HEROES AND FRIENDS

by Femfan1

chapter one

ANGELS AND BAD MEN

"Can you back up and try again, I think you missed that pothole?" The bouncy jeep ride had made She-Cat even more irritable than usual and the company she was keeping didn't help.

"You don't like us much, do you?"

She-Cat eyed the Lieutenant and the driver. The reports of human rights abuses had been leaking out of this tiny Pacific Rim country for months as the government cracked down on rebel forces. If archaeological evidence hadn't been discovered on this island showing that Sekhmet had once been worshipped here, she would never have made this trip. "How much further?"

"We're here. You know, things aren't always what you think." The jeep turned a bend in the winding road and the foliage covering the trail disappeared as they entered a clearing full of ramshackle huts. The villagers warily eyed their vehicle as it moved towards the center of town. An old man approached as they stopped. Ignoring the soldiers, he smiled heartily at She-Cat. "Welcome, welcome, my name's Gregorio, it's so good of you to come! Please, come with me, I will show you to your accommodations."

She-Cat looked towards the soldiers for confirmation that this was her intended greeting party. Their only response was to toss her bags out of the jeep. She had just enough time to hop out herself before the vehicle turned and sped away.

She-Cat turned and smiled at the old man who had already scooped up her bags. "Nice place you got here. Tell you what, I'll carry my bags, you lead the way."

"Certainly, Miss She-Cat. Did you have a comfortable trip?"

"You mean other than the busted spring in the seat goosing me every time we hit a bump?"

"Oh...I'm sorry. Well, if the bed isn't to your liking, you let me know."

The old man swung open a door to one of the huts and ushered She-Cat inside. She found herself in what appeared to be a kitchen, surrounded by a group of people engaged in a vigorous discussion. The room went silent as she entered.

"Come, come, Miss She-Cat. You'll be staying back here." The old man disappeared into another room. Nodding to the gape-jawed assembly, She-Cat followed the old man into a bedroom. An open makeup case covered the dressing table and pictures of the old man with several of the people in the kitchen decorated a makeshift bureau.

"Now, Miss She-Cat, the bed is very soft and..."

"Is this your room?"

"Yes." The old man appeared crestfallen. "It's not nice enough?"

"I can't stay in your room!"

"B...but why not?" Suddenly, the man's face brightened. "Oh, no! You misunderstand. You will have the room to yourself. The woman and I will sleep in another room."

She-Cat laughed. "No, no, no. It's your house, you should sleep in your room on your bed. I should sleep in another room."

"Ohhh, but the bed in the other room is..."

"Is?"

The old man shrugged. "You'd be better off sleeping on the seat of that jeep."

"I see. Well, I still insist that you keep your bed. Show me the other room, after all, it's only for a night or two."

The old man showed She-Cat into another room where she dropped her bags. A quick check of the bed confirmed that he was probably right about how well she would sleep. Still, he was opening up his home to her and it would be rude to complain. "Thank you! This will be fine."

She followed the old man back into the kitchen. It had somehow become even more crowded. "So, when do I get to see the shrine to Sekhmet?"

The expressions on the faces of those in the room ranged from confusion to amusement. The old man cleared his throat and tried to speak. "Oh...uh...yes...well...here's the thing...uh...Sekhmet...yes..."

"Father," a tall dark haired man in his early 20's cut the old man off. "Tell her!"

"I'm telling, Mateo, I'm telling. Yes, Miss She-Cat. See, the thing is, the Sekhmet thing, is not exactly true."

"It's not true at all, dad!"

"EXCUSE ME!"

"I apologize She-Cat. My father thought if he could just get you here, you would help. Nobody actually thought you would come. That's why we were all so surprised when you first came in the room."

"So, there's no archaeological evidence that Sekhmet was worshipped here?"

"No."

"That was just a lie to get me here?"

"Yes."

"Please, Miss She-Cat! I know it was terrible to lie to you, but I had no choice. We need your help! What other choice did I have?"

"The truth would have been an option!"

"You wouldn't have come. You couldn't have come if you'd known the real reason!"

"Which is?"

"You have to protect us from Colonel Joe and his men!"

"Whuh? Who?"

"Colonel Joe is the leader of the 'rebels.' They're really just a gang of criminals, drugs, guns, but they've got everybody fooled into thinking they're leading some popular uprising. They've been moving from town to town, gradually increasing the area under their control by killing anybody who stands in their way. When the government tries to help, Colonel Joe massacres one of the villages under his control and then tells the western human rights organizations that the government did it. Now the government is scared to move against him because they don't want to risk any more bad press."

"No, son. The government doesn't want any more massacres."

"Either way, we're next in line for takeover by Colonel Joe's forces and that'll mean the end of this town."

"Please, Miss She-Cat. Help us!"

She-Cat couldn't believe what she was hearing. The media had made it sound like the rebels were freedom fighters. Could all the human rights organizations and all of the media been so easily played for fools? Come to think of it... Still, the United States official policy was to stay out of this and as a member of a government sanctioned superteam she could hardly get involved. "I can't. You're right. If I'd known the real reason, I wouldn't have even been able to come here."

"But, we can pay. I've saved up some money, many of us have. We could pay you?"

"First you lie to me, and now you insult me! Since when did I become a mercenary? You're going to pay me to fight your battles for you? I'm afraid I'm going to have to go!"

Tears were streaming down the old man's face. "Yes, yes. I apologize. I'll arrange for your transport back to the capital immediately."

***

"Dusty, you've got Proxima! Rayda, don't let DarkFire get away!"

"We're on it!"

"I've got Valkyra. Synn, see what you can do about Gorgana!"

Any observer would have told the tale of an epic battle. Separated into its' parts, the combatants were evenly matched. Ms. Victory pounded Valkyra through the side of a building and was herself slammed through a light pole. Stardust and Proxima continued the battle they have waged across galaxies, and Rayda used her powers as a human dynamo to short circuit DarkFire's Menta Helmet illusions. Meanwhile, Synn and Gorgana conducted a mental duel, fighting each other with mental powers that seemed to have reality spinning like a hurricane. Yes, any observer would have recounted an amazing story if there had been any observers, but the scene wasn't only spinning because of the combatants reality influencing abilities. It looked like a hurricane because it was a hurricane.

Even as the coast was being evacuated, Ms. Victory had convened a meeting of the available Femforce members and auxiliary members. Tara was on a book signing tour in the southern hemisphere, Nightveil's whereabouts were unknown but presumably she was studying with Azagoth, and She-Cat had gone to investigate claims of ancient Sekhmet worship on a Pacific Rim island. The natural force of the hurricane was not of concern to the Femforce, the people had been evacuated and the team would help with repairs to any property damage after the storm was spent. However, Ms. Victory knew that the abandoned coastal towns would be unprotected against any criminals powerful enough to brave the 100 m.p.h. winds and flying debris.

In fact, even before the storm hit, reports indicated that the FearForce had robbed several banks and private museums. In a flash, the Femforce was moving to intercept the criminals and, so, the battle was on. Surprisingly, Rayda was having the easiest time handling the elements. Using her dynamo power to create a magnetic force field around herself, she didn't have to worry about the flying debris, and the ever present water allowed for a great electrical conductor. DarkFire quickly realized that Rayda's electrical discharges were interrupting the signal from her Menta Helmet thus rendering it virtually useless. Sensing that she was overmatched, she retreated to the bank vault while avoiding Rayda's blasts.

Stardust's stellar energy seemed less effective against the Rurian weaponry utilized by Proxima. Perhaps the conditions had dampened her power. Nevertheless, she managed to hold her own as both Rurians dodged flying automobiles and spear-like shards of glass. A similar stalemate had occurred in the battle between Gorgana and Synn. Synn's constructs and Gorgana's monsters took turns defeating one another as their creators constantly directed their attacks to the wrong location.

Ms. Victory's battle with Valkyra was going surprisingly well for the heroine. Her years of crimefighting had made her less reliant on sheer power and more skilled in tactical combat. She repeatedly caught her opponent from behind and delivered crushing blows which sent Valkyra sailing through the air. Certainly, she wasn't throwing a shutout and Valkyra had managed to score some hits of her own, but having been pounded many times, Ms. Victory was clearly the fresher of the two fighters as Valkyra began to show signs of weariness.

"Heads up, Valkyra!" Ms. Victory's uppercut sent the villain shooting across the sky. Moving in to take advantage of the situation, Ms. Victory carefully approached the crumpled criminal. Valkyra struggled to get to her feet but as she was just about to stand a shadowy blur streaked past her. When she finally stood to face the heroine, Ms. Victory was gone. Her head clearing, Valkyra scanned the area for her foe, preparing for another sneak attack, when, to her delight, she saw a shocked Ms. Victory embedded in a brick wall by a large stake truck. The bed of the truck had slammed into the bricks at waist level and Ms. Victory's arms were pinned against the wall leaving her unable to protect herself. Quick to take advantage of the fortunate turn of events, Valkyra ran full speed at the heroine and launched herself into the air landing a two-fisted piledriver blow to the helpless heroine's chin. Ms. Victory's head snapped back, slamming into the brick wall and bouncing off. The woozy heroine struggled to free her arms, but Valkyra continued her assault and pounded Ms. Victory with crushing rights and lefts to the chin until the heroine's shoulders sagged and her strength faded. Reveling in her foe's defeat, Valkyra rushed to the street corner and dislodged a stop sign that had been blown to the ground. Returning to the truck, she sprang onto the bed and stood before the defeated heroine.

"Ha, ha, ha. Finally, I have proven my superiority. Gaze up at the one who has vanquished you, American swine! Know that it is Valkyra who has claimed the final victory!"

With an effort Ms. Victory managed to raise her head. Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped as she beheld Valkyra poised before her. The villain's arms were raised above her head, both hands clutching the twisted metal sign pole, as she prepared to plunge the jagged edge through Ms. Victory's chest.

"That's right! Fear me, Ms. Victory! Fear the one who has stopped you forever!!!"

***

She-Cat leaned back in the rickety wooden chair and put her legs up on the rails of the weathered porch. She was in a foul mood. A long uncomfortable ride out here based on a lie, being treated like some gun-for-hire, being asked to get in the middle of a "civil" war on what everybody else in the world would consider to be the wrong side, and now, waiting, amidst all this disappointment, for a ride out of here. She sipped on a sweetly flavored tea and tried to be mad at somebody. The problem was, for some reason she couldn't understand, the only person she was mad at was herself for not being able to help. Heck, she should be mad at the old man. He had lied to her. He had tricked her into coming here out of some illusion that she was some mercenary who would come to the rescue. Maybe that was the problem. He'd gone about it in the wrong way, but his reasons were valid. He had to lie for the chance that she would help, and isn't helping people what she did?

The sound of a jeep moving down the street interrupted her thoughts. It stopped a short distance away and three men armed with automatic weapons jumped out. Their garb was not that of the local military. They exchanged glances in her direction, but ultimately they moved away towards the middle of the village where a large crowd had gathered. She-Cat could see Gregorio addressing them, but she couldn't hear the conversation. Her curiosity piqued, she deliberately got to her feet and moved closer. As she approached their jeep, her keen hearing picked up enough of the dialogue to establish that these were some of Colonel Joe's men and they had come to claim the village. She-Cat leaned against the side of the jeep wondering if she should intervene in some way. The old man was trying to convince the rebels that the village wasn't important enough for them to control. Shaking her head at the futility of his argument, She-Cat glanced down at the spring protruding from the seat of the jeep. A closer inspection also revealed bullet holes in the seat covers and dried blood. Her head swimming she could hear the Lieutenant's voice telling her that "things aren't always what you think." Now she was mad at somebody beside herself.

"Hey!" She moved into the street, the late afternoon sun at her back. "Where'd you get this jeep?"

The rebels turned to face her, squinting into the sun. One of them took a few steps in her direction. "What business is it of yours?"

In the blink of his sweat-soaked eye, she was on top of him like a blur, her razor sharp nails digging into the underside of his jaw. "I'm making it my business!"

From behind him, one of his buddies offered, "Hey, hey, it's cool! Chill out! My uncle gave me the jeep last year as a present."

"Yeah, h.hh..his uncle g..gave it to him!"

The unmitigated gall of the lie was offensive. Pushing the rebel back towards his friends, She-Cat said, "What's your business here?"

The third rebel finally piped up. "We're having a private conversation with some friends."

"You have all your 'private conversations' in the middle of the street in the center of town? Get out of here now and I won't rip your lying lungs out."

Looking at each other in surprise, but unwilling to confront their strange adversary, the rebels began to move toward the jeep.

"Uh-uh-uh, the jeep stays here! I had a chance to get to know it personally this morning and we've gotten rather close."

Scowling the three rebels reluctantly trudged off into the rainforest, setting off a great cheer from the crowd. The old man joyously ran up and hugged She-Cat, thanking her for saving the town. Everyone seemed to be celebrating. Everyone but She-Cat and Mateo. Gregorio's son just looked at her and shook his head sadly. She knew she had just taken it on herself to save this town.

***

Tara smiled and tried not to blink as the thousandth flash bulb went off. Another fan's request to have his picture taken with the Jungle Girl satisfied, she sat back down and continued to autograph copies of her book for the assembled throng. For a scholarly treatise on conservation it was getting quite the reception from the masses, although she suspected the overwhelming majority had less interest in saving the rainforest than in ogling the author. If every autograph and photo didn't raise money for the cause, she never would have agreed to do this international book signing tour. The only benefit was that in her down time she'd been able to visit some beautiful countryside. After today's signing in Sydney, Australia, she was going to get a short tour of part of the Outback before heading to Fiji for a signing tomorrow morning and then on to the Philippines.

She finished signing another copy of her book and, once again, graciously agreed to pose for another photograph. Another smile lit up the room and another charitable contribution was logged in the ledger. Exhausted, Tara turned to her friend, Janis Lawson. "Didn't you say She-Cat was going to be checking out an archaeological site around here somewhere?"

"Yeah, well, up closer to the Philippines, I think."

"Maybe tomorrow after Fiji, we can drop in and surprise her?"

"Ehh, I've got a lot of stuff to do in the Philippines before the event there. You should go, though, she'd appreciate it if you stopped to see her."

"Stuff to do. Yeah, right. You just think Cat doesn't like you."

"She doesn't. She can be so mean sometimes!"

"I keep telling you, don't pay attention to what she says, pay attention to what she does."

"That's easy for you to say, she's nice to you."

Laughing, Tara watched another flash of light go off in her face. "No, she's not!"

***

She-Cat couldn't tell if Gregorio lived in a house or a social club. It seemed the whole village was in his kitchen jabbering excitedly about how Colonel Joe's men had been driven away. She had avoided involvement in the discussion by heading straight for the theoretical privacy of her room where she sat ponderously on perhaps the most uncomfortable bed in modern creation. The unknowing joy in the kitchen was so palpable that it was making her sick to her stomach. The people had no idea that her irresponsible actions had sealed their fate.

In another small room, She-Cat could hear Mateo speaking with one of the young ladies in the village. He was upset and she was urging him to "go in and talk to her, then!" She-Cat wasn't sure what to think about Mateo. It was clear that he hadn't supported his father's idea to bring in help, but he seemed to revere the old man and she got the sense that Mateo was being torn apart by this situation. She wondered if he wasn't a rebel sympathizer. His dismay when she drove the advance party away had been evident. Of course, he may have known what she knew, that it wasn't the end but the beginning of the end. Still, she sensed that he resented what she'd done.

She wasn't surprised when there was a knock on the wall outside the room and Mateo appeared in the doorway. "Can I please speak to you? I've been talking to my friend, May, and I think today, what you did, was a big mistake!"

"Come on in, Mateo. Take a load off."

"That bed is...very uncomfortable, even to sit on. I think I'll stand, if you don't mind."

"It's your house. So, you came in here to tell me off for getting involved?"

"It was very foolish. Colonel Joe will be very mad and he will come with a lot of men and they will kill everybody who is a 'problem,' like my father!"

"I know. I'm sorry. I'll have to figure out a way to stop that from happening."

"You're one person, even if you are some big-time American superhero. You can't stop bullets. Even if you can save yourself now, you can't save us. Even if you held him off for a week or a month, eventually you'd have to leave and the Colonel would get us."

"It seems I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't, huh? If I had turned a blind eye this afternoon, what would that have said about the kind of things this Colonel Joe has done? What would it have said about liberty? You're right, though, if it's just me it won't be enough to stop him."

She-Cat stood and walked into the kitchen where the celebration remained lively. Her appearance brought a hush and then a crescendo of applause which died out in response to the serious expression on her face. "You shouldn't be celebrating, you should be preparing for war. Colonel Joe will be back, tomorrow, and he'll have an army with him. I'm not going to be enough to make him forget about this village forever. In fact, what I did today is going to guarantee that he shows up tomorrow determined to make the destruction of this village a lesson for every other village he hasn't yet conquered. No, I'm not going to be enough because I can't beat an army alone, because I can't stop the men on the left from shooting all of you while I'm fighting the men on the right. The only way for this village to escape subjugation by Colonel Joe is for this village to fight for itself. I'll help you. I'll do what I can. You have to fight him off, you have to make it not worth his while to control this village, you have to fight for your own liberty. That means some of you will die. That means I may die. He'll be here tomorrow. I guarantee it. I'll stand at the front to take him on, but if you don't stand up for yourselves, he'll slaughter us all.

***

Valkyra's eyes blazed as she prepared to plunge the proverbial stake through her enemy's heart. Her scream of triumph was accompanied by simultaneous thunder and lightning signalling the end. A helpless Ms. Victory could only close her eyes and wait for the twisted steel to penetrate her breast. The mental anguish of the final moment seemed to last an eternity. Seconds passed and Ms. Victory could still feel her chest heaving with the intake of each breath. Finally, unable to bear it any longer she opened her eyes to see an unconscious Valkyra prone on the bed of the truck before her. Ms. Victory blinked disbelievingly, before nervously chuckling in relief. Just as the storm had given Valkyra an assist earlier, it had now delivered Ms. Victory from evil. The lightning strike had been drawn to the metal stop sign and the force of the electrical surge running from the pole through Valkyra's body had knocked her cold. Ms. Victory could see her foe was still alive, but she was out like a light. Letting out a deep breath of relief, Ms. Victory summoned her strength and managed to dislodge the truck enough to free her arms. Once her arms were free, it was a simple matter to push the bed clear of her body so that she could extract herself from the brick wall and take Valkyra into custody.

With Valkyra out of the way, Ms. Victory could assist the rest of the team in dispatching their opponents. Proxima had managed to herd Stardust into a confined space and she had Dusty in her sights when Ms. Victory swooped in from behind to snatch the former Rurian general's weapons from her hands. Taking advantage of Proxima's surprise at Ms. Victory's appearance, Stardust caught her with a stellar blast that left the warrior unconscious.

Rayda appeared at the entrance of the bank with Menta Helmet in hand and DarkFire in tow. The spy had decided that given the conditions, the best course of action would be unconditional surrender. After all, she who lives, lives to fight another day, and running around in the middle of a hurricane wasn't everything her compatriots had said it would be.

Upon seeing her accomplices captured, Gorgana slipped away, leaving Synn's constructs to finish up their battle against Gorgana's monsters. In short time, the captured villainesses were again incarcerated in their specially constructed cells and the Femforce had returned to headquarters.

"We were very lucky to get out of this encounter without any casualties and with only Gorgana escaping."

"Oh, come on Ms. Victory, I thought we handled ourselves pretty well. I mean, I don't know about the rest of you but DarkFire gave in to me pretty fast."

"Well, I was having difficulty with Proxima but Ms. Victory handled Valkyra so easily that she was able to come to my aid."

"Yeah, every time I caught a glimpse of your battle with Valkyra while I was playing with Gorgana, you were wiping the floor with her. Valkyra never had a chance!"

A faint smile crossing her lips, Ms. Victory looked down and contemplated the unmarked skin on her chest. "Yeah, she never had a chance."

***

Dawn's breath was slowly lifting from the ground as the late morning sun warmed what was left of the cool night air. Through the haze, faceless numbers appeared at a treeline forming a wraithlike battalion. A mass of at least 100 men marched resolutely toward the village where the emboldened villagers waited behind their champion to receive them. The cobbled together citizens' militia had armed themselves with whatever weapons they could find. Old pistols, knives, bows, and arrows, abounded. An audible murmur of despair could be heard when their enemy drew close enough for the rebels' superior firepower to become evident. She-Cat could hear the whispers behind her suggesting that, perhaps, it was not too late to seek the rebels' mercy. Her chest tightened. No matter how many times she'd taken on impossible odds, she always felt the pull of her mortality. A little fear to get the adrenalin going. She watched the rebels move inexorably toward the village, their rifles by their sides. Certainly, this was how they had cowed recalcitrant villagers in the past. The show of superior force was more than enough, why waste the bullets when surrender could be achieved without a shot and dissidents handled after total control had been established? The rebel force stopped 10 yards in front of her and the first line raised their rifles and trained them on the village. A man at the back of the troop stepped onto a tree stump and raised himself above the crowd.

"Hello, American hero! I've admired you for years! The savage She-Cat! I really don't want to kill you, but if you insist on standing in my way, I'm afraid that I may have little choice. Why don't you go home to the United States and stay out of this business which is really none of your concern?"

She-Cat stood her ground, eyeing the rebel leader intently. He was right, of course. She'd gotten involved in something that she wished she hadn't, but under the circumstances she didn't see that she had a choice. The village had asked for a hero to help them. They'd asked for her to help them, and the politics of this island nation aside, she knew that helping these villagers save themselves and their village was the right thing to do. She knew she was fighting on the side of right just as surely as she knew that this battle was unwinnable. She couldn't stop automatic weapon fire from killing these villagers, and, eventually, herself. She couldn't save this village, but she had to try. So her eyes hardened, and her jaw clenched, and with a look she signalled her answer.

"So, it's a 'no' is it? Why do you protect these people? They have no honor. They've already forsaken you and melted into the shadows of their homes. Would you really stand alone against an army for the likes of them?!?"

She-Cat didn't even have to turn around to verify that she was standing alone. She could feel her isolation. Only Gregorio moving closer to her provided any support. The rest of the citizens' militia was gone, their instinct for self-preservation having overcome their desire for continued freedom. She felt the old man's trembling hand at her side.

"Ms. She-Cat, it was wrong of me to draw you into this. This is not your village. It is not your problem. It is not your fight. He will let you leave if you go now. It would be best for you if you left."

She-Cat moved her hand to his shoulder while never taking her eyes off the rebels. "He'd let me leave, you're right, but he'd kill you before I was out of sight."

"I'm a foolish old man, perhaps..."

"I can't allow it, move behind me." "Colonel, if I allow the slaughter of this village then I'm also complicit in the slaughter of the next. You know, I can't do that."

"Bah! Foolish woman! You can't stop me! It's not bravery but stupidity to die for no reason!"

"Maybe, but do you really want to kill an American hero? You won't be able to pawn off my death on the government. It wouldn't withstand the scrutiny of a real investigation and there would be repercussions. The whole world would find out about your deception. The individuals and organizations who've been duped by your 'freedom fighter' act would disappear into the night and an international force would come in and hunt you down!"

The color drained from the Colonel's face, to be replaced by a glimpse of anger, and, finally, a smirk. "Yes, you have a point. So, we are at an impasse. I cannot kill you, but you are still one against many. I don't have to kill you to take this village, just capture you. Men! Don't kill her, if she dies I'll shoot the persons responsible, but I want her subdued and brought to me! Now!!!"

"You won't need them to bring me to you, I'll be with you in a second!!!"

With lightning quickness She-Cat bounded forward and leaped into the massed rebels. Taken aback by the speed and ferocity of her attack, they could scarcely react as they fell by the twos and fours from a variety of slashes, punches, and kicks.

Leaping airborne she moved across the tops of their heads, knocking two rebels out by smashing their heads together as she lashed out with both legs to kick two others in the face and send them reeling backwards. Landing on the ground in a crouch, she executed a forward roll ending with a boot to the groin and a straight right to the nose of the now doubled over soldier. Flipping backwards to her feet, she delivered a reverse chop to the neck of one rebel and a straight kick to the gut of another. The Colonel watched astounded as he saw his troops being mowed down by nothing less than a tidal wave. Soldiers unaccustomed to fighting an enemy without pulling a trigger receded before her. Stepping down from his perch, he moved away from his position, avoiding the current ripping through his men. The battle raged for almost an hour as a seemingly inexhaustible She-Cat fought through an army trying to get to their elusive leader. Soldiers discarded in the first few minutes recovered only to be victimized again and again as she pressed her assault.

Vaulting off a rebel shoulder, she scissor-kicked a pair of his friends into unconsciousness before kidney-punching him to his knees. Using his back to launch herself into the air, she spotted the Colonel's new position even as she wrapped her legs around the neck of another soldier and twisted him to the ground. Moving into a crouch, she bulled forward between a new opponent's legs and flipped him over her shoulders as she stood up just in time for her eyes to focus on a hammy fist about to smash into her face. The punch sent her reeling and she tripped over the moaning body of the soldier she had backflipped to land, blinking the cobwebs away, on her butt.

It was really the first substantial blow she had taken, but combined with the energy she had expended it was enough to turn the tide as a dozen men leapt on her to hold her down while they wildly delivered whatever blows they could. Soon she was surrounded by bruised and bleeding rebels seeking to exact some measure of revenge for their injuries even as she lashed out to deliver more punishment. Too many blows delivered by too many attackers began to have their effect. There were just too many people to overcome and now the pain began to dominate her senses as boots and rifle butts and fists crashed into bones. The ceaseless barrage rained down upon her until all she could do was curl up and try to protect the most vital areas of her body. Finally, when she could barely see through the pain, the Colonel ordered his men to stop.

Walking up to the fallen heroine, the Colonel watched as she shakily tried to maneuver herself onto her knees. He lashed out with a kick to her jaw which sent her sprawling onto her back. "That was a most impressive battle She-Cat. In fact, you've managed to decimate my force so completely that I'm not going to be able to take this village today. You have no idea how angry that makes me!" She-Cat again tried to get to her knees, only to be driven back down onto her side by a boot to an already damaged rib. A short intake of breath through clenched teeth signalled the pain. With a toe under her collar, the Colonel rolled her over onto her back. "Grab the old man that stood with her!" With a single step, the Colonel placed his boot squarely onto the fallen heroine's chest and leaned over her, shifting his weight onto her body and digging his heel into her skin. Staring down at the semi-conscious She-Cat, his lips curled into an evil smile. "We're taking the old man with us. We'll be back tomorrow. If you're still here, you'll watch him die!"

His message delivered, the rebels melted back into the forest, leaving the defeated She-Cat laying spread eagle on the empty field of battle to sink into unconsciousness with the Colonel's ultimatum ringing in her ears.

***

The snarling She-Cat mere kitty litter? Read on for Chapter 2.