The Cavalry, Even More Ice Cream, and Pranksters
"Not even three hours," Rayden sighed as he looked at his devitalized Defenders, "and already you need help?"
"This spa is haunted, I swear, Rayden!" Jax hissed. "The weights in the gym started floating in the air and tried to bury us!"
"The steam room almost suffocated us," Liu jumped in. "And not just from the heat. The steam came alive, and formed bodies. Actual bodies!"
Nightwolf and Kitana nodded wildly, and a panicked Kiva yipped in agreement.
"Somehow the doors became locked," Nightwolf tried to explain the phenomenon. "We only got out because Jax broke the door down."
Rayden shook his head. "Nonsense. You're overreacting to something. Indigestion-"
"We never ate anything," Kitana shot the idea down.
"Something in the water-"
"We never drank anything either," Sub-Zero snapped.
"Anything could be affecting your minds," the Thunder God peered down at them. "I mean, look around. Do any of you see Stryker or Sonya?"
"We haven't found them yet," Liu replied. "You finally answered us before we did."
"Rayden, what is your point?" Sub-Zero frowned.
"Sonya and Stryker are always in the thick of trouble. One way or another, we can always find them somewhere in the middle of everything. So, where are they, if there is anything 'supernatural' going on?"
"Probably in the thick of trouble, like you said," Jax retorted, "and we're just standing around here talking because you don't believe us!"
"Rayden," Kitana suddenly spoke up, "if you truly don't believe our words, perhaps you'll believe that."
She pointed behind everyone, and when they turned they saw an ice-cream demon looming over them, easily skimming its head on the fourteen-foot-high ceiling. His flesh dripped on the floor, making puddles of ice-cream. A trail lay behind the beast, thick and dark.
"Oh," Rayden looked up into the demon's vacant eyes, "my. He's tall."
"And he's heading straight for us!" Liu yelled, spurring everyone to clear out of the way with the exception of Rayden. He stood in the hallway, staring back at the demon.
"Ray, what are you doing-" Jax started to yell when the monster tipped forward, snarled, and swallowed the god whole.
The Defenders stood immobile, watching as the demon apparently had difficulty swallowing. There was a loud gulping noise, and the demon looked content. Then electricity sparkled around it, causing the ice-cream demon to roar and double over. With one last, piteous whimper the demon's body dispersed into waves of Pralines 'n' Cream, leaving the Thunder God standing and facing his warriors.
Covered in ice cream and missing his marvelous, golden, conical hat, the god was a sight to behold and laugh at. And so the Defenders did.
"There goes your Christmas salaries," Rayden muttered, thumping the butt of his staff on the ground twice. His clothes restored themselves to their clean state and a hat (exactly like the last one) found a home on his head and replaced his eyes back into their shadows. "Alright. So something fishy is going on. It doesn't make sense. I've known of this place for years. Nothing strange has ever happened."
"Well, something's different about it," Nightwolf said acerbically. "I doubt the entire staff of this spa suddenly changed into demons sent from Hell just to screw around with our vacation." Kiva whimpered and lowered his head, nudging the Indian for solace.
"Um, guys?" Liu gulped. "Look." He pointed behind them again.
Several of the steam-bodies, ice-cream demons (of every flavor), and lead weights lined the hallway, ready to launch themselves.
Rayden stared, then turned to his Defenders. "Okay. I say we figure out what the hell is going on. After we run from these things."
The Defenders were about to protest (they were world warriors, and they were supposed to run away from this danger?) when a Mango Tango demon smashed his fist in the wall next to him. He broke the wood in an imperfect circle with a radius of at least ten feet.
Running seemed like a very good idea then.
----------
"This was a very good idea," Stryker sighed to Sonya as they sank into the hot water. "Why were we against this very good idea?"
"I don't remember," Sonya closed her eyes, reveling in the relaxed heaven her muscles enjoyed so much. "I don't care, even. This feels too damn good."
"Agreed," Stryker nodded. He opened his own eyes to see his masseuse, Lily, standing at the rim of the bath he and Sonya shared, wearing that pout that made him melt. "Excuse me."
Sonya didn't hear him. She was too content. Nothing could make this more idyllic.
The masculine hands on her shoulders rubbing gentle, smooth circles argued that belief. She looked up into Pablo's eyes, smiling when he gave her that pearly smile. "You're too nice," she whispered.
"Anything for a beauty like you," he murmured, sinking into the water with her.
Her belief was solidly defeated. But, for some odd reason, she heard screams in this Eden. She placed it in the back of her mind when Pablo kissed her thoroughly.
----------
The Defenders and Earth's Protector locked themselves in the lobby, piling furniture in front of the door. They took that precious time to catch their breaths and to sort the problem out.
"Maybe it's a plot from Kahn," Sub-Zero gasped. "Catch us off-guard while we're supposed to have a vacation."
"No," Rayden shook his head. "Kahn knows nothing of this place. And even if he did, I would sense some sort of magic reaching into Outworld. No, these demons are originating from somewhere on Earth."
Something pounded on the door: the lead weights. "What do we do now?" Kitana asked. "We can't keep ourselves locked here forever."
"Where are the women?" Liu frowned.
The group stared at the Champion. "Liu, two things," Jax replied. "One, you're a monk, you're not supposed to be going after women. Two, you have Kitana in spite of number one."
Liu scowled at the Major. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Jax. I meant the two women that showed us where to go. Shouldn't they be here?"
They looked around. The Champion was right: minus themselves, no one was present.
"What two women are you talking about?" Rayden asked his fighters.
"The two women in charge," Nightwolf told him.
Rayden frowned. "The people in charge are two men, both old in age. The only women here are masseuses and minor faculty members."
The Defenders traded looks. "We've either been targeted," Jax furrowed his brows, "or we've been had."
His teammates nodded, but Rayden was slower to respond. He had a look of deep thinking. His eyes abruptly sparked and he roared, "Thunder! Pyra! Come here this instant!"
There was a sudden lull when all sound stopped, but slowly a mysterious sound filled their ears. It took the adults some time before they realized what it was: children giggling.
Two forms teleported into the room, both an even four feet in height. One was a boy, a miniature Rayden without the hat, displaying wildly strewn silver hair that had not reached the length of his unmistakable father. The second was a girl, plainly unrelated to Rayden and the boy. Her hair was fire without heat, and her eyes were a solid emerald green rather than the blank white of her companion. She had a simple green kimono, but there was a wide slit in the front to allow her black-clad legs to move. Both children had wide grins on their faces, but those slowly faded as Rayden towered over them.
"What in the name of the Maker are you doing?" the god hissed, eyes electrified.
The two children shamelessly gave the god puppy eyes. "Nothing, Dad," the boy, Thunder, replied. "What makes you think we were doing anything?"
Rayden wasn't buying it. "I sense your presence everywhere in this spa," he growled. "And something–or someone–has been causing my Defenders grief."
"A coincidence," the girl, Pyra, shrugged.
"I also strictly informed the both of you that you could not see the mortals of Earth," Rayden continued on, eyes glowing brighter by the minute. "And you were highly upset by it."
"We're mature, Dad," Thunder waved a hand. "We would never disobey you."
"Yes, you would," Rayden retorted, not in the least bit amused.
Pyra looked at her companion. "Thunder, I think we've been caught."
The boy looked at her. "I think you're right." He tried winning his father over with another smile. "We're really, really sorry, Dad, but we wanted to see these mortals that you're so obsessed with."
"I am not obsessed with mortals." Thunder began to echo Rayden's words. The boy and girl started to show fear on their faces. "And that is not a reason to cause my fighters distress!"
"I think those kids need help," Liu whispered to Jax.
"For all the trouble they've caused us, I hardly care," Sub-Zero whispered to the Champion, overhearing him.
"But Dad," the boy whined, fidgeting like all children do when they wanted something. "We just wanted a peek at them! And we never meant to scare them, we just wanted to play!"
"Yeah, Lord Rayden," Pyra nodded fervently. "We'll apologize!"
Rayden glowered at them, then turned to his Defenders. "What do you think?" he asked.
The mortals looked between one another. They huddled in a circle, and after deliberating (during which the two children wiggled and squirmed) they turned to the Thunder God and the children. "Just one question, and we'll forgive you. What did you do with Stryker and Sonya?"
The two children looked at each other, then stared back blankly. "Who?" Pyra asked.
"Don't be difficult, Pyra," Rayden growled. "Your father won't look at this escapade any kindlier if you are stubborn."
"Honestly, Dad," Thunder shook his head. "Who're they talking about? We only picked on your Defenders."
The adults blinked. "Stryker and Sonya are two of my Defenders," Rayden replied.
Pyra and Thunder exchanged looks, Pyra haughty and Thunder uneasy. "I told you those two were a part of the group," the former snapped. "Did you listen to me? Oh, noo, Pyra doesn't know anything, Pyra just knows how to engulf everything in fire!"
"I didn't know!" Thunder snapped back. "And you weren't any more sure than me! You just thought they might be a part of the group!"
"You mean to say," Nightwolf stepped forward, "that all this time you were torturing us, you left them alone?"
They nodded.
The mortal adults stared at one another. "I feel cheated," Jax grumbled.
"What did you do with the regular staff?" Rayden frowned at his son and his friend.
"We just witched them so they were elsewhere when we greeted them," Thunder mumbled, trying to drill a hole in the floor with the toe of his shoe. "Everyone else is fine."
"So Stryker and Sonya had a normal day," Rayden rubbed his chin. "That's some relief. I would have hated for those two to have a terrible time and carp on me how they should've been allowed to go to their places."
"Do you want me to dump brimstone on them?" Pyra chirped hopefully. At Rayden's glare, she returned to being contrite.
"Why not?" Sub-Zero snorted. "Their day was perfectly fine, it'd do them good to have something go wrong."
"You know that's an oxymoron," Nightwolf pointed out.
"You're right. It would do us good."
"I think we should return to the more important matter at hand," Kitana broke in. Everyone turned to her. "We still don't know where they are."
----------
Stryker lay, completely at ease, on the fold chairs on the roof of the spa, absorbing the rays of the sun. Sonya rested next to him on her stomach, tanning her back.
The man took another peek at her form, whistling in his head. He knew Sonya was attractive, but her in a bikini was a sight he could count with half the fingers on one hand, so he drank the sight of her as many times as he dared. His sunglasses (originally to ward off the glare of the sun) hid the direction of his gaze, for which he was thankful. If Sonya knew he was looking. . . the results would be disastrous.
What he didn't know was that the woman was fully aware of his scrutiny. And she didn't mind in the least. The day had relaxed her to the point where she could be a real, true woman, and the prospect of a man, even Stryker, making eyes at her filled her with feminine giddiness.
It wasn't like she wasn't making her own inspection. Him in his black shorts was eye candy, to her shock and pleasure. For all that he was hardly muscular like Liu or Jax, there was something attractive in his smooth torso.
They had gone to the rooftop after their bathing session to sunbathe, but to their dismay their masseuses had to return to work. After a half-hour lying in the warm rays their gloom had dissipated. The alcoholic drinks to the side of their chairs with the miniature umbrellas and several bowls of ice cream also helped in that regard.
Stryker wrinkled his brows. He was suddenly a few degrees colder; not a lot, but enough to disgruntle him. He slid his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose with a tilt of his head to be treated to the sight of a vexed Lord Rayden.
"Um, Rayden?" Stryker drawled, "You're blocking my rays."
Sonya turned and peered up at him over the rim of her own sunglasses. "Yes. Move."
The other Defenders joined Rayden, along with two children. Sonya and Stryker easily identified the boy as a relative to the god. "We're all joyful that you are both having a relaxing time," Jax frowned at them.
"Yes," Nightwolf agreed tersely. "Joyful indeed." Kiva growled deep in his throat, catching the two off-guard.
"What's up with you guys?" Sonya raised a brow. "You act like you had a horrible time."
The two watched as the Defenders turned to the children, who looked down with shame. "We played tricks on your friends," Pyra murmured. "We didn't know you were with them, so we didn't bother you two."
Stryker and Sonya looked at each other, then back at the group standing before them. "Does this mean the vacation's over?" Stryker asked sorrowfully.
"Yes," the Defenders chorused and, ignoring their protests, manhandled the two down to the lobby, allowing them minimal time to dress.
They were almost out the door when Pablo and Lily entered, dismayed at seeing Sonya and Stryker leaving. "You should come back, Blade," Lily whispered to Stryker, kissing him. Pablo gave Sonya a similar gift. "I'll be waiting on tenterhooks for you, Miss Stryker," he said, making the woman laugh softly. The two masseuses left.
The group behind them stared. "What was that about?" Liu questioned.
"And why did they switch your names?" Sub-Zero frowned.
Stryker scratched the back of his head; Sonya shuffled uncomfortably. "It's a really, really long story," Stryker said at last. "Why don't we wait til we get back to the base? Actually, I think your more important story should be put out of the way before we start on something so frivolous as our day."
"I agree with Stryker," Sonya nodded hurriedly, following him out the door. "Let's go."
Kitana arched a brow gracefully, realization dawning on her. "I think the two of you had plenty of fun this day," she said.
The two halted, looking back with slightly guilty looks. "I don't know what you're talking about, Kit," Sonya tried denying it.
"You know exactly what I mean," the princess retorted. "You and Stryker," pausing with a look at the two children, "had a romantic time with your masseuses."
The two froze. The Defenders and Rayden picked up on Kitana's meaning. "Is that true?" Nightwolf gasped.
They shifted. "It's none of your business whether we did or not," Stryker finally retorted. "You should be happy we found some time to relax."
The death stares they received argued otherwise. "Think we should run?" Sonya whispered to Stryker.
The stares got worse.
"Definitely," Stryker nodded, and they fled with the five other mortals on their tails.
Thunder looked up at his father. "You were right, Dad," he said.
"What was I right about?" Rayden asked tiredly; he was beginning to consider retirement.
"Mortals are strange," Pyra answered for the both of them.