Batwing looks at Mary “Pardon?”

Mary looks into Batwings eyes seductively

“Now, it is Later.”

“ohhhh” said Batwing, finally catching on.  “But you know, the Wings?”

“Like I care” growled Mary as she threw of her jacket and began to unbutton her blouse “It will be like fucking a Dragon!”

“Actually” said Batwing “I was born in the year of the Dragon”

“Now, Isn’t that Perfect.” Purred Mary, The blouse was off and the skirt was being undone
“You know that there is a decidedly exotic air about Dragon people, especially among the women, who fairly exude sexuality”

Batwing gulped, realising his attempt to change the topic had failed dismally.

“I too am a Dragon Batwing, you know whether male or female, Dragons are libidinous and score quite a hit with the opposite sex.”

“Really” stammered Batwing

Mary was now down to her underwear.  She looked at Batwing

“Now looky here boy” Mary began to approach Batwing as he backed himself into the wall of the elevator “you know I’m not going to take no as an answer.”

“I was afraid of that” said Batwing, but he couldn’t say to himself that he wasn’t aroused by Mary.  Quite the opposite, He admired this woman, smart and beautiful, part of him was jumping at the chance to share himself with this goddess of beauty, the other side still wanted convincing.  But that wasn’t long in coming

“Ohhh What have we here?” announced Mary and she slipped her fingers into Batwings pants and felt the surroundings.  “Oh My” exclaimed Mary.  “There’s a beast in here that needs to be released.” She looked up into Batwings eyes and he stared into hers.  Batwing’s hands guided Mary’s to the clasp that unfastened his pants and he slipped them off.  Mary then removed Batwing’s shirt and caressed his chest.  The pair are now in their underwear as the look each other up and down.  Mary is the first to make a move as she unclasps her bra and lets it fall to the ground.

“Like what you see?”

“How could I not?”

Mary Giggles as she hitches her thumbs around the top of her knickers and gently eases them down and kicks them aside.  She is standing completely naked now.  She looks Batwing up and down and giggles again.

“It looks as if the beast is escaping” and with that she reaches down and remove the last article of clothing on Batwing’s body.
 

Batwing looks at the naked form of Mary standing in front of him.  He hasn’t felt this way for a very long time.  He kneels down and takes one of Mary’s feet in his hands and begins tickling her delicate feet and sucking her darling toes.  As his hand creeps up her inner thigh, gently moving higher and higher

“Oh gods get your tongue where it needs to be...soon please” cries Mary

As his hand rises to the heavens he can hear Mary’s breathing getting deeper and irregular As Batwing finds her pleasure point he begins to rub her clit between his fingers, gently stroking as his tongue slowly makes it's way up Mary’s inner thigh and towards paradise

“Oh yes.....” says Mary as she grab his head and rubs her hand through his hair

Now Mary presses herself against Batwing’s mouth as he continues to tease her.  She gently pulls up

“I want you now...” Mary whispers to Batwing

As he moves up he takes a glancing lick at Mary’s luscious breasts and with his hands he tickles the small of her back.  Then he takes his member and uses the tip to gently caress Mary’s opening.  Running it around in circles until she is panting heavily

“Gods stop teasing me just give it to me now...I need you in me now…gods I am so hot...right....and dripping thank you...this is the longest foreplay I have ever had...”  Mary mutters

Noticing the pool of wetness that has gathered Batwing ever so slowly insert the tip of his Purple headed Warrior into her quivering mound of love pudding

“oh my god that feels so good and it fits so nicely too...” Mary is really starting to buck.  Her body begins the rhythm as if by some ancient ritual.  Batwing begins to gently find a rhythm of his own as he thrust in and out of her wetness, finding the going easier with each passing stroke.  He cranks the speed up ever so slightly and begins to rock her entire body.  Out and in, in and out ...side to side, He continues to suck on Mary’s breasts as they pump in unison.

As Batwing moves he can feel the rock like hardness of Mary’s nipples under his tongue, it only encourages him to pump harder and deeper.

“oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh” Mary begins to mutter as she approaches her climax.

Batwing can feel her body begin to shudder under his, as every muscle in his body tightens and every nerve ending tingles with anticipation.  It is coming harder and faster and the shudders are uncontrollable.  It is so good that Mary nearly blacks out from the passion.

They can feel the waves of pleasure begin to wash over, every element of their bodies is charged as the rush approaches

“Oh Batwing I don't think I can hold out much long I want to have you coming soon...” cries Mary

The pair is thrown as the passion overwhelms them.  The charge seems to focus them into each other as the ecstasy sweeps through both of them like a freight train.

Mary screams out his name in a fit of passion “Ohhh BATWING!!!”

They both feel like they never have felt before...and then they collapse...totally exhausted...

Moments later the pair begins to recover from the ground moving experience.

As Batwing and Mary compose themselves Mary presses another button on the panel and the elevator resumes its journey.

Mary is the first to break the silence

“Well.  That was fun wasn’t it?”

Batwing shuffles his feet

“Your not bad at that, Harley is very lucky”

Batwing stares at the roof

“Hey, Excuse Me Mister!”

Batwing turns his head away.

Mary hits the stop button once again and addresses Batwing

“Hey, What is your Problem” Mary screams at Batwing “In case you didn’t notice, In case you were not paying attention, we just had SEX!!!! And it was GOOD SEX!!!!”

Batwing turns to face Mary

“Yes” replies Batwing meekly “Yes we did”

“AND!!!!!!” shouts Mary “Is that ALL you have to say!!!!!”

“no”

The pair stands in science for a brief period

“Well spit it out Wing Boy!” Mary yells at Batwing “I’m Eager to Hear!”

Mary Crosses her arms across her chest and taps her foot

“ANSWER ME GOD DAMN IT!”

Mary grabs Batwing around the neck and pushes him into the wall of the elevator

“I’m Sorry” Batwing murmurs

 Mary looks stunned

“Your What!”

“I’m sorry, I violated you”

Mary lets go of Batwing and takes a step back, Batwing falls into a heap on the floor.  Mary looks shocked for a while then looks at Batwing and kneels down to his level

“What did you just say?”

Batwing turns his head so as to face Mary.  Mary notices that there are tears forming in his eyes

“I’m Sorry that I Violated you”

“What are you talking about, you didn’t violate me”

Batwing lies in a heap on the floor, “I broke my vow”

Mary looks at him stands up.  Walks around the elevator and falls in a heap on the opposite side of the lift.

“Oh my God.”  Mary looks at Batwing through slanted eyes “You’re married, aren’t you?”

Batwing sits silent for a while before answering.

“No, I’m not married”

Mary looks to the roof of the elevator then asks

“Then what vows are you talking about”

“Not vows” answers Batwing.  “Vow”

“Well then what vow is the issue here?”

Batwing looked Mary square in the eyes and asked

“Are you sure you want to know?”

Mary swallows, she feels that this is serious

“Yes, I’m Sure”

Batwing begins his story
 

Well it all started about 3 years ago.  I had a history I didn’t really know about them, I would wonder the streets aimlessly day in day out.  I wasn’t homeless. I had a home, but it didn’t seem right, So I was never there.  One night while I was walking I heard a girl scream.  I decide to help whoever it was that had made that scream, I don’t really know why.  It just seemed the right thing to do.

 As I turned into the side alleyway where the scream had come from I saw a man, I big hairy man.  He had a knife to this poor girl’s throat, and his free hand was up her dress.  His pants where around his ankles.  The child tried to scream but he managed to muffle her scream with the hand that held the knife.  Then he looked up at me.

“Oi, beat it pal!, Can’t you see me and the little lady are having some fun?”

 I don’t entirely know what happened next.  I saw red, I felt a rage, and it was a rage that was very close to me, a rage that I had felt before, but where I could not remember.  But it was familiar.  I remember the pain as these huge wings appeared out of my back, they ripped through my flesh, I remember feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders I turned to the man and stared into his eyes.  They were the eyes of a coward.  He was afraid.  And so he should be.

 I jumped, well leapt more like it, onto his back and grabbed his head and twisted it.  There was simply a loud sickening crack as I broke his neck.  I remember looking into that poor girl’s eyes and seeing the terror she felt for me.  I realised that I had killed this man.  It was that simple.  He was alive and I had killed him.  I couldn’t stand that.  I collapse and began to cry.  The girl must have felt sorry for me, She took me to my place and looked after me for the weeks afterwards as I recovered myself from the experience.  Without her I’m sure I would have died.  From that day forth I vowed to never ever let another soul suffer the way that poor girl had.  I made it my mission.
 

Batwing looked up at Mary with tears in his eyes, he was huddled into the corner with his arms wrapped around his knees.  He stared deeply into her eyes, green pools of beauty that held no fear for him.

“Oh my god” said Mary.  That girl was Harley wasn’t it?”

Batwing simply nodded

Mary stood up and reached a hand out to Batwing.  Batwing looked up and took her hand and hoisted himself to his feet.

“Thank you Mary”

“That’s O.K.  Are you sure you’re up to this”

Batwing turn to Mary.

“I have to be, I have no choice”

Mary pressed a button and the elevator once again resumed its journey

As the doors to the elevator opened Batwing stepped forwards into the control bunker, The room was amass with panels and displays.  But the sight that caught Batwing’s attention was that of Harley.  It seemed that Rohan must have had a uniform in her size because it was apparent that she now had one.  But Batwing could not be sure how well it fitted it, because it was strew across the floor.  The only thing that covered any of Harley was Debbie

“oh my” said Mary as she saw the scene in front of her eyes

Harley was lying on the conference table, legs in the air with Debbie’s head buried between her thighs
Harley has her head thrown back and is massaging her own firm white perky breasts, moans can be heard echoing throughout the bunker.  Harley turns her head and notices the pair standing at the doors of the elevator.  The look on Batwing’s face is one of disbelief, his whole stature looks mortified.

“Holy Fuck!” Harley screams as she slides from the table and begins gathering her clothes

“Shit Harley that hurt…..” Debbie notices Batwing staring at the scene

“Ummm, Hiya Batwing.  What are you up to?”

Harley ducks out of the room with a pile of clothes under her arm as Debbie begins to silently collect hers and gets dressed.

Mary turns to Batwing

“It really isn’t your day is it?”

Batwing just stands there silently, staring into the distance

“Look, Batwing” Debbie began as she was buttoning up her top “I know that you might be a little ummm, upset, about this..”

Batwing puts his hand up to stop Debbie mid sentence

“Look, Debbie, you can do what you want with Harley.  She is her own woman.”

Mary smiled a little, wondering if Batwing had been mellowed a little due to his recent experiences
At that moment Harley came running into the room, fully clothed, crying as she jumped at Batwing and gripped him around the neck

“I am sooo Sorry Puddin, I guess I wasn’t thinking….”

“Harley” said Batwing

“yes” replied Harley meekly

“It’s O.K.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure”

Harley let go of Batwing and took a seat at the conference table, as did Debbie.

Mary walked around to the head of the table an sat down as DebiXena walked into the room

Batwing took a seat as DebiXena spoke up

“I hope I’m not late?”

“No” said Mary.  “Your right on time.  I guess we had better get this underway”

“That’s the Plan!” Batwing stood glaring at Mary “You have to be joking”

Mary looked up at Batwing and simply said, “It’s my way, Or no way.  Understood!”

Batwing was not going to let go that easily, “But I am to assume we are meeting Kalleasto, tonight, in Scotland, how could we possible have time for that???”

“You’re the bloody storywriter, make the time!”

“O.K.” said Batwing reuctantly, “I’ll do it”

“Yippie!” shouted Harley as she was clapping her gloved hands together.

“I don’t know what you are so happy about” Batwing glared at Harley

“Ohhh, come on Puddin, It will be so much fun”

“We’ll see”

Mary stood up and gestured the rest of the table to do the same.  Debbie B and DebiXena, you need to see R to get your gear.  Batwing and Harley, you follow me.  Dismissed”

The group got up and moved their separate ways, Mary led Harley and Batwing to the elevator that hosted Batwing and Mary a few moments eariler

As the door closed Harley looked around “Smells funny in here, kinda musky.”

“Air Conditioning system” said Mary automatically

“Oh” said Harley.  “If I didn’t know any better I would say that someone had..”

“Air Conditioning Harley” Said Batwing

“O.K.” said Harley Meekly

The elevator stopped and the group walked out into the Center’s admin wing.

“What the….” Batwing began

Mary turned to him “Never read Charlie and the great glass elevator”

“Hang on” Batwing began “You not telling me..”

“Hey, You’re the one writing this!” Mary replied

“Hmmm”

The Trio began to walk through the devastation that was the Admin wing.  The Clones had attacked and stole the Ark of Lovenit, and it looked as though there were some injuries to the center staff.

“Man, this is not good at all” said Batwing as he walked through the area.  But before he could finish his thought a group of troll stopped their party

“This is a secure area” one of the Trolls began

“And this is Mary, Center Director” said Mary pointing to herself.

“Oh, I’m ever so sorry Ma’am”

“No, It’s good that you are performing you duties so well”

“Thank you Ma’am” said the troll as he stepped aside and let the party pass

“Hey, Trav!" a voice called.  There were only a few people who called him be his real name

Batwing turned to see Gab Dolly as she unzipped her top and opened it, only to reveal her sports Bra, but that was enough.  He took a sharp breath and turned his head as Mary approached Gab Dolly and said something to the most desirable woman in the centre

Batwing felt a hand on his shoulder

“Are you alright Puddin?”

“I’m fine Harls, It’s nothing” Batwing felt strange, he couldn’t quite explain it to himself, let alone to Harley.

Mary returned after a brief conversation with Dolly and Alger.  “Shall we move on”

“O.K.” said Batwing as he and Mary headed off

"I’ll catch up,” said Harley as she skipped over to where Gab Dolly lay and started a conversation.  Mary and Batwing continued towards what remained of the med suite.

“She’s a Nice girl” Mary said

“Yes, quite intelligent to, just not really smart when it comes to human interaction.  She has a little to learn.”

“I’m not too sure, I think that Debbie taught her a few things”

Batwing turned to Mary, there was a smirk on his face  “And I’m sure that she studied Debbie hard”

“I have no doubt”

They reached the med lab, the disaster zone that it was.

“Oh My” Mary gasped, The offices were a mess, the couch had been destroyed and the Ark of Lovenit was gone.

Batwing looked around the scene, the cleaners were yet to have cleaned this area.

“See anything?”

Batwing continued to scan the room, “Not really”  “Ah, wait a second” Batwing got down to his knees and picked up the discarded pin of the grenade that had caused so much devastation.

“What is it?” Mary asked

“A PPK Thermal detonator pin” began Batwing “I know of only 3 men who manufacture such a device, I believe I have killed 2 of them”

“And this means?”

“We have a known clone associate, he lives in Paris if I remember correctly”

Harley then rocked up, skipping all the way, she stood near Batwing and bent over with her hands behind her back to see what he was looking at

“What’s Up?”

“It looks as if we have a clue” said Batwing as he pocketed the pin.”

“Where to now Puddin?” asked Harley

Batwing looked at Mary, who had a large grin on her face

“We’re going to Subway” said Mary

“You just can’t resist the footlong can you Mary” remarked Batwing

As they walked out of the center Mary simply said “you know how much I adore the footlong…”

Rohan clicked her cell phone shut. Since Mary announced that the computers and communication lines had been compromised by unknown entities, it was not safe to use Center’s telephones. Her husband,
Quin, was not home and no way was she going to leave a message on her machine saying the Clones had resurfaced and that she would be on alert for an indefinite period of time. Those kinds of messages
did not go over well at home. A quick trip home to grab a few things, hopefully including her hubby, and she would be back before Batwing, Harley, Gab Dolly and Alger even knew she had gone.

As Rohan passed the Troll security officer guarding the elevators, she did not notice the stoic looking troll speaking into a hidden microphone as the automatic doors slid shut.

The button to the parking garage was pushed, then Rohan staggered back into the cherry wood panels of the elevator, her breathing ragged. It was just so hard. Clones. Her greatest creation. Her greatest
failure.

All this pain and death for the want of a child, she thought to herself as the heavy burden of guilt crushed her heart. How did Xena survive this kind of guilt? It had been a hard blow to the biologist and her
ex-marine, fighter jock husband to find out that she could never have any children due to a very rare metabolic disorder that still baffled the Warrior Doc, Tracy, to this day.

Adoption agencies were out of the question. Her Top Secret work for the Center had resulted in her being rated Omega Theta Caldwell: One of the Living Dead so to speak. All records were of Rohan’s
"death" even her fingerprints had been removed from the FBI records including her fingers per Center regulations to keep with OTC designation. Quin adjusted to being a "widower" so to speak but remained
faithful to his wife of ten years. His own line of work was with the JAG office working closely with Admiral Chagwidden and kept him busy flying all over the country defending other Marines and US policy.
A life full of long separations that they had accepted together. Then Rohan made a fatal mistake in her quest for offspring: Clones

The elevator doors opened soundlessly. Rohan stepped out into the dark garage, rubbing her temples. Another stress migraine was coming on but she would not let that stop her. She couldn’t especially since
the others were counting on her expertise with the clones and with Xmegryan. Slipping the key into the Land Rover’s door lock, Rohan looked up, her senses suddenly on alert. Nothing. Just parked cars
gleaming in the fluorescent lighting. She was just jumpy. The British-made, 1969 Rover started right up and Rohan squealed tires popping the clutch.

Driving down the back roads in a thunderstorm in Ohio was never very easy thought Rohan as her attention varied between the potholes and the past. No one at the Center held the Clone’s evil against her.
They never spoke of the death toll, nor of the destruction wrought by her progeny. The Fourth Generation Clones with Xmegryan as their leader were by far the worst of the batch; more insidious, clever and
sadistic than any of the clones the Center had encountered before.

What Xmegryan had done Rohan when she was held prisoner in the Center’s basement with that tool from The Ark of the Lovenit was something that she could not talk about to the Center’s psyches, or
anyone for that matter. Despite pleas from Mary and Tracy, Rohan dared not dredge up those memories. If Batwing had not saved her in the nick of time, well, there was no telling what might have happened
to her body and mind.

Sleep had been non-existent for her since that day and no one, not even Quin, knew that she was taking an untested Alpha wave inhibitor to stay awake, to stay clear of those nightmares, to block out
those….HONK…Rohan twisted the wheel as a black van with tinted windows swerved in front of her, blowing it’s horn, startling the inventor/biologist. The Rover skidded into the gravel and blew a tire,
forcing Rohan to overcorrect and slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the van whose brake lights flashed, suddenly stopped in the road.

"Holy Holly Go Lightly!" gasped Rohan. The Rover stalled in the middle of the road, the seat belt stopping her from crashing into the windshield. She blinked, everything was just a blur. The tingling of fear
came over her body as she undid the seat belt and opened the door her mind screaming: were the people in the van okay? Already pulling out her cell phone as she ran in the rain towards the van as it idled
half off the road half in the ditch, Rohan did not see the tall dark form coming up behind her.

"Hey, you all right?" she called to the van, beating on the window after seeing a slumped figure over the steering wheel.

"Ursa Major is fine."

Rohan wheeled around to stare up through the storm to see a well-muscled, absolutely dashing figure of a man wearing a white tank top and tight jeans standing there, flashing his pearly whites at her. His
accent had been lightly Scottish as his peaches and cream complexion with long wavy red rain drenched hair and drop-dead green eyes with a smattering of freckles along his cheeks could attest to. Used to
hunks (since she was married to one), this was not a big deal to Rohan. However, what was a big deal looked like that pneumatic zip gun in his large hand. The sliding van door opened behind her and another
Scottish accented voice called out,

"Ya don’t be a givin us nae trouble, lassie, an Dane McBeth thar won’t need ta stun ya."

Rohan glanced behind her at a slim, trim Eurasian woman with geometrical cut black hair.

Ursa Major also held a Pzgun.

"Came on out of the rain wid ya, gal." Motioned UM. Smiling weakly, Rohan knew she had no choice and feeling very foolish, ducked her head and turned towards the black van. Her foot slipped on the wet
sideboard and she fell, yelping out loud as her shin hit the metal doorframe. As UM reached out to grab her, Dane McBeth was kicked in the groan by Rohan’s other flying foot, crashing to his knees, his face
red in agony. Taking advantage of UM’s temporary drop in her guard, Rohan swung out, like Trish had taught her in self defense class, with a swift precise neck chop. That missed. UM easily blocked her
punch and. as if swatting a fly, whacked the biologist in the face with the back of her hand.

"Ya poor thang." Sighed UM jumping out of the van to help Dane to his feet. "Got clobberd in ye manhood by the First One, didjya now."

Dane took several deep breaths. Meanwhile, back in the van, Rohan shook her head, trying to stop the ringing of Notre Dame’s bells in her ears. The right side of her face was numb meaning it would really
hurt bad later, she thought as she licked her bloody lip. Realizing that UM and Dane were still outside, Rohan quickly yanked the van door shut then furiously pounded keys on the cell phone. Ring ..
Ring.."This is Rohan, I’ve been…"

"Hello, Rohan," came a voice she definitely did not expect, the voice from her nightmares. She stared at the phone as if it had grown horns, turned pink and started singing the theme song from Cabaret.

"Yes, this is Xmegryan. I look forward to seeing you again, my dear, since we have so much to discuss. And I remember that we have some unfinished business to attend to. Oh that is right, you would rather
do that with XmegROC as I recall. That can be arranged. Now, enjoy the ride." Click.

Rohan lunged for the door, scrabbling with the handle. An electric jolt threw her backwards, crashing into the van’s interior padded walls. She lay there stunned. Odd metallic scrapes and bumps were coming
from the outside of the vehicle. UM and Dane waved to her from outside of the tinted windows as the low deep whump whump sounds of a 1995 Sikorsky Twin Rotor Helicopter droned above the van.
Rohan bounced around the back as the van was unceremoniously lifted from the ground.

"Gosh Shucky DARNS!" cursed Rohan, well, as much of a curse as she could, fumbling for the cell phone. Xmegryan may have an electrical dampening field around her but that would not stop her little secret
invention that she as "R" had made up for use in the Center’s covert operations field. Sliding open the battery pack, she yanked the wires out of it’s top and pressed her thumb against the small indention near
the bottom of the small gray box. DNA was read by the microprocessor and the Sub-Audio Radiation Emergency Beacon (SAREB) became active, sending out low frequency Nano waves. These waves
would be picked up by the Center’s Scan Net and zone in on her location. A hiss made her look up at the van’s padded ceiling as small jets of white gas sprayed into the room. Fear clutched her heart. Not
only was she going to have to meet Xmegryan again, she would be unconscious for the trip and that meant sleep and that meant….nightmares. Rohan screamed in vain, feeling her body starting to succumb to
the knock out gas as the giant helicopter carried the van deep into the dark and stormy night.

"Dr. Fine, please remove your hand."

Ten-year veteran nurse, PatC, gazed over her half moon glasses at the trembling intern, whose hand was wrist deep in the patient’s chest trying pump the heart muscle.

"But, but…"

Gently, PatC tugged at the intern’s arm. A small sucking sound and the hand was free of the thoracic cavity and the fourth year medical student who had just lost his first patient quietly
slumped to the floor in a dead faint. PatC shook her head in empathy. Even after ten years in the trenches of emergency medicine at Brooklyn’s Gun Hill General Hospital, one of the
busiest in New York City, the sadness of loosing a patient never dissipated. With brisk, professional movements, PatC made sure the intern was comfortable, cleaned and dressed
the gaping maw which had been a one Rafael Gonzales, 68, heart attack victim, and aided the other nurses who simply stepped over the unconscious intern to pull out IV lines,
catheters, and EKG monitoring leads. Head of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Valerie Pebbles, poked her head through the door, taking in the sight with a practiced eye.

"Call it, Pat. Have Fine sign it. Send the body down for Reynolds to practice on and get this place cleaned up. Losers are stacking up out there."

"Mr. Rafael Gonzales will be treated with the utmost respect." Came the low, dangerous tone of righteous Irish indignation from PatC. Pebbles glared at her for a brief moment, then
smiled.

"Right. You always do a good job, Pat." Then Dr. Pebbles was gone. Probably late for a luncheon with the latest HMO advisors who wanted to turn GHGH from a neighborhood
godsend to a high profile surgery center for rich people, thus closing the doors to people who really needed care to those who just wanted to look good.

Disgusted with the whole idea, PatC was one of the few willing to risk their jobs to fight the big companies. At five foot six, lithe in body and strong in will, PatC, called PaddyAnn by
her family, was the corner stone for the little guy in the big bad world of medical cost reduction. When had the medical field gone from helping people to raiding their pocket book?
Along with several other health care workers, PatC set up and ran a local free clinic in the borough. The normally quiet, studious nurse now rubbed her eyes with a sense of such
tiredness that it drained her normally inexhaustive supply of energy. As she prodded Dr. Fine awake, her mind recalled the letter she had received yesterday from her friend, Mary,
from Ohio. Mary now worked at the Center for Xena studies, a University of some fine repute, and offered PatC a job as head nurse at the infirmary. To come out and take a look at
the place at least, Mary had wrote, somehow knowing that PatC needed a change of scenery if not just for a couple of days. Dr. Fine came to, blinking then threw up all over her
shoes. PatC knew what her reply would be.

Rohan became aware of a soft, warm cocoon around her as she slowly made the long fuzzy crawl back to consciousness. Smell of salt water, wood smoke, rosemary and something
a bit sharp scented filled her lungs as she sighed so comfortable, so relaxed.

"Tha, tha, wee lassie. Tae it easy." A melodic voice whispered in her ear, then warm, wet kisses feathered her forehead. The biologist jerked awake.

"What the…" Her bleary eyes focused on a small whiskered dark form with doe brown eyes that kissed her on the lips, the overpowering smell of fish on it’s breath. "Gaaghh.." spit
Rohan as the guilty seal barked loudly in her face.

"Och, Lassie, ye be a Silkie, I think."

Rohan turned her head to see an older plump woman with gray hair pulled back into a wispy bun and crinkling blue eyes sparkling with mirth laughing at her from the edge of the bed.
Rough but tender hands tucked the rich maroon blankets around her shoulders.

"Who..what..silky?"

The woman reached over and lifted a stoneware mug to Rohan’s lips.

"Drink. Tis only tea."

She did so, one eye watching the seal back away into the corner of the room, sniffing at the solid looking wooden door. Warm sweet liquid flowed down her parched throat. The
woman set the cup back on a handmade wooden end table. A tinkling of the silver bracelet around her wrist caught her attention. That symbol. Familiar.

Then Rohan remembered the voice that echoed in her nightmares.

"Xmegryan!" she gasped, struggling to get free of the suddenly constricting bedding.

The woman’s hands were stronger than they looked and without effort, pushed the stocky biologist back down onto the feather bed, clucking in Gaelic. Then in English said,

"Hush, there, Silky. Hush. She is nae here at the moment. You be safe wi’ me."

Forcing to herself to keep calm, Rohan stopped fighting and lay there, muscles tensed, blood pounding in her head.

"Who are you?"

"I am Laoghaire McInness. You be in Scotland, Silky, Dragon’s Weyr ta be exact."

"How long have I been here?"

"Jes’ a day. Donna’ worry. Laoghaire will tae care of ye, that ye can be sure of."

The woman fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist, a pained look on her wrinkled face.

"You are a slave of Xmegryan." A statement of fact.

Laoghaire expelled a deep sigh.

"Aye, bound ta her by our ancient ways, we are."

"We?"

"Me son, Jaime, an me daughter, Meghan. We be the keepers of the Weyr. She came several months ago, bearing the mark o’ the Ancient One. We hae no choice but ta obey. Only
later did we realize that she was nae the Coming One."

Rohan mentally shook her head at these poor people’s superstitions that Xmegryan had used to her own advantage. She closed her eyes in guilt. Another burden tossed upon her
shoulders. Laoghaire leaned close, her voice conspiratorial.

"You bear the Mark too, Silkie."

Chills ran up Rohan’s spine.

"Why do you keep calling me Silky?"

"Silkie. Have ye nae heard the Legend of Roan Innish? A Silkie is a being who is part seal, part human. They say the Silkie can tae human form, wearing a fur coat that if taken away,
ye be a human till ya get it back and go inta sea. The fur is ya seal skin. Ya bear the mark o ta Dragon and a Silkie. Xmegryan is nae Silkie. You are the chosen. You are ta rightfull
heir to the Weyr. You are ta Coming One."

"Laoghaire," said Rohan. "Listen. I am not a chosen one at all. Xmegryan…Xmegryan is a fourth generation Clone. She is my….."

"Creation." Finished Xmegryan as she entered the room. The seal barked.

Mary, Batwing and Harley walk out of Subway and into Mary’s Car

“Jesus Mary, 6 Footlongs, what the hell is going on there!” Batwing exclaimed

“You know I love the footlongs” Mary said defensively

“And you’ve still got Mayonnaise on you chin” Harley pointed out

Mary turns to Batwing “You want to do me a favor honey?”

Batwing rolled his eyes and wiped the Mayonnaise of Mary’s chin

“Thanks Babe” said Mary with a wink

Batwing blushed

Harley spoke up, “you two, not You Two?”

“NO” said Batwing and Mary in unison

“Sure, whatever you say” Harley crossed her arms as the group got into the CFXS Fox and drove off.

“So, a suite at the Hyatt” Batwing began, “Any reason?”

“I though you would like to be comfortable” Mary replied

“O.K.” Batwing said

“Wow Mary, the suite is Huge!” Batwing exclaimed as he walked into the suite that Mary had booked for him and Harley.”

“Yes, it is.  I would love to stay and chat, but I got to get back to the centre..”

“Sure, I understand” Batwing said as he walked around the room, examining the contents

“Umm Mary?”

“Yes Harley?” Mary replied to the semi question posed by Harley

“Can I get a lift back to the Centre with you?”

“Sure”

Batwing turned to Harley “I’ll see you Later then” he said with a lost look on his face

Harley skipped up to Batwing and kissed his cheek.  “I’ll be O.K, you don’t have to worry.”

Batwing stared into her eyes, “But I do Harley”

Harley hugged him. “I’ll see you later” she said as she turned around and followed Mary out of the room.  As the door shut Batwing walked over to the phone and punched the numbers.

“Yes, operator I’m looking for Kalleasto. Umm yes I’ll hold.”

A few moments later he was connected.

“Ah yes, hello Kalleasto.  Umm yes, I won’t be arriving tonite.  No sorry, I got, umm, sidetracked.  Yes. O.K.  Bye.”

As he hung up he took a moment to reflect on the day, not a regular day at all.  The Clones were back, Harley was introduced to the Center, and Mary.  He shook his head, Mary. What had he done.  Mary was a brilliant lady, but he had violated his own vow.  The very thing that had kept him on the straight and narrow edge of sanity for so long.  It wasn’t that he didn’t like Mary, far from it.  He had the utmost respect for the woman, He desired her, hell, maybe he even loved her.  But that wasn’t the point. Oh just thinking about it awoke his senses.

“I need a lie down” he said out loud, to no-one in particular.  The rest would do him good

The phone rang and shocked Batwing out of his slumber.  He checked the time.  Hell, past 6 am

He picked up the receiver “Yes. What WHAT!!!”

He threw the receiver down.  “Hell” he thought to himself as he hauled himself out of bed.  He moved to the second bedroom in the suite, every fiber of his being hoping to find out that the call was wrong, it had to be wrong.  It must be wrong.  He opened the door and flicked on the light.

He sighed as he looked at the bed, just the bed, no Harley.  He heard a knock at the door as he moved out of the room.  He opened the suite door to find, nobody, but a videotape, With two words written on its label  “Watch Me”

“Hmm, what is this, Alice in fucken Wonderland!”

He moved to the T.V. and slipped the cassette into the VCR.  What he saw shocked him.  There was a small voice that spoke to him from the back of his mind “ignore it, she’s her own person, she can do what she likes” But there was a louder, stronger voice there too.

Batwing picked up the phone and placed a call to Mary.

It was nearly 7:00 am and there was no sign of Harley.  Batwing’s mind began to wander as he flapped his way around the industrial district. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!” he thought to himself  “I should have not let her come”
“But you couldn’t stop her could you”
“But I should have”
“It wouldn’t have helped”
“Yes it would.  Damn it.  It would have!”
He grew angrier and angrier by the second
“Give in to it!” came a new voice.  He hadn’t heard that one for a while
“No, I mustn’t”
“Yes you can…. You know you want to”
“Leave me alone” Batwing clasped his hands around his head
“Give into Me!”
“NOOOOOOOO” screamed Batwing loudly as he fell from the sky

He opened one eye to peer into the day.  He was sore over, luckily his fall wasn’t from to great a height.  He struggled to get up.  His right leg was painful, maybe even broken.  He couldn’t be sure.

“You cannot escape me”
Batwing swung around “Who said that”
“I did, you did, we all did”
“I know you, you cannot take me”
“But I already have, I am you”
“You were me, I am me now”
“I am you again.  My time has come”

Batwing got up and limped a short distance then fell down in a heap again

“You need Me”
“I need Nobody!” Batwing yelled
“What about Harley?”
“She needs me to help her”
“What about Mary?”
Batwing stared into the distance “I need nobody”
“WHAT ABOUT MARY!”
“I need nobody” whispered Batwing in his own mind
“You Need Me, I am part of you, you anger, your hate, your rage”
“No, I will not travel that path not again”
“But you must, you must avenge”
“no, hatred, anger, they lead to the dark side”
“But you are, we are, the Dark side”
“No I cannot be, I don’t want to.” Batwing pounded his fist against the ground, tears welled in his eyes

Batwing began to remember again, that night, that alley, that man
“Remember that night”
“I don’t want to.  leave me alone”
“you saved her, your rage saved her”
“No, She was, I was, lucky”
“You dark side saved her.  it SAVED Her.  I Saved HER!”
“NOOOOOO, It didn’t, you didn’t, I did”
“Did you could you do it again?”
“Yes, I mean No, I mean…..”

Batwing looked up and again got up and tried to walk.  He managed to make it to a nearby wall and rested against it

“They haven’t found her you know”
“Then I will” Batwing replied to his own mind
“They don’t care”
“Yes they do, they care”
“They are Laughing at you”
“no. no no no”
“oh yes.  There goes Batwing, he gave us that desirable little sexpot Harley”
“No No, It’s not true”
“Don’t kid yourself, No-ones cares for you.  They just want Harley”
“no, they care, they care” said Batwing weakly
“What, care for you!, not a chance”
“Mary cares”
“Hah, I don’t think so, what would an attractive intelligent woman see in gutter trash like you”
“She.. I .. but”
“Face it wing boy, they laugh at you, can’t you hear the laughing?”
“there is no laughing, is there?”
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, can’t you here that HAHAHAHAHAHA”
“no” said Trav, the layers of his psyche striped away by his own mind
“It’s about time the REAL Batwing returned, don’t you think?”
Trav looked deeply into himself, and saw the rage that had consumed him years ago.  He had fought it back once, and it had nearly destroyed him.  Then he found Harley, she had helped him stay sane.  Now she was in danger, somewhere.  And he couldn’t help her.  but perhaps…
“I can help, We can help her”
“Rage?”
“Yes Rage, let me have you, engulf you. Then we can”
“can can take”
“Yes, we can take..”
“vengance?”
“what was that?”
“vengance”
“Again”
“Vengence”
“Louder!”
“VENGANCE”

Trav managed to stand as a sharp pain shoot up his leg, but that was immaterial.  He saw Red, he felt the rage, the rage, but it was more that the rage that consumed him.  His past, the white rooms, the capsules, the experiments.  He felt his muscle mass grow, his bones strengthen, his whole body began to mutate.  His fingers lengthen somewhat as his nails developed into claws, every muscle, every fibre of his very being underwent the change

Trav let out an almighty scream as he rose to his feet.  The pain from his leg was gone.  He was the same, but different, bigger, more dynamic, more threatening.  Then there was his eyes.  Gone were the grey pupils that Batwing had before, now they were red, as red as blood as deep as the very depths of hell

“I’m Back”