"Longing"
Hadea sat in her cell, quietly eyeing the floor.
Just as the door swung open for her evening meal, an alarm began blaring throughout the prison.
The guard tensed, eyes swinging about.
"What's going on?" Hadea scowled, a series of red flashes illuminating her face.
The man trembled, his voice lowering to a whisper. "We're under attack. I..."
He turned just in time to see a slew of lasers flying down the hallway, knocking him senseless as he collapsed.
Hadea fidgeted, taking a step backward.
Moments later, a brown-haired young woman appeared in the doorway, accompanied by several boys around her age. All wore ragged, commoner's clothes.
The girl lifted an eyebrow — along with her weapon — speaking in a snotty, mocking tone. "Well, well. If it isn't the royal one herself."
Hadea stood her ground, lifting a hand to her hip.
"We don't expect you to remember us." The girl's eyes gleamed with hatred. "I was fairly young when you conquered my planet, far too young to do anything about it." Her finger twitched around the trigger. "I watched you burn flags, destroy monuments, and make a mockery of my kingdom's name.
"And then..." she chuckled, shaking her head a bit. "I suddenly heard that you'd gone to prison — as though prison was all you really deserved."
As the alarm and flashes continued to pulse, Hadea cast her gaze from one intruder to the next.
"I always vowed that you'd get a harsher punishment one day. And guess what, 'highness?' That day has arrived." She took a step forward, flashing a smug glare. "Kneel."
Hadea lifted an eyebrow, holding still. "I am a queen, little girl. I kneel before no one."
The young woman scowled, lifting her weapon and taking aim.
Just then, another slew of blasts began flying through the hallway. The intruders ducked, turning away from Hadea and returning fire.
As the guards and their enemies continued the skirmish, Hadea managed to slip out of her cell and begin running down the hall. Upon turning a corner, she came face to face with the warden — a hefty man with graying hair.
"This way!" He took Hadea by the wrist, dragging her outside.
The former queen had little time to complain about the treatment — but still managed to get in a few mumbles here and there.
After passing a number of defeated guards, the pair arrived at a group of space cruisers that were reserved for emergencies.
"We have to leave Quadra," said the warden, speaking of the small 'prison planet' they were stationed on. "We- -"
A flurry of shots began whizzing past them. They turned and saw that the intruders were catching up.
"We're not far from Earth." Hadea took a nervous breath. "Set course for Africa. My husband lives there. He can help us."
The warden held his weapon at the ready. "Wait. Are you talking about the Phantom?" Having worked with the masked Defender, the man knew exactly where to find him.
The warden began setting the advanced auto pilot for the approximate location. As the ship contained technology that was far ahead of Earth's, it could largely fly itself to the general area. Still, its pilot would have to navigate the rest of the way.
"Get inside!" he ordered her.
As Hadea complied, the warden screamed and collapsed amidst a horde of shots.
Hadea's tense eyes began darting about.
The ship's roof began to close, and moments later, the vehicle lifted off and shot itself into space.
As night fell over an African village, a flurry of laser blasts began filling the sky.
The 'battle' was entirely one-sided. Hadea fled in a damaged cruiser, and the invaders pursued her in one of their own.
Within minutes, Hadea's ship crash-landed in the woods — a mass of smoke and sparks erupting from the craft.
As the former queen crawled from the wreckage, she found that her vision was blurry while attempting to rise.
It wasn't long before the second ship landed, and a group of young men hopped out with weapons drawn.
Hadea began staggering through the jungle. A slew of shots followed after her. Just as Hadea turned and threw a nervous glance backward, she saw a dark figure drop from the trees and tackle one of the boys.
All of the young men paused in shock.
The figure threw a spinning kick at one attacker's jaw, swung a vicious chop at another's boy's neck, and thrust an open palm at his last opponent's face.
As Hadea's pursuers began hitting the ground, their attacker crouched and delivered a few final blows. Each of the boys were left unconscious.
Having fallen, Hadea looked upward as the figure stepped into the light. Seconds later, her weary eyes began to widen. The last thing she saw before fainting was the Phantom's face staring down at her.
Hadea awakened in a carpeted bedroom with plain white walls. After pulling the covers aside, she glanced toward a window and saw the sun rising.
A plush robe awaited her at the door. Removing her gown, she pulled the garment on and made her exit.
The Phantom had quite the extravagant 'living room.' Hadea had entered a huge, circular area with a carpeted floor. A long crescent window lined a distant wall, and a couple of couches were grouped together in the center.
After walking about with a raised eyebrow, she found a warm cup was waiting for her on the windowsill. Noting that she was high above ground level, Hadea stared out at the treetops while lifting the drink to her lips.
A strong, composed voice arrived from behind. "Are you wounded?"
Still looking outward, Hadea paused, then smirked at the sky. "Were you too afraid to check for yourself?"
The Phantom flashed an irked frown, briefly glancing elsewhere. He looked up again as she turned around — and that was when his jaw began dropping a tad.
Thick rays of sunlight flowed around Hadea, illuminating her unadorned hair. In her current state, she had both a regal air and a domestic charm. She looked very much like a queen...and almost like a housewife.
The Phantom let his eyes wander, trying to appear as though he hadn't noticed her allure.
A sudden frown crossed Hadea's face. "What became of my attackers?"
He took a seat on one of the couches. "They're already in my team's custody. I've spoken to the warden as well. Each of our captives are headed back to that prison — as inmates."
She glanced down into the cup. "Thank you for helping me."
He slowly nodded.
After a quiet pause, Hadea began to look herself over, eyeing the robe. "Does another woman live here?"
The Phantom gazed at his cupped hands. "No."
Hadea eased down across from him. "But one did?"
He kept his stare hidden, holding quiet for nearly a minute.
Hadea watched him closely.
Finally, the Phantom glanced up and met her gaze. "What does it matter?"
She looked deeply into his eyes. "More than you know."
After a while, he slowly shook his head while watching her. "You're still clinging to something that doesn't exist."
"Love and family always exist."
"We're not lovers." He hesitated before continuing. "And we're not family."
She nodded a little, glancing elsewhere. "I think that in your heart, you know that we're family. We share a daughter. We made a vow."
The Phantom sighed beneath his breath.
"And as for love..." She reached over and touched the left side of his chest.
He fidgeted a tad.
"That's something that I know you're capable of. It's just an ability that you happen to keep well-hidden."
He began to grow tense while staring at her.
Hadea could sense this while looking back at him. "No...I'm not clinging to something that 'doesn't exist.' " A confident grin crossed her face. "I'm just longing for the day when we both acknowledge that it does."
After passing behind a waterfall that few dared to approach, Hadea and the Phantom awaited the arrival of a portal. Moments after entering it, they materialized in the Netherworld.
Hadea gazed about in awe; it had been quite some time since she'd seen her kingdom. Upon her arrival at the capital, several of the queen's servants fell to their knees in disbelief — and for one of the few times in her life, she actually smiled upon them.
The Phantom followed her to her chambers, then took her shoulder and turned her around. "Remember what we discussed. You're to consider this your house arrest."
She eyed him calmly.
"If you ever leave the Netherworld, if you ever again attempt to rule others...I will personally send you right back to that prison on Quadra."
Hadea stared, her eyes gleaming.
The Phantom crossed his arms, calling up a stern face. "Do you understand?"
Hadea held quiet.
His voice began to soften a tad. "Do you?"
She merely stared at him.
He glanced away. "What is it?"
Hadea lifted a hand, stroking his face.
The Phantom trembled.
Seconds later, Hadea drew him close in a passionate kiss.
The Phantom's eyes went wider than they ever had in his life. His immediate instinct was to pull away — yet for some reason, he found that he couldn't.
Hours later, the Phantom pulled on his pants, then reached for his shirt.
Hadea watched him from the bed, grinning as she leaned against her elbow.
He paused at the door, glancing back at her with a softened stare. A long silence seemed to linger.
"You can always come visit me in my new prison," she said.
The Phantom paused where he stood, then slowly exited.
Later in the evening, the Phantom was riding in the passenger seat of a car. His arms were crossed and his eyes were firmly fixed on the road.
Eventually, Flash glanced over at him with a sly smile. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
Flash nodded, lifting a defensive hand. "That's okay, buddy." He smiled while looking forward again. "I seem to be hearing that a lot these days."
Scene Commentary
Thick rays of sunlight flowed around Hadea, illuminating her unadorned hair. In her current state, she had both a regal air and a domestic charm. She looked very much like a queen...and almost like a housewife.
The Phantom let his eyes wander, trying to appear as though he hadn't noticed her allure.
Having reached the end of her stint in prison, Hadea rejoins us full time in this chapter.
The relationship between the Phantom and Hadea is one that I find intriguing. It's apparent that the Phantom has genuine feelings for this woman, but he's not quite ready to embrace them yet.