...... leave a message after the beep and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. BEEEEEEEEP.

"Hi, it's me. I just wanted to let you know that I won't be home until late tonight. Dragon Fist has some information on Red Dragon - that new drug. We took it to PRIMUS and now it looks like I'm going to be here a while. I think there's some of Alex's Arnaki Frikassee in the frig. I'll see you late tonight. Love you," and Cassie hangs up the phone.

She rubs her ear absently, before putting her earring back in. She's wearing the pair that Ralph gave her. It helps her keep a part of him with her. "The shotgun might be more useful on this mission though. Too bad he gave it to Jack Harrison."

"What's that - something about a shotgun?" Maria Chow inquires as she walks into her office where Cassie was using the phone.

"Oh, I was just musing. I was just thinking a shotgun would be useful on this mission. Then again, if we see that Mech, I doubt a shotgun would be very useful.

"Thanks again for letting me use the phone to call Tony. I really should get a cellular."

"Maria, I've been wanting to talk to you about Knightblade. I've been reading all the stuff in the newspaper and it looks really bad. I don't want to think bad about him just because of the newspaper reports. I'm mean if I believed everything they wrote, then I'd currently be Pamela Lee's replacement on Baywatch. Knightblade was always loyal and helpful. I thought he was one of the good guys. But now all this stuff about stolen equipment and payments to his bank account. Well, I guess I'm just wondering what I should do if I see him again?"

The Silver Avenger stares up at the ceiling before answering. "It's a hard question, Cassie," she says quietly. "We have enough evidence against him at this point to indict and convict. The press hasn't heard the half of it, and I'll shoot whoever's been leaking what they do know. The only real question is why he did it in the first place." She gives Cassie a sad look. "People do all sorts of strange things - this one really stung, because he had us all fooled." She looks down, but in the two seconds it takes for her to look up, her expression is already back to normal cheerfulness.

"Well, it looks like we're ready to go," Chow says, looking over to where Dragon Fist is waiting.

"Cool, I always wanted to ride in an Avenger's Avenger," Cassie says, hopping up from the chair.

"Sorry to disappoint," Maria Chow says, tossing a set of keys into the air as she walks forward. "But it's an Avenger's Econline van tonight. You guys would never fit into the back of my Avenger."

Twenty minutes later Cassie says, "Gee, I didn't know it was possible to hit mach speeds in a ground veeeee...hicle." She gasps out the last words as the PRIMUS undercover vehicle that she, Maria Chow, Starlight and Dragon Fist are all in crests a hill and for a few seconds goes airborne.

"Worried?" Maria laughs.

"No, just wondering if this is an innate talent or do they train all Avengers to drive this waaaayyy."

"It's a gift," she says, dodging around a slow Nissan Altima with Nevada plates. "Wish these guys would stay off real freeways," she says, accelerating past them.

The van barely slows as it screeches around a corner.

"So, exactly how do we fit into PRIMUS' plans at Alameda?" Cassie asks, trying to keep her eyes focused on the road and not the car's speedometer which has topped 80 mph. "I guess I just want to know if we'll be able to jump in and tackle these guys or would that offend anybody? Between PRIIMUS and the police it sounds like you'll have a lot of help. Not that I'd miss this. I'd love to get ahold of VIPER. I've had it up to heeeeeeerrrrrrreeee, with them. Boy, the suspension is good on this vehicle. The attack on the museum and now this new drug. I thought perhaps all that publicity by CNN last year would have caused them to cool their heels. But it seems like they just came back stronger. I really hope we can get to the bottom of this case."

"It's kind of a touchy subject, whether or not you can jump in," Maria Chow answers. "The plan is to let Agent Gonzales and the FBI and PRIMUS teams handle it, hopefully without it resorting to an armed confrontation. Hopefully. You wouldn't want them to get off because you guys got involved in an arrest you weren't authorized to be part of or because you broke laws 'getting' them. Our best course of action is to wait and see, and if I give the word, then jump in."

Dragon Fist grabs onto a seat as the van lurches around a turn at high speed. The hero sways with the violent rocking as the vehicle madly rushes through the city. I hope we get there in one piece, he thinks with some amusement.

The hero's thoughts turn to the circumstances that brought him to this point. The drug, Red Dragon, had been wreaking havok throughout the city, and particularly in China town, Dragon Fist's home. Friends had fallen prey to the drug's temptations and ravages; few were left untouched by the path that Red Dragon carved through the ethnic neighborhood. Now, there is a chance to strike a blow in retaliation, and maybe, just maybe track it back to the source.

And if VIPER is involved, he thinks, Well... it's high time we had a reckoning with those people. They owe both us and the city a heavy debt. This type of operation would be just like them too. Still, VIPER may mean that horrible machine will become involved. I don't think (I hope!) it will be here tonight, but we still have no way of dealing with it. Somehow, I don't even think PRIMUS' vaunted Iron Guard would stand a chance against that thing.

His thoughts drift over the events of that night, and its consequences: the deaths, the injuries, and the ruined reputations of paranormals among the general populace.

Then, of course, there's Cassandra, or I should say Odyssey. Her identity was blown wide open because she cared more for those poor people than protecting herself. She's suffered so much because of it too. That's another one you owe us, VIPER. War-machine or not, you're going to pay this debt to us, and I'm going to be there to see it done.

Dragon Fist was not normally vindictive. However, the sequence of insults and injuries to his city and his friends has filled his capacity for tolerance. The suppressed side of his personality, the one dominated by the Dragon, is now leaking to the surface. The normally calm and serene martial artist finds himself looking forward to the upcoming confrontation. His hands grip the arm of his seat with crushing pressure, unconsciously scoring the plastic and metal beneath.

Maria Chow pops a CD into the van's player. It's Kate Bush, Cassie recognizes, but an old song, back when her voice was still really shrill. The Silver Avenger sings along for a bit, then turns to Cassie, narrowly missing a Honda Accord. "Years ago - we bought tickets for DJ to see Kate Bush in concert in England, for his thirtieth birthday. Everyone chipped in, and we managed to scrape together enough for a London hotel room for him and Kim for three nights. His mom bought the airplane tickets. It was so funny, when Alan Thurmond -the Base Commander - handed him the tickets, I thought he'd cry, he was so touched. He didn't, you know," she says as an aside to Cassie. "But I haven't thought of it in years." She goes back to humming along to "The Wedding List."

Alameda is an island several miles long which is accessible by several bridges and one underwater tube, which runs from Oakland to the area of Alameda near the old Naval Air Station. The Silver Avenger guns the van past a community college and some off-base Navy housing, before circling around to what used to be the main gate.

SA Chow picks up her cel phone and dials, pulling into the darkened parking lot of the commissary and turning off the headlights. "Gonzales. What's going on?"

She pauses, then, "Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah. No prob. Yeah. OK, we'll start moving in - hold your position. Wait -- what's that?" Even from the back of the van, Dragon Fist and Starlight can hear small arms fire and the distinctive whine of a PRIMUS blaster, followed by an explosion.

"Gonzales!" Maria shouts. "What the hell is going on in there? Why didn't you wait for - Gonzales!" Gunning the engine - without turning the headlights back on - the Silver Avenger darts expertly through the residential streets (it looks as though she's well familiar with the area), finally emerging onto a barren airfield, and beyond that are docks, with several large cargo ships moored here.

Pulling the van up as close as possible to the docks without being visible from the ships, she unbuckles her seatbelt and throws open the door. "Shit, shit, shit!" she exclaims. "You three - with me!"

Outside, it's eerily quiet, and the rain falls gently on the concrete. Small waves lap against the concrete dock. Distant voices can be heard, though with the fog coming up, it's difficult to tell where they come from. "Which ship?" she asks herself quietly. "What the hell - where is everyone?"

Dragon Fist exits the van and notices a smoking crater in the middle of the airfield as his eyes adjust to the darkness. There is an odd, metallic smell in the air. There is no obvious trace of the two Iron Guard units, the agent teams or the FBI or police forces that were supposed to be here.

This does not look good, not good at all, Cassie thinks to herself as she piles out of the van. Peering through the darkness she sees no one she can help. No bodies, no injured agents - just that large ominous crater.

Suddenly, a black-clad figure emerges from the darkness near them. He's about six and a half feet tall, wearing a black spandex costume, with a white atomic symbol on the front. His skin, as he approaches, is gray, and his eyes appear to be black. He's wearing red boots and gloves, and a half-mask covers his face.

"Who the hell are you?" the Silver Avenger asks rudely, blaster drawn. "And where the hell are my people?"

Following the VIPER agents, Proteus was led directly to the former NAS Alameda, located across the Bay from San Francisco. Closed only the past August, the base was still being dismantled, and security was non-existent.

The car containing the agents (and the stolen electronics from the firm across from DJ's favorite Chinese restaurant) is ditched in the carport in enlisted housing, and the agents melt into the darkness.

Moving to intercept them, Proteus is temporarily blinded as an explosion rips through the area. A large piece of metal flies towards him, and, ducking aside quickly, slams into the building behind him. "AAAHH!!!" the metal screams. Blinking, Proteus realizes it's a mangled and burning Iron Guard suit, whose operator is struggling to escape from it.

With Proteus' assistance, the operator - the patch on his suit says he's Commander Ely - escapes before large parts of it begin to melt, collapsing on itself. "They're using some new type of magnesium explosives," he says to Proteus. "It's a trap…it was a trap from the beginning …Don't go into the seventh hell…" he fades from consciousness.

About twenty yards beyond him, a van screeches to a stop, close to the airfield and docks that Proteus can now see past the housing and buildings. Silver Avenger Maria Chow launches herself from the driver's door of the Dodge Econoline van, her blaster drawn. Three other figures exit the van - one is the superheroine Odyssey, in a different costume that Proteus had seen her in, but recognizable by the extraordinarily long, black hair. There is another woman, a beautiful blond in a black bodystocking, with sparkling lights playing about her face. The other figure is a lithe Chinese man, dressed in a green gi, with a red mask.

The VIPER agents are nowhere to be seen now, and the Iron Guardsman is unconscious, but does not seem to be in danger of death. Moving towards the Silver Avenger, Proteus doesn't get very far before she wheels sharply, her blaster trained on him.

"Who the hell are you?" the Silver Avenger asks rudely. "And where the hell are my people?"

Dragon Fist flows into a fighting stance at first sight of the stranger. Knees slightly bent, weight on the balls of his feet, and hands raised, he is ready to defend or attack with his characteristic lighting speed. Dragon Fist shifts slightly, shielding his back with the bulk of the van and clearing the way for his companions. His eyes track the newcomer, cataloging and evaluating the possible opponent. The hero's other senses tune into the environment of the base - Dragon Fist is dimly aware of all around him, whether he can see it or not.

Is this guy a hero or villain? I don't recognize him and neither does Avenger Chow.... Hmm. I hope you have a good answer, whoever you are.

Dragon Fist waits for the Avenger's lead. She's still in command here - and more importantly, he agreed to wait for her go-ahead.

Wait... that smell.... is that ozone?

Cassie feels that characteristic tingle as her forcefield coalesces around her. If that guy makes one wrong move, I'm going to blast him, she thinks to herself. I don't know what's going on here and it doesn't look like Maria Chow knows a lot more either or she wouldn't have her blaster out. Dragon Fist looks like he's ready to tackle this guy.

Why can't superheroes meet people normally? Like in a bar. I'd better give Dragon Fist some room -- Cassie moves to the side, hopping to get at least a clear shot at the guy if he should attack.

Proteus looks at the four supers arrayed in front of him. Hmm, he thinks. Standard formation. PRIMUS lady is the main gun. Green guy swinging into wing man position. Odyssey is support. The blonde looks like close air support. Better diffuse this situation ASAP.

"WAIT!" Proteus cries out, one hand raised forward like a cop stopping traffic. When the Silver Avenger's eyes grow wide and the others shift, he realizes his rather aggressive (and foolish) gesture and quickly throws both hands up. 'I mean, I'm a good guy. Hero. Superhero. Superhero guy." At the perplexed looks he sighs. "Um, I'm Proteus. I just got here. I saw that man," pointing to the prone Iron Guard, sans suit, "get thrown into the wall and I was helping him. His name is Commander Ely. He didn't look to seriously hurt, but I'm sure that Odyssey would be a better judge of that than me." Smiling sheepishly at Odyssey he murmurs, "I saw you on t.v."

Turning back to the Silver Avenger, "Ma'am, that gentleman said something about this whole thing being a trap from the start. And that 'they' are using a new type of magnesium explosives. And not to go into the seventh hell. Do you know what he is talking about? I just want to help."

Well, I either got their confidence or look like the biggest schmuck this side of basic training.

The Silver Avenger turns to Odyssey and says under her breath, "Blast him if he does anything suspicious. Hell, blast him if he moves funny," then moves over to Commander Ely. "Odyssey!"

Odyssey glances from the superhero who calls himself Proteus back towards the prone figure lying slightly obscured in the shadows. Quickly she runs over to Commander Ely's side and in the murky darkness tries to assess what is wrong.

"Commander, can you hear me? I'm going to try and help you." A golden glow starts to form around Odyssey's hands.

"Seventh hell, seventh hell," Odyssey says glancing up from where she is kneeling on the pavement. "Vegas? No I think Vegas only qualifies as the first hell. Dante's inferno says the seventh hell is reserved for those who do violence against others. Now did Ely mean that or does he mean something like don't go to Dante's Inferno, that bar on 11th street?"

"It must have been one hell of a bad drink," the Silver Avenger responds dryly.

Starlight, who is hovering about three meters above the ground, slowly dissipates her charged particles which scatter across her forcefield. "That's seventh? I guess it was the ninth one that was betrayal." She stares at Proteus, "So, what brings you out on a night like tonight?"

Proteus shakes his head. "Well, I'm not up on my English lit, but whatever it is looks bad." Turning to Starlight he smiles grimly, "I thought I'd investigate the UFO," pointing to the steaming Iron Guard suite lying to the side of Commander Ely. 'At the time it was still one him, and sailing into that wall over there, yelling 'Ouch!'" Proteus shrugs. "It seemed like the heroic thing to do. Uh, Ma'am? Could I put my hands down now? Or are you still going to shoot me?" He looks over at the Silver Avenger, rather pleadingly.

"Sure," the Silver Avenger says. "But stay where I can see you."

After several seconds of Odyssey's healing, the Iron Guardsman comes around.

"David," the Silver Avenger asks. "What happened here? Where is everyone?"

Commander Ely sits up straighter when he notices Chow, but he still looks rattled. "It was a set-up from the get-go. Gonzales was in on it, and I think that Fed was, too."

"What?" the Silver Avenger asks, stunned. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know where all of our support is, or was supposed to be. When we got here, it was like this. We didn't show up under any cover-" he points to the middle of the airfield, close to the crater"-that's where we stopped!"

"Wait a sec - David, this isn't even your normal unit, is it?" Maria Chow asks.

"No, Verdi's sick."

"What happened next? Who hit you?"

"A couple minutes after we got here - and we're just sitting ducks, just sitting there, waiting where Gonzales ordered - and still nothing. No agents, nothing. Then they jumped in."

"Who are they?" the Silver Avenger asks, now a little impatient.

"They," he emphasizes for dramatics, looking at her, "Were a lovely green-painted Iron Guard unit. Not like ours," he says to the paranormals, gesturing to his melted suit, "But the kind that prick McBain designed. With a lovely "V" painted on the chest of each one."

"Guess we found the missing prototypes," Chow mutters. "Why do you think Gonzales was in on anything, David?" Chow asks after a minute, waving her hand in front of his face to get his attention.

"Because he came over the radio, ordering the other guardsmen to fire on me, saying I was a traitor. But it was the green armor suits that fired, not the PRIMUS suits. I think, other of our suits were hit, too, but I didn't see how many. By that time I was too busy trying to get out of my armor, which was melting. Thanks," he says gruffly to Proteus. "I appreciate the help. And thank you, Odyssey,"

"What is the seventh hell, David," Maria Chow asks. "Why shouldn't anyone go there?"

"Isn't that the level of Dante's Inferno reserved for those who are violent?" He shrugs. "Did I say something about hell?"

Dragon Fist, looking around during the conversation, notices the cargo ships. One, flying a British flag, bears Chinese writing on the prow. "The Vorex of Flame?" he reads. Hey, that's the seventh level of the hell of death by fire, he realizes.

"Alright, I may be the most naive person in the world, but does anyone else think something weird is going on here?" Odyssey asks, getting to her feet. "I mean Gonzalez seemed gung-ho about getting VIPER - not some sort of traitor. And if he is a traitor, why reveal himself now? It would have been better to keep a low profile so he could keep feeding VIPER information about the investigation. Instead he blows his cover to set up a unit of Iron Guardsman? Something's just not right."

"Dragon Fist's point is good about the ship, but is it a trap as well? Was this whole attack set up, betrayal and all to get us into that ship? There's something very weird going on here. Least of which is a Chinese ship flying a British flag - think it's from Hong Kong? If we go into that ship I suggest we at least radio for backup from PRIMUS. There's no guarantee that the ship is not a trap as well."

The Silver Avenger looks up from her phone and raises an eyebrow at the superheroine's presumption. "What do you think I'm doing, Odyssey?"

"Sorry, I couldn't see what you were doing." Odyssey replies, slightly embarrassed.

"If I was VIPER," notes Dragon Fist, speaking softly, "And I was playing around with a new explosive while setting a trap.... I'd lure us into the ship which I'd pack full of explosives, detonating it with us inside." He snaps his fingers. "Of course, they didn't do that, but tipped their hand too early... so what ARE they doing?"

The hero shakes his head. "I must disagree with you, Odyssey. If Gonzales, or any PRIMUS agent, is a traitor then VIPER will be monitoring communications. They'll expect any survivors to call for back-up and will be prepared to handle that contingency. We might end up simply giving away our position."

"I think we ought to investigate those voices I heard earlier. I think they were off that way." He points off into the fog. "Once we get a better idea of the area, then maybe we can start thinking about that ship.

Tapping her foot, the Silver Avenger pulls the phone away from her ear. "What the hell is going on? This number is always active. Always, always." She redials, then after a minute, hits "End" in disgust.

"David," she says, handing him the phone. "Keep trying to get through." To the paranormals she says, "I'm going onto that ship - international relations be damned." Slipping off the leather boots, she turns and leaps to the side, diving into the water twenty yards from the ship. Within a minute, there is a terrible sound of ripping metal from underneath the water.

"Most unexpected...." Dragon Fist smiles slightly in admiration. 'Surprise is an event that takes place in the mind of a commander' he quotes to himself. Talk about seizing back the initiative! However, all this noise is bound to attract attention!

"I'm going to take a look around and make certain no one heard that," Dragon Fist tells the others. "David, you might want to try the police, since the PRIMUS number seems out of order. VIPER may be doing something somewhere else in the city while we are distracted here. They might know." The hero slips off into the mist, and silently makes his way towards where he had heard voices earlier. He moves quickly, but softly, keeping to shadows and behind what cover is available.

Dragon Fist fades quietly off into the fog, tracking the now-silent disembodied voices. The hero smoothly moves under cover of the mist and the buildings' shadows. He looks for a route to circle around, so he won't be traveling on a direct line from the van.

What IS going on here? he muses as he slips from shadow to shadow. If this is a trap, why did they spring it early. If not, what could it be? Wait a minute... That Iron Guardsman. He wasn't scheduled to be part of the unit. Was he a last minute replacement? If the entire guard unit was part of it, then they would have to take him down first. Then again, he could be the traitor and be feeding us false information. Hmmm... a sticky situation.

"Well, I'm not going to wait here. David, as long as you feel OK I'm going to see if I can help SA Chow," Cassie says. "Ah, Proteus, if you want, I can teleport you with me to the ship. Starlight too, unless you want to fly?"

Proteus looks at her and shakes his head. "I'm not sure if I'm up for a ransporter beam yet. How about I take the direct route?" He points to where he figures the ramps to be for boarding the ship. "Of course, that is if you trust me. Or one of you can tail me. Flexibility is the key to air power."

Starlight glances at the Iron Guardsman. I trust him about as much as I throw him, and he seems quite large... There is something wrong here, but I can't figure it out. "How about Proteus and I go in on air power; it's best not to put our eggs all in one teleporting basket."

"That's OK, I'll meet you there," Odyssey says with a smile. "I'm used to transporting myself. I'd probably drive you crazy with backseat driving. Good luck everyone."

With that Odyssey turns toward the ship and a golden glow surrounds her. For a second she and the aura become one and then just as suddenly it's all gone.

It's amazing how only a few seconds seem to pass when I teleport, Odyssey thinks. On this end it always seems to last forever. Perhaps that's because I'm always a little bit worried that I won't ever pop "out" again. Sure the golden glow is warn and fuzzy, but I don't think I'd want to be here forever.

Damn I wish I knew what was going on here. It's like the traitor-of-the-month club. First Knightblade is accused. Now it's Agent Gonzales. Are they? Aren't they. This whole thing is confusing. Who to trust, who not to trust. Probably didn't help that I just pissed off Maria. She's the one person I can trust and now she's miffed at me.

There's a popping noise and suddenly the golden glow around Odyssey dissipates. Fog surrounds her completely in a wall of gray. If not for the feel of steel beneath her feet, Odyssey wouldn't even know she was on a ship.

The discordant sound of Silver Avenger Chow's attack on the underbelly of the ship sounds like a metronome keeping time for some bizarre symphony. "Well, I hope I landed on the right ship," Odyssey mutters to herself. She peers through the misty layers, trying to discern where the ship's cabin area can be found. Her heart thumps in time to Maria's fists. Cautiously Odyssey moves forward, her forcefield acting like a car's high beams, turning the fog in front of her an opaque yellow. That's inconvenient, she thinks as she carefully inches ahead. Her muscles are tense as she thinks about what she should do if one of those VIPER agents clad in green armor should find her here. I guess I'd better blast them with all I've got.

PBEM Turns