Stella and the Minx
#16:
Cleopatra, Queen of
America
For months Stella
has worked undercover as Kara Danvers at the New Troy experimental school.
It gave a bit of normalcy to her extraordinary life. But now dark forces
from the school threaten the very liberty of our
nation!
Marcus
Lycus
July
2008
Legal
Horrors
–
Stella, the Minx and other characters are copyright and trademark Marcus
Lycus. All rights
reserved.
If
you want to use any characters in another story you need my permission.
It also means that you can’t repost this story without my permission.
And
since this story is meant for people over the age of 18, please don’t
read it if you are younger than that.
Any
resemblance between characters in this story and any actual persons living
or dead is purely coincidental of course.
And
finally, please e-mail me with any comments, complaints or suggestions. Remember
feedback leads to more stories!
Issue 16 –
Cleopatra, Queen of
America
SNAP!
“Surrender
Minx! You’re no match for the power of Whip
Woman!”
“You’ve
not to be
kidding…”
The Minx was fighting
one of her old foes. Whip Woman was dressed as a dominatrix with a
red leather corset with a brass ‘WW’ barely covered her breasts.
Sapphire blue panties barely concealed her ass. Red leather stiletto-heeled
boots, metal slave bracelets and a tiara finished the costume. And
in her hand was a shiny gold whip which she used to devastating
effect.
SNAP!
“Dance for
me Minx! Dance!”
SNAP!
The Minx tumbled
out of the way avoiding the deadly
weapon.
“A-ha-ha-ha!
Did you really think you could compete with me? I am destined to be
America’s greatest heroine! It’s
destiny!”
While dodging these
attacks the Minx reviewed what she knew about Whip
Woman.
The leather-clad
Whip Woman had once been a mild-mannered Navy yeoman named Danielle Price.
She worked as a secretary to some hotshot pilot in the Pentagon, accompanying
him on dangerous missions. Finally disaster struck and their plane
went down in the Bermuda Triangle. The pilot ejected safely but she
was missing for days. They finally found her in a rubber raft, sunburned,
dehydrated and raving about an island of Amazon warrior women. She
claimed they had rescued her, made her their princess and sent her back to
save America.
Even if that was
true, (and in a world where the police chief’s daughter fights crime
in a mink coat who could say it wasn’t believable) it didn’t explain
the dominatrix outfit. Honestly, would an Amazon princess would wear
something like that?
After being laughed
at and mocked by the public and other, better dressed, heroes Whip Woman
started attacking other heroines, trying to show she was better than them.
So far it hadn’t
worked.
SNAP! “Got
you!” With a deft flick she wrapped her whip around the Minx’s
ankles pulling her off her feet. “Now you are helpless in my
power!”
“Really?”
The Minx raised an arm and flicked her wrist. A tiny, diamond-tipped
dart flew from her
bracelet.
“Ha!
Have you forgotten the power of my Amazon slave bracelets?” Whip
Woman raised an arm and the dart hit the steel of her bracelet instead of
her acres of exposed
flesh.
“Want to know
something funny Whip Woman? Metal conducts electricity.”
The Minx flicked her wrist again and a powerful electric current shot through
the tiny wires into the taser dart and Whip Woman’s body. The
would-be Amazon didn’t even have time to scream as her body went into
convulsions. The Minx freed herself and tied Whip Woman with her own
weapon. “Sorry ‘princess’ looks like you’re going
back to Bedlam Asylum. Maybe this time they’ll manage to cure
you.”
The Minx checked
the time, it was almost two! She fired off a climbing rope and took
to the rooftops, she was going to be
late!
Whip Woman was stirring
by the time Detective Mulligan pulled up. “Great Hera!
I’ve been tied up with my own
whip!”
“Yeah.
So?”
“My one
weakness! When I am bound with my own whip I lose all of my Amazon
powers, and I am gripped by uncontrollable urges.” She wiggled
close to the detective. “Sexual urges.” She licked
his
neck.
“Is that a
fact?” He put an arm around her led her into the back of the paddy
wagon. “OK boys we’re taking her downtown. And uh,
drive slow
OK?”
***
“Ah Miss
Barbarossa!”
“Ms.
Barbarossa.”
“Yes of course,
how are
you?”
“Fine thank
you Principal Pierce, I must say I’m very happy with what I’m seeing
here at New Troy School for the Gifted: state-of-the-art science labs, a
computer room, even an art
museum.”
“Well we are
trying to provide the best possible facilities for our
children.”
“And how is
Ms. Danvers working
out?”
“Your friend
Kara? Fine, just fine. She’s had some trouble, you know
with her weak bladder, having to run out suddenly, but other than that
she’s a hard worker and great with the
kids.”
“Good to
hear.”
“In fact here
she comes
now!”
Kara Danvers aka
Lynn Lewis, aka Stella rounded the corner leading a group of young
students. “This hallway leads to the library, the computer room
and… GLORIA!” She ran over to hug her
friend.
“Gloria!
Wow! I didn’t know you were coming
today!”
“Oh I was in
the neighborhood and decided to drop by. Principal Pierce is an old
friend of my father’s. How are you doing
Kara?”
“Kara?
Who’s Ka-” She looked puzzled but then remembered.
“Oh fine! Just fine! Having a great time with the kids,
I love working
here.”
“Would you
like to show me around a bit? If that’s OK with Principal Pierce
of
course.”
“Hmm, yes,
good idea Kara. Be sure you stop by before you leave
Gloria.”
“Sure
thing.”
The two disguised
heroines watched the principal return to his office before they spoke
again.
“Seriously
Gloria, why are you here? You’re not checking up on me are
you?” Kara
whispered.
“No of course
not.” The Minx lied smoothly. “I really was in the
area and wanted to check this place out. I read about it in the Daily
Comet of course and hear Pierce’s stories but it’s something else
to see it in person. Who are
they?”
“Oh they’re
our new exchange students. Vendla is from Sweden, Shannon is from Ireland,
Kisumi from Japan and Dalia from Egypt. I was just going to show them
our art museum. Want to come?”
“Sure!”
***
The Lincoln Towncar
pulled up. Ward jumped out and helped Wes climb out of the backseat.
The aging millionaire limped up the steps of his mansion on two
canes.
Today he’d
proven a local citrus grove was using illegal immigrants to harvest its
fruit. He’d drop off the evidence at the INS tomorrow. It
wasn’t exactly the crime of the century but it made him feel good.
A man his age needs to keep
busy.
He never noticed
the woman across the street watching him from the roof. She watched
his body language, how he favored his left side, how even the trip up the
stairs winded
him.
She’d already
mapped out the alarm and security systems. They were good, the best
money could buy, but not enough to keep her
out.
She frowned.
This was going to be too easy.
***
“Hey Dalia
come over here. We have something from your country. It says
here this is the legendary scepter of
Cleopatra.”
The exchange students
crowded around the display case. A hooked wooden rod was painted gold
and red, the ancient colors cracked and faded but still clearly
visible.
“Some British
guy donated it to the school. It says this is the genuine article,
that Cleopatra used it whenever she announced a new proclamation.”
Stella squinted at the card some more. “Legends say it has magical
powers that only Cleopatra and her descendents could
use.”
The exchange students
crowded around ooing and awing.
“Hey Dalia
you should pick it up. See if it works for
you!”
“Can I Ms.
Danvers? Mother always said there was royal blood in our
family.”
“Sure, why
not?”
“Um, Kara that
must be thousands of years old, are you sure you should
be-“
“Oh Gloria
don’t be such a stiff, it’s just for a second.” Kara
opened the case and gave the scepter to Dalia. The Egyptian teen waved
it in the air and giggled. “I Queen Dalia command you all to
kneel!”
Chuckling the exchange
students dropped to one knee. Even Kara and Gloria got into the
fun.
“Hail Queen
Dalia!” They
shouted.
“Ha-ha-ha,
get up guys. It’s embarrassing. I’d never want my friends
to obey me like some
queen.”
The students got
up and Kara returned the scepter to the case. “Come on, over here
we have a reproduction of Cleopatra’s royal dress and crown and
stuff.”
The students continued
on but Gloria lingered, looking at the scepter. She’d knelt down
too. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to do. But
did she do it as a joke? Or was there something
else?
She looked at the
artifact again. It looked like a perfectly ordinary piece of wood.
She shook her head and left. She was just being superstitious.
***
The tour ended soon
and Gloria pulled her friend aside to speak quietly in a
storeroom.
“So Lynn,
how’s it really
going?”
Lynn Lewis sat down
on a box and took off her brown wig. She
sighed.
“Fine.
Really.”
“Lynn…”
“I mean it’s
hard work but the kids are nice and the other teachers are nice and it’s
so much better than sitting home and reading Cosmo all
day.”
“Are you happy
here? Really happy? I mean I kind of twisted your arm to take
this job, and wear a wig and use another name and
everything.”
“Well that
part of kind of sucks, but I understand why. I mean that way if someone
finds me changing into my costume it only blows my fake secret ID, not my
real one. So that’s
fine.”
“So you’re
happy?”
Lynn thought about
that. “I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m
happy. I mean I feel better these days than I have in a long time,
but happy? I guess I should be happy, I have friends and a good job
and superpowers but sometimes I’m happy, sometimes stressed, sometimes
tired. Maybe I’m just not meant to be happy. Does that make
me
weird?”
Gloria laughed.
“No Lynn, no, that just makes you
normal.”
Lynn smiled, “I
kind of like being
normal.”
They
hugged.
***
Dalia sat in the
library doing her American history homework. It was fascinating to
read about heroes like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Heroes
who had fought for freedom, so unlike the kings and dictators of Egypt.
She was particularly fascinated with the chapter about how after the revolution
they offered Washington a chance to be king and he turned it down.
She couldn’t believe it. Truly this was a different
country.
“Dalia, come
here…”
“What?”
Everyone looked
at her, the librarian said ‘sssh’. Embarrassed Dalia lowered
her head and got back to
work.
“Dalia, come
here… I’m waiting for
you…”
She heard it
again. And the strange voice was speaking Egyptian. But she was
the only Egyptian student
here!
“Do you hear
that?” She whispered to the Japanese girl next to her. The
dark-haired girl just looked up from electronics book and shook her
head.
Dalia closed her
book and left the library. She’d only been in America a few days,
was she so homesick she was imagining
things?
“Dalia, come
here… I’m waiting for you… I need
you…”
“No… go
away!” She muttered in her language and ran
outside.
***
“So I’m
gonna head back home. Thanks for the tour
Lynn.”
“Kara, call
me Kara! Remember! It was your idea!” She giggled
and slipped the brown wig over her blond
hair.
“Right Kara!
See you tonight. Let’s go on patrol together, we haven’t
done that in
weeks.”
“Sure
thing!”
Gloria walked back
to her waiting car. This had been a good visit. It was so nice
to see Lynn out with people, joking with the students. She was like
a different person. Just getting out of Megapolis was nice, being somewhere
with no crazed supervillains or armed robbers, just ordinary
students.
BOOM!
The noise made her
spin. There was an explosion at the school museum.
“A Minx’s
job is never done…” She whispered. Gloria reached into
her bag for her chemically-reduced mink coat and ran for a nearby clump of
bushes.
***
Kara was across
the campus when she heard it. Moving faster than anyone could see she
slipped out of her disguise and donned the colorful action costume
of…
“STELLA
help!” The students were all pointing at the museum. It
looked like a tornado hit the place. Actually no. Not quite.
It looked like a tornado was growing out of the museum, sucking in everything
around.
“Stars and
comets! Watch out!” She grabbed two young students as they
were sucked off their feet and pulled towards the vortex. Stella dropped
them safely away and headed straight for the
storm.
The Minx covered
her face with one arm and headed in the same direction. This storm
wasn’t natural, and she knew the only answers were going to be at the
source.
She thought she
saw someone shoot by carried into the museum but couldn’t get a good
look.
Stella flew by overhead,
flying around it counter-clockwise to fight the spinning vortex. The
Minx stumbled almost lost her footing, it was like the storm changed direction
and was trying to push her out now. She grabbed a lamppost and held
on.
And then it
stopped.
The surging winds
gone, Stella and the Minx both fell to the
ground.
“Stars and
comets, what was
that?”
“I don’t
know but I bet the answer is in the museum!” The damsels of danger
got to their feet and
ran.
“What a
mess! We’ll never find anything here!” The museum was
in ruins, every display shattered, priceless artifacts scattered on the
floor. The Minx knelt down and looked at one case in the center of
the
room.
“Well I know
one thing that’s missing.” She pointed to the small label
identifying Cleopatra’s
scepter.
“Stars
and comets! Why?” Her blue eyes turned pale and she looked
around the campus. “Dalia! Dalia is gone too! What
could have
happened?”
“Hard to say
Lynn. Maybe she took it? There are some Egyptians who want to
return historical artifacts to their country. Maybe she believed the
legends about it? Or maybe she was kidnapped by the people who stole
it. I really don’t
know.”
“It sucks.
The poor girl is out there somewhere and we can’t help her. She
might be scared, or alone, or in trouble and we can’t do anything.
I mean she’s one of my students! I’m supposed to watch out
for
her!”
The Minx tried to
hide a smile. The situation was terrible of course, but it was nice
to hear Lynn taking so much responsibility. She hoped the change was
permanent.
“I know
Lynn. I know. I’ll have the Minx Computer checking the
airlines’ electronic records. If she tried to fly out of Megapolis
it will alert me. Tonight I’ll going to check with some fences,
in case someone tries to sell it. I’ll let you know if I hear
anything.”
“OK, OK.
It’s just so frustrating. All these powers and I can’t even
help one
girl.”
***
Across town at the
bus
station…
“One ticket
to Washington DC please” Dalia
said.
“Seeing the
sights?”
“Sort of, I
some business there.” She patted her bag. The scepter felt
warm there. It felt
right.
***
The Minx returned
to her pad. Neither her detective skills or Stella’s senses had
been able to locate the missing girl, it was as if she had been spirited
away by
magic.
Still, despite the
unexpected adventure it was a successful trip. She’d worried how
her partner was feeling after Stella’s ordeal in that high-tech torture
chamber* but the Girl of the Stars seemed to have put it behind
her.
(* Last issue! –
ML)
She was bonding
well with the students and taking more responsibility. It seemed the
school suited her
well.
It almost made her
feel guilty for what she would do next.
She entered her
lead-lined secure chamber and waited for the automatic pumps to drain the
air between the inner chamber and the rest of the world. Confident
no one could see her, or hear her she opened the safe and took out the
apparatus.
It was ugly and
obviously jerry-rigged with wires and electrodes protruding from every
surface. She aimed it at a single blond hair she had retrieved from
Stella’s
brush.
A sickly green light
shot from the machine. The Minx waited, then took out a pair of
diamond-bladed scissors.
SNIP!
Clink!
The hair didn’t
cut. The diamond blade was
chipped.
The Minx sighed
and fiddled with the machine. Perhaps a higher
frequency?
***
“I’d like
your finest suite
please.”
The desk clerk jerked
to attention and nodded. This strange foreign girl was dressed in jeans
and tee shirt and, for some strange reason, holding a stick. And the
Plaza was the fanciest hotel in Washington. The hotel of choice for
kings, presidents and prime ministers. A night in one of their suites
cost more than the clerk made in a
year.
But he clapped his
hands and sent a team of bell boys to bring up her duffle bag and show this
teen to the Royal
Suite.
She smiled at
him. “You are not unattractive. You may serve me tonight.
In my
bed.”
The clerk smiled.
“Yes your
majesty.”
“Oh and call
the television station, I will need to make a broadcast tomorrow
morning.”
***
A day passed.
“Any luck
Gloria?”
“Sorry Lynn,
no sign of her in the airlines and no word of her on the streets. I
guess you haven’t found her
either.”
“No… I
feel like I looked in every house in Megapolis! How can she just disappear
like
that?”
“I don’t
know Lynn. Maybe I’ll have some more luck tonight, I’ll stay
in touch, you just stay here and try to
relax.”
The Minx got up
and turned on the TV. She knew watching the Mod Squad would cheer up
her
partner.
But the Mod Squad
wasn’t
on.
“We interrupt
this program with late-breaking news from Washington. A special session
of Congress has just voted to abolish the Constitution and make the United
States a
monarchy.”
“What.
The.
Hell?”
“A young Egyptian
girl has been chosen to serve as our new Queen.” The camera panned
to a woman in a golden Egyptian mask, a white midriff top and long linen
skirt. Necklaces, bracelets, rings and jewels covered her tan limbs.
And in her hand
was…”
“CLEOPATRA’S
SCEPTER!” The Minx and Stella yelled at
once.
“Tomorrow morning
the President will officially hand over power to our new queen. And,
on a personal note, let me be the first welcome our new Egyptian
overlord.”
“No.
Way.” The Minx
whispered.
Stella’s eyes
turned pale and she got a faraway look in her eyes. “Gloria…
It’s real. It’s on every channel. And the really weird
thing is people are nodding. I mean some guy across town is bowing
to his TV, there’s a bar where they’re all singing ‘God Save
the Queen’ and the couple downstairs is talking about how she’s
better than Nixon. It’s really
creepy.”
“Wow.
The legends did say Cleopatra never gave an order without the scepter.
Maybe it has some sort of magical mind control ability. But why
aren’t we
affected?”
“Huh?”
“You said everyone
else is welcoming her, why not
us?”
“Well, um,
because we’re
heroines?”
“I don’t
think that quite explains it. There’s something here I’m
missing.” The Minx thought for a second. “Take a look
at New
Troy.”
Stella turned her
head. “Hmm, now that you mention it the exchange students are
puzzled as well. But the other kids are already making Cleopatra posters
for their dorm. What does it
mean?”
“I have a
theory…”
“Well we can
think about that later! Right now we have to stop her! We have
to get to Washington!”
***
The parade began
at dawn. An army marching band led the procession towards Washington,
followed by a column of tanks, freshly painted with Queen Cleopatra’s
hawk and sun symbol. She rode in a chariot someone had gotten out of
the Smithsonian. She waved to the crowds that lined both sides of the
street. The Americans yelled their support and threw flowers in her
path. Members of Congress followed behind, their heads bowed
respectfully.
“All hail
Cleopatra! Queen of the Potomac! Empress of America!”
They
cried.
Not one person
disagreed. Not one person had a
doubt.
Well, almost no
one.
“Dalia!
Stop!” Stella hovered over the crowd. “That gold mask
doesn’t block my stellar sight, I can see it’s you Dalia.
You have to stop this, this isn’t
right!”
The queen
hesitated. “…no… I don’t want
to…”
A mummer of discontent
went through the
crowd.
But then the wooden
scepter glowed, and Cleopatra’s voice became firm
again.
“Obey me girl
of the stars! Join me on my
chariot!”
“NO!
Dalia, it’s that scepter talking, it’s
magic!”
“I… I
am Cleopatra, Empress of America! Destroy the
rebel!”
The tanks took aim,
the soldiers loaded their
rifles.
“Fine then.
It’s not like they can hurt
me.”
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Ka-BOOM!
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Ka-BOOM!
Stella
yawned.
“Finished
yet?”
For the first time
Cleopatra looked worried. The crowds uncertain. But the so-called
Queen held up her scepter and aimed it at the Girl of the
Stars.
“Yeah.
Right. Like I’m afraid of a stick. I’m
Stella!” Stella
giggled.
“If you will
not obey my power, then you must learn to respect
it!”
The scepter crackled
with green lightning and fired a beam of pure magical
force.
Stella stopped
giggling. She convulsed and fell from the sky.
BOOM!
She hit the road
hard enough to leave a small crater. Stella tried to rise, her legs
were shaking, her head spinning, her stomach felt like it was on fire.
But she managed to lurch to her
feet.
“D-Dalia,
s-stop! I don’t want to hurt
you!”
“Hurt me?
Oh there’s no chance of that.” Cleopatra waved her scepter
again. Stella screamed, doubling over from the pain. Veins stood
out under her pale skin. Her blue eyes turned bloodshot. She
screamed again. Louder this time. Windows shattered. Finally
her eyes closed and Stella collapsed into a whimpering
ball.
“Seize her
my
subjects!”
The soldiers eagerly
complied, falling on the stricken blonde like starving dogs.
“No…
no…” Stella muttered as her cape and top was pulled off her
limp body and thrown in the dust. Her red hotpants followed.
Dressed only in her red ballet slippers she was dragged before Cleopatra’s
chariot.
“Bind
her!” She commanded and Stella’s nude body was strapped to
the front of a tank.
***
From blocks away
the Minx watched with growing despair. She’d warned Stella to
strike fast, strike hard. But her friend has insisted on trying to
reason with Dalia. And paid the
price.
She counted the
soldiers again. And a third
time.
It was hopeless.
There was no way she could rescue her
friend.
Not against those
odds.
The parade started
to move again, with the captive Stella at its
head.
The Minx followed,
jumping from rooftop to
rooftop.
***
Meanwhile in a
windowless basement office in a nondescript government
building…
“Jefferson,
I got that Sumerian Death Curse out of the vault. You want to do it
or should I?” He carefully put the clay tablet on the gunmetal
grey desk. His Partner was watching Queen Cleopatra’s victory
parade on a 12” black and white TV. “Hey Jefferson, you
listening? Director Washington wants this fiasco over
ASAP.”
“Hold your
horses Hamilton. Something’s come up.” He pointed to
the naked body of Stella hanging from the front of a tank.
“Stella’s on the scene, which usually means her little partner’s
around
too.”
“Them again?
How come they’re immune to mind control? Hell, even Colonel Liberty
and Atomic Man are under her
control.”
“Dunno.
Kind of interested in finding out though. So let’s hold off on
the Death Curse and see how this plays
out.”
“They’re
getting close to the Capitol and the President. Director
Washington-“
“Director
Washington won’t mind watching Tricky Dick Nixon be humiliated a bit.
He hates that guy’s guts. If things get out of hand we can Death
Curse her
anytime.”
“I don’t
like
it.”
“Hamilton
you’ve gotta learn to chill out about this
stuff.”
***
“Halt!”
The parade lurched
to a halt on a bridge over the
Potomac.
“Oh mighty
Osiris! Accept this sacrifice in your name as god of the
Nile.”
She gestured and
the soldiers cut Stella loose. They took her limp body in their arms,
dragged her to the edge of the bridge, raised her over their heads and tossed
her
in.
The parade continued
towards the White
House.
***
The Minx hesitated
on the banks of the Potomac. Surely Stella could survive a little dunk
right?
But after that zap
from Cleopatra she might be weak, she might even be
powerless.
It had been a minute
and Stella had not come
up.
The Minx nodded
and made her decision. She unbuttoned her trademark mink and let it
fall to the ground. Dressed only in her black bra, matching black panties
and stockings she ran forward and dove into the water. Lenses in her
domino mask protected her eyes. She swam down and down into the cold
depths, her eyes darting left and right for a sign of her friend.
Her lungs began
to burn. How long had she been down? Two minutes? Three?
The Minx could hold her breath for seven minutes, she had timed it.
But she still had to get back up with her friend. Finally she saw a
trail of bubbles, she dove deeper, ignoring the burning in her lungs, the
heaviness of her limbs. She saw a peach shape below on the bottom of
the river and took her friend’s limb body in her arms. Kicking
as hard as she could the Minx headed upwards. Daylight seemed so far
away. Her body begged her to take a deep breath, let in the water and
sink into the darkness but she resisted. She felt Stella’s naked
body, she couldn’t feel a pulse or heartbeat. No more bubbles
were coming out. The Minx kicked harder until at last…
AIR!
Wonderful, wonderful
air she gasped and kicked towards the shore. She pulled her friend
onto dry land. Stella wasn’t
breathing.
The Minx turned
Stella’s head to the side and opened her mouth, a bit of river water
trickled out. She pushed down on Lynn’s bare breasts and a bit
more shot out. She pushed again and again until no more water came
but the Girl of the Stars still was not breathing on her own. The Minx
locked her lips around Stella’s mouth and blew, no response. She
blew again. Nothing. Time was running
out!
She dragged the
limp heroine up the bank to a parked car and uncapped the nozzle. She
pinched Stella’s nose shut and put her mouth over the nozzle and punched
a hole in it with a diamond-tipped nail. Stella’s lean body jerked,
she coughed, doubled over and threw up over the grass. Finally she
looked
up.
“Oh…”
“You
OK?”
“Um, more or
less. Stars and comets, what did she hit me
with?”
“I don’t
know, but it looks like a frontal attack is out of the question.
We’ll have to be
clever…”
***
The parade reached
the steps of the capitol. The President, the cabinet, congressional
leaders and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court were waiting patiently.
When Cleopatra stepped from her chariot they dropped to one knee and bowed
their
heads.
And honor guard
of girl scouts threw rose pedals in her path as the Queen ascended the
stairs.
The Chief Justice
raised a sealed glass
case.
“My Queen,
I present to you this, the former Constitution of the United States as proof
of your sovereignty
over-“
“Stop!”
The assembled crowds
stopped and looked up. There on the roof of the capitol
was…
“Another
Cleopatra!?”
This one was dressed
the same as the other, in a mid-riff top, linen skirt and a gold mask.
She jumped off the roof, tumbled twice and landed like a cat. She pointed
at
Cleopatra.
“She is an
imposter! She is not worthy of my
power!”
“N-no!
No! I am Cleopatra, I
am…”
“Are you
now? Truly?” She gestured and Stella landed on the steps.
“Did you not command her to die? Yet she
lives!”
The crowded gasped,
as though this was the most profound thing they had ever
heard.
“Now witness
the power of the true Cleopatra! By the power of Set, and the light
of Ra I command you to die!” Smoke poured out of her fingers Stella
gasped, coughed, doubled over and
fell.
The crowd was
silent. Even Dalia was shocked. The new Cleopatra walked up to
her and tore the scepter from Dalia’s grasp. She kicked the old
Cleopatra in the head and sent her to the ground. She waved the scepter
in the
air.
“As the true
Cleopatra I proclaim myself Empress of America! Henceforth democracy
is dead! All shall live or die by my suffrage! You shall live
only to serve
me!”
“What?
No!” Dalia jumped to her feet and snatched the scepter away.
“This isn’t what I wanted, this is
wrong!”
The scepter started
to glow and twitch in her hand, trying to fly free from Dalia’s hand.
But Dalia held on and broke it over her
knee!
Eeeeeeee!
The scepter screamed
like woman as it snapped, sickly green smoke seeped from the two halves and
a ghostly face formed in the
mist.
Stella jumped to
her feet and blew. Hurricane force winds dispersed the cloud and then
it was all
over.
***
“…So I
realized that we were immune because Dalia had said she ‘I’d never
want my friends to obey me like some queen’. So I understood that
the magic of the scepter was pretty literal. By dressing as Cleopatra
I was able to confuse everyone under its
control.”
“But why did
you let her take it
back?”
“Well Mr. President
I knew I couldn’t really command it, I had to push Dalia into making
her own decision to destroy it. I gambled that once she realized what
was going on she would make the right decision. And I was
right.”
“Well Miss
Minx-“
The Minx opened
her mouth to reflexively correct the President but thought better of
it.
“-good job.
You and Stellar Girl save the country, I can’t imagine what would have
happened without you, we might all be living under some
dictator.”
“Thank you
President
Nixon.”
***
Across the country
in
Florida…
“How about
that Warren? Our little Minx saved the country
again.”
“Amazing.
Who would have thought she’d have it in
her.”
“I always knew
the Minx was destined for greatness, she’s a regular chip off the old
block. Like the daughter I never had.” Wes Adams yawned
and stretched. “Course even crime-fighters need their
rest…”
“Good night
Wes. I’m headed out actually there’s a new club out in South
Beach.”
“Heh, you go
have a good time
kid…”
Wes Adams, the former
Night Fox changed into his pajamas, brushed his teeth, set the alarms, drank
a glass of milk and went to
bed.
Ten minutes later
the alarms deactivated and a shadowy figure crept in. Silently she
entered the bed room and pointed her crossbow at the sleeping
figure.
‘…like
the daughter I never had…’ she hissed. It would be so
easy.
But that wasn’t
the
plan.
She reached for
her belt and took out the spray. She puffed a light dose into Wes
Adam’s face. Just a minute amount of poison, not enough to hurt
him, not enough for the coroner to detect, certainly not enough to kill
him. At least not for a
while…
***
Dalia checked her
ticket and passport again. All things considered she’d gotten
off pretty lucky. The President ruled that she was as much a victim
of the scepter as anyone else. So the Secret Service held her overnight,
then gave her a ticket back to Egypt. They even kept her name out of
the papers. She would miss her friends in the United States but after
everything that happened she didn’t know how she could face them
again.
“Hey Dalia!
You’re not leaving without saying goodbye are
you?”
“Huh?
Ms. Danvers? But
how?”
“Oh I, uh,
saw everything on TV and flew out here. I wanted to see if you were
OK.”
“Yes, I suppose
I am, all things
considered.”
Kara Danvers pointed
at the air ticket. “Going back
home?”
“Yes, after
everything that’s happened I can hardly stay. People who try to
overthrow the U.S. government usually aren’t very welcome, I’m
lucky I’m not in
jail.”
“What
next?”
“Well after
this I realize how important democracy is. When I return to Egypt I
will work to bring freedom to my own
country.”
“Wow that’s
a big
job.”
“Yes I suppose,
but how hard can it be for a descendent of
Cleopatra?”
They
laughed.
“Well good
luck and remember to write. I have to go, Vice President Agnew is giving
the Minx and m- I mean the Minx and Stella a
medal.”
Dalia watched her
teacher leave, there was something strangely familiar about Ms.
Danvers…
“Excuse me
Miss, could you step aside
please?”
“Yes, is something
wrong?”
“Come with
me
please.”
The immigration
officer led the teen into a side room. Two middle-aged men in wrinkled
suits and old-fashioned fedoras were waiting for
her.
“Dalia huh?
A.k.a. Cleopatra Queen of
America?”
“I-“
One of them slipped
behind her and locked handcuffs around her wrists. “I’m agent
Jefferson, this is Agent Hamilton. And we’d like to talk to
you.”
“What is
this? The President said I could
go!”
“Yeah well
Tricky Dick says a lot of things but doesn’t mean all of
them.”
Hamilton started
unbuttoning her top, ignoring her
struggles.
“Queen huh?
Well don’t worry, we’ve got some royal punishments for
you.”
Afterword
Real life derailed me for a bit but I think
I’m back to a normal schedule
now.
This story is taken pretty directly from
an old Supergirl/Batgirl team up story, complete with the same bizarre
scenes.
Whip Woman is of course a 100% original
character and not based on any existing heroines.
Marcus
Lycus
Next
issue: Stella no more! The girl of the stars is gone! But say hello
to Megapolis’ new protector… the girl of the inferno, Satan
Girl!
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