Chapter Eleven. A Maze of Trouble
"Rick! Rick!" Flash shouted albeit his son had already been taken and had already disappeared with the ice soldiers, leaving only Astra, Shanna and the clay people.
"It is too late." Baylin told his friend, "They succeeded in taking Rick. There is nothing we can do at the moment."
"Oh yes there is." Flash replied before facing both Shanna and Astra, "Where is he? Where is my son?"
"You may not worry." Astra answered, "Your son has not been harmed. At least for the time being. The ice soldiers have taken him to the dungeon until Ming decides what to do with him."
"Bring him back now!" Flash demanded.
"And why would we go all this way just to undo our hard work?" Shanna chided.
"I am serious!" Flash was now angry, "Kidnapping my son and my parents is not going to bring your loved ones back now I am telling you to bring them back!"
"Flash my friend," Mandrake stepped in to try to keep his friend calm, "calm down. You should know by now it is not going to be as simple as you are telling those two."
"They are dead set on revenge, but on the wrong people." the Phantom added.
"Good way to tell the lies, Defenders." Shanna retorted, "and you only be worried about yourselves right now."
"And why is that?" Jedda demanded.
"You are about to find out just this second." Shanna answered before she lifted her staff to make the remaining Defenders and their allies vanish.
"What did you do?" Astra asked.
"I sent them into four different areas of a maze that I created," Shanna answered, "at the maze, they will encounter dangers and peril in hopes of getting Rick Gordon and Flash's parents back, that is if they make it back in one piece."
"So I see." Astra replied before contacting Ming, "We are reporting to you Ming that we have separated the Defenders of the Earth and their allies into different parts of a maze Shanna has created."
"Excellent work." Ming was pleased with the announcement, "I am hoping it will keep them from finding our prisoners until it is too late. Both of you report to the palace immediately and be sure to take young Gordon with you as he will be the first to fall victim to your revenge."
"We understand." Shanna replied.
Flash, Zarkov, Baylin and Castra appeared at one area of this mysterious maze and they find themselves looking around their surroundings.
"Where are we?" Castra asked.
"It looks like we have been separated from the others," Baylin answered, "in what looks like some sort of maze."
"It seems that Shanna and Astra are doing what it takes to keep us from saving Rick and my parents." Flash stated.
"It looks like it my friend." Zarkov replied.
The group was completely unaware of the perils that awaited them as they started their trek towards the maze.
The Phantom, Jedda, Kisa and Barin appeared at another area of the maze. Upon arriving, they looked around their surroundings.
"It appears that we have been separated from the others." Barin told his group.
"It looks like it." the Phantom replied. Kisa growled, aware of danger that was approaching.
"There is danger ahead." Jedda told the others in her group, "We will have to keep on to find the others. Then we got to save Rick as well as Flash's parents."
"Smart thinking, Jedda." Barin replied, "Let's get to it."
The group proceeded to walk towards the maze to find their way to reunite with the others, unaware of the perils that awaited them.
Mandrake, Kshin, Zuffy, Kendra and Vultan appeared in the third area of the mysterious maze, and they were looking around their surroundings.
"What is this place?" Kendra asked.
"It appears to be a maze my dear," Mandrake answered, "and it must be a part of Shanna and Astra's plan to keep us from finding Flash's parents or Rick."
"I just hope that Rick will be okay." Kshin stated. Zuffy cooed in concern.
"He will be fine, Kshin." Mandrake assured his protege, "It is only a matter of what Ming's forces will do to him and Flash's parents."
"If only I had my Hawkmen here." Vultan stated, "We would be out of this maze with ease and work on a way to get the others out of the maze as well."
"I love your determination," Kendra replied, "but I have this strange feeling that danger is around the corner."
"I concur." Mandrake told the young girl, "We should look around the maze to find an exit."
"Good idea." Vultan replied, "I am one step ahead of you."
The group proceeded with their trek through this maze as they were unaware of the perils that would await them.
Lothar, LJ, Tavrok, Thun and Barin appeared in the final area of the maze. They looked around their surroundings in surprise of what was happening.
"It appears that those evil women separated us from our friends." Thun announced.
"Tell me something we don't know." LJ replied, "They want to keep us from finding Rick and Flash's parents."
"With us being in this maze," Lothar added, "There is no telling what dangers Shanna and Astra set for us to keep us from finding our friends."
"I just hope Castra is alright." Tavrok stated.
"She is the half sister of Aura." Thun replied, "I am certain your lover will be just fine."
"I hope you are right."
"No time to waste." Lothar told his group, "We need to keep moving."
The last group ventured into their area of the maze, unaware of the dangers that would await them in the maze.
Rick found himself in the dungeon as he started to regain consciousness, "Where am I?"
He looked around his surroundings to find himself at a cell in the dungeon of Mongo's castle, "What a stupid question. I am apparently Ming's prisoner."
"Richard Gordon, is that you?" Rick could hear Norah's voice from the next cell. He took a look outside his cell to find that his grandparents Norah and Lawrence were in the cell next door to his.
"Grandma. Gramps." Rick asked, "Are you guys alright?"
"Yes." Lawrence answered, "We are fine. You are Ming's prisoner too?"
"Looks like it. It seems that Astra is stepping up her plans to get revenge against my Dad for something he did not do."
"What do you mean?" Norah asked.
"Ming manipulated both Shanna and Astra," Rick explained, "Ming killed Astra's mother Queen Aura and he manipulated her to thinking my Dad did it when that was not the case. The same with Shanna except Ming was responsible for her brother Joe's death. Now, they are being relentless in their revenge against my Dad for two deaths he was not responsible for, but do not worry. I will not let anything happen to you two. Everything is going to be just fine."
The group heard footsteps coming their way.
"What was that?" Norah asked.
"I hear footsteps." Lawrence announced, "Someone is coming."
Astra and Shanna arrived with a couple of ice soldiers. Shanna first looked over at the cell Lawrence and Norah were at and said, "You may not worry. We will not harm you. For now."
Astra walked over to Rick's cell as she declared, "You on the other hand, Ming has plans for. Guards. Take him to Ming at once. It is his orders."
The doors to Rick's cell opened and the ice soldiers grabbed Rick and proceeded to take him to where Ming was for possible torture.
Norah and Lawrence looked in shock as they were now by themselves in their cell.
"What will they do to him?" Norah asked in concern.
"I do not know." Lawrence answered, "but I am hoping that Steven and the others get to him in time, whatever Ming plans to do with him."