Creature Feature
Chapter 6 of Sapphire Mermaid
In Superman's arctic fortress of solitude, Kara broke the large disk magnet into small pieces. These went into a wood crate kept well away from any magnetic metals like iron. She then sealed the top and turned to Sirtis, who lounged on an ice shelf nearby. "Time for the quality test."
Sirtis sat up and relaxed her grip on a pair of pliers, which flew to smack against the crate, stuck fast. "The Men in Black will perform a similar test?"
Kara hopped onto the box and pried the tool loose. "Count on it, at their North Pole base."
"You know it's a trap."
"That's why the crate is so large, because we have some surprises of our own. Not knowing their surprise, I think we're in for a fight. But I don't want to disappoint the vampire. I promised her a fat neck." They had some time to kill until then. "Have you thought about the super hero route?"
"I seem to be doing that with you and Superman." Sirtis took in the various wonders Superman had brought back from his travels. "What would I call myself? Wonder Woman is in use. Any variant of 'girl' would sound awkward, such as 'lass' or 'maid'. I am content to be free."
Kara thought about "Kryptonia", but Sirtis had made up her mind. At any rate, the fact that she didn't age would one day blow her cover. "You're a skilled astronomer who could do a lot for our understanding of the universe."
"Perhaps I can recall our telescope design on Krypton, and help design one here." She crossed ankles and looked around again. "You have done well to stay one step ahead of them, Kara. Yet they would not seek to betray us unless they were confident of success."
"True. Add that to the fact that I'm the biggest obstacle to their shadow government. We'll have to make sure our surprise is better than theirs."
Sirtis slid to her feet. "I would like to meet this vampire. We had no such creatures on Krypton."
"I don't see why she'd object. I didn't get a good look at her, or catch her name. Oh well—shall we go?"
The North Pole
During the long flight from the bottom of the world to the top, Kara and Sirtis took turns pushing the box against its huge wind resistance. When they arrived over the next frozen white expanse, Sirtis slipped inside. She had to double up in the cramped space. Lead foil was there in case the Men in Black used their kryptonite gun. But then, they'd never expect Sirtis to risk being there.
The others had conveniently placed an orange flag at the hole where Kara had destroyed the previous UFO. Were they planning to rebuild it? She lowered cautiously down, noting the wreckage had been cleared away. Lead shielding kept her from seeing into side tunnels she remembered were present. She positioned the box against a wall and got behind it, as if for protection.
Soon enough, the annoying pair in black emerged from a secret entrance. The shorter one carried a very different weapon this time.
"No one mentioned guns," Kara said. "I'll take this box away right now."
"Be at ease," shorty said. "We merely need assurance against any treachery on your part." The weapon was not magnetic, obviously, unlike a handful of screws he came up with. They flew toward the box. "Satisfactory. I is unfortunate the magnet was damaged, but it can be repaired." A second door slid up, and two hulking demon lords stomped in. Shorty leveled his gun at Kara.
The lid flew off the crate to reveal Sirtis holding the phantom zone projector. A foggy white beam shot forth to envelope shorty and draw him in. His partner ducked back into their tunnel.
"That's that," Kara said. "But their playmates don't look too friendly."
Sirtis raised arms in preparation for flight. "Let us take the fight outside."
High above, the two circled warily, but the foe didn't come flying out. They simply appeared next to them. A mighty swat sent Sirtis spinning away. The other breathed red fire on Kara, causing her to plummet in a daze. She leveled off near the ground and regained altitude. "Sirtis—stay away from the red fire!"
Off to the side, Sirtis had her foe grasped by a clawed ankle, whirling it in a rapid circle, then releasing it toward an ice cliff. It vanished before impact.
Despite her vigilance, Kara took a kick to the back that sent her crashing into the cliff to get partly embedded. The same had happened last time, and she had accelerated back at the enemy. The collision had stunned her, but sent the demon back to its own dimension. "Let's try that again." Fists forward, she rocketed toward the foe, who was having none of it this time. It disappeared. Kara's speed carried her some miles before she could loop back.
Sirtis wasn't having much luck either, dodging the demon like a pigeon against an eagle. It resembled a World War One dogfight. In place of bullets, the enemy spewed red fire.
On a hunch, Kara switched to X-ray vision. There—a wavering distortion moved toward her. She dealt the head a spinning kick, stretching the body out horizontally. Her punch to the chest was so hard that it sped downward at bullet speed, bouncing off the ice to a height of seven feet. Kara swooped down to twist the head around, snapping the neck before it disappeared again. Deprived of its mortal shell, a white phantasm floated away with a baleful look of defiance.
Sirtis walked over carrying a monstrous head.
"I see you thought of X-rays too," Kara said.
"One gets creative in desperation. Shall we take these trophies to Superman's lair?"
"They're probably cursed." Kara surveyed the bleak white world, where a low orange sun picked out roaming snow devils that came and went. "Why don't we go see a vampire instead."
Caucasus Mountains
The two descended the cistern steps, with Kara holding the projector while Sirtis carried a lantern. They entered the collapsed vault where previous contact occurred. If the vampire was on the hunt, they'd have to wait, though dawn was only one or two hours away.
When the vampire came, Kara realized why she'd seen so little last time: her skin was extremely dark. The neck was encased in gold rings, matching the serpents twined about the biceps. Small gold spiral cups hid little of the chest. A tribal skirt topped strips of leggings.
Kara made introductions, learned the other was Sylea. "How did you come to be so far from Africa?"
Sylea's eyes were a startling white against the dark face. "I sought sustenance on a boat close to dawn, and had to shelter there. When I awoke, the boat was far at sea with a dead crew. I did not know where to go, until the boat came ashore miles from here."
"If you remember where you came from, I can take you there."
"It is not Africa I long for, but this place." She went to a rock shelf and returned with a moldy book. She opened it to a drawing of a decrepit palace overgrown by jungle. "Do you know this place?"
"We should be able to find it," Sirtis said. "That would be easier than our last assignment."
"And now," Sylea reminded, "you have brought me something."
Kara set up the projector and switched on, calling shorty to the fore. She brought him out in the same fog of miasma as when he went in. Sirtis snatched the rifle, which no doubt shot red fire.
"Great is your magic, Kara Supergirl." Sylea glided toward the speechless man, who was paralyzed by her gaze. She sank fangs into his neck with pleasurable sounds. Sated, she stepped away, obliging Sirtis to keep him from falling down. "Make your command of him."
"It's like this," Kara told him. "The Men in Black now work for me. They will, that is, after you scratch your partner on the neck, and the two of you start spreading the curse. Get me?"
"It will be done," he said.
Kara returned him to the zone for ease of transport. "We'll get back to you, Sylea. My guess is, some of those Pacific islands are the haunt of pirates and drug smugglers."
"Who are in for a rude surprise," Sirtis added.
Sylea's eyes glittered. "I shall await, Kara Supergirl, and Sirtis of Krypton."