One Year Later
Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Bast, and Leon/Crisis.
Chapter 7: Lead to Nowhere
Undisclosed location in northern Africa…
Crisis was leading the way for his team,
"It's just over the next ridge."
Persiana grumbled,
"It had better be, Leon. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get sand out of fur?"
She shook her body quickly, almost like she was shivering,
"I swear, when this is over, I am taking a long shower."
Bast smiled as the sun bathed on her,
"Personally, I have always loved the desert. A little dry, but nothing that cannot be changed if one lives near the river."
War Machine had been running scans of the area. He said,
"We're closing on the camp and…"
He paused for a moment as the armored hero and the others got over the ridge. Rhody said in shock,
"Oh my God."
Crisis swallowed,
"This is bad."
They were looking at a field of bodies. Dead bodies. They littered the ground of this campsite belonging to the League of Assassins, a group of highly trained, highly skilled martial artists and mercenaries dedicated to one man; Ra's al Ghul.
Leon shook his head,
"I don't believe it."
Persiana covered her mouth in horror,
"I've never seen anything like this."
Bast growled,
"I have. A long time ago."
She sniffed the air,
"If this is the work of Daken, I will make him pay dearly for this."
War Machine scanned the area,
"This happened a few weeks ago."
Bast sniffed,
"It seems that this Daken is no longer around."
Crisis drew his lightsaber,
"Or he still could be. Be careful."
The four continued into the campsite. Bast had her scimitar drawn and looked carefully among the bodies. She had seen this type of destruction before, when the Bana Amazons were mostly wiped out. It was such a vivid memory, so many innocent people dying at the hands of an insane maniac. Now, it was happening all over again.
Crisis shook his head,
"Something's here, I can feel it."
Just then, Persiana and Bast caught a shadow out of the corner of their eye. Both the felines turned, but were seemingly staring at nothing. Then, a glitter in the sunlight caught their attention. Farrah said,
"I see something."
Crisis used his super speed and went to the location of the shimmering source. He saw a man, not dressed as one of the League of Assassins, but as a U.S. Marine. Leon noticed the damage done to the soldier's side and asked,
"What happened?"
Farrah came over and began treating him. The soldier had been wounded and left for dead. The sun chapped his lips and was starting to blister his skin. He looked up wearily and said,
"Who…who…are?"
The white-haired feline shook her head,
"Try not to talk. You're injured."
War Machine shook his head,
"What the hell is an American soldier doing here, among the League of Assassins?"
Bast studied the soldier for a moment. His eyes were sincere and his injuries did appear life threatening. She asked,
"Will he survive?"
Persiana looked down,
"I don't know; he needs to get to a hospital right away."
The soldier gripped Farrah's arm suddenly, saying,
"Woman… here."
He then collapsed. War Machine asked,
"Is he dead?"
Farrah felt for a pulse,
"Yeah. There must have been more internal bleeding than I thought."
She looked back at Leon,
"Do you think there's a woman here?"
The goddess of felines immediately began sniffing,
"Yes, there is."
She took the form of a lioness and began sniffing for a scent. Within a few moments, she got something and signaled for the others to follow.
A few yards away, there was a collapsed tent. War Machine said,
"More bodies."
The armored hero then said,
"Wait, there's someone alive underneath that!"
Crisis and Bast pulled the wrecked tent away and found a dark-haired woman in bloodied clothing. She was visibly weak, but looked like she had huddled into a ball. Persiana looked at her and said,
"She's alive, but she needs help now!"
Crisis picked her up,
"There's an American military outpost not too far from here. I can get there if I hurry."
War Machine said,
"We'll catch up."
The powerhouse precognitive hero took the woman's still warm body and bolted at super-speed. The others followed as quickly as they could.
If one were to take notice, one would find that the American soldier's body was out of place. It was, and, as the soldier lay dead, a bloody ooze escaped his body. The ooze itself contained a worm, as if alive. The worm fell harmlessly to the ground and began to wiggle underneath the sand…
Next Chapter:
One person believes the Howling Commandos to be renegade terrorists, and believes that this is all a ploy. Plus, who is the mysterious woman? Stay tuned, fellow readers!