ThunderCats

Bio-Booster Armor Guyver

Eye of the Storm

Episode Eight

Natalie entered the cavern in the rocky hills, well outside the Wood she called home, leaving Solange to stand guard at the entrance. A canteen of deer hide hung by her hip, just over the dagger she knew she wouldn't need. Sunlight reached in through craggy holes and slits in the ceiling, the shafts bringing a dim illumination to the narrow gouge in the earth along with fresh air. She heard the rustling cloth and muffled grunts near the back of the cave and her face fell. Natalie did not envy that poor Wollo in the slightest, and found herself ashamed at being part of such a thing as this.

Maria lay on her side, struggling with all her strength against the cords about her torso. More were wound about her legs and ankles, her arms held behind her. Natalie nearly flinched away from the terror and anger in her eyes as they stared into her own before moving down to the canteen.

"I thought as much," she said gently before helping Maria into a sitting position. "Sleepweed does tend to leave one cotton mouth." Natalie took a seat on a smooth outcropping just in front of Maria. "Lisker won't hear you, but you need to promise you won't call out once I take that off." Natalie couldn't bring herself to come across as intimidating. Maria didn't deserve to be in this situation. She seemed to consider for a moment before nodding her head in agreement.

Natalie reached behind Maria's head and undid the knot holding the cloth in place. Maria spat the gag out at once and took a deep breath.

"I won't shout," Maria said before Natalie could re-apply it, "My nose is a little stuffed."

"Oh, I didn't know that. I'm sorry. Here." She held the canteen to Maria's mouth and let the Wollo drink her fill before taking it away. "Better?"

"Much. Why am I here?"

"You're here," Natalie began, "on Verona's order."

"What does your queen want with me?"

"I think you know." Maria's face fell at those words.

"He's no threat to you," the Wollo said earnestly.

"Truth be told, I believe you. Unfortunately, Verona thinks otherwise and she does not take well to her orders being disobeyed." Natalie shook her head at the whole mad business.

"You were the one in the net that night," Maria said, her eyes widening in realization.

"You're rather perceptive," Natalie replied, grinning.

"Then why are you holding me here?!"

"I told you, M'lady Verona orders it. I don't have to like it, I just have to do it."

"Why do something you don't agree with?" Natalie looked up sharply at her before glancing away again. "If you truly mmmmmphbl!"

"I'll come back later with more water, and some food," she said as she straightened her back and did her best to ignore Maria's muffled protests. "Don't fight so hard, you'll only make it tighter." As she walked back to the cavern's entrance, the words Maria had said before the cloth had been knotted back in place rang in her ears.

Once the woman had left her sight, Maria ceased her struggling and looked about as best she was able and fought down the fear. She had been far more terrified when a captive of the Mutant Army and would not let herself go into hysterics now.

I didn't see her with the others who took me, Maria thought as she flexed her fingers to try to get more blood flowing through them. She looked behind her and grunted at the solid wall of rock at her back. There was no way out but through who knew how many warrior women at the entrance to the cave. She also had no idea where she had been taken, and as such couldn't know which direction Watershed lay.

(Remember,) Lisker had told her one night as they played chess. It was the first time she had played the game with anyone aside from William. (Observe the situation, determine what's with you and against you. Look for solutions to problems everywhere, and try to find the best one. No situation is inescapable. You just have to be patient.)

She tried to smile beneath the gag, for after that speech he had turned the tables on her with a series of moves which had turned her impending victory into a defeat she hadn't seen coming. Maria had learned from that example.

Her words seemed to have had an impact on the human woman, the way she refused to look directly at her and hurriedly gagging her again proved that. Maria would, if the chance came up, try once more to pry her.

She then looked down at the cord wound around her. It was rough and appeared quite strong, certainly more than her own strength could break. Though her circulation had not been severely cut off, there was certainly no appreciable slack anywhere.

Looks like these are the first hurdle, Maria thought as she gazed about the small space in search of something jagged enough for her to use to cut them from her wrists and soon found one close enough to scoot to. Grunting with the effort, Maria twisted herself about and began the process of inching herself to her best shot and freeing herself while fighting not to tip over and cut off her escape before it began.

"Ho, Lisker!" Dendel cried as he and Gil trundled up the lane. Lisker looked at them, scenarios racing through his mind. Only three people could have blabbed about the Guyver, and Verona had kidnapped the one he knew never would. Dendel just didn't have a deceptive bone in his body. That left only Watershed's mayor, Gil.

Eliminate the impossible and whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truth. That one line from the stories of Sherlock Holmes he had read as a boy had stuck with him all his life. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, with those words, had proven himself a genius.

Gil knows Verona, he thought as the pair drew closer. He's connected to her. At that point, however, logic broke down. By selling him out, Gil effectively removed all chance Watershed had of repelling the Clutch. Lisker let experience take over for logic.

"Gil," he said in an even monotone once the two of them entered the yard. He closed the remaining distance, ignoring the puzzled looks they exchanged at his half-dressed state, and shoved the letter in the other human's face. He studied Gil's face closely as he read it.

"What is this?!" he shouted, either truly alarmed or acting superbly. Lisker then showed him the blade, and noted the recognition which flashed across his features. "A Warrior Maiden knife..."

"Cut the bullshit," Lisker snarled, tossing the knife behind him. He heard it land tip-first in the wall. "Gil, how do you know Verona?"

"I..."

"What did I tell you about bullshit!" he hissed, yanking Gil forward by his emerald blouse. "Of all the people who know I can transform, you're the only one connected to those amazons!"

"I had nothing to do with this!"

"What are you going on about?!" Dendel shrieked, backing away from them. Lisker released Gil, snatched the note from his hand, and pushed it toward the Bolkin. "Oh, dear," he gasped. "Lisker, you can't think Gil has anything to do with this!"

"I don't want to, but unless you explain how you know that psycho hose-beast, I've got no choice!"

"Alright!" Gil shouted, both afraid and angry. "I'll tell you, though you've got some gall demanding full disclosure while keeping..."

"You spill, I spill, how about that?"

"Fair enough," Gil replied as he straightened his collar. "I lived in their trees once. You have to understand, men are treated as useful objects, nothing more!"

"Keep going."

"I was Verona's favorite, but no matter how many times I satisfied her, she never became with child. She cast me out of the Wood, and in my ramblings I found Watershed." Lisker stared into his eyes the entire time, and knew that the man was speaking the truth. So far. "I met Shanna here, and with her I finally conceived a child."

"Okay," Lisker said. "I believe you. I just needed some missing pieces filled in."

"You have one hell of a strange way of getting information," Gil snarled.

"Look, your former lover has just had Maria kidnapped. I had to know for sure you weren't involved." Lisker began to pace, his bare feet squelching in the mud.

"Have you interacted with any other Warrior Maiden tribe?" Gil asked.

"I... Yeah." He recalled the details of his encounter with Sho.

"They saw you in your altered state?"

"Yeah."

"The different Warrior Maiden tribes communicate through messenger birds," Gil said. "If the ones you met saw your powers, they might have sent warnings to the others. That may be how Verona knew."

"I hadn't thought about that. Gil, I apologize..."

"You can make this up by telling everything once you rescue Maria."

"Thanks. Now, where in those damn trees could they be hiding her?"

"I don't know. All the boltholes in there were known only by women."

"What if she's not in the forest?" Dendel asked.

"Makes sense," Lisker replied, remembering the note. "Still, I have to check. Gil, I know I've overstepped some boundaries..."

"Say no more. I'll consult our maps and try to find a likely place outside the forest."

"Thanks. I'll go scout the woods..."

"We don't have that kind of time!" Dendel shouted. "You can't search that forest in four days!"

"Just leave that to me." Lisker nodded to the both of them before sprinting off to a safe distance. "GUYVER!" The energy raced through his nerves as the sodden ground beneath his feet was destroyed and the armor merged with him. "Good luck," he said before soaring skyward.

"If I hadn't seen it myself," Gil said as Lisker vanished into the now storm-free sky.

"Guyver," Dendel muttered, "so that's what he said."

"Come on,"Gil said, "we have a Wollo to help rescue."

"Aren't you making quite the recovery?" Aptom asked to the still-unconscious Grune. The Thunderian lay beneath the clean white sheets, thin from malnutrition and sickness, the clear mask over his face fogging with each breath. He was grateful for Gireg having been such a gifted scientist, otherwise he would never have been able to keep Grune alive. Letting him die would have drawn attention he would much rather avoid.

He had no clue what had happened to the cat-man's right arm, only that the rest of the stump had needed to be amputated. Aptom looked over to the far end of the medical lab at the gleaming metal arm which rested atop a rack of thin steel poles, lights blinking in the open shoulder socket. Grune would need some serious recovery time before he could attach the cybernetic limb.

Then there was the matter of his constant chaperones.

Aptom took an irritated breath at the thought. The fact that he was now being constantly watched was enough to point out that someone had connected a few dots and at least suspected him of some mischief.

"He gonna live?" the jackal asked, leaning against the wall near the door. The lizard was not present, having availed himself of the restroom. Aptom had to move fast, and was not at all certain he had the strength for something like this.

"For the moment," Aptom said as he closed the distance between them. The jackal grew tense as he approached. "I'd like to know why Ratar-O felt I needed to be watched, though."

"Orders."

"I know all about following orders, man. How would you like to give them instead?"

"Yeah?" The Mutant's curiosity was piqued, despite the fear of Ratar-O all of them had in common.

"Listen," Aptom said as he stood nearly toe-to-toe with the jackal, "I found something down in the ruins. Something amazing."

"Keep goin'..."

"First, I need to know if you're truly in on this. I don't need someone blowing sunshine up my ass until the chance to rat on me comes up, if you follow me." Aptom offered his hand, or Gireg's hand, and gave the Mutant a knowing look.

"I knew you were up to somethin'," the Mutant said as he took said hand. "Why would Meliz have us watchin' you?" He tried to pull his hand free, his face contorting to a look of surprised horror when the hand remained stuck.

"Meliz," Aptom said as the enzymes flowed into the Mutant's body. "I'll have to keep that name in mind." He felt as though he were draining away as his DNA was carried into the jackal Porro's body. Aptom pulled his hand away and panted heavily as Porro's body began to melt. Fur shrank into flesh, claws becoming nails and snout shortening into a scarred human face.

"Risky move," Porro, who was now also Aptom, said.

"Had to be done. You look good, by the way."

"Damn sight better than you. Didn't our mother tell us about making ugly faces?"

"Funny. The other one..."

"I know," the new Aptom said as he shifted back into Porro's form. "Great minds and all that."

"Don't let us down, handsome," Aptom said as his other retook Porro's form.

Oh, crap! Maria thought as the soft footfalls began to approach. She had been at the task of trying to scrape the cord around her wrists apart for the better part of an hour, but whatever they were made from they simply refused to give. Several spots on her arms were raw and scraped from where the sharp edges of the stone had made painful contact. She threw herself onto her side and tried to roll as close to her original position as she could. If she could make it look like she had merely been rolling around blindly, she might be able to hide whatever progress she'd made against her bonds. Maria actually managed a few feet back when the blonde woman reappeared.

"I told you not to struggle," she said, turning her saddened eyes away. Maria looked up at her, and the small wrapped parcel she held. "I suppose you must be hungry by now. Let me help you up."

As though I have a choice, Maira thought with more than a hint of venom.

"I'll release your hands for you." Those words sent an icy lance of fear through her heart. "I'm sure they hurt by now and..." Halfway up, the human's words stopped and Maria would have screamed if she hadn't been gagged. "Plucky one, aren't you?" Maria was placed on her bottom again and the blonde sat in front of her on the cavern's floor. "Those cords aren't so easy to sever. You've cut yourself all over." She paused for a moment, eyeing her in a way that Maria wasn't entirely comfortable with before shaking her head. "I'd bandage them for you, but you've only gotten scratches. Even so..." She stood over her, and Maria felt the pressure on her wrists vanish. She immediately reached up and ripped away the gag. "Remember, no getting loud."

"Why untie me?"

"Only your hands, unless you want me to feed you myself."

"You're going to tie them again?"

"Yes." Maria saw how her features fell even more with that word, impossible as it seemed. "That was something of a stupid question, you know." The human opened the wrapped parcel to reveal several berries and some carrots. "Eat up." Maria took a handful of berries and began to eat, taking pains not to show how well they tasted especially since they were the first things she'd eaten in over twelve hours. "If you need to relieve yourself, we'll see to it."

"Not yet. My legs..."

"You'll just have to bear it. I'm sorry."

"How long will you keep me here?" Maria asked, trying to sound the human out.

"Four days." Maria nearly choked. "Unless your man gives in to our demands sooner."

"What are they?"

"Disarm Watershed and leave for good."

"If he does that, they won't have a chance when the Clutch comes back!"

"Who?"

"Remember the thugs who'd caught you and William? They were part of a larger force. Lisker's only doing all this so the people in Watershed will have a chance to fight back when the rest come calling!"

"It's been awhile. Is he sure of this?"

"If they don't come, then that's all well and good. At least Watershed won't have to worry about bandits and murderers calling on them again." Now done with the berries, Maria started on a carrot. "If he doesn't cave, what will you do?"

"You don't need me to answer that." The silence stretched between them after those words. Sickened, Maria placed the carrot back onto the sheet of crumpled cloth. Her appetite had just vanished. "If he does, you'll find life among us..."

"What?!"

"If we simply give you back to him, there will be no way for us to prevent him from returning to Watershed, or to keep him from destroying the Wood and all of us with it. If he loves you, truly loves you, he'll be able to let you go."

"Is Verona out of her mind?!"

"Speak carefully of our queen," the human warned her, "thoughtless words have a way of reaching her ears."

"Which is why you haven't spoken out against this... Wait!" Maria shouted before the gag could be replaced. "I take that back. Just let me finish eating first."

"Believe me, I truly wish it didn't have to be this way. By the way, my name is Natalie. Best to get the introductions out of the way before you come to the trees, Maria."

Don't count on that, Maria thought. "What makes Verona think Lisker is so powerful, anyway?" If she couldn't play on Natalie's obvious distaste for keeping her captive, she would try to lead her into giving over as much information as possible. At the moment, it was the only card Maria had.

"We received a message from one of our sister tribes detailing what the Guyver lets him do and that he isn't exactly a messenger of peace."

"I can see why Verona's so nervous about him," Maria replied after forcing herself to eat some of the carrot. "But I just told you he's no danger to your home or to your people."

"It doesn't matter what I think about him."

"I guess not," Maria said, giving up on that line before it could wander into topics which would end the conversation with that damned cloth. Her wrists were still sore, and she was in no hurry to have them retied. The thought alone of spending four days like this was too much to even consider.

"Let me ask you something," Natalie said, "Is Lisker truly so powerful? Verona does not doubt her source, but..."

Uh-oh... "I'll say this. There's only one thing to keep in mind if you're going to fight a Guyver. Don't." Natalie's eyes widened in fear, and Maria took some small satisfaction from it. "It won't end well for you."

"Don't go thinking Lisker will find you. Even if he searches the entire Wood, he'll never lay eyes on you again." Natalie's voice didn't entirely hide the tremor with its bravado.

Because I'm not in the Wood, Maria thought with an inward smirk. Thank you for clearing that up.

"Here," Natalie said suddenly, "give me your hands."

"If I must," Maria replied, holding them out. To her surprise, Natalie reached into the pouch on her right hip and produced several strange almond-colored leaves which she proceeded to crush. They left a curious resin on her hands which she then began to gently apply to Maria's cuts. "AH!"

"I forgot to warn you, this will sting a little, but it will help you heal."

"A disinfectant."

"A what?"

"That's what Lisker calls ointments for cuts and scrapes."

"Strange name," Natalie said as she finished treating Maria's arms. She rose from her seat and stepped behind her. Maria knew that resistance would be useless as the rough cord was wound tightly about her wrists once again. Once secure, Maria felt herself hoisted upon Natalie's shoulder. "Solange!" she called and another woman, this one taller and obviously higher up whatever societal pecking order than the blonde, appeared within seconds. "Help me with this." Maria followed Solange with her eyes as she produced even more cord - and just how much of it did they have anyway! - and looped it around several outcroppings in a stone on the ceiling.

"We can't have you pulling another stunt like that," Natalie explained as Solange looped the trailing ends under Maria's arms and around her torso. Natalie released her gently, and her feet now dangled well above the floor.

"Verona frightens you that much?" The cloth was reapplied without an answer and the two women left her alone once more.

It doesn't hurt, at least, Maria thought as she dangled in mid-air, though she was sure it would before long. Perhaps it was only temporary, their intent to leave her until it became nearly unbearable so she would not try to cut the strange rope on the walls again when they let her down. She hoped so.

I know more than I did before, she mused, fighting an increasingly desperate battle to keep the fear at bay. I know more even if it's none too reassuring. Maria knew she was not in their forest, possibly nowhere near it. She knew that Natalie completely disagreed with the entire affair, yet would probably not go against her queen's command. Lastly she knew that the other, Solange, didn't trust Natalie in the least. The cave, from the length of time it had taken Natalie's footfalls to reach her, was too long for the other woman to have appeared so quickly. She had been listening from the shadows, and from the look in her eye she would not hesitate to move against Natalie if she decided to disobey orders.

I know him, she thought, he'll search all over the forest with his sensor medals, and he won't find me there. Once that lead was used up, he would have no idea which direction to go. Neither of them knew the full range of those weird medals on the side of Guyver's helmet. Left with no options for the moment, Maria lowered her head and shut her eyes against the mounting frustration of being completely helpless.

Once more in the brilliant light of day, Natalie stared out over the rolling hills, each dotted with protruding rocks and sparse grasses. Maria's words would not leave her, especially what she'd said before being gagged once more.

It didn't help that it might be true.

Natalie leaned against the rim of the cavern's entrance and stared down the length of her legs, asking herself why she was going along with Verona's plan in the first place. The obvious answer was fealty to her queen. Honor and upholding duty.

Fear.

It was true, Natalie did fear Verona on some level. Everyone did one way or the other. While she was still a strong warrior and a capable leader, Verona's supply of leniency was more than a little short.

But is that really why I haven't just untied her and put an end to this idiocy? Natalie asked herself. She had been tempted to the entire time they'd talked, yet she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Out of loyalty.

Out of fear, her mind replied.

Natalie felt for the Wollo, and leaving her hanging like that had actually hurt. What kind of Warrior Maiden kept a hostage in the first place? Natalie could not even begin to pretend it was anything but dishonorable. Before Lisker, Verona would never have condoned kidnapping someone like this. For Natalie, it seemed as though her queen had been behaving more and more strangely since he arrived.

Aside from rescuing me, he hasn't so much as said "Boo!" to us, she thought. Though Verona's explanation of Watershed's gearing up of its fighting forces was plausible enough on the surface, Natalie had found herself spending nights awake in her hut trying to find any indicator that it was also correct. While the new weapons, particularly the muskets, were frightening in and of themselves she could not determine how they would spell an overwhelming victory against the Warrior Maidens. If Lisker had truly wanted to conquer them, he could have done it himself and then subdued the outsider town. Maybe even in the same day. If conquest was his aim, why take the scenic route to get to it? Why try to fool the outsiders of that trading town into thinking he was laboring for their benifit?

Because he's not, and you know it, that nagging mental voice spoke up. The only logical outcome was the one thing she was loathe to think. Verona, her queen, had gone insane.

"What troubles you?" Natalie looked up with a start at Solange's question.

"I didn't sleep well last night. I'm just tired."

"Hm. Don't go drifting off, now."

"I'll try," Natalie said with a smile she hoped appeared genuine enough.

Maria, where are you? Lisker thought as he sailed above the forest canopy. As he'd expected, he hadn't found Maria's biosigns anywhere in the trees below. Numerous humans, and he knew they had been watching him, yet not one Wollo. More than once, birdcalls had sounded from the leaves below him which he knew to have been made by Warrior Maidens rather than fowl. The jungle telegraph was alive and well even with the demise of 3G wireless and AT&T. Though he didn't know their exact meanings, the basic jist was clear. They were reporting sightings of him.

"Round one goes to you, Verona," he muttered as he raced over the forest in the direction of home, "but I'm just getting warmed up." The home he and Maria had claimed for their own raced nearer and nearer, and via his sensor medals he knew Gil and Dendel to be inside.

Lisker had spent the past two hours cursing at himself while searching in vain for Maria. This had come as a complete blindside, Maria's abduction along with the fact that Verona knew about the Guyver. She had obviously had people watching the house, learning their patterns, waiting for the right time to strike. He didn't allow himself to acknowledge the fear which had taken root in his heart of hearts of what they might be doing to Maria at this very moment. All he had in the way of assurances of her safety was the note, and Lisker was not inclined to believe the word of a kidnapper. The only parts of that strange ransom note he knew to be true were that they had her and they would kill her without hesitation.

If he got careless.

Well, fuck, I've been pretty careless so far, he thought bitterly as he set down on the front lawn and trod up the steps to the door. For an instant, he recalled the very first time he and Maria had approached that door, he bio-boosted and her wearing nothing but the jacket he had given her. That thought led to the night before, when he'd seen what she'd done with it over the months. Lisker forced those thoughts out of his head, replacing them with logic and cool detachment. Much as it enraged him, hurt him, even terrified him, to think that she was being held captive by a bunch of she-Tarzans, becoming emotional wouldn't bring her back.

"No luck," Gil said as he entered, looking up from a small stack of maps which he and Dendel had spread out on the surface of the table. It was not a question.

"None. I didn't expect to find her there, but I had to try." Again, the option of taking advantage of Verona's apparently incomplete dossier on him and his abilities popped up in his mind and again he shoved it down. If she only wanted him to think she was in their forest, she obviously had no clue as to how the sensor medals worked. The thought of storming in and fucking them up twice was an attractive one, and one Lisker was determined to stay away from. It wasn't what Maria would want him to do. "How about you?"

"There's one option," Gil said, "but I'm having trouble pinning it down."

"Lay it on me," Lisker replied, allowing a small burst of hope.

"I recall that they have a place they call the Maze. It's supposed to be a series of caverns and gullys that the Warrior Maidens here could use as a fallback in case a catastophe should hit the Wood."

"Secondary H.Q."

"Something like that. I know that Verona would send a party of warriors out once every month or so to inspect it, to see if any of the caverns had fallen in or if anyone was squatting there. She..."

"Never told you where it is," Lisker finished.

"Men aren't told about anything of strategic importance," Gil explained. "Cook, raise the boys, and perform on demand. For males in the Wood, that's life in a nutshell."

The battle of the sexes has turned on its head, Lisker thought. He could name more than a few former acquaintances from Second Earth who would have had a field day with that.

"We've been looking over these maps," Dendel said, picking up the explanation, "trying to find where it might be. Some of these are nearly seventy years old, however, and have been recopied. They might not be identical to the originals."

"No word from Verona?"

"I've left orders to have any message from her brought directly here. So far, nothing."

"Because so far, she has the advantage," Lisker said. "Verona thinks she has me by the short hairs." In fact, she did, but Lisker was not willing to voice it.

"There's nothing on these maps that leaps out at me," Gil said. "I was certain that the Maze was somewhere hidden, or at least out of the way, but it has to be close to the Wood."

"You said caverns, right? So it's someplace hilly, more rock than soil. Are there any mountains near here?"

"There's the Korath Mountains," Dendel said with a shudder, "but they're weeks away. Besides, nothing that enters there leaves again." Lisker had long since determined where Watershed might lie on an old map, in the southernmost reaches of Canada near the border with America, perhaps in the Dakotas. Near...

"Look, this is gonna sound weird," Lisker began, "but have either of you heard of a mountain with four faces on it?" From their bewildered expressions, Lisker could tell they hadn't. Then, to his surprise, Dendel's face lit up.

"I have!" he cried. "One of my cousins is a scholar, lives in a village of them far to the southeast. One year he came to visit me, we spent the nights going over ancient myths of Second Earth."

"Go on," Gil urged.

"Duncan said he had a human friend who helped with his research, and said that stories of such a mountain were true. He didn't say exactly where though. Lisker, why bring that up?"

"Is it still around?"

"Well, no one's seen it, and Duncan said it had been destroyed long ago..."

"Thanks, you two," Lisker said warmly, grasping the human and the Bolkin by a shoulder. "That clears things right up."

"When you get back," Gil said with a hopeful expression, "I hope you'll add this strange mountain to your story."

"Count on it." With that, Lisker turned and bolted out the door without even bothering to close it before taking to the air.

Mount Rushmore, Lisker thought, the fucking Anthill. More than a national monument honoring four of America's presidents, it had also been covertly made into one of the sturdiest fallout shelters on earth during the height of the Cold War. The mountain itself may have been reduced to rubble, but the tunnels and reinforced walls beneath the surface might have survived and formed what could be mistaken as natural caverns and chambers over the course of two millennia. It was also the only lead he had.

Please be there, he pleaded as the sun began its descent. Please...

Like most decisions which dramatically alter the course of one's life, Natalie would never be able to pin down the exact point when she made it, or what preciesly the final straw was that led her to it. She tried to ease her jangling nerves, to hide the raging anxiety from Solange. She had known exactly why Verona's most loyal blade had been ordered to stand guard over Maria with her when the other woman had appeared so quickly earlier. Solange had been sent to keep an eye on her. Natalie knew she no longer had Verona's trust, and her own in her queen had been eroding more and more quickly as the sun neared the horizon.

Using the pretext of relieving herself, Natalie had instead added a small amount of sleepweed to the remaining water in the canteen after crushing it to powder. Taken by mouth, it was only slightly less effective than if its aroma were breathed in but the result would be the same.

"Hand me the canteen, would you?" Solange's question startled her. Natalie shrugged it off of her shoulder and handed it over with a surge of relief. She had been pondering how to get the other woman to drink from it without arousing suspicion, and here Solange did it for her.

"Not much left in it," Natalie said, her voice surprisingly nonchalant. "I didn't go to the stream earlier." Though true, the water was low because she had poured some out to make the sleepweed concentration more potent. She deliberately kept her eyes off of Solange as she put the tip of the canteen to her lips. From the corner of her eye she saw Solange's throat work as she swallowed the tainted water.

"I'm sorry," she said as Solange stared at her with disbelief writ large across her face. The canteen fell from her hand as she collapsed into a boneless heap. Natalie charged into the cavern, her bare feet stinging from slapping against the stone floor, and almost had to slide to a halt to keep from plowing into the suspended Maria.

"What's happening?" the Wollo asked once she ripped the gag away once more.

"I'm setting you loose," Natalie said in hushed, hurried words. "The sleepweed will keep Solange out for a while, and we have to be far enough away so she can't track us on her own."

"Thank you," Maria said warmly as she began to work on the knots holding Maria aloft. "This was getting painful."

"I'm so sorry this happened to you," Natalie replied. "I don't know what's come over Verona..."

"I'm wondering what's come over you." Natalie froze at Solange's words. Slowly, she turned to face the wide-awake Warrior Maiden. "You didn't think I'd fall for something that simple, did you?"

"You didn't drink of the water," Natalie said, crushed. Her best chance for making this madness up to Maria, and her own concience, had just crapped out.

"Another brilliant deduction," Solange snapped, her eyes blazing and her lips pulled back from her teeth. "I knew your were thinking about betrayal, and I just handed you the opportunity."

"If anyone's betrayed anything, it's Verona!" Natalie shouted. "Surely you've seen it, as close as you are to her! She's going mad!"

"She's strong," Solange replied as she drew her blade, short yet wickedly curved. "You're the one who's fouled in the head, thinking she's losing her sanity."

"I won't draw my blade against one of my sisters..."

"You lost your sisters when you tried to sabotage Verona's plan," Solange interjected. "You've cast away everything for the sake of a man and someone who's not even human!"

"Orders or no," Natalie said as Solange began to circle. Natalie matched step for step, trying to keep Maria from getting between them. "Kidnapping someone is wrong, it's dishonorable. Lisker has done nothing untoward, and Maria doesn't deserve to be strung up in a cave like a side of meat!"

"Desperate times, dear, desperate measures. Verona wanted me to keep you along with this Wollo, but standing guard over two for three more days is too great a risk. Since she'll have you put to death anyway, she'll understand if I save her the trouble!" Natalie was a hair too slow in sidestepping Solange's lunging swipe. A thin trail of blood ran across her flat abdomen, the wound stinging painfully.

"STOP IT!" Maria bellowed, horrified at the sight.

"You keep quiet," Solange said to the Wollo without removing her eyes from Natalie. "I may just decide that guarding one is too much hassle. Arranging for two deaths is as easy as one."

"How will you explain away killing me?!" Maria shouted. "It's not like I can run from you right now!"

"Natalie removed enough of your bonds for you to do the rest, and before making a break for it, you tried to stab me. Unfortunate accident."

"You honestly think Verona will believe that?" Natalie asked, a horrible truth dawning on her.

"She believes everything I tell her, she has for months. You have no clue how many of her decisions I actually made for her. She may be strong, but she's getting on in years. Time for some fresh blood to take the throne and, since she has no heirs, I'm next in line."

"It's you..." Natalie said just before another cut, this one just below her throat, marred her flesh.

"Too slow, girl," Solange said with an evil leer. "And, it's too late. By now, her mind's so dependent on the garra lilly that she'll die without it. I really have to thank Lisker for providing the chance I was looking for to up the dosage."

"You BITCH!" Natalie roared, despair fleeing from an onrushing tide of rage. An extract from that flower could enhance clarity of thought for a time, yet the more it was used the more confused the thought process became and the more the body needed it to function. Verona's own lieutenant had been poisoning her with it for so long that she could no longer function without it, or Solange to tell her what was going on in the world. The dagger appeared in her hand, yet she knew it would be to no avail. Solange was the best warrior in the Wood.

"Good girl," Solange cooed. "Make my version of events more plausible..."

The beam of emerald light burned through Solange's blade and bored a small hole in the rock wall at the rear. As one, all three looked in the direction it had come from.

"Well, well," Lisker said as he came fully into view, the tip of the curved fin atop his head nearly scraping the cavern's ceiling. "Things are starting to add up now."

Lisker's relief on finding Maria alive and unharmed nearly drowned out the rage at seeing her hung from the cave's roof. He had followed the conversation from nearly a mile off as he'd raced toward the cave where he'd detected three biosigns, and he found himself feeling for Natalie, much less surprised that she had been one of those holding Maria.

The one named Solange had blanched at his appearance, the killing lust vanishing from her eyes just before she bolted for the entrance. Lisker, in a fit of pique, decided to help her along by stepping behind her running form and landing a swat to her back. Solange went flying forward, and he heard her roll to a stop in the distance before Natalie roared in rage and chased after the other woman with a dagger in hand. Lisker ignored them as he focused on Maria and confirmed she was uninjured as he scanned her.

"Natalie..."

"I know," he said as he snapped the rope holding her aloft, "I heard everything."

"Now why does that not surprise me?" she asked as he set her down on the floor. Lisker tore the cords away from her before wrapping Maria in an embrace.

"Thank God you're okay."

"Just a little stiff."

"Come on, Maria, you can't fool me. I know you're hurting right now."

"It's not bad. Ooohh..." Maria grunted, her face twisted in pain, as she tried to stand.

"Your circulation's still a little slow. Just take it easy."

"Go after Natalie," Maria said as she used his shoulders to stand. "Solange is better with a blade than she is."

"And leave you to whatever prowls around here at night? Thanks, but I've let you down once today, and that's one time too many." He scooped her up in his arms before turning and making a power dash to the cave's entrance.

Natalie cast her gaze about as the sun dipped below the horizon, searching for that traitorous bitch and finding herself unrewarded. She had been to The Maze only twice, while Solange had scouted it numerous times. The other woman knew its nooks and crannies far better than she did, and could use them either for ambush or escape. Neither were acceptable, so far as she was concerned.

Lisker's here, Natalie thought as she raced across the sparse grasses. That said it all. She would make the quickest escape back to the Wood that she could, and from there...

Natalie slowed to a halt. She knew exactly what was happening. Part of her wanted to keep rushing in, yet another knew it to be throwing her life away. Solange hadn't become Verona's chief hound only by use of the garra lily's extract. She was as shrewd and cunning as anyone Natalie had seen, moreso even.

"No sign of her," she heard Lisker's strange voice say as he dashed toward her with Maria cradled in his arms. "Hold on." The twin medallions aside his head moved about in their fleshy tracks for several moments. "Damn. I thought so."

"What is it?"

"A long time ago, this place was an underground fortress. A lot of it's exposed now, but most of it isn't stone. It's made of something called concrete, and all of it was lined with lead."

"Meaning?"

"Lead's a soft metal, but it's extremely dense. It can contain all kinds of energy. Long story short, this entire place is a blind spot except for a few places on the surface. I can't find a trace of Solange anywhere."

"Meaning she's either waiting for us, or halfway back to the Wood."

"I'd go for the second," Lisker said. "The more on her side, the better."

Natalie nodded once before looking back in the direction of the Wood, a place she knew she could never again set foot in, and fell to her knees in despair and rage at how much of a fool she'd been. Tears began to roll down her face at the bitter irony. She had discovered Solange's treachery, but Natalie herself would be branded a traitor. She could never re-enter the Wood, or any other forest where Warrior Maidens gathered. Messages of her betrayal would be sent out to all tribes within range of messenger birds, and she would be killed on sight should she try to enter their trees.

Verona, her queen, was in essence dead. Replaced by whatever drugged puppet that deceitful whore had turned her into. Natalie had lost her home, her sisters, her queen, and knew that nothing she could do would ever bring back the woman who had taken an awkward and frightened slip of a girl under her wing and molded her into a true child of the Wood. Natalie could never make it all right, but she would see that Solange would pay for what she had done. Uneven footfalls drew her attention as Maria limped toward her and another pang of shame hit.

"I'm..." Natalie was cut off as Maria's hands appeared on her shoulders.

"You did what was right in the end. That counts for a lot." Then, much to her astonishment, Maria leaned in an placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Come with us," Lisker said, delivering another surprise in what was already the strangest night of her life. "I'm thinking you're a little short on options right now."

"After all this?" Natalie blurted out as he came into view. "After I helped hold Maria hostage? I helped string her up from a cave's roof, even!"

"I overheard everything between you and Solange," Lisker explained. "You're not a bad person. Just young, scared, and confused. Natalie, you're not the first to score that combo. Besides, Maria's already forgiven you."

"I..."

"Look," Lisker went on, by now squatting on his armored haunches in front of her and Maria, "you learned a tough lesson tonight. Saying 'I was just following orders' only carries you so far. It doesn't justify everything. You've gone a long way toward earning my respect with that." He sighed, or at least Natalie thought he did. She had no clue how he was able to speak with his mouth apparently covered in that weird armor plate. "I can't promise you'll ever be able to go back to the forest. I can't even promise you'll be able to bring down Solange. But, I can promise that we'll try."

"Then, that will have to be enough."

Lisker was silently grateful for the sight of Benjamin, who stood alongside Gil and Dendel on the porch, and for the horse-drawn cart he had apparently brought with him as he set down in front of them. Benjamin's eyes were like saucers, his jaw open in shock at the sight of his armored form.

"What do ya call that?" he asked as they approached.

"Gil, Dendel, Benjamin, this is Natalie," he said. "She'll be staying with Maria and I."

"It appears your not our sole expert on all things Warrior Maiden any more," Dendel said to Gil with a grin.

"I lived in the Wood for a while," he explained to Natalie. "I knew Verona."

"Verona is dead. At least," she added when she saw the stunned expressions, "she may as well be."

"Explanations later, Gil," Lisker said. "Maria, anything you want to bring with you, get it now. We've gotta move it."

"Solange is still alive," Natalie said, "and she still has my sisters on her side and Verona in her power. As long as we're alive, we're a threat to her."

"I see," Maria replied. "We'll be much safer in Watershed than out here." With that, Maria dashed in to begin gathering her things.

"It seems I'm not the only one who lost a home tonight," Natalie said to Lisker.

"Solange won't hesitate to send some people out here, if they're not already on the way. Maria got kidnapped right under my nose out here. That's proof positive I can't keep the two of you safe all the time. Not in this place." He had been coming to love this house.

"I'll help," Gil said suddenly. "Ben, Dendel, let's hit the cellar and load up. Lisker," he said, looking at the bio-boosted human, "you're welcome in my home."

"Thanks, but we'll find a place in town."'

"At least for tonight."

"Alright." Lisker said nothing more as he entered the house and made for the bedroom where he heard Maria bustling about. He saw the outfit she'd made of her jacket bundled in her hands, stuffed with a few pairs of pants and a blouse.

"We had some great times here," she said, a wistful note added to her hurried tone.

"We sure did." With that, he stepped to the closet and retrieved the box he hadn't distrubed since they first arrived.

"Is that...?"

"Yeah. It's yours, so far as I'm concerned." Lisker opened the lid and gazed at the ornate pendant. He took it out of the box and knelt down to drape it around her neck.

"I love you," she said and went back to gathering clothes after he replied in kind. Several minutes later, loaded down with food, rolls of cloth, sundry supplies, and five passengers, Benjamin's wagon started on the road to Watershed with Lisker hovering several feet above them.

Frustrated, Solange walked the suspended pathways of the Wood gingerly. Her back still throbbed from Lisker's blow and from constant running. Natalie now knew the truth, as did Lisker and that Wollo bitch. Her plan was now compromised nearly to the point of being fucked up beyond all recognition.

Still, it was salvageable.

A brief stop at her hut, which her status ensured she enjoyed alone, to retrieve Verona's "medicine" and the instrument to apply it had been the first order of business once she had been informed that her queen had sealed her own hut and would admit no one but her.

Queen. Solange wanted to laugh at that. Verona was no queen. She was a puppet, the extract served as the strings, and Solange held them and made her dance. She recalled well the night she had made her bargain with the man who called himself Rinaldo, when he had promised her a golden opportunity at seizing Verona's place. He had provided the extract of the garra lily, the cylindrical instrument he'd called a hypo, and instructions on exactly how to use them. In return, she was to keep Verona away from a certain spot in the forest. On accepting the deal, she had shaken his hand and saw the clutching talon inked into its skin.

Small amounts of the liquid in her water, just enough to set the hook, and Verona began listening only to her once the downside of garra extract started settling in. For months she had slowly made Verona a shadow of who she had once been until Lisker came and news of his power as a Guyver followed. It had been a risk, but a much larger dose had placed Verona completely under her sway. She hadn't even needed subtrefuge. Solange had held back the extract for an entire two days and, when she went to Verona's hut, the once-proud warrior had been on the floor of her hut trembling. She had even begged for relief once Solange had produced the hypo and told her it was medicine.

It had been simplicity in itself.

Solange had sent messenger birds to Rinaldo, telling him of Watershed's raising of arms without bothering to mention Lisker or the Guyver. Once Rinaldo attacked, and his forces immolated by Lisker, she would never have to worry about the Clutch ever again and the Wood would be hers to rule.

Until tonight. But, unlike Natalie, Solange had options.

She entered Verona's hut to find the older woman sitting in her wicker throne, pale and drawn. Withdrawal was just beginning. Perfect.

"You have it?"

"Of course, M'lady," Solange replied, the model of respect as she readied the cord. She wrapped it about Verona's arm just above the elbow and tapped the forearm until a usable vein appeared. Verona sighed in releif even as the tip entered her skin, before the extract even hit her.

"I thank you, Solange," Verona said, her voice clearing for a moment before becoming dreamy.

"I serve M'lady." This she said with a hint of contempt. Verona was already far too stoned to notice. "Now, I have some unfortunate news for you."

Construction of New Thundera Colony finishes with a celebration, and Natalie tries to adjust to a life in the town of Watershed. Grune awakens to find his missing arm replaced with a machine, and a new offer of allegiance from Ratar-O. Meliz's suspicions concerning Gireg/Aptom grow to include the Mutants he assigned to keep an eye on him, while Aptom's true agenda remains a mystery. Stay tuned for the next episode of Eye of the Storm.