Clandestine: The Fifth Force

[superpics4les]

Here's a story I've been working on for quite a while. Take a gander at it and let me know what you think. Enjoy! 8)

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Clandestine: The Fifth Force

Clandestine: def.: Done or kept in secret, to conceal.

Part I – Strangers in the Night!

It was another unseasonably warm September night in Primrose City, IL. There was no moon; no light to see by above the din of the city streets and the lights that shown down from the lampposts. No one noticed the sleek, serpentine figure that slithered up the sides of the buildings in search of her prey. No one seemed to detect the nearly silent footfalls of her sheer, green stockinged peds as she easily raced along the rooftop’s edges. She leaped from the last of the higher roofs down to her destination, The Michaelson Company Building. The muscular yet shapely figure silently alighted onto the rooftop about 6 feet away from a security officer who felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and quickly whirled around. She saw nothing and shrugged her shoulders, thinking that she’d been working too hard.

Marcy Higgins was glad that it was Friday and nearly the end of her mandatory double shift. The top brass had been really nervous of late, but they didn’t say why. The “Old Man”, Corbin Michaelson himself, was in town and she figured all the extra security was for him. Marcy only had 45 minutes to go before her relief showed up. She was glad, but soon she wouldn’t need to worry about that anymore. She really wouldn’t have to be concerned if her mom had fed the cats or not or if she’d be late for her hot date later that evening. Soon she’d be dead.

Marcy turned back to the original direction she was heading in when she felt like someone was behind her. Suddenly, long, green, razor-sharp claws slashed her across the back of her neck, cuffing her to the ground. She tried to reach for her sidearm, but the claws struck again, ripping into her washboard abs. That’s when she felt a strange sensation. It was like being drugged. The claw strikes she received didn’t seem to hurt a lot after that. She felt numb and completely relaxed. “How are we feeling now, my precious?” said a sultry, hissing female voice from the shadows.

Marcy turned her head toward the voice and gasped when she saw from whence it had come. She was about 6’5” tall, standing on the balls of her shimmering green stockinged feet. She was smiling at her and Marcy saw that her green lipsticked mouth sported a pair of needle sharp 2 inch fangs. Everything about her seemed to be green, from her silken, wavy locks, which cascaded down to her wide shoulders, down to her green polished toenails.

Her features were partially hidden by a dark green mask that went from her hairline, down her forehead to the bridge of her nose, around her sensuous fanged mouth to her neck. She was covered from neck to toe with a sheer, shimmering, light green body stocking that was only a shade darker than her pastel green skin. Two darker green silken side panels rose up from the thong bikini panty that she wore, barely covering her ample breasts.

Astride her well muscled, rounded hips, she wore a green metal, multi-linked belt, the links decorated with jewels that seemed to glow by themselves. Her chest bore a tattooed image of a green serpent whose body wound its way from just above her right breast, where its head began, down past the belt and panty into her nether regions. Her wrists bore green metal gauntlets that looked like wrought iron snakes that were twisted and contorted on her powerful arms. Her hands were large and misshapen, resembling the clawed appendages of a reptile, tipped with the long, savagely sharp claws that had ripped Marcy’s flesh only seconds before.

“W…who…are you?” Marcy gasped, “What…have you…done…to me?” The woman smiled and replied, “I am called The Green Mamba and I have enslaved your mind, my dear. From this moment, I am your Mistress. You will do anything I command of you.” Marcy frowned and said breathlessly, “No…I refuse! You…can’t control…me!” A look of surprise and delight came over The Green Mamba’s face as she replied, “My, we do have a strong will, don’t we, my precious? We’ll just have to increase the dosage of hypno-venom, now won’t we? HISSSSS!” The Green Mamba struck Marcy twice more with her wickedly sharp claws, depositing more of her evil, mind controlling, hypno-venom into her bloodstream. “There now!” she hissed, “That should make you a bit more cooperative!” Marcy’s frown faded away and her expression softened.

“Ah, that’s a good girl!” said The Mamba, with a smile, “But just to add a little insurance…Precious, look at me, look in my eyes, deeply into my eyes!” The Mamba opened her eyes wide and hissed softly as Marcy gazed at her intently. Marcy’s pretty brown eyes glazed over as the serpentine siren weaved her hypnotic spell over her mind and will. “Now precious, stand up.” commanded The Mamba, “Up on your feet, darling.” “Yes…M…Mistress.” replied Marcy. She stood to her feet and waited for the next command from The Green Mamba. The Mamba stroked Marcy’s dark brown tresses and said, “Now, my obedient little slave, you will open the security door and admit me into the building.” “Yes, my Mistress.” said Marcy. The two women approached the solid steel door with its elaborate security locking system.

Suddenly, Marcy stopped and said, “Mistress, you can’t get too close! The door sensor will detect two heat signatures and set off the alarm!” The Mamba smiled, caressed Marcy’s face and replied, “Oh, you’re such a sweet child! I’ve already got that covered! My little belt puts out a field that masks my body heat signature, but thank you for telling me, my precious one! That tells me how much you love me!” Marcy smiled and continued the rest of the way to the door. She took off her glove and placed her right hand on the palm scanner. Simultaneously, she placed her left hand on the keypad and entered her PIN code. Immediately after that, she placed her chin in the plastic cup in front of the retinal scan device and spoke the entry code word so the audio receiver could verify not only the word itself, but so that her voice pattern could also be recognized.

After Marcy’s voice pattern was recognized, she swiped her ID card through the card reader and the door popped open. She and The Green Mamba entered the building and shut the door behind them. The Mamba slithered behind Marcy to the first landing and then commanded her to stop. “This is as far as you go, my precious.” said The Mamba, “Thank you for your help, darling.” “Please Mistress, let me come with you!” said Marcy. “No, little one, that’s quite impossible.” said The Mamba, slinking out from behind her, standing in front of her, “You have proved your love and loyalty to me, but I know that the venom I gave you will wear off soon and you may not want to serve me anymore!” “No Mistress, I would never do that!” said Marcy, going to one knee, “I will serve you faithfully, I promise! I would die for you!” “You know that’s exactly what I had in mind, my lovely!” The Mamba hissed, with a grin, “Come to me, my precious. Embrace me!”

Marcy grinned and nearly jumped into The Mamba’s powerful outstretched arms. The Green Mamba held her close and kissed her neck. Marcy closed her eyes and let out a moan of pleasure. The Mamba smiled and continued nuzzling Marcy’s neck until she reached the intersection of her neck and shoulder. Then suddenly, The Mamba hissed loudly and sank her fangs deep into Marcy’s soft flesh. The attack was so swift that Marcy had no time to cry out. The Mamba held her tightly and chewed on the wound releasing a deadly dose of venom from the poison sacs in her upper jaw. Marcy was partially paralyzed in mere seconds. She fell towards the wall and slid down it, the snake-woman’s fangs still deep in the base of her neck. The Mamba went down with her, injecting more of her venom as she slowly sank to the floor.

The Green Mamba removed her fangs from Marcy with a satisfying hiss and licked Marcy’s blood from her pouting green lips. Marcy managed to speak just two words before she went completely paralytic, “Mistress…why?” “You have much too strong a will, my precious one!” she replied, “It took a double dose of hypno-venom just to make you mine for this long! I couldn’t risk your coming out of it just when I need you most! Good-bye, my pretty, I’ll miss you!” The Mamba slithered away down the dimly lit stairwell, leaving Marcy on the landing to let her deadly venom finish its evil work. As Marcy lay there, breathing her last few breaths, hearing the blood pumping in her ears, she thought of one thing, “I wonder…*whooshump*…if Mom fed…*whooshump*…Porgy and Bess…*whooshump*…she always forgets…*whooshump*…about …*whoosh…*

*****

The Green Mamba silently slithered down two more flights of stairs to the 15th floor, where the security monitoring station was housed. She easily rendered the locks inoperative by raking the tumblers with a thick, powerful claw. The electronic jamming field sent out by the mechanism in her belt made the motion detectors practically useless. The field also didn’t allow an image to be captured by video, so she could walk right in front of the cameras and not be recorded. The Mamba moved stealthily down the hallway and came up behind a drowsy guard undetected. She clamped her clawed reptilian hand over his nose and mouth, sinking her fangs into his left shoulder, chewing on him twice. He stiffened and then collapsed to the floor.

To his credit, he tried to reach the emergency alert button even after he’d been bitten, but the Mamba’s neurotoxic venom was working too quickly. “Naughty, naughty. Baby mustn’t touch the nasty little red button, it’s very bad. Makes too much noise!” said The Green Mamba, licking his blood from her fangs. The menacing green huntress smiled evilly and hissed, pressing her sleek stockinged toes into his trachea, cutting off what little breath he had left. After 10 seconds, his breathing ceased and the Mamba continued toward the monitoring room.

The two officers in the security camera monitoring room were quite bored and sat talking about the impending game between the Primrose City Pirates and the Capitol City Senators. Suddenly, all the monitors went dead. Charlie Wayne, the sergeant in charge, moved to grab the red emergency phone when he felt a tiny pinprick in the back of his neck. “Bubba” George, his partner, felt the same thing. The two men looked at each other and slumped over in their chairs, unconscious. As with the other security officers, the Mamba finished them off with a bite to the neck/shoulder area, the fastest way to paralyze and kill the brain function, as well the body. With the nerve center of the security force eliminated, The Green Mamba could now focus on her intended prey, Corbin Michaelson.

Corbin Michaelson was terribly agitated. His Far East contact had tried to warn him that his new product might bring unnecessary attention to him and to Michaelson, but the 58 year old tycoon simply ignored his warnings, until recently. One by one, Michaelson’s partners and business associates connected with the project were turning up dead. The last one was Elgin Krause, a very old friend and confidante, who first indicated the existence of the Far Eastern contact who was the sole supplier of the miraculous substance that Michaelson felt would make them all extremely wealthy…again. The only person left at this point, however, was the Far East contact and Michaelson himself. Michaelson was scared out of his mind. He didn’t even dare stay at one his own hotels or at his stately home outside the city limits. He just got off his private jet, hurried to the waiting helicopter under heavy guard and flew straight to the Michaelson Building, the most secure edifice in Primrose City.

Michaelson poured himself another snifter of Napoleon brandy and downed it nervously. He was dressed for bed, in his black velvet robe, with the Michaelson family crest embroidered in gold on the left breast pocket, over his light blue Egyptian cotton pajamas. The libation was meant to calm his nerves, but it didn’t really work too well. He went to his desk in the 14th floor penthouse suite and picked up the prototype bottle of “ReNew You” skin lotion. He looked at it and thought out loud, “I hope you’re worth all the trouble you’ve caused, my little friend! Right now, I wish I’d never heard of this damnable Zhang Pau herb!”

The restorative powers of the Zhang Pau root were cloaked in the mystery of ages. The ancient Chinese and Japanese both knew of its extraordinary uses in healing and restoring the feeling and appearance of youth and vitality. A quantity of the plant was found by Michaelson’s Eastern contact many years ago. The elderly gentleman was said to be a retired teacher or Sifu of martial arts who led a simple life actually raising the plants and selling the prepared roots for medicinal purposes. Michaelson approached him and after much negotiating, pleading and even begging on his part, the old man reneged and agreed to supply him with all the Zhang Pau he needed. Besides the hefty sum he demanded for the plants, the old man made him promise one thing: that he would never tell anyone who he was or where he was located. The old man warned him that if he ever broke that promise, he would kill him. Michaelson laughed at the little, wizened wrinkled figure of a man and agreed to the promise, but he hardly felt threatened by him.

The old fellow smiled wickedly. Faster than the eye could see, he jumped at least 5 feet straight up, kicked Michaelson’s hat off his head, landed light as a feather and caught the hat before it hit the floor! Then he looked at Michaelson, furrowing his bushy white brows. Suddenly, Michaelson felt a powerful force constricting his windpipe. He couldn’t breathe. He grasped his throat and went to his knees in front of the old man who was smiling at him. As quickly as it began, the assault ended. The old fellow brushed a piece of lint off Michaelson’s hat, put the fedora on Michaelson’s head correctly and said, “Remember your promise, Corbin. Wherever you are, I can reach you. Betray me and you will die slowly…very slowly. I must go and tend my plants now. Lee Fung will see you out. Good day.”

From that day on, Corbin gave him the highest respect and never divulged his name or his location to anyone. If someone asked he would simply say, “You don’t want to know. Trust me.” After his best friend, Krause, died in his villa near Monte Carlo from a concentrated amount of snake venom, in the middle of the afternoon with all his servants and security around him, Corbin immediately took drastic steps and cut himself off from the world with the largest security force he could muster, but tonight, it would do him no good. Tonight would be his last night to live.

Michaelson suddenly felt as if he was not alone. Then he heard the eerie hissing sound. He ran around to his desk drawer and quickly retrieved his .45 caliber automatic that he had carried when he served in Vietnam. “The snake! The one that killed Krause! It’s here!” he thought. Corbin picked up his desk console phone and pressed the intercom button. He heard the beep, but no one answered. “Security! SECURITY!” he bellowed, “Wake up down there, sergeant or I swear you’ll never work in this town again!!” “Quite right, Mr. Michaelson.” said a hissing, sultry, female voice, “Sgt. Wayne won’t be working for anyone else in this town or any other! He’s dead! As soon you will be as well! HISSSSS!” The voice began to laugh diabolically.

“I suppose you think you’re scaring me with this disembodied voice thing, do you?” asked Michaelson, putting down the receiver. “Oh, I can tell from your heartbeat and the way you’re sweating that I’m scaring the living daylights out of you, Corbin!” said the voice, “May I call you Corbin?” “Sure, what the heck?” said Michaelson, “Considering that you’re planning to kill me!” “Maybe, then again, maybe not!” she said with a smile he could hear in her voice. “So, uh, how do I influence the ‘not’ portion of that statement?” asked Corbin, “Is it money you want?” “No, Corbin darling. I already have plenty of that.” she said, “I need just one piece of information from you and I’ll leave you in peace.” “Well, what is it?” he asked. “Tell me this love, where is Sifu Jien Fu Sing?” she asked in a hissing voice.

“I can’t tell you that! He’d kill me!” exclaimed Corbin. “Oh, I’m sure he would!” she said giggling, “But I’ll kill you if you don’t!” “Not if I get you first!” he shouted. Michaelson opened fire in all directions amid the laughter of the mysterious female. The laughing stopped when Corbin’s magazine was empty. “Did we get all our frustrations out, baby?” she taunted, “Do we feel better now?” “I’ll feel better once I get the spare clip in here!” he thought angrily. He quickly opened the drawer and grabbed the clip. It felt light. It was empty. “Looking for these?” she said from behind him. He turned to his right and a light green skinned, clawed, reptilian hand stood open with the palm up. In it were the .45 caliber contents of the magazine. Turning her hand over, she dropped them to the floor.

Corbin dropped his head and closed his eyes. “So what happens now?” he asked. “Turn around and see.” she said with a smirk. He turned and gasped when he saw the face and tall, luscious form of The Green Mamba. “I can’t tell you where he is! You don’t know how dangerous he is! Please don’t do this to me!” he pleaded. “Of course I know how dangerous he is! He taught me all I know!” said The Mamba. “Look, I tried to avoid this, darling! Truly I did!” she said with a sharp pointed grin, “I started with those that were closest to the Orient first, but they didn’t know where Master Jien was! It turns out that only you knew where to find him! All of your friends and colleagues died because you didn’t share the information with them! It really is your own fault! Shame on you!” “And I suppose you didn’t enjoy doing it at all, you sadistic witch!” said Michaelson pointedly.

The Green Mamba grasped Michaelson by the throat and lifted him off the floor, easily holding him suspended in mid-air. “Who are you calling a witch??” she said with an evil smile, “I’ll have you know that I am not a witch, thank you very much! Actually, I’m more like a were-snake, if there is such a thing!” The Mamba tossed him across the room and over against a large bookcase, which after impacting, he slid down to the floor. Michaelson recovered quickly and tried to make for the door. The Mamba laughed and moved with amazing speed, getting in front of him, stopping him cold. With a loud hiss, she slashed at his chest with her razor sharp, hypno-venomed claws. Michaelson screamed and grasped his chest, falling to the floor.

The venom-coated talons hadn’t fully reached Michaelson’s chest wall, so even though she slashed deep, the full strike didn’t reach him as the Mamba had wished, thanks to his thick velvet robe. Michaelson acted as if he was seriously hurt in order to bide his time. The fact that she unloaded the gun’s magazine proved to him that despite how powerful she appeared, she was still somehow vulnerable. He just needed the time to find what she was vulnerable to, if The Green Mamba would give him the time to figure it out!

“Look Corbin, all I want is to find out where he is and I’ll leave you in peace.” she hissed softly, “I’m going to kill him anyway when I find him, so he’ll never get the chance to kill you! Just tell me where he’s hiding and you’ll never have to worry about seeing him again!” “You…promise?” asked Michaelson hopefully. “I promise you will never see him again after tonight, if you tell me the truth!” she said holding up her clawed right hand while putting the other on her ample cleavage, “I give you my word!”

Michaelson stood to his feet and walked back to his large oak desk and sat down. “Alright, I’ll tell you where Master Sing is hiding.” he said. “Before you do that, Corbin darling, I’ll need you to open that robe for a moment.” said the Mamba. “Why?” he asked gulping. “To get some of my hypno-venom into you, my precious.” she hissed, “I have to make sure you’re not lying to me just to get me to leave.” “And why oh why would I want you to leave, my dear?” said Corbin, “I find your presence so…stimulating!” “Sarcasm does not become you, Corbin!” said the Mamba glaring at him, “Now open the robe or would you rather have me do it for you? Please say ‘yes’!” Corbin opened the robe. “Rats! I was kinda hoping you’d resist!” the Mamba said with a playful pout, “I could have really had fun ripping that thing off you!”

“Isn’t there another way that we can get this drug in me besides the claws?” asked Corbin nervously. “Well yes, but not nearly as much fun!” she replied, slithering closer to him. “Could we go the less fun route if you don’t mind?” he asked. “Oh all right, if you’re going to be a baby about it!” she replied with exasperation, “Just one little scratch under the chin then!” Corbin nodded and the Mamba slithered around behind him. As soon as she got there, the serpentine sorceress quickly ran a razored claw across his neck, beneath his chin, from ear to ear. “OWWW! I wasn’t ready!” complained Corbin. “I know!” replied The Mamba with a wink.

The powerful hypno-venom began to work almost immediately. Corbin felt light-headed and relaxed. The Green Mamba turned his chair around to face her, sat down on his lap, straddling his hips, snapping the arms off the chair and put her sensuous mouth close to his right ear. “Now precious, tell me where Master Jien is hiding.” she asked with a soft hiss. “He has a house and a plantation, near a small village called Chu Lai…on the outskirts.” Corbin began, “Zhu Lang province, at the foot of Lei Kung Mountain. I can draw you a map if you like.” The Mamba smiled and said, “No Corbin darling, that won’t be necessary. I know China fairly well, I’ll find it.” “Is that it? Are we done?” asked Corbin.

“Not quite, my dear Corbin.” she hissed, “You see, now, after expending so much effort to try to see you, my energies are somewhat drained. I must…feed.” The Mamba hissed loudly and opened her lovely green eyes wide, putting Corbin Michaelson under her hypnotic spell. “But you said…you wouldn’t…harm me!” he pleaded as he succumbed to her powerful will. “I most certainly did not!” The Mamba corrected, “I told you two things: One, that if you told me the whereabouts of Master Jien, I’d leave you in peace. Two, that you’d never have to worry about seeing Master Jien again. Both true, once you’re dead!” “You…deceived…me!” said Corbin softly. “Duh! I’m a snake! We’re good at that!” she said with a laugh. “What…are you…going to…do to me?” he asked. “I’m going to drain your life-force, your soul, if you will, and your blood from you, and all your knowledge will come with it.” hissed The Mamba, “With that, I’ll not only replenish my energies, but I’ll gain access to everything you know, including your bank codes, how much you have and where, everything!”

The Green Mamba put her reptilian hand around the back of Michaelson’s head, placing two of her sharp claws just over his carotid artery. With a sudden motion, she sliced open the vessel. An instant before the flow began, the Mamba willed her deadly fangs to retract out of the way, opened her mouth wide and placed her soft lips over the vessel, forming a tight seal. As the artery began squirting Corbin’s life-blood, she took in large mouthfuls of it, swallowing hungrily. A curious green glow started where her lips met his neck. The glow spread from Corbin’s neck to his face, encompassing the whole of his head. It grew brighter momentarily and then began to fade, moving back down toward The Mamba’s waiting mouth. Moments later, the exsanguination and life-force draining was complete, leaving Corbin Michaelson a dried up husk, looking mummified.

“Good-bye, my precious.” said The Green Mamba, blowing the corpse a kiss, “Thanks for the info and the meal! You’re quite the host! Always thinking of your guest! I’m sure you won’t need these millions you have stashed all over the place! Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything for you! I’ll be sure to give Sifu your regards when I see him! I’m sure he’ll be dying to see me! HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

*****

The next day…

Corbin Michaelson’s corpse was discovered by his security force when the shift change came and the relief officers found Sgt. Wayne and Bubba George dead. The officers who found his body couldn’t believe that the mummified corpse seated at Michaelson’s desk was indeed the man himself. They called the police who arrived promptly at the scene within the hour. The Chief of Detectives, Inspector Gary Crandall, arrived shortly after to take charge. When he finished looking over the scene, making notes as he went, he had the body removed to the morgue and spoke at length to the head of the forensics team assigned to the case.

“So Mikey, what happened to him?” asked Crandall with a grin. “You gotta be kidding, Gary!” answered Michael Trent, the head of the CSI team, “It’s gonna take at least a week to figure out what killed him, not to mention how it was done!” “I know Mikey, I know. I am kidding you.” confessed Crandall, “But is there anything you can tell me about this? Anything at all?” “I can tell you this, man.” said Mike, “Whatever did this, I don’t ever want to meet! That’s for darn sure!” “I hear ya there, pal!” said Crandall. “There is one thing though, Gary.” said Mike with a frown, “This definitely was not an animal that killed these people.” “Not that I disagree with you, but what makes you say that?” asked Gary.

“The methodical way it was done for one.” explained Mike, “First, they somehow forced the roof guard to open the most intricate locking system I’ve ever laid eyes on and then disposed of her. Then bypassed 2 other floors, killed the guards in the monitoring station, gained access to Michaelson’s private suite, killed him in some kind of bizarre way and left without taking anything of value! The jewelry, stock and bond certificates, not to mention a 150 grand in cash is still here! My question is: What were they after?” “Well, it wasn’t money, that’s for sure!” replied Gary, “So, what was the other thing?” “Oh, yeah!“ said Mike, “Well, I haven’t done a blood test to confirm this yet, but I think the rest of the victims died from…snake bite!” “Snake bite??” he exclaimed, “This is just about the weirdest case I’ve seen in a long time, Mikey!”

A wry grin trilled Mike’s lips and he asked, “So, you, uh, gonna call…her?” “Man, I don’t know!” said Gary holding his head by the temples, “I know the Chief thinks really highly of her and she does come up with some really good stuff sometimes, but she always puts me down so badly! Like I’m stupid or something! I feel like I’m back in high school around her!” “OK dude, do what you want, but on a high profile case like this you know the Chief’s gonna be watching!” said Mike, “Especially since she and Michaelson were members of the same clubs and stuff. She’s gonna be ridin’ your back like a harpy!” “Yeah, I know, I know!” Gary answered, “She gave me the speech before I left HQ! The Mayor’s on her already and she’s passing the heat onto me!”

Mike put his hand on Gary’s shoulder and said, “I know she doesn’t make you feel good, but you gotta admit she does get results! Since everybody’s watching on this one, you might wanna swallow it down and call her in sooner than later. I’m tellin’ ya, I haven’t seen a corpse like this outside of an Egyptian tomb exhibit at the Higgendorf Museum and it’s gonna take a while to get to the bottom of this one without help!” “You’re right, Mikey. I’ll call her right now.” Gary said reluctantly. Mike smiled and walked away to give Crandall some privacy. Crandall took out his cell phone and punched up the address book. He scrolled down the list, highlighted the name “Dr. Fisher” and pressed the call button.

After 3 rings, a female voice said, “Celeste Fisher.” “Hello, Doctor. Gary Crandall, Primrose City P.D., how are you?” he replied to the greeting. “Just fine, Lieutenant!” said Fisher, “How are you these days?” “Doing OK, Doctor Fisher, it’s Inspector now, though.” replied Gary. “Oh, I’m sorry!” said Fisher with a note of sarcasm, “I suppose congratulations are in order!” “Thank you, Doctor!” said Crandall with a smile. “Well, now that the obligatory sophomoric chit-chat is dispensed with, why don’t you tell me the real reason for this little phone call!” said Fisher, “I take it you’ve got another little puzzle you can’t get your mind around, hmm?” “In a manner of speaking, yes Doctor.” said Crandall, through his teeth, “Corbin Michaelson has been murdered in a rather bizarre manner. I thought you might lend us your expertise on this one. I know the Chief would be most appreciative of your help.”

“I see.” said Fisher, with a smirk, “Why don’t you give me a quick run down of the situation then.” Crandall gave Dr. Fisher an abbreviated version of the evidence that had been collected and the eyewitness reports of the scenes. “Yes, quite a little conundrum indeed, Inspector!” commented Fisher, “Tell me, did you check Michaelson’s computer yet?” “Beyond fingerprint dusting, no. Why?” asked Gary. “Well, Inspector, my common sense tells me that if money wasn’t what they were after, they must have been after something else of value!” said Fisher, somewhat exasperated, “Wouldn’t you agree?” Crandall frowned up at her last statement thinking, “Here we go! She’s starting early!” “Yes, of course, Doctor!” he answered, “But what? Besides some evidence of a struggle and a few shell casings from his old .45 automatic, nothing else has been disturbed.”

“Then, Inspector, that should tell even someone with limited imagination, such as yourself, that physical files are not what they sought!” replied Dr. Fisher, “Wouldn’t you say?” “So the perpetrator would have searched Michaelson’s computer for the information.” said Crandall with a sigh. “I’m so glad we agree on that!” said Fisher with an air of superiority, “Shall I meet you in your office at say 1:30 p.m. to discuss the case further?” “The autopsy is at 2 p.m., so that would be an excellent time.” said Crandall, “I look forward to seeing you then.” “Of course you do, Inspector. See you at 1:30 then. Ciao!” she replied and hung up.

Crandall walked over to Michaelson’s desk and sat down hard in the executive’s comfortable high back chair. “I will not let her get to me this time!” he thought fuming, “I will remain professional…I will remain professional…I will remain professional!” After a few deep breaths, Gary pressed the “Wake” button on the keyboard and the computer hummed to life. Crandall checked the computer’s files, at least the one’s that weren’t locked with a password, and found nothing out of the ordinary. He accessed the internet and checked the Favorites list. Almost all of them were banks in various countries around the globe. Since he didn’t have a password for the accounts, he decided to find out when the last time was that the sites were accessed from this computer.

Crandall pulled down the top menu and clicked the History tab. He nodded as he read the sites that were accessed the evening before. All of the banks that were on the Favorites menu had been accessed that evening. The reason that the murderer hadn’t taken the cash or jewelry was now obvious. It was pocket change compared to the millions in Michaelson’s accounts! Unfortunately, Dr. Celeste Fisher was right again. He ordered that the CSI team take the computer to the forensics lab and have Milo “Gizmo” Collins take a look at it to see what else he could find. Crandall decided to leave the CSI team and the uniformed officers to wrap up the scene and headed back to HQ, dreading the 1:30 meeting with Dr. Fisher.

*****

Meanwhile, in an affluent suburb of Primrose City…

Dr. Celeste Fisher, Professor and Chairman of the Criminology Department at Primrose University, was just finishing her morning workout in her well equipped gymnasium. Celeste executed a perfect mid-air triple somersault from the uneven bars and landed without a sound on her nylon tights covered feet. She walked over to the weight bench, picked up a towel and looked at herself in the mirror as she patted the sweat from her face and neck. What stared back at her was a vision of loveliness, despite the sweat. Her features were mostly Italian, from her mother’s side, which accounted for the nearly olive coloring of her flawless skin, her aristocratic nose, beautiful green eyes and silky medium brown hair. Her few friends always teased her about the page boy style in which she wore her hair, but she liked the low maintenance of it and paid them no mind.

Her 5’8” shapely and athletic, 35 year old body was a picture of grace and power in motion. Many men had approached her, wanting to spend time just looking at her beauty, but were put off by her intellect and arrogance. Some were put off also by her apparently lame right leg with caused her to use a cane. The cane and the arrogance were both camouflage for one of the world’s most powerful superheroines, the woman called Clandestine.

16 years ago, Celeste went to the Orient seeking a cure for a cancer-like malady that was consuming her body that, left unchecked, would have killed her. It had debilitated her to the point that she had lost the use of her right leg and foot, hobbling about Primrose City with a cane. In a remote area of China, she located a small village where it was said that a man had found a cure for most every sickness known to man. Most people discounted him, but Celeste was desperate. She went to the place where she was told she could find the man and rang the gong near the gate.

The gate opened and a huge Chinese man, about the size of a Sumo wrestler, asked, “WHAT IS IT YOU WANT?” His booming voice intimidated Celeste so much that she could barely speak. She finally managed to get out, “I…I want to see the healer. Is he here?” “You will wait here.” said the giant of a man, “I will inquire if he is able to see you.” The man closed the gate and she waited. After 15 minutes, the man returned and said, “GO HOME! HE WILL NOT SEE YOU!” At that, he slammed the gate shut. Celeste beat on the gate and gong for 5 minutes until the huge man came back.

Although she was frightened beyond belief, she managed to call up enough anger to say to him that she came all the way from America and climbed up the mountain on her one good leg and she would not leave until she saw the healer. The man laughed at her and slammed the gate shut again. Celeste sat outside the entrance gate to the house for 5 days and nights, neither eating nor drinking, and only sleeping occasionally. On the 6th day, the gate creaked open with no one on the other side. Celeste got up, grabbed her cane and limped through the opening. As she entered, the gate door slammed shut behind her, still with no one there. Celeste swallowed hard and walked to the house. She raised her hand to knock on the door, but it swung open, apparently by itself, admitting her. She went a few steps and the door closed of its own accord, just as the gate did. Suddenly, she was startled as the large man appeared seemingly from nowhere.

“Greetings, Celeste Fisher. I am Lee Fung.” he said with a polite bow, “My master asks that you eat, rest and refresh yourself before I bring you to him. Please follow me.” “Wait, Mr. Fung.” said Celeste in puzzlement, “How do you know my name?” “My master told me your name, young lady.” he replied with a smile, “Now please, come with me. I know you are tired, hungry and could use a place to rest and clean up.” Celeste shrugged her shoulders and went with him. He led her to a comfortable room with a mixture of Chinese and European furnishings and its own bathroom.

“Please make yourself comfortable.” said Lee Fung, “I will bring you something to eat.” He bowed and left the room closing the door behind him. Moments later there was a knock at the door and Celeste told whoever it was to come in. Lee Fung entered with a tray filled with delicious smelling food. He set it down on the table near the window and opened the shade. Outside, there was a breathtaking view of the mountains and carefully planted gardens adorned with the most beautiful flowers Celeste had ever seen.

Lee Fung pulled out a chair for her and she sat down. “Thank you, Mr. Fung.” she said. He laughed and said to her, “Please, just call me Lee Fung, young lady. Mr. Fung sounds rather strange to me!” Celeste laughed herself and replied, “Yes, I suppose it does at that! Lee Fung, you have been so kind to me, but I need to ask you something.” “What is it, my lady?” he asked. “Why did your master leave me outside so long?” she said with tears in her eyes, “I only sought his help!”

“Young lady, my master receives many requests for his assistance everyday.” explained Lee Fung, “There are many who would seek to take from here the secrets of his cures and profit by them. He needed to see how much you really needed him. If you just wanted his secrets you would have been prepared to wait and brought provisions. The gate would never have been opened. If you were here for some other foolish purpose, you would have simply left after a few hours, but because you stayed and waited and you did not become belligerent or rude while doing so, my master deemed you worthy to receive whatever assistance you require and the hospitality of his house for as long as you wish to stay.”

“I understand. He was only protecting himself and his home.” she said. “Precisely. Is there anything else I may do for you?” asked Lee Fung. “No, thank you, Lee Fung.” she said with a smile, “You and your master have been most kind. When may I see him?” “He would be honored if you would join him for dinner this evening. You may talk with him there.” he replied. Celeste stood shakily to her feet, bowed and said, “No, the honor would be mine, Lee Fung. Thank you.” “You will find some clothing in your size in the closet, just there. “ said Lee Fung pointing to a door to the left of the bathroom, “Dinner will be at 6. I will come to collect you. In the meantime, if you should need anything, just ring the gong and I will come to serve you. Please rest. If you wish, I can wake you at 5 to give you time to sleep.” “Oh. that would be wonderful, thank you!” she replied.

“Very well then.” he said, “Shall I draw you a bath or would you prefer a shower?” “No, thank you, Lee Fung.” Celeste replied, “You’ve done more than enough already. I’ll just shower, then I’ll get some sleep.” “Very well, my lady.” said Lee Fung, “Just leave the dishes on the tray when you are finished eating. I will come and clear everything away while you shower.” “Thank you.” said Celeste. “You are most welcome, my lady!” said Lee Fung bowing out of the door. Celeste ate heartily, showered and slept. Lee Fung knocked to wake her at 5 p.m. precisely. He returned in exactly one hour. Celeste was dressed in a one piece, black silk dress with gold trim and a Nehru-like collar, with gold frog closures that went down the left side to the waist line. The dress stopped just below her knees showing her skinny, slightly atrophied legs. She slipped on a pair of low heeled slippers she found in the bottom of the closet and followed Lee Fung to the dining room.

To her surprise, there was a long Western style table in the room, decorated with Chinese furnishings and spread with the same type of delicious food she had eaten earlier. Lee Fung told her to address his master as Sifu and not to speak until spoken to. Celeste raised both eyebrows and thought, “This may be a very long night!” About 1 minute later, a gong sounded and Lee Fung entered. “Miss Celeste Fisher.” he announced, “It is my honor to introduce Sifu Jien Fu Sing, Grand Master of Qi-Gong!” Celeste stood and bowed, but did not raise herself up. Master Jien entered expecting her to look up, as most Westerners would have, but she didn’t. She waited. He smiled and said, “Please raise yourself and be seated.” Celeste did so and finally saw Master Jien.

He was a very small man, about 4’7” tall, but with a very muscular build. He looked ancient, but with wrinkles only around his almond shaped eyes. Most of his hair was gone except on the side and back of his head which was silver white and went as far as his collar. He had bushy white eyebrows and a thick white mustache that covered his mouth, so that one could barely see the corners of it when he smiled. He also had a small thin white beard at the end of his chin, which he stroked while thinking or listening to someone speak. He was dressed like a Mandarin ruler with the ceremonial headdress and gold tunic with jeweled frog buttons and black silk pants.

Master Jien looked at Celeste intently and said, “Where did you learn your manners, young lady? You are exceptionally well cultivated for a White girl!” “Thank you, honored Sifu!” she replied with a nod toward him, “My father was a diplomat who taught me many things about China and the culture of her people.” “Ah, I see.” answered Sifu Jien, “Come young miss, let us eat and speak of why you are here.”

As they dined, Celeste told Master Jien of her sickness and her hope that his remedies could cure her. When they finished, Master Jien took Celeste for a walk in his garden. Even in the light of the lanterns, the flowers were still the loveliest she had ever seen. “So Celeste, are you ready to begin your treatment?” asked Master Jien. “Yes, Sifu! Whenever you want!” she replied eagerly. “Very well.” he replied, “Tonight you must sleep out here in the garden under the tree planted at its center. If you still wish to continue in the morning, your treatment will begin.” Celeste thought it an odd request, but she felt that the old man meant her no harm, so she complied.

As she slept, she dreamed. In the dream, a beautiful dark haired Chinese woman, wearing a royal silk gown in gold, purple and scarlet, came and sat down near her, watching her sleep. Celeste sensed she wasn’t alone and in the dream, she awoke with a start. The woman smiled and said, “Do not be afraid, young one. I mean you no harm. I am Xi Wang-Mu, Goddess of Immortality. This is my favorite tree. Why are you here?” Celeste went to her knees with her face to the ground and said, “I was told to sleep here by Sifu Jien, Great One! I meant no disrespect!” The goddess laughed and touched her on the shoulder saying, “Stand up, my dear. I am not angry with you. I simply wondered why a princess like you would be sleeping outside under a tree! You may stay here as long as you wish!” “Goddess, I am grateful that you believe I am so, but I am not a princess, my lady.” admitted Celeste.

“Oh, but you are, my dear child!” said the goddess, “I can see into your soul and there is a royal bearing that lies within you! That is why Jien Fu Sing sent you to sleep here, I think. So that I could come to see what was within you, to confirm that you are worthy.” “Worthy of what, my lady?” asked Celeste. Xi Wang-Mu took Celeste in her arms and went to her knees with her. Celeste lay on her bosom and the goddess smiled saying, “You will see soon enough, my princess! For now, sleep, my child. When you awake in the morning, tell Jien Fu Sing that I said: You are chosen and you are indeed worthy to receive the gift of God!” Xi Wang-Mu began humming a lullaby that Celeste’s mother used to sing for her when she was a little girl. She fell deeply asleep and felt safe in the goddess’ arms.

When she awoke in the morning, Lee Fung took her into the house and she told Master Jian what she had dreamed. He was overjoyed and told her to go and have her breakfast and then come back after she had a chance to change her clothes. When she returned to Sifu Jien, she was dressed as a student of martial arts in a dark purple gung-fu uniform with a gold sash tied about her waist. Master Jien told her to sit down on the straw mat covered floor. He left the dojo to get something from a small cabinet just beyond the door he had stepped out of. He returned with a small box and sat down in front of her. He explained that there was a special herb called Zhang Pau that only grew in certain parts of the world and this was one of those places.

He mentioned something about a spiritual nexus that imbued the little plants with special restorative powers that could cure nearly every sickness or disease, but in special cases it could do even more than that. “Will you trust me?” he asked. “Yes, Sifu Jien.” she replied. “Then give me your hand.” he said. She gave him her hand and he opened the box. Inside it, the Zhang Pau root was glowing! It fascinated her. Master Jien took out a sharp knife and made a cut in her palm. She almost retracted her hand, but Master Jien lowered the knife and said, “Trust me.”

He put the knife on the floor and squeezed her hand a little, forming a small pool of blood in her palm. He then picked up the glowing blue root and placed it in the blood. The capillary effect was almost immediate. The root absorbed the blood that was in her hand and carried it completely through the whole root to the top. It then glowed purple! Master Jien rubbed the root into her hand. The sap stung the wound for a moment, then the wound was gone! There was no trace of it at all! It was as if the cut had never been there!

Master Jien looked at her intently and said, “Now, listen to me very carefully, Celeste. You must eat the root completely, but no matter how vile it tastes, you must consume it all, otherwise the power will not do its complete work. Once you start, you must not stop, so prepare yourself before you begin. Do you understand?” “Yes, Sifu. I understand.” she answered.

Celeste took a deep breath and took the first bite. It was the most horrible taste she had ever experienced. She almost spit it out, but she kept chewing and swallowed it. Then she took another bite, then another and still another, continuing until it was all gone. Celeste smiled and was glad it was finally over. Master Jien smiled also. Then she felt extremely dizzy and passed out on the floor. “Lee Fung, come here!” said Master Jien. He entered quickly, bowed and asked, “Did she get it all down, Master?” “Yes, she certainly did!” Master Jien answered, “Take her back to her room, Lee Fung. Then we will wait to see if the dream was true or if she will die!”

TO BE CONTINUED...in Part II – “When The Student Is Ready…”

[SGWriter]

Excellent intro as always Pics, looks like another great one in the making.

[superpics4les]

Here's Part 2! Enjoy! 8)

*****

Part II – “When The Student Is Ready…”

Celeste Fisher’s manor home, near Primrose City…

Dr. Celeste Fisher sat on the shiny parquet floor of her gym with her towel draped over her shoulders. She was in the lotus position, in a deeply meditative state. Her mind drifted to the past once again, as she remembered how she came to be healed of her deadly sickness and Sifu Jien’s tutelage…

Celeste woke up a few hours after Lee Fung had carried her to the room that she had been given. She awakened unclothed and tucked in bed with the covers over her. She sat up and felt something she hadn’t experienced in a long time. She could feel her right leg! She uncovered her whole body and gasped when she saw it. Her young body was completely healthy! More than that, it was gorgeous! Her legs were beautifully muscled and shapely, unlike the nearly atrophied limbs she had arrived with. The rest of her body was also well proportioned and more curvaceous than it was even before her sickness. Celeste got out of bed and rushed to the full length mirror on the door of the closet.

She looked at her nude body and thought that she looked a lot like her mother when she was her age. Her mother was an Italian figure model when she and her father met, and she had the most gorgeous skin Celeste had ever seen. She now had the same type, tone and color of skin that her mother had possessed. She opened the closet door and looked inside for some clothing. When she opened it, all she found was a shiny, dark purple, neck to toe bodystocking on a hanger. She shrugged her shoulders and took it out. Celeste removed the clingy garment from the hanger and slid the skin tight fabric over her young nubile body. It felt glorious on her new skin and somehow the sensation seemed heightened.

She finally got it on and she felt a little self-conscious about wearing it. She kind of felt like she wasn’t wearing anything at all, the fabric was so light. It fit like a second skin, conforming itself every curve of her body and shimmered when the light struck it. As she was admiring her new body in the mirror, a knock came at the door startling her. “Come in.” she said apprehensively. Lee Fung came in and bowed. “Greetings, my lady! Did you rest well?” he asked. “Lee Fung, look at me!” she exclaimed, “I can walk without my cane! I’m healed! It’s a miracle!” “Yes, my lady, but that is not all that has happened to you.” said Lee Fung, “Come, Sifu wishes to see you.”

Lee Fung led Celeste back to the dojo where Sifu Sing was waiting for her. As she entered the dojo Sifu greeted her warmly and told her to sit down. She did so, but was uneasy, as if something was amiss. She felt another presence in the room besides Sifu and herself. Sifu smiled and asked, “What is it, my dear? Is there something wrong?” “Yes, Sifu.” she said softly, “I feel like there is someone else here with us, but I see no one. Why do I feel this way?” “Because there is indeed someone else here, Celeste.” said Sifu, “Look over there.” Suddenly, right where Celeste had been looking a split second earlier, there was another young lady wearing a similar bodystocking but in gloriously sleek forest green. “Celeste Fisher, allow me to introduce my other student, Rosalyn Drake.” said Sifu proudly, “Rosalyn, this is Celeste Fisher.”

“Pleased to meet you, I’m sure!” said Rosalyn bowing toward Celeste. Celeste bowed in return and said, “Likewise!” Celeste went to her knees and with her eyes filling with tears said, “Honorable Sifu, I thank you for giving me the healing power of the Zhang Pau! It has done more than just heal my sickness! It has remade my entire body! How can I ever repay your kindness?” Sifu Sing walked down from the small platform and raised her head with a finger and replied, “You may repay me by allowing me to teach you all I know, so that you may take this and other hidden things into the world to aid all of mankind. I am older than you think I am and I have been the guardian of these secrets for many years. It is time for the power I have guarded to be unleashed to fight and destroy evil once again!”

Sifu told Rosalyn to come before him also. She came and knelt looking into his eyes as Celeste was doing. “I have had no wife or children of my own.” said Sifu sadly, “Yet I must pass on my knowledge before the sacred secrets die with me and are lost! Will you both be my daughters and pledge yourselves to learning the sacred arts?” Celeste and Rosalyn both moved forward and hugged him tightly. Unseen by the girls, Sifu shed two tears and immediately straitened himself, clearing his throat. “Then come, my daughters, the greatest adventure of your lives awaits you!” said Sifu.

Sifu explained that they would eventually become the vessels of the Fifth Force. Sifu Sing was a Master of Qi-Gong, the art of the manipulation of Qi or Ki, the life force. He also possessed the knowledge of the Ki of the universe, which is what he called the Fifth Force. It was called this because physicists have postulated that there is another force in the universe other than the four known forces of electromagnetism, gravity, the strong interaction and the weak interaction. But while these scientists look for a physical means to prove its existence, Sifu and others before him knew that the Fifth Force was a spiritual energy, accessed with one’s heart and mind, the human soul, not with machines or measured by instrumentation. Its effects on physical matter can be experienced with the 5 senses, but the Fifth Force itself can only be manipulated by those who are taught its secrets.

In the years that followed, Celeste and Rosalyn became like sisters. They shared everything and loved Sifu like a father, until one fateful day came. Both girls had passed the test of the tree and survived the ingestion of the Zhang Pau, but Celeste seemed more adept at the arts that Sifu taught than Rosalyn. Over a period of time, she began to exhibit signs of jealousy. Rosalyn overheard Sifu and Lee Fung talking in Sifu’s private chambers. She thought she heard Sifu say that he would teach the secret of the Fifth Force only to Celeste as she was the best student. Rosalyn was hurt and outraged and ran out of the compound weeping. She got lost in a part of the surrounding forest that she had never been in before. It began to rain very hard and Rosalyn sought shelter in an old, ruined temple.

She sat in the temple venting her anger by hitting the floor as hard as she could several times. Suddenly, the floor gave way and she fell into another chamber that had not been opened for centuries. She found a torch, focused her energies to light it and it flamed to life. The torchlight allowed her to see that before her was a huge golden idol of a serpent with large flawless emeralds for eyes. Since she had decided to leave Sifu, she knew she needed money and these jewels would be worth a fortune, not to mention the gold trinkets around the idol and the golden idol itself!

Rosalyn climbed the snake idol and pulled the first emerald out and put it in the pouch on her belt. She retrieved the other one and suddenly the ground began shaking. She fell from the idol and rolled to her feet. A green mist hissed out of the eyes and coalesced into a large, muscular, shapely female figure with pale green skin and eerily glowing green eyes. “WHO DARES TO REMOVE THE EYES OF MY IDOL??” bellowed the woman-like figure, “WHO DESICRATES THE HOLY ALTAR OF SLITHARA, THE SERPENT GODDESS??” Trembling, Rosalyn fell to her knees and said, “Please Great One, I meant no harm! I didn’t think these things belonged to anyone! I will put them back immediately! Please forgive…!” “SILENCE, INFIDEL!!” the ghostly figure shouted, “THE PENALTY FOR THIS DESICRATION IS DEATH!!”

The figure moved faster than Rosalyn could blink and seized her, lifting her toward her mouth, hissing and baring her fangs to sink them into her. Rosalyn screamed in abject horror. Then suddenly, the snake creature stopped her fangs’ descent toward her throat and said, “I SENSE THE TEACHINGS OF SIFU JIEN FU SING IN YOU, LITTLE ONE! DID HE SEND YOU FOR ME? DID HE SEND YOU TO DESTROY ME? SPEAK!!” “No, my lady!” she said quickly, “I ran away from him, got lost in the wood and found myself here! I wasn’t sent!” The fearful fanged figure smiled and put Rosalyn down. “I sense that you speak the truth.” she said in a normal tone, “Tell me child, why do you run away from Sifu Jien?”

“I was his first student, but he will not show me the secret of the Fifth Force as he will my sister!” complained Rosalyn, “I deserve it just as much as she does! I know as much of his teachings as she does, maybe even more!” Slithara walked over to a golden throne and sat on it. “Come here, little one. Sit by me.” she said with a smile, “I have something to tell you.” As Rosalyn sat by the throne, the snake goddess told Rosalyn that Sifu Jien had imprisoned her here 500 years ago and sealed her within the idol. She told Rosalyn that she was a benevolent goddess that loved mankind, but Sifu would not allow her to wield her power because he feared her and used the Fifth Force to seal her in the idol for all time. She offered Rosalyn her powers to punish Sifu for his unfaithfulness to her and for imprisoning her for so many years.

Despite Sifu Jien’s teachings, Rosalyn was still very naïve and fell under the spell of the evil serpent, believing her every word. She accepted her offer and Slithara stood from the throne. She opened her arms and Rosalyn embraced her. The snake goddess hissed and sank her fangs into the base of Rosalyn’s neck. Rosalyn screamed. She withdrew her fangs and said, “Do not fear, little one. My bite will not kill you, it will only paralyze you so that I may enter your body to give you the awesome powers I possess. Now open your mouth and receive me of your own free will!” Rosalyn obeyed. Slithara transformed into the green mist once more and entered her lovely young body through her mouth and nose. Rosalyn collapsed the ground and screamed long and loud only once. Afterward, she fell unconscious.

When she awoke, she found herself just outside Sifu’s compound. “Now child, go into the house and kill Sifu Jien, extract the knowledge from him!” Slithara commanded, “Drain his soul! Kill him, Rosalyn! KILL THEM ALL!!” Rosalyn smiled wickedly, baring her sharp pointed fangs and said, “Yes, my goddess! Kill…kill them all!” Rosalyn slithered into the house and went to Sifu’s private chamber. She bared her 2 inch claws and used the one on her right index finger to snap the lock. Rosalyn entered the room and crept toward her adopted father, her green stockinged feet making no sound. She softly hissed once and then leapt for him. Sifu awoke and instantly evaded her attack.

“Daughter, what has happened to you??” asked Sifu, “What have you done, Rosalyn?” “You were going to give the secret of the Fifth Force only to Celeste!” she hissed, “You weren’t even going to give me a chance! You betrayed me! You will die! HISSSSS!” She leaped for Sifu’s throat, but he fluidly ducked under her and struck her in the abdomen. She doubled over and moaned in pain, writhing on the floor. “That will hold you until I can discern what has changed you into this…abomination!” said Sifu. He left her in his room, coiled up in the fetal position. Soon after Sifu left, Celeste walked by and saw her writhing on the floor. Rosalyn sheathed her claws and fangs. “Celeste, help me!” she cried.

Celeste rushed to her side and asked, “My God, Rosalyn! Who did this to you?” “An enemy is in the compound, Celeste!” she said, “Release me from this nerve lock, quickly! We must stop them!” Celeste pressed an area on her spine and released her from Sifu’s nerve lock. “Thank you, my sister!” said Rosalyn embracing her. Celeste smiled and hugged her back, happy to see that her sister had returned safely. Rosalyn silently bared her long sharp fangs to sink them into Celeste. Lee Fung saw her about to bite Celeste and yelled, “CELESTE, LOOK OUT!” She looked at Lee Fung wondering why he shouted so. Then she saw the fangs in her sister’s mouth! She screamed and instinctively lashed out striking Rosalyn in the jaw.

The uncontrolled blow sent Rosalyn sprawling. “You will pay for that, sister!” she hissed. Rosalyn moved swiftly to pounce on Celeste while she was still trying to figure out what was going on. Celeste saw the sleek figure of her sister moving to the attack and Sifu’s training took over. Celeste took a defensive stance and waited for her. As she reached her, Celeste jumped into the air and brought both feet off the floor. She planted both of her sleek, purple stockinged feet squarely in Rosalyn’s chest with great force. This stunned Rosalyn, but to Celeste’s surprise did not knock her down. To Rosalyn’s surprise and chagrin, Celeste hung in midair, continuously stomping hard and fast, alternating one foot and then other, on Rosalyn’s chest, driving her backward and out of Sifu’s room, into the hallway.

“Daughter, bring her to the dojo, quickly!” Celeste heard in her mind, “Bring her to me!” Celeste spun with great speed, in a clockwise motion, her fists extended. This action pummeled Rosalyn about the head and shoulders repeatedly and backed her toward the dojo. When she reached doorway of the dojo, Celeste stopped her spin and planted a solid side kick to Rosalyn’s midsection, sending her flying into the dojo, right at the feet of Sifu Jien. Sifu held out his hand over her and applied the Fifth Force to hold her in place. Rosalyn hissed violently and shouted, “HISSSS! Release me, old man! Let me go or I’ll kill you! I’LL KILL YOU ALL!” “Well done, Celeste!” said Sifu proudly. “Sifu, what happened to her? What’s changed her like this?” asked Celeste with tears in her eyes.

“I’m not quite certain yet, dear one, but I believe she is possessed by a spirit…a demon spirit!” replied Sifu, “We must find out what and who it is, so that we may remove it from her and quickly!” As Celeste watched in awe, Sifu’s eyes began to glow with a preternatural light. “By the power of the Fifth Force, I command you, reveal yourself demon!” he ordered, “Tell us who you are, NOW!” The she-demon hissed and Rosalyn’s normally sweet dulcet tones were changed to a deep husky other-worldly voice. “I am not a demon, Jien Fu Sing! I am a goddess!” said the voice through Rosalyn’s mouth, “I am Slithara!”

“The Serpent!” exclaimed Sifu, “Release her Slithara, I command you by the Fifth Force.” Slithara laughed and said, “You can’t evict me from her body! She accepted me of her own free will, Jien Fu Sing! She is mine, forever!” “No, I won’t believe that!” said Sifu with a lump in his throat, “I want to speak to her! It is my right!” “Very well, Sing.” said Slithara, “You may speak.”

“Rosalyn, can you hear me?” asked Sifu, “Did you allow her into your body, daughter?” “Yes.” came Rosalyn’s sweet young voice, “I ran away because you were going to teach Celeste the secrets of the Fifth Force and not me! You betrayed me!” “No daughter, I didn’t.” said Sifu, “I knew you were at the door and I’ve told you many times not to eavesdrop. So I decided to teach you a lesson and said only part of my plan. I was going to teach her first, then after a little more training to hone you better, I was going to teach you!”

“Don’t let him fool you, Rosalyn!” said Slithara, “He’s just trying to lock me away from you! Please don’t let him do it to me again! I beg you! Come let’s away from this place, before he captures us both!” Rosalyn’s eyes glowed green and she forcibly slithered free of the hold Sifu had placed over her. She tried to attack Sifu once again, but Celeste got between them and fought her off with blows and kicks that came so fast and powerfully, that Rosalyn had no choice but to escape or die! Rosalyn broke off her attack and ran to the window. “Sifu Jien Fu Sing, your power will diminish over time!” said Rosalyn, “I’ll get you, my Sifu and the secrets of the Fifth Force will be mine! HAHAHAHAHAHA!” Having made her threat, she leaped out of the window and disappeared into the night.

“Sifu, is there no way to save her?” said Celeste through her tears. “Not until Rosalyn lets go of the feelings on betrayal and hatred she feels toward us, Celeste.” replied Sifu, “That is the anchor that holds the demon within her. When that is gone, she can reassert her control over her body and soul. Until then, the serpent spirit will consume more and more of her until there is only a tiny bit of Rosalyn left!” “I don’t understand, Sifu.” said Celeste, “I thought that a demon wanted total control of a human host.” “It does, daughter.” explained Sifu, “But in order to remain in the Earth realm, a miniscule portion of the host’s consciousness must remain. Otherwise the demon would have no right to stay here.”

“So then, to save her, we must reach that part of her and convince her that we still love her and that will release the hold and restore her to her former self?” asked Celeste. “Yes, daughter.” he answered, “Once the hatred is gone, Rosalyn will realize that she has been lied to and we can help her exorcise the demon spirit and consign it to oblivion!” “Then I must go, my father, and free my sister from this horror!” declared Celeste.

“No, my daughter.” said Sifu firmly, “Not yet. You must complete your training first.” “But I defeated her once, surely I can do it again!” she protested. “The Serpent, Slithara, has not fully manifested in Rosalyn completely, Celeste.” said Sifu, “If she had, you would not have been able defeat her so easily, if at all!” “Slithara is an ancient and powerful demoness, dear one. She feeds on the life force of others and gains strength and knowledge from her kills!” Sifu explained, “The last time we fought, it took all the power of the Fifth Force I could channel through me to subdue and imprison her! It also cost me the lives of all my students!”

“How many were there with you?” she asked. “50 souls, dear one.” he said sadly, “Both young men and women, all dear to my heart.” ”When was this, Sifu?” asked Celeste. “Hmmm, about 500 years ago, I think.” he said stroking his beard, “It’s difficult to recall. It was a long time ago.” “500 YEARS??” said Celeste, “Sifu, how old are you, really?” “One loses count as one becomes ancient, dear one.” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “But I believe I am a little over 1200 years old as I stand before you now.” Celeste stood with her mouth agape, not believing what she was hearing. “The Fifth Force has the property of extending the human life span for many years for those whom it flows through.” said Sifu, “You must complete your training with me before you face your sister again. Otherwise, she will kill you and I could not bear to lose you both!”

“As you wish, Sifu.” said Celeste with a bow, “I want to succeed in saving her.” “Good, very good.” said Sifu, “Let us continue this tomorrow. I need to rest.” After that night, Celeste spent 5 more years studying and training with Jien Fu Sing until news reached her that her parents had been killed while on vacation in India. A cobra had somehow gotten into their hotel room and bitten them both while asleep in bed. Her father, an ex-Marine and retired diplomat, shot the beast, decapitating it, but not before it had bitten both him and his lovely wife. Being an only child, Celeste left Sifu’s house and returned to Primrose City to see to the family’s affairs. Her intention was to quickly see to things and return for her final lesson from Sifu to gain access to the Fifth Force in its fullness and then to save her wayward sister.

When she arrived in Primrose City, however, she found a city held in the monstrous grip of evil and crime. She told Sifu that she could not return until she had restored some semblance of order to the city somehow. He understood and told her, “When the Student is ready, the Master will appear.” She smiled and closed the mental communication between them. She studied criminology and quickly earned a Doctorate level degree in Psychology becoming a published author, college instructor and Police consultant; but that was by day alone.

By night, she donned the skin tight, dark purple bodystocking that Sifu had given her with the addition of a hood and mask to conceal her identity. Her hands were covered by tight purple spandex gloves that were a shade lighter and went up to her elbows. Her shapely hips held a purple utility belt that had numerous pouches with green closures, which held all types of high tech crime fighting gear and some ancient Chinese preparations that Sifu had taught her how to formulate.

The only weapon besides her use of the Fifth Force that she carried was a Japanese weapon called a kusari-gama. A variant on the kama, it consisted of a handle about 14 inches long with a razor sharp curved blade at the end, making it resemble a hook. The handle also had a length of chain with a weight on the end enabling the practitioner to swing the handled blade like scythe, or use the chain like a manriki to swing and entangle an opponent’s weapon, hand or foot. When not in use, the blade was usually folded down into the handle and placed in a special holster that hung down from the belt and was secured to her thigh.

The final addition to her costume was a large green letter “C” that was embroidered on her chest. This stood for the name she had chosen for herself, Clandestine. She chose this name because of the secretive nature of her powers and her hidden identity. To the underworld, she was like a ghost. She was rarely ever seen, only heard and definitely felt, as many of those who encountered her usually ended up in the prison hospital ward. Those who had seen her never forgot it and usually were frightened out of their minds. Some even lost control of their bodily functions! Clandestine would only kill if there was absolutely no other way of stopping the culprit, but usually she could subdue an entire room of hoods in a matter of seconds, so it wasn’t often necessary.

Celeste finished her meditation, rose and walked to the stairs. She went up to her bedroom suite and peeled off her leotard and tights, preparing to take a shower. As the hot water cascaded over her lovely form, she thought about the case that was before her. Then she smiled when she thought about Inspector Gary Crandall. She really liked him a great deal, but remained aloof, continuing to torture him by acting the role of the superior intellect. Crandall and Clandestine, however, had formed a fast friendship when she first took to the streets of Primrose City. Detective Sergeant Crandall had been pinned down by 3 gunmen who were closing in for the kill when Crandall ran out of ammo. The 3 hoods grinned and came toward him after chasing him into a blind alley.

Crandall tried his usual way of talking his way out of things, but the guys weren’t buying tonight. The boys pulled the bolts back on the actions of their sub-machine guns and prepared to open fire. Crandall closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable. Instead of the sound of gunfire and the pain and impact of bullets riddling his body, he heard the sounds of pain, anguish and blows being struck. When the sounds stopped, he opened one eye first and then the other. His jaw dropped when he saw Clandestine holding a 6 foot hood up in the air by his throat with one hand! She sensed him looking at her, squeezed the thug into unconsciousness and dropped him in a pile with the other two.

Crandall, who was usually glib and quick witted, was speechless. Clandestine smiled and slinked toward him. She stood close to him and looked up into his handsome face, her green eyes burning into his. She smiled as she detected his heartbeat accelerating. “Officer, are you alright?” she asked, her voice echoing via the power of the Fifth Force. “Uh…yeah, yeah, I’m fine!” said Crandall haltingly, “Who…who are you?” “I am called Clandestine and I’m here to help.” she said with a smile. He smiled back and said, “Well, I’m really glad you chose tonight to start! Thank you!” “You’re welcome, Officer…” “Detective Sergeant…Crandall…Gary!” he replied extending a hand. “Well, Detective Sergeant Gary Crandall, next time, call for backup!” she said winking, extending hers. He took her hand and kissed it. Clandestine had to summon a little more of the Fifth Force to keep from blushing.

“I’m actually off duty!” he explained, “I was walking home from Police Headquarters when I saw these guys backing out of a convenience store. This is a bad area for my cell company and I had no signal to call anyone. I thought these guys had shotguns or something! I had no idea they were this heavily armed ‘til I told them to freeze and they started shooting!” Clandestine laughed and said, “It sounds to me like you might need a lift!” “Do I get to ride in the Clandestine-Mobile?” Crandall joked. She laughed heartily and said, “No, I go a different way. I hope you’re not afraid of heights!” Clandestine concentrated for a moment and a dark purple field of energy surrounded her curvaceous body. She extended her hand to Crandall and he took it. The field surrounded him as well. She then pointed a finger toward the unconscious thugs and a separate field encompassed them.

She looked at Crandall and said, “Hold on to your underwear, Sergeant. Next stop, Police Headquarters!” Suddenly, the whole group took to the air. “Jumpin’ Jiminy Christmas!” shouted Crandall, “How are you doing this?” “Natural animal magnetism, what else? Rrrowr!” she said with a sly wink. As the flying group landed amid the stares of half a dozen patrolmen standing outside the HQ building, Crandall said, “Officers, take these men into custody!” “What’s the charge, Sergeant Crandall?” asked one of the officers. “Armed robbery, attempted murder and anything else I can think up later!” he said, “Move ‘em out!” Crandall turned to say something else to Clandestine, but she was gone. Unexpectedly, he heard her speak from above his head.

“Up here, Sergeant!” she said with a giggle. He and all the other officers looked up and saw her floating above them, surrounded by the dark purple field. “Hey, wait a minute!” said Crandall, “How do I call you? We don’t have a Bat-Phone around here! Will I ever see you again?” “I imagine you probably will and sooner than you might think!” replied Clandestine with a big smile, “Good night, Sergeant!” As she rose out of sight, Crandall muttered to himself, “I think I’m in love.” “What was that Sarge?” said Bob Teague, one of the nearby officers. “Oh, nothing, Bobby T.” he replied staring into the night sky, “Just thinking out loud, just thinking.” “Yeah, sure!” said Bobby with a smile, “And I know what about!” “Bobby! Get your mind out of the gutter!” said Crandall laughing, “Besides, there isn’t enough room for both of us in there!” He and Bobby laughed heartily, gave each other a high five and walked into HQ.

Celeste stepped out of the shower and started to towel off. Her thoughts drifted back to the previous night’s murders. “Crandall said that the lead CSI mentioned something about the guards’ deaths being caused by snake venom.” she thought out loud. Her mind raced as a frightening notion entered it. “Could it be, after all this time?” she wondered, “Could…Rosalyn be behind this? No, that’s a real stretch! I mean, why would she come here? And if she did, why would she kill Corbin Michaelson? He’s harmless!”

Celeste finished drying her body and put on her favorite purple silk robe from Victoria’s Secret. She went to her vanity, sat down and began blow drying her hair. “Surely she didn’t kill him just for his money, did she?” she thought as the hot air caressed her temples, “Celeste, you don’t even know if it is her or not! Stop this! You of all people should know you need facts before you can form a theory!”

She finished drying her silky medium brown hair and began brushing and styling it into its usual page boy style and thought, “But if it’s not Rosalyn, then why do I get this cold feeling in my soul when I think about this case? I have the distinct feeling that there’s more to this than meets the eye! I may also have to see Sifu for that final lesson sooner than I thought!”

TO BE CONTINUED in Part III – “The Serpent and The Sifu”

[SGWriter]

Great update Pics! Cladnestine is an excellent character with a great villianess. As always looking forward to more :-D

[superpics4les]

Here's Part III! Enjoy! 8)

*****

Part III – “The Serpent and The Sifu”

China, Zhu Lang Province, near the village of Chu Lai, a few days earlier…

Sifu Jien Fu Sing, Master Practitioner of The Fifth Force felt uneasy. Lee Fung, his faithful servant, recognized his master’s mood and was concerned for him. “Master, what troubles you so?” asked Lee Fung, “Is there something I can do for you?” Sifu smiled and said, “No, my son. When one senses his age catching up to him, it causes one to reflect on his life. I have lived a long time, Lee. I’m tired.” Lee Fung was unnerved by his master’s words and asked, “Master, are you…dying?” He looked at Lee Fung not speaking. Then, a single tear rolled down the old man’s cheek. No words were necessary. Lee Fung embraced him, weeping silently.

After a few moments, the two men released each other and Sifu Jien looked at Lee Fung intently, wiping a tear from Lee’s cheek. “Lee, although you call me ‘Master’, I could not love you more if you were my own son.” said Sifu, “I have provided for you and Celeste in the event of my death.” Sifu handed Lee Fung a locked metal box and said, “Take this to Celeste and stay with her. Serve her as you have served me. Love her as you would love a sister. You are all the family each one of you has now. Tonight, I go to explore the great unknown mystery beyond this life, my son. It is my time, but it is not yours. You must gather your things and go now.”

“No, Master! I will not leave you at this time!” said Lee Fung, “I know that something is coming. Something that means you harm. I will fight alongside you until the end!” “Lee Fung Chow, that is not your destiny!” said Sifu firmly, “Your destiny lies with my darling daughter. You must take this to her and tell her that I am waiting to speak to her. Go now, my son or you will die with me. Obey this last command I give you, please. Take care of my dear one and…take care of yourself!” “As you wish, my Master and…my father!” replied Lee Fung sadly. Lee Fung quickly gathered his possessions and took the metal box with him. He embraced Sifu once more, bade him farewell and departed, knowing that this would be the last time he would see him alive.

Several hours later, Sifu sat in the dojo meditating when suddenly he felt a powerful malevolent presence in the room with him. “Come in, Rosalyn.” he said softly, “I’ve been expecting you.” The Green Mamba seemed to form out of the shadows themselves. “Your insight serves you well, Sifu.” she hissed, “You knew I was coming by the Fifth Force, I take it.” Sifu Jien laughed and said, “Nothing quite so mysterious, my dear! I saw the news of Corbin Michaelson’s demise on CNN! Once I saw the condition of his body, I knew Slithara had fully manifested in you and you knew where I was by devouring his soul. I didn’t need the Fifth Force to know you’d be coming for me soon.”

“A very nice piece of detective work, Sifu! My compliments!” said the green clad killer, “But you overlooked one thing. Rosalyn is dead. I am The Green Mamba!” “You will always be Rosalyn to me.” said Sifu looking into her eyes, “The daughter I loved, and the daughter I still love despite what you have become.” “SILENCE, OLD MAN!” shouted the Mamba, “Enough talk! Let’s dance!” The Green Mamba began slithering to Sifu’s left, hissing and baring her long, sharp fangs. Sifu had been sitting on his knees, but then jumped to his feet and moved to his right, keeping a defensive stance. The Mamba leaped for him, her mouth agape, seeking to plunge her venom laden fangs into his small body.

Sifu slipped easily under her attack and struck a spot on her right buttock, attempting to use a pressure point to generate a nerve lock that would render her leg useless. To his amazement, the lock didn’t work! The Mamba laughed and said, “I am now almost as strong with the Fifth Force as you are, my one-time master!” “No, Rosalyn.” he replied, “Your strength against my Ki-line attacks are a result of the life force you have drained from your many victims! The Fifth Force is the Ki of the Universe it belongs to no one person, but to all! You ended lives for the power you possess; Lives with a purpose that will never be fulfilled! Don’t you see that?”

The Green Mamba grinned and replied, “All I see is a frightened old man who’s trying to distract me from killing him and stealing the secret of the Fifth Force to conquer and enslave all mankind!” “You will not succeed, Rosalyn!” said Sifu, “Your sister will stop you!” “I have no sister, not anymore!” she hissed, “But I will be seeing Celeste soon enough. Right after I kill YOU!” The Mamba moved to the attack again, but this time she cloaked herself in shadow. Sifu closed his eyes, using his Fifth Force enhanced senses to gauge where she was in the room. To his shock, he felt nothing! Suddenly, he felt claws raking across his back. He ignored the pain and countered with a swift powerful blow to the solar plexus. It was a glancing blow and the invisible serpent woman clawed him again, this time in the chest.

Sifu groaned and countered again. It was a flawless crescent kick to the temple and it connected full force. The Mamba sprawled across the floor of the dojo and her shadowy cloak dropped. The Mamba’s claw strikes had deposited their hypno-venom into Sifu’s bloodstream. He felt lightheaded and was beginning to lose focus. The Mamba hissed and went into a frenzied attack. She struck blow after blow, kick upon kick with unbelievable speed, wearing down the old man’s defenses. Sifu requited himself well, but between each punch, kick or Ki-line technique, she would usually land a claw strike. Soon the venom, although it didn’t hypnotize him, slowed Sifu to the point where he could no longer counter her attacks. Sifu missed a crucial block and the powerful snake woman finally struck him down.

The Green Mamba laughed and leapt upon him holding his arms to the straw mat floor of the dojo. She hissed loudly and savagely began bringing her knee up into Sifu’s groin over and over again. For the first time since their battle began, Sifu screamed. The Mamba hissed with glee and ended the torture to the old man’s groin area. “Now Sifu, I will devour your soul and take from you that which Rosalyn wanted and deserved.” said the Mamba with a hiss, “The secret of the Fifth Force will be mine! HISSSSS!” She retracted her fangs and clawed his throat directly over the artery and began sucking on his vessel greedily, gulping down mouthfuls of his blood. Sifu remained quiet as the green glow came over his head from his neck upward. When the glow reached the top of his head, he said four last words. “I love you, Rosalyn.” he whispered.

The serpent woman fed even harder, devouring his soul, as the glow began to return to her mouth and his corpse started to mummify. The Mamba finished her meal and rose from the dried out husk that was once Sifu Jien Fu Sing. “Oh Sifu, I feel soooo much power from your soul!” she said feeling almost euphoric, “It’s too bad I hate you so much, I’d actually kiss you!” “Hmmm, something’s missing though!” she thought, “That’s right! Where is Lee Fung? I wanted him to die also! Why you crafty old fart! You sent him to Celeste! Well, he’ll just die when I kill her too! I’m going to take it easy here for a little while to better assimilate all of Sifu’s knowledge before I face Celeste! For all that diva attitude, she is still very powerful and could be my greatest threat! I’ll bide my time. After all, she doesn’t know I’m coming, does she? HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

The sleek green-clad killer stood from her kill, licking Sifu’s blood from her sensuous lips. Then suddenly, The Green Mamba stiffened as if she had received an electric shock. “Wait a minute!” she thought to herself, “Where is the secret? The secret of the Fifth Force?? I drained him!! Where is it??” The Mamba turned toward Sifu’s mummified body and shouted, “WHY YOU…YOU LITTLE…!!! She leaped upon the shriveled corpse and clawing it to pieces screaming at the top of her lungs. “You cheated me!!” shouted the serpent woman, “You hid the knowledge somehow…removed it from your mind…your very soul!! But how?? Of course! Lee Fung must have taken it…to Celeste! It looks like I’ll have to visit my one time sister for another reason besides killing her!”

At that moment, a voice spoke within her. It was Slithara! “My lovely one?” hissed the serpent goddess. “Yes, my lady?” said The Mamba, falling to her knees, “What is thy wish, my goddess?” “You must be wary, my faithful one.” replied Slithara, “If you had tortured Sifu Jien before you devoured his soul, you would have known the knowledge you sought was not within him! You must be less bloodthirsty and eager to feed, little one! We cannot afford to lose the knowledge of the Fifth Force that Celeste now possesses!” The Green Mamba lowered her head and replied, “Forgive me, Great One, for my lack of wisdom! I shall not fail thee again! I swear it!” “See to it that you do not!” answered Slithara firmly, “With this knowledge, our power will be increased a thousand fold! We will be sovereign upon this planet and then the universe will be ours to control!”

*****

Back in Primrose City, at Police HQ…

Dr. Celeste Fisher stepped out of the elevator on the 10th floor of Primrose City Police Headquarters, at precisely 1:27 p.m., knowing that it would take her exactly 3 minutes for her to reach Inspector Crandall’s office from the elevator bank’s location. Crandall stood up from his desk and walked to the door and counted, “Five…four…three…two…one!” At the count of one he opened the door and Dr. Fisher walked in. “Good afternoon, Inspector!” she greeted, “I’m so glad you got that watch fixed! It was becoming rather awkward walking into that door all the time because your timepiece was a couple of seconds slower than mine!” Crandall chuckled and closed the door. He pulled out the chair in front of his desk for her and allowed her to sit. He then brought her a fine china cup filled to the brim with dark brown liquid.

“One cup of Earl Grey tea with a touch of Peppermint, two sugars, piping hot!” said Crandall as he set the cup and saucer down on the part of the desk closest to her. “How sweet!” Celeste thought, “He remembered it exactly! Of course, I can’t tell him how truly impressed I am!” “Well, I’m glad to see you finally got it right, Inspector!” she said with a note of superiority, “Perhaps this new position is elevating your usually dismal display of intelligence, my dear Crandall!” He smiled and grunted and walked back to his chair. As he went around to the other side of the desk, Celeste tasted the tea and stifled the giggle that wanted to erupt from her as she sensed his frustration.

Crandall sat down hard in his chair and glowered at Celeste thinking unspeakable things. “Let’s get on with this shall we, Doctor?” said Crandall. “By all means, Inspector.” said Celeste, setting the cup down on the desk, “So, what did a look at the computer tell you?” “As you surmised Doctor, the all of the funds in five of his accounts, amounting to 225 million dollars had been transferred to an offshore account in the Cayman Islands the night he was murdered.” explained Crandall, “There are six more accounts that have not been touched yet.” “Have you frozen the assets in these accounts?” asked Celeste. “That was my first thought, Doctor.” said Crandall, “But then I thought better of it. I want to catch this killer and if its money they want, why not let them think they’re getting it?”

“You mean you left the other accounts open?” she asked incredulously. “Yes, I did.” he said with a smile, “I also ordered a 24 hour manned watch on all six of the accounts at all six banks. The Fiduciary Crimes Unit of INTERPOL, as well as the FBI and CIA also have their eyes on it. All except two of them. The ones with only 20 to 25 million in them. I’m deliberately making it look like there is a lackadaisical attitude about these accounts, as if we don’t care as much about these as the other accounts with larger balances. If these murdering thieves are as smart as I think they are, they’ll be looking for a chink in the armor! I’m just simply providing it for them!”

“Inspector, if these ‘murdering thieves’ are that intelligent, don’t you think they’ll be expecting that and know it’s a trap?” asked Dr. Fisher. “Of course, Doctor!” said Crandall with a smile, “They’ll pretend to go after the ‘unguarded’ accounts knowing that we’re concentrating on them and probably go after either the largest one or the second largest on the list! When they do, we’ve got ‘em! So, what do you think?” Celeste was indeed impressed with Crandall’s planning of the account security. The logic was solid and seemed very viable. Of course, again, she couldn’t tell him, or could she? “Very adequately done, Inspector!” said Fisher, “I hope for your sake that you’re right! That’s a lot of money to have riding on a hunch!”

“A HUNCH??” he shouted, “OK, that’s it! I had it with you, lady! I may get fired for this, but right now I just don’t give a flip! I am sick and tired of your superior attitude, your insults about my intelligence, your condescending comments about my abilities and most of all your insinuations that I don’t deserve this office!” “Now see here…!” Celeste began feigning anger. “SHUT UP!!” he yelled, “When I’m finished then you can speak! Understand??” Celeste just nodded with a shocked look on her face, but a swell of admiration on the inside.

“I’ve been a police officer and serving this community for 17 years, Fisher!” said Crandall angrily, “I started out as a beat cop, fresh out of the academy, determined to make a difference. I made Sergeant before most of my graduating class made Patrolman 1st Class. I came up through the ranks because of my dedication, hard work and willingness to lay it on the line every single day! None of these promotions were ever handed to me! I worked for ‘em and I got ‘em because I was willing to do what others weren’t! Before I met you, no one had ever talked to me like this, and I’m not about to let some high-born, trust fund sucking bimbette with a high IQ and a monumental chip on her shoulder because of her disability, come in my office and disrespect me any further! Now get your cute little rear-end out of my office and don’t darken my doorstep again unless there’s an apology on those pretty lips of yours, lady! Now, MOVE IT!”

Celeste started to say something, but Crandall said quickly, “I said OUT!!” Celeste grabbed the knob, turned it and threw open the door. She quickly hobbled to the elevator and pressed the button, looking as if she might burst into tears at any moment. She got on the elevator alone and just as the doors closed and the car started to move, the whole floor went up in a cheer. Every detective and officer within earshot came over to him and shook his hand. Some of them even said, “It’s about time somebody put that obnoxious dame in her place!” Gary Crandall felt good to finally get that off his chest, but he thought to himself, “I really didn’t want to make her cry! I hope she’s OK!”

On the way down, Celeste was all smiles. “Way to go, Gary!” she thought, “I couldn’t have done better myself! Of course, I think I would have been a lot less diplomatic about it! I can feel that he’s concerned about me even now and how I’m feeling! He’s wonderful! I have to tell Sifu about this one, I…” Just then, a wave of coldness and pain swept over Celeste when she thought of Sifu Jien. She hurried to her car and drove home to have the solitude to send a clear thought transmission. She didn’t know what it was, but something was wrong with Sifu, terribly wrong!

TO BE CONTINUED in Part IV: “…A Time To Laugh and A Time To Weep…”

[superpics4les]

I hope you're enjoying the story! Here's Part IV!

*****

Part IV: “…A Time To Laugh and A Time To Weep…”

The outskirts of Primrose City, the Manor Home of Dr. Celeste Fisher…

Celeste could barely maintain the farce of her lameness for wanting to run into the house from her car. She shut the large main door to the foyer, threw her cane into the holder beneath the brass hat tree in the hallway and sprinted up the stairs to her bedroom suite. She stopped short as she reached the second floor and walked slowly to the double door entry to the suite. She sensed a presence in the house, a presence coming from her bedroom. With this spiritual disturbance concerning Sifu and now a strong presence emanating from her room, Celeste decided it might be best to be ready for action.

She removed her glasses and her brow furrowed in concentration. Her body was suddenly surrounded by an aura of purple light. There was a bright flash and Dr. Celeste Fisher was gone, the lovely psychologist had been replaced by the mysterious superheroine Clandestine! “Now, let’s see who’s come to visit!” thought the sleek superwoman. Clandestine willed the doors to fly open and she leapt into the room assuming a fighting stance, purple energy bristling at her wrists. “I know there’s someone here in this room!” she announced, “Show yourself and there’ll be no trouble! Refuse and there’ll be more than you’ll ever want!”

“Then I suppose I’d better surrender then!” said a voice to her left. The most powerful heroine in Primrose City turned quickly and faced the source of the voice, ready for a fight. She grinned widely and exclaimed, “LEE FUNG!” Clandestine threw back her hooded mask and ran into the large Chinaman’s arms, hugging him tightly. “It’s wonderful to see you!” said Celeste, releasing her embrace with a warm smile, “Where is Sifu?” She saw the look in Lee Fung’s eyes and her heart sank within her. He showed her the metal box and passed it into her hands. Celeste burst into tears, falling to her knees holding the box. Lee Fung went to his knees also and held Celeste, consoling her. “What happened Lee Fung?? What in God’s Name could have happened??” asked Celeste, “How did Sifu die??”

“I don’t know, my lady!” said Lee Fung, “Sifu Sing ordered me to leave before it took place, but he knew it was going to happen and he sent me here for my own protection, to keep me from being killed as well! I didn’t want to leave him to face it alone, but…” Celeste reached out her tightly gloved hand, took the large man by the hand and gave it a firm squeeze saying, “There’s no need to explain further, Lee Fung. I know that Sifu had to have done something like that if you’re here! I’m positive that you would have given your life to save his!” Lee Fung smiled, putting his other hand on hers and replied, “Yes, I would indeed. That’s why he sent me here. I am to serve and protect you, as he ordered me to. I am also to tell you that he is waiting to speak to you.”

“I am grateful to have you here, my friend!” she replied, “But how can he be waiting for me if he’s…?” Celeste stopped speaking and thought a moment. Then she smiled. “My lady, do you know what he was referring to?” asked Lee Fung. “Yes, I believe I do!” she answered, “If what I think has happened is true, Sifu allowed the destruction of his physical body, but maintains his spiritual existence near the Earth realm so that he can speak to me via the Fifth Force!” “But my lady, whatever killed him, didn’t it drain his life force?” asked Lee Fung, “I felt the way he died! It took his soul!”

“Yes, I believe it did.” explained Celeste, “But Sifu taught me that the soul is like a battery for the body and also stores all the feelings, emotions and intellect. The soul is the repository of human existence, but it is not the seat of true life! It is not the true being! We are spirit, we have a soul and we live in a body! Sifu’s spirit is waiting to deliver me a message before he goes on to another level of existence!” “I suppose you shouldn’t keep him waiting then, my lady!” said Lee Fung with a smile, “I will leave you in peace. I know you will have to concentrate completely to reach him.” “Thank you, Lee Fung, but I need you to watch over my body while I do this, to protect me from harm.” she said taking both of his large hands, “Will you do this for me?”

“Of course, my lady!” said Lee Fung, with a slightly annoyed look on his face, “That’s why I’m here! I swore to Sifu Jien that I would guard, serve and protect you for the rest of my life! I will allow no evil to befall you!” “Thank you, old friend!” said Celeste with a smile, “Let’s get started.” Celeste sat down on the floor in the Lotus position, her gloved hands resting on her knees. She concentrated and an aura of purple light surrounded her. As her mind focused on Sifu, she was swept into a spiritual dimension she had never visited before. It was dark, but not foreboding. She felt Sifu’s calming presence here. “Sifu, can you hear me? I can feel your presence, Master, but I can’t see you.” said Celeste.

“Have I not taught you, my daughter, that you cannot always trust your eyes…” said a voice. “But trust your heart!” said Celeste, completing the thought. A glow erupted to her left and the diminutive form of Sifu Jien Fu Sing appeared. Celeste ran to him and hugged him weeping. “Who did this to you, Sifu? Who murdered you?” she asked wiping her eyes. “You already know the answer to that question, Celeste.” he answered softly, “Your heart aches with the knowledge of it, does it not?” “No, it can’t be! Please don’t say this to me!” said Celeste, turning her back to her teacher, still on her knees, “How could Rosalyn do such a thing??”

Sifu walked over to Celeste and put his hand on her shoulder. “Do not judge your sister too harshly, my dear.” said Sifu, “Rosalyn is not responsible for my death. It is Slithara, the Serpent, who is responsible for this. She has fully manifested herself in Rosalyn’s body and possessed her completely.” “But didn’t you say that there is some of Rosalyn left in this creature she has become?” asked Celeste. “Yes, there is.” said Sifu with a smile, “And where there is that one small fragment, dear one, there is hope that our love for her can break the power of the Serpent that imprisons your sister, keeping her from us.” “What must I do to free her and destroy Slithara once and for all?” asked Celeste.

“You must learn your final lesson in wielding the power of The Fifth Force.” said Sifu. “Then please teach me, so I can free Rosalyn from this horror!” said Celeste excitedly. “You must learn it, to be sure, but I cannot teach it to you, daughter.” said Sifu, “But now that it is needed, it will come of its own accord.” “I don’t understand!” she challenged, “Why hasn’t it ever manifested before now?” “Because you never needed it to fight the enemies of peace and justice in your home city or anywhere else you have been, my child!” said Sifu, “Now you face one who has great power, nearly equal to your own! It will come, Celeste! Be patient!” Sifu touched her cheek and said solemnly, “I must move on now, little one. Eternity calls and I must go to see what it holds for me. Farewell, my daughter!”

Tears rolled down Celeste’s spiritual cheeks, which Sifu wiped away and smiled, taking a step back from the kneeling superheroine. With his final words spoken, Sifu Jien Fu Sing faded away into nothingness and Celeste was left alone in the darkness. Celeste awoke from her trance-like state with a start. She wept for her murdered foster father and swore that Slithara would pay for his death and that her adopted sister, Rosalyn would be free or she would die in the attempt.

*****

Primrose City Police HQ, Inspector Gary Crandall’s Office…

Crandall sat at his desk gazing intently at the flat LCD screen of his computer system. About 5 minutes earlier, he received an email from one of the INTERPOL agents that had Michaelson’s accounts under surveillance. His ruse had borne fruit. The murderer of Corbin Michaelson used his own secret access code to attempt transfer another 75 million from one of the larger accounts as a diversion, while at the same time accessing and draining one of the two smaller accounts of 25 million dollars. The transfer was traced to somewhere near China before it dead-ended. The 25 million ended up in the Cayman Islands where the original transfer went the night Michaelson was killed. Crandall requested that his INTERPOL contact investigate the source of the transfer and received a response by phone that she would. Two days later, Agent Yvonne LaMontagne was found dead in her hotel room in Hong Kong, her young, beautiful body clawed and envenomed.

Crandall was frustrated, but at least he knew that he was on the right track. The next time the murderer accessed any of these accounts, he vowed he’d follow it up himself personally, no matter where it led. In the meantime, he’d also received an email from Dr. Celeste Fisher who indicated that she wanted to meet with him at his convenience. Crandall smiled when he read that part of the message, knowing that it was a welcome change from the usual self-centered correspondence he was used to getting from her. He figured he’d let her wait a couple of days before answering her. He didn’t want to appear too eager to accept her apology.

Two days later, Crandall returned Celeste’s call. She was not the same person who left his office a few days before. “So Dr. Fisher, you wanted to speak with me?” Gary began. “Yes, Inspector.” she said softly, “I want to…er…that is I’d like to…uh…well…” “Yes?” said Crandall with a grin. “I…apologize, Inspector.” said Celeste, acting rather exasperated, “I didn’t mean to infer that you didn’t deserve your promotions and I’m sorry for my offensive statements. I know that there is no more dedicated officer on the Primrose City Police force than you.” “Wow! I never expected to hear that from you, Doctor!” said Crandall in awe, “Thank you for the compliment and I accept your apology!”

“No, thank you, Inspector!” said Celeste with a smile, “Female professionals sometimes tend to push the envelope when it comes to upstaging males. I guess I go too far sometimes. As quiet as it’s kept, I do respect your abilities as a detective, even though you do miss some obvious things quite often.” “You’re starting to drift again, Doctor.” said Crandall with a change in tone. “I’m doing it again, aren’t I?” said Celeste, “Please forgive me, Inspector. It’s a defense mechanism to guard my…well, to mask certain things. I’ll try to keep it under control, OK?” “Sounds good to me.” said Crandall.

“By the way, Inspector, do you really think I have a cute rear-end and pretty lips?” asked Celeste with a grin. Crandall all at once began to sweat and said nervously, “Oh that. Well, you see I…uh…ahem…oh gee, my other line is blinking. Listen, I need to get this. Can we pick this up a little later?” “Oh certainly, Inspector!” replied Celeste in a slightly sexy voice, “I’ll be waiting for your call.” “Sure. We’ll talk later, Doc!” said Crandall as he hung up. “Gotcha.” thought Celeste grinning widely, putting the receiver down, “Now we’ll play a little different game, Inspector Gary Crandall! One where I tease you ‘til your head explodes! We’ll see how good you really are!”

*****

Later that night, on the seedier side of Primrose City…

Leonard “Lenny the Gimp” Trecolis paced back and forth, limping on his lame left leg and cane, yelling at his lieutenants. His angry voice echoed throughout the huge abandoned industrial complex. “WHAT THE HELL AM I PAYING YOU IDIOTS FOR???” shouted Lenny, “Where’s the shipment from Chicago that Big Bill sent us?? Do you know what kind of ducats he’s gonna want to rip from my hide if we don’t locate it??” “But Boss, it ain’t out fault, honest!” replied Gerry Maynard, his right hand man. “Then whose fault was it, huh?” asked Lenny, quickly hobbling over to Gerry looking up into his big face, “Who took the merchandise, Gerry?” “Well…It’s more like a what, boss!” said Gerry, hesitantly. “Oh, I see!” said Lenny sarcastically, “What was it, Gerry? Elves? Witches? Fairies, perhaps?” “It was a…well…uh…a snake!” said Gerry, “A big, green snake-woman, OK??”

The other 6 men wouldn’t even look up to see the livid face that Lenny was wearing. “A SNAKE-WOMAN???” hollered Lenny, “I’m supposed to believe that 175 keys of Columbian pure, guarded by you 7 mutton-heads, armed with top-of-the-line automatic weapons, was taken by a SNAKE-WOMAN?? What kind of fool do you take me for, HUH???” “Honest, Boss, it’s true!” said Marty Zeppeli, “She moved so fast, she hit us all before we could even react to her presence!” “Yeah, she drugged us with some kind of…venom!” explained Ray Campbell, “We tried to do something to stop her, but we could only obey what she told us to do!” “And just what did she tell ya ta do, Ray-Ray?” asked Lenny, chewing his cigar butt.

“She ordered us to drive the shipment to a place then she ordered us to walk back where we were and forget where we left it, but remember that she took it and remember her name!” said Gerry. “And what name was that, pray tell?” said Lenny glowering at him. “The Green Mamba.” When Gerry said the name of the serpentine siren, all the men in the room stiffened and their faces went blank. Lenny watched in deep confusion as they all dropped to their knees and bowed with their faces to the ground and cried out, “Hail the Mistress, the Goddess walks among us!” Suddenly, Lenny heard a loud hiss and the sound of female laughter. The mesmerized goons stood up and remained at attention, their faces completely vacant. Lenny pulled his Desert Eagle 9mm from its shoulder holster and shouted, “You don’t scare me, snake-lady! C’mon out where I can see you! Or are ya yella instead ‘o green?”

“My, aren’t we a brave little soldier?” taunted The Green Mamba, “Although I think it’s not so much bravery as ignorance, as to how close to death you really are! HAHAHAHAHA!” “C’mon, bring it!” yelled Lenny, looking all around trying to locate the source of the voice, “Whasamatta, ya scared of one little gimp wit a gun? C’mon ‘goddess’, let’s see whatcha got!” “It seems I’ll have to teach you some manners before you die, Leonard!” hissed The Mamba, “Tell you what, little man. I’ll come and stand right in front of you and you can shoot me as many times as you want provided that if I survive, you fall to your knees and worship me, deal?” Lenny laughed and replied, “Anything you say, lady! As the man says on the TV game show, ‘Come on down!’”

The Green Mamba slithered out of the darkness, her shapely, muscular body glistening in the feeble light. Lenny almost hated to shoot her until he saw her reptilian hands and her green, razor-sharp claws. She hissed loudly baring her fangs and ran toward him. Lenny took careful aim and shot all 9 bullets in his clip directly at her torso and head, not missing a single one. Lenny was horrified as the projectiles seemed to simply dissolve as they impacted her sleek, green stockinged body. The Mamba leaped into the air and landed on Lenny, planting both of her shimmering peds into his chest, knocking him to the floor.

Standing on Lenny’s chest, the green-clad murderess, glared down at him. “Now little man, do you believe I am a goddess?” hissed The Mamba, her eyes narrowing. “I guess I ain’t in a position to disagree at this point!” replied Lenny, laboring for breath. The Mamba laughed and stepped off Lenny’s chest allowing him to regain his composure. “Then worship me, as you promised! On your knees, worm!” she commanded. Lenny reluctantly got to his knees and bowed before The Green Mamba’s voluptuous form. The Mamba noticed that Lenny’s eyes barely left her silken covered legs and feet. She also noticed that his pulse rate rose when ever she moved and her muscular hosed thighs rubbed together making their tell-tale “swishing” sound.

The Mamba smiled and said, “Rise, Lenny. Look at me.” He got to his feet and took in her lovely green body, devouring her with his eyes. “Do you…like what you see?” she hissed softly. “Well yeah, but you’re gonna kill me ain’tcha?” replied Lenny. “Maybe…maybe not.” said The Mamba with a wry grin, “What would you do to influence my decision in your favor, hmm?” “Anything, you want, baby!” replied Lenny with a smile, “Name it, it’s yours!” “I want you to serve me, Lenny, of your own free will.” said The Mamba crossing the platform to him, “No hypno-venom, no hypnotic powers, just yield to me body and soul, because you want to. What do you say?”

Lenny looked her up and down again, smiled, licked his lips and asked, “What’s in it for me, besides not getting killed, of course!” The Mamba approached him and ran her finger down his cheek and replied, “You would be second in my kingdom, only to me, have riches beyond your wildest dreams and pleasures of the flesh that your feeble mortal mind could not begin to imagine!” “One more question, gorgeous: Why me?” asked Lenny. The Mamba smiled and replied, “Three reasons: One, my hypno-venom won’t last forever and I need someone to control your men. I think I can trust you to do that if you’re getting a sizable piece of the pie! Two, you have access to this city and its underworld resources. I could get it myself, but why should I re-invent the wheel? Third, I like your style. Here you are, the smallest guy in the room, and you command more respect than 10 of those big lugs! Besides that, I think you’re kinda cute for a ‘wiseguy’!”

Lenny opened his mouth to say something, but before he could speak, The Mamba rushed forward and embraced him, giving him a Frencher that rocked his world. She released her kiss, still holding him close and said, “Well?” Lenny smiled widely, caressing her sleek stockinged body and said, “Hell, yeah!” “Hell, yeah, what?” asked The Mamba, smiled and raising an eyebrow. “Sorry. Hell yeah, Mistress!” he said. “That’s better.” she purred, pulling him along by his tie, “Now come with me, my little stud muffin! I’ve got some…private work for you to do!” Lenny grinned and replied, “Yes, Mistress!” About an hour and a half later, The Green Mamba dismounted a very exhausted, but extremely satisfied Lenny. “Lenny?” she hissed softly. “Yes, Mistress?” he answered breathlessly. “I need you to do something for me.” said The Mamba, “Something very important.”

He turned to her and said, “Whatever it is, You got it. What do you need?” “I need you to find someone for me.” she said, “Her name is Celeste Fisher. I understand she lives in Primrose City somewhere. Find her, but don’t let her detect your presence.” “You want I should kill her?” asked Lenny, “Is she trying to hurt you? I won’t stand for that!” The Mamba stroked his cheek with the outside of her hand and replied, “No, my little lover, but thank you for the offer! Just locate her for me and find out who her closest associates are, I’ll do the rest.” “Very well, Mistress. It will be as you wish.” said Lenny. He got up and put on a robe that The Mamba had given him and discovered his limp was gone! “Mistress, did you…?” asked Lenny. She nodded and smiled. Lenny looked at her longingly with a tear in his eye and said, “Mistress, I love you!” “I know.” she replied blowing him a kiss.

*****

The following evening, at the home of Celeste Fisher…

Lee Fung was still settling in to his new duties serving Celeste and managing the huge manor that was the ancestral home of the Fisher family. Although Celeste’s father worked for the U.S. Foreign Service in the Diplomatic Corps and lived abroad, he still kept the family mansion in good repair and paid to have it well maintained. The servant’s quarters were larger than most condominiums he’d seen the major cities that he and Sifu had visited in their travels. He knew that he would be very comfortable here.

Celeste finally opened the metal box that Sifu had sent by Lee Fung. It contained three things. The first was Sifu’s will, leaving his house, lands and all his possessions to Celeste. The will also left a sizable amount of money to Lee Fung for his many years of faithful service. The second thing in the box was a document containing the access codes to Sifu’s accounts and the names of the persons to contact at each bank. Celeste was taken aback by the fact that there were 7 accounts, each at a different bank. The last thing contained in the box was an ancient scroll that showed the history of the Zhang Pau herb and contained specific instructions on how to raise and care for the plants.

Celeste went to her desk in the sitting room of the suite and pulled up the websites for each of the banks on the document. By the time she finished reviewing the accounts and their balances, she was in shock! She knew that The Michaelson Corporation had paid Sifu a hefty sum for the Zhang Pau, but he would never tell her how much. He seemed to be embarrassed by the fact that he actually had taken money for the plants. He actually didn’t usually charge anything for treating anyone, but the grateful patients would insist upon giving him food, livestock or some such thing as payment.

Each of the 7 accounts had eight figure balances in them! The total amount contained therein was amounted to nearly $250,000,000! Celeste was overwhelmed by Sifu’s generosity and humility. Her family was very wealthy due to her father’s many global contacts and the finder’s fees he had amassed helping heads of state to trade their goods around the world, but she had nothing like this! She called Lee Fung to her room and showed him what Sifu had left him. He wept at his generosity for he had left him the sum of $20,000,000!

Celeste also decided to give him the contents of one of the accounts, but Lee Fung refused to accept it. “My Master gave this sum to you for a reason, my lady!” said Lee Fung, “I believe it is to be used in your crusade against evil, not only here in Primrose City but all over the world! He knew it would be an expensive and life consuming endeavor! What he has given me, I will probably never use in my lifetime unless I squander it foolishly! It is more than enough for me and I will likely donate much of it to those who need.”

“Spoken like the son of Sifu Jian Fu Sing!” said Celeste with a bow, “He would be proud!” Lee Fung smiled, a little misty-eyed, bowed in return and left the suite to prepare supper. Just then, the phone rang. Celeste answered it, still reeling from her discoveries. Her joy was short-lived when she heard the voice on the other end. “HISSSSSSS!” said the sultry female, “How nice to hear your voice, my dear Celeste! How long has it been?” “Rosalyn?? Is that really you??” asked Celeste, barely recognizing her. “Rosalyn is quite dead, Celeste!” said the hissing woman, “I am The Green Mamba!!”

“That is only what the evil spirit within you has called you, Rosalyn!” replied Celeste sadly, “I know who you really are! My sister Rosalyn Drake, whom I loved and still do!” The Green Mamba laughed loudly and said, “Fool! You are just as deluded as your teacher, Jien Fu Sing! No matter! I will come to you soon, my dear! Then we shall see who is more powerful! I will make you pay for what you did to me when last we met! I was not at my full strength then! Now I am mightier even than Master Sing! I will torture you and kill you, oh so slowly, ripping the secret of The Fifth Force from your very soul!”

“No Slithara!” retorted Celeste, her eyes glowing with rage, “It is I who will destroy you for killing my Sifu and imprisoning my sister, placing her under your evil influence! I will free Rosalyn and I will send you back to the burning fires of Perdition where you belong, demon!” “I AM A GODDESS, FOOLISH MORTAL!” shouted The Green Mamba, “I will enjoy devouring your soul!!” “I look forward to our next meeting, you slithering slut!” said Celeste through her teeth. “As do I, piece of trust fund twat!!” The Mamba replied angrily, “Sleep with one eye open, my precious or killing you will be far too easy!” Celeste smiled and replied softly, “You should know by now…it will never, ever be that easy! Bring it on, baby!”

The Green Mamba hissed with rage and hung up. “Now I know for sure that it was indeed Rosalyn that killed Corbin Michaelson!” thought Celeste as she walked to the window overlooking the estate, “I must not underestimate her abilities! If she could kill Sifu, then she is powerful indeed! I must be cautious, but not fearful; vigilant but not paranoid! I have the advantage because she probably doesn’t know about Clandestine yet and the secrets I’ve delved into since we last met! When I see her again, I’ll have a big surprise in store for her!”

*****

In The Green Mamba’s Lair…

“OOOOOH!! I’m gonna scoop out her eyeballs and eat them on toast, for this!” exclaimed The Mamba as she smashed a table into kindling, “Just wait ‘til I get my claws on her!! HISSSSSS!!” “I take it the phone call didn’t go too well, huh?” said Lenny sheepishly. The Mamba’s eyes softened when she looked at her boy-toy and she replied, “No, quite the contrary actually, Lenny, my precious! Everything is going as planned! She’ll be jumping at every shadow wondering when I’m going to strike! But first I’ll get her friends, then her family, and finally her! She will watch as everything she holds dear falls before my power! By the time I’m finished with Dr. Celeste Fisher, she’ll be begging me to put her out of her misery!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

TO BE CONTINUED…

[SGWriter]

Nice Pics, looking forwards to the showdown.

[superpics4les]

Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! 8)

*****

Part V: “The Mamba’s Hunt Begins!”

The Manor Home of Dr. Celeste Fisher…

Over the past two weeks Celeste, as Clandestine, had used every underworld contact at her disposal to locate The Green Mamba with no success. Every time she’d get close to someone who’d talk, they’d be found dead from snake venom and clawing attack. She was surprised that her Fifth Force powered senses couldn’t pinpoint The Mamba’s presence. She knew by a feeling of spiritual malevolence that the evil serpent was still in the area of Primrose City, but that was all. Celeste reasoned that the fact that Slithara had possessed Rosalyn might be the cause of the distortion. “Snakes usually have a natural camouflage.” she explained to Lee Fung, “I believe Slithara must have a spiritual way of hiding herself so that her enemies and her prey will not be able to sense her immediate presence until it’s too late.”

“Yes. I see the logic of it, Mistress.” replied Lee Fung, “Your insight serves you very well! Sifu was right to choose you as his successor!” Celeste whirled around quickly and looked at Lee Fung, her surprise evident by her facial expression. “Lee Fung, what are you talking about?” asked Celeste. “Sifu intended for you to pass on what you have been taught, my lady.” he answered, “One day soon, you will have students of your own.” Celeste, still wearing her deep purple skin tight costume, lay back on her large California King and stretched like a cat, the sleek garment shimmering slightly.

“I don’t know, Lee Fung.” she said rolling over on her stomach to face him, “I don’t know if I could be as good a teacher as Sifu was! Suppose I don’t read someone right! I could create a monster capable of destroying thousands! I would never want that type of guilt on my conscience!” Lee Fung knelt at the side of the bed, took both of her tightly gloved hands and looked into her eyes. “Celeste, Sifu knew exactly what he was doing when he used the power of the Zhang Pau to heal you and asked you to stay to be taught the intricacies of The Fifth Force.” said Lee Fung with a brotherly smile, “If you can teach the minds of both young and old the way of the criminal mind, you are well equipped to teach the subtleties of The Fifth Force!”

“Except for one thing!” said Celeste as she turned over and sat up on the bedside, “I still don’t know the last lesson! I still need that last thing that Sifu was to teach me! How can I be complete enough to instruct wisely without it?” Lee Fung stood up from his knees and said, “You will know it soon enough, my lady! When it presents itself, you will wonder why it took so long for you to recognize it!” “Lee Fung, do you know the secret?” asked Celeste. “For me, yes.” explained Lee Fung, “For each practitioner of The Fifth Force it is different. I had to learn that despite my size and strength, I was still weak. It was difficult for me to accept, but I finally did.”

“I don’t understand.” said Celeste. “Nor should you, my lady.” said Lee Fung with his characteristic smile, “My lesson was for me, Just as yours is for you. When you accept what The Fifth Force itself will teach you, you will truly be the most powerful of all Sifu’s students! That’s why he chose you. There is a greatness in you that he saw and made me aware of as well. I can’t explain it to you, you will just have to trust in Sifu’s wisdom…and his love for you.” “I will, old friend and thank you!” said Celeste. Lee Fung smiled and bowed, leaving her to her thoughts.

Celeste decided to meditate upon Lee Fung’s words and sat on the floor of the suite in the Lotus position. As she lapsed into a relaxed, meditative state, her mind seemed whisked away to Sifu’s garden, beneath the beautiful flowering tree that she slept under her first night with Sifu. She stood and walked around the tree admiring it and the rest of the garden, when suddenly she sensed a presence with her. She turned and saw a golden glow coming toward her. She sensed no danger from it, however, just a sense of goodness and light.

The glow coalesced into a familiar shape. It was Xi Wang Mu, Goddess of Immortality. “Greetings, Princess!” she greeted with a bow. Celeste returned her greeting by falling to one knee and saying, “Honored Greetings, Great One!” “Rise, my dear!” said the goddess with a smile, “My, how you’ve grown since I saw you last!” Celeste stood up and replied, “Have I changed that much in these few years?” “Mortals!” laughed Xi Wang Mu, “Always thinking in temporal terms! I meant your spirit, my child! The Fifth Force is most strong with you, dear one! Stronger than with any who have ever come before me, even your Sifu! Of course, I expected this to be so.”

“You did? Why?” asked Celeste. “Because of the greatness in your spirit and the capacity for love in your heart, my Princess!” replied the beautiful goddess, “That is why I counted you worthy to be trained by Jien Fu Sing! You will be a catalyst in the great conflict to come, dear one. Your power and strength shall turn the tide and bring us victory against the darkness that rises to conquer and devour the light!” “I don’t understand, Great One.” said Celeste, “What darkness? What conflict?” Xi Wang Mu smiled and replied, “Do not concern yourself with these questions at this time, Celeste. You must take small steps now. As the time and season approaches, all will be revealed to you! You must now go back to your home and confront the greatest challenge you have yet to face!”

“You mean Slithara?” asked Celeste. “Yes, dear one.” said the goddess, “She is quite powerful, but you will overcome her, for you possess what she does not!” “But Rosalyn has The Fifth Force with her as well plus the power of the Serpent Demon!” said Celeste. Xi Wang Mu looked at Celeste quizzically and asked, “You really don’t know how to access The Fifth Force without limit, do you? You don’t know your own power?” “I know I have a final lesson to learn.” said Celeste, “Once I do, I know from what Sifu and Lee Fung have said that I will be invincible!” “They speak the truth!” said Xi Wang Mu, “But my only fear is that you will not accept the final lesson in time! Without it, the Serpent will destroy you!”

“What must I do, Great One?” said Celeste falling to her knees, “I’ll do anything! I must save my sister from this demon!” Xi Wang Mu put her slender finger under Celeste’s chin, raised her head, looked into her eyes and asked, “You do not seek to defeat this vile creature to avenge your teacher?” “Partially, but my main motivation is to free Rosalyn from Slithara’s control!” replied Celeste with tears in her eyes, “Everything else is secondary!” The goddess smiled, stood Celeste to her feet and embraced her. “Oh, my dear child!” she said holding Celeste as a mother would, “You are not far from your final lesson, that much is certain! You have only to look within to find your answer!”

Xi Wang Mu released Celeste from the embrace and gently kissed her forehead. “Fear not, my Princess!” she said with a smile, “Your power shall come to you soon enough!” “But can’t you just tell me what I need to do, Great One?” asked Celeste. “Of course, but that would make it ineffectual and you and your dear sister would perish!” replied the goddess, “There is no short cut to this, dear one! You must find it on your own and so you shall! Now, I must bid you farewell!” “Will I ever see you again?” asked Celeste. “Of course, child!” said Xi Wang Mu, “Just come back to this, my favorite tree. I will be here! Remember this, Celeste: Love is Eternal! Farewell, my Princess!”

Suddenly, Celeste’s eyes popped open and she was back in her bedroom suite. Several hours had passed. Lee Fung had turned on the lights in the room and set out a pitcher of ice water with a large crystal glass on her nightstand. She rose to her feet and poured herself a large glass and drank it greedily. “Boy! I didn’t realize meditation could make you so thirsty!” thought Celeste with a giggle. She noticed that her skin-tight seemed tighter than it was when she entered the meditation. She was ringing wet with sweat! “I’d better get out of this thing and get washed up before I start to get ripe!” thought Celeste.

She peeled the sleek purple garment from her wet, nude body and threw on her silk robe. She rang for Lee Fung and he answered, taking the bodystocking to be washed. Celeste’s mind was focused on Xi Wang Mu’s final words, “Love is Eternal”. She somehow felt that the goddess was trying to give her some hint as to what to do, but it still seemed to elude her right now. She decided to shower and then go out on patrol over the city, hoping that a flight through the cool night sky would clear her head. She needed to find the key to unlock her power soon or Rosalyn, not to mention the whole of Primrose City, might be doomed forever.

*****

The Hutchinson Industrial Park, hideout of The Green Mamba…

Lenny Trecolis had really moved up in Primrose City’s underworld since he hooked up with The Green Mamba. Every one of his rivals either sold out to The Mamba or ended up dead. She was the best boss he’d ever worked for except when she looked at him sometimes. When they were in bed or strategizing about business, she seemed fine, but then every now and again, she’d give him a look that chilled his blood and scared the living daylights out of him. It’s as if she was…another person and the scary thing about it, it seemed to happen more and more often. The more she killed and fed upon human souls, the scarier she became. The lust of having the power of life and death seemed to be consuming her and Lenny was worried.

One evening, Lenny got up from his Mistress’ bed and walked out onto the balcony overlooking the factory floor which had been converted into storage for the gang’s many vehicles and also a very large meth lab. The workers were gone and all was quiet. The Mamba’s green eyes popped open and she looked for Lenny, seeing him on the balcony. She rose slowly from her reclining position and stared at him, but it was not a look of love or even lust, it was a look of hatred…and hunger. Rosalyn was still asleep, but Slithara was fully awake. The demoness didn’t like the attachment that Rosalyn had formed with this mortal man and she grew more and more irritated with the relationship each day it existed.

Slithara had tolerated all she felt she could stand. Rosalyn’s feelings for this insignificant mortal had strengthened her hold on her body. The way she felt for Lenny was causing her humanity to begin to manifest stronger and stronger. Despite the numerous feedings of the power of human souls, Slithara felt her dominance over Rosalyn just beginning to slip. The she-demon had to put a stop to it; she had to kill him…now. Slithara silently arose from the bed and moved into the shadows. She slinked slowly toward Lenny, who was lost in thought, completely oblivious to her stealthy approach.

Slithara stifled the urge to hiss as she drew closer to him as she didn’t want Rosalyn to awaken if Lenny cried out. She would launch her green nude body upon him, cover his mouth and deliver a death dealing dose of venom to his struggling body before Rosalyn’s consciousness could stir and stop her. There was no known antidote for her venom and Slithara knew it. Once he was envenomed, he was a dead man. She finally reached Lenny’s position on the balcony.

Suddenly, Lenny was aware that something was wrong. Slithara didn’t have time to pounce on him, so she simply clamped her clawed reptilian hand over his mouth, pulled him to her and prepared to sink her fangs into him. Just as the deadly fangs locked into place above the base of his neck, Rosalyn awakened. Within the shared mind of The Green Mamba, Slithara heard, “MISTRESS, NO!!” Slithara cursed internally and stopped the fangs decent toward Lenny’s throat. “My goddess, what are you doing??” cried Rosalyn. Slithara pressed on the nerves in Lenny’s neck and he fell to the floor, unconscious.

“I was trying to protect you, dear one!” lied Slithara, “You have to know that eventually this mortal will betray you! I wanted to save you the pain of his treachery!” “Lenny wouldn’t do that, Mistress!” replied Rosalyn, “He loves me too much! Besides, he knows the penalty for betrayal! If he does as you say, I will decimate him myself! I appreciate the thought, but please let me have my enjoyment with him!” “As you wish, my child, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!” said Slithara. Control of her sleek, muscular body regained, The Mamba lovingly picked Lenny up from the floor and brought him back to the bed.

She gently scratched a little hypno-venom into his skin and wakened him. “Lenny, my love.” she purred, “The attack you just experienced was just a bed dream. It never happened. Understand?” “Never…happened. Yes, understand.” he repeated. “Good boy. Now, sleep lover, sleep in my arms.” she commanded. He closed his eyes and snuggled up to the softness of her breast with a smile. She kissed his forehead and he slept. Rosalyn began to wonder if Slithara had told her the truth. She wondered if there was another motivation for her attack on her lover. She was also startled at the ease at which she stopped the she-demon. It was as if she were the goddess and Slithara was the servant! “I think I’ll test this theory a little later!” thought Rosalyn, “Perhaps she will be under my control for once!”

*****

The next morning…

The Green Mamba attired herself in her usual skin tight outfit and woke up Lenny. “Lenny, my sweet! Rise and shine!” she cooed. Lenny yawned and said, “Oh, good morning, Mistress. Did you sleep well?” “Famously, my precious! And you?” she replied. “Well, I had a weird dream.” said Lenny nervously, “I dreamt you tried to kill and eat me!” “You needn’t worry yourself about that, lover!” giggled the snake-woman, “Unless you fail me, that is! Then I’ll do evil things to your body that your nightmares won’t compare to!” Lenny gulped and replied, “Not a problem, boss lady! What do you need me to do?”

“Well sweetie, what I need you and your people to do is discreetly follow Celeste and keep tabs on who her friends and associates are.” explained The Mamba, “Do this for about 3 or 4 days and report back to me. Will you do this for your goddess?” “Absolutely, Mistress!” said Lenny emphatically, “We’ll have a list for you in 4 days! Guaranteed!” “Very good!” she praised, “You may go.”

Four days later, just as he promised, Lenny presented a very short list of Celeste’s friends and associates. The Mamba looked it over and smiled wickedly knowing who her targeted prey would be. Later that evening, a tired man arrived at his humble apartment, kicked off his loafers and flopped into his easy chair. He tried to turn on his big screen TV to watch the Pistons game, but it wouldn’t go on. He walked over to the device and pressed the power switch. Nothing. “That’s funny.” he thought out loud, “It can’t be a fuse! The rest of the stuff on that circuit is still on! What the heck is going on here?”

Suddenly, sinister female laughter erupted from everywhere at the same time. The man swiftly drew a weapon from its holster and held it with an instinctive two-hand grip. “Who are you?” he demanded to know, “What do you want?” “Why, I want you, Inspector Gary Crandall!” said a sultry female voice, “I want you!” “Well, my friend Roscoe here may have something to say about that, lady!” said Crandall with a wry grin. “You men and your guns!” said the hissing voice, “You think a gat in the hand is the world by the tail! Put the gun down, Inspector, and I won’t hurt you too much!” “Fat chance, sister!” said Crandall cocking his Browning Hi-Power 9mm auto, “You want some? Come get some!”

The Green Mamba hissed loudly and fell upon Gary Crandall from her ceiling perch, clawing hypno-venom into his chest and neck. The fast acting neuro-toxin felled him quickly and placed him under the serpent woman’s power. She instructed him to call Celeste. “Hello, Inspector.” she answered, “This is the first time you’ve called this late! What seems to be the trouble?” “HISSSSSS!” The Mamba called into the receiver. “Green Mamba! What have you done with Gary Crandall??” asked Celeste.

“Oh, he’s quite safe…for the moment, Celeste!” hissed The Mamba, “Of course, how long he stays that way depends upon your level of cooperation!” “What do you want me to do?” asked Celeste. “I want you to suffer, Celeste!” said the she-snake, “Like I did when you and Sifu betrayed me! You will come to me when next I call you and meet me for our final battle where I say! Otherwise, your cop friend will die a slow, torturous death! First, by my claws tearing his flesh, then from my venomous bite as the poison slowly destroys his nervous system and his heart grows silent!” “I’ll meet you wherever you want, just don’t hurt my friend!” begged Celeste. “Wait for my call! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!” laughed the green clad villainess as she hung up.

“So she hides behind my friends, does she?” said Celeste angrily, “Very well! I will wait for your call, Rosalyn, and one way or another; I will come to you and set you free from this horror! One way or another!!”

TO BE CONCLUDED…

[flamboyfun]

Another classic in the making!

[SGWriter]

Damn you Pics, setting everything up and then leaving us hanging. Its almost as if you wanted to do that :-D Great update Pics

[superpics4les]

Sorry it's taken so long to update this one! Here's the first part of the Conclusion! 8)

*****

Part VI: “The Mamba Strikes!” (Conclusion Part I)

The Manor Home of Celeste Fisher…

Since the last call she received from The Green Mamba, Celeste had been waiting by her phone anxiously. Lee Fung saw how nervous she was and tried to comfort her. “My lady, please try to meditate.” he advised, “This kind of behavior is exactly what the serpent wants! She wants you to be unfocused and distracted thinking about this man you love!” Celeste turned toward Lee Fung and said, “What?? I don’t love him! He’s a friend, a colleague! That’s all! It’s not like that!” The large Chinese man looked at her and smiled, not saying a word. Celeste blushed a little and laughed. “Is it that obvious?” she asked sheepishly. “In the dark, my lady!” chuckled Lee Fung, “It may not be love just yet, but I’ve known you long enough to know when you feel genuine affection for someone!”

“Lee Fung, I’ve had to really hold back with him as Celeste Fisher, but I’ve been actually flirting with him as Clandestine!” she admitted, “I like him a lot and respect him even more! I surely don’t want anything to happen to him!” “I know, my lady.” he replied, “But so does Slithara! She wants you to be so distraught at his capture and possible harm that it will make you unable to focus on doing what you know must be done! Remember what Sifu taught us, my lady. Never let your enemy dictate your feelings, instead see what your enemy feels and use it as a weapon against him…or her!” Celeste smiled and said, “Thank you, old friend, for reminding me of what I should be thinking in the coming battle! I think I will meditate now.” “It would have come to you eventually, my lady.” said Lee Fung with an inscrutable grin, “I just helped it along a little. I will leave you in peace.”

Lee Fung left the suite and closed the door behind him. Celeste sat on the floor and took deep cleansing breaths for a moment or two. Her disciplined mind went into a deeply meditative state very quickly. She thought about her feelings for Gary Crandall for a moment, but then moved them aside, replacing them with her deep concern for her adopted sister, Rosalyn. She remembered back to the days when they both were in training with Sifu and love they felt for him and for one another. She grew angry at the serpent Slithara for turning her against the only ones left in the world that truly cared for her. Celeste’s anger and sorrow over Sifu’s death welled up within her. At first it was directed at Rosalyn, but then she remembered Sifu’s last words to her. That he didn’t blame Rosalyn for his death, but Slithara! She focused her desire for justice and vengeance on the serpent demon, understanding that anger, fear and aggression would never be able to defeat the demon’s power.

Then it hit her! The old saying that her own father used to say when he was negotiating for the diplomatic corps, the first thing he ever taught her: Just like you can’t extinguish a fire by pouring gasoline on it, so also you can’t defeat an angry man by using violence or aggression. You must use the opposite of this. You must use peace. “But how can I use peace?” she thought, “She wants to kill me!” She thought of Sifu and the fact that he also loved Rosalyn. Why didn’t she change when feeling his love for her? Celeste continued to meditate. Her mind went back to an incident several years before when Sifu sent her and Rosalyn to drive an army of thugs employed by a warlord out of a local village that Sifu had promised to defend. The two girls were strong with the Fifth Force by then and although the force they faced was large, they were confident that they would succeed against them.

The two young warriors brought down half the thugs in the space of two minutes. The other half, after seeing what had happened to their fellow miscreants, beat a hasty retreat. There was only one man who dared to stay and fight. He was a huge man that stood roughly 6’7” and was nearly four foot wide at the shoulder. Celeste attacked first moving almost too fast to see. She was swatted down like a mosquito. Rosalyn tried a Fifth Force attack which rocked the gargantuan goon, but did not knock him down. Each of the girls in turn fought their giant foe, but despite their skills and powers, each and every attack failed to bring him down. Their foe was becoming tired, but his resolve was firm. He would not be defeated by two girls!

Then Rosalyn had an idea. “Celeste, we can’t take him individually.” said the green clad Venus, “We need to combine our strength to defeat him!” “But we have been attacking at the same time, Roz!” panted Celeste, “It hasn’t done any good!” “I don’t mean combining our attacks, sister.” she explained, “I said combining our strengths! In other words, using our combined knowledge of the Fifth Force to defeat our enemy!” “Sounds like a plan, but how do we do that?” asked Celeste. “Just take my hand…” replied Rosalyn, “and follow my lead.” Celeste smiled and did so. They looked at each other and smiled. This was going to work. The awesome power of the Fifth Force began to respond to the girls’ summoning. The Chinese juggernaut rushed the two young heroines, but it was too late. A blast of incredible power streamed from the young ladies’ eyes and impacted the super-thug full force. He went to the ground so hard, it shook.

The two heroines jumped up, high-fived each other and hugged tightly. “See, I told you it would work!” cried Rosalyn. “You were certainly right!” said Celeste, “Great job!” “Couldn’t have done it without ya!” she laughed. When they returned home, Sifu greeted them. “Congratulations, my daughters!” Sifu beamed, “I couldn’t be prouder of you both! So, what did you learn today?” “That we need to work together to defeat some foes!” Rosalyn piped up. “Yeah! Teamwork really comes in handy!” agreed Celeste. Sifu shook his head and said, “You still have not grasped the true lesson of today’s exercise, my daughters!” “I guess we missed it, Sifu!” said Rosalyn looking confused, “What were we supposed to see?” “It was you who discovered it, dear one!” he said speaking to Rosalyn, “You hit upon the secret of wielding the Fifth Force without limit! It was the power of your…”

Suddenly the phone rang. Celeste was snapped out of her meditation and answered it by the third ring. “Hello?” she said. “HISSSSS!” said the voice, “Meet me at the Hutchinson Industrial Park in 30 minutes or your little friend dies…slowly!” *click* Celeste held her head down. “I don’t have time to go back into the meditation now!” she thought, “And I think Sifu said what I need right there at the end! I didn’t get it then, but I know I’d get it now if I could just hear it! Blast that infernal snake! She’ll pay and at a hundred times the going rate! That much I swear!” Celeste called for Lee Fung and told him where the battle was to take place. “Let me go with you Celeste!” said Lee Fung, “I do feel the Fifth Force. I can help!”

“Yes, you can, my friend, but not that way.” answered Celeste, “I need you to come within half a mile of the battle site, but I want you to do something very specific for me. You must follow my instructions to the letter! Will you do that, no matter what you feel or sense?” “What is it?” he asked. “Promise me you’ll do as I ask and I’ll tell you.” said Celeste sternly. “You have my word as a warrior of Qi-Gong, I will obey your commands, no matter what they may be!” said Lee Fung, standing at attention. Celeste relaxed and smiled and said, “Good! Here’s what I want you to do…”

*****

Twenty-six minutes later at the Hutchinson Industrial Park…

Clandestine landed silently at the industrial park, scanning the structures around her for signs of life. Her mystic senses picked up no human life forces near her in any of the buildings, except one. The building that was about 30 feet away gave off nothing, not even a trace of its existence. The others showed her the glass, the steel, the bricks and mortar, but from this one, nothing. Her natural eyes could see it, but no other trace was there. She smiled and said to herself, “This is definitely the place!” The sleek heroine levitated over the building and looked into the skylights, but could see nothing inside but darkness. “I guess I’m expected, may as well knock!” she thought. Clandestine shot down through the glass of the skylight directly beneath her with great force, shattering it to pieces.

The shards of glass rained down on Clandestine, but only impacted the dark purple field that surrounded her. “Knock, knock!” she said playfully. “Hello, Celeste!” said a hissing female voice, “So we’re not doing the gimpy criminologist thing tonight, eh?” “I thought I’d dress for the occasion!” replied Clandestine. “Ah, I see!” laughed The Green Mamba, “So you’re the mysterious Clandestine, eh? Still wearing the purple stocking Sifu gave you! It always did flatter your figure and love the hood thing! Tres` Chic!” “Thanks, but I don’t think you called me here to discuss my wardrobe.” said Clandestine with an obvious frown, “Release Gary Crandall, NOW!”

“My, my! We are touchy about him aren’t we?” purred The Mamba, “Could it be that you’re more than just friends? Lovers, perhaps?” “No, just friends, colleagues, if you will.” she answered, “But even if we were it would still be none of your business! Now let him go!” “-sigh- Very well, there he is! Release him yourself!” said The Mamba, turning on a spotlight. Beneath the light, tied to a metal chair with heavy gauge climbing rope, a ball gag in his mouth, was Inspector Gary Crandall! “No way it’s that easy!” Clandestine thought, “I’d better be ready for anything!” She took a deep breath and started toward Crandall.

Suddenly, a mystic energy field formed around him, keeping her from him. “Ah, ah, ah! Not so fast, my purple heroine!” said The Mamba, “First, there’s a little puzzle you have to solve!” “Oh, come on, Rosalyn! I thought you were better than this!” complained Clandestine, “Geez, you’ve been watching too much TV!” “SILENCE! Unless you just want to watch him die!” hissed The Mamba, “And don’t call me Rosalyn! I am The Green Mamba, a goddess among men!” All around her in the darkness, Clandestine heard the voices of an army of men shout in unison, “THE GODDESS IS AMONG US! ALL HAIL THE GREEN MAMBA!” “Oh brother!” thought Clandestine, “This chick has got this goddess thing REALLY bad!”

“OK, OK! I’m sorry…Green Mamba! How do we play this twisted little game of yours?” asked Clandestine. “Well, it’s really quite ingenious, if I do say so myself!” said The Mamba, sounding pleased with herself, “The chair sits on a platform as you can see. The floor is pressure sensitive. If you step on it…BOOM…no more Gary Crandall! If you move the chair, same thing!” A large LED digital display lowered from the darkness above Crandall’s head displaying two minutes on it. “You’ll have two minutes to free him from the chair and get him off the platform before it either blows up or another ghastly fate befalls him!”

“And what’s that?” asked Clandestine showing signs of annoyance. “As you may or may not know, “ she began, “The venom from my fangs has no known antidote. I’ve placed a plastic pouch filled with it into an injecting mechanism taped to the good Inspector’s chest that will be triggered if you don’t remove it before the two minute limit is reached. If that happens, a needle will puncture his chest wall, the venom will be injected straight into his heart and kill him in very short order!” “You fiend!” said Clandestine through her teeth. “I knew you’d love it!” said The Mamba with a giggle, “Now here are the rules. You may use any physical means at your disposal to rescue him from his dire circumstances except The Fifth Force to levitate yourself, Crandall, the chair or any of his restraints. In short, no supernatural stuff or it’s bye-bye baby! If you do, I’ll know and blow his nuts off! Get the picture?”

“Widescreen.” answered Clandestine. “Very well then, the time starts, NOW!” shouted the snake-woman. Clandestine took out a grapple and shot it toward the ceiling directly above Crandall. She heard it catch and tested the strength of it to hold her. She quickly attached it onto a small, but powerful motor and the motor to her belt. The intrepid heroine leaped into the air, flipping over Crandall’s head while simultaneously taking out the slack in the military grade cable. She came down right above Crandall and gently lowered herself down to him, hanging upside-down. “Wow! Just like Mission: Impossible!” laughed The Mamba as she watched with glee, still unseen by Clandestine. Clandestine first removed his blindfold and gag, tossing them into the darkness off the platform. His vital signs were steady and he simply appeared to be asleep.

Clandestine looked at the timer. She smiled because she had only used 10 seconds to perform the actions necessary to reach him. Her plan looked like it would work. She pulled an electronic device from her belt to scan the venom injector. It was a simple mechanism, about the size of a universal remote control, with a UHF triggering switch. It wouldn’t be tripped by removing it. Replacing the scanner in her belt, she placed her hand on it and pulled on it a little. The Mamba had used superglue to attach the device to Crandall’s skin, besides the tape on his chest. “Sorry about this, Gary. It’s the only way.” she whispered. She yanked hard on the fiendish device, pulling off a plug of skin and hair with it. The pain shocked Crandall into consciousness as he hollered out loud and tried to move.

“GARY, STAY STILL!” shouted Clandestine. He remained motionless despite the intense pain in his chest. “I don’t have time to explain, but you’re in great danger!” she explained, “You must do exactly as I say otherwise Mike in CSI will be scraping you off the walls! Understand?” He nodded and whispered, “OK, but Lord, that hurt!” “It was the only way to get that thing off you before it killed you!” she said softly, “Now just hold very still, I gotta get you outta here!” She rechecked the timer. She had a minute and twenty seconds left. She swiftly took out her kusari-gama and extended the razor sharp blade to cut the ropes holding Crandall to the chair. She cut the ropes around his lower torso and his wrists. She then lowered herself down to cut the ropes around his ankles.

As she reached his ankles she was conscious of the fact that her sleek, spandex covered crotch was resting almost directly over Crandall’s face and her face right in front of his. “Gary, I swear, one word and I’ll leave you in this chair!” she whispered forcefully. Crandall was grinning really big and stifling peals of laughter, but didn’t make a sound. Clandestine noticed on her way back up that he had a serious boner. “Whoa! What a package!” she thought, “Focus Celeste, focus!” She grinned as well and continued upward. Clandestine flipped around so that she was looking at Crandall face-to-face. “OK Gary, I need to get a good hold of you without increasing the weight of the chair, otherwise…boom!” she whispered, “Whatever happens, hold still!” “Gotcha. Still good: boom bad, no problem.” he replied with a grin. “Whatever, Gary.” she sighed with a smile. She told him to bend slightly at the waist, very slowly and stop when she indicated. He did so and she wrapped her sleek legs around his upper torso. Clandestine told him to straighten up and it worked. She tightened her grip on him and told him to hold on tight to her legs, something she didn’t have to say twice! She checked the timer. Fifty-three seconds left.

“OK, now listen to me very carefully, Gary.” she instructed, “We’re gonna have only one shot at this. On three, I want you to push up off the chair as hard as you can. At the same time, I’ll activate the winch on my belt, don’t worry it’ll hold us. I’ll swing us out and away from the platform, hopefully far enough that the flying debris will won’t hit us, as most of it should projected upward where you and I would have been!” “Hopefully?” asked Crandall nervously. “You’re my first cop-sitting-on-a-bomb-trap rescue, OK?” she said with a smile, “Hey, at least you’re not sitting on a toilet!” “Cute!” he replied returning the smile. “Ready?” she asked. He nodded. Forty seconds left. “One…two…THREE!!” Crandall jumped up and Clandestine’s cable/winch hauled them upward another five feet. Clandestine twisted in the air and cut the cable with the kusari-gama blade just as the platform exploded. As the astute superheroine predicted, the explosion sent most of the flying debris upward and part of the force of the blast itself threw them clear of the platform and out of the range of the rest of the debris.

Clandestine used her purple force field after she cut the cable, so their landing was a safe one with just a little jarring from the impact with the warehouse floor. The gorgeous heroine ended up on top of Crandall as he shook off the effects of the blast. “You OK, Gary?” asked Clandestine. “Yeah, you?” he asked. “Never better, Inspector.” she replied, flipping off of him. She extended her hand and quickly pulled him to his feet. She pointed to the door next to them and said, “Time for you to make like a tree and leave, Gary! I’ll take it from here!” Crandall grabbed her around the waist and kissed her. “You be careful, gorgeous! That’s an order!” he said with a smile. “Yes sir, Inspector! Besides, I might want a few more of those!” she said with a smiling salute. He grinned and quickly, but cautiously exited the building, taking off running.

“Very well done, Celeste!” said The Mamba clapping her reptilian hands, “I knew you could do it! Besides, I didn’t really want him dead…yet! But you should have made the kiss a little longer, since you’ll never see him again!” “I wouldn’t be so sure of that, you demonic whore!” said Clandestine, “You just let the only thing stopping me from ripping you out of Rosalyn’s body, run out that door! What’s to stop me from doing it now?” “Possibly them, perhaps?” the serpent woman replied. Before the sound of her words echoed from the walls of the large warehouse, Clandestine was surrounded by sixty fully armed men with automatic weapons. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me! So what’s this?” asked the heroine, “I thought you wanted to fight! Why don’t you stop these games and let’s get to it?”

“Because I love them so and you were always so good at them, remember?” taunted The Mamba. “Yes, I remember Rosalyn and I used to spend many hours playing them, but how do you remember it if Rosalyn is as dead as you say?” replied Clandestine, “Could it be that she’s influencing your decisions, Mamba? That she’s calling the shots, not you?” “I just wanted to give you a little warm-up after your stretch!” The Green Mamba shouted, “KILL HER MY MINIONS! SHOOT HER NOW!” The gun-toting man slaves opened fire in unison, the warehouse filling with noise and smoke. Clandestine raised her hands and every one of the deadly projectiles stopped in mid-air just short of their target, hanging suspended like insects in amber. When the goons had completely emptied their weapons, Clandestine grinned and crossed her arms.

The purple-clad heroine’s eyes glowed bright purple as she threw her arms down and outward with a shout, echoed with the added power of the Fifth Force. The leaden projectiles flew back at the army of shocked minions at half the velocity at which they were launched, but with enough to cause great pain and when they hit the right spots, unconsciousness. As the last of the gunsels hit the cold concrete floor, Clandestine looked into the darkness and said, “I’m all warmed up, now Rosalyn! Enough games! Show yourself! Or are you afraid to face me?” “I will never be afraid of you, Celeste! NEVER!!” shouted the serpentine siren.

“Prove it, then! Face me!” challenged Clandestine. “Not quite yet, my little champion of Primrose City!” said The Mamba, “There’s one more challenge you must meet and overcome to be worthy to come against a goddess, my girl!” “You are NOT a goddess, you twisted abomination!” shouted Clandestine, “You’re a bully! You’re powerful, I admit, but you used parlor tricks and intimidation to dupe simple peasants and the naïve into worshipping you in the past! Now, you use lies and deception to play on the negative emotions present in the human heart to take over and possess the minds and bodies of others!”

“A pretty speech, Celeste!” said the hidden snake, “But one who is worshipped by so many surely must be a goddess, wouldn’t you say?” “No, I would not!” the beautiful masked woman retorted, “A person led by their own lust, greed, anger, pride or fear is not walking their true life path! You pervert their lives and when you’re finished with them, you toss them aside, like an old beer can! Nobody’s perfect, but they deserve to make their own decisions! You take that right and privilege away to use them for your own purposes! That’s what you did to my beloved sister, Slithara, and today I’ll make you pay for that!”

“You are mistaken, dear girl!” the snake woman hissed, “Today is when I suck the life from your body and soul, Celeste! Today is when you pay for your betrayal of Rosalyn! Today is when I take the secret of the Fifth Force from you and become invincible! HAHAHAHAHA! But first things first! Meet my students, Celeste! Meet The Serpent’s Fangs! ATTACK HER, MY LOVELIES! HISSSSS!”

As Clandestine watched, seven female figures stepped from the shadows. The women were much like their teacher, large and muscular, but shapely and covered in sleek, shimmering, sensuous, green garments, from head to toe. The green clad killers surrounded her, hissing and baring their two inch fangs. Each of the serpent-like assassins wore a mask which hid their identity, but left exposed her nose and sensuous mouth, a topknot peeking out the top of their heads secured with a gold ring. The eyes of each warrior also glowed green with an unearthly luminescence, perhaps a mixture of The Fifth Force and drained human life-force, it was difficult to tell. The seven villainesses slithered around her moving with an almost feline grace, their glistening, sheer hosed feet making little to no sound as they circled Clandestine, taunting her with their malevolent presence.

Each ninja-like female also wore a gold choker atop a shiny, skin-tight opaque leotard that covered their hands as well, like gloves. A large green serpent was shown on the chest of each warrior, the head poised over the right breast, the scaly body winding down the torso past the waist. A gold sash adorned their muscular hips and the sheer, shimmering, green hose began from there, continuing down the shapely muscular legs to the toes. Suddenly, each warrior drew a chromed object in their right hand, similar in shape to a flashlight, from behind their backs and pressed a small button near the crystal at the tip.

A brightly glowing beam, about an inch in diameter, approximately a meter in length emerged from the chromed handle, looking like Jedi light-saber. A second movement by the left hand produced a wicked looking circular object with a razor-sharp edge along the complete circumference, looking much like a chakram throwing weapon. Clandestine stood perfectly still, her arms stretched out to her sides. She closed her eyes and waited for her sleekly clad foes to make the first move. She hadn’t long to wait.

Four of the women rushed her all at once, as if they were one being, making the same moves at the same exact time. Their energy blades impacted Clandestine’s shield, but did not breach it. The other three kept their distance and threw their razored chakrams full force against her shield with no effect. The deadly circular blades returned to their owners as if alive. The attack of The Serpent’s Fangs was coordinated like a choreographed dance, so perfectly executed that the warriors were like they were not even human, but like deadly machines. After numerous ferocious attacks against it, the purple Fifth Force shield projected by Clandestine looked like it was beginning to give way. “Enough of these games, Rosalyn!” shouted Clandestine, “If trouncing these puppets of yours is the only way you’ll face me, then so be it!” The purple clad heroine raised her hands above her head and crossed her wrists, her brow furrowed and chanting softly. At the intersection of her wrists, purple energy began to glow. The glow became brighter and brighter each second.

The force field that had protected her began to flicker and fade as the glow grew brighter and more powerful. One of the Serpent’s Fangs decided to make a move. The green clad murderess bared her long, sharp fangs and crept up behind Clandestine. Two of the other ninja-like warriors attacked from the front to distract the heroine’s attention. As she’d hoped, the sleek killer was able to penetrate the shield by not attacking it, but by pushing her way through it. As soon as she breached the field, she rushed upon Clandestine and sank her fangs into her shoulder. Clandestine screamed in pain as the vile serpent woman chewed on the wound injecting more of her deadly venom into her body.

Clandestine forcefully dropped her arms with a flourish. A wave of pure Fifth Force energy exploded from where she stood and went out from her position in a full 360 degree radius. The shock wave knocked all the Serpent’s Fangs down and cast the one that had bitten Clandestine off her and 25 feet across the warehouse floor. Clandestine fell to her knees. The venom was inching its way through her system, paralyzing her nerves and muscles. She knew she had to get the poison out before it was too late. The beautiful heroine closed her eyes and concentrated. She thought only of one thing, “Reverse the flow…reverse the flow…go back…go back…”

After a few minutes, The Serpent’s Fangs began to stir, they were regaining consciousness. If Clandestine didn’t recover swiftly, they would fully awake and decimate her. She sensed her enemies beginning to show signs of awakening. She concentrated harder, “Push…push! Force the venom out! You can do this, Celeste! You have to! Now, push!” Suddenly, the wound where she was bitten began to ooze a putrid looking liquid. It was a nauseous mauve color and nearly bubbled out of the twin punctures on her shoulder. It was the venom! Clandestine leaned to one side and allowed the poisonous liquid to fall to the floor.

After a few more seconds, the wound began to ooze red blood. Clandestine smiled, knowing the venom had been extracted. The wound glowed purple and the punctures closed, the flesh healing as if the wound had never been there. Clandestine was drained. She fell forward onto the dusty floor of the warehouse, exhausted. Her ordeal with the Serpent’s Fangs was not yet over, however. The shapely, muscular ninja girls rose to their feet with evil grins on their faces. They saw their enemy lying on the floor motionless, easy prey for them. They slowly slinked toward her, hissing and baring their fangs, preparing to put an end to Clandestine, once and for all.

TO BE CONCLUDED...

[SGWriter]

One hell of a part one Pics =D> Great fight, powers, and suspense. Can't wait for part 2!

[superpics4les]

Here it is! The Final Chapter, at long last!

*****

Part VII: “Snakes Alive!” (Conclusion Part II)

The Hutchinson Industrial Complex…

Clandestine senses slowly returned to her, but she hadn’t yet risen from the dusty floor of the warehouse. From her shadowy hiding place, The Green Mamba grinned like the Cheshire Cat, eagerly watching The Serpent’s Fangs as they closed in on their downed prey. The Mamba had been reclining on her luxurious California King sized bed, viewing Clandestine’s perils with increasing glee. Now she was literally sitting on the edge of her bed in anticipation of the feast the seven sleek snake-girls were about to indulge in. The purple-clad heroine still lay unmoving, but Clandestine was far from helpless. Although she hadn’t moved, the lovely defender of Primrose City had been summoning The Fifth Force to replenish her energies. Her beautiful eyes opened and saw the sheer green stockinged feet of her adversaries slinking toward her.

“That’s right, you slithering sluts!” thought Clandestine, “Just come a little bit closer! Auntie Celeste’s got a big surprise for ya!” The seven serpent girls surrounded Clandestine and prepared the tear her to shreds. Suddenly, Clandestine moved with a speed that caused her to become little more than a purple blur. She foot swept all seven of the fanged assassins, sending them falling to the concrete floor on their sleek, collective butts. Clandestine kipped up to her feet and flipped out of the range of the snake-women’s hypno-venomed claws. Upon landing at a safe distance, the purple-clad heroine said, “Now then girls, how about you just surrender like good little snakes and this won’t have to get nasty, OK? What do you say?”

The sleek serpents quickly got to their feet and drew their chakrams. “So I guess that’s a no, huh?” asked Clandestine with a sly grin. The green-clad ninjettes hurled their deadly weapons simultaneously directly at Primrose City’s champion. “OK then, nasty it is!” said Clandestine. The sleek heroine leapt into the air, performing a mid-air cartwheel-like motion. As she completed several of these, she literally plucked the lethal circular blades right out of the air and flung them back at their sources with greater force and pinpoint accuracy. The Serpent’s Fangs rapidly drew their energy swords, activated them and neatly cleaved each one of the deadly flying discs in two, causing the pieces to embed themselves into the far walls.

“You girls are quick!” said Clandestine, “I’m impressed!” The snake girls didn’t answer Clandestine’s taunt, but held their swords at the ready, preparing to attack. Clandestine drew out her kusari-gama and locked the razor sharp blade into place. She also released the weighted chain from the bottom end of the handle and whirled it about her shapely body. She ended her display of deadly skill in a ready stance and said, “Let’s get busy!” The serpentine sirens hissed loudly and ran toward Clandestine, eager to slice her into cat food. Clandestine’s eyes glowed bright purple as she gazed at her fast approaching adversaries. “Ah! No wonder!” thought Clandestine, “I knew there had to be some reason they were so good! I didn’t think Rosalyn was that fine a teacher!”

Clandestine waited 3 more seconds to let the hissing serpent-like ninja girls draw closer, and then she went into action! The Defender of Primrose City moved faster than eyes not endowed with the Fifth Force could follow. The Green Mamba recognized what pattern Clandestine was using and shouted, “NO, NOT MY PRETTIES!! NOOOOO!!” The maneuver, “The Dragon’s Dancing Claw”, was one that Rosalyn showed Celeste during her first few months under Sifu’s tutelage. With the addition of her razor-sharp kusari-gama, the sequence of movements made her near invincible. In mere seconds after the technique had begun, it was over. The seven members of the Serpent’s Fangs now lay on the dusty floor of the warehouse, decapitated. Normally, Clandestine would never have used such a lethal maneuver on a human adversary, but according to her Fifth Force sight, these deadly damsels were anything but human.

Clandestine looked around her at the downed assassins and saw that her senses had not led her astray. The Serpent’s Fangs were very sophisticated android automatons! “Did you have to slice their heads off, Celeste?” hissed The Mamba, with a tone of frustration, “Do you know how much it’s gonna cost to get these girls repaired??” “Let me save you the trouble!” said Clandestine. The purple-clad champion quickly raised her hands above her head. Before The Mamba could utter a syllable, purple fire rained down upon her decapitated foe’s bodies in a 360 degree pattern and completely consumed them into piles of ash, except one.

“HISSSSS!! You’ll pay for that, Celeste!!” shouted The Mamba from the darkness. “Yeah, yeah! Promises, promises!” taunted Clandestine, “The preliminary bouts are over, Rosalyn! It’s time for the main event! Or has time with Slithara made you a coward as well as a homicidal sociopath??” The Green Mamba’s eyes narrowed and flared bright green. “You’d better pray to that God of yours that He’ll have mercy on you, Celeste!” hissed sleek serpent as she slinked out from the darkness in front of Clandestine, “Because I assure you that I will not!!” “You’re the one that should pray for mercy from Him, Slithara!” replied Clandestine through her teeth when she saw what the demoness had twisted her loving sister’s beautiful body into, “You’re the one headed for the fires of eternal Hell before this day is through! This I swear!”

The Mamba began slithering to Clandestine’s left, grinning and baring her long, sharp fangs. “Be careful of the promises you make, Celeste!” she hissed, “You can’t deliver on them when you’re DEAD!” With one impossibly quick, fluid motion, The Green Mamba leapt for Clandestine, seemingly for her throat. Clandestine barely avoided her lunge, but misjudged The Mamba’s target. It wasn’t her throat, it was her side! The Mamba’s sharp claws raked down the heroine’s right side along her rib cage. If not for Clandestine’s lightning-fast reflexes, the serpent woman would have torn her down to the bone. As it was, the strike was painful enough to evoke a surprised cry for her lips that she hadn’t expected to utter.

“I can’t let her get that close again!” thought Clandestine, “Thank God she didn’t catch me full force otherwise that could have brought me to my knees! I can’t afford to underestimate her again! She’s much quicker than her size and musculature would lead one to believe and she was powerful enough to kill Sifu! I’ve got to be more careful or I could be Slithara’s next meal!” The Mamba licked the few drops of Clandestine’s blood that she managed to draw from the tips of her razor sharp claws. “Mmmmm! For a pompous, spoiled rich girl, you don’t taste half bad, Celeste!” quipped The Mamba, grinning evilly. Clandestine almost felt sick to her stomach watching her adversary taste her blood.

Clandestine did feel the area of the serpent-woman’s strike go partially numb for a few seconds afterward however. “The claws!” thought the sleek heroine, “They must have some type of venom on them as well! Yikes!” Almost as if she read her mind, the Mamba replied, “Yes, Celeste! My claws carry hypno-venom! It won’t kill you, but it will put you under my power long enough for me to feed upon your soul! Surrender to me now! I’ll be merciful and quick!” “Not in this life, snake-breath!” replied Clandestine defiantly, “I told you before, Rosalyn…it’ll never be that easy…EVER!” “Suit yourself, my dearest enemy!” hissed The Green Mamba angrily, “Just for that, I’m gonna peel your skin from your curvy little body…inch by gloriously painful inch and eat it right in front of you!”

“Ouch! That hurts to even think about!” said Clandestine with a grin, “You’ve been watching too much Creature Feature on Saturday nights, Rosalyn!” “I have not!” the sleek snake-woman retorted, “It’s something I’ve been dreaming of since the night I killed your parents!” Clandestine’s grin faded quickly, while the Mamba’s grew. “Yes, that’s right, rich girl!” gloated the Mamba, “I killed your Mother and Father as they slept! It was so hellishly simple!” Clandestine narrowed her eyes at The Green Mamba. “Oh, come on, Celeste!” said The Mamba coyly, “Don’t you know how rare cobra bites are in India or anywhere else for that matter? To have not one, but two people in a New Delhi hotel room, on the 12th floor, sharing the same bed die like that? It never occurred to you that they were murdered? Did you not measure the bite marks to see how far apart the puncture wounds were? Not to mention the size of the holes I put in them?”

“NO! I DON’T BELIEVE YOU!” shouted Clandestine, pulling back her hooded mask, exposing her face, “Rosalyn wouldn’t do that! She couldn’t!” “You’re right, Celeste! She wouldn’t, but I would…and I did! HAHAHAHAHA! HISSSSS!” The Mamba taunted, “Rosalyn is dead! I am her goddess! She only obeys the will of Slithara! I am The Green Mamba! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!” At that point, Celeste’s anger and pain overrode every instinct of love she had in her for her lost sister. Vengeance filled her heart and soul at that moment. All she wanted to do was to get her hands around The Mamba’s throat and squeeze the life from her…to end her existence…permanently! Celeste screamed in fury, pain and anguish as she flew swiftly toward The Green Mamba, forgetting her own thoughts of caution from just a moment before…which is exactly what the grinning green serpent had hoped for.

The serpentine she-beast had tried to wear Clandestine down and tire her out with the 3 challenges she had set forth, but the heroic woman hadn’t been deterred in the slightest from her goal. Slithara knew that as a thinking, cool-headed, confident warrior/practitioner of the Fifth Force, Clandestine had a better than average chance to defeat, if not destroy her. The best way to get at her was through taking away her logical mind, to engage her on an emotional level, while she herself remained as cold-blooded as she wished. The sleek purple heroine launched herself directly at The Mamba, but not like before. It wasn’t as practiced or disciplined. Celeste’s attack was just uncoordinated enough for The Mamba to read her movements and wait for a perfect chance to strike.

As Clandestine reached her, The Green Mamba moved to the left at the last split-second and raked the gorgeous heroine’s rib cage deeply. The purple clad heroine screamed in agony and fell to the ground. The Mamba quickly and gleefully pounced upon her before she had time recover from the intense pain of the venomed claw strike. The fast acting hypno venom was barely beginning to work on Clandestine. Her Fifth Force endowed physique was fighting it off magnificently and probably would have overcome its effects completely if The Mamba hadn’t immediately begun striking her over and over again with her reptilian claws. To her credit, though she was pinned by the sleek, muscular body of The Mamba, Clandestine managed to block most of the sharp, frenzied attack launched against her. Unfortunately, enough of her strikes got through to Clandestine’s flesh to deposit a significant amount of hypno-venom and the beautiful heroine fell under The Mamba’s spell.

The interior of the nearly vacant warehouse echoed with The Mamba’s sinister laughter as she looked down into the glazed over eyes of Clandestine. “Not so cocky now, are we my little heroine?” mocked the serpent woman, as she licked her ample, green, pouting lips, “Now that your will is mine, I’ll drain your blood, your soul and the knowledge I need to access the Fifth Force in its fullness! With this power I shall truly be a goddess and rule this world and eventually the universe! HAHAHAHAHA!” Celeste’s eyes fluttered a little as her mind tried to push past The Mamba’s spell. “You…won’t…win…Slithara.” she whispered softly, “We’ll… stop…you.”

“We?” taunted The Mamba, “I see no ‘we’ here! You’re alone! You have no backup, no sidekick, no army and no plan! You’re finished…Clandestine! HISSSSSSSS!” “There…is…someone else…here…to help me!” said the partially mesmerized heroine, “Rosalyn.” The Green Mamba reared back and laughed long and hard from deeper in her belly than she ever had before. Clandestine looked up at The Mamba, staring at her face more intently than ever. “Now, after all these years, my dear Celeste, you are MINE! HISSSSSS!!” growled The Mamba as she ripped Clandestine’s jugular vein and clamped her full pouting green lips onto her throat, forming a tight seal. She didn’t want to waste a single drop of the heroine’s blood. Clandestine was helpless and doomed to feed the evil serpent’s greed and hunger for power…or so it seemed.

*****

Elsewhere in the Mamba’s Lair…

Up in the loft over the grisly scene, Lenny, The Green Mamba’s paramour and right hand, watched with glee as his beloved mistress fed on the gorgeous champion of Primrose City. Silently, a large figure crept up behind him from the darkness in a practiced fashion. The figure stood three feet from him and said nothing with Lenny completely oblivious to his presence. Suddenly, the figure reached out and touched him, grasping him firmly right at the meeting of his neck and shoulder.

Lee Fung didn’t want to knock Lenny out, he simply wanted him to relax. The pressure on the nerve bundle using the technique taught him by Master Jien, reduced the blood flow and nerve impulses to Lenny’s brain. Lee Fung locked this condition in his body and Lenny experienced an instant sense of euphoria and calmness. Lenny was wearing his twin Desert Eagle .357 Magnum automatics in a two gun rig specially crafted for him and his vertically challenged condition. “Please disarm yourself, if you would be so kind, sir.” said Lee Fung softly.

“Sure. Whatever you say.” replied Lenny. The compact crime boss took his nickel plated pistols out of their holsters and dropped them on the floor. “Thank you, my friend.” said Lee Fung, “Now, I will release you from the nerve lock I have applied to you. When I do, we will talk like gentlemen. However, if you do not behave, there are…other nerves I can find that will ensure continued cooperation. Do you understand?” “Sure, no problem.” said Lenny with a dopey endorphin-induced smile on his face, “You got my full attention.”

“Excellent.” replied Lee Fung with a smile. The large Chinaman moved his huge hands over Lenny’s neck like he was programming a computer. The nerve end pressure in the sequence Lee Fung’s fingers used made Lenny a bit less euphoric, but still docile enough to be reasoned with.

“Now, I have a little story to tell you, but not long to do it, so pay close attention…”

*****

On the warehouse floor…

Clandestine seemed doomed. The sleek, sensuous serpent had drained enough of the heroine’s blood to make her anemic for a month. The tell-tale green glow started up Celeste’s lovely head. Her eyes widened as she thought, “Now that I do know what to do, I hope it can be accomplished before I end up a mummy!”

Suddenly, she heard a voice in her head. “Mistress! It is I!” said Lee Fung, “Haven’t you given her enough of yourself? Will you not die??” “Do you have our little surprise ready?” she asked telepathically. “Indeed. We await your word!” said Lee Fung. “Please hurry! I fear for your safety!” “Only a few more seconds now, old friend.” she replied.

The Green Mamba had begun her soul feeding and was directly absorbing Clandestine’s life-force. Her memories, feelings, beliefs and knowledge were coming into The Mamba now. Clandestine allowed herself to be absorbed for a few more moments, and then she knew it was enough. “NOW!” shouted Clandestine telepathically. “GREEN MAMBA!” shouted Lee Fung, “Release Clandestine or your paramour dies!” Lee Fung held Lenny in the air by his throat, threatening ro snap his neck.

“LENNY!! NOOOOOO!!” shrieked The Mamba, stopping her feeding at Celeste’s neck, “LET HIM GO! NOW!” “When you release my Mistress, he shall be yours!” said Lee Fung, “Not one moment before!” The Green Mamba hissed loudly, slowly standing over Clandestine. Within herself, Slithara’s voice shouted, “YOU FOOL! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! FINISH HER! I COMMAND YOU!” “But my Goddess…” started The Mamba. “SILENCE, YOUR PRATTLING CHILD! OBEY ME! NOW!!” commanded Slithara.

The Mamba slowly began to descend upon the helpless heroine once again. Lee Fung, using the Fifth Force, snapped the tops off of a few dozen wooden chairs just below where he was standing in the loft, making the area look like a pit of sharp pointed stakes. Lee Fung held Lenny over them, suspended in mid-air flailing madly. “MISTRESS!! Please HELP ME!” Lenny cried, “HELP!!”

The green serpent looked over her shoulder and saw the peril her lover was in. Her eyes went wide, then they narrowed and she hissed loudly at Lee Fung. “Lee Fung Chow, I shall enjoy peeling the flesh slowly from your body if you harm him!” cried The Mamba. “ROSALYN!” shouted Slithara in her mind, “Finish…the…FEEDING!” With the last word she hissed, Slithara caused a pain 10 times greater than any migraine on record to afflict The Mamba. She screamed and grabbed her head. “Disobey me again, Rosalyn and I will destroy you! UNDERSTAND??” hissed Slithara. “YES…YES! Please my Goddess!! THE PAIN!!” shrieked The Mamba, her clawed misshapen hands holding her head. She fell to her knees and almost passed out.

The Mamba suffered for a few more moments, Slithara trying to establish her dominance. The black pain screamed through her skull like a banshee on a moor. She retreated into a safe place in her mind to escape the pain. She suddenly realized she wasn’t alone.

“Rosalyn…Sister?” said a voice in the darkness. “Celeste?” she answered. The figure of Celeste Fisher dressed in her purple body stocking, her hood removed, stood before The Mamba. “You shouldn’t be here.” said The Mamba beginning to circle her. Celeste laughed. “Don’t you see where we are?” said Celeste with a smile, “We’re in your head, Rosalyn! That place where Slithara keeps you, the real you, locked away so she can terrorize mankind as The Green Mamba!”

“Liar!” hissed The Mamba, “My Goddess loves me! She cared for me when you and Sifu betrayed me!” “Oh yeah!” said Celeste with an angry look, “The super-migraine thing was top drawer, as my dad used to say! I can feel the love!” “Shut up!” said The Mamba. “Oh come on, Roz!” said Celeste, “Wake up and smell the coffee! She’s the liar! All demons prey on the things you won’t let go of, Sis! Then they turn right around and convict you and tell you that you can never be forgiven! Slowly, bit by bit, they possess more and more of you until there’s nothing left of your humanity, but just this tiny…little spark.”

“Look at what she’s done to you, Roz!” Celeste said with a tear in her eye, “The monster she’s turned you into!” “I am not a MONSTER!” shouted The Mamba, “I am a Goddess!” “Oh please!” said Celeste laughing, “Look at your hands. You used to have the loveliest hands I’d ever seen! Now look at them! I SAID LOOK!!” Celeste grabbed The Mamba’s misshapen, reptilian hands and forced them up into her face. The Mamba stared at them for a few moments. A tear rolled down her cheek.

Suddenly she yelled out, “NO! You’re trying to confuse me! I need these to protect myself from betrayers like you, Sifu and Lee Fung! You all turned against me! All of you!” “You really believe that don’t you?” said Celeste, with tears streaming down her face, “Slithara sensed that you were upset. When you told her you had run away, she hatched this lie that you’ve believed for all these years, but now her deception is at an end!”

“What do you mean?” asked The Mamba, with an evil glare. “You absorbed my life essence, Roz.” said Celeste, with smile, “And with it my knowledge and my memories. Maybe I could lie to you, but my memories can’t. You took them in. Look at them. They’re yours. See what I’ve seen, Roz. Know what I know.”

The Mamba looked into Celeste’s memories. She felt the pain when she felt she’d lost Rosalyn forever, the joy when Sifu told her there was hope, the determination to finish her training to rescue her, the sorrow at losing Sifu and the rage toward Slithara for killing her parents through The Mamba. No hatred toward Rosalyn, no feelings of betrayal or vengeance. The there was the knowledge. The thing she sought all that time; the thing that would manifest the Fifth Force in its fullness. The Mamba began to laugh. As she did, the image that was The Green Mamba began to change. Her misshapen hands shrank, lost their scales and their green, razor sharp claws; her body reduced in size but not in musculature; she was covered in her forest green skin tight bodystocking; her skin changed to its usual Caucasian coloring and her hair went from green to silky gold.

“Love!” shouted Rosalyn, “All this time, it’s been staring me in the face, but I couldn’t accept it! I should have known! No force in the universe is more powerful than that!” Celeste grinned widely. “Welcome back, Roz!” she said. Rosalyn turned and looked at her sister, ran to her and hugged her tightly, weeping tears of joy and sorrow. “Cel, can you ever forgive me for being such a fool?” she said to Celeste, releasing her bear hug, “All those people dead, those lives I took…” “No, Roz!” said Celeste firmly, “It wasn’t you. It was Slithara. She killed them and my parents! Now, she’s gonna pay!” “Mind some company?” asked Rosalyn. “I had that in mind, Roz!” said Celeste, “But first you’ve got a squatter to evict!” “And how!!” said Rosalyn, “Let’s go!”

Slithara had ended her punishment of The Green Mamba and now fully expected her to obey. The hissing voice of the serpent demon spoke harshly. “Now perhaps you will remember who the master is and who is the slave, yes?” she gloated. “Yes, Slithara.” said a confident voice, “I will always remember that! This body is MINE!”

Rosalyn’s figure stepped out from the shadows, accompanied by Clandestine. “NO! IT CANNOT BE!” the demoness shouted, “I AM YOUR GODDESS! YOU OBEY ME! How can you have such power??” “I can answer that Slithara!” said Clandestine, “It was you who gave her the power! When she fed upon my blood and my soul! I could never reach her mind from the outside; your hold on her was too strong! So I had Lee Fung grab her Achilles ’ heel, Lenny, knowing that threatening him was the only thing that could stop The Mamba from finishing me off.”

“Once she stopped, I could finally reach Rosalyn and show her how much I still loved her without your interference.” explained Clandestine, “Now, I think she has something to say to you.” “Yes, I do!” said Rosalyn, with a look that could melt lead, “In the name of all that is just, right and good and by the power of The Fifth Force, I command you, GET OUT OF MY BODY…NOW!!!” The demon screamed in agony and disappeared from their sight melting into the darkness.

Out in the real world, The Mamba uttered a hideous scream as the green mist that entered Rosalyn’s nose and mouth so many years ago, exited her body the same way. The Green Mamba’s form changed back into the lovely green bodystockinged form of Rosalyn Drake. Beside her, Celeste also awoke and embraced her newly returned sister, both women weeping heavily. Suddenly, there was a loud, sinister laugh, which echoed through the entire structure.

The sisters released each other and kipped up to their feet, their stance ready for battle. From the darkness came a loud hiss and the sound of something really huge moving toward them. “I have the distinct feeling that this ain’t quite over yet, Cel!” said Rosalyn. “That’s one of the things I didn’t miss about you, Roz!” said Celeste, “The uncanny ability you possess to always state the obvious!” Rosalyn looked over at Celeste as the sound grew closer. The huge shadowy figure loomed out of the darkness, into the light.

Celeste gasped. “Sweet Mother Mary!” exclaimed Rosalyn. The gigantic figure of a horrific hooded green cobra stood a full 32 feet tall and was about 40 feet long, from its slavering fanged mouth, to its scorpion-like tail complete with a wicked looking sting.

“You may have exorcised me from your body, child, but I have absorbed the power of every soul you fed upon all these years!” hissed the huge serpent, “I have amassed enough power to manifest myself without your pathetic mortal frame! Now you and your sister shall face the full fury of Slithara!” “Oh boy.” said Celeste, “Mother said there’d be…on second thought, Mom never said anything like this! INCOMING!!” Celeste managed to just avoid the gigantic snake’s fangs, as Slithara moved with a speed that belied her awesome size.

Rosalyn flipped over to two of the Serpent’s Fangs and grabbed their energy swords. She placed them end to end and gave them a slight twist. The 2 weapons were now one. Rosalyn ignited the weapons and shouted, “Hey, fang-face, over here!” Slithara looked at the green suited Venus and narrowed her large green eyes. Rosalyn whirled the double-edged around her sleek, muscled body, stopped in a ready stance and gave the “bring it on” sign with her free hand saying, “Come get some!”

Slithara hissed loudly and projected a large stream of disgusting looking venom at Rosalyn. She cart-wheeled out of the way of the stream just in time to see it scorch the ground where it landed, a cloud of noxious fumes rising from the hole in the ground where it landed. “Phew! What a stench!” mocked Rosalyn, “You really need to have that checked out, babe!” Celeste laughed out loud at the dig and sent out one of her own saying, “She just can’t help it, Roz! Evil reeks!” Slithara turned to Celeste and began firing stream after stream of her acid venom at the purple clad superheroine.

Rosalyn balanced the conjoined energy blades on the index finger of her right hand. She concentrated and the weapons began to spin so rapidly that they looked like a solid disc. Rosalyn lowered her hand and the glowing green disc hung in mid-air. The beautiful buffed blonde nodded toward Slithara and the deadly disc flew toward the serpent’s neck, as if it were alive. The sound of the approaching weapon shocked Slithara out of her frenzied attack. The demonic serpent barely slipped past the disc, missing decapitation by a fraction of a second.

While the disc missed decapitating Slithara, it did slice off a couple of feet of tail, including the evil looking sting. Slithara screamed in pain. The section of tail fell to the ground and stank worse than the spots that sizzled with the caustic venom. Rosalyn noticed that it was getting hard to breathe or see in the warehouse. Then it hit her.

“CEL! DON’T BREATHE THE FUMES! THEY”RE POISON TOO!” she shouted, “CELESTE?? SIS, WHERE ARE YOU?” “She’ssssss right here!” said a hissing, evil voice. Rosalyn whirled around just in time to see a sight that horrified her to core of her soul. Her beloved sister’s limp, curvaceous purple bodystockinged form was entwined by Slithara’s coils, the huge deadly serpent waiting to strike. “NOOOOOO!” screamed Rosalyn, “YOU CAN”T!!”

“You should know by now, dear girl, that I can do anything I want!” hissed the giant snake, followed by sinister laughter, “Now you shall watch your sister die and be devoured! But don’t worry, little one! You will join her in my belly soon enough! HAHAHAHAHAHA!” Just then Rosalyn smiled. “What are you smiling at, you pathetic mortal?” she hissed, baring her fangs, “I’ve won! You and your friends are finished! Once you’re gone this city will be mine! Soon the world…”

“Yeah, yeah! Soon the world will bow before the might of Slithara! *cue demonic laughter*” mocked Rosalyn, “Do you know how tired I am of hearing that phrase? Do you have any idea how corny that sounds? Sheesh! Talk about Saturday Morning Cartoony!!” “You will pay for that remark, impudent mortal child!” hissed the serpent, “Just for that, I’ll swallow you whole and can have the pleasure of being slowly digested by my stomach acids. It’ll give me gas, but I’ll enjoy tasting you over and over again as it comes back up! HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Ewwww! TMI, Slithie, seriously!” said Rosalyn, “Besides now we got ya right where we want ya!” “You’ve got it reversed, you little fool!” taunted Slithara, “I’ve got you and your precious sister right where I want you.” Rosalyn’s smile grew larger and she replied, “Sifu always taught us that things are not always as they appear, that the truth is sometimes hidden. You should have let yourself be taught by him, it would have done you a world of good.” “Ssssomehow I doubt that, Rosalyn.” said the huge snake, “Are you ready to die?” “Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing!” said Rosalyn, “CEL, NOW!!!”

Clandestine opened her eyes and spun at an unbelievable speed, freeing herself from Slithara’s grasp. With equal speed, she drew her Kusari Gama, extended its razor-sharp blade and slashed it across Slithara’s massive throat. The serpent shuddered and still tried to bite Clandestine, but she was like the wind, difficult to see and even harder to catch. Celeste hit the snake several more times as Slithara convulsed and her structure began to break down. She began to scream as she was forced to abandon the giant snake form she had chosen to manifest.

“Okay, Lee Fung!” said Celeste, “We need you!” Lee Fung flipped over the railing above the warehouse floor and landed near Rosalyn. “Good to have you back with us, Miss.” he said with a smile. “Time enough for that later, old friend.” said Rosalyn, “We’ve got vermin to get rid of!” “Indeed!” said Lee Fung moving quickly to an equidistant point around the dissipating body of the serpent. Clandestine landed in her place and spread her arms, as did Rosalyn and Lee Fung. Each of the practitioners of Qigong glowed with a different brilliant aura: Clandestine purple; Rosalyn, green and Lee Fung, gold.

The serpent form was now gone and Slithara had become the green mist that had inhabited Rosalyn’s body so long ago. She attempted to attack each of them, but their Fifth Force auras protected them from harm or possession. Slithara was also bound to the area where the students of Sifu Jien Fu Sing had joined their powers. The three champions constricted the field of spiritual energy making Slithara scream in desperation to escape.

“You can’t hold me forever!” said the evil demon mist, “You will weaken before long and I’ll escape to find another body! You’ll never be rid of me! NEVER!” Just then a shaft of dazzling blue-white light burst forth in the field of Fifth Force energy.

“I would not be too confident of that, demon!” said a voice. The light formed itself into a portal of energy, like a hole between here and who-knows-where. In the center of it stood Sifu Jien Fu Sing! “Come Slithara! Your eternal prison awaits!” said Sifu. “NOOOOOO! I WON’T GO! I AM A GODDESS! YOU CANNOT DO THIS!! NOOOOO! AIEEEEEEEE!!!” she screamed. The green mist was pulled into the portal and it collapsed in upon itself, but Sifu’s image remained.

Rosalyn ran to where his image floated just above the ground and fell to her knees before him weeping. “Sifu, Father…can you ever forgive me for what I’ve done to you??” she cried. “Of course, child” said Sifu with a smile, “It was the serpent that killed those people and hastened my departure as well. But if I were not a resident of this realm, I would not be able to watch over the prison of the serpent to keep her in her place forever. She will never again plague the Earth realm with her presence!”

“Sifu, will we ever see you again?” asked Celeste with tears in her eyes. “The realms of existence are many and mysterious, my children.” said Sifu, “Perhaps, perhaps not. Time and eternity will tell. Farewell, my lovely daughters and my only son. I will watch you from beyond until it is your time. Farewell.” With those words Sifu’s image faded away and they were left only with each other. The adopted siblings of Jien Fu Sing group hugged each other, celebrating the return of their wayward sister. They did not notice the departure of Lenny the Gimp and one of the Serpent’s Fangs.

“If I can’t have the real thing, a subservient substitute will just have to do!” thought Lenny as the female automaton scooped him up and took him with her into the early evening’s coolness. Although Lee Fung’s mind touch had taken the knowledge of who Clandestine truly was, he still remembered just about everything else. He now thought that his mistress had been killed by Clandestine and he vowed vengeance for his murdered love. Before too long, Clandestine had a partner. A busty, muscular, yet shapely power princess named Jade. Together they had many adventures keeping the denizens of Primrose City safe from the ravages of crime…but those are other stories yet to be told.

THE END

[SGWriter]

Pics I'd say that was an excellent ending. Great fight and set up for any future tales, well worth the wait!

Hope to see Clandestine and Jade in the future