The Guardians Volume II chapter 2

The Hunger

by

Eric Metcalf

San Antonio, Texas was wrapped in a warm blanket of humidity, even late in the evening. While the city lights obscured many stars, the campus of Trinity University was shady and thus many more stars seemed to shine overhead. People streamed out of one building on the north central portion of campus, dressed in tuxedos and evening dresses. Many began walking towards the nearest parking lot, while others, students by their less expensive garb, headed south towards their dorms. One figure, tall, dark and feminine, stalked against the flow, glancing around at the crowd moving past her like a panther sizing up prey. Not seeing anything interesting, she drifted into the shadows overlooking a large fountain, waiting.

Half an hour after the crowd left, a few figures began to drift out, singly or in pairs. These were dressed much more informally, apparently the performers. One pair began moving south towards the fountain, their shoes clicking quietly on the cobblestone path.

"You were great tonight, honey," said one, a tall man with dark hair and greenish eyes. His right arm was wrapped protectively around his partner's waist. She was a shorter than the man by several inches, with blonde hair, blue-green eyes and a pleasant figure that was hidden somewhat by her tee shirt and jeans.

"Oh Ray, you're so sweet. But I should have been just a little higher on a measure in the beginning, and I kinda ran out of gas at the end. I couldn't pull things down any, so I'm pretty beat."

His expression became more concerned, his eyes tightening. "Do we need to get you something quickly?"

She shook her head. "No, I'll be all right once we get back to my dorm room. I'll be fine 'till then."

A voice broke into their conversation from the shadows to their left as they passed the fountain. "You may be going back to your dorm, honey, but your boy is coming with me." The voice was a husky female voice, and the speaker stalked out of the shadows. She was tall, a couple of inches taller than the woman, with long, dark hair and a fuller figure than the smaller woman. She was dressed in a black leotard and black jeans that fit her body like a second skin.

"Not a chance," the woman spoke up, glaring at the taller girl. "Leave us alone. Who do you think you are?

"Ooh, I'm scared. Call me hera," she said. She wrapped one hand around a light post next to where she was standing and squeezed. Her fingers compressed the shrieking metal so tight that the light went out as the power supply was cut. "As you can see, I'm pretty much a goddess. Now, split, bitch."

The man and woman looked at each other, surprised by the display of inhuman strength. Then, surprisingly, Ray moved forward, his face changing from resigned to determined. "Get out of here, Melissa. I'll handle her myself."

Melissa stepped back, but she didn't run. "Not while you're in danger."

hera smiled at the two, looking for all the world like a panther with amusing prey. "And just what do you think you can do against me?"

"This," he called, then moved. He was almost a blur as he closed the six feet of distance between them in a split-second, then he threw a flurry of four punches at hera. All of them struck home, two on her face and two on her upper arms.

Hera staggered back from the onslaught, but she didn't fall or even seem fazed. "So, that's why you think you can fight me, you've got the juice. Well, too bad you don't have enough." She suddenly blurred into action, throwing a series of punches at him. Ray parried one of the strike and ducked under two others, but the fourth caught him across the chest. The sheer force of the blow picked him up and threw him four feet backwards, landing almost at Melissa's feet.

"Ray!" she cried, rushing up to him. He groaned from the impact, and tried to get back to his feet. hera began advancing on them, cocky once again. "Stay away from him, you bitch!"

"Oh, and what are you gonna do to me, sweetie?" she asked, her voice tinged with venomous sweetness.

Melissa drew a deep breath and shrieked. Her voice compressed the air into a physical mass, blasting hera off of her feet with the force of a sonic boom. hera shrieked as she landed on her butt. Before hera could regain her feet, Melissa picked up Ray and sang, her voice molding the air around them so that she could lift off and fly away.

"You little bitch," hera snarled as she got to her feet, one hand idly rubbing her bruised behind. She took off on foot after the two, easily keeping pace with the flyers as she raced past students without even thinking.

As the path turned back towards the residence halls, Melissa was forced to set down, panting in exhaustion. "I, I can't fly any more," she panted.

Ray nodded and turned back towards hera, who came racing towards him and full speed. Stepping out of her way, he swung out a leg in her path. She tripped and went sprawling onto the path, but the effort stung his leg as well. She hopped up again, her leotard top torn in a couple of places from her face-first slide, but the skin underneath was rapidly losing its redness.

"You'll pay for that, you bastard," she snarled and sped at him. Ray back peddled, dodging one haymaker after another, but he had to circle back towards Melissa, hera kept cutting off the other routes.

Ray stepped inside one of her wild punches and threw an uppercut right at her chin. The punch landed flush, knocking her teeth together loudly and sending her stumbling back. "She's too powerful, but I can't use my touch on her," he panted as he stumbled back to where Melissa stood.

"I, I've got one more shot," she said, spotting a light pole standing near them. She took a deep breath and sang again, the note sharp and piercing. The light pole buckled as the sound wave hit it near the base, then it swayed back and toppled forward, landing between the two and hera in a shower of sparks. By the time hera could see, the pair had disappeared into the maze of residence halls.

"Damn," she swore, fingering her sore jaw. "Well, time to hit the bars and find some boy-toy. With these rips, it ought to be easier than normal." Swaying her hips, she set off towards the strip of bars outside of campus.

Ray and Melissa stumbled into her dorm room, each supporting the other like two drunks. However, their expressions showed exhaustion, not inebriation. Ray managed to get Melissa onto the bed before he dropped to the floor. Melissa put on a pair of headphones near the pillow and slapped the play button on the rack-mounted CD player next to her bed. In seconds, her breathing became deep and easy, and color suffused back into her face.

She sat up easily and turned to Ray. "Okay, I've got enough back for this. You're really weak."

He nodded and stood up, shakily. "If you're well enough, honey?"

She nodded and held out her hands with palms down. He reached out and placed his hands under hers for a moment. Then his hands rose upwards, almost as if they were passing through her hands. They both gasped at once. He began to steady on his feet immediately, then he began to look more alive, less exhausted. After about thirty seconds, he pulled his hands back, where they materialized as soon as they were out of contact with hers.

Melissa laid back on the bed, her face pale again. Ray leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow, sweetie." He smiled at her, trying to reassure her despite the unease he felt over what had happened tonight. As he left, she was sound asleep, the stereo still blaring.

"Mmm, baby," hera moaned, "c'mon." She pushed the blonde, muscular boy-toy into the wall of the alley, using only a fraction of her strength. The beer on his breath wafted over her as she closed in, pressing her body against his. She allowed him to stick one hand inside her top, moaning as he groped her breast. Shrugging her shoulders, she let her top shift down, showing off her large, pink breasts. Pulling him to her, she crushed his lips with hers as his chest pressed into her bosom.

He groaned loudly at the kiss. Suddenly, his hands began to shake, then his arms and legs. As she pressed the kiss, his whole body began shaking. For over a minute, hera held the kiss, while the boy's body convulsed.

Finally, she released the kiss. The boy dropped to the ground, unconscious. hera licked her lips. "Mm, you're kinda tasty. I'm glad I left you alive. I'll have to come back for you some other time." With a feline stretch, she stepped out of the alley and back into the flow of traffic.

The next morning, high above central Texas, a special jet cruises towards San Antonio. It had the same slim fuselage as a Gulfstream business jet, but the wings were swept back instead of straight out, almost like a fighter jet. It was much faster than a Gulfstream, or any private jet save the Concorde; currently, it was cruising at just under the speed of sound.

Inside, Mike Longstreet, Lindsey Jessup and Terry Josephson sat around the main cabin, all dressed comfortably. There was nothing in their appearance to suggest who they really were. Mike was a tall man in his mid-twenties with short, brown hair and dark eyes. Lindsey was younger, no older than eighteen or nineteen in appearance, with long, dark hair and flashing brown eyes. Terry was tall for a woman, with long, blonde hair, big blue eyes and a lush figure, even through a loose blouse and jeans. Chatting and laughing, only their surroundings marked them as unusual.

"Then Kat goes into this look and say, 'as if,'" Terry laughed as she finished her story. Lindsey was laughing hard as she recalled the situation, while Mike just sat back and smiled.

"Yeah," Lindsey said, "I mean, I'm young for this game, but she's younger than I am. Why is she on the team?"

Mike's expression lost its mirth and became serious. "Because she, like you, isn't too young to have a great deal of power. It's better that your power is harnessed for good, rather than be used for self-gratification or, worse, evil. Now, let's get down to business." He picked up three folders from his briefcase on the seat next to him and passed them around. "We received an emergency alert from the San Antonio PD last night. They confirmed reports of three super-powered individuals, two females and one male, in the vicinity of Trinity University last night. Evidently there was a fight, but none of the combatants was seriously injured. They also found a young man in an alley this morning, whose vital signs were seriously depressed but with no indication of what happened or how he got there. One witness has come forwards to say that she saw a tall woman kissing the man in the alley, but that's all we have. The description of the woman matches with one of the combatants, the brunette." In each of the three folders was a police sketch along with a page of information the police had gathered including possible names and powers. "The police know they're out of their depth, so we've been called in." Mike felt the plane descend; a quick telepathic probe of the cabin crew revealed that they had just entered the approach pattern for an airbase on the outskirts of San Antonio.

"So, what's the plan?" Terry asked.

"Simple. We arrive, pick up our civilian transport, then head over to the campus. Reports are running wild in the local papers, but the sketches are being withheld for twenty-four hours. So, we're a news crew from the Dallas Morning News here to snoop around. We bought the News off with promises of a scoop, so they aren't sending a real team, but they will say that they have sent two reporters and a photographer if asked. Lindsey, you've got the camera. Terry, you've been a reporter, so you'll handle most of the questioning. I'll back you up and play lie detector for you."

Terry nodded. "Sounds fine, until we find them. Then what?"

"It sounds like two of the supers were attacked by the third, the woman who later attacked the young man. My guess is that the first two just want to be left alone, but that may not be an option once the pictures are released. So, this is one part investigation, one part recruiting drive. My gut tells me that the brunette's bad news; we don't go looking for a fight unless she does something else, but we take her down if she interferes or strikes again."

"Way cool," Lindsey said as she started fidgeting in her seat. "So we're gonna see some action, right?"

Mike nodded soberly. "Probably. But don't get too excited. From the evidence, that brunette is very powerful, and the other two aren't light-weights. If they wanted to be on the side of the angels, they probably would have come forward on their own. No, this situation isn't clear, and unclear situation lead to confused fights. And a confused fight with super powers on all sides is a recipe for disaster." A soft ding announced the seat belt sigh was on. "Get strapped in. We'll be down in a few minutes, then we go to work."

Ray glanced around as he set his tray down on the outdoor table. Melissa was trying to appear calm, but her eyes were dancing around even more than Ray's. The students and professor walking around them didn't seem to notice their anxiety, but only because they weren't looking.

"Ray, what, I mean, what if,"

"Shh," he whispered, "calm down. If we make a scene, someone will notice."

"But, after last night, wouldn't someone have seen?"

Ray stopped and swallowed hard. "Maybe, but things were happening so fast last night, I doubt anyone got a good look at who was fighting. I think we're safe for a few days at least. Still, we probably need to lay low. Do you know people who can keep you up to date in your classes?"

Melissa nodded. "Uh, yeah, I guess."

Ray nodded, then began eating quickly. "Good," he said between bites, "then tell 'em that you're gonna be gone for a few days. After that, this will die down." He suddenly stopped eating and started looking around. "Sit tight, I'm going to check something out. Don't worry, I'll be close." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead as he stood up, picked up his tray, and walked away.

Mike, Terry and Lindsey walked around the Trinity University campus. Lindsey was carrying a large 35-millimeter camera around her neck, while the others just looked around. They had already interviewed three students, and had gotten the standard, "it happened so fast," line. Mike and Lindsey had scanned the students and found that the movements of the combatants were faster than humanly possible in at least two cases.

"Hey," Lindsey said, "isn't that the girl from the drawing?" She nodded over to a table outside of the cafeteria. A blonde girl sat at one of the tables, staring at her food. A brown-haired boy was walking into the cafeteria hurriedly, as if late for something.

"I'll scan him, you get her," Mike said. Before he could lock onto the boy's mind, he was inside the building, out of sight.

Lindsey looked up and smiled. "I was right; it's her. She has,"

Mike quieted her. "Hang on, don't say anything too loud. Terry, Lindsey, go talk to her. I'll hang back and keep an eye on things. I've got an idea about where her boyfriend went."

Terry nodded and started walking towards the girl, Lindsey walking slightly behind her. "Hi,"Terry said as she sat down with the girl, "we're from the Dallas Morning News and we'd like to ask you a couple of questions about what happened last night."

The girl looked around quickly, "Uh, uh, sure." Lindsey smirked a little as she felt her mind control take hold. The girl really wanted to run, but she wouldn't.

"Great," Terry said, smiling at her. "Now, where were you last night about eleven?"

"Uh, I was, uh, out with my boyfriend," the girl said, stammering.

"That's a half-truth," Lindsey sent to Terry. "She's rationalizing something else."

"Where did you go?" Terry followed up, moving a little closer.

"Uh, to a bar."

"That's a lie." Lindsey sent.

"Are you sure? I mean, are you sure you didn't go out later?"

"Uh, no,"

"Hang on," a man's voice said from behind them. Terry and Lindsey turned around to see the boy from earlier standing behind them menacingly. "She's got to leave. Come on, Michelle."

The girl started to get up, then she looked behind the boy and froze.

"Not so fast, kiddo," Mike said, behind the boy. "Not a bad play. You almost got away with it. Now, how about we continue this somewhere else?"

"We don't have anything to say," he retorted, glaring at Mike.

Mike sniffed. "Bull. You're both lying through your teeth. You were there, and, what's more, I believe you were involved. Now, you can talk with us and maybe convince me you're not involved, or I run what I have in tomorrow's News. If that paper runs it, everybody else will pick it up within a day, if that. So, what's it gonna be?"

The boy snarled. "That's dirty pool. All right, we'll talk. Come on."

He led them through campus, not saying a word to anyone the entire time. The girl was likewise silent, although her expression was fearful rather than angry like the boy's. Mike, Terry and Lindsey respected the silence, although they kept their expressions neutral. Ray and Melissa couldn't tell if they were about to get arrested or not.

Ray led them up to his dorm room, and waited while all of them entered the small room. Melissa sat down on the bed, looking at her feet. "What's the story?" Ray asked. "You're not reporters; you'd never be so forceful in talking to us."

Mike nodded. He needed their trust, now that they were away from the crowds. "You're right." He pulled a leather wallet out of his pocket, and flashed it at Ray. Terry and Lindsey pulled out identical wallets. The wallet held a silver badge, along with a picture of Mike, with a dark blue eye-mask around his face in a swath that extended down his nose. His hair was pulled up through the top of the band, giving it a wild look. Terry was in a yellow domino-style eye mask, while Lindsey was in a similar mask in sky blue. "Call me Mindstar. This is Powergirl and Mind Mistress. We're the Guardians."

Ray's eyes almost popped out of his head. Melissa gasped, putting a hand to her mouth in surprise. "You, you're real," she stuttered.

"In the flesh," Powergirl said.

"We're here investigating the incident last night because we heard that super powered individuals were involved. We were able to get good composite sketches, which we are holding. If those sketches were released to the media, then you two would be identified immediately. Now, why don't you tell me exactly what happened last night, and who the other girl is?"

Ray looked from the wallet photos to each of the Guardians, as if verifying that these people really were the Guardians. Finally, he nodded, and began retelling the events of the night before. "We were on the way back from a concert. We were walking past the fountain when this woman, called herself Hera, came out of the darkness and tried to jump us. She wanted me for some reason, and she smashed a light pole. I can run at superhuman speeds, so I ran up to her and threw a series of punches. They hit, but she came right back and started punching, also at superhuman speed. One punch grazed my chest, and that almost shattered my rib cage. Melissa used her sonic scream to stun Hera, and she picked me up and used her power to fly us away. Hera came after us and we started fighting again near the dorms. I tried to keep her occupied, but she's as fast as I am. Melissa shattered that light pole in order to buy us time to escape. We went back to our dorm rooms and that was it." Melissa nodded throughout the story, agreeing.

Mindstar nodded. "Now you're telling the truth. Okay, time for me to tell you a little more. We were here investigating the situation, but we're also looking for new recruits. I think you two would do well."

"No!" Melissa blurted out. "I, we, uh, need to finish school first."

Ray looked down, unable to meet Mindstar's eyes. "Yeah. We're almost done here."

"You're lying," Mind Mistress said. "I'm a telepath, but even if I wasn't, I could tell that."

"You can't lie to us," Mindstar said. "You ought to have figured that out by now."

Ray swallowed hard, then looked up, still unable to meet Mindstar's gaze. "We, our powers, we're cursed. Melissa has to absorb sound, sonic energy, to live, while I have to absorb life energy."

Melissa nodded, almost sobbing. "We, we're not worthy of being Guardians. Your powers don't have a curse like ours do."

Mindstar smiled. "You think not? We each have our crosses to bear. I have to concentrate constantly in order to maintain control of my powers. If I forget about them, if I relax too much, then they start running wild. You don't think that's a curse?"

Powergirl chimed in. "And try to relearn your own strength. With superhuman strength, I have to be careful around everything and everyone. A handshake, a hug, anything could injure or kill someone if I use too much strength. Try living with that."

Mind Mistress took up the refrain. "I have to work at screening out people's thoughts. If I don't, I hear so many voices that I can't think. A mob all but chased me out of my home town when they found out I was a telepath. If it wasn't for Mindstar, I'd be dead. We've all lived with curses, all had to deal with the hard side of our powers. You're not alone."

"We work with the world's foremost experts on superhuman powers," Mindstar added. "If there's a way to help you with your power, we'll find it."

Ray looked down. He was having a hard time believing what he was hearing. After hiding his powers, trusting only Melissa with the knowledge of his powers and his curse. Now, these heroes came to him, wanting him to join them. But, could he really trust them? He felt his hands shaking and felt the hunger beginning to knawe at him.

Powergirl noticed his hands. "You're getting weaker, aren't you?" She strode over to him, looking regal even in jeans and a short-sleeve blouse. "Drain me. I know you don't take enough energy to kill, and I'm the toughest one here."

Melissa looked up, anxiety and anger warring on her face. Ray swallowed hard again. "The effect is, not like you'd think."

Powergirl giggled. "What, do you think I'm going to try and steal him? Sorry, honey, I'm happily taken. Now, go on."

Ray nodded. He reached out and took Powergirl's hands in his. He took a deep breath, then his hands passed through hers. She threw her head back; her mouth fell open as his hands passed through hers. In a moment, he removed his hands. Her head rolled down, her face flushed.

"I, ah, see what you mean," she said. As she turned, she stumbled a bit.

Mindstar was by her side in a heartbeat. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, just a little woozy." She looked over at Melissa. "You're pretty brave to go through that all the time."

Melissa returned a weak smile. "Ray's worth it."

"Okay," Ray said. "You've convinced me. What do you want us to do?"

"First, tell who you need to tell that you're leaving for a few days. Take some clothes and other traveling stuff. We'll fly you up to DC, do some preliminary tests and get you uniforms, and then we'll come back to deal with hera. Okay, I know you'll need a few hours to pack, and I think the fewer people who see you leave with us, the better. We'll meet at the south entrance at eleven o'clock tonight. See you then."

hera saw the trio leave the dormitory. "Must be some friends," she thought. For a moment, she debated going upstairs. "No, probably best to wait until dark. I'll come back tonight, when there are fewer witnesses."

The night was another warm, humid one. Lindsey paced by the gate, trying to look inconspicuous at the same time as she was trying to burn off nervous energy. Her hands clenched and unclenched as she paced. Mike and Terry leaned against the stone wall near the gate, leaning towards each other so that they appeared to be conversing. Instead, each was watching a section of the street, keeping an eye out for unwanted guests. A black Cadillac sat at the curb, the trunk open.

"Here they come," Lindsey said, perking up. Mike and Terry moved smoothly away from the wall and walked over to the gate. Ray and Melissa walked up, looking like a couple going for a vacation. Ray was carrying most of the luggage, but he didn't seem to mind, much. Both were dressed comfortably, not formally. Good, Mike thought. Nothing to arouse suspicion.

"Well, we're here," Melissa said as Ray headed to the open trunk, Terry moving with him.

"Good, let's get going," Mike answered, turning towards the car.

"Oh, you're not leaving just yet," a contralto voice called. All five heads turned towards the tall figure in black standing on the sidewalk where no one had been a minute before. "Taking a trip, and with some new friends? Oh no, we can't have that."

Melissa gasped and staggered back, and Ray moved over to her protectively. "So, you're Hera," Mike said as Terry and Lindsey fell in behind him, forming a wall between hera and the others.

"That's with a little h," she said arrogantly. "I just love to be different. Now split, and you won't get hurt."

"Take your own advice," Mike said. "You have no idea who you're dealing with. Now get out of here."

She laughed. "Oh, you must think you're tough. Well, so be it." She charged at Mike, in motion almost before he realized it. She slammed into him with a shoulder-block, but she never made contact with him. Instead, she barreled into his force field. She hit with enough force to knock Mike from his feet and send him flying onto his back.

"Come on," Melissa yelled, grabbing Ray and pulling him back through the gate.

"No," Ray yelled back, "we can't just leave them."

"They can't stop her," she cried.

"She's mine," Powergirl growled, darting between hera and Mike's prone form. "Nobody hits him and gets away with it," she snarled, then she snapped a right jab at hera. The blow caught hera square on the chin and snapped her head back. Powergirl advanced behind the jab, throwing a devastating left-right combination to the tall girl's stomach. hera staggered back, one arm wrapped protectively around her gut.

"Now get out of here," Powergirl yelled, "or I do that to your face."

hera chuckled as she straightened up, not favoring her stomach at all. Her jaw wasn't even bruised from the vicious jab it had taken. "Not a chance, blondie. See, you can hit me, but I come back just as tough. Let's see if you can take a punch." She threw a roundhouse right at Powergirl's head. The blonde warrior blocked the blow with a forearm, but she took a step back from the sheer force of the wild blow. hera followed up with a flurry of haymakers, each aiming for Powergirl's head. Powergirl dodged or block most of the blows, but one connected on her left temple. The shot sent her sprawling as stars flashed before her eyes.

"You're tough, bitch," hera said as she stood over Powergirl, "but not good enough. Still, you look tasty." She leaned down and grabbed Powergirl's head in her hands. Powergirl was blinking away the effects of the shot, so she didn't realize what was happening until hera kissed her.

Immediately, Powergirl's blue eyes snapped open in surprise. She felt a strange warmth begin with her head and flow through her body, sapping the strength from her body as it passed through her. She started to struggle, but her position and rapidly waning strength weren't enough to force hera off of her.

"Get off of her, you bitch," Mind Mistress yelled. hera released Powergirl as she screeched in pain, hands going to her head. She staggered back towards the wall, blood running from one nostril.

"Damn you, you little whore," she shouted, then she turned and vanished down the sidewalk in a blur.

Lindsey reached down and helped Terry to her feet. Terry staggered somewhat since she was still dizzy from hera's kiss. "Thanks, kiddo," Terry said, favoring the young girl with a bright smile. "I don't know what that kiss did to me, but it feels worse than when Ray drained me."

"Probably a bio-energy drainer herself," Mike said, dusting himself off. "She's also strong enough to give Rich a run for his money, and resilient like nothing we've seen before. Plus, we've got another problem." He pointed towards the gate, back into campus. "Ray and Melissa have split. Must have left as soon as hera laid me out."

"Guess they figured that if we couldn't just make hera roll over and die, then we weren't as tough as we're cracked up to be," Lindsey said, kicking at the sidewalk with her foot.

Mike shook his head, his expression concerned. "No, I don't think so. Look, their luggage is still in the trunk. Ray's probably fast enough to grab that and leave before we'd notice him gone. No, this wasn't thought out. This was blind fear, probably Melissa's, taking over. They'll go to ground now, waiting for someone else to make the next move. They may even try to skip town, get in touch with us from somewhere else, somewhere hera isn't."

"But we can't just let them leave, can we?" Terry said, a wicked gleam in her eye. She knew Mike well enough that she knew the answer; she just wanted to hear how Mike was going to do it.

"Nope. We need to bring them in, and now. But the plan has changed. We're taking hera out before we leave. I was willing to let her wait until we got Ray and Melissa trained, but that's changed. Now she's got me mad, and it's time she learned that you don't piss off the Guardians if you can't back it up. Come on; Terry needs a good rest, and I need time to come up with a way to contact Ray and Melissa if they really have gone to ground. Let's go." Mike had insisted that they book rooms at a local Hilton, just in case. Lindsey wondered how he could have known they would need them as they got into the Cadillac and headed off.

Ray groaned as he woke up. Sleeping on Melissa's couch hadn't done his back any good, and it was letting him know it right now. He blinked at the sunlight filtering through the blinds onto his face. Melissa was still asleep, but her disheveled look showed that she hadn't gone to sleep easily. He shifted around, dropping his feet to the floor. He stood up slowly, feeling his back catch with the motion.

Melissa started to stir, then she shot awake as the telephone rang. Ray started to reach for it, but she shook her head. "I don't want just anybody to know you're over here," she said. "Hello?"

"Good morning, Melissa," Mike said. "Have a good night's sleep?" His tone was conversational, as if he was an old friend just calling to chat.

"Uh, I," she stuttered as she looked at the base, wavering between answering him and hanging up the phone.

"Don't hang up," Mike said, his voice now hard and commanding. "I know why you ran last night. It's easy to be scared of someone that powerful. What you missed was that we did beat her, at least that time. She's powerful, but you're as powerful, if not more. All you have to do is believe in yourself."

"Oh, don't sell me that line," she snarled, but she couldn't hang up the phone.

"It's not just a line in this case," Mike argued. "We all depend on our will to help fuel us. If we don't believe we can win a fight, we don't have a chance. It isn't easy to stand up to someone with hera's power and take them down. You have to believe you can do it. That's what you need."

"Uh, so you're not mad about us running out on you?"

"No. Like I said, I understand what happened. Now what we need to do is meet up again. And this time we'll be expecting trouble."

"What? Did you tell hera we were meeting you? How could you?"

"Calm down, we didn't do anything like that. My guess is that she's watching you two, and following you when you move. So this time we'll meet somewhere away from any bystanders. That way nobody will get hurt."

"You can't do this. You've got to get us out of here, train us. That's what you said."

"I was wrong. You and Ray won't be worth anything until you beat her. But if you can beat her, you can beat anything. Now, where's a place we can meet that no one's likely to be late at night?"

"The tennis courts. They're at the south end of campus, well away from any dorms or other places that students go. They'd be a great place."

"Great. See you there at midnight. Don't leave today unless you absolutely need to. If you run into hera on the way down there, try to get away from her and head towards the tennis courts. Oh, and this time, we'll be ready for action. See you then."

"It was them, wasn't it?" Ray asked.

Melissa nodded. "Yeah. They want us to meet them at the tennis courts tonight at midnight. They think hera's going to be there. I mean, they want her to be there. I don't know why, I guess they think that we can all beat her and, I'm scared."

Ray walked over to her and hugged her fiercely. "We'll do it. They know what they're doing. We'll be fine, we just have to do what we can."

"So, they'll come?" Lindsey asked.

Mike nodded. "Yeah, they'll be there. Trust me on this one."

Terry smiled. "Five on one. Not very sporting odds, but this hera's not the sporting type."

Mike nodded and a sly smile started to work across his face. "True, but that also gives us some leeway to play with, which I have a plan to use."

The Guardian transport plane swooped in to land at Kelly AFB again that afternoon. It taxied gracefully over to the terminal, and the boarding ramp was brought out. The first figure off of the plane was encased in a full-body suit of dark red armor. The suit itself was almost seven feet tall, and broad enough to fill the width of the boarding ramp. The armor was designed to look like a medieval knight's armor, although the faceplate was human. The second was much smaller, almost lost in the armor's bulk. She was a girl, apparently in her early twenties, with bright red hair and flashing green eyes. A red and orange body suit, boots and gloves hugged her firm, toned body. The third figure was almost as large as the first, although he wasn't wearing armor. A purple body suit was stretched across a mass of carved muscles as the man moved. A purple mask covered his face, except his eyes and his jaw.

As they all disembarked, the lead figure turned to the other two. "Okay, Firemane, Strongarm, let's get over to the base ready room. The DOJ team is scheduled to arrive in ten minutes."

The girl smiled playfully. "Roger that, CK."

The man nodded. "You got it Crimson." The three started off towards the central building near the airfield.

Firemane looked back at Crimson Knight. "You really like being in charge, don't you?"

The metal face was expressionless, but Crimson Knight chuckled just loud enough for them to hear it. "With you two, it can be less than fun, but this sure beats hard-hat duty. Come on, Mindstar's depending on us being ready." Crimson Knight broke into a light jog, and the other two followed suit, eating up the distance.

Night had fallen again before the Guardians ventured again into the area around Trinity. Parking the car near the south entrance, they slipped into the campus, sticking to the shadows and away from the lights. Now, they were dressed in their uniforms. Mindstar was attired in a dark blue uniform, along with his mask. Powergirl's costume was yellow and orange; unlike the others, she went for skimpy: a gold strapless bikini top and bottom, with dark orange opera-length gloves and knee-high boots. Mind Mistress's costume was similar to Mindstar's, except in a much lighter blue. Although their identities weren't at stake in costume, they didn't want to create the spectacle that had begun to accompany the Guardians wherever they went. Their mission was too important now.

They stalked into the tennis courts just before midnight. The area was still dimly lit by the surrounding lights, but none of the stadium lights were on. That left plenty of shadows for the trio to blend into. Invisible to anyone who was standing more that three feet away, they settled in to watch the paths leading to the courts.

Minutes passed, and no one came near the silent courts. They were trying so hard to be invisible that they could barely hear each other breathing. "Do you think they'll show?" Mind Mistress asked in Mindstar's head.

"They'll show," Mindstar replied. Just as he thought that, two figures came jogging up the path. A brief telepathic touch told Mindstar that it was Ray and Melissa, and that they didn't see anyone following them.

Mindstar stepped out of the shadows towards them. "Glad to see you could make it." Powergirl and Mind Mistress appeared out of the dark as well.

Melissa jumped, but Ray nodded, as if he had seen them all along. "Trying to make sure we weren't followed. If you were right, hera didn't pick us up tonight."

"I'm not so sure," Mind Mistress said, when a black blur came flying down the path. The blur slammed into Powergirl and Mindstar before they could react, sending them both flying. hera skidded to a stop on the tennis court facing Ray and Melissa as Powergirl and Mindstar were shaking off the effects of the hit.

"You know I can't let you leave without me," she said, smiling. "Now, why don't you be a good boy and come along? That way, nobody gets hurt."

Ray hesitated, as he tried to decide if hera was as good as her word. "Ray, don't listen to her," Melissa cried. "She's lying."

"Listen to the lady," Mindstar said as he rolled up onto one knee on the hard surface. His eyes flashed orange in the darkness, and hera recoiled from a full-force telekinetic blast.

"You're mine this time, bitch," Powergirl snarled as she charged up to the stunned hera. Powergirl grabbed hera by her shoulders. hera recovered quickly again, and she threaded her arms inside Powergirl's, grappling with the blonde warrior. The two flexed and strained against each other, stumbling around in a rough circle. The others watched them anxiously, Mindstar waiting for a chance to fire another mental blast at hera.

Slowly, inexorably, hera began moving Powergirl's arms apart. The blonde snarled and put all of her strength into resisting the force, but hera had her overpowered. hera slammed her arms apart, knocking Powergirl's arms out to her sides. hera drove a pile driver punch into Powergirl's stomach, doubling the blonde over. Grinning evilly, hera reached down and shoved her right hand between Powergirl's thighs, inside her bikini bottom. Powergirl squawked at the violation as hera grabbed Powergirl's right breast with her left hand. Grunting with the effort, hera lifted Powergirl up over her head, laughing as she did so.

"Take a nap, you blonde slut," she said. Reaching back slightly, she threw Powergirl with all of her strength. The blonde warrior slammed into a set of bleachers at the edge of the tennis court, and didn't move. Mind Mistress darted towards the tangle of metal and plastic.

"Damn you," Mindstar roared as he fired another mental blast. hera weathered this one better, then she charged. She covered the distance between her and Mindstar in an eye blink. Before he could put up his force shield, she grabbed his head with her powerful hands.

"I've been waiting all day for this," she cooed, then she leaned in and kissed him. Mindstar struggled in her grasp, but she held him too tightly. His eyes finally rolled up into his head, and his body went limp.

hera dropped him onto the ground, licking her lips sensuously as she stood over the boneless heap of his body. "Mmm, he was tasty. Well, now for the main course." She turned slightly, facing Ray and Melissa. "Last chance, boy. I'm not asking nicely again."

"Fuck you," Ray replied with a snarl. "They may be slower than you are, but I'm not." He launched himself at her, throwing a whirlwind of punches at her.

She blocked the blows easily, energized from her draining of Mindstar. "You're slower than you were before. This is no fun." She threw another series of haymakers at him. One caught him on the jaw, throwing him three feet away, to land almost to the bleachers where Mind Mistress was trying to extract Powergirl.

"No!" Melissa cried, then she unleashed a burst of sound so piercing that glass shattered hundreds of yards away. hera staggered under the onslaught of the focused sound, but she stayed upright. When Melissa's voice finally cracked, hera smiled at her.

"Your turn next, songbird. I'll have fun with you."

"Oh no you don't," Ray snarled. "No other way," he said to himself. "Father forgive me." He started into a dead run at hera, except he didn't stop in front of her. He seemed to slow for a second, then he passed through her like a ghost. hera stumbled to the ground, looking like she'd just been gut-shot, while Ray came to a stop behind her and spun around.

"How do you like that taste of your own medicine?" he shouted, then he sprinted at her again. Again he passed through her. This time she cried out, a pitiful wail of pain and fear.

"What, what have you done to me, you freak?" she coughed as she looked up at him, her dark eyes wide.

"The same thing you've done to countless people around here," he replied as he strode over to her kneeling form. "The same thing you did to Mindstar. Now, it doesn't feel so good, does it?" He pulled her to her feet by her hair and started slamming his right hand into her mid-section like a piston. She struggled at first, but she quickly stopped moving and simply hung in his grip like an over-sized rag doll.

"This is for Powergirl," he said to her, then he threw her out onto the nearest court. Her body hit the ground about where the net would be, and she lay still on her stomach.

Melissa stalked over to her prone, moaning form. She rolled hera over onto her back. hera tried to curl up around her battered stomach, but Melissa pushed her arms away easily. "And this is for trying to steal my boyfriend." She released a sonic blast, slamming hera's body into the hard surface. hera shrieked once, then she lay still, unconscious.

For a second, the court was silent, then a sharp sound cut through the silence. Ray and Melissa turned around just as they identified the sound: a hand clap. Mindstar, now standing up, clapped again slowly. Powergirl stood by Mind Mistress, and they began clapping as well. Ray looked over at Melissa. Both looked slightly abashed at the attention, then they both turned back and smiled at the Guardians.

"Well done, you two," Mindstar said as he walked over to them. "That went according to plan."

"What?" Melissa shouted. "You got her to be here?"

Ray laughed, tension releasing. "Nope, but he knew she'd come. No, he and the others tanked it, letting us take hera out. Tell me I'm wrong."

Mindstar smiled. "Right in one. You two had to beat hera yourselves, or you would always defer to us when the chips were down. Now, you know you can beat anything or anyone, as long as you work together." He took a step back, and touched his ear. "Guardian Five, this is Guardian One. Bring in the pickup team."

Powergirl walked over to Ray and Melissa. "Pretty sharp work. That's a useful power you've got, Ray. Just don't let it go to your head." She looked over at hera, and spat at the comatose body. "That's for stealing my man." She turned back to Mindstar. "You didn't enjoy that, did you?"

Mindstar looked hurt. "You think I'd enjoy a vampire sucking on my energy?"

Mind Mistress piped up. "Well, there are the Anne Rice books. If those are right," she stopped as Mindstar blushed slightly. They all broke into laughter as Crimson Knight brought up the Department of Justice containment team to take hera away.

EPILOGUE

"Are you sure they're okay?" Lindsey asked. "I mean, it's a big adjustment." "It", in this case, was the Foundation's offices. Appointed more like corporate executive suite then a government office, the offices could throw anyone off balance. The main meeting room, where Lindsey, Mike and the others were at the moment, was dominated by a long, oak table, with thirty chairs around it. Tasteful paintings hung on all of the walls, but they knew that all of the artwork concealed monitors that could be used to observe anyplace in the building or anywhere else that a camera could see. Currently, all of the Guardians were sitting around the head of the table in civilian clothes, with Mike at the head of the table. Terry sat to his right, with Strongarm and Firemane, aka Rich Puller and Katrina Thomas, farther down that side. Crimson Knight, aka Jake Pryor, sat to the left side of the table, with Lindsey beside him.

"They'll be fine," Mike replied. "If Melissa didn't run off as they were fitting her for her uniform, then they can handle the office." It took all of them a while to get used to wearing their skin-tight uniforms in public; all except Crimson Knight, who was carrying around several hundred pounds of armor instead.

The door opened and Brian Carpenter, the Foundation's Director, stepped in. Tall and muscular, with salt-and-pepper grey hair, he looked more like someone's uncle that worked out a lot as opposed to one of the most powerful men in America. Of course, one's life in the military and the CIA was a good way to get power, if one was as skilled and honest as Carpenter. Behind him came two figures, both of whom were moving shyly.

"Come on, you two," he said. The two figures, one male and one female, finally entered the room and stood at the foot of the table. "Guardians, may I present Aria and Wraith, the two newest members." Aria's costume was a hunter green body suit with gold highlights, with an eye mask similar to Powergirl's. Wraith's outfit was midnight black, with grey highlights and a full-head mask like Strongarm.

The Guardians applauded the two new members, who both looked uncomfortable under the attention. Mike motioned them to his left, to sit beside Lindsey. When they had taken their seats, Carpenter sat down at the end of the table, watching intently as Mike got to his feet.

"Well, our expansion efforts have netted us two more good team members. With the current team size, I believe a little reorganization is in order. I will remain overall team leader, but I am dividing the team into two sub-teams. Powergirl, Strongarm and Firemane are with me, while Mind Mistress, Aria and Wraith report to Crimson Knight. This sub-team arrangement will allow us more flexibility in responding to crises, as well as our rebuilding program. Tomorrow, my team will head out to finish up our work in Phoenix, while Crimson's team will begin training in earnest. I kept the most experience members on my team, plus our muscle, so that we can do what needs doing. The newer members are going to need training, and training together, before you're as effective as the old team. This is a fact of life, not a slight. So, congratulations to the two new members, and we get back to work tomorrow."