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Beyond Smallville: Gold Wing

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  • #46
    Isle of Tears cont'd

    Gold Wing: Path to Eden

    Tim and Laura walked cautiously along the tree lined ridge. “Laurie, let me see that group of pictures of Olivia again.” Laura smirked playfully. “Why? Have you suddenly got the hots for her?” She reached into the backpack and pulled out the yellowed and faded news article. Tim ignored her gibe.

    He examined Olivia’s high school photo, and a somewhat more recent one that the family had taken on their disastrous vacation. Olivia was very plain looking, with a larger than average nose, and a plump, cherubic face. Her body type seemed short and stocky, he observed, though in all fairness, the photos were not very well taken. Laura wondered what was bouncing around in that large brain of his.

    “I think that you two would be perfect for each other.” Laura teased. “Hmm!” Tim huffed. “She’s no Gold Wing, that’s for sure.” He countered. “Aww! Thanks, Tim-ster.” She smiled brightly and glanced at the late afternoon sunlight, quickly adjusting her overpriced sunglasses.

    “I’m merely memorizing her picture, on the off chance that she survived.” Tim played down his interest. Laura rolled her eyes, allowing Tim to enjoy his super-heroic fantasy. They reached a foggy glen that seemed oddly out of place in this subtropical zone. Laura was admittedly no weather expert, but this didn’t sit well with her. For the moment, she kept Tim out of her speculations.

    They would have to go forward, right through the boggy ground, or risk missing their docking appointment with Nashika. “Tim! Let’s be careful around here.” She warned. “The ground is soggy, and can lend itself to something akin to quicksand, or deep mud bogs.”

    Immediately, Tim folded up and put away his newspaper article. He followed Laura closely, stepping exactly where she stepped. “These trees seem out of place.” She voiced her observation. “Technically, they resemble Cycads, one of the most ancient of all trees.” Tim proclaimed.

    They stopped dead in their tracks. A large, golden and jade colored statue of a female torso, crossed with a colorful Jaguar blocked their soggy path. The idol was intricately carved and was in remarkably good shape considering the constant assault of the tropical humidity, and stray tropical storm or two.

    “Nice!” Laura praised. The idol itself was about six feet in height, and was placed atop a carved stone pedestal which had not fared as well. The pedestal was worn and some of its intricate lettering had been filed off, presumably by the sand from the beaches being whipped across it. The pedestal added about another three feet to the overall height of the sculpture.

    “She’s a bit busty for my tastes.” Laura mocked the Jaguar goddess’s overly developed breasts. “Still, I think she’d look good with my other two idols from the Tekameh caves.” Tim gasped, and slowly backed away from Laura and the idol. “Hey! Tim-Ster! I said to be careful!” She exclaimed. “Why are you so freaked? It’s only an idol. Like you’ve never seen one before!”

    “Laurie! We need to go!” Tim virtually shrieked. “What? Aren’t you overreacting just a wee bit?” Laura snarled. “That’s Ix Chel, the Mayan Goddess of Fertility.” Tim said, forcing some calmness to his voice. “First of all, Tim...” Laura wagged a long finger at him. “I’m impressed that you know the name of the Jaguar Goddess, but maybe it’s a sign for you to hook up with Olivia, if we find her.” She taunted.

    “You don’t understand, Laurie! This is bad, really bad. There’s a whole cult out there based on Ix Chel, complete with human sacrifices and all.” He began to pale even within the hazy, sunlit bog.“Why do you even know that, Tim?” Laura said in disgust.

    “It’s on the Internet!” He defended. “Why can’t you just sit in front of the computer and watch porn like everyone else?” Laura sighed. “Actually...” Tim began as Laura held up her hands. “Okay, too much information,” She cut him off.

    “Anyway Tim, there aren’t any Mayan cults on this island, or we would have seen them by now, or at least some sign that the Isle of Tears is inhabited.” Laura reasoned as she beckoned him on, skirting the base of the Ix Chel statue. Tim reluctantly followed her, keeping a good distance away from the idol.

    The fog grew denser as they moved onward in the correct direction. The sunlight was barely noticeable, within the thick, humid, veil above their path. The Cycads seemed larger and more numerous as their path took on a slight incline. Laura’s sensitive hearing had picked up some noises nearby.

    They resembled the sound that an animal might make while scurrying through the underbrush. She dare not mention that to an already spooked Tim, yet, her curiosity kept compelling her on. “The cult members of Ix Chel reportedly drink blood from a monkey’s skull to prove their worth.” Tim recalled.

    “Ew! And again, ew!” Laura commented as they trekked through a dense, rainforest type area of the island. “Tim, give it a rest, will you? This island seems to be deserted.” Laura said over her shoulder. “Yeah? Maybe somebody ought to tell her that!” Tim stopped abruptly and pointed towards an obviously female silhouette that had appeared just to their right, atop a hilly bog.

    The female drew closer as Laura whirled to face her. “Olivia Descarte, I presume?” Gold Wing quickened her pace toward the new arrival. “That name no longer has any meaning to me.” The young woman snarled, as she stepped out of the shadows. “You may call me Livie!”

    Tim immediately noted that ‘Livie’ unscrambled, could be seen as ‘I Evil’ or ‘I Live!’ “Well, Livie, you can call me Laura, and this is Tim. We’re here to rescue you.” Gold Wing shamelessly boasted. Livie laughed raucously. “Does it look like I need rescuing? I do appreciate the offer, though.”

    Livie stepped into a shaft a dim sunlight that had pierced the veil of the rainforest canopy. Tim’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Livie was barely recognizable as compared to the five year old newspaper clipping. Laura noted the sea change that was Livie’s face and silhouette.

    Livie, though still slight in height, had been transformed into a slim, lithe, petite framed young woman. Her weight had dropped considerably, and her once mousy brown hair had been bleached blonde by the tropical sunlight, and was draped well down her back. Livie’s dress left very little to the imagination.

    Tim gawked at the dazzling beauty before him, and Livie knew exactly what was on Tim’s mind. “See what healthy living could do, devoid of the temptations of junk food and all night parties?” Livie teased as she slowly spun in place. Her wasp-like frame was tan and she hadn’t an extra ounce of fat on her.

    Livie’s clothing merely consisted of a pair of large hollowed out grapefruits bound together by a tight weave of palm tree leaves, and she wore a midriff bearing grass skirt similar to the ones found in Hawaii. The difference being that the skirt left Livie’s backside obviously visible. Laura shifted her gaze away.

    “I usually wear less than this.” Livie continued to taunt Tim, who reddened as she approached. Laura rolled her eyes. “Thanks for sharing.” Gold Wing retorted. “Livie, why don’t you come back with us?” The tropical beauty suddenly stared daggers at Tim.

    “Why would I want to leave?” Livie’s deep black eyes seemed glassy and vacant. “I have all that I need right here. Back home, I was a nobody. The only people that knew me were my overprotective parents, servants, and butt kissing family members. Here I am a goddess!” Livie again laughed sardonically.

    “Okay, now that we’ve seen Livie, we ought to be moving on.” Laura urged with irritation. Tim got up from his boulder seat and glanced at Livie one more time, shaking his head. “By the way, did you two see my Ix Chel statue? You wouldn’t believe what I had to do to get it here.” She grinned lustily.

    “Yeah, I guess we don’t need to know all about that.” Laura conceded petulantly. “I take it you’ve found company on this allegedly deserted island?” Livie’s face took on a dark complexion. She didn’t readily answer the question. “Ix Chel stands as a warning.” Livie said menacingly. “This is my home.”

    “Next time try a ‘No Trespassing’ or ‘Keep Out’ sign.” Laura dead panned. “With your loving personality, I’d bet that you’ll have no problem being left alone.” Laura and Tim edged past the eccentric island girl. “By the way, I love living here.” Livie added. “I get to see nature in all of its elegant brutality.” Tim sighed, passing her. “Those weren’t really the adjectives I was looking for.” He sniped.

    “There’s one more thing.” Livie’s eyes narrowed as Laura turned to face her again. “You can’t leave. You see, I don’t want to be bothered here.” She threatened. “Oh don’t worry, I hope you and Ix Chel will be very happy together. We’re going to forget that we ever saw you.” Laura responded flatly.

    “You don’t understand. You can’t leave.” Livie said calmly. “I don’t need another hen in my henhouse, but I can keep Tim. A male has certain uses...therefore, you are expendable.” Laura’s eyes flared a bright yellow. “Excuse me?” She lowered her voice as Tim shuddered and hid behind Gold Wing.

    “You’ll never find your way off the island.” Livie presumably lied. “Uh...genius...an island by its very nature is easily accessible by boat traffic, and we have a ride waiting for us tonight.” Laura scowled. Suddenly several animals jogged in towards them from every direction.

    “What the?!” Tim exclaimed as a large, dark jungle cat neared his leg. “Where did they all come from?” Laura asked calmly. “Tim, don’t move. That’s Shera, my dark furred panther.” Livie explained. “You named this thing?” Tim’s voice rose as Shera’s ears flattened back down and she snarled.

    “Shera just had a healthy litter.” Livie continued. “As you might imagine, food can be sparse around here, but still if you consider the ratio of prey to predator, we’ve achieved a delicate eco balance.” Livie sounded strangely intelligent to Laura, considering that she’d spent the last five years on a secluded isle.

    “Therefore, I can feed Shera, your friend Laura here, and spare your miserable life.” Livie added arrogantly. “Tim, think about it. We would be like Adam and Eve in Eden.” Obviously, Olivia had gone nuts alone on her island, Laura considered. “Uh, Livie, Tim’s coming home with me, and if I were you, I wouldn’t turn my back on Shera if she gets hungry.”

    “You simply have no choice Laura.” Livie argued. “You can rest assured that your death will feed Shera and her litter well.” Shera nudged closer to Tim, and quickly sidestepped him and growled at Laura. Tim shivered as the nine foot long panther rubbed uncomfortably close to his leg. “Um...Laurie...I think its time to go!” Gold Wing smirked. “I couldn’t agree more.”

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    • #47
      Gold Wing - Isle of Tears 3

      Chapter 8

      Laura was about to bolt into hyper speed, dragging Tim along with her, when she noted that the entire swampy, grassy area near them seemed to be moving. Colorful tails popped up from behind foliage hedges, small cycads, and thick palm tree trunks.

      They were surrounded by dozens of snarling, growling, and mewing cats. More and more of the animals poked their heads out from the brush. Laura was no cat expert, but these animals didn’t appear to belong in this tropical zone. “Laurie! Let’s go!” Tim urged as Shera got in his face.

      Laura turned to face the smirking Livie. “What the hell kind of an island is this, Livie?” She asked in an accusatory tone. “You just don’t get it, Laura. This is my island. These are my friends.” Livie replied arrogantly. “These species aren’t native to the tropics.” Tim confirmed.

      “No, they aren’t.” Livie admitted. “As I said, you’ll never find your way off the island.” Laura was more curious than angry at this point. “So, your feline friends are smuggled animals from all over the world.” Laura stated flatly. “Not smuggled, Laura.” Livie denied. “They simply come here on their own.” Laura scowled. “You’re delusional! That is an African lion.”

      Tim followed Laura’s gaze, and sure enough, a huge male African lion sat patiently before and above them, on a slab of limestone rock, tan, golden mane, and all. “If you tell me we just stepped into Narnia...” Tim quipped for Laura’s benefit. Clearly, Livie hadn’t seen the movies.

      “No, Tim, but there’s definitely more going on here than meets the eye.” Laura’s eyes flashed from side to side as she measured their way out from between the hungry felines. “Livie, I don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into, but this is your last chance. Leave with us, or you’re going to be Shera’s Kibbles and Bits.”

      “The only place you’re going, Laura, is into my pets’ stomachs. It will be a grand, bloody, scene as they tear you limb from limb for their supper.” Livie laughed sardonically. “Tim, this is your last chance. You consent to be my mate, or you’ll feed the cats as well.”

      “Sorry, Livie. I’ll pass.” Tim edged away from Shera, who was now drooling on his flip flops. “Okay. Your loss. Goodbye, Tim.” Livie said as she pulled a tubular device from somewhere that Laura would rather not think about. Livie put it to her lips and blew through it. Silence.

      Laura thought she’d heard a type of whistle, with her superior hearing, but wasn’t sure. Immediately, the jungle cats grew irritated, rearing up on their haunches, and shaking their heads. “Livie’s controlling the cats with a type of dog whistle.” Laura observed. Tim couldn’t care less at this point, as he closed his eyes. “Let’s go!” Laura grabbed Tim by the arm and bolted.

      She’d run into hyper speed, and physically leapt over the African lion that lay in their path. To Livie and the jungle cats, they seemed to suddenly disappear. The predators had settled down once more and Livie gestured for Shera and an African lioness to begin tracking their prey.

      Laura sped along at hyper speed, heading in the general direction of the island’s far end, where Nashika would likely be waiting. As her visual perception shifted, the island seemed longer than she’d anticipated. Tim usually felt as though the hyper speed jaunts that he’d been on before lasted for only the blink of an eye. This time, something was different. Had Laura overshot her destination?

      Laura suddenly encountered a blinding flash of light. She’d lost her visual perception. Instantly, she slowed to a stop, as they left hyper speed. She put Tim down on a patch of fertile green grasses. He shuddered uncontrollably. “Tim? What’s wrong?” Laura shook Tim a bit to snap him out of the daze.

      Tim’s eyes glazed over, and he seemed to be looking past her left shoulder. Had the hyper speed blast injured him mentally in some way? Laura was horrified. Was Tim’s nerve system damaged? She saw a reflection of a gray animal in a nearby pool of filthy water. The animal was behind her and perched atop a fallen tree trunk. Laura whirled to face it, and saw a....lizard?

      The lizard was about the size of a large dog. Was it a Gila monster? She wondered. An overdeveloped Monitor? Anyway, it didn’t appear interested in them at all. She turned back to Tim. His skin tone was ashen, but his eyes seemed to be focusing on something else above them.

      Tim finally pointed to the sky, his arm wavering. Laura was puzzled. “Tim? What are you...?” She’d heard the bloodcurdling squawk a second before it dove at them. The large Monitor-like lizard scampered away as fast as it could, deftly leaping over a smaller fallen tree trunk, before disappearing into the thick foliage. Laura felt a gush of air above them, she instinctively reached upward and grabbed something.

      “What the hell?” Laura exclaimed as her hands grasped two bat-like wings. The gray and green animal snapped at her wrists, but could do no real damage. It squawked and squealed. The leathery texture of the wings seemed familiar to Laura. She took a moment to gather her thoughts.

      “Laurie!” Tim croaked. “You’re holding a Pterodactyl!” Laura’s eyes confirmed Tim’s guess. This allegedly extinct Pterodactyl had about a four foot wingspan, and it’s head had a reddish green crest. It squawked mercilessly as it tried to slip from Laura’s grip.

      “Tim. I’m going to let it go.” Laura stated calmly, as the flying reptile snapped at her wrists again. “Crawl beneath me.” She spread her legs wide enough for him to scrambled between them. His eyes began to tear, as he managed a short whimper. Finally in position, Tim watched as Laura released the formerly extinct animal. It squealed, and flew off, presumably to find its family.

      “You said that it was a Pterodactyl.” Laura scowled. “Any idea what its doing here? If the Dactyl was supposed to be extinct, no one told it.” Tim nervously glanced across the sky, seeing only a small handful of flying creatures circling over a grassy and rocky small mountain near the horizon.

      “Laura, do you feel any different?” Tim probed as he stood back up. “Not particularly. I’m just finding that this whole treasure hunting expedition is becoming tiresome. Why?” Tim shuddered. “I got a bad feeling about this. Like we’re not supposed to be here.” On a whim, Tim checked his wristwatch. It still read 5:30 PM, and it was ticking. “Laurie, is your watch okay?” He wondered. She checked it.

      “Yes, it’s fine. But we only have about two hours before Nashika is due to pick us up.” Gold Wing confirmed. Suddenly, they were attracted by chirping sounds. Laura glanced up at the nearby treeline, but saw no obvious signs of tropical birds. Typically, the trees would be full of the colorful animals.

      “Yah!” Tim jumped atop a boulder, and danced around on it. “Tim, what are you doing? You have to pee or something?” Laura frowned. “Look down!” He directed excitedly. At Laura’s sandal laden feet, three small lizards sniffed her toes, and one licked her bare ankle. “Ew! Gross!” She was about to stomp her feet to frighten the annoying creatures, when Tim motioned for her to stop. “Laurie! No!”

      “Those are Compsognathus!” Tim lowered her voice. “Huh? Tim, you know I don’t do well with multi syllabic words. Dumb it down for me.” By now, a few dozen of the irritating lizards scampered around Laura’s feet and between her ankles. Most of the lizards were about four to six inches high. It was then that Gold Wing noted the lizards were running on their hind legs. All of them.

      “Compies. If you prefer.” Tim added. “They’re small dinosaurs.” Laura gasped. “Seriously? What have we stumbled into here, a real life Jurassic Park?” Tim shrugged. “I wasn’t really a big dino fan, but I do know quite a bit about them. And no, they don’t belong here. They’re supposed to be extinct.”

      “Do you think that Livie knew about these dinosaurs?” Laura wondered aloud. “She did say that we would never find our way off the island.” Tim watched as two slightly bigger Compies joined the chirping group. “Ignoring the fact that Livie was a psychopath, she did surround herself with the more fearsome jungle cats that exist. We don’t know how they all got here, or why she chose predators.”

      “It could be that Livie is in on some type of illegal scientific experiments.” Laura speculated. “But she seemed to be a nut ball, not a serious scientist researching some unusual animals.” The two biggest Compies were lime green in color, and stood about eight to ten inches high. The rest of the nattering dinosaurs were plain colored in earth tones of dark green, brown, or grayish black.

      Laura watched with a mixture of fascination and aggravation, as the Compies continued to chirp and scurry around them. One of the big lime Compies leapt briefly towards Tim, but he quickly picked his feet up on the boulder, and tucked them beneath his body. “Tim, why are they hanging around me?” Gold Wing asked. Tim gulped. “Because the Compies can eat meat. They were scavengers.” He replied.

      Laura didn’t care for that explanation. “If one of them tries to take a bite out of me, he or she will lose their teeth.” She quipped. “I wouldn’t be too overconfident, Laurie. We still don’t know if you have all of your abilities. In fact, I’m not at all sure that we aren’t the ones out of place...or time.”

      “Wait a minute...” Laura narrowed her eyes. She listened with her enhanced hearing, forcing herself to concentrate past the Compies’ chirping. “No, I don’t hear any machinery. Your Compies are definitely real live animals. I heard their excited little hearts beating.”

      “What about mine?” Tim asked worriedly. “Nope. Tim, you’re dead. Sorry.” Laura said with a straight face. Tim’s complexion went ashen. No small trick in the tropical heat. “Kidding!” Gold Wing joked. “You’re fine. I was just eliminating any other noises from my concentration.”

      All of the Compies slowed to a stop, and simultaneously quieted down, their little noses poked up into the air. They were smelling something, and Tim wasn’t too thrilled about their behavior. Suddenly, they all bolted, quickly disappearing into the underbrush. The area was eerily silent. Into the silence, broke a series of caws and howls. Tim felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

      “Now what?” Laura grumbled. Tim scurried down from the boulder and edged closer to Laura. The foliage parted in a number of angled ways. Something, or several creatures were tracking in their direction. The bushes began to sway. The creatures, Laura assumed were more animals, headed towards them in a roughly arrowhead formation. “Now, I don’t like this at all.” Gold Wing muttered.

      “Do ya think?” Tim snapped. “Maybe we’d better run. Get ready to shift into hyper speed.” Laura didn’t argue, but curiosity had gotten the best of her. She hesitated...

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      • #48
        Path to Eden cont'd

        Path To Eden

        Before Laura could grab Tim and shift into hyper speed, two animals leapt out of the brush at her. They snarled and hissed, sticking their snouts high in the air. Laura stared the nearest creature down. It cocked its head from side to side like a bird. A colorful crest atop its head bristled.

        “Kill it! Kill it!” Tim shrieked. Laura didn’t take her eyes off the growling dinosaur. “Don’t be ridiculous Tim, these are just dumb animals.” She stated calmly. Each creature was about the height and length of a good sized dog. Several more critters were encircling them.

        “These are Velociraptors, not German shepherds!” Tim complained, dropping his voice to minimum volume. “I thought that they looked familiar.” Laura continued to eye the prehistoric creature. “They seemed bigger on TV and in the movies.” She observed. Tim was sweating bullets. This attracted more and more raptors. They cawed at each other like crows.

        “They’re communicating!” Laura was fascinated by the allegedly extinct dinosaurs. Tim gulped. “Are you nuts, Laurie? These things are actually alive, not part of some school or museum science project.” He whined, and slid slowly behind his young female friend. “They don’t belong here, Tim, none of them do.” Laura pronounced. “I will get to the bottom of all this.”

        “Tim, let me borrow your camera phone.” Laura reached behind her slowly, so as not to excite the curious and noisy raptors in front of her. “Here.” Tim’s hand was shaking as he nervously set it up for Laura. “No one can download the photos from here.” Tim explained. “This island is a dead zone, meaning there are no satellite hookups or cell towers, or anything.”

        “True.” Laura agreed. “But we can still record these animals and save it on your phone, yes?” Tim nodded, and the movement seemed to stop the raptors from advancing. The dinosaurs weren’t quite sure what to make of the human intruders on their island. Or, are the dinosaurs intruding on the human’s islands? Laura had no idea, as she aimed the camera phone ahead.

        Fortunately, there was enough daylight to prevent the flash from going off. Gold Wing wondered if it would scare the animals away, or goad them into an attack. She quickly pressed the still photo button, and got a good close up of the innermost raptor. The animal rocked back and forth on its haunches, tail whipping in the stiff tropical breezes that crisscrossed the island.

        “Laurie…” Tim’s voice was barely above a whisper. “They’re going to attack!” He warned. “They’d better not, if they know what’s good for them.” Gold Wing countered. Laura snapped another picture, as the raptor continued to sniff the air. The raptors all began to hiss and snarl in unison. “We are so dead!” Tim was on the verge of crying. “Not likely.” Laura smirked.

        With lightning speed, the lead raptor nearest to Laura vaulted up at her. She gently smacked its muzzle away. The raptor howled in surprise, landing in a heap across the thicket, barely ten feet away from Tim’s feet. The other raptors were considering eating their fallen comrade.

        They lunged towards the frightened animal, but Laura was faster. She dove between the attacking raptors, and the one that she’d smacked aside. The raptor quickly righted itself and snapped and snarled at the others. The group began to back away. Unfortunately, this left Tim momentarily unguarded. “Laurie! Are you crazy?” He yelled, attracting all of the raptors’ attention.

        Gold Wing shoved and slapped raptors out of the way, taking time to snap two more action photos of some smaller, less colorful animals. The raptors began to gather together in the field.

        This indicated to Laura that they still weren’t sure of their attack. The raptors would likely opt for less challenging prey elsewhere, she hoped. Tim had scampered up a fallen tree, and overlooked the ludicrous scene. Laura was surrounded by raptors, and they parted to let her pass.

        One raptor was foolish enough to chomp down on Laura’s hand. It yelped in pain, and skittered away from the rest of the group. The frightened animal couldn’t penetrate Gold Wing’s dense, thick, skin. It was lucky that it didn’t break its razor sharp teeth.

        Laura back flipped high in the air, over the stunned raptors, landing gracefully alongside Tim on his tree branch perch. She grabbed one more picture, and this one captured all of the raptors in one frame. Tim fumed. “Laurie, can we go now? You may be indestructible, but I’m not!”

        “Okay! Chill!” Laura said simply, as she held his hand. “Ready?” Tim nodded, and Gold Wing vaulted from the tree branches all the way across the raptor filled meadow, and landed abruptly atop a flat boulder. Tim waited for his stomach to drop back down out of his throat before speaking. The raptors soon forgot about the unusual alleged prey.

        Laura examined the collection of photos and approved of the way that they’d come out. Suddenly, there was a loud array of noise coming from the raptor patch. The dinosaurs all cawed and snarled at each other, before quickly scampering away. The meadow was now quiet. Tim felt uneasy, like something wasn’t quite right with the area. That was an understatement, he realized, given that they’d just interacted with four different types of supposedly extinct animals.

        Laura glanced up from the cell phone screen and her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “Tim, don’t move!” She warned sternly and at a reduced vocal volume. Tim paled. “What? What is it?” The boy began to shiver from fear despite the humid tropical air of this forbidden island. “I’m not sure. Wait until it turns around.” Laura said vaguely. Tim whimpered.

        “Quiet, Tim, you’ll scare it away.” Gold Wing warned as she readied the camera phone for another round of pictures. “Scare it?” Tim was incredulous. The animal was a good fifteen feet high, and about as long from snout to tip of its whip-like tail. It turned around, hearing the curious teens’ voices. The creature emitted a throaty growl, as it lowered its snout to the ground.

        “Oh, I know this one.” Laura cheerfully snapped a picture of the supposedly extinct dinosaur. “That’s a Tyrannosaurus Rex, right?” She said as she shifted her position to get a full side view of the startled animal. Tim gasped. “There’s a T Rex behind me?” He asked in a nervous tone.

        Tim was momentarily frozen in place, but curiosity got the best of him. He risked a glance at the menacing creature. “Yup!” Was all Tim could muster, as his voice rose to a squeaky level. “Let’s go! Now!” He urged. “Just a minute Tim! Watch this!” Gold Wing leapt from the relative safety of the flat topped boulder, landing squarely on the T Rex’s back! “Yee Haw!” She exclaimed.

        “You’re nuts!” Tim howled. “Laurie, that’s a T Rex, not a Palomino!” The frightened dinosaur reared up on its huge hind legs, its tail whipping from side to side, randomly tearing through the tropical foliage. The T Rex snarled and growled, turned its oversized head, and snapped at its back, trying to get the irritating human off. The T Rex bolted, hopping over fallen tree trunks.

        The raptors, still at the edges of the meadow, scurried away, in an attempt to avoid the charging T Rex. Three or four of the raptors were nearly trampled in the process, barely escaping the much larger animal’s path of flight. Gold Wing held onto the T Rex’s neck, and tried not to choke it, as she continued her impromptu joyride, leaving poor Tim undefended.

        The T Rex was remarkably agile, as it zigzagged across the tropical meadows, and in between the multi-sized Cypress trees, Tropical Palms, and assorted other tall trees that provided a misty canopy above the humid valley. Laura winced as her supersensitive nostrils picked up the scent of the rotting meat from the T Rex’s mouth. Apparently it had just eaten something or someone.

        The T Rex’s flight had tired it out, and the annoyed dinosaur slowed to a trotting pace. Laura pretended that she’d just broken in a mare on her Aunt Wanda’s farm. The T Rex growled, and its breathing became erratic. The animal finally stopped and positioned itself alongside a flowing river. The T Rex forgot about the irritating human atop its back and drank the water heavily.

        It lapped up the flowing fresh water like a dog at its water dish. Laura carefully slid off the T Rex’s back, and the animal appeared uninterested in her. Gold Wing worked her way around the rear of the dinosaur, and snapped a couple of close up photos of the thirsty T Rex. “That’s it, girl, pose pretty for the picture.” Gold Wing muttered as she snapped a few more.

        The T Rex finished its lengthy drink, and its head popped up high above the river. She cocked her head from side to side like a bird, thoroughly refreshed. Laura decided that she’d annoyed the T Rex enough for the day, and sped back to where she’d abandoned her good friend, Tim.

        “Tim?” Laura called out into the dense foliage. No answer. “Tim?” She called again, just now realizing that she’d left him to fend for himself in this obviously unfriendly environment. “Crap!” Laura sped around the flat boulder, gradually increasing her search pattern, and radiating out from where she’d last seen him. Gold Wing stopped to examine the sandy dirt near the boulder.

        “Footprints?” Laura said aloud. There were several footprints in the boggy sand, all of which appeared to be human, and differed in size. Someone else was on the island! Gold Wing gasped. How had the intruders found Tim, and likely abducted him in such a short time?

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        • #49
          Chapter 9

          Laura followed the dusty trail keeping a close eye on the array of footprints before her. The prints were of bare human feet, she observed. Only Tim’s size nine gym shoes differentiated him from the rest, though the collection of footprints were mostly smaller than his.

          The prints led her to a run down, stinking village. The people’s homes were ramshackle versions of prehistoric looking huts. To now, Gold Wing hadn’t noted any local denizens around, but she assumed that she was being watched, possibly from the trees above, or the rocky crags surrounding the path.

          Her above average hearing picked up some murmurs and grumbles, and then she heard Tim’s whining cries for help. “I’m coming Tim!” She yelled, as her voice echoed through the canyon. There was no point in a stealthy approach. Laura would simply grab Tim and go. She had no desire to interfere any further in this backwards world. They still had some time to meet their ride to the hotel.

          Laura made her way towards the center of the ratty village. The stench increased as she neared what she assumed to be the main group of villagers. At the center of town, hoisted high above the gravely, sandy, road, hung Tim, squeezed into a square bamboo cage. “Laurie! Hurry up!” He squealed.

          Gold Wing resisted a laugh at the ludicrous scene. “Tim! Quit fooling around!” She playfully chastised him. Below him a number of naked, dark skinned individuals poked spear-points at Tim’s backside and legs. The naked females grumbled and excitedly conversed with the naked males.

          “What?” Tim exclaimed. “Laurie! Let’s go! I think they’re going to eat me!” He tearfully howled. “Tim! Relax! No one’s going to eat my buddy!” Gold Wing grinned thinly. Some of the largest males tried to poke Laura in the chest and her stomach, with their sharpened spears. Big mistake.

          Even the tallest male was barely Laura’s height, and all of the females were smaller than Tim. A number of naked, squealing, children ran around the village center, carefully avoiding the coming confrontation. Gold Wing grabbed the big male’s spear, startling him, ripped it out of his hands, and corkscrewed to the right, skillfully bouncing off of the nearest hut’s side wall, going first horizontal, and then vertical.

          Laura leapt upward like a hunting panther, and sliced through Tim’s cage rope, a group of strong, flexible vines that were tied together, with the spear-point. She held the bottom half of the torn vines in one hand, essentially suspending Tim above the startled and angry villagers. Gold Wing briefly perched atop the crudely made crossbeams, which were nothing more than two trees tied together in an ‘X’ pattern.

          The crowd grew ugly, yelling and stomping their prehistoric feet. They began to throw the spears at Tim and Laura, javelin style. One spear actually grazed Tim’s discolored cargo shorts, but drew no blood, missing his thigh entirely. Laura threw the spear back at the people, purposely missing everyone. It stuck in the muddy ground, and immediately, two young men tried to pull it out.

          Gold Wing continued her vault, extending her leap across the village center, cage in hand, landing sloppily on a stone ridge above two of the muddy, grassy, huts. Laura quickly freed Tim and whipped the villagers’ cage back at them. It clattered to a stop amid the confused and agitated aborigines. “Tim, are you okay?” Laura asked with genuine concern.

          Tim simply melted into Gold Wing’s arms, sobbing quietly. Laura sighed and hugged him.“Laurie, let’s just get the hell out of here, before anything else happens.” Tim brushed the tears from his cheeks as he unclenched from Laura. “Okay! Okay!” She threw up her arms in resignation. “Tim, I swear that I will come back and get to the bottom of all this. Things just aren’t right.”

          “Do ya think?” Tim snapped. “How far are we from the bay?” Laura used her above average vision to make an educated guess. “We’re only about an hour’s walk from the Tears of the Souls, where Nashika dropped us off.” She replied. “Okay.” Tim sounded more relaxed, but he still felt uneasy.

          They readjusted their backpacks and headed south towards the Isle Bay. “Laura, what do you think is really going on here? I mean, creepy psychotic girls, dinosaurs, and ancient looking aborigines, really?” Tim finally questioned, as his curiosity began to get the best of him.

          “I have no idea, Tim.” Laura replied curtly. “It’s like we’re on some lost island, but I can’t shake the feeling that this is all manufactured.” Tim shrugged. “That’s an interesting theory.” He commented. “How does one build dinosaurs, or ancient aborigines? They were living beings, right?”

          “As far as I could tell.” Laura replied. “I don’t have Clark’s x-ray vision, you know. What bugs me is that all of the creatures and people, Livie not withstanding, seemed uniformly smaller in scale then we’ve previously thought, including the T Rex. Its almost like they were tailored to fit this island’s ecosystem.”

          “Hmm! You mean like a science experiment in a reasonably uniform, and controlled environment?” Tim rubbed his thin chin, which now had a layer of peach fuzz-like hair growing upon it. “Exactly!” Gold Wing confirmed. “The tropics would be the perfect place to set up such an experiment, don’t you think?”

          “With the exception of the random tropic storms, cyclones, or hurricanes that come up, the temperatures would be consistent.” Laura continued her hypothesis. “The plant life wouldn’t vary much, either.” She added. “It would take a ton of investing, and an enormous amount of secrecy to pull this off.”

          “We assumed that Livie was acting erratically, but what if she was actually a victim?” Tim guessed. Laura snickered. “You really liked her, didn’t you?” Tim snorted. “Oh yeah! She’s just the type of girl I’d bring home to the family.” He said sarcastically, as Gold Wing laughed heartily.

          The teen explorers climbed up a well-worn path that had been slightly obscured by the out of control tropical foliage, which lined the twisting throughway. The trail looked as if it wound around the dune-like hill, and across, to what they perceived to be was the Tears of the Soul access bay.

          As they rounded the ridge, the dune sloped sharply downward, leading to a series of small caves. These caves were fairly common at the base of any hilly, tropical island. Two hundred plus years ago, smugglers, pirates, and other ne’er-do-wells would hide in the caves to avoid the mainland armada patrols. Sometimes they would leave their bootie treasures behind to access them later.

          The nearest cave to them, had been partially filled with the bay’s seawater, and two others were higher up the hillside. Those caverns appeared to be dry, well, as dry as a tropical cave could be, Laura observed. “Tim, do you remember seeing those caves before?” Gold Wing asked worriedly.

          Tim gulped. “No. But then I could’ve missed them.” Laura narrowed her eyes, focusing her slightly enhanced vision on the cave mouths, and beyond. “I do see a small boat berthed at the opposite end of the cove, but I still can’t make out the ship’s name, or see any people on board.” She informed him.

          “I guess we head there.” Tim offered. “Hopefully, its Nashika’s Dahlia, or this is going to be really awkward.” Laura agreed, and guided Tim alongside the rocky edge of the bay. Clumsily, the teens were eventually able to drop down to the sandy, seaweed covered beach below them.

          In moments, just shy of 7:30 PM, Tim and Laura reached the boat. It was indeed The Dahlia, but Nashika and Tamika were nowhere to be seen. The Dahlia looked to be in disarray, which immediately sent up all kinds of red flags in Gold Wing’s heroic mind. “Tim, this doesn’t look right.” Laura pointed out. “You remember how neat and clean The Dahlia was when we first boarded her?”

          Tim shuddered. “Maybe Nashika didn’t have time to clean up after her last job?” Laura made a derisive snort. “Ever the optimist, eh Tim? Let’s track the footprints, maybe Nashika and Tamika had to go on a nature call or something.” Tim winced. “I think The Dahlia has a built in head below deck.” He stated.

          “Come on.” Gold Wing examined the footprints in the sand near the boat. “I think that there was a struggle here.” Laura pointed to a few marks in the sand, that looked like something, or somebody was dragged off The Dahlia unwillingly. Tim gulped. “I think that the ladies are in trouble.”

          “Duh, Tim!” Laura snapped. “This sounds like a job for Gold Wing!” She snickered at the cheesy line. “Tim, you should just stay here and guard The Dahlia.” Laura directed. “Guard it? With what?” Tim whined. “I don’t know. Find a stick, stone, or rowboat paddle.” Laura replied. “Check to see if your cell phone works yet, or Nashika’s ship to shore radio.”

          “What if some of those criminals that Nashika warned us about did something to them?” Tim asked the obvious. “What if they get past you?” Laura laughed sardonically. “Get past Gold Wing? Seriously, Tim! When monkeys fly out my butt!” She exclaimed. “Be careful! On this goofy island, that might just happen!” Laura waved at him before zipping into her hyper speed. Tim was alone again.

          He climbed into The Dahlia, and began rummaging through Nashika and Tamika’s things. Their personal belongings were scattered throughout the boat, and a few pieces of clothing floated nearby, as the gentle seawater lapped at the bay’s beach. Fortunately, the clothes that Tim spotted appeared to be extra things, like a rain poncho or two, some sandals, and a few pairs of grubby socks.

          As he feared, The Dahlia’s radio console had been smashed, possibly by the butt of a gun, or a lead pipe. This definitely looked like a robbery to him. Every cabinet had been opened and ransacked. A small piece of yellow paper, its edge torn off, had been stuck beneath a cabinet drawer. He noticed some hastily scrawled writing on it. There was only one sloppily written word on it: Pirates.

          Tim gulped. Nashika’s warning had been proven true. Tamika must have had a few seconds to warn them, and attempt to explain what had happened. Tim knew that modern day pirates prowled the tropical regions, and some of the seas near Africa, but most of the locals were probably drug smugglers.

          He wasn’t worried about Laura. She could certainly make quick work of some nasty pirates, but were they too late? Had something unspeakable happened to Nashika and Tamika?
          More importantly, would the pirates come back and get him? They could always use him as leverage to try and control Gold Wing. His stomach turned over repeatedly as he ducked down low in The Dahlia, vainly in search of a weapon that he could use. Would he have the courage to do so?

          Comment


          • #50
            Isle of Tears 6: The Pirate’s Curse

            Laura used her hyper speed to zip into the cave that they’d seen from across the cay. Poor Nashika and Tamika were tied with leather rope to a large stalagmite that protruded up from the slimy cave floor. They appeared to be unharmed at the moment, but Gold Wing figured that wouldn’t last long.

            Seven scraggly men were milling about the cave. They varied in skin color, age, and dress, the only consistency that Laura observed through her enhanced visual shift, was that they each held a weapon. Two possessed automatic rifles, two held machetes, and three brandished hand pistols. All seemed nasty in temperament, and Laura assumed they were either drug smugglers or modern day pirates.
            One, likely the leader, got up in Nashika’s face. “Woman! You defy me!” He snapped in an Afro-Caribbean type of accent. “You came here without my permission, and worse, without paying me de travel tax! You know how dis goes. You pay me, I let you work!”

            “I’m sorry, mon!” Nashika responded tearfully. “We had to pick up some travelers. Dey paid us to come back! How would it look if we left dem dere and did not collect our fee?” She pleaded. “You made us waste our time, Sheila!” A light skinned guy with an Australian accent put in. “That’ll cost you!”
            “How much?” Nashika reasoned, obviously afraid of retaliation. A creepy, dark skinned thug with a perverse grin on his bearded face suddenly brushed young Tamika’s hair from her shoulder. “It will cost you her!” He snarled. “No! I beg you! I’ll pay twice your access fee!” Nashika pleaded.

            “Dat you will, Nashika!” The leader growled. The creep that was harassing Tamika laughed. “Where I come from, dis one has value!” He menaced. “De older one I don’t need!” Laura had seen and heard enough. Disguised as a stiff breeze, she had been encircling the group waiting for the right attack angle.
            This will be tricky, Gold Wing mused. The leader pulled out another pistol and placed it right next to Nashika’s forehead. He cocked it into position. “Oh well, Nashika, Captain Morgan has spoken. Good bye! Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of your daughter.” He laughed maniacally.

            “We’ll take our fee out of your boat, and your daughter’s hide!” The Australian jerk added, grinning lustily. “Get on with it, mate!” A British sounding pirate butted in from across the cave floor. “We’ve a schedule to keep, remember, you ruddy blokes!”
            Laura took a deep breath and rushed towards the leader with a gun to Nashika’s head. She quickly appeared just long enough to grab the thug’s gun. It fired up into the roof, shattering a medium sized stalactite. The shards tinkled to the ground not far from the Australian pirate.
            “Watch it, mate!” He yowled as something hit him in the midsection full force. Gold Wing used her hyper speed to untangle Nashika and Tamika, and hand them each a pirate’s pistol. She bolted towards the two machete-bearing thugs, and unceremoniously knocked them cold with two fists to their jaws.

            Gold Wing circled back and tossed the big dark skinned pirate, the crew leader, and the Brit into a nearby ravine. This all happened within a matter of seconds. Laura had great speed, but was still a bit slower than Clark or Bart. Laura scooped up Nashika and Tamika and sped them back out to the Dahlia.
            Tim fell backwards in the cabin as the two women tumbled into his thighs and midsection. The three of them lay stunned on the cabin floor. Laura untied the boat, and gave it a good shove towards the open water, just beyond the edge of the cay. Gold Wing zipped back into the cave. She had to knock the pirates out for a while to allow time for The Dahlia to escape.

            Laura smiled broadly as she slowed to a stop. Now’s as good a time as any to practice my martial arts, she thought playfully. There was something satisfying about taking on your enemies face to face. She continued to muse. It was all good and wonderful that Clark and Kara chose, for the most part, to be anonymous as they saved he denizens of Metropolis and beyond.
            Laura preferred a more ‘hands on’ approach. Two of the pirates were already standing and either rubbing their backs or shoulders. Gold Wing stood, arms folded patiently at the center of the cavern. She thought she might just as well throw a scare into the thugs, perverts, and ruffians.

            She waited for all of the men to regain their composure. The darkest skinned pervert growled at her. “Are you insane, bit**, do you not know who we are?” Laura grinned. “No! Should I?” She assumed a relaxed attack position. The Aussie and the Brit were angling behind her. She was aware of their movements, of course. “We are Declan, the most feared pirate gang in the Pacific!” He boasted.

            “Ooh pirates!” Gold Wing taunted. “Aargh, matey! Where’s your parrot?” She continued to goad them. “You stupid little girl! I don’t know how you managed to best us, but you aren’t too bright!” The leader menaced. “Now you will learn!” The Asian pirate, who had been silent thus far, said, as he brandished a large black whip. “Sorry, but I’m not that kind of a girl!” She took a step forward.
            Laura grinned evilly as she whirled to face the Asian. “Are you sure that you boys want to play?” She challenged. Six of them closed in on Laura, while the crew leader hung back, keeping his distance. He didn’t exactly fear Gold Wing, but was cautious nonetheless.

            “We don’t have time for dis, Mr. Declan!” Captain Morgan argued. “Oh let the boys have some fun!” The British thug sneered. He had lengthy reddish brown hair, and a matching beard and moustache. “Can’t we just kill the bloody Sheila, and move on?” The Aussie argued.
            “Just shoot her!” Captain Morgan growled. Earlier, Laura had deposited the rest of their guns in a deep trench merely a few yards from the cave entrance. “Shoot her with what?” The Brit complained. The six thugs encircled Gold Wing, drawing within arm’s length of the young superhero.

            Finally, the Asian swung his whip at her. The edge of it contained a sharp, steel, hook. Gold Wing sidestepped the whip, and hit the floor beside her with a loud snap. Captain Morgan took a downward swing at Laura’s shoulder with his machete. She avoided the polished blade easily and stepped back into him, elbowing him in the ribcage lightly. He grunted, but continued the assault.
            Okay, too light. Laura analyzed her strength. “Shee Ya!” Gold Wing yelled and spun on her heel, issuing a vicious kick and connecting with the largest thug’s stomach. He flew across the cave and impacted the wall, causing about another half dozen stalactites to come crashing down on the cave floor.

            Hmm! Too hard! She continued to analyze. “Did you see that, Captain Morgan? A demon dis one is!” The smaller of the dark skinned thugs shouted. “C’mon! Bring it!” Gold Wing goaded. The Aussie and the Asian attacked simultaneously. The Asian swung his whip, and this time, Laura grabbed it and pulled him into her waiting fist. Crack! The Asian’s jaw was likely broken. He crumpled at her feet.
            The Aussie tried to put his arms around Laura’s throat, attempting to choke her with a chain. Immediately, she flipped him over her head, and he landed with a thud about thirty feet away, sliding into a wall on the slimy floor. That felt about right. Gold Wing concluded. Three down and four to go. She mused, pivoting slightly to face the remaining assailants.

            The smaller and younger of the dark skinned pirates waved his machete menacingly at Laura and sliced at her stomach. Naturally, she easily avoided the slash. If she were a normal person, the machete would have gutted her like a fish. The assailant took another more direct swipe at Laura’s head.

            Gold Wing grabbed the machete blade between the palms of her hands, and yanked it out of the attacker’s grip. She whipped the machete towards a nearby wall and it stuck in the rock, blade first. The young African had gotten too close. Laura spun down with a low kick that not only knocked the small thug’s feet out from under him, but caused him to flip sideways landing with a thud on his shoulder.
            Three left, Laura thought as she snickered. “Captain Morgan! What is dis? We are cursed by dis she demon!” The injured young African whined. “Quiet, Upulu! There’s no such ting as a pirate’s curse!” He admonished. Morgan held his ribs and winced.

            By now, the leader, who sounded American, had enough. He grabbed for a hidden pistol that he’d strapped to his right thigh and fired at Gold Wing. The first two shots hit Laura in the side and stomach, and she barely felt the impacts. The last thug, some kind of local Pacific Islander, whipped a six inch dagger at Laura’s head. She caught it in her left hand.
            In a smooth motion, Laura transferred the dagger to her right hand and threw it back at the Islander. It hit him at full speed in the left shoulder, skewering it, and blood splattered in every direction as the thug went down to one knee, holding the sliced skin in place to slow the bleeding. He would live.

            That left the American with the gun, the pirate leader, to face Gold Wing alone. She stalked him slowly as he continued to fire rounds of ammo at her. Using her enhanced reflexes, Gold Wing avoided any more hits from the spray of small caliber bullets. In seconds, she was in the leader’s face.
            The American steeled his resolve, and fired the pistol at point blank range into Laura’s forehead. This time she felt more of a sting, though the bullet flattened, and harmlessly fell to the ground at Gold Wing’s feet. Laura worried that her Loracite level might be starting to falter, so she decided to tempt fate no further. With one hand she grabbed the leader by his throat, lifting him off the cave floor.

            In the blink of an eye, Laura yanked the gun from the warlord’s hand, and smashed it against the cave wall behind him. The pristine black gun was reduced to a crumpled hunk of metal. It clattered to the floor. “I think that you need to find a new line of work!” Gold Wing menaced. With that, she tossed the pirate leader into a narrow ravine just above a much deeper looking pit.
            “What de hell are you, a demon?” Captain Morgan asked as he finally got back up on one knee, holding his injured ribcage. “You’re worst nightmare! Perhaps I am the curse!” Laura growled, and zipped off into the darkness. To Captain Morgan, she had disappeared, moving faster than the naked eye could see. The warlord ship captain regained his composure, and vowed to avenge this humiliation.

            Meanwhile, Declan, a much more intelligent criminal, committed this bizarre event to memory. He would ask his boss, Rex Rowland, through the proper channels of communication, what exactly this girl was, and how she’d bested six heavily armed pirates. There was something more going on here…he mused. …And I want in!
            Laura sped out of the cave, up a sharply inclining ridge, and executed a perfect swan dive into the warm, salty water of the cay inlet. The water refreshed her, and seemed to sharpen her thoughts. This island still held many mysteries, and Gold Wing would return to the Isle of Tears, but this time, she and Tim would be much more prepared. Dinosaurs? Seriously! Laura mused as she caught up to The Dahlia.

            She climbed up onto the rear deck of the small transport, and was greeted with stunned stares by Nashika and Tamika, and a relieved smile by Tim, who quickly hugged his soaking wet good friend. “Where de hell were you?” Nashika snapped. “Oh, just out for a swim.” Laura deadpanned. “Did I miss anything?” Tamika laughed raucously as she attempted to clean up the passenger cabin.
            “By the way, since I had to swim halfway out into the Pacific to meet you, do Tim and I get a discount on the transportation fee?” Laura needled. “When de monkeys fly out my butt!” Nashika hissed. “Let’s go home!” Tim glanced at Tamika. “I take that as a no.” He concluded.

            End part 1

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            • #51
              Gold WingReturn to Dinosaur Island Chapter 10

              As Tamika agilely leapt out of The Dahlia, landing softly on the slowly rotting dock near their base of operations, Nashika sighed underneath her breath. “I expect full payment for dis trip!” She snarled at Tim. “I should charge you more for getting me mixed up wit de pirates!”
              “That’s not fair!” Tim retorted. “How were we supposed to know that the pirates would attack you in that specific cove near the Isle of Tears?” Laura had been giving this situation a lot of thought, but she still came up with more questions than answers. “Here, Nashika…” She handed the woman cash.

              Tamika had tied the boat to the aged pier, and began unloading what was left of Laura and Tim’s things. “We’ll pay for the damaged radio as well.” Gold Wing offered. “We will?” Tim asked curiously. “Yes. I don’t mind the added expense, but I will have to reload my cash stash in town.”
              “Tank you, kids.” Nashika was clearly impressed. “Don’t take dis de wrong way, but I hope to never see you again!” Her eyes sparkled mischievously. “Understood.” Laura laughed as she handed the boat owner the extra cash from their travel account. “Take care!” The elder woman said.

              Tamika had finished her duties securing The Dahlia, and vaulted up the pier, landing beside Laura. She gave the older teen a hug, and said quietly into Laura’s ear: “Tank you for saving us!” Gold Wing gulped and shrugged. “I didn’t do anything.” Tamika chuckled. “I don’t believe dat for a minute. Someone sheared the leather bindings dat da pirates bound us with. I don’t know how, but you did it!”
              Laura was about to deny the accusation further before Nashika called to her daughter to get moving and let the tourists go. “I tink you are an angel.” Tamika insisted as she smiled brightly and followed her mother across the pier and into the supply store. “Come on, Tim.” Gold Wing urged. “We have to get organized.” Tim instantly paled. “Organized to do what, exactly?” His voice wavered.

              “Why to go back to the Isle of Tears, of course.” Laura chuckled. “This mystery is far from solved, and I still don’t know exactly what we’re up against.” Tim scowled. “You’re insane! We can’t wrap this mystery up in a week!” He whined. “Tim, does that whine come with cheese?” Gold Wing taunted. “Which reminds me, I’m hungry and I need a new Loracite infusion.”
              “That’s the most sensible thing that I’ve heard you say all day.” Tim grabbed his gear and followed her up the pier, across the wharf, and into the more populated section of Tahiti. From here, they could make cell phone contact with America. Laura whipped out the cell and called Oliver.

              “Gold Wing to Watchtower Base…Can you hear me?” She said as loudly as she dared. A number of curious islanders and other tourists watched their arrival near the busy restaurant sector. “Gold Wing, this is…uh…Lu Lu.” Tess Mercer’s voice returned. “Lu Lu?” Gold Wing snickered. “Whatever works for you.” Tess was obviously ashamed of her odd nickname. “Just go with it.” Tess growled.
              Tim gave Laura a questioning look. “Okay LuLu, is Arrow there?” Laura asked. “No. He and Watchtower went out to dinner with Boy Scout and Army Brat.” Tess replied. “Give them a message to call me back when they get a chance.” Laura directed. “Anything that I can help you with?” Tess offered.

              “Not unless you know how to trap live dinosaurs.” Gold Wing teased. “Excuse me, Gold Wing…did you say live dinosaurs?” Tess repeated the odd message. “Yes I did, one hundred percent living, breathing, Jurassic Park refugees, albeit somewhat smaller ones than the movies.” Laura added. “This definitely goes on Watchtower’s Wall of Weird on line website, and I’ve got pictures…downloading now.”
              Gold Wing flipped on the ‘send photo’ button, adding them to the Watchtower’s secret E Mail data base. By now, the young couple had made their way over to a nice outdoor café, and grabbed some seats near the entrance in case they needed to make a quick exit. “Got them?” Laura inquired.

              “Um…yeah…I do!” Tess gasped. “Holy crap! Are you sure that you two didn’t take a wrong turn into Disneyland?” Tess teased. “Nope, LuLu, those animals were not animatronic, and they sure as hell smelled and snarled like real dinosaurs. Ask T Bone, over here.” Laura handed the phone to Tim. “They definitely tried to eat us!” He shuddered as he spoke. “Maybe, eat you, but I had the creatures under control.” Laura boasted shamelessly, loud enough for Tess to hear.

              “Okay…I’ll get right on it.” Tess volunteered. “What are you little adventurers up to now?” She asked. Laura smiled mischievously. “We’re heading back to investigate. I don’t see any reason to get the team involved yet, but we’ll be out of touch for a while, because the cells down here get stuck in a dead zone. We can’t call out or receive any calls.” Gold Wing informed her.
              “I don’t like that.” Tess said with amazing concern. “You two should be wearing the GPS tags that Arrow gave you. They’re guaranteed to work anywhere in the world…anywhere.” She emphasized. “We need to track the Team down in case of a real emergency.” Laura nodded. “Agreed. I’m snapping mine on right now. See if you have a fix on us.” Gold Wing waited patiently for Tess’s response.

              “Okay, I’ve got you…” Tess confirmed. “Tahiti? Really? How come I don’t get assignments like that?” She asked sarcastically. “This isn’t an assignment.” Gold Wing corrected. “I’m freelancing!” Tess scowled on the phone’s view screen. “Fine!” She snapped. “I’ll inform Watchtower and Arrow on your whereabouts. By the way, don’t forget about the wedding this fall!”
              Laura chuckled. “We’ll only be down here for the week…this time.” She informed Tess. “I’ll contact you with any further details that we may come across.” Tess shook her head, and tapped some keys on the keyboard below the view screen monitor. “Okay. Got it. I put your basic coordinates into the data base. Arrow won’t be very happy.” Laura sighed. “He will be, if we find something cool… Gold Wing out!”

              After dinner, Laura and Tim decided to investigate the local nightlife. Most teenagers wouldn’t be allowed to roam the streets alone, but obviously, Gold Wing wouldn’t get into any trouble. “Tim, let’s stop by the hotel and load up on cash and I’ll grab a Loracite refill. The two of them decided to share the hotel room, which seemed rather awkward at first. Tim was unusually nervous.
              Laura treated Tim like her best friend or a brother, but he’d had to admit that he was attracted to Laura since the day he’d met her. They were like opposing sides of a coin. Laura was brave and adventurous, while Tim was practical, mild-mannered, and nerdy. He often wondered what it would be like for their roles to be reversed. What if he was brave and super powered, and she was nerdy and pragmatic?

              Tim used his budding scientific expertise to create a reasonably tasty Loracite laced milkshake for her. One part Loracite mineral powder, two parts milk or water, he mused as he mixed the cocktail for his good friend. “Here you go, Ace, Loracite special, shaken not stirred.” He quipped as Laura thanked him.
              Laura gulped down the shake, and immediately felt a power surge. “Not bad, Tim-ster!” She praised. The drink always had some preliminary side effects, some of which were unsettling. This time, Laura’s hair turned a bright golden blonde, and her usually clear blue eyes quickly turned to golden orange. The adrenaline pump made Laura talk excessively and quickly. She rambled on for several minutes.

              Tim charted all of the Loracite side effects for their ongoing study on the unusual mineral compound. He busily tapped away on his little Raspberry device, recording every physical, personality, and feeling change that Laura discussed. They hoped that all this data would provide some guidelines for Gold Wing in the future. Next year, Tim was to attend college at a prominent university. However, he didn’t want to put Laura’s personal information into a public computer system.

              Oliver Queen had vowed to let Tim access the Watchtower’s supercomputer to record and categorize all of Laura’s physiological data. That would be their strategy going forward. The young people finally went to sleep, but Laura’s Loracite infused mind kept on racing well into the next morning. Overnight, Laura’s hair turned back to its more common raven black with the two golden blonde strands along her face.

              “I have a plan, Tim.” Laura announced as she unabashedly trotted towards the shower in nothing but a bath towel. He gulped, trying to keep his eyes on Laura’s face. “I was afraid you’d say that.” He mildly protested. “Are we going to rent another local transporter?” He inquired. “No not this time.” She replied. “Today, we take the Gold Wing express back out to the Isle of Tears, and its sister island, Los Islas de Muerto.” Tim scowled. “Doesn’t that mean ‘Island of the Dead’ in Spanish?”

              “The very same.” Laura confirmed as she kicked the bathroom door partially closed with one bare foot. Gold Wing jumped into the shower as Tim scrounged around the nightstand for a postcard to send his family back home in Falcon Claw, Nebraska. “Island of the dead?” Tim muttered. “Doesn’t that sound charming?” he grumbled, as he found a postcard and filled it out.
              Tim felt something dripping onto his neck. “Whatcha writing?” Laura asked, hovering over his shoulder in a bright orange yellow bikini and flowered multicolored wraparound towel. “Geez! Did you even use soap?” Tim groused. “Of course, genius! Super speed, remember?” She teased. “Oh yeah.” Tim reddened as he spoke. “I’m sending a card to the family. This is supposed to be our vacation.”

              “Great.” Laura smirked. “Tell ma and pa that I said hi! Should we bring them a souvenir dinosaur or two?” She asked sarcastically. “I think not.” Tim deadpanned. After breakfast and mailing the card, the teen sleuths made their way through the various shops and supply stores in the tourist filled area.
              Laura had reloaded her vacation money stash, and set about purchasing what she thought that they needed. “Tim, we’re heading back to the outlying islands today, but we’ll only be taking a minimum of supplies. Each of us will carry a backpack, so figure out exactly what you need to bring.” She directed.

              “Might I suggest leaving your mousse hair gel, toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash behind?” Laura teased. “Okay, but it will be on your head if I have bad breath.” Tim countered. “I’ll survive.” Gold Wing joked. “We should be fine unless you’re planning to make out with a Velociraptor.” She added playfully.
              “How long are we planning to explore these bizarre islands?” Tim complained. “I’m not sure.” Laura admitted. “Don’t worry, though, we can always zip back to Tahiti to reload supplies. I’m not quite sure what to expect, Tim. None of this adds up. The dinosaurs were only about two thirds the size of the originals, as near as I can figure. If this is a scientific experiment then who is behind it?”

              “Ready?” Gold Wing asked her timid sidekick. “I suppose.” He reluctantly replied. Laura took him by the hand and led him across the pier, behind a small warehouse. To uninterested observers, the teens would appear to be looking for a place to fool around. Laura checked every direction, and burst into hyper speed, dragging Tim along with her. He tried to yell, but the air wouldn’t fill up his lungs.
              Gold Wing ran forward, and dove into the water! She ran along the sandy bottom, disrupting stingrays, nurse sharks, and crabs who were busily digging through the muck for a meal. Laura sped across the bays, coves, and cays that surrounded the Isle of Tears, and the Isle of the Dead.

              She resurfaced near the cove where she’d defeated the pirates. This whole journey took less than twenty seconds, so Tim was never in any danger of drowning. He angrily coughed up some of the salty sea water, spewing it onto the rocky beach. “Don’t…ever do that…again!” He growled in between gasps for air.
              Laura flashed him an innocent smile, asking: “What?” Tim was doubled over, in an attempt to catch his breath. “Next time, keep your mouth closed!” She needled. Their backpacks were wet, but they would dry soon enough in the warm subtropical sunshine. Something screeched above them.

              “What was that?” Tim quickly glanced upwards. “Apparently, someone has already laid claim to this island.” Laura commented, recognizing the silhouette of three good sized Pterodactyls plastered against the clear blue midmorning sky. The Pterodactyls dove towards them in a roughly spearhead formation. “I knew this was a bad idea.” Tim yelled as he ran towards the cave entrance.

              Comment


              • #52
                Gold Wing 2012 begins with "The Crystal Cave" next week

                Return to Dinosaur Island: chapter2

                Tim and Laura vaulted over the stalagmites that lined the cave’s floor, landing clumsily near the craggy ridge that separated the main chamber from the antechamber. The annoying Pterodactyls, some with wingspans as wide as six feet, squealed and chattered their warning sounds as they pursued the invaders to their territory. The flapping of the huge wings stirred up the ancient cave floor dust.

                “Quick Tim! In here!” Gold Wing directed. The Pterodactyls would never cause any damage to Laura’s thick skin, and densely packed, Loracite infused molecules, but Tim wouldn’t be as lucky. Gold Wing turned to face the attacking winged dinosaurs, gently swatting them away from her face. They squawked and screeched as the surprised creatures impacted the cave walls.

                Most of the animals were not injured, but some weren’t particularly smart, relentlessly chasing the teen explorers deeper into the pitch black darkness of the caves. Tim slipped on the slimy moss that lined the dank cave floor rocks, and Laura had to take her attention off of the pursuing flying reptiles to try and catch him. Gold Wing somehow lost her balance and tripped into Tim, knocking him into a recess.

                The pitch black cave floor suddenly dropped off into a deep ravine. Both teens flew head over heels into the midnight darkness falling rapidly down the shaft. “Oops!” Laura shouted over the din of the rushing air. “Oops?” Tim shouted back at her. “There is no oops!” He screamed.
                “Don’t worry Tim!” Laura yelled. “I got you!” They had been falling for quite a few seconds by now. Even Gold Wing’s enhanced Metahuman vision wouldn’t allow her to see into the inky blackness. She felt for, rather than saw the ravine’s inner wall. Laura dug her nails into the rocky, mineral deposits to slow their descent. Simultaneously, Gold Wing grabbed Tim by the collar of his loud Hawaiian shirt.

                Laura’s grip was tight, and she hoped that Tim’s shirt wouldn’t simply rip apart with the added pressure. Her plan sort of worked. She’s slowed their descent to a crawl, and still held Tim in her grasp. Some dim light was making its way up from the bottom of the fissure. This allowed them to get an idea of their surroundings. They still had a good fifty feet to fall by Laura’s estimation.

                “Tim, I think that I can stop us, so hold on tight to my arm.” Gold Wing directed. Tim reluctantly did a half turn, holding Laura’s arm with all of his might. The two teens were nearly face to face. “I’m going to let go of the cave wall.” She began warily. “I’m going to vault down towards that light.”
                “Light? That better not be lava!” Tim whined, trying bravely not to cry. Laura had considered that. “I think that it’s just phosphorescent algae. It seems to be bluish green, not hot orange, yellow, or red. Anyway, it’s not as if we have much choice in the matter.”

                “Laurie, before we die, I have to tell you something.” Tim’s voice cracked with roiling emotions. “Don’t, Tim! We’ll manage to survive. I promise!” Gold Wing tried to concentrate her enhanced vision on the edge of the bluish green light. “Just in case!” Tim insisted. “I love you!”

                Laura felt really bad for the guy. “Awww! Thanks, but love is just too big a word for me to say! Trust me, we’ll be fine!” She reassured him. “Ready? I’m going to make our jump.” Gold Wing let go of the fissure’s side wall and grabbed Tim, completely holding him next to her body.

                If that is lava down there, this is going to be our last leap. She thought worriedly. They fell towards the opposite side of the ravine wall, and Gold Wing kicked off of it, corkscrewing in midair to make sure that Tim landed on top of her. Her body would break his fall assuming that they would land on solid ground.

                Gold Wing landed flat on her back atop a rocky ledge, roughly seventeen by twenty feet across. The ledge cracked as Laura’s dense bone structure impacted it, leaving an impression in the rock that surrounded her body. Tim, as planned, landed on Laura’s stomach and chest area.

                “Ow!” Tim yelped as his right foot smacked the edge of the outcrop. “Well, we’re not dead!” Laura said as soon as she’d caught her breath. The fall wouldn’t hurt her of course, but it was still unsettling. Tim remained atop Laura waiting for the nausea to subside. “Tim? Are you okay?” Gold Wing prodded. Tim answered with a barely perceptible nod.

                “The good news is that we’re not surrounded by lava.” Laura began. “The bad news is that we’re stuck way in the hell below the cave’s surface. We must’ve fallen into an old volcanic fissure. We were falling for quite a while, maybe a minute or more.”
                “Tim? You can get off of me now.” Laura said coolly. “Just be careful. Don’t step back or in any direction.” The dazed teen genius crawled to his feet, and wobbly sat down near Laura. “Are you sure you’re okay?” She probed as she quickly flipped to her feet and glanced around.

                “Yeah. Peachy” Tim croaked. “I’m still waiting for my head to stop spinning and my stomach to slide back down out of my throat.” Gold Wing smirked as she examined the walls of the fissure closely. Her first guess was correct. The walls were covered in phosphorescent algae, and an underground spring of colorful water streamed past them. The water rushed by so quickly that they could hear the waves.

                Laura gazed upwards at the end of the shaft that they’d fallen through. Several rocks seemed to have colorful crystals embedded within them. They reflected the light from the phosphorescent algae and caused a prismatic rainbow-like effect throughout the area. This in turn reflected off of the rushing water. Given all that, the area was sufficiently illuminated to walk through without a flashlight.

                They were at a ‘y’ shaped rock outcropping that divided the spring water flow into two separate caverns. Each chamber was roughly ten feet across and at least that in height. The stream seemed to lead into a much wider antechamber, just beyond the edge of their visual horizon. Gold Wing thought that it was strikingly beautiful. “Tim, do you happen to know what kind of rocks these are?”

                Laura dug her hand into the wall from which the ledge protruded. She retrieved a handful of mineral rock and a number of sparkling stones that had been embedded within it. Tim warily stood up, leaning on Gold Wing’s shoulder for balance. “Let’s see.” He instructed, happy to get his mind off of the fall, and the admission of his love for Laura, which had thoroughly embarrassed him.

                Tim put the crystalline stones up close to his eye, after quickly removing the sediment from his wire-framed glasses. “Laurie, I’m no Geologist, but these crystals could very well be rough diamonds!” He exclaimed. “Really? If you’re right, Tim-Ster, we just became exceedingly rich!” She yelled over the rushing water of the underground river. “How would we get it all out of here?” Tim questioned.

                “We can start by filling our backpacks and pockets with them, even the small ones.” Laura replied, momentarily overcome by greed. “Don’t overload yourself, Tim. I can carry more than you.” She added. The teens filled up their belongings with as many diamonds as they dare carry.

                “Next question.” Tim began. “How do we get out of here?” Laura answered with a shrug. “I’m still working on it.” She replied cynically. “One option is for me to strap you across my back and climb up the shaft towards the cavern. That would be dangerous and painstakingly slow, even with my super abilities.”

                “Or?” Tim cocked his head. “Or, we can jump into the underground river, and swim through either one or the other of the diamond chambers.” Laura was brainstorming. “The problem with that is that it’s also dangerous and you could drown or get injured bouncing against the cavern walls. Additionally, we have no idea where the chambers lead. We could end up getting sucked down deeper into the Earth’s core.”

                “Terrific.” Tim groused. “It figures that we would become fabulously wealthy just in time to die.” Gold Wing chuckled. “We’re not going to die, at least not yet. We’d just take longer to get back home. If we head into a chamber, and it leads to nowhere, we can always come back here and climb up the shaft.”

                “Hmmm!” Tim considered the alternatives. “What if the chamber leads deeper into the Earth, like you said?” Laura folded her arms patiently. “Same problem. We’d have to get back up here to reach the shaft.” Laura eyed the route ahead of them. With her enhanced vision coupled with the fairly well lit diamond chambers, she picked out a third route. “Unless…” She thought out loud.

                “Unless what?” Tim impatiently prodded. “We can try leapfrogging from ledge to ledge, and take the chamber route much more slowly.” Gold Wing explained. “What?” Tim bellowed. “How is that any safer than the other two ways out?” Laura flashed an evil grin. “I didn’t say that it was any safer. I just said that it was another route. Besides, if we don’t get any further doing that, then we can always toss ourselves into the water.” Tim scowled. “Whatever works, I guess!”

                “That’s the spirit, Tim-Ster.” Gold Wing quipped as she bent over and into a kneeling position. “Now, wrap your legs around my waist.” Laura instructed with a sparkle in her eyes. Tim complied, assuming the position of a horseback ride, like he’d done with his father as a child, and then wrapped his arms across her shoulders, clasping his hands under her chin. “Comfy?” She teased.

                “If I wasn’t scared to death, I’d probably be enjoying this right now.” Tim clumsily flirted. Laura snickered as she readied her angle for the leap. “Get over it! You’re the one that said that you loved me!” She playfully taunted her good friend. “Diamonds secured?” Laura questioned. “Yes.” Tim responded.

                “Ready? Set! Go!” Gold Wing warned as she leapt to her feet and hyper sped from the back of the ledge, vaulting high into the air and arcing over the onrushing water to a similarly configured ledge ahead of them and across the chamber. There were many more ledges before them. Laura viewed each one carefully with her enhanced vision, measured her leap, and timed it perfectly for a graceful landing.

                “This would be a lot easier if I could fly like Kara.” Laura complained as they jumped from ledge to ledge throughout the smaller chamber. They had chosen the left branch of the tunnel randomly. Gold Wing soared further and further with her leaps, sometimes skipping an entire ledge to land on one just beyond.

                After a few more launches, they’d landed on a small precipice overlooking a much larger chamber. The drop down was only about twenty feet in Laura’s estimation. The walls were still lined with phosphorescent algae and diamonds. This huge chamber still reflected enough light for them to easily see their way. Gold Wing examined the landscape.

                The antechamber was nearly circular and the roof very high. The ceiling’s stalactites were varied in height and widths, and some had diamonds embedded in them. Laura helped Tim off of her and steadied his walk near the precipice’s edge. Integrated with the normal looking stalactites, were protrusions made of pure crystal…or were they pure diamond? Tim wondered.

                Laura followed her friend’s gaze. “Are those stalactites pure diamond?” She echoed his silent observation. “Possibly, but I wouldn’t know for sure unless I got a closer look at them.” Tim replied thoughtfully. “No, you may not knock one down for me! It would be just our luck that one missing stalactite would cause the entire cavern roof to collapse.” He warned.

                Laura couldn’t argue his logic. “There is another way.” She mentioned. “Tim, I think that the water from the underground spring is pooling at the base of this cavern. I could see the floor of it, and all of this water has to go somewhere, otherwise it would have been flooded years ago.” She pointed to several broken stalactite pieces that littered the now visible cavern floor.

                The water indeed appeared to be exiting in one, a large hole nearly at the center of the cave floor, and two, another branch of the river at the opposite side of the chamber from them. “Okay, but be careful!” Tim urged. Gold Wing put her backpack down and prepared to dive into the streaming multicolored waterway. She leapt, executing a perfect swan dive near the cavern’s drain hole.

                Tim estimated that the water’s depth wasn’t more than twenty feet at the center, as it grew shallower closer to the rock formations that ringed the cavern walls. Nearest the wall the water’s depth couldn’t have been more than three to four feet. It resembled a giant brightly lit swimming pool.

                Suddenly, Tim had a horrible thought as he intensely watched Gold Wing swim along the bottom, collecting the oddly colored stalactites. Laura’s original power came from her body ingesting the yellow raw Loracite mineral in a hidden cave like this one, though smaller. What if the water or the minerals within it would counteract Laura’s Loracite filled, reorganized DNA? Would she become powerless?

                “Laurie! Get out of there!” Tim yelled at the top of his lungs. Gold Wing ignored him as she collected a few more crystalline stalactites. Soon after, Gold Wing surfaced, with stalactites in hand, as she brushed the raven black hair from her eyes, smoothing it back against her head.

                Next: The Crystal Cave

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                • #53
                  The Crystal Cave

                  Laura climbed out of the pool of water along the cave’s floor. She spun faster than the eye could see to dry off her clothing. Gold Wing placed the crystalline stalactites at Tim’s feet. “Laurie, are you okay?” He asked worriedly. “Sure. I’m fine, but I don’t think that these crystals are made up of diamonds. They seem to be made of an entirely different material, like a cross between glass and steel.”

                  “Let’s take them with anyway.” Laura urged, gingerly packing them in some spare clothes that they’d brought with them. Across the crystal lined cavern some growling noises were heard. “Laurie, I don’t think we’re alone anymore.” Tim pointed out the obvious.

                  The artificial light from the phosphorescent algae and the prismatic crystals played against the walls of an inlet leading to the larger antechamber. Two large silhouettes ringed the wall nearest to the pool of spring water. Gold Wing focused her enhanced vision on the area which was far below them, but the stream of water led back into the pool, suggesting that the opposing tunnel was on an incline.

                  “There are definitely two or more creatures lurking in that tunnel.” Laura observed. “They sound agitated, and they sound like dinosaurs.” Tim shuddered at the thought of encountering more unexplained prehistoric animals on this alleged vacation trip. “What the hell would dinosaurs be doing way down here?” Tim inquired. “There are no obvious visible food sources, other than us.”

                  “Maybe they fell down here from the surface like we did.” Laura guessed. “That could mean that there is another way out of these catacombs.” Tim nodded and edged closer to the cavern floor pool. There were still a good number of broken stalactites strewn across the rocky crags that sloped down towards the pool. The mysterious crystals were certainly not rare, but were most likely never before seen by man.

                  “What are you thinking of trying?” Tim asked hesitantly. “We grab the crystals and chase the dinosaurs back up through the tunnel towards the surface.” Laura replied, making a plan in an instant. “What makes you think that the animals could get back up there? Dinosaurs were inherently stupid.” Tim stated.

                  “Did you notice that the water streams down from the incline slowly, which leads me to believe that the tunnel gradually angles towards the surface, not simply drops down here through a hole.” She explained. “In theory, the dinosaurs would be more likely to slip and fall down here, and have a hard time scrambling back up, especially if the tunnel base has been worn smooth by the passage of time.”

                  “Very logical, Mrs. Holmes.” Tim quipped. “Elementary, my dear Tim.” Laura returned the playful gest. “Ready? Grab onto my back and we’ll skip down the slope to where the dinosaurs are roaming.” Tim picked up the several crystalline stalactite pieces, and stuffed them into his backpack.

                  Laura took a running leap. Tim clung tightly onto her shoulders, as she landed briefly a good twenty meters ahead of where they were, and then leapt again, swooping downward another thirty meters or so. This last vault placed them square in the dinosaurs’ sights. The animals were startled, and quickly backed away a few large paces. Tim gawked at the creatures, trying to determine their species.

                  The two dinosaurs were about twenty feet long from nose to tip of tail. They walked upright, had elongated snouts, and were completely feathered! “What the hell are they?” Laura exclaimed. Tim stared for a long period of time at them. One was slightly larger than the other, and his plumage was brightly colored, the shades running from light tan to a slightly darker brown, with reds and yellows scattered sparsely throughout. The second, the female, sported more muted colors, like tan to dull light brown, and appeared to be heavier set, possibly pregnant. He guessed.

                  “Feathered dinosaurs? Seriously Tim, are we seeing this?” Laura was incredulous. The male had begun to roar and growl, likely a show of force to protect his mate. Gold Wing used her enhanced vision and hearing, and determined that there were no more animals in the vicinity.

                  “I’m not familiar with this species.” Laura admitted. “I believe that they’re Chinese dinosaurs called Tyrannus Huali, I remember reading about the discovery of their fossilized remains just before we left on this vacation from hell. Yes, they are related to Tyrannosaurus Rex.”

                  “Yeah, well no one told these guys that they’re supposed to be extinct.” Laura remarked. “Tim, do you see that the tunnel inclines upward? I guess I was right on the money.” The dinosaurs were raising holy hell, growling and hissing and snapping, yet they did not relent. The animals stood their ground.

                  “Now what?” Tim wondered aloud. “Tim, can you stay here for a bit while I investigate the tunnel, and hopefully draw the dinosaurs back to the surface with me?” Laura was already estimating how far she’d have to leap to pass close to the animals, and distract them from harassing Tim.

                  “I suppose so. I just hope that they can’t swim.” Tim responded nervously, as he stepped down off of Laura’s back. “If they can, just give me a yell and I’ll zip back down. Ready?” Gold Wing crouched low to the ground, and adjusted her angle for the leap. “Okay, go for it, Laurie.” Tim swallowed hard.

                  Laura vaulted low and extended her arms before her, landing a mere two or three meters from the Tyrannus Hualtis. The animals recoiled, growling and snapping at Laura. She somersaulted forward, and jumped to a standing position just beyond the slashing, whip-like tails of the animals.

                  “C’mon!” Gold Wing yelled and stamped her feet to attract the dinosaurs’ attention. She whistled and howled, as the Tyrannus mates spun around and began tracking her. They’d completely forgotten about Tim, instead making an attempt to grab the much closer meal. The aggressive male lowered his head and snapped near Laura’s feet. The female moved slower, but mirrored her mates snapping and snarling.

                  Laura backpedaled up the incline, using the phosphorescent algae as guiding light. She moved quickly backwards, step after step, all the while whooping and hollering at the dinosaurs. Sure enough, soon after, the footing became slimy and slick. There was no way that the clumsy Tyrannus couple could climb back up out of the tunnel. “Time for plan B.” Laura muttered as the animals slipped and fell against the wall.

                  Gold Wing glanced upward, and could see some light showing through the top of the angled shaft. It was quite the way up, and it would take a leap that she’d never been able to do before to get them out of this mess. “Talk about a leap of faith.” She grumbled. If she slipped and fell, Laura would land right in the laps of the hungry, snarling dinosaurs.

                  It was unlikely that even the animals’ razor sharp teeth could penetrate Laura’s dense, Loracite enhanced hide, and the dinosaurs would probably break their teeth, but that didn’t help Tim at all. “I’d better try this on my own, first.” She mumbled. Laura slid back down to the area of the shaft nearest the Tyrannus pair, and before the animals could take note, she ran up the craggy side of the tunnel wall, which happened to be less slimy than the floor. With a huge effort, Gold Wing braced her knees against the wall and vaulted straight up, cutting the huge distance in half between the crystal cave and the lighted shaft entrance high above. Still, she hadn’t made it all the way towards the top. Laura hung angrily from the side of the tunnel wall. Her first attempt had been a failure.

                  I’ll have to crawl the rest of the way, she considered. With a hard slice from her hand, Laura had cut a foothold in the rocky tunnel wall, and then another one, and so it went for an agonizing few minutes, as she crawled up the wall like some type of insect.

                  Far below, Tim was waiting impatiently near the pool in the crystal cave. He examined the structure, and determined that parts of it were manmade. There were sharp cuts in pieces of the cavern wall that appeared to be carved with some kind of a tool. They hadn’t been the first ones to visit the subterranean spring that ran beneath this island and throughout the catacomb tunnel system after all.

                  Someone had been mining the crystal stalactites for some as yet unknown purpose, he mused. The animals began howling again, and Tim shuddered despite the warm, humid, feel of the mysterious cavern. Laura had been gone for quite a few minutes, he noted worriedly. The Tyrannus Huatis hadn’t shown their slick snouts back in the crystal cavern yet. Tim shifted uneasily as he picked up a crystal piece.

                  Back in the angled tunnel, Laura was finally nearing the aperture atop the shaft, and the intense sunlight nearly blinded her. She placed one cautious hand along the rim of the breach, and then the other. She popped her head out of the fissure and into the warm, humid, air of the island.

                  Cautiously, Gold Wing hoisted herself out of the hole and glanced around. She was centered in a paradise of sorts, with colorful tropical foliage stretching as far as the eye could see. There were no other visible animals nearby, and the Garden of Eden like valley was reasonably quiet and surrounded by volcanic like mountains, some if which occasionally spewed steam, presumably from underground springs.

                  In short, it was beautiful. Laura observed. She finished climbing out of the shaft, and set about completing a new plan. The first obstacle was the Tyrannus Hualtis, because they stood in between Tim and the surface. The second was how to return through the angled tunnel, and rescue the dinosaurs. Laura had already cut a number of handholds and footholds into the rocks, so she could move more efficiently.

                  I suppose I could just haul the dinosaurs back up here first, she rationalized, preferably without injuring them. This would take extreme speed and accuracy, she considered. Laura sighed and readied her return to the crystal cave, by climbing in and back down to the halfway point, and cutting more footholds in the wall.

                  I could just relocate the Tyrannus mates at a different point in the crystal cave, she reasoned. Laura decided to drop down the shaft and surprise the animals. “If only Clark and Oliver could see me now.” She chuckled. “Gold Wing, dinosaur rescuer.” With that, she dove downward and landed next to the shocked male. In seconds, Laura grabbed the dinosaur’s snout clamping it shut with one hand, and wrapped her arm around the feathery animal’s neck and yanked him off his feet.

                  The startled female backed away as Laura wrestled the Tyrannus Hualti to the ground. Once she had position over the lengthy animals back, she lifted him up and zipped across the edge of the crystal cave’s pool, quickly placing him in another tunnel entranceway, far from Tim.

                  Tim watched in disbelief as Laura sped past him, carrying the dinosaur that was more than twice her size. “Laura, what the hell are you doing?” He yowled as Laura zipped past to catch the pregnant female. “I’m just doing a little old fashioned dinosaur wrangling, partner.” She quipped.

                  Laura cornered the female and she snarled and lowered her head, baring a full set of razor sharp teeth. “Easy girl,” Laura tried unsuccessfully to calm the expectant mother. The female shifted her position, slashing at Gold Wing with her tail. The Tyrannus Huati lunged at Laura’s neck, and the superhero turned dinosaur wrestler, sidestepped the angry mother’s snapping jaws, grabbing her by the whip-like tail.

                  Simultaneously, Laura pulled the tail across the dinosaur’s back and gripped her snout, closing it shut. Rather than forcing the pregnant female to the ground, she carefully lifted it up and carried her sideways to the tunnel standing her next to her mate. The male snapped at Laura’s arm, narrowly missing it. Gold Wing’s reactions were far quicker, as she somersaulted backwards across the ridge toward Tim.

                  “Well, that’ll keep them out of the way for a while.” Laura announced as she finally vaulted next to Tim. “What was that all about, Laurie?” He asked in frustration. “Oh, it’s just your average dinosaur relocation project.” Gold Wing joked. “We can get back top side through that angled tunnel, but it won’t be easy, and I still want to get the animals out of here as well.” Laura explained.

                  Tim picked up their backpacks and the handful of crystals they’d gathered, and followed Laura over to where the Tyrannus pair had been. “After I get you out of here, I’m coming back down to see where that other tunnel leads, the one where I placed the dinosaurs. It seemed to be a more gradual incline, but there weren’t enough phosphorescent algae along the floor and walls to see much of anything.”

                  “This is going to be tricky, and inefficient, but we’ll manage.” Laura informed him. “What’s up there?” Tim asked worriedly. “All I saw were a bunch of colorful plants and other foliage, with no visible animals. It seemed quiet and calm.” She replied. “Ready?” Tim nodded. “Hold onto my back again, and don’t let go, or I’ll have to bring you back to the states in pieces.” Gold Wing warned.

                  Tim gulped as he complied. Laura set herself up at the edge of the pool facing the tunnel incline, and shifted into hyper speed vaulting high into the shaft after a running start. With Tim and their supplies strapped across her back, Gold Wing soared upwards, stretching her hands before her.

                  This time, Laura made it nearly three quarters of the way up the shaft before she had to grab onto the pre-dug handholds and footholds for a break. Tim was shocked at the sudden stop, nearly losing his grip on Laura’s neck. He stabilized quickly, breathing heavily. “Another two or three tries, and I might make it all the way out of the fissure on the first try.” She remarked sarcastically.

                  From here, Gold Wing just crawled up through the hole, Tim in tow, and was once again greeted by warm humid air and dazzling sunlight. She helped him hang from the rim of the aperture, and they both climbed out, resting on a ledge surrounded by sandy soil. “Well, we’re out of the belly of this beast.” Tim joked. “Now what?” Laura glanced around for a safe place to stow Tim and their gear.

                  “Let’s explore this valley, but I want to grab the dinosaurs before we go any further.” Gold Wing instructed. “You can keep out of trouble for a few more minutes, can’t you?” Tim shrugged. “With this crazy island, who knows? Maybe we should leave the dinosaurs.” Laura shook her head. “No, that’s not cool! I’ll hurry and get them. You can sit atop that ridge, so you can see any possible threats.”

                  Tim followed her gaze, as Laura pointed to a high point near one of the volcanic steam release areas. They hurried towards it, and settled down for a quick break. The ground beneath them shook with a good amount of force. “Great, are we sitting on an active volcano?” Tim whined. “There isn’t supposed to be an active volcano here, Tim.” Laura answered as she surveyed the area with her enhanced vision.

                  “Seriously? Laurie, there’s not supposed to be extinct animals propagating in the middle of the Pacific either!” He chastised her. “Point taken.” Laura smirked.
                  Last edited by gardy1; 04-20-2012, 03:24 PM. Reason: spacing

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                  • #54
                    Gold Wing Hidden

                    Laura allowed Tim to rest atop the cooled lava field just below the outer edge of the volcano’s crater. She quickly sped back to the mewling dinosaurs, and zipped past them along the new antechamber that she’d located. This tunnel was much darker than the others, and she had to use a small kryptonite flashlight to illuminate the walls, and watch for unexpected drop-offs.
                    Eventually, Gold Wing found a glimmer of light that beamed down from the tunnel’s ceiling. The opening was too small for much of anything to climb through, so she had to improvise, smashing both fists through the tunnel’s upper edge, until the warm humid air filtered into the antechamber.

                    Finally, after a few minutes, Gold Wing had cracked enough of the craggy rocks away from the original hole to allow for the passage of the dinosaurs and her as well. She climbed out of the orifice, and stood near a grassy field at the opposite side of the volcano from Tim.
                    Laura noted some signs of civilization a short distance away. She spied a low, green metallic looking building surrounded by smaller, brown and green structures. The constructs seemed very modern compared to the rustic, mostly trample free landscape that she and Tim were familiar with.

                    Gold Wing couldn’t very well drop off the dinosaurs in the middle of a human encampment, so now she was back to square one with them. Laura hyper sped over to the compound and was surprised at the amount of activity. People buzzed in and around the structures. The humans she saw were diverse in age, race, sex, and ethnicity, but they all wore tacky multicolored tropical shirts and cargo shorts.
                    A tourist trap? She wondered silently. That seemed unlikely in this environment, and the human encampment was fairly far away from the island’s coasts. They appeared to be too clean cut to be pirates, drug runners, or rogue illegal alien traders. Laura approached them directly, but cautiously.

                    “Excuse me?” Laura yelled towards a tall slim dark skinned woman in khaki green shorts and a loud blue flowered blouse. “Holy Mother of God!” The tall woman exclaimed. “How did you get here? You can’t be here!” The woman backed away, growing more flustered and agitated.

                    “I was just looking for some information.” Gold Wing continued, chasing the middle-aged woman who had begun to run back towards a small, greenish brown domicile about the size of a Seven Eleven. Laura sped up just fast enough to get ahead of the tall fleeing woman. “Wait! I have some questions!” Gold Wing pleaded. “I cannot answer them!” The woman shouted over her shoulder.
                    The woman sidestepped Laura and jogged up four steps and began pounding on a door. Laura stopped and waited to see who would answer the frightened woman’s knock. Within moments, two large men, one dark skinned, and the other more olive to tan skinned, emerged. One carried an automatic rifle, the other a machete. No, this wasn’t suspicious at all, Gold Wing thought cynically.

                    “You! Come here!” The heavier dark skinned man barked, gesturing at Laura. Gold Wing folded her arms defiantly. “No! You come here!” She challenged, and pointed to the ground before her. The scared woman slipped past the burly men and entered the structure. The lighter skinned one vaulted deftly off of the stairway deck and landed beside Laura, waving his machete menacingly. The guards were dressed similarly to the other people that Gold Wing had seen, oddly enough, the area grew quickly deserted.

                    “You in a lot of trouble, Missy!” The machete guy said, with an Asian sounding accent, as he tried to get behind her. Laura spun to face him, as the guy with the gun jogged down the steps to help his buddy. The Asian guard reached out to grab Laura by the head, and she leapt straight up and over him, kicking him in the back of his knees. “You don’t want to do that.” She threatened as he crumpled to the ground in some slight pain. His buddy with the gun pointed the barrel at Laura’s head.

                    Faster than a speeding bullet? Gold Wing mentally quipped as she kicked the guy on the ground over onto his side. “Put your gun away dude, I’m just here to talk.” Laura attempted to placate him. “We don’t have anything to say, and I would ask you to leave, but I don’t believe that is allowed.” The dark skinned guy cocked the rifle. “Not allowed? Who’s in charge here?” Laura demanded.
                    “What the hell is going on out here?” A woman’s voice asked from just beyond the edge of the next building. A slim light skinned woman wearing the ubiquitous flower patterned blouse with dark brown cargo shorts stalked towards them. The only difference between her and the others was that she was also wearing a thin, white, unbuttoned lab coat that nearly reached her ankles in length.

                    Laura used a portion of her hyper speed to disarm the guard, lightly hitting him in the forehead with the butt of the rifle. He went down in a heap, but remained conscious, though no doubt he would have a substantial bruise and an excruciating headache for a while. Gold Wing gasped as she recognized the lab technician.

                    “Livie?” Laura asked, incredulous. “What? Do I know you? I am Dr. Olivia Descarte. Livie is the name my deceased parents used to call me.” Gold Wing brushed her raven black hair from her eyes and stepped over the two guards. Olivia appeared quite a few years older than Livie or Laura, with sandy brown hair and wearing a pair of eyeglasses.
                    “I thought we met you on the other side of the island.” Laura began. “Do you have an evil twin?” Olivia chuckled. “That would be a negative. Who are you again?” She asked as she gestured for the guards to stand down. Laura tossed the rifle back towards the fallen and angry men.

                    “My name is Laura Lake, and my friend and I were just doing some sightseeing and we got lost.” Gold Wing lied convincingly, though it wasn’t that much of a stretch of the truth. “Really? What friend is that?” Olivia asked, glancing beyond and behind Laura. “Tim.” Gold Wing replied. “I left him below in the crystal caves.” She tossed her name for the cavern catacombs out there for a reaction.
                    Olivia bit on the baited trap. “I see. So you’ve been below ground.” The lab technician scowled. “That is unfortunate. We are running a top secret group of experiments on the local flora and fauna. You are in violation of my property rights, both intellectual and physical. There will be consequences.” Livie delivered the veiled threat. “I didn’t see any warning signs.” Laura played dumb.

                    “The locals and I have an understanding that trespassers are not allowed.” Olivia added sourly, as Laura drew closer. By now, the guards were both up on their knees and resumed reaching for their weapons. “Oh, well we just set sail from the main island and ended up here.” Gold Wing downplayed. “You aren’t allowed to be here.” Olivia continued menacingly. Laura watched the guards out of the corner of her eye.
                    “Fine.” Gold Wing snapped. “I’ll just gather my friend up and we’ll go.” Olivia’s gaze narrowed. “I said that there would be consequences.” The renegade doctor reminded her.

                    “Go ahead and call the police.” Laura called Olivia’s bluff. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a specific police force available.” Olivia played cat and mouse. “That’s not my problem, is it?” Gold Wing lowered her voice gruffly. “I’m afraid it is.” Olivia gestured for both men to take Laura.
                    They lunged at her, and Gold Wing spun sideways, leaping into the air, briefly touching her feet on the building’s wall, before somersaulting high above them, and landing gracefully several paces behind the charging guards. “Wow!” Olivia gasped. “I’ve never seen a human pull off that move.” She commented.

                    “You’ll find that I’m full of surprises.” Laura taunted as she vaulted straight up, executing a perfect backflip, and landing atop the flat building’s roof. She peered over the edge at the startled men as Olivia shook her head in disbelief. “My God! What are you?” Olivia exclaimed. “I’m just a pain in the ass, just a fly in the ointment.” Gold Wing sneered. “By the way, Olivia, just what the hell are you into here?”
                    “I told you. We are conducting secret research here, and you are interfering.” Dr. Descarte explained angrily. Laura ran along the rooftop towards Olivia as the guards rushed to catch up. “Does that research include resurrecting prehistoric animals, Olivia?” Gold Wing challenged. “Oh. You’ve seen them, have you? Let’s just say that there were some unexpected side-effects of our research.” Olivia replied.

                    “Yeah, well I trapped two of your dinosaurs in the caverns below, near my friend Tim.” Laura said as she vaulted across the area between buildings, landing on another slightly higher rooftop. The guards tiredly kept up their pursuit. Olivia began to jog behind them towards Laura. “Wait! Don’t shoot her!” The lab technician ordered, as the goon with the rifle stopped to get Gold Wing in his sights.
                    “You said you wanted some information?” Olivia teased. “I seem to be losing interest, while your thugs are trying to kill me.” Laura snapped loudly. “Wait!” Olivia requested. “I’ll fill you in on our research, if you tell me how you acquired those unusual superhuman abilities.” The curious doctor offered.

                    “Deal!” Gold Wing stated. “Now, call off your goons!” Naturally, Laura had no intention of telling Olivia all of her secrets, but she wanted an answer to what was going on with this bizarre island. “Stop!” The young doctor ordered. The thugs slowed and stood, flashing Olivia a questioning glance. “We can always dispose of her later.” Olivia said quietly, and Laura heard her, expecting that type of reaction.
                    “We still have to get to her friend Tim.” Olivia explained. “He’s a witness as well.” Laura stood defiantly on the apex of the roof, arms crossed. “Please, come down.” Olivia asked far too sweetly. “Fine. No tricks!” Gold Wing still played dumb, as she somersaulted off the roof and onto the ground beside Olivia, all in all a thirty to forty foot drop. “Amazing!” Olivia praised. “You’re not even sweating!”

                    “You said that your friend was stuck in the catacombs with my dinosaurs?” Olivia tried to sound concerned. “Yeah, and I promised to come back and get him, and relocate your dinosaurs.” Laura responded warily. “By the way, Dr. Descarte, how exactly did you create these animals, and call them your dinosaurs. You know that I’ve seen Jurassic Park about a dozen times.” Gold Wing quipped.
                    Olivia laughed raucously. “Young lady, Jurassic Park is a fantasy, this set of experiments are reality.” Laura was continually weighing whether Olivia was a driven doctor or a megalomaniac whack job, and as of yet, she couldn’t decide. At least she seemed more civilized than her evil twin, Livie.

                    “First off, we didn’t create the dinosaurs. They simply began appearing in the more sparsely populated regions of the island.” Olivia began, as the goons settled for quietly escorting Laura and Dr. Descarte towards the building Gold Wing had just leapt from. Laura wasn’t buying that. “How could they just begin appearing? There had to be some kind of a catalyst to bring them here.” Gold Wing pointed out.
                    “Yes, and I promise to explain everything after we retrieve your friend and extricate the dinosaurs.” Olivia spun her story as she opened the common metal double doors that led into the tallest of the three buildings. “Which dinosaurs are they, again?” Olivia checked Laura’s story. “Tim called them Huati’s or something.” Gold Wing answered. “They were quite impressive.” She added, playing along.

                    “So that’s where they are.” Olivia said as she slipped a key card through an electronic access device. Laura followed Dr. Descarte into a type of laboratory. She couldn’t immediately understand what Dr. Descarte’s people were doing, but unmistakably, this place was high tech. Laura recognized one of the crystal shards that they’d found in the caves. It appeared to be running a digital machine.
                    Gold Wing made no mention of the crystal to Olivia, but it filled in a piece of the overall puzzle. The white crystals had to be a type of power source. Laura was willing to bet that Olivia’s harvesting of these crystals were behind all of this. That still didn’t explain the dinosaurs, the natives, or the pirates. The two thugs had left them and presumably returned to their posts.

                    There were dozens of lab technicians. All dressed the same way, working on various consoles and computer screens. Most of them ignored the visitors, as they continued to concentrate on their assigned duties. Olivia led her to a corner office, which was located behind another access door. The name on the door indeed said ‘Dr. Olivia Descarte, Chief Technician’. Laura noted.
                    “Have a seat, Miss Lake.” Olivia offered. Gold Wing complied.

                    Comment


                    • #55
                      Gold Wing Crystal Cave pt 3

                      “Dr. Descarte, let’s cut to the chase, shall we?” Laura challenged. “As I stated, my friend and your dinosaurs await my return. What exactly do these diamond-like crystal shards do?” Olivia glanced warily at the Gold Wing. “I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” The scientist said half-seriously.

                      Laura frowned. “That seems unlikely.” She responded coldly. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” Olivia quipped. “I’ve got nothing to show.” Laura defended. “You can always call the police, but we both know that there isn’t a cell in the world that can hold me.” Gold Wing said with bravado.

                      “Help me out, here.” Dr. Descarte pleaded. “What are you? I mean no offense.” Laura sighed. “I’m what you’d call an enhanced human or a Meta Human if you prefer.” Gold Wing opened. “I can run faster, jump higher, fight stronger, and move with more agility than a normal or average human.” That was about all Laura was willing to tell Olivia without any more feedback.

                      “That’s fascinating!” Olivia remarked. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.” Gold Wing was growing impatient with Dr. Descarte, who seemed to be dawdling with her answers. “Dr. Descarte, what exactly are you into here?” Laura prodded. “We’re an independent research firm.” Olivia replied vaguely. “We create experiments that can lead to some future developments in nature and science.”

                      “You’re in this research arena for profit, then?” Laura grilled, sounding more like Lois Lane than she cared to admit. “Of course.” Olivia responded defiantly, adding: “There’s nothing illegal about it.” Gold Wing wasn’t so sure. “It’s not my problem, whether your operation is legit or not.” Laura stated. “What I want to know is why would you bring back or create extinct life forms?” She inquired.
                      “You have seen Jurassic Park, haven’t you?” Laura teased. “Jurassic Park was a fantasy.” Olivia snapped. “We are examining different possibilities of existence, here.” She added curtly. Still too vague, Laura thought silently. “You mentioned earlier that the dinosaurs were a side effect of some of your experiments.” Gold Wing tossed Olivia’s words back in her face. “Care to explain that?”

                      “I can’t divulge much.” Olivia evaded. “Hence, the idea of secret research.” She said arrogantly. “The people I work for have definite expectations and copyright implications for what we discover here.” Laura sneered, now we’re getting somewhere, she mused. “Who are these people?” Gold Wing didn’t expect a straight answer from the secretive scientist. “I won’t be able to tell you that.” Olivia stated firmly.
                      “Put it this way…” Olivia continued. “My superiors are the kind of people that you don’t find, they find you, and you’ll do what they say, or you’ll simply disappear. The people I work for have the power to erase you, completely, and your family as well. They’re the power players behind the power players. They aren’t afraid of anyone, any government, or breaking any rules.”

                      Laura could understand that. “Why would you get involved with them, Dr. Descarte? What do they have on you?” Gold Wing pried. “Miss Lake, I make an obscene amount of money working on this gray area research. I conduct experiments, produce results, and analyze the findings.” Olivia bragged. “But you can never leave?” Laura put in. “That sounds more like the mafia to me.”
                      “I can leave whenever I want, but then I’d be unemployed, and possibly erased on top of it.” Olivia continued. “I don’t want to leave. I have tons of work to do. Call it a long term contract.” She added.

                      “Okay, it’s your life, professor.” Laura held up her hands in resignation. “What I want to know is what caused the dinosaur anomalies. Seriously, where does one get dinosaur DNA?” Olivia nodded. “This I can tell you, the dinosaurs are real, and it’s interesting that you chose the word anomaly, because that is exactly what we’re dealing with here. The crystals, placed in a certain formation, create anomalies.”
                      “Create anomalies? Like what, a doorway through time?” Laura guessed logically. “You are quite perceptive, Miss Lake.” Olivia praised. “Are you sure that you wouldn’t like to work for us? We could double our experiments, and increase our profitability substantially.”

                      “Uh, no thanks, doc, I like my freedom.” Gold Wing snarled. “That’s a shame.” Olivia said as she pressed a button on the side of her desk. “You do realize that we can’t let you just walk out of here, don’t you?” Dr. Descarte threatened. “You do realize that you have no power to stop me?” Laura countered. “I guess we’re finished here.” Two big marauding guards jogged towards Olivia’s office.
                      “Good bye, Miss Lake.” Olivia smirked. The guards jammed in through the doorway, and Laura spun to face them. There was no way out of the office other than through them. “You just don’t get it, do you?” Gold Wing challenged. “I’ll toss your dinosaurs back up through the cave entrance, and you can pick them up there.” She yelled over her shoulder.

                      The guards advanced on Laura with high powered stun guns. Gold Wing assumed that they used the electrical prods to relocate the dinosaurs, like one would do to direct cattle or other livestock. The goons wore black gloves that presumably protected them from a backwash of electrical voltage. The nearest creep jammed the business end of the electric prod into Laura’s ribcage. She felt a little jolt, like if she contacted a live wire.

                      Gold Wing laughed as her raven black hair stood on end. The second guard pressed his prod against Laura’s back, and she swept them both away with a mighty swing of her arm, knocking them into the filing cabinets that lined Olivia’s office. “Amazing!” The obsessed doctor commented. “There was enough voltage there to fell a full grown Tyrannosaurus Rex!”
                      “I told you that no one could possibly stop me!” Laura shamelessly boasted as she knocked the two guards’ heads together. They sank to the floor as Gold Wing’s hair frizzed up into an endless wave of curls. “Was it good for you, fellas?” Laura teased as she stepped over the moaning goons.

                      “Dr. Descarte, if I were you, I’d consider another line of work.” Gold Wing taunted. “Don’t get too comfortable in this plush corner office, because when I find your mysterious bosses, I’ll bring them down. I’m sure that most of your superiors’ projects are below board. Eventually they will slip up, and I’ll be there to see that justice is served.” Gold Wing menaced. “I don’t doubt it, Miss Lake.” Olivia said.
                      With that, Laura vaulted over two more guards that were racing towards her, and swinging from the building’s rafters like a caged monkey, she landed on the floor across the lab room, startling a dozen or so workers. Gold Wing switched into hyper speed, weaving in between the lab desks and cabinets, as her visual perception shifted, she eyed a glimpse of a file entitled ‘Crystalline Power Source’.

                      She deftly picked it up and sped off with it towards the cave fissure. Laura placed the lifted document in her backpack, and set about the job of relocating the starving Huatis back upon the island’s surface.
                      Gold Wing dropped down into the fissure, and sure enough, the feathered dinosaurs hadn’t moved very far away from the crystal filled underground stream. “Easy, girl!” Laura tried to soothe the hissing beast.
                      Before it knew what happened, Laura had grabbed the pregnant dinosaur and sped her up through the tunnel and into the stretch of dense foliage opposite the valley where she’d left Tim. The female appeared dizzy and snorted, sniffing the air for predators or prey. Laura repeated the procedure with the slightly larger male, depositing him reasonably close to the female where he could pick up her scent.

                      Gold Wing zipped back to Tim, who was impatiently pacing back and forth across the lava field. The ground continued to rumble beneath their feet. A blast of high powered steam shot into the sky like the Old Faithful Geyser back on the mainland. “Laurie! It’s about time!” Tim whined loudly.
                      “Sorry Tim-ster! It took longer than I thought, but do I have a story for you!” Laura boasted excitedly. Gold Wing related her experience to Tim as they carefully skirted the easily disrupted lava rocks strewn around the volcanic crater. “So Olivia exists in two places at once?” Tim asked incredulously.

                      “I have a sneaking suspicion that Livie actually exists in two different dimensions of time.” Laura reached for a logical explanation. “Not to go all Twilight Zone on you, Tim, but I believe that Livie and her goons are screwing around with time itself.” Tim whistled. “That would explain a lot. How do we prove it? Who do we call? No one would believe a couple of nosy teenagers.” Tim pointed out.
                      “This sounds like a job for Clark Kent and the rest of the crew.” Laura mentioned. “I can handle anything that ol’ Livie could throw at us, but this calls for some people with influence, like Oliver Queen, or Senator Martha Kent. Besides, we’re due back for Lois and Clark’s wedding next week.”

                      The ground beneath them shook again, but it felt different to Gold Wing, more like pounding than geological rumbling. Sure enough, off to their right in a lush green valley, something large and grayish green moved. The teens glanced in the general direction of the noise.

                      “Unexplained anomalies my ass!” Laura snapped as she identified the moving creature. A fully grown Apatosaurus, similar to a Brontosaur or Diplodocus, barreled through the underbrush. A pair of large eyes appeared just above the tree line. It sniffed at the tops of the trees with its massive nostrils. A lengthy, slender, snakelike neck led to its head, which was far smaller than the rest of its body.

                      The dinosaur paid them no mind as it went about munching contentedly on the thick palm fronds that until recently had been wavering in the warm, tropical breezes. Tim showed no fear of the Apatosaur, knowing that it was a full-fledged plant eater. “She’s smaller than the ones pictured in the dinosaur websites.” He commented. “That would be consistent with the other animals we’ve seen here.” Gold Wing pointed out. “Every creature we saw seemed to be a lesser version of the originals.”

                      “I think Livie is playing God here!” Tim snorted angrily. “However she’s doing it, these anomalies can’t be allowed to continue indefinitely.” Laura nodded in agreement. “Let’s head back to town, and then to the mainland, Tim.” She suggested. “We’re keeping the diamond-like crystals as well.”

                      “I agree.” Tim watched the Apatosaur bend its long neck downward to drink from a large puddle of water that had pooled in one of the small dormant craters that pockmarked the tropical landscape.
                      “Livie and her goons aren’t going anywhere soon.” Laura said as she glanced warily at the hillside, expecting Dr. Descarte’s muscle heads to attack her and Tim. “We’re coming back! This time with some funding and some backup.” Gold Wing stated boldly. “Livie can’t just get away with this.”

                      Next up: Superman: Rough Justice part 4

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                      • #56
                        Superman Part 4Rough Justice

                        From Edge of Darkness - Superman prt 3 Rough Justice.

                        “We will be talking about ELLE, or Extinction Likely Level Events.” Oliver began without preamble. “We plan on developing an Existential Threat Assessment Warning System.” Jon added. “Queen Industries, partnering with Arizona’s Worthington Co Automation Division, will sign contracts to build, institute, and monitor these systems. Some of you are already familiar with Watchtower.” Oliver paused.

                        “The ETAWS will be Watchtower times a hundredfold. This next generation of Global Security is a private venture.” Oliver continued, motioning for Tess to join them on stage. “By keeping this project private, we will be avoiding, and actually circumventing government involvement.” Tess added. “Our goal is to go global in a very short period of time.” She concluded, and stepped aside.

                        “Boy, Daddy would have a fit if he knew about this.” Lois commented quietly to Clark. “It’s a good thing that we’re not telling him then.” Clark replied cynically. “He may come around some day.” Clark added. “Unfortunately, it won’t be until we face a threat that no government can handle, like Darkseid, or even Zod and the Kandorians.” Kara had heard them discussing that, and she shifted uneasily in her seat.
                        What if they turn against us? The Supergirl wondered silently. Meanwhile, Bruce cleared his throat and reluctantly raised his gauntleted hand. “Yes, Batman?” Diana asked with an unusually sweet tone in her voice. Both Nightwing and Batgirl gawked openly at Bruce, and then glanced at Diana.

                        “I may have a friend that can help.” Batman growled through his voice box. “I know billionaire Bruce Wayne, and I can ask him if he wants to join in your ETAWS project. Word is that Wayne Industries already has a similar global security system in the pipeline. Would you be interested?”
                        “Yes. Definitely.” Oliver said, decisively. “As long as he agrees to maintain the veil of secrecy.” Batman nodded. “Mr. Wayne has confided in only me and two of his top technicians. I’ll have him set up an appointment with you, Mr. Queen?” Oliver waved the okay. “Yes. Please.”

                        “Thank you, Batman.” Jon Jonz said and returned to the ELLE discussion. “As our group plans for the future, would we all agree that our primary responsibility is to protect planet Earth from threats within and without?” Jon baited them. “Now that we are all aware of the existence of extraterrestrials, it stands to reason that some of them may not be considered friendly.” Oliver pointed out.
                        “Oliver always was the master of understatement.” Lois quipped as Clark nodded in agreement. “I’d like to begin by covering the natural threats that man encounters every day.” Jon continued. “These following ELLEs are common, and the most likely to occur. Natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, tornadoes, fires, or a disruption in the food supply chain are usually well handled.”

                        “Yet, I believe that it should remain a paramount mission of our group to use our unique and extraordinary abilities to render immediate assistance, regardless of the usual authorities.” Jon added. “Alone, we can do very little to help, but as a group we would be invaluable.”
                        A chorus of ‘yeahs’ and claps made their way through the small VFW Hall. Even the usually reserved Batgirl politely applauded. “This sounds like something you’d hear at Gotham State University.” She commented. “True, but aren’t we too busy handling scumbags to go all global activist?” Dick countered sourly. Bruce gave them a stare to quiet them.

                        Gold Wing raised her leather clad hand. “Yes, Gold Wing?” Oliver was careful to respond to Laura without using her real name. “Arrow? What are you actually getting at?” She prodded. “I propose that we each take responsibility for a certain area of the country, and eventually some specific areas of the world.” Oliver answered. “For example, Chloe and I will be returning to Star City.” He dropped the bomb.
                        “We’ll be responsible for Star City, and the regions that we can access quickly.” Chloe piped in from the audience. “We’re limited to how much ground we can cover without any superhuman abilities.” Jon Jonz nodded, adding: “Each member of our league will be assigned areas based on their inherent powers, or lack thereof. Both cases can be helpful. Certain members would have far greater areas of responsibility.”

                        “League?” Lois’s outburst from the fourth row startled everyone. “That has a nice ring to it.” The intrepid reporter commented cheerfully, writing some possibilities on a few pieces of paper that she’d brought with her. “A league sounds less threatening than an army, or some alphabet soup of government acronyms.” Lois concluded as she continued to scribble.

                        Hawkman suddenly got up and flapped his wings lifting him onto the stage beside Oliver. Hawkgirl continued to stare menacingly at everyone in the hall. “Yes, Hawkman?” Jon asked coolly. “We should honor those before us that continued to be the light that opposes darkness in all its forms. I say that our group should have the word ‘justice’ within it, like the Justice Society of America from years past.”

                        “Agreed.” Clark shouted, forgetting that he wasn’t the Blur. Lois elbowed him in the ribs. Naturally, he barely noticed. Oliver snickered. “Thank you for that resounding confirmation Mr. Kent.” Arrow needled him as Clark reddened. Lois placed her head in her hands. Playing the inept, mild mannered reporter will probably be more difficult than we think, she silently mused.

                        Bruce noted both the reference to the JSA, and Kent’s outburst. He was starting to get the bigger picture here. Simultaneously, the sharp young detectives, Barbara and Dick picked up on the reference. “Did you catch that, Batman?” Nightwing asked. Bruce calmly nodded and gestured for him to pay attention.

                        “We can have an immediate vote, if you’d like.” Jon Jonz stated calmly. The murmurs from the unusual audience sounded positive, so Oliver nodded. “Okay, who thinks that Justice should be part of our group’s eventual name? Show of hands please.”

                        Everyone except Shayera, Batman, Batgirl, and Nightwing raised one hand. Barbara felt bad that she hadn’t contributed to the vote or discussion, but she remained silent. “Very well, Justice something it will be.” Oliver chuckled. “Do you object, Batman?” Jon Jonz pinned Bruce down. “No, Detective Jones, I’m just more interested in the overall purpose of this organization.” Batman growled, sounding surly.

                        “Understandable.” Jon Jonz remarked. “We will continue with the broader discussion on ELLEs.” Lois risked a glance at Batman and spoke into Clark’s ear. “Bat guy doesn’t seem particularly impressed, honey. Maybe we should’ve invited the Blur instead.” She observed. “I think that he’ll come around. Maybe after next week, Batman will be more intrigued.” Clark commented.

                        “We’ve already touched on natural disasters, and now we’d like to cover manmade disasters, or conflicts.” Jon continued. Hawkman flew back to his seat next to Shayera. “Are you following all this, Hawkgirl?” He questioned his wife. “Yes, my king. I just wonder why we sit about and talk when there are wars to be won and battles to be fought.” Shayera responded with a heavy Middle Eastern accent.

                        “All in good time, Shayera.” Carter remarked. “Here on Earth, in this time, I am your husband, not your king.” Naturally, both Kara and Clark had followed their quiet discussion, though they tried not to be obvious about it. That exchange would be worth following up on with the roguish Carter Hall.

                        “The most obvious threat to mankind in its present form would be a rogue launch of nuclear weapons by one country or terrorist state against another, resulting in World War III.” Jon began icily. “On the one hand, we are of the mind that all nuclear weapons should be banned, yet on the other, I believe that nuclear powered energy is paramount to Earth’s technological advances.”

                        “Hence, the double edged sword.” Oliver contributed. “Some of us here today may be powerful enough to physically restrain developers of nuclear weapons, and some likely powerful enough to destroy all nuclear weapons that one can find.” Arrow let that observation hang in the air. “The problem with that is how much power should one being, or one league, have? We all have to consider that.”

                        Clark raised his hand. “Yes, Mr. Kent?” Oliver was puzzled by his friend’s action. “Do you mind if I say a few words?” Lois glared at him. “Honey, what are you doing? We’re supposed to be observing.” She chastised him. “Thank you.” Clark said as he stood up and walked gingerly to the podium, deftly hopping up onto the stage. Jon and Oliver stared at him. “What’s up, Boy Scout?” Oliver asked quietly.

                        Clark just nodded toward the audience. Lois ducked her head and glanced down. “If we form this League of Justice or whatever, we need to remember to stay morally sound, and not let the power trip get into our heads. Our greatest strength, and our greatest weakness, is our humanity.” Clark made eye contact with everyone as quickly as he could. “A wise visitor once told that to me, and I found that it rings true.”

                        “Nice.” Batgirl smiled, and forgot that she was supposed to remain silent. “Doesn’t this sound like our Humanities and Philosophy classes, Nightwing?” Dick nodded before answering. “It also reminds me of something your father might say, or Alfred.” He added under a withering glare from Batman. “You guys aren’t getting the whole idea behind secret identities, are you?” He growled at his young assistants.

                        “If we do this, we do it together.” Clark continued his lecture. “Remember, we are on the same team regardless of whether we have superior abilities or not.” The audience applauded as Clark paused, and then recalled that he was supposed to be an observer, and quickly vacated the stage area.

                        “Great speech, honey.” Lois snapped. “You know that the Blur would’ve liked that.” She added sarcastically. Clark reddened as Lois gently kissed his cheek. Kara slouched in her seat and sighed, wishing that she’d decided to come as Supergirl. Maybe next time, she mused silently. “Uh, thank you Mr. Kent.” Oliver said cordially. “I guess that we all echo your sentiment.”

                        Jon refocused the discussion, speaking on the manmade threats of biological and chemical warfare, country destabilization and unrest, small scale terrorism, worldwide riots, political corruption, and some new forms of weaponry, like the electromagnetic pulse weapon that could knock out an entire city, state, or country’s electrical power, and concluded with a vicious cyber-attack that could bring down the world’s financial market’s computer system in favor of a new world order.

                        All of these disasters were manmade, and very prevalent in today’s society. Courtney Whitmore had grown restless, and during a break made her way over to sit between Clark and Kara. Stargirl smiled at them, and said: “Boy, you guys are covering all the bases today, aren’t you?”

                        Lois laughed. “You haven’t seen anything, yet. Detective Jones is about to cover extraterrestrial threats next. Honey, could you zip off and get me some popcorn?” She teased Clark quietly. “Funny.” He chuckled briefly.

                        Continued in The Last Daughter of Krypton

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                        • #57
                          Gotham’s Golden Girl – part 1

                          Laura Lake roared down the narrow two lane highway that led towards Gotham City. Dick Grayson/ Nightwing hung on for dear life, as Laura’s long hair whipped into his face. He’d been comfortably seated on the back of Laura’s father’s vintage motorcycle. She kept up with the sleek black Batcycle and sporty Batmobile, zipping along just ahead of them.
                          They quickly left the others from the ELLE Meeting far behind. About thirty miles out of the edge of Gotham City, Bruce Wayne / Batman suddenly spun the Batmobile sideways, effectively blocking Laura’s path. “What the hell?” Gold Wing exclaimed. Batgirl’s bike skidded to a stop.

                          She sent her Gold Wing Cycle into a braking skid, pulling its rear wheel off the ground. Dick barely held onto Laura’s slim waist, as she resettled the high-powered bike, stopping mere feet from the low profile Batmobile’s passenger side door. “Does he do that often?” Laura complained loudly to Nightwing. “He’s certainly unpredictable!” Dick admitted. “That’s usually his biggest advantage.” The gull wing driver side door slipped quietly upward, as Bruce glared at them from within the Batmobile cockpit.

                          “This is as far as you go.” Batman growled at Gold Wing through his voice synthesizer. As Laura stood up, her long legs arched high above the motorcycle seat. She placed her hands on her shapely hips, saying: “You heard the boss!” Gold Wing snorted derisively. “Off, Boy Wonder!” She snapped, loud enough for Bruce and Barbara to hear. Dick quickly vaulted off the bike, as Laura shut down the engine.
                          Nightwing stalked angrily towards the awaiting caped crusaders. “That was uncalled for!” Dick snapped at Bruce as Barbara winced. She hated it when the boys fought. “Let’s go!” Batman grumbled, scowling over his shoulder at Laura, who crossed her arms defiantly.

                          “Where would you like me to sit, on Batgirl’s lap?” Nightwing snarled. “Whatever floats your boat!” Bruce retorted. “Uh…I’d prefer not.” Barbara put in sourly. “Maybe you could sit in his lap?” Batman needled her. “I’ll stick with my Bat Cycle, thank you very much.” Barbara remarked. “Keep it up, and I’ll go home with Gold Wing.” Dick threatened, half-seriously. There was a long, uncomfortable silence between the crime-fighters. Meanwhile, Laura had retrieved her helmet, and was positioning it over her lengthy, raven black hair. She didn’t need protection of course, but she still had to keep up appearances, giving the impression that she was vulnerable.

                          Dick glanced back at Laura as she fastened the strap on the gloss black helmet, with the bright yellow Gold Wing insignia painted lovingly across it, beneath her thin chin. Laura stretched leisurely, showing off the Gold Wing logo she’d chosen. The bright yellow bird emblazoned on her chest, glistened in the late afternoon sunlight.
                          Bruce sighed into the silence. “Do you feel that you can trust this Gold Wing?” He grilled Dick. “Yes!” Nightwing admitted far too quickly. “You just met her, Dick.” Barbara pointed out. “We have to trust someone else sometime.” Dick defended.

                          “You did see what she could do, didn’t you Bruce?” He added coldly. “Yes.” Batman admitted reluctantly. “Wouldn’t you rather have her as a friend than as a rival?” Nightwing pressed. Bruce couldn’t fault his protégée’s logic. Dick was starting to grow up, stand on his own, and he had to face that. The two of them had been arguing a lot lately, Batman mused.
                          Dick had decided to leave his Robin persona behind, and create the new version, called Nightwing. After he’d turned eighteen, Dick had finally come to grips with his family’s loss at the hands of Two-Face. He’d determined that he needed to seek a new direction, with or without Bruce’s guidance.

                          Laura pulled the hair back from her right ear, so she could pick out what the boys were saying with her enhanced Meta Human hearing. Gold Wing could hear over great distances, though certainly not as far as her friends Clark and Kara Kent could. Dick? Bruce? She mentally noted the caped crusader’s names.
                          Laura didn’t usually make it a point to eavesdrop, but this was different, she rationalized. She wondered if there was some unwritten superheroes law somewhere that stated every hero was entitled to keep his or her identity a secret, but so what? Laura stewed.

                          Oliver Queen had willfully given up his secret identity, finally confessing to the press that he’d been acting as the Green Arrow. He and Chloe Sullivan-Queen had been doing alright. Gold Wing mentally promised that one day she would reveal herself to the world. Everyone would know that the powerful Meta Human was Laura Lake, a simple girl from Falcon Claw, Nebraska.
                          Meanwhile, Laura put aside her crime fighting dream, and listened to Bruce and Dick discussing their next move. “Fine!” The Batman said sourly, ultimately giving in to his protégées wishes. “Only show her Gotham City, not the Batcave, or our house.” Bruce directed, forgetting momentarily that he may not have been out of Gold Wing’s earshot. “Done!” Dick snapped coldly.

                          Nightwing turned his attention back to Gold Wing. Laura pretended to be mounting her motorcycle to presumably return home. “Gold Wing! Wait!” Dick shouted as Batman angrily pressed a button on the sleek Batmobile’s dashboard. The gull wing door began to close as Dick ducked out of its path.
                          Laura assumed a petulant, pouting, pose. Her frown was only partially visible beneath the Gold Wing mask. “Yes?” Laura asked coolly. Batman had flipped on the Batmobile’s twin turbo engines, and the low slung sports car roared to life. He spun the car in a neat one eighty, aiming it towards Gotham City.

                          Batman’s plan was to zip right past the Batcave’s secret exit that lay just beneath a huge decorative waterfall that lined the remote edge of Bruce Wayne’s property. The road within the long tunnel that led to Stately Wayne Manor would gradually decline until it was directly below the multistory mansion. Dick strolled up to Laura and politely asked her if she’d like to see Gotham City. Gold Wing nervously replied yes, and Nightwing climbed aboard the cycle behind Gold Wing, again wrapping his arms around her thin waist. Batman squealed the Batmobile tires as he left dual burn marks in the blacktopped pavement. Laura watched him go, shaking her head. “He is a bit of a tool isn’t he?” She snapped.

                          Dick laughed heartily. “He can be, but his heart is in the right place.” In moments, the turbo charged bat vehicles blasted out of sight. Laura’s father’s Gold Wing cycle, though powerful in its own right, was no match for the tricked out transports of the caped crusaders. Nightwing clung to Laura, as she sped around a turn. They both leaned to one side, the cycle catching a forty-five degree angle relative to the hot and dusty pavement.

                          They zipped along towards Gotham. Finally, some traffic appeared on the horizon, and Laura was forced to slow the machine down. Even as they cruised along the desolate two lane highway that led to the outskirts of Gotham City, the teens tried to be inconspicuous, to no avail.
                          A startled truck driver glanced down at them from the cab of his eighteen-wheeler. One wonders whether the trucker was more intrigued by the costumed characters, or the mint vintage 1976 Gold Wing motorcycle whipping past.

                          “You’re not going to tell me your secret identity, are you?” Dick shouted into Gold Wing’s ear, above the din of the roaring engine. “I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours!” Laura flirted. “Actually, Boy Wonder, there’s not much to tell.” Laura downshifted, and the cycle slowed to match the speed of the oncoming traffic. “I used to be a typical little girl. You know, Barbies and Ponies!” She added.
                          “One day, I just happened to disobey my guardian at the wrong time.” Laura began. “I literally fell into acquiring my Meta human powers.” Gold Wing continued to cruise down an access road, which led to an on ramp to a Gotham County expressway. Dick, being a good detective, had picked up on Laura’s subtle hint. “Guardian?” he echoed. “What happened to your parents, if you don’t mind my asking?”

                          Laura knew that she would have to eventually discuss that terrible topic. If she entertained any ideas of forming some type of relationship with this Nightwing, or Dick, the name that she’d overheard. Gold Wing had to stop at the traffic light that marked the exit of the expressway onto the local streets. “My parents were killed when I was very young.” Laura replied, as her motorcycle idled quietly. “I’m sorry to hear that.” Dick commented sincerely. “My family was killed when I was younger as well.” Laura nodded as the light turned green. “My Guardian has taken care of me ever since.” She was careful not to use the word relative, because she had no doubt that Dick could easily find out about her past.

                          Laura wasn’t ready to share much more than this, at least not yet. “Turn east down 47th street, Gold Wing.” Nightwing directed, as Laura complied. This happened to be the exact opposite direction from Stately Wayne Manor. Bruce had stressed to Dick that Gold Wing was to come no closer.

                          Meanwhile, Batman had already planned a circuitous route past downtown Gotham, and to enter the secret access road beneath WayneCo Tower. This would lead he and Batgirl to Lucius Fox. They had much to discuss. The vehicles slipped into the old Tenth Street Subway which had been abandoned for years. They slowed, parked, and hopped out of the transports. Lucius would be by to meet them soon.
                          Barbara crossed her arms in protest. “Bruce, I thought that you would want Gold Wing to help us?” She asked in an accusatory tone. “We really don’t need her help, Barb.” Bruce argued calmly. “Isn’t that the same thing you said about me?” She pinned him down.

                          “We don’t know anything about her.” Batman made his case. “I mean there are no news stories, no on line websites, or social media pages about any Gold Wing. Not even so much as a sound bite. Where the hell did she come from? Is she even human?” Bruce retorted. “She says that she’s a Meta Human.” Barbara countered. “Maybe even a mutant.” Bruce would not be swayed. “The only reference to a Gold Wing is a couple of brief statements by Oliver Queen, and of all things, a report by that Lois Lane. It was about a new crime-fighter other than the Supergirl, or the Metropolis Blur.” Batgirl smirked. “I can see that you’re curious though.”
                          “I’m curious about all of these new so-called superheroes, vigilantes, Justice League, or whatever they choose to call themselves.” Bruce added. “Are they a help or hindrance? Are they crazy, or just concerned citizens? Do they ever kill? Who lets them stand in judgment of criminals?”

                          Barbara shrugged. “Isn’t that the same things they say about us?” She pointed out. Bruce silenced. He had to admit that Barbara was growing up, and she had her own opinions on events. “The reports of the vigilantes have been going up over the last few years.” Batgirl continued. “Are they just like us, or something new?” She posed the obvious question.

                          “Exactly my point.” Bruce said with finality. “We just don’t know.” He grumbled. “After that debacle last year with the beings that attacked and defaced some of the world’s most well-known symbols, the strange markings on the Washington Monument, the Pyramids at Giza, and the Great Wall of China, I find it hard to trust anyone with power that appears to be supernatural.”
                          “Remember that project I was working on last year?” Barbara recalled. “I was tracing all of the unexplained phenomena that appeared on Chloe Sullivan’s Web of Weird. You said that I was jumping at shadows, that a true detective wouldn’t be distracted by odd, unproven occurrences.”

                          “Yeah. That would seem to have been an oversight on my part.” Bruce growled. “What? I’m sorry, did you just say that I was right to look into it?” Barbara teased. “Don’t push it Barb. We still don’t know what we’re dealing with here.” Bruce brooded. “Who better to ask than Gold Wing?” Barbara said. She’d finally gotten the last word in on Bruce. By now, Lucius Fox was aware of their presence.
                          The long time Wayne family friend smiled brightly as he approached the caped crusaders. “Well, now here are two of my very favorite people.” The elder African-American businessman and inventor began happily. “Have you come here to do some shopping?” Lucius quipped.

                          “Actually, we’d like to access some information.” Bruce stated. “Lucius, what do you know about aliens, and metahumans?” Lucius’ eyes went wide open. “Haven’t we got enough freaks and whack jobs to worry about here in Gotham?” He asked cynically. “That remains to be seen, my friend.” Batman replied. Season 1 ender.
                          Last edited by gardy1; 01-13-2017, 12:53 PM.

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                          • #58
                            Gold Wing Season Two

                            Gotham’s Golden Girl - Part 2

                            The Rise of Gold Wing

                            Laura Lake sped through Gotham City, dressed in her complete Gold Wing getup, aboard her father’s reconditioned Honda Gold Wing motorcycle. Nightwing, Dick Grayson, clung tightly to her thin waist. He directed her to slow down to match the local traffic flow. “Safety first!” He quipped, shouting above the din of her roaring vehicle. “Yes Mom!” Laura retorted as she laughed.

                            It was a little before dark by the time the caped heroes, Batman and Batgirl, reached stately Wayne Manor at the edge of the Gotham County limits. Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s loyal family servant, greeted his charges warmly as they evacuated their vehicles. Each vehicle had its own type of in-ground turntable. The sleek Batcycle slowly turned to face the highly concealed exit.

                            The high tech, nuclear powered Batmobile did the same, as a flurry of about a dozen bats, attracted to the light and the noise flew past, eventually settling themselves high upon the ridged ceiling of the Batcave. “Where is Master Dick?” Alfred inquired worriedly.“He’s out sightseeing in Gotham City with his new girlfriend, Gold Wing.” Barbara Gordon said with a scowl. “Oh! My word!” Alfred exclaimed as he rolled his warm, elderly eyes. “Should I prepare a guest bedroom?” he asked, in his typically calm, British Nobleman accent. “No!” Bruce and Barbara chorused.

                            Alfred knew just what to say, using his dry British wit, to push the caped crusaders’ buttons. “Very well, then perhaps another plate at the dinner table?” He continued. “I certainly hope not.” Bruce commented with disdain. “I don’t know, Bruce.” Barbara began. “Maybe we should add Gold Wing to our crime-fighting team.” Bruce shook his head vehemently, after removing his cape and cowl. “She’s young, headstrong, cocky, untrained, and overly curious.” Batman argued. “It wasn’t that long ago, that you could’ve said the same thing about us.” Barbara defended, as she removed her cape and cowl, allowing her full mane of bright reddish brown hair to fall loosely across her shoulders.

                            “Touché!” Alfred interjected. “Alfred!” Bruce chided. “Not really helping.” The elder statesman frowned. “Uh, yes sir! Dinner will be served shortly.” He said as he exited the Batcave quickly, turning toward one of the four partially hidden elevators located within the crime-fighter’s control center. “Would you rather that Gold Wing remain untrained? Out there tearing up the world like a loose cannon?” Barbara pushed. “Or worse, joining the wrong side?” Batman grunted. “Hmph! We really don’t need her.” He countered.

                            Batgirl wouldn’t relent, sounding more like a lawyer or criminal prosecutor every day. “How about this angle?” She hinted, following Alfred towards the nearest elevator.
                            “We only call her when necessary. Meaning, if whatever case we’re working on gets the best of us, or if we’re attacked by some kind of super powered mutants.” Barbara concluded her argument. “Sounds reasonable.” Bruce finally acquiesced. “My problem isn’t really with Gold Wing, but the rest of this League of Justice. I mean who the hell do they think they are, lording over us?” Batman lectured.

                            “I believe that we should always be in control of the situation. Prepare, prepare, and prepare again, and always have a backup plan.” He continued. “Crime-fighting is more than just smashing heads together.” Laura patiently listened as Dick described the local tourist attractions. She slowed her motorcycle down enough to catch a quick glimpse of Gotham Zoo, Gotham Museum of Art, The Gotham Aquarium, Planetarium, science museums, and Gotham Centro Park, a huge green space recently commissioned by the mayor, Brett Thompson, and still under construction. Gold Wing appreciated the effort.

                            Laura considered that she could have just taken a tourism bus to achieve the same thing. The young, aggressive Metahuman enjoyed Nightwing’s attention, but she wanted to see Gotham’s seedy underbelly, where the real action took place. This was where The Batman had been created many years ago, and Bruce Wayne had faced his first major life decision. Bruce had acquired a gun, with the intention of shooting a crime lord that had threatened his first true love, Rachael. Ultimately, Bruce had opted not to use the gun, and decided to take his vengeance in other ways, like bringing the entire organized crime community down, and bring to justice its leader. That day, young Bruce had made a conscious decision not to take a life.

                            Only Alfred, the Wayne family’s elderly manservant, and Bruce’s official guardian, had known about that initial tough decision. Since then, Bruce had used his wisdom and experience to warn and instruct his best friend, Richard Grayson, and subsequently, police commissioner James Gordon’s daughter, Barbara. They now formed an elite crime-fighting team, and none of them had superior powers.

                            Laura knew none of this at the time, of course, she had been simply looking for adventure, a way to fit in, and still use her Metahuman abilities to do some good. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Nightwing, but I was hoping to see some true crime-fighting action.” Gold Wing taunted. “Really?” Dick groaned. “Batman has drilled into my head that there’s more to crime-fighting then simply busting heads.”

                            “Such as?” Laura purposely took the lecture bait. “Such as developing a network of informants, following leads, searching for clues and patterns, setting traps, and above all, staying roughly within the framework of the law.” Dick parroted his lecture. “Okay, now you sound like a college law professor.” Laura quipped. Nightwing had in fact learned all of that from Batman, while establishing his Robin persona. He and Barbara had also taken courses in criminal investigation at Gotham City University.

                            “If you and Bats have to stay within the law, why even get dressed up? Why not just become full time detectives, with the benefits, pensions and all?” Gold Wing questioned logically. Dick had to admit that Gold Wing made a good point. Laura turned the motorcycle onto a brick roadway. “Okay, I’ve given you the standard lecture.” Nightwing began. “Batman, Batgirl, and I operate in a gray area.” Laura slowed the cycle for a turn towards Gotham Centro Park.

                            Now we’re getting somewhere, Laura thought as she pulled up into a blacktopped parking lot near a field house.“This gray area you’re talking about, where is it? I mean where do you all draw the line?” Gold Wing pressed. “I can’t say too much.” Nightwing evaded as Laura stopped the bike and turned off the engine.
                            “Batman, Batgirl, and I don’t have pensions to worry about, children to protect, or political careers to advance.” Dick admitted. “The Gotham City Police Department officers do.” This told Laura quite a bit about them. She could assume that Batman would have to be independently wealthy, and not have any type of political agenda. He’d have to be the boss of some company, otherwise he’d get fired, or he’d never have enough time to patrol Gotham and work a nine-to-five job.

                            The brilliant young Metahuman could therefore compare the Batman to Oliver Queen. That would limit the possibilities of who the Batman could be. She wasn’t interested in the Batman’s secret identity. She’d been all through that with Clark and then Kara. “You all work with the GCPD with permission, right?” Laura continued to grill the boy wonder. “We have, yes.” Dick answered sharply, afraid that he’d said too much already. “Let’s take a walk.” He suggested. “What? Do you have to pee?” Laura joked, as they headed towards the field house. “Funny!” Dick snickered. “No. I just wanted to talk for a while without the din of the motorcycle ringing in my ears.”

                            Nightwing guided Laura over to a nearby park bench. Gold Wing deftly climbed atop it, choosing to sit on its backboard. Dick copied her move, sitting very close to her. Laura wasn’t sure what Nightwing’s intentions were, but she played along. “How did you get interested in crime-fighting?” It was Dick’s chance to turn the tables and grill her.
                            Laura had expected this question, but not really this soon. “As I mentioned earlier, my parents were killed when I was very young.” Gold Wing hesitated before continuing. “They were murdered. To this day, the case remains unsolved.” Nightwing gawked at her. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

                            “I knew who killed my parents immediately.” Dick stated vaguely. “Eventually, the criminals were brought to justice.” Laura considered this. “What kind of justice, legal or vengeful?” She posed the difficult question. Dick gulped. “I had to settle for legal justice. Batman stopped me from seeking vengeance.” He replied seriously. “Are you happy with that?” Laura pried. “It will always be a sore spot I assume. But, Batman showed me that there are other ways to fight. He claims that there are always alternative solutions.” Dick remarked sincerely. “That sounds good.” Gold Wing commented.

                            “The Batman seems like he knows what he’s doing. I really haven’t had that type of guidance. Oliver Queen and the other superheroes have helped me along. I don’t think about vengeance anymore. I’m simply trying to use my abilities to be helpful. I have a few friends.” Laura continued. “They know my true identity. I’ve been training myself to use these super abilities without always doing permanent damage to the perps. It’s an ongoing experiment. It takes a lot of control to limit my strength. I prefer a good old fashioned knock down drag out fight to using all of my enhanced Metahuman powers. Frankly, it’s more fun!”

                            Laura let Dick see her bright smile. The edge of her Gold Wing mask dropped just below her nose. Nightwing glanced at her, noting her high cheekbones, thin chin, and red lips.
                            For some reason, he didn’t want to find out her true identity, though he certainly could’ve used Bruce’s massive Bat Computer, with facial recognition software, to possibly reveal Gold Wing’s alter ego. Laura wasn’t sure if she wanted to continue her association with Nightwing. After all, they’d just met, but she felt that she had to move forward with her life. Gold Wing edged a bit closer to him, as they enjoyed a comfortable silence. She even considered kissing him.

                            He was about her age, and they had similar interests, though she was a good six inches taller than him. Nightwing seemed driven and well brought up. Laura wondered if she should put her arm around him. Gold Wing thought about a few things, like the future. It wouldn’t hurt to have a wealthy boyfriend that shared similar interests with her. She wasn’t ready for that level of commitment yet. Still, it was a distinct possibility, she mused. Nightwing was about to put his arm around her when the Bat Communicator beeped and whistled, commanding his full attention. Dick nearly cursed. Laura froze in place as she edged away from Nightwing.

                            Dick pressed a small red button on the bat communicator’s circular face. “You’re timing is incredible!” Dick spat into the device. “Sorry, Romeo, but we have a potential crisis on our hands.” Barbara Gordon’s synthesized voice echoed through the mostly silent area of the park. “Isn’t there always?” Dick complained loudly. “What is it this time, Batman need the Batmobile washed and waxed?” Nightwing grumbled cynically, making Laura laugh. Naturally, Batgirl heard her. “You and your new friend are cordially invited to check out Penguin’s Ice Palace.” Barbara instructed him. “Batman and I are on the way.”

                            Dick turned to face Gold Wing. “Are you interested in riding with us on this one?” He offered hopefully. “Uh, I guess so, seeing as how I’m your current mode of transportation.” Laura replied. Nightwing smiled, clearly enjoying Laura’s attention. In an instant they hopped off the park bench. “What’s going down?” Laura questioned, as she adjusted her Gold Wing mask. “Somebody stole a penguin?” She inquired. Dick laughed heartily. “C’mon, I’ll explain along the way.”

                            He dashed for Laura’s motorcycle. Gold Wing zipped ahead of him, and vaulted gracefully onto the bike’s seat. Dick climbed on rapidly, quickly grabbing Laura’s thin waist. Gold Wing snickered. “Now, we have some action!” They roared towards the ritzy high end restaurant district. “You mean to say that Gotham City’s criminals are also psychotic?” Laura asked over her shoulder, above the din of the motorcycle engine. “Yes, some of them are!” Dick confirmed. “We leave most of the run of the mill criminals to the Gotham Police Department. Your typical big city scum, rapists, gangbangers, mobsters, corrupt officials, muggers, perverts, and thieves, can all be managed by the GPD force.”

                            “We tackle the elite, eccentric, and usually well financed and connected sociopaths.” Dick explained. “They tend to think differently than your average lowlife. They’re more like big picture psychos. They prefer grandiose, high profile crimes. Some of them start a crime wave just to show everyone that they can do it. Batman, Batgirl, and I are their favorite targets.”
                            Last edited by gardy1; 01-13-2017, 12:51 PM.

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                            • #59
                              Gotham's Golden Girl - Pt 3

                              Gotham’s Golden Girl – part 3

                              In front of the Penguin’s Ice Palace, Laura shut down her Gold Wing motorcycle’s engine, and hopped off. She followed Nightwing to a reasonably secure location near the edge of an alley. From there, the young sleuths had a good vantage point to see either the front entrance to the ice themed restaurant and bar, or the rear stairway entrance to the high end club’s second story.

                              “This Penguin is into all types of birds, then, specifically aquatic ones?” Gold Wing questioned. “Sure. It’s his thing, like we’re into bats and such.” Dick replied. “His real name is Oswald Cobblepot.” Laura grimaced. “Ew! No wonder the dude changed his name and embraced a life of crime.” She commented.

                              Nightwing crouched low behind the outer wall of the building. They had quickly climbed up the fire escape, and were observing the activity that took place at the rear of Penguin’s Ice Palace. “The Cobblepots were once a wealthy family that had resided in East Gotham for most of their lives.” Dick recalled. “Oswald was deformed at birth, possessing webbed hands and feet.”

                              “That’s one reason that he always wears gloves and boots. His well to do parents were so horrified at Oswald’s appearance that they tried to kill him, rather than attempt to get his issues medically resolved. Shortly after Oswald’s disappearance, his mother and father turned up dead.” Nightwing added.
                              “Oh my God! No wonder the kid went whack a doodle.” Laura remarked, using one of Lois Lane’s more descriptive phrases. Dick cast a sideways glance at her, amused with her use of the odd term. “Anyway, Oswald decided to take revenge on his parents when he found out who they were. He grew up on the streets, penniless, and living beneath Gotham in the sewers.”

                              “How horrible!” Gold Wing commented. “It’s a sad story.” Nightwing agreed. “However, that doesn’t excuse Oswald’s actions. It’s widely believed that Oswald killed his parents, or had them killed. This would enable him to inherit his birthright fortune. No one could ever prove that he’d killed them. Oswald’s parents’ bodies were never recovered. No body, no crime!” Dick had just completed the story when Batman and Batgirl showed up in the alley below them.

                              Barbara Gordon pulled her Wayne / Nippon bat cycle up behind Laura’s Honda Gold Wing. Bruce hid the Batmobile in the shadows between two high rise buildings that faced Gotham Centro Park. Batgirl dismounted and spied the two young crime-fighters gazing down from the rooftop. She pressed the communicate button on her bat SMART phone, that allowed for secure conversation.

                              “So is this a new thing?” Barbara’s voice crackled into the com-link. “We can bring dates to a stakeout?” She asked playfully, as Laura snickered. Her superior meta-human hearing ability could easily pick up the conversations on the bat comm. Dick placed his hand behind his head, straightening his lengthy raven black hair, a nervous habit that he’d picked up. “Yeah! Nothing screams romance better than a boring old stakeout above a smelly alley.” He quipped bringing a smile to Laura’s face.

                              By now, Bruce had leapt from the Batmobile, securing it in stealth mode. It would seem invisible to a common manner of searching, like from a helicopter, or local police radar. The supercar’s heat signature would be masked as well. Batman knew where the others were of course.
                              He and Barbara would take up positions opposite Dick and Laura, closer to the Ice Palace entrance. Penguin had designed the Ice Palace specifically to cater to the upper classes of elites in Gotham. Though new police Commissioner Gordon had kept Penguin’s bar & restaurant under the microscope, the Batman and his young apprentices were understandably skeptical.

                              So far, Penguin hadn’t stepped out of line with any illegal activities that they could find. ”After substantially reclaiming his financial birthright, Penguin had presumably been working straight as an arrow.” Dick informed Laura. “The trouble is that unless Penguin screws up, we can’t touch him.” Barbara added via the conference mode on the Bat Com Link.

                              By now, Batman had assumed his perch atop the corner of the opposing building. He’d already trained the bat binoculars on the Ice Palace office window, high above the rest of the elite club. Bruce could clearly see Penguin and two of his mugs engaged in an animated discussion. ‘Something is up.’ Batman thought, though they could just be arguing about a late delivery. Given Penguin’s temper, it could still escalate into violence. Bruce mused.

                              Dick, Barbara, and Laura stoically listened for any word from Batman. Gold Wing was suddenly highly intrigued. She was acting quite similarly to a crime-fighting detective, doing a recon mission. Back in Metropolis, she hadn’t paid close attention to any recon missions that Oliver, Chloe, Clark, and Lois spoke about. They only called on Laura when they needed some heads busted, and Clark was busy with something else. A majority of their conflicts involved super powered meteor freaks, or crime lords like Rex Rowland, or Lex and Lionel Luthor.

                              Gold Wing noted that the expert crime-fighters of Gotham had allowed her onto their team, if only for a limited amount of time. “So what are we guessing that this Penguin will do?” She asked impatiently. “Ironically, Penguin had discreetly asked for our help.” Barbara chimed in, letting that statement hang in the air. “That’s odd.” Laura commented. “Tell me about it.” Dick remarked.

                              “Penguin is still a citizen of Gotham.” Batman reminded them, as his deep synthesized voice interrupted their thoughts. “He’s still entitled to our protection, as annoying as that is.” Bruce lectured. “Truly!” Batgirl remarked. “Penguin filed a formal complaint with the Gotham City Police Department against someone named Nestor Forkbender.” She informed them.

                              “Wow! That name alone warrants investigation.” Laura chuckled. “It sounds like a lame alias to me.” Nightwing agreed wholeheartedly. “I bet that the GPD officers were just lining up to help Penguin.” Barbara said cynically. Just then, the playful banter was interrupted by a whistling signal that Batman sent via the Bat Com Link. “Are you two going to help or just shoot the breeze?” Bruce asked Dick and Laura sourly. “The surly one beckons!” Gold Wing snarked, just loud enough for Dick to hear.

                              Dick grinned as he spoke directly into the Bat Com Link, which, to Laura, looked like a simple black wristwatch. “What’s the plan, Batman?” He questioned seriously. “Nightwing, you and your date can head right in the front entrance to the Ice Palace Restaurant section, and await my signal.” Bruce directed. “Batgirl, circle around to the south entrance, and I’ll head to the office.”

                              “Are we expecting trouble, Batman?” Barbara asked, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Something doesn’t smell right, and I’m not talking about Penguin’s overpriced dinner menu.” Batman replied. “Date, huh?” Laura said, purposely loud enough for Bruce to hear, knowing that it would irritate him. “If I’d have known that I was going to an upscale restaurant, I’d have brought a more formal Gold Wing outfit.” She baited Dick and flirtatiously grabbed his arm.

                              “Gee, do ya think that will attract any attention, Batman?” Nightwing asked icily. “That’s the idea.” Bruce responded. “You two are a distraction.” Dick sighed deeply. He edged his elbow towards Laura. “Shall we, my lady?” He teased. “Of course, my dear.” Laura exaggerated, clearly enjoying all of the attention. Barbara audibly groaned, as she watched her colleagues exit the rooftop.

                              The costumed couple strolled casually out of the alley and entered the short line. People were lined up to eat at the high end Ice Palace. Amazingly, only a few potential customers paid them any mind. Most were too wrapped up in their mobile SMART phones to notice the oddly dressed couple.

                              “You know that he’s really enjoying this.” Barbara commented to Bruce as she slipped through the shadows across the Ice Palace parking lot. “It must be nice to be young and foolishly in love.” She continued to taunt Dick and Laura. “Still here.” Nightwing grumbled into the wristwatch com link.

                              After a few minutes the line faded into the restaurant, and the crime-fighter couple approached the head bouncer. “I.D. s please.” The tall stocky rough looking man asked. “Seriously?” Dick asked, feigning offense. “You don’t know who we are?” He played it off well, Laura observed. “Them’s the rules. If you don’t like it, step outta line.” The bouncer was unflappable.

                              “What if we don’t drink?” Laura offered, though her synthesized voice seemed far deeper than she recalled. Nightwing stared blankly at him. “Fine!” The bouncer growled. “Twenty dollar cover charge, and a two drink minimum. Youse can drink water for all I care. You’ll have to get your hand stamped.”
                              Another bouncer joined his coworker and held a large old style ink stamper in his thick fingers. “Hands.” The second bouncer ordered. Dick removed one glove, and Laura did the same. The bouncer stamped a large ‘Under 21’ in big bright red ink on their hand, making it a point to press down as hard as he could.

                              “How humiliating!” Gold Wing complained loudly as Dick whipped out two crisp twenty dollar bills that he’d pulled from the inside pocket of his blue and black Nightwing costume. “Take it up wit da management!” The first bouncer snapped. “Move along!” The second ordered. Dick and Laura held ungloved hands as they passed through the gaudy silver sparkled covered doors to the bar area.

                              The hallway leading to the restaurant section was decorated with large images in gold, silver, and black of aquatic water fowl. “We’re in!” Dick announced, as he swore that he heard Barbara laughing hysterically. At the center of the oversized dining room was a large water fountain which spewed ice cold bluish tinted water plumes high in the air. The aquatic bird décor continued throughout.

                              The expelled water subsequently returned to the fountain’s base via three separate pools of running water that ringed it. The fountain was backlit with white, blue, and orange lights. “Nice!” Gold Wing praised. She had to admit that the imagery was pretty though ostentatious. She allowed Nightwing to escort her to a table that had a clear view of the dual staircases that led to the upstairs office and a view of the rear kitchen doors as well.
                              Presently, a scantily clad hostess met them at the table. She was a tall, slim blonde, wearing fishnet stockings, a micro miniskirt, and a low cut faux tuxedo top. In keeping with the general sleaziness of the restaurant, she wore a red bow tie high upon her throat.

                              Laura cast a quick glance at her. “Aren’t you cold?” She inquired. “Yeah, but it pays well. I can get a bunch of money in tips.” The half frozen hostess stated. “Dinner for two?” She asked pleasantly. “Yes please.” Dick answered. She waived a waitress in from the next dining area to take their order.
                              Only a few patrons cared enough to look over the costumed crime-fighters. Laura had to assume that Batgirl, Batman, and Nightwing were seen so often in and around Gotham, that the general populace had already grown used to seeing them. The same thing had happened recently in Metropolis, where Superman and Supergirl were now commonly observed.

                              The cocktail waitress approached them next, and she professionally spotted the bright under twenty one stamp on the young couple’s hands. “What can I get you to drink?” She asked cordially, though Gold Wing guessed that the waitress was disappointed, and she’d probably expected a big tip.
                              “It’s a two drink minimum.” The well programmed cocktail waitress reminded them. “I’ll have an iced tea.” Dick began and quickly gazed at Laura. “I’ll have the same.” She confirmed. “Would you like an appetizer?” She queried next, obviously trying to build up their bill. “Certainly.” Dick answered as he propped up the appetizer menu against the table’s centerpiece, so Laura could view it.

                              After they’d given the waitress the order, Gold Wing went back to observing the posh clientele. She was attempting to use her fledgling detective skills to memorize the customers’ mannerisms. The other patrons quickly lost interest in the costumed crusaders. She used her hyper- scopic vision, which wasn’t as good as Clark or Kara’s, but was far above the average human’s visual acuity.

                              A majority of the male customers wore formal dresses, like evening wear or club wear. The male diners wore some suits, or business casual dress like Dockers and Polo Shirts. No one wore anything resembling jeans, t-shirts, or sweats. Overall, the Ice Palace seemed to be above board. Laura couldn’t pick out anything unusual or threatening. She was growing disappointed.

                              “Gold Wing, do you see those five, scruffy looking guys seated near the left leaning staircase?” Nightwing asked, guessing correctly that Laura was getting bored. “Sure. What about them?” She attempted to look into Dick’s eyes, but only saw the reflective eye slots within his black mask. “Those are Penguin’s main thugs.” He replied. “They’re his usual henchmen or bodyguards.”

                              Laura gave them a quick once over. “Got it.” She confirmed, committing the grubby looking men’s faces to memory. “I thought that you said your Penguin went legit.” Dick nodded. “That’s what we were all meant to believe. There’s no question that Penguin cleaned up his dirty bird act.” He began.
                              “Somehow, Penguin had gotten out of prison on parole. We’d nailed him with the RICO Act, the conspiracy to form an illegal gang or an attempt to create a criminal organization. He had a team of lawyers, mostly crooked, of course, waiting in the wings. They managed to get him out with a plea bargain to a lower level crime. Penguin had turned on the original crime bosses that Gotham had.”

                              Laura smirked. “So the Penguin squealed.” Dick nodded, adding lamely: “He sang like a bird!” Gold Wing snickered at Nightwing’s lame bird joke, but she was very happy that he actually had a personality beneath his mask. “We were surprised that Penguin called for our help specifically.” Dick continued. “Batman isn’t convinced. He thinks that Penguin is rebuilding his organization for a new play.”

                              “Even to me, it sounds like a set up.” Laura commented. “Like my guardian always used to say, when a wolf howls at your back door, you’d better lock your front door.” Nightwing smiled at Laura’s playful remark. “Exactly. This could all be a distraction from something else.” He added.
                              “You know what else they say?” Gold Wing continued. “A fowl and his money are soon parted.” She quipped, immediately endearing herself to Barbara, Dick, and Alfred, who were all listening to the playful banter via Dick’s two way bat com link. “You mean just in case he runs afowl of the law?” Nightwing joked, causing everyone to groan.

                              Well, sometimes it’s no harm, no fowl.” Laura said lamely. Barbara sighed audibly over the bat com link, as she criticized. “You two just can’t stop, can you?” She whined playfully. “I’m glad you all are enjoying this.” Bruce’s deep voice growled over the bat com-link.

                              “Did you want to help me arrest the four henchmen that just entered the Ice Palace, or wait for the next group?” Batman’s voice dripped with sarcasm. Laura and Dick casually glanced towards the building’s entrance. Sure enough, four creepy looking men in dark maroon and purple trench coats seemed to be casing the joint, or looking for someone in particular. “Uh Oh!” Batgirl commented, “So much for your quiet romantic dinner date.”

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                              • #60
                                Gotham’s Golden Girl 4

                                A Bird in the Hand


                                Scene: Gold Wing and Nightwing are in full costume, seated at a dinner table within The Penguin’s Ice Palace restaurant. Batman, Batgirl, and Alfred are listening in on the Bat Com Link.
                                The four goons that Batman had spotted fanned out through the restaurant and bar. “Hold on!” Dick said over the Bat Com Link. He grabbed a miniature Bat camera from his gold utility belt. As quickly as he could without attracting any attention, Nightwing snapped photographs of each of the thugs.

                                He sent the pictures to Alfred, back in the bat cave. The Wayne family servant had always been an integral part of the team. Alfred would run the Snap Chat photos through the massive crime database held within the mega Bat Computer, a state of the art data file system. The overconfident mooks didn’t bother to hide their faces, which would make Alfred’s job that much easier.
                                “Now, do I get to smash heads together?” Laura quipped. “We can’t actually do anything unless they cause trouble, or Penguin asks us to kick them out.” Dick assessed, though he admired Gold Wing’s spirit. “Do you know what my motto is, honey?” Laura flirted. “So many asses to kick, so little time.” Nightwing risked a chuckle as he continued to watch the goons’ progress.

                                Alfred and Batgirl snickered, though all Batman did was grunt. The characters that Dick had identified earlier as Penguin’s henchmen nervously got up from their seats and scattered, one vaulted up the left side spiral staircase to the second floor office, two more headed back into the kitchen area, and the last one headed towards the bar area presumably to back up the club’s bouncers.
                                By now, the waitress had returned to Laura and dick’s table, drinks and appetizers in hand. Gold Wing quickly took a sip of her iced tea, as her enhanced vision followed one of the potential troublemakers, as he circled around towards the south exit. That was near where Batgirl had taken up a post.

                                “Everyone! Heads up! I’m going in!” Batman’s gruff voice informed them. “I’m hitting Penguin’s office. Don’t make any moves until I say so.” He instructed the team. The Dark Knight scurried along the rooftop, simultaneously firing a bat grappling hook at a window’s ledge, roughly four stories below him. Penguin’s Ice Palace had been built within an old brick and wood warehouse.

                                The Bat Grappler easily penetrated the rotted wood frame of the window. As Batman swung over the alley, the frame gave way, and the window crashed to the ground below, spraying shards of glass in every direction. Bruce was able to wedge the bat hook beneath the inside window sill, slipping into the room silently. The noise of the crashing window would certainly attract attention though.

                                Batman back flipped into a dark corner of what appeared to be a file room. The dingy walls were lined with old style metal filing cabinets, some had been rusted through. He illuminated the area with a small bat flashlight. Bruce played the beam off the surroundings, but spotted nothing out of the ordinary.

                                In seconds, the old wooden door creaked open, and light spilled into the room. Two of Penguins’ stooges stepped cautiously into the center of the area, weapons drawn.
                                “I tink we have a rodent problem, boss.” One thug said into an old flip phone, probably a burner phone, in Batman’s opinion. Certainly the Penguin would have cameras and alarms set up throughout the building. One thing that Batman could be assured of, was that when it came down to it, Penguin would always choose saving himself over all else. Most criminals were extremely paranoid anyway.

                                “Really?” Penguin’s harsh voice was heard over the phone. “Yeah, it’s the flying rodent kind.” The second goon added. “Waugh!” Penguin squawked. “Wait! Don’t harm him! We may need some help.” The former Gotham crime boss directed. “Uh Okay.” Goon one said as he shrugged. “Hey Bats, we know yer in here. We seen your little pals in the restaurant. Come on out!”

                                Batman sighed and stepped out of the shadows behind them, encircling his cape around his body. Both stooges were startled, and immediately put their guns away. “Let’s Go!” Bruce growled through his synthesized voice mask. He led the henchmen into the hallway, and along the corridor. He knew the layout of Penguin’s place by heart and walked right into the crime lord’s office unannounced.

                                “Well, Caped Crusader, what brings you and your bat brats into my fine dining establishment?” Penguin asked shortly as he chomped on an expensive imported cigar. “I surmised that you have some uninvited guests at the bar tonight.” Bruce said with disdain. “Do you mean outside of your pesty pals?” Penguin countered. “That’s why I have a full complement of bouncers, Bats.”

                                “If you don’t need my help, why did you call Commissioner Gordon, and waste my time?” Batman asked angrily. “You could’ve just as well called for protection from Gotham P D.” Penguin, who stood at least a full twelve inches shorter than Bruce, put his gloved, flipper hands behind his back and paced across the damp and dank office floor. Batman took a moment to check the positions of the new creeps that had entered the building, using the multiple closed circuit TV monitors beyond Penguin’s desk.

                                “It’s like this, Bats, I told you that I was going straight after I got out, didn’t I?” Penguin began warily. “The problem is that while I was doing my stint in Arkham, I made some powerful enemies.” Batman stared at him, stoically, impatiently waiting for Penguin to get to the point. The two goons continued to look on from within the doorway, as of yet, no one had made a move.

                                “How is that my problem?” Bruce challenged. “Think about it, Bats. You’re the hero. You can stand there and criticize, but where’s your follow up?” Penguin goaded him. “Mr. Dark Knight, did you really think that Gotham would stay peaceful even after I got out and went straight?” He taunted. “There’s a new crime boss waiting in the wings to take my place. He’s about to make his laughable presence known.”
                                “You might remember him, The Joker, I believe.” Penguin turned to face Batman. He let that shocking announcement hang in the air for a moment. The mention of the murderous, unpredictable, and ruthless Joker’s name sent a chill down the brave Batman’s spine.

                                “Joker, who isn’t all that funny, contacted me yesterday, spewing some nonsense about an asinine new plan that he was working on.” Penguin continued. “He made me a substantial buyout offer that would include purchasing my Ice Palace, my staff, and favorite muscle-headed henchmen. Naturally, I declined the miscreant’s offer, using the excuse that you, your pals, and the Gotham P D were watching me.”

                                “That’s probably the first time that I ever told the absolute truth.” Penguin finished. “You realize of course that the sick psychopath won’t simply take no for an answer.” Batman pointed out. “Exactly, Bats. This may sound odd coming from me, but I enjoy what I’ve built here, and I don’t plan on letting that creepy clown take it all away from me.” Penguin stated honestly.

                                “Sure, I’ve been a thorn in the side of Gotham for years, and I don’t pretend to be a snowy white owl, but I won’t be a subordinate to that monster of murdering mayhem. The bottom line Bats, is that if Joker tries to take me down, I won’t let him pluck my feathers. I’ll fight with everything that I’ve got.”

                                Batman scowled. “Do you mean that you’d engage in an all-out war with the Joker?” The Penguin nodded. “You’d better believe it. There will be rivers of blood in the streets.” He threatened. “I’ve been keeping my beak clean, but I can call in favors with the remaining top three crime families that are left in Gotham. I have a small army of devoted followers as well. It’s the age of networking you know.”

                                “I’m warning you first, because I really don’t have the stomach for a blood feud anymore. I like living the high life, socializing, hobnobbing with Gotham’s wealthiest patrons, and all the while making a good, healthy, mostly legal, profit.” Penguin concluded, and Batman saw no cause to doubt him. From the Penguin’s point of view, this all was perfectly logical.

                                Back in the restaurant, Batgirl was whispering in Nightwing’s earpiece. “Two of the troublemakers are heading back into the kitchen area. Can one of you excuse yourself and head for the restroom? I can’t cover both goons at the same time.” Dick was about to explain the situation, when Laura nodded. “I heard. Where do you want me?” She asked seriously, all business again.

                                Quietly, Nightwing got up and circled underneath the staircases where the bathrooms were. Laura stood up, pretending to take a leisurely stretch, as she located the last two thugs. Surprisingly, Penguin had ventured out of his office, with Batman at his heels. Two armed guards followed Bruce as they descended down the stairs. Bruce assessed the angles that his colleagues had on the goons.

                                “Waugh!” Penguin yelped as he spotted Laura eyeing him up. “That’s not your semi-useful Bat brat! Are you expanding the bat family?” He asked Batman over his shoulder. By now Bruce had leapt over the railings to join Dick behind the staircase. “Awk! I hate it when he does that!” Penguin grumbled.

                                The oddly dressed business owner approached Laura. “What are you supposed to be?” Penguin glanced up at her. Gold Wing towered over him. “Gold Wing.” Laura replied simply. “Hmm? So you don’t buy into their bat shtick?” Penguin questioned. “It’s not really my thing.” Laura’s synthesized voice answered. “You admire winged things as well?” The crime boss was stunned as he spoke.

                                Laura held her laughter back as she studied the small villain. He had black and gray straight hair that was slicked back, a large turned down nose that actually could’ve given one the idea of a beak.
                                He was dressed in a dusty looking tuxedo, carried a metallic walking stick about half his height, and his gait did resemble the waddling of a penguin. Atop his head sat a 1930’s era black top hat. The two guards behind him were hefty sized, but she determined that they’d have no speed in a genuine attack.

                                Laura was about to answer the creepy little man’s question, when all hell broke loose. “Good evening folks!” An oddly dressed, skinny man with a pale colored face, bright clown makeup, and bright orange hair spoke loudly. Penguin’s bouncers tailed the new arrival as he strolled through the bar and into the restaurant, briefly stopping by the Ice Palace’s decorative fountain.

                                “Joker!” Batman hissed loudly. Laura hadn’t heard Bruce’s exclamation because all of the other patrons of the bar and restaurant began murmuring. “Waugh!” Penguin shouted. Laura noted that the small crime boss was partially angry and appeared to be shaking in fear mixed with rage.

                                “Pengy!” Joker laughed raucously. “You didn’t respond to my calls.” He approached the business owner rapidly. “Don’t you love me anymore?” Joker taunted. He had come through the front doors with another six goons, though none of them appeared to be armed, Laura observed.

                                Joker was about to bend down and get into Penguin’s face when he spotted Laura who ended up smack in between them. Laura still had a couple of inches in height over Joker. “Hello? What’s this?” He glanced at Laura who glared back at him, though her eyes were hidden behind her gold colored Mardi-Gras style mask. “Don’t you mean ‘who’s this’?” Gold Wing countered arrogantly.

                                Joker scowled as Laura disrespected him. “Let’s see? Black leather outfit, gold mask, and a gold bird sprawled across your chest.” He checked out Laura from head to toe. “Pengy, your taste in women has vastly improved.” Joker teased. “How much is he paying you, Miss…?”
                                “Gold Wing to you.” Laura grumbled as she picked Joker up by the throat and held him a good few inches above the floor. “I don’t work for anyone, you clown!” She snarled as the thugs closed in on them. Patrons began leaving their dinners and drinks fearing a massive brawl was about to break out.

                                Joker snapped his fingers and the thugs lunged at Laura’s back. Without batting an eye, Gold Wing waited for them to get closer. She gave them a quick backspin kick, knocking them across two tables and a chair without losing her grip on Joker. “Stop it!” Penguin yelled above the din. “I’m losing customers!” Penguin’s guards, bouncers, and goons faced off against Joker’s thugs, and sycophants.

                                By now Batman, Nightwing, and Batgirl had entered the dining room proper. “Put him down!” Batman shouted angrily at Laura. Gold Wing took a breath and set the Joker down roughly. He quickly adjusted his loud purple suit, and straightened his red bow tie. “Is this the kind of place you’re running, Pengy?” Joker complained. “Hiring two bit thugs to harass your customers?”

                                “She doesn’t work for me, you insipid idiot!” Penguin snapped. “Why the hell are you here?” The goons that Laura kicked had gotten up and lined up behind Joker. “Pengy, I thought that we were pals.” Joker began and laughed maniacally. “Yet here you are with an infestation of rodents in your fine dining establishment. Also what kind of customer service is this? The boys and I just stopped by for a snack and a couple of drinks. Get us a prime table location and remove the rodents so we can talk.”

                                “Awk! Fine! Anything to quiet you down, and get my clientele back.” Penguin said with resignation. “Bats, take your pals and get out!” He ordered. “I’ll refund all of your cover charges. Go!” Joker watched closely as Nightwing, Batgirl, and Batman filed past them. Bruce stopped beside Joker. “This isn’t over! If we hear that you or Penguin step out of line, we’ll come down on you like a ton of bricks.” He threatened and his synthesized voice sounded even more menacing. Batman followed the others out.

                                Gold Wing stared eye to eye with Joker, though she had to lower her head a bit to match his height. Laura put two fingers to her eyes and then gestured back at Joker, giving the sign for ‘I’m watching you’. She pushed past the thugs and trailed the others, stopping briefly to collect the cover charge refund. Unlike the others, Gold Wing didn’t have a large financial backer.

                                “Does this mean that our date is over?” Laura asked Dick sarcastically. He merely grunted. The caped crusaders walked out into the alley. Once out of the sight of the general public, Bruce turned to face Laura. “Thanks for all of your help. Don’t you have someplace to be?” He asked icily, as his voice dripped with sarcasm. “Nope, I’m all yours.” Gold Wing retorted as Dick allowed a thin grin to cross his face.

                                “We don’t need your help.” Batman’s tone soured. “Fine.” Laura hissed. “You can drive boy wonder home.” Gold Wing zipped away. She was gone in a second. “Whoa! That’s fast!” Batgirl praised. “Terrific!” Dick growled. “Let’s go! Maybe Joker and Penguin will kill each other, and make our lives less complicated.” Laura’s Gold Wing cycle roared past them and out into the crowded Gotham streets.

                                “Did we just do the right thing, Batman?” Barbara questioned. “About what?” Bruce asked shortly as they walked towards their vehicles. “Did we just make an enemy of a powerful metahuman?” Barbara clarified. “Who cares?” Batman snarled. “You’ll be lucky if Gold Wing doesn’t hold a grudge.” Dick said angrily over his shoulder. “How’s that again?” Bruce stopped to face off against Dick.

                                “Think about it, Batman.” Nightwing began coldly. “Killer Croc, Man Bat, Bane, Grodd, and the others that were metahuman enemies we barely defeated. A metahuman on our side would be much more helpful and safe.” Batman was silent for a moment. “You can quit anytime you want, Nightwing.” He grumbled. “Okay boys, let’s stop measuring our manhood, and get going!” Barbara said as she stepped in between them. “You’re both giving me a headache.”

                                The caped crusaders got into their vehicles and left. Joker and Penguin were left on their own. There went a few hours of my life that I’ll never get back! Gold Wing thought sourly as she cruised off into the night. Adding a new member to the Bat Trio was no joke, Laura pondered with disdain. Mark my words, one day the Bat Family will get in way over their heads. She sighed with disappointment.
                                Last edited by gardy1; 05-18-2017, 05:42 PM. Reason: Structure

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