★Memorable Author: [El_Roy_1999] And Tomorrow...The World! •22pp•

[El_Roy_1999]

Time to continue this story. It's been a while, but I'll try to finish it soon.

At the White House, there was a certain tension in the air. Colonel Jacob van Rothe walked into the Oval Office. He immediately recognized the Directors of the Bureau and the Chief of the Signal Corps. There were other members of the various intelligence groups present. The President nodded at him as he walked in. He greeted the Colonel, then turned to the others:
"Gentlemen, since we are all present now, it is time for Colonel van Rothe to give us his assessment of the situation."
The Chief seemed annoyed. He glowered at van Rothe. The other officers appeared to be equally angry.
Van Rothe ignored the atmosphere and rolled out a map he had brought with him. He laid it on the table and fixed it with paperweights.
"Mister President, gentlemen, I am sorry we have kept you in the dark about our operations for so long. However, after the attack on the Bureau, we decided to involve only a very small circle. Now that the Bureau has been reestablished and our operations are well under way, it is time to coordinate our efforts."
There were some resentful murmurs. Van Rothe pointed at the map.
"We have established the locations of our enemy's positions. The initial base was set up in the Midwest. We were unable to contain its creation and spread, but I assume that changes in budgeting will allow us to get rid of it soon. The second base is on Cuba. Depending on our naval possibilities, we should be able to at least contain this strongpoint."
He paused, clearing his throat. He was feeling a little sick lately. Clearly, the late hours were taking their toll. Coordinating with people all over the globe forced ungodly hours on him.
"The third and final known base is in Tibet. It has been established over the last weeks. It is completely unreachable and we have no weapon able to destroy it. I am looking forward to your ideas on how to get rid of it."
He looked around and saw their hesitation.

[chilipalmer99]

Very happy to see this epic continued. So many strings that need to be tied up.

CP

[El_Roy_1999]

"There are good news too. We have established the identity of the Master."
Van Rothe extracted several photographs from his file.
"His name is Jacob Weisz. He is a Polish national from Lublin, which was Russian at the time of his birth. He comes from a respected Jewish family, his grandfather was a rabbi, his father a lawyer and journalist."
The Chief interjected:
"So he's a Marx brother?"
There was a snort of laughs. The Colonel smiled:
"Even more than you'd think. He actually joined the circus as a young man. Our Antichrist is a clown at heart. He disappeared after a stay in Paris, but appears to have lived in Indochina, China and Tibet. He was a monk and mystic."
"Fancy. Just what the world needed. First a seminarist in Russia, then a schoolteacher in Italy and now this."
"He seems to have gotten into a lot of money and managed to invest it during the worst of the economic crisis. He used it to set up his little domain in the United States. Our enemy is clever and he has a good eye for talent."
Van Rothe laid several sets of pictures on the table.
The photographs and sketches showed the Master's closest associates. There were nods of approval as each one was presented. The officers tried to get an idea of the psyche and motivations of their enemies. When they reached Ruth's picture, van Rothe explained:
"This woman is a kind of mystery. She may be the Weisz' lover or just a hench ... woman." He interrupted himself. "Is that even something you can say? Henchwoman?"
There were sighs and head-scratches around the table. The Colonel continued:
"Or his enforcer. She has been spotted in several skirmishes and has been described as a formidable opponent, completely devoid of fear or even self-preservation. Fighting her will probably be challenging."
The Chief sighed:
"What a world! Now even the women fight us." The men looked tired. "As if suffrage hadn't been bad enough."
This comment hit the Colonel right in the guts. What had he gotten himself into? He should have held Gladys back.

[El_Roy_1999]

Two weeks later, the ocean liner was plowing through the waves of the Mediterranean. Even before breakfast, Gladys was enjoying her walk on the deck. She had just finished her morning workout routine and relaxed now. The salty air was refreshing and she took deep breaths. This trip was even more exciting than the last. The unit had been dispatched to Shanghai. Apparently, the high command had deduced that the Master's next point of interest would be China, so they would go there and support the Chinese in their fight. She didn't know much about China, but the idea of getting closer to the Master was appealing.
The giant woman walked to the prow of the ship. The waves split below her and the wind tugged at her dress and hair. She wondered what people thought of her now. She had spent a lot of money in Paris on her wardrobe and had actually found a tailor who was able to work with her enhanced figure, but she still knew she stood out. The Captain had insisted the unit have their meals in separate so that no civilians would be able to listen in on their talk, but she missed actually having a social life.
She was also unsure what she should do with Washington's advances. She was impressed that he hadn't taken advantage of her in that Paris apartment. Her mother's warnings would have suggested as much, but no. He had been the perfect gentleman and had even managed to catch her and get her back to bed. Violette had ignored her and continued sleeping.
This experience had calmed her tremendously and she felt a certain trust in him. Could there be love?
She sighed.
That's when she heard giggles and a group of voices approaching.

[El_Roy_1999]

A group of women approached. They were clearly in a good mood and laughed and smiled. Gladys looked at them. It took her a moment, but then she recognized them. She knew them! These were some former colleagues from high school. They had attended one of the better schools for young ladies in New England together.
One of the women also recognized her, although barely.
"I'm sorry, but are you Gladys van Rothe?"
She hesitated. Should she answer? Wasn't this the same situation as with her mother?
She swallowed and said:
"I am. You're Linda Harrison, aren't you?"
"Yes. You look ... different."
Gladys shrugged, suddenly aware of her gigantic muscles and the bulges they produced under her clothes. Also, being gigantically tall was just as bad.
"Err ... I ... I had a growth spurt."
Linda, a short, curvy woman with shiny brown hair and a nice face, stared at the amazon in front of her and wasn't sure about what to say. Finally, she managed:
"So, how far are you going?"
Happily, Gladys picked up the offering and replied:
"I'm going to Shanghai."
"Wonderful. We're taking the Grand Tour. All the way to San Francisco."
"That's great!"
"Sure. Would you like to join us for lunch?"
Gladys hesitated. Together with the other members of the unit, she had a tight training schedule to follow. Isolating herself from the others might not be a good idea.
"I'll have to check with my friends."
Another of the women chirped in:
"Why not ask them to join us? We could have a big table! All the girls!"
The giant woman murmured:
"I'm with a group of men."
There were shocked looks on their faces. An unmarried woman, alone with a bunch of men? A woman with big muscles, hugely tall? What was going on?
Awkwardly, Gladys said:
"I'm going to talk to them and we'll see."

[El_Roy_1999]

Gladys met the rest of the unit at their table. The Captain was just pouring himself a cup of coffee, the others were at the table, enjoying toast and sausages. Washington got up when she walked in. The other men looked at him oddly and Oswald said:
"Washington, calm down. You're going to get your commission eventually, but you don't have to be gallant all the time."
The sergeant blushed and sat back down.
"I'm sorry, lieutenant. It's just the way I've been brought up."
"Yes, but the Private is no woman. At least in this outfit."
The Captain interrupted, smiling:
"Lieutenant, have you seen the outfit?"
There were some laughs and Gladys sat down with the others.
After eating, she asked:
"Some friends of mine are also on board and would like to have us eat with them. I think you would find the company charming. Especially since our company in China won't be as pleasant."
The Captain nodded:
"That sounds like a wonderful idea. A bit of relaxation will do us all good. I can't say I'm looking forward to more Chinese business. It was bad enough last time."
Yorkow nodded knowingly.

[El_Roy_1999]

After breakfast, the Captain had them do a round of exercises. Soon, the unit was running rounds along the deck of the ship, shooting skeet and staging mock battles in the depths of the ship. The ship's commander had let them do this as long as it didn't interfere with the running of the regular operations.
This resulted in a lot of sneaking around in dark corridors, sudden bangs of blanks and wrestling in the tight confines of the ship. It was also the opportunity for Gladys to press herself against a wall next to Washington and to be near him for a few seconds before the scene erupted in violence and tension once again. It felt soothing amidst all the chaos of a changing world.
Of course, these moments of peace dissolved in brutal action moments later.
At the end, the Captain took the time to give feedback to his unit and get their hints to improve. More and more, they were turning into a well-oiled and highly efficient fighting machine.
Once they were done with combat training, he added some weightlifting. Gladys had asked for some weights for her training and the others had agreed.
She laid on the bench and pushed up massive amounts of metal. The others were still impressed. She had stuck to her training schedule and had continued to develop her muscles. By now, Gladys was certainly the strongest member of the outfit. She probably would have surpassed O'Hara if he were still alive. If her strength had been obvious before, it was now getting impossible to miss. Gladys had kept her aesthetic ideal in mind and had worked hard to maintain her proportions. If the ancient masters had sculpted statues of women like her, this would have been their work.

[El_Roy_1999]

She lowered the barbell to the ground and walked over to the mirror. She was impressed with her figure. The giant woman had to admit that she felt a certain pride and vanity at her looks. Her large, round breasts were well supported by two very visible chest muscles. Under those, she had developed two columns of bulging muscles that framed her navel. She had asked a French tailor to make her one of the outfits depicted in the ruins of Pompeii. It consisted of some very short underpants and a broad strip of fabric that covered her breasts. The tailor had blushed when she had described what she wanted. Only when she showed him her identification as a member of the armed forces did he accept that she was no loose woman. He had taken the opportunity to improve on her idea and had added two wide straps that crossed in her back.
When she wore the thing, she felt even stronger. She was aware that she could also exercise in the nude as the athletes of old had, but she was somewhat uncertain. Despite all her fascination with Antiquity, she hesitated at such ... exhibitionism.
She turned to her side and showed off her magnificent shoulders and arms. The rigorous military training had made them even bigger. Carefully monitoring her diet had allowed her not to become bulky and thick. Instead, her body was sleek and powerful, the lines of her muscles clearly visible through her skin.
She contracted her leg muscles and admired their power. Somehow, she'd have to train her calves more. They could be bigger and more proportional ... She'd have to talk to someone who knew about anatomy. Maybe devise a more advanced curriculum than those provided by Atlas and Sandow.
For a moment, she imagined herself starting a movement amongst women. She'd teach them to build up their strength and liberate themselves. The thought made her smile. She'd have to write up her ideas and findings first.
The smile grew wicked as she rolled her shoulders forward and did a weird pose she had come up with. Her hands were in front of her chest and her arms, chest and shoulders were fully flexed. She looked inhumanly strong, even monstrous.
The situation made her feel ... glad.

[El_Roy_1999]

Over the next weeks, the unit successfully found its place at the women's table. The men were charmed by the company and Gladys was actually relieved to be among people more akin to herself. She was a warrior at heart, that was true, but she was also a WASP daughter bred and grown in New England and all that fighting and saluting definitely took its toll. Just being able to feel like what she had been supposed to be was wonderful. At the same time, she realized how far she had grown and how distanced she'd become of all this. She felt a certain melancholy, thinking of her mother. She'd never get the child she wanted, maybe not even the grandchild. It wasn't time for that now. Maybe after the war was over ...
Right at this moment, Linda was explaining a hilarious episode the women had experienced in Liverpool.
"... and that's when I realized that there were THREE identical bags."
There was a roar of laughter. Some of the other guests looked at them disapprovingly, but Linda just ordered more champagne. She said:
"We're going to reach Indochina tomorrow. I asked the steward. Apparently, the ship is going to stay here for a few days, so we could go on an expedition."
There were gasps of excitement from the other women. One of them, the very short and mousy Lilian, asked:
"But isn't that dangerous?"
"Exactly. That's why I wanted to ask our companions whether they would join us."
The Captain smiled and looked at the brunette beauty:
"Of course. I think we can all stand a little excitement after this boring voyage."
The men nodded and even Gladys found herself smiling.

[El_Roy_1999]

Just to inform you, dear readers: I am not dead, merely overworked. Updates will resume as soon as possible, maybe Wednesday.
Hopefully.

[El_Roy_1999]

The next day, Gladys went through her training routine. She had woken up early and already prepared everything for their trip. To pass the time and to prevent herself from losing her rhythm, she added a session before the ship arrived in port. As she pushed up the barbell, she felt watched. She finished her set and paused. There was a noise outside. She hesitated, then racked the weight and stepped over to the porthole. She opened it quickly and looked around. A small person disappeared around the corner. Had she been watched? She hated it when people peeped at her. This was the big drawback of having a body like hers. Everybody always tried to sneak a peak. She shrugged, closed the window and returned to her training.

Meanwhile, Ruth was overseeing the work on the monastery. Jacob had ordered her to set up a fortified base and that was just what she was doing. The rumble of heavy machinery was deafening. She had decided to preserve the ancient buildings, but around them, armored towers were being raised. Machines dug deeper and deeper into the mountain. Explosions rocked the cliff-faces as the whole mountain was being reshaped. Airships hovered above, lowering their cargo and picking up rubble and machinery.
She finished checking the progress and revised the schedules. It was weird for her to return to clerical work after all this time, but she found it to be a nice distraction. Once everything was done, she returned inside. The dead had long since disappeared, fed to the vultures as was traditional. She had personally supervised the rites. There was no point in humiliating the dead.

[El_Roy_1999]

Ruth reached her quarters. Here, in a chamber overlooking the majestic mountains, there was much less noise. For a moment she mentally returned to the glorious calm of the monastery before her takeover. She did feel sorry for the carnage she had caused. But then again, such was the way of the world. Hilde and Little Phoenix were in the next room, practicing. The two women were fighting when she came in. The older woman, even though still short, was taller than her opponent and was trying to use that as an advantage. Ruth watched the pair with interest. It was fascinating to see how much Hilde had improved. Her body was now tight and muscular, her movements were quick and precise. She had learned most of the techniques Jacob's teachers knew and applied them ruthlessly.
Still, the pair was equally matched.
Ruth took off her coat and jacket, rolled her powerful shoulders and clapped her hands. The two women looked at her. She grinned:
"Come on!"
The fighters turned to her and attacked. Ruth easily parried Little Phoenix' kick, ducked under Hilde's blows and side-stepped them, exposing their flanks. With a well-aimed punch, she knocked them into each other and evaded their riposte. The two women smiled wickedly as they realized that they had no chance alone. They separated and moved to outflank their leader. Ruth was perfectly alert in that moment. Her body quivered in anticipation. This was what she lived for. With absolute elegance, she attacked Hilde, moving inside her range and spinning her inside Little Phoenix' attack. Once again, the pair was thwarted.
Frustrated, they charged. Ruth didn't even take the time to evade them. Instead, she confronted them head-on, blocked the flurry of blows they sent at her and forced them into a corner. Then, she released her pent-up anger and hammered away at them. They tried to block or parry her thrusts, but her sheer force overpowered them.
Desperate, Hilde cried:
"Stop! I give up!"
Little Phoenix joined in, holding up her hand.
Ruth calmed down again and nodded:
"You did well. You're both getting better."
She wiped the sweat of her brow.
"I'll have to step up my training if I want to keep up with you."
The two other women were unsure what to make of this. Ruth was clearly able to defeat them both on her own and still she wanted to improve further. Also, Little Phoenix felt a pang of jealousy at her mistress' power. She yearned to become as powerful as she was.

[El_Roy_1999]

After washing themselves, the three women relaxed and enjoyed the strong tea a servant brought them. Hilde asked:
"So, what's the next step? Where's the Master now?"
Ruth smiled enigmatically:
"He's traveling. He wants to get a good look at our opponents."
"Our opponents? What can they do? We're undefeatable."
"I wouldn't be so sure. Until now, the countries of the world have been doing their own stuff, without any plan. They just fought us whenever they could, and always on our terms. Of course, they couldn't win. But lately, we've been getting reports that they are organizing."
"So what. We're still a century ahead of them."
"Are we? Our technology is powerful, but we are few. Every loss is a big problem. Which is why we're looking at China now."
Little Phoenix added:
"After all these centuries of humiliation, my country is really looking forward to recovering its place among the nations."
Ruth leaned back.
"I'm not sure this is the Master's plan. I think he wants humanity to become one."
"How can we be one?"
"That's what we are here for. We are the enemies the world needs to unite. This is why we have to do this. Every story needs a bad guy."
"So this isn't about colonies?"
"It never was. But we must strive to be the worst monsters if we want to win."
Hilde nodded:
"I've been thinking about this and I assume this is the Master's idea. So, Ruth, what about leaving more of your humanity behind?"
Ruth looked at her companion. The old woman was a strange one. What had she thought of?

[El_Roy_1999]

Hundreds of miles away, the party had recruited a driver and climbed aboard three ancient Citroën cars and left for the ruins of the temple cities. After two days in a rumbling train, everybody was eager for some open air, even though the temperatures and the humidity were taking their toll. Still, the tourists were holding up and the women eagerly fanned the air to get some current on. Gladys had insisted on driving the first car and the other soldiers had gladly conceded. The roads were rudimentary at best and the ride was rough. Linda clung to the door grip for her dear life.
"Can't you drive slower?"
Gladys grinned. She really enjoyed the speed, the challenge of the road and the outrage of her passengers. She had learned to drive in New England, where most of the roads were well-kept and people tried to drive with as much discipline as possible. Here, everything was a challenge. The car just evaded another cart and a couple of people on bicycles. The giant woman hit the horn and shouted for them to get off the road in French. At last, her upbringing helped her.
She didn't notice Lilian's admiring looks. The small woman was equally terrified, but watching this modern amazon handle the car mad her deeply envious.

At last, the road cleared up. They were now approaching the temple ruins and there were no more peasants around. Instead, the trees around grew higher and the buzzing of insects got louder. There were several waterways which they forded with a splash before finally reaching the area. As soon as they stopped, the women lowered the veils on their hats to protect themselves from the clouds of mosquitoes. The group quickly started its exploration.

[El_Roy_1999]

They walked closer to the ruined temple. There were several walls, a few buildings and many statues. Gladys felt a kind of deep fascination as she gazed upon these ancient masterpieces. Thick roots had overgrown the courtyards, trees shadowed the bas-reliefs. Linda took out her photo camera and said:
"The folks at home are going to be so jealous."
She took a few pictures, then she added:
"Could you just stand in front of the big head?"
The Captain shook his head:
"I'm going to snap a picture of the ladies, but I'm afraid we can't be on it."
"Why?"
"Military business. I regret it."
"That's too bad."
Gladys sighed. He was right, of course. But the secrecy was starting to hurt her. She had these splendid, fascinating adventures all over the globe and yet, she was slowly understanding that she'd never be able to tell anyone. It made her sad. A legend should be told.
She snapped out of her reverie. The others had walked on and found a hidden statue. The women were a little shocked by its nakedness but as soon as Linda explained that it wasn't different from Greek statues, they eagerly snapped another picture next to it.
Gladys needed some space, so she gave Washington a sign and walked off. She found a caved-in part and entered, following a thin ledge over the gaping hole. The concentration required not to fall cleared her head. She continued on, climbing over a broken piece of masonry and crawling under the massive roots of a tree. She walked through a small forest.
Suddenly, the area opened and she stood in a vast field full of ruins. She grinned: Had she just discovered a new ruin site?