“Ooooh,” the youngest of the group, dressed in a long sleeve tan shirt and jeans gasped.  “Can I be that dragon?  Can I, Tommy, can I?”

“No, Matt, you can’t be a dragon,” Tommy Johnson replied as he unpacked more items from his book bag.  “We’ll work up a character for you in a minute.”  He glanced over at the other two.  “So, is this everyone?”

“Yes,” the last of the males replied.  He was dressed in a black turtleneck sweater and matching pants.  “The couples both had plans for this evening.  I believe Scott and Rita said they were going to hear some live jazz.  Jerry and Crystal were going to have a quiet dinner and then catch a movie.”

“Sounds nice,” the young woman with long brown hair that draped down along the shoulder pads of her dark green dress sighed softly.

“Did you say something, Amanda?” the older male asked.

“Nothing, Alan,” Amanda Kelly replied wistfully.  “Nothing at all.”

“I had a message from Diana on her machine earlier when I was checking her apartment,” Tommy said.  “She’s flying in tonight.  Not sure what time she gets in though.”

“Good,” Alan Haygner said.  “Then you won’t have to continue running back and forth between there and here.  Not that it takes you long to do it.” 

“Not me,” Tommy smiled.  “I’m the fastest apartment-sitter in all of Manhattan.”  He picked up a few sheets of paper and started to hand them out.  “Okay then – let’s get this Saturday night AD&D session started.  We’ll start by rolling Matthew up a character.”

***

The young brunette woman with the short black hair smiled as she slipped the items into the thin folder and handed it across the counter.  “There you go, Miss Kane,” she said pleasantly.  “Your boarding passes are all set for your flight back to New York.”

The blonde woman took the item and said, “Thank you.  How long until the flight takes off?”

“We should begin boarding in a half hour or so,” the American Airways agent said.  “You can relax in the waiting area until we make an announcement.”

“Thanks,” Diana Kane replied.  She put the folder into her purse and began to walk away from the counter.  She glanced about the terminal area.  I guess I’ll use the bathroom while I have time.  She started to walk back towards the hall of the concourse.

A large figure of a woman glanced from behind her newspaper and watched the young blonde woman go.  That is her!  I’d know that face anywhere!   She waited and watched as the young woman in her twenties pushed the door and entered the restroom.

Then the larger woman tapped the edge of her earring twice and spoke in a low but firm voice.  “Change of plans!  See that blonde woman that just headed towards the bathroom?  That’s our new target!  I’ll meet you there!”  She rose from her seat and began to follow the same path as her quarry.

Two figures dressed in brown airport security uniforms started to move at the command.  The male with black hair, however, was moving his mouth faster than his feet.  “What’s going on?  I thought our target was the senator!”

The female with striking facial features and long blonde hair tied into a tight ponytail glared at him.  “Harry, be quiet and do as you’re told!  She knows what she is doing.  She runs the show.”

“Hmmph,” the man grumbled.  He knew there was no arguing with that last fact.

They saw the large framed woman disappear behind the restroom door.  Soon, they too were there and proceeded to follow. 

The man hesitated.  “The ladies room?  Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” he protested.

“Shut up and come on!” the woman said as she disappeared into the bathroom. 

He hesitated a moment more and then followed.  “Well, this is a first,” he muttered softly.

There was a flushing sound and then Diana Kane exited the stall at the far end of the room.  “Oh,” she said surprised as she noticed the two in the security uniforms.  Then she realized there was a figure to her left side.  She glanced over and recognized the grin and the strong chin of a large woman in a long coat and big brimmed hat.  Madame Mammoth! she thought to herself as panic rushed over her.

The large woman grabbed Diana’s arm and spun her about.  The young woman’s purse fell to the floor.  “You’re not escaping that easily!  Pyro, the door!”

“Right!” the dark haired man nodded.  Flame leapt instantly from his finger tips as he used the intense heat to melt the door’s locking mechanism into place.

“Let me go!” Diana screamed.  “What do you want with me?  Hel…!”

Madame Mammoth clamped a firm hand over her mouth to cut off her screams.  “No way are you calling for help!  And don’t try to pretend who you are - I’d know the Amazon anywhere!  Greek, stun her!”

The other woman nodded and raised her hands.  A blast of golden energy shot from them and slammed into Diana.  The young woman slumped into her enemy’s arms.  “Are you sure you have the right person?  She didn’t put up much of a fight.”

“This is her all right!” Madame Mammoth said.  “I’d know this face anywhere!”

“So, what do we do with her?” Prince Pyro asked.

Mammoth reached into her coat and produced a small device.  “Greek, open us an escape portal!”  She tossed the device to the woman.

The Golden Greek nodded and activated the device.  A small rectangular portal of energy opened at the far end of the room and grew to be the size of a doorway.  “I have to hand it to Geometric-Man,” she said.  “He may have been a lousy fighter, but his devices are genius.”

“Let’s go!” Mammoth ordered as she carried the unconscious body of Diana Kane to the portal and vanished.  The other two followed her, and then the portal closed behind them.

***

Tommy Johnson took his seat at the head of the table.  In fact, he sat with one leg underneath himself so that he could peer over the screen at the others.  “Okay, why not introduce your characters to one another?” he suggested.

“I am Tayla,” Amanda said, “a third level Elven sorceress.  I have long flowing blonde hair and dress is white robes.  Like this.”  She concentrated and her appearance changed to that of the character she just described.

“Neat!” Matthew exclaimed.

Tommy shook his head.  “No using powers during the game, even if they enhance the playing experience.”

‘Tayla’ frowned.  “Spoil sport.”  Her appearance faded back to Amanda’s normal self.

“And I am Kevlin,” Alan said, “a fourth level human ranger with a longbow and quiver of mystical arrows.  My aim is ever true.”  He puffed out his chest slightly, trying to get into character.

Amanda stifled a giggle.

“And I am…uh…” Matthew floundered a bit.  “What was the name again?”

“Sir Smash,” Tommy said.  “Kevlin, can you put it on his paper so he remembers?” 

Alan nodded, took a pencil and scrawled the words atop the boy’s sheet.

“Sir Smash,” Matthew said.  “Right. And I am a fighter.”  He frowned slightly.  “But I don’t have any magic weapons.  Why don’t I have any magic weapons?”

“You have to earn them as we adventure,” Alan pointed out.  “They are like rewards for facing enemies and completing tasks.”

“Oh,” Matthew said.  “And what character are you, Tommy?”

The teen answered, “I’m called the Dungeon Master.  I get to play all the other characters you encounter along the way.  Plus I narrate the story to tell you all where you are and what is around you.”

“Oh,” Matthew said again.

“You’ll get the hang of it as we go along,” Amanda said.  “We’ll help you out so you know what to do and when.”

“Okay,” Tommy said as he leaned forward on the table edge.  “Let’s start.  Your party of three adventurers has been journeying across a grassy field when you spy something on the horizon.  As you get closer, you can make out a small white gazebo next to a crystal blue water lake.”

“I pull out my sword and attack it!” Matthew says confidently.

“Attack it?” Amanda asks.

“Attack what?” Alan asks.

“The thing!” Matthew replies.  “What Tommy said…”

“The lake?” Tommy asks.

“No, no, the other thing!  The small thing…the white gaz…!”  The young boy struggled with the word.

“The gazebo?” Tommy asked in disbelief.

“Yes!  Yes!  That!  I attack it!”

Amanda couldn’t contain her giggle.  Alan smiled a bit too but held his amusement in.

Tommy smiled too.  “Uh, Sir Smash, do you know what a gazebo is?”

“Uh…” Matthew paused.  “Well…no.”

“A gazebo is a small wooden building, a sort of a shelter that is open on a number of sides,” Alan said matter-of-factly.

“Oh,” Matthew said.  His face flushed in embarrassment as he shrank back in his seat.

“Honest mistake,” Tommy said. 

“Is there any way we can cross the lake?” Amanda asked, trying to move on before the child began to feel even worse about his error.  “Perhaps a boat moored on a dock nearby?”

“You look about in all directions,” Tommy said.  “There does not appear to be a dock in front of you.  The lake stretches out from East to West, hugging the shoreline.  You can look across its surface and make out the shoreline on the far side.  Everyone roll percentile dice.”

Amanda picked up two ten-sided die before her and tossed them to the table.  “Seventy-eight.”

Alan did the same with ones by him.  “Nineteen”.  He then passes them to Matthew and had the boy roll them.

“Uh, four three,” the lad said.

The young man running the game checked a piece of paper before him.  “Tayla, as you look around, your eye catches the glint of light off of something on the far shore.  As you concentrate on it…”  Tommy paused as his advanced-perception caught a glimpse of a point of light behind Matthew’s chair.  In what seems like minutes to him but merely seconds to anyone else, the light point grew very large.

He glanced back at the group.  “Okay, you two,” he said focusing on Alan and Amanda.  “I thought we agreed on no powers…”

A number of dark appendages burst through the light hole and grabbed at Matthew and his chair.  Before anyone could react, the boy was pulled through the light source.

“Matthew!” Amanda screamed.

“I’ve got him!” Tommy exclaimed as he bolted from his seat.

“Tommy, hold!” Alan shouted as he stood upright.  “I sense that is a mystical portal, and it is closing!”  He did a quick incantation and gestured to the light.  It surged and held, no longer shrinking shut.  “There!  I’ve slowed it but not for long!”

“We’ve got to retrieve the kid!” Tommy insisted.  As he did so, he shed the clothes he wore over his costume, revealing the blue, white and red colors of Ricochet.

“Agreed!” Alan said with another gesture.  His clothes immediately changed to his traditional blue robes.  And a red cape flew across the room and attached itself about his neck and shoulders.  “But we must take care.”

“I don’t have my costume handy,” Amanda said, “but this should do.”  With a mere thought, she refracted the light about her, making her dress appear to be the white costume with colorful trim that she wore as Rainbow.  “Let’s go!”

Together, the three adventurers plunged into the magical portal, concerned only about where their young friend had been taken.  “They shouldn’t have got …” Ricochet said as they vanished from the mansion in mid-syllable.

***

The trio of heroes suddenly appeared on the edge of a forest.  Above them, the full moonlight shown down and illuminated the landscape around them.  “…ten too far,” Ricochet finished his sentence.

“They haven’t,” Mystifier announced.  “Look!” He pointed to a skirmish happening not more than three hundred feet away in an open field.

A very familiar dragon had thrust out his powerful wings, hoping to dislodge the half a dozen or so small but strong man-like creatures that had piled atop of him.  Their attempt to subdue him, however, was failing.  “Off!” the beast roared.

“Too late!  Too late!” one of the attackers cried.

“He’s a shape-shifter!  We weren’t told that!” another exclaimed.

“Run away!  Run away!” another said as he scampered across the ground, got to his feet and darted for the brush.

“No!” another shouted, clearly the leader of the group.  “We’ve been charged with this mission!  We cannot fail!  The risk is too great!”

“We’ll take that chance!” some cried as they too ran off.

The dragon shook like a dog after a bath, throwing those few that remained off of him and to the ground.  “Why did you attack me?” the creature roared at them.

“We’d like to know that answer too!” a stern female voice said from behind the attackers.  The remaining two turned up to see Rainbow floating in the air, a glow of fiery orange energy surrounding her.  Her arms were crossed and her expression was stern.  Next to her hovered the Mystifier, his magical cape blowing gently in the evening breeze behind him.

“The dragon has allies!  Run!” the two started to scurry away.

Suddenly, Ricochet was standing in their path.  “Going somewhere, fellas?”

“Aaaaaah!  A spirit!”  The two attackers tried to run in another direction but soon found it too was blocked by the fast moving teen.

“We want some answers,” Ricochet said.  “So the faster you talk, the faster you’ll be able to go to wherever you were off to.”

The two man-like creatures dropped to the ground and covered their heads.  “Please!  Have mercy!” they cried.

Mystifier landed.  “We’re not here to hurt you,” he said.  “We only wish to know how it was that you invaded my home and why you attempted to kidnap our friend.”

The two attackers cowered further on the ground.  “Please don’t feed us to your pet!  We beg you.”

Mystifier glanced over at the dragon that was still snuffing and snorting.  “Matthew, could you…?”

“Oh, right,” the creature said.  There was a brief blur in the air as the massive winged monster shrunk down and took the human form again of Matthew Bradley.  “Better?”

“Much,” Mystifier said and he turned back to those two on the ground.  “Look, the dragon is gone.  Now, please, tell us why you did what you did.”

The two looked up and saw just the foursome of humans standing before them.  “He controls the shape-shifter,” one of them whispered to the others.  “He must be as powerful as…”

“Hush!” the leader scolded loudly.  “You dare not speak the name…!”

The four heroes looked at one another.  “What name?” Ricochet asked.

“Rog…” the first one started to say but was silenced by a hand across his mouth.

“I said hush!  You’ll bring death to us surely!” the leader said.  “Best for us to say nothing - even if they torture us.”

“Torture you?” Mystifier asked.

The other fought and pushed the hand away.  “We’re as good as dead anyway for failing him!  We were charged to bring that youngling to him and we have failed.  He will have our heads!”

“Who will have your heads?” Rainbow asked.

“We cannot…!” the leader started to say.

“Rognor Tandrell!” the other blurted out.  He scurried to the heroes upon his knees.  “Please, please, protect us!  You are mighty!  I can see it in your stance!  We did not mean to attack you, but we had no choice!”

“He’s genuinely scared,” Rainbow said.  “I can see it in his eyes.”

Suddenly, the open field was covered in shadow and the sound of thunder rumbled in the distance, growing louder by the second.  All looked up to see dark heavy clouds rolling in to block the fullness of the moon.

“See what you’ve done!” the man-like creature who led the others exclaimed.  He reached down and jerked his comrade up to his feet.  “You have doomed us!”

“Uh, guys,” Ricochet said, “why do I have a feeling things are about to get really ugly?”

***

Meanwhile, back on Earth in a giant base of operations hidden beneath the mountains, a group of men oversaw the activities from a control room above the main operations floor.  “Gentleman, all of our hard work has come together to this very moment,” one of the scientists in a white lab coat explained.  “It is time to put our creation to the test.”

On the monitor before them, a one hundred foot tall machine, built in the likeness of a human warrior gleamed in the evening light just outside of the facility.  The behemoth then came to life and raised its right arm.  With a mechanical whirr, large metal extending panels encircled about the hand and created a circle from one side of the wrist to another.

There was a low hum emitting from the new portion of the appendage, and the sound grew louder as the giant robot pivoted to the left.  The hand-disk angled slightly, pointing to a large railroad car that had been positioned on a piece of track on the ground nearby.

Suddenly, the heavy car flew into the air and slammed into the hand-disk with a loud clang!

The scientists all cheered.

Suddenly, there was more noise as a small army tank clamored onto the scene on the display.  The turret atop the vehicle positioned itself and began to open fire upon the giant robot.

Round after round shot forth from the tank’s gun. However, the bullets merely ricocheted off of the robot’s outer shell like raindrops on a tin roof.

Again, the scientists watching the demonstration cheered.

The robot turned and took aim with its right arm.  There was a different hum, and then the railroad car that had been previously drawn upward was repelled away by an opposite magnetic force.

The train car slammed into the tank with full force and knocked the attacking vehicle backwards.  Both were left in a crunched heap of metal.

The robot then took a straight stance, arms to the side.  At its feet, engines flared to life in an orange glow.  With the sound of an aircraft engine, the whole robot lifted effortlessly into the air and flew straight up into the sky. 

Mere moments later, it descended down into the mountain complex’s open main floor ceiling.

The scientists cheered a third time as the ‘face’ of their creation starred back at them through the control room window.

“Incredible!” the Asian Dr. Fujama exclaimed.

“A truly exceptional machine!” the German Dr. Heinlin added.

“Ja.  We have done well,” the Russian Dr. Kostok agreed.

Dr. Zander smiled.  “I am glad you gentlemen enjoyed the demonstration.”  He turned and retrieved a bottle of champagne.  With a twist, he popped the cork and began to pour it into four glasses.  “I propose a toast.”  He took one glass and offered the others.

“Tomorrow marks the dawning of the age of M.I.S.T.,” Zander said, raising his glass.  “No one will stand in our way of taking whatever we desire.”

The others raised their glasses as well, cheered and drank to the future.

But not everyone in the underground complex was in a celebratory mood. A few corridors away, in a laboratory crowded with electronic equipment and large computer processing units, a brown haired scientist in his twenties feverishly poured over his notes. I just don't understand it! Ted Williams thought to himself. I have followed everything Page and Spencer outlined in their research. Why isn't it working?

The scientist flipped over a round, metalic disk like item and examined the circuitry one more time. Hmmmm. I wonder if the power isn't reaching this portion. He picked up a small pen-like device that had a cord attached to one end. Using the other end that had a thin, metal projection, he touched it to part of the disk.

A spark jumped between the two items, and then Ted Williams felt an unexpected jolt of energy course through his body. "Aaaaaaaaah!" he screamed out in pain, dropping both the stylus and disk to the floor. He stumbled backwards, his balance temporarily lost, and he felt back into a cart of equipment. Both he and the contents of the cart crashed to the floor with a loud clatter.

As the scientist groaned on the floor, the door to the lab burst open and two men in security uniforms rushed in. "What happened here?" one of them asked.

"Are you okay?" the other inquired.

"I don't...that is...", Ted said as he rubbed the side of his head. There was no abrasion from the fall, but it throbbed with pain nonetheless.

"Do you need a medic?" the first man asked, slightly irritated.

"No...no...", Ted mumbled. "I'll be fine..."

The first man nodded to the second one and motioned towards the door. The other nodded and followed. The door to the lab closed behind them.

Stupid clutz!

Glad we don't have to clean that mess up.

Ted glanced up and said, "excuse me...", but he then realized they were gone.

He blinked. I heard them, Ted thought to himself. I swear I heard them as clear as day. Or maybe its all in my head. The jolt, the fall...maybe I did hit my head or something. He rose to his feet and rubbed his temple. Maybe all this pressure that Dr. Zander is putting on me is getting to me. I need to get out of here for a bit, take a break. He rose to his feet and glanced about. But first I better clean this mess up.

***

The four members of the Protectors, meanwhile, found themselves in the center of a raging storm that came up upon them suddenly.  The two man-like creatures that had attacked Matthew were long since gone.

“We’ve got to find shelter!” Rainbow shouted over the howling wind.

“There is no shelter for you now!” a voice boomed over the wind.  As the group turned, a bolt of lightning struck with an equally powerful boom of thunder.  And there, rocketed down towards them from the sky was purple man-like figure with fiery red hair, hoofed feet and large, expansive wings.  “Your interference is punishable by death!”  The being thrust forth his hands, sending a bolt of lightning hurtling down at the heroes.  “And I am your executioner!”

“Scatter!” Ricochet said.  He grabbed Matthew and moved them both to safety at super-speed.

Mystifier and Rainbow both took to the air under their own power.  “We don’t wish to fight you,” the sorcerer explained, “but we will defend ourselves if we must.”

“Forget that!” the heroine exclaimed.  “He fired first, so we get to fire back!”  From her white gloved hands a burst of colorful energy surged and hurtled towards the attacker.  The blast exploded off of the newcomer’s chest.

Arrrrgh!  That hurt! the winged one thought as he grimaced. That female’s powers must be light-based in nature!  He forced himself to swallow any outburst of pain and then growled “Fools!  I am Rognor Tandrell, and nature is at my beckon call!”  He raised his arms and gestured about in the air.  The wind began to increase its intensity and swirl at his direction.  With a wave of his hands, he targeted the gale towards the one he deemed his biggest threat.

“Oooh,” Rainbow exclaimed as she was pushed backwards.  She tried to fight back with her own powers of flight, but instead she found herself being forced down to the ground.

Mystifier’s own magic barely kept him aloft, a magical shield before him acted as a buffer from the attack.  “I sense you wield powerful magic yourself, Tandrell,” he said over the howling wind.  “That would explain how you were able to penetrate my home in your attempt to capture our friend.”

“The boy-dragon will be mine!” Rognor announced.  “Your spells will not keep him from me!”

On the ground, Ricochet turned to Matthew.  “Stay behind these rocks,” the speedster instructed.  “If that ugly is after you, we have to keep you safe.”  He turned and saw Rainbow pinned to the ground.  “I’ve got to help the others.”

“But I can…” the boy started to protest.  His words fell on deaf ears though as Ricochet was already gone and racing to their friend’s side.

“Need a hand?” the speedster asked as he offered his red gloved hand.

“Thanks,” Rainbow said as she took the help to rise to her feet.  “He caught me off-guard with that wind attack.”

Ricochet nodded in agreement.  “It’s time we turn this game aro…”

Suddenly, they both heard the sound of Matthew as he screamed out.  When they turned, they saw that the trees nearby had suddenly come to life and were attempting to grab the youth with their long, powerful branches.

“Oh come on now!” Rainbow said.  “Attacking trees?  Even you wouldn’t use that idea, Tommy!  It’s so Wizard of Oz.”

“We better help the kid!” Ricochet said.

Suddenly, the boy’s screams were replaced with a loud roar and the crunching sound of wood.  Matthew had transformed back into his dragon form and was again battling off those who tried to capture him.  “Go away!” the dragon snarled.  “Or maybe you want a little fire!”

Flamethrower breathed in and then let forth a burst of fire from his belly.  The flames seared a number of the tree-attackers, catching a few of them afire.  The wood-demons screamed out in anguish and attempted to flee from their attacker.

Ricochet laughed at the sight.  “Good going, kid!  I guess you showed us all that you’re hot-stuff!”

“If Matthew is okay, we need to help Mystifier!” Rainbow said.  She took to the air once more, this time judging the flow of the wind and countering it.  As she swooped up and around, she prepared to blast their attacker once more.  “Let’s see if you can take what you dish out!”  She hurled a barrage of energy bursts at the winged spell caster.

“Aaaarrrrgh!”  Rognor howled, this time unable to keep his pain hidden.  “Your buzzing about is keeping me from my prize!  I shall let the storm deal with you!”  Suddenly, there was a rumbling in the clouds and lightning began to rain downward along with heavy rain.

“Sorry, buddy!” Ricochet called out from the ground.  “Rainbows come after storms and not the other way around!”  The speedster started to spin about in a tight circle with his arms fully extended, moving faster and faster with each rotation.  Soon, he had created his own funnel column of air that launched up into the sky.  As this tornado hit the atmosphere, it dispersed the clouds and pushed them away in all directions.

“Astounding!” Tandrell exclaimed.  “These guardians of the beast have powers to rival my own!”

“We’re not his guardians and he is not a beast,” Mystifier said as he struck their foe with a magical blast.  “He is our friend and friends help one another.  Now, tell us why you were trying to take him?”

Tandrell said nothing as he tried to shake off the first blast.

“We’re waiting,” Rainbow said impatiently as she too fired upon him.

“Aaargh!” he cried out.  Her powers of light are like daggers in my heart.  I need time to clear my head…to summon forth a new offense.  The winged being tried to fly off in one direction, but his path was blocked by a large figure.

“Why are you after me?” the dragon called Flamethrower questioned.  When Tandrell tried to pass him, the dragon let forth a stream of searing flame to block his path.  “Answer me!”

Still dazed from Rainbow’s attack, the purple winged being lost control and started to plummet to the ground.

“I’ve got him,” Ricochet announced.  Moving at a high speed, he created a cushion of air to catch the falling figure and slowly brought him to rest on the ground.  “There.  Safe and sound.”

Rognor Tandrell started to recover and realized the others were standing around him – watching but not further engaging him in battle.  “You…you saved me?” he asked.

“I told you before we meant you no harm,” Mystifier said.  “We just wanted to know why you would invade my home and take our friend.  We do not even know you.”

“And I know not you,” Rognor Tandrell said as he hung his head in shame.  “And here I have gone and tried to take the one you call a friend, all in hopes to avoid further conflict with an enemy of my own that I know all too well.”

“I don’t understand,” Flamethrower said.

“You tried to take the kid because someone else threatened you if you did not?” Ricochet asked.

“Yes,” Tandrell admitted.  “I was to kidnap him and hold him prisoner until my enemy came to collect him.  Even if I had to hold the dragon-boy for seasons until he could be collected, it would mean peace for my lands.  It meant we would no longer have to fear the wrath of the evil one - Zandorok.”

“Zandorok!” Rainbow and Ricochet exclaimed together.

“Mystifier, isn’t he the one…?” Flamethrower started to snort.

“Yes,” Mystifier said.  He held out his hand and placed it firmly on Tandrell’s shoulder.  “It would appear, Rognor Tandrell, that we share a common foe.  My family has battled this evil sorcerer for centuries, trying to contain the unrest and injustices he continues to wrought.  We should not be fighting one another at all.”

“So the big Z pitted us against one another on purpose!” Ricochet said.  “That manipulative coward!”

“Indeed!” Rognor Tandrell exclaimed, angry that he had been duped.  “It was foolish of me not to gather all of the facts before acting.  The enemy of my enemy is my ally.  We should be standing shoulder to shoulder, not fist to fist!”

“Now you’re talking, RT!” Ricochet said.  “Maybe we should show that bum he can’t use people and get away with it!”

“Yes!” Flamethrower added, getting caught up in the excitement.

“No,” Mystifier said calmly.  “We cannot plunge foolishly into an encounter we are not prepared for.  However, we will not let our new friend be without support.”  The sorcerer reached into the folds of his blue robes and produced a small gemstone from one of the pockets.  He performed a brief incantation over it which caused the stone to glow with a feint blue aura.  He then turned and handed it to Rognor Tandrell.  “Here.  If ever you are threatened by Zandorok, use this.  It will alert me and the Protectors will come to your aid.”

Rognor Tandrell took the offered stone, examined it briefly and then closed his fist gently over it.  “Thank you, Mystifier,” he said.  “And know this too – should you ever need my assistance, I will most gladly return the favor.”

“Thank you, Rognor,” the sorcerer said graciously.  He turned to his three comrades.  “I guess if there is nothing further that we can do here – let’s go home, Protectors.”

***

Diana Kane’s eyes fluttered open and adjusted to the dim lighting of the room.  From the smell, she gathered she was in some old musty warehouse somewhere.  She was lying on a table with her arms stretched back over her head and held fast by some manacles of some sort.  Her legs too were similarly held fast.

Then she noticed the leering look of a black haired man in a red costume and mask with a small golden crown on his head who was standing nearby.  “She’s awake!” Prince Pyro bellowed.

“Good!” the firm voice of Madame Mammoth called from across the way.  Soon, the blonde behemoth dressed in yellow and brown was looking down at the captive young woman.  “Hope you enjoyed your little nap, dear enemy,” she said to Diana, “because now you’re going to help us.”

“Like hell I will!” Diana replied.  Though her powers were gone, she wasn’t about to let on to these villains of that fact.  She started to squirm.

“I wouldn’t if I were you, dearie,” Mammoth said.  “Those restraints are wired.  If you so much as break one of them with your strength or growth powers, the others will channel so many megawatts of electricity through your body that you’ll fry yourself silly.”

“What do you want from me?”

“You’re going to help us destroy your friends – the accursed Protectors.”

“At a risk of repeating myself, ‘like hell I will’!”

“A regular spit-fire, isn’t she?” Pyro said.  “I like ‘em feisty.”

“Back off, Pyro,” Madame Mammoth ordered.  “I have another way in mind to convince her to come around to our way of thinking.”

“You might as well kill me then,” Diana said boldly, “because I will never help you get to my friends!”

“Oh, I think the doctor might help you change your mind!”

A figure in purple outfit approached from her left.  Diana turned to see the distinctive man with his white hair and dark blue skin looking back at her with eager anticipation.  “Delirium!” she exclaimed.

“That’s Dr. Delirium to you, my dear,” the horrific villain said with a smile.  He started to reach forward with his ungloved, blue-hand.

She bit her lip and started to turn her face away.  She knew what the man was capable of!

“Oh, don’t be shy, Amazon,” he said in a sinister way.  “I’d tell you this won’t hurt a bit – but I’d be lying!”

As soon as his hand touched her cheek, her brain began to scream out!  Madness, uncontrolled and intense, washed over her completely.  She opened her mouth and screamed!

The doctor just smiled.  “Music to my ears!”

(to be continued)