The trio of security guards came to a sliding stop in the middle of the hallway intersection. They frantically glanced down the dark halls that led away from them, their flashlights providing the necessary illumination. "Where'd he go?", one cried out in frustration.
"Split up," another called out. "Tom, Scott you go that way. I'll go this way. He's got to be around here somewhere!"
Without another word, two of the guards turned down one of the waiting passageways, the last guard down the other. The three men were among the security staff for the famous Metropolitan Museum of Art that was currently playing host to a special exhibition of Ming Dynasty relics.
Unfortunately, an alarm had sounded a few minutes ago indicating that something was amiss among the exhibit. Security guards quickly converged on the scene only to find a man clad in black carrying a priceless jade dragon statuette with him. The thief had led the guards on a merry chase since then, frequently losing his pursuers only to attract their attention once more.
Cautiously, Tom and Scott made their way down the hallway, flashlights in one hand, pistols in the other. So far they had been reluctant to use their weapons for fear of striking an exhibit instead of their nimble target. Many of the artifacts were priceless and one of a kind relics, the loss of which they didn't want to be responsible for.
The hallway emerged into the large chamber that housed the current ancient Egyptian exhibit. The guards swept their lights across the chamber in an attempt to find the mysterious man in black. Together they advanced, one guard shining his light behind a display, the other pointing his pistol in the same direction. Deeper and deeper the pair moved into the room eliminating hiding places as they went, but so far their quarry continued to elude them.
The guards continued their search, moving further and further away from their prey. The mysterious man in black had taken refuge in the one spot that they hadn't bothered to check-- the ceiling! Upon reaching the exhibit chamber, the man in black had ran up the wall and hid behind one of the large overhead lights. His hiding place was so perfect that even if the guards had thought to scan their lights across the ceiling, he doubted that they would have spotted him anyway.
Silently, the man in black moved back towards the floor, effortlessly crawling down the wall near the entryway. While his costume was almost entirely black in shading, there was a single bright red design of a fly over his heart. A half mask protected his lower face, while goggles covered his eyes. The man's bushy black hair flowed freely, as the top of his head was uncovered. Once above the doorway, he simply stepped off the wall and silently landed on the floor in a crouch.
"Stupid A-mye-ree-kan-yets," he laughed to himself silently. Looking back he could see the security forces moving away from him. He had given them the slip once more and now he could easily sneak away with his prize. The man who arrogantly called himself the Krasnee Mooha still wanted to have some fun befuddling the guards before departing.
"You looking for mnya, droog?", the man in black cried out in a thick Russian accent. The Krasnee Mooha had only been studying the English language for a few months now and would still freely mix in his native Russian.
"Son of a--!", one of the guards cursed as they turned, their lights shining on the man in black.
"Slo-vee mnya if you try!", the Krasnee Mooha happily cried out as he turned and ran back down the hallway quickly putting distance between himself and the agitated guards.
"Come on!', the other guard urged as he broke into a sprint after the fleeing thief.
The Krasnee Mooha easily pulled away from the security guards once more. And why shouldn't he? The man clad mostly in black was not a normal human being as they were. They didn't have his superhuman speed, his agility, nor his ability to walk up walls or stick to ceilings. The guards pursuing him seemed to be moving in slow motion from the point of view of the Krasnee Mooha.
He had played this game many, many times before. First honing his skills in his native mother Russia before plying his trade in Europe and Asia. His legend grew as his robberies grew larger and more spectacular. In time his reputation eclipsed that of the American woman known only as the Cat as the greatest thief alive. Now he had come to her homeland to test his skills in her own backyard.
The Ming Dynasty exhibit seemed like the perfect way to announce his presence to the American law enforcement agencies. The security here was most impressive and it did take the Krasnee Mooha longer than normal to gain access to the treasures contained in their museum. But gain access he did. He could have taken virtually anything that he could carry. There were things of greater value than the jade dragon statuette that he currently clutched tightly. It was the artifact's beauty that attracted him, not its monetary value. The Krasnee Mooha was already a wealthy man from his past efforts.
No, it was the challenge that drove him on. The desire to reach those places that others would deny him access. To pit his wits and skills against those who would keep him out of locked places. To him this was an elaborate game and he had to take something to show his competitors that he had indeed defeated them. The jade dragon would be a symbol of his latest victory.
Like any game, there had to be an ending. Tiring of taunting the security guards, the Krasnee Mooha decided to make his escape. He had memorized the museum layout over the last several weeks having become as familiar with it as one would be with the back of their hand. Losing his pursuers once more, the master thief rapidly climbed the stairs to the building's roof. He flung the access door open and rushed out into the night. Almost immediately, he noticed that he was not alone. Standing before the startled Krasnee Mooha was a woman in a gray and magenta costume!
Her search for something more exciting ended when an interesting call came over the police band. Silent alarms had gone off at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and police cruisers were on the way. Realizing that the museum was only a few blocks away, the Huntress floored her Corvette and rushed to the scene.
She parked a block away from the museum and took to the rooftops using her climbing line. Her plan was to sneak into the museum and see if her assistance was needed. Maybe she'd get lucky and encounter the thief along the way. Upon swinging up unto the museum roof, the Huntress retracted her climbing line while she scanned the roof through her night sight lenses. All clear so far.
The heroine advanced towards an access door when it suddenly burst open before her. She inadvertently gasped in surprise and girded herself for battle as a man all in black came forth, nearly running into her. He seemed equally surprised to come face to face with the Huntress as she was to him.
"End of the line, pal!", the Huntress announced as she balled her fists for the inevitable fight.
"What treasure!", the Krasnee Mooha exclaimed in astonishment upon seeing the Huntress before him. Under his mask, the thief's face showed what appeared to be a combination of surprise and shock as he eyed the heroine. The resemblance to the American burglar the Cat was astonishing! "Vi za-moo-zhyem? Vi ho-ti-tye so mnoy vstrye-tee-tsa se-vod-nya vye-cher-um?"
"What?", the Huntress wondered aloud, having no idea what the man in black was saying. The language could have been Russian, but she didn't understand any of the words. The priceless jade dragon statuette clutched in his hand proclaimed this stranger to be the thief she had been searching for. "I don't understand what you are saying, but I know what treasure you stole!"
"Iz-ve-ni-tye, maya da-ma lyu-bov."
"Surrender and I won't hurt you," the Huntress announced confidently. She could tell from his skintight costume that he was lean and somewhat muscular, but not superhumanly so. Helena reasoned that she could take him in a fight. Still, there was a roguish air to the man.
The Krasnee Mooha laughed in response. "You want chase mnya, da?"
"You had your chance!" The Huntress swung and the thief easily backed away from the blow by tumbling off to his right. Rising to his feet once more, the thief ran off, giddily laughing the whole while.
"I vill enjoy chase, maya da-ma lyu-bov!" The Krasnee Mooha raced ahead of his new pursuer, looking back to see if the Huntress was still in pursuit. To his exuberance, she was! This evening was turning out even better than he had ever planned!
The Huntress gritted her teeth as she chased after the fleeing thief. "They always want to do this the hard way," she muttered to herself. "Still, I wish I knew what the heck he was saying!" While she didn't understand the words, the context had her worried. Maybe he was insulting her in some other language, taunting her. Daring the heroine to catch him. That must be it.
The thief was rapidly reaching the edge of the museum's roof. The Huntress observed him with concern. She had no idea if he had any superpowers or not. He was already much faster and agile than a normal. What other powers might he possess? Obviously, flight was not one of them as he was fleeing on foot.
The Krasnee Mooha didn't slow down as he neared the roof's end. Instead he leaped off the edge, covering a distance far greater than any normal man could have and hurtled towards the building across the street!
"He's crazy!", the Huntress announced as she skidded to a stop. It was a good eighty feet to the other side and there was no place for the thief to land. He was going to crash into the side of the building before plunging to the pavement below!
To the astonishment of the heroine, the thief landed on the side of the far building feet first and stuck. He stood there, perpendicular from the building, with no visible means of support! "Damn!", the Huntress vocalized in amazement.
Cheerfully, he waved back towards the Huntress. "You catch mnya, da?", he asked hopefully.
"Yes I will!," the heroine vowed. Raising her right arm, the Huntress aimed her wrist launcher towards the distant roof and fired. The line played out and secured itself to the roof of the building across the street. Stepping off the Museum roof, the Huntress swung towards the fleeing thief. She aimed her swing so as to not crash through a window, but land on the side of the building itself.
"You like me, to-zhe?", the strange man asked, hope still thick in his voice.
"You're not going to get away from me that easily," the Huntress announced as she landed near to the wall clinging thief.
Before the Huntress could swing after the fleeing thief, she noticed police cars beginning to pull up in the street below. The authorities had noticed the Huntress and her prey up on the side of the building and were even now aiming spotlights up towards them.
"You're trapped!", the Huntress declared as she inched closer to the clinging thief. "Give it up, there's nowhere for you to go!"
The thief just smiled back at her. "Eta va-sha sta-too-etka, maya da-ma lyu-bov." With that, the Krasnee Mooha casually tossed the jade statuette towards the heroine.
With astonishment clearly etched on her face, the Huntress reached to grab the airborne artifact with her left hand as her right was currently grasping her climbing line. "Are you crazy!?", she cried out, managing to catch the statuette in her free hand. "What kind of lunatic--!"
The Huntress stopped in mid-sentence when she realized that while she had been concentrating on catching the jade dragon, the thief had moved to her side. Before she could realize what was going on, he leaned over and kissed the heroine on the lips!
"Good game. We play another time! Da svda-nee-ya, maya treasure!"
The man turned and started to run away from the still shocked Huntress. He was nearly fifty feet away before she could even utter a single word. "Who the hell are you?!"
The thief stopped, turned back towards the Huntress and smiled. "Ya Krasnee Mooha. Until next game!" With that the man was gone, leaving the Huntress hanging on the side of the building, the priceless artifact securely in her grasp. Anger and confusion ran wild in her mind. This particular encounter had definitely not turned out as she would have imagined!
"Of all the unmitigated arrogance!", Helena angrily declared. "Can you believe that he would actually do something like that?" After the mysterious thief had fled, the Huntress returned the statuette to the authorities before departing herself. She found no trace of the mystery man.
It was now late Saturday morning, and the heroine was still fuming over the events of the previous night. She was currently driving through Manhattan in her Mercedes to pick up Lydia, Megan, and Kor Hunter for the pool party Helena and Felina were holding later this afternoon.
Helena's mother was seated in the passenger seat, failing to conceal the amused look on her face. She found her daughter's tale to be rather interesting. "I'd say that your wall-crawling thief found you to be rather attractive," Felina offered candidly. In a way, it seemed ironically similar to the way her relationship with Hunter had started out.
"That's not the point!"
"You'd rather not be found attractive in the eyes of men?"
"Mother!", Helena chastised in annoyance. "I suppose I should have been flattered, but that was hardly the time or the place to try something like that. I don't even know who he is or what half the things he said to me actually mean!"
"Ya ga-va-ryu pa rus-skee," Felina simply answered.
"Huh?"
"I can speak Russian," Felina repeated, this time in English. "Can you repeat some of the things he told you? I might be able to translate for you."
Helena considered as she guided her Mercedes through traffic. "He called himself the 'crash-knee moo-ha' or something like that."
Felina repeated the words a few times, trying to figure out what Helena was actually trying to say and what the English equivalent would be. "Krasnee Mooha translates into the Red Fly."
"I guess it fits since he can walk on walls," Helena noted.
"I've heard of a Red Fly before," Felina continued. "He had the reputation of a highly skilled thief over in Europe. He's in my class when it comes to stealing."
"And not far off when it comes to agility and athleticism either," Helena added. "The Red Fly, huh? That's just one annoying insect that I'm going to swat the next time I encounter him."
In a huff, Helena pulled her vehicle to the curb and parked. They had reached the apartment house where Lydia Jansen, aka Night Owl, lived. A few minutes later, Lydia led the others towards the waiting car. The tall woman was already wearing her swimsuit that she had purchased a few days earlier. Tattered cutoff jeans shorts, sandals, and sunglasses finished off what little clothing she wore. Lydia attracted plenty of stares as she crossed the sidewalk.
Opening the door, Lydia hopped in the back seat. "Hey, gals! Are we ready to party or what?"
"Lydia," Felina nodded in greeting as she watched the passengers get in.
"Looks like you've already started," Helena observed of her exuberant friend.
"Every day is a party, if you want it to be," Lydia countered. "Mrs. K this here is my main man, Kor Hunter."
Kor squeezed into the backseat next, sitting beside Lydia. He was as tall as Lydia, but much more muscular in appearance. He wore a tank top that just further showed off his muscles. His hair was long, dark brown in color, and held back in a loose ponytail. Kor had a matching well manicured goatee. "Well met, fair maidens!", Kor intoned politely. "It is truly a pleasure to be among such fine flowers of womanhood."
"How do you do, Kor," Felina responded. Kor reach forward and gallantly kissed Felina's hand.
"Truly, you have the grace and beauty possessed of your offspring," Kor complimented. "It is an honor and a privilege to make your acquaintance, my sweet."
"What a charming fellow," Felina stated with a smile. "How refreshing to meet someone with such good manners."
"That's my, Kor," Lydia happily added as she kissed Kor on the cheek. "Always the charmer. He's a nobleman from another dimension, you know."
Megan was the last to enter the Mercedes, settling in next to Kor. She had dressed in white shorts with a matching top and sneakers. She planned to change clothes once arriving at the estate. "Hi all!", Megan stated in greeting as she closed the door behind her. "Let's get the show on the road."
"You heard the lady," Felina nodded to Helena. "Let's go have some fun!"
Helena smiled and moved her vehicle back out into traffic. The final preparations for the party had been finished earlier in the morning. Helena pushed all thoughts of the enigmatic Red Fly out of her mind and she tried to relax and enjoy the rest of the day.
Once back at the estate, Helena and her mother changed into their swimsuits. Felina's suit was black in color, while Helena wore a dark blue one piece. Then they began the task of firing up the grill in preparation for the meal to come. They had enough food and drinks to feed a small army. Considering the appetites of some of the guests, Helena hoped that it would be enough. Megan changed into her swimsuit and she and Lydia decided to get some sun before the rest of the guests arrived. Kor gallantly assisted the Kirby women with their work.
Jessica Flynn, the Scarlet Sabre, was the first guest to arrive, pulling up in her red RX-7. She was re-acquainted with Night Owl, whom she had met previously. Introductions were made for Megan and Kor, neither of whom Jessica had encountered before. Jess stepped into the house to change into her red swimsuit before taking a dip in the pool.
Another Mercedes pulled into the driveway next, bearing Steven Harper and Gwendolyne Kingston, better known as Muskateer and the Enchantress. Introductions were not necessary this time around, as the newest arrivals had already met the guests before. The couple also stepped into the house to change clothes. Steven was simply dressed in dark blue trunks with a white tank top and sunglasses.
Gwen, as always, was stylishly dressed for the occasion. A sleek white one piece was her swimsuit of choice. In addition to this, she had a blue floral wrap tied off around her waist. Gwen also wore sunglasses with a white floppy brimmed hat.
The guests talked and mingled for a time, while the Kirby women continued to work the grill. Before too long, the guests had split up into their own little groups. Megan, Lydia, and Kor were frolicking in the pool, while Jessica, Gwen, and Steven relaxed in lawn chairs locked in deep discussion.
The remainder of the guests all arrived at the same time in one of the Avengers team vans. Each had already changed into their party outfits. Leading the way was Black Diamond in a black two piece over which she wore an undone white blouse. Supreme, wearing a tight fitting pair of orange trunks, followed her along with Nightingale in a black one-piece.
The impossible to miss Thing was next. Besides being large and rocky in appearance, he wore a loud Hawaiian shirt with matching trunks and a large straw hat. The Texas Ranger was next, seemingly dressed normally enough if you were to discount his cowboy boots, hat, and mirrored sunglasses.
Last, but not least was the youngest Avenger, Firestar. She was hand in hand with a handsome young man that Helena had never seen before. This must have been Terra Fire of the Young Champions, she surmised. Helena had heard that he and Firestar were something of an item. The last round of introductions were made and the party began in earnest.
"Unbelievable," Megan marveled as she watched the spectacle continue to unfold. "Not to mention unsettling. I may never eat again."
"It's like watching a traffic accident," Terra Fire commented, wide eyed. "You don't want to watch, but you can't look away."
"At least we won't have any leftovers," Felina offered offhandedly, trying to find a bright spot in the situation.
Dinner had been served over an hour ago, the guests filling themselves on the excellent party fare. Most of the guests anyway, as Supreme and the Thing were still locked in their eating contest. The others watched them from the sidelines. The two musclemen were seated on opposites of the table, facing each other, their eyes locked on to each other. Steaks, burgers, and barbecued chicken were devoured as fast as they could be prepared. Neither one bothered to use plates as they would take entire bowls of the various salads and quickly devour them.
"Shucks," the Texas Ranger twanged in admiration, "these boys put coyotes ta shame!"
"Piranha, too," Nightingale added sarcastically.
"Ya had enough, Pizza Supreme?", the Thing challenged as he shoved two hamburgers into his large mouth. The rocky Avenger took a couple of bites and swallowed with a loud gulp. "Or are ya hungry fer more?"
"A most repulsive display," the Enchantress murmured distastefully. She had never seen such poor table manners before in her life.
"You're weakening, Grimm. I can sense it," Supreme challenged back softly. It was obvious that the large man was rapidly reaching his limits of consumption. He wasn't putting away the food like he had at the start. Neither was the Thing for that matter.
A weary looking Helena deposited another plate of burgers before the pair. "This is it, you two. The last of the food. You've cleaned me out!"
"I'd get your hands out of there, Ralph," Muskateer quipped, "Or the chow hounds might get you confused with a burger."
"What do you want to bet that they eat the plates?", the Scarlet Sabre inserted. "I can feel me putting on weight just watching them!"
"You're going to make yourselves sick!", Black Diamond chastised. "Honestly, what were you boys thinking? Who are you trying to impress with this ridiculous contest?"
The Thing reached out for another burger. He paused to take a deep breath before shoving another whole hamburger into his mouth. "Just a friendly little wager, Di," he told the Avengers leader. "'Sides I think yer boyfriend's run outta gas."
It was true. Supreme, his arm trembling, reached for another burger. An eternity seemed to pass as he reached forward, but never did reach his desired target. Instead, the muscular man slowly fell backwards off the bench, landing flat on his back looking up at the sky. "You win," he groaned. "Can't eat another bite. Can't move."
A cry of victory went up from the Thing and his supporters. "Way ta go, big guy!", Muskateer complimented as he slapped the rocky Avenger on the back.
"You ate him under the table, Ben!", Firestar cheered on.
"Da king remains undefeated!," the Thing announced as he lit up a victory cigar. "That'll teach ya ta doubt my eating capability."
"Finally," Helena muttered. "At least now I can get this mess cleaned up." Helena dug into the dishes, assisted by Lydia, Megan, Cassie, Jessica, and Felina. Nightingale and the Texas Ranger picked up numerous dishes using their telekinesis, making the clean up go by much more quickly.
"Let me give you a hand with those, lil' lady," Ranger intoned to the Huntress.
"Thanks, Tex."
Meanwhile, Black Diamond picked Supreme off the ground and sat him down in a nearby lounging chair. "Honestly, what am I going to do with you?", she wondered aloud. "You're worse than a child at times."
"Yes, mother," the large man replied, not wishing to continue on with the conversation. Supreme quickly fell off to sleep. Slowly moving under his own power, the Thing picked out his own lounger and settled in for a nice after dinner nap.
"How about some volleyball?", Muskateer suggested. "Unless anyone's still hungry..." The Sword Swinging Avenger managed to avoid most of the plates and cups that were thrown in his direction.
Night had fallen several hours previous and the party was now winding down. The Avengers had all departed due to an early morning mission the next day. The guests that still remained were relaxing out on the patio, exchanging stories. Helena was seated between Felina and Jessica, while Kor and Lydia were cuddling on a two-seater. Megan sat on a nearby bench.
"...And that is how I came to this world of yours," Kor summarized. "To hone my meager magical skills and locate potential allies in the battle against Oeramm the Merciless." Kor had been telling Helena, Felina, and Jessica the tale about how he came to Earth from his homeworld of Terra Nova, his version of Earth in a different dimension. How his homeland on the Southern Continent was being invading by the Empire lead by Oeramm the Merciless.
"Someday we'll go to your homeworld and kick Oeramm's butt for good," Lydia vowed as she held Kor's hand tightly. "I promise you."
"I know you will, my sweet," Kor answered, lightly kissing Lydia's hand.
"You know that I'm here for you, Kor," Megan added. The idea of traveling to a magic rich world did excite the young sorceress. Her skills were limited here on Earth, but should be amplified on Terra Nova. It was an appealing prospect.
"That's pretty far out there," Jessica responded. "I'm not sure I'd find your world all that appealing, myself."
"Given how much you rely on technology, that's not surprising," Helena added. From the sound of it, Terra Nova had a technology on the scale of the Middle Ages, if not lower. Magic was a substitute for technology and technology was something the Scarlet Sabre relied upon heavily.
Helena yawned and rose from her seat. "It's been a great day, but I've got an early morning appointment to keep."
"I understand, dear," Felina stated. "Good night."
After exchanging goodbyes, Helena made her way back into the estate, while the others continued to chat out on the patio. Felina watched her daughter depart, a slight smile on her face. The party had been a success in her eyes. It had given Helena a chance to relax and do something social as opposed to fighting crime as the Huntress. This could only be a good thing.
The days that followed passed quickly for the Huntress. The very next morning, she was out bright and early with the other Avengers in anticipation of the next vortex opening up. The vortex did not appear, but Guardian Angel and the Ravager did. A major battle followed centering around the Brooklyn Bridge and the docks area. The Huntress assisted as best she could, but ultimately played only a minor part in the monster's defeat. (Editor's Note: As seen in Avengers #24-26)
During the Avenger's Monday morning meeting, Photon chose to turn up. The Huntress had summoned him to New York to help combat the problem of Gratz and his vampiric police. She was then paired with Photon as the heroes attempted to track down the vampires. Finally, they were located and this particular menace was also dealt with. (Editor's Note: This happened in Avengers #27-28)
With those problems seemingly out of the way, the Huntress turned her attention back to the Dragon Lords once more. She had bugged their meeting place and had been continuing to thwart their criminal efforts as of late. Their last major endeavor, the attempt to steal the Ming Dynasty Exhibit before it could reach the museum was a disastrous failure. Since that time, the Dragon Lords had been laying low, licking their wounds. (Editor's Note: The exhibit robbery was thwarted in Scarlet Sabre #4 & 5)
But the Huntress knew that this wasn't going to be a permanent situation. She had sworn to take this particular gang down and she was getting closer and closer to her goal. It was now just a matter of time.
Down in the Hunter's Lair, Helena and Felina were watching the latest assembly of the Dragon Lords. Their tasks for the night were being handed out by one of the White Dragon's lieutenants. Upon receiving their orders, the Dragon Lords dispersed to carry out their tasks.
"What's on tonight's agenda?", Helena asked of her mother.
Having spent so many years wandering Europe and Asia, Felina had become proficient at numerous tongues, Chinese and Russian included. "This will be of great interest to you," Felina reported. "There's going to be a major drug shipment arriving at a Dragon Lord warehouse in Brooklyn next Tuesday night."
"Almost a week from now...," Helena mused. "Perfect. This it, mom. My chance to put the Dragon Lords away for good. It'll give me enough time to scout out the warehouse and come up with a battle plan. Less than a week from now, the Dragon Lords will be no more!"
