The Guardians: Volume II

by

Eric Metcalf

Terry stretched, her muscles warm and relaxed after sex. The tender afterglow made her so relaxed that even the fluids staining her thighs seemed comfortable. She turned at the sound of a low whistle, her blue eyes locking on Alex's green. His eyes broke the lock to travel down her naked body, taking in her flawless skin, full breasts, and flushed groin.

"You're gorgeous," he said.

Terry smiled, running her fingers along the hard ridges of muscle on his stomach. He was built like a gymnast in most places, a horse where it counted. She knew that his powers had given him this physique, but she didn't care. As long as he used it to please her, she was happy.

"You're not so bad yourself," she replied. Her fingers wanted to go lower, to continue the play, but she pulled back. Even with her powers back, she couldn't take much more of the pounding.

He mistook her reluctance for something else. "He doesn't really love you, you know that now."

She nodded. Mike. The name still churned in her mind. Her lover, she had thought that they would get married after the victory in Washington. It hadn't happened; in fact, Mike had been growing more distant from her ever since the team started expanding. Still, some small part of her mind wasn't convinced, and it burned with shame over her betrayal.

She sat up, arcing her back to show off her chest. "I'm going to take a shower. Care to join me?"

He smiled, life returning to his groin. "But of course." She led him into the bathroom by the hand.

Ray sighed as the White Queen's spell knitted his cracked ribs and the ache in his head disappeared. "Thanks," he said, pulling down his Wraith tunic where it had been rolled up to let Alyina look at the injury.

"How are you doing?" Mike asked.

Ray stretched, twisting around. "Pretty good, no pain, almost all mobility back. I'm a little weak, though."

Mike nodded. "Do what you gotta do, but we need you both fully operational." Ray nodded and left, heading towards Aria's room.

"Are you sure you have located Arcanus?" Alyina asked. "He is quite cagey. If he noticed your device, he may have moved already."

Mike nodded. "That's a possibility, but it can't be helped. Our best lead on Arcanus is that tracking signal, an old mansion by the location, which is a perfect place for Arcanus. Normally, I think he'd be gone by now, but he's got other considerations. He's got four of them: the Chosen and the three girls. He can't move as quickly as he can on his own and keep up with the prisoners, and his partner's not going to want to run. He'll think they can take us again, just like they did before."

"And you believe differently?"

Mike nodded. "The new tactics we've been practicing worked very well at the prison. The Chosen may be very powerful, but we can beat Arcanus if we work together."

"And of your captured allies? Arcanus is quite skilled at mind control, you know."

Mike swallowed. The thought of fighting Terry and Kat wasn't good. Still, she was right, and he knew it. "I know. If Arcanus has turned them against us, things get more dicey. However, I've got an idea that might turn the tide. The girls would be easier to control if they felt abandoned by the ones they care about. When we arrive and they see that they haven't been abandoned, they'll be able to throw off Arcanus's mind control."

"Perhaps, but they may still attack."

"I know, but they will be less likely to attack some of us. I do have a plan for this. Besides, they're much less of a threat than the Chosen."

"Indeed. That is why I will be coming with you on this mission." Her tone brooked no dissent.

Mike steeled himself. "You can come, but I can't let you into the fight." She glared at him. "I know, I know, but hear me out. We've been practicing these new tactics, and they require teamwork, not the kind of one-on-one fighting that got us beaten the first time. You don't know the tactics, and we don't have enough muscle to protect you anyway. Please, stay back in the jet until we take Arcanus down and recover the girls. Then you can deal with the Chosen. I think we can keep him occupied, if not defeated, long enough for that."

She stared at him for a moment, but he didn't wilt. Then she smiled. "Still the same idealistic young man who risked a nation to save the woman he loves. Very well, I leave this decision to you as the field leader of the Guardians. I will stay in the jet as you fight, but leave the Chosen One to me. I believe that he can be saved and turned into a force for good, but we must defeat Arcanus."

Mike nodded. "Fair enough. I agree with you about the Chosen. He could have killed us all in Baltimore, but he didn't. Arcanus wanted him to kill us, but he left rather than blast us. If you can turn him, be my guest. Head down to the conference room. I've got to round up the others." Alyina nodded and headed downstairs as Mike started down the hall, knocking on doors.

Lindsey heard Mike pound on a door, probably Rich's. Lindsey had been lying down, resting up while the injured were tended to. She hopped to her feet at the sound, knowing what it meant. They were going to get Terry and the others. She liked Kat, and Jinn was darling, but she felt especially close to Terry. After all, she and Mike had introduced Lindsey to whole new worlds that night during the war. She strode out of her door, breaking into a slow jog down the hallway.

She stopped short outside Aria's room. She wasn't sure which registered first: the low sob or the empathic atmosphere of shame and despair. She turned around, debating quickly. She could hear Mike's voice, moving the team downstairs to the conference room. She really needed to be down there; Mike was likely to leave any laggards behind. Still, Aria was almost certainly in the room, and she didn't like the feel of the room one bit. Lindsey knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" Aria's voice, but rougher than Lindsey had ever heard it. Yep, she'd been crying.

"Melissa, its Lindsey. Can I come in a sec?"

Lindsey almost heard the swallow. "Uh, yeah, come on in." She opened the door quickly and shut it back, hoping Mike wouldn't notice. If she was right, Mike barging in or knocking would be very bad timing.

Melissa was sitting on the edge of the bed, headphones in her hand and tears tracing her smooth cheeks. She reached up and wiped at her face as Lindsey closed the door. "What's up?" Melissa asked, trying to be jovial and failing.

"Want to tell me about it?" Lindsey said simply as she moved over to the chair near Melissa's bed and sat down, her eyes intent on Melissa's face.

"Nothing," Melissa said. Lindsey's expression didn't change. "Uh, okay, Ray and I had a little spat."

"You have little spats constantly," Lindsey replied. "You don't tear up over those, and at especially bad times."

Melissa smiled. "Yeah, I guess we do. No, this is, about the fight at the prison. I felt so, useless. I mean, everybody else is plowing through the bad guys and I can't even take down one wimp speedster that Wraith's got locked up. How much good can I do against the likes of Arcanus?" She choked again, fresh tears welling in her blue eyes.

"Hang on a sec," Lindsey said. "I'm the one who should be bitching. I mean, you're on a fighting team. I'm backup and 'coordination.' I didn't coordinate squat. I mean, I didn't even get into the fight until the Black Queen nearly gutted Mike. And then, I needed him to wake up and save my ass from that leather bitch, Dominatrix. You took care of yourself against hera when she jumped in and knocked Wraith cold."

"I know, but he blames me for not knocking out the other guy before hera jumped in. I mean, if my sonic blasts were any good, I've had leveled him and Wraith would have been free to go after hera when she showed up. I'm just not sure I'm good enough to be here."

"Bullshit." Lindsey hardened her voice and starting projecting waves of courage and reassurance to Melissa. They didn't have time for this right now, and that overrode any concerns about using telepathy on a teammate. "If you didn't belong, Mike wouldn't have brought you on board. We need you in top form, or we won't beat Arcanus. Come on, let's go before Mike comes in here and drags us downstairs by our hair."

Melissa laughed lightly then smiled. "Okay, okay, I'm coming." She hopped off of the bed and stepped to the nightstand. "Let me put a little powder over these tracks, so I don't have to answer question about it all trip." She grabbed her Discman as she turned back. "1812 Overture. Nothing like it for juicing up."

Lindsey laughed. She didn't like classical music, but she had asked to listen to that once. It was okay, especially the cannons. "Let's go. Mike's gonna come hunting any second."

Lindsey opened the door and stuck her head out. She glanced down the corridor, and then glanced back in time to see Mindstar coming out of his room, his right hand behind his back. She knew that all of their armored costumes had pockets in the small of the back; they weren't very big, but you could hide the occasional useful thing there.

"Ah, Mindstar, we were just coming," she said. She strode out of the door, Aria on her heels.

"Good," Mindstar said. "We've delayed long enough." His telepathic voice touched Lindsey's mind. "What's up? You were in Aria's room, and you look like the proverbial kitty that chowed on the canary."

Lindsey giggled before she could stop herself. "Female trouble," she replied mentally.

"So that's why the powder on her cheeks looks fresh and streaky," Mindstar replied mentally.

Lindsey sent the mental equivalent of a shrug. "Yup. Don't worry, I've got her in a better mood. She should be fine."

Mindstar replied with a mental smile. "Good. I've been too worried about getting us out of this intact. Thanks for watching the team."

"My pleasure," Lindsey replied as they hit the stairwell, Mindstar leading them down. They filed into the conference room, Mindstar moving to the head of the table, Mind Mistress moving beside Crimson Knight and Aria moving beside Wraith.

"All personnel present and accounted for," Crimson Knight reported sharply then cut his eyes toward the White Queen.

"Very well. All right, people, let's go get our friends," Mindstar announced, and then he triggered the elevator. The room dropped down, but the Guardians didn't notice. They were all looking towards the center of the table intently, each searching the others to see if any of them would crack under the pressure. None looked ready to crack. The elevator touched the lower floor.

"Move out." The Guardians rose as one and strode towards the hangar bay, their walk purposeful and strong. Now they didn't watch each other. Now they prepared themselves for battle.

Arcanus enjoyed the last of his brandy, letting the liquid roll around in his mouth before it burned its way down his throat to his stomach. Despite the alcohol, he was clear headed and alert. He needed to be. "Are you sure you left the device active long enough for them to track us here?"

Alex nodded. "Sure. If they're half as smart as you say, they'll have been recording all of the bug's transmissions. I probably gave them enough time on air that they're suspicious of a trap. Still, they'll come. They don't have a choice."

Arcanus smiled. "Indeed. If they're to rescue their ladies, it will have to be here. In fact, I'm surprise they aren't on the way already. However, they did take quite a beating at the prison. I believe that served its purpose admirably."

"True enough. I'm still not sure that they would have found us, but things have worked out fine." He gestured to the far side of the sitting room. Powergirl, Firemane and Wind Shear stood at attention in full costume, waiting on the whim of their new masters.

"Indeed," Arcanus replied. "The Guardians could not defeat us before. No new tactics or heroics are going to save them this time. Ladies, you are about to have a chance to prove your loyalty once and for all."

"The Guardians are coming, aren't they?" Powergirl asked.

"Yes, they are indeed," Arcanus replied.

"Good," she responded, a broad smile stretching her blood-red lips. "I've been itching to drive Mindstar's nuts into his throat. Now's as good a time as any."

Mindstar looked out over the blue sky and puffy clouds of a warm afternoon, perfect for a lazy drive or, considering as he was looking down on the clouds, a relaxing flight. But one glance at the GPS receiver told him that he wasn't up here to look at clouds. Given that position, they were only a few minutes away.

He broke his telepathic connection with the pilot and stood up. "Okay, heads up. We're about two minutes out from the mansion. Now, if they're smart, they'll stay inside and make us go hunt them down. In that case, split into teams and search the mansion, staying in constant contact."

"I don't buy that," Crimson Knight said. "They're way too confident for hide-and-seek."

"I agree," Mindstar said. "So, Plan Alpha is for Arcanus and the Chosen One engaging us in front of the mansion. Team One will keep Arcanus busy while Teams Two and Three go after the Chosen One. I want him intact, although unconscious will work just fine. Now, I've talked with a couple of you about a second possibility. Arcanus is an expert at mind control, and I'm willing to be he's taught the Chosen One a few tricks. So, there is a chance we will have to engage Powergirl, Firemane, and Wind Shear." Mind Mistress and Aria gasped, while Strongarm just looked down and Techno stared back at Mindstar. "In that case, we'll go to Plan Bravo. Techno will join Team One, and we'll engage the girls. If they see we've come for them, I believe that will give them a boost in fighting off Arcanus's mind control, so we may not have to fight them at all. If you do, keep it under control, but use the team tactics to knock them out if there aren't any other options. Team Two will go after the Chosen One, with Team Three going after Arcanus. I still want the Chosen One intact, and I want Arcanus. He's slippery, so keep an eye on him if he's awake. Everyone clear?"

They all nodded, but Mindstar could see that Aria wasn't really with them. A quick touch of her mind told him all he needed to know, so he spoke again. "Listen. We all screwed up the first time we faced this crew. I know it as well as you. However, we've all grown since then, in skill and in teamwork. We'll need that now to take these guys, but we can do it. I trust everyone on this plane with my life, and I believe each of you has what it takes to proudly wear the title of Guardian. End of speech." Aria was looking better, as were some of the others.

"You heard what the man said, let's get hot," Crimson Knight said, standing up suddenly.

Mindstar nodded. "Drop positions, people." The team moved forward in their familiar positions.

The White Queen stood up. "Good luck, warriors. The forces of good have never assembled a more valiant group of champions."

"One minute," Crimson Knight called.

"Open 'em up," Mindstar barked. Strongarm and Mind Mistress pushed the doors open, hydraulics kicking in to help push the doors into the slipstream. The doors locked out, giving the Guardians a view of woods.

"Clearing ahead, stand by," the pilot called over the intercom.

"This is it," Crimson Knight called.

"Guardians, drop," Mindstar yelled. Grabbing Strongarm, he pushed into the slipstream. A thought and they were buoyed aloft by Mindstar's telekinetic powers.

Mindstar turned quickly, aligning with the nose of the plane. There he saw the mansion, looking very close to the images Carpenter had sent. This was the place. He saw a group of dots in front of the mansion that grew as he flew closer.

"Aw hell," Strongarm grunted, just loud enough for Mindstar to hear him.

"Roger that," Mindstar replied then telepathically contacted the others. "Plan Bravo, I have visual on the girls and they're lining up with Arcanus."

Techno shifted, turning towards Mindstar and Strongarm. The others maintained formation, heading towards the ground.

Mindstar landed facing Arcanus, with the others dropping to the ground around him. "Give it up Arcanus. Release Powergirl and the others now."

Arcanus laughed. "Oh, my dear boy, they are released. Released from the illusions of love and goodness you bound them with. They're quite wild women now, and I think they rather like that."

"Bullshit," Techno yelled. "You've been fuckin' with their brains. They aren't thinking for themselves. Turn 'em loose now."

"Enough talk," Powergirl replied. "Let's kick some ass."

Mindstar almost choked as he said. "Guardians, engage." That was the hardest order he'd had to give.

Wraith was first off of the line. "Get it on," he yelled as he angled towards Arcanus, running at full speed. Wraith swung out his right fist as he swung past Arcanus, but the sorcerer shifted just enough for the blow to miss. Aria flew forward, cutting the range down between herself and Arcanus, but her sonic blast likewise missed its mark.

"Powergirl, don't do this," Mindstar said as he walked towards her, staying several yards back. "You know this isn't what you really want to do."

"Oh yeah?" she sneered. "How about I do this?" She sprinted forward, her long legs chewing up the yards between them. She lowered her shoulder as she closed, slamming into Mindstar's chest with the force of a car. Mindstar's force field soaked up some of the impact, but the force was still enough to send him flying backwards onto the grass.

"Come on, Wind Shear," Techno said, walking towards her, but also keeping the range open. "I don't want to hurt you. Don't make me do this."

"How about I hurt you instead?" she said, and then pushed her hands out. Winds whipped around Techno, but his armor took the force out of them.

"You're goin' down," Crimson Knight called at the Chosen One as he flew into him. The impact drove Alex back a step, but he retained his feet. He staggered again as Mind Mistress blasted mental force straight into his brain.

"I'll show you," Firemane called as she flew at Strongarm. "I'm no child anymore." Strongarm slipped the blow, letting her fly under one beefy arm.

"You impudent wench," Arcanus sneered at Aria, extending his right hand at her. A bolt of energy burst from his hand and flew at Aria, but she was able to duck it, and the energy flew harmlessly into the sky.

"Hold on," Strongarm said as he reached out with his right hand and grabbed Firemane. He caught her shoulder and drew her in close. "You're not going anywhere."

"Let me go," Firemane shrieked, but she couldn't budge Strongarm's massive arms no matter how hard she struggled.

"Okay, armor boy," Alex said, glaring at Crimson Knight. "That was good, but try this on for size." Alex drove an uppercut into the stomach of Crimson's armor faster than Crimson Knight could see. Jake coughed and staggered as the force of the blow cut right through the armor. A second punch, a straight right hand this time, slammed into Crimson Knight's helmet. Jake was unconscious before the suit hit the ground.

"Hold still," Wraith snarled as he swung in behind Arcanus and grabbed the man's arms up in a full nelson hold. Arcanus struggled to free his arms, but he was no match for Wraith's strength.

"Well, if that's how you're going to be," Mindstar said, and then his eyes flared bright orange. Powergirl staggered back, her hands going to her head in pain as his mental attack struck home, but she quickly recovered.

"That stung, but just not good enough," Powergirl sneered as she strode in and launched a left hook. The punch caught Mindstar on the shoulder and slammed him back, but he managed to keep his feet.

"You're always holding me back," Firemane cried as she struggled against Strongarm.

"That's not true," he replied, easily holding her. "I care about you, that's all. I just don't want you hurt."

Aria loosed another sonic blast at Arcanus, but his force field soaked up the blast. "What does it take to hurt you?"

"More than you have, child," he sneered. He kept struggling, but he couldn't free himself.

Techno brought his pistol up towards Wind Shear. "I don't want to do this," he said and fired, but the beam missed badly to his right, away from the battle.

"I, I, ahh," she shrieked, loosing another wind blast, but this one barely even stirred Techno's hair.

Mindstar recovered his balance then drifted up into the air. "This is pointless," he said, his eyes flaring orange. He reached out to Terry's mind, finding it with the ease born of long association. The aching familiarity of her mind contrasted sharply with the anger, pain and hatred floating in her surface thoughts. Mindstar knew this wasn't the real Terry; this was what Arcanus had done to her to make her fight him. He dove deeper into her thoughts.

"Come down here and fight, you pansy," Powergirl taunted, but Mindstar stayed above her, floating out of reach.

"We didn't abandon you," Techno said to Wind Shear. "I don't know what Arcanus told you, but we never abandoned you. I never gave up on you."

"You're wrong," Wind Shear cried, "you would have come sooner if you really cared." She sent another wind blast towards Techno, but it didn't hit him again.

"Do something," Arcanus yelled at Alex.

"I'm just catching my breath," Alex said as he shifted the power inside him. Instead of fuelling his speed and strength, he welled the power up into a blast, a broad wave of energy. He sighted in on Mind Mistress. "One tele-bitch, going down." He loosed the energy, sending a scathing wave of white light flying across the battlefield. Mind Mistress was caught flat-footed by the fury of the attack and flung back, the blast scorching holes in her uniform. She hit the ground hard and lay still.

"You're wrong," Wind Shear repeated as she threw another wave of wind at Techno, but again the wind barely stirred his hair.

"Wind Shear, we've only been gone three days," Techno replied. "They've messed with your sense of time, making it seem like you were abandoned for longer."

"Three, days?" she asked, dropping her arms.

"Enough of this," Arcanus snarled. "I don't need my arms to cast spells, contrary to popular belief." He glared at Aria, and a ball of energy appeared beside her.

"Aria," Wraith started to yell, but the ball exploded in a fiery burst before he could complete the words. Aria shrieked as the flames and the explosion washed over her, scorching her uniform and slamming her to the ground. Wind Shear shrieked as the flames from the blast washed over her, sending her staggering back. Wraith cried as the flames burned along his arms, but Arcanus's force field shielded him from most of the blast. Techno's armor protected him from the wave of force.

"No," Techno yelled, charging forward, "Jinn!"

"What?" Firemane asked.

"That was proof of what I mean," Strongarm said. "If Arcanus really cared about you and Wind Shear, would he put you in such danger? He doesn't care about you, he's just using you to get at us."

"I," Firemane started. Her eyes cleared, all of the hurt and pain melting away. "Oh, Rich, I, I'm so sorry." She stopped struggling and slumped into him, her eyes filling with tears.

"Alexander," Arcanus yelled, "get this twit off of me."

"You got it," Alex said, but he was worried. His force field soaked up that flame, but what was Arcanus doing tossing a blast like that? He could see that Aria was seriously hurt, maybe dead. That wasn't something he could think about. He ran by Wraith and threw a short right into Wraith's side. The punch threw Wraith off of Arcanus and sent him staggering away.

"Oh," Crimson Knight groaned as he rolled onto one knee. He saw the Chosen One slam Wraith off of Arcanus. "Oh no you don't," he snarled, raising his fists towards the Chosen One and firing a dual burst. The blast slammed into the Chosen One, dropping him in his tracks.

"Now, little one," Arcanus said as he strode up to Aria, "I will kill you and take my leave."

Aria's eyes popped open suddenly. "Not," she yelled, and then she sang a note, a single clear tone with the force of a jet engine. The sheer force of the tone threw Arcanus back, clutching at his ears as he hit the ground. Aria slumped back to the ground, whimpering softly.

Mindstar gasped as he broke into Terry's deepest thoughts. He saw images there, the images causing the pain above. He saw her in a white dress, no a bridal gown, standing alone at an altar. No one was standing there with her, and she kept looking back down the aisle, looking for the groom. The thought exploded into his mind; that's what they used to turn her against me.

Mindstar broke his connection with Terry's mind and drifted down to face her. "Are you ready to die, lover?" she taunted, drawing her right hand back.

"If you were going to kill me, you would have done it already. I just have something to say."

"What could you say that would make any difference now?"

Mindstar dropped to one knee in front of her. He looked down for a moment, gathering his thoughts, and then reached behind him, to the back of his costume. He brought his hand back around, now with a small, velvet box in it. He reached down and opened the box, presenting it to Terry. "Will you marry me?" Inside the box was a diamond ring, a large central diamond ringed with smaller stones.

Terry's angry expression vanished at the sight of the ring. She blinked several times, as if waking up. She smiled slyly. "Hold that thought." She stalked over to where Alex was just getting up.

"This's for messing with my mind," she snarled as she slapped him across the right cheek. She swung around and slapped him again on the right one. "And that's for using me as a fuck toy." She strode back over to where Mindstar was still kneeling.

"Where were we? Oh," she said, lifting the ring out of the box. She examined it for a second, as if measuring it, and smiled broadly. "Yes."

Mindstar got to his feet and threw his arms around her. "I'm sorry I made you wait so long," he whispered.

"Well done," Lady Alyina said as she strode into the battleground. She walked over to where Wraith was kneeling beside Aria's burned and blistered body. "A moment, warrior." Wraith looked up, tears welling in his eyes, but he stepped back. Alyina put her hands on Aria's scorched stomach and closed her eyes. Blue light flickered around Alyina's hands and jumped to Aria's body. The burns and blisters vanished, becoming smooth, supple skin once again. Alyina stood up as Aria opened her eyes.

"Well done," Alyina repeated. "You now realize that love," she looked at Mindstar and Powergirl, "trust in your teammates," she looked at Crimson Knight helping Mind Mistress to her feet and Techno helping Wind Shear, "and trust in yourself," she looked at Strongarm still holding Firemane and Wraith helping Aria up, "are your greatest strengths. You have learned all that I have to teach you." She walked over to Alex, who was still groaning and touching his stinging cheeks tenderly. "You, Alexander Hawke, have great power, but you have not shown equally great control. You have seen that Arcanus's way leads only to pain and suffering, not the love you crave. I give you a choice. You can choose to come with me and allow me to train you in both the use of your powers and the morals necessary to use them responsibly, or you can remain here and pay for your crimes."

"Better go with her," Crimson Knight said as he got to his feet. "With your firepower, they'd lock you in a solitary cell for the rest of your life, with the food pushed through a slot in the door. No human contact, not even sunlight for the rest of your life. Not a pretty alternative."

Alex looked down at his feet. "No, not really." He looked up at Alyina, swallowed heavily and nodded. "I'll go with you. It's just, I guess. I've done a lot of damage, but I've never killed, no matter what Arcanus wanted."

Alyina nodded. "That is why I chose to offer you the option of training. Your soul in not corrupted beyond help. Take my hands and we will go." She held her hands out in front of her. Alex stepped forward and took them. She smiled at Mindstar and Powergirl, and then the two vanished in white light.

"What, did I miss," Aria said as she looked around. She glanced down and blushed as she saw how much skin her burned costume exposed. "Well, I guess I can do with a bikini for a costume for a while."

"Hey," Crimson Knight said, glancing around, "where'd Arcanus go?" They all looked around, but he was gone.

Wraith cursed. "I should have kept an eye on him. You told us he was slippery."

Mindstar shook his head, one arm still wrapped around Powergirl. "Don't sweat it, Wraith. Aria's health is more important to all of us than is capturing Arcanus. He'll lay low. Aria really hurt him with that last shot. But he'll be back, and we'll be waiting." He looked around their loose circle, the team paired off. "We proved that, no matter what, as long as some try to use their power to hurt other people, there will always be Guardians there to stop them." A ragged cheer rose from the team, battered and bruised but unbowed.