Jason McTaggert struggled to raise the weight. He was covered in sweat, his arms shaking under the strain. A grimace of determination was locked on his face. Jason was lying on a weight bench, wearing only a pair of exercise shorts and a back support belt. Slowly the barbell began to rise.
It was Wednesday afternoon and the Wave Runner had been underway for three full days now. Currently they were aimlessly searching for the Jade Princess, the yacht that Tigress and Tempest were on. The Wave Runner had reached the last known coordinates for the Jade Princess a day ago. Now all they could do was wait to see if someone else spotted the Jade Princess or if Tigress could make radio contact again.
Despite being on a mission, Gladiator always tried to make time for his students' training. Given the cramped conditions on the Wave Runner, his options in training exercises were limited to physical conditioning. Leaving Archangel and Sapphire to run the ship, Gladiator had taken Jason and Jennifer down below to the makeshift exercise chamber.
"Come on, Jason, you can do it!", Nemesis urged as she watched the young man struggle with the weight. Jennifer had discarded her traditional costume and was wearing an armless and legless pink exercise leotard. "You show that weight who is boss!"
Ever since she had absorbed some of Nightingale's psyche, Jennifer had become a bit more mature. It wasn't a radical change, but it was a sign that Jennifer was growing up. Perhaps her intellect was finally catching up to her age?
Spotting Jason was Gladiator himself. Like the others he had discarded his costume in favor of a pair of shorts. He had a muscular, chiseled body, with average looks. "One more repetition and you will have completed this exercise."
Jason let out a loud groan and finally shoved the weight all the way up. It stayed there for a second before Gladiator reached out and removed Jason's burden. The master of the Young Champions easily handled the barbell and gently replaced it in its holder.
"Yay!", Jennifer giddily clapped. "I knew you could do it!"
"Thanks, Jen," Jason replied as he sat up. "I never imagined that I could lift that much weight!"
"Indeed," Gladiator agreed. "It appears I have been lax in the physical aspects of your training. Your strength level is borderline superhuman."
The weight Jason had been struggling with was five hundred pounds. "I remember throwing my back out just trying to lift eighty pounds. Man, that was a long time ago."
As he toweled off, Jason glanced into one of the full-length mirrors that had been set up. Before his transformation by VIPER, Jason had been heavy set and weak. Most any physical exertion left him winded and panting for air. Because of his appearance he had been the target of bullies in the past. Only by becoming very good with mechanics had he been able to earn their respect.
That had all changed now. Jason had a brand new body, one that he still wasn't completely used to. His physique was statuesque now. There was not a trace of fat to be found. He was now lean and muscular and quite handsome. Jason looked good and that made him feel even better.
"I always used to joke that I had a beautiful body," Jason muttered, "but that it was inside this one. Looks like that beautiful body finally got out. I like it."
Over at the weight bench, Gladiator finished changing the weights for Jennifer. "Your turn, Jennifer. According to your testing, you should be able to safely handle this weight."
"Okie!", Jennifer happily responded as she slipped on the support belt. The young girl lay back on the weight bench and looked up at Gladiator. "What do I do?"
"Simply pick up this barbell and lift it up and down ten times," Gladiator instructed.
"Okie!" Jennifer reached up and took hold of the weight. In spite of her slim build, the young girl easily handled the three hundred pounds. The first few repetitions were easy. But Jen began to tire and the last few were a struggle.
Suddenly, Archangel's voice called out over the intercom system. "Hey, guys, you might want to get up here. Our wayward feline has just made contact again!"
Less than a minute later, Gladiator entered the bridge of the Wave Runner. Jason followed closely behind, with Jennifer flying in afterwards. Archangel was seated at the radio, Sapphire standing beside him.
"Tigress has relayed her current coordinates," Sapphire explained as they approached.
"I copy that," Archangel said into his microphone. "The others are here right now." Adjusting the controls, Jean Paul put Tigress onto the loudspeakers.
"Hey, Sarge," Tigress's voice called out over the loudspeakers. "Long time, no see."
"What's the situation, Tigress?"
"A bit hairy at the moment, I'm afraid. The Jade Princess has reached its first destination. I'm not sure how long it will be here. I managed to slip away to contact you guys."
"What's your plan?", Gladiator inquired.
"I'm still playing it a bit by ear right now," Tigress answered. "If worse comes to worst I'll try to make it to one of the nearby islands and wait for you guys there. Just come and pick me up."
"Acknowledged. Don't take any unnecessary risks, young lady."
"It's a little too late for that kind of advice, Sarge. My curiosity has always gotten the best of me."
"One can always hope for improvement," Gladiator wryly responded.
Jason stepped closer to the radio. "Tigress?"
"Hey, mole boy!"
"Hiya!", Nemesis cheerfully added. "I miss you!"
"Looks like they brought the whole crew out after me. I'm touched."
"You said before that Jessica is there with you," Jason continued. "Is that true?"
After a short pause, Tigress responded, "Well, yes and no."
"What's that supposed to mean? Is she there or not?" Jason asked next. "What's going on?"
"Sorry guys, I've got to run. Someone is coming. Later!"
Before anyone could respond, the communication circuit went dead. "She's switched off," Archangel reported. "But I got her location."
Gladiator accepted the paper and stepped over to an ocean chart sprawled out on a nearby table. He quickly located the coordinates on the chart and calculated the distances. "We're about a day and a half away from the Tigress' current position," Gladiator mused.
Stepping behind the controls of the Wave Runner, Gladiator swung the ship around to a new heading. Their new course would take the Wave Runner to Tigress' present location. Running at full throttle once more, the Wave Runner continued on its journey.
"At least she's all right," Jason offered after a long period of silence. "She is, isn't she?"
"Tigress didn't really say a whole lot about what was going on," Archangel added. "She could be in deep trouble and not even admit it."
"Do not fear, my friend. Tigress is a fine, skilled warrior," Sapphire stated. "It is her enemies who should tremble in fear."
"Tigress is skilled, but lacking in experience," Gladiator commented. "There is far more happening than she is letting on. The question is what? Until we make contact with her again, all we can do is guess."
"I just wonder what Jess had to do with all of this," Jason lamented. Those present could only wonder as well. There were only a few possibilities that presented themselves and none of them seemed very pleasant prospects.
"Hey? You guys still out there?"
The sudden message from Tigress coming over the radio startled Jason. Almost an hour had passed since the last message. Jason had since taken over the radio position from Archangel. Sapphire and Gladiator were also on the bridge.
Jason quickly worked the controls to respond. He put Tigress on the loudspeakers once more. "I read you, Tigress. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, mole boy. Thanks for your concern."
Gladiator moved beside Jason. "What exactly is the situation on your end? What you've told us so far has been most vague."
"First things first, guys," Tigress answered. "Write this down."
Jason retrieved a nearby pad and pencil and jotted down the numbers Tigress told him. "Got it. What is it?"
"It's the frequency of a homing beacon that the bad guys behind all this planted on the Jade Princess. My guess is that's how the sub was able to keep up with them. You guys should be able to use it to track them as well."
"You are still on the Jade Princess?" The query came from Gladiator.
"For the moment. I doubt I'll be able to stick around much longer. Kind of ticked off the troops here, if you know what I mean. I made myself a short reprieve but not sure how long until Howler gets back."
"What exactly is going on there? What are Howler and her associates up to? How many villains are working for her?"
"Daigon, Panda, and Raccoon are here too," Tigress reported. "They claim to be on some sort of archeological mission. Sounds like baloney to me."
"What does Jess have to do with any of this?" Jason popped his question before Gladiator could respond to Tigress' answer. "Did they kidnap her?"
"I thought she had been kidnapped too. That's how I ended up in this mess to start with."
"Where's Jess now?", Jason continued.
"Swimming."
Both Jason and Gladiator exchanged puzzled looks. "Swimming?", Jason finally repeated. "What do you mean swimming?"
"I mean swimming. You know, in the water?"
"Swimming for what reason?", Gladiator inquired next.
"She's looking for underwater caves and pictures."
"This doesn't make any sense," Jason muttered to himself. "Why is she doing that?"
"Who?" came Tigress' reply. "Howler?"
"Jessica!", Jason shouted back in frustration.
"Sorry, Jessica's not here. This is the Tigress," Tigress simply answered. "Can I take a message for her?"
"Why are you blatantly being evasive, Tigress?" Gladiator demanded.
"How long until you guys get here?"
"How about answering the question, young lady," Gladiator countered.
"Look guys, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got guests coming. Seeya soon. Tootles."
"Tigress!", Jason shouted into the radio. Silence was his only response. "She's signed off again." Greatly confused, Jason looked at Gladiator for help. "What's going on over there? Why is Tigress acting like that? Why wouldn't she answer our questions?"
"What Tigress didn't tell us speaks volumes," Gladiator concluded as he started to walk away. "The situation is not what it seems to be."
Jason sat at the radio, thinking for a minute. What did Gladiator mean by that? "Well, if Jess wasn't kidnapped, then why is she there? Unless she went with Howler willingly."
Gladiator did not respond to the query. Instead, he was putting the homing beacon frequency into the Wave Runner's tracking systems. Upon completion, a blip registered on the monitor. "Tigress was correct. It was a homing beacon that she located. We'll have our answers soon enough."
Tempest watched as the Marker Island slowly faded from sight. The Jade Princess was underway once more, setting a course towards the coordinates Howler had uncovered in the underwater caves. Her underwater abilities had made Tempest ideal for searching out these submerged pictographs.
In Jessica's mind it was easy money. She had already pocketed fifteen thousand just for signing on for this job. Another sixty awaited her upon completion. With that kind of money, she would be sitting pretty once she made it back to the States.
While she had been away showing Howler what she had found in the underwater caves, fighting between Tigress and the rest of Howler's team had taken place. The exact details were sketchy at best. Most likely Daigon was causing trouble. It seemed like she was out to get the Tigress from the start.
Jessica had mixed emotions about the whole affair. She considered Tigress to be a friend, but at the same time her holier than thou attitude could be grating. Jessica hadn't broken any laws throughout this whole adventure and yet Tigress was treating her like a criminal! This was strictly about making money. Okay, it was about making a lot of money.
The fact that the rest of the group had criminal records didn't bother Tempest. It wasn't like they were the most violent of criminals. Well, except for Daigon in that aspect. Panda seemed like a pleasant sort, while Raccoon was a bit annoying. Howler seemed almost obsessed with this quest but wasn't hard to get along with otherwise.
The presence of Tigress had made an already unusual situation more difficult. But now she was gone, having fled to the Marker Island itself. Jess was concerned at first, until Raccoon had mentioned that the radio had been used. Hopefully that meant that someone would be coming to pick Tigress up soon.
Now that Tigress was gone, perhaps the rest of this mission would run smoothly. Jess just had to keep her eyes open when it came to Daigon. From the way it sounded, the armored mercenary had planned on killing Tigress! Jess didn't trust her one little bit, especially after being threatened by her. From the sound of it, no one else on board trusted her either.
Finally, the Marker Island faded from sight over the horizon. "Bye, Erica," Jessica said in a whisper. "I hope things turn out okay for you."
Moving away from the railing, Jessica wandered onto the ship's bridge. Raccoon was at the wheel with Panda seated close by. Raccoon had taken to wearing a captain's hat while piloting the yacht. Howler and her assistant Akeem were busy pouring over the photos she had taken of the pictographs from the underwater tunnel. Jess moved closer to take a look.
"Much of this is easily translatable," Howler told her assistant in her incredibly seductive voice. "It tells a glamorized version of how they arrived on the Marker Island and how they were close to their final destination. Allowing for our faster mode of transportation, I'd estimate that we should reach this location on Friday morning."
"Just what is our destination?", Raccoon called out. "What are we going to find there?"
"According to the pictographs, we are searching for a group of three islands. They form an almost perfect triangle if you were to place the islands at the points. Supposedly, the key to unlocking the way to Azkan's realm lies on these islands."
"A triangle shaped collection of islands," Raccoon repeated. "Got it."
"I quote," Howler continued to translate, "'Three voices in unison shall reveal the way'. Then there are a series of symbols that I am having trouble translating."
"Three islands, three voices," Tempest muttered. "Sounds like there are three keys as well. One per island."
"That does sound reasonable," Howler agreed. "It's just a matter of figuring out what exactly these keys are and what these symbols mean."
It was a task that Howler and Akeem would work on until late into the night and one that they would not resolve by the evening's end.
"Well, this is exciting," Tigress muttered to herself. The feline Young Champion was laying back on a large rock, relaxing. The sun was beginning to set in the western sky. Night wasn't too far off.
Tigress had already explored the island, finding it uninhabited by people or dangerous beasts. The main inhabitants were birds, insects, and lizards. The lizards were small, the largest being approximately the size of a small dog. They spent most of their time warming themselves on the rocks.
"I knew I should have packed myself a lunch," Tigress lamented. She had stopped in the galley while waiting for Howler and Tempest to return earlier in the day. In spite of that, Erica was beginning to feel the first pangs of hunger. "Those guys better get here pretty quick."
Erica glanced at one of the nearby lizards. If worse came to worst, she could always eat one of them. She wrinkled her nose at that thought. "Only as a last resort," Tigress declared. "Maybe I could try to catch a fish or something. At any rate, it's going to be a very long night."
It was midmorning by the time Tempest got up. At least she could now sleep as much as she liked instead of being up at the crack of dawn at Gladiator's direction. Tempest hopped out of her bunk, stretched a bit, and then freshened up. She slipped on her costume before departing the cabin.
Jess hit the galley first. Before Carlson and his men were kicked off the Jade Princess they had their meals prepared for them. Now everyone was on their own when it came to eating. Jess grabbed some fruit and juice from the refrigerator and made her way up into the lounge.
Howler and Akeem were still working hard on translating the pictographs. Raccoon and Panda were most likely on the bridge, piloting the Jade Princess. Daigon was nowhere to be seen. Ever since Raccoon had freed the demonic mercenary, she hadn't said a word to anyone. Daigon really didn't have to. Her demeanor expressed more than words could say. To put it lightly, she was not happy.
"Hey," Tempest greeted as she approached.
"Morning," Howler responded as she looked up. The sonic villainess was in full costume as well. Her amulet pulsated with orange sonic energy. Tempest was used to its appearance by now.
"Any luck?"
"None thus far," Howler admitted as she glanced up from the photos. "I've got less than a day to finish this translation and am no closer than when I started."
Tempest plopped down on one of the couches and started to munch on her makeshift breakfast. She was content to remain quiet and let Howler work.
"Let's take a break," Howler eventually suggested to Akeem. He nodded in response and wandered off. Howler stretched a bit and took a seat in a chair across from Tempest. The villainess appeared lost in deep thought.
"Complicated stuff, huh?"
"It shouldn't be," Howler responded in frustration. "I've made extensive studies of this particular culture and their languages. I'm something of an expert on the subject. Carlson knew this or he wouldn't have approached me to undertake this expedition."
"Maybe it's not actual words then," Tempest remarked offhandedly.
Howler remained deep in thought for a few more seconds. Suddenly she glanced over at Tempest. "What did you say?"
"Well, it seems to me if you can't make out what those symbols are saying then maybe they're not really words. If that makes any sense?"
Howler considered and as she did so, she unconsciously rubbed her pulsating amulet. The amulet was an alien artifact from the same race that she considered Azkan to be a member. The wondrous device was the source of her incredible sonic powers.
"Three voices in unison shall lead the way," Howler mumbled. "I've been taking that as to mean speech!"
Filled with new energy, Howler rose from her seat and went back over to the photos. A confused Tempest followed her a few moments later.
"Curse me for a fool!", Howler cried out as she looked over the photos. "They're not words, they're notes! Musical notes! The key to unlock the lost realm of Azkan is sound based! Of course!"
Looking up at Tempest, Howler added, "Thank you. You've provided me with the key to unlock this mystery. I'll make sure that you receive a sizable bonus for this. Akeem! I need your assistance!"
"Thanks," Tempest replied. Seeing that Howler was deeply engrossed in her task once more, the young woman wandered off. A bonus was going to be very nice. Very nice indeed.
The Tigress was making the best of her exile on the Marker Island. It was now her second morning on the island. She lay back on the rocks, tanning herself. Sunbathing had always been one of her favorite hobbies back in San Diego. Of course, those beaches were always crowded and hunky guys were a dime a dozen. All Erica had to keep herself company now was a few lizards. They were not exactly the most dynamic of conversationalists.
While she might have given the appearance of being relaxed, the Tigress' sharp senses were at work. She had come to realize that she was no longer alone. The odor of the intruder was familiar, as was the sound of his approach. Opening her eyes, the Tigress found Archangel hovering before her.
"Lookie what I found," Archangel called out with a goofy grin on his face. "Our wayward pussycat."
"So help me, 'Wings," Tigress shot back, "I'm actually happy to see you."
"How about a kiss as a reward?"
"Don't push your luck."
"My friends, we have arrived," Howler announced. Howler and her companions were all on the bridge of the Jade Princess. Looming before them were three small islands, each at least twenty miles apart from each other. The islands were much like the others in this part of the world: a mixture of rock and jungle and wildlife. None of the islands gave the appearance of being inhabited.
"I don't see any lost realm around here," Raccoon noted as he shut down the engines of the Jade Princess. "Just a bunch of nothing."
"Of course not. 'Three voices in unison shall lead the way.' The pictographs back on the Marker Island gave us the key. Now we must search these islands for the lock in which to place the key that opens up the lost realm."
"Sounds simple enough," Panda replied with a smirk but didn't really believe it. Much of what had been going on during this mission was beyond her and Raccoon.
Howler passed out walkie-talkies to Tempest and Daigon. "Since each of us can fly, we shall conduct the search. Tempest, you get the furthest island. Daigon, you have the one on the left. I'll take the one on the right. Contact me if you find something."
"What exactly are we looking for?", Tempest wondered as she accepted the communication device and hooked it onto her waist.
"Something out of place?", Howler suggested. "Exactly what, I am not certain."
"That narrows it down," Tempest muttered sarcastically as she stepped out on deck. With but a thought, the young woman shot into the air and streaked off towards her chosen island. Howler followed a moment later, with Daigon bringing up the rear.
Tempest reached her island in short order in spite of the distance. From high in the air nothing really stood out on the island. Below was a canopy of interlocking treetops and vines. Tropical birds were in abundance and at times it was all Tempest could do to avoid colliding with them.
"No easy way to go about this," Tempest reasoned. Whatever she was looking for could have been overgrown by the jungle a long time ago. She was going to have to go down in there and explore.
But first, Tempest hung in mid-air and concentrated. Slowly, her body became transparent and wispy. Her ability to change herself into air or water was becoming easier and easier to accomplish as time passed. Using most of her powers were becoming almost second nature.
By turning herself into air, Tempest didn't have to worry about colliding with birds or trees as she explored the island. She would simply flow right around them. Making her way through the thick jungle was going to be a snap now. Tempest dove into the jungle below and began her exploration.
"Tigress!", Nemesis shouted as she flew in and hugged her teammate. I've missed you so much!" As usual, Nemesis was wearing her pink bodysuit with baby blue accessories.
The Wave Runner had closed in on the island Tigress was on, following the directions provided by Archangel. The winged Young Champion didn't have the strength to carry Tigress back to the Wave Runner by himself. Jennifer had been dispatched to handle this task.
"Yeah, I missed you too, fruit loop. Gee, you guys act like I've been gone for months."
"Gladiator sent me to carry you back to the ship", Jennifer cheerfully announced.
"A string bean like you carry me?" Tigress scoffed at the notion of Nemesis even being able to lift her, let alone carry her all the way to the waiting Wave Runner.
Jennifer didn't respond; she acted instead. She scooped a startled Tigress up into her arms and flew into the sky. Much to Tigress' surprise, Nemesis wasn't having any trouble at all with her burden.
"Well, I guess you are strong enough, Jen," Tigress noted. "Just a friendly word of advice. Don't ever pick me up like this again without my permission. Or else." Jennifer just giggled in response to the Tigress' statement.
A few moments later, they landed on the Wave Runner and Jennifer set her burden down. Sapphire, Gladiator, and Terra Fire were standing close by casting a disapproving glare at Tigress. It made the feline Young Champion a little uncomfortable.
"What?", Tigress wondered aloud, throwing her hands up. "What did I do?"
"Howler, come in please," Tempest said into her walkie-talkie.
Tempest found 'something out of place' about forty minutes into her search of the island. It was on the edge of a small clearing high up on the island. From this vantage point, Jessica could clearly see the other two islands.
"You found something?", came Howler's reply.
"I think so. I found it higher up on the island all covered in vines."
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure. It's like a four-sided pillar that comes to a point. It's got more of that funky writing carved into it," Tempest reported.
"I believe the correct term is 'obelisk'," Howler relayed. "Most likely there is an obelisk on each island. Daigon, search those areas where you can clearly see the other two islands."
"Understood," Daigon acknowledged over the walkie-talkie.
"What do you want me to do?", Tempest inquired.
"Stay right where you are."
Thirty minutes later, matching obelisks on the other two islands had been uncovered. Howler had been going over the engravings on her particular obelisk. She had left her walkie-talkie open so that everyone could hear.
"These markings are consistent with the ones from the underwater caves," Howler explained. "They simply repeat the instructions to gain access to Azkan's realm.
"So what do we have to do?", Tempest wondered. "Hum a tune to these obelisks?"
"That won't be necessary," Howler corrected. "Tempest, Daigon, direct your walkie-talkies towards your respective obelisks. Thanks to modern technology, I can be all three voices in unison at the same time."
"You're the boss," Tempest replied. She turned her walkie-talkie around and pointed it directly at the obelisk and waited.
A few moments later, high-pitched sounds came forth from the device, as Howler screamed the musical notes discovered in the pictographs. The pitch and sounds changed several times before Howler reached the end with a grand shriek. Tempest's walkie-talkie blew apart in her hand from the effort.
"Geez!" Tempest involuntarily took a step back because of the mini-explosion. "Talk about bringing down the house!"
Directing her attention back to the mysterious obelisk, Tempest watched and waited for something to happen. Several moments passed and nothing.
"Looks like she got it wrong," Tempest muttered. "This is turning out to be a real bust."
Suddenly, the runes on the obelisk began to glow and continued to grow brighter. Two light beams streaked out from the top of the obelisk and away from the island.
"Then again..."
Tempest spun and saw the light beams were heading towards the other two islands. At roughly the halfway point between the islands, matching beams from the other obelisks collided. If viewed from above, the beams formed a triangle with the three islands at the points.
"That's pretty cool," Tempest whispered in awe. "But where's this lost realm place?"
As if in response to the query, the area within the triangle started to blur and become hazy. Slowly the empty ocean was replaced by something else entirely. Before Tempest's startled eyes, a previously concealed fourth island began to appear between the three outer islands! This new island was miles across and there was a great pyramid that dominated the center of the island.
Miles away on her own island, Howler stood with an immensely pleased grin on her face. The lost realm finally lay open to her. The chance to claim more artifacts from her alien benefactors was at hand! Power and knowledge would soon be hers!
Meanwhile, on the third island, Daigon watched as the Lost Realm of Azkan came into view without any trace of emotion. "The stupid cow actually pulled it off," the demoness muttered to herself. Absentmindedly she crushed the walkie-talkie in her hand and let the pieces fall to the ground. The moment that Daigon had waited for had finally arrived.
Epilogue:
Those guests in the lobby at the hotel on Sanctuary Island couldn't help but notice as a young woman in a skintight black and gray bodysuit posted a notice on the bulletin board. The woman had simply streaked in from the sky and strolled into the hotel. She headed directly to the bulletin board and left her message for all to see.
"I just flew in from New York and boy are my arms tired!", the young woman laughed with a slight Spanish accent. She walked off and headed towards Tahiti's for some well-deserved lunch before embarking on her return flight.
Behind her, a small crowd gathered to read the notice she had posted. It read:
The Wild Cards are looking to add more members to their rapidly growing staff.
The Wild Cards specialize in protection, recovery, and all legal endeavors.
Those interested should apply at the Fortson Building in New York City.
...To Be Continued!
