Posted: December 10, 2009 at 8:51 pm | Tags: fred wong
After a long hiatus, Colt was glad to be back with FemForce again. Following years of working solo for the majority of her career and after briefly serving as the team’s leader, Colt finally realized that there was a certain quality of being on this team that she missed when she left all those months ago.
Loading up a fresh cache of ammunition, Colt warmed up her motorcycle to do a routine patrol and cruise around the area. Unknown to her, overhead several dozen feet was a small camera probe that was following her every move after she left headquarters.
“Well, there she is. Our first test subject,” commented Greg as he observed the monitor screen. “Colt, the Weapons Mistress, according to this file I found from hacking into the Pentagon’s information database.”
“Hmmm…not bad. She’ll do for a start,” added Peter as he propped his feet up on the computer console. “Who do you think can take her? Any bets?”
“How about Dreamslayer? He’s big, nasty, mean, and oozing with power,” suggested Bobby before taking a bite into some pizza.
“No way, that’s overkill!” interrupted Greg. “How about a villain WITHOUT supernatural powers?”
“Okay, okay, okay…how about Professor Gizmo? Colt’s got weapons, he’s got weapons, fair enough?” said Peter.
“Yeah, Gizmo! Gizmo! Gizmo!” cheered Bobby.
“Professor Gizmo it is!” said Greg and he typed in the commands into the keyboard, hacking into the master control system of Dr. Jimenez’s time and dimensional travel device as it remains locked away and under heavy guard in a secret location at a government research facility. The massive time triangle device momentarily activated to release a stream of energy before deactivating, avoiding detection by any monitoring sensors.
“Here we go…” said Greg excitedly.
* * *
“HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!” cried out a man’s voice from an old, deserted building.
“Who could that be? A homeless guy?” thought Colt as she pulled her motorcycle over and cautiously entered the old building.
“Hello? Is anyone there?” called out Colt. “I’m here to help.”
Colt by Marat MychaelsWithout warning, a laser beam darted by Colt as she dodged the small burst of energy that knocked off her hat. In a flash Colt drew her machine pistol and automatic pistol, ready for anything.
“Who’s there? Show yourself,” ordered Colt. “You can either make this easy, or make this hard. Your choice.”
“Hello, little Colt, it’s nice to see you,” said the evil Professor Gizmo as he emerged from the shadows holding a remote control box. “Say hello to Mr. Chuckles!”
“CRUSH….KILL….DESTROY!!!!” resonated the 7 foot tall robot known as Mr. Chuckles as it thundered down the old room and delivered a body block into Colt before she could open fire, knocking her clear out of the building through an old boarded up window.
Colt quickly got up and opened fire with her automatic pistol and machine pistol! The bullets fell harmlessly to the ground after impacting Mr. Chuckles’ chassis.
“Surprised?” said Professor Gizmo. “Mr. Chuckles is protected by a special magnetic field that renders your armor piercing bullets useless.”
Colt aimed her pistol at Professor Gizmo’s remote control device, firing one shot that blasted it into pieces on impact. Without the device to feed Mr. Chuckles energy and guidance, the once fearsome robot slumped down and deactivated like a hump of hi-tech refuse.
Colt re-entered the old building, with her pistol pointed squarely at Professor Gizmo.
“I’m not going to ask you again,” said Colt sternly. Before Colt could do anything else, Professor Gizmo disappeared in a flash of light, along with his robot.
“What on earth?” thought Colt as she put her weapons back in their holsters and recovered her hat. Colt cautiously searched the immediate area, finding nothing as she returned to her cycle to call in a report.
* * *
“Man, Professor Gizmo STINKS!” cursed Bobby as he observed the fight from the monitor screen. “I told you we should’ve gotten Dreamslayer.”
“Relax, Bobby,” replied Greg. “It’s still early; who do you want next? And no, you cannot pick Dreamslayer.”
“Fine,” muttered Bobby as he pouted. “How about Omegakhron…no wait, how about Candyman?”
“Why not both?” suggested Peter.
“I like how this guy thinks,” said Greg as he again hacked into the research facility’s computer systems to access Dr. Jimenez’s time and dimensional device to summon the villains of their choice, teleporting them from wherever they are to the present time.
* * *
“That’s all I know, Nightveil,” said Colt as she finished out her status report to headquarters.
“I’ll be at your location shortly to help check things out,” replied Nightveil. “The last time villains were popping in and out in teleportation vortexes, the Black Shroud was involved. I’ll try to raise Tara for some backup, too.”
“Roger. I’ll be standing by,” replied Colt as she reloaded her weapons. As Colt finished putting fresh ammunition magazines in, a fragrant aroma filled the air, a stark contrast to the smell of old wood, brick, and garbage in that dilapidated part of town.
Colt turned around and saw none other than the deranged robot creation of her nemesis Professor Montague Moon: Candyman. The insane Candyman robot standing before her with its bright pink and white metallic chassis and red laced armor enhancements, a crazed metallic version of the Gingerbread man from fairy tales.
“Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee…” giggled Candyman as it fired a volley of globs of sticky pink bubble gum at Colt. Colt immediately dodged out of the way behind an old car parked nearby as the pink orbs struck her motorcycle, covering it with a pink, rubbery glop.
Colt gritted her teeth in frustration, having just cleaned her motorcycle that morning, as she sprang on the other side of the car and opened fire with her machine pistol, shooting apart Candyman’s knees with four well placed bursts of armor piercing bullets. The robot collapsed on its back and floundered like a disoriented turtle as Colt cautiously walked over to it.
“Who’s behind this? Professor Moon? Is he working with Professor Gizmo now?” questioned Colt. “ANSWER ME!”
Candyman then disappeared before Colt’s eyes when suddenly a giant net landed on top of her, entangling her as she fell onto the ground. Colt looked up and saw a heavily armored man in technological armor descending down towards her: Omegakhron, a super powered mercenary even more powerful than Battlezone.
“Target neutralized,” said Omegakhron.
“Think again,” replied Colt as she crawled out of the net and opened fire with her pistol and machine pistol, as a hail of bullets struck Omegakhron squarely in the chest.
“Damage, minimal. Countermeasures initiated.” responded Omegakhron as he fired a series of laser blasts at Colt. Colt dodged behind an old brick wall as lasers riddled against it before she returned fire with another massive barrage, with the bullets inflicting negligible damage. Omegakhron fired another volley of lasers, slowly reducing the brick wall she was hiding behind for cover to dust.
“I’m way outgunned,” thought Colt as she quickly reloaded her pistol with a magazine of high-explosive rounds. “Here goes everything…”
Colt swung around the side and opened fire, with the first three bullets striking Omegakhron squarely in the chest as sparks and small explosions erupted on his metallic chassis, visibly damaging the seemingly impregnable defense. Colt fired the remaining three bullets in the magazine at Omegakhron’s weapon systems, blowing apart his laser blaster.
“No more Mister Nice Guy,” said Omegakhron as he lunged at Colt knocking her across the street as she slammed against the wall. Omegakhron picked up her pistol and machine gun pistol, crushing it as he followed up with another hard punch, knocking the wind out her.
“Effort was worthy, but your resistance proved futile,” replied Omegakhron. “Victory is mine.”
“GET AWAY FROM HER!” yelled Nightveil as she fired a magic blast at Omegakhron, shattering a sizeable chunk of the back of his armor. Sparks flew as Nightveil caught him off guard and off balance. Nightveil released a rapid barrage of magic blasts that overloaded his defenses, forcing him away from Colt. The blasts pinned him against a wall as he held his arms in front of his face in a desperate attempt to deflect them.
“Now, for the finishing touch…” said Nightveil as she cast a final spell, teleporting Omegakhron out of his armor to the outside. Omegakhron’s eyes opened wide with shock as he appeared on the city street in his regular clothes and no longer piloting his formidable armor suit.
“Now, let’s start with the beginning,” stated Nightveil when in a flash Omegakhron and Candyman both disappeared, as if plucked out of reality and vanishing away.
“What the…?” blurted out Nightveil as she helped up Colt. Nightveil walked Colt back to Colt’s motorcycle, finding it covered in slimy, pink bubblegum. “Are you okay?”
“A couple nasty bruises and a few small cuts; not bad,” replied Colt as she peeled away some of the bubble gum glop to access her first aid kit. Colt applied some antiseptic spray and Band-Aids to her wounds. “Thanks for backing me up.”
“No problem. This is strange; I’m not detecting any residual magic here…however they came and went, it wasn’t from magic,” said Nightveil as she completed a mystic scan of the immediate area.
“No non-supernatural villain we’ve encountered can teleport like that,” said Colt as she opened her compartment to retrieve her spare machine pistol. “A new enemy, perhaps?”
“I’m not sure,” said Nightveil. “Tara’s on her way over in the jump ship, and maybe we’ll get some more insight from the equipment we have on board.”
“How long will it take?” asked Colt.
“About twenty minutes, I think,” responded Nightveil.
Colt subtlely gestured to her bubblegum covered motorcycle as she said, “Think you can do something about that?”
“Done.” replied Nightveil with a smile as she cast a spell to dissolve the bubblegum substance.
* * *
Meanwhile, Greg, Peter, and Bobby watched in disappointment as two more villains they summoned from hacking into Dr. Jimenez’s time and dimensional travel device were beaten soundly, forcing them to pluck and send them back where they came from initially.
“Those guys STUNK!” muttered Bobby. “Nightveil’s there, NOW can we bring in Dreamslayer?”
“I’m inclined to agree,” added Peter. “It would be kind of neat to see Dreamslayer go at it against the two of them at once.”
“Fine, fine. Let’s do it,” agreed Greg finally as he inputted the commands, transporting Dreamslayer into the deserted city street where Nightveil and Colt awaited the arrival of Tara.
Back at the city street Nightveil momentarily grew dizzy.
“Nightveil, what’s wrong?” asked Colt.
“Something weird just happened to me,” said Nightveil as she regained her composure. “Like someone just walked on my grave or something…”
Colt and Nightveil caught wind of the smell of burnt brimstone as they both turned around, seeing down the street the supernatural overlord known as Dreamslayer, a hideous melding of super science and sorcery as he hovered before them in golden colored cybernetic armor and coruscating energy where a face would be. Dreamslayer crackled with scarlet energy emanating from him like an unholy aura of dark powers.
“Dreamslayer…” gasped Nightveil.
“Who?” muttered Colt as she drew her weapons.
“The Green Lama and Dr. Weir told me about him; a supernatural force of destruction they banished years ago…” explained Nightveil, visibly concerned.
“I see raw power stirring within you, little one,” said Dreamslayer with an evil grin as he gazed straight at Nightveil. “Your Cloak of Darkness would be a great addition to my dominion.”
“Not going to happen, bucko,” barked Colt as she opened fire with a burst of armor piercing bullets that bounced harmless off of Dreamslayer’s cybernetic armor.
“Amusing,” said Dreamslayer. “For your attempt at humor, I shall give you the serene peace of oblivion…”
The wind picked up and the sky turned a blood red as Dreamslayer released a deadly stream of scarlet lightning at Colt. Nightveil summoned forth a mystic shield that surrounded them both as the bolt struck. The force of the blast knocked Nightveil back a couple of feet, as the mystic shield flickered, diminishing in power.
“Get more backup, I’ll hold him off,” ordered Nightveil as she fired a blast of magic energy at Dreamslayer that impacted him, having minimal effect.
“Child, your magic is so elementary to me,” replied Dreamslayer wickedly. “You do not need the Cloak of Darkness. Give it to me and I will spare your life.”
“Fat chance, fat head!” said Nightveil defiantly as she cast another spell, entangling Dreamslayer in a whirlwind of magical energy chains to pin him down as she rained shards of mystic energy onto him.
“Tara, this is Colt,” said Colt on her communicator. “We got a situation here. Radio Stardust, Rayda, and Ms. Victory…we’re going to need some more firepower on this one.”
“You got it,” said Tara.
“BAHAHAHAHA!!!!!” roared Dreamslayer as he broke free of the mystic energy chains and slowly advanced towards Nightveil as she took to the air. Dreamslayer hurtled another scarlet lightning bolt at Nightveil as she reactivated her defenses. Nightveil’s mystic shield barely held, as she continued casting every spell she knew at Dreamslayer with minimal effect on slowing him down. Colt opened fire again with her high explosive bullets, again having no effect.
“How’d they defeat him the first time?” yelled Colt as she fired again, seeing the bullets bounce harmlessly off.
“They didn’t…! They barely teleported him back to the netherworld!” answered Nightveil as she weathered another devastating blast from Dreamslayer. “I don’t remember them saying anything about him having power armor, either!”
“Can’t you whip another spell to do the same?!” said Colt.
“It’s not that simple…it takes time to create a spell powerful enough to move such an unwilling entity from one dimension to another!” replied Nightveil as she dodged another lightning bolt.
“Swell…” muttered Colt as she reloaded.
“Enough,” replied Dreamslayer as he cast a spell of his own! Two giant demon hands sprang out from the road surface and grabbed Colt and Nightveil, holding them tight in their grasp.
“ARRRRGHHHH!!!!” screamed Colt.
“CAN’T….BREATHE!” gasped Nightveil as the hand squeezed the air out of her, making it easy for Dreamslayer to cast a final spell on Nightveil. Heavily drained mentally from Dreamslayer’s onslaught, Nightveil quickly succumbed to his sleep spell as she slumped out cold in the demon hand’s grip.
“Bravo…bravo…” said a woman’s voice from the distance.
“Show yourself,” ordered Dreamslayer as, from the shadows, Nightveil’s longtime nemesis, Alizarin Crimson, emerged.
“And you are?” said Dreamslayer.
“Alizarin Crimson, great one,” said Alizarin Crimson.
* * *
“NO WAY! NO WAY!!!!” cheered Bobby as he watched the giant monitor screen. “WHERE’D SHE COME FROM?”
“I don’t know,” said Greg. “I didn’t summon here.”
“Who cares? She’s there now, this is getting even better!” said Peter.
* * *
“I can read your thoughts; they are an open book to me,” stated Dreamslayer. “You want the Cloak of Darkness for yourself, and seek to trick me into giving it to you. I will not.”
“Very well, then,” threatened Alizarin Crimson. “I will take what you will not give.”
Alizarin Crimson summoned her arcane magic and released a massive bolt of magical energy that struck Dreamslayer directly as a small explosion erupted blasting dirt and broken macadam into the air. As the cloud of dust and burnt carbon cleared Dreamslayer remained hovering, unfazed from one of Alizarin Crimson’s most powerful attacks.
“It…it cannot be!” said Alizarin Crimson in disbelief.
“It can. It will,” replied Dreamslayer as he unleashed a flurry of ebony black energy blasts that pummeled Alizarin Crimson. Her magic force field only lasted mere seconds as she was soon brought to her knees from him.
“What…are…you?” said Alizarin Crimson weakly.
“I am power incarnate, I am Dreamslayer…” said Dreamslayer.
* * *
“OH MY GAWD! OH MY GAWD! DID YOU SEE THAT???” yelled Bobby. “Dreamslayer took down Colt, Nightveil, AND Alizarin Crimson!!! That is just SO cool!”
“Grandpa Brady wasn’t kidding when he told us that Dreamslayer’s the most powerful villain that ever walked the Earth!” said Peter. “But I think we’d better send him back.”
“Bobby?” asked Greg.
“Actually, yeah, Peter’s right,” agreed Bobby reluctantly. “He’s gonna blow up the world at this rate!”
“Okay, okay, I’ll send him back,” said Greg as he typed in the commands. Moments later and as unexpectedly as he arrived, Dreamslayer was gone! With him gone, the spells he cast dissipated as the giant demonic hands disappeared, releasing Colt and Nightveil from its grip.
Alizarin Crimson recovered as well, deciding that discretion was the better part of valor as she quickly activated a teleportation spell to slip away.
“Another time, Nightveil…another time…” said Alizarin Crimson as she disappeared.
“WHAT is going on here?” said a frustrated Colt. “One second we’re on our way to buying the farm from Dreamslayer and now he’s gone? What gives???”
“I have no idea…” said Nightveil as she got up and began dusting herself off. “Where’s Tara?”
* * *
“That was just so cool, Greg!” exclaimed Peter. “Who do we summon next? Chromo? Killer Clown? Professor Moon? Valkyra?”
“Does it matter? The sky’s the limit!” said Greg.
“Ahem,” said a voice behind them. Greg, Peter, and Bobby turned around, finding Tara, Rayda, and Ms. Victory standing behind them.
“Uh-oh……” muttered Greg, Peter, and Bobby.
* * *
It didn’t take long for Ms. Victory, Tara, and Rayda to dismantle Greg, Peter, and Bobby’s computers and take them into custody, turning in their hardware for study since they were able to access a top secret location and its assets through a remote location. Back at FemForce Headquarters, Ms. Victory debriefed everyone on the day’s unusual events.
“You mean to tell me that whole mess in that old industrial park in town was concocted by three zit-faced teenage fanboys????” said She-Cat.
“I’m afraid so,” said Ms. Victory.
“How’d you track them?” asked Colt.
“It was easy,” explained Tara. “When I was flying towards you in the jump ship I was picking up these unusual energy signatures from this residential area immediately followed by some type of distortion where you were. Since you and Nightveil were dealing with what was coming out of that distortion, I radioed Ms. Victory and Rayda and we triangulated the energy residue to where they were; like tracing a phone call.”
“@**@^%$$ punks…” cursed She-Cat quietly.
“Punks or not, those three were able to hack into a heavily guarded installation and use one of the most powerful inventions on the planet,” stated Nightveil. “And summon one of the most fearsome entities ever known.”
“Maybe we ought to give them a job and put them on the payroll,” suggested Colt sarcastically. “We can take it out of General Gordon’s salary.”
Everyone laughed.
The End
Posted: December 10, 2009 at 8:52 pm | Tags: fred wong
Author’s Note: This story’s inspired by and dedicated to the babysitter perils my friends Helen and Marcy dealt with in high school and college, respectively.
“Thanks again for having us over for dinner, Laura,” thanked Rayda as she and Colt entered her modest house not far from FemForce headquarters. “This is my first time over, how about you, Val?”
“First time here also,” said Colt. “The last time was at Laura’s family estate, wasn’t it? A mansion?”
“Yes, very old money looking,” commented Nightveil as she brought out a small tray of hors d’ouvres. “Way too large for one person to live in alone. This is much cozier.”
“Yes, there’s a certain charm to it,” said Rayda with a smile. “I wouldn’t expect it from the world’s most powerful sorceress.”
“So I’ve heard,” replied Nightveil as opened the bottle of white wine. “Half of the fan letters I’ve received ask if I live in some Gothic castle or a house of Gingerbread.”
“Are you serious?” said Colt with a laugh. “I can understand the castle but a Gingerbread house? What, do they think you try to cook little boys and girls into stew in your off-time when you’re not fighting Alizarin Crimson?”
Nightveil shrugged as Rayda laughed before sampling some hors d’ouvres.
“Dinner’ll be ready in about 40 minutes,” said Nightveil. “It’s still roasting in the oven. Why don’t you put on some music? I just got a new collection of CDs.”
“Okay,” said Rayda as she previewed Nightveil’s CD collection, a bit surprised on what she saw, as they were all big band orchestra music or jazz performers like Elle Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, and Louie Armstrong.
“Is there a problem, Dyna?” asked Nightveil.
“No, not at all,” replied Rayda as she put in a Duke Ellington CD. “Classic jazz is fine, but I was wondering if you had any music made in the last 20 years, perhaps?”
“What do you mean?” commented Nightveil with an awkward smile. “Are you implying that I’m out of touch?”
“Hold on, hold on,” interrupted Colt. “Dyna, Nightveil was originally the Blue Bulleteer during World War II and got teleported into another dimension to train in the mystic arts. She didn’t return until much later.”
“That explains a lot about the tastes,” said Rayda.
“You didn’t answer my question,” teased Nightveil. “Do you think I’m out of touch with the modern world?”
“Um…kinda, yes,” replied Rayda awkwardly. “I mean, the way you decorate your home, the way you dress when not in costume, and the music…it’s like I’m visiting my grandparents. One time, when they asked one of the other grandchildren what he was saving his allowance money for, he told them it was for a Sony Playstation, and they thought he wanted a jungle gym.”
“I am fully aware of all the latest gadgets today’s children are into,” asserted Nightveil humorously. “I’m just not willing to succumb to every fad that comes out, that’s all.”
“I still have my doubts,” joked Rayda.
* * *
About an hour and a half later Nightveil, Rayda, and Colt had finished the majority of their meal and were shooting the breeze at the dining room table with another round of wine while enjoying their dessert.
“I tell you what,” suggested Rayda. “You want to prove to me that you’re still with it, right? Well, I’ve got a wager for you. You interested?”
“Depends,” said Nightveil as she took another sip of her wine. “What is it?”
“I’m chaperoning a birthday party for my baby cousin Jimmy who’s turning eight this weekend,” explained Rayda. “If you help out and successfully keep them in line, then you win. Let’s say, I wash your car any time you want for a month.”
“And if I lose?” said Nightveil.
“I get you to dress you in the latest fashions for a month,” replied Rayda.
“Easy enough,” chuckled Nightveil confidently.
“Wait a second, I’m not through yet,” added Rayda. “No powers. No magic spells. No showing up in costume to dazzle the kids with lure of meeting Nightveil; just plain ol’ Laura Wright. Still willing to wager?”
“Of course,” asserted Nightveil humorously. “But who’ll be the judge of this contest?”
“I guess that’d be me,” commented Colt. “I didn’t have anything special planned this weekend, anyhow.”
“So, we have a deal?” said Rayda.
“Yep, consider it done.” said Nightveil with a confident smile as they shook hands to seal the deal.
* * *
The weekend of truth soon arrived, as Rayda and Colt picked up Nightveil and took her to Rayda’s sister’s home. The party wasn’t to start for about an hour, giving them time to freshen up and finish setting up. Rayda and Colt were dressed fairly casually, with a comfortable mock turtleneck longsleeve shirt and jeans while Nightveil was in a light spring dress
“What’d you bring?” asked Rayda, a little surprised to see Nightveil ride with them with a large paper bag.
“Oh, just some party games, like pin the tail on the donkey, a small pinata, and some others,” explained Nightveil, noticing strange looks from Rayda and Colt.
“Laura, no one really plays pin the tail of the donkey anymore,” said Colt, “But then again, I was kind of a tomboy growing up, and played football at my parties.”
“I just bought these yesterday at the party store in town,” replied Nightveil.
“Where? Don’s Party Store?” asked Rayda.
“Yes, I think so,” answered Nightveil. “Why?”
“Most of what he sells is clearance party supplies from years ago,” explained Rayda. “Look at the copyright on it…1970.”
“Well, what do you have planned then?” asked Nightveil as she put the items back in the bag.
“Follow me,” said Rayda.
“Don’t get too down, Laura, we might use them later,” suggested Colt as Rayda led them to the main living room, where three large big screen televisions were on display.
“What are those for? You’re showing movies for the party?” asked Nightveil.
“Hardly,” said Rayda as she pulled out some black boxes. “I rented these three televisions along with three sets of the hottest new video game system; we’re having a video game tournament.”
“You’re kidding,” said Colt in disbelief.
“Not at all. I got the idea from another birthday party I helped out in a couple of months ago,” commented Rayda. “For that one the family rented the whole video arcade for the afternoon, which cost them an arm and a leg. This cost a third of what they paid.”
“Aren’t the newest games for that system tailored towards teens?” asked Nightveil. “They’re awfully violent and graphic.”
“Got it covered,” said Rayda. “My sister and I picked out a cool racing car game and tested it out. It’s called Daytona 5000 and they can use either modern or futuristic racing cars. Just cool cars and lots of speed.”
Nightveil picked up the controller, a bit perplexed by the number of buttons.
“Isn’t this kind of advanced for an eight year old?” asked Nightveil. “Wouldn’t a simpler video game system like an Atari be easier?”
Rayda looked up confused and said, “What’s an Atari?”
* * *
An hour later the kids arrived, and including the guest of honor, Jimmy, the total was twelve little boys as they exchanged high-fives and placed their gifts on the main table. Nightveil and Jimmy’s Mom, Sheila, were in the kitchen were finished heating up some pizza rolls and placed them on the tray, while Colt and Rayda were still connecting all the video game systems together and setting up the tournament rules.
“The natives are getting restless,” joked Rayda, overhearing Jimmy and his friends running around, laughing and screaming while impersonating their favorite television superheroes.
“I still need to clean up some things here,” said Sheila. “Laura, why don’t you entertain the kids until Dyna and Val finish up in the living room. There’re plenty of toys in the rec room.”
“Okay,” agreed Laura as she herded the kids into the rec room.
“Hello, everyone, I’m Laura,” greeted Nightveil.
“Hello, Miss Laura,” replied the kids in unison.
“Would you like to play a game?” offered Nightveil.
“Sure!” said Todd happily, one of Jimmy’s friends.
“What game, then?” asked Nightveil.
Todd and Jimmy’s other friend Kyle whispered a suggestion into Jimmy’s ear, as Jimmy nodded yes as he said, “How about the Perils of Penelope?”
“Um, okay…” replied Nightveil. “I’ve never heard of that game before.”
“That’s okay, we’ll teach you how,” said Kyle.
* * *
About ten minutes passed as Rayda and Colt had everything set up while all the food for the party was ready to go. Rayda had written down how the tournament was to go, so everyone had a chance to play plenty of times throughout the day.
“Well, it’s all set up,” commented Rayda. “Let’s reel them in.”
As Sheila got out some more napkins and small paper plates, Rayda and Colt went to the recreation to check on Nightveil and start the video racing game tournament. When they arrived, Rayda and Colt wound Nightveil tied to a chair with an excessive amount of rope and gagged with a cloth!
“What’ll it be, Penelope? The buzzsaw or the bomb?” teased Kyle in a funny voice, using an old tablecloth as a cloak.
“MMPH!” protested Nightveil.
“What on earth….?” said Colt in disbelief.
“Oh my,” added Rayda, trying hard not to laugh. “I wouldn’t expect this to happen to the world’s most powerful sorceress!”
“What do we do?” asked Colt.
“I’ll take care of it,” assured Rayda.
“Okay, Hooded Claw…” called out Rayda. “Let’s fast forward from damsel in distress land to the racing pit, shall we? Are any of you ready to race?”
“YEAH!” cheered the kids.
“All righty then, let’s go!” replied Rayda, imitating Donald Duck’s voice. The kids put the toys back on the shelf and followed Rayda to the living room to start the tournament. Colt remained behind in the recreation room and started to untie Nightveil, removing the gag first.
“Are you okay?” asked Colt as she began untying the knots.
“DOES IT LOOK LIKE I’M OKAY????” blurted out Nightveil. “I CAN’T BELIEVE THOSE LITTLE HEATHENS DID THIS TO ME!!! I’M GOING TO PUT THOSE BRATS ON MY KNEES AND…NO, WAIT! I’M GOING TO WASH OUT THEIR MOUTHS WITH SOAP!!!!”
“Easy, Laura, easy…” replied Colt. “You really can’t spank or punish other people’s kids nowadays…”
“I know, I know…” answered Nightveil as she took a couple of deep breaths and calmed down. “I just can’t believe this happened. I mean, I’ve gone toe to toe against the Black Shroud and just got tricked into being tied up by a bunch of seven year olds!”
“Well, there IS a difference,” commented Colt as she removed some more rope. “The seven year olds are smarter…”
* * *
About an hour later the party was well under way with Rayda and Jimmy’s Mom Sheila were running the video game tournament as the kids rotated in and out for snacks. Inside the kitchen Nightveil and Colt were serving food and cleaning up the occasional spill that occurred.
“What’s the matter, Laura?” asked Colt.
“I’m just grimacing about Dyna winning our bet,” pouted Nightveil. “She’s going to try and dress me up like Britney Spears or someone worse.”
“The party’s barely started, Laura, you’re doing fine,” assured Colt. “I’m the judge in this, after all.”
“Are you kidding me? Look at her and look at me!” replied Nightveil. “Dyna has them eating out of her hands and me, well, you SAW what happened to me! Tied up like a some damsel in distress in the silent movies.”
“Well, the mischievous whim of trying to tie up the babysitter is in all little boys,” pointed out Colt, hiding her smile.
“You say that as if you know from experience,” replied Nightveil skeptically.
“Like I said, Laura, I was a tomboy growing up,” reminded Colt. “I played the same games the boys down the street played; I’ll leave it at that.”
* * *
Meanwhile, outside the once clear skies over Florida turned cloudy as a thunderstorm quickly loomed in overhead. Within another half hour a steady rain was coming down, followed by flashing lightning and booming thunder. As the weather took a turn for the worse, another flash of lightning struck and impacted the local power grid, as power failed within a several block radius.
“Uh-oh…” muttered Rayda.
“Aw, man, the power’s out!” muttered Kyle along with the other kids attending the party.
“Now what do we do?” asked Todd.
“I want to go home…” whispered Eric.
Nightveil’s eyes lit up instantly as she came out and put up the donkey poster on the wall as she said, “Well, you all did okay on the video games, but I think it’s time you all get a real test of dexterity. Pin the tail on the donkey.”
“What’re you talking about, Miss Laura? Pin the tail on the donkey’s the easiest game in the world,” insisted Jason, a party guest.
“Great, then you’ll go first and show us how easy it is,” replied Laura as she covered his eyes with a blindfold and then spun him around clockwise, then counterclockwise, and then maneuvered him around the room a bit before spinning him around a few more times.
“Now, no help from the outsiders, got it?” ordered Nightveil and Colt flashed the “Shhh” signal with her finger over her mouth.
Jason stumbled about, extremely disoriented as he cast the tail. Upon removing the blindfold. everyone laughed in the fact that Jason missed the donkey’s body by at least four whole feet.
“Not as easy, is it?” giggled Nightveil.
“Here, let me give it shot!” insisted Kyle.
“No, me!” blurted out Eric.
“One moment, one moment. You’ll all get a chance,” stated Nightveil politely as she blindfolded Jimmy next.
* * *
About two hours later the power was restored as the party drew to a close, as young Jimmy blew out the candles and opened his gifts with his friends by candlelight that gave the room a magical aura. Not long after the cake was served it was time to go, as parents soon arrived to pick up their kids. As the last of the party guests left, Nightveil, Rayda, and Colt helped clean up while Sheila and Jimmy were saying goodbye.
“Fun party,” commented Colt. “I think the kids had a blast.”
“So, have you reached a decision?” asked Rayda as she wiped off some dishes.
“Well, I haven’t really given it much thought yet,” admitted Colt.
“Rayda won,” muttered Nightveil. “I was the one who got tied up by them and had to get rescued. Dyna corralled them up and had control the entire time with the high-tech toys she got.”
“I wouldn’t go that far, Laura,” admitted Rayda. “I really didn’t know what to do when the power went out and those party games you ran were a real hit. That pinata was amazing; there’s something to be said about that old-fashioned style of yours.”
“Well, I believe you’ve already settled it then,” said Colt with a smile.
“What do you mean? Who won?” asked Rayda.
“You both did,” answered Colt. “Both of you had your hiccups, but you pretty much had things under control the entire time. You don’t see Sheila complaining, do you?”
Laura smiled as she said to Rayda, “Dyna, I’d like my interior vacuumed also after you wash my car tomorrow, please.”
Rayda smiled also as she fired back, “Sure, and you can drive us straight to the mall afterwards; Express Internationale and The Limited are having storewide sales.”
The End
Posted: December 10, 2009 at 8:54 pm | Tags: fred wong
Ms. Victory was among the most powerful beings on the planet, possessing paranormal strength and invulnerability on an epic scale. No bullet ever pierced her skin; no knife ever cut her flesh. Behind the mask, though, she was still Jennifer Wayne Burke, a woman, like everyone else, with a heart, like everyone else, and with feelings, like everyone else.
Ms. Victory tossed and turned all night, restless in her bed as she awoke breathing heavily with a cold sweat again and again. It was 3 AM, and nothing worked. Warm milk, sleeping pills, and soothing music did nothing for her as she restlessly lay in bed, tossing and turning. Ms. Victory’s heart raced, as she wanted to scream but cried on her pillow.
It was a little after 5 AM when Ms. Victory finally got out of bed, barely sleeping more than fifteen continuous minutes at a time the night before, evident in her visibly bloodshot eyes. This was the day she dreaded more than anything other in the world, and was already sick to her stomach before the sunrise.
It was her son Jason’s birthday.
It was a little over a year since he died that fateful day. At the time her own mother, Joan Wayne, was corrupted into being the villainess Rad, with Jennifer leading the FemForce to restore her back to her true form. In the ensuing battle a stray piece of rubble fell, killing the young Jason Burke. It was a tragedy that wasn’t her fault, but was something that still haunted Jennifer Wayne Burke.
Jennifer took a long, hard look at the arrangement of photos she had framed on her wall as the first morning’s light trickled inside and shone on the display. Her son Jason was a good kid who always tried to give more than he took, and had more dreams than stars in the evening sky. Jason was everything Jennifer wanted in a son, the embodiment of her love, hope, and faith. It all came to a halt on that tragic day.
Jennifer still missed his smile in the morning. Whether he was two or nine, Jason always awoke with a smile on his face, rain or shine, snow or sleet. Regardless of how rough a time Jennifer had at work the day before, seeing Jason shining smile revitalized her. There was something special about him that made people around him want to become better, a unique trait that made its way to his little league team, going from 2 wins and 10 losses to 9 and 3 and in the championship game the following season. Jennifer remembered that game and more importantly, what happened afterwards. She remembered walking back with him to the car; he was covered in dust and was feeling down in the dumps after losing 4 to 3 in the final inning of play. Even though he went 3 for 3 that day and made a spectacular catch to prevent a run from scoring, Jason was still down since the team lost but didn’t blame anyone at all or make excuses like some of his teammates did; Jennifer was never more proud of him than that moment.
It really didn’t seem all that long ago he was still in diapers, or when she was chasing him as a toddler around the house for bath time, or his championship little league game. Jennifer missed those simpler days, and wished she could have them again, if only to remind her of how special those times were.
But wishes weren’t reality, as Jennifer reflected somberly as she showered and then changed into a simple long sleeve blouse and jeans. Breakfast was quick, some toast and orange juice as she headed out the door, barely saying a word to fellow members She-Cat and Stardust as she passed them abruptly in the main entranceway.
“What’s gotten into her?” blurted out She-Cat. “Does she have a stick up her…oh, wait…”
“I know. I had almost forgotten, too,” commented Stardust. “We threw a surprise party for him in this same building two years ago.”
It took Ms. Victory a little over an hour to reach the cemetery where her son was buried. Ms. Victory parked her car and walked to his well kept gravesite, placing a birthday card, a small U.S. flag, and a happy birthday balloon around his grave.
“Hello, Jason,” said Ms. Victory quietly. “Happy Birthday.”
Ms. Victory wiped away her tears and took a deep breath. “Your cousin Bobby’s due to rotate back home from Enduring Freedom soon…not sure where the Army’ll send him next. Hurry up and wait some more, I suppose. Your cousin Samantha is halfway through freshman year in high school, and will make honor roll. Not much else has happened in the family since I was last here.”
She thought back to Jason seeing his cousin Bobby after he finished Army basic and advanced individual training, decked out in his formal green Class A uniform. Bobby was a brand new Private First Class with a shiny Expert marksmanship badge and the Army Service Ribbon on his chest, and remembered how Jason looked up to him and wanted to be like him rather than some conceited professional baseball player on television.
“I miss you, Jason,” said Ms. Victory. “I miss your smile. I miss your imagination. I miss having you there to cheer me up. Your father and I loved you so much…I’ve never been the same without you.”
“Are you expecting him to say something?” said a voice.
“WHO SAID THAT?” exclaimed Ms. Victory as she immediately sprang to her feet, seeing nothing around at first.
“ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!” asserted Ms. Victory.
“Just an old friend to say hello,” said Alizarin Crimson, emerging from behind a small stone monument. “Nice to see you again with your little boy pushing up the daisies.”
“HIS NAME WAS JASON!!!!!” roared Ms. Victory as she delivered a devastating punch that hit Alizarin so quickly that she couldn’t raise a force field in time, sending her flying across the cemetery as she slammed hard onto the ground.
“My, my…aren’t we a little miffed this morning,” teased Alizarin as she dusted herself off and activated her magical force field. Ms. Victory pressed her attack, delivering another two punches that were absorbed by the field.
“Are you going to cry now, Ms. Victory? Are you?” mocked Alizarin as she fired a magic blast at Ms. Victory, knocking her to the ground. “You should thank me; in a few moments you’ll be joining your dead little brat.”
“RAAAAAGHHHH!” screamed Ms. Victory as she grabbed a hold of the magical force field, shredding the mystical energy apart with her bare hands. Ms. Victory grabbed Alizarin and piledrivered her into the ground, picked her up again, then slammed her hard on the ground a second time before straddling over her to pin her down. Ms. Victory’s hands reached around Alizarin’s throat, as fear echoed in the bruised and bloodied Alizarin’s eyes.
“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t shatter your spine,” said Ms. Victory bitterly.
Another magic blast surged out of nowhere and struck Ms. Victory in the back, knocking her off of Alizarin as the evil sorceress Gorgana emerged. Alizarin Crimson was not alone, and had come with backup.
“The Fear Force is back,” cackled Gorgana. “And we’re taking out the FemForce, starting with you.”
“You want some? Come get some,” retorted Ms. Victory as she dodged Gorgana’s magic blast and delivered a well-placed kick, sending her reeling. Alizarin was still too weak to stand, let alone cast a spell as Ms. Victory tracked her down and delivered another hard kick.
“Where’re the rest of you?” replied Ms. Victory bitterly. “You picked the wrong day and the wrong woman to mess with.”
“I wouldn’t say that. Right, Valkyra?” commented Darkfire.
“Ya, Darkfire,” added Valkyra as she slammed into Ms. Victory with a shoulder tackle. Darkfire fired a psionic blast from her helmet at Ms. Victory, striking her down as Valkyra continued pummeling her. Ms. Victory, outnumbered four to one, could only hold up her arms in defense to shield herself from the onslaught.
“POUR IT ON!” yelled Alizarin as she and Gorgana bombarded Ms. Victory with a deadly volley of magic blasts. “WE HAVE HER NOW!”
Seraph by Fed Wong“ENOUGH!!!!” echoed a voice from the sky above. Gorgana, Alizarin Crimson, Valkyra, and Darkfire looked up, seeing what appeared to be a winged warrior in futuristic armor hovering above them.
“Who’s he?” asked Darkfire.
“Who cares, just shoot him up and let God sort the mess out,” replied Alizarin as she blasted him with a spell. Surprisingly, the spell had no effect.
“My turn,” replied the winged warrior as he hurtled a spear of lightning at Alizarin Crimson, shattering her mystical defenses. Darkfire attempted to fire a psionic blast from her helmet, but was struck with a shard of lightning first. Darkfire’s helmet shattered in two, leaving her powerless.
“BAH! I WILL FIX THIS!” roared Valkyra as she leaped into the air and grabbed him, bearhugging him around his waist in an attempt to drag him down on the ground. The winged warrior flew higher and higher into the sky as Valkyra punched his kidneys again and again, but had no visible effect on him.
“I said, enough,” said the winged warrior sternly as he touched Valkyra, searing her with a flame that forced her to let him go. Valkyra fell several dozen feet before impacting on the ground below, knocking herself out.
The severely beaten, bruised, and bloodied Alizarin crawled over to Gorgana. By themselves, they were too weak to summon a spell, but together they had enough strength remaining to create a dimensional portal through which to escape. The winged warrior threw another lightning spear that missed as the four villainesses disappeared.
Ms. Victory got back to her feet and began dusting herself off, as she sustained a few cuts and perhaps some bruised ribs. Her blouse was covered with dirt and grime, and was soaked in sweat.
“Are you all right?” asked the winged warrior.
“Yes, thanks,” responded Ms. Victory. “I’m Jennifer Burke. Who are you?”
“I am Seraph,” said Seraph. “I am sorry that I allowed them to escape, for they will strike again once their regain their power. Do you need medical assistance?”
“No, I’ll be all right,” replied Ms. Victory. “I guess I’m tougher than I thought.”
“Good. I am sure that I will be seeing you soon,” said Seraph cryptically as he took to the air and flew away.
“Wait! I….I…” added Ms. Victory as Seraph disappeared from sight.
* * *
Hours later Ms. Victory had cleaned up, bandaged, and had finished her debriefing with the other FemForce members. It was only a few weeks since they defeated Fear Force and imprisoned their leader, Proxima, but even leaderless they remained a deadly threat.
“I wonder who’s calling the shots with Proxima still locked up in prison,” commented Rayda. “Alizarin Crimson maybe?”
“She’s too individualistic,” said Nightveil, who had fought her on many occasions and knew her powers and tactics inside and out. “Based on what you told us, there was no direction or teamwork in their attack. They all sorted of piled on you.”
“I’ll say,” said Ms. Victory. “I think I was beaten within an inch of my life.”
“Proxima’s ruthless as they come, but she is well educated in the science, and art, of war,” added Stardust. “I never would have guessed she was so vital to that group’s ability to function as a unit.”
“Well, who ELSE do you know is strong enough to stomach Gorgana’s ugly face and be willing to shave Valkyra’s back on a regular basis? Not me, that’s for sure,” replied She-Cat sarcastically.
“Well, hygiene and appearance notwithstanding, I’d like to know a little more about this ‘Seraph’ individual who helped Ms. Victory,” said Colt as she inputted the description Ms. Victory gave into her portable laptop computer. “There’s no record of him whatsoever in any database.”
“A new hero?” said Rayda.
“I don’t know,” said Ms. Victory. “He didn’t maneuver like some rookie, more like a seasoned veteran. He was so calm, and yet so forceful during the fight. I mean, he shrugged off shots from Alizarin Crimson and Valkyra like a gentle rain.”
“Was he cute?” asked She-Cat.
“I didn’t really get a good look at his face, but he did seem familiar in a strange way,” recalled Ms. Victory. “Are you sure he’s not listed anywhere? Somebody that powerful doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Colt checked again and shook her head ‘no’ as she replied, “No, nothing. The other heroes, and even ex-villains I came across, don’t fit the description at all.”
“Curiouser and curiouser,” commented Nightveil.
* * *
At a seedy hotel room across town, Fear Force members Alizarin Crimson, Gorgana, Darkfire, and Valkyra were nursing their wounds with plenty of antiseptic spray and bandages. Darkfire was repairing her helmet, soddering the circuitry while also using Krazy glue to re-attach some components.
“What just happened this morning?” cursed Alizarin Crimson, wincing as she sprayed some antiseptic mist onto her scrapped and cut legs. “We had Ms. Victory right where we wanted her, like a babe to the slaughter, and came up empty handed.”
“Ya, we got our butts kicked,” replied Valkyra as she applied another ice pack onto her shoulder, which was her third as an ice pack was already on her knee and another on her lower back.
“It was because of that winged freak,” cackled Gorgana. “I’ve never seen him before.”
“Nor have I,” added Alizarin Crimson. “But we will have our revenge on him soon enough.”
“WILL YOU THREE KEEP IT DOWN!!! I’M TRYING TO WORK, HERE!” yelled Darkfire as she accidentally Krazy glued her fingers together.
* * *
“How you holding up?” asked General Robert Strock.
“Excuse me?” replied Ms. Victory.
“I was asking how’re you holding up,” reiterated General Strock politely.
“Fine, I guess,” answered Ms. Victory.
“Do you have some time? A walk outside, perhaps?” offered General Strock.
“I suppose,” agreed Ms. Victory.
General Strock and Ms. Victory took a leisurely walk outside, with the warm sun and cool breeze blowing by them. The lush, green trees surrounding FemForce Headquarters had an aura of serenity amidst a world of growing instability as the two walked under the shade along the sidewalk.
“It never goes away, does it? The pain. The loss. It’s a like a hole in your chest that can’t be filled,” said General Strock. “I lost some close friends during Desert Storm, and have lost some more as Iraqi Freedom continues. I miss them still, and always think about them when I hear ‘Taps’ being played.”
“So what makes you keep going?” asked Ms. Victory.
“Pride, I think, or maybe arrogance,” described General Strock. “People always argue about not wanting soldiers dying for nothing, but they don’t know what they’re talking about. I didn’t follow politics about U.S. policy back then; I just led my men as best I could to keep them alive and strong on the battlefield. We didn’t bleed or lose our friends over oil, or for making the world safe for democracy; my men and I fought and died for each other against an enemy that wanted us dead. I believe that, because I choose to believe that. It’s about faith.”
“Faith…” said Ms. Victory. “I can’t remember the last time I had such a thing. I mean, I believe that Jason’s in heaven, but I just don’t understand why he had to die, or why did I fail him like that. I mean, I’m his mother…I brought him into this world and I couldn’t even protect him. What good am I to anyone?”
“Jen, no one blames you for what happened,” asserted General Strock. “No one. And you shouldn’t blame yourself. You’ve sacrificed more than anyone should endure, and through your strength we became stronger as well.”
“I don’t feel very strong right now,” admitted Ms. Victory quietly.
“I’m attending services at my church tomorrow,” suggested General Strock. “Why don’t you come along? It might bolster your spirits.”
“I’ll pass, thanks,” replied Ms. Victory.
“Suit yourself, but the invitation’s still open,” said General Strock as the two continued walking.
* * *
Three days later an emergency alert resonated in FemForce Headquarters. Ms. Victory called in She-Cat, Nightveil, Stardust, and Colt. Rayda, Tara, and Synn were unavailable, committed to another case outside Florida.
“What’s up?” asked Colt as Ms. Victory powered up the tactical display, presenting a three dimensional computer schematic of a hotel building.
“We’ve received a tip from law enforcement in Tampa that the Fear Force has been hiding out here, in room 202, at this hotel,” explained Ms. Victory. “They’re quietly isolating the area and evacuating the guests using undercover police, leaving them open for us to take them down.”
“Ugh, that dump’s in the armpit of Tampa,” muttered She-Cat. “I’ll bet they feel right at home…”
“She-Cat, I want you on the ground with Colt,” ordered Ms. Victory. “If they make a break for it, intercept their escape route as we converge on them. Nightveil, you and Stardust fly overwatch above the hotel. They’ll be flushed out like roaches and be itching for a fight.”
“And where will you be positioned?” asked Nightveil.
“I’m doing the flushing,” stated Ms. Victory.
* * *
“There, it’s done,” said Darkfire as she finished the last of the repair on her helmet.
“It’s about time,” commented Alizarin. “I’m surprised you didn’t start using duct tape.”
“You have a problem?” threatened Darkfire.
“Yes, I do,” retorted Alizarin. “We’ve been cooped up in this smelly hotel lying low for over three days, eating cheap pizza and Chinese takeout. I want VENGEANCE! I want CONQUEST! I want it NOW!”
“Ya, time for hiding is over. Let us strike the FemForce and crush them like worms,” agreed Valkyra.
“And who put YOU in charge?” blurted out Darkfire. “It was YOUR idea to try to take out Ms. Victory first and got us into this mess to begin with! As for you, Valkyra, you can’t even remember to leave the $%^^%$@ toilet seat down!”
“I agree with Darkfire,” hissed Gorgana.
“Oh, and I suppose we’re supposed to follow an uncharismatic bore like you, Gorgana?” retorted Alizarin. “It’s no wonder she doesn’t want to leave, she’s right at home amidst all this filth! And as for you, Darkfire, I don’t know why we still allow you to remain; without that silly tinker toy on your head you’re about as strong as a used Kleenex!”
“Take that back…” said Darkfire sternly.
“Make me,” threatened Alizarin.
Without warning two gloved hands penetrated up from underneath the floor, grabbing hold of Darkfire’s ankles as they pulled through to the level below.
“HEEEEEEEEEELP!!!” screamed Darkfire as the dust clouds filled the room.
“THE FEMFORCE!” yelled Valkyra as she ripped apart a section of the floor below and jumped down. Standing in front of her was Ms. Victory, holding Darkfire’s helmet while Darkfire was pinned against the wall, wrapped up in extension cords and metal frame of the bed. Ms. Victory compressed her hands, crushing Darkfire’s helmet like a used soda pop can.
“DON’T JUST STAND THERE GAWKING AT HER, YOU IMBECILE!!!” yelled Darkfire. “GET HER!!!”
“BRRRRAAAGH!!” yelled Valkyra as she charged Ms. Victory. Ms. Victory jumped out of the way and delivered a hard back hand punch followed up by a fierce uppercut, stunning Valkyra as she threw her out the window.
“Now, what?” cackled Gorgana.
“We run,” said Alizarin as the two sorceresses scurried out the door and jumped outside to the fire escape. Outside hovering the air before them was Nightveil and Stardust, who greeted them with a blinding volley of magic blasts and star bolts.
“HEY!!! COME BACK HERE!!! HELP ME!!!!” protested Darkfire.
As Nightveil and Stardust rained energy beams over Alizarin Crimson and Gorgana, the battle between Valkyra and Ms. Victory was reaching fever pitch. Valkyra ripped out a lamp post and connected with a wild swing, knocking Ms. Victory into a brick wall. Ms. Victory sprang back and delivered a spinning kick, forcing Valkyra back as she dropped the lamp post.
“It’s over, Valkyra, surrender,” ordered Ms. Victory.
“BAH! YOU AMERICANS TALK TOO MUCH!” bellowed Valkyra as she caught Ms. Victory off guard, tackling her onto the street and began choking her. Ms. Victory coughed and gasped as she kicked Valkyra off, then rolled to the side before returning to her feet.
Ms. Victory picked up a lead pipe as she replied, “C’mon, let’s go.”
“By all means, let’s…” said Valkyra with a grin as she picked up a tire iron.
Strength met strength as Ms. Victory and Valkyra delivered blow after blow against each other. Seconds later they discarded their makeshift weapon, as Ms. Victory slammed a garbage dumpster onto Valkyra. Valkyra lifted it off her body and threw it away, picking up an old car and hurtled it above Ms. Victory, striking the side of a building. The rubble from the dilapidated building and car instantly collapsed onto Ms. Victory, pinning her down as she strained to escape underneath the massive weight.
Valkyra, covered in dirt, blood, and garbage, sauntered over towards the helpless Ms. Victory, and picked up a long piece of twisted metal. Valkyra’s right eye was swollen eye as blood trickled down from her neck and mouth.
“I have waited so long for this moment,” said Valkyra.
“NNNRRRRRR!!!!” yelled Ms. Victory as she strained to push off the massive rubble.
“And now, the death blow…” boasted Valkyra as she raised the metal shard. Lightning then struck the metal, using it as a conductor as the stream of rampant electricity surged throughout Valkyra’s body. Valkyra’s screams echoed throughout the city street as the lightning flashed and swirled around her. As the electrical fury subsided, Valkyra dropped the metal, her face covered in black soot with her golden blonde hair singed down to her roots.
“Gott,” muttered Valkyra as she collapsed on the street unconscious.
Seraph descended from the sky above to the street below, removing the excess rubble as he pulled Ms. Victory free from it.
“S-Seraph…” said Ms. Victory as she slipped unconscious.
Meanwhile, back inside the hotel Darkfire managed to wiggle out of the improvised bonds Ms. Victory put her in earlier and snuck out through another fire escape with a small duffel bag. It was full of the remaining cash the Fear Force had, a little over $2000 in small bills.
“Those backstabbing **!!^@@ losers, leaving me trapped like that,” thought Darkfire as she ran down a dark, unlit alley. “If I can make to the other lot, I can steal a car and slip out from underneath their noses.”
“Ahem,” said a voice. Darkfire turned around and saw She-Cat and Colt standing nearby, with Colt’s machine pistol pointed squarely at her.
“And where do you think you’re going, bub?” asked She-Cat.
Darkfire dropped the bag and held her hands up.
“This isn’t a stickup, is it?” said Darkfire begrudgingly.
Within the few minutes the police moved into the area en masse, while Nightveil, Stardust, Colt, and She-Cat reconsolidated in the general location of where Ms. Victory and Valkyra fought. As the four members of Fear Force were being taken into police custody, the FemForce members searched around with the underlying thought, “Where’s Jen?” .
* * *
Ms. Victory stirred. She remembered seeing Seraph save her again and Valkyra collapsing, but everything after that seemed like a blur to her. Ms. Victory awoke and opened her eyes, finding herself at what looked like a small baseball field. Ms. Victory checked herself out, finding her costume ripped and dirty but oddly enough, she had no wounds and the light injuries she sustained three days earlier were completely gone. She looked around and saw a large bread roll that appeared to be half eaten.
“The bread of life can heal all mortal wounds,” stated Seraph. “You are healed, yes?”
“I…I believe so,” said Ms. Victory awkwardly. “Thank you for saving me, again.”
“You are welcome,” said Seraph formally.
Ms. Victory scanned around, a bit perplexed on her new surroundings.
“Why did you bring me here?” asked Ms. Victory.
“I haven’t been here in a long time, and wanted to see how much of it changed. I told Gabriel and Michael that I used to hit close to .600 here, but they didn’t believe me,” explained Seraph. “I guess it’s because we lost the championship game 4 to 3 at this same place.”
Ms. Victory was speechless. Seraph’s voice, once so formal, had softened, but not to just anyone’s, but to Jason’s.
“You…are you…?” gasped Ms. Victory.
“Yes,” said Seraph. “It’s me, Mom. I’m Jason.”
An aura of light shimmered around him, as Seraph’s once commanding form changed into that of her young son, Jason Burke.
Ms. Victory immediately hugged him as tears rolled down her eyes.
“H-how…?” asked Ms. Victory.
“I can’t explain how it all works, Mom,” said Jason. “So for the sake of time, let’s just call it a miracle.”
“Yes…yes!!!!” said Ms. Victory as she hugged him again. “Jason, I am so sorry for what happened…I am so sorry I failed you…”
“No, Mom, you didn’t. You never, ever failed me,” said Jason as he hugged back. “What happened…it was all part of a bigger plan…it just gets kind of hard to understand at times.”
“Are you staying?” asked Ms. Victory.
“You know I can’t,” said Jason, a little saddened over that reality. “But I’m always with you, Mom, just like you were always with me.”
“Thank you, Jason, I love you,” said Ms. Victory.
“I love you, too, Mom,” replied Jason as the two stood up. Jason again shimmered in an aura of light, transforming back to his warrior form as Seraph.
“So what’d you think of my moves? Pretty neat, huh, Mom?” asked Jason.
“Very impressive, Jason,” said Ms. Victory with a chuckle. “I think you can go ten rounds with Paragon, but I still don’t think you can beat Rayda at video games yet.”
“Well, that’s because she knows all the cheat codes and programs them in to give her guys a million lives,” replied Jason humorously as he briefly looked up to the night sky.
“I need to go, Mom, but I’m glad I had the chance to see you in person one more time,” said Jason as he hugged her one final time. Ms. Victory warmly embraced her son as he shimmered and bathed them in a globe of light before fading away and disappearing.
“I love you too, Jason,” said Ms. Victory. “And thank you.”
* * *
The next morning General Roberta Strock entered her sedan, dressed in a conservative spring dress as she put her Bible near the dashboard as she prepared to depart for church. After allowing the car to warm up for about a minute, General Strock backed out of her parking spot and started to slowly drive past FemForce Headquarters on her way out, and saw Ms. Victory standing along the curbside in a simple, conservative outfit. General Strock pulled up along the curb, and rolled down the car window.
“Room for one more?” asked Ms. Victory.
“Always,” said General Strock. “Hop in.”
THE END
Posted: December 10, 2009 at 9:55 pm | Tags: fred wong
General Roberta Strock always reported in for duty at FemForce Headquarters a little bit before 7 AM, well before anyone else. Her first order of business was virtually the same every day, almost like a boring routine, consisting of checking her massive litany of email messages received overnight from various military agencies and groups. While reviewing all of them, General Strock was often irritated by the fact that the majority were frivolous nonsense from staff officers with nothing better to do with their time.
Today was different, though. Significantly different, for as General Strock passed through the security checkpoint and parked, she found a small entourage of four U.S. government sedans had already parked and waiting for her. General Strock exited her car, walked towards FemForce Headquarters and was greeted by a familiar face: General Richard Brennan, one of the top senior officers with the Inspector General.
“Hello, Rick,” said General Strock. “What brings you here this early?”
“We need to talk, Roberta,” replied General Brennan quietly. “In private.”
General Strock didn’t say a word as they walked towards her office, followed by an entourage of a few lieutenant colonels, a couple of full colonels, and several majors. She had served with General Brennan before, who was a well-respected officer with a generally reserved demeanor, almost to the point that he was cold and calculating on some occasions. It was the ideal trait for an Inspector General officer, charged with investigating and policing the Army from within its own ranks.
Once inside, it was just General Brennan and General Strock, while the rest of the staff waited outside.
“Coffee?” offered General Strock.
“No thanks,” replied General Brennan. “Maybe later.”
“So why are you here, Rick?” asked General Strock. “With a full staff, no less.”
“Roberta, you’re not under investigation,” explained General Brennan. “But what I’m about to tell you is classified to the highest levels. No one outside this building must know what I’m about to divulge.”
“What?” inquired General Strock.
“The current Ms. Victory, Jennifer Burke, was railroaded into the project through the manipulations of General Gordon and Captain Kelly,” explained General Brennan. “It’s all here from your review. Her husband David Burke’s firing, the cancellation of his insurance, his so-called ‘work accident’; it’s all there. Initiated and authorized by General Gordon himself and executed by Captain Kelly.”
“It’s shocking. I almost can’t believe it,” said General Strock as she reviewed the documents, consisting of memorandums, email exchanges, and transcripts from phone conversations between Captain Kelly and General Gordon. “I never liked Gordon and thought he was a blowhard, but I never thought he was dirty. Not to this extent, at least.”
“Captain Kelly hated his guts, too, but still followed his orders,” added General Brennan. “I think deep down inside he wanted the new Ms. Victory project to work as badly as Gordon did.”
“So what now? Where are they?” asked General Strock.
“Fort Leavenworth penitentiary,” answered General Brennan. “Several weeks ago we arrested them and tried them in a military tribunal for a court martial. To this day it’s still being suppressed for security reasons; it hasn’t been reported by any civilian or military news media.”
“And the verdict was..?” asked General Strock.
“Captain Kelly worked a plea bargain and only received 10 years at Leavenworth, in addition to the standard punishment of reduction in rank to E-1 and forfeiture of all pay, benefits, and entitlements as part of his court martial. Gordon, on the other hand, was found guilty by the military tribunal and sentenced for life at Leavenworth; the only daylight he’ll ever see will be his one hour a day in a small courtyard for exercise.”
“My God,” thought General Strock, thinking about Ms. Victory, and the living nightmare she had to endure.
“This report is for your files, Roberta,” said General Brennan. “But I don’t envy where you’re sitting right now.”
“Why’s that?” asked General Strock.
“Because I’m not the one who’s going to tell Ms. Victory everything,” replied General Brennan.
* * *
General Strock mulled over this for two days. Throughout her military career General Strock had the solemn task of informing spouses that their husbands were killed in action, and had counseled soldiers suffering the psychological effects of battle fatigue. However, nothing she ever did before prepared her for this, as the prevailing question haunted her:
How do you tell someone that her life was a lie created by the same government you swore an oath to protect?
* * *
On the third day General Strock sat quietly in the empty pews of her church. She made arrangements the day before with the minister and his staff to allow her access well before it opened for regular hours. Ms. Victory arrived as well, dressed in regular clothes as she entered and sat down next to General Strock, visibly concerned over the cryptic message she received on her answering machine the night before.
“How do you like my church?” asked General Strock. “I practically grew up here as a kid, you know. My mother sang in the choir and used to light up the whole congregation. She had some pipes.”
“It was very nice,” replied Ms. Victory. “A much better experience than when I was little.”
“You’re always welcome to join me again,” offered General Strock. “I think the congregation took a liking to you, also.”
“Thanks, that’d be nice,” replied Ms. Victory. “Why’d you call me here, anyway?”
“Did you ever sit alone in the pews after services?” asked General Strock. “Or when church isn’t in session?”
“No, I can’t say I have,” said Ms. Victory.
“My Dad used to do it, and sometimes he’d take me along,” explained General Strock. “He’d just sit in the pews, quietly thinking. No music. No prayers. Not a word. Just reflecting. In a strange way, though, it seemed like he felt a presence that uplifted him each time.”
“And now?” asked Ms. Victory.
“He and I still come here now and then to reflect, although nowadays I’ve been coming here myself,” said General Strock. “What I’m about to tell you isn’t easy for me, Jen, which was why I came here.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Ms. Victory.
“I read your background. You didn’t want to be the next Ms. Victory, but as the daughter of the original one, you were the only person who could take the V-47 formula, and General Gordon knew that,” said General Strock. “Even though you turned them down at first, you eventually accepted, because you and your family were practically destitute at that point.”
“I remember,” said Ms. Victory. “Those were hard times.”
“Jen, General Gordon and Captain Kelly manipulated your life to force you into this. I found this out three days ago by the Inspector General’s Office, and Gordon and Kelly are now in prison,” said General Strock.
“W-what…..?” said Ms. Victory in disbelief.
“Yes, Gordon and Kelly used their government connections to make you join. David Burke’s accident, the increased bills, everything, all driven by them,” explained General Strock. “They lied to you, and committed the most grievous of crimes in robbing you of your life.”
“Jason…” whispered Ms. Victory sadly. “…so what now?”
“Jen, the government has awarded you $10 million dollars for what’s happened,” said General Strock. “It’ll never measure up to the crimes committed against you, and for that I am truly sorry. If you leave FemForce, no one will question your reasons why, but I want you to stay.”
“Why….? What good am I to anyone? I only got this because of my mother. I didn’t want this responsibility. I’ve lost my husband…my son….” replied Ms. Victory coldly.
“Jen, you are the team’s leader. You’ve proven yourself again and again, and no one can question your loyalty or your leadership,” said General Strock. “You have no idea how much you impact all of us, both in your triumphs, and from your sacrifices. I can’t think of a better person I would want standing by me than you. Stay with us, Jen. Stay the course.”
Ms. Victory said nothing as she hugged General Strock and quietly wept.
* * *
Two days later, all was quiet at FemForce Headquarters as Rayda and Nightveil sat in front of the large network of computer systems while on monitor duty.
“Say, has Ms. Victory been assigned a new case? I haven’t seen her around,” commented Rayda.
“General Strock told me that Ms. Victory’s taken a temporary leave of absence. That’s all I know,” answered Nightveil.
“Weird. You don’t suppose she’s leaving the team after what’s happened, do you?” asked Rayda.
“I don’t know,” replied Nightveil solemnly. “If she did, I wouldn’t blame her.”
“Why the glum faces?” asked Ms. Victory humorously as she snuck up behind the two of them. “Can’t a girl take a couple days off?”
“JEN!” said Nightveil excitedly. “You’re back!”
“Well, technically I never really quit, but yeah, you’re stuck with me,” replied Ms. Victory.
“We wouldn’t have it any other way, kiddo,” said Rayda.
THE END
Posted: December 10, 2009 at 9:57 pm | Tags: fred wong
Hidden behind the dark side of the moon and away from the detection of telescopes and satellites, a small fleet of alien starships orbited the shadowy path around the Earth. Inside the command ship, Fleet Commander Crigen convened a final meeting to brief his battle plan to pillage the Earth. The alien force was none other than the evil Nyrians, long time opponents of the planet Rur, the homeworld of FemForce heroine Stardust.
The Nyrians were a warlike race, possessing a large, rotund appearance with green, slimy skin and hostile looking visages and bearing one eye. Renowned and priding themselves throughout the galaxy as male chauvinists of the highest degree of obnoxiousness known, skirmishes between them and the warrior women of Rur was frequent throughout history. Here and now, however, they focused their attention on the small, third world from the sun in a section of the Milky Way galaxy known as Earth.
“All is ready, sir,” said the Nyrian officer.
“Good,” bellowed Commander Crigen as he stood tall to brief his field officers, pointing to a three-dimensional hologram generated that illustrated his battle plan.
“As you know, we have identified a window in between Earth satellites and radar systems, a virtual surveillance dead zone. An advanced strike party will land there, a small island off the coast of a place the Earthlings call ‘the Pacific Ocean’, to establish our base. From there, we will be able to send down the heavier battle machines to establish our foothold for us to drive deep into the Earth’s core, drawing out its geothermal energy into our power cells,” said Crigen. “Within a few days, we’ll be tapping Earth’s core of primal energy.”
“Excellent,” agreed the other Nyrian officers. “With Earth’s resources we will have all the energy we need to obliterate Rur once and for all.”
* * *
Tara Fremont and Dr. Carol Hessler arrived at a small, uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean, as Tara landed the FemForce air cruiser down gently to prevent agitating the local wildlife. Dr. Hessler, better known to the world at large as the heroine Garganta, was the first to disembark, dressed in a simple set of beige khakis shorts, t-shirt, and hiking boots while Tara wore pretty much the same with the exception of her t-shirt being dark green.
“Well, here we are,” said Tara as she savored the crisp, ocean air.
“It’s beautiful,” commented Garganta. “I wonder why no one ever settled here.”
“It’s too small,” answered Tara. “Some ancient Polynesian tribes may have stopped here for rest as part of longer journey, but the island is less than a half mile in diameter. None of the trees here grow any fruit, either.”
“Well, when you put it that way I can see why no one stayed here long,” replied Garganta. “But you said that there’s something valuable here?”
“Yes,” said Tara. “You see, Carol, I recently read in a report translating old Polynesian chronicles telling about a wondrous herb that cured the sick. I printed off a scan of what the plant allegedly looks like, and was wondering if you could test a sample to see what kind of healing properties it had.”
“The ancient Egyptians discovered the healing properties of aloe, and even today we’re discovering rare plants in South America to treat cancer,” stated Garganta as she nodded to Tara. “Lead on.”
The two ventured into the jungle, searching for the elusive plant mentioned in Polynesian records dating hundreds of years ago.
“Why the interest in this island?” asked Garganta. “We must’ve passed another two on the way here.”
“They’re populated and being researched as we speak,” explained Tara. “But more importantly, this island is a prime candidate for being a new bomb test site for the Navy. It’s not an archeological site nor is it populated, making it a valuable commodity out here for the Pacific Fleet’s maneuvers.”
“And you want to make sure a possible cure for a disease isn’t blown to kingdom come,” said Garganta.
“Exactly.” said Tara as she momentarily stopped, visibly confused over a strange odor she suddenly detected.
“Do you smell that?” asked Tara.
“Smell what?” said Garganta.
“It’s like…petroleum…” replied Tara awkwardly. “Machines.”
“You said this place wasn’t inhabited,” said Garganta. “And the nearest Navy ship’s hundreds of miles away. Who could it be?”
“I’m not sure,” said Tara as she quickly removed her outer garb to her camouflaged bikini. “Wait here, I’ll check it out.”
While Garganta hid behind some trees and bushes, Tara stealthily worked her way through the surround jungle flora, concealing herself amidst the leaves as she climbed up the side of tree on a vine. Tara caught a glimpse through the leaves to see what was below, seeing what appeared to be an alien space ship around two hundred yards in length with strange, green, brutish looking aliens coming in and out of it as they were constructing something that looked like a generator of some kind.
“What on earth?” thought Tara as she eyes lit up. Suddenly, laser blasts riddled the tree as an alien on a rocket pack zoomed by, opening fire.
“INTRUDERS!” bellowed the Nyrian guard.
“Nyrians!” thought Tara as she leaped from the branch and grabbed a vine, swinging deeper into the forest to avoid detection. Tara had remembered seeing images of them from Stardust, but never thought they’d be on Earth.
Seeing more aliens rocket out of their starship in pursuit of Tara, Garganta immediately activated her powers, growing to around 50 feet as she stood towering over the palm trees and jungle flora. Garganta swatted away four Nyrians as they flew by in their rocket packs, knocking them down as they crashed down to the jungle canopy stunned.
“SIR! THE INTRUDERS! THEY’RE….GIANTESSES!” exclaimed another Nyrian guard.
“Hmm…superheroes, I believe they’re called on this world,” commented Crigen. “I want them alive…perhaps we can disect them to see that gives them their powers.”
“Yes sir,” said the Nyrian as he sent out the commands to the other Nyrian soldiers as they rocketed out the ship with their jetpacks to subdue Garganta. Setting their lasers to stun, several flew by Garganta and opened fire, raining beams of low-level energy that slowly began wearing her down.
“GET HER! SHE’S JUST A WOMAN!!!!” yelled a passing Nyrian.
“JUST a woman? Wrong statement, buster!” asserted Garganta as she knocked a few more Nyrians out of the sky. Tara then activated her own growth powers, rising to an intimidating 25 feet tall and began knocking the Nyrians around as well.
“Two of them?” said Crigen as he observed through the monitor as he ordered, “Activate the ship’s lasers and open fire, set for stun. Send in two more strike teams.”
As Tara and Garganta knocked several more Nyrian soldiers down, the barrage of stun lasers were starting to take effect as they were getting more and more worn down. What was even worse was that the weapons mounted on the ship activated and opened fire, releasing a smothering stream of stun lasers. Tara took the brunt of the blasts, dropping to her knees in fatigue as she struggled to fight off their debilitating effects.
“TARA!” exclaimed Garganta when suddenly another group of Nyrians emerged and opened fire, shooting streams of yellow energy that ensnared Garganta and Tara.
Tara and Garganta battle aliens by Fed Wong“UGH! TOO MANY OF THEM!!!!” grunted Garganta as the more and more energy bonds entangled around her, followed by another volley of stun lasers.
“GET….OFF…!!!!” yelled Tara as she kicked off two more Nyrians until finally another volley struck her, knocking her out cold as her powers deactivated, shrinking herself back down to normal size.
“AAARRRRGHHH!!!!” grunted Garganta as she strained to get free, until volley after volley of stun lasers impacted her, knocking her out as well as she reduced back to normal size. Tara and Garganta were sprawled out on the jungle floor below, as the Nyrians encircled around them.
“Bring them inside,” ordered Crigen. “And see to it that they do not escape.”
* * *
Over two hours passed as the effects of the stun lasers finally wore off on Tara and Garganta.
“Unnnnhhhh…” groaned Tara as she awoke, finding herself restrained to some type of lab table. Tara scanned around, realizing that she was inside the Nyrian vessel as Garganta began regaining consciousness.
“Ohhhhhh, my head,” muttered Garganta as she revived. “…where are we?”
“The alien starship, I think,” said Tara. “I can’t get out of these restraints…you?”
“No, I feel weak as a kitten,” replied Garganta. “They must have hit us with some kind of stun ray.”
Fleet Commander Crigen and his team of Nyrian scientists and guards entered. Tara and Garganta reviled at their hideous appearance and even more disgusting odor, turning their heads away in disgust.
“Oh, gross!” said Tara. “Slime creatures from outer space….”
“Silence, Earth woman! We are in charge now!” bellowed Crigen. “I am Fleet Commander Crigen of the planet Nyr, and you are our helpless prisoners!”
“How about untying us and we’ll show you first hand of just how helpless we really are!” retorted Garganta.
“I said silence, or do you wish to force me to stick an apple in your mouth?” asserted Crigen.
“Why are you here, Crigen?” asked Tara sternly. “Your group is too small for an invasion.”
“A wise observation, for a woman,” said Crigen. “But you are correct. We are not here to conquer, we are here to pillage, and in a short matter of your Earth days our construction will be complete, building our energy siphon to tap into the raw power of the Earth’s core.”
“You monster…” said Garganta bitterly.
“Sir,” said a Nyrian soldier as he entered, bringing in a console piece taken from the FemForce air cruiser Tara and Garganta used. “This was removed from their ship located on the other side of the island. Some of the technology indicates Rurian design.”
“RURIANS????!!!” roared Crigen emphatically as he turned, glaring at Tara and Garganta. “Where did you get this technology?”
“We stole it,” said Tara.
“You’re lying,” replied Crigen. “I have seen your kind before on this planet. You are heroines and do not steal.”
“Who said we were heroines?” replied Garganta, building on Tara’s hastily concocted story. “We’re on the run from the law and stole that ship as a getaway vehicle. Why else would we be on this remote island?”
“Hmmm….your words ring some truth, but I still do not believe you,” stated Crigen as he turned and looked at his two guards and two scientists. “Keep them here and begin your preliminary tests.”
“Yes sir,” replied the four Nyrians as Crigen left for the ship’s bridge.
The two Nyrian scientists began powering up their various pieces of examination equipment inside the ship laboratory. Cold sweat formed on both Tara and Garganta, seeing the various needles, probes, and blades being prepared by the Nyrian scientists as they sadistically grinned in eager anticipation.
Without warning, the lights went out in the laboratory, going completely black as Tara and Garganta struggled against the restraints, overhearing the sounds of punching and something slamming hard into the metal wall of the ship’s lab. When the lights reactivated, Tara and Garganta were surprised to see none other than She-Cat standing on top of the unconscious Nyrian guards and scientists, wiping off the slime from her hands with a cloth.
“Gross, couldn’t you have been captured by someone clean for a change?” replied She-Cat as she freed them.
“We’ll take that under advisement next time,” replied Tara as she sat up and got off the table.
* * *
Outside, Stardust and Ms. Victory were spearheading a surprise attack on the Nyrians. Stardust shot apart the ship’s weapon systems with a barrage of well-placed starbolts while Ms. Victory shredded the energy siphon components as she knocked the Nyrians back with large chunks of machinery.
Nightveil was flying overhead as well, unleashing a rain of magic blasts that shorted out the Nyrian’s rocket packs, making them crash back onto the ground like broken toy planes. Rayda hurtled a barrage of lightning at the ship’s engines, blasting it to slag within minutes followed by their communication antenna.
“SIR!” exclaimed a beleaguered Nyrian soldier. “Our defenses are completely down and have no way of talking to the rest of the fleet! What do we do?”
“Scramble all remaining teams for a counter strike,” ordered Crigen.
“Sir, we have NOTHING left!” said the Nyrian as the front console shorted out. “Our soldiers have been beaten and the ship’s weapons are destroyed….!”
Crigen glared bitterly out the window, seeing Stardust, a hated Rurian, fly again and again past them as she fired another starbolt against the remaining Nyrians. Crigen could also hear the exterior hull being ripped apart as Ms. Victory was forcing her way inside.
“We have no choice,” said Crigen angrily as he pulled out a small tool and tied a white cloth to it. Following what he knew of Earth customs, Crigen waved his makeshift white flag outside the canopy for all to see.
* * *
For the next several hours the Nyrians were being escorted to a small escape pod to be returned to their fleet under the eye of FemForce and a small retinue of troops called in from Rur. Crigen said nothing, ashamed by how badly beaten he and his forces were at the hands of some super-powered Earth women.
“So how did you get here so fast?” asked Tara. “We weren’t supposed to report in for hours.”
“Well, when those aliens found your cruiser, they must’ve tinkered with it, because a silent alarm kicked off and transmitted a distress signal back to headquarters,” explained Ms. Victory. “It didn’t take long to scramble a team together for Nightveil to teleport us over here.”
“So that’s how She-Cat got inside,” deduced Garganta. “I was wondering how it happened.”
“Well, whatever the case, they won’t be bothering Earth,” stated Stardust.
“Good. It’s going to take me at least an hour in the tub to get the stink off of me,” replied She-Cat.
“She-Cat, you actually touched one of those slimy Nyrians?” asked Stardust.
“Yeah, why?” asked She-Cat.
“Then I was wrong about you,” teased Stardust. “You really do have a stronger stomach than I.”
THE END
