Castaways
Part 3. To free the Heavens and the Earth.
by Skytower
“You lied to us.” Wanda growled as Barbara
sat and watched Zatanna do the same to Tania.
Tears were flowing from her eyes and she angrily used tissues to dry
them. The sting at least was fading
quickly. The bleak grey room with the
two incandescent bulbs matched her mood perfectly.
They had gone through the portal from the Red
Skull’s bedroom to some hidden base. The
portal had been a rough trip and Wanda had blacked out as she had emerged. Apparently so had Tania. They woke up in medical beds with IV’s in
their arms. Helena had been their nurse
and told them that the portal had been tricky and un-balanced due to some
lingering effects of the red skies and the mystical barriers surrounding the
Red Skull’s room. Both women had been
out for a day. It was the second time
Wanda had woken up nude in a medical bed.
Wanda was getting tired of waking up and not knowing where she was. She was tired of waking up nude. Never in Wanda’s life had she ever guessed
that wearing a nightgown would be a once in a while event.
“I had to.” Barbara said. “If they had broken either of you and you had
known about the trackers the plan would have failed.
“So you watched and listened to our torture?”
Tania demanded.
Barbara nodded.
“I knew that Ultra-man, Captain America,
Spiderman and the Thing were in there.
But it was too well defended to get into the base. We needed a link to where they were for Zatanna
to open up a portal.”
“Even if we had been broken we would have
been taken into the Red Skull’s room sooner or later.” Tania said. “All you needed to be was patient.”
“And callous!” Wanda swore. Barbara nodded again stone-faced and Wanda
forced herself not to throw something.
“You know what we had to do!”
“I’m sorry.” Barbara said.
“Will you be honest with us from here on?”
Tania demanded.
“She will be.” Steve Rogers said stepping
into the room. He was in costume
carrying his shield and Wanda felt her heart jump. Tall, muscular, blue eyes that held enough
love to…
It’s not my Steve, Wanda told herself drawing
the sheets up to her neck. It’s
not. But she wished it was, her heart
ached for her Steve.
“Honesty is something desperately needed.”
Ultra-man said walking in behind Steve.
Wanda heard Tania’s sharp intake of breath. What a cruel joke it was that the men they
both loved were here, yet not here.
“If you are ready we will brief everybody.”
Barbara said.
“We’re ready.” Tania said wiping her eyes and
getting off of the bed. “The sooner we
are done the better.” She grabbed her
costume and started to put it on. Her
movements were angry and sharp. Wanda
waited until the men left before reaching for hers. She reached for it and then laid back.
“Wanda?” Tania stood by her bed and put her
arm on Wanda’s shoulder.
“I’d like a few minutes out of the fire.”
Wanda said. “A few hours, a few
days… Oh god Tania! That…
Toad!”
Wanda realized that her body was shaking and
Tania held her in a tight hug until the shaking subsided. The she stood back and handed Wanda her
costume. Sighing Wanda took it. They’d come too far to back out now. And after seeing a hint of what the world was
like for women under SPAY Wanda could never have slept again if she had
abandoned it.
But damnit…
Would she ever have a real lover again?
Wanda was beginning to feel like a rubber band that had been stretched
too many times.
And it may well be, Tania thought as she and
Wanda sat down. Tania was worried about
her friend. The physical torture had
been one thing, but Wanda had offered herself freely to Toad. The man repulsed her but Wanda had made
herself smile and let her body react. It
was going to wear on her sooner or later.
Sooner from the looks of things.
Neither of them had any time to recover from any of their ordeals, from
the moment weeks ago when Doc Droid had captured them, through the mind and
body twisting by the Body Doubles and now this.
Tania felt as if her spirit had been stretched over a fire and the flame
had never been extinguished.
“We’re all on the edge now.” Barbara said
rolling out a paper. “Our house was
destroyed by a missile attack five minutes after we got you out of the Red
Skull’s room.”
“Where are our counterparts?” Wanda asked.
“Arkham Asylum.” Barbara said. “We have friends there who put them in under
false names, they’ll be safe until all this is over.”
“Arkham?” Tania echoed. On her and Wanda’s world it was a dumping
ground for the most insane supervillains.
A hell on Earth.
“It was the only place open to us.” Barbara
said. “We have to move now.”
“They won’t count on us being dead.”
Nightwing said.
“No, but they’ve lost someone as well.”
Barbara said.
“I don’t like being stared at.” She-Go said
ignoring the angry look Kim gave her.
“He wasn’t looking at you.” Kim said
crossly. He was looking at me and his
back was turned.
“He was looking at you.” She-Go growled.
“You didn’t have to kill him.” Kim said. “You don’t kill for me!”
She-Go looked away but Tania saw the look of
anger and sadness on her face at the tone of Kim’s voice.
“You want to go back?” She-Go mumbled. “He was a guy Kim, they’re the enemy.”
“Not all of us.” Nightwing said.
“Like you were a big help.” She-Go
snapped. “It took those two to get us
out.”
“And you killing someone from behind.” Kim
said coldly.
“Enough!” Barbara said slapping her hand on
the table top. The Collector is
dead. No matter how it happened it’ll
help us. His control will fade the
longer he is dead and the gem smashed.
That’s good.” She looked at Steve.
“The next part of the plan splits us into
three teams.” Steve said. “The first
goes to the main transmission tower.”
Barbara took a picture out of a folder from her lap and put it on the
table. The transmission tower was a
large gray building. Featureless without
even windows. The sight of it was
chilling.
“They’ll infiltrate the building and upload a
program that will flash on every screen in the world. That program will erase SPAY’s subliminal
commands in seconds.”
“If it works the chaos…”
“Will have to be endured.” Barbara
interrupted Wanda.
“Peoples minds will snap.” Wanda
protested. “I remember the shock when my
programming was broken.” She looked at
Tania. “All of us suffered for months.”
“We don’t have any other choice.” Barbara
said.
Wanda didn’t reply but folded her arms and
sank back into her chair. Tania knew
that Barbara was right, but at the same time there were millions who were going
to go insane. Memories would haunt them
forever, both male and female. What was
worse was that for some there would always be doubt as to whether or not the
programming had really changed them or simply liberated a part of their minds
held back. And even far worse than that
were the ones who had welcomed the change, feeling that it liberated them from
guilt.
“The second team will go to the Amazon
Island.” Steve said. He looked at
Tania. “Not all of your sisters are sex
slaves. There are groups of amazons who
are forced to work in mines as punishment.
The worst, the most stubborn; diehards.
They’ve been treated the worst but Oracle reports that a few are still
willing to fight. They are lead by an
amazon named Aluna. Your team will be
Ultra-Man, you and myself. We’ll free
them, tell them the truth and then lead them into Tartarus. Once there Aluna will lead them in a circle
of prayer to the goddesses of Olympus.
I’ll protect them while they pray, you and Ultra-Man will free the
gods. Once they are free and hear your
prayers the gods should be able to give the Titans a good fight.”
“They’ll be too weak to win.” Tania
said. Inwardly she smiled. Aluna would be the diehard. The ultimate dieheard. On her world Aluna had been the strongest
candidate to be Ultra Woman after Tania herself. She’d been driven mad by her desire.
“They just have to keep them Titans busy
while Wanda frees Zeus.” Barbara said.
“What?” Wanda asked.
“Zeus is drunk and Hercules keeps him that
way.” Barbara said. “In his palace on
Olympus Zeus sleeps though the day drugged, then when he wakes up a woman is
ready for him. But the time he’s done making
love to her and drinking drugged wine he’s out again. Hercules keeps him supplied with mortal
women. One per night goes in, makes love
to him, comes out in the morning and is sacrificed to Hercules. In a hundred years or so he might reach Zeus
level of power.
Tania could not keep the gasp from escaping
as she realized their plans.
“So…” Wanda asked.
“Zatanna will sneak you in.” Barbara
said. “And we have a drug that can sober
Zeus up. But you have to make love to
him to get it into his body.”
Wanda’s breath caught in her throat and Tania
took hold of her hand. After Toad this
was too much.
“Why Wanda?” She demanded not bothering to
keep the anger from her voice. Her body
isn’t superhuman! This is Zeus! I am a better choice.”
“Oracle has run down the chances.” Barbara
said. “Crunched the numbers. You have to lead the Amazons. Huntress, Kim, She-Go and Nightwing will be
needed to break into the transmission headquarters. They work perfectly as a team so they have
the best chance. Captain America and
Ultraman will need to be with you, you need his power and Cap’s ability to
inspire. Wanda’s the only one who’s
sympathetic to Zatanna’s magic, her illusion disguise will work best with
another magic user. But Zatanna will need
to keep the spell going, constantly refreshing it to hide their identity. Wanda is the only one left.”
“We wouldn’t ask if there were any other
way.” Steve said. “Anyone of use would
go instead.”
Wanda shut her eyes tightly and her grip on
Tania’s hand tightened.
Asking, Tania thought. They aren’t asking; they are using her own
nobility against her. Against us! It’s moral extortion!
But as true as that was Tania knew what Wanda
would say when she opened her eyes.
“Alright.” Wanda said. “How do I get the drug into him?”
“I’ll tell you late in private.” Zatanna said. “It’s not going to be easy.”
“Let’s go over the maps.” Steve said. “Tania the amazon island we’ll be going to
might be a lot different from the one you left.”
Tania sighed and bent over the table as more
paper maps were unfolded.
Tania gasped and felt the breakfast she had
eaten fought to come up again. Her head
was filled with the smells of a city. A
filthy polluted city! She felt her legs
grow week as the sun rose. To Tania the
sun was rising on a vision of hell.
The Greek buildings were still there. Temples, libraries, homes… The shape of the land was still the
same. She could see the hills and the
valleys. But there it ended. Factories belched smoke into the air and the
fine marble columns of the temples and the libraries were covered in soot and
grime. The sunlight obscenely reflected
from the oil that coated them. Cars and
trucks moved on roads and Tania knew that trees had been cut down to make those
roads. Trees she had rested under; sang
under, laughed under. Trees that to her
were friends and signposts. Those trees
that still stood were denuded of leaves and life. Oil and grime covered them as well. More sunlight revealed more revolting
sights. The temples to the goddesses
were smoking ruins. The harbor was
filled with oil and sludge.
Tania lost it. She leaned over the rail and threw up. Fury beyond anything she had ever felt filled
her. The metal railing twisted in her
grip like a piece of clay.
“I know it’s hard.” Steve said standing
beside her. “I felt the same way when I
saw Washington.”
“I will kill them for this.” Tania growled
straightening up. “I swear I will kill
them slowly. Where ever they are, where
ever they run I will find them and they will die slowly! Screaming!”
“Be careful.” Steve said putting his hand on
her shoulder. “Don’t become what you
want to destroy. You didn’t kill the Red
Skull.”
“I didn’t kill him because Wanda would have
enjoyed it.” Tania snapped shrugging his hand off. “This is different.” She pointed to the island. “That was my home! Every tree, every trail, every building was
my home! I’ve been raped Captain and
I’ve endured it, but these men have raped my home and that I will not endure!”
“It’s not your home.” Steve said.
“It’s close enough!” Tania shouted. “The men who did this will die Captain. Either by my hand or at the hands of my
sisters. I will wash this island clean
and I’ll use their blood as the soap!”
“Do you really want your homeland reborn in
blood?” Steve asked. “Is that really
what the amazons are about? Think about
it Tania.”
He walked away and Tania glared after
him. Maybe on some level he was
right. But how many times had he refused
to kill the Red Skull and this was the result.
Some evil couldn’t be contained, only destroyed.
“Blood is always part of birth or rebirth.”
Tania said coldly looking out on the hell across the waters. “If you were a woman Captain you’d know that.”
“Done.” Zatanna said. She looked tired. “When I start the spell it will mix with your
own magic and no one will be able to tell who we are.”
“What about the drug?” Wanda asked. She knew that Zatanna had been avoiding
talking about it.
“It’s here.”
Zatanna walked over to a desk and opened the
draw. She took out a small wooden box
and opened it. Inside was a transparent
rubber dome.
“A diaphragm?” Wanda asked.
“More than that.” Zatanna said. She lifted it up by the edges and turned it
over. “Look at it closely.”
Wanda looked and saw hundreds of tiny numbs.
“Textured?”
“More than that.” Zatanna said again. “Each one of those is a thorn grown by Ivy
and myself. Each one of them is filled
with a chemical… well you might just call it the most potent coffee ever
made. The more you become aroused, the
stiffer they become. Your own body
chemistry will make them hard.”
“He’ll feel it.” Wanda said.
“Not until they get hard and sharp.” Zatana
said. “Their small enough not to be felt
or scratch him until you clench down hard.
You’ve got to wait until he’s climaxing, he’ll be stiff and hard and so
will the thorns. That’s when the skin of
his penis will be the thinnest. Clench
as hard as you can.”
“Oh god.” Wanda said looking at the tiny
bumps on the diaphram. Of all of the
things she’d ever had to do as a heroine this was the strangest.
“It’s the only way we can get the drug into
him.” Zatanna said defensively. “There’s
so many detection spells, no drink or potion…”
“It’s alright I understand.” Wanda said. She smiled suddenly and if that smile held
more than a taint of fear to it Wanda wasn’t going to admit that. “It’s kind of ironic, SPAY is right; a woman’s
most dangerous weapon is her body.” She
took it from the box. “Will I have time
to put it in?”
“It has to be done now.” Zatanna said. “Before the spell.”
“Oh hell.” Wanda swore. “So I’m going to have to walk around with
this thing stuffed in me?” Zatanna
nodded.
“I’ll put it in if you wish.” Zatanna said.
“I’ll do it.” Wanda said. “At least this time I’ll have some
protection.”
“I’m just making love to the king of the
gods.” Wanda said attempting a joke. She
was wearing a raincoat as well. “You’re
the one in danger.”
“You’ll give him your best then.” Tania
smiled accepting it.
“Always.” Wanda replied.
Tania climbed into the boat and picked up a
paddle. Slowly she and Captain America
rowed toward a gap in the rocks.
Ultra-Man sat on the prow and kept look out. The air was cold and clammy. All too soon Tania’s skin was coated with
grime despite the raincoat. The waves
tossed them up and down but didn’t swamp them and they road the tide into the
cave. The rocks on either side were
jagged. Volcanic rock carved by wind and
rain and sea over eons. Was it Tania’s
imagination that the rocks resembled teeth?
That had never occurred to Tania when she was sailing toward her
home. The spray from the waves was
tinted with oil and the smell turned her stomach. It didn’t matter what Captain America said,
Tania wanted the people who had done this to die.
Once in the cave Ultra-Man used a small light
to guide them past more jagged rocks.
When they finally beached it was in a vaulted chamber that echoed each
sound like a cathedral. Tania and Cap
followed Ultra-Man as they walked through the tunnels, trusting on his superior
sight to keep them safe. Oracle had
given them a map and hopefully it was up to date. She had also given them special protein
drinks and food and clothing. At the
very least the amazons would need a boost before they ventured into tartarus.
The more they walked the more sounds came to
Tania’s ears. The harsh sound of metal
against dirt, metal against rock and the harshest sound of all: a whip against
skin. But there was no answering cry. Who ever it was being whipped wasn’t showing
her pain.
Aluna, Tania thought, it has to be.
One member of the group winced audibly with
each stroke. Clover was the youngest of
the amazons and the one that Aluna loved above all. Her blonde hair, ivory skin and soft green
eyes were all that Aluna needed to live.
The whip stopped and Aluna heard the other
women in her work party gasp. She turned
in surprise and that surprise turned into shock. Tania stood behind the guard and behind her
were Captain America and Ultra-Man.
Tania had wrapped the guard’s whip around his neck and was slowly
killing him. He clawed at her hands and kicked
at her feet but Tania’s face was set in stone and her blue eyes were cold. She lifted him off of the ground and terror
sprang into his eyes. Captain America
started to put his hand on her shoulder but Tania shrugged him off. Her eyes met Aluna’s and Aluna’s shock
deepened when she saw the strength there.
The old strength that had beaten her in the contest to become
Ultra-Woman.
When the guard finally went limp Tania
snapped his neck and threw him against the wall.
“So this is what is left.” Tania said putting
her hands on her hips. “Toiling naked in
the dark and enduring the lash as if you deserve it? Tell me sisters if I were a stranger and came
upon you now would I have any hint that you had ever fought against this fate?”
“Bitch!” Aluna swore too stunned to attack
her or even get to her feet. “You
brought us to this! You betrayed the
gods! You helped bring them down! You held Athena while Hercules raped her!”
“No I didn’t.” Tania said. “Because I’m not her.” She walked over to Aluna and held out her
hand. Still stunned Aluna took it and
Tania helped her to stand up. “And she
had no choice in the matter. What you,
what all of you saw on that day was the end of a dark tale. A tale that none of you ever knew the start
of. Now I can tell you the rest of
it.” She took a drink from Ultra-Man and
handed it to Aluna. “I have drink and
clothing to offer, will you hear me out?”
Stunned and puzzled Aluna nodded.
They slipped on board no more than a wisp of
smoke and only took solid form once they were in the cabin. A young woman who looked nineteen was
sleeping on a bed. A wave of Zatanna’s
hand and a muttering of words was enough for her to stay asleep. Wanda lay down next to her and Zatanna cast
the spell. A warm feeling floated over
Wanda’s body and she echoed the spell.
To anyone watching Wanda’s body would have flowed like quicksilver over
the young woman’s body, stayed there for a moment and then flowed off
again. When it reformed Wanda was the
exact image of the young woman. Her red
hair was now blonde, her breasts larger, her hips slimmer and her skin a shade
darker. The young woman turned
invisible. She was still there, but she
would sleep for days and not be seen.
Zatanna took a breath and steadied herself
against the bed. Any normal illusion
spell would be useless to get past the eyes of the guards. They were titans, ancient gods who were old
before mankind was born. It would take
every trick she knew to keep Wanda’s true form hidden.
“Take a break.” Wanda whispered.
Zatanna nodded and slumped down next to
her. In a few seconds she was in a light
sleep/trance. Wanda lay awake and looked
at the wooden beams in the ceiling. This
was the hardest time for her. In a few
hours she’d be making love to someone she’d never met. Giving her body away and keeping a smile on
her face while she did so. Tania and
everyone on the planet were counting on her do to so.
“I can do this.” Wanda told herself forcing
the uncertainty away with the words. She
wouldn’t let Tania or Steve-any Steve-down.
“Death where is thy kiss.” Wanda
whispered. She longed for it. She’d been longing for it for days now. Wanda had failed somehow. That woman, that other her, that woman now
walked free and Wanda was a madwoman.
Insane and reviled. Hated. Who was that other woman? Was she a clone? A robot?
Why did seeing her seem to tear Wanda’s soul apart? Why had other women hidden her and Tania?
Am I insane or is the world insane, Wanda
wondered.
They’d been brought to Arkham in the middle
of the night and bundled into the straight jackets quickly and roughly and then
tossed into the cell.
“We’ll never die Wanda.” Tania said. It was a whisper really. Liked Wanda she was nude under the tough denim
fabric and the crotch strap dug into her sex.
Wanda knew that Tania welcomed that pleasure as much as she did. Welcomed and hated it. She was on the other side of the room and
rolled over to her friend.
“We’re damned you and I.” Tania said. “Useless and damned.”
“Not useless.”
Wanda backed up against the wall as the
figure faded into view. Tania joined
her. The figure was death: a skeleton in
a red robe. She blinked and suddenly it
wasn’t death, it was Hercules. A war
broke out in Wanda’s mind and soul. Her
soul hated this man. But her mind had
been conditioned to worship and obey him.
To hate him was unforgivable the conditioning said. He was a man and she was only a woman and a
poor one at that.
To obey him was unforgivable, her soul screamed
back. He had forced her to betray
everything that she had ever loved!
Between the two forces of spirit and mind
Wanda’s sanity was slowly being reduced to a burned out ember.
The conditioning won out and as much as
possible Wanda bowed. Beside her Tania
did as well.
“Just like women to cower when work is to be
done.” Hercules said.
“My lord we are captive.” Wanda replied.
“No longer.” Hercules said and waved his
hand. Wanda felt her straightjacket fade
away and she saw that Tania’s was gone as well.
They sat nude but free. Another
wave and they were in costume.
“Go to the island of the amazons.” Hercules
said. “Kill those who have taken your
place.”
Some part of Wanda’s mind fought its way
through the conditioning.
“Why can’t you kill them?” Wanda asked. “If you know…”
“Do not question your orders.” Hercules
barked and faded away.
“But how do we…” Tania asked.
“Find your own way!” Hercules snapped as he
faded back into the skeleton and faded from view. “You are capable enough! Do it!”
“Do it…” Tania started.
“Ourselves?” Wanda finished and they stared
at each other.
“We must… we must obey.” Wanda said.
“I want to go home.” Tania agreed. “But…
how?”
“We’ll find a way.” Wanda said.
After a moment they both gasped at her words. The idea that each of them could decide on a
course of action was nearly un-thinkable after so many years. Within each woman’s mind a crack appeared.
“We get out of here first.” Tania said. She looked at the wall and her hand closed
into a fist. “We… We used to…”
Tania walked over to the wall and started to
punch it. Energy lit up around Wanda’s
hands as long forgotten spells started to surface in her mind.
“We used to.” She agreed.
Now the door lay shattered and the forbidding
cavern was a highway. From the shadows Tania
watched as demons and monsters tromped through the doorway. The ones going in were carrying loot and
people-mostly women. The ones going out
were smiling and drinking. By the ruined
door was a giant Cyclops. He was at
least 30 feet tall and wore armor made from dragon bones. At his side was a club of stone. The creature stood with his arms folded
looking down at another giant. She was
only half of his size. Nude she sat
chained to a rock and was using another part of the door as a desk. A gigantic quill pen flew across a scroll as
monsters traveled in and out of the doorway.
The woman had a strong nose, arched eyebrows and curly brown hair. Her skin was pale as ivory and her eyes a
deep brown. While she worked small
monsters crawled over her legs constantly hammering them. Even as far away as they were Tania could
hear the bones crack.
“Metis and Drom.” Aluna said. “They must break her legs constantly so she
can not fight him or run away.”
“Who is she?” Captain America asked.
“Metis is one of the Okeanides.” Tania
said. “She was the one who gave Zeus the
key to his victory over his father and was his first wife. But when it was prophesized that a son of his
by her would overthrow him Zeus ate her, keeping her within his body. She’s rumored to have been the source of his
wisdom.”
“How did she get out of him?” Ultra-Man asked.
“Hercules got him so drunk that first night
that he vomited her.” Aluna replied.
“Hercules captured her and set her here to keep track of the loot that
he and the Red Skull are always fighting over.
At night Drom rapes her as payment for his being a guard.”
“So many demons…” Ultra-Man said.
“Souls released from Tartarus to loot and
pillage.” Aluna said. “Hell had more
than enough to spare.”
“When Drom goes for her we’ll take him.”
Captain America said.
“We amazons will take him.” Tania
ordered. “Captain you and Ultra-Man
watch our back, make sure that no one sees what is going on and escapes.”
“We’ll take him?” Aluna asked.
“I’ll take him.” Tania said. “The rest of you will defeat the demons that
are breaking her legs.”
“We’re un-armed.” One of the amazons pointed
out. “They aren’t.”
“Are you amazons willing to fight for freedom
or aren’t you?” Tania demanded putting scorn in her voice. A flash of angry pride lit up the eyes of her
sisters. “Metis is a Titan, older than
Zues. A goddess. A woman being held and raped.” Tania looked at Aluna. “What do you say to that?”
“I say we take those hammers and smash more
than their legs.” Aluna said. Tania
smiled as the rest of the women nodded.
This was what she had to get them back to being. This was why Cap and Ultra had agreed to hang
back.
Tania just hoped that they were up for
it. The drinks had given them a bit of
energy, but even clothed in shorts and sports bras they were not the amazons
that she had known. They had gone
through too many beatings, too many rapes, too much pain and despair to be the
feared warriors that they once were. Not
with only a few hours rest at any rate.
Some of them would die. But at
least they would die free.
“We have the ropes that bound us.” Tania said
holding up her own lasso. “That will be
all the weapons we’ll need.”
As they drove through a city built from
dreams Wanda realized that not all of the Olympians were in Tartarus. Some wandered the streets in chains or
floated through the air as moaning wraiths.
The few titans she saw lounged drunk in doorways or slept in the
fields.
When they drove up to the palace Wanda saw
Hercules. He was the same as in her
world. Tall, broad shouldered with thick
brown hair and deep blue eyes. He wore a
loincloth that covered very little of his magnificent body. On his face was an arrogant sneer. Beside him was the Red Skull. Wanda froze and hoped that the spell was
perfect. It had to be. These men were not fools.
“So you see mortal that they would not dare
to come here.” Hercules said.
“My source was sure.” The Red Skull said.
“Your source could not prevent you from being
beaten in your own bedroom.” Hercules laughed.
“Our foes are done Skull, enjoy victory and hunt them down.”
“I will enjoy it after I have hunted them
down.” The Skull said. “They must be
here somewhere.” He turned and walked
away muttering to himself.
Still a coward, Wanda thought. Even in heaven.
But anger had smothered her mercy. Her home, her sisters, her goddesses… all
defiled and even if it was not truly her world it was someone’s world. It was that other Tania’s world and Tania
realized deep in her heart that it could have been her. Ever since she had first donned the uniform
of Ultra Woman it had been many a villains desire to take it off of her. Many-too many-had succeeded. She had been raped in body mind and soul more
times than any human being in history.
She had always recovered, always triumphed. But with each victory the fear grew within
her that maybe her luck was being stretched too far. Maybe the next time might be the last.
For the Tania of this world that time had
come. It had sickened Tania to see her
double reduced to a broken pet. That
could easily be her and this could easily be her home. The forces that did that to her double and
this place were going to pay and pay in blood no matter what any man
thought. This was Amazon payback.
Metis lay on her back with a look of painful
rage on her face. She was still fighting
back but the demons that had been breaking her legs had thrown ropes around her
arms and were holding them. Drom laughed
and his cock was stiff and hard. It was
what Tania had been hoping for. Drom was
stronger than she was and he had size.
Traditionally when fighting a cyclops you went for the eye. But the cyclops who came from this place had
long since learned to coat their eye with protective spells. Invisible armor.
Tania leapt over Metis prone form and ran
down the woman’s stomach. Her lasso
sailed through the air and wrapped itself around the cyclops cock just under
the head. Tania pulled it with all of
her might and was rewarded with a roar of pain and surprise. She kept running even as he reached for her. Tania ran between his legs and pulled. Now the roar was of pure pain as Drom felt
his manhood pulled down. Tania ran to
his ankle and tied the lasso off and then dodged as his fist hit the spot where
she had just been.
Drom stumbled off balance and that was the
moment Tania had been waiting for. Both
fists in front of her she flew up at top speed and slammed them into his
throat. Drom’s roar turned to a choked
gasp and he fell on his side. Tania drew
back and waited for her next opening. He
was chocking and weakened, one good shot to the solar plexis would force the
air out of his lungs and she could finish him with a solid hit to the head.
Tania never got the chance. Drom’s club arced through the air and smashed
his skull to jelly before he could rise.
“I told you I would do that beast.” Metis
said standing up. There was a satisfied
smile on her face. Her legs were glowing
with a healing power.
Tania looked around and saw that the demons
were dead. So were two of her
sisters. Aluna moaned and hugged a dead
Clover to her chest. Tania flew down to
her and put her hand on Aluna’s shoulder.
“They died free.” She said knowing that it
was a pale sad thing to say.
“I wanted them to stand in the light again.”
Aluna whispered as tears ran down her face.
“I wanted them to dance in the moonlight as we praised the goddesses.”
“We’re sorry.” Cap said walking over to them.
“No one got away.” Ultra-Man added.
“Dry your tears.” Metis said. She stood over them, leaning on Drom’s
club. A chainmail suit of armor now
covered her body forming a knee length skirt that she had belted at the waist
with another length of chain.
“Goddess.” Tania said bowing. The other amazons bowed as well.
“Enough of that.” Metis snapped. “I was old before man was created, strength
through worship is a weakness the Olympian upstarts have. I am Okeanides and I am free at last!”
“Will you help us?” Captain America asked.
“War against the Titans to free the
Olympians?” Metis demanded. “It was that
folly that doomed me to an eternity in Zeus stomach.” She paused and then went on before they could
speak. “But this hasn’t been pleasant
either. I have scores to settle. I’ll deal with Zeus when this is over. I have some sympathy for the goddesses who
are even now being abused as I was. I
know of a secret way into Tartarus.
Quicker, safer then the one I see in your minds that you were to
follow. Follow me and I’ll guide you
there.”
“Wait.” Tania said. “Our dead must be respected.”
“If you had any.” Metis said. She reached over and laid a finger on the
foreheads of the two fallen amazons. At
once their wounds healed and the two women opened their eyes.
“By…” Tania started to swear and realized how
wrong it would be to swear by the old… no by the younger goddesses.
“Thank you.” Aluna whispered hugging the slim
woman to her. Clover looked with awe at
the giantess.
Metis seemed to stand a little straighter at
the voiced gratitude but then she turned.
“Follow me.” She said.
Metis stopped at one and put her finger to
it. The image was of a centaur and it
came to life.
“Low have you fallen Turun.” Metis said.
“The Olympians betrayed me.” Turun said.
“It is a habit with them. Swear to serve me and I will free you.”
“I swear.”
Metis drew her finger from the image and
slowly a fully-grown centaur emerged from the tree. He stood as tall Tania and had the same
golden hair and blue eyes as she did.
Metis whispered something to him and he galloped off.
“What did you tell him?” Tania asked.
“A private message to someone I know.” Metis
said. “A breeze that I hope will trigger
a storm. Come.”
Tania followed but worry began to gnaw at
her. Were they releasing something
worse?
“Form the circle.” Tania ordered Aluna. She nodded and the amazons sat cross-legged
in a large circle. They each held hands
and looked at her. Tania nodded to
Ultra-man.
“The stories say that no man born of Earth
can break this stone.” Metis said. “And
it is spelled against monsters, demons…”
“But not against me.” Ultra-man said. Drawing back his fist he smashed it against
the wall. The sound of the blow echoed
around them but Metis held up her hand and it faded quickly. Ultra-Man pulled his fist back and shook the
dust off of it. He’d made a half-foot
whole in the wall.
“That should do it.” Captain America said.
“I will guard your sisters.” Metis said. “The three of you should have no trouble
finding the gods when the prayer starts.”
“Give us an hour.” Captain America said.
Tania concentrated and flew up. Beside her Ultra-Man carried Captain
America. She gave one last look at Aluna
and saw the woman nod. Tania nodded
back. Originally they had planned to
leave her sisters with Captain America, but now Metis was there.
Tania wasn’t sure of Metis or her motives or
goals. Dark tales were told of the
Titans. But there was no other choice
but to trust her. And she knew that
Captain America would be needed.
Tania flew on and peered over the top of the
wall. Beyond it was a fortress, a
prison. In a single name: hells
heart. In the center of a vast plane was
a solid black pyramid standing on black columns. The floor of the plain was a writhing mass of
black snakes with red eyes. Across the
plain were hundreds of white statues.
Across all of them spiders crawled and made webs.
Tania felt a shudder go through her
body. She knew some of those
statues. Somehow she knew that they were
more than statues. They were amazons.
“Hercules and the demons he rules raided the
Elysian fields.” Metis said. “Stripping
that holy place of amazons. His hatred
of women extends even to his wife and his mother and daughter.”
“If he lives when this is over justice will
not be served.” Tania growled.
“Justice will be done.” Metis said. “More than you can guess.”
“According to legend the entrance is on the
bottom of the pyramid.” Tania said.
“It is.” Metis confirmed. “There are no guards outside, but many
inside.”
“Good.” Tania said ignoring the look Captain
America gave her.
As a figure of a man Zeus was perfect. Tall, broad and extremely muscled. He literally had the largest cock she’d ever
seen. His beard was rough against her
stomach. Wanda had been led into the
room by Hercules, placed on the bed and pushed against the semi-sleeping form
of his father. All it took for Zeus to
come alive again was the feeling of Wanda’s nude body against his. Now Wanda felt his erection against her body.
Not too quick, Wanda thought as Zeus started
to thrust. He was too drunk to realize
that his cock was nowhere near where it needed to be. Easing him over Wanda rolled on top of him
and edged her pussy toward his face. He
got the idea and his tongue came out and gently probed her lower lips.
Ok, Wanda thought. We gotta give them time so…
Her body shuddered as he thrust is face into
her and his tongue pressed into her womb.
His hands madly sought her breasts.
“Hell can’t even a god take his time for
once!” Wanda gasped.
A low moan echoed from the pit. It mixed with all of the other moans but
Tania was chilled as she heard it. Down
there with the prison literally built on his living corpse was Chronos the
Titan. Perhaps the oldest god of
all. How many eons of suffering had he
gone through? Would he suffer till the
end of time?
Tania moved silently and they followed
her. The spiral moved down in a
continuous ramp and they passed barred doors.
Each cell held a prisoner and each prisoner dwelled not in the cell, but
in the hell of their own making. They
passed Sisyphus and saw that in his cell he was pushing a bolder up a hill.
“We’re not here to free anyone else.” Tania
said as Captain America put his hand on her shoulder and gestured to a cell
that held a man weeping. “Later if we
survive.”
Captain America nodded and they kept moving.
They were five levels down before they found
the goddesses. Three of them in a cell,
their hells linked. Hera stood in her
cell, both arms above her head holding a giant block of rock. A demon stood and whipped her. Another stood between her legs and his tongue
played at her pussy. Lash marks covered her
nude body. Her feet were gray and part
of the floor as if she were slowly turning to stone. Her brown hair fell to her waist and her
green eyes showed the pain of the stance.
If she let go even for a moment the stone would fall crushing them. At her feet chained to the floor were Athena
and Aphrodite. A snake had coiled itself
around Athena’s neck and its face hovered in front of hers. Her eyes never left the snakes and fear and
pain could be seen in them. Her black
hair was cut short. Between her legs its
tail moved in and out of her sex. A
spider web obscured Aphrodite’s face and the spider perched on her stomach and
had buried its fangs into her body.
There was no sign that any of them heard the prayers. But Tania wasn’t surprised about that, it was
hard to listen to anything when you were being tortured.
Rage poured through Tania’s blood but she
held back. The demons hadn’t noticed
them. Tania pointed to the cell bars and
Ultra-man nodded. Then she pointed at
the demon with the whip and at her self.
Captain America nodded and pointed to the snake while Ultra-Man pointed
to the spider.
Tania stood back and gathered herself. Twin beams of light shot from Ultra-man’s
eyes and the bars glowed. It took only a
few seconds for his heat vision to melt nearly all of the way through the tops
of the bars and then the bottoms. They
still had not been noticed.
Tania charged forward and crashed through the
weakened bars. The demon had no time to
react before she caught his whip in her free hand and smashed her fist into his
face. There was no mercy or any idea of
holding back. Tania’s fist struck with
all her might and smashed the demons head to paste. His lifeless body collapsed to the
floor. She looked behind her and saw
that Captain America had grabbed the snake and strangled it and Ultra-man had
flung the spider against the wall with enough force to flatten it.
These are true men, Tania thought.
“Goddesses.” Tania said going down to her
knees and bowing. “Your servant comes at
last.”
“Not ours girl.” Hera said not moving. “I would know ours. But you are welcome.” She looked up at the block. “I can’t move or this will crush them.”
“Not a problem.” Ultra-Man said and with one
blow reduced the block to powder.
Hera collapsed to the floor and was hugged by
Athena. Aphrodite sat up slowly and Hera
tore the web from her face. Her feet had
returned to being flesh.
“I thank you.” Athena said. “But thanks is all that I can offer. You are far too late. We are too weak to even walk out of this
cell.”
“She’s not alone.” Hera said. “Listen daughter.”
Tania couldn’t hear anything and neither
could Captain America. But Ultra-man
nodded.
“They are singing.” He said.
“Prayers?” Aphrodite said lifting up her head
like a starving woman who smells freshly cooked bread. “Prayers to us?”
“They know the truth.” Hera said. “The lie that crushed their faith is
destroyed and they know the truth!”
Slowly the three of them stood and closed
their eyes. Their bodies shimmered and
grew more and more solid. Robes of gold
appeared on Aphrodite, green ones on Athena and purple ones on Hera.
“Feel their faith, their love.” Hera said.
“Even after all that they have suffered…”
Athena whispered.
“So strong.” Aphrodite said. “Their faith is so strong, a fine wine, a
banquet!”
“Their faith is mine what ever world I’m in.”
Tania said. “You three are the base of
my life.”
Tania kneeled and held her arms over her
head, crossing her wrists together.
“Love, strength, wisdom.” Tania intoned
solemnly. “I beg that these three bind
me for all of my life. That they tie my
anger with strands of love, chain my weakness with links of strong courage and
cage my ignorance with bars of wisdom.
This I beg and nothing more. I
humbly beg this of Aphrodite, I humbly beg this of Hera and I humbly beg this
of Athena.”
It was a traditional Amazon prayer. Each of the goddesses took hold of Tania’s
wrists and she felt a shiver go through both her body and soul as they seemed
to flow into her.
“Daughter of us all we honor your plea and
give you our thanks.” Hera said. “Would
that our true daughter have had your luck.”
Tania stood up and was enveloped in a group
hug.
“Thank both of you as well.” Hera said when
the hug broke up.
“We’re not done yet.” Captain America said.
“No.” Athena replied and armor replaced her
robes. A bit of anger crept into her voice. “I agree noble one we are not done at all.”
Wanda saw a servant rush into the room and
whisper something to Hercules. With a
look of rage on his face the son of Zeus rushed out of his room.
“Finally!” Wanda said. She jumped up and landed with all her weight
onto Zeus’s stomach. He grunted but
seemed delighted to have her breasts within groping range once more. Wanda felt him enter her and started to
bounce.
“Ok, time to send you over the top.” Wanda
gasped out. Inside of her Wanda could
feel the thorns growing stiff. She had
to laugh, usually it was the guy who needed to stiffen up. If she timed it right this would be a climax
that Zeus would always remember.
But getting back up was even harder. The alarm had sounded and armed demons had
packed into the prison. They crowded the
corridors and stabbed and hacked at the small party. The advantage had been to the prisoners until
they broke out onto the field. There was
a nation of demons waiting for them.
Tania was tired, her costume torn in many places. Even her fury could not keep her going
forever. The plain of snakes had become
a plain of four-foot tall demons with rough gray alligator skins, sharp fangs
and hideous faces. They wore nothing but
plate armor and each carried a sword and a shield. Tania readied the bar that she had taken from
the cell of the goddesses. So far it was
working well as a weapon.
“We fight our way to the amazons.” Captain
America said.
“Optimist.” Ultra-Man said with that half
smile of determination that always made Tania’s heart skip a beat. He wasn’t invulnerable to these weapons as
his numerous wounds showed. His costume
was torn away exposing his chest.
Captain America’s costume was holding strong.
“What ever happens we do not go back into
that cell!” Hera shouted defiantly.
“Take point.” Captain America ordered
Ultra-man.
They charged into the demons in a tight as
unit as they could and were surrounded.
Tania blocked and parried sword and clubbed many a demon’s head into
jelly. The goddesses formed a triangle
and around them energy crackled as any demon who touched them exploded into
flame. In the center of the triangle the
rest of the gods shimmered, half in and half out of life.
The demons pressed harder and the party
stalled. Even with Ultra-Man in front
there were just too many of them.
Then a horn sounded and Tania looked up to
see an army of centaurs charge onto the plain.
“Titan Centaurs!” Hera said. “Zeus banished them from all the worlds when
they fought for the Titans against him.”
That was all that she had time to say before
the battle grew chaotic.
“Why don’t men come with speed controls!”
Wanda growled in frustration.
Two demons grabbed hold of Tania’s left leg
and three demons grabbed hold of her right leg.
They held on grunting and biting despite her efforts to shake them
off. Two more of them grabbed her waist,
linked their arms and started to squeeze trying to force the air from her
lungs. Tania reached for them but two
demons apiece grabbed her arms. Another
jumped onto her back and wrapped his short stubby legs around her neck. At the same time one of his arms went across
her eyes blinding her while his hand covered her mouth and nose. The foul smell of his skin and sweat would
have made Tania throw up if she had been able to open her mouth. She could hear him alternately giggling with
savage glee and grunting as he squeezed his legs tighter. His rough skin dragged against hers. Tania’s skin was tough, nearly invulnerable
but it could only stand so much.
Tania felt her legs start to bend and as desperately
as she tried to shake her attackers off she failed. More weight landed on her and Tania felt her
hair being pulled back. Something landed
on her chest and started to pound her breasts.
Her balance was going. Hard blows
landed on the back of her legs and Tania fell to her knees. Her lungs were screaming for air, her head
was pounding and her arms and legs were going numb. Something struck her and Tania fell onto her
back. The impact knocked the demons off
of her head and she could breath again for a moment. But the moment was just that and a demon
stuffed the heel of his foot into her mouth.
Tania bit down but he ignored her efforts. They were all over body now, three or four at
each limb, two on her stomach; Tania lay beneath a mass of small attackers and
was helpless. As much as she strained
every muscle she couldn’t move. Three of
them had her head in a solid grip and two more where pulling her hair back and against
the ground. One of them sat on her
stomach and pounded her breastbone while two more had locked their mouths
around her breasts and were sucking at them.
Tania felt their rough tongues against her nipples. One of them threw some sort of dust into her
face and Tania’s head swirled as her thoughts dissolved into chaos.
One of them thrust something into her pussy
and Tania screamed with what little air she had left. The drug would make her mind too weak to
resist the rape and if she climaxed then the curse of the amazons would take over
and she would be powerless.
The scream was answered and suddenly the
demons on her were scattered. Chocking
and gasping for breath Tania sat up and realized that Aluna and Clover were
standing over her. The amazons had
formed a circle and were still singing to the goddesses while they fought.
“No sister goes down alone!” Aluna shouted.
Tania struggled to her feet wiping the dust
from her face. Metis stood above both
gods and amazons and used her club to good effect.
But the demons were so many Tania was afraid
that they could over power even Metis.
Then she heard a sound that seemed out of place in hell, but at the same
time perfectly at home. A jet fighter
came in low and strafed the field with machine guns. But there was no aim in the fire and only the
shield that Metis put around them saved Tania and the amazons.
“Who is that?” Aluna demanded.
“Me.” Tania answered simply. Somehow she knew that her counterpart was on
the jet. And so was Wanda’s
counterpart. Exhausted Tania leaned into
Aluna. She needed a few minutes for her
body to gather enough energy to get back into the battle. Aluna understood that, there was no need for
words between them. The jet would give
them those minutes.
“The son comes.” Metis said and Tania
realized that she didn’t have minutes.
She tried to steady herself and fell to one knee instead. In the sky a battle took place. Hercules was in a golden chariot pulled by
white horses with fire coming out of their hooves as they galloped across the
sky. Beside him was the Red Skull. The jet turned and headed straight toward
them with all of the crafts weapons firing.
But the bullets bounced off of the chariot and the missiles sped past
it. At the last moment Hercules jumped
from the chariot to the jet. It tumbled
out of control as he ripped the canopy off of the cockpit. The seats in the plane exploded upward as the
out of control jet nosed into a dive.
Hercules leapt off of the jet and the chariot curved to catch him.
The impact of the jet shook the ground and
the fireball enveloped the plains. Tania
braced herself for it only to have the wall of flame flow around her and the
rest of the amazons like water flowing around a stone.
“Those who freed me will not die this night.”
Metis said.
“You!” Tania heard her counter part
scream. Hercules had landed and barely
had time to brace himself when Tania landed her first blows.
The drug was clearing quickly and Tania
wanted desperately to help herself. At
the same time she saw Wanda tear into the Red Skull. But she knew how the battles would end. Wanda and Tania were fighting with pure
rage. There was no strategy behind their
blows, no worry about counterattack.
They were too furious for that.
As they attacked it never occurred to either of them that Hercules or
the Skull would even fight back.
But fight back they did. Hercules dodged one of Tania’s blows and
drove his fist up between her legs. The
impact sent her flying backwards to land in a pile of charred bones. The Red Skull twisted Wanda’s wrist until she
was bent nearly double and then kicked her in the stomach. She fell into the ash choking.
Before Tania could do anything Captain
America and Ultra-Man attacked.
Ultra-Man’s blow knocked Hercules into the wall with enough force to
shatter it. Captain America drove his
fist into the Red Skull’s face.
Not alone, Tania thought as she finally found
some strength returning to her legs. But
a hand on her shoulder stopped her.
“No.” Metis said. “No little one, this is a fight for the
men. Let us leave this to them.”
Tania found herself obeying the words even
though she longed to join the fight.
Metis words seemed to hold her still.
She watched as Hercules was beaten back,
recovered and then as Ultra-Man was beaten back. It was the same with Captain America and the
Red Skull. A constant back and forth
that Tania felt could last for days. Out
of the corner of her eye Tania saw Wanda recover and charge. She tried to shout a warning but it was too
late. Wanda had grabbed the Red Skull
from behind. He moved forward, flipping
her over onto Captain America. As they
went down in a tangled heap Tania expected the Skull to take advantage of the moment. He did but not in the way she expected. Pulling a so-far un-used gun from the holster
at his hip he aimed and fired at Ultra-Man’s broad back. Tania was puzzled until she saw the red stain
on Ultra-Man’s back and saw him stagger back.
Somehow this Ultra-Man was vulnerable to the bullets. Two more shots followed and Ultra-Man had no
strength left to resist as Hercules lifted him off of the ground and slammed
him into it. The impact shook the plain
like an Earthquake. More bullets were
fired and Tania saw Captain America fall.
He had used his shield to protect Wanda.
There was a sudden stillness to the plains of
hell. Tania still couldn’t move and now
she realized that Metis was holding her back.
She could do nothing but watch as her counter part crawled over to the
fallen form of Ultra-Man and tentatively touched his body.
“Murderer!” She screamed at Hercules.
“Killer!” Wanda echoed screaming at the Red
Skull.
In response both of them started to laugh.
“And now the final actor enters the stage.”
Metis said.
Tania looked up and saw Zeus, Wanda and
Zatanna descending from the sky on a cloud.
The king of the gods held a writhing lightning bolt in his hand and with
a look of hatred on his face Zeus threw it at Hercules.
“My son.” Zeus growled. “My shame.”
He threw the lightning bolt and it hit
Hercules with enough force to scorch the Earth around him. The impact sent the
body of Ultra-Man flying and Wanda saw that Tania was holding onto him.
Zeus followed up the lightning bolt with
another and another. Zatanna and Wanda
landed next to the amazons and the goddesses.
“Tania?” Wanda asked going to her. Tania’s eyes were a little glazed and there
was a pink powder covering some of her face.
Her costume was torn and ragged.
Wanda cast a minor spell and the costume re-wove itself. Zatanna handed her a wet cloth and Wanda
washed the rest of the dust from her friends face.
“Now we shall see justice.” The giant woman
behind Tania said. It already visits the
Red Skull.
Wanda looked and saw that her counter part
had cast a hex sphere and thrown it. The
skull fired bullet after bullet at her counterpart but they bounced off of her
body.
“When did she become bulletproof?” Wanda
asked.
“When I chose to make her so.” The giant
woman said.
The Red Skull’s scream pierced the air and
even the battle between father and son halted for a moment. The sphere had landed at his feet and
expanded and as it did so the Red Skull slowly turned to stone. It was the type of spell that Wanda had never
allowed herself to cast against a living opponent. She could alter probabilities, change
molecular structure. Once she had
changed the Gray Gargoyle from stone to human.
Now the change went the other way.
Slowly.
Wanda felt sick inside as her counterpart
laughed at the Red Skull’s agony. He
screamed and pounded at his legs and then at his stomach and chest. Then he could scream no more as his face
turned to stone and froze in a look of pain and terror.
“My turn!” Tania shouted and Wanda had to
look fast to her side to make sure that it was not her Tania. The other Tania flew across the battlefield
and with one blow shattered the Skull to dust.
But then they were both thrown away by the
impact of Hercules throwing Zeus to the ground.
With a gesture the giant woman picked them out of the air and brought
them to rest at her feet.
“Rest daughters.” She said. “The next part of the fight is not yours.”
“So long as he dies!” Tania’s counter part
swore.
Wanda wanted to speak to her but found that
she could not. She seemed to be drifting
away from the world. Not quite falling
asleep, but being drawn apart from the others.
It was as if they were walking fast and she was walking slowly. She felt a presence at her side and realized
that it was Tania. Her Tania. They both were frozen.
Wanda was torn between fear of what was
happening to her and Tania and fascination at the battle between father and
son. They were both powerful but instead
of throwing punches or trading the skilled blows of martial artist they were
wrestling in the classic Greco-Roman style.
Hold after hold, counter move after counter move… Both of them straining muscles to overcome
the other.
In the end Zeus won, breaking his sons
neck. He kneeled over his son, sweat
running down his body to match the tears running down his face. The giant woman walked over to him and before
he could react opened her legs and stuffed him into her vagina.
“My god!” Wanda whispered.
“Metis revenge.” Tania said.
“Here me!” Metis called. “For eons I was imprisoned inside Zeus, now
he will stay within me. I was the wisdom
within him, now he shall be the power inside me!”
Metis walked over to the corpse of Captain
America and picked up his shield. Then
she walked over to where Wanda and Tania’s counterparts were standing.
“Tania you have been the champion of your
people and you failed them. Your goal was
laudable, your methods too weak. You
need to use strength with a man for that is all that he will ever
understand. Men are weak and scared
Tania. They fear themselves, they fear
the world around them but most of all they fear women.” Metis touched Captain America’s shield and
the familiar star and blue and white circle faded to be replaced by a new
triangular symbol.
“Take this shield, be my champion. I shall send you out into the world once
more, but you shall not lead by example.
You and your sisters will rule!
This world needs the strength of women.”
“No!” Tania said but as much as Wanda knew
that she was shouting it was no more than a whisper in the wind. She watched as the Tania of this world stood
up and accepted the shield. Then Wanda
felt a chill as Metis turned to her counterpart.
“Child of chaos you have more power than you
know. I do not wish my champion to act
alone.” Metis turned her hand and a silver goblet appeared. “Drink and accept me, work with my champion
as her counsel.”
Wanda didn’t even try to speak as she saw her
counterpart take the goblet and drink.
There was no point.
“Now begins the age of the Woman!” Metis
shouted. “Now shall all men be chained!”
The last sight of the world that Wanda had
was the goddesses kneeling on the plain as Wanda and Tania stood beside Metis.
Someone was speaking and she tore her mind
away from the question. She and Wanda
had appeared in an arena. A wide round
arena with clouds for the ground and stars in the sky. In front of them was the Watcher. On the far left was the Grandmaster and on
the far right the Wraithlord.
“The game is mine.” The Wraithlord said in
his horribly grating voice. “The world
is no better than when the pawns were sent into it.”
“Pawns?” Tania asked.
“Not so.” The Watcher said. “Did you really think I wouldn’t know when
you cheated? You were the one who freed
the Scarlet Witch and Ultra-Woman from Arkham.
Had they not been there Tania and Wanda might have changed the outcome.”
“They would have made no difference!” The
Wraithlord screamed.
“You do not know that.” The Watcher said
turning to the Grandmaster. “The game is
yours by default, the pawns are still yours.”
“The hell we are!” Wanda shouted. “Send us home now!”
“That is impossible.” The Watcher said and
Tania saw sadness and compassion in his blue eyes. His next words sent her spiraling into
darkness. “You have no world left to go
to.”
The Watcher’s words surfaced in Wanda’s mind
and she trembled. It was true. She knew him, Uato the Watcher did not lie.
“Where are we?” Tania asked opening her eyes.
“A bad copy of my room.” Wanda said.
There was a knock on the door and they both
looked at each other. Tania nodded.
“Come in.” Wanda said.
The door opened and an attractive young woman
with blonde hair, blue eyes and wearing a blue shirt-dress with a white belt
and blue pumps came into the room. Her
blond hair was done up in a 1950’s style bouffant. She was carrying a tray with two bowls of
cereal.
“Sue?” Wanda asked.
“A Sue.” The woman said with a gentle
smile. “Not the Sue you knew.”
“Who are you then?” Tania asked.
“Susan Storm.” Sue said. “Last of the Fantastic Five.”
“Your world is…”
“Gone too.” Sue said. She walked over to Wanda’s reading table and
set the tray down. Wanda could see that
her hands were trembling.
“What happened?” Wanda asked. She could see the differences now. This Sue was younger, about 18 or 19. There was a different feel about her, more
traditional. The way she walked and
talked was more formal than Wanda ever remembered Sue-her Sue-being.
Sue walked over to the bed and sat down.
“In one of the universes that filled up the
multiverse there was a being called the Anti-Monitor. His universe was made from antimatter and he
hated all the others. He got powerful
enough to launch attacks all across the multiverse. I don’t know how many universes he destroyed
but I know that yours and mine were among them.”
Her voice broke and Sue closed her eyes
tightly for a moment.
“The red skies?” Tania asked.
“That was the start.” Sue said. “Then negative men would created machines
that would allow the anti-matter universe to destroy the universe under
attack. The structure of the universe
being attacked was wiped out of existence.”
“You survived.” Wanda said. “We survived.”
“A few survived for one reason or another.”
Sue said. “You were in transit between
universes when the Grandmaster grabbed you.
Reed built a ship that could travel to another universe. We were going to investigate what was going
one. But we were attacked, I was knocked
into the ship and it launched before I could stop it.”
Her hands knotted into fist and Wanda could
feel the pain and guilt in her voice.
“Where are we?” Tania asked.
“Nowhere.” Sue said. “Well that’s what I’ve called it. The Grandmasters call it: ‘the Arena’. Reed wasn’t the only one who had the idea to
run or investigate. Beings of cosmic
level power ran and after it was over they gathered here, actually they created
this world. We’re in between everything
here.
“Who rules this place?” Tania asked.
“No one.” Sue said. “Twelve Grandmaster’s survived along with the
Watcher. Each Grandmaster has complete
ownership over who ever he rescues from the doomed worlds. They play against each other using us.”
“Us?” Wanda demanded as the rules settled
into place in her mind.
“They pit the survivors in games of chance
with the Watcher as referee.” Sue said.
“The winner of the game gets the pawns.
They only rule they have is that no one cheats.”
“We are pawns?” Wanda demanded.
Sue nodded and Wanda noticed a nervous twitch
had started in right her eye.
“I am no ones pawn!” Tania growled.
“If you want to survive you are.” Sue said
and again the twitch was there. “The
rules are simple, you do what the Grandmaster who rescued you says and you get
food and shelter. Refuse and you don’t.”
“What about the Wraithlord?” Tania demanded.
“He came here with two pawns.” Sue said. “I don’t know why they let him play.”
“Two pawns?” Wanda demanded though she
already knew.
“Your counterparts.” Sue said. “And they are very good. So far every battle they’ve been in, they’ve
won. He’s gotten five more pawns, one of
my counterparts, a Captain America, an Ultra-Woman who’s a man…”
“The Anti-Man?” Tania asked.
“One of them.” Sue said. “There’s so many… there were so many out
there… We think of ourselves as unique
but really… we aren’t.”
“So you win and you wind up as someone else’s
slave?” Tania demanded. “That’s it? No freedom?”
Sue nodded.
“You accept this?” Wanda asked.
“What else can I do?” Sue said scratching at
her eye. “Of all of the universes that
survived everyone of them has their own Sue Storm. Do I go and take her place? Would you?
Could you go to a world knowing that it could be destroyed again? It’s not easy her but…”
“We were meant to use our powers to protect
and aid people.” Tania said.
“And we failed!” Sue shouted jumping off of
the bed. Wanda realized that Tania had
struck a nerve. “We failed!” Sue shouted
again. “I failed! You failed!
We all failed! Everyone you ever
knew is dead! Everyone that I ever knew
is dead! Reed, Ben, Johny… EVERYONE!
The sun doesn’t burn in my sky anymore because my sky isn’t there
anymore!”
“But…” Wanda started.
“Nothings left!” Sue shouted and ran out of
the room slamming the door behind her.
For a few moments they looked at the door and
then at each other.
“What now?” Tania asked.
Wanda couldn’t think of anything to say.
PREVIOUS
CHAPTER SCARLET'S
SANCTUM MAIN PAGE SKYTOWER'S
MAIN PAGE NEXT
CHAPTER