A Momentary Lapse of Ethics 03

A Momentary Lapse of Ethics 3

By FinalStand

(The battle for the Tri-Cities heats up)

*If you want your enemy dead, cut off their head; anything less isn't trying hard enough*

A little background: In the fictional place called the Tri-Cities which are a combination of a West Coast-based New York Metropolitan Area, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Greater Las Vegas. ~ 25 million people

- The Midnight Mask (deceased) the Tri-City's former defender and founder of the Tri-Cities Alliance {TCA}; killed by the Eternal Flame (currently serving Nineteen Life Sentences in Copperhead Super-Max Prison) a few years before our story begins.

- The Crimson Veil -- Female leader of the Tri-City Alliance; former kid sidekick of the Midnight Mask.

- Technetronic -- inventor and bankroll for the TCA; uses a host of non-violent means to stop evil while flying around in a suit of self-made powered armor.

- Jackal Girl -- At the start of this chapter she is a mystic female sleuth with the ability to call upon the powers of the Ancient Egyptian pantheon and can turn into an Egyptian Jackal.

- T-Rex -- Paleontologist with the ability to turn into a variety of dinosaur-like creatures -- usually becomes a Utah Raptor by default.

- Lady Dynamic -- newest member of the team until the arrival of Dr. Life in Chapter One; a young, flying, super-strong heroine; protégé of the Crimson Veil.

- Dr. Life -- enigmatic master of Life Force Energy as well as being an actual Emergency Room Trauma Specialist. He has served on battlefronts around the globe as well earning him a variety of contacts.

(RESISTANCE, DAY ONE)

[IN THE CLUTCHES OF THE REGENTS OF WRATH]

"Do you want to stay alive?" Corpse Wail whispered to T-Rex as her ghostly, clawed hand caressed his chin.

"Yes and I hope that condition continues for some time to come," the paleontologist answered politely. She studied him for moments, seeing if he was mocking her before deciding he wasn't.

"Come around to our way of thinking and you could do much better than this prison," she promised him.

"I have a moral and ethical obligation to advance the frontiers of Humanity which preclude me from engaging in any form of societal control," he answered. Corpse Wail was now clearly confused.

"What he is trying to tell you," Technetronic chuckled through the pain of earlier interrogations/tortures, "is that he won't join up either."

The ephemeral villainess waved a hand through the trapped hero's ribcage, causing T-Rex to scream in pain.

"Fuck you!" snapped Jackal Girl as she flexed her body and spirit against the magical constraints keeping her pinned, spread-eagle, suspended in mid-air. Corpse Wail laughed at the trapped Egyptian sorceress-sleuth.

"Ha! Maybe we should have Razor Claw have a little time with you, Dog-Bitch," Corpse Wail laughed. Any further conversation was interrupted by Razor Claw dragging Dr. Life in.

The metallic monster hoisted the doctor up into his magical shackles; suspended by his wrists off the ground with his ankles also spread apart.

"Has Psychic King broken him yet?" Corpse Wail asked Razor Claw. The metallic villain made a series of whirring/clicking noises the others couldn't translate. Razor Claw retrieved T-Rex next. The hero didn't dare fight back against him because the villain would easily lacerate his captive into so many ribbons of quivering flesh unless the hero was transformed into one of his more durable dino-forms. Out they went.

"Dr. Life, can you talk?" Jackal Girl called out. She'd already faced Psychic King thrice and she knew her own mental protections were slowly being eroded. She didn't know how T-Rex, or Technetronic, were holding out at all. Maybe Psychic King was afraid of burning out their minds before he thoroughly corrupted them with his mental domination.

She and Dr. Life would last longer yet were not indefinitely immune. It was only a matter of time before each succumbed. As Razor Claw stepped out of the spacious common holding area one of Corpse Wail's superior, armored minions stepped into the room and walked up to its mistress. She didn't even look at it.

"What?" she demanded imperiously. The minion hammered a blue, glowing baton into Corpse Wail's back. The witch howled!

Corpse Wail spun around even as she flailed backwards.

"How dare you!" she screamed. Crimson Veil pulled off the hood of her 'minion' disguise before preparing herself for a fight she doubted would happen. Crimson grinned as Corpse Wail back-pedaled/floated into Dr. Life. He caused a massive surge of Life energy to cascade through the wielder of Negative Life energy, resulting in the witch falling to the ground twitching and unconscious.

"Thanks for the assist," Crimson Veil stated grimly. She was already moving rapidly to Jackal Girl and placing nine idols at specific cardinal points around the Egyptian mystic. The sorceress began chanting. Crimson Veil swept back to the door to listen for the footfalls of the expected onslaught of guards. When the bonds on Jackal Girl failed, she fell to the ground.

"Get Dr. Life free next," Crimson Veil hissed. She knew they didn't have much time.

They had even less time than she thought. Seconds later a red wound opened up in space and Princess Bloodstone stepped through. The Princess' gaze fell on Jackal Girl first. While she was preparing to launch a devastating barrage on the one in her sights, Crimson Veil blindsided her. The blood sorceress went sprawling, but was able to raise a personal force field before Crimson Veil could follow through with her assault. Still, she kept Princess Bloodstone busy long enough for Jackal Girl to finish freeing Dr. Life.

Faced with the three superheroes -- even as exhausted as two of them were, Princess Bloodstone erected a barrier wall to hold all three of them at bay. They were in the Regent's Secret Subterranean Fortress and help was coming her way. Dr. Life charged it and punched the shield with so much power the Princess' protective wall promptly collapsed at the price of shattering his fist into a blood pulp. The move stunned Princess Bloodstone. Before she could recover Crimson Veil fell on her with several hard blows, collapsing the female villainess.

Right then several of Corpse Wails regular undead minions shambled into the room followed by the onrushing whirl of Razor Claw not far behind. Jackal Girl gave Technetronic a pained look.

"We'll come back for you," she promised.

"RUN -- damn it!" he yelled. "We'll hold out as long as it takes."

As one, the three heroes raced into the waiting numbers of minions. Crimson Veil kicked and bludgeoned her way into them with Dr. Life at her side. Once outside the prison cell's mystic wards, Jackal Girl arranged her idols in such a manner as to open a portal to the Egyptian Land of the Dead. The heroes were gone before the rest of the Regents arrived.

[***]

Back at the Regent's headquarters, Psychic King was furious. His completely and utterly perfect plan had been screwed up by his vastly inferior co-regents. Now Crimson Veil -- a mere human! -- had been allowed to rescue Jackal Girl and Dr. Life, and Princess Bloodstone had been unable to track them down. She claimed they were on another plane of existence, leaving Psychic King doubting her competence yet again.

[***]

Had he been aware of what the heroes were planning ...

The three fugitive heroes were not where they were supposed to be. Instead of being in the gloomy, perpetually moon-shadowed Egyptian Land of the Dead, they were in a subterranean chamber which had been utterly shattered -- its once majestic nine foot tall statues now broken rubbles of stone & dust, the walls artfully covered in hieroglyphics had been carved over and the perpetually renewed offerings which once graced the foots of each statue scattered, or stolen.

A piteous, "Noooo ...," escaped from Alisha al Ryahda / Jackal Girl's throat.

"Oh, this can't be good," Dr. Life looked to Crimson Veil for an explanation seeing as Jackal Girl had collapsed to her already heavily scarred knees in tears.

"This is Alisha's Sanctum Sanctorum," the crimson hooded heroine began.

"It was the place of the first magical ritual performed by her Grandmother when she arrived here over sixty years ago. Here is where she worships her gods and goddesses, gives them their offerings and transports stolen items to their designated rightful homes. Most of this place was transported in secret from somewhere in the deserts of Egypt close to the Nile."

"This is more than destroyed ... it was desecrated," she shook her head.

"Who would do this?"

"Someone who should have known better," Crimson Veil let her gaze fall upon her friend. They had grown up fighting crime together, each mentored by another until such time as they were needed to take over the fight. Midnight Mask had been slain when Crimson Veil was only eighteen. The previous Jackal Girl had decided to retire from active crime fighting at the ripe old age of sixty-five, a few years after Midnight Mask's death. Alisha's Grandmother had since returned home to tend to the Grand Temple back in Egypt.

Dr. Life, having healed himself up from his torture wounds, padded over to Alisha to see what good he could do for her shredded flesh and battered psyche. It fell to Dakota / Crimson Veil, to spot the tiny speck of light which stood out beyond the norm of the wreckage wrought there.

"Alisha, what's this?" Crimson voiced softly as she approached the glimmer of luminescence in this otherwise dark sub-chamber.

"Huh?" from Alisha then, "STAY AWAY!" she yelled, despite any risk of discovery. She scrambled over and excavated the sand and broken stone around that which glimmered.

As she dug up the final artifact of the old Sanctum, it began to glow stronger with a belligerent red brightness. Both supers closed in on either side of Jackal Girl. The small figurine -- at one time each of the nine tall statues had one of these in its chest cavity -- must have been knocked aside as the Sanctum had been torn apart and buried beneath a large fragment of another statue, eventually covered in dust and debris.

How the despoilers had missed this, seeing as how they had stolen the other eight highly valuable replicas was disconcerting.

"It is Set," Crimson Veil whispered to Dr. Life.

"Yes," Jackal Girl nodded. "It is Set, Lord of the Red Desert and he is summoning me to stand in judgement before my patrons. He is no friend of mine either."

"Don't go," Dr. Life immediately suggested.

"Would you consider never practicing medicine again?" Alisha looked with a tragic mirthfulness up and over her shoulder into his eyes. "No sooner could you ignore the suffering of others can I ignore this summons, Conrad. I let my Sanctum Sanctorum be desecrated and I must answer for that sacrilege," she added with a heartfelt sigh.

"Jackal Girl, is there anything we can do? Stand witness beside you?" Crimson Veil offered. Conrad nodded his willingness to travel along as well.

"This road I travel I must walk alone," she began laying her small idols out in the manner she now knew would lead her to the Land of the Dead ... no more deviations from her true path.

"How long should we wait for you?" Dakota inquired instead.

"I have no clue. Give me a week to present my case and for the Divine Ones to come to their judgement. After that ...," and she rose up and hugged Crimson Veil as if they were the closest of sisters parting ways for the final time. They broke that passionate embrace so that Alisha could shake Conrad's hand. After all, while she had known Dakota over half her life, as much as she liked the Good Doctor, she hardly knew the man.

The figurine of Set glowed with a blinding intensity then the pathway to the Egyptian Land of the Dead was finally open. Five seconds after Jackal Girl passed through the portal, it collapsed into so many magical sparks and broken mirror-phantasms of what lay beyond.

(THE TRI-CITIES ~ SIX NIGHTS LATER)

Crimson Veil and Dr. Life had been reduced to little more than scavengers in a city they had once swung from the rooftops of the tallest of buildings and protected with their lives. Now they had to stay close to the wrecked Antiquity Shop which had been the front business for Alisha al-Ryahda's secret War on Crime. Only inside could they be safe from a random mental scan by Psychic King. Physically, the Sanctum Sanctorum was three levels beneath the store with a subway line separating the two ~ so strangers weren't likely to happen upon it despite the five ton, perfectly balanced doorway having been broken down too.

They had raided just about every drink- and snack-machine in a two block radius to supply their growing hungers. They were also able to read their obituaries -- Psychic King had declared Crimson Veil and Jackal Girl to be deceased with closed casket funerals, rapid cremations and the resulting ashes scattered in the River of Angels.

Dr. Life was still 'in custody' thus unmentioned in the latest news reports. Technetronic and T-Rex had been at the funeral as the public face of the Tri-City Alliance ... and were now recruiting new members onto the team's roster. To claim to have seen the three survivors since then was a felony in the city, though that was on some really shaky Constitutional grounds.

The Tri-Cities High Commissioner and Supreme Council (they didn't call them 'Mayors' and 'City Councilmen' anymore and hadn't since the three cities united back in the 1960's) had rebuked a Federal offer to send in a squad of M. O. R. A. L. E. {the US Metahuman Organization for Registration, Aid and Law Enforcement} supers to make sure everything was okay. The humans in charge insisted they had everything well in hand.

Both Crimson Veil and Dr. Life wanted to make contact with some of their important sources in government and on the streets to get a better picture of events as they unfolded, but they had another critical consideration which caused them to cling to the shadows until Jack Girl's return. They had to accept they had temporarily lost their other two members.

Isolated from the outside world and with limited access to anything entertaining, Crimson Veil and Dr. Life did what came natural to them. They exercised, sparred, and practiced every spare minute of every day. Neither spent more than four hours sleeping anymore so all they had was working out ... and fucking. It was more than just sex too ... it was a bandage over the mental anguish which came from letting so many others down.

"I would kill for a shower -- even a cold shower at this juncture," Crimson Veil panted into his ear. Even alone and deep underground, it was their instinct to remain quiet. They had already developed a pebble throwing game, in Morse Code of course. Memory games and 'Name That Location' had helped fill the time as well ... and dampen down the worry.

"I have three apartments around town ... all with warm showers," he whispered back playfully. "Some people are going to pay for keeping me from them."

"You two are the cutest couple," the voice of Alisha broke the near silence. Despite being nearly naked the two lithely untangled and rushed her. She absorbed their hugs joyously.

"YOU are alive!" Conrad whispered.

"I've missed you so much," Dakota added.

"... you are more endowed than I thought you were," she giggled in response. "And why are you both whispering?"

"I'll get dressed," Conrad backed off.

"What was the verdict, what took you so long, and yeah ... he is," Dakota snickered. "Oh, and we are whispering because we are wanted fugitives, who happen to be legally dead now."

"The verdict ... OH, by the Gods and Goddesses, they are beyond furious -- with whomever destroyed my Sanctum Sanctorum, and they are way past sending nightmares, poltergeists and the Ten Fucking Plagues!" her teeth shone in the twilight luminescence she herself brought with her.

"What's their plan?" Dakota herself smiled. After all, it was the general indifference with which the majority of Egyptian deities viewed modern life that had always annoyed Crimson Veil.

"We are reconstructing the Sanctum -- tonight. That's first. Also, from this point until vengeance is had, Set will be sharing an overview of my work here with his First Cousin, Nephthys' Son -- Anubis. Don't bring up their close kinship by the way. They are sensitive about it."

"Now get dressed and stand back. This is going to be thunderous," Alisha raised her arms so that her cloak's sleeves fell back past her elbows.

"What's the chance of the Regent's magicians detecting this?" Conrad worried.

"Oh, every true Magician within the lower Forty-Nine is going to sense this go down -- no more fucking around means NO MORE fucking around. My nine deities are of one mind on this matter and I thought I would never see that happen," she motioned the two non-Egyptians back beyond the edges of the Inner Holy Circle.

Eight new figurines were set in the rough place they would occupy once the ritual was completed. After that, Jackal Girl began to invoke each divinity.

First came the earth tremors, tiny really at first -- barely noticeable. They would rise up into one, terrifying yet highly localized level 9.5 magnitude earthquake with level 5.8 and 4.5 aftershocks going on hours afterwards.

Next came the winds whistling through the streets and tunnels of the city ... miles and miles of streets focusing the cyclonic forces bent on using their force alone to reshape and reconstruct the temple complex itself. Animals ran and hid, birds flew out over the bay if they were able and people were bloody terrified. Some were even picked up, whirled around and deposited miles away from where they had been taken from.

In some cases visibility declined down to only a few feet. Above-ground statues were buried in newsprint. The water in in fountains all over the place where whipped heavenly before other magical forces took over their fates. All and all, in was an unmistakable event few could even begin to comprehend and only three could fully understand.

The thunderous finale came when the first earthquake ceased and the winds came to an inexplicable stop. Sheets and sheets of water, thrown aloft and held there for nearly a minute came crashing back down ... everywhere. No exterior venue was spared. People who had been trapped outside, or under awnings, were drenched.

And, the only answer to it all, as enigmatic as it was, was posted across the city by an army of bots, created by Technetronic for Crimson Veil, for a one-time-only multimedia stunt should he ever be unavailable ...

<>

Back in the Regents of Wrath HQ, Psychic King was livid. How could he project his iron control over the city and everyone in it when shit like this supernatural calamity happened? Worse, none of his magical practitioners, new, or established, knew what to make of it.

"Well," he snapped at the assembly while the undead minions of Corpse Wail busied themselves tidying up the place -- hardly the most inspired, or agile, of cleaning crews. "What happened?"

The looks on their faces said it all.

"It was a damn earthquake!" he thundered. "Where was it centered?"

Again, the unsure, if not downright terrified by their own ignorance, looked ...

"I ... ah ... have some preliminary information," Digital Duke spoke up. Psychic King's harsh glare wasn't one to inspire much guessing, or lack of certainty. "It appears ... the entire city moved ... going out about ... thirty miles in all directions."

"Someone moved the entire God-Damn-City?" Psychic King. "How come we had no warning, no hint such a device might be out there, or their willingness to move against us before it actually happened?"

Digital Duke clearly had no further information, but was pinned by the King's attention because he was the last one to have spoken up.

Unlooked for was Bloodstone Princess coming to DD's rescue.

"I concur with the Duke. I am picking up focal points all over the city going out as far as Mount Carmichael and the Observatory," she said.

"Indeed," Digital Duke continued, "Seismic centers up and down the coast are only now beginning to detect much reduced aftershocks throughout the Tri-City Area. The amount of power exerted to both cause the earthquake and then contain those forces is beyond phenomenal. It was ... God-like."

"More Godlike than me?" Psychic King eyeballed his two useless fellow regents. He clearly didn't give a damn about the data. Data didn't do him any good. He wanted answers. Hell, he had been a Drama Major in college. He had never taken anything too difficult, boring, or filled with mediocre chicks. If it wasn't for the current uncertainty, he would have Mind Blasted both the Princess and the Duke -- removed a score IQ points from both of them. On second thought, he still needed them for their intellects, but he would mark down this failure on their parts for retribution later.

"Fine -- the lot of you know nothing about this ... shit," he grumbled. "What is with this warning message ... You should have known better ... what does it mean and who was it aimed at?"

"Aaahhh ... it was an Emergency multimedia attack program I gave to Crimson Veil should she ever need a means of countering disinformation, or an information blackout," Technetronic stood forward with enough fearlessness to be unsettling.

"Why would you do something so stupid like that and how do we delete it?"

"It is self-deleting and I did it because it made her more dangerous ..."

"She's just ... one ... human ... girl," Psychic King snarled. "Why do people keep trying to make her into this threat to us -- to me?!?"

Once more his minions looked around guiltily, afraid to offer the slightest bit of advice ... because they were ALL IDIOTS!

[***]

"We did what?" Conrad St. John sounded incredulous.

"We, and by 'we', I mean the Nine Deities of my Ennead and I, moved the Sanctum Sanctorum and the business I use above us across town ... to a riverside address with excellent pedestrian traffic too," she appeared sheepish.

"That's got to be at least eight miles," Dakota shook her head.

"Well, someone, if not more than one, found the previous location so we had to move ... so we moved."

"What about the hospitals, people in intensive home care, ambulances on the street ... what about them?" Conrad St. John worried.

"I agree, this was akin to using a nuclear blast furnace to bug-zap all the mosquitoes in your back yard, but a gauntlet had to be thrown down," Alisha reiterated. "By the way, how long was I gone ... I mean, from your perspective?"

"Six days," Crimson Veil replied first. "How long do you think you were gone? Oh, and what's with all the new gear?" she indicated the weaponry she was now carrying -- the hilt of a large sword (Khopesh) over one shoulder and a bow over the other.

"I was gone two years while Set made sure I was ready to return. Two -- long -- hot -- dry years."

"Welcome home," Dr. Life patted her on her shoulder. "Does that shield icon on your vambrace stand for something?"

"Yes. I tap it," she did so and the shield icon on her left arm grew into a large, Egyptian-styled shield (New Kingdom). A tap on the top of the shield and the protective device shrunk back down until all it was just an icon once more. In the short time they had seen it, the shield appeared to be nothing more than a wooden shield bound in shredded reed woven into it as well as bronze bindings.

"Now let me tidy up around here and we can get going," Jackal Girl smiled. "I'm glad to be home ... and seeing both of you alive and well."

"Jackal Girl, we have also been working out a new plan," Crimson Veil squatted down in the dusk which remained in the Sanctum Sanctorum's floor. "We need to break into the Regents of Wrath's secret base and get Lady Dynamic out."

"She's dead," Jackal Girl frowned, "also, call me Anput now. It is what they want. They think it is more dignified."

"Well, if nine Gods and Goddesses want you called that, so be it," Dr. Life shrugged. "As for Lady Dynamic, she's not dead. I kept her life force flowing once she was near death and have been keeping it up while you were away ... and we've got a plan."

"Do tell," Anput gave them both a feral grin. Without a doubt, Anput's vengeance went beyond the skyscraper-swaying earthquakes as well.

[***]

The three superheroes slipped from the reconstituted Sanctum Sanctorum farther up into the nightlife of the 'Cities Which Never Sleep'. The two women & one man were nervous and for a good reason. They were expecting someone and it wasn't in any shape a normal ally. They couldn't even guarantee this person would come alone ~ without villainous backup. Their problem was this was the only way of establishing contact which they knew would be 100% effective.

Princess Bloodstone had felt the reverberations of Jackal Girl's portal seconds after it appeared. Jackal Girl, clearly the 'lesser' sorceress, had made no use of her somewhat impressive abilities at stealth; no, she'd been issued a challenge. The Bloodstone portal opened up and she stepped through only to find herself confronting Dr. Life, Crimson Veil, and Jackal Girl -- truly formidable opposition. Cracking blood-red energy surrounded her.

Dr. Life strode to Princess Bloodstone and peeled back his hood so that she could see his face.

"Princess," Dr. Life said by way of greeting. "I need your help."

Princess Bloodstone dropped her personal force field, walked up to Dr. Life and hugged him fiercely. Her personal shielding would automatically fry anyone who tried to touch her.

"I was so worried about you," she whispered into his ear. He held her tightly in return.

"I knew you would be safe. Psychic King needs you too much for now. That might change at any time once he starts feeling secure in his hold over the Tri-Cities though," Dr. Life informed her.

"Well, that's going apace. He's recruiting villains from other cities and all over the globe. Soon there will be a dozen of us which will be more than any police force, or super-squad can handle. So, what is it you need me to do?" Princess Bloodstone asked.

"We need Lady Dynamic's body so Corpse Wail won't reanimate it somehow," Crimson Veil beseeched her foe. Princess Bloodstone thought it over. She knew she was only getting half of the truth. What was more relevant to the Princess was her situation within the Regent's was indeed deteriorating.

"Where do I put it?" Princess asked.

"Place her body in a location where we can steal it so you are not overly exposed," Crimson Veil informed her. "None of us want you to fall into the other Regents' clutches."

"Thanks," Princess Bloodstone said sarcastically. It was hard to see these people (outside of Dr. Life of course) wishing her a long life.

"I can do this thing and 'ping' Jackal Girl when I have things set up," the Princess declared.

"Oh, Princess Bloodstone, are we still on for this upcoming Saturday Night?" Dr. Life asked Princess Bloodstone. She blinked and stuttered. "I apologize for missing last Saturday Night, but ... things came up. I suspected you might understand."

"I ... I guess," she replied," and I do -- forgive you, that is." Crimson Veil and Jackal Girl both gave Dr. Life a curious glance.

With that, Princess Bloodstone opened a new portal and left. The three remaining supers quickly slipped off in a different direction into the night to recruit the fourth member of their little conspiracy. And, if they somehow pulled that herculean task off, there remained the near-impossible mission of rescuing their two mind-fucked / mentally imprisoned teammates.

(SEVENTH DAY OF THE RESISTANCE)

"Can I tell you how much I hate this plan?" Shadow Glove snickered to Dr. Life. He grinned back. It had been a brain-busting bitch to pull the good doctor through the shadows this far in the Regent's mystic defense projections. The two froze as two mortal sentries moved passed their hiding spot.

"Nice trick stilling our heart beats," she added.

'It is a little more effective if we also don't talk,' he mouthed then grinned. His face mask hid the actual grin, but her keen perceptions could make out the movements in his facial muscles. Getting past the Digital Duke's secure codes was easy for her and Shadow Glove had been hanging around the Regent's camp for the past day figuring out the 'tripwire' mystical techniques Corpse Wail used.

The original thinking had called for Princess Bloodstone to get the body far closer to an actual egress point. When brought into the plan, all Shadow Glove could figure out was she'd lost what little Common Sense she hadn't squandered in her youth -- she had volunteered to scout the Regent's base in order to not risk the Bloodstone Princess status as a double-agent. What was wrong with her? If she wasn't careful, the next thing she knew she would be saving cats from trees and paying for Girl Scout cookies with a real credit card; not one she'd stolen & copied.

Shadow's criminal sixth sense detected the approach of two people as she and Dr. Life were padding down that last stretch of hallway. There was no place to hide and the hall was ten feet wide. She flashed a look at Dr. Life who made a quick hand signal. This was madly insane she thought yet hellishly fun. She ran at one wall and he ran at the other, jumping in unison.

Both twisted around midair and pushed off. Shadow Glove reached out to Dr. Life, their hands clasped and their combined body-tension pressed their feet against the opposite surface. She silently shuffled rapidly up the wall until their backs touched the ceiling, a super-human bridge. They were in place just in time as Psychic King and some newcomer -- a Brit-sounding armored suit-wearing villain named Ghost Steel -- walked past perhaps three feet beneath them.

Ghost Steel was talking about hiring some mercenaries from Botswana, Bhutan or Bosnia -- wherever mothers raised their little boys and girls to be gun-toting maniacs threating the civilized world. Psychic King nodded his head sagely as if he had a clue about the difference between a child soldier and an ex-SAS commando; something which went beyond the size of their paycheck. Shadow resisted the urge to drop a bead of spit onto the King's head. Doing petty shit like that to equally petty tyrants was so enjoyable. She knew destroying Psychic King's entire life's work would be even better.

(A FEW MINUTES LATER)

"You should get ready to bolt. Once she awakens, the two of you ...," Dr. Life told Shadow Glove as they crouched down in the small 'cold room' chamber the Regents of Wrath had stashed Lady Dynamic's corpse in.

"Seriously," Shadow interrupted, "you think one of them would have wondered why her body wasn't decomposing. But -- no, they stick her in a broom closet and forget about it -- they are an insult to the label: mentally maladjusted."

"You need to be ready to go," Dr. Life repeated. "When Lady Dynamic's mind kicks online Psychic King will notice in a matter of minutes. Escaping after that will be ... strenuous for all three of us."

"We'll bolt once she wakes up," Shadow Glove countered. "Trust me; I'll have caught up on the latest Tele-tubbies episodes and have the hot coffee ready when you get back home, you wacko medico."

Just how Dr. Life planned to get home alone wasn't clear to her but when one of your key foes was a Master-class telepath, it was best not to ask too many questions.

"Insanity does not preclude the right to vote," Dr. Life smiled at her. He took several deep breaths, stared down at the heroine's body and then placed one hand on Lady Dynamic's forehead and another over her heart.

"Wait, wait, wait," Shadow Glove squeaked. Dr. Life looked up and gazed at her. "Are you sure she's not a corpse ... because that would make this creepy?"

"Yes," he whispered. "She is very much biologically and mentally alive if currently only by the slimmest of margins."

"Cool, because there are three things I always wanted to do," Shadow Glove smiled. She bent over the body and jostled Lady Dynamic's rather impressive set of mammary. "Weeee," she whispered. Next she kissed the coma-bound heroine on the lips -- no tongue.

"Number Three?" Dr. Life asked. Shadow leaned into him, rolled up his mask with one hand while placing another along his jaw line, kissing him fully and totally.

"Well crap," Shadow muttered after the kiss finally ended. "There really is a difference between kissing just anybody and kissing a real, certifiable hero."

"You do realize I'm super-charged with sexual/healing energy right?" he whispered back, grinning.

"Sure," Shadow sighed, "I took that into account and the kiss was still way above expectations." So much more she wanted to say yet this wasn't the place, or time.

Dr. Life resumed his stance over Lady Dynamic, slowly releasing his life force into her. Shadow felt the tempo of the transfer escalate dramatically until Shadow realized her whole body had also began to vibrate with adrenaline-fueled excitement.

There was one last pulse then Lady Dynamic's back arched painfully and her lungs drew their first, fresh breath of rebirth. Dr. Life toppled onto Lady Dynamic, or would have if Shadow hadn't caught him.

"Time to run," he gasped.

"No problemo, Doc," Shadow grinned. She touched Lady Dynamic and stretched between the shadows in the room to the shadows in the room two stories up.

The pain in Shadow Glove's heart was devastating. The netherworld-ly chill of Corpse Wail's wards stole at her life force, the close proximity of Princess Bloodstone's magical barriers seared her cardio-vascular system, plus dragging someone along with her caused her temples to hammer even as tunnel vision narrowed her field of vision.

She shook her head clear of the resulting cobwebs. The first thing to catch her eye was Lady Dynamic propping herself up and look around.

"What ... where am I ... Shadow Glove?" she rasped with a dry voice. "How did we get out of our HQ and where is the Doctor?"

"Quick version: You didn't get out -- you died. We were in the deepest basement level of the Regent's base and we have to get out now because alarms should be going off any second. Dr. Life remained behind ... the crazy fool has this idea he can get his own way out of there -- he didn't impart his plan to me."

"... from the middle of Regent's HQ? ... take us back before he gets foolishly gallant self captured," Lady Dynamic aka Sarah Beltran insisted.

"No," was Shadow Glove's succinct reply. "I need to get you out first, or this entire, insane mission will have been for naught."

Sarah tried to rise up to a sitting position, but the strain was clearly too much as she collapsed back and barely stopped her head from smacking the floor.

"You are in no shape for a fight, much less to lead a rescue mission," Shadow Glove insisted, "and I have yet to get us fully out of here. Next 'jump' -- here we come," and together the two shadow-shifted three more levels up and a good hundred meters to the north. They were now clear of the Regent's magical dimension barriers.

"Oh God, that hurt," Dynamic groaned. Shadow Glove toppled over onto Dynamic's athletic stomach. At the last moment she was able to twist so the back of her head made contact, not her face.

"Double that for me," Shadow Glove expressed her all-over body aches, pains and minor injuries. Only after a minute did she begin to feel remarkably better. Dr. Life had left her with some residual healing effects, the sneaky bastard, she thought. Dynamic too was beginning to feel inexplicably better, courtesy of the Good Doctor.

"Okay, one more jump for us then you fly us the rest of the way to our final destination. I have it from reliable sources you will know where to go," she snickered. This plan was nuts. Not only had it highlighted her mastery of the sneaky arts, but they had also almost succeeded in showing how much smarter she and the Alliance metahumans -- if Crimson Veil wasn't a secret metahuman, Shadow Glove swore she would steal a felt fedora and eat it ... in front of witnesses -- had completely outwitted the more numerous and powerful Regents of Wrath.

"Fuck you, Psychic King," Shadow Glove whispered. God damn it, she should have been paid for her services and paid handsomely, not allowed that 'leave with my life' bullshit -- the pompous asshole!

"What was that?" Sarah inquired.

"If you ever, in the future, need to hire the services of a professional thief, make sure they are adequately paid, Lady Dynamic," she explained.

"Done deal. I sincerely doubt we could have pulled off my rescue attempt without your skill and bravery. How much were you paid, by the way?"

"I'm not going to tell you, but it was worth it," Shadow Glove snickered. "Let's go." Saying, 'I did this because it was the right thing to do' would have been beyond humiliating for a professional rogue such as herself.

True to her word, Shadow Glove deposited them both in an alleyway opposite the mundane cover for the Regents' secret base ... and she was unconscious.

"Where do I go now?" Lady Dynamic worried. Suddenly a five inch tall figurine made out of pure night coalesced before her. It said something, which, being in New Kingdom Egyptian, Sarah failed to understand. The figure shimmied and shivered slightly, but when she spoke again, it was clear enough English though heavily accented (in NKE of course).

"I am Nephthys. Follow me," the avatar spoke. "I will lead you to the others."

"We should wait until Doctor Life has escaped as well," Sarah vehemently 'suggested'. The figures head tilted in an odd angle as it she studied the tall, buxom heroine.

"I am not used to being questioned. Are you a God, or Goddess, under the guidance of one, or that of a prophecy, or following the dictates of an Oracle?"

"Aaahhh ... no?"

"Then don't question me. Your Dr. Life will make his exit successfully if the plan is carried through to fruition and he is adept enough in the arts of deceit, diplomacy, espionage, and subterfuge."

"Hey, he is not a bad guy, you know?" Lady Dynamic frowned.

"I never said he was. Of the three allies of Anput we are currently familiar with, we like him the most. Not only is he not morally complicated, he does as he is told." (Hint, hint)

"Who is Anput?"

"Are you going to follow me out of here, or stay behind as I leave?" Nephthys was getting haughty. She sprang up into the air and ascended rapidly above the skyline. Lady Dynamic, carrying Shadow Glove close to her bosom, had to struggle to keep up. Not only was the avatar of the Goddess very fast, she melded seamlessly into the night all around.

"Slow down a little ... please Nephthys," Sarah implored. "I can barely see you."

Grudgingly, the avatar slowed enough so that Sarah could stay close.

"Anput is the new name for the one you once knew as 'Jackal Girl'. We never liked that name. She is neither a jackal nor an immature woman ... not anymore. She is an adult for Ra's sake."

"Oh ... thank you. What does Anput mean?"

"It is the female aspect of the God Anubis. After generations of loyal service, Anubis decided to bestow the name on the newest of her generation as a sign of his favor."

"That was nice of him."

"Hah ... nice, or not nice -- that does not matter. It was a favor earned for her and her ancestors' selfless dedication in returning all those grave offerings back to the Dead."

"We even have a rival cult Anubis and Set operating primarily out of the Lands of Canaan which restores items by means of theft and assassination. They are normally quite effective at it. The recent ongoing Civil War in Syria has curtailed their efforts and made it more difficult for them to operate so they have fallen behind on fulfilling some of our demands."

"Assassins? I thought Anubis was one of the 'good guys'!"

Sigh ... "Childe, we came into existence long before the duality of moralism polluted the rightful worship of the world. As an example, among my many portfolios, I am the Goddess of Night. Is Night a good, or bad, thing? I'm also the Goddess of beer, though recently I have branched out into gathering recipes for excellent laagers and wines. Honey-mead has as special place in my heart too."

"But Anubis punished thieves -- all thieves, not just thieves of antiquities!"

"Oh that ... he has overstepped himself and many of us are not happy with his actions. Said actions threaten the Concord of Nicaea ... which has governed the interactions of the older pantheons with the monotheistic faiths since the fourth century after the coming of ... that guy and later his various heavy-handed disciples, prophets and messengers."

"You are afraid of the Christians?"

"Afraid ... no. We are cautious around Christians because of the danger of confronting their 'One True God'. That goes for Mohammedeneans, Buddhists, and their various offshoots. It isn't fear so much as the knowledge they can bring about both supernatural power and social pressure against us. Being labelled 'demons' and 'moral corrupters' can be terribly unfortunate for one of our undercover operations ... even in the heartland."

"By Mohammedeneans you mean Islamists, right?"

"Well," Nephthys shrugged her tiny shoulders, "they have their petty insults for us and we have ours for them."

"Oh ... so Set really isn't evil?"

"No. In fact he is the deity most accepting of foreigners and their strange ways than any of the rest of us."

"Oh ..."

"Yes. Only later was he painted to be this evil, warmongering, kin-slaying sort. He's just bad tempered and I would know. He is my Brother-in-Law after all, married to my Sister Isis for a time."

"I didn't know that. Congratulations?"

"Oh, he chopped up Osiris alright, but that was because of a blood feud between Ra -- the first Divine Pharaoh -- and Geb -- the second Divine Pharaoh -- over who would be the next/third Divine Pharaoh over Upper and Lower Egypt. Geb tried to place Osiris on the throne as he was the previous Divine Pharaoh while Ra favored his Grandson, Set."

"Set won and you mortals received the Egyptian dynasties of the New Kingdom Period. That was one of the most vigorous epochs in our history, btw."

"But at what price?" Sarah debated. Set's avarice had to have cost the People and lands of Egypt something ... right?

"Oh, we became exhausted by the constant wars and rebellions then the arrival of the Empires of Mesopotamia nearly finished us off. After that we suffered under the rule of foreign kings, sucked dry of our resources and eventually forced to accept the Abrahamic Religions because our heartlands were too weak to resist. Bad times which have lasted eighteen centuries and counting."

"You really think pantheisms are going to ever return?"

"Yes ... as opposed to what? Giving up like the majority of those Sumerian lack wits? No. Already we have begun making converts quietly and carefully. Especially in the heartland the price for leaving the followers of Mohammed and rejoining their native faiths is quite high. We are patient though."

"Well, thanks for talking to me about this. It has been quite enlightening," Sarah confessed.

"I'm not out to convert you, but if you decided to approach Set for that level of acceptance, so be it. Sixty years ago, the Tri-Cities had a devout religious base of over 80%. These days, it is just above 50% and declining ... and you people don't throw apostates off the top of buildings, or burn them alive. Let's just say we divinities are interested in these developments."

"Seriously? An Egyptian Renaissance here in the Western United States."

"A devout, functioning temple complex of a few thousand people would rival some of those which existed at the height of the Old Kingdom Period. The spiritual energy it would generate would be quite impressive too."

"What about that Concord you mentioned?" Dynamic worried.

"We are willing to see just how vigorous it is being enforced these days ... and we are here."

"This is the correct place? Where are we? I've never seen this place before?" Sarah scanned her new surroundings.

"Oh, it's the right place alright," Nephthys confirmed with a smug smirk. "I can feel the Cosmic energies of my Grandmother Nut surrounding and cloaking this place."

"But, I don't recognize the place. Whose was it ... before you arrived?"

"Ha!" Nephthys barked an amused laugh. "It is the same place, just a bit of redecorating and ... moving it all the way across town. That would have been the massive earthquake you slept through last night."

"Earthquake?!?!?!"

"Oh yes," she sounded amused, "Thoth made some noise about it being a nine-point-five seismic event. I get the feeling it was somewhat impressive. I am not one of you 'sciency-types'."

"Yeah -- like the biggest seismic event in the Tri-Cities area ... in like -- EVER!"

"Oh, and we aren't done yet. Someone, or some-ones, desecrated our old Temple and we have come seeking vengeance against everyone who had a hand in this."

"If they weren't such shitheads, I would feel pity for them," Dynamic admitted.

"The Regents of Wrath?"

"Yes."

"As your Crimson Veil said ~ they should have known better ~"

Internally, Lady Dynamic rapidly reduced the number of likelihood suspects to three. They had it coming. They all had it coming.

[***]

Two hours later ... at least all the alarms had finally been silenced.

"They stole what?" Psychic King scanned over his super-powered minions.

"I am going over all parts of the inventory," Digital Duke refused to look up from his handheld monitor to directly address the intimidating gaze, "and despite a few computer access panels spoofed by Shadow Glove, nothing of value was taken ... only ..."

"Only?" Psychic King pressed with simmering anger.

"Aaahhh ... the corpse of Lady Dynamic."

"The what!? I hadn't decided if I wanted to taxidermy her, or have her resurrected as my personal slut," the King seemed confused, talking to himself. "Well, how did they escape?"

"Ummm ...," Princess Bloodstone took over reporting the investigation, "Shadow Glove apparently studied for weak points in our magical wards then shadow-jumped with Lady Dynamic beyond our detectors while Dr. Life simply walked out the front door of the complex."

"Walked ... out ... of the complex? Does no one here know their goddamn jobs?"

"That was my fault," Fatal Eclipse stepped forward bravely. "A few years ago, back in Kenya, Dr. Life pretty much saved my life and reattached two of my limbs so when he asked me for a favor -- claiming his ID hadn't been processed yet -- I agreed to walk him past the security checkpoints. After all, no alarms were going off at the time and his cover story in that he had just joined the 'Organization' was credible."

"He had no ID yet you exited him from our HQ? Are you a moron?"

"Not a moron, just used to working with inefficient bureaucracies so this situation arises all the time," Fatal Eclipse's eyes narrowed. "How was I to know he was both a member of the opposition forces, had been captured before I arrived here and was now no longer in custody? He didn't initially escape on my watch after all, King, much less escaped with a God-damn corpse."

That last comment brought forth some laughter from some of the other new recruits -- mostly hardcore mercenaries from conflicts in Africa, South America and Ukraine -- with warrants for most of them throughout those conflict zones as well as before the International Criminal Court (ICC). The United Nations sponsored Unity Alliance was pretty curious to their location as well as they universally had little respect for Human Rights, Property Law, or even the normal Rules of Engagement.

Psychic King seriously thought about melting the mercenary scum's brains out his ears except he realized that could cause 'loyalty issues' down the line.

"Well, find them," he demanded instead. "After all, we have Shadow Glove's mind already tagged, right Bloodstone?"

"She seems to have discovered a way to surreptitiously remove my tracker. I am working on reacquiring it at all the locations she regularly haunts, or uses to pawn information."

"I am supporting those efforts," Digital Duke stated. Normally he would have enjoyed letting Princess Bloodstone stumble over her own efforts and fail ... but these were not normal circumstances. Already there were six more supers in the city and a score more were rumored to be on the way. Now was the time for the original Regents of Wrath to stick together and cover one another's asses. "She pokes up her head anywhere illicit goods and services are sold and we'll get her."

"Damn, that bitch is somewhere over the Rockies by now," some unknown voice joked.

"Or halfway to Japan," another chuckled.

"She Shadow-walks, Dummy," another voice commented. "That's a form of teleportation -- no airline ticket, or TSA shakedown required."

"Still, even with Lady Dynamic back, that's just one A-Class metahuman out there," Psychic King reminded everyone. "We will split up into search parties, hunt her down and bring her back before me -- alive! The other two are C-Class at best and shouldn't be a problem for a crew such as I have assembled here."

"Excuse me, but Dr. Life ain't no C-Class," Fatal Eclipse spoke up again.

"He's a healer," Psychic King scoffed. "Keep your distance and he can't effect you ... unless your courage isn't up for it?"

"Yeah, right. The man once reattached my two legs in a free-fire zone. He did it by popping off his own two legs -- pain I can barely imagine. Later on I asked him if he could do that ... in reverse and he said 'yes'. So if anyone has the stones to risk being disassembled step right up, cause that ain't me."

"Doesn't he have a moral code, or some such nonsense," a third merc suggested.

"Against killing -- 'yes'. There is a shitload a body can go through before it dies," Fatal grinned. "By all means ..."

"Hey, but isn't that torture?" another laughed.

"If you're not worried then you get to go through the door first," Fatal Eclipse fixed his detractor with his own pitiless gaze.

"I'll send a heat-seeking missile in first," the merc in a power-armor suit countered. "Blow him to bits -- problem solved."

Fatal Eclipse scanned the group of mercenary metahumans to judge their reactions to that pledge. He kept the results of that silent survey to himself. Just how many disreputable people had Dr. Life helped in his long career anyway? More than enough to realize the normally callous mercenaries valued their lives and thus the life of someone who had put his own existence on the line to save theirs high enough to take some serious risks to repay those debts.

(THE RETURN OF THE TRI-CITY ALLIANCE)

In hindsight, the first targets of the Crimson-Veil-led Tri-City Alliance should have been obvious to the Regents of Wrath -- T-Rex and Technetronic, their former members and obviously victims of Psychic King's mental domination. From Psychic King's perspective, his opponents didn't have a telepath, so what could they really do to liberate their former friends? If only he had known he already had the answer to that. Ignorance was not bliss. Besides ...

The answer to their dilemma was simple enough: they should have known better ~

Three of the Ennead created a method to undo the telepathic rewiring done to the human mind, plus a place where they could operate undisturbed as well as having the side effect of having time not being a factor -- the Egyptian Land of the Dead. To the Dead time had very little meaning. What could be one day in the Outside World could be one minute, or one year, inside. When Imhotep (the Healer), Maʽat (balance and morality), and Thoth (psionic science) put their vast intellects together ... well, restoration was only a matter of time ... and time, they had.

Now all the Tri-City Alliance had to do was set the stage, prepare their props and choose the moment of attack. Lattermost things first -- they publically called out the New Regents of Wrath for a nine o'clock (pm) showdown on the steps of Municipal Hall. Since it was right across from the Federal building, they had little fear of being caught in a crossfire. The Federal Building was federal property and if the Regents entered the place you could bet M. O. R. A. L. E. would commit a 3-person team, or five, to the battle. The Regents weren't looking for anything approaching a fair fight.

The middle issue was one of a prop on wheels. They had secreted away a stretch limousine which they converted to a shrine to the Ennead on wheels. Kauket, Nephthys, and Nut -- all Goddess of Darkness and Night -- would personally protect the shrine with impenetrable shadow magics creating an illusion with some serious 'umpfh' behind it. Imhotep and Geb fortified the 'chariot' so that it could soak up as much damage as possible ... far beyond that of a normal contraption that was for sure.

Thoth would be operating as a counter to all magical attacks acting in his capacity as God of Magic. The final three divinities in the Ennead (Anubis -- as hunter of the wicked, Maʽat -- in her aspect of the 'Law-Bringer', and Set -- well ... acting in his capacity of God of War!) would be having their avatars take a more active role in punishing those who had a hand in desecrating the Temple.

While this confrontation by the Divine was a 'One-time thing', the Regents of Wrath would have no way of discerning such constrictions. Even then, the Nine would be actively advising the TCA as well as countering other extradimensional threats (permitted by the Concord of Nicaea), removing that option from the arsenal of the Regents. The challenge was levied and the countdown had begun.

[AFTERMATH]

(The actual battle took way too many paragraphs to cover all of the action so I just cut it out and went straight for 'What Comes Next' -- sorry if this disappoints)

For the amount of carnage unleashed, the amount of the city demolished was infinitesimal which had been the sole positive the Regents of Wrath could claim from the fight. They had lost both Technetronic and T-Rex from blitz attacks by Crimson Veil and Dr. Life. While the rest of the Regents had been annihilating the armored limousine ... with no one in it, those kidnappings had taken place straight out of their ranks.

When the smoke cleared and the illusions faded, it became clear the limo had been cut into a dozen pieces along with a great deal of the street the vehicle had rested upon. Rising out of the wreckage had been five pissed off Egyptians and the main battle had ensued. The only one who could have stopped this tactical calamity was the Chess Master, but he had been the second person Dr. Life had taken out.

The whole battle had rapidly become centered on the Psychic King as he was standing directly next to Corpse Wail when Anubis accused her of being 'the One' (who should have known better). Only the valiant efforts of Fatal Eclipse and Ghost Steel had saved her ... and salvaged the situation, by standing up to five of the Egyptian deities and holding them at bay while the rest of the Regents withdrew in a disorderly rout.

Inside a minute of the firefight beginning, all the supers had exited the stage and the police and TV crews were left trying to understand what had just happened. In the aftermath's analysis, neither side claimed victory though Psychic King claimed his forces had 'once more kept the city safe from ...' but no one was believing it. All the Tri-City Alliance claimed was that they had retrieved their two downed teammates and identified Corpse Wail as the one who had personally wronged a whole passel of Egyptian divinities.

[***]

"You ... did ... what ... exactly?" Psychic King turned on Corpse Wail who shivered and wept, such was her trauma. The King was beyond furious. He was apoplectic. His perfect plan was in so much shambles now because of the incompetence of others.

"I wanted to give you these," she sobbed. Corpse Wail reached into a haversack at her side and dumped out eight intricately-carved, bejeweled figurines. "For you -- my King."

"What are these ... and how does this explain the entire Egyptian pantheon falling down on our heads tonight?"

"Shouldn't there be nine?" Monjaro spoke up. The Dark-skinned African strode forward boldly, knelt by the offering then drew his knife and began moving them around with it. His clear caution when dealing with the items was noted by almost everyone else in the room.

"Thoth, Anubis, Nephthys, Nut, Maʽat, Geb, Kauket and Imhotep," he identified each one then set it aside with the tip of his blade.

"But what does that mean?" Psychic King wished his voice didn't sound as shrill as it did. Holy hell, he had worked with a voice coach for over a year so he wouldn't sound this way! Worse, he was in the presence of the 'Sudanese Superman' who seemed pretty damn fearless at the moment.

"Oh ... it means you two are fucked," Monjaro shrugged his massive shoulders.

"It means," Princess Bloodstone emphasized the latter word, "we have to get them before they get us. This is our city, not theirs. If they think they can simply roll in and dispense their brand of justice, they have another thing coming."

"What do you mean by 'you two'?" Psychic King persisted in his nervousness.

"Well, by Ancient Egyptian law, those who despoil a temple, as well as who they serve, are subject to the judgement of the offended temple, or in this case, the Temple of this Ennead -- that is the temple of nine deities -- which can vary from permanent exile from Egypt, to Death," Monjaro answered. "It means they don't forgive you -- Psychic King -- for the crimes Corpse Wail committed while she was one of your sycophants."

"How do I buy them off?"

"You can't."

"They must have a price!"

"Not in this case. Even offering up Corpse Wail won't do you a bit of good as they are planning to gather her up anyway," Monjaro explained.

Already the smarter mercs had figured out Psychic King was that kind of self-obsessed martinet who would gladly surrender a loyal follower in a desperate attempt to avoid responsibility, or accountability. Had Corpse Wail not been so much under the King's sway, she would have seen it too. At this stage of the game, their lack of loyalty to the Regents' Organization kept their mouths shut concerning the way this conversation was going -- their loyalty was solely to themselves.

"Fine," Psychic King pulled himself together somewhat, "we locate that Temple and utterly destroy it this time, gather up all nine of those toys too and have them smelted down in a furnace!"

"Any idea where to begin ... the search, that is?" Fatal Eclipse spoke up. In the last fight he had more than proven his worth, as well as his own competency and bravery when it counted.

"I can show you (gulp) where it is," Corpse Wail sniveled.

"Oh great," one mercenary muttered to another. "The basket case is going to lead us to Shangri-La." Psychic King glared at those two, but did nothing.

"Before we take off, perhaps we should consult with the Chess Master ... when he recovers," Fatal Eclipse sighed. "Big, strategic and tactical brain that he is."

"If he was so great, he wouldn't have been so successfully neutralized," Digital Duke rallied to his monarch's defense.

"It was a well-designed attack," Fatal Eclipse countered. "That useless, C-Class metahuman healer pretended to send a bolt of pure life energy at you, Psychic King, but your dodge ensured it blindsided the Chess Master instead. I was above that action when it happened. Did I miss anything?"

"It was a rather artful dodge," Monjaro snorted, his perfect ivory teeth contrasting nicely with his dark-brown complexion. Despite his West African features and impoverished background, he had familiarized himself with all the pre-Christian mysticism he could find access to. He knew there were also large secret societies which kept the light of that mysticism alive though they were a terribly cagey bunch.

Likewise he realized his features, height and bulk made for a terribly intimidating man and belied his curious nature and keen intellect. He had come to the Tri-Cities when the word went out that the Regents of Wrath had seized the metropolis and were recruiting. He didn't really want to be a regent.

No, he wanted some 'down-time' to rebuild his Human mercenary company ~ only Black-Africans and members of the Diaspora need apply ~ and seek out one of those secret societies for him to join. With the doorway finally open, he could transform himself into something more than just a 'tank' of a man with the extra metahuman ability to control and warp stone into whatever he desired.

Other mercenaries like Fatal Eclipse had traveled all the way from Ukraine -- the country needed someone to fight the swarm of Russian metahumans and men in powered armored suits -- to enjoy a life of semi-retirement, using the mass of metahumans in the Regents to dissuade any attempt to kidnap him and drag him back to Europe to the ICC, or to Russia, to 'face justice'.

Except the story had been somewhat of a lie. The Regents of Wrath had not completely defeated their heroic opposition and now he was going to have to really work to achieve that semi-retirement he dreamed about. He'd also find a way to contact Dr. Life again. If this mission went 'tits-up', he might need a friend on the other side to smuggle him out of the Tri-Cities. He might even ask the good Doctor to help a few others escape as well.

Psychic King detected much of this with both his psionic senses as well as his mundane mind trained all these years to ferret out those who planned to betray him. He would have to either find a way to incentivize his new recruits, or failing that, mind control the lot of them. They would be far less effective, but would remain decent damage magnets dedicated to keeping him safe.

Lacking a comprehensive plan, he went with the suggestion they return to the Egyptian Temple and do an utterly thorough job of destroying it this time.

"Let's go," he commanded. "Corpse Wail, lead the way."

It was not lost on him that no one dared to collect the valuable figurines off the ground. Those beautiful works of temple art were left on the carved-stone floor to gather dust and corrode over time ... or so it seemed.

[***]

In a stark contrast to the chaos and recriminations going on among the Regents, the Alliance base was filled with celebrating and euphoria. They had saved their friends, identified the despoilers of the original Temple, and pretty much routed and humiliated the majority of the Regents -- New and Old -- on live, national TV. Better yet, the deities joined in the party atmosphere.

Even though Imhotep, Maʽat and Thoth had to take fuming, tightly bound in silk cord T-Rex and an easily as hate-filled, and tightly bound Technetronic off into the Land of the Dead right away, they had guaranteed their friends would be back soon, and back to their 'old selves'. It was a wonderful sensation to have unwound Psychic King's plans so far with even more hope for the future.

The next phase (after the epic partying) was to reclaim their old HQ now that the nanites had been mostly neutralized and both Regent magicians discombobulated by recent events. Princess Bloodstone's loyalty to the Regents was now openly questionable -- she had provided an up-to-date file on the current Regent's roster to Crimson Veil so she could perfect her plan of attack down to the moment of surprise when those armored suits unloaded everything on the limo only to find it totally wrecked ... and then having to reload their main weaponry, giving the Alliance heroes the opening they needed to launch their own, far more stealthy assault.

Corpse Wail would be seeing Egyptian divine faces in every shadow and around every corner. Her long term spell capabilities were shot, reducing her to a barely useful asset to the rest of the Regents. The original high spirits among the mortal members of the Alliance had been to launch another strike. Break their morale and enticing (through a string of defeats) the mercenaries to depart town.

Set had nixed that idea. This time the mercenaries would be more on their game, the list of targets currently available to hurt the Regents were small, and the Ennead wouldn't be there to support them in this battle. Well, when the God of War tells you an action is too risky ... you listen to him. Thus, the party instead a direct enemy action.

[***]

"But ... but ... this is the place," Corpse Wail ... wailed. "There were statues -- big statues -- all over the place ... and drawings on the wall ..."

"They are called hieroglyphics," Monjaro corrected her.

"Where is everything now?" Psychic King's voice held some serious serene intimidation this time around.

"I don't know," Monjaro reached out with his Earthsense, not liking what he was feeling ... and not feeling. "This may have indeed been the location ..."

"It was! It was!" Corpse Wail insisted frantically.

"... But these aren't the stones which ... where here ... a week ago."

"What do you mean?" Fatal Eclipse asked first.

"I mean, this isn't the proper foundation material for this location. What I am saying is someone moved the entire block of stone which was once here ... somewhere else. It is almost more than I could do and even then, I would leave a wake of destruction and structural collapse upstairs if I attempted it ... which I'm not witnessing now."

"The Earthquake," Psychic King whispered.

"I would concur," Monjaro nodded. "I suspect Geb, Egyptian God of Earth and Stone, did this. The power he wielded is still immense. The level of control is beyond divine. It is the accumulated knowledge of the deep centuries which allowed him to do this. I am but a novice in his wake."

"Can you track them?" Psychic King inquired menacingly. Monjaro was less than impressed by the implied threat though. He remained in awe of a master craftsman of the Earth Manipulation. He had less than two decades of experience with such metahuman talents and he knew he was considered pretty scary in his abilities.

"Can you track them when we are above ground?" the Chess Master intervened. "Tracking Geb underground is the height of folly, Psychic King. We could all be crushed with but a wave of his hand."

The mercenaries shifted about uncomfortably. A few shot nervous glances up at the ceiling.

"I cannot track someone of this ability," Monjaro confessed. "I can already reach out and detect sixteen stress points which are probably -- PROBABLY -- seismic fracture points he might have moved the Temple along on its way to its new home. And if I do somehow pierce all the traps and evasions ... then what do we do. I'm not chasing Geb into his house. I value my life more than that."

"I'm with Monjaro on that. Fighting Geb in his element sounds like fighting with incendiaries on a Liquid Natural Gas container vessel -- surefire suicide," Fatal Eclipse nodded along with the mighty African warrior.

"Then we use proxies to flush them out," Ghost Steel came to Psychic King's rescue. "Their power is no longer limitless and they used a good deal of it tonight -- fighting us. There is some merit in taking the fight back to them ... and soon."

"Indeed," Psychic King gave his own knowing nod. "Chess Master, create a plan to use proxies -- Ghost Wails minions and some street gang members I have prepared for such a one-way mission -- to flush out these cowards. As we locate specific members, I can assault them myself. Likewise, the stealthiest among us will rescue T-Rex and Technetronic before they do something to them."

"As you wish," Chess Master nodded. If he was enthusiastic about this directive, he hid his emotions well. He was a chess master after all and hiding your thoughts was a given skill one had to develop. "I will have a plan by the time Monjaro locates the location of the New Temple. Then you can marshal your forces and strike. Plan A will involve complete surprise on our part, B will consider partial surprise, and C will take into account a vigorous defense. Our losses will be proportionate."

"Alright then. Let us exit the useless ruin and leave Monjaro to his task. The rest of us will return to our HQ, rest up and prepare for what is to come," Psychic King declared.

"I'll stay here with Monjaro in case the Alliance people detect him and decide to strike first," Fatal Eclipse announced. Monjaro gave him a curt nod, acknowledging the favor. Working alone down here in the dark had little appeal to him.

"I'll stick with them as well. With the Alliance having some divine assistance, I should stay with them to provide some supernatural aid to counter that," the female Hell-On-Earth decided to volunteer to help out too. The rest of the Regents retired above ground leaving their three strongest A-Class metahumans alone to create their own entente within the nascent organization.

[***]

As it turned out the group was far too heavy on the feminine side, so part of the celebration turned into the ladies of the alliance dancing for their divine supporters. For Lady Dynamic it was the realization she was not only working out the kinks in her body which had been nearly dead for a week, she had never been as agile as any of the other, currently present, teammates.

Even trying to mimic Anput's traditional moves only showed the gulf which existed between the natural dexterity of Dakota, the fluid grace of Conrad and herself. At least she had more stamina than Dakota and Alisha. That had to count for something. Then, to add to the misery as both Alisha and Dakota needed a break, the goddesses got into the game ... how bloody unfair.

Not only did they know ALL the traditional dance moves, they were quick studies of Conrad and his more modern dance techniques. She did note him distracting the goddesses somewhat while pretending to do some hands-on training so that Lady Dynamic could also study them at a distance and join in the fun once 'class' was over.

As it was, she was concentrating so much on her moves she nearly ran over the God Set who had approached her to be his dance partner ~ a totally new concept for him.

"Oh, I apologize," she blurted out then lowered her gaze ... then knelt before him.

"This dance of our people is rather complex and intricate," Set allowed. "Let us continue." How could Dynamic say 'no' to that 'request'?

To be fair, she initially thought the 'evil' Set was out to embarrass her, but he quickly toned down his natural advantages all the while carrying on a healthy banter with her. He actually seemed ... nice, congenial, and even considerate of her 'mortal' status.

"I always am the first to deal with outsiders," he related, "so after all I've seen in the past six thousand years learning to dance properly is child's play."

She stumbled over her words.

"Ha," he laughed into the jumbled up sentences, "I started out long ago as divine bodyguard to the King -- before they could properly be called pharaohs. After much success as his protector while the rest slept, he gave me the Western (Red) Deserts and the people who dwelt there -- people like the Medjay."

"Wow ... it boggles my mind to think of how almost correct the movie ~ 'The Mummy' got that ... initially."

"Movie ... I would like to watch that sometime."

"They have the Medjay as guardians of the Pharaoh," she explained. "When he is murdered, they hunt down and punish the evil priest who did it, along with the other priests who helped him escape judgement in Thebes."

"Something like that actually happened once. Normally, the wives of the Pharaoh took up a unified front with their spouses. Court politics could be quite brutal."

"I like that movie a lot. In fact I have the DVD of it. Brendon Frasier is a wonderful talent," she added. Then it occurred to her that because of their conversation, she had forgotten all about how good the dance was and she hadn't compared herself to anyone else in some time.

"Brendon Frasier ... that name rings a bell ...," Set mused aloud.

"We can make a date night out of it," sort of stumbled out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

"Date Night?" he looked her over skeptically.

"I mean like a 'buddies' Date Night. You bring some friends and I'll bring some. I will be fun."

"I don't have any friends," he confessed in an even tone.

"Oh ... come to think of it, outside the Tri-City Alliance, I don't have any friends either." She thought about Dr. Life and Princess Bloodstone and their dates she had spied on ... for his safety of course. "How about we give it three weeks and then if you still want to come over, I'll heat up the Popcorn and purchase our favorite candies?"

"Very well," he nodded -- the fearsome deity Set agreeing to watch the Mummy at her place ... wow! May be she could also rent the original Mummy with Boris Karloff and see how he liked that too. Afterwards, depending on how things were going, they could dial up some other movies 'On Demand' and take it from there. Suddenly, she had plans of a pseudo-romantic nature ... and she was excited about it!

{END OF CHAPTER 3}

Postscript:

I have Chapter 4 of this tale already finished and Chapter 5 is about halfway done. I set it down so I could finish Chapters 12, 13 and 14 of One in Ten [I should conclude that story as of Chapter 15], but will return to 'Momentary ...' soon. I am also writing a concurrent story with this one called 'Children of the Vortex' which is written as far as Chapter 4 as well. Honestly, I sometimes feel like I'm trying to kill my poor Editor with the amount I've pumped out recently. Oh, and Chapter 49 of 'Life as a New Hire' is with him and Chapter 50 is in the queue to be finished by the end of the month ~ June/2025 [currently it is June 6th]. I am more optimistic than I have been in years and really, really want to conclude so many of the stories which have been left in limbo for far too long. As always, please wish me luck -- along with letting me know what stories you want to see finished first. Take care.

James aka FinalStand