NOT FADE AWAY

Synopsis by CR.

Herc & Iolaus are walking through peaceful countryside towards his old town of Thebes, when Hera's eyes appear in the sky and lightning strikes a building. Herc and Io help put out the fire.

In Hera's temple, the villagers, made brave by Hercules' example, are refusing to worship Hera, when a female figure appears, with blank black eyes and startling red hair - "Your villagers will worship Hera, or die". One of the villagers cuts it in half with a sword; flame comes out and it joins up again. It destroys the villager with its fiery breath. This is The Enforcer, Mark 2. It promises to kill Hercules.

Herc walks through magnificent scenery with snow-capped mountains in the distance, to visit the graves of his family (this is a very scenic episode). Hercules is despondent that Hera will keep attacking innocent people. His mother and Jason arrive to join him.

In the village, a messenger arrives from the temple with the news. Iolaus hurries off to warn Hercules, and is savagely beaten by the new Enforcer (we'll call it the Red Enforcer, after its hair). He staggers off and is found by Hercules and his companions, walking by the edge of a lake, he warns Herc, and dies. Herc vows not to let him die; holding Iolaus and yelling for Hades, he is transported to Hades' world. He tells Hades Iolaus isn't staying there; to which Hades says, considering the condition Iolaus was in when he left earth, which was, dead, Iolaus doesn't have a choice. Hades says he can't set a precedent; Herc reminds him of the precedent he (Herc) set when he convinced Demeter to let Persephone stay down there with Hades. Persephone tells Hades he'd better be reasonable about Iolaus if he wants her to stay with him. Hades says, all right, on two conditions: first, Herc must defeat Hera's latest homicidal freak by sunset, second .... Hades, walking through his domain with Herc, says Herc won't be able to win by himself this time, he's never gone up against anything like this. Herc says it can't be tougher than the Enforcer, and the Enforcer says "She is. Trust me". Yes, Hades is where the original Enforcer ended up! Herc asks what she's doing there, she's not even human; Hades says Charon's been slipping up a little recently. She's always following Hades and Persephone around like a guard dog, getting on their nerves. So Hades' second condition is that Herc takes her along to help. Herc objects that the Enforcer was put on the earth solely to destroy him; Hades says that was because she had no soul, now she needs one, if she does a good deed up there Hades will know what to do with her down here. Herc: And if she screws up? Hades shrugs.

Herc reappears beside the lake; the Enforcer (with black hair - call her the 'Black Enforcer') walks out of the lake and says 'It's good to be back'.

In Hades, Iolaus and Persephone are walking together, when Io sees a group of despondent old men - fallen generals. One of them is his father.

Hercules thinks his mother and Jason will be safe in the Sofia caves. His mother asks the Black Enforcer how long she and Herc have been friends; the Enforcer answers "friends?". Alcmene and Jason don't know who the Enforcer is, yet, they are rather disconcerted when Herc tells them. The Black Enforcer warns 'trouble' and the Red Enforcer walks into the cave and creates rings of fire around the companions. Then it blocks the entrance with a rock and disappears. It reappears outside the cave and seals the entrance, melting rock with its fiery gaze.

Hercules cuts the Black Enforcer open and she sprays water over the fire, damping down the flames. Herc rushes the entrance and breaks through it. The Black Enforcer sees Alcmene crying with relief and asks, "She is also made of water?"

Meanwhile, the Red Enforcer walks through Thebes at the head of Hera's temple thugs, beating up and destroying.

In Hades, Iolaus and his father are arguing about ancient history. Iolaus objects to being called 'boy' and calls his father a coward for deserting his wife and family.

In Thebes, Herc and his companions are set upon by Hera's thugs. The Red Enforcer grabs Alcmene and drags her into a building. The Black Enforcer bursts through a window and the two engage in a deadly karate fight. Eventually the Black Enforcer impales the Red on a spike and says to Alcmene, "Run. Now."

Outside, Herc and Jason are battling Hera's thugs with great effect.

The Red Enforcer breaks its way off the spikes and the fight continues. Black cuts Red's arm off and fire comes out, Red aims the fire at Black and starts her boiling.

Outside, Herc and Jason see off the last of the thugs. Suddenly, water starts spraying out of all the cracks in the building. Herc bursts in to find the Black Enforcer lying on the floor, dying. Herc says she saved his mother's life, for that she will always be his friend.

Herc sets off to end the Red Enforcer.

In Hades, Iolaus is moping about his father. His father comes up and confesses he thought about Io's mother every day, he was just too ashamed to come back. Hades reassigns him to the Elysian Fields.

Herc walks into Hera's temple to find Red re-forging its arm in the fiery altar. Red suddenly appears in front of him and throws him around the place. After another violent fight, Herc spears Red with a sword, fire comes out threatening to burn him, he grabs a shield against the flames and forces it up against the Enforcer, bottling up the flames and for some reason causing it to explode.

TALES OF THE HERCAVERSE