Talyesin's Tales

Previously on Squirrelman - Sins of the Past:

Several Action City Costumed Crimefighters were magically brought together and trapped in the Kane Sanitarium. Working together to escape, they decided to form the Crimefighters' League.

Upon returning to their unfinished secret headquarters, Squirrelman and the Crimefighters' League were attacked by a group of their fiercest enemies, as well as several other powered criminals, calling themselves the Implacable Foes. Retreating to ACPD headquarters, the League then recruited a number of other crimefighters, and returned to their no longer secret headquarters, defeating the Implacable Foes.

It was determined that the two events, as well as the murder of Annie O'Day, a former crimefighter from the Twenties and Thirties, were linked, all the cause of the same sorceress.

Having been found by Doc Steele, Squirrelman assembled the entire Crimefighters' League and assigned a variety of tasks, one of which included the search for and capture of recently escaped psychotic murderer Johnny Giggles, while Squirrelman and several others would accompany Doc Steele to find the tunnel to Subterra, the underground kingdom ruled by Lord Hades.



Starring!

Matt Mattheson ......... as Squirrelman
Kimmy Sinclair ................ as Ragdoll
Rick Duncan ........................... as Ace
Lisa Dumont ................... as Physique
Anna Kimble ................. as Darklight
Stephanie Cooke ............. as Blue Jay

with

Reed 'Doc' Sterling

and

Augustus 'Doc' Steele


So half the League and Doc Steele head Downtown, Doc Sterling joining us on the way. The two Docs start chatting it up like old friends, Reed asking Steele about a bunch of stuff about Hades. I'm listening with half an ear. It's mostly stuff we covered last night, only, like I assumed, Reed's asking a whole lot more questions about the Subterraneans - the army Hades controls, which the newspapers called 'Shades' - and their technology. Doc Steele, for his part, is asking a lot of questions about local geography, civil engineering stuff, what parts of town were rebuilt first after the Disaster, and after Downtown was sunk, that sort of thing.

The Crimefighters' League splits up once we're Downtown, Midnight Avenger leading one half off to find the Mole. My half, Ragdoll, Ace, Darklight, Physique and Blue Jay, we join the two Docs and start heading for where Doc Steele said the entrance tunnel to Subterra was, back when he was tricked and captured by Lord Hades in 1935.

"So tell me about this sorceress," Steele says to me at one point, as we're climbing down a rocky cliff.

"Oh, that," I say. "Look, I'm sorry if I'm the one to tell you this, but Annie O'Day's dead."

He stops climbing for a couple seconds and looks at me, looks down, looks away.

"How?" he asks.

"She was murdered. Some kind of necromantic ritual."

"She didn't deserve that," he mutters, then starts climbing again. "Blast and damn. By this sorceress, I expect?"

"Yeah," I tell him. "And what's more, that sorceress is the same sorceress who's been casting spells against the League from the future."

"Chronomancy."

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"We don't know."

"I'd say you need to find out."

"Yeah. And... the necromantic ritual. The sorceress was looking for something, or someone. Reed thinks she was looking for you, but we don't really have any proof of that, other than the fact that we were looking for you, and she was trying to stop us... and she called us your prodigies."

"You spoke with her?"

"Darklight cast a spell, using Psifire and Superia to help, and wound up contacting her psychic imprint on the astral plane. She also quoted that saying about Hell having no fury."

"As a woman scorned? Interesting."

"You have any ex-girlfriends - uh, blonde, Anna said she was - with a serious hate on for you?"

"None that are still alive, blonde or otherwise."

He doesn't say much after that, only takes point and heads off into the cave tunnels.

Only problem is, he's heading somewhere familiar, deep under Weirdsville. I've been here, we've all been here, before.

He leads us straight to the UnSeelie Seeming.

"Well now, that's problematic," he says, when he sees all the buildings the UnSeelie have built, all the various mystical beings living where he remembers the entrance to Subterra was.

"It's past the Seeming?" Darklight asks him.

"It's under that village is where it is," Steele answers. "As I remember, it's under that big building over there."

"That's the Prince of Thorn's Court," Ragdoll says sourly.

"Think it's deliberate?" I ask Reed.

"I can't imagine it's simple coincidence," he tells me.

"You've tried extricating them, I imagine?" Steele asks.

"Yeah, no luck," Ace answers.

"Even if we had the entire League and Team Title and the Sterling Squad, I don't think we could do it," Physique says, crossing her arms. "There are women and kids down there."

"UnSeelie fairies are inherently disruptive beings," Darklight explains. "If they are allowed to remain here much longer, Action City will be in great peril."

"We're not just talking magic pranks and spoiled milk, here," Ace adds. "The UnSeelie are source of all those stories about fairies stealing babies, kidnapping people and dragging them to Fairy Land, that sort of thing. They're already not shy about appearing aboveground, working as hired muscle for gangs. And those were just redcaps. Imagine when ogres and trolls and fomorii start hiring on as crew. ACPD won't be able to handle that kind of muscle."

"They're right," Steele says. "But jurisdiction over the fae doesn't lie in human hands."

"You mean..." Darklight looks ... not worried. Apprehensive.

"Yes." Steele looks at us. "You're going to have to appeal to the Seelie Court. With any luck they'll send in the Fairy Ride. At the very least, the news of an UnSeelie Seeming will draw out the Wild Hunt."

"Okay, so we call in the cavalry," I say. "What's the problem?"

"The problem is, in order to gain access to the Seelie Court, we'll have to approach the Ministry of Unexplained Phenomena," Darklight explains. "They're notoriously reluctant to work with any American costumed crimefighters."

"British, I take it?" I say.

"Let me see what I can do with the Ministry," Reed says. "I think I know a way to streamline the process a bit."

"You mean a request from Princess Julia of the Isle of Avalon will go over better than a request from Squirrelman of the Crimefighters' League," Physique says, smirking a little.

"Exactly, yes."

"So now what?" Ragdoll asks.

"Unless Anna has a spell or Reed has a gadget that will make us invisible to all those UnSeelie, I'm guessing we go back," Blue Jay says.

"Pity," Steele says. "I was looking forward to encountering this Prince of Thorns."

"We've run up against the UnSeelie down there a few times now," I tell him. "We're not exactly welcome."

"Sounds like an adventure to me," Steele answers with a grin.

"We'll come back," I say.

And that's pretty much that for the League, and Reed even, but Steele gives the Seeming one long last look, eyes narrowing, and then he nods, not to me or anything I said, but more to himself. Then he turns and follows the others out.

We head back topside. I let Ace and Darklight join the others looking for Mole, and Blue Jay heads out to patrol with the rest of the League. I'm about to climb into Reed's Sterlingcar with him and Doc Steele and head back to the Spire when Ragdoll puts a hand on my arm and shakes her head.

"Catch you gents later," I say to them. Steele nods and Reed smiles, then the Sterlingcar takes off and I'm left alone in an alley with Ragdoll.

"What's up?" I ask her.

"We've got an appointment," she tells me, heading for the el train.

I follow her.

"We do?"

"Yeah. I was going to reschedule it if we were underground any longer, but now we've actually got a chance of making it."

"Mind telling me who this appointment is with?"

"I was talking with Anna and she gave me an idea," she says as we hop the train. "What if Blue Ghost married us?"

"Oh yeah, he used to be a Catholic priest, right."

"Exactly. And since I don't have a regular church to attend, I don't have a regular priest to ask to marry us. And we both know and trust Blue Ghost."

"That's true. So what's the appointment?"

"We need to get special dispensation from Bishop Powers for Blue Ghost, who's you know, technically dead, to perform the ceremony."

Bishop Alan Ernest Powers, the most vocal detractor of the Church of Divine Intervention, a movement in the Catholic Church that claims that metahuman powers are a borderline miraculous sign of God's direct hand in the fight against evil. He's not anti-metas, but he's not pro, either.

"Great."

"I know, Matt. But..."

"I know, hon. We'll get the dispensation." I don't know how, but we'll get it. If I'm going to be married in a Catholic ceremony, I'd rather know the guy doing the actual ceremony, instead of some guy I just met.

"Thanks," she says.

We jump the train and eventually wind up back at the mansion. While Kimmy's in the shower I check my messages.

"Good news and bad news," I tell her when she comes out, wearing just a towel. "Our banks have finally released our funds. We're people again."

"What's the bad news?"

"Half my staff have handed in their resignations," I answer, tossing my costume in the auto-wash. "Mr. Accountant is in big trouble. Stretch has started placing employment opportunities with agencies, but no one wants to work for a company that is likely to be attacked by Squirrelman's enemies."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

I wash up, shave, change into one of my last suits, Ram-Man and Dust Devil having utterly trashed my place, my clothes included. At least I've got money again, I can buy some new clothes. I might not have any income, soon, but for now, well, one crisis at a time. Kimmy changes into a nice dress, not the normal blouse, skirt, jacket, look she usually goes for, does her hair. Then she pulls out a piece of jewellery I rarely see her wear - a little gold cross on a gold necklace. I know it was a gift from her mother, and I'm smart enough not to say anything about it. I call a cab and we head out to St. Mark's Cathedral, the seat of the Bishop.

It's a really huge impressive building in the Gothic Revival style, despite the fact that it was built over a hundred years after that particular architectural style was in fashion. You really have to hand it to the Catholics, they know ostentatious. The whole cathedral says 'look how beautiful and impressive this house of Our Lord God is'. The interior is all bright colours and glittering gold and wrought iron chandeliers and rich dark oak pews.

We're met by a elderly nun whose name I don't catch because I'm stunned by the craftsmanship of the stained glass windows, and she leads us to the Bishop's offices. She asks us to wait while she checks with the Bishop, going through a dark oak door. We wait a couple of minutes and she comes back, tells us the Bishop will see us.

We enter the Bishop's office, it's a pretty big room with high ceilings, all the walls lined with dark bookshelves filled with books. Two tall thin stained glass windows let in multi-coloured light. I'm guessing, since it's St. Mark's Cathedral, they're depicting events from the life of St. Mark, but it's been maybe twenty years since I've gone to church for anything more than a wedding or a funeral.

Bishop Powers is sitting behind his desk, dressed in the whole black suit and shirt, little white collar priest look. He's a muscular, well-built, clean-shaven man in his fifties, with thick white hair and glasses. If it wasn't for the size of his nose he'd probably be considered handsome.

"Come in, please, sit down," he says, looking up from his paperwork. "Ms. Sinclair and Mr. Mattheson, isn't it? Just give me a moment, if you don't mind."

We sit and wait while he finishes writing something on the papers, signing this and that. Classic conversation dominance technique. Make us wait to show who's in charge here. If I wasn't the CEO of a medium sized accounting firm dealing mainly with small corporations and the leader of a group of costumed crimefighters, it might actually work.

"Now then," he says finally, screwing the cap back onto his pen, "how can I be of assistance?"

I look at Kimmy. This is her show.

"Well, your Grace, we're getting married," she says.

"Congratulations," he says, with a big smile I get the feeling is actually genuine.

"And we'd like it to be a Catholic ceremony," Kimmy continues.

"Wonderful!" he interrupts again. "But I'm assuming one of you is not Catholic?"

"Me," I say. "I was raised Anglican."

"No longer practising, I take it."

"That's right."

"Well, that shouldn't be a problem," Bishop Powers says. "But your parish priest could have told you that, Ms. Sinclair. Why did you need to see me?"

"Well, that's one of the problems. I don't really have a parish."

"A lapsed Catholic?"

"Yes, your Grace."

"Well, we're always delighted when a prodigal - daughter, in this case - chooses to return to the fold," he says. "You've merely to begin attending Mass once more, go to Confession of course, at the local Church."

"Right."

"And you, Mr. Mattheson, will have to attend as well. We no longer seek to enforce the strict observance of conversion to Catholicism, but we do appreciate an open mind and a willingness to allow the offspring of any such union to be brought up according to the teachings of the Catholic Church."

"Yeah, I figured that," I say.

"But this, as well, could have been explained to you at your local Church," the Bishop says. "Now, why don't we stop beating around the bush, shall we? What is it that requires an audience with a bishop?"

Kimmy takes a deep breath. I've never seen her this nervous. I reach over a hand and cover hers with mine.

"We have a priest in mind, for the ceremony," I tell him.

"Oh?"

"Father James Grayson," Kimmy says.

Bishop Powers' smiling face loses its smile. His warm eyes go cold.

"James Grayson is no longer a priest of the Holy Church of Rome," he says, voice flat, bordering on angry. "As I'm sure you're very well aware."

"Your Grace," I say. "James Grayson is... Blue Ghost is a friend. We... he's saved our life on several occasions."

"Has he."

"He has, your Grace," Kimmy says. "We... we're in the same line of work."

"Ah. I see."

"Look, your Grace," I say. "Kimmy wants this to be a church ceremony, a Catholic church ceremony. I want what Kimmy wants. Blue Ghost - Father Grayson - is someone we know, someone we trust. I don't know what's between you two, it's none of my business. But we want Father Grayson to perform the ceremony, and we need your permission to do it, because, well, like you said, Blue Ghost isn't a priest any more."

"James Grayson renounced his vows and so is damned to walk the Earth," Bishop Powers says, angry. "He is not only not a priest, he is shunned in the eyes of the Lord Our God."

"You know that for a fact, do you?" I say, my back getting up. "Talked to God about it?"

"Matt!" Kimmy says, upset. I try to cool it. "We're very sorry, your Grace, it's just-"

"No, it's I who must apologize," the Bishop says. "My person feelings on the matter aside, James Grayson cannot be re-ordained as a priest of the Holy Roman Church, since he is no longer among the living."

Something occurs to me.

"But he was never de-frocked, or whatever it's called, right?" I ask.

"Well, no."

"Because he was buried as a priest?"

"Correct?"

"So is the priesthood given to the body or to the soul?"

"I don't understand your meaning, Mr. Mattheson."

"The priesthood's a calling, right? You renounced the desires of the flesh to better serve God?"

"Of course."

"So if a priest renounces the desires of the flesh, then the 'priest-ness' of him must be part of his soul, right?"

"And thus, as a disembodied spirit, James Grayson remains an ordained priest, is that your point?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Mattheson, Ms. Sinclair, but-"

The vid rings, cutting him off mid-sentence. He glances over at it, confused.

"Forgive me, I thought I asked Sister Margaret to hold my calls," he says, then answers the vid, using the receiver to keep the audio private.

"Your Eminence! How are- ... Why yes, as a matter of fact. I- ... Well, all right."

He rotates the vid so we can see it, putting the audio on speaker. Onscreen's an older guy, mid-sixties, thin, dark grey hair, thick glasses, red cap, black robes.

"My name is Cardinal Jose Carlo Fernando de Ybarra , I trust you will forgive this intrusion?" he says in an Spanish accent.

"Your Eminence," Kimmy says, bowing her head a little. I do likewise.

"Your names, they are Matthew Mattheson and Kimberly Sinclair, are they not?"

"They are, your Eminence," I answer, giving Kimmy a what-the-fuck? look. "Mind telling us how you know that?"

"All will be explained in time, my son. May I see some identification, please?

I look at Kimmy, who shrugs. I pull out my wallet and show him my driver's license. Kimmy does likewise, and the Cardinal nods.

"And you are seeking a special dispensation, are you not?"

"That's right."

"And you are also known as Squirrelman and Ragdoll?"

I give the Bishop a glance, but he's as surprised as we are.

"Okay, yeah," I answer. Bishop Powers looks impressed, but hides it quickly.

"And may I see that identification, as well?"

Kimmy and I pull out our Action City Costumed Crimefighters ID Cards, activating them.

"Santa Maria Jesu Christo, praise be to the Lord," the Cardinal says, crossing himself.

"Your Eminence?" Bishop Powers asks, obviously surprised and confused.

"It came to me in a dream," Cardinal de Ybarra says, tears of joy in his eyes. "That at this exact moment, I should be allowed to perform a great service to the Lord, to act as His Messenger and His Instrument."

"Your Eminence?" Kimmy says.

"You must grant this dispensation, Bishop Powers," the Cardinal says. "What they wish is in accordance with the wishes of the Lord Our God."

"I... I see," Bishop Powers says, flabbergasted. I am too.

"Forgive me, my friends," the Cardinal says, obviously overcome with emotion. "I... I must go. Bishop Powers, I look forward to our next conversation."

"As.. as do I, your Eminence."

The Cardinal hangs up. Bishop Powers stares at the blank screen for a few seconds, maybe a minute, before hanging up himself.

"Cardinal de Ybarra is ... one of the fiercest Divine Interventionists," the Bishop explains. "I... I may have some rethinking to do, after this demonstration. I... I simply don't know what to say."

"Then... Father Grayson can perform the ceremony?" Kimmy asks.

"Yes, I suppose he can," Bishop Powers says, stilled a little stunned. He recovers enough to add, "And I'll expect to see you both at Mass every Sunday, to praise the Lord for this... this... miracle on your behalf."

"We will," Kimmy promises. We stand up, shake the Bishop's hand. Head out, catch a cab. Too stunned to talk.

"What the hell-?" I say, about halfway to the mansion.

"No Matt, don't. I don't know what just happened, and I don't want to know. Let's just... just accept it."

"Come on, you don't really consider what just happened to actually have been a ... a..."

"Like I said, let's just accept it. I... I don't know what to think."

"Yeah."

We suit up and head out, patrolling like we used to, before the League, before chronomantic sorceresses, back when it was just Kimmy and me, fighting crime and doing good. She's so happy that night she's practically glowing, and when we get back to the mansion we make love in a way we've rarely ever done before, more like a union of souls than of bodies.

Next day, we head out to ask Blue Ghost to marry us, but he's got a request of his own.