The Adventures of
the Jade Dragon
Episode
10
The Jade Dragons Defeat
Email:
Lespion@msn.com
Chapter
11
Retribution
Two days was not long enough
for either Melissa or Suzi to recover from their ordeal, not even for
Melissas enhanced powers of healing, but they were allowed to see Solange
anyway. However, Wang made sure
that the bruises and rope burns on their bodies were well
covered. There was to be no hint
that he had broken his promise to Solange and both women knew enough not
to reveal just how much they were
suffering.
Suzi particularly was in
pain. The ropes binding her breasts
had rubbed the skin raw while she had been raped, and she was only partly
healed. However, she assumed
her most stoic demeanor for the meeting.
Melissa too, hid
her discomfort. Like Suzi she
had lost a good deal of skin during the ordeal and her wrists ankles and
breasts still showed clear evidence of her painful
bondage. Since Solange was to
be allowed to approach no closer than the bars of their cells they would
have little difficulty keeping their brutalization
secret.
For her part, however,
Melissa was far more interested in seeing
Solange. She could not believe
what the Master Assassin had said about her daughter, but he had created
an element of doubt in her mind by allowing her to see
Solange. If he was lying it would
be more than obvious. Solange
had never been able to hide anything from her and it would only take a glance
to determine the truth.
Wang was not very precise
abut the time. Sometime
today, was all he said. It
was no doubt intended to keep Melissa on edge all day, and it
worked. By the time her daughter
was escorted to the cell, Melissas stomach was hollow with
anticipation.
Melissa knew something was wrong from the
instant she laid eyes on her daughter.
As before, Solange was elaborately made up to resemble an oriental
courtesan, but there was something about the way she carried herself that
told of something else. And then
her daughter met her eyes.
Oh my god, Solange, Melissa
thought. She knew at once that
Wang had told the truth. With
a supreme effort of will she forced herself to give away none of her inner
thoughts. Wang, unfortunately,
had other ideas.
He stepped out from behind
Solange. Melissa saw that he
was holding on to a light gold chain that was fastened to a jeweled collar
about Solanges neck.
Good evening Scorpion, Scarlet Falcon, he
gloated. It is so good
of you to wait up for us. I think
you know Solange. But she is
not the Solange you once knew. This
one is well on her way to being the best concubine I have ever taken to my
bed. As I mentioned, she learns
quickly, and her athletic ability is unsurpassed.
Thats a dirty lie, Suzi
spat, but Melissa said nothing. One
look into Solanges haunted eyes had told her that everything Wang had
boasted about was true.
Is it, Scarlet Falcon? Wang
grinned. If you truly believe
that then why dont you ask her
yourself?
Oh Solange, my baby, Melissa moaned
to herself. What have I
gotten you into? I have destroyed
my daughter.
Suzi looked at Solange, but asked no
question. She didnt have
to; the shame that showed on Solanges face told her everything she
needed to know. You
bastard, she spat at Wang.
You have taken an innocent girls
soul.
Oh I doubt she has been innocent for
quite some time, Wang jeered.
And I assure you she is far from innocent
now.
Mummy
, Solange began,
plaintively.
What she might have said Melissa never
knew. Wang silenced her immediately,
giving her an angry jerk on the chain.
Silence. I gave
you no leave to speak. With
a look that tore Melissas heart, Solange lowered her eyes and waited
her masters pleasure.
Enough, Wang snapped.
I have proved my point.
Your daughter is mine. She
has paid the price of your
stupidity. Before either
Melissa or Suzi could comment he turned and left, tugging Solange along behind
him. The closing of the cell
door blocked off any further sight of
her.
It took all of Melissas self control
not to break down in front of the guards, but they must have guessed how
she felt. How does it feel
to learn that your daughter is little better than a whore? one of them
sneered. A bit of a violation
of heroine principles isnt it?
Melissa stared him down, although what she
would have done if he and his fellow thugs had decided to open the door and
come after her she didnt know.
In spite of her brave showing in front of her daughter, she could
barely stand, and as soon as the guard turned away she returned to her cot
and sat down. All the while,
however, her mind was in turmoil.
Never in her worst nightmares had she imagined the fate her daughter
would face as a result of guiding her into a career in
crimefighting. Guilt plagued
her mind like some insidious disease that ate away at her from the
inside. Ive got to
escape, she thought.
Ive got to save
Solange. Even if I die in the
attempt.
Time for a little recreation,
the guard who had mocked her said.
He was staring into Suzis cell and licking his
lips.
What about this one? the second
guard asked, nodding toward Melissa.
The blonde
first. Well have the other
one for dessert.
The second guard laughed and took out his
keys. I like the way you
think. And I fancy a bit of blonde
pussy anyway.
Melissa couldnt see Suzi through the
solid wall of her cell, but she guessed that her companion was probably in
no better shape than she was.
Against two men she would have little choice but to be their unwilling
victim.
The cell door clanged open and both men
disappeared. There was a bit
of a commotion from the other side; the sound of a struggle; then the sound
of two hard slaps and a female gasp of
pain. It didnt take too
much imagination to visualize what was
happening. Then there was tearing
sound; probably as Suzis shirt was torn
open. That was confirmed a few
seconds later by a comment from one of the
men. What a set of
melons. I could suck on those
all day.
The comment was followed by more fumbling
sounds and then a sharp intake of breath and another
comment. Oh
yeah. Shes so
tight. This was followed
by a grunt and then a cry of pain from
Suzi.
Listening to her friend being raped was almost
worse than being the victim herself.
But it was the event that finally pushed Melissa over the
edge. Ive got to
do it, she thought.
They have let me no
choice.
She would not get a better
chance. The guards who were supposed
to be watching her were now far too busy and would probably remain so for
some time. But what she contemplated
was so dangerous that she hesitated for a few
seconds. However, it seemed she
had run out of options. She and
Suzi were in no condition to escape.
They couldnt even defend themselves against their
captors. And Solange had been
broken and was being used by the Master Assassin as his
whore. Also there was no likelihood
of rescue. After all, they had
been on a rescue mission themselves.
If Sun Lin and Huan Yue had been captured there was no chance of them
coming to her aid and she knew that the mission that had taken Nova and the
Blue avenger out of town was a lengthy
one. There seemed only one thing
left that she could do.
She took a deep
breath. She had to do
it. It was a skill that only
she and Sun Lin had mastered, but it was fraught with
danger. It left too many things
to chance, and as a trained assassin, leaving things to chance was something
completely alien to Melissas
nature. She closed her eyes and
composed herself and then opening them stood quietly listening to the sounds
of Suzi being raped.
Enough, she
muttered. Ill either
escape or die trying. Her
fingers went to her shirt and undid the
buttons. She stripped off the
garment and tore it into strips.
Quickly she knotted them into a crude rope which she carried to the
bars. About seven feet up there
was a convenient cross member. She
knotted the rope to it leaving a loop, and then took a deep
breath. Standing on her tiptoes
she turned her back to the bars and reached as high as she
could. Grasping the cross member
she pulled herself up until her feet were clear of the
floor. It took all of her remaining
strength, and her arms were shaking as she slipped her head through the makeshift
noose she had created. Then she
let herself relax into the noose, feeling it tighten about her throat as
it took all of her weight.
For a few minutes her neck muscles would keep
her from strangling, but that was not part of Melissas desperate
plan. Instead, as her breathing
was slowly cut off, she slowed her breathing and heart rate until she was
barely conscious. It was more
difficult than she had hoped it would be, but she had only ever done this
before when lying peacefully on a bed in the company of others who were masters
of this technique. Putting herself
into a death-like trance while hanging by her neck was infinitely more
difficult.
Slowly, however, she mastered her
body. When her neck muscles relaxed
and her eyes bulged from her head, she was aware of nothing except the relaxed
state of her body, and the continual slowing of her heart and
lungs. And then she withdrew
to a place so deep within her subconscious that all outside sensation was
cut off. It was like being inside
a cocoon, a cocoon so quiet and peaceful, that eternal sleep was overwhelmingly
inviting, and overwhelmingly dangerous.
It was up to her to trigger the impulse to return her body to life,
but the tranquility of her trance was so all encompassing that she might
decide to stay as she was. Such
a lack of action would be fatal as the body slowly continued to shut down
until the death-like state did indeed become
death. It was a danger Melissa
had decided to chance only when all other hope seemed lost, but there was
another danger as well.
To anyone coming across her body she would
seem dead, especially considering the way she had left her
body. It was something she was
counting on actually. It seemed
her only way out of the prison. The
problem was she could not control what others did with her dead
body. If her captors simply threw
her body into an alley as a warning to other heroines, she would be alright,
but if they decided to hack it to pieces or dispose of it in some other
destructive manner then she would truly be as dead as she
seemed.
There was also one other
problem. In her deep trance Melissa
had no way to determine the passage of
time. She would have to guess
whether or not it was time to wake up, and if she awoke too early or too
late then her plan would fail utterly.
It was, however, now too late to turn
back. Her body was now seemingly
dead, and deep inside Melissa slept serenely unaware of anything that was
happening on the outside.
Suzi had tried hard not to hold it all in,
but she had given in at the end and whimpered in agony as the two guards
finished with her. She was about
at the end of her endurance and was not being given long enough to recover
by her brutal captors. Her breasts
were so badly bruised that the slightest touch was excruciating and her nipples
were so raw from being sucked and bitten that they
bled. When the men had taken
her, the impact of their bodies slamming against her vulva felt like a
sledgehammer and her ravaged love canal was so sore she felt as if she were
being raped with sandpaper.
She could ignore their lewd comments as the
men had their way with her; the men spoke Chinese and Suzi had only a slight
understanding of the language, but she could not ignore the physical pain
they caused her, nor the continued humiliation of being repeatedly
raped. No matter how many times
it happened, it was something that she never got used
to. Perhaps that was the way
it was with all women or it might be some sort of quirk peculiar to heroines,
but whatever it was every violation of her virtue was a living
nightmare. When the two men finished
with her she sank to the cell floor, too weak to stand on her
own.
The two guards laughed at her as she lay in
a pool of her own sweat and blood, and then left the
cell. No doubt they were heading
for Melissa. That seemed to be
their pattern, to take first her and then her companion or visa
versa. She was not prepared for
the sudden shouts of alarm that rose in the throats of the men who had just
raped her.
Although too exhausted to stand, she could
raise her head. Both guards were
looking at Melissas cell with expressions of disbelief and
horror. Then they both rushed
to the door. Suzi lost sight
of them, but she could hear them working the lock and then slamming the cell
door open. All the time they
shouted at one another, their voices tinged with
fear.
Suzi managed to move into a sitting
position. What had happened to
Melissa? It was clear from the
excited voices of the guards that they were close to
panic. Inside the cell she could
hear them fumbling with something, but what exactly she had no
idea. There was not a sound from
Melissa and Suzi began to fear that something horrible had
happened. Finally, one of the
guards rushed from the cell, ran up the cell block and
disappeared. After that there
was just the occasional comment from the other guard and a slapping sound
as if Melissa was being worked over.
Slowly Suzi got to her
feet. Hobbling over to her cot
she found her clothes and put them on.
Just as she finished several more of the assassins rushed into the
cell block. One of them was the
man Suzi knew as Li Chao. He
looked into the cell, said something Suzi recognized as a curse, and then
turned on his heel and left.
Burning with dread and curiosity, Suzi made
her way to the bars and held on to them to hold herself
up. By now she was convinced
that something terrible had happened to Melissa, but she could not believe
the worst and had no inclination to ask her captors what had happened even
if they might have understood her.
A half hour passed and the cell block door
opened again. By this time most
of the other guards had left and there was no longer any noise from the cell
next to hers, however several guards remained and so Suzi had returned to
her cot to wait. Sooner or later
she would find out what was going on.
Through the open cell door came the Master
Assassin. He strode to
Melissas cell and stood there for several minutes in silence, and then
he cursed and turned to Suzi.
Not only was your companion a failure as an assassin, she was
a failure as a heroine. I never
expected that she would take her life.
No, Suzi cried, her worst fears
confirmed. She would never
do that.
When are you going to believe that I
do not lie to you? Come and see
for yourself. He motioned
to one of his men to unlock the door to Suzis cell and then sent him
in to bring her out.
Suzi needed the
help. She could barely walk and
every step sent waves of pain through her
loins. She hobbled to the cell
corridor and looked into the cell.
What she saw froze the blood in her veins.
Melissa was lying face up on her cot, but
her repose was hardly peaceful. Her
features were twisted, her mouth open and her tongue protruding from bluish
lips. Her eyes bulged from her
head. It was obvious that her
death had not come easily. As
to what had killed her; the knotted pieces of her shirt hanging from the
cell bars told everything.
Suicide.
There was no other explanation.
Driven to the breaking point, Melissa had taken her own
life. The shock came close to
destroying Suzi. Breaking down,
her shoulders shook with sobs. She
didnt even notice when the guards led her back to the cell and closed
the door. Nor did she hear the
Master assassin order the disposal of Melissas
corpse.
Melissa soared over the green of the
countryside. Below her she could
see every field, every house, and every
animal. There were people too;
each going quietly about his or her
business. There were shepherds,
cowherds, farmers plowing fields, and the occasional teamster heading his
wagon to or from the nearest village.
Every now and then a wisp of cloud floated by on the gentle breeze
while the sun warmed her skin. A
smile played about her lips; she had never felt so serene or so
secure.
She moved her arms slightly shifting her body
in a different direction. In
the distance she could see the blue of a small
lake. Flowing into it was a tumbling
brook fed by a sparkling waterfall that seemed to originate from an even
smaller stream flowing from a forested
area. A tiny clearing next to
the falls was so attractive that she instinctively shifted toward it tilting
her body to allow her to land lightly on her
feet.
The grass was cool and soft on her bare
feet. She was clad only in a
diaphanous white gown, but the air and sun were so warm that was all she
needed. She wriggled her feet
in the grass and walked slowly toward the
water. As she approached the
idyllic stream a hawk swooped down and settled on a rock by the waters
edge. It tilted its head at her
as she approached.
Melissa smiled, the bird seemed somehow familiar,
but she couldnt place it. The
bird raised it wing and preened its feathers as she sat down beside the
stream. Melissa trailed her hand
in the water. Soon she would
fly again, but for now she was content to sit peacefully for awhile and let
the sun warm her.
Why are you here? the hawk
asked.
Melissa stared at the bird, but not because
it had spoken. It seemed perfectly
natural that a bird should speak, but its accusatory tone bothered
her. Why shouldnt
I be here? She asked. There
is nowhere else I should be.
Have you forgotten me so soon?
the bird asked. Do you
not recall who I am?
But we have just met, Melissa
replied.
The bird tilted its head at an angle that
somehow communicated a sense of being
offended. Your memory is
so short. How could you possible
forget me?
Melissa shook her
head. The bird was strangely
familiar, but she could not quite place
it. Somewhere in the back of
her mind there was an annoying tug as if there was something very important
that she must do, but it quickly faded as the bird hopped off the rock and
with a flutter of its wings landed lightly on Melissas right
arm.
Melissa winced as the birds talons dug
into her skin. The pain reminded
her of something. Something very
important, but she couldnt remember what it
was. The falcon tightened its
grip. Are you sure you
dont remember me?
Youre hurting my arm, Melissa
complained, but she made no effort to try and remove the bird from her
arm.
The bird relaxed its
talons. Look at me,
it said. Surely you must
remember me.
How can I know
you? Youre just a
bird.
Im not just a bird, I am a
falcon.
Something clicked in Melissas
brain. A
falcon? Suddenly her
surroundings wavered like smoke.
The bird faded from view as did everything else and Melissa found
herself in a black void. Then
she remembered, the memories pouring back like the breaking of a
dam. Suzi, she thought,
Hold on, Im coming.
But finding Suzi was not quite as easy as
she hoped. Her dream world had
disappeared to be replaced by an endless
nothingness. There was no up,
no down, and no light to guide her.
She knew where she was, but finding her way out of the part of her
brain where she had buried herself was turning out to be more difficult than
she would have liked.
How long had it been? she
wondered. Had she been
dead long enough for her to return
safely? Or would she wake up
in the hands of her captors? More
to the point, what had been done with her
body? What if it had been weighted
and tossed into the harbour or perhaps taken into the basement of the warehouse
and buried in the floor?
Whatever had been done with her that was not
now her main concern. Finding
her way back to consciousness was, but she was too disoriented to figure
out which way to go. She
concentrated, focusing on the problem, searching for some hint of
direction.
Of all the dangers she had feared, this was
the most serious. She was lost
in the corridors of her subconscious
mind. It was a danger she had
been well aware of and had always had someone with her when she had practiced
this most dangerous of mental techniques.
The danger was very real. If
she could not find her way back to reality then she would lie comatose until
she died of dehydration.
Once before she had lost her way when she
had sought her deep unconscious. On
that occasion she had been guided back to reality by Sun Lin and Cai Hui,
her master in the
She sent her awareness out in all directions,
but each time she encountered only
darkness. Farther and farther
she searched. There was no sense
of the passage of time. For all
she knew she may have been searching for hours or just
minutes.
Focus, she
thought.
Focus. Think of
something that might guide you
back.
Her thoughts probed the blackness, searching
for any link that might guide her back.
Again, there was nothing and then there was the faintest of echoes
sounding in the oblivion of her mind.
She homed in on the faintest of traces, following it with all of her
concentration. Gradually the
sound increased until it became
identifiable. It was the sound
of someone sobbing; a sobbing that was disturbingly
familiar.
Solange, she
thought. Solange Im
coming.
Your mother died like the worm she
was. The place chosen for her
body was fitting considering the cowardly manner of her
death.
I wanted to see her, Solange
sobbed. I had that right
as her daughter.
You are my whore, Wang
retorted. You have only
the rights I give you.
You promised to treat her
well. Instead you let her
die.
She
was
treated well, Wang lied.
It was your surrender that drove her to her
death.
It is over between us, Solange
raged, her chest heaving.
You broke your word and I no longer need to keep
mine.
You are forgetting that part of the
bargain was that I would treat both your mother and her companion well as
long as you cooperated. I am
sure the Scarlet Falcon would not be pleased to learn that you have abandoned
her.
You are
filth. I trusted you to protect
my mother and instead you paraded me before her and drove her to her
death.
You will pay for that remark,
Wang snarled. And the Scarlet
Falcon will pay even more dearly if you do not remember your
place. I will bring her in here
and cut off her stupendous breasts if you ever dare to defy me
again. Have I made myself
clear?
Solange fell to her knees, trembling in fear,
not for herself, but for the Scarlet Falcon. Forgive me, master,
she said as she bowed her head to the
floor. I was forgetting
myself. I will always do as you
say.
Wang smiled in
satisfaction. It was so easy
to keep a heroine compliant, especially this
heroine. He would punish her
tonight as he had promised. He
would make sure that it was especially painful, but he would be careful not
to damage her. He would finish
by parting her silken thighs and listening to her
moans. He could not quite explain
it, but fucking Scorpions daughter gave him a sadistic sense of
satisfaction that was almost better than torturing an enemy to
death.
Almost.
Melissa struggled her way back to
consciousness. Her first sensation
was one of being cold. The second
was an overwhelming stench.
I stink, she thought.
I need a bath.
She opened her
eyes.
Darkness. Was she dreaming
again? Then a distant light slowly
came into focus as her eyes adjusted.
I must be conscious," she
thought. This smells too
bad for a dream. Tentatively
she tried to move her arms and legs.
A number of squeaking shapes scurried away from
her.
Shit, she
muttered. Where the hell
am I? She sat up, dislodging
a number of objects that were piled around
her.
She felt incredibly weak, and her movements
were slow and uncoordinated, but she managed to prop herself up well enough
to take a look around her. For
some strange reason she was wearing her costume
again. That puzzled her until
she realized that Wang must have had his men put it back on her in order
that her body would be recognized.
But where had he dumped her?
The disgusting smell finally penetrated her
brain. Bastard, she
muttered. Wang had ordered her
body to be thrown on a heap of garbage, probably as an indication of what
he thought of her, or perhaps as some insult to crimefighting
heroines.
Grimacing, she staggered to her feet, more
rats scattering into the darkness as she slipped down the loose pile of
rubbish. She swore
again. Her costume might have
been replaced, but not her boots.
She waded barefoot through the garbage toward the dim
light. She saw that she was in
an alley, although exactly where in
Moving into the light she spotted a street
number on the corner of a building and realized that her supposedly dead
body had been dumped only a few blocks from the warehouse where she had been
held prisoner.
Solange, she muttered, Im coming for
you.
She permitted herself a grim
smile. Although she had her costume,
Wang had not bothered to include her utility belt or
sword. She took a deep
breath. Weaponless, exhausted
and still suffering from the effects of her ordeal, she assessed her
chances. No matter which way
she looked at it they were not good.
She was going up against a score of highly trained murderers and thugs
with nothing but her bare hands.
She didnt even have any
boots. But she couldnt
leave Solange and Suzi at the mercy of their captors any
longer. She would rescue them
or die. Coldly composing herself,
she moved slowly in the direction of the Master Assassins
lair.
It was a very dilapidated part of town; apparently
very hard hit by the depression, and most of the shops were boarded
up. Street lights were few and
far between and Melissa knew that there was very little chance of being
seen. Nevertheless, she kept
to the shadows. It wouldnt
do if by some fluke one of the Master Assassins men happened to be
abroad and caught sight of her.
Normally she would have taken to the rooftops, but that hadnt
worked out very well the first time and she simply lacked the energy to move
from, roof to roof. She would
need all of her strength to face the Master Assassin and his
men.
As she passed in front of one of the boarded
up buildings she glimpsed its sign and recognized it as being a paint supply
shop. A sudden inspiration caught
her and she detoured to the back of the
building. There she found what
she was looking for. In tumbled
disorder were dozens of empty one-gallon paint
cans. But it was not the cans
she was interested in, it was the lids.
Quickly she gathered as many as she could hold and then looked around
for something to put them in. Her
eyes lighted on a discarded canvas satchel used to carry paint supplies and
she stuffed the paint lids into it.
She also detached a few wire handles from the paint
cans. Almost as an afterthought
she picked up a length of broken electrical cable that happened to be lying
on the ground and wound it around her
waist. Now better equipped, she
continued her way toward the Master Assassins lair.
It was still very dark as she studied the
building. Going in through the
roof had been a dismal failure and she had no wish to find herself in the
same trap she and her companions had blundered
into. Unfortunately, there seemed
no other way into the building except through the main
door.
Well, why not? she
muttered. It might just be stupid
and daring enough to be successful and it didnt appear that she had
much choice. Adjusting her satchel
for easy access she moved silently toward the
door. Not surprisingly, it was
locked, but the lock was nothing that would stop a trained assassin; and
once, in what seemed like ages ago, Melissa had been the top student in the
Assassins Guild. She took
out one of the wire paint handles, twisted it into a reasonable facsimile
of a lock pick and neatly unlocked the door.
Easing it open, she stepped into total darkness
and quietly closed the door behind her.
Masked by the darkness behind her, her entry was so unobtrusive that
few guards would have noticed it.
Then she simply stood and
listened. To any normal person
the room would have been completely silent, but Melissa was not
normal. Her trained assassins
hearing, enhanced by many years of additional training under the guidance
of masters of the oriental martial arts, picked up a sound that few others
would have detected; the slow breathing of two other
people.
Silently, Melissa set down her satchel and
took out two of the lids, and then she waited, scarcely
breathing. It took her several
minutes to determine the location of the two silent watchers in the
room. She took the paint can
lid between her fingers, testing its
weight. It wasnt as finely
balanced as a throwing star, but it would
do. Slowly she inhaled and then
released her breath in an explosion of
power. At the same time the first
lid left her fingers, followed almost instantaneously by the
second. Then she charged across
the room, moving in the direction she had thrown the first
lid.
She neednt have bothered exerting the
energy. The paint can lid was
where she had hoped it would be, buried in the forehead of the silent
guard. The other lid had struck
true as well. Both men had died
almost instantaneously and without a
sound.
She stepped over the bodies and gently opened
the door they had been standing in front
of. This time, she entered a
well lit, but empty room. Her
knowledge of the building was limited, but she did know one
thing. The dungeon and torture
chamber where the prisoners were kept was in the
basement. Scanning the room she
spotted a likely door and opened it.
Before her a set of stairs that allowed access to the lower
floors. Closing it behind her,
she began a slow, cautious descent.
She went as far down as the stairs would allow,
guessing that the rooms she sought would be on the lowest
level. She entered a long concrete
corridor that was disturbingly familiar.
A few feet into it she realized that she had indeed been there before
and her eyes, already cold with determination, became as chill as a
winters day.
She encountered the first cell guard down
a short side passage. This time
she did not used paint can lids, but instead set down the satchel and unwound
the length of cord from her waist.
The guard was bored, not an unusual characteristic in that line of
work. Instead of remaining at
his post he frequently walked the length of the
corridor. Each time he did, Melissa
quickly ducked out of sight, but the third time he rambled down the corridor
Melissa followed him back.
He had not the slightest chance as Melissas
makeshift garrote tightened around his
throat. She showed not the slightest
mercy. She had no way of knowing
whether or not he was one of the men who had raped her or Solange, but she
suspected it would have been unusual if he
wasnt. In any case, she
was not the least bit inclined to be
forgiving. She was on a mission
to rescue Solange and Suzi and anyone who got it her way was
expendable.
The guard disposed
of, she crept toward the cell block
door. It was made of heavy steel
and she knew from experience that two guards were always stationed on the
other side. She listened at the
door, and her already frigid features hardened in anger.
So you think she is worth fucking?
a voice from beyond the door said.
She can barely stand.
There was a low laugh in answer and then a
second voice spoke up. She
wont be standing when we fuck her, and her cunt will be just as
tight.
The comment was followed by the sound of a
cell door being thrown back.
Melissa waited a few seconds and then opened the
door. Inside she saw what she
expected. An exhausted Suzi was
being pinned to her cot by one of the guards while the other one pulled off
her trousers. The blonde heroine
was struggling, but it was obvious that she was so exhausted that her pathetic
efforts hardly mattered to the two men intent on raping
her.
This time Melissa made no effort to be
quiet. Instead, she slammed the
door behind her, causing the two men to turn in
surprise. When they saw her standing
there, superstitious shock registered on their
faces.
You
you are dead, one of
the men stammered. The other
simply stared, his normal oriental features as white as
chalk.
Not as dead as you will be, Melissa
answered. She savoured the moment,
her desire for vengeance overruling
caution. But she knew that behind
the thick steel door anything that happened in the room would not carry to
the outside.
Her comment seemed to break the
spell. Although neither of the
guards was an assassin, they were both hulking brutes, each standing well
over six feet. Faced with just
a lone woman they recovered quickly and moved from the cell to take
her.
She killed the first with a flick of her wrist,
spinning the paint can lid into his
throat. He died with a gurgling
scream. The second was more
personal. She let him come at
her and neatly sidestepped his clumsy
rush. She drove her hand into
his throat as he passed, catching him between her thumb and forefinger and
crushing his windpipe.
That was gratifying, Melissa
muttered. She moved quickly across
to the cell to where Suzi still lay,
gasping. Can you move?
she asked the blonde heroine.
Yes, Suzi answered her voice low
with fatigue. I think
so. She looked wonderingly
at Melissa.
Dont worry, Melissa said,
giving her friend a wan smile.
Im not dead. At
least I dont think I am.
Suzi managed a small smile in return and then
Melissa continued.
Ill get you out of here and go back for
Solange.
The hell you will, Suzi
answered. She swayed as she struggled
to her feet. Youre
not getting rid of me that easily.
You can hardly stand, Melissa
objected.
I doubt that you are much
better. The last I saw of you
Wangs thugs were dragging you out of here by your
heels.
That explains the headache, Melissa
said, rubbing the back of her head.
Well, stick around if you
must. But try not to get
hurt. Secretly, Melissa
was glad to have the tall blonde along.
Although Suzis skills in the martial arts were not equal to
hers she was a resourceful companion who had proven useful in many a scrape
and had been a heroine long before Melissa had arrived on the
scene. If nothing else Suzis
brilliant mind seemed to find a solution to many
problems.
Whats your plan? Suzi asked
as they exited the cell block.
Kill every thug I meet.
That works for me, Suzi
replied.
They moved down the hall toward the room where
they had been raped and tortured.
Melissa still had her satchel of crude
weapons. Suzi had stopped to
rifle the guard outside the cell block and picked up a heavy wooden
truncheon. Melissa was surprised
at her companions resilience.
Just a few minutes ago she had barely been able to
stand. Somehow the act of being
rescued seemed to have reenergized her.
They entered the darkened torture chamber
warily. The place was full of horrific memories for both heroines, but Suzi
gave a muted cry of pleasure and moved ahead of Melissa, heading for a counter
on the other side of the room.
Triumphantly she held up her utility
belt. This might even things
up a bit. I wonder if they stashed
my costume in here as well.
A search through the cupboards revealed not
just Suzis costume, but Melissas utility belt and the
Song
blade she had received when she left the
In spite of their renewed confidence, the
two heroines took no chances. They
moved silently through the warehouse picking off the assembled assassins
and thugs in ones and twos. Most
of the men they took out didnt even know they were there until it was
too late. Only one group presented
any problems and that was because they were not the same level of threat
as the others.
Melissa and Suzi stared at the four members
of Wangs gang that they found in the comfortable sleeping
quarters. They had expected to
find sleeping assassins, not four surprised
women.
The oldest of them was instantly awake and
quickly tossed the covers aside and got to her
feet. She was clad in a long
sleeping robe and seemed more angry than
surprised. What are you
doing in here? she demanded.
How did you escape?
Then she stared at Melissa and her face went
ashen. You are dead,
she gasped. I saw them
take your body out.
Knowing that Suzi could not follow the
conversation, Melissa took the lead.
I have returned to avenge my death, she
said. Tell me where my
daughter is.
By this time the other three women, were warbling
is fear, their high-pitched voices threatening to wake the remaining
assassins. Fortunately sound
carried very poorly through the concrete walls of the room and Suzi had closed
the door after she entered.
What are we going to do with them? Suzi
asked. We cant allow
them to go free. Theyll
alert the remaining assassins.
Let me deal with this if I can,
Melissa answered. She turned
her attention to the four almost hysterical
women. She assumed what she hoped
was her most ghostly expression.
I gave you no permission to make that noise, she
said. Silence, before I
take you back to the grave with me.
The threat induced considerable whimpering
among the four women, but they quieted
down. Now, she demanded,
tell me where the Master Assassin is holding my
daughter.
This time she got the answer she
wanted. His apartments
are on the fourth floor, the older women
answered. She stared at Melissa,
a mixture of fear and suspicion on her
face. Apparently she was not
entirely convinced that Melissa was as dead as she pretended to
be.
Tie them up and gag them, she
said to Suzi. They will
eventually get free, but by that time we should be finished
here.
Together she and Suzi bound and gagged the
four women. Neither of them liked
the idea of doing that to one of their own sex, but Melissa was certain that
the four women were probably loyal to the Master Assassin and could take
no chances with them.
Now to the fourth floor, Melissa
said. Lets hope that
Wang is where the woman said he was.
They proceeded as before, taking care to leave
no assassins behind them. By
the time they reached the main floor by Melissas count almost twenty
men had been eliminated. They
spared no one in a bloody trail of
vengeance. For Melissa such ruthless
behaviour was not especially out of character, but for Suzi it
was. The blonde heroine usually
preferred to leave criminals she apprehended for the police to deal with,
but in this case she made no objection as she and Melissa mercilessly hunted
them down and eliminated them.
Perhaps it had to do with the fact that she had been brutally tortured
and raped by every man in the building.
That sort of thing tended to make a heroine a little less sympathetic.
Reaching the main floor they were confronted
with a problem. What happened
to the staircase? Suzi asked.
Melissa moved in beside her and stared up
the place where the staircase had been.
It had been completely demolished, leaving a four story void at one
corner of the building. She looked
toward the elevator and nodded her head.
My guess is that the Master Assassin wants the elevator as the
only way to his retreat.
We cant go that way, Suzi
said. There would be no
escape if he knew we were coming.
My daughter is up there, Melissa
said. Im going after
her. But you are
right. Taking the elevator is
foolish. So you stay here and
see if you can figure out another way while I go
alone.
Im not staying here while you
expose yourself to danger, Suzi
protested.
Melissa placed her hand on Suzis
shoulder. Look, she
reasoned, there is no sense in both of us getting killed or
captured. Ill take a chance
on the elevator while you see if there is a safer way to the top
floor. That way if I run into
trouble you will be the backup.
The look on Suzis face showed that she
was far from convinced, but she knew that if Solange was in the hands of
the Master Assassin she could be suffering
horribly. It was important that
Melissa get to her as soon as possible, even if it meant taking a
risk. She would do as suggested
and look for a safer way to the top
floor. Ill check
the fire escape, she said.
Melissa smiled her thanks and headed toward
the elevator. With any luck she
would find her daughter and deal with Wang without Suzis
help.
Entering the elevator she closed the door
and set the lever for the fourth floor.
Then she drew her sword and waited.
The ride to the fourth floor
was the longest elevator ride of her
life. The ancient machine creaked
and groaned as it passed each floor, finally coming to a shuddering halt
at its destination.
As she had hoped, the two guards outside
Wangs retreat were not expecting a vengeful
heroine. She cut down the first
before he even had a chance to raise his
weapon. The slight delay, however
gave the second a chance to bring up a nasty pair of short blades, each of
which was hooked at the end to enable the user to snare the blade of his
opponent while the other finished him
off. Melissa, however, had trained
with dozens of weapons and the
Song
blade hummed as it wove a web of death in the confined
space. She drove her opponent
back to the door behind him, slipped the point past his guard, and neatly
ripped out his throat. As the
guard died in a spray of blood she stepped past him and kicked the door
open.
After the noisy mayhem in the outer room,
Melissa reckoned that further caution would be wasted and entering the next
room she saw that she had reckoned correctly.
Li Chao stood waiting for her,
standing in front of a door marked with the scorpion sign of the Assassins
Guild. Although his face was shrouded, in the folds of his hood, she identified
him from the small red scorpion emblazoned just above his
heart. I see that we were
somewhat premature in disposing of your body, Wangs lieutenant
said. He seemed quite unsurprised
to see Melissa alive. It
is unfortunate that you will not live to tell me how you did
that. He drew his own sword,
a blade that in every feature was identical to
Melissas.
Melissa did not wait for an invitation to
attack. She was
tiring. Not even close to recovering
from her trials, she had been driven on by her desire for vengeance and the
burning need to rescue Solange, but now she had spent most of that
energy. She needed to finish
the fight quickly, before Li Chao wore her down.
Unfortunately, Li Chao proved most uncooperative
in this regard. He was a supremely
skilled swordsman as befitted a man who had risen to second place in the
Assassins Guild. He neatly
deflected Melissas attack and replied with one of his
own. The room they were in was
not large, but it was big enough for the two combatants to range back and
forth as each attacked and defended.
Melissa realized early in the contest that her opponent was nearly
her equal in terms of swordsmanship.
Had she been in prime condition this slight advantage would have
eventually given her a victory, but Li Chao had one powerful
advantage. He was not suffering
from the effects of several days of being brutalized or the long after-effect
of Melissas near death experience.
As the battle lengthened from seconds to minutes and then tens of
minutes Melissa began to sag. Her
movements slowed and Li Chaos attacks came closer to finding their
mark. Slowly he drove her back
attacking again and again in an attempt to pierce her desperate
defence.
I have you, heroine, the villain
gloated. You were a fool
to think you could best me.
Melissa saved her breath for the
contest. She could now barely
block Li Chaos blinding attacks, and was completely on the
defensive. Slowly he pushed her
back across the room until she was pinned in a
corner. Without room to maneuver
it took all of her skill to block any of his blows and then came the attack
that slipped past her guard. It
should have sunk his blade deep into her chest, but at the last millisecond
there was a loud scream and a crimson figure crashed into the assassin, knocking
him off his feet and slamming him into the
wall. Melissa gave him no chance
to recover. It was not the most
chivalrous action, but she was fighting for her life and that of her
daughter. She drove her sword
into her throat and turned to face Suzi.
Th
Thank you, she gasped,
barely able to speak.
Suzi
shrugged. It was the only
thing I could think of. It looked
like he had you on the ropes.
He did, Melissa gasped, her hands
on her knees. Her entire body
was shaking from exertion. Slowly
she pulled herself erect. The
Master Assassin still had her daughter and he was on the other side of the
scorpion-marked door.
We go together, Suzi added
unnecessarily.
Melissa nodded
wearily. Raising her sword she
moved to the door. This time
she did not kick it open, but turned the door knob and opened it
quietly. She found herself in
an elaborate bedroom, furnished in oriental
splendour. In the centre of the
room was a large bed, and in the centre of the bed was
Solange. The girl was dressed
in her transparent oriental finery and looked completely defeated, her eyes
filled with despair, however, they widened in shock at the sight of her
mother. Mummy, she
gasped, her voice filled with disbelief and strained
emotion.
Melissa, however, had no time to chat with
her daughter. At the foot of
the bed stood the Master Assassin, dressed in his black robes embroidered
in gold with the scorpion motif.
So, he said.
You managed to defeat Li
Chao. I expected better of him,
but your life ends here. It will
be most gratifying to kill you in front of your
daughter.
Not if I have any say in the matter,
Suzi said, stepping forward. As
she spoke she raised her hand and let fly with the tiny crossbow she had
taken from her utility belt. As
the bolt from the crossbow flew across the room a mesh blossomed from it
like a flower unfolding until it was large enough to ensnare a
man.
The entire process occurred in less than a
split second. Any normal thug
would have been enveloped in an unbreakable web, but one did not rise to
the rank of Master Assassin without being a bit more than
normal. Faster than the average
eye could follow, Wang Shang yi darted across the
room. He gave Suzi no more time
to repeat her attack with any other of her
gadgets. Before he had even stopped
moving he released a half dozen deadly
objects. They flashed through
the air and skewered the scarlet-clad heroine before she had a chance to
do more than raise her hand.
That slight movement saved Suzis
life. The throwing star that
would have embedded itself in her forehead struck her open palm instead,
penetrating her glove and emerging from the back of her
hand. Suzi screamed as she dropped
to the floor, pierced also in both thighs, her shoulder and twice in her
other arm. The wicked throwing
stars embedded themselves in her body to almost their full depth inflicting
debilitating and incredibly painful damage to the
heroine. She collapsed to the
floor writhing in agony, completely at the mercy of her
assailant.
Well, that was easy, Wang
sneered. Now for the heroine
who is able to rise from the dead.
He stepped into the middle of the
room. Melissa saw that he was
armed with two short curved blades; and then he launched himself at
her.
Melissa barely survived the first
attack. Wangs skill was
at lest on a level with that of Li Chao, and he had the advantage of fighting
an exhausted opponent while he was still
fresh. She had no time to even
to glance at the moaning Suzi as he forced her effortlessly around the
room. Fighting two blades with
one was difficult at best. But
Melissa had mastered the art and she had the advantage of a longer
weapon. What held her back was
the state of her exhausted body.
Her fine blade felt as if it was a lump of iron and it took all of
her strength to beat off the steady advance of the Master
Assassin.
It was, however, only a matter of time until
he broke through her defence. Tying
up her blade with one of his own he used his other to nick her right arm
just above the elbow. It was
a minor wound, but it stung and signaled the beginning of the
end. He cut her again, this time
a nasty gash just below her left breast, and then again, slicing her
forearm. Finally he got through
with a cut that penetrated the long muscle of her right
arm. As the strength drained
out of her arm Melissa transferred her sword to her left
hand. It was not such a disadvantage
as it might have seemed, as she had trained to use both hands with all weapons,
but it was still a factor as the Master Assassin pressed his
attack. He nicked her several
more times, leaving her bleeding from almost a dozen
wounds. As her blood splattered
the floor Melissas defence became weaker until it was obvious that
she was almost defenseless before her opponents relentless
attacks. And then he began to
play with her.
Im enjoying this, the Master
Assassin said, as he effortlessly penetrated Melissas guard and inflicted
another painful but superficial wound to her
thigh. Im going to
cut you until you cant stand.
Then when youre too weak to resist Im to take away your
sword and use it to open up your guts and leave you to watch while I hamstring
your blonde friend. Then you
can both watch while I finish enjoying your
daughter.
Wangs vicious threat galvanized Melissa
into one more rally. Desperate,
and barely able to continue the battle, she attacked with reckless abandon,
exposing herself to a possible death blow, but Wang disdainfully avoided
her attack, cut her two more times and forced her to her
knees. With a contemptuous flick
of one of his curved blades he caught her sword and sent it spinning out
of her hand. Too weak to stand,
Melissa could only watch helplessly as Wang unhurriedly retrieved her sword
and returned to her. With a sneer
he brought his foot up, toppling her onto her back and then stood over
her.
I dont know how you managed to
come back to life, Wang said.
But I doubt that you will return after Im finished with
you. Ive never seen anyone
survive having her intestines pulled out and her breasts cut
off. He straddled her so
that his feet were on either side of her hips and placed the razor edge of
the
Song blade against
Melissas abdomen. I
think here would be a good place to start, he sneered, and then he
made the first incision.
Melissa lay helpless on the floor, her blood
weeping from a score of wounds. She
looked up at the Master Assassin as he loomed over
her. She was too beaten and exhausted
to do more than lie where she was and watch as Wang took her own sword and
prepared to disembowel her. She
had failed utterly in her attempt to rescue Solange, and Suzi, who might
have escaped, now faced a gruesome ordeal as
well. At least I can show
my daughter how to die, she
thought. She prayed that she
would not end up shrieking and gibbering in pain as Wang gutted her.
Outwardly calm, inside she
trembled. The members of the
Assassins Guild were renowned for being able to keep their victims
alive while they inflicted excruciating
tortures. She tried not to scream
as Wang pushed the blade through the wall of her
abdomen.
Uunngh! The cry of pain came not from
her. Melissa looked up in amazement
as Wang suddenly arched his back.
Slowly his hand opened and Melissas sword dropped from his grasp,
wrenching free of the small but painful would he had
opened. Then continuing to arch
back, he toppled to the floor without a
sound. Standing over him was
Solange, each of her hands holding a long steel
pin. Slowly the girls hands
opened, dropping the bloody pins to the
floor. Then she was on her knees,
kneeling beside Melissa.
Mummy, her daughter
whispered. Mummy. Im
so sorry.
Melissa could not reply, but she managed to
reach up with her left arm and touch her daughters
face. Bursting into tears, Solange
gathered her mother into her arms.
They remained that way until a weak voice broke the
spell.
Could someone please stop me from bleeding
to death?
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