Chapter One: Terra's Return
Terra struggled against the bonds strapping her to a table. Professor Chang's henchmen busily prepares for the doctor. Filling syringes with different medicines, laying out scalpels and other instruments, attaching her to monitors, and cameras, to record the operation.
As they were finishing up, Chang burst through the twin swinging doors. "Is my patient ready?"
"Just about sir," answered one.
"Good, good. This is very good," he said wringing his hands.
"What do you want from me," she demanded.
"Oh nothing much, good little girl, just some blood, that suit, and your brain," he listed like grocery items.
"What?"
"Don't worry you get to keep brain till last."
"You say that like it's a good thing. Why do you want it anyway?"
"Not me, but rich donator," he told her.
On the wall in front of her, about ten feet up was a window with a dark shadowy figure sitting behind it. She couldn't see his face but knew exactly who it was, the same manipulating monster that gave her this suit in the first place.
"Slade, tell him to let me go, or I won't just throw you in lava, I'll bury you so deep that only Chinese miners will be able to find your charred body."
The figure stood un-phased by the threat.
That had to be him, no one else she knew would that calm with a threat like that. She searched for the connection with the Earth she usually felt when she tried to use her power, but it wasn't there.
"Did you think we were actually going to be able to use your power?" Chang asked chuckling. "Our generous donator has given us a new toy that keeps you from using them." He indicated to a large metal dome on the ceiling, with half a dozen rods sticking out of it. "Now good girl it is time for me to be very bad."
From the table he took an empty syringe. Forcefully he penetrated the skin of her arm. He drew eight cc of blood. Once done he handed the filled cylinder to one of his helpers. He rushed out of the room with the sample, probably to Slade.
"It it's time for what I've been waiting for, this marvelous suit. Ever since our donator showed us you, I've wanted this suit. Everyday we spent trying to change you back just fed my desires. Imagine all the applications I could use this for. True I could make my own, but not to this caliber. No. This, this is a thing of beauty and science.
Holding a syringe filled with a green fluid he explained, "This is a muscle relaxant that should make removing the needles connected to your nerves easier. This one," holding a clear one, "is a sedative, so you won't scream. And this," holding up a saw, "is if we can't take out with everything else. I hope we can get to this one." He said leaning in closely.
He grabbed the green one again when a voice over the intercom yelled, "Sir we have intruders!"
"All of you get out there and stop who ever it is," Chang commanded.
His henchmen armed themselves, and headed to the doors. The doors flung opened as they reached them. Behind them was a small army of Slade's robots. The henchmen skidded to a halt. The robots stood there motionless. A stupid lackey made the first move. He shot one of the bots with the red foam. The others followed suit. The robots dodged the foam and started their counterattack. Quickly they were able to overpower the henchmen.
In their slow zombie like stride the marched toward Terra.
Professor Change ran to the back wall and banged on the door screaming, "Guards! Guards!"
The back door slid open. Fifteen knight looking guards marched out of the back corridor. They drew their swords ready for battle.
"Also from our generous donator," Chang said with smile. With that he turned and ran.
These guards were more of a challenge for Slade's robots. Disassembled parts flew into the air.
One of Slade's bots was heading for her. When he was destroyed another took its place, and it continued till one reached her. Terra struggled against her restraints, still useless. It raised its claw like hand swiped at her. It ripped through the restraints like tissue.
Terra laid there unsure what was going on. Slade's robot just saved her. It offered one of its hands to her. Cautiously she accepted it. It pulled her to her feet.
One of the knights decapitated her rescuer. It kept hacking it to pieces. The Knight snapped its head toward Terra. It grabbed her by the wrist, and started toward the door it came from. She fought uselessly against the guard.
Four of Slade's bots jumped onto the knight. Their combined weight brought it to its knees. One ripped the knight's arm out of its socket. Electricity arced between the severed wires. It was a robot too. Terra pried the death grip the machine had on her and made a run for it.
Right as she reached the door Slade's bots came from something grabbed her hair. The sudden stop knocked her off her feet. Three more knights formed a protective barrier around her.
The air whistled above her followed by an explosion. She suddenly felt that connection with the earth she had since was a child again. What ever it was it destroyed that machine.
Three pillars of earth shot out of the ground and crushed the convoy. She folded the floor on itself and crushed the last one. She found where the other knights were and crossed her arms in front of her. When she threw arms out to either side of her spikes of earth skewered the rest of the knights.
The orange faced robots turned toward her. In there slow stager they encircled her. The inner ring dropped to their knees and bowed to her.
Clapping outside the ring broke the silence. The ring opened and standing in the gap was Slade.
"Slade what are you doing here?" she asked, preparing to strike.
"Very good my apprentice," he said ignoring the question. "Though I was disappointed that you helpless without your powers. Someone knows how to turn them off now. You need to know how to defend yourself without your abilities."
"I'm not your apprentice any more."
"Child you'll always be mine."
"Take another step and it'll be you last," she told him, pulling four boulders from the ground. She knew he could easily dodge them, but had plans for when he did.
He did something that surprised her. He stopped. Her powers dropped for a second, but she quickly recovered.
"Why are you here?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm here for you."
He reached for his belt and pulled out a trigger. His thumb idled above the button. Terra stood frozen she knew he was going to enslave her again. As the thought of what he was going to make her do raced through her mind he pushed the button.