The Protectors

“Revenge Against a Renegade” by Martin Maenza

Rita Mason closed her jacket about her as she sat on the top hull of the cold metal space ship.  She watched the skyline, waiting for her teammates to return.  But her thoughts were not on the bobbing motion of the grounded vehicle as the Atlantic Ocean gently moved it about.  They were more focused with what was going on down below deck.

Scott looked really upset, she thought to herself, and rightly so.  Clearly this Omni-Lord who was piloting this ship means quite a bit to him.  Still, I wonder who was in the other ship, and what were they doing here on Earth to begin with?

Her thoughts were interrupted when some specks appeared on the horizon and grew larger as they approached.  Soon she could see that it was Rainbow returning, and behind her flew the Mystifier with Amazon also in tow.  Rita stood up to greet them as they landed.

“We’re back!” Rainbow announced.

“I see,” Rita replied.  “You made good time.”

“Hydro Girl, what is going on?” Mystifier asked. 

“Yeah,” Amazon added. “Where is goldilocks?”

“Here,” a voice called.  The blonde young man with a green mask appeared from an opening in the hull and climbed out.

“Larynx,” Rita said as she rushed to him.  She could see his face had a hard, stern look to it.  But beneath his mask she could see the redness in his puffy eyes. He’s been crying.  “How is Zepar?”

“He’s dead,” Larynx said solemnly.

“Who’s Zepar?” Amazon asked.

“He was a member of an alien race known as the Omni-Lords,” Larynx began to explain.  “About six years ago, when I was seventeen, I was driving upstate in the mountains.  I saw some strange light in the sky and decided to investigate it.

“What I found was a ship, very similar in design and structure to the one we are standing on.  I was amazed to actually see an unidentified flying object that had landed.  As I looked about the vehicle, I sensed I wasn’t alone.

“Turning around, I was face to face with this tall, thin humanoid figure.  He had yellow skin with some darker shaded markings.  His eyes were also quite a bit larger than Earth humans.  I have to admit, I was a bit startled.

“But he raised his hands in a peaceful gesture, showing me he was unarmed and not about to attack me.  When he spoke to me, it was in a soothing, gentle tone.  And it was in English too.   He told me his name was Zepar, and that his race came to many worlds across the galaxy in order to study the inhabitants.  He had learned our tongue from broadcasts picked up through space.”

“Talk about a close encounter.  So, you got probed by an alien?” Amazon asked.

“Not quite,” Larynx said, “or at least not how you’d think based on old B-grade sci-fi films.  He took me into his ship, showed me various pieces of equipment, and then asked me to sit down.  He then placed a number of electrodes about my head and arms and legs.  Using a small device, he scanned my body in order to get an understanding of the human biological structure.  While he did all this, he asked me questions about my life and such.”

“Sounds very clinical and organized,” Mystifier said.

“It was,” Larynx said.  “But all of this exchange of information was soon interrupted by the sound of gunshots bouncing off the outside hull of the ship.”

“Gunshots?” Rita asked.

“Yeah, some local must’ve seen Zepar’s ship come down like I did.  He got his gun from his truck and started shooting.  Zepar wanted to see what the commotion was about, but I told him to let me go first.  I figured I wouldn’t startle the guy.  I figured wrong.

“As soon as I poked my head out of the hatch, the darn fool fired.  A bullet pierced my throat.  If he’d been a better aim, he would have put it through my skull.  I fell from the hatch to the ground, my hands clutched to my neck to try and stop the bleeding.  It was enough to distract the guy long enough to lower his weapon.

“That also gave Zepar enough time to see what had happened.  Using some device of his own, he was able to subdue the man – sort of put him in a brief suspended state.  By the same token, it must have fogged the guy’s memories of the events.  Later on, he didn’t recall anything that had happened.  Good thing too or else the government probably would have gotten wind of the visitation.

“Meanwhile, Zepar picked me up, brought me inside the ship and tended to the injury.  He saved my life, and his repairs did something special to my throat muscles.  After that encounter, I later found I could create strong sonic emissions with them.  It is how I got my abilities that made me a super-hero.”

“Sounds like he was a very giving and compassionate person,” Mystifier said.

“He was,” Larynx said, “and he certainly didn’t deserve to be killed by some renegade, which is exactly what happened here tonight!”

“Is that who was in the other ship we saw?” Rainbow asked.  “A renegade?”

“Yes, it was another Omni-Lord, a renegade named Bolstrom.  He’s the reason Zepar is dead, and I mean to avenge that death by not allowing him to escape!”

“Where is the other ship?” Amazon asked.

“Somewhere down there,” Larynx replied, pointing to the ocean depths beneath them.  “And with this,” he produced as small device that was making slight blip sounds, “we can track the other ship.  We find it, we find Bolstrom!”

“I can make a mystical sphere that should protect us from the pressures of the deep sea depths,” Mystifier suggested.

“I was counting on that,” Larynx said.  “But first, we have to do something to insure Zepar’s ship doesn’t go anywhere.  He deserves a proper burial, but I don’t have time for that right now.”  He turned to Rita.  “Hydro Girl, think you can put the whole ship on ice, enough to keep it afloat and unnoticed until we get back?”

The red-head nodded.  “I can do that.”

“Good!” Larynx said.  “Then let’s get to work!”

***

Within a half hour, the sphere plunged deeper and deeper into the ocean.  The mystical energy not only kept the water and other sea creatures out, but it also provided a breathable atmosphere for the five heroes inside of it and a slight glow so they could see where they were going in the darkness.

The device in Larynx’s hands continued to give a louder and more solid blipping sound.  “To your left, about thirty five degrees,” he told Mystifier.  “The ship went down in that direction.”

“Got it,” the sorcerer nodded.  With his mere thoughts, the sphere altered its course.

Hydro Girl put her arm about Larynx’s shoulder and whispered softly in his ear.  “Scott, are you holding up okay?”

“I’m fine!” he said firmly.  “I’ve got to focus on this.  We can’t let Bolstrom slip out between our fingers!”

At his harsh tone, she removed her hand.  “Okay,” she said.  “Just know I’m here if you need me.”  She turned away suddenly, a frown on her face.

Larynx saw her response and softened a bit.  He moved over to her, put his arm about here and whispered, “Rita, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“I’m just really driven by this right now,” he said, “got a lot on my mind.  My emotions are racing, you know.”

“I know,” she said.  She turned to face him.  “Just keep a level head when we find this guy, okay?  I can tell Zepar meant a lot to you.  But you don’t have to stoop to Bolstrom’s level.”

“I’ll try.”  Their faces were inches apart.  They both kind of held there for a moment, unsure of their next actions and bound by the awkwardness of it all.

“By the Great Kahsan!” Mystifier exclaimed.

“Holy…” Rainbow gasped.  “That’s huge!”

“Guys!” Amazon called to the pair, “Get over here and check this out!”

Larynx and Hydro Girl joined the others and took in what the three had seen outside the front side of the sphere.

As they neared a slope in the ocean floor, they saw a gigantic structure of gleaming metal built into the Earth.  The alien craft which they had been pursuing had settled down near the structure and looked tiny in comparison.  The walls were smooth and solid.  There were only a few indications of anything that might resemble windows along the exposed side; the majority of the structure was hidden by soil and vegetation.

“I’d never have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes,” Hyrdo Girl said.

“I’m seeing it and I still don’t believe it,” Rainbow said.  “What’s this doing down here on the ocean floor?”

“No idea,” Larynx said.  “Though I am betting Bolstrom might be able to answer that!”

“This is your mission,” Mystifier said.  “What’s our next step?”

“Bring the sphere up to the ship first,” Larynx said.  “We’ll look there first for Bolstrom.”

The sorcerer did as the sonic hero indicated.  As they skimmed along the edge of the ship, they could see the damage caused when the two collided earlier above in the sky.  “Not enough to cause him to sink,” Larynx concluded.  Then under his breath he muttered, “not like he doesn’t deserve it…!” 

As the sphere moved towards the bow, they saw an open hatch.  “Looks like someone went for a swim,” Amazon remarked.

“More like scavenging,” Larynx said.  He scanned the sides of the giant structure nearby.  “There!” He pointed.  In one of the walls was a slight indentation.  “That has to be some kind of entrance - probably an airlock of sorts.  Let’s investigate!”

Indeed, Larynx’s supposition was a correct one.  They were able to bring the sphere directly to indentation, seal the opening, and then activate the airlock through a small control pad.  Within a few moments, the five heroes were safe and dry inside.  They stood at the end of a long metal corridor.  The darkness was only dispelled by a magical orb that floated before them, a creation by Mystifier’s sorcery.

“This place is huge,” Amazon said, “Death Star huge!  Too bad we don’t have Ricochet with us.  He could check the whole place out in no time flat.”

“We’ll do fine without the kid!” Larynx said as he quickened the pace.  The others had to keep up with him so that he wouldn’t move too far beyond the light’s radius.

“Hold it a second,” Hydro Girl said as she bent down.

“What is it?” Mystifier asked.

“Water,” she replied.  “Faint traces but they’re there.”

Rainbow bent down.  She brushed her glove against the floor and felt the moisture after a second.  “Wow!  You actually saw that?”

“Sensed it mostly,” Hydro Girl replied.  “When your powers benefit from moisture around you, you tend to get really in tune with it.”

Amazon glanced up.  The wide hallway had great walls that extended up and into the darkness.  The ceiling was beyond their limited vision.  “I just hope this place is solid,” she said.  “Otherwise we’ll have more water on us than you’ll know what do with.”

“This structure, whatever its origins, appears to be very sound,” Mystifier remarked.  “It does, however, appear to be abandoned.”

“I sure hope it is,” Rainbow said.  She couldn’t fathom who would be able to build something so immense this far down in the ocean.  Whoever it was clearly had to be someone of great power and resources.

“Enough sight-seeing!” Larynx snapped impatiently.  “HG, which way?”

“This way,” the red-head replied as she pointed to the right.  She took the lead and the others followed.

Well ahead, a light source was extinguished and reattached to a place on a belt.   Voices!  Someone has followed me all the way down here! 

The figure in the darkness reached for the weapon slung to his back by a strap and moved it around so he could find the firing mechanism.  No matter!  Whoever they are, they will not deter me from unlocking the secrets of this place.  If the rumors are indeed true, this base holds a key to a great power!  And it is mine for the taking!  The interfering Zepar could not deter me, and neither will these others!

When the five Protectors rounded another corner, they heard a click sound followed by a low hum.  In the darkness, there was a faint greenish glow from a weapon’s power battery.

With a slight gesture of his finger, Mystifier silently willed the light sphere to rise higher, increasing their field of vision.  This enabled the group to see where the sound had come from.

“That’s as far you go, Earthlings!” a yellow-skinned alien dressed in blue said.  In his hands was a powerful looking laser rifle. 

“Bolstrom!” Larynx exclaimed.

“So, you know who I am and, yet, you were foolish enough to follow me,” the man with the weapon said.  “That shall be the death of you!”  He squeezed the trigger, sending a surge of energy down the hall.

“Everyone, down!” Larynx ordered.  The four heroes hit the floor, and the blast struck the walls behind them.  The metal was pierced, and circuitry in the walls began to spark and pop.

Larynx flew forward, thanks to his sonic powers, and charged the alien like an enraged bull would a matador holding a red cape.

Bolstrom fired again, but the shot was off the mark and hardly singed the shoulder portion of his target’s leather jacket.

Larynx lunged for the alien.  “You’ve killed enough people today, traitor!  If anyone is going to the grave, it’ll be you!”

The alien let the weapon drop, the shoulder strap keeping it to his side.  Instead, he shoved his foot forward in a martial move, catching Larynx squarely in the chest and knocking him to the floor.  “Fool!  Did you so believe that I would be an easy mark?  Unlike the rest of the pacifist Omni-Lords, I am not afraid to strike another!”  He lunged forward and grabbed Larynx about the neck.

“I know of you, little bird,” he continued as his hands closed about the Earth man’s throat, “and I know you need precious air in order to create those sonic blasts of yours!”  The alien began to smile as he squeezed harder.  “And I know you need that air to live also!  Without it, you will die!”

“Larynx needs our help,” Rainbow said.

“Perhaps this is something he needs to do on his own,” Mystifier offered.

“Nuts to that!” Amazon said as she ran forward.  “We’re a team, so we take care of our own!”

The alien saw the blonde powerhouse approach.  He rose to his feet, yanking Larynx up by the neck.  The blonde young man fought the alien’s grasp to try to be released.  However, he was having an increasingly hard time concentrating as the oxygen levels in his brain slowly dropped.

When Amazon got within striking distance, Bolstrom swung his foot out to strike her as he had done so with Larynx.

She surprised him when she took the blow head on but did not slow.  “You gotta do better than that, buddy!” Amazon said as she grabbed his leg with both her hands.  Planting her feet firmly, she yanked on the alien’s leg, pulling him off his balance.  To try to right himself, he released Larynx who proceeded to fall to the floor gasping for breath.

Amazon, meanwhile, swung the alien about her and slammed his body into a nearby wall.  “See, we Earth-types aren’t as fragile as you might think.”

Despite the pain, Bolstrom was trying to rise.

Rainbow stepped forward confidently.  “And women are not the weaker sex either,” she added.  She thrust out her gloved hands.  “Lucky for you, you get to be the first to experience my new powers.”  She let fire a burst of energy which hit the alien squarely and sent him flying twenty feet down the hall.  “Oops.  I didn’t realize my blasts are that strong.”

“Relax, I’ve got him,” Hydro Girl replied as she chased after their quarry.  She thrust out her hands and felt the moisture in the air come to her.  Then, a blast of ice shot forth and created a frozen holding block about Bolstrom.  “I think this guy needs to chill out a bit anyway!”  She turned to her fallen teammate.  “Larynx, are you okay?”

The blonde young man in the green mask rose to his feet, rubbing his aching neck.  He glared at Bolstrom who was currently subdued.  He took in a deep breath of air, felt it rush through his throat and then he concentrated.

A sonic cry echoed down the metal hallway as Larynx shot a blast at the iced in renegade.  The ice shattered but the blast kept on.  It slammed into the alien, knocking him back hard into a wall and pinning him there.

The others had covered their ears to try and block out the sound.  Hydro Girl stepped to the side of Larynx and shouted, “Scott!  Stop!”

Larynx glanced at her with the corner of her eye and saw the look on her face. 

She seemed very concerned for him.  “Stop, please!”

That touched him and he relaxed.  The sonic assault ended suddenly.  Bolstrom dropped to the floor unconscious.

“Man!” Amazon exclaimed.  “My ears will be ringing for the rest of the night.  You could have warned us, blondie.”

Larynx turned to Hydro Girl.  “Sorry about that,” he said.  She said nothing.  She just smiled back.

The blonde hero turned to Mystifier.  “Think you can bind him properly until I can turn him over to the proper authorities?”

“I would be happy too,” the sorcerer said.  Using his magic, he created some mystical chains to bind the alien.  Then, Amazon picked up the captive and carried him over her shoulder back to the airlock.

The others followed, the darkness filling in behind them as they and their light source departed.  Soon, another mystical energy sphere was returning them back to the surface.  Larynx had plenty on his mind regarding turning over Bolstrom to those best equipped to handle him as well as what to do with Zepar’s body and ship.

Epilogue

The large structure at the bottom of the Atlantic sat quietly again for about an hour.  Then, a low hum filled the air as systems long since put into standby mode sprang back to life.

In a room quite close to where the battle had taken place earlier, auxiliary lights engaged and a series of machines began to interact. Then a whirring sound heralded the opening of a cryogenic tube, which added to the announcement with its own hiss as the cold air inside met with the warm air of the rest of the complex.  Through the steam cloud that resulted, a large figure stepped from the tube.

The six and a half foot tall being appeared to have skin made of stone, though it was much more than that.  His muscles stretched and ached from the confinement.  He took a moment to adjust to the climate, to the lighting.  But his mind was already racing.

“What has disturbed my slumber?  I must know too how much time has passed!”

He walked over to a nearby console and depressed a series of keys with ease, surprisingly given the immenseness of his fingers.  His red eyes, depressed in dark sockets of his skull, watched as text scrolled on the screen at a quick rate.  The language was in an alien tongue that he knew well enough.

“By the terran measurements, it has been only eleven of their sun cycles since I went into my slumbering – not nearly as long as I had planned to lay dormant, waiting for my enemies to become old and feeble.” 

He switched over to a replay of earlier events, seeing who had been in his sanctuary and why.   “The costumed ones I do not recognize, but the Omni-Lord race is known to me.  They never were a threat by any means, and their information resources had proved quite useful before.  I may need to tap into that network again.”

 “Still, before I make any rash decisions on what to do next, I need to consider all factors involved.”  He switched the console back to text information mode and continued to review the data, which fed him at an alarming rate details of not only this world but of other contingencies he had left in place. 

“Perhaps it is time for that I should enact my revenge!  Perhaps it is time to crush those enemies who brought about the destruction of my race and to enslave their world as punishment for their sins!” 

The sole surviving Destroyer shook his fist in the air.  “Perhaps it is time that I destroy the Justice Gang myself, once and for all!”

(to be continued)