Ultra Woman and Sable Myst: Chapter 1

Two mages sit at a chess table in another dimension.

Both are ancient by normal standards. One born in Poland in the 9th Century, the other a Spanish Roman from the 3rd Century, the two men study the board. Piece float from place to place as each moves and the other countermoves. The pieces came to life for the briefest of moments when they contacted within a square. A plain pawn became a living peasant that was hewn down by an armored man on a horse, after which that piece returned to the knight he was; a rook turned into a living castle to crush the life out of a robed bishop; the stony queen became a living woman that cast a spell that turned the living castle into a pile of dust.

As they played, the two men conversed without speaking. Words and guarded thoughts flowed between them. The study of magic had consumed them; anyone that had left the world of aging had also left the world of morals and ethics and needs and wants. Cold, lonely study had given them incredible power over magic; only a few could both master the ultimate powers of magic yet maintain their humanity. A few, Merlin for example, had done so but had not lived so long. These men hungered still for knowledge and magical power, so they kept themselves distance and in small pocket dimensions of their own making.

The Roman mage watched as one of his pawns had his brains hoven by the mace of a bishop and a thought came to him.

"Amazing is it not that these pieces do not rise up against us?"

The other pondered for a moment. "Not so much, they are diametrically opposed; they would sooner kill each other than be free of our control."

A pawn floated up before the first mage. "I am not so convinced. If they were to have free will, these pieces would eventually join together for the sake of survival."

A brief moment of silence ensued, followed by, "I disagree. You have been a mage too long. You have forgotten base emotions such as hate and anger and treachery. These pieces have been at war for millenia; they will forever be at war."

"Even under the dangers of death, or even worse?" the Roman retorted in his emotionless way. "If these pieces faced a fate worse than simple death, they would learn to work together."

There was another lull for a moment. "I must disagree. Even if these pieces were to have the most horrific things happen to them, they would still attempt to have the other face it first."

"A wager then?"

The Polish wizard paused. "Explain."

The first mage thought for a moment. "We bring forth 8 pawns each. Each of mine diametrically opposed to yours," he proposed. He thought again for a few seconds. "We make them each female, the most emotional of the species and we make them powerful so that each might think they can succeed alone. We place them in a maze, one pawn of yours with a pawn of mine. If they fail to cooperate, they face terrible fates. When they fall, the pair of pawns start back at the beginning of the maze."

A black pawn floated up before the other mage. "Intriguing. Each pair passes through rooms filled with traps and monsters that will do terrible things to them, to help encourage their cooperation. I say they would still happily watch their enemy go down in defeat even though it means the same fate to themselves."

"And I say that after a few rooms of terrible things happening to them ending in dark fates, they will cooperate."

A white pawn floated before a mage. The white marble faded and into its place a woman appeared. She had a shapely, athletic, tanned body with a revealing costume of red, gold and blue. Two golden letters, a U and W, curved over her breasts and belly. Light blonde hair cascaded down over bare shoulders, held back from her face by a golden tiara. The new pawn, frozen at attention, was placed back on the board. One by one, the other pawns disappeared and were replaced by beautiful, powerful superheroines.

The black pawn floating before the other mage faded away, to be replaced by a beautiful woman wearing a snug white and light blue costume made of leather and mesh, with long silvery hair with icy blue highlights. She was placed on the board and one by one the other black pawns because beautiful, powerful supervillainesses.

"Very well," the first mage announced, "let it begin."

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Pale blue eyes behind the wire framed glasses moved back and forth, scanning every single line of code that scrolled over the computer monitor. The beautiful young woman furrowed her brow as she seached for the mistake. There was a mistake...somewhere, she could feel it. She could also feel sleep and fatigue washing over her after staring at that screen for over four hours now. With a breathy sigh she pulled off the glasses and tossed them to the desk with a slight clatter. As she began tolean back in the black leather office chair the front door of her office burst open and a young woman rushed in. Excitement showed over the young secretary's beaming face as she ran in, a stark contrast that conflicted with the obvious annoyance portrayed on face of the woman behind the desk.

"Ms Nastari! Ms Nastari!" The girl cried as she ran up to the front of the desk, dropping a copy of today's newspaper right in the center. "They did it!"

Kylie Nastari slowly rose out of her chair, looking across the desk at the newly hired employee, anger in her eyes hidden behind a stoic mask. As she met the secretary's stare she shook her head dismissivly. "Look...Miss Generro. You're new here, so I'm going to explain something to you. There are certain things you don't ever do. One is burst...." She began to explain matter of factly before her voice began to trail off as she saw the front page of the paper on the desk. 'Local Heroine returned safely, has no memory of events leading up to escape'

A confused look crossed the young CEO's eyes as she struggled to believe what she was reading. As she read the article the annoyingly cute young secretary burst in again "Isn't that great! All your work with the media must have intimidated the kidnappers into returning her!" Kylie's eyes rose up and met the young Ms Generro's once more. "Leave now...." She whispered, prompting the young girl to about face and speed walk across the long office and out the door, closing it softly behind her.

Picking up the paper into her hands Kylie began to read further into the article. It was impossible and if it wasn't there was a huge problem. Seeing the heroine Crusader's picture in the paper made it all the more sureal. Not even two nights ago she had captured the young and powerful brunette. She had the bruises to prove it. She would have surely lost the battle on physical prowess alone so she was forced to administer a few of her more patented techniques to subdue the heroine. And for all her hard work she left the heroine in her secret lair at home, shackled and fitted with a sedation mask, so there was no chance of escape. She slammed the paper down on the desk, cursing aloud as she thought of the deal for the young Crusader. The Sultan of Kenai had already sent payment and would be expecting his shipment soon.

Her long slender fingers reached out and hit the intercom, the phone beeping to life. "Ms Generro? I'm leaving early"

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The pale blue Lincoln Navigator roared up to the front gates of Nastari manor. With a click the large metal bars opened slowly, allowing access past the young pimple faced rent-a-cop waiting at them. He waved to the silver haired resident as the Navigator flew past him, causing him to shield his face from the gravel that the SUV spit up behind it. The paniced driver gunned the gas pedal as she roared down the mile long drive way, passing statues of wolves, massive fountains and elaboratly trimmed hedge displays, before finally screeching to a halt in front of the large set of stone stair leading up to her house.

Jumping out of the car she trotted up the stairs, stopping at the front door as the security system began to activate. Placing her hand on the palm reader to the side of the large teak door, she looked up at the camera pointing directly at her. The camera whirred to life and began scanning the young woman head to toe, looking for descripencies in her appearance and demeanor. Kylie's long silver hair was tied back into a bun, held tightly in place by the chopsticks, complimented by the pale blue eye shadow and matching lipstick. She wore a matching white suit jacket and the pleated skirt that showed off her long athletic thighs. As the camera caught everything she tapped her foot impatiently before the door finally unlocked with a click and let her inside.

Not wasting any time the young woman bolted into the kitchen, tossing her glasses onto the gray marble counter as she pulled the chopsticks from her hair and dropped them to the marble floor. Looking around warily, peeking out each of the windows before drawing the blinds, she closed her pale blue eyes. Clasping her hands together in front of her she began to focus intensily. A slight breeze could be heard flowing through the room as the overall temperature began to plummet. A light sheen of frost began at her feet and crept across the marble floor, spreading out in a ten foot diameter all around her. She inhaled deeply, releasing it in one long visable sigh as a white frozen mist began swirling around her feet.

The slowly swelling frozen fog begin to climb up her legs like tendrils of mist slithering up over her thighs and around her waist. Climbing higher, rolling over her chest and up to her face until her entire body was covered by the fog. A few moments she stepped out of the fog, completly changed from head to toe. Her white hair was now out of it's bun, hanging down to the middle of her back messily, streaked with blue and silver highlights. Emerald green eyes were surrounded by the blue jester's mask that matched perfectly with her costume. The ice blue leather clung to her body, covering the most important parts, but woven together by parts of extremely thin mesh that showed off the pale skin beneath it.

The villianess smiled to herself as she ran her hand down the side of her thigh all the way down to her calf, enjoying the feeling of the cool mesh on her skin. She always felt a hundred times more comfortable here, but society would simply not take well to a villianess walking around in public, snatching up heroines. Sable sighed at the thought as she walked over to the stove, reaching up and turning a dial on an appliance she would never dare using for it's actual purpose. As the dial turned to it's highest setting a click echoed through the icy room before four marble tiles in the floor rose out of their settings and slide to the side, revealing a ladder leading down into what appeared to be a cave coated in walls of ice.

Looking around once more to be sure, before deciding all was well, the villianess turned and stepped down onto the ladder before changing her grip from the rungs to the side and sliding the rest of the way down into the relavivly dark frozen cave. She looked around, taking stock of  everything she had collected. An entire wall was covered with various weapons and devices she had designed herself. More pressing matters required her attention though.Quickly she turned away from the wall and headed down the narrow tunnel into the containment room.. She closed her eyes tightly with a deep sigh as she looked to the wall where the heroine had been previously chained. The shackles were empty, the rubber gas mask lay on the floor, discarded and there was no sign of the heroine known as Crusader.

"FUCK!" She screamed out loud, kicking at nothing, her leg parting the frozen mist that swirled along the floor of the caves.

Her tantrum was interrupted though as she heard something new...something different. She spun around, raising her hands into the air as small blue auras began to pulse around them "Who's there? What have you done? How did you find this place?" she spat off question after question before the booming laughter began to echo loudly in her ears. The young villianess spun again, watching all sides as the voice reverberated off the cave walls, coming from all sides.

"Wha-..." she began to ask again as she felt a wave of naseua sweep over her, causing her to sway on her feet a little bit. Her now green eyes blinked a bit as they tried to focus.

Through the blurred haze she saw a small black hole she mistook for a spot in her vision as the dizziness continued to increase. "Why..." her voice wavered as the insistant need for sleep forced its way to the forefront of her mind just before darkness consumed her.

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High over the night sky of Megapolis flew a woman with long platinum blonde hair and a red, blue and gold costume that hugged her body tightly yet left her shoulders and legs bare, down to the bustier and boots she wore.

She was streaking across the city, just thirty feet above Main Street. People stopped and waved or pointed or nudged others nearby. "Ultra Woman!"

There was no time to pause or even wave. Just a few minutes ago, she had gotten a distress signal from her friend White Venus. From the sound of the beeps, the signal meant that Venus was in danger of defeat or capture...or worse.

What worried the streaking Amazon even more was the report that the arch-enemy of the Amazons, Destructa, a renegade Amazon, had been seen in the city recently. Surely Destructa would come after another Amazon like Ultra Woman or the daughter of an Amazon like White Venus.

When she reached the bay at the end of Main Street, she zipped across the water of the bay as it reflected the city lights behind it. In seconds she was across the bay at the old wharves and warehouses, some rusting with age.

Ultra Woman reached under the golden belt around her waist to pull out the small communicator from her apartment. She hovered in place while her blonde hair flittered in the cool breeze while she circled in place to get her bearings.

Turning again, she darted back into motion. She flew over a large warehouse and down below saw the mangled remains of a tin building.

Landing in the middle of the destroyed structure, Ultra Woman looked around. From the bent metal, including the bent steel support beams, this place had the look of a very vicious battle. It HAD to be Destructa.

Her eyes landed on a piece of torn cloth hooked on a jagged piece of tin. She knelt down and pulled it away. It was a piece of white and gold. "Venus..." she said under her breath as she recognized the costume of her friend. "But where are y..."

Suddenly Ultra Woman felt very funny. The docks, the warehouses, the destroyed building all started to swim in her vision. The ground beneath her seemed less solid. She fell forward and caught herself with her hands. "Wh...what is go...going on...?" she whispered to herself. She faintly saw some green lights as she slumped down to her belly. A moment later, her head rested on the ground and the city went dark.

- - - - - - -

"Ohhhh..." Ultra Woman groaned softly as she began to regain consciousness. She shook her head and pushed herself up enough to roll to her side and support herself with one arm. She pulled the blonde hair out of her face and found herself in a small 10 foot square room made of solid dark stones with four iron bound wooden doors in the middle of each wall. Some villain was surely up to something and though she would remain captured. They all thought that.

Abruptly she realized she was not in the room alone...

"Unnnghh" Sable groaned wearily as her vision began to clear.
With a deep sigh she slowly opened her eyes, only to see the veil of blue hair over her face. With a slight grunt she slowly rolled over onto her hands and knees before straightening up and pulling the long hair out of her face. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and her vision finally cleared, revealing the large wooden door in front of her. She found out that her legs weren't entirely recovered as she slowly tried to rise up to her feet, finding them still wobbily before her heeled boot rolled and caused her to stagger and put her hand against the solid stone wall. Finally the young villianess began to look around, taking stock of her surroundings. The thick stone walls on all sides
"Onyx...." she whispered aloud as her gloved fingers ran over the smooth stone.

She continued spinning until she saw the beautiful blonde heroine out of her periphal vision, stopping her dead inher tracks before she could complete the spin. "Shit..." she whispered to herself underneath her breath instantly recognizing the famous uniform filled out so well by the lithe body. Her paniced green eyes avoided eye contact before they began looking for an exit. Pretending to be completly to the heroine's existance Sable completly turned her back on Ultra Woman. "I wonder..." she said aloud as she held her hands down at her sides. Her hands balled into fists, the leather creaking softly as a blue aura began to surround each of them. The air began to chill as she felt her powers charging slowly, the familiar feeling of icy blood spreading through her veins.

"Time to get the hell out of Dodge" the villianess quipped, not wanting to risk staying in such a close quartered room with such a powerful heroine. She rose her hands up in front of her, pointing one arm out toward the door and hauling the other one way back. With a loud groan she threw the other arm forward and released a stream of solid ice toward the door, hoping to freeze and shatter it into a million pieces. The icy blast struck the door and instead bounced straight back at her, slamming into her chest and launching her straight back into the wall behind her. With an annoyed groan she slid down the wall and into the blonde heroine below.

"I don't believe we've met" She said with a nervous chuckle, looking at the heroine underneath her calves.

Ultra Woman had seen the entire scene without saying a word. But as Sable slid down the wall with her legs across Ultra Woman's back, she rolled over and slowly sat up with those legs still across her waist.

"I do not think we have met," she said as she flicked a few long strands of hair from her face while leaning on her other hand. "I am called Ultra Woman."

Her hand moved from her hair to her waist casually while looking this other person over. "You are correct, we have never met, Sable Myst," she said with a little edge to her voice. "But I know you by reputation." Her hand touched that point on her hip where a small catch was attached to her golden belt opposite of the side Sable was on. Instead of the coils of golden rope she expected to find that would help subdue this ice flinging villainess, Ultra Woman found nothing.

A frown creased her face. "Please get off me," she said as she moved from under Sable's legs and got to her feet. Standing to her full height, she offered a hand to Sable with her bracelet gleaming on her wrist. "From your reaction," she said calmly but with that hint of frown still on her face and a glance at a melting hunk of ice, "I assume you are not here willingly either."
Sable watched the the heroine slide out from underneath her outstreched legs warily. Her green eyes followed Ultra Woman as she rose up to her full height, intimidating the villianess physically. Shaking her head to clear the cobwebs from bouncing off the back of the wall, she raised her hand and brushed some ice shavings out of her long silver hair. She froze with her hand shielding her face as she watched the heroine's hand reach for the missing lasso.

Looking out at the hand she finally reached out her own, wrapping her gloved fingers around the metallic bracer on Ultra Woman's wrist, a light sheen of frost spreading over it as she allowed herself to be pulled to her feet, studying the heroine with a penetrating stare.

"We haven't met formally at least" she responded, flashing an innocent smile toward Tania. "But it's very flattering to see my reputation reaches to the paragon of the heroine community"

Releasing the metal bracer, she withdrew her hand and looked all around the room. "And honestly. Do you really think if I was behind all this I would put myself in such a small room with someone as powerful as yourself? Hardly. Last thing I remember was a wave of lethargy passing over me after I checked..." her voice trailing off into a whisper.
   
Ultra Woman glanced down to watch a bead of condensation go down the outside of her bracelet. "No, I do not think you could do this," she said matter of factly, "From what I have read about you, Sable Myst, is that you prefer not being trapped with heroines," she said just as pointed as Sable had just spoken to her.

The Amazon backed away from Sable and stepped near one of the doors. She placed a hand on the door and gave it a quick shove and felt it give only as much as the latch would allow. "But someone did do this to us, but I do not know why."

Still with one eye on Sable, Ultra Woman turned to look at the four doors which all looked exactly alike. "Perhaps..." Suddenly, like the sudden rumble of thunder on a summer's day, a voice boomed into the small room.

"CHOOSE!"

Ultra Woman froze and looked around the room, but only the echo of the voice remained and it faded in a second. She looked over at Sable. "I believe we are expected to use one of these doors, or we choose which one of us leaves..."

Sable stood with her back toward the heroine, pushing on the door opposite of Ultra Woman, only to find it latched securily in place. With a groan she turned around and sized up the heroine from behind, dollar signs rolling in her eyes before she snapped out of her stupor as the voice rattled the room. She looked up at the celeing, half expecting to see some hovering ghost or something of the like before Ultra Woman chimed in with her suggestion.

She kicked the door lightly at the base, her frustration beginning to show. "This is rediculous! I'm not going anywhere with you" She snapped toward the blonde heroine. Then with a groan she kicked the wall again.

As the heeled boot connected a loud click echoed through the room, a light curtain of dust falling from the celeing. "What did you do?!" She yelled out as several holes in the celeing began to open and long black jagged metal slid out of them, clicking into place ominously. The loud sound of metal gears grinding slowly built in her ears as the celeing began to lower...
Ultra Woman instantly crouched down, her hands warily in front of her, fists balled, bracelets ready as the dust wafted down and the metal points descended and locked into place. When the ceiling began to come down, the edges of his grinding against the walls loudly, it made the floor tremble.

"CHOOSE!" boomed the voice again and one by one, there were loud clicks from each door.

Ultra Woman floated up off the floor and reached carefully between the metal spikes to push at the ceiling. She pushed again, failed to stop the ceiling, then tensed herself.

"NNNGHH!" she groaned between gritted teeth as she struggled to stop the descending deathtrap.

When her boots reached the floor, Ultra Woman held her hands up over her head but the ceiling kept coming down.

"Unless you have a way of stopping this ceiling from coming down," Ultra Woman shouted over the grinding noise filling the small room, "I think we are going through one of these doors!"
Sable looked up, watching with rapt attention as she watched the heroine lean her entire strength into the decending wall of spikes, but failed and eventually wound up with both feet on the ground. Jumping at the voice booming a second time she looked around angrily, closing her eyes as she raised her hands again and fired off a second blast of solid ice at another wall, only to have it richochet back and nearly slam into Ultrawoman's back missing her by mere inches.
"Shit...FINE!" The villianess yelled out, looking back and forth between the two doors. "Get ready Blondie!" She ordered before firing off solid streams of ice into the cracks where the decending celeing met the wall, slowing the decent slightly.
With a groan she ran past the heroine, reaching back and grabbing a handful of her long golden hair as a leash and slammed into the first door, dragging the heroine with her into the darkness beyond.