The Evil Long Forgotten
Chapter 12
By Christopher W. Blaine
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DISCLAIMER: All of the characters and situations contained in this story are ©2004 by DC Comics Inc. and are used without permission for non-profit, fan related entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2004 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in any manner, in part or as a whole, without the express permission of the author.
Red Star shook his head, futilely trying to clear the ringing out of it and then he realized that the sound was not coming from within, but from everywhere else. Fire alarms, car alarms and every other type of emergency signal was blaring as Wonder Woman fought off four armored attackers.
Obviously they thought that the big Russian was down for the count, but that was far from the truth. Surely the strike to his chest had caught him off-guard and he was more than a little embarrassed. For all intents and purposes, he was the Superman of Russia and he had a certain amount of pride in that fact. Being surprised by four women in large suits of power armor was not something he intended to keep on his super-hero resume.
He got up out of the wreckage and yelled for the helpful German citizens to stay back. He barked it in Russian and he noted that many faces changed expression. Had they not noticed the large red star emblem on his chest? He looked down to see that part of his costume had been blackened, obscuring his socialistic background.
He did not have time to try and explain his situation; innocent people could get hurt and while he had no policing authority like Wonder Woman, he was not about to stand by and allow these criminals to cause mayhem unchecked. He summoned forth the incredible energies that were locked in his body and put his hands in front of him as a way to focus. A power blast of heat launched forward and caught one of the armored women on the left, sending her spinning. She fell to the ground, armor smoking but otherwise undamaged. Red Star grinned; he would be able to use a little more power against these foes. In his country, he constantly had to hold back for fear of killing someone.
One of the other women, seeing that Red Star was up leapt into the air on twin jets of flame and tried to swoop down on him. He was fast for his size as she soon found out and he dodged her attack with ease. Allowing her to pass by, he quickly whirled and fired another blast at her backside.
The woman screamed in pain as he had applied more to this attack and no doubt her posterior had taken a roasting. But his victory was short-lived as the woman he had attacked first let loose with a power blast of her own. Unlike him, the women in the power armor were not shy about holding back and he took the full force of the strike in his shoulder.
The ground came up at him quickly and he tasted concrete. Then a shadow flew over him and he instinctively rolled as the woman with the burning butt fired at him from above. He continued to roll until he had enough time to get back on his feet. His shoulder ached and burned, but he was far from being out of the fight.
He could also say the same about his Amazon companion who was fighting like a true warrior. One of her assailants had a damaged arm from where Wonder Woman had literally torn away the armor plating and ripped out the wires inside. The other, the leader, was backing away with a crumpled torso plate. Any time they tried to fire at her, she merely deflected the blasts, sometimes into the air, sometimes into the ground. Small fires had started around their feet as all of them tried to gain a position of advantage.
"Stop this madness!" Wonder Woman ordered. "Innocent people and children could be harmed!"
The leader laughed, her voice and manner betraying a personality used to giving orders and not taking them. "Our employer does not worry about such things. Collateral damage gets a bonus in fact."
"Animals!" Wonder Woman replied, pulling out her magic lasso. In one fluid motion she threw it out where it wrapped around the good arm of the second foe. The Amazon princess jumped into the air and then pulled, dragging the armored woman along with her. She started to move away from the fight, hoping that her prisoner would be the bait to get the others to follow. Instead of jumping into the air after the hero, the leader of the foursome instead turned towards a home and fired several blasts into it. Wood, brick and glass shattered under the incredible force and heat and soon black smoke was pouring out the hole that had been made. "Merciful Minerva!" Wonder Woman said as she dropped her quarry to the ground below. Headfirst the terrorist rammed into the concrete road and sank down to her neck.
With a grace that belied her rage, Wonder Woman raced towards the leader, who turned just in time to grab the Amazon's outstretched arms. Lifting off gently from the ground, the woman locked hands with Wonder Woman in the start of an aerial wrestling match. Up close Wonder Woman could tell that the woman was older, but no less beautiful, then she first imagined. Definitely Asian, she had the beginnings or perhaps the ending of a tattoo visible on her neck.
Her power armor was slightly different as well and it was obvious it was a more powerful model. Wonder Woman was strong, some said as strong as Superman on a bad day, but this woman was able to go toe to toe with her. Several thoughts raced through the Amazon's mind as she applied more pressure and she wondered if Batman ever performed deductions while he was fighting?
In order to afford armor like this, the woman and her friends had to have significant monetary backing. Considering that she had never heard of them, but they were apparently veterans of this sort of thing, added to her racial origins, suggested that this was a mercenary who worked for a very secretive employer. That left very few persons that Wonder Woman could consider.
The Asian woman seemed to sense some hesitation and went for a groin kick. It missed the pubic region but did strike hard against a thigh muscle that was like steel. Normally Wonder Woman would not have even acknowledged the blow, but the strength of the exoskeleton in the power armor was enough to cause her pain. By reflex she let go and took another kick to the midsection that sent her flying.
She passed over Red Star who did not bother to look up but had instead opted for the more primitive style of trading blows with one of his foes. He would strike and then the woman would strike, all the while the one whom he referred to as "Burnt Butt" circled overhead trying to line up a shot on him. It was difficult but he managed to keep moving enough that there was no way to hit him with one of the power blasts and not hit the woman he was fighting.
Each blow was wearing him down, however, and his costume had borne as much of the assault as his body had. It was covered with scorch marks and blood, torn in several places and did not present the neat and trim appearance he strove for. After receiving a punch that knocked a tooth loose, he lost his temper and channeled some of his internal power into a blow. The combination of raw strength and enhanced heat allowed him to punch through the damaged armor plating and he heard a satisfying snap as a collarbone broke under his attack.
The woman screamed in pain and immediately lit off her boot jets to get out of the area; she was no longer able to participate in the fight. "Burnt Butt" saw her chance but never was able to take it. Even as she lined up to fire a high-intensity plasma beam at Red Star's back, Wonder Woman streaked in and landed a haymaker punch that sent the terrorist sailing high into the air.
"You have my thanks, Princess Diana," Red Star said as he pulled off the tattered remains of his shirt. His muscular chest rippled in anticipation of their next foe, but it appeared that the others had enough. Of the four, only the leader's battlesuit seemed unharmed and she kept her distance from the two heroes.
"You will not get away," Wonder Woman promised as she inched closer.
The leader laughed. "I do not think your threats mean anything today, Wonder Woman," she said triumphantly. Wonder Woman paused and then took in the scene of carnage that had been wrought.
Fully three houses were severely damaged and on fire; the sirens of the rescue and emergency personnel now becoming louder. There were moans and pleas for help coming from one and Red Star did not hesitate to turn on his heel and race into one of the burning homes.
Several yards were torn up and the street was impassable from the heated asphalt and concrete and the huge potholes. Trees were smoldering and children were crying as parents grabbed them and tried to vacate the area. "Too much damage has been done today," the woman said, starting to turn. "You either let me go or perhaps an innocent dies because they were not pulled from a fire quick enough. I know you heroes; you'll let me go."
Wonder Woman said nothing, but the fiery stare from her eyes told the terrorist that she was correct in her assessment of the Amazon's actions. There was no way she would jeopardize the lives of the people of this neighborhood just so she could capture one super-villain.
She watched them fly away, noting their direction for Steven and then dropped to the ground to lend Red Star a hand with the wounded.
The four traveled under the detection range for radar for several kilometers until they reached the forest that their Land Rover was parked in. They landed; the three wounded making whimpering sounds as they pulled off their armored suits. Their leader took her time and assisted as well as she could.
A man stepped out of the woods, zipping his fly. "I'm here!" he called out in an English accent. He ran over to the leader and aided her in removing the last of her armor. "You were successful today?"
The leader shook her head. "We delayed them only for a short while, which means I have to pay back half of the retainer," she said with disgust in her voice. It was plainly obvious that the idea of losing so much money turned her stomach. "Help them, Matthew," she said, pointing to her comrades. "Rose Petal has some broken bones and Cherry Blossom has a burned posterior," she added with sarcasm.
"I will apply soothing ointment to it at once," he said with a devilish grin. He moved over to the other women and they immediately surrounded him, explaining how they were hurt. White Orchid, the least damaged of the three, was put to work gathering parts of the suits. The armor suits incorporated technology that had been originally patented by Ted Kord, Ray Palmer and even one from Wally West, based on designs by Barry Allen. With the press of a button, the armored components shrank down to a tenth of their original size, except in cases where the button had been damaged or the component so mangled that shrinking would harm it.
"Rose Petal's suit is a wash," he announced. "Damn Russian severed the main neural line from the headpiece to the entire left side."
"Bury it and then let's get out of here," their leader said as she stripped off her spandex undersuit and let the cool German air brush over her exposed flesh. Matthew cast an approving glance and then went back to his duties. Though he was full of proper manners and etiquette, he was not a dullard. In fact, he was important to the Secret Garden as herself and her operatives. Often times it was Matthew that made the deals for them and he was rewarded in many, many ways.
Which reminded her that she had better contact her employer and give her report. She had hoped that by pulling a job for Ra's Al Ghul she could get lined up for some work in the United States, but she had, in her opinion, totally messed this one up. She walked naked over to the Land Rover and opened the driver's side door where here videophone sat where she had left it.
"I programmed our employer's access into it while you were gone, madam," Matthew called as he broke open an emergency first aid kit. Cherry Blossom wasn't just burned, the leader noted, she was downright toasted. Red blisters had been raised on her shapely buttocks and she would need real medical attention.
The leader sighed; more money gone including the cost of a new set of armor! She pressed the call button and waited a moment as the connection was made. "Ah, Miss Mantis," Ra's Al Ghul said with faux joy. "I was not expecting your call for another half hour. You must be very good to have disposed of Wonder Woman and Red Star so quickly."
She shook her head, her almond-shaped eyes betraying her shame. "We only managed to delay them, perhaps for another three hours at most. We were not prepared for the savagery of the Russian's attacks."
"Yes, well the Russians do look at fighting a little differently than the Americans and of course, Wonder Woman comes from a warrior race." He smiled warmly. "You did your best, I am sure. I could not expect much more from mere amateurs." The rebuke stung, but she knew that she deserved it for failing. "Still, three hours maybe enough time to allow my people to move in and do their job."
"I am sure that once we are outfitted again…"
"Oh, do not bother trying to give me assurances you cannot possibly make good on, my dear," Ra's said with a sneer. "Were it not for your beauty and, how should I say this, bedchamber abilities, you would not have even been considered for this job to begin with. I threw you a bone and like a good bitch, you fetched upon command."
"No man speaks to me that way," she said, gritting her teeth. "I am not a whore!"
"No, dear lady, it would take a great deal of time and practice for you to achieve that level; a whore would be better at sex…much better," he said, ending the conversation. Mantis took the phone, screamed, and threw it hard at the ground. Then she took out her anger on her SUV. For several moments the forest was permeated with the ravings of an extremely angry woman.
The other members of Secret Garden remained silent, even Matthew refrained from asking Miss Mantis to calm down. Very rarely did their leader allow her baser emotions to get the best of her and when it did happen, it was everyone's judgment to allow the thunder to roar. The storm would eventually pass.
By the time her tantrum was over with, the diminutive mercenary had taken out two of the windows and severely damaged a front quarter panel. Matthew finished his duties quickly and then moved over to his employer. He scooped up a blanket from the exposed rear of the vehicle and put it around Miss Mantis.
Her eyes, filled with tears of anger, betrayal and shame fell easily. She had given up any pretenses of maintaining a façade in front of Matthew or the others many years before. They were a family, a strange one to be sure, but they were unafraid to show their emotions. She had even gone so far as to explain that tears were nothing more than liquid hate and people were forced to shed them to keep from exploding.
Matthew pulled her close and she easily accepted the embrace. They had been, for years, occasional lovers and sometimes even more. Yet she was in charge of the business and he was the employee, just as the other women were. "He must be made to pay," he whispered to her, knowing that was what she wanted to hear.
"He is too powerful," she stated.
"Then we do not attack him directly. We are no longer his friends; we never were," Matthew announced and the others all agreed. White Orchid stepped away from her job of putting the suits in the Land Rover and came to stand behind Matthew. "You give the order and I will kill the dog myself," she announced.
Of all of them, White Orchid was perhaps the most beautiful, but also was the most loyal. The only true Japanese among the group, she based her life on an honor code few could understand. "We failed our contract, but that does not give him the right to stain our honor so."
Matthew pulled Miss Mantis even closer. Suddenly, she backed away, and started to wipe the tears from her eyes. "You are both right; he must be made to pay but we cannot attack him personally. He said something about his own people moving in to finish the job."
Matthew nodded and grinned. "I'm on it," he said, running to get his laptop computer. Miss Mantis then moved over and kissed White Orchid full on the lips. "You and I will deliver a painful reminder to Ra's Al Ghul who he is dealing with. Perhaps we weren't good enough to stop Wonder Woman, but we do know why he wanted her delayed." She then took White Orchid's hand and pulled her towards the collapsed suits. "We must suit up again."