The New Age - Chapter Twenty

    It was not long afterwards that Paul Solo arrived at the western shore of Loch Ness. After securing the boat he began the search, looking for the entrance to Darkmagus’ base. He reached into his pocket and took out of the special scanners that had been developed by Muir Industries. At first he got nothing. He adjusted the setting. The same result - nothing. After adjusting the settings a number of times he began to wonder if he got the right place. Solo knew that there was one way he could find out if this was the fight place - he had to return to the village.

The New Age - Chapter Nineteen

    After he was originally summoned Johangas Khan had returned to Craigmillar Castle at the request of Magus. The genie had been given a specific task by his former master, and he was close to finishing that task. So it was then that Magus returned to his home. When he did, arriving in his usual custom, he found Khan in the study.
    “Welcome back, O Magus!” he said, bowing low.
    Magus returned the bow.
    “How are you getting along?”
    “You said that over fifty years ago Darkmagus established a base on this world. It has taken much power to find this base, but I believe I have found it’s location.”
    Khan walked over to one of the bookshelves and took out an atlas. He then found the page that contained the map of Scotland, and he then pointed to a specific spot.
    “There.” her said.
    “Near Loch Ness!” said Magus. “Come my friend. We must prepare ourselves.”
    “Am I to believe we are going to this place?”
    “We are indeed!”

The New Age - Chapter Eighteen

    Mother Nature was taken back to the Anglo-Force mansion, at the request of Merlin. She continued to rant and rave as the members of Anglo-Force tried to calm her down. Most of her time was spent laughing.
    “The joke is on you Anglo-Force!” she laughed.
    “She seemed quite rational when we picked her up.” said Red Sun. “Now she’s gone completely crazy!”
    “I am free!” cried Mother Nature. “Free!”
    “Free?” said White Knight. “But we’ve just captured you!”
    “My mind will always be free!”
    One word kept coming into the minds of those trying to restrain here - crazy. These thoughts were also shared by the Acolytes.
    “Are you sure she is meant to be one of us?” asked Yamanda.

The New Age - Chapter Seventeen

    It had been quite a while since James Watt had visited his hometown of Cromer. Since his accident over a year ago he had only been back once. Now he wished he could have gone home under better circumstances.
    For a while Watt did nothing but fly over his hometown, reliving old memories of his childhood, the school he went to that was now nothing more than an empty shell, the playground where he scored his first ever goal in a football match, the field where he took his first catch in a cricket match, the home where he once lived. But Watt knew that this was not the time to think about things that once were. He had a task to perform. He had to find Samantha Hetrick.

The New Age - Chapter Sixteen

    The North Pole could be a most uninviting place, any time of the year. At this point in time three heavily-clothed men trudged slowly through the snow, trying to make their way through an oncoming blizzard. Walking in front was Dr. Magus. Even his magical powers couldn’t protect him from this kind of cold. Not far behind him was Connor McCloud. It was obvious that even Immortals felt the cold. Bringing up the rear was Prince Poseidon, the monarch of Atlantis. He was not feeling the cold as much as he was used to swimming in freezing cold waters.

The New Age - Chapter Fifteen

    The Anglo-Force sky-jet circled in the air high above Dentonville Prison, waiting for permission to land. They received the clearance after a number of minutes. When they landed the first thing they saw was the chaos. Only once before had someone escaped from this prison, and that was the powerful Supremus. But never before had someone just walked out of the prison like Mother Nature.

The New Age - Chapter Fourteen

    It had indeed been a trying day for Jock Muir. In the past twenty-four hours he had been almost killed and brought back to life, and had his ageing process reversed thirty years. He now felt as fit as a fiddle. Not bad for someone who had had a broadsword plunged into his stomach a few hours earlier.
    Muir then decided that the best place for him would be the London headquarters of his company, Muir Industries. On his way to the facility he met his son, Simon Muir. The elder Muir was surprised when his son was not shocked by his appearance.

The New Age - Chapter Thirteen

    Even though there was a great crisis at hand the members of Anglo-Force still had to carry out their normal duties. It was during monitor duty that Star Man saw that the Prime Minister, Neil Smith, would be making a live nationwide speech concerning the current situation. Having alerted the others he was soon joined in the monitor room by Magus, Adam, Connor McCloud and Fire-Master.
    “I hope this doesn’t take too long.” said McCloud.
    The image of Neil Smith appeared on the television screen.
    “People of Great Britain, as many of you know wild rumours have been sweeping the world recently about everything from U.F.O. sightings and so-called messiahs to ugly rumours about our heroes. It is because of these I have come before you tonight, to assure you that none of these rumours has any basis in truth. I believe in our heroes, as should we all. It’s true they have gathered in London recently, but we’ve asked them to wind up their business as quickly as possible to help quiet this vicious outbreak of rumours.”
    “I don’t believe it!” said Fire-Master. “He’s been fooled by Darkmagus.”
    “I don’t think so.” said Magus. “He may just be protecting the country. But whatever his motives he is not helping us.”
    “It seems that everything is going Darkmagus’ way.” said McCloud.

The New Age - Chapter Twelve

    Once again the evil forces of Darkmagus gathered in one of their many strongholds. Sleeper agents, androids and the like gathered in a large hall awaiting their master’s presence. They did not have much longer to wait. Soon Darkmagus appeared on the platform, with Felicia Martins as ever at his side.
    “The Istari must die!” they chanted. “The Acolytes must die!”
    Darkmagus stood in the middle of the stage and raised his arms.
    “My servants, it has begun.”
    A loud cheer rang out. Darkmagus motioned for them to be quiet.
    “In Australia Jonathan Clawman has fallen to Zachary and Beatrice. The attempt to save him failed!”
    A broad smile appeared on Zachary’s face.
    “It again proves how powerful we are my servants.” Darkmagus continued. “There are still five others the Istari have chosen to join their order. They, too, will die!”
    “No one will escape us!”
    “Most of the heroes have rejected our subversion, as expected.” said Darkmagus. “Those that have will die! Those that have not will revel in the luxury of pure power! The heroes, the men and women of influence, all those who join us will win!”
    Another cheer rang out.
    “No one will escape us! We are everywhere!”

The New Age - Chapter Eleven

Paul Solo pulled up in his car when he arrived at Dentonville Prison. Solo had mixed memories about this place. It was while he was here he gained his telepathic powers. It was also here he had sent many criminals. However, he had a job to do. He had received a call from the Governor about Mother Nature and how she seemed to be getting very restless. Against his better judgement he decided to drive down.
    After he got out of the car he put on his coat and looked around. The prison covered a vast area, and security was at it’s highest since Mother Nature arrived, after all, she was one of the most wanted criminals in Europe. Solo was soon approaching the main entrance gates. As he walked along he was scanned several times by the computers, making sure he wasn’t carrying any devices. Then, when he was near the gates, another car pulled up. Solo recognised the car. It belonged to Inspector Lewis, the man who had pushed him out of a window the previous day. It was lucky for Solo that he could use his powers to create a soft landing for himself.

The New Age - Chapter Ten

Watt had been physically shocked by what Samantha had told him. So shocked, in fact, that he had not followed her. How long had she been one of Darkmagus’ sleeper agents? He knew he had to act.
    For over an hour he had been flying over London, checking out hotel and guest house after hotel and guest house, trying to find out where she was staying. The last hotel he tried was the Hilton. Those walking past the hotel were taken aback by the sudden gust of wind which blew past them. Those inside were shocked when Watt seemingly appeared out of nowhere at the reception desk. The smartly-dressed man behind the desk was very shocked indeed.
    “I wonder if you can help me.” said Watt. “I’m looking for a woman by the name of Samantha Hetrick? Is she staying here?”
    The still-shocked young man checked the register, looking for the name of Hetrick. A few minutes passed.
    “She was here sir.” said the man, only now being able to speak. “She checked out an hour ago, said she was going back to her hometown.”
    “Back to Cromer?” said Watt. “Thank you very much.”
    Watt reached into his pocket and tossed a pound coin as a tip onto the counter.
    “Why thank you sir.”
    The man picked up the coin and looked up. He was again shocked to see that Watt had seemingly vanished into thin air.

The New Age - Chapter Nine

Greytowers Public School in London had never before seen a sight like this. The sight of two flying wizards above their sports field made a few of the pupils panic. One of them, Thomas Leacock, did not panic because he knew who they were. He was surprised by the appearance of Merlin and Gandalf in the sky above them. After a few minutes they landed near Leacock.
    “Thomas Leacock.” said Gandalf. “We have chosen six people on Earth to advance the human race, and one of the six is you.”
    “The heroes and heroines of Earth join us in asking you to leave this life and enter the future.”
    “I don’t know how but I had a feeling something like this would happen.” said Leacock. “I had no idea it would come this soon though. Now I know why Magus has been teaching me about the mystic arts.”

The New Age - Chapter Eight

    It had been a hard day for all of those summoned by the Istari to take part in this crusade. Indeed, the following day was very quiet compared to the previous ones. It was because of this quietness that the members of Anglo-Force decided to take time to rest before the forthcoming endeavours. Needless to say they did not expect any visitors.
    In his study James Watt was taking this time to try and catch up with some of the other duties that the leader of Anglo-Force had to undertake, such as the monthly reports to the Home Office. It was while he was trying to write his latest report that Yetta entered.
    “I’m sorry to bother you, Captain Watt, but there is a woman here to see you. She says she’s an old friend of yours.”
    “I wasn’t expecting anyone today, Yetta. Alright, show her in.”
    Yetta showed the woman in. When she entered a huge smile appeared on Watt’s face. It was an old school friend of his, Samantha Hetrick.
    “Sam!” he said, getting up from his seat. “What are you doing here?”
    The two old friends hugged. Then Watt led Samantha to the sofa.
    “I wish I could have come here under better circumstances.” she said. “I haven’t got much to say, so I’ll say it and be on my way.”
    The expression on Samantha’s face changed to one of evil intent.
    “Your world is in our hands, James Watt. No man, be they gifted or not, will escape the will of Darkmagus!”
    Needless to say Watt could not believe what he had just heard.

The New Age - Chapter Seven

The window on the fifth floor of Guy’s Hospital was smashed to pieces as the red and yellow costumed form of John Clark came flying out. Seconds later it smashed into the ground. Those passing nearby were shocked when Jet’s body hit the ground with a resounding thud. They were even more shocked when Jet began to groan and move after thirty seconds. Another thirty seconds later and he began to get to his feet. One nurse came up to him.
    “Are you okay?” shed asked.
    There was no time for Jet to answer as he pushed the nurse out of the way as a leaping Doctor Sadler landed on the ground next to him. A jump from five floors up would have severely injured a normal man, but it was now obvious that Sadler was not normal.
    “I warned you Clark.” he said. “I told you not to interfere in the work of Darkmagus. I have shown you just a small portion of the power he has given me. I hope that I will not have to show you anymore.”
    “Looks like you’ll have to Doctor!”
    And with that Jet unleashed with a haymaker blow to Sadler’s jaw. Such a blow would have decked a normal man. Sadler just looked back at Jet and smiled. Jet unleashed another blow, and another, and another, each time using his speed powers to change the angle of attack. Each devastating blow brought the same result - nothing.
    “You will never learn, will you?” sneered Sadler. “Your blows are useless against one who has been given power by Darkmagus!”

The New Age - Chapter Six

Outer space could be a lonely place, especially if you were flying through it without the aid of a spacecraft. But sometimes people desire loneliness. One of these people was Cosmic Kid. The youngster had agreed to help the Istari in their war with Darkmagus, and he was now on his way back to the moon of Titan, where he had spent much of his time during the last year. Titan, of course, was famous as the home of the former Avenger Starfox, and the late Mar-Vell.
    As Cosmic Kid left the Earth’s atmosphere his thoughts were on the meeting at the Anglo-Force mansion. He wondered how big a part he would play in this way. In the back of his mind something told him he hoped it would be a small role.
    Soon Cosmic Kid was approaching Mars, the red planet. His thoughts were still on the impending conflict, his flight path and speed being controlled by his sub-conscious. It was because of this he failed to notice a structure on the surface of Mars. He also failed to notice when an energy beam came his way. The energy beam soon struck him.

The New Age - Chapter Five

    Night began to close in as the clear-up at the mansion began, with the housekeeper, Yetta, moving around the hallway with her vacuum cleaner. She was not happy.
    “Will you look at my carpet?” she said. “All of this mud from all of those feet! It will take me ages to get this clean.”
    “I’m sure you’ll do a fine job as always, Yetta.” said Watt. “Now, please excuse me.”
    A short time later Watt walked into the nursery where he found Katrina cradling young Peter.
    “Shh!” Katrina gestured.
    A few seconds later she put Peter into his cot. Turning off the light she then left the room, closing the door behind her.
    “Hopefully he’ll be out for hours.” she said. “I think he enjoyed meeting his great cousin Igor today.”
    “I did also.” said Watt. “He’s a very nice man.”
    Then Watt’s communicator sounded. He reached into his pocket and pressed the button.
    “Watt here.”
    “It’s Arthur, Jim. You’d better come down to the monitor room.”

The New Age - Chapter Four

    Many people had managed to scale Mount Everest during the past half century, but none of them had seen a special place that was located on this mountain, mainly because this place was cloaked from normal view. The place in question was the citadel and home to the Over-Seer of Earth’s events, one of the most powerful beings in this world - Rhiannon.
    For nearly one hundred years she had watched the events of the world from her citadel, and when times were dire she intervened. She had to intervene in an event recently, when the power-mad Supremus defeated the members of Anglo-Force. She then had to use her powers to erase the short-term memory of James Watt, because even though she watched the world’s events her presence should never be known.

The New Age - Chapter Three

    High in the French Alps stood a castle that had not been used in years - at least that was what the nearby inhabitants thought, for in the early hours of the morning this castle was bristling with life. In the main hallway stood what could be termed as some of the most evil men and women who had ever lived - and they were growing a trifle inpatient.

The New Age - Chapter Two

The forests of southern Germany could be a lonely place, especially for someone who has spent the batter part of the last five years alone, wandering around the world. If you were to look at this man you would say that he was in his late thirties, possibly his early forties. But in truth he was one thousand years old, having been born at the end of the first millennium. But for the past five years he had been travelling around the world, trying to keep one step ahead of his evil twin brother, and also trying to find out who he was. During these past years he had received ‘visions’ of sorts, sightings of himself as he used to be a thousand years previously when he first became immortal. But in recent days he had been seeing a vision of another sort, and it was this vision that brought him to this German forest, not because it told him to come here, because there was someone here who could help interpret it.

The New Age - Chapter One

    Never before had the east end of London seen a sight like this. The sight in question was the four remaining members of the Black Squadron, Mother Nature, the Grim Reaper, Vampira and Trull, trying to get away with their ill-gotten gains. They would, however, have to outrun their chasers, four members of Anglo-Force, James Watt. White Knight, Star Man and Red Sun. It seemed that on this day they would finally be able to capture their arch enemies. It was while their car was speeding through the streets that it was hit by a nova burst from Star Man. The burst caused the engine to explode and sent it skidding across the road, narrowly missing several innocent bystanders and then turning over four times until it came to a rest on it’s edge. A few seconds later an angry Mother Nature began to crawl out of what was left of the doorway. She was soon followed by the Grim Reaper.