The woman known as Howler couldn't help but be immensely pleased with herself. She stood several feet in front of an ancient obelisk that now glowed with power. Twin beams of some unknown type of energy were being emitted from the top of the obelisk. Their targets were the other two matching obelisks on the other two islands where matching energy beams were also being projected.
If viewed from above, the beams and the obelisks made a perfect triangle. But what was even more impressive was what was happening inside of this triangle. A previously concealed fourth island suddenly shimmered into existence before Howler's darting brown eyes. She grinned widely at the sight of the island appearing and was in awe of the large pyramid that dominated the middle of this new land mass.
Howler currently wore what had become her standard costume. It consisted of a dark blue one-piece swimsuit-like garment that was strapless. To this she added high matching boots and short length gloves. A white cape rounded out her attire. Her hair was brown in color and fell just below her shoulders.
Even Howler's glowing orange amulet seemed to be pulsating just a little bit faster with excitement. It was this very amulet that had changed Ruth Levy's life forever so many years ago. Ruth, then just a plain archaeologist in those days, had uncovered the ancient wreckage of a crashed alien spaceship.
While her other associates and guides stood back in fear, Ruth went to explore. Inside the small vessel, she found a skeleton. But it was not the skeleton of a human. Based on its bone structure, the creature had the basic humanoid shape, but was much thinner and taller. What really attracted Ruth's attention was hanging around the skeleton's neck: a pulsating orange amulet.
The strange amulet seemed to beat and glow with a life of its own. It had a magnetic affect on Ruth, as if it was drawing her to it. Hesitantly, Ruth reached out towards the amulet. She took the amulet from the skeleton and slipped it around her own neck. At that moment Ruth Levy was no more. Now she had become Howler and possessed vast sound-based powers. Even her voice had changed into what most considered to be a very sexy and sultry tone.
Ruth Levy was all but forgotten. While Howler made no attempt to conceal her identity, very few had ever discovered that Ruth and Howler were one and the same. But many of Ruth's interests continued to dominate Howler. Her love of archaeology being one of those. It was this same interest that had originally led Howler to this moment.
A man named Carlson, who claimed to have knowledge of a being known as Azkan, had contacted her. It was a name that Howler had come across before in her research. A meeting was arranged and the chain of events that had led to the Lost Realm being revealed set into motion.
But there was a down side to the powers that Howler now possessed. The Amulet had somehow become a part of her. It was now quite painful for her to be separated from it. It was like an addict trying to kick their addiction. Howler was now never found without her amulet. Even a few seconds apart brought on unbearable pain.
Sometimes, late at night while Howler tried to sleep, she couldn't help but wonder. She would absentmindedly rub her amulet, treating it like a favored possession. Sometimes she would even smile. However, a single thought kept running through her mind. Did she control the amulet or did the amulet actually control her?
Howler had done many things that Ruth never would have done. She had robbed to further her goals. Broken many laws to satisfy her own needs. Howler was now driven by needs and desires that she really couldn't understand or completely control. The acquisition of more alien technology like her amulet was now her main purpose in life. But the question still remained unanswered in her own mind. Why?
Ruth had never been particularly power hungry. Neither was Howler for that matter. So where did this desire come from? Howler suspected the source, but could never convince herself of the truth. Likewise, her almost paranoid fear of the amulet being taken from or that the aliens she stole it from would come to reclaim their artifact haunted her as well.
Somehow Howler seemed to know that this situation was going to change. With the Lost Realm laid out before her, Howler would be able to go in and acquire more sonic artifacts. Power and knowledge were now with in her grasp. Perhaps now her own personal demons would be satisfied and would haunt her no more.
Stepping forward, Howler rose into the air and flew towards the new island. She had brought an over the shoulder bag with her from the Jade Princess just in case she located some interesting artifacts. From the looks of it, the great pyramid was the perfect place to start her search.
"Whoa," Tempest silently mouthed as the fourth island shimmered into existence. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she never would have believed it. It was the kind of effect that you only saw in those Hollywood Summer Blockbusters.
Tempest was an attractive young woman with curly blond hair. Tinted goggles concealed her green eyes. She wore her teal colored costume that had black and white trim. Tempest wasn't a tall woman. She stood only 5'3", but had a muscular, athletic look to her.
Until a week ago, Tempest was a member of the Young Champions, a training program for those with superpowers. While she still wasn't proficient in the use of her VIPER-given powers, Jessica McTaggert couldn't tolerate being in such a structured environment. She had skipped out on her mom several years early and took to living on the streets, getting by well enough with her wits and wiles.
Those had been tough times for the young woman, but she had grown up fast and learned more than she ever would have in school. All things considered, it was a great time in her life. Now Jessica was free from all the petty rules and regulations that had plagued her home life.
But now she possessed the powers of Tempest. No longer would she simply have to get by on the streets. These days her powers were the ticket to even bigger paydays. Jessica's goal was to use her special abilities to legally become wealthy. Then she'd buy a house somewhere along a beach, kick back, and relax. Hawaii might be a good place to live. She definite looked forward to surfing the waves there. Or maybe Australia would be a good choice.
That's when Howler sidetracked Tempest's plans. The sonic villainess made Tempest an offer that she couldn't refuse. Even better it didn't involve any obvious criminal activity. So Tempest accepted Howler's proposal and pocketed fifteen grand up front, which happened to be fifteen grand more than she had to begin with.
Sure, the job had some unexpected occurrences. Such as when the fish-men had attacked, or when they were betrayed by their employers and experimented upon. Neither one of those had been much fun, but those situations had been dealt with and put behind Tempest.
What had been really troubling was that Tigress had somehow found out about Tempest working for Howler and had stowed away on the Jade Princess. On the one hand, Tempest couldn't help but feel good that Tigress had put herself at risk for her. It had been a long time since anyone had done something like that for her who didn't expect something in return.
On the other hand, Tempest was a bit annoyed by Tigress' presence. Yeah, Tigress thought that Tempest was in trouble and had come to help, but she had just made things worse in the end. At least Tigress had managed to escape and take the creepy Daigon down a few pegs in the process. Secretly, Tempest hoped that the closest thing she had to a friend on Sanctuary was all right. If something bad happened to Tigress because of this, Tempest wasn't sure how she would react. She wouldn't be happy at any rate.
But now all of that was behind her at least for the moment. All that remained was to finish off the agreement she had with Howler. The island had been found and when they were done with this mission there would be another big payday waiting for her. At least sixty thousand was waiting for her and Tempest couldn't wait to get her hands on that kind of cash.
Unfortunately, the walkie-talkie that Tempest had used to communicate with Howler had been destroyed in the scream that triggered the obelisk. Tempest was unsure just what Howler wanted her to do next. Instead of hanging around and just waiting, Tempest took to the air. She flew towards the island Howler had been on. Perhaps she'd encounter her employer along the way and then find out how to proceed next.
On another nearby island, the self-styled demoness Daigon watched the fourth island appear without any outward trace of emotion. "The stupid cow actually pulled it off," she muttered to herself. Absentmindedly, Daigon crushed the walkie-talkie she was holding and let its pieces fall to the ground. The moment Daigon had been waiting for had arrived.
Finally, there would be a reckoning for all that had happened to her during this tortuous mission. Too bad that Tigress had escaped. Daigon would dearly love to get another crack at the feline heroine and beat her to death. Instead, now it would be Howler, Tempest and anyone else foolish enough to get in the demoness' way that would suffer. Vengeance would be hers!
Daigon raised her right forearm up to where she could see it. She tapped a specific portion of her forearm with her left index finger and a concealed panel popped open. Inside the small opening were a speaker and a single button. Daigon stabbed the button and it began to glow green in response.
"You may now move in," Daigon said into the speaker. "Howler has opened the door to the Lost Realm."
"Very good," came a man's voice over the speaker in response. "You have done well, Daigon. I am sure the Master will be pleased with your efforts. We are moving into position now."
"I will rendezvous with you at the Jade Princess. Daigon out." With that, Daigon closed the concealed panel and looked out towards the newly appeared island.
As she stood and watched, the enhanced optics built into her helmet helped Daigon keep an eye with what was going on. Both Howler and Tempest had gone to explore the new island. All that had transpired probably excited them. The chance to explore this so-called Lost Realm was probably all that they were concerned with. The ignorant fools.
Truth be told, Daigon didn't give a damn about this Lost Realm one way or another. As long as it held what her employer wanted, then Daigon would get her reward and that was all that she cared about. Howler had been played for the fool all along and she'd probably die without ever knowing that. Somehow that twisted thought pleased Daigon.
Activating her boot jets and backpack combination, Daigon rose into the air. But instead of joining the others to explore the new island, Daigon turned and flew back towards the Jade Princess. The ocean going yacht was currently at anchor a bit further out to sea. Only the misfit mutants Raccoon and Panda were on board. Howler's assistant, Akeem, was ignored, as the old man was no threat to Daigon.
In short order, Daigon reached the Jade Princess and set down on its deck. A few moments later, Panda and Raccoon came out from inside the ship. Panda wore black and white and her obvious mutation was her namesake ears. Raccoon wore a brown and black costume and had a large bushy raccoon tail. Somehow the normal looking captain's hat looked oddly out of place on the mutant's head.
"Blimey!", Panda exclaimed her in British accent. "Did you ever see the likes? A whole island popin' in out of nowhere! It's like something you'd see on the telly."
"Where's everyone else?", Raccoon inquired of Daigon. "They coming back here or what?"
Daigon did not answer the query. Instead, she stared out to sea, away from the new island. Panda and Raccoon exchanged nervous glances behind the armored woman. Neither mutant trusted the armored mercenary. Just what was Daigon up to now?
"The time has come for you reveal where your true allegiances lie," Daigon told the mutants, but did not bother to face them. "My true employer has arrived."
Daigon pointed out to sea. Panda and Raccoon couldn't help but look out in that direction. Much to their surprise, a submarine was breaking the surface of the ocean. The vessel was easily recognized as the Jade Prince, the same submarine where Carlson and his men had been marooned almost a week ago.
Panda's jaw dropped in astonishment. Raccoon was equally stunned. "How is this possible?", the ring-tailed mutant demanded. "You sabotaged their engines! Their ship was crippled!" (Editor's Note: Back in Young Champions #18)
And yet here it was. Even as they watched, the Jade Prince surfaced and moved up alongside the Jade Princess. The hatches were opened and Carlson and a squad of armed men began to emerge.
"She lied to us!," Panda accused, focusing her attention back to Daigon. "She never damaged the submarine in the first place! She's been working for them from the start!"
Daigon allowed herself a sly smile underneath her armored helmet. Panda had indeed figured it out, but far too late. Daigon had been allied with Carlson long before Howler had even entered the picture. It had been no accident that Howler located the armored mercenary in her quest to find supers to go along with this mission. Daigon had arrived on Sanctuary around the same time as Howler and had gone out of her way to keep a high profile hoping to 'accidentally' bump into the sonic villainess. The rest of the plan had just fallen into place perfectly.
Carlson didn't trust Howler, nor any of those she might hire for this expedition. Thus it became necessary to have someone that Carlson trusted to become part of Howler's group in case of any betrayals or double-crosses. It was Howler's task to locate the Lost Realm. Once that had been accomplished, Daigon was to take over and wait for Carlson and his men to arrive. That time had now arrived.
Daigon spun back to face the still astonished mutants. The fools were so easy to deceive. "Carlson and his master Malachite have been in charge of this mission since the very beginning. Howler was just a tool to be used and then discarded when no longer needed. You are either on our side or you are against us and will be disposed of. Make your choice now."
Raccoon put his arms around Panda more by reflex than intent. It was part of his protective nature to do so. Panda herself seemed very tense. Her ears twitched nervously.
"Will we still receive the money that was promised to us," Raccoon inquired.
"Robin?", Panda quietly asked as she stared at her husband. He did not answer her nor look in her direction. Instead he continued to squarely look at the armored mercenary.
"Yes," Daigon simply answered.
"Then we're on the winning side," Raccoon declared. He had no great love for Daigon and her associates, but was not in any position to do anything about it. Besides, they could really use the money that had been promised to them. "What would you have us do?"
"You've chosen wisely. Prepare for us to be boarded. There's plenty of work ahead for all of us." Immensely pleased with herself, Daigon started to walk away. She hadn't gone more than a few steps before Panda called out after her.
"What's in this for you then?", Panda demanded. "What was your price to betray Howler and the rest of us? How much money did they promise to pay you?"
Daigon stopped in mid-stride and paused. She didn't bother to turn back to face Panda. "That is none of your damn business," Daigon growled and then continued to walk away. Daigon's price was high and her reward was one that she would do anything to obtain, no matter what the cost or who got hurt in the process.
Hundreds of miles away, the Tigress was not a happy camper. "Jeez, people!", Tigress complained. "Give me some room to breathe!"
The Tigress was seated in the galley of the Wave Runner. The feline Young Champion had just been rescued from the unnamed Marker Island and brought on board the ship by Nemesis. The first thing the heroine had done was to make her way to the galley for something to eat. Real food had been scarce on the Marker Island and her tummy had been complaining loudly.
Tigress wore her usual costume, but was a bit more disheveled in appearance than normal. Her long flowing brown hair was something of a mess. It hadn't been washed properly in many days and hadn't seen a brush recently either. There were a few tears in her costume from the Tigress' recent exploits as well.
Following and badgering Tigress was the rest of the Young Champions team. Leading the way was Gladiator. The mentor of the Young Champions was not wearing his gladiator-style body armor. Instead, he was simply dressed in shorts and a tank top. His muscular physique was chiseled in appearance, but the man himself was rather plain in appearance.
Once the Tigress had heated her meal and sat down, she found herself virtually surrounded by the others. They had been badgering her with questions about what was going on. Some of the questions Erica was not ready to answer because she wasn't sure of the answers herself.
"Let's give Tigress some space," Gladiator ordered. "Someone should be piloting the ship anyway. We need to continue the pursuit of the Jade Princess."
Towering over everyone was Sapphire. The alien woman stood a solid seven-foot in height and was ridiculously muscular. Even more shocking her skin was sky blue in color while her hair was a darker blue. The Azurite wore only minimal clothing. She wore a tight fitting orange halter top with silver trim that had its midriff exposed leaving her perfectly flat stomach visible. Matching bikini briefs and sandals finished off her attire.
Sapphire was the only Young Champion that really didn't need combat training. Instead, she was using the program to better fit in with life on Earth. Many earth customs confused her while many of Sapphire's habits were equally bizarre. In spite of it all, Sapphire was making progress. She was no great beauty, but rather appeared more exotic in appearance.
"I will attend to it," Sapphire simply stated and walked away.
The winged Young Champion, Archangel, was here as well in his gold and white costume. It was Jean Paul who had first spotted Tigress sunning herself on the rocks of the Marker Island. His superior eyesight and mobility made Archangel an ideal aerial scout. Right now, he was just happy that Tigress had been found. Meaning that this particular mission was just about over and he could get back to Sanctuary and Black Raven.
"I'll give Big Blue a hand", Archangel announced. "Good to see you again, Stripes."
"Thanks", Erica waved in response in between bites of her chicken. "You'd be surprised how good stuff tastes after you haven't eaten for a day and a half."
With Sapphire and Archangel gone, that just left Gladiator, Terra Fire, and Nemesis remaining in front of the hungry Tigress. It didn't seem so crowded with those two gone. Gladiator cast his gaze towards Jason next.
"I'm staying", Jason announced in response. "I want to find out about my sister."
What little Jason had learned from Tigress' radio reports had suggested that Jess had gone with Howler and her band on her own free will. Why would she do something like that? It just didn't make sense. Jason hoped that Tigress would have those answers.
Like most of the others, Jason was out of costume. He wore loose fitting blue jean shorts and a white t-shirt. The clothing couldn't fully conceal the statuesque figure that Jason now possessed. There was no flab to be found on his lean, muscular form.
That just left Nemesis. Jennifer was dressed in her full costume, essentially a pink bodysuit with blue accessories and a short white cape. It took several moments of the young girl to realize that Gladiator was staring at her. She smiled broadly at Gladiator and waved "Hiya!" to him.
The Tigress couldn't help but chuckle at that. Some things at least were normal. "Looks like nothing has changed while I've been gone."
"Uhm, say, tell you what, Jen", Jason spoke up. "Why don't you help the others up on the bridge?"
"Okie!", Jennifer happily answered as the young woman turned and flew off. Unexpectedly, she paused and looked back towards Jason and the others. "I see what you're trying to do. You can't trick me that easily."
"Trick you?", Jason said innocently. "Whatever do you mean?"
"You don't trust Archangel and Sapphire to run the boat the right way! You want me to watch over them."
"We can't fool you", Gladiator added. "Make sure they don't hit anything and sink the ship."
"Okie!" Jennifer flew out through the galley hatchway and off to join the others. "Raise the hatches! Batten the main sail! Admiral off deck!", could be heard a few moments later.
"Better?", Gladiator inquired of Tigress. The crowd had thinned out considerably now.
"It'll have to do." The Tigress continued to tear into her meal. Chicken bones were beginning to rapidly pile up. "Look, I'm tired and I'm irritable. I haven't bathed in days and I don't even want to think about my hair. I've been locked up in a submarine, went talon to claw with walking sushi, and then went a couple of rounds with an armored psycho. To put it simply, back off! I'm not in the mood."
"I can appreciate what you've gone through during your time on the Jade Princess. However, as your mentor it would be remiss of me to not point out areas that you can improve in. In any group endeavor precise and accurate intelligence is a must."
"Take it easy, Sarge", Tigress growled in response. "It's not like I lied to you or anything."
"Nor did I suggest that you did. However, you were clearly not as forthcoming as you could have been. Fortunately, it was not critical to this particular situation. But someday it might be. I wish for you to consider that. In the meantime, I will allow you to get your rest. We'll discuss the matter further later on including your inclination for acting in secret."
With a nod, Gladiator turned and walked out of the galley. His path seemed to follow that which the others had taken towards the bridge. As Tigress and Terra Fire watched their mentor depart, the Wave Runner got underway once more. The ocean going yacht started to move, slowly at first, but rapidly gaining in speed.
Several minutes of silence passed as Tigress steadily devoured her meal. Finally, she couldn't take Jason staring at her any more. "What do you want, Mole Boy?"
"I would like to know what's going on with my sister."
"She's on the ship we're following. When we catch up to it, you can ask her personally."
Frustration that had been building up in Jason for days now finally erupted. He bolted to his feet and cried out in anger, "Why can't you give me a straight answer? What is your problem?"
"Right now, its people asking me a lot of questions," Tigress shot back.
"Did you ever stop to think that we were worried about you and Jess? That we actually cared if you were both safe or not? All we want are some answers and you're getting all pissed off. Well, forgive me for caring if you're safe or not!" Having said his piece, Jason turned and stalked off. Perhaps some time in the onboard gym would burn off his frustrations.
"Jace", Tigress called out causing Terra Fire to stop. "I don't have all the answers you guys want. I thought Jess had been kidnapped or something. That's how I got into this whole mess in the first place. Jess claims that Howler hired her and that what they're doing isn't criminal. But I don't know if that is the truth or not. Still, Howler is a criminal along with all of her other associates, so what does that tell you?"
The thought that Jess was doing something criminal in nature had been nagging Jason for days now. It was just something that he really didn't want to believe. But now he could no longer ignore it. His own sister really was a criminal. "Thanks," Jason muttered and silently walked away.
"And for what it's worth, I've been quiet to protect Jess. Surely you can understand that."
Jason responded with a concerned look and a nod towards the feline heroine. He had much thinking to do and needed to be alone for a while.
Tigress watched Jason depart for a moment before returning to her meal. In a way, she knew what he was going through. The idea of Tempest doing something illegal didn't sit all that well with Erica either. But all those thoughts quickly vanished as Tigress continued to eat. In her estimate, a second helping was clearly going to be needed.
Tempest flew above the new island as her path towards Howler's last position had carried her over it. From above, the fourth island didn't look like anything special. In fact, it pretty much looked like the other three islands. A tangled mess of thick jungle trees and vines to form a gigantic green canopy. Only the giant pyramid in the middle stood out.
The tropical sounds were there as well. The calls of birds were numerous. However, it was the other sounds that Tempest became aware of. It was these sounds that caused her to pause in her flight and listen. There were noises and cries that she had never heard before in her life. The bellows of beasts, large and small, that she could not identify filled the air.
Coming to a halt, Tempest hovered over the island. In spite of all the noise coming from the jungle below, Tempest still couldn't actually see anything. Then an extremely loud roar caught Tempest off guard. Based on what she had heard, Tempest could only conclude that what had made that noise was both very large and very near. She could clearly hear the thuds made from the footfalls of some large beast.
Grunting sounds next reached Tempest's ears. It superficially reminded the teal-clad young woman of men exerting themselves in some very difficult physically demanding activity. The roars of something large and a multitude of grunts were now being heard by Tempest.
Her curiosity now piqued, Tempest changed herself into air and dove down into the thick jungle below. She just had to find out what was making all that racket. Maybe those Aztecs that Howler was going on about were still alive on the island. Wouldn't that be weird?
As she passed through the jungle canopy, everything unexpectedly changed before Tempest. The thick jungle choked with trees, vines, and other vegetation simply vanished. Tempest now found herself hanging over a grassy plain dotted with a few trees here and there. Bewildered by this unexplained occurrence, Tempest just hovered once more.
The noises, even louder now, shook Tempest out of her momentary stupor. The sounds drew her to her left and she immediately spotted movement. For the second time in almost as many seconds, Tempest's jaw nearly dropped in disbelief. Her mind almost couldn't comprehend what was transpiring before her eyes.
A great elephant-like beast was thundering across the plain. It stood at least fifteen-feet high by Tempest's reckoning. What was more astounding was the shaggy, thick hair that grew all about the beast. Add in the long curved tusks that easily reached over twelve feet in length and it was one of the most unusual things that Tempest had ever seen in her life.
"A mammoth!", Tempest realized. She had seen such things in books and boring documentaries she had to endure before dropping out of school. "A wholly mammoth!"
The mammoth continued to trot along at its top speed. Each time its massive foot hit ground there was a loud thud and the earth actually shook. As impressive and awe inspiring as the mammoth was, its pursuers were just as shocking.
At first glance, they appeared to be a band of five men in loincloths. However these were men the likes that Tempest had never seen outside of a book. They were short, muscular, and squat with broad shoulders and an oversized head. The brow of the head seemed unusually large. Thick black hair on their heads was long and unkempt. It matched the thick, bushy eyebrows. Tempest struggled to find a word to describe such men and finally settled upon Neanderthals.
As she watched, the Neanderthals chased after the mammoth, armed with only crude spears and axes. Chiseled stone arrowheads and blades served as the damaging parts of these primitive weapons. Grunting loudly, two of the Neanderthals threw spears and one struck the moving target. It was then that Tempest noticed several other spears sticking out of the sides of the wholly mammoth.
"This is just too damn weird for me," Tempest thought to herself.
Tempest rose back up into the air. A few moments later everything reverted back to just the way it had been. The canopy of the jungle now lay below her. The lightly forested plain was gone along with the strange hunters and their prey. However, the sounds of the hunt could still reach Tempest's ears.
Bewildered on what she had just seen, Tempest continued to fly along changing back to flesh as she did. What it real or had it been an illusion? Or could it have been a product of her imagination? That was quickly discarded, as a bunch of Neanderthals hunting a wholly mammoth was not something she would have thought of.
Looking around, Tempest finally spotted Howler. The dark blue of her costume and the pulsating amulet around her neck stood out in the clear tropical sky. Speeding up, Tempest flew towards the sonic villainess.
"Howler!", Tempest called out once she was close enough. All the while Howler had been hovering in place, observing the pyramid below her. "This is, like one creepy place here! You won't believe what I saw!"
"You saw something that should not logically exist?"
"Yeah! How--?" Tempest slowed down and joined Howler in hovering.
"I have seen such things myself," Howler casually explained. "My guess is that this is a giant game preserve of some type. Creatures that died out in the outside world are represented here. It does fit in with my theories about Azkan."
"Well, this Azkan guy could get rich by selling tickets to this place."
"Indeed," Howler agreed in her sexy voice. "I suspect that the greatest treasures are hidden within the pyramid itself. However, I am at a loss on how to gain entrance. There are no obvious entry ways."
"I bet I could find a way in my air form."
"Give it a try."
Tempest concentrated once more and in moments her body had become ethereal and wispy. The change complete, Tempest flew towards the pyramid. While there may not be an open doorway, all she needed was just a tiny crack to seep through to gain entrance.
As Tempest drew closer, she noted a flash of light from the top of the pyramid. Tempest slowed her progress and watched the pyramid tip. It flashed once again.
"What's up with that," the young woman wondered. Puzzled, Tempest hung in the air once more unsure just what to do.
"Look out!", Howler tried to warn her associate, but it was too late.
The light flashed once more and as it did, a bright beam of energy was shot out from the top of the pyramid and struck Tempest. When the light faded Tempest was nowhere to be seen.
Stunned by this development, Howler just hung in the air. What was that beam? What had it done to Tempest?
The light flashed once more and another beam was fired. In spite of seeing it coming, Howler was unable to avoid the energy discharge. The light exploded around her and everything went black to Howler. When the flash faded, Howler was now also gone. All that remained was the clear blue tropical sky.
