Down with the Queen

by Benjamin Medrano

  “Right,” Lilith agreed, wincing again as Gina threw what looked like a golden spear into the chest of the man, launching him with even greater force than the woman through the wall. “Umm… here?”

  She reached out, and the recently lapsed boost she’d given both women was renewed as they accepted it. Which was fortunate, as dozens of golden blasts of energy fire suddenly began to rain through the doorway.

  “What the hell are these jerks here for?” Gina snarled, blocking their fire with her shield as she took cover behind a table.

  “You, of course!” Megawatt said, grimacing as he clutched at his shoulder. “Damn it, don’t you know there’s a price on your head? Well, Lilith’s, not yours, but same difference!”

  “I was quite aware of that. I’m just surprised that they even knew that I was here. It raises some questions,” Lilith said, pulling out a medical kit from one of the utility pouches on her belt. She wasn’t too skilled with first aid, but she wasn’t going to let Megawatt die.

  “You had to get the information about me from somewhere!” Megawatt exclaimed, looking at her in disbelief. “DC put ten million on your head! Chances are, whoever you got it from decided to tell them.”

  A crash from the outer wall startled Lilith, and she almost froze in the middle of treating Megawatt’s leg when she glanced in the direction of the sound.

  “Precisely. Da Vinci wishes to dissect your remains, Ms. Carpenter, but only after ensuring you aren’t a threat,” the woman standing there purred, her voice surprisingly deep and malevolent.

  The woman was nearly six and a half feet tall and broad-shouldered, her body decidedly solid-looking, sheathed as she was in black armor plating that was similar in appearance to those of the Legionnaires, but her black hair was pulled back in a severe-looking bun, and her dark eyes smoldered with eagerness. In one hand she was holding a whip, but it was almost entirely made of triangular black metal shards that hissed and sizzled as their edges glowed crimson. Even worse, flanking her were a pair of smaller titans, only eight feet tall but much like the ones Gina and Sky Defender had defeated only a few days before.

  The woman continued a moment later, flicking the whip lazily and cutting through a table with an effortless sizzling sound. “Personally, I’m wondering how much I can make you scream before I take your—”

  A solid beam of purple light flashed across Lilith’s vision and struck one of the titans in the chest. The force with which it hit was such that the war machine literally ripped apart as it went flying backward across the landscape, and Lilith followed the path of the beam back to Rachel, who was smiling thinly.

  “Sorry, did I break one of your toys?” Rachel asked sweetly. “I did try to wait, but just got so bored…”

  “Morgan, I’m going to rip your head clean off for that!” the woman screamed, lunging forward as the other robot opened fire, and Lilith ducked again as Gina extended her shield further.

  “Morgan, I’m not sure how long I can hold up the shield. We’ve got at least one reaper, a bunch of Legionnaires, and that titan. I can barely block this much fire over such a broad area,” Gina subvocalized through the comm. “Plus, I can’t stop her from coming through the shield; not with this much incoming fire!”

  “I’ll try to get us out of your way so you can focus on the fight,” Lilith replied, and looked at Megawatt as she asked flatly, “Do you have an escape passage where I can patch you up?”

  “I… yes, dammit. If you can grab my remote over there, I can open it up,” Megawatt confirmed, nodding toward a remote control that had been spilled onto the ground by the ongoing fight, just barely outside of Gina’s shield.

  Lilith nodded and darted over to snag the remote, glancing around at the battle unhappily. Gina’s strain was obvious as gleaming bolts pounded on the shield from above, steadily punching the roof full of even more holes. Legionnaires were firing on her other side, while the titan was using its large cannon to hammer into the shield from the other. Rachel was dodging the villain’s whip with relative ease, but Lilith could tell she was being hampered by the cramped confines. Rachel was a long-range combatant, not the type to face others in close quarters.

  “Here. We need to get out of here,” Lilith said, her lips pressed together tightly as she bottled up her frustration. She really needed a weapon but wasn’t going to use an untested pistol. “Also, we knew we were coming for you. Try to run your energy through me and you’re going to regret it.”

  “I… I wasn’t going to!” Megawatt replied, but his averted eyes made it obvious that the villain had at least considered it. He fumbled with the remote and a moment later a hatch popped open a few feet away. “It’s a fair drop, I’m going to need help.”

  “Fine. My apologies for this,” Lilith said, and without pause hoisted him over a shoulder, prompting a yelp of pain, then darted down the hatch, climbing down the ladder quickly and hitting the button to close the hatch as she descended enough, quickly subvocalizing, “Out of line of fire, you two. Try not to get hurt, please?”

  “I’d love to go along with that,” Gina replied, seeming relieved. “Morgan?”

  “Keep the ’bot occupied. If I can just focus on her, I can take her down,” Rachel replied grimly.

  “Who is that woman, anyway?” Lilith asked aloud, finishing the descent and finding a long tunnel at the bottom. She put Megawatt down, and his color didn’t look good. Grabbing the medkit again, she added, “Also, you do have my apologies for drawing them down on you. It was… unexpected.”

  “She’s… Corporal Punishment. Nasty lady with DC,” Megawatt gasped, wincing as she started trying to treat his injuries. “I hear she can cause pain to accompany her attacks, though with a laser-edged whip, why she needs that I’ve no clue.”

  “We don’t get to choose our powers,” Lilith replied, trying to keep her mind off the rumbling and dust from above. “Now, where were you going to tell me Doctor Johnson is? Santa Cruz, I know, but that’s still a large area.”

  “You’re still going on about that?” Megawatt asked, looking surprised as she started on his shoulder. “Whatever. Obviously he isn’t gonna help me out. Look, help me down the hall to my spare armor, and I’ll tell you there.”

  “Seems fair,” Lilith agreed, glancing up and wondering how things were going.

  “What the… where’d Ebon Dragon come from?” Gina exclaimed in frustration, causing Lilith’s worries to grow stronger.

  She finished her quick treatment, hoping it’d keep the villain from bleeding out, then helped Megawatt to his feet and started down the tunnel.

  Morgan couldn’t believe how badly the plan to capture Megawatt and get information on Doctor Johnson was going. The first part with Yates had been merely the tip of the iceberg, but she’d never expected to have Destruction Corps and another villain descend on them.

  She’s been about to finally put a solid bolt into Corporal Punishment that wasn’t blocked by the evil woman’s whip when Ebon Dragon had appeared seemingly from nowhere. Riding on the back of what had looked like a black serpent made of magic, he’d just appeared next to Morgan and unleashed a devastating punch into the side where her armor had already been weakened. The armor had shattered, and while the impact didn’t feel like it broke anything, Morgan had found herself thrown to the side, the air blasted from her lungs as she coughed.

  “This is a surprise.” Ebon Dragon spoke calmly, frowning as he glanced around the room. His hands were wreathed in black magic, but he otherwise seemed the same as normal. “None of you should be here.”

  “Get out of the way, old man!” Corporal Punishment snarled, the woman lashing out with her whip. “She’s mine!”

  “Children.” Ebon Dragon’s voice cooled and Morgan’s eyes went wide as the man caught the whip in one hand, his magic protecting him from the laser emitters as he continued, yanking the whip. “Know your place.”

  With a twisting, blurring motion, the other villain was pulled from her feet and flung halfway across the ro
om before she lost her grip on the whip, and Ebon Dragon spun it savagely, hitting the titan a half-dozen times in an instant before tossing the whip aside as the lasers sputtered out. The titan was scarred by the assault, tiny gaps in the armor where it’d been struck, but it turned its cannon on Ebon Dragon, firing a brilliant golden blast.

  Morgan twisted a spell together from her magic and threw it at Corporal Punishment as she started to rise, disabling the woman before she could get back into the fight by wrapping purple magic around her body. But as she watched Ebon Dragon, Morgan whispered softly, “Oh, shit.”

  The golden blast bounced away as Ebon Dragon almost casually deflected it directly into the chest of one of the Legionnaires, sending the victim flying across the ground, sparks flying and smoke rising from where he’d been struck. Then the villain lunged forward like lightning, his hand slamming into the chest of the titan, then through its weakened armor. The machine’s lights flickered, then died as the villain ripped out a large, round object that Morgan suspected was its power core, dropping it to the ground.

  “Machines. So easily broken,” Ebon Dragon said, turning to Morgan with a smile.

  “What are you doing here, Ebon Dragon?” Morgan asked, magically reinforcing her armor as she spoke, but uncertain what to do. She’d never seen Ebon Dragon move like that before.

  “I’m checking on a former associate. Unfortunately… insects are buzzing about,” Ebon Dragon replied, smiling more as he added, “Insects should be swatted.”

  It was times like this that Morgan wished that she could use martial arts, and Ebon Dragon suddenly blurred toward her, faster than she could quite track him. If he hit her like the titan, she’d—

  A dull sound like a gong echoed around them as Gina extended a glittering golden shield between the villain and Morgan. Gina was sweating, but she growled softly, “Stop trying to hurt my friend, you old coot!”

  “Warden. Normally I would be worried about taking the pair of you on, but it appears that you’re somewhat… strained,” Ebon Dragon replied, smiling again. “This should be interesting.”

  The villain jumped back, magic swirling around each of his arms as he smiled, preparing to attack Morgan again, and then a voice echoed from the side.

  “Not while I am on the job!” a male voice exclaimed, and a man in an eye-searing bright red and teal outfit charged in from the side. “Fall before me, evildoers!”

  Ebon Dragon sent the man flying with an offhand punch, looking puzzled as he sent the figure flying clear out of the room. “Who…?”

  “Pompous Max,” Gina muttered, using a common variant of the hero’s name.

  “Courageous Max,” Morgan corrected, and launched a spray of dozens of hissing purple bolts at Ebon Dragon while he was distracted by Tracy’s local hero.

  The villain spun into action at her assault, using his protective magic to knock her bolts away one after another, using minimal magic to great effect with his martial arts, and Morgan swore softly, trying to concentrate a larger attack as shots bounced off Gina’s shield.

  Then there was an explosion from above, and Morgan looked up, her face paling. “Oh dear.”

  She saw the distinctive outline of Sky Defender’s suit against the sky as one of the reapers began to fall from the air, the gleaming brass gunship in flames as the other unleashed a barrage of missiles on the hero. Somewhere to her right, she heard a loud pop of imploding air, and when she looked, Morgan saw that Corporal Punishment had vanished, though her armor was still trapped by Morgan’s magic.

  “Reaper down, we’ve got a mess down there,” Sky Defender reported, his voice tiny through Ocean Spirit’s earbud. “Two titans are down, Corporal Punishment present, Ebon Dragon present, Morgan and Warden present, dozens of Legionnaires present.”

  “Damn; well, it could be worse,” Ocean Spirit said, looking at the rest of the team. “Everyone ready to deploy?”

  “I’m good to go,” Crimson Bull confirmed, securing his gloves. “Let’s rock them.”

  “Agreed,” Galvanic Action said, smiling confidently at her. “I may not be much use against Ebon Dragon, but the rest of them are just perfect.”

  “Someone has to pilot the jet, I suppose. I’ll support Defender,” Blooming Orchid said, glancing back and adding. “Try not to end up in the medbay?”

  “I’m going to try,” Ocean Spirit said, laughing softly. “Dump the water tanks as soon as I drop.”

  “Roger. Going in… now,” Orchid replied, and the aircraft buffeted, a projectile whining off the exterior as they blazed in over the drop zone.

  Ocean Spirit and the others jumped clear as they reached the area, and Spirit smiled as the Seajet emptied the tanks filled with seawater at the same time, mentally reaching out and pulling on it. The spray of water turned to streamers of pure liquid that rushed through the air to her, wrapping around Ocean Spirit in a comforting layer as she changed.

  The heroine’s body turned to elemental water and she felt her strength grow as she breathed in the water, energy rushing through her. It was so easy to absorb the impact of hitting the ground and to prevent the water from seeping into the Earth, and Ocean Spirit smiled.

  Crimson Bull hit the ground and rolled forward, using the momentum to rush into the warehouse with a bellow that was followed by cries of alarm. She could see the Legionnaires scatter like ninepins as he plowed into their rear lines. Galvanic Action was descending more slowly with the anti-grav chute he’d worn for the jump, but she saw him extend a hand toward a missile chasing Sky Defender and the ordnance suddenly sputtered out and fell from the sky.

  For her own part, Ocean Spirit flowed into the building, smiling as she began to use her water in the way that only a handful of others could. High-pressure blasts lanced out to hit the members of Destruction Corps, severing power cables and slamming them into walls. They returned fire, but their energy rifles simply evaporated the water shielding her. Unfortunately for them, ripping the moisture from the air was easy in her current form, and they couldn’t hit her with enough fire to outpace it.

  It only took her a few seconds to roll through the villains, especially with Galvanic Action rusting their armor into prisons in her wake, and Ocean Spirit came into sight of the room where Ebon Dragon faced Morgan and Warden.

  Despite expecting devastation to await her, the sight of the room was a shock. There wasn’t much of a ceiling left, and what looked like the remnants of a workshop surrounded them. An entire wall was missing, and beyond it was the wreckage of two titans. An empty suit of black armor was wrapped in purple energy to their right. Warden’s suit had been changed, with armor plating over the outside, but the greater change was to Morgan’s, and Ocean Spirit almost didn’t recognize her because of it.

  “Ebon Dragon, you’d better give up now!” Crimson Bull exclaimed before Ocean Spirit could speak, throwing a screaming Legionnaire at the villain.

  Ebon Dragon batted the man aside with one hand, glancing up as they heard explosions, and Ocean Spirit took the opening to unleash a series of water blasts at him. To her astonishment, he casually sidestepped them, a Chinese-style dragon formed of black magical energy appearing under his feet.

  “I think not. This appears to be a poor situation, so I’ll take my leave. Good day, Ocean Spirit,” Ebon Dragon replied, and an instant later he streaked off into the distance at an incredible speed. If he couldn’t turn invisible, they might have a chance to catch him, but he could easily vanish as things stood.

  “Airspace coming under our control, Spirit,” Sky Defender reported, his voice betraying satisfaction. “Last reaper is dropping fast.”

  “Morgan, Warden, where’s Lilith?” Ocean Spirit began. “We got—”

  “Gone, Spirit. Like us,” Warden replied, hitting a button on her belt.

  A glittering shimmer surrounded the pair, and then they popped out of existence with a sound of imploding air. The urge to swear almost overcame Ocean Spirit, but she resisted the impulse as she heard the impact of the sec
ond reaper in the distance.

  Moments later, the figure of Courageous Max staggered up from outside the building, the hero blinking in confusion as he rubbed his chest. “Ow, that… that hurt more than I expected. Who was that guy? Oh, hey, you’re from Ocean Shield! Did we win?”

  “Umm… I think so,” Crimson Bull replied, giving Ocean Spirit a confused look. “Spirit?”

  “Yes, Max. We won. Just not as thoroughly as I would’ve preferred,” Ocean Spirit replied, allowing her body to return to flesh as she did so.

  Chapter 26

  Thursday, January 10th, 2031

  Shadowmind Utah Lair Alpha-Three

  “Ow, ow, ow…” Rachel hissed, her eyes closed as the remote treated her injury. “I thought the armor was supposed to protect me!”

  “It did protect you,” Circe replied before Lilith could speak. “According to readouts and after analyzing the damaged armor, the force unleashed in the attacks blocked would likely have broken your hip and possibly left you immobile until the bone was healed or replaced.”

  “That does sound like it would’ve been unpleasant,” Gina said, wincing as she added, “I may not have gotten directly hit, but I feel like I was run through a washing machine. That was… not the best operation that I’ve participated in.”

  “It did appear to go poorly rather quickly,” Lilith agreed, shaking her head and asking, “Circe, were you aware that other underworld organizations knew we were going to be there?”

  “Of course not, Mistress Lilith,” Circe replied simply.

  “What? Why not?” Rachel demanded, her head rising suddenly.

  “I did not come across any information about their movements,” Circe replied calmly, her tone unruffled. “There are so many bounties on Mistress Lilith that keeping track of all parties interested in her is virtually impossible.”