The Female of the Species
Synopsis: (Monsters vs. Aliens) The monsters meet a new team-member not soon after an explosion occurs in a laboratory off the coast of Maine. Dr. Diana Regina, geneticist and aficionado of flight, wanted to find a method for human beings to fly without the use of airplanes. So she took dragonfly DNA and fused it with human DNA, unfortunately altering herself. Also, when the explosion occurred, there was radiation nearby, so not only is she indestructible but she can also wield the power of fire at will. Warren Monger decides to call her Dragonfire. At first, the doctor is unhappy with her surroundings since she had an antidote, but that was burned in the fire after the explosion, as well as her cure for many ailments humans were lost in the blaze. But, her sadness soon wanes when she meets Dr. Cockroach (aka Thomas Phillip Edmonton, Esquire ) and senses her heart twang.
Chapter 1--Horrible Misfortune
Doctor Diana Regina had the mysteries of flight for human kind finally answered. No one had ever attempted what she was about to do before. She took the DNA found within a sample of amber, containing a dragonfly that had been recently trapped and solidified there and her own human blood, fusing the two and studying the effects under the microscope. Even though the blood types were completely different, the chain reaction had begun instantly. But Dr. Regina wasn't expecting her centrifuge to malfunction and begin sparking. No matter what she did to save her precious machine, lovingly named after her deceased genetics professor Dr. Jan Walter Wallenstein, it couldn't be stopped, let alone reassembled. Before she had known what exactly happened, the centrifuge exploded and everything burst into flames.
"My antidote ! My research !", she wailed as she saw all her important documents researching possible cures for many diseases that had been a bane to human being's existence for thousands of years had been lost completely in the inferno. Another explosion sent Diana reeling into the cold, desolate street outside her beloved lab. Everything she had worked for was obliterated. Falling down to her knees, she cried until eventually she collapsed.
When Diana awoke, she was in a completely different place. All around her was a highly sophisticated warehouse that had plenty of room to move about in. It seemed that she had no trouble moving about. If she hadn't known any better, she could've sworn she was floating. Then, suddenly, a rather stout, muscular man dressed in military fatigues startled her.
"Dr. Regina, I presume ?", Warren Monger questioned. The fair-haired, blue-green eyed geneticist rubbed her head as her headache disappeared at last.
"Yes, that's me.", Diana responded, wondering what this miraculous place was, even if she was still feeling a bit out of sorts after losing everything that had been so precious to her. Somehow that hollow feeling in her heart became even worse when Warren revealed to her just how drastic the blast had been and what had happened to her. There had been a reason as to why she felt as if she was levitating. As soon as she got a good look at herself in a reflective surface, she noticed she had dragonfly wings. She wasn't horribly disfigured, but seeing that her size had changed drastically startled her a bit, causing a flame to leap from her hands. She yelped, not expecting pyro-kinesis.
"Well, well, well. I'm thinking of calling you Dragonfire.", Warren said.
"Dragon fire ?", Diana asked, raising an eyebrow. Warren was certainly a strange unit to the doctor, and now she wondered what the olive-drab clad army general had in mind of donning her with such a strange new name or why this facility had all the amenities of home but was yet fortified enough to survive possible nuclear holocaust. So many questions and so little time to have the more important ones answered.
Chapter 2--Meeting the Monsters
Diana was ushered into a rather large hangar in which she was introduced to the monsters on the premises. Warren began his spiel on how this was a safe haven for monsters and how he 'captured' them and trained them for fighting against foreign threats wherever they came from. They had recently been hailed as heroes with their defeat of the infamous Galaxhar, who wanted to take over earth and claim it as his own with an army of zillions of clones. This never happened since the monsters were successful. Diana was the newest member to this elite squadron, this motley crew of sorts. She became quick friends with BOB, who was a gelatinous blue ooze being with no brain and one big eye. Then came Butterflysaurus (simply called 'Saurus' to save time), who was a gigantic insect creature. The eldest among them was a fish-man by the name of 'Link', and he was very pleased to see another female of the species amongst them. Last but not least was Thomas Phillip Edmonton, Esquire, alias, 'Doctor Cockroach'. Upon seeing Tom, Diana felt an unfamiliar twinge in her heart. The doctor took her hand softly into his and kissed it ever so lightly, making her shiver somewhat.
"Enchante.", the doctor purred suavely. Diana blushed hotly, not really knowing what to say.
"I must get to know you, my colleague. Perhaps we can compare studies sometime ?", she offered.
"Ah, boldness. I like that in a woman. I will let you know what my schedule is, and see if I have any openings. I hope I will because, I feel my dear, that you are positively fascinating.", he stated, bringing her hand up to his lips again and kissing each finger so gently and lightly she felt she was going to faint. That is until Ginormica came into the room to say hello.
"Good to see we have another lady on the team with us.", Susan said, offering her pinky to the diminutive dragonfly-woman.
"Glad to be a part of it. The 'normal' outside world will not want me any more, but that isn't such a bad concept come to think of it. Here, I can conduct my research in a far more controlled setting.", Diana said, optimistically.
"That's the right kind of attitude to have. You'll fit right in with us !", BOB agreed.
Chapter 3--Battle Stations
Diana didn't have much time to get acquainted with them or the facility that she now called her new home because a red alert sounded.
"What's going on ?", she asked, curiously, completely calm, her eyebrow raised.
"It's a red alert. Sergeant Monger will give us our orders as soon as he receives them from Headquarters.", Link explained. That is when Diana, or as she was now called, Dragonfire, realized that this wasn't a game. Everything she saw, heard and experienced was real and secretly, she liked it.
The monsters were given their orders.
"There is a being known as Xnakt who is eating his way through Europe. Take in mind his Achilles' Heel is junk food. We also think that salt might be another factor in slowing him down since he is a slug monster.", Warren added before setting them off on Butterflysaurus' back and allowing her to fly down into Hamburg, Germany.
Xnakt was happily devouring food from fast food restaurants one tentacle after the other. BOB as the usual good will ambassador meandered over to Xnakt and proclaimed the monsters duty to destroy him. Xnakt paid BOB no heed.
"Well he's certainly rude. And look at how wasteful he is !", he stated, wrinkling his face to show disgust.
"Look here, Xnakt…the least you can do is share.", BOB said again, taking a burger for himself.
"BOB, come on, shake a leg !", Ginormica said, rolling her eyes as she sped past him.
"I don't have legs, Ginormica !", BOB replied laughing as he threw another burger down his gullet and followed along after her as the other monsters spread out. There was a hot dog cart nearby and Doctor Cockroach snatched up some bottles of salt as he fanned out left and Butterflysaurus hovered overhead.
Dragonfire flew in front of Xnakt's multi-chambered eyes and folded her arms.
"You should be ashamed of yourself. Have you no restraint ?", Diana stated with maternal discontent. Xnakt finally stopped munching away on a restaurant diner seat that had been cleared of the people that had been sitting in it, and had since fled the scene screaming in utter terror. The slug eyed Diana amorously and she knew now was the time to commence an attack.
"Now !", she yelled, blinding the huge cephalopod with a fireball and dodging his large right tentacle that was millimeters close to hitting her.
"BOB ! Trampoline !", Ginormica commanded. BOB, who had been eyeing an abandoned ice-cream cart snapped to attention and fixated his 'feet' to the pavement. Soon, Doctor Cockroach leapt up and salted Xnact in a stunning 360 array, followed by extra dashes of pepper shakers from Ginormica, who had just happened to pick up some idle shakers that had been lying around from Xnact's binge.
Butterflysaurus kept a lookout from above on her comrades while Diana caught Doctor Cockroach by the arms and placed him on the ground gingerly.
"You didn't have to do that, my dear. You do realize that nothing will hurt me, right ?", Tom said, chuckling.
"Yes, of course…Like you I am indestructible, but I would rather not see you pop your joints back into place after a rough impact.", Diana confessed. The doctor sneakily wrapped his arm around Diana and smirked mischievously.
"I am beginning to like you more and more, Diane.", he said, flirtatiously.
Xnact, who had been doused with salt, was now shrinking and tried escaping in the opposite direction. Without hesitation, Ginormica brought down an enormous shoe upon Xnact, ending his life quickly.
"That almost seemed a bit too easy.", she mentioned.
"Yeah, and I doubt that will be our last operation for the day.", Link said, waiting to hear more news from HQ. Just then, he received another call over a waterproof communication device on his wrist.
"Yeah, this is Link.", Link responded. Warren told them there was a group of tarantulas from the planet Tula attacking Belgium.
"Move out, troops !", Ginormica said, as she led her friends toward Belgium.
Chapter 4--Slow Dance of Romance
As Diana got to know the organization better during the next few days, she continued to meet incredible people surrounding her. But something was bothering her. She had wondered how the monsters would respond if there had been another invasion of Earth.
"That's what SETI is for. Believe it or not, our people are connected with that outfit and what the rest of the public doesn't know is SETI has been communicating with us for ages. What the public hears about is 'static'. That is simply a cover up.", Warren explained. He also explained that any monsters that were discovered would be caught and sent to HQ.
Diana had been working on her antidote in the past days and comparing notes with Thomas. The two had begun to fancy each other even more as the weeks had progressed, but they really hadn't had time to enjoy each other's company much. Everything in the relationship had been strictly professional.
"I was wondering…", Thomas began as he perused her plethora of different antidotes, including the one for her condition, "If you wanted to go out to a club with me tonight."
Diana paused for a moment and blushed lightly. After all this time, he had finally decided to take her out on a date.
"I would be delighted. I am sorry our work has kept pulling us away from ever enjoying each other's company.", she admitted.
"Not tonight though, my dear.", Thomas said, taking her by the side affectionately and kissing her on the cheek. He had left a note in the laboratory to the monsters as well as Warren that they would be away for the evening. If they were needed, of course, they would leap into action, but every good citizen fighting for the right deserves a break now and then.
The couple began cutting a rug immediately as they entered the club. Their favorite song, Roses are Red just happened to be played by the DJ.
"It must be some sort of cosmic coincidence.", Diana tittered girlishly.
"I highly doubt that. Everything has a purpose and reason behind it, we just are so finite that we don't comprehend. All we must do is simply enjoy the moment and let the music take us where it will.", Thomas said, whimsically. Diana hadn't known the doctor to be a philosopher too, but he had always been full of surprises since the first time the doctors eyes met. She knew that she had been in love upon the first moment he opened his mouth and spoke with that genteel accent.
As the two continued to dance, Thomas unexpectedly caught Diana in a spin and twirled her around to meet her gaze. Blushing darkly, Diana averted her bright blue eyes away from his dark chocolate ones and looked at her shoes momentarily. Tenderly, he took her chin and delicately brought it up to his lips, stroking her raven hair softly. He held her warmly against his frame, feeling as if he had temporarily left the sphere of earth's gravity. The kiss was incredible, far beyond mere description, let alone their methods of quantification. They seemed to be stuck in the smooch until Warren snapped them out of their trance.
"We need you two immediately. It seems that a bunch of radioactive hamsters have broken lose from a pet store in New York. They're burrowing below the city and causing quite a few road hazards.", Warren stated. Only recently had the two doctors found an antidote for radioactivity.
"Our serum will be useful in this event. Let us hope we made enough…Who knows how many hamsters are running rampant in New York. That city's an urban jungle.", Diana said as she led the way and Thomas followed after her without missing a beat.
Chapter 5--Love and Marriage
Everyone had noticed how close Diana and Thomas were becoming to one another. Even after years of fighting alien invasions and freak happenings at home, the two had much experience getting to know one another and falling in love more and more each and every day. It had now been a year at HQ and the monsters were curious as to when and if Thomas was ever going to pop the question.
"That's just the problem. I want to, but there is never time. We're always going off on a mission and saving the planet in some small way.", Thomas said, feeling a bit guilty for saying so. But neither he nor the rest of the monsters had ever complained. Diana on the other hand, felt guilty because she had known it must've been difficult for Ginormica since she had dumped her jerk boyfriend Derrick.
"Don't be concerned about me. I'm perfectly happy being single. Besides, I am never really alone. I am surrounded by amazing friends and amazing fighters that help us keep our world safe from whatever evil lurks around the corner.", Ginormica said as she gathered the two insects together as well as the rest of the team and 'hugged' them gingerly in her massive embrace.
"We will get married someday. No amount of interruption will keep us from it.", Diana said, holding Thomas' hand.
A couple of years later as attacks on the world began dying down a bit, the two love bugs (quite literally) were able to have the wedding they had always dreamed of. They were married along an ocean side front where they had defeated a group of mermen that had been causing trouble amongst fishers until the fishers negotiated a contract with them and the fighting ceased. The wedding itself was splendid, and the weather was perfect. Fortunately, HQ had no impending missions for the monsters during that time so the couple was given the chance to have a proper honeymoon. The organization then had begun contemplating a program designed for working parents, should the situation ever develop. In the case of the newlyweds, they could see them quickly becoming parents after they had returned from their vacation in Maui.
Epilogue
Diana and Thomas were happily married and were soon blessed with two little hybrids of their own, whom they named Gina and Gerald. When the doting parents were off saving the world with the rest of the gang, a group back at HQ would baby-sit them. Oddly enough, the babies themselves had abilities of their own. Gina was known as Ice-Dragon thanks to her ability to freeze items and Gerald could use telekinesis, so he was known as 'The Mentalist'. They were still too young to join the crew, but the day would come when they would go through training just like all new recruits did to make certain that they would be prepared for anything.
Albeit the parents were sometimes away from their precious children they were able to care for them and provide them the education they needed. Both children were learning about diversity early in life and although they were 'headquarter schooled', they found such richness and depth in life that typical children their age hadn't grasped yet. Diana and Thomas, as well as the rest of the monsters, who acted as family for the little ones, could see Gina and Gerald soaring high among the stars someday for they were already making dazzling strides in their growth each and every day.
The End