs Blackwood explains that Arthur fled, but slowly over the past few years, he had been regaining his faith, convincing himself that Satan must have helped that day, and recently, he managed to re-forge his ancestor's sword, and that was all that he needed to set him off again.
Mrs Blackwood tells the Black Knight that her husband is not well, that he has been raving about killing someone tomorrow – today – now, even, in the name of his warped belief, but she has no idea who. The Black Knight has sat silent, listening to Mrs Blackwood's story, beffore confirming that Thor told the Avengers about his battle with the Crusader, and asks if he is the one who slaughtered the thieves, couldn't they be the ones he had planned to kill. 'How would he have known for days that they'd be in that church tonight?' Mrs Blackwood asks, before utteriing 'No, it – it was someone else – someone he kept referring to as “The Saracen” - I suppose it could be almost anyone!' The Black Knight leaps to his feet and announces that it isn't “anyone” and he thinks he might just know who it is. He asks Victoria to drive Mrs Blackwood and her daughter to Dulles International. 'Of course' Victoria replies, while Jenny Blackwood asks 'Miz Bentley, is he going to help my daddy?' to which Victoria tells her that he is going to try.
Dane rushes off into the stable, where Sean is preparing to saddle Valinor. 'From your mouth to my feet, Sir Knight. You'll be taking me with you?' Sean asks. 'Where's a Knight be without his squire, Sean?' Dane replies, telling his young companion to hurry. Shortly, they are airborne, as Valinor flies from the castle, as Dane tells Sean that they may already be too late, while in a car driving below, Victoria Bentley asks Mrs Blackwood if her husband has any idea of what he is doing could affect his daughter. Mrs Blackwood reveals that Jenny is not Arthur's daughter, although he couldn't love her more if she were. She informs Victoria that they were only married two years ago, while a wide-eyed Jenny exclaims 'Look, Mommy! That man's riding on a flying horse with wings – right into where the sun's coming up!'
At the airport, a large plane has touched down, while security, police and media gather about. 'Everything going smoothly...keep it tight, security. Wish we could've kept this a secret, so we wouldn't have all these media people underfoot, but...' a security official remarks, before the red carpet is rolled out and the plane door opens. Vice President Dan Quayle is on the tarmac, waiting to greet the visitor, and the security official wonders if they are going to be hearing some more about “looking forward to the future or past to the back”. Camera crews aim their cameras at the plane door as the Emir of Ghulistan exits the plane. 'Another minute and he'll be safely in the limo on his way to -' one of the security officials begins, before they notice something happening, as an armored figure wearing a red tunic with a white cross and a purple cape rushes through the police officers, knocking them aside and shouting 'Death to the Saracen!'
The Emir of Ghulistan makes his way back into the plane as the Crusader climbs the staircase to the plane shouting 'Seek not to hide behind closed doors, heathen – for nothing shall keep you me from you!' The door is slammed shut, but the Crusader shoves his sword into the door and begins to slice it open. 'Not metal – nor missiles – nor minions!' the Crusader shouts as he knocks the Emir's guards aside. The Crusader holds his sword to the Emir's neck, while the Emir's family cower nearby. 'Now, sarcen – prepare to die!' the Crusader declares. 'Kill me – if you must – but spare my family!' the Emir pleads. 'No pagan will be spared the wrath of my good right arm!' The Emir looks horrofied, while the Black Knight shouts 'STOP IT!' as he rushes into the plane. 'Arthur Blackwood – I command you to lay down your sword!' the Black Knight exclaims. The Crusader frowns as he glances sideways and reveals that he has shed the name “Arthur Blackwood” as the serpent sheds its skin. 'Call me by it no more! Call me only – the Crusader!' he boasts as he swings around and slams his sword against the Black Knight's.
'Alright, so the tone of Arthurian outrage didn't work. Thought it might, since he's clearly crazy as an armored bedbug' Dane thinks to himself as their shields slam together. Dane decides that Arthur isn't crazy, more like possessed, maybe as much as he was when his ancestor's spirit took over the body of Dane Whitman. He knows that it is hard to fight defensively when the Crusader's sword is about as enchanted as his own Ebony Blade. 'Let us not close in combat as enemies, but join hands as fellow knights!' the Black Knight suggests to the Crusader, informing him that he is heir to the tradition of the Table Round. 'Base liar!' the Crusader thinks to himself as he takes a swing at the Black Knight with his sword, but his sword hits one of the overhead luggage compartments. 'No scion of the Table Round would protect a heathen from a warrior for the Lord!' the Crusader declares. Dane thinks to himself that he can file the Thomas Mallory bit under “W” for “Washout”.
'Now I do espy the truth – you are a pagan, like until the one called Thor who did proclaim himself a Viking god! My mission is to slay unrepentant pagans – even if they stride forth in knightly armor!' the Crusader boasts. The Black Knight holds the Crusader back and instructs the Emir to get his family out of the plane, fast. With Valinor standing atop the plane, the Emir hurries his family down the stairs towards the tarmac and utters 'That such a thing as this should happen is beyond all belief! Surely, after this, nothing I shall see could possibly surprise me!' the Emir adds. But inside the plane the Crusader informs the Black Knight that he has gained them but a moment's respite. 'I shall yet sheathe my sword in their verminous vitals – after I have dispatched you, false knight!' the Crusader shouts as he rushes at the black Knight, and throws him out the plane door. 'Either he really is possessed by the ghosts of his ancestors – or he's got the strength of a madman!' Dane thinks to himself, before he hits the ground, hard and drops his sword – he also thinks that he has hurt himself.

'Lo, un-believers! “I testify against you this day – that ye shall surely perish”!' the Crusader quotes as he rushes out of the plane, while the Emir and his family continue to run from him. 'You really like that quote, don't you?' the Black Knight asks as he trips the Crusader up. 'Biblical or not, I'm betting you've taken it a wee bit out of context!' the Black Knight adds, whil holding Crusader down as the Crusader slams his shield into the tarmac and asks 'You dare to question my faith? By the holy rood, I need neither sword nor shield to vouchsafe you – that the arm of the righteous is mighty still!' as he slams a fist into the Black Knight's face. Black Knight fights back, 'No matter what... I won't let you murder... anyone else!' he exclaims. 'Murder? Nay, speak rather of my sacred crusade!' the Crusader responds, boasting that his ancestor fought with King Richard in the Holy Land, and so he shall slay the Saracen when he comes to these blessed shores, and death to any who would seek to stay his hand.
'The Emir's safe! You gonna move in now?' a police officer nearby asks one of the security detail who appears to be using a sniper-rifle, aimed at the Crusader. 'No! That nutcase with the cross on his chest has already killed two men' another officer remarks, before asking what the sharpshooters are for.
'Yet, truly, Sir Knight, you are a man of courage. Vow to join my holy war – and I shall spare you!' the Crusader tells the Black Knight as he stands over him. 'I'll... die first!' the Black Knight responds. 'So be it! You have pronounced sentence upon yourself!' the Crusader exclaims.
The sharpshooter announces that they have the Crusader in sight. 'Ready... aim...' he begins, when suddenly, 'NO!' Mrs Blackwood shrieks, running towards the sharpshooter, she knocks him, sending his shot off-aim. 'Blast! She ruined my shot!' he mutters, as the bullet flies past the Crusader, who raises his sword overhead and tells the Black Knight 'Make peace with him who made thee!' and warns him that his helmet will not protect him – but before he can bring the sword down, Jenny Blackwood rushes out onto the tarmac, 'Daddy – don't!' she cries out. 'No...'Victoria utters as she watches from the crowd, while Mrs Blackwood cries out for her daughter. 'Jenny – get back!' the concerned Black Knight tells her. 'Daddy – I heard them say you killed two men! You didn't do it – I know you didn't – and you – you won't hurt me, will you?' Jenny asks, crying, as she steps between her father's sword and the Black Knight.
The Crusader lowers his sword and hugs his daughter, enabling the Black Knight to escape. 'Jenny!' Mrs Blackwood cries out as she rushes over, followed by Sean and Victoria. 'Arthur – let Jenny go, before she gets hurt!' she tells her husband. 'Listen to your wife, Blackwood. And you are Arthur Blackwood, not a Crusader!' the Black Knight declares. The Black Knight warns the Crusader that he will fight him as long as he has to, to stop him from killing again, and that when it is over, one of them is liable to be dead. 'You believe you've been on a crusade, Blackwood – a holy war – but there are no holy wars any more. Matter of fact – there never were! There were just wars!' The Black Knight continues, supposing that some good might have come out of them, he doesn't know. 'My Arthurian ancestor would have said he knew – but he'd have been wrong. No good can come from something so inherently evil as killing – no matter what you call it'.
The Black Knight tells Blackwood that the battle is over, to put down his sword, and not to make him raise his own again, not in front of his little girl. 'Please' the Black Knight asks. Arthur Blackwood turns around, to which the Black Knight warns him not to turn his back on him, when suddenly, Blackwood hurls his sword into his shield, shattering it. 'Jenny...I nearly killed Jenny' Blackwood utters. His wife wraps her arms around him, and he hugs her and Jenny back. 'You couldn't have hurt her, Arthur. I know you couldn't!' his wife exclaims. The Black Knight watches, and notes that Blackwood's sword and shield are both shattered – magic canceling magic.
Police officers arrive and one of them instructs the Black Knight to stand aside. 'Easy, officers, I think he'll come quietly now' the Black Knight tells them, while Victoria and Sean gather at his  side. 'Yes, I will' Blackwood announces. 'Arthur...' his wife begins, but Blackwood remarks that, as strange as it might seem, his faith is stronger because of what has happened – because the Black Knight was willing to fight for, and maybe die for, people whe didn't even know. 'After seeing that – how could I go on believing I'm the only one who has answers? Guess that's really what shook me out of my... craziness'. Blackwood hugs Jenny and tells her goodbye, that he has to go away now, but promises to come back as soon as he can. 'What'll be happening to him now?' Sean asks as he, Victoria and the Black Knight watch as Blackwood is led away, his family walking with him. 'I wish I could give you a happy answer, Sean' Victoria replies. 'There aren't always happy answers, Victoria' the Black Knight remarks.
'And yet, Arthur Blackwood won a great victory tonight... a victory over himself' the Black Knight points out, standing over the Crusader's shattered sword and shield. '... over a kind of fanaticism that divides the world into believers and unbelievers... and probably winds up making God ashamed of them both' the Black Knight concludes.