Author's Notes: Violence towards any medical professionals of any stripe is not cool. This is fiction. My characters are shades of gray for a reason, to make you laugh, cry, and get pissed off. The reason for this disclaimer is that this chapter may be a little more fucked up than usual.
Kara came before the World Congress to report on the demographic crisis of the human race with Mon and Brainiac 5 behind her. The World Congress was composed of 435 representatives based on population and 100 senators, two for each country. With Russia's inclusion, the world was completely unified under Kara's rule. Now, Kara could begin sweeping changes that would be effective immediately to the whole globe, and to all of humanity.
"With the exception of Africa, we're below the fertility replacement level. If this continues, the human race will face demographic collapse...again. With consultation with the Holy Father, I am outlawing all forms of abortion henceforth."
The World Congress was fairly divided with half the chamber giving Kara a standing ovation while the other half gave her horrified stares. "Throughout human history, those in power have always found creative ways to dehumanize the undesirables. First, it was anyone who wasn't royalty, then it was anyone who wasn't rich, then it was anyone who was a foreigner, then it was people of different races, and then it was anyone who wasn't a man, and then it was anyone that wasn't an adult, and, finally, it was anyone that wasn't born yet. Over thousands of years, the human race has moved inevitably to the conclusion that every unique genetic human lifeform has the right to life," Kara continued.
"In this system, I have created for you, all the bullshit excuses of the past are no longer applicable. I have eliminated poverty, starvation, and disease, and given even the poorest among you a high quality of life. I have given you universal education to achieve as many degrees as you wish. I have given you universal employment if you seek an occupation. I have given you universal health care for you and all your children. I have given you the technology to correct birth defects of any kind. So, now, you have no excuse," Kara said.
With these statements, a few more in the World Congress sided with Kara. "As the Bible states plainly, we are to be fruitful and multiply, all nature is under the sovereignty of God, children are a blessing of God, and God can even see a person be knitted together in the womb. It was not you that creates life but God, and your body belongs to God, then to the Holy Father, then to me, then to your country, then to your family, and then, finally, yourself."
"The Mosiac Law didn't consider someone a person until their first breath," one representative said to her.
"Because Moses by reason of the hardness of your hearts permitted you to put away your children: but from the beginning, it was not so. But I say to you, that whosoever hates their children, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to their child, "unwanted", shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall terminate their children be in danger of hell fire," Kara declared.
Large sections of the World Congress began to become visibly disagreeable with Kara, greatly infuriating her. "On Krypton, pods that were considered deficient were routinely aborted. My own parents...thought to abort my pod but the Chancellor forbid it. Your queen, your savior, your prophet could have been extinguished, and then where would you be without me? You'd be fucked. You would have been fucked in this millennium and the last one. And I will suffer a thousand fools, a thousand criminals, a thousand delinquents if one such as me among you be saved," Kara revealed.
The World Congress looked uncomfortable but still skeptical. "You guys can all go fuck yourselves," Kara said angrily at the opposition she was facing. "The gap in power, speed, intellect, and invulnerability between me and you is the same between you and an embryo!" Kara shouted and then dropped the mic as she left in a huff.
In the palace, Kara calmed herself down with Brainiac 5 and Mon at her side. "Congratulations on going from scientifically pragmatic, to emotional appeal, to theocrat, to raving lunatic within five minutes," Mon smirked.
"I don't have to explain myself to these people," Kara snapped.
"There are already plans to hinder your proposal," Brainiac 5 brought up.
"What plans?" Kara frowned.
"We have jurisdiction over the air and the land but not the sea in accordance with the treaty we signed with Atlantis," Brainiac 5 reminded her.
"So?" Kara wondered.
"Clinics are being placed on ships where abortion procedures will take place in International waters," Brainiac 5 informed her.
"Arrest them anyway," Kara insisted.
"Atlantis will consider that a violation of the treaty and an act of war," Brainiac 5 said flatly.
"Why would they care?" Kara questioned.
"They'd protest just to fuck with you," Mon said obviously.
"The percentage of global abortions that takes place on these ships is negligible, a few hundred at most," Brainiac 5 said.
"The notion that a man would allow his woman to terminate his male offspring without his consent is the highest level of cuckoldry," Mon chuckled.
Kara simply stared at them both. "You will have greater support in the World Congress if you agree to a few exceptions," Brainiac 5 continued.
"I'll get back to you on that," Kara said with false sincerity. "Detain those ships before they leave."
"They have already left," Brainiac 5 sensed.
"Well...shit," Kara sighed.
Scotland
Captain Connery and XO Neill looked out into the cold fog of Scottish waters from a nuclear-powered submarine. "Cold...and hard," Captain Connery remarked.
"Are you describing the weather or your dick, Captain?" Neill asked.
"Yes," Connery replied.
"It's time," Neill informed him.
"Time, indeed," Connery agreed.
The submarine, HMS Red Octopussy, made its way on the surface ready to kick ass on its first patrol.
Metropolis
An annoyed Kara strolled into Brainiac 5's office in the palace. "Want coffee?" he asked knowingly.
"I think I need it," Kara said thoughtfully.
"I'm not going to ask you how your flight to and from London went," Brainiac 5 said as Kara got herself a cup.
There was a long awkward silence between them. "It was just fine," Kara finally said.
"When's the last time you got some sleep?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"I don't know...ever since my abortion bill got stalled in the World Congress," Kara said.
"Milk and sugar?" Brainiac 5 offered.
"Absolutely," Kara nodded.
"How's Mara?" Brainiac 5 asked conversationally. "Last time I saw her, she was at your adopted parents' house in Midvale."
"She's fine...," Kara guessed.
"And Kon?" Brainiac 5 questioned.
"He's fine," Kara assumed.
"They now appear as five years old now?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"Very precocious five-year-olds," Kara nodded. "Mara informed me that her life would be considerably less lonely if we were to buy her another sibling. Instead, I got her a stuffed bear."
"What's so important you're here to talk to me about?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"Oh, so we're finished with bullshit. Alright, check these out," Kara said, placing photographs on a table before him. "It's the Red Octopussy, the latest submarine class: Twelve meters longer, three meters wider," she said proudly. "The captain's name is Connery. The man is a legend. I've been having him take out the lead boat since I took over Scotland. He's got political connections to the Scottish aristocracy and trained most of their attack skippers. The Scots called him the schoolmaster."
"Do you know where the Red Octopussy is now?" Brainiac 5 asked knowingly.
"Alright, smartass, where are they now?" Kara rolled her eyes.
"That's the problem. I don't even know," Brainiac 5 replied.
North Atlantic
Captain Connery addressed his officer crew on the bridge. "Any sonar contacts, Mr. Cameron?" Connery asked.
"No contacts, captain. The sonar is clear," he reported.
"Do we have any surface contacts, Mr. Benard?" Connery asked.
"No contacts, Sir. The scope is clear," he reported.
"Good, then it is time I explain our orders to the crew," Connery said and then took the mic. "It's an honor to speak to all, today, and I'm honored to be sailing with you on this maiden voyage of our queen's greatest engineering achievement. And once more, we play a game, a game of chess, but the game is different now. We have the advantage. We are heavily armed and virtually silent while our enemies are merely civilian ships oblivious to our intentions. And after we have spent all of our torpedoes, we will sail to Havana where the sun is warm and so are the women."
Overjoyed, the sailors began to sing a song for their queen:
Kara-our sacred blessed Queen,
Kara–our adorned and beloved Queen.
A mighty willpower in greatness and glory –
Are yours forever for all enduring time!
Glory to Kara, Queen of freedom,
Union of peoples ancient and strong,
Wisdom of the Kryptonians, wisdom of Humanity!
Be glorious, our Queen! We are proud of you!
From the southern seas to the icy polar lands
From our forests and fields.
Unique in the world! You are one of a kind,
Our Queen, protected by dear God!
Wide expanse for dreams and for living
Are opened for us by the coming years.
Our loyalty to our Queen gives us strength.
So it was, so it is, and so it always will be!
The Red Octopussy then activated its new propulsion system designed by Kara making it virtually undetectable.
The officers of the Red Octopussy assembled for dinner including an obnoxiously talkative doctor who was not involved in the plot. "Excuse me, doctor, do you have the latest figures for the radiation tests?" Neill asked him.
"I'm a doctor, not a radiologist," he protested.
"And bring the preceding tests as well for comparison," Neill requested.
"Now?" the doctor wondered as he was about to eat.
"Doctor, please, get the fuck out," Neill ordered as he kicked him out of the officer's room and then locked the door behind him.
"How can you justify murder?" Cameron said out of turn.
"So what if it's murder? These women are pigs," Bernard said rudely.
"If the crew finds out, we could have a mutiny. They could kill us all," Peters said anxiously. "The master-at-arms is already suspicious."
"We could still go back," Cameron argued.
"There will be no going back," Connery interrupted. "Before we sailed, I email the queen of our intentions."
"In the name of God, why?" Bernard asked dismayed.
"When he reached the New World, Cortez burned his ships. As a result, his men were highly motivated," Connery reasoned.
"You have signed our death warrants," Cameron complained.
"Queen Kara will send the entire fleet. She'll find us," Slave said spooked.
"No one is going to find us. That's enough!" Neill lectured the officers.
"You had to do it. You had to make a political statement or was it something deeper, captain? Was it ego?" Slave sensed.
"We all have our reasons," Connery said dismissively. "You're all afraid of our fleet. You should be. Personally, I give us one chance in three. Now, report back to your posts."
"You heard the captain. Dismissed," Neill said to them all. Once all the officers were gone, Neill confronted Connery over the matter. "You know I would never disagree with you in front of the men, but it would have been better if you had not informed the queen."
"You knew from the beginning this would be a suicide mission. Before we perish, the queen must know why. I know the queen's feelings on this matter. I have the advantage. If she's the right sort, she will give us the time to complete our mission," Connery replied.
Irish Coastline
The Stunning and the Brave, and the Bold were out at sea minding their own business performing occasional abortion services when the Red Octopussy began to shadow them. Captain Connery went to periscope depth and looked around, spotting the three ships moving toward him at four thousand meters. Not expecting to be fired upon, the three civilian ships continued on their heading.
"Take us closer," Connery ordered.
The Red Octopussy closed the gap to one thousand meters while the three civilian ships were still blissfully unaware. "Fire one torpedo," Connery ordered. The Red Octopussy fired one torpedo from the bow and turned away. The torpedo hit the Stunning causing massive damage to the ship. The Stunning came to a halt and began to list immediately. Soon thereafter, the ship capsized with hundreds in the water.
The Brave made its way to the Stunning to rescue the survivors. Lifeboats were sent off to gather all the survivors in the water. Meanwhile, the Red Octopussy was still in the general area. Connery went up to the surface and looked around, finding the Brave right on top of him at 300 meters away. "Fire two torpedoes," Connery ordered.
Two torpedoes were fired from the bow and hit the Stunning. Inside the Stunning, water-tight doors were sealed except for the engine room which was left half-open. The Stunning quickly capsized. The Bold then approached both damaged ships, lifeboats, and survivors in the water. The Red Octopussy, still in the area, lined up a rear shot and fired two torpedoes. The Bold bridge crew noticed the torpedoes and sped forward. While one torpedo missed, the other torpedo hit.
"Swing us around," Connery ordered.
The Red Octopussy swung around so that its bow was pointed toward the Bold. "Fire one torpedo," he ordered. A single torpedo was fired at the Bold and hit. The Bold soon sank. Within one hour, the Red Octopussy sank three civilian ships. Dutch civilian ships headed toward the survivors as the Red Octopussy exited the area. In all, fifteen hundred were killed with eight hundred eventually saved.
Metropolis
After the incident, Kara held a briefing with her cabinet and joint chiefs. "Alright, we're all upset over the large loss of life off the coast of Ireland. Apparently, Captain Connery of the Red Octopussy sent me an email of his intentions the day before, and I didn't bother to check all of my emails. But that's neither here nor there. We here to discuss what we're going to do now," Kara said sheepishly.
"Now, the Red Octopussy has a unique propulsion system of my design that makes it virtually undetectable. It's actually quite ingenious. It's a magneto-hydrodynamic drive," Kara said, impressed with herself.
"The Red Octopussy was able to elude the USS Dallas that had been tracking it since it left its harbor in Scotland," Brainiac 5 said.
"Right, there you go, even if I had known and shared that email, there's nothing we could have done about it anyway," Kara pointed out.
"We have fifty-eight ships in the North Atlantic looking for the Red Octopussy, an additional twenty ready to sail. We'll find the son-of-a-bitch," Admiral Anderson assured Kara.
"This just might be a war exercise gone wrong," Kara said thoughtfully.
"What if it's not a war exercise? Suppose this is a move against the empire," General Taylor suggested.
"Let's not be too hasty," Kara downplayed.
"The United Kingdom's Prime Minister has already ordered the British fleet to sink the Red Octopussy," Defense Secretary Bob informed the table.
"My God, we're dealing with a madman," Admiral Anderson said dismayed.
"I think there's a possibility we might consider: Connery might be right," Kara suggested. The table gave her blank stares. "I know Connery. He's a legend in the submarine community. He's been a maverick his entire career. Funny story, I actually met him once at an embassy dinner. Quite the character."
"He's responsible for the deaths of fifteen hundred people," Secretary Bob reminded her.
"Right, thank you for this brief. I'll get back to you...in four days," Kara said sheepishly and got up. Every member of her Joint Chiefs got up with her.
"It's best if you don't reveal your personal feelings in this matter," Brainiac 5 advised her, away from the others.
"Listen, Barney. I'm a politician now. That makes me a cheat and a liar. When I'm not kissing babies, I'm stealing their lollipops, but it also means I keep my options open. You know what I mean?" Kara said incoherently.
"I really don't," Brainiac 5 denied. "We need to contact the commanders of the Atlantic directly."
"We need to devise a plan to help them," Kara said seriously.
"Help whom?" Brainiac 5 questioned.
"I need to make contact with Captain Connery to find out his true intentions," Kara insisted.
"I'm fairly certain we know his intentions," Brainiac 5 said condescendingly. "We should hunt down Captain Connery and destroy him."
"Give it three days," Kara ordered.
Mon teleported onto an aircraft carrier, the flagship of the 2nd Imperial fleet. He was escorted to the captain's office by a Brainiac 5 drone. Mon strolled into Captain Thompson's office wearing his Insane uniform which immediately brought attention to himself on the whole ship. "Prince Mon-El is here to see you," Brainiac 5 introduced.
"What's all this about?" Captain Thompson asked confused.
"Our ballistic missile submarine, the Red Octopussy, has gone rogue and is firing upon medical frigates that provide abortion services," Brainiac 5 explained.
"What's his end game?" Thompson asked.
"Unknown," Brainiac 5 replied.
"Scots don't take a shot of Scotch without a plan," Thompson shook his head. "Senior captains don't start something this dangerous without having thought the matter through. What's he going to do?"
"Maybe enter Metropolis harbor undetected and surprise us," Mon smirked.
"Whatever his plan, the Red Octopussy must be destroyed. Its continued existence could trigger a war with Atlantis and is embarrassing the Crown," Brainiac 5 said.
"What about the crew? What will you do with them? Eliminate them?" Thompson asked.
"More like give them medals," Mon said sarcastically.
"When was the last time you slept?" Thompson asked sympathetically.
"A while," Mon shrugged.
"The chief outside will fix you up," Thompson offered.
Mon got up and then exited the room leaving Thompson with Brainiac 5. "You think he's insane?" Thompson asked.
"Certifiable," Brainiac 5 confirmed.
"Well, likely the British will get that sub before we even get near it, anyway," Thompson sighed.
To avoid detection, the Red Octopussy made his way through an underwater canyon. Connery directed the submarine personally, not even looking at the computer or maps. Like a badass, Connery piloted the sub through the canyon. Suddenly, the sub had a jolt as its propulsion system malfunctioned. Instead of stopping to repair the malfunction, Connery ordered the sub to continue on its path with its propellers making it detectable.
Metropolis
Kara addressed King Triton via a hologram who was noticeably pissed off. "Naval activities? Whatever do you mean?" Kara asked insincerely.
"You have nearly 100 vessels operating in the North Atlantic right now. Your aircraft have dropped enough sonar buoys that a man could walk from Greenland to Scotland without getting his feet wet. Now, shall we dispense with the bullshit?" King Triton asked annoyed.
"I get the point," Kara rolled her eyes.
"And what looks like an exercise could be a prelude to war. How can we tell the difference?" Triton asked. "Prudence demands we deploy our ships to observe yours. Having your ships and our ships in close proximity is inherently dangerous. Wars have begun that way."
"We have lost one of our submarines," Kara admitted. "We fear she may be down."
"You're telling me this is a massive rescue operation?" Triton asked skeptically.
"Yeah," Kara lied.
"So...how can we help? A joint rescue mission?" Triton offered insincerely.
"How considerate, but I think we're doing everything that can be done," Kara said and then signed off.
North Atlantic
A lone bomber searched for the Red Octopussy and dropped a torpedo in the ocean. The Red Octopussy released countermeasures. The torpedo went through them and was not fooled. The Red Octopussy went straight for the canyon wall and then turned at the last possible moment. The torpedo hit the canyon wall and jolted the sub.
Afterward, Connery and Neill, and the head engineer discussed what had happened to the propulsion system. "The buffer circuit has been torn out. It was only a matter of time before it shut down."
"Captain, we have a saboteur onboard," Neill concluded.
"It must be a member of the crew. We may have to put them off before we planned," Connery said grimly.
Metropolis
Kara addressed her admirals. "Connery is going to come to me. I have just what he's looking for." A hologram of a medical ship then appeared before them all.
"Is it a genuine abortion provider?" Admiral Anderson asked.
"It is. It's off the coast of Metropolis in international waters. Your ships will surround it but provide an opening for Connery. When he goes through the opening, you'll have him trapped," Kara said.
"You certain he will take the bait?" Anderson asked skeptically.
"Absolutely," Kara said confidently.
"What if he scores a hit before we can get to him?" Anderson asked anxiously.
"Mon is on the USS Dallas. He will find our lost sub," Kara said.
North Atlantic
Mon teleported onto the bridge of the USS Dallas freaking out the bridge crew. "Welcome aboard," the captain said shakily.
"I'm taking command," Mon informed him.
Meanwhile, the Red Octopussy was headed straight for Metropolis. "The propulsion system is operational and appears to be running normally. The crew knows about the saboteur. They're afraid," Neill reported to Connery in his quarters.
"That could be useful," Connery said dismissively. "We'll be at Metropolis in 48 hours."
"Two days," Neill said thoughtfully. "You know, I've always wanted to live in Montana and raise rabbits."
"What the fuck?" Connery wondered.
"And in winter, I wanted to live in Arizona. I thought about having two wives, one in Montanna and one in Arizona but without either of them knowing it," Neill said.
"Neill, that's fucked up," Connery remarked.
"But I'd give it all up for our mission, captain. We're executing God's wrath upon the wicked," Neill said thoughtfully.
"That's why I selected you all to be my officer crew. You're all...abortion survivors," Connery nodded. "What these ships are doing is a war against the unborn. A war with no battles, no monuments, just casualties."
On the USS Dallas, Mon sensed for the faint ki signature of the Red Octopussy crew. "I have them now," he said and then pointed to a direction on the map. The USS Dallas began pursuing the Red Octopussy while the rest of the fleet began to converge.
On the Red Octopussy, Connery looked through his telescope. "Weapon's status?" he asked.
"Weapons are on," Neill replied.
Connery noticed the medical ship and the name of the ship, Women on the Waves. He couldn't help but notice other naval ships in the area. "Plot a new course," he ordered. The Red Octopussy went straight for the medical ship.
"Fire one torpedo. Let's see how accurate we are," Mon said.
The USS Dallas fired on the Red Octopussy with one torpedo. The torpedo went by the Red Octopussy nearly hitting it. "Why don't I have a detonation?" Mon asked annoyed.
"The weapon enabled on the far side of the target. It passed the Red Octopussy before arming," the captain informed him.
"Fire again with the right settings and reload both tubes," Mon ordered irritably.
The Red Octopussy began to do evasive maneuvers while still heading towards the medical ship. "Bernard, turn into the torpedo and increase speed." The torpedo hit the Red Octopussy and tore apart on impact without detonation.
"Take off all safety features on the torpedoes now!" Mon ordered pissed off.
Suddenly, a member of the crew fired a pistol into the Red Octopussy bridge crew room. Neill shielded Connery and was shot. The officer crew fired back against the presumed saboteur. Neill slumped to the floor mortally wounded. "I was a slave in the womb. Now, I am free," he said and then died.
Connery pursued the saboteur before he could incinerate the ship. Connery and the saboteur exchanged gunfire with Connery hit to the shoulder. As Connery tried to get at the saboteur, he was shot at a few more times with bullets bouncing off sensitive equipment.
Oblivious to the Red Octopussy's internal drama, Mon waited patiently for the safeties to be removed. "Safeties are off," the captain reported.
"About fucking time," Mon said scornfully.
"Nine hundred meters directly ahead," the captain reported.
"Match bearings and fire," Mon ordered.
The Red Octopussy went straight for the surface and released countermeasures. The torpedo went for the countermeasures instead as the Red Octopussy broke to the surface. Meanwhile, Connery found the saboteur who happened to be the cook. He shot him dead before he could ignite the ship. Returning to the bridge, the Imperial surface fleet was now on him.
A destroyer noticed the Red Octopussy with some surprise. The Red Octopussy fired on the destroyer with its remote-controlled deck cannon, taking out its communications tower. The destroyer fired on the Red Octopussy at close range with machine gun fire. The Red Octopussy quickly dived below before the destroyer's cannons were operational.
"Go underneath them," Connery ordered.
The Red Octopussy went underneath the destroyer and continued toward the medical ship. The destroyer fired off depth charges into the ocean creating large wave explosions all around the Red Octopussy. The rogue sub was rattled continuously by these depth charges creating leaks and fires all over the ship. The Red Octopussy shook violently with each explosion and momentarily lost power. The Red Octopussy went deeper to avoid the charges and was given relief for a few moments. The Imperial destroyer recalibrated the depth charges and fired off a new batch. This time, the Red Octopussy was getting severe hits.
The Red Octopussy continued to dive deeper until its pipes began to burst. "Prepare to surface. We're going to run on top," Connery ordered as the ship was getting crushed. The Red Octopussy ended up back on the surface with the destroyer behind them. The destroyer fired its cannons on the sub barely missing it.
"Fire or we all die!" Cameron said to him.
"We don't fire on our own sailors, damn it. Stay on target," Connery rebuked.
"Give me a firing solution," Mon demanded as the USS Dallas surfaced and pursued the Red Octopussy.
"We have torpedo lock," the captain reported.
"Report when we have a firing solution. Give me some speed," Mon ordered.
On the aircraft carrier, Kara was on the deck eyeing the naval battle. With her falcon eyes, she could see the Red Octopussy and the USS Dallas on the move. Not too far off was the medical ship completely oblivious that they were involved in the battle. "I have calculated the risk. Should we alert the Women on the Waves and evacuate?" Brainiac 5 asked her.
"Evacuate? In our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate their chances," Kara rebuked.
"Planes are standing by," Brainiac 5 informed her.
"I'll let Mon take care of them," Kara refused.
On the USS Dallas, a firing solution was acquired. "We have a firing solution," the captain reported.
"Fire everything," Mon said urgently.
The USS Dallas fired three torpedoes one after the other straight for the Red Octopussy. The first torpedo missed entirely; the second torpedo scraped along the Red Octopussy hull but did not detonate. The third torpedo hit the Red Octopussy directly and exploded. The Red Octopussy was torn open and gutted with all hands dead.
"We have the kill," the captain informed Mon.
On the deck of the aircraft carrier, Kara saw four torpedoes hit the Women of the Waves causing a massive explosion that blasted the ship apart killing everyone onboard. At roughly the same time, she saw the Red Octopussy hit and destroyed.
"Collect any survivors," Kara ordered knowing full well there were none.
"Of course," Brainiac 5 said humoring her. "Do you want to know why he did it?" he asked referring to Connery.
"No," Kara said apprehensively. "If I know, I feel I'll be in danger of sympathizing."
"As you wish," Brainiac 5 allowed.
"I want a new treaty with Atlantis. I want the entire planet under my rule, the land, and the oceans," Kara insisted.
"I will make the arrangements," Brainiac 5 assured her.
"I'm going on vacation in Maine with the kids. Every so often, I have to be a mother, I guess," Kara shrugged.
"Your abortion ban is going to be overridden by Congress in its current form," Brainiac 5 warned.
"Just have Mon do it. I'm tired of this crap," Kara said and then went below deck.