The bad lady came. I saw the bad lady. And the bad lady bit me. 
Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight #3 is an issue of the series Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight (Volume 1) with a cover date of August, 2005. It was published on June 29, 2005.
Synopsis for "Part Three: The Perfect Knight Returns"
Thirty years after the Fall of Camelot, the evil Mordredd the Dead and his Sheeda army ruled over the city's ruins. Seeking a weapon that might drive Mordredd out of their lands, the knights Bors, Peredur, and Galahad visited the Dwarrow men in the "City of the North Wind". With the "Hammer of Aurakles, they constructed an artificial Holy Grail - essentially a primitive version of the atomic bomb.
In the present, Sir Ystin turns himself into the LAPD, hoping to clear his name and get help in returning home. Because Justin speaks no English and lacks the scientific knowledge needed to explain how he ended up in the present, the police call in two specialists from the FBI: Agent Helen "Sky-High" Helligan, the bureau's metahuman specialist, and Dr. Gloria Friday, an expert on antiquities.
Investigating Ystin's sword, Caliburn Ex Calibur, Friday tells Helligan that the sword is over 10,000 years old, dating back to the 81st Century BC. Gloria theorizes that when civilizations inevitably peak, there comes a time for a harvest, which leads to an inevitable decay. Helen is able to unsheathe Caliburn, and Friday tells her of Seven objects given to man by the gods for protection against evil.
Helligan, for her part, tells Friday that all she is hoping for is that Sir Ystin turns out to be a time-traveler, so that she can get out of the case in time to catch her sister's wedding. The two proceed to interrogate Ystin.
In the interviews, Friday demonstrates an impeccable grasp of Sir Ystin's native tongue, but unbeknownst to Helligan, is choosing her words carefully to rile Ystin up, telling him that nothing he says will convince Helligan that he is telling the truth. All the while, Helligan attempts to find ways to write off Ystin as something outside of her jurisdiction.
Eventually, Ystin realizes that Friday is in fact his old nemesis, Gloriana Tenebrae, at the same time that Helligan finally realizes that Ystin's words refer to an impending invasion.
Gloriana reveals her true form and attacks Ystin, while the Sheeda storm the precinct headquarters and capture Caliburn. The evil queen incapacitates the young knight and then gives Helligan a poisoned kiss.
As the LAPD races to save Helligan, Gloriana is picked up by a resurrected Spyder, who now serves the Sheeda following his supposed death at Miracle Mesa. He informs the Queen that they have hit Don Vincenzo with a poisoned "tracker arrow", which monitors his vitals. If he survives, then he has the Cauldron of Rebirth in his possession.
In the Sheeda lair, Galahad emerges from a pool of blood, no longer a perfect knight, only a vicious brute.
Vincenzo's heartbeat pops up on the tracker, indicating that he does possess the cauldron.
Appearing in "Part Three: The Perfect Knight Returns"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Agent Helligan (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Sheeda
- Gloriana Tenebrae/Gloria Friday
- Mordredd the Dead (Mentioned only)
- I, Spyder
- Galahad (Flashback and main story)
Other Characters:
- Peredur (Flashback only)
- Bors (Flashback only)
- Vincenzo Baldi (Mentioned only)
- Dwarrow Men
- Los Angeles Police Department
Locations:
- City of Northwind (Flashback only)
- Los Angeles
Items:
Vehicles:
- Spyder's Helicopter
Notes
- This issue is part 10 of the Seven Soldiers storyline and the story continues in Seven Soldiers: Manhattan Guardian #3
Trivia
- It is confirmed in this issue that Ystina is not Justin Arthur, the Golden Age Shining Knight, who was born in the 6th Century, whereas Ystina was born almost 8,000 years before him.
- Gloriana explains that while there were many different "King Arthurs" across history, the King Arthur of Sir Ystina's time is some of a "Proto-Arthur", who inspired all of the others.
- Helligan mentions how it could be that Sir Justin was "preserved in ice". This was the origin of Sir Justin Arthur, the Golden Age Shining Knight.
- Helligan also mentions her needing to catch a flight to her sister's wedding. This is continued in Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer #2.
See Also
- Cover gallery for the Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight series
- Images from Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight Vol 1 3