Elle Mental sat patiently on the edge of bed. “Jody?” she inquired soothingly. “Can you hear me?”
The beautiful blonde moaned as if having a bad dream but did not move. Elle gently brushed a few wayward strands of the unconscious girl’s blonde hair away from her face. “What did that beast do to you?” she asked in concern. “What did Major Justice do?”
The young woman moaned again, this time louder. “Finally!” Elle commented aloud as her friend began to stir. “I thought you might never wake up!”
“What?” Jody muttered while forcing her wide blue eyes to open a crack. “Where… where am I?”
“It is going to be ok,” Elle replied while stroking her friend’s hand. “Everything is going to be ok.” “What? Elle? Is it you? Where are we? What are we doing here?”
“Do you not remember?”
“I… I remember fighting with Major Justice. He… He…”
“It is ok, Jody. The MCT soldiers captured me, as well. They did things to me that I would rather not talk about. But we have to be strong. We have to be brave.”
“Are we in the Institute?” the blonde said while forcing her eyes to open wider. “Have they imprisoned us?”
“Yes, they have brought us the Institute for Genetic Studies. I had hoped that they would not be able to take you prisoner. I am sorry…”
“It is not your fault. I hate to think what they must have done to you to get you to tell them where we live. I know it must have been horrible!”
Elle blushed at the memory of her interrogation. “Yes, horrible. Still, I am sorry. I fear that by befriending me, you have put yourself in great peril. The MCT is well organized and funded. They are a fearsome enemy.”
The blonde beauty took her friend’s hands into her own. “I would have crossed swords with the MCT eventually. And I shall never regret our friendship. We have been in tough jams before. We will find a way out of here.”
Jody turned her head and eyed the small room suspiciously. The walls were painted white. The floor was tiled and clean. The bed on which she lay was constructed from a simple metal frame and covered with a thin mattress and a plain cotton sheet. A stainless steel toilet and small sink occupied the corner. Fluorescent lighting inlayed in the ceiling kept the room brightly lit. A sliding metal door stood open at the head of the room.
“So,” the heroine asked in disgust, “is this my cell? How long have I been here?” Elle shrugged and helped her friend to sit up. “They brought you in yesterday afternoon. I think they must have drugged you because you slept through the night. My room is next door. At least they allowed us to be near one another.”
“The MCT will pay for their transgressions!” Jody snarled while dropping her feet over the side of the bunk. When I get my hands on Major Justice I will wring his scrawny neck--”
The wobbly blonde nearly feinted while trying to stand. Elle caught her by the arm and gently lowered her back to the bed. “You should rest for now, Jody. We will deal with Major Justice later. But it is imperative that you regain your strength as quickly as possible. We do not have much time.” “What do you mean?” Jody groaned while holding her head in her hands.
“The Games are scheduled for tomorrow night. Apparently, our arrival at the Institute has caused quite a stir among the MCT and their supporters. Something to do with our celebrity status, I imagine.”
“The Games?” Jody inquired. “Yes, I remember Major Justice mentioning something about these Games during our battle. But I had no idea what he was talking about.”
Elle frowned. “The Games are Justice’s perverted way of raising money. Oh, he claims that the fights are a means to study the abilities of the mutants held here, but in reality the Games are nothing more than an exploitation of the prisoners. In addition to selling tickets for the events, he records the matches on film and sells the tapes to interested buyers.”
“Sounds like something akin to gladiatorial combat!” Jody exclaimed in shock.
Elle nodded. “He uses the revenue to supplement the funds given to him by the government and to pay for all the techno-gadgetry that the MCT uses. Of course, the buyers of his filth are not interested in good clean matches between mutants. They want to see the maximum amount of violence and sex possible.”
“Meaning no rules, I suppose?”
“Precisely. And worse than that, the losers are often seriously injured or even killed. Female combatants are frequently humiliated and raped. And then there is the white slavery--” “White slavery?”
“Yes. Some customers—those that are especially wealthy and perverse—may occasionally become so enamored with a combatant that they wish to make a purchase. Particularly attractive females are the most valued.”
“For use as sex-slaves?” Jody asked in shock.
“Hmm, yes… There is that, of course. But some buyers make purchases in order to add to their own gladiator farms. The training and use of mutants for illegal combat is a growing industry. It is an underground flesh market that has become quite lucrative for the MCT.”
“How truly evil!”
“Yes, especially when you consider that the MCT has the implicit approval of the government. Federal spending deficits aside, the idea that Major Justice is forcing innocent citizens to take part in gladiatorial combat to raise money is hideous!”
“And he charges a premium price, I’ll wager.”
“Of course. And guess what kind of price he will be able to get for a tape featuring you, the great Ms. Marvelous, in action?”
“I have no idea. Probably no more than--”
Elle almost smiled. “You are too modest, Jody. You know very well that every post-pubescent male in Megapolis fantasizes about you. Justice knows that a tape of you in action will be a best seller.” Jody’s eyes opened wide. “Especially if I get beat! Just imagine it—Bootleg tapes of Ms. Marvelous being raped available at every neighborhood movie rental outlet!”
“Precisely. That is why is so important that you regain your strength. The Major is likely to schedule you in a tough match, tomorrow tonight. If you are not prepared, your career as a crime fighter may soon be over.”
“And my career as a porn star just beginning!”
“That would seem to be an unfortunate possibility. Whether you have fully regained your strength or not, the competition in this place is tough. Many of the prisoners here have given up on the idea of escape and now take a perverse sense of accomplishment from victories in the Games. Major Justice even goes so far as to award championships to the most successful fighters!” “I will refuse to participate!”
“The punishment would be severe, Jody. You may stick to your principles but your opponents will likely not hesitate to beat the bejesus out of you. And if the Major thinks you are giving it less than your all, it is probable that he will find other uses for you. You already mentioned the sex-slave possibility--”
“That monster!”
“There is little that we can do about it, I am afraid. On the outside we may have been great super-heroines, but in here we are powerless. Major Justice holds all the cards.” Jody thought for a moment. “Never the less, I do not wish to be recorded on film, especially without my mask. There must be something that I can do to protect my secret identity!” “You will learn that there are few secrets inside the Institute, Jody. Everyone here knows that you are Ms. Marvelous. And in the hands of the MCT, even a powerful super-heroine is little more than a
shiny bauble to be used for their enjoyment. They may abuse you, drug you, torture you, even rape you if they wish. There is little that you can do to prevent it.”
“But what about you?” Jody asked while gazing into her companion’s beautiful brown eyes. “Elle Mental is not exactly chopped liver when it comes to male fantasies. Surely, you are in as much danger as I--”
“I can handle myself,” Elle interrupted, “and unlike you I will not hesitate to defend myself in the Games. You see, though I have not gained the same notoriety as you among the general populace of Megapolis, I am well known in the society of mutants. I have many friends, but also some enemies. There are some here that would like to see me humiliated.”
“And since you are one of the few mutants to ever escape this dire prison, I imagine that the guards would like very much to see you beaten, as well?”
“No doubt,” Elle agreed. “During my first stay at the Institute, I was too young to participate in the Games. Even Major Justice did not wish to see an underage girl beaten and raped. But all that changed when I turned eighteen. That is why it was so important that I escaped when I did.” “And now you are back.”
“Yes, I am back and there is nothing to protect me. I will fight just like everyone else.” “How did you escape, anyway? I do not suppose--”
“No, I already investigated that option. Unfortunately, the ventilation shafts and sewage tunnels through which I escaped have long since been blocked off. It may still be possible to find a way out of this place, but as of yet I do not know how.”
Jody looked down at her body. Her blue jeans and t-shirt were gone, having long since been ripped from her lithe body by Major Justice. Like Elle, she was now clothed in a tight-fitting silver jumpsuit. Her feet were covered with a pair of light-soled, ankle-high shoes. Long sleeves covered her shoulders and arms. Around her waist was a metal band. On the front surface of the band, over her stomach, were two round devices. Each device was about the size of a compact disk. Between the disks was a small buckle or fastener that secured the ends of the band together. A tiny hole in the middle of the buckle indicated that a key could be used to unfasten it.
“What’s this?” Jody asked while examining the odd belt.
“Be careful with that,” Elle cautioned. “Though your super-strength might be able to force the ends of the belt apart, you would not want to do so.”
“Why not?”
“The disk on the left is an explosive. If you force the belt apart it will detonate. It is powerful enough to destroy everything and everyone within a twenty-foot radius. It will also go off if you attempt to leave the compound.”
Jody grimaced at the thought of a high explosive being strapped so close to her body. “Yes, that would not be pretty. And what of the disk on the right? What does it do?”
“That is the controller disk. The guards call it that because they can use it to control even the most powerful mutant prisoner. On command, it releases a tremendous electrical shock. I can tell you from experience that it is extremely painful.”
“So that’s how they keep the prisoners in line, huh?” Jody asked dejectedly. “The controller disk makes us behave and the explosive disk prevents us from escaping?”
“Something like that,” Elle confirmed. “They only take the belts off during the Games and even then only when a prisoner is about to go into a fight. The explosives are volatile, after all, and they do not want to see one of their precious mutants accidentally explode. Anyway, once the match is over, the belts go right back on.”
“You said the explosive will detonate if a prisoner attempts to leave the compound? How does that work? What sets it off?”
Elle thought for a moment. “I have heard that the Institute is surrounded by some kind of magnetic fence that will react to a breech by sending out a detonation signal. I do not know precisely how it works. I can tell you, though, that the two guard towers at either end of the central compound are equipped with control panels that are used to activate and deactivate the fence.” “So, if someone could get to a tower--”
“Unfortunately, there are two towers. Even if you were to somehow get to one, the guard in the other could instantly reactivate the fence. And any case, the guards could trigger your controller disk and stop you cold in your tracks.”
“Not good,” she agreed. “But it might be worth investigating further. If only we could figure out how to--”
Jody suddenly became aware that she and her friend were no longer alone. A slender female figure had appeared at the door. The woman was dressed in a similar silver jumpsuit. Her facial features were young and flawless. Straight, long blonde hair flowed off of her head and down over her shoulders. Her blue eyes sparkled brilliantly. Her body was athletic and strong. Her long legs seemed to go on forever. Jody had to catch her breath. The girl was absolutely gorgeous.
“Hello, Jody,” the young woman said with obvious loathing in her voice. “I see that the rumors are true. The great Ms. Marvelous has indeed been captured. Tell me, how do like our little prison?” Jody stood and met the girl’s cold gaze with one of her own. “I have not yet taken the tour. Perhaps you would care to show me around?”
She walked to the door and for a long moment the two women stared at one another. Though her counterpart remained calm, it seemed that a great fire was burning within her beautiful eyes. “As you wish, old friend.”
Jody motioned to Elle that she should remain behind. “I will not be gone long. Keep the light on for me.”
“Be careful!” Elle whispered back with genuine concern. “Solar Flare cannot be trusted!”
The two women walked side by side toward the center of the compound. The room was large and sterile. The smooth tiled floor matched that of Jody’s cell. An iron stairway led up to a second level of cells. A third level could be seen beyond that. In all, the compound contained accommodations for up to fifty prisoners.
“This is but one of three compounds here at the Institute,” Solar Flare stated while pointing out various items of note. “The women are kept here while the men occupy a second structure. The main compound, in the center, is where the MCT administrative offices, barracks, and armory are located. It is also the place where the Games are held.”
“It’s big,” Jody commented.
“I suppose, though after a while it seems all to confining. Especially to those of us that can fly.” “Caged birds, huh?”
“Something like that. Anyway, personal possessions are not allowed. Our clothing is limited to these damnable silver cat suits. The men wear red ones but they are pretty much the same. You will be issued a fresh uniform each day. The showers and utilities are over there. They provide us with an adequate selection of hygiene and cosmetic items—They want us to look pretty for the cameras, I suppose.”
“In order to fetch the best price?” Jody surmised.
“Yes, I see that you have heard about the Games.”
“A little. I would like to know more, though.”
“There is not much to know. Matches are taped and tapes are sold. People, too, sometimes. I hear that some offers have been made for me, but the Major is asking a high price.” “You have been successful in the Games?”
“I am unbeaten-- Well, almost. I battled to a draw with a man named Montezuma. I would have beaten him but he unwittingly aroused the Sartak within me and weakened me enough to escape his impending defeat. The bastard! I hope to get a rematch with him soon.”
“So you take part in these barbaric matches willingly?”
Flare chuckled. “It is an enjoyable diversion from what is an otherwise tedious existence. I fight. I win. I am occasionally rewarded with special privileges because of my success. Believe me when I say that after a few weeks of eating the protein paste the MCT calls food, a good porterhouse steak can serve as a powerful motivator.”
“But still--”
“The alternative is to be beaten up and even raped. We must all make choices.” The two women continued on, walking slowly and not speaking as they each introspectively reviewed the choices they had made in life. Jody looked up toward the high ceiling and silently wondered if she could break through the large panes of glass that allowed sunlight to beam down into the open central area of the compound.
Solar Flare eyes raised and she followed Jody’s upward gaze. “The windows are fabricated from some type of Plexiglas. You might be able to break through but you would still have to clear the magnetic fence. The resulting explosion would likely be too great for even your impressive invulnerability.”
Jody looked down at the belt strapped around her waist. “If only there was a way to remove these devices!”
“A key is needed to unfasten the buckle. If you force it apart--”
“It will detonate. Yes, I know.”
The women continued to walk. Though Flare remained outwardly emotionless, Jody sensed the level of hostility that the girl felt towards her. It was not surprising, of course—Solar Flare’s first assignment as a member of the Agent-X Program had been to capture Ms. Marvelous. She had pursued her objective like an overconfident teenager taking on her first job in the real world. Arrogant and conceited, supremely confident in her abilities as a warrior—She had charged into the assignment with little thought or planning. In the end, she failed miserably. It was not surprising that she blamed and resented Jody.
But Solar Flare hid her emotions well. “I was surprised to hear that Major Justice was able to capture you,” she stated in feigned amusement. “It seems that he was able to accomplish what I was not.”
Jody remembered well her first encounter with the beautiful super agent. Though she had avoided capture, the battle had been difficult. She had nearly been defeated and returned as a prisoner to the Agent-X Program.
“He caught me off-guard. As with you and your Montezuma, I hope to even the score with the Major at the first opportunity. The next time, things will be different.”
Flare chuckled. “Caught off-guard, you say? That does not sound much like you. Perhaps you are losing your touch, Agent 005?”
Jody’s cheeks burned. “Perhaps, Agent 009. But I will get out of here. I do not intend to stay here for long. Not like--”
“Like me?” Solar Flare responded angrily. “Do you think I would not escape if I could? Or do you simply think that you are so much better than I?”
Jody noticed that she was being closely watched by several of the other prisoners. Nearly all of them had the light blue skin tone common to mutants. As the newest member of their captured troop, and a fair-skinned one at that, she had little doubt but that she was something of a curiosity to them.
“I was about to say ‘like some of these others’. But I do admit to having some interest in why you are still a prisoner here, after all these months. Surely, as a government agent, you could appeal to the authorities and gain a release. Even Major Justice would not countermand a direct order from--”
“The Major does know that I am a government agent,” Flare hissed back, “and I have no intention of revealing my true identity. Unlike you, I have some respect for the sensitivity of the Agent-X Program.”
The insult cut Jody to the core. She greatly regretted having revealed the origin of her powers to Major Justice. That Flare had heard about it meant that he was not averse to spreading the secret around.
“It just kind of slipped out,” she replied sheepishly.
“It just slipped out? It just slipped out that you are a genetically bio-engineered super agent working for the Agent-X Program?”
“All I did was mention Panther’s name,” Jody shot back defensively. “Not the smartest thing I ever did, I admit, but Major Justice filled in the blanks on his own. I would take it back, if I could. Oh, and in case you hadn’t heard, I don’t work for the Program anymore!”
“Yes, well, whatever you did it is all over the compound, now. One of the guards let it slip and now all the prisoners are in on it. Most of them are not happy, I can tell you. There is a great mistrust of the government among these people.”
The two women paused beside a metal table in the center of the room. For the first time, Jody noticed that the other prisoners were not looking at her in curiosity, as she had first assumed, but in hatred.
“I do not work for the government!” she exclaimed loud enough to be overheard. “Perhaps not, but the mutants will be reluctant to trust you. They associate the government with the MCT. And they hate the MCT.”
“As do I.”
“In any case,” Flare whispered, “you can see why I do not want them to know about my involvement with the Agent-X Program. Not the prisoners, not the MCT, and certainly not Major Justice. They must never know who and what I am. I would appreciate it if you did not go blabbing it around.”
“I did not blab it!” Jody sighed in exasperation. “It just slipped out! So shoot me, already!” “I would if I could!” Flare hissed back.
Jody pointed her finger at the girl. “You had your chance! That you are in this vile place is your doing, not mine!”
Flare growled angrily. “I would have beaten you and accomplished my mission had it not been for that treacherous fool, the Smasher! Given the chance, I would smash him!”
Jody chuckled at the memory of Howard Bilken whacking Flare across the back of the head with a golf club and then throwing her out of a fifth story window to the street below.
“The man is in a sanatorium, now, Flare. He is as much a prisoner as you or I.”
Solar Flare mumbled something unintelligible and sat down at the table. She was growing tired of the prying eyes of the other prisoners, even if they were focused more on Jody than herself—An evil glance of her own turned several heads.
“I see that you do not have many friends, Flare,” Jody commented with a smirk.
“Hmph! Most of them are not worth my time. Filthy mutants! It is a great injustice that I am forced to remain here among them.”
“Is there really no way to escape, then?”
Solar Flare leaned back against the edge of the table and allowed the sunlight to warm her body. Her eyes narrowed deviously as she examined the full length of Jody’s athletic body. Her gaze lingered on the beautiful girl’s full round breasts, clearly revealed beneath the tight-fitting fabric of her bodysuit.
“I believe there may be a way. During the Games they remove our belts. For that brief period of time, that time when we are fighting, it may be possible for two opponents working in conjunction to make a break for it. They would have to be able to fly, of course.”
Jody shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other as Flare continued to unabashedly stare at her breasts. She remembered well from their first encounter that the woman was a lesbian. And from the hungry look in her eyes and the way she was licking her lips, it seemed a sure bet that she was coming under the influence of her pheromone power.
“The guard towers?” Jody asked while trying to keep the conversation focused.
Flare’s gaze shifted back to Jody’s face. Her eyes opened wide in surprise. “You catch on quickly, Ms. Marvelous. I was not aware that you had even seen the central compound, yet.” “I haven’t. But Elle described it to me. She said the guard towers contain control panels that can deactivate the belts.”
“Yes, that is correct. The towers are not accessible from the ground, but if two combatants, each of them able to fly, could reach the towers and bash their way inside, they might be able to deactivate the belts of all the prisoners. A riot would ensue and--”
“And in the resulting confusion the two combatants could make good on their escape. Yes, we clearly think alike.”
“It must be the training,” Flare agreed with a bitter laugh.
“Shall we try it then?”
Solar Flare was amused by the suggestion. “Why should I help you? Are we suddenly friends? The pen-pals of old? What makes you think that I would even consider--”
“Because we are sisters.” Jody replied calmly.
“What?” Solar Flare exclaimed mockingly. “Sisters, you say? Are you mad? Or have I been mistaken all these years in thinking that I was an only child?”
Jody sat down next to her counterpart. “Well, not real sisters, of course, but sisters of a kind. I mean, we both endured the same experiences back at the Agent-X Program. We both endured the pain of the Caantonium treatments. We both watched helplessly as our bodies-- our normal human bodies— were transformed into the forms of super-women. We both went through the same, difficult training.
We both bore the brunt of the same bias and chauvinism exuded by our male counterparts. We both experience the Sartak. As the only female agents on the team, we are both considered second-rate. We have been told that we cannot cut it. We are not good enough. We both have to work twice as hard to prove ourselves and even then it is not good enough. I mean, just look at us—We even look the same. We are akin to siblings. The Caantonium Serum has transformed us into sisters.”
“You and I are nothing alike,” Flare hissed in reply. “I serve my country proudly. I follow my orders and do not abandon my teammates. I--”
“There is much more to life than the Agent-X Program, Flare. I would have thought that you had figured this out by now. And though I applaud your loyalty, the fact that you are left to rot in this prison suggests that it is not returned in kind.”
“What do you know about such things? You are a traitor! You do not have the slightest idea what it means to serve--”
“I serve in my own way. I fight for justice and goodness. I fight against evil and corruption. I am a champion of the people. And more than that, I do it my own way and on my own terms. I am not a slave to those that created me.”
Solar Flare rubbed her eyes as if very tired. The lustful expression that had consumed her beautiful features only moments before had now faded away. “Even if I wanted to escape,” she said with a sigh, “I could not. Panther has instructed me to remain here, inside the Institute.” Jody was surprised. “How did he communicate this message?”
“It does not matter. All that matters is that he wants an operative inside the MCT operation. Someone to spy on Major Justice. Not that I am doing any good. I mean, what does he expect me to do? What can I do?”
“As I said, there is more to life than the Program, Flare. Believe me, I know. Panther and the Council created us but they do not own us.”
Solar Flare’s shoulders drooped. “You are wrong, Jody. They do own us. We cannot escape our masters. They own us just as Major Justice owns these filthy mutants. I cannot help you. I cannot help them. I cannot disobey my orders.”
Major Justice held the microphone close to his mouth. His voice boomed through indoor arena like thunder. “Let the Games begin!”
Jody looked up at the man in disgust. His balcony was positioned high in the air so as to provide him with the best possible view of the circular pit below. He shared the balcony with several wealthy looking guests—No doubt they had forked up large sums of money to attend this event, Jody thought. Perhaps they were even looking to purchase some prisoners and fill out their own stables of mutant fighters. It did not matter, she decided. Simply by being here, taking part in Major Justice’s warped affair, they were exposing themselves as sick, perverted men.
At the back of the balcony stood several bodyguards. The Major’s personal shock troops were big and tough looking. Each wore the blue body armor that she had come to associate with the MCT. Each wore numerous weapons attached to a belt strapped around his waist. Each wore a helmet with a tinted visor that hid his face from view.
Nearby balconies were occupied by video operators and their equipment. The Games were not a low-budget production, Jody quickly realized. She had been to professional football games with fewer cameras. In addition to the equipment in the balconies, several remote controlled cameras zipped back and forth through the air.
“MCT spy drones,” Elle commented while pointing at the flying orbs. “They are held aloft by some type of anti-gravity mechanism. It seems that the Major has found ways to use them beyond simple reconnaissance in the streets.”
Jody nodded in agreement. By using the spy drones as video cameras, the action in the pit-- whether it be mayhem, carnage, rape, or even death-- could be filmed from every conceivable angle. A number of dish antenna receivers circled the pit and transmitted signals to and from the drones. By following the lines of fiber optic cables from the receivers with her eyes, she could see that the video feeds were then transmitted to a large production trailer sitting near the back of the arena. From the number of people buzzing around the trailer, she could tell that no expense was being spared in the effort to create a professional, sporting event quality, broadcast.
Bleachers surrounded the pit and provided seating for three hundred spectators. Most of the fans were employees of the MCT, though certain sections had been set aside for specially invited guests. The crowd seemed raucous and excited. They obviously expected a good show.
And lording over it all was Major Justice. He stood in his high balcony like a king, speaking into the microphone and narrating the event. He was the master of a world of his own creation. No one dared to dispute him. No one dared to tell him that his mad sporting event was an abomination to the human spirit.
“Who does he think he is?” the beautiful blonde grumbled aloud. “Julius Caesar?” “It is unlikely that the emperor of Rome himself had such a large ego,” Elle replied. “We can only hope that, like Caesar, Major Justice comes to a violent end.”
Two days had passed since Jody’s capture. It had been a day since the conversation with Solar Flare. And though her stay in the Institute For Genetic Studies had been brief, she had long since come to the conclusion that she did not wish to remain.
She and Elle had been led as part of a larger group into the central compound. They were lined up on one side of the pit. Their male counterparts stood on the other side. Watchful guards lined the perimeter of the arena and kept a close eye on the prisoners.
“We seem to have drawn a crowd,” Jody commented while looking toward the bleachers. “Larger than usual, I think. Probably all here to see Ms. Marvelous.”
The blonde chuckled dryly. “And you, I think. I have learned that the name ‘Elle Mental’ carries a lot of weight in this place.”
“Perhaps,” the leggy brunette agreed. “That I was once able to escape the Institute and for so long thwart the MCT’s efforts to recapture me has given me something of a celebrity status. Completely unwanted, I assure you.”
“Neither of us wants to be here. The question is, how do we get out?”
Jody gazed up at the guard tower standing nearby. A second tower stood on the opposite side of the pit. Each was thirty feet tall. Each consisted of a small bunker like cabin set atop a single cement pillar. Entry to the towers was controlled by the lowering and raising of a small lift. “So, you believe there to be control panels in the towers?”
“I think so, yes.” Elle patted the belt strapped to her waist. “The control panels can be used to deactivate the controller belts. Though it may be difficult to get to them with so many guards around.” “That would seem to be a problem,” Jody sighed while looking at the ring of MCT soldiers surrounding the arena. “You say that the guards can activate the controller disks?” Elle nodded. “It is very painful. It is doubtful that you could--”
The sound of Major Justice’s amplified voice interrupted their conversation. “Our first match shall feature the magnificent fighter Galago against the womens’ champion, Solar Flare!” Jody watched in silent revulsion as an enormous mutant stepped forward from the line of male prisoners on the other side of the pit. His hair was wild and bushy. A matted beard covered most of his face. His extra large red bodysuit seemed almost unable to contain the mass of muscles bulging from his shoulders and arms. His chest was as broad as a door. His legs were like tree trunks. His plodding strides seemed almost to shake the ground. A cloud of dust was kicked up as he stepped over the edge of the pit and dropped heavily to the dirt floor eight feet below.
“Galago is tough,” Elle whispered. “They say he bench presses automobiles for his daily workout.”
Jody did not reply. Instead, she watched as Solar Flare stepped forward and used her flying power to gracefully glide over the ledge and into the center of the pit. The crowd of onlookers, who had previously been hooting loudly at the sight of the impressive Galago, now looked on in silent awe as the beautiful woman in the pit flexed and stretched the muscles of her lithe figure. Her blonde hair fell loosely about her femininely muscled shoulders. Her silver jumpsuit fit her like a tight glove and revealed the contours of long legs and strong arms. Tight abdominal muscles flexed as she loosened up. Firm breasts stretched at the fabric of her costume as she quickly rotated her torso from side to side. In all, Solar Flare’s youthful athletic beauty could not have contrasted more sharply with the brutish size and power of her massive opponent.
Major Justice took his seat and motioned that the match should begin. Two guards entered the pit and approached the combatants. They used small keys to unlatch and remove the controller belts. Backing away but remaining in the pit, the guards unholstered their stun pistols and pointed them at the two prisoners.
“Fight!” they commanded.
With the match about to begin, the awed silence of the audience was replaced with the sound of excited voices as spectators frantically made last second wagers with one another on the outcome of the fight. Many in the bleachers shouted encouragement to one fighter or the other, hoping that their favorite would emerge victorious.
“Solar Flare can handle herself,” Jody commented to her dark-haired friend. “I would not bet against her.”
In the pit, Galago slowly began to circle his beautiful opponent. The man monster stood over a foot and a half taller than the five foot eight inch super-fem. His massive biceps were larger than her slender, twenty-three inch waist. His neck was as thick as her thighs.
“Romp on you, I will!” he threatened while looking down on his smaller foe.
Flare seemed unconcerned. “Give me your best shot, freak.”
The plodding Galago did not need to be encouraged. Without hesitation, the man-beast charged forward and attacked. His massive arm sliced through the air and impacted with his beautiful opponent’s chest like a sledgehammer. Her one hundred and twenty-five pound body spun head over heels and slammed down on the dirt floor of the pit like a bail of hay dropped from a truck. She laid there, face down and unmoving, her body limp beneath the cloud of dust that had risen in her place.
As if in unison, the audience winced and groaned. Of all of those present, only one thought that the match would continue.
“She allowed herself to be struck!” Jody exclaimed loudly enough for Elle to hear over the din of the crowd. “I believe she could have avoided Galago’s attack, had she wanted!” The big mutant stood over the fallen fem and raised his arms in victory. He planted a size twenty boot in the middle of her back and drove her chest first into the dirt. He reveled in the cheers from the audience.
“Victory for Galago!” he cried.
“But why would she do such a thing?” Elle asked.
“I do not know. But she is young and inexperienced as a fighter. Perhaps she wished to test herself against him. Perhaps she wished to test the limits of her invulnerability.” As if in confirmation of Jody’s suspicions, life suddenly returned to Solar Flare’s body. She placed the palms of her hands against the ground and pushed upwards. With a supreme effort, the slender blonde warrior rolled out from under Galago’s massive foot. She lifted herself onto her knees. She raised her head and looked up at her enormous opponent. A thin smile formed on her lips. A fire glowed in her eyes.
“Is that all you have got?” she asked her surprised foe.
A look of bewilderment appeared beneath Galago’s beard. He took a step back as the beautiful and apparently uninjured blonde got to her feet and brushed the dust from her silver costume. He took another as she raised her hands and struck a fighting pose.
“What’s the matter, Galago?” she asked sinisterly. “A big boy like you is not afraid of a little girl like me, are you?”
The look of bewilderment was replaced with one of determination. “Afraid of you, I’m not! Smash you, I will!”
He charged the much smaller girl like an angry rhino. A mast-like arm extended as he once again attempted to clothesline his foe. “Rip your head off, I will! Rip you in half—“
Solar Flare grabbed her opponent’s arm in her hands. She pivoted on her feet and slammed a hip into his midsection. Using Galago’s own momentum against him, she pulled him off the ground and over her shoulder. She dumped him in the center of the pit like a sack of grain. A quick downward chop into his neck added an exclamation point to her counterattack.
“Just another filthy mutant with a lot of strength but no balls,” Flare said with a sigh. “How I yearn for a real challenge!”
She turned her back on the fallen man-beast and walked toward the far wall of the pit. She glanced upward into the line of male prisoners and made eye contact with an especially handsome looking mutant at their lead.
“Solar Flare seems to be preoccupied with that prisoner,” Jody stated in surprise. “Hmm, yes, that is Montezuma, the men’s champion,” Elle replied. “He has never been beaten in the Games. If Flare wants a challenge, then he is the one to give it to her. But for now, she should be more concerned with Galago. All that Judo throw did was make him mad, I think.” Jody returned her attention to the man-monster in the pit. She watched as he slowly lifted his massive weight off the ground and regained his feet. He roared in anger. He lifted his right hand and clenched the red fabric of his bodysuit between his fingers. With a furious tug, he ripped the material away and cast it to the ground.
Solar Flare turned and looked at her foe with amusement. He stood in the center of the pit, a seven foot three inch barbarian, his hairy, blue-skinned chest bare and his mouth frothing. She raised her hands in front of her to indicate that she was more than ready to resume the battle. Her feet were spread to a shoulder’s width. Her fighting stance was perfectly balanced. She was prepared to move in any direction. Her breathing was slow and controlled. She was ready for both thrust and parry, attack and defense. Her training was superb. She was a master martial artist.
“Bring it on,” she said under her breath.
An angry Galago charged again. He was well aware that a loss in the Games would mean a reduction in his status among the other mutants. He had been a prisoner at the Institute for a long time. He had long since given up on the idea of escape. This was his life, now. He was a fighter. He was a gladiator. He would not lose to a woman. He would not suffer the indignity of—
Flare’s fist bounced off his jaw with crushing force. A second blow hammered across his right ear. The woman moved like lightning! A kick smashed into his ribs. A knife-hand chop tore into the base of his throat. She was a hellcat! A knee-lift slammed against his forehead. Stars clouded his eyes as yet another blow clipped him in the side of his head.
A bloody Galago staggered backward. He shook his enormous head like an animal that has been tormented to the brink of insanity. His fists clenched into tight balls. His face contorted into a scrunched up ball of rage.
“He is powering up!” Elle exclaimed from the side of the pit.
Indeed, it seemed that Galago’s already huge muscles were growing larger. His chest bulged. The veins on his arms protruded. His blue skin darkened. The time had come to show the fiery super-fem the true nature of his mutant power, Galago decided. Now, she would see his true strength, a strength unmatched in all the known world. He would crush her like a nut between his vise-like hands. He would drive her like a spike into the cold earth of the arena floor. He would stand over her broken body and spit on her lifeless carcass!
“Roooaaaaarrrr!” Galago screamed as his muscles doubled in size. “Romp on you, I do now!” Solar Flare barely dodged in time as her enraged opponent charged and whistled a double handed sledgehammer strike down at her. The errant blow slammed into the floor like a boulder that had been loosed from a catapult. The powerful impact seemed to shake the arena. Dust raised off the hard packed ground.
“Jeez!” Flare exclaimed.
His hands still locked together, Galago swung in a blind rage at the surprised super-fem. The potent swipe clipped the girl on the shoulder and sent her lithe figure sprawling across the pit. She landed hard, her arms and legs flailing. She rose to her hands and knees and groaned. Her head was spinning. Stars clouded her vision. The roar of the audience swamped her senses. For a moment, she did not know where she was.
Galago was on top of the dazed beauty as quickly as his huge mass would allow. A meaty hand clamped down across the back of her neck. He lifted her high into the air and displayed her dangling body as a trophy to audience.
“Destroy this one, Galago will!” he roared loud enough to be heard over the cheers of the audience. “Destroy!”
The beautiful super-fem struggled to free herself from the grip of her savage foe. Her hands tugged vainly at the massive fingers wrapped around her throat. Her legs thrashed in the air. She could not breath. The circulation of blood to her brain was cut off. Her face was turning blue. At any moment, it seemed that her head might pop off.
An overhead remote camera zipped into position in front of the young woman. Its lens zoomed in on her struggling form. It captured the action as her frantic motions began to subside. It recorded her hands, first her left and then her right, falling away from the fingers of her powerful attacker. It filmed her arms as they slipped downward and hung loosely at her sides. It filmed her legs as they stopped thrashing and dangled lifelessly beneath her.
The beautiful girl’s slender body went limp. Galago continued to hold her off the ground, the fingers of his huge right hand wrapped completely around her slim neck and easily supporting the entirety of her one hundred and twenty-five pound mass. The camera zoomed in closer, treating future viewers of the film to an examination of her full breasts and tight abdominal muscles. It trailed down across her narrow waist and over her rounded hips. Her tight-fitting body suit left little to the imagination. The camera scanned her once powerful thighs and continued to pan downward over her knees and calves. It recorded for posterity the fact that her feet, dangling limply, were two feet off the ground. Through it all, the defeated beauty did not move. She was done.
“She’s finished!” cheered one spectator from above the pit.
“Screw her, Galago!” cried another. “Rape her in the center of the pit!”
Standing beside the combat pit, Jody shook her head in anger and revulsion. It was clear that the audience wanted but one thing. Although she was sure that many of them had wagered on Flare, now that the battle was over they wanted only to see her lifeless body raped by the man-monster. “These people disgust me!”
“Their attitudes concerning the treatment of mutants is truly repulsive,” Elle agreed. “But it is what they came here to see. And unfortunately, it is a fate that awaits all of us that lose in the pit. Major Justice knows what sells the tapes.”
“Sex and violence?”
“There has always been a demand for such forms of entertainment, I suppose. The vileness of humans knows no bounds.”
The amplified voice of Major Justice broke through the cheering din of the crowd. “It looks like this match is over! The magnificent Galago has defeated Solar Flare! The only question now is what he will do with her? What do you say, Galago? Will you listen to the audience?”
“Rip her clothes off!”
“Fuck her!”
The man-monster continued to hold his prize above the ground. He lifted her up higher and examined her tight, perfectly formed ass. He slid his huge left hand across her hip and down over her butt-cheek. His massive fingers gave her a quick pinch and a light slap. The thick tip of his index finger slid into her crack and poked at her asshole through the sheer fabric of her jumpsuit. “Fuck her!”
“Oh god!” Elle exclaimed. “A monster like that will probably kill her!”
“If she is not already dead,” Jody agreed.
But Solar Flare was not dead. To the surprise of everyone in the arena, her lithe body suddenly convulsed and her blue eyes opened.
“No!” she croaked loudly. “I am not defeated!”
A brilliant burst of light exploded from the girl’s limp body. Spectators howled in pain and covered their eyes as the intense light nearly knocked them out of their seats. All at once, Galago found that he was holding onto a piece of the sun. He closed his eyes but the light seemed to burn through the lids. It felt as if someone was driving a stake into his brain. The pain was more than he, or anyone, could possibly bear.
“Aaarrrggghhhh!” the big mutant cried while releasing the glowing super woman. From above the pit, Jody shielded her eyes with her hands until the light finally faded. When she was again able to look into the pit, she saw Solar Flare standing over Galago and laughing insanely. “Now you understand why they call me Solar Flare!” the woman warrior said tauntingly to her stunned foe.
Spectators and guards alike groaned in pain and frantically tried to rub life back into their smarting eyes. The match between Galago and Flare was simply too good to be missed. They had to see it!
“Timeout!” one spectator shouted.
“Pause the action!” cried another.
Major Justice seemed to agree. His own eyes were watering uncontrollably. He shouted into the microphone and demanded that the female combatant wait before resuming the battle. “Take a break, Flare! I hereby declare a two-minute timeout so that the audience can change their underwear.”
The fiery super-fem seemed more than willing to comply. “Of course, Major. As always, I willingly submit to your every command. In fact, I prefer that we take a break. I want everyone to see my victory over this brute!”
“Can he do that?” a surprised Jody asked her friend. “Can Major Justice make up the rules as the match progresses?”
“The Major can do as he pleases,” Elle replied. “And, remember, there are no rules in the Games.”
The two minutes passed slowly. A reenergized Solar Flare stood on one side of the pit, her arms folded and a confident look on her face. Galago, who had returned to his feet, stood on the opposite side. His eyes, like those of most of the spectators, had recovered from their temporary blindness and he now seemed eager to resume the fight. He had been close to victory, after all, and was sure that he would yet be able to force himself on his gorgeous female opponent.
“Ready, Galago is!” he shouted toward the Major’s balcony seat. “Ready to romp!” Satisfied that all was back in order and that his own eyes were once again able to focus, Major Justice signaled that the battle should continue. Galago wasted little time. He charged his beautiful foe intent on squashing her like a bug. But the female was as quick as she was dazzling—Time after time she dodged under his clumsy attacks. Time after time she slid away from his furious assaults. “Your transformation has made you powerful but it has also made you slow!” she ridiculed him. “Did you really think that you could defeat me with strength alone?”
After a torrent of missed punches, Galago finally stepped back and paused his rampage. His barrel-like chest heaved as his lungs worked desperately to take in enough air to supply the oxygen deprived muscles of his arms. Sweat poured off his blue skin. The berserker fury that had fueled his attack was quickly being replaced by exhaustion.
“Stand still, you must!”
The confident beauty smiled deviously. “But you are not the only one with strength, brute! Behold the awesome power of Solar Flare!”
Once more, a hush came over the spectators lining the pit. Aching eyes opened wide in amazement as the beautiful super-fem focused her incredible meta-genetic abilities. Her long blonde hair radiated outward from her head unnaturally. A visible yellow aura surrounded her clenched fists. Raw energy crackled through the air around her slender body. A horrific golden glow emanated from her eyes.
Terrified spectators looked on in awed silence as Solar Flare completed her dreadful attack. Dazzling beams of light projected outward from her glowing eyes. The beams merged together in front of her face, forming an unbearably bright star. All at once the star seemed to explode, going supernova and discharging a lightning bolt of energy that leapt across the pit and instantly enveloped her stunned foe.
Galago screamed in agony as the beam released the full force of its searing microwave energy into his body. For a terrifyingly long moment, his body was lit up from within. Those spectators that had not shielded their eyes from the nearly blinding attack were treated to a brief glimpse of the big mutant’s skeletal structure as his bones glowed from beneath his skin. And when the light finally dissipated, and when the super-fem’s eyes no longer glowed and the aura of energy around her hands had disappeared, the audience looked into the pit to see the man-beast known as Galago lying on the ground unconscious and defeated.
“Holy Christ!” Elle exclaimed in disbelief at what she had just seen.
Jody said nothing. She watched thoughtfully as Solar Flare allowed the guard to approach and return the controller belt to her narrow waist. She watched as the victorious super-woman used her flying power to glide effortlessly up and over the edge of the pit and as she returned to her place among the other prisoners. They locked eyes for a second, she and her onetime pen-pal, and in that brief moment an almost telepathic message was communicated between them.
Solar Flare’s fiery eyes seemed to say it all. Yes, she had purposely used far more power than had been necessary to defeat her clumsy opponent. Yes, she had done it to make a point. And yes, her eyes seemed to confirm, she wanted a challenge. She wanted to fight someone that could truly test her skills and abilities. Montezuma, the men’s champion, might do. But what she really wanted was to fight Ms. Marvelous.
But such a fight would have to wait. Jody knew that she and Solar Flare, like all the prisoners, were not permitted the luxury of personal grudges. In this place, in the Institute for Genetic Studies, she and the others were subject to the whims of Major Justice and Major Justice alone. They would fight whenever and whomever he commanded them to fight. And as his amplified voice once again boomed through the arena, the beautiful super-heroine discovered that it was not yet her turn to enter the pit.
“The next bout shall feature the lovely Elle Mental,” the voice declared. “The mutant shall enter the pit without delay!”