Gladiator flicked out his right hand and plucked the bo staff out of the air as it sailed past. He experimentally twirled the weapon with his one hand, gauging the staff's center of gravity. He passed the staff over to his other hand while continuing to twirl it. Once comfortable with the feel of the weapon, Gladiator ceased moving it about and regarded his opponent.
"I will give you one last chance to back out of this," the armored warrior advised. As usual, the Gladiator was wearing his battle armor that resembled the type worn by ancient Roman warriors. "You should be resting, not engaging in combat."
"Not a chance," Pooka responded. The head of sanctuary was dressed in his own standard uniform, that of a black gi. Pooka was testing his own bo staff as he spoke. He had discarded his full-face mask for this exercise. "I've got plenty of pent up frustration to unleash and what better way to do it than with one of our training drills?"
"As you wish," Gladiator simply answered. He brought his staff into motion and began to circle to his left. Pooka responded in kind, moving to the right of his prey.
It was just past noon on this Sunday. The two men were in one of the training rooms in the island's gymnasium complex. The floor was padded for the protection of the combatants. Various marital arts weapons hung on the walls. Both men had spent many an hour in this room, honing their skills and occasionally dueling each other.
Pooka had just recovered from an apparent nervous breakdown. The Director of Sanctuary had become more and more irrational as the weeks went past. He frequently snapped at the other staffers and seemed extremely paranoid. This all came to a head during a staff meeting when Pooka actually tried to attack Gladiator. Gladiator easily fended off the assault and Pooka was sent to the medical center for examination.
Dr. Brinton discovered irregularities in Pooka's brainwaves, suggesting that his odd behavior had been influenced in some manner. The source of this mental tampering had yet to be uncovered. As Pooka rested in the infirmary, his brain waves and temperament had begun to return to normal.
Tiring of just lying about, Pooka had checked himself out and located Gladiator for some mock combat. The duel would serve two purposes. First, Pooka could safely vent his pent up aggravation for having been used in this manner. Secondly, he could get a situation update as the two dueled.
Letting out a battle cry, Pooka swung his staff at Gladiator in a rapid succession of moves. His weapon was a blur as it moved almost faster than the human eye could follow. Pooka's attacks had a frenzied edge to them.
For every strike, Gladiator was there to block the attack. The clacking sound of wood impacting on wood filled the chamber. Gladiator himself gave the outward appearance of being calm and cool. With seemingly little effort, he moved his staff in fluid motions, blocking every attempted strike. It was as if Pooka's efforts were of no consequence to him.
Pooka eased up in his assault and stepped back. He continued to maneuver his staff before him. "At least you could break a sweat once in a while," Pooka joked.
The Director of Sanctuary was a most talented combatant. His skill at karate was very impressive. He was fast and strong in his discipline, a true master of his craft. Pooka was easily among the top ten masters of karate in the world.
Unfortunately, the Gladiator was widely considered to be the greatest hand-to-hand combatant on the planet. He too was a master of karate, and dozens of other forms of combat as well. Each of these wide and diverse disciplines had been molded together giving the Gladiator a fighting style uniquely his own.
Because of this, Pooka knew that he could cut loose when in battle with the Gladiator. He had no fear of injuring his opponent and didn't have to hold anything back. Actually getting through Gladiator's defenses was a victory in itself.
"I found that I didn't like sweating," Gladiator responded as he waited for Pooka's next offensive flurry. "So I try to avoid it. Economy of movement and total control of one's emotions is far more effective."
"What's been going on in my absence?"
Pooka went on the offensive as the Gladiator calmly explained the latest happenings. He covered Tempest having left the Young Champions program and the disappearance of the Tigress. It was believed that the feline heroine was investigating something involving the supervillainess Howler who had been gathering a small group of other criminals.
The hidden workshops of Dr. Destroyer were another topic. Armadillo had uncovered the first of these eight buried labs in his attempt to find Destroyer technology to incorporate into his armored suit. Instead he had unleashed a forgotten weapon Destroyer had left on the island. Fortunately, its destructive rampage had been stopped.
Three of the other hidden labs had been searched thus far by Terra Fire. One held a booby trap, but had done no harm to the lad. One had been unused, while the other simply held various machinery and parts, but nothing dangerous. That left four more labs and four more potential problems remaining before this situation would be resolved.
"Business as usual, I see," was Pooka's response to the report. Panting more heavily now, Pooka retreated to a safe distance once more. Out of the hundreds of attacks he had launched, only three had actually hit their mark thus far.
"More or less," Gladiator nodded in agreement. The warrior started to say more, but stopped when he spotted Charcoal standing in the entranceway. Gladiator casually lowered his staff a moment later.
"Giving up already?"
"Company." Gladiator nodded towards the doorway.
"Sorry to interrupt your macho bonding thing, but I thought you'd be interested in this," Charcoal stated. The young woman had short flaming red hair and was dressed in her usual biker togs.
"What is it, Felicity?" Pooka lowered his own weapon and turned to face the head of island security.
"We just picked up a message from Tigress." Charcoal paused to let that set in before continuing. "She's in trouble."
"Come along you," Daigon commanded. Her armor was crimson and gold in color. "And don't try anything funny. I'd just love to have an excuse to mess up that pretty face of yours."
"Lay off, creepy!" Tigress shot back defiantly. "Probably jealous of me if you have to hide your nasty puss under that butt-ugly helmet. What the hell are you supposed to be anyway?"
Daigon forcibly shoved the Tigress against the corridor wall and drove her right forearm into the heroine's neck. She looked eye to eye with the Tigress. "I am the demoness," Daigon hissed. "I am an elemental force of pain and suffering. Continue to goad me and you will experience my talents first hand."
"Remind me next time to be afraid," the Tigress hissed back defiantly. "I get it now. You're one of those sick and twisted types who have it out for the world because their daddy never bought them that pony they wanted when they were four years old. That whole gothic thing just doesn't impress me."
Daigon made no response. Her facial features were safely hidden behind her armored helmet. Her body language didn't offer any clues to Daigon's intentions either. Instead, Daigon released the Tigress and shoved her further down the corridor. The Tigress paused to rub her throat. Having Daigon's gauntlet thrust into it was not the most comfortable of feelings.
The armored mercenary took a step forward and landed a forearm shiver into the back of the Tigress' head! The feline Young Champion crumbled to the floor, dazed from the cowardly assault. Daigon stepped forward and easily lifted the groggy heroine from the floor and dragged her along.
"Just for that, you've earned my special treatment, Stripes," Daigon threatened. With her prisoner in tow, Daigon reached the cabin and propelled the heroine inside. "You won't be such a smart ass when I'm done with you!"
Tempest hurried through the passageway of the Jade Princess. Jess had remained up on the bridge long enough to secure Howler's promise that the Tigress would not be harmed. Now she somehow had to make sure that Erica behaved for the rest of this trip. This moneymaking opportunity was fast becoming more and more complicated and less fun.
"As long as your friend does not interfere with the mission, no harm shall come to her," was Howler's pledge.
In spite of her promise, Tempest just couldn't be sure that it was going to be met. Daigon was too much of a wild card in this situation. Of all the others here, Howler, Panda, and Raccoon, it was Daigon that made Tempest the most uneasy. Regardless, she would check up on Tigress to make sure she was okay.
The cabin door opened and Daigon stepped out in to the passageway. Jess slowed her pace to avoid running into the armored mercenary. Daigon regarded the young woman. "What the hell do you want?"
"I wanted to talk to Tigress."
"Not a chance," Daigon countered. "Stripes is under lock and key and I'm going to see that it stays that way. She's not going to be sticking her nose in our business. If it was up to me, she'd be playing with the fishes right now."
"I don't give a care what you think. Howler said it was okay, so get out of the way."
Daigon's hand flicked out and grabbed Tempest by the throat. She easily drew the young woman closer. Tempest's eyes bulged noticeably while she tried to break Daigon's grip.
"You listen to me, little girl," Daigon threatened. "You're here to do a job and you damn well better hold up your end of the bargain. Otherwise you'll be answering to me. Got it?"
Tempest struggled to respond, but the meaning of her message was quite clear. "Bite me!"
Tempest's form began to shimmer and her body became more ethereal as she transformed herself in to air. Jess easily slipped free of the armored mercenary's grasp and flew down the corridor. The locked door to Tigress' cabin was no barrier as she seeped underneath the portal.
Once inside, Tempest began to change back to her normal fleshy state. The sound of gasping drew her attention to the bunk beds. Tempest's mouth dropped open in shock upon seeing the state that Daigon had left her friend in.
"That crazy bitch!" Tempest cursed in astonishment. She rushed over to help her friend.
The Tigress was lying on her stomach in the lower bunk. Her hands were locked as if in prayer, but instead of being before her body they had been drawn behind her back. Coils of rope secured the Tigress' hands in this uncomfortable position. But Daigon wasn't satisfied with just that and had to add her own sadistic touch. A lone lope of rope came up from her bonds and circled the heroine's neck tightly. Tigress was forced to push her arms uncomfortably higher towards her neck or be choked by the rope around her throat. Her ankles had been lashed to the bedposts to prevent any movement whatsoever.
"Get away from her!" Daigon had opened the locked door and stepped into the cabin. There was more than a hint of threat in the mercenary's voice.
"As if!" Tempest gestured at Daigon and a burst of compressed air was generated. The attack hit Daigon squarely and sent the self-styled demoness flying backwards. Daigon was sent back out the door and smashed through the doorway of the cabin across the hall.
Turning her attention back to the Tigress, Tempest quickly worked to untie the ropes. "Just hang on! I'll have you out of this in a jiffy!" Jess realized that she only had a few moments before Daigon recovered and would be back. She wasn't eager to take Daigon on alone.
"You've just made a big mistake, little girl!" Daigon moved more quickly than seemed possible considering her armored bulk. She re-entered the cabin and was on Tempest before the young woman could even turn around. The mercenary went to lock Tempest into a bear hug, but once more the girl transformed herself into air and slipped free.
"Keep your hands to yourself, creepazoid!", Tempest taunted as she floated safely away.
"You can't keep away from me forever!"
"Let see how tough you are in a fair fight!" Now free, the Tigress used her hands for support on the bunk bed and landed a two-footed kick in Daigon's chest. The demoness was sent sprawling back once more and landed on the cabin floor. Daigon tumbled with the impact and sprung right back to her feet.
"You will both suffer for this!"
Daigon didn't get the chance to follow up on her threat, as Tempest had turned solid once more. The armored mercenary was pelted by a blast of pressurized water. The damage from the attack was negligible but did force Daigon back on her heels.
The Tigress sprung into action once more. She leaped from the bunk and launched another flying kick at Daigon. This time, the Tigress struck Daigon in her helmet, forcing her back once more. Daigon landed roughly out in the hallway having been sent through the cabin wall. Dust and debris rained down on the self-styled demoness. They coated the now wet villainess, making her appear as if she had been out in the snow.
"She talks tough but seems like a pushover," Tempest noted as she drew closer. She was ready to unleash another attack should it be necessary.
"This isn't over yet," the Tigress commented as she gracefully landed on the balls of her feet having performed a back flip after her kick.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Howler came walking down the passageway and regarded Daigon lying on the floor. As usual she wore her dark blue costume with full-length white cape. Trailing behind the sonic villainess was the husband and wife duo of Panda and Raccoon. The noise of the combat had drawn them down to the lower decks. "I demand an explanation!"
"They attacked me!", was Daigon's claim.
Tempest pointed an accusing finger at Daigon. "She's crazy! She tried to hurt Tigress! You promised that nothing would happen to her."
"Yeah, tin can sucker-punched me, tried to strangle me, and break my arms!"
"Is this true?" Howler's query went out towards everyone present.
"Where do you think I got this from?" The Tigress showed everyone the rope burn on her neck from the way she had been tied. The contours of the rope were plainly visible on the heroine's throat.
Upon seeing the unmistakable pattern on the Young Champion's neck, Howler cast an accusing glare at Daigon. "My orders were very clear in this matter, Daigon. Disobey me at your own risk. Report to the bridge and wait for me there."
Mustering as much dignity as she could, Daigon wordlessly rose to her feet and walked away carrying out Howler's instructions. She did pause long enough to cast a glare at both Tempest and Daigon. The Tigress had been right in one aspect. This matter was not over yet.
Once Daigon had departed, Howler turned back to Tempest and Tigress. "My apologies for any inconvenience Daigon may have caused. She disobeyed my direct orders and will be punished. Tempest, your friend is now your responsibility. Tend to her needs and made sure she is as comfortable as possible. We have three more days before we arrive at the marker island. I trust that there will be no more further incidents?"
"You keep that gargoyle away from us and there won't be any trouble," Tempest vowed. The Tigress remained silent on the matter, but her eyes burned fiercely at everyone present.
Archangel soared over the open ocean. He normally would have greatly enjoyed the wide-open spaces like this. The sky was a place where he could fly and be free. Unfortunately, the winged Young Champion was on a mission this day and couldn't enjoy the moment.
The Tigress had gone missing last Thursday night. The Sanctuary Security staff had pieced together that the Tigress had been investigating the sonic-wielding villainess know as Howler. She had assembled a small band of villains for some unknown purpose. These other villains included the husband and wife mutant duo of Panda and Raccoon along with the armored mercenary Daigon. Unfortunately, the Tigress' trail had led to an abandoned Jet Ski drifting off the island and a dead end.
A situation that remained unchanged until two days ago. Last Sunday, Tigress had managed to make contact with Sanctuary. Peacekeeper was the one who received the message. It was short and direct to the point:
"Need help. Locate the yacht: Jade Princess. Traveling west. Tempest here too. Submarine involved." The message was signed 'Tigress' and also included her current coordinates.
The communication set everything into motion. It was decided to launch a rescue attempt to be led by Gladiator and the rest of the Young Champions. They were given use of the Wave Runner, an ocean-going yacht that had been donated to Sanctuary. Typically the guests of Sanctuary used it for pleasure cruises. Occasionally it was brought out for rescue missions on the open seas.
The Wave Runner was quickly loaded with supplies and set sail within four hours of receiving the Tigress' message. Terra Fire, Archangel, Sapphire, and Nemesis joined Gladiator on the mission. The engines of the Wave Runner had been upgraded and modified, making it one the fastest vessels in the area. It had been running at full throttle for nearly a day and half.
But currently the vessel was drifting in the open ocean. The Wave Runner had reached the coordinates provided by Tigress only to find the area deserted. Archangel had been dispatched to perform aerial reconnaissance. Nemesis had been assigned the task of trying to locate this mysterious submarine. So far, neither Young Champion was having any luck.
"No sign of any yachts in the area," Archangel reported over his headset. "Nothing suspicious up here." In addition to his birdlike wings, Archangel also had the superior sight possessed by some species of birds. He could see many times further than the average person.
In spite of the seriousness of the situation and his desire to locate his missing teammate, Archangel's mind was instead concentrating on the girl he had met a few days back. She was a beautiful Japanese girl calling herself Black Raven and had natural wings like Archangel. The only difference was that hers were black in color, while Jean Paul's were white.
They two had flown together for a time before landing. They walked along the beaches and through the jungles of the outer islands around Sanctuary, simply talking and holding hands. Black Raven seemed a bit on the shy side, but was definitely a sweet girl. The young Archangel had lusted after many a heroine, but for the first time in his life Jean Paul was experiencing the first pangs of love. The time they had spent together was the most enjoyable hours he had ever spent.
So when the call came to go away on this rescue mission, Jean Paul was not happy. To have finally met a girl much like himself and then be pulled away was very painful. Still, the Tigress was his teammate. It was true that Archangel and Tigress frequently bickered, but there was mutual respect between them. Archangel simply could not refuse to go to her rescue.
With a heavy heart, Jean Paul wrote a letter to Black Raven, and left it where they had agreed to meet. He explained that he was going off on a mission and hoped to be back in a few days, maybe a week or so. He also stated how excited he was and how much he was looking forward to being with Black Raven again. It was going to seem like an eternity that they were going to be apart.
"Return to the Wave Runner," Gladiator informed the winged Young Champion over his headset. "We'll be getting underway shortly."
"As you command," Archangel responded as he banked to make his way back to the waiting ship. His reunion with Black Raven would just have to wait a while longer. Locating Tigress was paramount. No one knew just what kind of trouble she was currently in.
"Do you have any clue to the kind of trouble we're in?" The Tigress was seated on the edge of the top bunk of her cabin on the Jade Princess. Her bare feet dangled below her, while her arms were resting at her side. It had been two days since the blow up with Daigon. At least this prison cell had a porthole and a bed in it.
"It's almost over," Tempest responded as she set down the tray she was carrying. It held the Tigress' lunch. She had been listening to Tigress' complaints for the last several days now. "Howler promised me that nothing is going to happen to you unless you provoke it."
"Considering the source, I'd be surprised if her promises hold any real weight to them, especially where Miss Creepy is concerned. These are criminals, Jess. They'll betray you without batting an eyelash. They've already bitten the hand that feeds them, so what's another lie?" The Tigress hopped down from the bunk and went to inspect the contents of the tray.
"That's different. Malachite's goons used all of us for their sick experiments. They got what they deserved."
"Maybe," Tigress admitted as she experimentally sniffed her food.
"It's not poisoned or anything."
"You can never be too careful."
"Look, I'm sorry this turned out this way," Tempest stated. "I didn't ask you to come after me. We're due to arrive at our destination tomorrow afternoon. After I find these cave paintings Howler is looking for, this will all be just about over. I can get the rest of my money and we'll get you back where you belong."
"Why do I have the feeling it won't be that simple?"
"Because you're paranoid."
"No, because I'm being realistic," Tigress corrected. "They're only playing lip service to their promises because they need you to search these underwater caves for them. Once you do that, then Howler will no longer have any use for you... or me. When that time comes, then all bets are off."
Tempest looked away. There was no reasoning with Erica when she got like this. "If that's the way you feel then why have you gone along with all this so far?"
"What choice do I have? We're on a ship out in the middle of the ocean. There's nowhere for me to go. Taking on the four of them is a big challenge at best. And right now I can't depend on you to watch my back."
Jessica was stung by those words. A very hurt look came over her face. "I'm not a criminal!"
"When you lie down with dogs, you get fleas."
Tempest turned around and exited the cabin in a huff.
The Tigress didn't bother to watch Jessica leave. She just had to continue to bide her time. There was little to do except wait for the proper moment to act and hope that the cavalry would show up in time. What she hadn't told Tempest was that she had made contact with Sanctuary while they were on the Jade Prince. Tigress had located the radio room and overpowered the operator on duty. It was a simple matter to send a quick message to Sanctuary explaining the situation. Soon the waiting game would be over.
Standing on deck, right above the porthole of the Tigress' cabin was Howler. The sonic villainess smiled slightly to herself. As long as those two remained at odds, she was the one in control of the situation. Getting Tempest to find the ancient way to the lost tribes of Azkan was all that mattered.
Back in the wheelhouse of the Wave Runner the man known as Gladiator closed the communication circuit with Archangel. Sapphire was standing by waiting for something to do. At the moment all they could do was wait. Jason was also here monitoring Jennifer's progress.
Nemesis was currently underneath the water scouting for the submarine mentioned in Tigress' message. Since the young girl didn't need to breathe, she was the most qualified to handle this task. Young Jennifer had been positively giddy when Gladiator asked her to come along on such an important mission. At last she was being allowed to do important things with the others.
Jennifer promised to be on her best behavior, but she continued to have lapses. Her attention span was still extremely short, but those around her did notice a bit more mature attitude coming from the young girl. It was most likely due to the influence of having absorbed some of Nightingale's memories a while back. Jennifer was beginning to grow up.
Thankfully, Gladiator did not include Turbo on this mission. Dealing with the hyperactive teen in such a confined space like the Wave Runner was just asking for trouble. Far better to leave him behind than have to put up with him.
"Summon Jennifer back to the ship," Gladiator ordered Jason. "Once everyone is on board, we'll continue on our westward course. Perhaps we'll be fortunate enough to pick up the Tigress' trail."
"Gotcha." Jason turned his attention back to Jennifer. She was swimming somewhere below the Wave Runner playing with the pretty fishes. "Hey, Jen? Are you receiving me?"
"Standing by for this important message!" was the response Jason received over the headset.
Jason just shook his head. "Time to come on up. Sarge is going to be moving us out."
"AW!! I want to play some more!", the young girl pleaded.
"You'll get your chance later on. Right now, you've got to come on up before you get left behind. You do want to help Tigress and Jess, don't you?"
"Oh-kay..." was Jennifer's drawn out answer.
Jason shut down his one communication link and reported to Gladiator. "Jen's on her way."
Gladiator simply nodded his understanding and then turned back to survey the ocean before the Wave Runner. His students were out there somewhere. Gladiator would not rest until they were found.
The Young Champions were not the only ones seeking the Jade Princess. They had made contact with the other local islands and authorities requesting assistance in locating the wayward yacht. So far, the Jade Princess had eluded everyone. But not locating the ship was in itself a great help. The Wave Runner could concentrate on those areas outside any government's sphere of influence. That still left a gigantic area of ocean in which to search.
Jason let out a small sigh. Much like Archangel, he wasn't too pleased to have gone on this mission. His relationship with Firestar was just getting very interesting. They had shared their first kiss just last Saturday night. Since that time, Jason couldn't wait to she her again.
Unfortunately, this rescue mission put their reunion on hold. No, helping the Tigress and his sister was more important than being with his girlfriend. He was sure that Cassie would understand. Jason felt obligated to help as the Tigress had helped him out with that IMAGE recruiter Proteus.
And Jessica was his sister. He felt even more obligated to help her out since she was family. Jason, like the others here, was a bit confused about Jessica's role in all of this. It had been his understanding that she was leaving Sanctuary and traveling to Hawaii. So what was she doing with Tigress on the Jade Princess? Only Tempest and the Tigress knew for sure.
Jason would continue to assist in the search in spite of the problems he was having. The young man knew he was in trouble the moment he stepped onto the deck of the Wave Runner. On board the ship he was completely disconnected from the earth. His earthen sense did not function at all and his powers to manipulate earth were of little value out on the ocean. Perhaps for the first time since gaining his Terra Fire powers, Jason felt almost normal. To his surprise, it was not a feeling that he liked.
Once Archangel and Nemesis were back on board, the Wave Runner was underway once more. The large vessel sliced through the waves with ease and the miles blew past. The search for their missing friends and teammates continued.
"All stop," Raccoon reported. The mutant had been piloting the Jade Princess since they had removed the regular crewmembers. Finally, the ship had reached its destination. The island that Carlson claimed held the clues necessary to find the lost tribe of Azkan was in sight. "Dropping anchor."
"At last," Howler whispered in her incredibly seductive voice. Howler gazed longingly out the windows at the island that lay ahead. Surrounding her on the bridge was Panda, the wife of Raccoon, Daigon the armored mercenary, and Tempest. Howler's personal assistant, Akeem, never strayed too far from his mistress' side.
"'Bout bloody time," Panda complained. As one might have guessed, her costume of choice was a black and white body suit. She even had panda bear-like ears. Panda was just happy that this job was nearly completed. She and Robin could get their money and get on with their lives.
"How do you want to play it, boss?" The query came from the armored mercenary Daigon. Her armor was not form fitting at all. In fact, the only clue that revealed her gender was her voice. No one present had yet to see Daigon outside of her armor. Given her grim and creepy demeanor, no one had really wanted to see the woman inside the armor.
The Jade Princess lay off the shore of a series of small islands. Seen from above, the islands almost formed a circle around a central point of open water. Hundreds of years ago this had all been one island and the home of an active volcano. The volcano had erupted, blowing itself and the island apart. What little remained above the waves was all that remained of that former island. The islands were mostly volcanic rock and jungle and from what little the explorers could see no one lived here.
"The time has come for young Tempest to earn her keep," Howler announced as she turned to face the former Young Champion.
Tempest perked up at the sound of her name being called. She was in her usual teal and white costume with black trim. "What do I have to do?"
"According to what I was told, there are underwater caves that contain pictographs that will lead us to our ultimate destination. Your job is to simply explore and find these caves. Once they have been located, you are to lead me there. Here are pictures of what you are looking for." Howler produced several snap shots and handed them to Tempest. They were the same ones that Carlson has showed Howler when she agreed to undertake this mission. (Editor's Note: Way back in Young Champions #10)
"Piece of cake, boss," Tempest responded handing the photos back. "I'll be back before you know it." Tempest exited the bridge and first flew up into the air before diving into the sea.
"In the meantime," Howler informed the rest of her crew," we wait."
