Cat And Mouse: From The Gates Of Hell, Part 1 free porn video

Cat and Mouse: From the Gates of Hell, Part I by Bluto Lorilei and other "Heaven and Hell" characters created by Maggie Finson "Local authorities here are appalled, Bill. They say they've never seen anything like this before. Here's Captain James Clark of the Galveston Police Department: "I'm a Vietnam vet. I've been in law enforcement for 30 years. I have never, ever seen anything to match this. Nothing close. Even if they were drug dealers, I, I can't imagine one human being doing something like this to another. It's just, just . . . I don't have the words for it." "It happened a few hours ago in an old, rundown warehouse, which was apparently being used both as a crack house and a crack factory. There might have been as many as 18 workers here when someone broke in and literally slaughtered them all, but, I'm being told so little of the bodies were left for identification police are having a hard time figuring out the exact number of victims. I'm also told that there's evidence the workers did try to fight back. Police say they found dozens of spent shells littering the floor. But it apparently did them no good. I'm told some automatic weapons were broken in two and some had the barrels twisted like licorice. To add to the mystery, police tell me they believe none of the crack nor any of the millions of dollars worth of cocaine waiting to be converted into crack was taken. I've also been told there are eyewitnesses to this slaughter, but, so far, local authorities are not allowing them to speak to the media. In fact, the entire crime scene is officially off limits to everyone until further notice." "This is Paul Mason, for NBC news, Galveston, Texas." "Galveston, Texas," Richard Gibbins Robechaux thought, as he sipped his coffee while watching the special report on the cafeteria monitor. "Good lord, is dis what the Eliminator was talkin' about? How'd he know?" The day was just getting started at Protectors HQ and it was already looking like a long one. "Man oh man, Arrow, I don't know how we're going to do all this," Nightman said, as he sat down with a plate of eggs over easy, toast and OJ. "We have to put together a group to go to Australia and beat the Destroyers to the next idol. Gaby and Lupe are going to be tied up with that Ibrihim fellow trying to rescue the Perfesser from Limbo. Now I hear there's a new super crime group operating in Chicago and the mayor there might ask us for help, not to mention that Fix-it is still on the lose and we REALLY need to go get that bum. And we still need to find some new members to help us do all this stuff. On top of all that, our head of security just called in sick." "Who, Bobby? What's wrong wit' him?" "He's not sure. He just called, said he felt weak and couldn't come in. Funny thing is, he looked fine last night, even helped me process some late applicants." "Probly got one a dem 24 hour thangs." "Yeah, his voice sounded real strange. High pitched, like he had a cold." "Ah hate to add to da labors of Hercules, Ted, but ah got an ideal dat slaughter you just heard about on the news might be of some concern to us as well." "What? What do you know?" "Let's just say ah had it from a reliable source dat we needed to look out for somethin' to happen in Galveston." "You think this drug-related slaughter could be Protectors business?" "Well, tink about dis: when was da last time we saw a place with people tore up as bad as dey say dis is?" "The Gamboli killings." "An' who was responsible for dat?" "Cat, or, at least, that demon, Malatu-Zo, acting through Cat. But Cat couldn't have . . ." "Ah didn't say she did, Ted, but sometin' a lot LIKE her did da deed, yes suh." "Other idol demons. Damn, if that's true, we've got to send someone there." "We's stretched way too thin already, mah friend, we have got ta get some new members, right now!" "Well, there's a bunch coming in today to finally try out, but Cat and Micki and I will be leaving for Australia before the day is over. I know we need a quorum to approve new members, but we've GOT to find that idol as soon as possible." "Eh, most a dese wannabes ain't shit, but dere's one might be worth her salt. Kind of a mystery gal, must be nine feet tall an' strong as a ox. But she young, only turned 18 ah hear, an' ah don't think she got much experience." "Yeah, like I said, I had three candidates come in to sign up at 10 last night. Two of them are acrobats or something, but they may have some potential. The other one - I'm not really sure what she can do, but boy it would be very nice to have her on the team. Just to, you know, brighten things up a little." "Huh? Hey, Nightman, since when are you swayed by looks? Remember what happened when we let that bastard Fix-it talk us inta givin' Glamor Girl a try?" "Lorilei is no Glamor Girl. I just have the feeling she can more than hold her own in a fight. And I see you brought your bow and a full quiver of arrows. Are you going to challenge some of the applicants to a contest of skill?" "Sho nuff. I even brought one a mah explosive arrows, just to impress da tyros. Lorilei, eh? Wasn't dat da name of da mermaid used to lure love struck sailors to their doom on da rocks?" Micki and the Medium walked into the cafeteria together. Both had gotten up early and were at the HQ much sooner than usual for them. "Oh, Micki, gag me but, with everything else that was going on, I forgot to tell you last night. While you were gone, Mr. and Mrs. Montana showed up for a visit, dig? I told them you went to South America with Cat, but that's all. I didn't go into the whole 'You are your own daughter' bit because I thought you should tell them and junk." "Thanks, Gaby, I gotta confess, I haven't given much thought to mom and dad lately." "Yeah, so I gathered," the Medium said seriously. "You REALLY need to bring them up to speed on what's going on, fer sure. They're very worried about you." "Yes, but how do you go up to your mother and father and tell them: Hi, I'm your granddaughter. I know I was just a toddler three months ago and now I'm a teenage babe, but, guess what? That's not even the worst of it, because I'm not your granddaughter at all, I'm your 29-year-old son. How'd this happen? Oh, I fucked the woman over there with the claws and the giant tits and now I'm becoming her! Ha ha, should have used a condom, I'm a living ad for safe sex!" "Not funny McGee." "Sure it's funny, my whole life's a joke. A killing joke!" "If you say so. Hey, it looks like you've outgrown all your threads again. I always keep a few outfits here at the HQ for emergencies. Want to see if I have anything that'll fit you?" "Yeah, that would be good. Nicky, or rather, Nicole is coming over sometime today with a new costume for me, but I'm still short on street cloths that actually fit. I'm really getting tired of wearing an overstretched T-shirt and shorts every day." "Hmmm, yeah well, the top may be a problem, ya know? I hope I have something that can 'contain' your new growth and junk." Micki gave her a blank stare. "Lets just go and see what ya got, OK?" As they left the cafeteria, Lupe and her cousin Diego came in and helped themselves to the link sausage and steamed rice off the buffet. "Hey cuz, how come you ain't a vegetarian? Doesn't it feel odd eating pork when you can turn into a pig?" "Diego, I've been eating meat all my life and I'm not going to stop now just because I'm Animal Girl. I love animals as much as anybody and I wouldn't think of eating some animal in the wild, but that's what farm animals are here for." "Something else, Lupe. Don't you think you're missing a lot of school? I thought since your . . . problem has been solved you were going to give public school a try?" "I was, but that was before Pop Pop got sent to Limbo. I just can't be bothered with the whole 'going to school' thing with so much else to do here. Besides, haven't you been missing just as much school as me?" "Hey, little girl, I may have just turned 17, but I only need one more semester to graduate high school. They don't call me the boy genius for nothin'." "Yeah that's the same thing they call Wile E. Coyote, boy genius. You probably hypnotized all your teachers into giving you straight As." "Not so, mi familia. I may be a happy-go-lucky fellow, but I am dead serious about my schoolwork. I earned each and every good grade." "Somebody talking about schoolwork?" It was Cecilia and her father. The father didn't want to put on his hood so early in the morning so he made do with nothing more than dark glasses for breakfast. He was satisfied with coffee, toast and juice but Cecilia had practically emptied the buffet, taking two or three portions of everything. She and her father sat at the table with Lupe and Diego and she noticed the two Dominicans staring at her overloaded tray. "Hey, I'm a big girl and I gotta eat," she said unselfconsciously, as she began shoveling down the chow. "Wow, I've never seen anybody eat like that except Cat and Little Wildcat. Of course, Cat's just as likely to eat her food raw, bloody and still quivering." Cecilia looked at Diego quizzically, but kept right on eating with both hands. "You know, I have a teaching certificate back home," the father said. "If my daughter is accepted for membership, I could apply for New York State certification and run classes for you kids right here. I've home- schooled her all her life, so I could teach any grade." "Then you could stop all this mystery stuff and let us know your real names?" Lupe asked. "Sure," Cecilia answered, after gulping down another handful of bacon. "If I become a Protector we'd let you know a lot more about ourselves." "Look dere, Ted, dat's the one ah was talkin' about," Arrow said, as he pointed to Cecilia. "Hoowee, look at dat gal eat! Ain't she somethin'?" "If she can fight as good as she can eat, the Destroyers are doomed," Nightman cracked. "Since when is it our policy to allow try-outs to eat here?" "Look at her, Nightman, the girl's a freak. Can you imagine what would happen if she was in a regular hotel or some fast food restaurant? People would be all ovah her. Da poor ting would get no rest. From what ah gather she's been kept on a farm in isolation all her life, so we tought she should stay here with all us other freaks for the time bein'." "Speak of the devil, here comes Micki." Micki and the Medium reentered the cafeteria, each wearing a new outfit. Micki wore one of Gaby's short, black leather skirts. It didn't show as much leg as it did on Gaby, but was much tighter around the Little Wildcat's fuller hips and ass. Micki was a bit unsteady in some high heels, the only shoes the Medium had at the HQ that fit her, but she soon adapted with her superior sense of balance. The heels made her almost equal in height to the statuesque Medium. As a top, she wore an old Sex Pistols sweatshirt Gaby had inherited from an adventuresome aunt and had cut up to suit her own Goth taste. It stretched enough to hold Micki's burgeoning breasts, but the holes and tears made it tricky to wear since Gaby didn't have any bras at the HQ that fit her. The fact that a burst of cold air had made Micki's nipples rather ridged didn't help. "See Micki? I told you you needed to keep a T-shirt on under that sweatshirt. You're showin' all the goods and junk." "Oh my God," Diego gulped. "Micki, Micki, sit here!" "Easy, cuz," Lupe said impishly. "You don't want your new girlfriend to get jealous of the Little Wildcat, do you?" "Who's jealous?" Micki asked, as she flopped down at the table, causing her breasts to quiver around in the roomy sweatshirt for a good 10 seconds. "Hmm, now I know what Deano was talking about yesterday," Cecilia thought, as she observed both Micki's practically uncovered breasts and Diego's unbridled enjoyment of the sight of them. Even her father seemed to have difficulty looking away. "Hello, I'm here to try out for membership. You're the Cat, aren't you? So pleased to meet you." "I'm . . . not . . . the . . . Cat. And just who the hell are you?" "Er, sorry, well, ah, my father and I, we don't want to reveal our identities unless I'm accepted for membership, you know?" "Whatever. Hey, did this female Brobdingnagian leave any food for the rest of us?" "Female what? "Brobdingnagian, Lupe, a race of giants found in "Gulliver's Travels," Diego lectured. "I guess you haven't gotten around to reading Swift yet. Heh, heh, Micki didn't mean to be so rude, my dear. She's a little cranky this early in the morning." Micki returned to the table with a tray groaning under just as much food as Cecilia had taken, flopped down once again, and started eating furiously. Cecilia watched for a moment, knitted her brow, then started shoveling in the food again herself. "Oh if this isn't the most totally immature thing fer sure," the Medium said, as she daintily dunked a Danish in her morning coffee. "Micki, why do you have to be so competitive and junk?" "Umph," was all the transformed detective could manage to say between bites. Tony Bass, Wendy J and Ahmed Ibrihim entered the cafeteria to see what the commotion was all about. "Jesus, an' children are starvin' in da Dufar region a da Sudan." "My money's on the Little Wildcat, I taught her everything she knows." "Gaby, is this what breakfast with the Protectors is always like?" Micki and Cecilia emptied their trays at the same moment. They silently looked at each other. Both of their faces were covered with grease and they both had crumbs dangling in their hair. Then they both burst into laughter. "Haw, haw, haw, ready for seconds?" Micki gagged. "Bring it on, girl." "Hey hold it, save some for our guest, you two." It was Nancy Miller, just back from Washington. And she wasn't alone. "Aieee, it's Rae Ming! Da Girl Goliath is back!" The Arrow ran to the young Chinese woman and joyfully hugged her. He was soon joined by all her old teammates. "Rae Ming, you look great," Micki said, as she fought back the tears. "How do you feel?" "A lot better than I felt back in California. I have had a lung transplant and the doctors say I have made 'a remarkable recovery' so I have been allowed to return to America with a diplomatic mission to Washington." "Say, your English is much better, have you been studying?" Nightman asked. "All those months in the hospital and physical therapy, what else did I have to do? I can't develop my muscles anymore, so I decided to develop my brain, ha, ha. I've lost about 75 pounds and I've let my hair grow longer, as you can see. And I'm off the 'juice' for good." "Amen to dat." "Say, where's Cat?" "Oh, you know her. The only way she's getting up this early would be if Armageddon was coming." "And you're Micki? My God, you're practically a grown woman now. Nancy told me what the story was between you and Cat and how you used to be the Mouse, but this is still a shock to me." "Yeah, I'm shocking everyone lately it seems. Even myself." "Well, I've got a shock for all of you," Nancy Miller finally said. "Rae Ming is back on the payroll as a member emeritus. She will not go out on missions, but she will have the power to vote for new members. That makes the official voting members: Rae, myself, Nightman, Arrow, Medium, Cat and Little Wildcat. As long as any four of us are here, we will have an official quorum." "Then three of us can go to Australia and the rest can stay and vote on new members." "Correct, Nightman. I suggest you and your team get ready, your departure time is 8 PM tonight. In the meantime, the long-delayed tryouts will start at noon!" *** The noon hour arrived and all of the potential Protectors were lined up in the gym. There were 12 of them, but most eyes were on only two: the giant girl and Lorilei. Cecilia, by her sheer size, demanded attention, as did Lorilei by dent of her otherworldly beauty. "Now there's something you don't see everyday, Chauncy." "What's that, Edgar?" "I've fallen in love at first sight with that chestnut-haired woman over there." "Oh I don't know, Edgar, I think every other man in the place has, too." "OK folks, the time has finally arrived," Nancy Miller announced. "I know most of you have been waiting a long time for this moment and I thank you for your patience. Let me say a few things first: I want to thank Toni Bass, Animal Girl and the Persuader for sitting in on the panel when we simply didn't have enough members to go around. We went through some preliminary rounds with them and several applicants were rejected. Since they were only temporary members of the Protectors, anyone who was rejected then does have the right to try again immediately and I believe we do have at least one person who is doing just that. No one was approved for membership, which is just as well because they'd have to try again before the full panel anyhow." "All that being said, let's begin." Most of the applicants had already been through the interview section of the process except for the ones who had applied last night, so while everyone else prepared to show off their skills, Nightman and the Medium interviewed the Energy Twins, while Nancy Miller and Rae Ming took on Lorilei. "Your resume states that you two are both acrobats, contortionists, martial artists and have enhanced strength and reflexes. Care to tell us how you came about these abilities?" "We have trained at a hidden Shaolin temple in China since we were teenagers," said the man, who asked to be called Thunder. "We were the first Americans ever allowed to train there and we stayed for more than 10 years. In fact, that's how we met and fell in love." "Unfortunately, love and marriage is a no-no at the temple," the woman, code named Lightning, continued. "So if we wanted to stay together we had to leave, but there were no hard feelings. We still wear their emblem on our costumes." "So, like, why the whole superhero thing and junk?" "Why not?" Thunder answered. "We're still young, so a family can wait. At the temple they trained simply for self-fulfillment, but we decided we wanted to do something more with our abilities. Isn't that the same motivation for you two and, indeed, all the Protectors?" "Well, frankly, I think some of us are in it for the money. That wouldn't be part of your motivation, would it?" "I should say not," Lightning answered with a giggle. "We're both trust fund babies and have no money worries at all. Really, if the opportunity to join your team hadn't come up we'd have probably formed our own super group, with Energy Twin cars and signals and all that stuff." Nightman looked at the Medium with a cocked eye and whispered in her ear. "Are these guys too good to be true?" "Ah donno, it's like, they just jumped out of a comic book and junk." The Energy Twins grinned, showing off two perfect sets of blindingly white teeth. Across the aisle, Nancy Miller was having a go at Lorilei. "I'm glad you could fill out the application so completely, young lady, seeing as how you got it so late last night." "It was no problem at all, Nancy. I often burn the midnight oil and I had a light snack to tide me over." Miller noted with irritation the familiar manner in which this wannabe addressed her. "Humph," she thought. "This hussy acts like she's Princess Di or something. Apparently people have been bowing down to her all her life, probably because of her looks." "I see by the application you claim to be an expert at more than 20 forms of armed and unarmed combat," Rae Ming said. "Do you mind telling us how you got so much experience in the martial arts at such a young age?" "I come from one hell of a neighborhood, Rae," Lorilei said, with a devilish grin. "A girl like me needs to know how to defend herself." "Well, missy, I don't know just what game you call yourself playing here but this is serious business," Miller said, in growing annoyance. "You're going to have to prove your claims in the skills section of this test." "Do tell," Lorilei said with a smirk. "I'm ready for any test you can come up with. Just don't make it too boring, Nancy." By this time, several of the applicants had already shown their skills and were ready for the single combat phase of the test. The Arrow and Micki, with help from Tony Bass and Wendy J, were supervising since Cat still hadn't arrived. For the first one-on-one combat, Cecilia was paired against The Mighty Sumo. He was American born, but had been raised in Japan where he'd pursued his two greatest passions - eating and fighting - until he was now an honest to goodness sumo wrestling champion and, at 6'10," assaulted the scales at close to 700 pounds. Normally, everyone would have been in awe of this mass of flesh, but when he stood next to Cecilia he actually looked something like an overweight child. It was a rare occasion when the Mighty Sumo had to look up at any opponent. "Hey, I don't care how tall she is, I still outweigh her by at least 100 pounds," he thought. "Anyone that tall has got to be awkward as hell. I'll beat her, easy." "If he beats the big girl, can I fight him next?" Lorilei asked innocently. At the signal, the Mighty Sumo rushed Cecilia, but she hopped over him like he was a small mud puddle. He turned and swung at her several times, but she deftly avoided his meaty fists as if he were standing still. "Stop and fight, ya big sissy," he dared. "What are ya afraid of?" "Well, sir, I was going to just stay out of your way and let you wear yourself out because I don't want to hurt you. But if it's a test of strength you want, I'm game." With that, Cecilia took off her gloves and put out her giant right hand allowing the Sumo to grab it with his left, then she put out her left hand and he grabbed it with his right. "Sure you want to do this, Mr. Sumo?" "Grrr, I'll break your wrists," the Sumo said, as he squeezed her hands with all his strength. "You can't be as strong as me." Cecilia waited a respectable amount of time, then she squeezed back. Suddenly, the huge wrestler was on his knees, bent back until his head was almost touching the floor and howling in pain. "I give, I give, please stop, ma'am." Cecilia eased the pressure right away and helped the chastened strong man to his feet. The HQ erupted with cheers for the mysterious giant girl. "Hmmm, I'd like to see her go a round or two with a Hell Maiden," Lorilei thought. "I don't remember the earth having people like this when I lived in the human realm. What's happened?" At that particular moment Cat entered the HQ in the company of Nicky, who was once again in the guise of Nicole, the Italian superhero costume maker. "Damn, Nicky, I was late enough as it is. I don't know why you needed me to bring you to the HQ." "Sorry, Cat, but there's no way I was going to carry around three costume boxes on the subway dressed like this and you're the only person I know in Manhattan with access to a car." "Yeah, yeah, whatever. All I gotta say is, if I have to listen to another ration of shit from Nightman for being late again your ass is, is . . . aw come on, WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?" Cat had just walked into the gym and gotten her first look at Lorilei. To everyone else in the building she was an incredibly beautiful glamor queen, the answer to all men's dreams and the envy of all women. However, Cat saw her actual appearance: a beautiful but scary creature out of mankind's oldest and darkest nightmares. She saw the tiny horns and the sharp fangs; the slitted eyes, the long forked tongue and the reddish skin. She saw the blue tinged, bat shaped wings and the long, flexible tail that ended in a cruel looking spade. Cat saw all of this in an instant and made an instant, if predictably unwise, decision. She attacked! "EVERYBODY GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY AND I'LL KILL THIS THING!" She leapt at Lorilei from half the room length and took the succubus by surprise, slashing her long, elegant neck with her sharp, leonine claws. Anyone else on earth would have been instantly decapitated, but Lorilei knew enough to always have spells of protection in effect. Even at that, the force of the glancing blow sent her sprawling headlong into the weightlifting equipment. "Oh mah God, Cat done finally gone off de deep end," Arrow yelled. "Get everah body outta here, quick!" As most of the contestants and some of the security crew fled for safety, Lorilei stood up among the scattered plates and bars. She touched her neck and was astonished to find it was bleeding. Astonished . . . and angry. "Hey, I promised myself no one would ever make me bleed again, bitch. Oh boy, are you ever gonna pay for that!" The Baroness of Hell picked up a handful of 25 kilo rubber bumper plates and tossed them at Cat like they were Frisbees. Cat avoided them without difficulty, but meanwhile, Lorilei had dashed next to her opponent and planted a kick to her solar plexus that made Cat wince in pain. "OK, you may not know this but I've been trained by the greatest warriors from, like, the past 5,000 years," Lorilei boasted as she took a fighting stance. "I usually like to sit down and talk before I resort to fisticuffs, but the beating you're about to take should be a nice lesson for you, honey." "Oh God, you're one of those talkers, aren't you?" Cat replied. "One of those bad guys who have to run their mouths during the entire fight. That usually means they're nothing but hot air, horny." As the two fabulous females tore into each other, the Protectors finished clearing the gym. All who remained, besides the Protectors, were the braver security guards, Cecilia, the Energy Twins and the c- span camera crew. "Glad we got Nancy and Rae Ming out of harm's way," Nightman said, as he and the Arrow tried to follow the progress of the fight from behind an overturned desk. "Why is Cat trying to kill that woman? It makes no sense." "What ah cain't understand is how a normal lookin' woman can keep up with da Cat. Dere's a lot more goin' on here din meets de eye." "Oh baby, if only it was raining and they were outside in the mud," Diego chortled. "Good gosh, isn't there anything you can do to make them stop?" Lupe asked right before she turned into a giant porcupine. "You wanna get in between dose two, you're welcome ta try," Tony Bass said, as he cringed in a corner. "An' why do you keep changin' to different animals an' back ta human?" "I'm trying to think of an animal that might be able to stop them, but that would take an elephant, a full sized elephant," Lupe said, as she became human again. "And you know I gotta change back to human for anyone to understand what I'm saying." The fury of Cat's attack was daunting at first, but Lorilei's superior training soon gave her the upper hand. For every blow that the lion woman landed, the petite hell spawn struck five. Soon, Cat was bleeding from her nose and mouth and breathing hard. "Hmmm, this tiny little bitch is tougher than she looks," Cat thought. "I need a weapon fast, but what would have the right effect?" "You need to retire and let me take over the fleshly body we share." "Oh no, not you, Malato-Zu," Cat thought. "Why do you always show up at the worst possible moment?" "Because I know when you are over matched. You cannot beat this woman; she has gained the favor of Lucifer himself." "So? If that's the case, what makes you think you can lick her?" "Because, powerful as she is, she is not a real demon. She is only a human who has died and been given the power of the succumbi. I am one of the Seven, and our power is subject only to Satan, Michael and the One. Let me take over now and I will show this whelp what real power is." "No chance, no chance in hell am I going to allow you to manifest yourself around my friends again. Even if you beat this bitch, what about you? The last time you showed up you almost made a meal out of Tony and Nicky." "You will die!" "So what? I've died before. Now get out of my head, I've got a fight to win." Cat glanced at Nightman and the Arrow and had an idea. She back flipped right over them and while doing so she snatched the explosive arrow out of the bowman's quiver and broke it in two. Then she flipped back over the startled heroes and into Loriilei's face. "Eat shit," she said and shoved the arrowhead under the succubus' chin. The explosion blew the combatants to opposite ends of the gym. Cat's hand was a bloody mess. "Oh Cat, you fool, you almost blew your damn hand off!" Gaby screamed. "Ah, I was missing a little finger on that hand anyway so what the hell? The question is, did I blow that little slut's head off?" The Medium shook her head no and pointed to the ceiling. If Lorilei was angry before, the usually good natured succubus was livid now. And while most of the spectators still saw her as a human woman, they could not deny that she was hovering in midair with no visible means of support. "I don't get it," the Medium said, as she and Micki stood between Cat and her foe. "This woman, she has no discernible aura at all. But the Perfesser, he, like, taught me that all living things have an aura, even plants. She's either able to mask her aura or she's not really alive." "Maybe she's another one of Fix-it's damn robots. But I didn't think even he was good enough to create something like this." "Oooo, she chipped one of my teeth! ALL OF YOU, I WARN YOU! GET AWAY FROM THAT WOMAN OR SHARE HER FATE!" With that, the seducer from Hell made a mystic hand gesture, gathered all her power and let lose a bolt of pure energy at Cat. The lion woman didn't try to dodge, perhaps realizing it would do her no good. Instead, she pushed Gaby and Micki away from her and took the full force of the iridescent blue bolt. Cat seemed to disappear in a blinding flash while all the air was sucked out of the building on impact and every window was shattered by a sound like 100 thunderclaps. Micki and Gaby rushed to the spot where Cat had stood her ground and all that was left was a blackened hole. They turned to Lorilei as she gracefully landed on the floor between them and Cat's charred and sizzling body. "Argh, you killed Kitty!" "You bastard!" "Oh please, you both know the cat woman has survived worse than that before." "Huh, how did YOU know?" "I'll tell you, but this information isn't for a nationwide audience." With that, Lorilei made another mystical gesture and the c-span camera crew found themselves outside the gym with the doors barred against any re-entry. Lupe, Nightman, the Arrow, Diego, Cecilia, the Energy Twins and Tony Bass - the only other people left in the gym - joined Gaby and Micki to hear what this powerful stranger had to say. But Micki had a look of rage on her face, a look that made Nightman shutter, because he had seen it before in the jungles of Venezuela. "Little Wildcat," he said. "I think we should at least listen to what this woman has to say for now, but, believe me, if you want to continue this battle the Protectors have your back." Micki snarled like some wild beast and seemed anxious to attack. But Nightman's words seemed to placate her, much to the relief of the other mere humans in the room. "OK, woman, what do you have to say?" "I am Lorilei, also known as the Baroness of Hell, and I'm here on a mission concerning the man you call the Ole Perfesser." "(Gasp), Dr. Ibrihim said Pop Pop was in Hell. Have you seen him, Baroness?" "I sure have, kid, and please, call me Lor. The Perfesser landed several days ago in a particular part of Hell called the Garden. That's the same place I come from. It's maintained by an entity named Mama and ruled over by Lillith, Queen of the Succumbi." "Lillith," Nightman said. "Wasn't that supposed to have been Adam's first wife?" "The same, and I know the legends and myths usually paint her as a nasty piece of work, but she's really quite pleasant, once you get to know her. Anyhow, the Perfesser landed right in the middle of our home, the Garden, which caused quite a stir, I'll tell ya. You see, that area is forbidden to all males and most males who wind up there are soon turned into females, one way or another." "Ah, not dat again," Tony Bass huffed. "What is it with yous demons and gender-bending? Yous are all perverted fucks if ya ask me." "Nobody asked you, Tony. Please continue, Lorilei." "Ahem, Lillith and Mama both tried to get rid of the Perfesser, but, powerful as they are, for some reason, they weren't able. They think it might be because he's not a dead spirit and he has considerable magical abilities of his own. I suspect there might be something else also." "Such as?" "We of the Garden have many enemies, both in Hell and in the other realms. I think it's possible one of those enemies might be powerful enough to pluck the Perfesser from Limbo and place him in the Garden, just to get our goat." "So you say my grandfather might be in Hell simply as a joke on you?" "It's possible. The fact of the matter is, your grandfather is a disrupting influence and the sooner he's gone the better for all concerned, including himself." "Well, you must know we've been trying to rescue him for weeks." "We're aware of your efforts, however, you'll never get him back the way you're trying now. That's why I'm here, to help you remove the Perfesser from Hell and bring him back here, to earth." "Hmm, so ah guess ya'll wasn't really interested in joining de Protectors, was you? Why in hell dint ya just come out an' say what ya was here for? An why did ya have to fry Cat? We need dat gal!" Just then, someone tapped Lorilei on the back of her shoulder. She turned to see who would have the effrontery to touch her and received a fist in the mouth that sent her crashing to the floor. A seething, still smoking Cat stood over her, looking for all the world like Fredy Kruger with over sized breasts, but rapidly regaining both her hair and her skin. "I owed you that one, skank. But thanks, I probably won't have to use a depilatory for days." "Unbelievable," Micki said. "It used to take weeks for Cat to recover from injuries that severe, but she's back on her feet in minutes now. Cat's definitely getting stronger, too." Lorilei felt her mouth and jaw, then grinned. "OK, that's enough. We could keep going like this all day, but we don't have the time, do we? Let me tell you why I'm here." *** Some semblance of decorum had been restored to the HQ. Crews were clearing away the debris resulting from Cat and Lorilei's rumble and all the Protector's rejects had been sent home, as well as the c-span crew (at Lorilei's insistence). Both Cecilia and the Energy Twins had made the final cut - Thunder had beaten Chauncy and Edgar in a physical and mental challenge and Lightning had given Over The Top another beating by an attractive female. Ahmed Ibrihim was invited to attend the meeting, along with Tony Bass, Diego and Lupe. Nancy Miller spoke first: "I have some announcements to make before we allow our 'guest' to address everyone. By the way, Ms. Lorilei, do you want something to eat? The caterers have brought in plenty of food to chose from." "Thank you, no, I'll just have some black coffee." "Suit yourself. Anyhow, I want to first announce that I will be going to Mexico City tomorrow to represent the Protectors at Rotundo's state funeral. Luchadores Maximos has come to our aid twice, at great personal expense, and we need to show our respects for their sacrifice." "Amen to that," Cat said. "Next, as previously planned, Cat, Nightman and Little Wildcat will be departing for Australia in two hours using the Protectors' private jet to secure the next idol. I wish to God I could send more of us this time, but we just don't have the resources. However, I have learned that Australia's number one hero, the Snake Hunter, will be joining them as a guide, so that's got to help." "Oh great," Cat said to Nightman under her breath. "Isn't that the clown who's always running around the jungle in his tighty-whities wrestling boa constrictors? A lot of help he's going to be." "Next, I'm assigning the Arrow and the Energy Twins to Galveston, TX to investigate what looks like a drug war with super villain implications. I'm sure you've all heard the news about the slaughter in a crack house there earlier today. What you haven't seen is this." Nancy clicked a remote control and a bizarre photograph was projected on the wall. It was taken in the ruined crack house immediately after the authorities arrived. The mutilated bodies of the workers could still be seen, but the most prominent thing in the center of the photo was the name "Destroyers" crudely painted on a wall for all to see. "FBI tests have confirmed that this word was painted using human blood. Lightning, Thunder, the final test for Protector's membership is to accompany us on a mission. This is yours." "We look forward to the challenge, ma'am." "Alright. Finally, we have gotten a request from Chicago area authorities to investigate and help capture a new super villain group that's running rampant out there. They're apparently too much for the local cops and heroes, so they want us to give a hand. I'm sending Rae Ming, the Persuader and, hum, what's your name again, child?" "Just call me the Giant Girl for now, ma'am." "OK, we'll have to work on that. Anyhow, I know I said Rae wasn't going out in the field anymore, but this is an emergency and she will be acting in a purely advisory capacity. Besides, this will be more of an information gathering mission. I'm not anticipating you will actually confront these new villains so soon." Nancy Miller took a deep breath and continued. "The rest of you are here for a mission, the nature of which I can't even begin to explain. So I'll just let Ms. Lorilei take over." "Thank you, Nancy. I don't want to upset anyone, but I need everyone but the Medium, Animal Girl, Tony Bass and Dr. Ahmed Ibrihim to leave the room, please. I don't want to appear rude and I sure don't want to start another fight, but the fewer people who know what I'm about to say, the better." There was some grumbling, particularly by Cat, but everyone else left the gym to start working on their own projects. "Why am I here?" Tony Bass asked. "What the hell does this crazy chick want wit me?" "Some of you have already been told what's going on," Lorilei said, ignoring the ex-wiseguy's question. "But I'll summarize for everyone else. The Ole Perfesser, whom I think you all know, has landed in Hell and we need to get him out. I can't do it alone, so I need the help of all four of you. Any questions? Toni?" "Hamina, hamina, hamina ... " "Tony, are you alright?" Gaby asked. "Hamina, hamina, hamina ..." "I would like you to answer a question the Arrow asked earlier," Lupe said. "Why pretend you wanted Protectors' membership? Why not just state your purpose up front?" "If I'd just walked up and told you I was an emissary from Hell, how many of you would have believed me? How many of you even believe in Hell?" "He, he, hell," Tony stammered. "I probably wouldn't a believed ya 12 months ago, but I've seen some pretty strange things in da last year." "Oh, Ms. Bass? As strange as this?" With that, Lorilei ended the spell which caused most of those present to see her as a human and stood in front of them as her real self. "Aiee," Lupe yelped. "No wonder Cat jumped her. She's the Devil himself!" "Hardly, but Lucifer is a friend of mine. We sometimes play poker on Friday nights. Talk about a hard opponent to bluff!" Ahmed Ibrihim shuttered inwardly. His family had been Christians for generations and proud of it, and, while he knew such things as what he saw before him existed, he was predisposed to think the worst of anyone calling themselves an emissary from Hell. He made a promise to himself to keep a very close eye on this abomination. "An' why on God's green ert do you want me ta help get someone outa friggin' Hell? It's not like I'm some kind a hero or somethin'." "There is a simple answer to your question, Ms Bass. Removal of a living soul from the depths of Hell is an extremely rare and dangerous enterprise and will need at least four others besides myself to make it work. I can open a portal to Hell, but Dr. Ibrihim and the Medium must remain on this side to make sure it stays open. When we get to the Perfesser, he must see someone he knows and trusts in order for him to cooperate in his removal, that is where you come in, Lupe dear. Toni, it will be your job to fight off any hell spawn who would try to bar the Perfesser's way." "What? I'm supposed to fight some muther fuckin' demons? Aw no, count me out. Get Nightman, or da Arrow or even Diego - some other real hero to go wit' ya." Lorilei looked at Tony with a smile of compassion on her hellishly beautiful face. "Toni, dear, none of them can go where we're going. The spirit of the Garden would instantly change them into succumbi and they would be lost to the earth forever. That's why only you and Lupe can go." "Oh, so I guess I got nuttin' else ta lose, huh? But what about Cat, what about Micki?" "Besides the fact that they are both on another mission, the demon you call Malato-Zu is not welcome in Hell, nor is Micki, who possesses too much of her spirit. You and Lupe also possess some of that spirit, but not enough that Hell would reject you." "But, but . . . " "Tony, I know the idea is scary, but don't you want to help Pop Pop?" Lupe asked. "I thought you liked him. And the way you fought to protect Grandma before she died, I just thought . . ." Lupe tried to stifle a tear. "Ah, horse shit. Alright, already, I'm in. Sheesh, I'm as crazy as the rest a yous, but I still don't know how I'm supposed ta fight some demon." "You just leave that to us," Lorilei said, with a grin that was not at all reassuring. "Now, let's get on over to Gaby's apartment and get started." Later . . . The Central Terminal of John F. Kennedy International Airport, one of the busiest in the world, came to a standstill as everyone stopped scurrying to their flights to stare at the colorful characters in their midst. "Mommy, look, it's the Protectors!" "Whoa, who's that huge girl with them? Is she for real?" Mira! Los Protectores! "You call them heroes? Losers is more like it, if you ask me." Richard Gibbons Robichaux was about to take exception to the last comment when Nightman grabbed his shoulder. "Easy, Arrow, I don't like it, either, but it's his right as a citizen to make that observation." "It ain't fair, Nightman, it just ain't fair. The public, dey got no idea of de things we have to put up wit'. An' now, de Protectors are bein' spread from Hell to Texas, to try to protect dese ungrateful . . . ah, da hell wit' it. Who gives a damn, right?" "You take care of yourself, old friend, and try to keep those two newbies from getting themselves killed." "Ah will do that, Nightman. An' you try and see if you can keep dose cat women from goin' crazy over dere, ya hear?" With that, the Protectors were off to their various destinations. Elsewhere . . . "So, Santi, you're sure the next idol is in Australia?" "Indeed, Master, in what is known as the Kimberly region, located in the northern part of Western Australia. When I am in country I should be able to pinpoint the location more precisely." "OK, bear man, you and Denuche will head on over there in my private jet. You'll find that there idol and you'll bring it back here to me, yes sir." "You aren't going to send the snake too?" "Naw. He did a good job in Galveston, but I don't trust the coldblooded critter just yet, so I'm keepin' him on a short leash. While you two are gone, he and I are goin' to take care of another little job or two I got lined up in Florida." "But what if we meet up with the lion woman and her cub again?" "Don't you think you and Denuche can take care of a couple a women?" "Of course, but they'll have help. Nightman is sure to be with them and no doubt they'll recruit some local heroes again, as well." Weldone looked at the Canadian with a sarcastic smile. "Oh come on now, chief. You know and I know that you are more than a match for Nightman and any other non-idol-powered super-bozos they may throw at you. But just to make sure, I got an ace-in-the-hole that'll be meetin' up with ya over in the land down under. That make you feel better, son?" "You should not take that patronizing attitude toward me, white man. I am not one of your servants, I am your equal." "Now, now, son, don't get your feathers all ruffled up, remember we're on the same side. Hey, gettin' the idol is important, but there's somethin' else even more important about this mission." "What's that?" "When you meet the Cat and her daughter - and, rest assured, you will meet them - I want you to kill them both, all right and proper. Kill Nightman and whoever else they have helping them if you like. But I don't want you comin' back here without those bitches' heads on a pole. Comprende?" For the first time in many days, the bear-man smiled. End Episode 19