The Marvel Knights Group presents: Ghost Rider #1

Life was hell.

John Blaze walked down the snowy alley, hiking up his overcoat as he tried to stave off the chill in his bones. He had travelled all over the world to find those he loved, and felt that he might finally, after all this time, be at the end of his journey. His children had been taken from him years ago, his wife as well, by enemies that wanted Blaze hurt as much as a man possibly could be. Blaze had beaten demons, even lords of hell in his time. He had defeated a demonic curse that would have crippled the spirit of anyone else, and still persevered. He refused to let his search for his family break him.

But God, it was so damn hard not to give up.

He had travelled the world and spoken or intimidated anyone that might have information he needed. He knew the supernatural had taken his family, and it would be the supernatural that saved them. He had first met with the obvious choices for help: Dr. Stephen Strange, even his cousin Jennifer Kale. They could find no trace of his loved ones, neither in heaven nor hell. If the Sorcerer Supreme couldn't find them, what hope had Blaze if he continued? He told himself that there must be another way, and had left Strange's Sanctum with harsh words spoken.

His cousin was no more use, not that he actually expected her to be. Jennifer was a novice sorceress compared to Strange, but he was desperate for anything and anyone to help. Jennifer was unsuccessful in her attempts to find Roxanne and the kids, and he had left her with even harsher words spoken. He was a desperate man, and getting more desperate with each passing day.

His travels had brought him to underground cults, magic circles and even con artists. Blaze could always tell when he was with a fake. Not just from his days with the Quentin Carnival, where sideshows routinely swindled a few dollars from customers for a perceived attempt at the Big Prize. Blaze had a reputation in the mystical underworld. He had been the former host to Zarathos, had been a Ghost Rider for Mephisto. He had been free of that curse for some time now, but he still had hellfire burning within him. For a time, he had joined forces with a new Ghost Rider, Blaze's brother Dan Ketch, who was bonded not to Zarathos but to the spirit of his and Blaze's ancestor, Noble Kale. Blaze had been able to channel Hellfire through his shotgun and destroy demonic forces, as well as ride a bike made of hellfire as before. He and the new Ghost Rider had ridden as Spirits of Vengeance....until everything went wrong.

Blaze lost his family, disappeared to parts unknown, taken from him.

Dan had beaten the curse of the Ghost Rider to live a normal life, Noble Kale had defeated Blackheart, the spawn of Mephisto to rule Hell. Good had prevailed, and evil had been vanquished....except for Blaze. His family was still missing.

His search led to now, in a remote region of Nepal. Blaze looked far different than the hard-edged man he used to be. He had a full beard, and his trademark duster was tattered and torn. He wore some warmer accoutrements to stave off the bitter cold, but Blaze still looked out of place. He held a sawed off shotgun strapped to his leg, despite the fact his Hellfire nature was a fraction of what it had once been. He would not be able to kill a demon....but they might not realize it, with his reputation.

Blaze had done things in his search for his family that he was not proud of, things that he knew would cast him as evil as the demons he had hunted. It didn't matter to him what people or higher powers thought of him. He needed to find his family and see to their safety.

He trodded through the snow in the alley and came to a dead end. A massive stone wall rose into the snowy fog above him. There was a single wooden door with no handle or doorknob, just a stone door knocker. Blaze checked his map and confirmed that this was his destination. He reached up, grabbed the knocker and clanged it three times. Nothing happened as the snow continued to fall. He reached to knock again when a sliding sound came from behind the door and it began to open.

Blaze reached in for his shotgun in anticipation. The door opened all the way and someone stepped up to the open doorway.

"Hello, John."

Blaze froze. He was seeing the last person he ever expected to see. "You?!"

He went to bring out his shotgun, but it felt different. he brought it out and saw he was holding a snake. He dropped it in surprise, looking back at his greeter. A weapon was brought up and aimed at Blaze.

"End of the road, John."

The gun fired and flames engulfed Blaze. He screamed as he was burned, the flame impossibly hot. His flesh melted away. Blaze had one thought in his mind as he died:

Roxanne.....I'm sorry....

Life was perfect.

Dan Ketch opened his eyes and blinked as the sun shone into his bedroom window. He had slept soundly last night, as he did most nights these days. To the average person this wouldn't be a significant thing, but to Dan, since his separation from Ghost Rider, every good night's sleep was a blessing. Before, when he was bonded to Noble Kale and forced to be part of the Spirit of Vengeance, Dan never slept well. His dreams were tainted by the thoughts of Ghost Rider, giving him nightmares more often than not. He dreaded sleep as much as he had dreaded being awake. Now though, life was good...in fact, it was perfect.

Dan looked over to his girlfriend, Dana. Her strawberry blonde hair rested on the side of her face, catching the sunlight as it shone on her. He smiled as he moved a small lock of hair off her face. After his relationships with Stacy Dolan and others had been damaged due to his time as Ghost Rider, Dan never thought he would be able to be with someone and love them....and be loved....again. Dana had changed that.

After Ghost Rider was out of Dan's life, he had gone back to college and finished school. No longer was he a delivery man on his motorbike, dropping off packages and other items for minimum wage. Now, Dan was gainfully employed in a management position and living in a comfortable apartment. He still drove a motorbike, something he had considered stopping due to the reminder of his time as Ghost Rider, but in the end he decided to stick with it. The hustle and bustle of New York was insane enough with a bike, he didn't need the added aggravation of a car.

Dan quietly got out of bed and hopped in the shower. As the hot water washed over him, he thought about what his day would entail. Paperwork, scheduling and other tasks that were now part of his day to day life. Dana was an employee of the City of New York, working for the Mayor's office as an administrative assistant. She would be getting up soon, and right then, Dan decided on what he was going to do today.

He finished in the shower and stepped out, wrapping himself in a towel. He crept into the living room and made two phone calls. With that done, he finished drying off and went back into the bedroom, hopping into bed. His return stirred Dana, and she looked up, the hair Dan had moved carefully out of her face falling back again. Her pouty lips showed her momentary disorientation, and then they curved into a smile when she saw Dan's face. She looked at his hair, which was still damp.

"Don't crawl back in bed," she said, grinning. "If we cozy up now neither of us will make it to work on time."

"I guess that's the risk we'll have to take," said Dan. "Especially considering I called in sick for both of us. Today, all we have to worry about is snuggling. Everything else can wait for tomorrow."

Her smile broadened. "Why, Mr. Ketch, you're quite the little devil."

"You have no idea," said Dan. He moved to kiss her, and they embraced. They eventually went back to sleep, but not right away.

Several hours later, Dan was dressed in jeans and a casual t-shirt. He was going to pick up some takeout from the cafe on the corner, telling Dana that neither of them was cooking today. The cafe made the best waffles in the city and he knew Dana was as big a fan of them as he was.

Dan walked down the hall to the elevator. As he passed the last apartment door, it opened and a young man came out to retrieve his newspaper.

"Hey, Mark," said Dan as he walked by.

"Oh, hey, Dan," said Mark. "Taking a day off?"

"You bet," said Dan, "Going to get me some waffles."

"Cool," said Mark. "I wish I could take a day off, but working from home kind of ruins that, ya know?"

"I guess so," said Dan, "Say, how's that book coming?"

"Slow," said Mark, "But it'll get there. The only problem is dodging phone calls from my publisher."

"Everyone's got a boss, don't they?" said Dan with a smile. "I'd better run. Have a good one."

"You, too, man," said Mark. He tucked the paper under his arm and went back into his apartment.

Dan walked out onto the street and took a deep breath. Spring was settling in, and he was very happy to see the snow disappear. New York had terrible winters, the snow making it nearly impossible to ride his bike. One nice thing about being a Ghost Rider was that you never had to worry about snow when your tires were made of fire. He smiled at that thought. He had noticed lately that he was thinking back on his old life and able to joke about it to himself.

Dan walked by a brownstone and looked at an elderly man sitting on the front step. He was tossing pieces of bread onto the sidewalk, feeding the pigeons. Dan made sure to give the birds a wide berth so as not to disturb them.

"You won't scare 'em, don't worry," said the man.

"Hey, Mr. Fleming," said Dan. "I just didn't want to ruin your fun."

"Eh," said Fleming, "The birds are so used to being fed by humans it'd take a sabre-toothed tiger to scare 'em away. Say, how's that girl of yours these days?"

"Dana's great," said Dan. "How's life with you these days?"

"Eh, same old." He reached into his bag and tossed out some more breadcrumbs.

"Well, make sure you keep an eye out for those groupies," said Dan, "They can be vicious if you're not careful."

"Ha!" said Fleming, "If they come after me, I say let 'em do what they will!" He gave Dan a wink.

"Catch you later," said Dan. He continued on his way to the cafe.

Ten minutes later, Dan was walking back with a bag of waffles when he saw that Mr. Fleming was gone. The last of the pigeons had picked away the bread and flown away.

Dan and Dana sat cuddled together in front of the TV watching a movie, when the door knocked.

“I’ll get it,” said Dan as he got up. Dana promptly took the rest of the blanket they were lying under and wrapped herself up in it.

Dan got to the door and checked the peephole. Outside stood a man wearing a dark suit and serious look on his face. “Hello?” said Dan. “Who is it?”

“My name is Anton Kosar. I represent the firm of Landau, Luckman & Lake,” said the man. “Mr. Ketch, I’m afraid I have some unfortunate news regarding your brother, Jonathan Blaze.”

Dan immediately unlocked the door and opened it. The man was over six feet tall, and had no emotion on his face. “What about John?” asked Dan. His stomach seemed to have dropped to his feet.

“I regret to inform you that your brother has died,” said Kosar. “He was murdered in Nepal several days ago.”

Dan felt the room spin. “How—That can’t be!”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ketch,” said Kosar, “I’m afraid it is. Mr. Blaze contracted our services some time ago to handle the matter of his estate in the event of his death. We have confirmed that the body found in Nepal is indeed that of your brother.”

Dan put his arm out to the wall to steady himself. “How—How did he die?”

“I think the details of his death would be best discussed….in private,” said Kosar. He looked over Dan’s shoulder to Dana, who was peering around the corner.

“What?” said Dan. He almost told Kosar to speak, that he didn’t hide anything from Dana….then he remembered what his old life and that of his brother’s had been. It was something he had never told Dana, had hoped he would never have to.

“Yeah, ok,” said Dan.

“If you would like a few minutes to change,” said Kosar, “I have a car waiting out front. We can continue this at our office. There is some paperwork to complete before we can transfer custody of the remains.”

“Ok,” said Dan, “I’ll meet you down there.”

“Very well,” said Kosar. He turned and walked down the hall.

“Dan, what’s wrong?” asked Dana.

“It’s…it’s my brother,” said Dan, “He’s dead.” The words didn’t seem real.

“Oh, sweetie,” said Dana as she embraced Dan, “I’m so sorry!”

He embraced her back. Finally, he turned to go to the bedroom. “I—I have to get dressed….that was a lawyer. I have to take care of some things for John.”

“Do you want me to come?” asked Dana.

“No,” said Dan, running his hands on her cheeks, “I’ll be ok….Just wait for me, please?”

“Of course,” said Dana. “I’ll be here….but, you’re sure you don’t want me with you?”

“No, really,” said Dan, “It’s fine. I won’t be long.” He walked away into the bedroom.

Five minutes later, Dan walked out of his apartment and saw a stretch limousine idling on the street. As he went down the steps to the sidewalk, a driver who had been standing outside the car moved and opened the door. “Mr. Ketch,” said the driver.

“Th—Thanks,” said Dan. He got in the car.

Inside, the seats were leather and quite comfortable. Kosar was sitting across from Dan. “Mr. Ketch, can I offer you anything to drink? Settle your nerves?”

“Y-yeah,” said Dan. “Something strong….scotch?”

“Absolutely,” said Kosar. He removed a top from a bottle and poured a drink.

Dan downed it on one gulp. “John was the toughest man I know,” said Dan. “And I’ve met a few tough guys in my time.”

“Again, I’m sorry for your loss,” said Kosar.

“How far away are your offices?” asked Dan.

“Not far,” said Kosar. The limo turned into a parking garage and proceeded to go down a level. When it stopped, the driver opened the door and Kosar got out. Dan followed.

Kosar walked to the only door close to where the car was parked. The letters WC were on the door. “Through here,” said Kosar. He opened the door and bright light blinded Dan momentarily. “It’s alright,” he said.

Dan hesitated, then stepped through the door. He was blinded for several seconds….heard the door close….then his vision returned.

They were in a massive lobby, with hundreds of people walking around. It took Dan a second to realize that not all the people were human.

“Wh—Where the hell are we?!” demanded Dan.

“The offices of Landau, Luckman & Lake,” said Kosar. “We specialize in services for…unique individuals, such as your brother. If you’ll follow me?”

Dan walked behind Kosar, stunned at the architecture. The ceiling was so high that he was sure it went higher than the parkade they had arrived in. None of this was making sense….unless you thought about in terms of the life he and John had led. Then, it made almost perfect sense. When you’re a target of the supernatural and demons, whom do you get to handle your affairs? Not a normal law firm….you get a supernormal one.

Dan followed Kosar into an elevator, and watched as the transparent car flew upwards almost faster than he could follow.

The bargain had been struck. The deal had been made. Blaze was dead….and now he had to keep his end of the deal.

“You will become my Rider,” said the Devil. “You will become my agent on the Earthly plane. Sinners will be punished….and the wicked expunged. Their souls you will collect. My power you will grow. You will be my Ghost Rider.”

“Yes,” he said, “I am yours…Now and Forever.”

The Devil had given him an amulet which he had placed around his neck. He felt the medallion burn into his flesh. He screamed, but not in agony. His skin melted away from him as his vital organs were replaced with Hellfire. His eyes burned red as the transformation completed itself. He was no longer human….he was a Ghost Rider.

He wore a leather uniform with spikes running down the arms and across the shoulders. Spiked chains ran across his chest in an ‘X’. At his side was a small holstered shotgun, sawed off and carved in ornate patterns. One could be fooled into thinking the gun was inlaid with ivory, but upon closer inspection one would see that it was human bone.

He saw as his transportation was created from the same Hellfire that changed him. The bike was ornately designed like the gun, with silver accents inlaid everywhere. The wheels were made of pure Hellfire.

“Ride,” said the Devil, “Ride and harvest for me.”

The Ghost Rider mounted his bike and sped off into the night.

Next Issue: ‘Reborn’ Part II, as Dan Ketch learns the secrets of John Blaze, Noble Kale enters the picture and the new Ghost Rider makes himself known!