The Heroes, the Pirate and the Head, Chapter Four

The great arched window of Nottingham Castle’s banqueting hall looked out upon a magnificent night-time vista, where the million city lights that had begun to burn again shone into infinity against the darkness. Within, the capacious room was deserted and mostly in shadow, but for the glow of a few tall candles that stood on the one table that was in use. Their flickering flames danced from the wine bottle and glasses and reflected from the chinaware, which bore the remains of a sumptuous dinner. Above them, all alone, Joe and Gala sat facing each other.

“I must confess, Gala, that when you spoke of a meeting, I did not anticipate quite such an intimate setting,” Joe declared. “Nor am I at all accustomed to conducting affairs without my fellow heroes. The first thing you must learn of us is that we are a team. I see well enough that the Next Four operate with a clearly-defined leader, but it is not so with us.”

“I know you’ve never claimed to be leader of The Four Heroes, Joe,” said Gala. “But you’re the one who understands, in ways the other three never will, what everything we’re fighting for is about. It was you who recognized what your cause was, and from that, drew the rest of The Four Heroes together. I told you once before that it was the same with me and the Next Four. We’re alike, Joe, and that’s why it needed to be just us tonight.”

“I do not yet know that we are as alike as you think,” Joe responded levelly, “which moves me on to the first order of business. Thus far, since saving the world together, The Four Heroes and the Next Four have worked cooperatively. There is however one assurance we will need, and now, if even that is to continue.”

Gala smiled. “I anticipated this,” said she. “Everything that happened in the run-up to our taking our destined place in the order of events, all the complications and unexpected disasters, along with finding a way to mesh The Chancellor’s time-travel technology with the writings of the Prophecy in order to defeat Dimension Borg…it wasn’t easy, Joe, and it left very little margin for error. Steam’s unpredictability, which you’ve seen for yourself many times, was an additional factor we just couldn’t afford.”

“So you tortured him, to keep him in line,” Joe continued for her, his stern gaze never leaving her eyes.

“Yes, we did,” Gala returned, and her gaze didn’t falter either. “It was necessary, because we had a world to save. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Now that the times are no longer desperate, there’ll be no more torture in the ranks of the Next Four.”

Joe finally closed his eyes, and nodded once. “That is what I wished to hear,” said he.

Gala sat back and smiled again, this time in an easier and more natural way. “You’re just what I imagined you would be,” she declared. “So serious, so determined to see evil enemies lurking round every corner. Please, won’t you relax a little and have some wine?”

“Thank you, no,” Joe said, raising his glass of ginger beer. “You forget that I am somewhat younger than you.”

Gala laughed. “So underage drinking and karaoke in Pre-Nottingham Earth is all behind you now?” she inquired. “I suppose you’d have a drink with me if I were male, orange and had four arms?”

“You keep yourself well-informed of The Four Heroes’ past activities, Gala,” came back the reply.

“Not well enough, it seems,” she resumed, “and that’s another thing I wished to raise with you. The girl – ”

“Neetra,” Joe put in firmly. Gala waved a dismissive hand.

“The girl knew about us, and about the Next Four’s role as it’s described by the Prophecy,” she went on. “It was the first thing she said to me, when we met. How is that possible, Joe? When can she have read The Prophecy of the Flame?”

“During The Four Heroes’ travels into the past, when we encountered and assisted Steam on his mission to recover the time-shifting device The Chancellor had misplaced, Neetra discovered the Prophecy about a hundred years ago in Nottingham’s retroactive history,” said Joe. “For some weeks after seeing the pages that refer to you, she too was convinced that the Next Four are indeed here to replace The Four Heroes as guardians of Nottingham. However, I must inform you that she no longer believes this to be true, and we of The Four Heroes are much of her opinion.”

“The Next Four are here to replace you, Joe,” Gala said intently, leaning across the table to him. Her dark brown eyes were set and resolute. “I know how difficult this must be for you to accept. But it’s what I’ve known my entire life, as clearly and as absolutely as you knew what your destiny was, and it’s also what’s already written down in the book of our entire history.”

This time, Joe leaned in towards her. “What can you tell me of the Prophecy?” he asked in a quiet voice. “What do you know of it?”

“The Prophecy was lost many years ago,” Gala replied. “Obviously, we can’t save it, even though the Next Four have the means to travel in time – such a significant artifact, surviving when it was supposed to be destroyed, could have disastrous repercussions on the whole course of future events. But yes, Joe, I’ve read it. I know what’s in store, and what we all have to do from here on in. And I’ll teach you all of it, so you’ll understand too…because I know that right now, trust between your team and mine is at something of a premium.”

“I did not say – ” Joe began at once, but Gala interrupted him.

“You don’t trust us,” she repeated, voicing not an accusation but a fact. “Why would you? We appeared out of nowhere, with the most incredible revelations, and as good as told you that your time as the heroes of Planet Earth had expired. That’s why your friends think we have some sinister masterplan we haven’t told you about. That’s why they’re saying we deliberately did nothing to the Nottingham drill when we sabotaged the other two, just so you’d be unable to confer with your cause about all this.”

Joe nodded with resignation. “Those things have been said,” he conceded.

“And it’s why you let Dimension Borg go free, when you could have destroyed him,” she finished softly. “Please, don’t say anything. There’s nothing to be said. In a single day we gave you far more to deal with than anyone possibly could, so of course, when he told you that we’re the real threat, you had no choice but to believe him. Any true hero would have done what you did. The trust that we both want to build between our teams, Joe, will only come with time.”

Joe looked back at her. “So,” said he, “you tell me you will teach me this understanding. How, and when, will this be accomplished?”

Gala smiled at him in the candlelight. “When is very soon,” she replied, “and how is in every way you can imagine. I’ve said before that just because your role as Nottingham’s heroes is over, it doesn’t mean you don’t have a significant part to play. You’ll see soon enough, Joe, that your team and mine are standing on the brink of Nottingham’s greatest and most glorious era. All we need do is embrace this golden age together.”

Gala lifted her glass of ruby wine, and a hush fell upon the table. It was broken by Dylan’s telepathic voice.

“A live one?” said Joe.

Both diners leapt to their feet without another word, overturning their chairs. Gala grabbed her cutlass, and side-by-side she and Joe raced out of the banqueting hall together.

END OF CHAPTER FOUR