Stormwatch: Team Achilles #20 is an issue of the series Stormwatch: Team Achilles (Volume 1) with a cover date of May, 2004. It was published on March 10, 2004.
Appearing in "New Beginnings"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Giovanni Basilio Medici
- Gauserand de Montpesant de Molay
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Sonny Terns
- Deadhead
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for "New Beginnings"
Following the Coup d'État, Team Achilles are branded as wanted criminals by the Authority, who are now rulers of the United States of America. In the Palace of Nations in Geneva, Ben Santini promptly walks into the office of the Secretary-General of the UN and openly berates her for letting the UN to allow the Authority taking over America and doing nothing to prevent this, even if secretly funneling any kind of support for Team Achilles against the Authority. The Secretary-General defends herself, stating that neither the UN lack the funds and that she herself was against the creation of Achilles, and also points out that Santini's presence likely has already alerted the Authority. Santini intends for this to happen so he can have the Authority to blame the UN for affiliating with Santini and possibly overextending their rule over the world for Achilles to easily neutralize them one by one. After this, Santini is seen leaving the Palace of Nations and is met by Authority members Midnighter and the Engineer, who come for his arrest. Midnighter kicks Santini, but reveals to be Alias who then incapacitates Midnighter. Flint then appears and strikes down the Engineer and sends her to Liberia through a Project Entry portal.
The real Santini enters the scene and tells Midnighter of making an offer in having the Authority step down from America and instead put their use on taking over a "deserving" country worth to be invaded and install with democracy, such as China. Midnighter refuses and spits out one of his teeth at a pillar near Santini, severely damaging it. Santini then have Flint shock Midnighter to destroy his radio-communication with the Authority and literally slingshot him into a Entry portal to a rice paddy in China.
Two weeks later. Santini and Flint - who are now married - are in Venice to meet a Signore Medici. The contact meet them and acknowledge the fact that the UN has turn its back on Team Achilles and that he is representing a group, in hoc signo vinces (In this Sign, Conquer), who are interest in greatly funding Achilles. Santini and Flint, are surprised of this offer, but the former is unsure if he could trust the group and want to meet the group's heir. Medici agrees and arrange a dinner meeting at Ristorante Antico Pignolo to discuss a working arrangement.
Santini and Flint return to their hotel. Santini has Tefibi run a background check on Medici, whose real name is Giovanni Basilio Medici and a legitimate descendant of the Medici Grand Dukes of Tuscany. And as well associate with Pro Fide, Pro Utilitate Hominum ("Defender of the faith, For the welfare of humanity"), a phrase associate with the Knights of Malta. Santini shares with Tefibi about Medici's group in hoc signo vinces and almost believe that it is associated with the Knights Templar, the religious military group who conquered Jerusalem and founded the Holy Grail. Santini interpret the Grail as representing the bloodline of Jesus Christ, who, contrary to public opinion, did not died on the cross, but lived to have children. Supposedly these children were taken to France by the Templars and the secret society, the Prieure De Sion (Prieure de Sion), and that Christ's secret heirs became part of the founding Merovingian dynasty in which the Templars and the Prieure de Sion had sworn to have the dynasty rule the world. The Templars were opposed by the Church's Dominicans and the Knights of Malta, who eventually destroyed the Templars, which Santini believed that the Church refuse to be "undercut" by the bloodline of Christ and have its descendants exterminated. Santini suspects this ancient conspiracy to be far more than fiction and that Giovanni Medici is funded by both the Templars and the Maltese. But he is confuse as to who Medici is sided with.
Santini attends the meeting with the in hoc signo vinces and it is learn that they are the Priory of Scion. The group is arrive with Gauserand de Montpesant de Molay, the current heir of Christ, who proves himself by turning water to wine. Santini then ask De Molay if he could raise the dead, which De Molay confirms. Suddenly, Santini pulls out a hidden gun and kills Medici. Team Achilles, who are disguise as waiters, hold the group at gunpoint as Santini tells De Molay to revive Medici back from the dead to prove himself to be the actual descendant of Christ or he will kill everyone in the room.
Notes
- This issue sets after the events of Coup d'État: Stormwatch: Team Achilles.
Trivia
- In hoc signo vinces is a Latin rendering of the Greek phrase "with this as your standard you shall have victory."
- The ideas of the existing bloodline of Christ originates in 1956 by Pierre Plantard, who formed the Priory of Sion in which its made up history is focus on this myth. According to the history created by Plantard, the Priory of Sion was founded on Mount Zion in the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1099, which is devoted to installing a secret bloodline of the Merovingian dynasty on the thrones of France and the rest of Europe. This myth was expanded upon and popularised by the 1982 controversial book The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, and later claimed as factual in the preface of the 2003 conspiracy fiction novel The Da Vinci Code.