By Jeremy

January 6, 1999

"So, Giorgio, how'd it go in Irak?" asked an amused if tired Mark Culhen as his old comrade and friend walked next to him to the private meeting room for a briefing on the next SCD operation. The other man made a snort of disgust, keeping a brooding silence until the Scot couldn't help himself and started to laugh. The taller man gave him a pointed look, but it only served to increase his mirth.

"Ah, come now, lad!" he laughed "Irak isn't as bad as all that!"

"You absolutely right, amigo." came the hiss "It isn't as bad as all that, its just ten times worse, mierda!" The man huffed some more, but a grin was threatening to spread on his stern face. Mark saw that immediately and tapped the man's shoulder gently with mock compassion.

"Ah, how I know!" he sighed. "Bad food, worst beds, not the best of companies, only thousands upon thousands of asses to kick."

"And no pretty woman for miles around!" exclaimed Giorgio as if the news was worse than having a bomb dropped on oneself. Mark smiled, until his friend finally grinned back at him. He looked at the Spanish squarely for a moment.

"Womanizer."

"Computer geek." Both men shared friendly chuckles on their usual greeting after an especially tiring and tough mission, until finally resuming their walk to their destination. After a short while, passing some inner checkpoints and exchanging salutes with a few of the non-elite, the bearded, Spanish man spoke again, this time far more seriously.

"The mission didn't go that bad, all things considered. Things were such that by the time we arrived, IRA was already starting to cut its help in the Circle operation. You know how things have been lately, they really eat dirt and such. Heh, anyway, we knew that we could take them if we had a good strike team ready to go. That was the hard part - you just can't imagine how these Irak people can be uncooperative!" another disgusted huff.

"I know. Heard ye finally found some help at a U.N base."

Giorgio nodded. "That's right, and quite a bit of talking that took, even there! However we finally were able to scrounge up a satisfactory team, and from them, lets just say it was a piece of cake. Hasta la vista and all that. The Circle forces were too arrogant, and too few to stop us from...hola! Hola! Is that Jer up ahead? Hola, amigo!"

Mark looked ahead, and sure enough he saw's Jeremy's profile standing in the middle of the corridor. He seemed to be stooping for some reason, and was absolutely not acknowledging their presence. It made the Scot worry, up until he saw slender, athletic arms encircle the man's waist. He understood, and grunted.

"Aw, come! Can't these two wait a bit?!?" Giorgio laughed as he said this.

"Wait? Its been three MONTHS, amigo! I can understand them."

As they came nearer they saw what they expected to see - Jeremy holding Cammy holding Jeremy, both locked in a passionate embrace and a very ardent kiss. There was no way to tell how long they'd been at it, but it looked like they were about to go on for a while! They did not seem to notice a thing - or a person - around them, lost as they were in their private reunion.

The moment was shattered, however, when a very familiar voice rang out. "That simply won't bloody DO! Sorry to burst your little sappy bubble, but we actually have a meeting that I have the privilege of heading!"

It was Julia. Bossy, strong-willed Major Julia Simmons, SCD Supreme Commander. It was also the only one with the type of voice that worked to snap people out of anything - including passion. Both lovers started, broke their kiss and realized they had an audience looking at them with, depending on the person, envious amusement, mild disgust and irritation. They blushed bright red as they realized it, but even when they broke the embrace they still held hands. Julia saw that this was as good as it was going to get, and gestured for them all to follow.

In no time they reached the conference room, where all of the SCD commanders - Lina, Steve, Veronica, Patrick, Allan, Chris and all the other Elites except them - were already gathered, seriously speaking, jesting, flirting, all passing the time. The mood became professional as soon as the group entered - Cammy and Jeremy actually disengaged their hands, going to sit at their respective places. Mark spied the glare Steve gave the two when he saw them holding hands, and wasn't surprised. Typical Steve, so militaristic, so proper. Oh, well.

Julia walked to the head of the table. Three months of giving out orders had helped her much, so much that she now truly seemed to replace Brisby at that place. No, that wasn't true. She was the Commander, but no one could replace the old soldier, the founder of SCD. But she was the best they would get beside him!

When everyone was seated, she calmly began the meeting. "First of all, let me welcome back five of our best commanders, who have returned from their missions wholly successful. Good job, people. But right now, I'm afraid you won't have the time to rest."

Now that was Brisby. Congratulations were always scarce with the old man, up until a whole operation was over. THEN real praise always came. It seemed Julia had decided to use that tactic, and Mark couldn't fault her. This was SCD, the people here didn't need to be patted on the head when they did something right, especially when things remained serious.

"Such a serious face, Julia." said Lina, her voice curious "You must have something in mind to have us all pulled from our normal assignments and gather us. I don't think we've ever all been together for at least two years."

The commander nodded. "You're quite right, captain. The mission I propose will need the best, and that, is you. The Elite. All eighteen of you, your talents will be needed, as well as the talents of others. The Shinobi Ibuki's already agreed to help, us. My friend, Rose, is up on a mission that will help us achieve our goal. And there are others. One from America, one from India, one from Korea. We are gathering our forces for one great battle."

The Elites looked at each other, surprised, curious, and increasingly excited. It was Patrick, the SCD's greatest explosive and chemical expert, who finally spoke what every one must have been thinking.

"Sounds interesting, Julia." he said "But what is the battle you are talking about?"

Julia smiled, pushed a few buttons on the table, and the three-dimension world appeared in their midst. A place highlighted, zoomed in, zoomed in again, until they saw the three-dimensional representation of a city. In western Ireland. Excitation started to run high when the people saw this, understanding what that meant.

"That's right, people." she stated, her voice carrying a triumphant edge. "In one week, SCD will crush the Limerick Lair. With this, our organization will send a message that those who attack us do not go unpunished, restoring our standing amidst the underworld. In one week, we attack and get revenge for those who died defending this place."

She looked around, at them all, seriously, and they all looked back at her with the same fervent expression.

"In one week, if all goes well, we will do the act that will make the fall of the great Circle, a reality."

* * * * * * * * * *

One hour later...

She supposed she looked like a love-struck fool right now - Julia and Lina had BOTH hinted that she did - but she frankly didn't, as she walked holding her fiancé's hand, back to the apartment they shared. She'd arrived to the place before him, to find that it was outrageously dusty. She promised herself to draft Jeremy in a cleaning mission to make the place fully livable again. Right now, however, such thoughts were as far away as could be from her present state.

She looked up and saw Jeremy's face, and was cheered by the fact he seemed just as lost as she, his eyes a bit dreamy, looking ahead, a goofy grin plastered on his face. She remembered that when she's seen him - finally, after three long months! - she'd forgotten what she was supposed to do and had latched on to him with a joyful, relieved sight. His own arms, she'd noted, had trembled when he'd hugged her back. It was only Julia's impatient reminder which snapped her out of this trance.

As they entered the apartment, he blinked and looked down at her. "Oh, yes, I never managed to see that Necro guy of yours. Where is he?"

"Special confinement quarters, down in Red Sector." she shrugged uneasily. "I didn't want it to be that way, but..."

"But Julia insisted."

She nodded somberly. He gave her shoulder a gentle, sympathetic squeeze. "Hey, don't worry about it. Its just standard procedures, you know: one month in confinement quarters, until we're certain he poses no threat to SCD or anyone else."

"I know." she sighed, then shook herself out of this small depressive state. This wasn't the time for this. With a smile, she put her arm around his neck and pulled his head down to her level. He squawked at the sudden move, then looked at her a little quizzically.

"Do I show you your Christmas gift?" she asked, her eyes dancing.

He gave her an equally teasing look. "You'd better, or you won't have yours!" he said with mock sternness.

She giggled at that, and disengaged him from her grasp, gesturing for him to wait in the living room. She walked to their bedroom, searched under the bed, and finally came up with a white-wrapped package, thick enough but mostly long, over four feet. Whistling softly, she came back to her partner, who looked at the package with an intensely curious look. He took the package and hefted it a little.

"Well its too heavy to be a piece of bread." he mused good-naturedly, finally undoing the package. When what it contained was revealed, he blinked, his eyes widened, and he looked at her with surprised but unbelievably happy smile.

The gift was a chinese katana, the slim, sharp-bladed weapons that had made the ancient Asian samurai warriors such feared and revered combatants for many centuries. The hilt was long, wrapped in fine leather, and the blade was sharp, smooth and clear as a lightning bolt. A magnificent piece of Asian medievalism, and a dream for someone like Jeremy Storm, who was an amateur of medieval warfare.

He stared back at the sword, then back at Cammy, who was very glad to see him so happy with the gift she had given him. "Cammy," he said at length "this...this is great. I...I don't know how to thank you."

"Oh, I think you can manage to find a way." she teased, a trifle seductively. He took the hint, grinned, and kissed her.

"Right." he smiled as the kiss broke. "Now sit down and close your eyes, now, it's MY turn to give you your treats!" He snickered like a ten year old as she sat down and closed her eyes. Strange, but just doing that -putting herself in a position where shee was vulnerable to attacks - was something which showed the trust she had in him. She heard him move in the bathroom, and then walk towards her. And she felt him put something small, warm and furry on her lap. She opened her eyes instinctively.

It was a little black kitten, looking around dazedly - evidently he'd just been rudely awakened - with innocent blue eyes. To say that Cammy was glad to see this would be calling Everest a big hill. For as far as she could remember, she'd always loved cats, loved them very much. She took the little ball of fur - which meowed indignantly - and as she looked at it with an happy giggle, she noticed he'd put something else along for the ride.

It was a silver locket, it the form of a heart, with a silver chain behind it, and she realized when she looked at it there were words engraved on the back. She read them softly as Jeremy played with the kitten a bit.

'To my love and friend, Cammy. J.'

She gave a slight sniffle as she read this, and unable to say anything for many moments, she clutched the locket with one hand and took his hand with the other, squeezing it so hard the man actually winced a little.

"Well, I'm glad you like it." he said gently, disengaging and rubbing his hand. "Here, let me put it on for you."

She let him do so, and saw the little kitten take one of her braids as something as a toy both weird and fun. She retrieved her hair with an effort, then turned back to him. He was still looking at her, this time with a gentle but amorous smile. She responded just as seductively, pressing against him.

"Well, I love the gifts, they're just the kind I like." she whispered. "But there's something here that I've missed a bit during these three tiring months. Something a bit...well...

"Oh, I think I understand exactly what you mean." he whispered back.

And so for a while forgetting the gifts - including the kitten who once again attacked on of the braids - and most everything around them, as they embraced further, this time knowing no one was about to stop their intimacy.

And when they next kissed, it started something that lasted a long long time.

* * * * * * * * * *

Six days later...

In the midst of a great cave, locked deep inside a mountain which was uncharted and generally unknown to mortal men, stood a great lair of many rooms, carved with power and technology, furnished in unequaled splendor rivaling the wealth of many palaces. This was the High Lair, the place from which the first Elders had created long before the order which was known today as the Circle.

In the middle of the High Lair, protected by psychics bred and raised for generations in the protection of its sacredness, was the Room of founding. A simple room of stone, with globes of mystical power lighting the room, a great table of oak, and six chairs being the only things that one could see.

The chairs were all occupied presently, by four men and two women who looked no more than fifty years, yet were much, much older. Their faces were creased with anger and irritation, and not an ounce of camaraderie could be felt - although the ORIGINAL Elders had been friends, those who followed in their footsteps had been separated by the paths of pride, hatred, petty greed and ambition. It was a rare thing to see them all together, at any given time, but there was a reason for this presently.

They were worried.

Worried because, in the fifteen centuries since its creation, the Circle, in which they had been born and raised, this Circle of which they eventually became the Masters, was nearing collapse for the first time. And to whom did they owe this great crisis? Mortals. A simple, sorry bunch of mortals. Oh, certainly, multiple ones in fact, very organized and all, but MORTAL all the same. Very frustrating.

"We should have acted to prevent Kale's attack on the SCD Organization. This it what spurred this along." stated one, a bearded man with a high voice.

"No, the signs were present long before this...little things we did not care to notice, which accumulated." said one of the two woman, the only one amongst the six who had not a spot of grey in her light brown hair. "Kale only pushed the cart the rest of the way up, and let it fall down on us.

Another Elder, a burly man of feisty temper, actually banged his fist on the table. "No matter who's fault it is, my peers, the fact remains that our underground empire tethers on the brink! Think about this first! Instead of assigning blame!"

"Are you calling the rest of us fools, Servanos?" hissed the bearded man.

"Your words, not mine, old friend!" said the burly man, a sneer on his strong-featured face, his eyes haughty and filled with contempt.

The bearded man gave a glare, and his aura flared to life, showing the great power that was his. In answer, Servanos' own power came to life, and the two faced each other in a stare-down of will that would have made many lesser men flee in panic or gape in awe, depending on their nature. Fortunately, before any action was taken by either, a stern female voice stopped them both.

"Servanos, Heregar, stop this foolishness at once!" snapped the grey-haired female, her voice like a whip. Of all the Elders, she was the most powerful, and, thus was always listened to. The auras diminished, although the glares remained. She spoke again, more softly this time. "We might have been pushed to the edge, that is true, but we are not done yet."

"And why so?" asked the brown-haired woman.

The older woman smiled. "For the simple reason that the six of us still live. And as long as we live, the Circle lives. With that in mind..."

She never went any farther then that, for at that moment, the heavy oak door blocking the only entrance exploded inward, showering the startled six with debris. Psy-shields stopped the worst of it, and the only result that it had was to make them angry. And very much concerned.

"What is the meaning of this?" shouted Servanos. To their collective surprise, a voice drifted up from the smoke.

"The meaning of this, my lords." came a serene, female voice "Is that your long-awaited demise has finally come. And the smoke cleared, revealing nine people with powerful felt powers, in front of which stood and elegant and beautiful lavender-haired woman with an incredible aura, stronger than any of the nine behind her. The Elders recognized her at once, and the grey-haired woman hissed.

"Rose...you DARE stand against us?!?"

A lift of the eyebrows. "Of course. As I ever did and ever shall. Today is the day the Earth will be rid of your collective existence."

The elders put themselves in ready positions, as did the ten who were standing against them. Heregar sneered. "Fate will work in your favor, weaklings." he growled.

Rose only smiled. "We shall see about this...soon enough." she stated, her eyes starting to glow.

And the battle began.