- Jerusalem, the night before departure for home.
Sam lay in his bed, which he’d converted into a makeshift nest. It had been several days since the encounter with Sabra (the team preferred to think of her as that, rather than as the Angel of Death) and they would be finally heading home in the morning.
Preparing for the embrace of sleep, he twirled the Bargainer’s card in his claws with an idle dexterity. “The power of the deal.” he muttered to himself. The power to destroy a country on a whim, or the ability to save it… He’d witnessed it with his own eyes and upon his flesh.
He shifted as he reached for his tablet to begin reading on cautionary tales of wishes gone astray and of power unchecked. The response was unanimous and echoed Mary’s and Akira’s previous advice. Yet all of the fables do tell of the countless people, noble or contrary whom drank from the chalice of ambition and desire. It is a common literary theme.
How much did Sam really know about Mary, Akira and their origins? Sam was a victim of curiosity and misfortune for his transformation, but Akira had sacrificed much to be able to blend his meta-abilities with magic. Perhaps he is not too different in this after all.
In any case, Sam did not know how to use the card to contact the mystic and the hour was late, he would not seek the aid of the Balance in this, as they would most likely destroy the card rather than aid in this flight of fancy. Shuffling, he elected to sleep.
He struggled to relax; his nests always did feel a little too big for just one.
He woke with a start in an unusual cold sweat. Someone was in the room. Rubbing his eyes, he was met with a glance of his intruder; an unspeakably tall, tanned man, wearing large sunglasses (inside, in the dark) and a well-kept trench coat. He poured himself some coffee from Sam’s own private stash, and simply turned, smiled and said, “Well?” with a smile and small shrug.
Sam nodded and lifted a finger ready to speak, but his smile turned to a frown as he said nothing and scratched his chin. “Hold on” he offered only.
Sam emerged from his nest and skittered into the next room, returning with a pad of scratch paper and pencil and began to furiously write. Tongue poking out the side of his mouth.
He thought of five desires he would like to entertain, and began to make notes on each.
When he’d finished writing, Sam’s list read :
– The ability to transform into the true form of an ancient red dragon; a true, living, scaled, mythical, live, large, ancient European dragon, in the likeness and form of the once living Tiamente. (And not of that of a Komodo dragon, or other such non specified species).
– The form to have the specifications, strengths, characteristics and abilities of the ancient true dragon as experienced, witnessed and noted in literature.
– The ability to transform must be at will and persistent until otherwise not willed and to allow me to return to my current form, that of “Young Sam”, Red Dragonkin.
– The transformation ability must be permanently available, and not merely a one-off possibility.
– The transformation would also grant me continued presence of mind, and would not alter my personality, knowledge, ethics or experience.
– A wish for Annie’s’ true and lasting safety, health and happiness, in whichever way she deems most suitable, even if that means she can alter her past, present or future, her physical form or her memories.
– A wish for information:
– Question one: During Tiamente’s laying to rest rites, two other spirits made themselves known, the black dragonkin rival, and one other. What is it and where is it specifically?
– Question two: by divine or arcane or otherwise common sense, is The Balance on the right path? Are we helping at all in the grand scheme of things? Are we a continued force for good in the world, or are we faltering from grace?
– A request to reserve the right for a future question to be answered promptly, if required.
– Mary does important work here, but she is on a journey. I would very much wish to help with that. Can you allow Mary to be in two places at once, to exist, both fully in this world and in her own original one. She would be identical to how she is now and remain independent.
– Finally, before any wish is settled, honest advice in appropriate deal making, or the flagging of any obvious features or loopholes overlooked.
An hour had passed and The Bargainer appeared to grow impatient, electing to sigh heavily and frequently to the futility of Sam’s endeavours and occasionally flashed a wry smile as he watched the late night news knowingly.
Sam cleared his throat, apologised and began to barter; his nerves quivered his voice as he read, to the amusement of his audience.
“And your prices, Bargainer?” the words hung in the air. He smiled.
“First let’s whittle this list down to more manageable size shall we? You wish to be able to become like Tiamente whenever you want? Totally in control of all his powers and abilities, but with your mind in control?
Be aware, my little Faust you cannot bargain terms for others, only for their initial state. You want Annie whole and unharmed, done. You want her healthy she will be. If you wish me to not interfere after that, I will agree to. Will I make her immortal or stop her from ever becoming ill? No, for that I’d want a separate bargain with that person.
Did you know that real dragon’s blood carries regenerative properties; properties so highly reactive that it can rebuild entire bodies from living remains. What it cannot do is rebuild a personality or intelligence. As part of the original bargain, you’d have control over whether you wanted to regrow Annie’s original body from her mortal, living remains. I would have no influence over any aspect of what happens after that. That I promise.
As for Mary; you want her to become Schrödinger’s cat? Both in this universe and in another? How do you know that she isn’t already? There was a Mary, a Banshee here before your Mary crossed. Where did the original Mary go? Did they swop over, or did one absorb the other? I will not bargain when the answer is unknowable and therefore can be challenged. I don’t allow anyone to include small print in my deals.
As for your final meanderings, idle thoughts and attempts at legalese… I will allow you this only, one question to be answered truthfully at a time of my choosing, not yours. That’s it.
As for the price… Just this once it’ll be free…”
He smiled, and clapped his hands. Before Sam could say a word, he was alone.
It took a week for Sam to come to terms with the bargain; to grow into his new abilities and to find Annie and persuade her to come home. His tracking powers had grown that powerful.
- One month after
The surge in power was wonderful, I’d never felt so alive. The ability to shape change, not just into a full-blown dragon, but also back into human form (and to alter anything I didn’t like about myself) was… unlike anything I’d ever felt before.
There had been a prison escape by the Black Dragonkin aided by Dementia. Sam’d got to Paris at supersonic speed and had defeated both them and their army of minions before the others in the team had even managed to arrive. The difficulty was in holding back; he was just so powerful now.
Even Dementia’s fear-based cold attack had little impact on his full draconic form!
He left them badly burnt and injured but alive. It was after all more than they would have done, had the situation been reversed. He just needed to be a bit more careful when he used his powers in future.
He’d tried to persuade the others to also undergo the Bargainers transformation but they’d refused, still worried about being corrupted by him. Corrupted? How could something this wonderful be any form of corruption?
Arriving back at the BASEment he changed back to (admittedly a more muscular) form of himself and grabbed up Annie, the real flesh and blood Annie, regrown cell by cell from contact with his Dragon’s blood until whole and complete; she stood before him, the complete embodiment of his fantasies.
Laughing aloud, they rushed to the bedroom and shut the door on his teammates who were just arriving back.
- A Year Later
Sam (he no longer referred to himself as ‘Young’) arrived in London to back up the Balance. Since the petty squabbles of a few months ago, he’d taken to mostly working alone but he knew his old teammates would need his help to take down Abyss.
Dropping in dragon form to the centre of the park, he was immediately surrounded by his adoring public as he changed into his Adonis-like form that had replaced the now almost forgotten old human Sam. He signed a few autographs, hugged a few of the more nubile females and gave one his card so she could audition for his harem later. A little draconic persuasion went a long way and he liked beautiful women. He’d even used a little persuasion on Anne to make her a bit more broadminded about expanding their relationship to include others.
Then he walked calmly across the grass towards his teammates struggling to handle the amped up monstrosity that was Abyss. “Stand back old friends” he bellowed using his draconic influence to force them to fall back and then he unleashed a blast of plasma from his mouth that destroyed every single cell of the creature.
“That’s what we should have done the first time. Your irrational desire to keep these villains alive makes you ineffectual.” He turned to the news crews that now followed his every public move. Heck, he owned most of them, thanks to his ability to smell gold and treasure. “This game of taking down criminals and putting them in prison only for them to escape or be released is stupid. I issue notice that from this day forward enough is enough, if you attack a superhero or a Police officer, if you kill one of the people in my care and protection then I will hunt you down and end your threat permanently. That is my promise to the people of this fair isle…”
One of the reporters went pale and asked, “Does that mean you will kill them? Doesn’t that, well, place you outside the law?” Sam smiled his sparking white teeth on show, “For too long have we the people allowed criminals to dictate what we can and cannot do to protect ourselves. From today that ends… If that places me outside the law then the law needs to be changed.
I would like to take this opportunity to announce that my wife, Anne and I will be running for parliament on a new Law and Order campaign. I appreciate under the current political system it’s the party with the most seats who elects their Prime Minister but we will be campaigning to change that so that the British People get to vote on who represents them directly on the world stage and you can quote me on that… It’s time we balanced this country, for everyone.”
- Three Years later.
Samuel sat down and poured himself a large drink scattered with gold dust. It had been a hard day but he would soon be going on TV to declare that he had successfully eradicated HIV and Cancer. This would be a golden moment in history
It helped that the world leaders also secretly wanted his rejuvenation treatment and were willing to grant him whatever power he needed, in return. The latter was possibly the best-kept secret, after all society would collapse if everyone could be young and healthy forever and his supply of the elixir was limited.
It was a shame Akira had turned terrorist though. It had seriously hurt his campaign to have to publicly kill his old teammate. However, he couldn’t allow him to go public with the truth about the source of his miracle cure. Some sacrifices had to be made if everything was to balance in the end.
Who knew that as well as meta-humans; Homo Superior, that there was another species of human quietly evolving amongst humanity – Homo Immortalus. Daedalus and his kin really were immortals, thousands of years old and their golden blood was the answer. They and their descendants had to be kept safe as a treasure. Thankfully, his draconic abilities allowed him to track them down. He’d secretly had them rounded up and moved to specialist resettlement camps where they could share their blood with those who needed it.
Some had tried to run, escape their responsibilities to their fellow citizens. All he required of them was that they donate a litre or two of their blood as often as they were able to. The children donated a lot less of course, but every drop was precious. They had to be protected and kept safe. Didn’t want any of that precious blood spilt by accident after all.
Annie seemed to be responding to the transfusion thankfully. Who knew that his dragon’s blood that had regrown her body cell by cell would cause such inoperable and widespread cancer? Unlike the HIV and other cancer victims who could be healed with a couple of drops of golden plasma, she had required at least half her blood to be transfused with the golden blood every month to cure her and keep her young.
He regretted that he’d used his draconic persuasion on her so much but, well it had been for her own good.
She was too important to him to not do everything he could to save her. She’d been the reason he’d hunted down the immortals in the first place and… Well, draconic persuasion also meant he didn’t need to be lectured or threatened with her leaving him because his sexual appetites now matched his primary draconic form or because she disagreed with his policy of rounding up the immortals for the greater good.
Did she not see that since his execution policy for serious meta-crimes had been enacted that serious crime in the country had fallen dramatically or been exported overseas for neighbouring countries to deal with? Britain was peaceful at last.
Now could he manage to persuade the leaders of France and Germany to unite with him in return for access to the longevity serum?
He did regret the decision by the Vilani Stellar Empire to withdraw from Earth until they had resolved their internal conflicts and rebellions but perhaps that just opened the door for a Terran Interstellar Empire to develop instead. Something to consider for the future?
Time for my newscast… He smiled and tightened his tie ever so slightly.
- Seven Years Later
It hadn’t worked. Anne’s draconic-infused cells were becoming immune to the golden blood and she was dying. What would he do without her? He’d created a political empire that covered half the world in return for promised immortality but what would it be worth without her? He needed her, he couldn’t let her die.
It had been one of his meta-criminals who, pleading for his life, had given him the idea. Find someone who looked like her and transfer Anne’s brain into that body, a healthy body untainted by dragon’s blood.
He’d found a doppelgänger; a girl who resembled his beautiful Anne in her youth and had arranged to have her taken into custody and transferred to one of his resettlement camps for preparation. He’d almost lost her when Mary and her Meta-rebels had attacked the convoy. Thankfully, Mary’d been driven back by his troops before they could get to her, though it had lost him several new immortals for his blood farms.
He promised himself that he’d eviscerate the surgeon if this didn’t succeed and his precious Anne died. Make the torture last for weeks…
- Thirty Years Later
Samuel looked at the executive order open before him. With one pen stroke, the last remaining bastion of rebellion against his worldwide rule would be obliterated. China had resisted his draconic persuasion, which his scientists had successfully managed to amplify and spread round the world using his network of satellites.
If they had owned or used a phone, a computer, watched a TV or radio then regardless of their location in the world, they’d been ‘persuaded’ as to the wisdom of following Samuel. He’d finally balanced the world into a single, peaceful oneness led by the wisdom of the dragon. With one exception; China.
The theory was that they must have some form of dragon of their own – possibly a Golden variety, though since it didn’t rule, the theory was that it was either still in its egg or was extremely young. Regardless it gave their country protection against him.
That annoyed him. The rest of the world was now balanced. The next step was the stars.
Rulers worldwide were now in his thrall, either because of his broadcasts or because of their addiction to immortality.
The golden blood had proved addictive over time. Oh, those who had used the plasma were fine. They remained healed and healthy. No, it had taken several years before the truth was uncovered; his scientists had discovered the golden blood infusions had some major side effects.
It only affected those who regularly used the blood to stay immortal. Withdrawal led to near instant aging to their real age within weeks and they’d then suffer every disease and illness they’d become infected with or exposed to whilst using the serum. Oh there had been attempts to kidnap immortals – he’d dealt with that by killing everyone involved. The couriers who transported the blood transfusions were also programmed to blow themselves up if anyone tried to steal the blood. The terrorist attack of ’45 on the Russian Premier? That had been an attempt to steal a golden blood sample causing the courier to blow up himself and their Premier. He’d withheld the blood from Russia for a year as a punishment for their arrogance. He had a new group of people in charge there now; people who understood not to upset him.
Now the world was at peace, people had purpose under his rule. Only China – and the meta-underground if he was being completely honest with himself, remained immune to his vision of world peace.
This was the golden rule; whoever had the gold makes the rules; and he had the ultimate gold. The immortalus blood.
He’d deal in time with Mary and her rebellious terrorists. They were a nuisance at worst. No, the only real issue facing him was China and their mystical defence.
The answer was therefore very simple; total nuclear annihilation. This executive order once signed would turn China into a wasteland.
Anne entered the office, walking extremely stiffly. She refused the transfusions these days, apparently long-term exposure to Draconic Persuasion resulted in a partial immunity over time so he was unable to make her. He’d prepared for this. Eighteen years ago, he’d started his scientists on growing a clone ready for a second brain transplant. He couldn’t lose Anne.
Oh, she hated the idea of using the clone. But the clone had her body, her face just not her personality, her mind and had been programmed from birth to be glad to offer her life for Anne. She was barely human, bred as a host body with little or no personality.
She was bred specifically to become Anne’s host body; she’d thank him for it eventually, in the same way she’d finally accepted her current donor body.
Anne walked through the scanners and into the room and Samuel stood up to give her a kiss. That’s when Mary materialised out of Anne’s body… How? Mary shouldn’t be able to do that! Hiding inside Anne had allowed her access to Samuel’s inner sanctum, and what was that in her hands..? Giant carved teeth? What? Why had Anne grabbed one, like a dagger..? Why? Mary materialised and then Annie and Mary attacked, thrusting the dragon’s teeth through his impervious body. He tried to change but the spell carved onto the golden dragon’s fangs bound him to his present shape. They knew his security would kill them; this was a suicide mission so why was the love of his life doing this? He felt her dagger-like tooth pierce his heart as a bullet exploded her head.
“Why?” His final thoughts were, was this the Bargainers price at last? As his life faded, he saw a tall, blonde haired man without eyes appear in the corner of the room, laugh and whisper, “Finally a question I’ll answer. No, this was the price of power… You wanted power and you got power, but it corrupts; and absolute power corrupted you absolutely… This was well worth the wait, little Faust.”
Suddenly Sam woke up in a cold sweat. He was back in his room in Jerusalem. It had only been a bad dream; a very bad dream. Shaking, he switched on the light and then saw his reflection in the mirror. What stared back was not the Dragonkin but a taller, more muscular Sam Meyers. He had somehow managed to change back into human form during his nightmare. He focused and as he watched the dragonkin form returned… Had the fear of his dream somehow unleash his ability to transform?
He looked at the card on the floor and shuddered. Had that really been what he could become? At this moment, he both hated and feared himself.
He wouldn’t be able to sleep after this. He concentrated and turned human and then poured himself a coffee and allowed the tears to come.
It would be a very long night before the dawn.
– Three Minutes Before
Outside Sam’s bedroom, Mary got up from the floor and put down the harp she’d been using to work her song weaving illusion on Sam. She’d no idea exactly what he’d experienced in the last half hour; she’d woven nothing into his dream beyond the initial vision of the Bargainer giving Sam what he’d wanted; his heart’s desire. The rest had been him.
One last spell – she weaved her neutralisation spell, her abjuration, on the card rendering it mystically inert. Better safe than sorry and headed to her own bed, harp under her arm. It had been a long night. She just hoped what she’d done had really been for the best because going by Sam’s wakening scream he’d suffered in his vision and she needed to live with that guilt…
Just hope it really was for the best.
Superhero Adventures, UK Style 