Fuchsia Fox: "Black Storm Rising"

[Centurion]

[Lately I've been thinking more and more about Jennifer... her background, private life, what motivates her to be a heroine. This is the story I came up with. It has peril, mild sexual content, and hopefully a couple of surprises. Plus, for you fans of "Big Trouble in Little China", three familiar faces! ]

Prologue -- Fort George Meade, Maryland

It was a dark and stormy night. A gale had blown in from Chesapeake Bay, lashing rain against the windows, making the sky rumble and flash with thunder and lightning. Corporal Walter Hill, working a sudoku puzzle at his post inside Security Warehouse Number Three, certainly didn't expect anyone on a night like this.

The bell at the door gave a loud, shrill ring. Hill got up, nervously touching his sidearm while he glanced at the ID card which someone held up to the little window. "Oh geez come in, captain!" he said, as he hastily flung open the door and let three damp figures quickly get in out of the rain. "Bad night to be out." Once they were inside, he locked the door again.

Two of the arrivals were Military Police privates in fatigues. The third was a woman officer. "Do you always state the painfully obvious, corporal?" Valerie Jakes said irritably, as she pulled off her hat and tried to shake some of the water off of her.

She was dressed in a well-tailored class B uniform; pale green blouse, dark green skirt which showed off a nice pair of stockinged legs. Her hair was jet black, pinned up in regulation style but starting to come a little unraveled. Hill automatically took in the service branch insignia on the left collar of her blouse, noting the red, white and blue enameled shield. She was with the Judge Advocate General's office!

"Just making conversation, ma'am," he said, coming to a respectful attention. "What can I do for you?"

She unzipped the leather briefcase she was carrying and took out a paper. "Item 7857640 stroke 9906 stroke 23," she said in a businesslike tone.

Corporal Hill checked the release form carefully, then unlocked the big walk-in iron cage in the center of the warehouse. Moments later, the two MP privates came out carrying between them a heavy, lead lined box two feet long and one foot deep. There was a sticker on it that said, "Hazardous!! Handle With Extreme Caution!"

"I've sometimes wondered what this thing was," the corporal said. "It's not radioactive or anything, is it?"

"I've learned one thing from my time in the Army, corporal," Capt. Jakes said. "It doesn't pay to be curious about things I'm not ordered to be curious about."

"Yes, ma'am... I mean no, ma'am."

"In this case, it's an historical relic that belongs to a tiny Mid East kingdom called Magristan. Some terrorist brought it to America some time ago, and during the legal wrangling over which country had the better claim to him, the relic itself got lost in the shuffle. Now the Magristanis are demanding it back, vociferously."

The corporal grinned. "What is it, Mohammed's toenails or something?"

The captain snapped him an irritated look. "That's not funny, corporal."

Just then there was a particularly loud crack of thunder outside. A circular section of the warehouse roof fell in, almost as if it had been cut through deliberately. Immediately three men dropped gently through the opening one at a time, not rappelling with ropes, but just drifting down as though they could fly!

They were dressed in flowing brown robes. The one in the center was bigger than the other two, the one on the right had long hair, the one on the left wore what looked like a round wickerwork hat which seemed to encircle his head like a cage. They carried short, curved swords on their belts, but none of the three had drawn them. None of them spoke. They just stood there as the rain poured through the opening and the thunder crashed above their heads.

"Hey!" Corporal Hill said, "you're not authorized to be in here!" The two privates drew their sidearms.

The intruder with the wicker hat swept his arms in a complex martial arts pattern. Tendrils of electricity seemed to pour from his arms and flicker around the two MPs, sending them into painful spasms as they flew back across the floor unconscious. Corporal Hill went for his sidearm, but the long-haired intruder jumped him before he could clear his holster. One kick disarmed him, another caught him in the stomach and made him double over, while a final swipe thrust a curved sword straight up through the corporal's ribcage and out his back! He dropped to the floor just that fast, dead.

Valerie Jakes had already fled for the door, remembering too late that the corporal had locked it behind him. The girl frantically tugged on the stubbornly immobile handle, tears in her eyes as she listened to the one-sided battle behind her. The two intruders stood regarding her in eerie silence. "No! Please," she sobbed, as they roughly grabbed her arms, ripping her green Army blouse as they carried her back.

The big one had broken the seal on the lead lined box and opened it. Valerie was forced to her knees in front of him. One of her bare shoulders was exposed where her blouse was torn, her bust rising and falling with sheer terror. "Ppplease, please don't hurt me!" she begged, watching as the man lifted out a brass crown with a single black gemstone in the center. Still without speaking a word, he brought the crown over and gently set it on her head.

There was an explosion of light. Armies were clashing, spaceships were fighting in deep space, unleashing energy beams and missiles at one another. Two beautiful women were struggling in hand to hand combat -- one brunette in a bright blue body suit, the other raven haired wearing midnight black. The woman in black was defeated, thrown down and locked in chains. Alone in the dark, the woman screamed. The images of dread and despair continued to crowd in on her, until Valerie Jakes was overwhelmed, reduced to a tiny shell whimpering in one corner of her own mind.

"I live again!" she shouted, raising her head. "Ereshkigal, the Black Storm, lives again!" She stood up, slowly stretching her sinuous body as if she had just awakened from a long, long sleep. Her arms fell gracefully to her sides, hands caressing her soft curves as though she had forgotten what they felt like. Retracing their path upwards, her fingers gently cupped the supple roundness of her two breasts. Apparently pleased with them, she ripped off her uniform blouse to completely expose her bra. "This body seems much more compatible than the last one I was forced to use. You have done well, Namtaru. I congratulate you."

The three minions bowed their heads in acknowledgment. The big one in the center raised his head as though asking a silent question.

"All in good time," the woman said. "We shall indeed return to my throne, and when we do the very heavens shall tremble. But first I will have my revenge upon the minion of Ishtar, who left me imprisoned for so long." Her eyes glinted with anticipation. "I will hunt down and destroy... the Fuchsia Fox!"

[SGWriter]

Great opening dude, like the idea for the Black Storm.

[valugi]

great beginning for the way these villains will be too much work for heroin

[Centurion]

Chapter 1 -- Augusta, Georgia

Jennifer Traylor was jogging along the Riverwalk park in a white top and a pair of tiny red shorts, her short brunette hair tied in a ponytail and bouncing along with each step. Of course it was much too late in the year for the magnolia trees to be in bloom, but the very sight of them reminded her of how much she missed them, living in Washington D.C. Cherry trees were nice, but there nothing like magnolias.

She had come back to her hometown for the wedding of her stepsister, Ashley. Jennifer had lost her mother when she was a baby, and her father had raised her alone. When she was twelve, he had married a doctor who herself had an eleven year old daughter. It hadn't been easy for Jennifer to suddenly have a younger sister, but the two of them hit it off from the start. They even turned out to have similar taste in men. Ashley had taken one look at Jennifer's boyfriend, Martin, and wondered aloud if the two of them had plans in the matrimonial department. Jennifer had blushed and quickly changed the subject.

Come to think of it, what kind of interrogation was poor Martin suffering through right now at the hands of her father and the best man? Jennifer knew she should have stayed at the house with them, but the men were finalizing plans for Rick's bachelor party and that was NOT something a girl wanted to listen in on! Anyway, she needed a run to clear her head. She felt oddly tense returning to the house she had grown up in, a feeling that was not helped by the vague nightmares she had been having the past couple of nights, full of thunder and lightning and a woman with jet black hair.

Of course, there was nothing better for relieving tension than flying, but...

She was just pausing outside the Fort Discovery Science Museum for a cool down when a flat BOOM! seemed to echo around the buildings downtown. A second later, there was another. Okay, one could be a sonic boom or, well anything really... but two? And wasn't that the sound of distant gunfire? Jennifer instinctively looked around for someplace she could change, thinking she might get the chance to fly a little after all.

***

"I'm only saying," said the older man with salt-and-pepper hair, "there's plenty of schools and museums in the Augusta area where a girl with a history degree could get work. You're in the Army, right? There's Fort Gordon, excellent off-post housing... Do you hunt, Martin? There's great hunting country around these parts..."

Martin Fletcher, sitting on the other side of the kitchen table, shook his head. "Mr. Traylor..." he began, "all right, Kenneth if you insist. It's not as if we haven't talked about it. But it's... it's more complicated than that."

"What's complicated?" Jennifer's father retorted. "You get a ring, you pop the question. That's what every girl wants, even if she says she doesn't. You're ready to settle down, aren't you?"

As Martin wrestled with the utter futility of explaining the situation, the best man (who had been introduced to him as "Skeeter") leaned over to turn up the sound on the television set the three of them had going while they talked. There seemed to be a Special Report airing.

"...Channel 12 Action News," the pretty female reporter was saying breathlessly, "live on the scene at the Richmond County Jail, where there has just been a daring daylight jailbreak! Details are sketchy, but it appears that some kind of armored car just forced its way through the gate as the van from the courthouse was unloading. As many as eight suspects may have gotten away, including convicted meth dealer Carlos Sanchez Moreno. The vehicle was heavily armed, and... wait a second, can you get a shot of that, Tony? I can hardly believe this, but it looks like a young woman FLYING!"

On the television, you could see the tall concrete tower of the prison in the background, columns of dark smoke rising from two burning cars. A lot of people were running around, but the cameraman managed to focus on a gorgeous, brightly-clad GIRL, dropping from the sky and landing at the edge of the parking lot! Slim and shapely, the brunette beauty was dressed in a clingy reddish-purple two piece costume, ankle boots and elbow length gloves. On her v-neck halter top was a chest emblem shaped like a fox head. Fletcher recognized her at once and smiled. The Fuchsia Fox! Jennifer, you just couldn't resist, could you?

***

The Fox arrived just in time to see a big vehicle pulling out of the jail yard. It was a Monster Truck, twice the length of a normal pickup truck and equipped with armor plating and a thing like a ram in front. Its tires were oversize tractor tires, nearly six feet in diameter! As she watched, a county patrol car skidded to a stop, trying to block the driveway, but the truck hardly even slowed down, climbing right over the car and flattening it into the pavement. Half a dozen criminals wearing bright orange Department of Corrections jumpsuits could be seen inside the cab, grinning and giving the finger as the vehicle pulled onto Gordon Highway, heading northeast towards the Savannah River and the state line.

The stunning superheroine touched down briefly to make sure the deputy inside the crushed patrol car wasn't dead. A couple of ambulances were already pulling up, so once she had torn open the mangled car door, it was clear that they didn't need her. A television news crew was hurrying in her direction, but the Fox was already in the air again, tearing off in pursuit of the armored truck.

The escaping criminals drove on towards the bridge at around fifty miles an hour, the Fox speeding like a rocket just behind them. With her arms extended in front of her to keep her balance, she couldn't help seeing the bracelets of Ishtar on her wrists, and the blue glowing circle on the trailing edge of each where the Rod of Anu had bonded itself to them. Tiny sparkles of light were whizzing eagerly around and around. "Use me!" they seemed to be saying. "Just a little bit, just enough to stop them! Come on, use me!"

Jennifer grimly fought down the temptation. She had already seen what happened when her disintegration beam ran out of control! Without a lot more practice, she didn't dare risk it! She was going to have to do this the old-fashioned way!

Putting on more speed, the Fox shot past the truck and landed in the middle of the Savannah River bridge. This was going to be tricky. If she braced herself on the roadbed, absorbing the truck's impact would not be too much of a problem. The trouble was the thing's oversize tires were taller than SHE was! They would probably roll straight over her! She was going to have to hover in mid air to reach the truck's body, and she had no idea if her unanchored strength alone would be enough to hold it back. Still, as the monster truck bore down on her, the spunky superheroine took a deep breath, rotating her neck muscles a little to ease the sudden tension there, and prepared to stand her ground.

[valugi]

This chapter was more introductore like I had to be in waiting to read the next

[Centurion]

Chapter 2 --

The man driving the monster truck slowed down a little. "Would you look at this crazy chick?" A girl in a skimpy spandex costume was standing in the middle of the road ahead, her long legs planted and her arms akimbo as if she thought they were going to stop for her.

"We can use a hostage," suggested his co-driver. "'Specially one that looks like THAT!" The convicts in the back of the compartment all laughed and high fived.

Carlos Moreno, the drug dealer they had just sprung from jail, considered it. Then he saw the blue lights approaching in the rear view mirror. "Nah," he decided. "Run over her. Maybe the cops will stop to pick up her pieces." The driver floored the accelerator.

The Fuchsia Fox narrowed her eyes, concentrating. She had never tried a stunt quite like this before. Her bracelets of Ishtar glowed faintly as she channeled all their power into her force shield to deflect the kinetic energy of the oncoming truck. Gracefully her trim young body rose into the air, and she thrust her hands out in front of her...

WHAMMMM!!! It felt exactly like... well, like getting hit by a truck! Her out-thrust hands caught the reinforced ram, and the bone-shaking impact seemed to ripple along her slender arms and down her spine all the way to her toes. Her short brunette hair flounced around her head like a silky a halo.

But the truck came to a dead stop in a rending shriek of metal which snapped its front axle like a twig! As steam hissed out of its terminally damaged engine block, the Fox dropped her force shield and leaped onto the roof. There she found a sunroof, ripped aside the Plexiglas, and dropped inside. Most of the criminals (not wearing seat belts, naturally) had been knocked out by the unexpected impact. The driver, sprawled on the floor, looked dazedly up at a pair of elegant silken legs towering haughtily over him, then passed out. "My, oh my," the sassy superheroine said, her hands on her hips, "look at all the crash test dummies."

A man suddenly grabbed the Fox from behind. It was Moreno, the meth dealer, and as one hand cupped the supple mound of her left breast, the other pressed an ugly automatic pistol against her neck. "Not so cocky now, eh chica?" he hissed. "I don't know what kind of trick you just pulled, but you're my ticket out of here! Come on!"

"This is not a good idea, sport," she said calmly, as he dragged her to the middle of the vehicle where the door was. Using his foot, he worked the handle and opened it. There was a little platform here, where they could see that between the Georgia sheriffs and the South Carolina state troopers, both ends of the bridge had already been blocked off.

"HEY COPS!" Moreno bellowed. "I'VE GOT A HOSTAGE!"

He brought his face right alongside the Fox's. Jennifer could smell his sweat, his bad breath, feel the roughness of his stubble on her soft cheek. As his hand fondled her breast, she could feel his organic male hardness thrusting against her butt. "You think I'll let you go 'cause you're pretty?" he smirked. "Don't even think about it! When I'm done with you, you won't be able to WALK, let alone sass me."

"You just said the wrong thing, bunky." Moving fast as lightning, the superheroine twisted out of his grasp, snatching the pistol from his hand. while the drug dealer watched, stunned, she bent the gun in half.

Moreno brought his fist up in a punch that never even got close. The Fox ducked and kicked, sending him slamming into the rear seats. She felt a wave of anger at all men like this, who made their living through violence and evil, and who hurt people just because they could. Through her disgust, she felt the blue bands of Anu on her bracelets of Ishtar, little sparks of light twinkling like fireflies. "Use me!" they seemed to be saying. "Destroy him! It's only what he deserves..."

Trembling, the spectacular superheroine slowly got a grip on herself.

***

Around the kitchen table, Fletcher, Skeeter, and Mr. Traylor had followed most of what happened, courtesy of the News Team 12 van that was following the patrol cars. They watched from a distance as the sheriff's department moved in, took the crooks into custody, and spoke to the Fuchsia Fox, presumably taking down her statement.

The news camera zoomed in for a last closeup of the sexy superheroine's face just before she flew away. "Ooooh what a BABE!" Skeeter said. "I'd love to put a crease in HER tights!"

Fletcher fought down a surge of irritation at the comment. After all, the guy didn't know he was talking about Fletcher's girlfriend. He himself had gotten so used to the image alteration properties of Jennifer's costume -- which enhanced her beauty and at the same time kept her from being recognized -- that he didn't notice anymore. Maybe it was because he was in love with her. He often said that in his eyes she was already the most beautiful woman in the world, so for him the costume couldn't make any difference.

But Mr. Traylor got up abruptly and left the room.

***

Jennifer arrived fifteen minutes later in her jogging clothes. Skeeter had already gone, and her father was in his study. Fletcher pulled her into a hug and kissed her.

"Ohhh not so tight, hon," Jennifer grimaced. "That truck really hurt."

He pointed at the television set. "Yeah we saw. What were you thinking?"

"I don't know. When I have the bracelets on, sometimes I feel like I can do anything." Cuddled in his arms, she ran her fingers across his broad chest as she glanced around, making sure they were alone. "Did you guys finish your plans?"

"Yep. It's on for tomorrow night."

Jennifer bit her lower lip, hesitating. It wasn't as if she didn't trust him, but... "Um... Are there going to be... strippers?"

"Sorry, angel," he said, his arms draped gently around her waist. "What happens at the bachelor party STAYS at the bachelor party. All you get is name, rank and serial number."

Rising up on tiptoe, Jennifer snaked her arms around his neck. "Ve haf vays of making you talk," she replied playfully, mimicking a German accent. Slowly and tenderly she kissed him on the lips, and was rewarded by the feel of his wangdoodle stirring to life in between their bodies. "Can we go up to the bedroom?" she whispered. "I need you."

[valugi]

the story is getting more and more interesting, look forward to reading the next chapter

[Centurion]

Chapter 3 --

The next day was the fitting of the bridesmaids dresses. Jennifer kept whispering, "Ishtar, give me strength!" to herself all afternoon.

In between trips to the dressing room, the other girls stayed on their cellphones all the time, Twittering. Of course the big topic was the Fuchsia Fox. All of the major television stations and the daily newspaper were running stories on her, and the video the news team had shot was being passed around over the Internet. They didn't have superheroes in Augusta Georgia, and everyone was talking about her.

"I mean, what kind of total slut wears a two piece?" one of the other bridesmaids moaned. "Exposing your belly button is so last year!"

"If I ever become a superhero," the maid of honor chimed in, "and I'm tempted to wear FUCHSIA, please shoot me right then, alright?" The girls shrieked with laughter.

"Cute ankle boots, though," said Ashley.

Jennifer had gotten so used to her alter ego being treated with respect in Washington where she was well-known, this kind of pettiness came as a rude shock at first. Those girls hadn't a clue what it was like to put her life on the line time and time again. Did they think a superheroine was some kind of fashionista, only in it for the admiration of the crowds?

When the ordeal was finally over, the girls made a date to go clubbing later. The minute she and Ashley were alone, Jennifer clutched at her stomach and begged off, pleading a mild case of cramps. "I can't let you stay home alone!" Ashley commiserated. "Martin will be at the bachelor party with Rick and Skeeter!"

"Nonsense," Jennifer said. "This is your last chance to enjoy yourself with your friends before you get hitched. I'll be with dad. Go!"

***

Around seven o'clock that evening, a thunderstorm blew into the area from the north. The channel 12 meteorologist Bob Neil was irritated because in his news segment not half an hour ago, he had predicted clear skies. This storm just seemed to come from out of nowhere. He checked with the National Weather Service, but they didn't understand it either. Sighing, he prepared a warning for broadcast over the air.

He was just on his way out of the building when three strangely-dressed men breezed into the lobby. They were wearing brown robes and short curved swords hanging from their belts. One of them had a funny wickerwork hat. What the f--? Was the university having a Renaissance Fair or something?

The receptionist had already left for the day, so Neil asked what they wanted. The big one in the middle held up a hand to Neil's chest to keep from leaving, but he didn't say a word. A moment later, a tall, raven-haired woman walked in the door. Her svelte fashion-model body was dressed like some kind of Eastern princess. She wore a black vest with no bra underneath, just a short brass chain holding it in place across her two succulent breasts. Below that, she had on a dark blue half skirt which fell nearly to her ankles in back but exposed black briefs in front. There were brass ornamental bands round her upper arms, and on her forehead a brass tiara with a big black gemstone.

Even though she was as beautiful and elegant as a queen, Neil felt a shiver run up his spine. Her face was cold... cold as the night.

"Do not be afraid," she said, not as a threat but as a command. "No one will be harmed if you do as I say."

***

Jennifer changed into jeans and a lacy white camisole, settling in for a quiet evening at home. A couple of times during dinner, her father looked as if there was something he wanted to talk about, but didn't quite know how to begin. She assumed that the topic was marriage, and so she didn't try to encourage him. He didn't know that she was the Fuchsia Fox. There was no way she could explain to him how much, alongside the responsibility of being a superheroine, the idea of having children terrified her.

"Look, dad..." she began, as they sat on the sofa watching television together. "You know that I love you. If there are things going on in my life that I can't tell you about--"

"Jenny sweetheart," he interrupted, putting his arm around her shoulders. "You don't have to explain anything. You've been your own woman ever since you were fifteen. Just be patient with your old man, okay? Remember I can't help but think of you as my little girl."

"Oh, dad..." she sighed, snuggling against him. If he only knew!

And it was right then that the little weather alert icon appeared on the television screen just above Alex Trebek's face, and words began to scroll past: "Thunderstorm warning for Richmond county until 12:00... If the Fuchsia Fox is watching this, would she please come at once to the channel 12 studios? It is URGENT!"

Both of them saw the message. Mr. Traylor said, "What the heck?"

Jennifer fumbled for some excuse. "Um... Dad, I just remembered... um..."

To her surprise, he merely sighed and moved his arm from her shoulder. "I suppose you have to go." When she just stared at him, stunned, he added, "Did you think I wouldn't recognize my own daughter? Or that I wouldn't remember that stuffed animal your mother made for you when you were a baby?"

Jennifer sat there gulping like a fish. She had chosen her name because of that toy, but she never expected her dad would remember a childhood plaything! Somehow it had never occurred to her how unique a fuchsia fox was! Her mother... the mother she couldn't even remember, must have sewn it especially for her! "Dad? You KNOW?" she finally managed to say.

"We can talk about this later," he said. "Right now you'd better get going." Jennifer ran upstairs and changed. She came back a few minutes later wearing the sexy two piece costume, ankle boots, elbow length gloves, and bracelets. The picture on the television screen really hadn't done her justice. Kenneth Traylor thought she looked like a goddess.

Outside on the veranda, Jennifer sheepishly had to refresh her memory on which way the television station was. Once her father had given her directions, she kissed him quickly on the cheek. "See you in a few," she said, and took off.

Mr. Traylor watched the sky where she had vanished. When the minutes wore on, he went to his study, opened the wall safe and took out a box. Inside was a piece of perfectly clear crystal, about the size and shape of a golf ball. He sat with it cradled in his hand as he waited.

***

The storm clouds were rolling in, making the sky prematurely dark. The three men in brown robes were waiting in the parking lot in front of the television studio. Their legs were planted firmly, their arms across their chests as though they were prepared to stand there for hours or even days if that was what it took.

The Fuchsia Fox glided silently out of the gloomy sky and landed. "All right, you've got my attention," she said. "What is it you want?"

They didn't speak. The big one in the middle remained with his arms crossed. The one on the left, with the long hair, unsheathed two curved swords and whisked them back and forth in the air in front of him. The one on the right, with the little wickerwork hat, wove his arms in a complex pattern, and little tendrils of electricity twined around his body like ivy.

Jennifer's initial assumption was that this was some kind of macho revenge thing by Carlos Moreno's gang, and she was just facing hit men in fancy suits. But as they warmed up, she somehow had the feeling that the three of them were a single being, and it was flexing its two arms. That idea, and the way they refused to speak, was unnerving. "What's the matter?" she challenged. "Cat got your tongue? Can you at least tell me--"

Grim-faced, the two men advanced, waving their respective weapons threateningly. The Fox raised her force shield and braced herself.

[valugi]

finally we have the clash between the heroine and the villains

[tallyho]

Nice work.

[Centurion]

finally we have the clash between the heroine and the villains

Yes, you're right. Looking back, I can see this story has been slow in developing. I was so caught up in Jennifer's private life, I let it drag. But I promise you it's non stop action from here on!

[Centurion]

Chapter 4 --

The guy with the wicker hat fired off a ragged discharge of electricity which the Fuchsia Fox only evaded by inches, although she still felt the flickering tendrils licking at her force shield like a living thing. The sexy superheroine could only speculate how much it would hurt if it tagged her head on, and then she slammed into the center of his chest, pulling her punch a little bit because after all she didn't want to kill him.

She needn't have bothered. The man staggered backward a pace or two, but otherwise didn't seem to feel the blow. At the same time, the Fox felt a numbing current of electricity shoot through her as soon as she touched him. Without her skin tight force shield, she probably would have been killed outright. Meanwhile the other one, his arms whirling so fast they were a blur, slashed at the shapely superlady with his two swords, barely deflected by her shield.

The Fox spun back a few feet, the air crackling as another lightning bolt sizzled past her, while the one with the swords kept pace on her other side, refusing to be drawn into the line of fire. These guys knew what they were doing. They were careful to keep the nubile young superheroine in between them, so that she had to defend in both directions at once. So much for sizing them up. The Fox suddenly shot straight upwards like a ballerina doing an entrechat, kicking out with both feet and catching both her attackers in the chest.

The men shrugged off the sassy supergirl's blows and followed, flying after her like missiles. The Fox did a forward spin in mid air and hit the man with the wicker hat again, but she was so busy avoiding the discharge of his energy bolt, she let the other one get behind her. Both swords came down in rapid succession on the back of the heroine's head. Her force shield protected her, but the double impact stunned her for a moment.

In a flash, the two men seized each of the Fox's slender arms. Still hovering twenty feet above the parking lot, Jennifer cried out in pain as they twisted, pulling in opposite directions. With the strength endowed by her bracelets of Ishtar, she could have taken either of them alone easily, but ganging up on her, they managed to hold her prisoner.

The Fox's supple body arched backwards as painful jolts of electricity shot through her like cold fire. She didn't know how he could do this without also shocking his partner, but either their costumes were insulated or he could control the energy flow and make it go only where he wanted. Her force shield kept her from being fried to a crisp on the spot, but as it was every nerve in her body screamed with agony.

"Please!" the stunning superheroine gasped, her muscles shivering from the punishment. "At least tell me WHY you want to kill me!"

Her attacker(s) remained stubbornly silent. The big one still on the ground merely smiled in satisfaction. The one with the wicker hat sent another lightning bolt coursing through her.

She couldn't take much more of this! Desperately Jennifer charged forward. Her arms felt like they were being torn from their sockets, but the spunky superlady clenched her teeth against the pain and drove on, slamming headlong into a wooden billboard as hard as she could. The impact scraped off both of her attackers and sent all three of them tumbling to the ground, stunned. The Fox recovered first. Spinning around, she punched through the billboard's supports and pushed.

The man with the long hair managed to roll clear, but the living dynamo looked up in horror just before the gigantic wooden billboard landed on top of him with a SPLAT! One down!

The other one came at her again, his two swords spinning so fast he looked like a human buzz saw! This was going to hurt!

The Fox dropped to the pavement at the last second. As her attacker's blades decimated the air where she had been, the lissome superheroine flexed her back and brought one alluring leg up in a mule kick that caught him in the balls. A second kick sent him flying into the brick wall of the studio. Two down.

The remaining man looked furious at the defeat of his comrades. His nostrils were flaring, veins in his neck were swelling dangerously. In fact... wasn't he a little bit... BIGGER?

It was true! His body seemed to be inflating! Where he had been six feet tall before, he was now eight feet... nine... Jennifer groaned. She felt nearly spent already!

But if she had to fight a giant, the best thing she could do was get in as many licks as she could before he got too big. Pushing herself to the limit, the Fox charged, drawing back her fist and aiming a roundhouse straight to his chin. He ducked surprisingly quickly, still shooting upwards like a beanpole as he reached out and grabbed her. He was twelve feet tall now, and the superheroine felt like a doll in comparison as the brute's massive hand locked around her smooth bare leg like a vise. Reeling backwards, the gallant girl tore herself loose with a supreme effort and set upon him again. She was beyond strategy at this point. All she could do was elude his grasping paws and keep on pounding him.

And amazingly, he went down! One particularly hard uppercut to the point of his chin put his lights out. He slumped to the ground like a sack of grain, where he rapidly dwindled to his normal size.

The Fox landed and dropped to one knee, her silken skin glistening with perspiration, sucking air into her lungs and bracing herself with her left hand on the pavement, too wiped out by the adrenalin rush to even stand. In the distance, she could hear sirens, so someone must have called the police. She whispered a grateful prayer of relief that it was all over...

Until the woman in the black costume strode down the steps of the television studio, her hips swaying sensuously. "Very impressive, Fuchsia Fox!" she said. "My memory does not recall the last time Namtaru was defeated! When he awakens, he will be extremely annoyed with you!"

Jennifer's heart was already pounding like a hammer in her lovely chest, but her mouth went dry with fear when she saw that costume. The black vest, the black pants, and the brass crown of Ereshkigal! They had previously been worn by a man named Mustafa, who had called himself the Black Storm! She noted the beautiful female form and realized that Erechkigal must have somehow taken a different host.

The last time, the Fox had just BARELY been able to beat him! Right now, already sapped by the fight she had just gone through, she didn't stand a chance!

[valugi]

This chapter was very good, the battle between the villains and fuchsia fox was very interesting. I do not criticize the last comment I think the important times and treat the character's personal life also.

[Centurion]

Chapter 5 --

The sirens were getting closer. The Fuchsia Fox briefly had hopes that she was about to be rescued, but it turned out to be just a single patrol car. Two male officers got out, their eyes drawn first to the wreckage of the billboard and the two men in robes they could see on the ground. Then they started towards the two gorgeous women in sexy costumes, not even drawing their sidearms.

Jennifer's heart sank. Erechkigal would chew them up and spit them out without a thought! The stunning superheroine pushed herself unsteadily to her feet. "Leave them alone!" she challenged. "It's me you want."

"Very true," the Black Storm replied. Haughtily she turned from the policemen and advanced.

The Fox looked around, desperately trying to come up with a plan. Her eyes lit on the bracelets of Ishtar, where little firefly sparks of light were whipping around and around the blue bands of Anu. The power of disintegration! If there was any a time she needed it, this was it! But what if it went out of control again? Did she dare to risk that, even at a time like this?

While she hesitated, she was lost. Ereshkigal brushed aside the Fox's defenses and grabbed her by the throat, pinning the superheroine against the brick wall. Jennifer tried to fight back, but the villainess' body was as hard as granite. She might as well be kicking the side of the building for all the good it did.

Pressure was constricting her airway. Everything was getting foggy. She was going to... pass... out...

As the Fuchsia Fox stopped struggling and fell limp into the villain's arms, the policemen became alarmed. "Hey stop that, lady!" said the senior of the two, still not drawing his sidearm because as far as he knew, he was just dealing with an unarmed woman. "Step away and put your hands against the wall." His younger partner, ogling her skimpy black outfit, was only thinking about how much fun it was going to be to frisk her.

Totally ignoring the men, Ereshkigal transformed herself into a whirlwind. The police officers felt the suction whipping their clothes as the villainess disappeared, along with the three men in brown robes and the captive superheroine.

***

The Fuchsia Fox opened her eyes. She was not surprised to find herself a prisoner, tied up with some kind of metallic rope around her wrists and her ankles, but she was surprised at where. She was in a huge, moldy-looking chamber that felt like an abandoned factory, with catwalks high overhead. The chemical smell of sulfur and old turpentine reached her nose. Make that an abandoned paper mill. Her slim body was stretched out across a conveyor belt. To her right was the dark open maw of a machine that looked like its purpose was to strip the bark from logs. There was a strange humming noise coming from behind her.

When she lifted her head and looked to her left, she very nearly screamed. About five feet away was a line of ten enormous circular knife blades, rotating so fast they hummed! Jennifer's heart leaped into her throat at the sight of them so close she could feel the breeze from their movement.

"I understand," said Ereshkigal's voice, "that this machine can reduce a hardwood log to five centimeter chips in less than fifteen seconds. Make the slightest move to escape... the SLIGHTEST, mind you... and Namtaru will activate the belt and kill you. Do you understand?"

The helpless superheroine nodded quickly, her pulse racing. As she slowly got her respiration under control, the Fox could see Ereshkigal's three minions (or was it just one minion with three bodies?) on the far side of the conveyor in the direction of her feet. They/he was standing by a control panel and grinning smugly. For some reason, Namtaru's eagerness to kill her aroused Jennifer's contrary nature. She deliberately looked away. "Tied to a buzz saw?" she said flippantly. "Not very original, is it?"

Jennifer heard the click of high heels, and the beautiful female villain came into view behind her. "If that was supposed to be a joke," the villainess replied, leaning over to look her in the face, "I am afraid that I lack the cultural references to understand it. You see, I spent most of the last five hundred years buried in a cave."

"Hey, you can't blame ME for that!" the Fox protested. "I wasn't even BORN then!"

"You are a minion of Ishtar!" Ereshkigal snapped, so vehemently her luscious breasts jiggled against the restraints of her black vest. "That is all the excuse I need!"

As the beautiful young heroine's eyes roamed the room, they lit upon the bracelets of Ishtar, sitting on a table just beside Namtaru's control panel. They seemed to be covered by a semi-transparent force field dome. When she tried to visualize them on her wrists, she realized right away that she could not make mental contact. At any rate, any attempt to summon them would bring an immediate reaction from the watchful minion. It was hopeless!

"What are you waiting for then?" the Fox burst out angrily. "Kill me! Get it over with!"

The Black Storm shook her head. "It is important that you understand why."

"I already know why!" Jennifer spat, frustration seeming to boil up inside her. "You're a lonely, miserable, evil witch! All you know how to do is HURT! It hurts you to think that beauty or goodness or love might exist somewhere for other people, so you have to stamp it out whenever you see it! I've known people like that all my life, and YOU have to be their QUEEN!" She was surprised to find herself shaking, nearly in tears.

"My, my, we do have some issues, don't we?" the villain said, amused.

"Well said, my daughter," said another female voice, echoing through the room. There was a... shimmering effect in the air as a tall, beautiful woman materialized directly in front of Jennifer's feet.

Her svelte, alluring figure was dressed in a form-fitting blue full bodysuit. The bodice ran diagonally from her right shoulder to her left armpit, leaving her left arm completely bare except for a bracelet at her wrist. For symmetry's sake, her right leg was also bare. The effect was extremely sexy. There was jeweled choker on her throat, a gold belt around her waist, and a delicate gold crown on her head with a sapphire. Her hair was brunette, a little longer and a little lighter in color than Jennifer's.

"Ishtar!" said Ereshkigal, bristling. "How did you know?"

Namtaru remained at the control panel, but he sent his two "arms" forward to flank the Zumerian on either side. She hardly paid them any attention. "I have more than one agent on the planet Earth," Ishtar said. She took a step forward, only to find a force field between herself and the conveyor belt. "Let her go, Ereshkigal! It's me you want."

"Yes," the Black Storm said smugly. "It's just like old times, isn't it? All you have to do is surrender and take her place."

The Fox held her breath. It would be madness for Ishtar to give herself up, just to save her. After all, who was SHE? Just a minion.

"All right," the Zumerian said, slowly removing her crown. "You win, Ereshkigal."

[valugi]

Chapter surprising not expect ishtar appear

[Centurion]

I was hoping to surprise you!

[Centurion]

Chapter 6 --

"NO!" the Fuchsia Fox screamed. "Please, Ishtar! You can't surrender, because of me! Please! Let her do whatever she wants with me! You can't--"

"Be quiet, daughter!" Ishtar said sternly. "I have not given you permission to speak in my presence!"

The long-haired man stepped forward to take the crown. One by one, Ishtar shed herself of her bracelets, her belt, and her necklace. The henchmen placed her weapons on the table under the force field dome. "Is that everything?" Ereshkigal snapped.

The two men roughly frisked her. Jennifer felt tears of sympathy in her eyes as she watched their groping male hands roam over Ishtar's thinly-clad body, squeezing her supple breasts, patting her pert butt, caressing her creamy thighs and long legs, even feeling up her crotch. Clearly she would only allow such a humiliatingly thorough search if she was completely powerless to prevent it.

"Are you satisfied?" Ishtar glowered. "Now release her!"

"I just want to savor this for a moment," the villainess said. "The mighty Ishtar helpless in my hands! Heroines have such an infinite capacity for stupidity!" Then she waved her hand.

The force field vanished, and the Fox found that the ropes binding her to the conveyor belt loosened enough for her to sit up. Ishtar dropped to her knees, untying her ankles and helping her to stand. To her utter astonishment, the Zumerian scooped her into a tight hug. "Oh Jennifer!" she gushed. "You make me so proud!"

"Me?" the Fox stammered. "What did I do besides get my cocky little butt captured?"

Ishtar smiled, tears glistening in her brown eyes. "Oh my daughter! You have proven yourself time and time again! What more could I want of you?"

"Wait a minute. You say that like..." the girl gulped, thoroughly stunned. "Are you telling me I'm your DAUGHTER daughter?"

"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry I left you," the Zumerian said, "but I couldn't--"

"What a touching scene this is," Ereshkigal sneered.

Ishtar looked up sadly. "After all these centuries, you still don't understand love, do you?"

"I understand all that I need to!" the villainess smirked. "I understand that it makes you WEAK and stupid! I would never have given up my powers for anyone! And with you out of the way, the throne of Zumeria will be mine for the taking!"

"There is one small detail," said Ishtar with dignity. "I'm not out of the way yet."

Ereshkigal threw back her head and laughed. Then she spoke to her Namtaru. "Bring me the Sphere of Nergal!"

***

Unnoticed by anyone, a male figure entirely encased in bronze-colored armor had materialized on one of the catwalks overhead. Keeping in the shadows, he silently unslung the rifle he was carrying and took aim. He had been told he must at all costs wait for the signal. Looking down, he could see that events were coming to a climax. But like the soldier he was, he waited.

***

Namtaru's two "arms" disappeared for a moment and brought back a large and ornate box, about five feet on each side. Once it had been set in place, the sides folded down to reveal a sphere five feet in diameter, sitting on its square base. Its surface was like black whirlpool, restlessly pulsing with energy. Ishtar gasped aloud at the sight of it. She had suspected that Ereshkigal had some kind of weapon, but she had never expected this!

"What it is?" the Fox ventured to ask.

"The Sphere of Nergal," she explained. "The perfect prison. It is made to hold a single person in semi-stasis forever, and there is no known way to open it once it has sealed. Only three were made, and this is the last one in existence."

"And the best part," Ereshkigal boasted, "is that you don't die! You stay alive forever, knowing that escape is impossible! I can think of no worse torture for you, Ishtar!"

Jennifer went pale. "But... No!" she gasped, clinging to Ishtar. "She can't put you in there! What will I do without you?"

The two men stalked forward and seized the Zumerian commander's arms on either side. With tears blurring her vision, the Fox tried to fight, but the third one, the big one, caught hold of her around the waist. Lifting the girl off her feet with contemptuous ease, he grinned with pleasure as he pinned her arms behind her and enjoyed himself fondling her breasts. "Be strong, my daughter," Ishtar said, struggling uselessly as they hauled her away.

The Fox's captor then threw her roughly aside as though she were nothing. The helpless superheroine fell to her knees, sobbing. This couldn't be happening! All her life, she had believed her mother was dead. And now to learn after all these years that she was alive after all, only to have her snatched from her right away! It was heart-breaking!

And the cruelest part was that there was nothing she could do to stop them! Even with her bracelets, she had been hard pressed to fight Namtaru. They were both weaponless, and in just a few moments, Ishtar was going to be tossed into an inescapable prison, forever! There was nothing a mere Earth girl could do!

Or was there? Ereshkigal was gloating, still standing on the other side of the conveyor belt while Namtaru carried Ishtar helplessly towards the Sphere. Nobody was paying any attention to Jennifer. Wiping away tears, she scrambled to her feet. Suddenly, moving as swiftly and nimbly as her namesake, the Fuchsia Fox slipped past the villains, eluded Namtaru's grasp, and threw herself headfirst into the Sphere of Nergal! The jet black surface rippled as she penetrated it, then turned steel blue as it sealed behind her.

"You STUPID GIRL!" Ereshkigal yelled. "What have you DONE?"

Up on the catwalk, the man in bronze armor raised his visor, revealing the tortured face of Martin Fletcher! What he had just seen had punched him right in the gut, turning the whole universe into one enormous gray pain. Jennifer? Jennifer was gone? Forever?

Ishtar's face was a mask of anguish. Knowing that the Sphere would only hold a single person, Jennifer had voluntarily imprisoned herself so that she would be out of danger! Totally stunned by what her daughter had just done, the Zumerian nevertheless forced herself back to the present. Taking advantage of her captor's distraction, she tore her arms out of his grip, looking up to give Martin the signal. She could see him on the catwalk, frozen with shock. By the Sacred Rings of Slyphar, she should have known better than to put her life in the hands of a MAN! If he didn't wake up, Jennifer will have sacrificed herself for nothing!

[valugi]

Another great chapter increasingly stunning revelations

[Centurion]

Chapter 7 --

Fletcher got a grip on himself. He had seen friends killed and maimed in combat before, and he knew you had to put aside your grief for later. Although his heart was breaking, he couldn't let himself think of it. The important thing right now was to get the job done. He aimed the phaser rifle and fired off a volley.

Energy beams lanced out, taking the two minions guarding Ishtar in their shoulders. They stumbled back but didn't drop, wheeling around to face the new threat. By that time, Fletcher had shifted his aim to the force field bubble on the table. ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! The bubble disappeared.

Ishtar summoned her weapons to her with a shrill war cry, just as Ereshkigal leaped over the conveyor belt, her dark hair and skirt flying behind her, luscious breasts jiggling inside her vest. "This is how it was meant to be!" the Black Storm snarled. "If I cannot have you imprisoned, I will have you DEAD!"

"The time for talk has long past," Ishtar said, as the two goddesses clashed.

***

The Fox slammed up against the steely walls of her prison. It was a ball, just under five feet in diameter, barely enough for one person. It couldn't be called comfortable by any stretch of the imagination. There wasn't room to either stand up or lie down without bending some part of your body. The best you could do was assume a lotus position and stay there. The thought that she had to spend the rest of eternity here was like a bottomless chasm of despair opening at her feet. She simply couldn't think of it.

The skin was steel gray, but patches of transparency would open at random. Jennifer supposed it was part of the cruelty of the design. Torture the poor soul trapped in here with visions of the outside universe. She found herself hating whomever had invented the evil thing.

Ishtar and Ereshkigal were going at it hammer and tongs, but the Fox's attention was drawn to the brave soldier in the bronze armor. Namtaru had grown to his fifteen foot height, reaching up to grab the catwalk. The soldier fell, dropping his rifle but flipping over in mid air to land more or less on his feet. The other two avatars were on him in a heartbeat. The long haired one swept down upon him like a whirlwind, swords slashing. As the soldier backed off, the living electrical storm struck him from behind, ripping his helmet completely off. Jennifer gasped when she saw that it was MARTIN!

"No!" she cried. Frantically she beat at the walls of her prison. She had to find a way to help him!

Another random window opened, showing her the table, empty now but for the bracelets of Ishtar. Jennifer didn't even stop to think that it was futile. She closed her eyes, willing the bracelets to appear on her wrists...

***

Fletcher could see that they weren't going to let him recover the phaser rifle. The two that were facing him worked as a team to keep him on the defensive, while the big one just towered over them in the background, watching. Fletcher spun around unexpectedly, catching the guy with the funky wicker hat in the stomach. The resulting electrical discharge hurt like blazes, but the armor Ishtar had given him seemed to offer some protection. He followed up with a punch and a judo throw that sent his opponent crashing into the bark-stripping machine.

Then the other one came down on him like a ton of bricks! The swords were everywhere, pounding at his armor again and again. They didn't penetrate, but the multiple impacts drove Fletcher backwards. His feet got swept out from under him, and the next thing Fletcher knew he was flat on his back on the conveyor belt, the long haired man on top of him and grinning, holding him down with his face just inches from those ten whirling buzz saws! "Oh crap!" he thought. "I've bought it this time..."

Suddenly the Sphere of Nergal burst open with a shattering explosion! As the smoke cleared, only the square base remained, with the Fuchsia Fox squatting in the wreckage! Seeing Martin in danger, her heart wanted to rush straight to him, but her head overruled her. There was only one way to defeat Namtaru, and that was to go straight to the source!

Landing next to the control console, she ripped the whole thing from its mountings and threw it straight at the big guy! He caught it with the surprised expression of a street fighter who has just realized that he made the mistake of bringing a knife to a gunfight. And then the spunky young superheroine was in his face, as beautiful as a goddess, as terrible as a fury... a berserk fury in fuchsia colored spandex. "Get... back..." she grunted with each enraged blow of her fists, "to the pit... that spawned you... CREEP!"

Namtaru crashed through the outside wall of the mill and lay still. At the same time, Martin caught his other avatar unawares with a mule kick and he dropped unconscious. "And that goes for the horse you rode it on!" the Fox screamed.

She rushed over to Martin. The buzz saws had lost power when she ripped up the console, and he was painfully levering himself upright when the lissome lady threw herself into his arms, tears in her eyes as she kissed him over and over. "Sweetheart... are you... okay?"

Fletcher nodded breathlessly. He couldn't believe she was really here in his arms, but he also knew that the battle was only half finished. "The horse you rode in on?" he asked.

"Well, sorry," she said, blushing. "I had other things on my mind besides witty repartee!"

Ereshkigal and Ishtar were locked together hand-to-hand. The Black Storm had made herself as dense as osmium steel, while the Morning Star's power belt gave her the strength of a hundred men. The two women's sinuous, scantily-clad bodies twined together, grappling, twisting, struggling in a graceful dance that put them in a virtual deadlock. "Come on, angel," Fletcher said. "We've got to do something to help."

"Wait," she replied, laying a restraining hand on his chest. "You're in no shape to--"

Suddenly the stalemate was broken. Ereshkigal struck out with a hand as hard as diamond, and Ishtar went tumbling to the floor, her long legs flailing. The right sleeve of her body suit was torn almost from her shoulder, revealing a bleeding gash. The Black Storm stood over her in triumph. "There will be other battles, Ishtar! But none for you!" Wind arose from out of nowhere, tugging at her clothes, swirling her skirt around her shapely legs as she prepared to transform herself into a cyclone and bring the building down on top of them all.

"Not so fast!" the Fox challenged, stepping forward. Her right arm was extended, while the firefly sparks within the blue band on her bracelets spun around excitedly. "This far, but no farther!"

"Jennifer!" Ishtar called, clutching her wounded shoulder. "Be careful!"

The villainess smiled, her jet black hair whipping around her face as her eyes fixed on the blue band. "The Rod of Ishtar? The power of disintegration? Do you really think you have the nerve, little one?"

"Maybe I do," said the Fox, as she fired. Jennifer mentally opened the aperture less than a fraction of a millimeter, for a fraction of a second, so that the beam itself wasn't even visible. She could almost feel it, however, as it ripped through air molecules, breaking down their very atoms. She concentrated on the energy released by the disintegration, channeling it, focusing it, smoothing out the various frequencies...

The searing laser-like heat beam that resulted seemed to suck the kinetic energy right out of Ereshkigal's tornado. It struck the crown dead center. The villainess snapped her head back automatically as the crown of Ereshkigal flew off, its psychic link severed by the energy surge. Deprived of the crown, the woman collapsed to the floor. The wind died to silence.

"Well done, my daughter," said Ishtar, clutching her torn costume to her shoulder as she hugged the Fox. "I knew you had it in you."

"She called it the Rod of Ishtar?" Jennifer asked.

"That is its name," the Zumerian replied. "The Earthmen who found it called it the Rod of Anu. Typical male pride. Anything that powerful must have belonged to a god, not a goddess."

"What do we do with her?" said Fletcher. He had gone over to check on Ereshkigal's host. The dark-haired woman was slowly regaining consciousness, but she looked terribly frightened. She looked down at the skimpy black costume she was wearing and trembled.

"Um... my name is Valerie Jakes," she said. "I was in Fort Meade! Could someone please tell me what's going on?"

[valugi]

great chapter, curious to see what will happen now

[Centurion]

Just a couple of loose ends to tie up...

Epilogue --

After making sure the crown of Ereshkigal was secure inside her spaceship in orbit, Ishtar stayed for Ashley's wedding, presenting herself as "an old friend of the family".

The ceremony and reception were held at the Traylor house. It was beautiful enough to make a grown woman cry. The bridesmaids came up for air just long enough for the traditional melee over the bouquet, then went back to Twitting one another about what everyone was wearing.

After the bride and groom had driven off into the sunset and the guests all gone home, Martin, Jennifer, and Ishtar found themselves sitting together on the veranda as twilight fell. Martin was in his tux, Jennifer still wearing her lavender bridesmaid's dress, and Ishtar a blue gown that made her look like... well, like a goddess. A moment later, Mr. Traylor joined them, carrying a small reddish-purple object.

"Oh my God!" Jennifer squealed with delight, clutching the stuffed animal and hugging it to her. It smelled a little bit musty and some of velveteen had worn thin in places, but it was still recognizable as a fox. "I thought this had been thrown away ages ago! I haven't seen it since I was..."

"Fourteen," her father said. "You thought you were getting too old for it, remember?"

Jennifer smiled gratefully as he sat down on Ishtar's other side. "So YOU'RE the one who called Ishtar?" she asked.

He brought the little crystal ball out of his pocket. "She gave me this when she left, and said I should contact her if I really needed to." His eyes strayed wistfully to the beautiful Zumerian. "But... to try not to need to."

Ishtar put her hand tenderly over his. "When I answered his summons, I detected Ereshkigal's presence right away, and I found her by tracing you. I knew that I would need support. Your father insisted upon calling your young man, interrupting his adolescent matrimonial ritual. I was not certain if I could trust him, seeing that he was only..."

"...human," Martin suggested, raising a glass of champagne.

"...MALE," Ishtar said, without missing a beat. "But I had few options. I should have trusted your judgment, daughter. He proved to be a true warrior. Even so, if I had known that she had the Sphere of Nergal, I never would have taken the risk of getting him involved. Please believe that."

"Speaking of which," Martin said, snaking his arm around Jennifer and hugging her to him. "Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, how did you get out of it? I thought it was supposed to be inescapable?"

"Well," said Ishtar, "no one has ever been locked inside one before while wearing a telephrenologic z-particle shunt to something on the outside."

"Say what?" said Fletcher, totally stumped.

"The bracelets," Jennifer explained. "When I established my mental link, the subspace z axis field must have caused a quantum feedback loop in the stasis modulator."

"If you say so," her boyfriend said, nuzzling her ear. She turned to him and kissed him. Ishtar watched them silently, wondering if the power of love might also have had something to do with it.

"You know," said Jennifer, "I always sucked at science in school, because I was always coming up with ideas that my teachers said would never work."

Ishtar gently shook her head. "You intuitively have ideas beyond the science of Earth. That's because you are half Zumerian."

There it was. That statement just sat there in the air for a moment, as nobody could think of anything to say. "You remember," Mr. Traylor said, "I used to be a NASA engineer, when the space shuttle was first getting off the ground. Ishtar was on a scouting expedition, to see how far we had progressed. We met, and... well..."

"But mother!" Jennifer blurted out suddenly, then stopped short as if to taste that unfamiliar word to see if she liked it. "It's been 23 years! Couldn't you have told me? Sent me a space postcard or something? 'Saturn is lovely, wish you were here, oh by the way, I'm your MOTHER!'"

"Sweetheart, I understand your anger," Ishtar said, "but I couldn't. We have rules. We're not allowed to influence primitive cultures. I will have a lot of explaining to do before the high council."

"But I expect," volunteered Martin, "that if you can report that thanks to Jennifer neither Ereshkigal nor the Sphere is any longer a threat hanging over their heads, they might... tend to forgive you?"

"That is possible," Ishtar conceded with a smile. She looked at Jennifer and saw her staring blankly into space. "Is there is a problem, daughter?"

"I was just thinking..." the girl said. "Okay, it's easy to hate her when she's trying to kill you, but... I can't help feeling sorry for Ereshkigal."

"Your good heart does you credit," her mother replied, leaning over to hug her.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you," said Mr. Traylor, standing up, "but I've had my fill of serious talk." He made a courtly bow to Ishtar. "May I have this dance, my goddess of the Morning Star?"

"I thought you would never ask."

Even though there was no music, the two of them held one another, stepping into a slow waltz along the porch. Watching them, Fletcher pulled Jennifer a little closer, and she leaned in, resting her head on his shoulder. "Martin? Do you ever think about... the two of us?"

He kissed the top of her head. "All the time. Like right now I'm thinking about how I'm going to bone you like a freight train later."

She playfully slapped his arm. "Not THAT, silly! I mean... the future."

"Yeah, sometimes. I can't pretend it doesn't scare me a little bit. What kind of kids would we have, with a superheroine for a mother and goddess for a grandmother?"

"Not to mention the bravest man in the world for a father."

He couldn't think of anything cute to say in reply to that, so the two of them just watched her parents dance. Suddenly out of the blue, Jennifer thought of something that Ereshkigal had said... "Heroines have an infinite capacity for stupidity." What she had meant was that heroines charge in without thinking. True, sometimes in a crisis you don't have the luxury of playing it safe. But she had never grasped the concept of risk, of self-sacrifice, of putting yourself on the line for the well-being of someone else.

Maybe we are stupid, Jennifer thought. But hopefully we have enough heart to make up for it.

THE END