Servant12

Mykal sighed in preparation.

"I know this seems like a slap in the face but hear me out."

He tapped a few keys on his gauntlet.

"Glastonbury is identified as the ancient and mysterious Isle of Avalon where King Arthur was taken to be healed of his fatal battle wounds at the Battle of Camlan. He ruled Camelot. Now, it's said that Avalon is the otherworld home of one of the Celtic underworld immortals, Afallach who is said to have ruled Avalon. Normally, to be an heir, you must have the right through bloodline."

Mykal paused.

Help me out here Lord. I don't want him to be hurt any more than what he is.

"Now unless you've forgotten to mention this and I'm just going on an unnecessary rabbit trail, how could you be a scion of Avalon and heir unless your relatives are rulers in Avalon? Arthur was not a ruler of Avalon... he was a citizen. His rulership was Camelot."

He paused again, gauging Henry's reaction.

Mykal stared at Henry after listening intently to his story.

"Something's not right with that story," he said, beginning to press keys on his left UGD-1. "Though you were used as a pawn in your aunt's schemes, this Nimue can have no claim to Avalon unless....I've often wondered about your title. Scion Of Avalon."

He looked down at the small screen on his gauntlet which began to display information. He scrolled through and read as he continued.

"Avalon is a place, not a person. The definition of Scion is a descendant. Your former abilities of being able to manipulate the weather lined up with that self-same title. From what you've said, it appears as if you've rechanneled the energy to perform different things but it still involves the elements. The fire that you can summon now as a sheath around you is proof positive of that."

Mykal raised his gauntlet closer to his face.

"Hmm."

Mykal looked at Henry, pensiveness etched into his face.

"I believe it was all a ruse to keep you blind to the actual truth."

Lord, this is hard. Give me the tact and the gentleness to tell him the real truth in what You've given to me in Your wisdom.

He sighed heavily, preparing himself before he continued.

"Morgan is not your aunt...and King Arthur is not your father."

Mykal smiled.

"Before you answer that, I want to tell you why I called us together. Actually, it's twofold. First, I want to apologize. I got caught up in the whole severity of our calling that I lost sight of my position in it which was to serve you."

Mykal looked at both of them.

"Please forgive me."

He paused, letting the burden leave him. A wave of relief was released as he exhaled deeply.

"Secondly," he said, looking poignantly at Henry. "I understand that your absence was unplanned and that you went through a personal trying time in your life. However, your circumstances did not necessitate the total abandonment of your responsibilities. You agreed to uphold our standards, our code, and take on the responsibility as a leader."

He paused, letting the gravity of the situation sink in.

"Effective now, you are demoted to knight. Your position as one of The Twelve cannot be rescinded since you have been chosen by the Almighty Himself. But to serve as a leader within The Twelve is an honor and a privilege and one that cannot be taken lightly."

The roof was silent.

"But I'm sure that this temporary hiatus will only make you better and you'll be back in no time."

He smiled and put his hand on Henry's shoulder.

"Of that I'm confident."

Mykal ran through one last check of his suit and equipment then re-entered the elevator. For all intents and purposes, it could not go upwards any further. But when he had bought the building, he'd made some changes with the help of some close friends he could trust. As the elevators doors closed softly, he punched in a combination sequence on his right UGD-1. The top of the elevator slid back as did an opening in the roof of the building, less than five feet of space separating the two.

Switching to his left UGD-1, he punched a key. Instantly, his atoms were rearranged and reassembled far above the Tannan Industries building. Floating momentarily, he saw Henry and Cal, who was sitting on some dismanlted robot he asumed was the Zeus Titan. The side effects of the teleportation didn't effect him at all anymore. His adeptness at using the technology was surprising even to him.

Punching the key again, he instantly appeared between Cal and Henry.

"Paladins," he said with a soft salute.

Turning to Henry, he walked over to him, pausing for a moment, them embraced him.

"It's good to have ya back brother," he whispered in his ear.

With a gentle smile plastered on his face, he pulled back and turned to Cal, looking over the Titan wreckage.

"You know, just a couple parts would have been fine. You really didn't need to bring the whole thing."

Looking at the mess once more, it drove home the extra work it would take just to dismantle it to fit it in the lab.

"You really didn't"

Mykal stared into space, oblivious to all the lab equipment and inventions in the making. He knew what he had to do but he wasn't going to be happy doing it.

The recent falling away of the Paladins bothered him more than he cared to admit. It came with the territory of being a perfectionist and having that happen was a failure in his eyes. But he knew that he couldn't control everything and that his perfectionist attitude was nothing but pride. He'd struggled with it all his life and had become better at it since being with the Paladins.

Falling on one knee, he bowed his head, hands folded into one another, sighing heavily.

Lord....I can't carry this team or whatever we are now. You must carry us. I came into this with the wrong attitude, doubting those you'd chosen, trying to take Your place. I'm so sorry. Father, please forgive me. Cleanse me from unrighteousness and teach me how to serve you through serving my new brothers.

The room was deeply silent. Mykal knew The Almighty had heard him as he felt a weight lifted from his spirit. The key to success with the Paladins was simple....give up. Give up worrying about every detail. Give up relying on himself to hold it all together instead of God. Give up trying to be Superman and be what God had called him to be. A servant.

Getting to his feet, a new resolve filling his heart, he fastened tight the rest of his equipment. Punching in a key sequence on his wrist gauntlet, a soft woman's voice emanated from a speaker on his tech belt.

"Diagnostic program initiated."

The microcircuitry in his suit came to life as electronic digital information coursed through wire avenues, seeking out any detail that was out of place with better than pinpoint precision, making him glow with a gold radiance. Mere seconds passed before the soft voice announced, "Diagnostic complete. All system parameters are operating at optimal levels. Welcome Servant 12."

"Thank you Sheila. Looks like we have some work to do today."

"I am ready to assist you in any way I can."

BEEPBEEP!

Mykal answered the call on his commlink.

"Twelve here."

"Hey, yo boss. Got me a Zeus here. Ye be needin' some parts fer yer mad schemes?!"

A soft smile came over his face.

"Anything that will help in the good fight."

"I ain't run inta any carnies yet, but if'n I find one I'll bring back a ring mistress 'cause I'm knowin' ye like the thongs..."

Mykal shook his head and sighed.

O.K. Lord. You picked him, not me.

"You have some dope timing there," he said, ignoring Cal's last comment. "Meet me at the top of Tannan Industries here in Galaxy City. I want to talk with you and Henry who's on his way."

Mykal felt it. The Millennium Paladins were about to come out of their growing pains.

Mykal stared at the floor.

He's sincere. I know he is. But I can't just act like everything is O.K. and go back to business as usual.

"Meet me at the top of my building in Galaxy City in fifteen minutes so we can talk face to face."

The elevator doors slid open with a soft SWOOSH. Walking into his invention lab, he went over to the left wall and took out his Samsung 890 cell phone. Punching in a special code of numbers, the wall opened to reveal his technological pride and joy. His UGD-3 wrist gauntlets, teleportation harness, multi-purpose tactical goggles, and his new baby, the XXO MicroSuit. He had been developing it for ages and finally it was complete. A modern masterpiece of microcircuitry and high density polymer mesh. He felt good everytime he looked at all of it.

Thank you Lord for the mind you've given me.

He put on the suit and powered up his gauntlets. It was only moments later that a call came through on the commlink.

It was Henry.

He stared stoically at his gauntlet. He'd just thought about the others who'd gone missing and this..??? He was happy to hear from him but he was also angry. Henry had disappered, and to Mykal, abandoned the order without even a letter, goodbye, or "Kiss my hiney" but now he wanted to come in like everything was kosher?

Mykal pushed a key on his gaunlet and spoke, his voice showing neither a hint of anger or happiness. Just indifference.

"What do you need?"

Descending the elevator, a prayer ran through Mykal's mind.

Lord...where did I fail?

Mykal looked out of his office window over Galaxy City. So much had changed in the preceding months. The myriad list of accomplishments he had achieved was way beyond what he could have imagined.

He understood more now than before of what it truly meant to be a hero. It wasn't his technological inventions. Wasn't the abilities they gave him. Wasn't the villains he fought. Being a hero was predicated on one word...

Sacrifice.

There were many days of pain, frustration, impatience, and agony and it all didn't come by way of physical ailments. His emotions were tried many times. There were days he would come home spent just from dealing with so-called "heroes" who acted more like adolescents and in many cases literally were.

In the beginning, it seemed like there would be no end of people who were available for the cause. It was a big encouragment and he truly believed that Paragon was on it's way to a quick revival. Then reality settled in. The road got harder to tow and many left the city unable to handle the burden and responsibility. Others found adventure in other dimensions and never returned. As much as it saddened his heart to admit it, Mykal knew they were not cut from the cloth. Pride? No. Just the truth.

Many teams were affected by the mass exodus, including the Millennnium Paladins. Mekeesha, Deathstryke, Swirlla, Cover Girl....gone. When the dust settled, he stood with Caladbolg and Starblaze.

Though it discouraged him, he pushed on. Despite the difficulties, he continued. The temptation to give up was great but he had a duty. He was chosen and now he knew that The Twelve were going to be even harder to find than he originally thought. Cal was one of them. Of that there was no doubt. It was his doubts of Starblaze that lingered. However, as grace was given to him, he'd extend the same. He'd been wrong about The Twelve before so he would be patient and wait.

Pushing a button on his watch, a wall slid back revealing a hidden elevator.

Time to work.