At the far end of the corridor there were four men in uniform. Three of them had pistols pointed towards Tempest, while the last appeared to be the leader. Each wore the uniform of Malachite, Ruler of the Malachite islands. Essentially it was a white jumpsuit that looked more like a laboratory smock than a uniform. The speaker, a balding man with white hair, beard and mustache, had additional decorations to his uniform. No doubt they were a symbol of his higher status. Three more armed men stood behind Tempest, effectively trapping the young woman in the passageway.
"The Master has taken interest in you and your fellows," the white haired man explained. "I offer you the opportunity of submitting willingly and being our guest. I promise you will be well treated. Or we can be most unpleasant about this should you decide to resist. The choice is yours but decide quickly. My men are eager for a fight."
That wasn't all they appeared to be eager for. Tempest could easily see lustful glances being sent her way. And why not? Jessica was an attractive young woman with flowing blonde hair that reached below her shoulders. Her skin was nicely tanned and she was extremely fit. Of course her current wardrobe might have something to do with it as well.
"Fudge!", Tempest mentally thought to herself.
This whole situation started with Jessica being rudely tossed out of her bunk when the sea monsters attacked the Jade Princess. From that point she had been going non-stop. First with the minor skirmish with the fishmen and then down into the ocean depths to discover the Jade Prince. Believing that the missing Tigress was being held prisoner on the vessel, Tempest snuck on board while a fish-man was being captured. Only now did Jessica realize that she was still dressed in her sleeping attire-- a T-shirt and bikini briefs. All of which hadn't completely dried out since her immersion into the ocean and clung to her like a second skin.
"Interested in me? Whatever for?", Tempest asked aloud, trying to buy herself some time to think of a way out of this situation. "I take it he's not looking for a date."
Malachite was a name that Jessica had heard before and one that she now wished she had paid more attention to. What little she did know was that Malachite was a powerful villain who had established a kingdom for himself on a small island off the coast of Europe. He was also reputed to be a master when it came to genetic manipulation.
"Curiosity, primarily. Like any true craftsman, the Master wishes to observe the work of others. No doubt those who played with your genetics are amateurs when it comes to the great Malachite, but there is the slim chance that some new information might be learned. However slim, it is worth investigating."
"So then you did drug us!", Tempest cried out in anger, pointing an accusing finger at the white haired man. "Just so you could examine us to see if whoever did this to me was up to the standards of your precious master?! That's disgusting! How dare you violate me like that!"
"There's nowhere for you to run anymore, little girl," the spokesman threatened upon realizing that a peaceful resolution was now unlikely. "I do not wish to harm you, but I will, if I must."
Tempest spared a glance behind her and then turned forward once more. A sly grin came to her face. "Take your best shot, cue ball! Nobody pokes and prods me if I have anything to say about it!
"As you wish." The white haired man stood aside as his men started to move in.
Tempest just smiled to herself and concentrated. Her form became more and more translucent as she changed into air itself. The guards, realizing what was happening, opened fire but it was too late. Their energy blasts passed harmlessly through Tempest with several of the guards being hit by their own comrades' weapons discharge!
"Later, guys!" Tempest gave a friendly wave and flew away in air-form and there was nothing Malachite's men could do to stop her. Several of the guards that were uninjured gave chase as Tempest led them deeper into the submarine.
The sound of activity reached the Tigress' ears, jerking her back into consciousness. She rose from her cot and moved towards the door as far as her chain would allow. Heavy steel manacles imprisoned her wrists that in turn were attached by a long chain to a steel U-shaped bolt on the floor. The Tigress had no idea how long she had been held prisoner, only that it had been too long.
The door to her tiny cell held a small viewing port that allowed her to see out into the area beyond. So far she had only observed what appeared to be scientists working in some kind of lab. The equipment and various apparatus that filled the lab was beyond her understanding. There had been no contact with her captors since the Tigress first awoke in the cell. She felt both the pangs of hunger and the frustration of her long incarceration.
But finally, there was something interesting going on out in the lab. The scientists were busy rushing about, bringing equipment in towards the center of the room. Then a gurney was quickly wheeled into the room and placed in the middle of all the equipment. The Tigress' jaw fell in shock when she saw just whom, or rather what, was secured to the gurney.
The being had a normal adult humanoid shape, but that's where the similarities ended. Instead of the normal range of skin tones, its skin was shiny and pale green in color. The creatures limbs ended in webbed hands and feet. A necklace of colorful seashells adorned the unconscious creature. Was it covered in scales?
In stunned silence, the Tigress watched as the scientists began to work on the strange creature. At least five men were examining their subject, while another half dozen observed and assisted from the background. Skin and blood samples were taken along with a variety of other tests and readings.
Suddenly, the examining scientists stepped back in surprise! The creature had regained consciousness and began to thrash about wildly. The straps securing the being snapped with ridiculous ease. With a lunge, the creature leaped from the gurney into several of the startled scientists taking them all to the floor. The Tigress could barely hear their muffled screams of alarm and terror as the door to her cell dampened any outside noise.
Two of the scientists rushed to subdue their rampaging specimen and were thrown wildly across the lab for their efforts. The creatures' strength was superhuman! Wisely, most of the scientists began to run for safety. In a matter of moments the only scientists that remained in the room were unconscious ones.
The creature wasn't satisfied with merely beating on his incarcerators. He picked up the gurney and threw it across the room smashing it into a bank of equipment. Things went flying everywhere as the creature grabbed whatever was within reach and sent it hurling across the room. The Tigress ducked instinctively as an equipment cart was chucked her way. The cart violently crashed into the outside of the cell door with a heavy thud.
Then the Tigress heard a hissing sound, as if air was escaping. Before her astonished eyes, the door to her cell popped open. There was now a way out of her cell! Not believing her good fortune, the Tigress rushed forward only to be cruelly jerked back by the chain. The feline heroine cursed silently as she regarded the bonds still holding her in the cell. She had repeatedly tested their strength during her captivity, finding the chain to be beyond her ability to snap.
The action didn't go unnoticed as the green-skinned man came closer. While he didn't speak, his intentions were painfully obvious to the Tigress. He considered her to be a threat!
"Hey, back off, fish-face! I don't have any beef with you!" The Tigress tried to take a defensive stance, but her manacles limited her movement. She frantically looked around for some weapon to use against this invader. However, her options were horrifyingly limited. "Sarge never had any drills like this!"
The fish-man moved and took a swing at the chained heroine. The creature was fast, compared to the average man, but he was not in the same league as the nimble Tigress. Acting more on instinct than with intent, the Tigress jerked her hands towards the fish-man's attack in an attempt to block to the assault. Instead of stopping the blow, the fish-man actually hit the chain itself, snapping it into two pieces!
This seemed to momentarily startle both the Tigress and the fish-man. A pleased grin came to the Tigress' face upon seeing that the chain had been broken. While her hands were still imprisoned, at least she was free to move around!
"Thanks for the assist, fish-face! I owe you one!"
There was still no response from the invader or any sign that it comprehended the Tigress' words. Instead, he struck once more. This time his blow missed by a wide margin as the Tigress ducked away from the attack.
"And here's where I call it even!"
The Tigress wasted no time in going on the offensive. She kicked her foe in the chest with both feet, sending him flying backwards out of the cell. He landed with a crash among the damaged equipment. Performing a back flip off of her kick, the Tigress landed on the balls of her feet ready for her next move. That's when she noticed something slippery beneath her.
"Yuck! I've got fish slime on my feet!"
Undaunted, the Tigress emerged from her cell and took in the chamber before her. There were two exits, both of which stood open. It was only a matter of moments before some type of security force arrived to deal with the rampaging fish man. No doubt they would try to re-capture the Tigress as well.
"No way I'm going back inside that box!", the heroine promised herself as she looked about. "Someone is going to get a serious whoopin' over this! I don't like cages."
The Tigress' attention was diverted back the prone fish-man as it was trying to rise. "You're a pretty tough carp there, fish-face, but let's face facts. I'm a cat. We eat fish. You're not anywhere near my league!"
To further illustrate her point, the Tigress slammed her manacles over the fish-man's head with a resounding thud. The force of the blow was so great that it snapped the manacles in two, freeing the Tigress' hands completely. The fish-man himself crumbled to the deck once more, unconscious.
"Well, thanks again, fishy. That's really using your head," Tigress added with a smirk as she rid herself of the last bit of manacles and rubbed her wrists.
Noise from one of the entrance hatches attracted the Tigress' attention, sending her into motion once more. The heroine made a beeline towards the other exit and departed the laboratory. Silently, the feline moved deeper into the submarine.
Jason McTaggert shined his flashlight across the quiet chamber. The room was buried deep beneath the earth and had no natural lighting of its own. There was an electrical box that powered banks of overhead fluorescent lights, but it had been decided to not activate any systems. The idea of exploring these hidden labs of Dr. Destroyer was dangerous enough as it was without accidentally activating some leftover experiment. The incident with Armadillo was proof enough of that. (Editor's Note: Back in Young Champions #11-12)
This was the third lab that Jason had explored this morning thus far. The first had been the most exciting, something of an understatement, as it held a booby trap that almost exploded in Terra Fire's face. Fortunately, his ability to withstand fire spared him any serious harm.
The second lab appeared to be nothing more than a storage area filled with miscellaneous parts. There were several items in what appeared to be the first stages of construction, but nothing to provide any clues as to what function they might have served. No plans or schematics were present. It was as if someone just started tinkering with random parts for no apparent reason.
This brought Jason to the lab he was currently inside. Once more he had used his ability to move through the earth to reach the buried chamber. It was a simple matter to burst in a wall to gain access. Stepping inside, Jason activated his flashlight and scanned the chamber.
"I'm inside," he reported into the microphone of his headset. The device provided communication with the team on the surface so they could monitor Jason's progress.
"Proceed with caution," Gladiator advised over the earpiece.
Jason held back on responding sarcastically to such an obvious order. This was a hidden lab set up by Dr. Destroyer! The Dr. Destroyer! Of course he was going to be careful. That sort of went without saying.
"I'm moving in," was Jason's response. He tentatively stepped deeper into the lab, continuously moving his light to provide illumination. However, it was rapidly becoming obvious that such caution was not going to be needed. Nonetheless, the young man spent several minutes exploring the chamber thoroughly knowing that Gladiator would require it.
"Nothing to worry about down here," Jason informed Gladiator. "This one is completely empty. Not even any workbenches. Looks like Dr. D never got around to using this one."
"That is good news," Gladiator stated in his always even tone. "Return to the surface. Your work is done for the day."
"Alright!", Jason answered excitedly. Finally this task was coming to an end. Jason turned and walked back to the opening he made. As he approached, Terra Fire broke into a jog and leaped into the hole he had created in the reinforced concrete wall. Instantly, his body merged with the ground and he was quickly moving towards the surface.
Moments later, Terra Fire emerged from the ground close to Gladiator and the others. The man known only as the Gladiator was the mentor of the Young Champions. The man's past was a mystery and he had offered no clues to his origins. Other than being perhaps the greatest hand to hand combatant on the planet, very little was known about the Gladiator. As always he wore his Roman gladiator-inspired costume.
Charcoal, Peacekeeper, and Sapphire were also present, representing the entire Sanctuary security staff. Apart from that similarity, the trio couldn't be any more different if they tried. Charcoal stood 5'6" in height and traditionally wore biker togs. Sapphire was a seven foot tall woman with light blue skin and dark blue hair. Peacekeeper was also seven feet tall, but he was a mechaniod-- an intelligent machine. Even more unusual he was a copy of the dreaded Mechanon which tended to put many people off.
Rounding out the group was Nemesis. This petite girl wore a pink body stocking with light blue accessories. Based on appearances alone, one would guess her to be the least dangerous of the group, while in fact she possibly possessed the most destructive powers of the bunch. To make things more interesting, she had the mentality of an eight year old child.
Gladiator was speaking to Charcoal as Jason approached. He casually handed his headset to Peacekeeper. Sapphire and Nemesis were already departing, having been dismissed as well.
"Good work, lad," Gladiator told Jason as he turned to face his pupil. "We'll continue the exploration early tomorrow morning. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day off."
"Count on it!", Jason answered with a grin. Terra Fire sank into the earth once more and headed back to the bungalow he shared with Archangel. A quick shower would be the first order of business, then Jason could kick back and relax.
To his surprise, the bungalow was empty. Archangel was not home. He had the place all to himself. Perfect.
After showering, Jason climbed into one of the hammocks out on the back porch and relaxed. Once settled in, the young man closed his eyes and sighed happily as the tension left his body. His thoughts however wandered on a wide variety of topics such as how his sister was doing since she had left Sanctuary. What happened to the Tigress who had mysteriously disappeared a few days back. Many questions and no answers.
Regardless of where his thoughts took him, they always brought him back to Firestar. Her lovely face would come to mind and dominate his thoughts. A wide smile etched on his face, Jason passed the hours away thinking of the young Avenger.
While Jason may not have thought about just where his roommate currently was, he would have been quite surprised had he known. Archangel was currently engaged in a playful chase on one of the outlying islands. These small islands were uninhabited, but were frequently visited by the guests of Sanctuary. Archangel used the jungles to hone his flying skills by passing through them at breakneck speeds.
But today, Archangel wasn't performing a practice run. No, today he was in pursuit of a girl he had spotted in the sky minutes earlier. But this wasn't just any ordinary or superhuman girl. For the first time in his young life, Archangel had met a girl who had natural wings growing out of her back!
He could hear the woman's soft laughter as she led Archangel on a merry chase through the jungle. Archangel couldn't help but respond in kind. For one of the few times in his life he was actually enjoying himself. The pair flew past animals and tropical birds without giving them a second thought. Both were too lost in each other and their aerial acrobatics to take much notice.
Slowly Archangel inched closer and closer. The winged woman was as beautiful up close as she was when Archangel first viewed her from afar. She was Japanese in appearance and not very tall, perhaps only five feet in height. Her attire was completely black. She wore a shoulderless, legless, and predominately backless bodysuit with matching short gloves and boots. Her shoulder length hair was also black, as were her large feathery wings.
Finally, the pair burst out of the jungle once more and winged out over the ocean. The woman slowed her velocity and slipped into a sweeping turn back towards the island. Archangel also slowed down, matching the winged woman's course. Together they landed on the beach a few feet apart.
"That was exhilarating," the woman announced as she gave Archangel the once over. Her eyes were as black as the woman's hair and were protected by goggles. Casually, she removed the goggles in order to get a better look.
"Yes, it was," Archangel eagerly answered. He also was checking out the woman much as she was him. Whoever she was, she was the loveliest woman he had ever seen. Her large black wings only enhanced her beauty in his mind.
Several moments passed as the two visually examined the other. It was as if neither one could think of anything to say.
"I had heard tales of a winged man on Sanctuary," the woman finally explained as she moved closer. "I never imagined in my wildest dreams that he would be so dreamy."
"I know exactly how you feel," Archangel responded, his eyes not leaving the woman. "I thought I would never run into a woman with wings like mine. Nor could I even hope for her to be so breathtakingly beautiful." For one of the few times when it came to women Archangel was honest and sincere as he spoke.
The woman smiled and blushed slightly. She moved beside Archangel and gently moved her hand toward his wings. "May I?", she asked before actually touching his appendages. "You're wings are so pretty-- so angelic. I would love to touch them."
"Be my guest." Archangel moved his left wing closer to the woman. The woman's touch was soft and gentle on his feathery white wing. She ran her hand along its edge, feeling the texture of the feathers and the strength of the muscle below.
Without saying a word, the woman moved her own wing closer towards Archangel. The young Champion accepted the invitation silently. He gently reached out and felt the woman's wings. They were slightly different than his own and not quite as soft. Still, the touch of her wings felt electric.
"My I ask your name?"
"I am known as the Black Raven", the woman responded as she turned to face Archangel. "For obvious reasons."
"Archangel."
"I know," Black Raven answered with a smile as she offered her hand. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"The honor is mine," Archangel gallantly intoned as he grasped Black Raven's gloved hand. "This is almost a dream come true."
The two released hands and Black Raven casually circled Archangel. "Then you feel as I do? Feel the pain and isolation for being born the way we were? Endured the ridicule of others who couldn't understand what it was like to have wings or enjoy the freedom of flight? Suffered the cruelty of other children for being so very different?"
"Yes. Only someone born as I could even hope to understand what I went through." There was a noticeable strain of emotion in Archangel's voice.
"I do understand," Black Raven whispered softly as she turned away from Archangel. "I know of your hurt and your pain for it is the same as mine. Many a night would I raise my voice to the stars above, cursing creation for making me different. Cursing the people who were mean and cruel to mean. Cursing my mother for giving me life."
Archangel took at step towards Black Raven, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. Black Raven was momentarily startled by the contact, flinching, but did not move away.
"My parents abandoned me at birth," Archangel added. "It's probably a miracle that I even survived childhood."
"We are unique, you and I," Black Raven continued as she looked out over the ocean. "The only naturally born winged humans in the world. For so long I thought I was all alone. But when I heard about you I had to come and see for myself."
"I would have done the same had I known about you. I wish I would have known sooner, mon cheri."
"Your words are most kind," Black Raven stated as she turned back towards Archangel, a hopeful look on her face. "I must admit that this is working out far better than I ever dreamt possible. I was afraid that you might be repulsed by me."
"Repulsed?", Archangel repeated in shock. "Why would I be repulsed by you? You're gorgeous."
"Because your wings are white and beautiful while mine are black and unflattering. I know, I'm being silly. I was just nervous about meeting you."
"There's nothing to be nervous about. I'm as excited about meeting you as you were about meeting me. Tell you what, why don't we take a walk and you can tell me all about yourself. I want to know every detail."
Archangel offered his hand to Black Raven. After a moment, she accepted and the pair walked off into the jungle. "Not really a whole lot to tell about me, Archangel..."
"Call me, Jean Paul."
"I was born in Japan, Jean Paul..."
Tentatively, the Tigress opened the radio room door and scanned the outside passageway. So far she had managed to avoid any encounters with the ship's crew as she wandered about the submarine. Every so often the sounds of battle would reach her ears, but so far the Tigress had kept her distance from any trouble.
Finding the corridor to be empty the Tigress opened the door wide enough to exit the radio room. Were someone to have been standing in the corridor, they would have seen the unconscious radio man sprawled out on the floor behind her.
"I always wanted to reach out and touch someone," Tigress smirked to herself, shutting the door behind her. "Maybe I can get a gig with AT&T."
Using her feline grace, the Tigress snuck down the passageway, unsure of where to go next. By now she had realized that she was being held on a submarine. The problem now was how to complete her escape. Obviously that meant getting to the surface somehow.
While the Tigress pondered her situation, she heard activity up ahead. More specifically on the deck below. Daring a peek down a ladder way, the Tigress discovered a fight was in progress. Instead of avoiding trouble, this time Tigress would investigate. As she made her observations, a familiar voice could be heard.
"Back off, creep! I'm really getting sick of you sushi-types!"
"Tempest?", Tigress mouthed to herself as she examined the deck below. Looking about, the feline heroine could see Tempest, albeit out of costume, being menaced by a fish-man. Three men in white uniforms laid sprawled on the deck unconscious. If it was another invader entirely or the same one from the lab, Tigress could not say. "What's she doing here?"
Realizing that she had not been seen by Tempest or her tormentor, Tigress decided to use it to her advantage. She took several seconds to study the fishman, using her training to find some weakness to exploit, much like a feline would study their prey before pouncing. Unconsciously, the Tigress licked her lips upon finding a good spot to strike.
From seemingly out of nowhere, the Tigress leapt into the fray and struck the rampaging fish-man with a flying kick before he could even realize what was going on. From Tempest's point of view, the fish-man went down and suddenly the Tigress was standing over him.
"I wonder if I can find any tartar sauce on this tub," the Tigress whimsically remarked as she regarded her now unconscious prey. The grumbling in her belly told her that finding food actually was a priority.
"Erica!", Tempest cried out in astonishment. The young woman was certainly pleased to have the menace of the fish-man dealt with, but was shocked by the way it had all happened. She had been fleeing the men when all of them were accosted by the fish-man. The sea monster ripped into the men with horrifying ease.
"Hey, Jess."
"I was wondering what happened to you, when you just up and disappeared on me." Tempest wanted to say more, somehow express her happiness that the Tigress was okay and how worried she had been, but it just seemed to never make it out. She always hated mushy stuff like this.
"I've been wondering the same thing actually. I finally figured out this is a sub, but I'm not sure how to get out of here." The Tigress smiled. Tempest was still wet and likely just arrived on board. Maybe Jessica was here just to look for her. Maybe she wasn't quite as selfish as she let on.
"Yeah, you can't get out the way I got in."
"Not easily anyway. Short of making the stupid thing surface, I was hoping to find some kind of escape pod or scuba suit or something," the Tigress half-joked.
"Now, that's an idea."
"What idea?"
"Just follow me. I think I have a plan that'll certainly ruin their day."
The Tigress shrugged, as Tempest turned toward the forward end of the sub. A moment later she quickly followed, still unsure of what Tempest was getting at. "I've got a bad feeling about this."
"Play time's over, boys," Tempest arrogantly announced as she and Tigress stepped onto the command deck of the submarine. At least a dozen men were in the chamber, most engaged in the operation of the vessel. Several others were armed and they pointed their weapons towards the new arrivals.
"This is your plan?", the Tigress sarcastically observed. "Getting captured again?"
The white haired man was here and he moved towards the women. "I see that you've finally come to your senses and decided to surrender. Very good. Mister Smith will escort you to your quarters."
"Hardly, cue ball," Tempest shot back confidently. "In fact, I'm going to give you the opportunity to surrender. You've got about ten seconds to make up your mind."
"Next time, I think up the plan," Tigress mumbled dejectedly. What in the world was Tempest thinking? She looked around trying to decide if there was any chance to avoid incoming fire in such a cramped space. Even with her feline speed, it was going to be a difficult task. Still, if she struck quick and fast, there was a chance.
Laughter was the white haired man's response. "Most amusing, I assure you, but hardly much of a threat. We are armed and outnumber you. You are in no position to make demands."
"Wanna bet?"
Tempest pointed her hands towards the nearest control console and a jet of water shot forth. The blast covered the electronic device with water and it began seeping inside. Sparks started flying from the console and smoke issued forth as it quickly began to short out.
"Are you mad?!", the white haired man cried out in fear. "You'll kill us all!"
"Not unless you give up and take us to the surface," Tempest countered. "Otherwise, I keep firing away. And it don't make no matter to me, I can survive underwater just like a fish. Any of you creeps up for a swim? I'm sure our scaly friends would just love to get their mitts on you."
"Good plan," the Tigress mumbled sarcastically.
"What's it going to be, cue ball?", Tempest inquired, ignoring Tigress' comments. "Take us up or we all go down." To further emphasize her point, Jessica fired again, shorting out yet another control panel.
Panic was clearly etched in the face of the white haired man. "She's crazy!", he cried out to no one in particular. "Blow ballast! Surface! Surface! While we still can." Behind him, the shocked crew began to carry out his orders in a frenzy.
A pleased look on her face, Tempest turned back to face Tigress. "See? I've got it all under control. Nothing to worry about. You just have to know how to talk to these people."
Howler stood on the deck of the Jade Princess staring out to sea. The attackers had been driven off quite some time ago. Once more, the alien operatives had failed to reclaim their artifact: the pulsating amulet that was the core of Howler's sonic powers. That was of small comfort to the woman, as she knew that they would be back to try again in the future. They would keep on trying until finally one day they succeeded.
The sonic villainess tried to push such morbid thoughts aside and concentrated on the problems at hand. The watery invaders were gone, as was Tempest. The young woman had been knocked overboard during the conflict and hadn't been seen since. This did not sit well with Howler as she needed Tempest to carry out this mission. There were vital clues that could potentially lead to the lost tribe of Azkan which Tempest could uncover with ease. All evidence pointed to Azkan being a member of the same alien race who constructed her amulet. Logically, there should be more such artifacts just waiting to be found and used by Howler.
"Still no sign of the girl," Carlson announced as he strolled up beside Howler. The man known only as Carlson was the one in change of this operation. While not the captain of the Jade Princess, Carlson was the representative of whoever was bankrolling this expedition. "It's time to get underway. We're falling behind schedule."
"Can't we wait a while longer?", Howler requested in an incredibly seductive voice. There was no intent of flirting on her part, rather the amulet had altered her voice to sound like that all the time. "Tempest is vital to our mission. We can't just abandon her like this. Without her, it will take much longer to accomplish our goals."
Carlson did not respond immediately. Instead, he appeared to be mulling over the request. "Very well. Another hour and then we resume course." Without waiting for a response, Carlson turned and started to walk back inside the Jade Princess. He hadn't gone more than five steps when a tremendous splash drew his attention back to the rail.
Both he and Howler watched in surprise as a submarine erupted from underneath the water some 250 yards away from the Jade Princess. The sub burst from the water, traveling nearly twenty feet into the air before falling back and landing with a second tremendous splash of water. The sub's eruption created a wake that rocked the Jade Princess before the sea calmed once more.
As Howler looked on, one of the hatches opened up and Tempest emerged along with another woman. The young mutant waved towards Howler. The name emblazoned on the submarine's bow wasn't lost on Howler either: the Jade Prince.
Howler turned towards Carlson and smiled evilly. "I trust you have an explanation for all of this?" All Carlson could do was smile weakly as beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
Less than half an hour later, Carlson and all his men were now standing on the deck of the Jade Prince. "You'll regret this betrayal, Howler!", Carlson threatened. "The Master has a long reach and a longer memory."
The Jade Princess floated close by with Howler, Panda, Raccoon, Tempest and an uneasy Tigress near the rail looking down on Malachite's men. These five were all that remained on the ocean going yacht.
"He tries anything, I'll bonk'm right in the kisser!", Panda threatened in her British accent.
"You tell'm, babe," Raccoon added. "Nobody uses us as guinea pigs!"
"Enough of the posturing," Howler commanded. Turning back to Carlson, she added, "It was only a matter of time before one of us betrayed the other. I realized this from the beginning and had been prepared. I just hadn't considered it happening this soon. As my companion stated, we are nobody's test subjects. What you did to us is vile beyond belief. Be thankful that I'm only abandoning you at sea instead of turning you over to Daigon's tender mercies."
Daigon emerged from an access hatch on the sub and rose to the deck. The armored mercenary activated her jet pack and boots combination and flew over to the Jade Princess. "It's all taken care of, boss," Daigon reported. "It'll take them nearly a week to fix the damage I did to the engines."
"Excellent work," Howler complimented. "By then we'll have completed our mission and be long gone. Farewell, Carlson. Pray our paths never cross again."
Howler turned away from the railing and walked towards the bridge of the Jade Princess, the others following. "Are you sure you can pilot the vessel?", the sonic villainess inquired of Raccoon.
"Like I said before, not a problem. I'll get us to our destination in one piece." Raccoon started the Jade Princess' engines and began to pilot the ship away from the Jade Prince, the yacht rapidly gaining speed.
"What about Stripes here?", Daigon questioned, gesturing towards the Tigress. "She ain't part of our bargain. I say we should have left her on the sub with the other creeps. She's bound to cause trouble."
"Hey, she's my friend!", Tempest angrily interrupted, defending Tigress. "No one is going to lay a finger on her."
"No harm will come to your friend," Howler explained. "Provided she does not intervene with our mission. Is that agreeable?"
"You promise?"
"I promise," Howler answered.
"I don't make any promises to criminals," Tigress interrupted.
"Tigress, please!", Tempest pleaded to her friend. "Don't make things any worse than they need to be."
"I'm surrounded by four wanted criminals. How could things get any worse? Open your eyes Tempest and see these people for who they really are."
"She's a right shifty bird," Panda observed.
"Your friend doesn't trust us," Howler continued. "Can't say that I really blame her. However, I cannot have her interfering with the mission. Daigon, take her below and lock her in one of the cabins. Provided she causes no trouble, she'll be allowed to depart once our job is finished."
Almost gleefully, Daigon reached out and grabbed the Tigress roughly by the arm. "Come along you."
"Looks like I've traded one cell for another."
"You can't do that!", Tempest protested as Tigress was dragged away.
"I am sorry," Howler apologized almost sincerely. "I do promise you that any trouble that comes up will be your friend's doing. Keep her under control and everything will be fine. All of this will be over before too long and we can amicably part company. Don't worry, everything will work out in the end."
