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

[El_Roy_1999]

The navigator shouted:
"Master! Our formation is being disrupted. One of our fighters has gone rogue."
Jacob stared out of the window. The twin streaks of the engines lit the skies. He turned to the ship's captain:
"Keep the flagship on its way and finish the mission. Order all other ships to give us cover."
Karel declared:
"Our attack has lost thirty-two percent of its strength. It is tactically advisable to retreat."
Jacob reconsidered for a moment, then said:
"No. We go ahead. We are in trouble, but we will not lose the initiative. This matter must be dealt with swiftly and I am certain it is not something our enemies have come up with."
He remembered the intelligence reports he had received. The branches of the United States armed forces were still squabbling over funds and resources, trying to figure out a way to fight him. This traitor was another problem. He looked at Ruth and her friends. She immediately answered when she noticed his gaze upon her:
"Master, may I take care of this insect?"
"Of course. Show them what you are capable of."
She smiled and nodded:
"Let's go!"
As she descended to the flight deck, she couldn't help grinning. Her plan had worked perfectly. Gladys was doing her little stunt outside, delaying Jacob's triumph. It was ridiculous. His friendly mentality and psychological weakness would deal the whole cult a death-blow. It was up to her to fix this.
Thankfully, she had insisted on training herself and her guards on all weapons at her disposal. Hilde and Little Phoenix had found it difficult at first, but a little pressure had turned them into perfect wingwomen. They entered the bay. Their planes were smaller than those that fought outside, but that was mostly because they didn't need the range. The three little technological marvels had been prototypes deemed unnecessarily advanced by the research staff. For Ruth, they were just right.
She ordered her crew to ready the machines and quickly checked everything.
Time to launch!

[El_Roy_1999]

LIVE NOW

Muscular Women Are Live Right Now

Join private chats instantly. Real models. Real-time interaction.

120+ models online now

Start Watching →

[El_Roy_1999]

Gladys' plane had been hit several times now, but it was still aloft. She had managed to score a few lucky hits on her enemies, but she had to admit that this was hard. She had never experienced such a speed and her knowledge of dogfights was rather theoretical. To be honest, she was mostly glad she was still alive. She did profit from the confusion, though. Clearly, the Master's engineers had assumed that his enemies would fly much weaker and easily recognizable planes, so she could use that to her advantage. More than once, she heard a stream of obscenity as one of the enemy fighters opened fire on one of his allies.
Still, she wasn't making much progress. Also, as soon as the troops below had managed to set up antiaircraft batteries, it would become seriously uncomfortable up there.
She saw that the Captain had just finished "sinking" another one of the airships when suddenly, something shot by at high speed. She tried to spot what it was while turning away. A volley of shots ripped through her plane's fuselage. She instinctively ducked down and directed the machine away from the surprise attacker. Seconds later, there was another one. And another.

Ruth turned her plane around and almost screamed in ecstasy. The speed was like a drug. This was freedom and she could experience it unfiltered and without a trace of remorse. Her powerful body was pumping, her eyes watered as she refused to close them, all the lights and flashes tore at her retina, the noise, the smells. This was battle and it was wonderful. It was what made her human and superhuman at the same time. Her guards followed suit, disciplined and though, far from her emotional overload, but still impressed.
She weaved through the airships and soon had Gladys in her cross-hairs again. She fired, pushing the other woman further in the position she wanted. It was amazing how slow and weak she was. No wonder this world was failing when this science-superhuman barely managed to fly a plane.

More shots pierced the hull. Gladys gritted her teeth as she evaded them. This new attacker was way beyond her skills. The others had been professional, this one was passionate and in for the kill. She noticed she was being forced to change her bearings again. There was something wet in her boot now. Had she stepped into something? She dared to look down for a split second and wished she hadn't.
A fragment of the plane's hull had been torn off and had ripped her leg. There was a gashing wound and it was bleeding quickly. There was no way to fix this now. Before she could even react to this, she had to turn again just to prevent herself from getting killed.
Now, a large airship loomed in front of her.
She had to do something. Was this the flagship?
It was pretty clear there wasn't much she could do anymore. She found something called "ejector", aimed the plane at the airship's gondola and pulled the lever.

[El_Roy_1999]

Jacob suddenly realized what was going to happen. He shouted for Karel to do something, but the machine was clearly unable to come up with an idea. He stared in horror as the plane shot closer at incredible speed. Somehow, everything seemed to slow down. The shape roared closer, there was a flash of light as the cockpit ejected and the hull of the plane hit the gondola's main window. Jacob was hit by flying shards of glass before the body of the fighter plane struck him.
He didn't die right away, but he couldn't do much. His last words were lost as the plane's fuel lines ruptured, detonating the leaking reservoir despite the best efforts of the self-sealing device. The explosion tore through the airship's hull and set off other detonations. The whole structure was instantly bathed in fire and it slowly descended to the city below, crew members, weapons and supplies raining down on the beleaguered capital.
Ruth grinned wickedly as she saw the airship fall apart. It was done. It hurt a little, the poor man had deserved better. All his dreams of love and harmony had been just that: sad little dreams that would come apart as soon as they were confronted with the harsh reality of politics. She almost shed a tear for her fallen childhood friend, but then she remembered what this was all about and activated the radio:
"To all crews. The Master is dead. As per his will, I take command in his name. The mission must be accomplished. We will not show weakness. You are hereby ordered to destroy this city. There mustn't be a single house left standing. Retaliation is essential now that they might find us without a leader. Show no mercy!"
Watching all the airships open their secondary bomb bays and dropping their payloads almost made her come. The infernal vision below her made her shriek with glee. This was the sign the former masters of the world would understand. They had refused the Open Hand, the Closed Hand would take care of them.
The city below her erupted into psychedelic colors and wave upon wave of screaming cacophony hit her exposed ears. There would be fire, there would be ashes and then, something new would grow. Something true and wonderful.

[El_Roy_1999]

Gladys was still strapped into the cockpit. The whole thing had exploded off the plane seconds before it struck the huge airship and she had soon started falling. Now, the thing was picking up speed and descending. She didn't know what to do. She could jump out, but it was probably too low for her parachute to work. Also, that would probably make her an even better target and she had only once performed one of these jumps. She was pretty certain she'd just get killed. Just as she was about to panic, the cockpit fired off some bolts and a bunch of parachutes shot out.
Instantly. The cockpit was stopped and, while still falling, was now safely returning to the surface. All around her, Gladys saw chaos break out. The airships suddenly began indiscriminately bombing the city. She was horrified as masses of explosives rained down on Washington. Fires broke out, buildings collapsed, people died.
Had she caused this?
She couldn't avert her eyes.
Some of the airships fell as the city's defenses were reestablished, but it was clear that the Master's forces were running amok. Whatever this had been meant to be, now it was a declaration of total war and an invitation to annihilation. The world would once again be plunged into death and destruction.
As the cockpit continued its descent, Gladys realized that her little adventure had come to an end. Secret meetings, spy operations, honest fights against evil foes, all this was over now. From now on, this was a full-scale war and no one would be spared. All she could hope for was that the Captain and her had slowed the enemy war machine down enough for her country to catch up and fight.
Finally, she thought of Washington. Was that what he wanted? How would he react when he understood what his "Master" had decided to do? Was that worth his struggle?
She sincerely hoped that he could maintain his humanity. He had done well so far.
The remains of the plane hull touched down. She scrambled out quickly as another airship detonated far above, showering the area with burning debris. She crawled away, then finally collapsed. Something in the depths of her mind told her she had to go to the city and help people, but then, she needed help herself.

[El_Roy_1999]

As she tried to bandage her wound, the Captain's plane landed close by. The airships started to turn and left. The attack was over, but the devastation was enormous. The Master's forces had done their horrifying work.
The Captain climbed out of his plane and ran to her, his first aid kit in hand. He immediately asked:
"Where are you hurt?"
She told him, gritting her teeth between her words. He quickly applied a tourniquet to her leg wound and said:
"Okay. This will hold for a while, we'll have to loosen it from time to time, but it'll hold until we get you to a hospital."
He helped her up and she leaned on him, her massive body pushing him down and to the side. He breathed out sharply as they started off into the night.
"It's a shame we can't take the plane, but I'm out of gas. I had to use it for something more pressing."
"Don't worry, I'm happy to be back on the ground after all this."
She laughed weakly, instantly biting her tongue as she realized how much it hurt.
They worked their way to a road and saw several cars speed by, heading for the capital. Gladys had to sit down for a moment, opening the tourniquet. She gasped as the pain hit her.
"I sure wish I hadn't been hurt like this. Stupid."
"Private, you did very well considering the circumstances. You can be proud of yourself."
"Captain, could you do me a favor? I don't know if I still want to be a soldier anymore. Could you call me Gladys?"
Even though he was tired and hurt from this insane aerial battle, he had to smile.
"Nah, Private. This isn't the moment to give up. I appreciate the offer, but you'll have to stick with it for a while."
"Why? Isn't the army going to take care of this?"
"I fear they will. And they're definitely overestimating their own little gadgets."
"What do you mean?"
"You're not special anymore. Well, since you are a woman, you still are, but they built a whole troop of supersoldiers and they're going to sic them on the Master's friends."
"But that's good, isn't it?"
"I doubt it. It's rushed and they're going to be overconfident."
"So, what do we do?"
"We talk to your father."
"Do we have to? I wouldn't want him to see me like this."
"He's the only man I still trust."
Gladys swallowed.
"Oh, about that. Washington was a traitor."
The Captain was genuinely shocked.
"Washington? How? Why?"
"It'll take a moment. I'll explain on the way."

[El_Roy_1999]

I don't know about you, dear readers, but I definitely think I have to finish this soon. Even though I enjoy writing it, I'm really looking forward to a new, shorter story.

Anyway.

The ride took forever. The Captain managed to get Gladys to his house, loaded her into the car and drove off. They stationed the car in Baltimore, switched to the train and rode on. On the way, the Captain bought medical supplies and as soon as the train was on its way, he cut open the flight-suit to take a good look at the wound. He gasped. The shrapnel had torn off a large part of Gladys' quad. It was a miracle she was still conscious. When he saw this, he wondered just how tough this supersoldier stuff made people. He said:
"I'm afraid it doesn't look good."
"It doesn't feel good either."
"I'm going to disinfect it and try to pull out the pieces of metal. I don't know if that's ever going to be good again, but I hope you won't die."
"That's a relief."
"Honestly, I don't know. This stuff they did to you really made you tough as nails. Any other person would just be dead by now."
"Okay ... Well, get to it."
He nodded, and shot some anesthetic into the muscle.
"I don't think this will help much, but let's hope for the best."
Then, carefully, he cut open the wounds, removed the pieces of broken steel and laid them out next to her, swabbing the wound with disinfectant as he worked. When the train shook too much, he had to stop.
"I'm sorry I couldn't take you to a hospital, but they would have asked pointless questions and I'm certain they were more than busy."
The already somber mood seemed to drop even further. He worked for more than an hour, finally sewing the wound shut. Gladys had to grit her teeth to suppress the pain. It was really tough. He added:
"Let's just hope it all goes well."
"Captain, I have to thank you. You saved my life."
"I'm just doing my job. Don't worry."
He was finally done and dropped on the seat on his side of the compartment.
"We'll have to clean up the mess before we leave."
"Definitely. It looks like a butcher's shop."
"That's my line of business. Although I think I'll drop out when this is over. With wars like these, I prefer to leave them to the scientists."
"I can understand. It's much less glamorous than I thought."
The Captain smiled weakly:
"You thought it would be glamorous?"
"Well, I probably read the wrong books. My father never talked about his wars."
"Private, you're strange. Whatever the future will be, it will be more about people like you than me."
She didn't find much to say, besides, she was dead tired. Soon, she fell asleep, despite the pain.

When the Captain woke her up, they were close to home. He called a taxi, helped her inside and they were on the way. News traveled fast. The driver explained about the capital and went on to threaten the foreigners, the Germans in particular. He'd fought in the Great War and wouldn't stop going on about the Master actually being the Kaiser in disguise.
Finally, the Captain had enough of this and gave him a large tip just to make him shut up. Neither Gladys nor he wanted to hear more of this.
The car pulled up at the gates. Gladys saw the family home, hidden behind the trees. It felt as if she had been gone forever. She tried to arrange her clothes to look at least somewhat presentable, but it was soaked in dried blood and there was no way to make this look good.
She just hoped her parents would cope with that.
The Captain paid and she rang the bell.
Soon, Geoffrey appeared. The family butler walked to the gates at a slow pace at first, the attack clearly having put him on alert. When he saw Gladys, he almost ran. He opened the gate and said:
"Young miss, you're back! You've ... grown. And you're wounded."
He immediately took a good look at the bandages, nodded to the Captain and declared:
"It'll do. Come on in, we'll get you a fix and you'll probably want to talk to your parents. They are here and I'm sure they're more than happy to see you." He turned to the other guest: "Captain."
"Geoffrey."
"I'm glad you're here with us. The Colonel will also want to see you."
"I'm looking forward to it."

[El_Roy_1999]

Within moments, the house was alive. Gladys was at the center of it all. More and more people turned up to greet her, to see how she was doing and to ask her about her adventures. They were all confused and shocked by her looks, but those that had known her most of her life admitted that this was just the consequence of her entire concept. After all, if the Colonel had had a son, this was exactly how he would have turned out.
The most emotional moment came when Gladys' mother embraced her. The older woman looked completely lost next to her giant daughter. She was amazed and concerned at the same time.
"Gladys, dear, I'm so glad you're alive. I heard the most horrible rumors."
"Mother, I'm fine. I'm a little hurt, but it'll heal. At least I hope so."
"Well, you should definitely rest."
She had the divan brought over and told Geoffrey to go and fetch the family doctor. She explained:
"Captain, it's not that I don't trust your skill, but I would prefer her to be looked over by a professional."
"Madam, I have no objections. It was the best I could do at the moment."
"And I thank you for it. It's horrible. What is the world coming to?"
"Madam, the only thing I can say is that we will fight to save it."
She nodded grimly. Then, she said:
"That is good, but you look horribly tired and hungry. You'll probably want to speak to my husband, but I think you should also get something to eat."
"And some coffee, madam, if it's possible."
"Certainly."
Gladys wanted to get up again.
"I want to talk to father."
Her mother insisted:
"And you will. But first, Doctor Stevenson should take a good look at your leg. I don't want you to end like granduncle Willem. You know they had to cut off his leg ..."
"... on the dinner table. Yes, mother, I know. It's your favorite after-dinner anecdote."
The older van Rothe smiled tiredly and caressed her.
"I don't want a sequel to that story."
"I know, mother. I will wait."
"Thank you."

Soon, the Captain had disappeared into the study. Colonel van Rother hadn't stepped out yet. He hadn't even taken a look at Gladys. The doctor had turned up a little later. He was a short, stout man who quickly examined the bandages and said:
"It doesn't look half bad. Whoever did that knew what he was doing."
Gladys was relieved. The doctor still insisted to look at the wound itself. He cut open the bandages and peered inside.
"How is that even possible?"
Gladys was surprised:
"What's going on?"
The doctor shook the bandages and there was a clatter of metal on the floor. He said:
"It's completely healed. There isn't even a scar. Somehow, the body must have forced the remaining pieces of steel from the wound."
"Incredible. Well, Doctor, I think that's good, isn't it?"
"It is, but it's also unbelievable. I have never seen anything like it."
"Well, I have an idea why this might be like this."
"Could you enlighten me? I just want to understand. Is this a prank?"
"No. But I really can't tell you. I think it's a matter of national security."
"Now you're pranking me."
"I assure you, I'm not. Besides, we're going to tell my father. He needs to know about this."
They went upstairs and knocked on the door. There was a brief sound of papers being placed back into folders and the door opened. The Captain looked outside:
"Yes?"
Gladys looked down on him and said:
"I'm healed."
"You are?"
"Yes. You can tell my father he can calm his conscience. It's not his fault I got hurt."
There was a sudden burst of speed and Gladys found herself embraced by the old man. He was weeping tears of joy, incredulously happy that she was well. She barely managed to resist patting him on the head and to say "there, there". Finally he calmed down enough to speak and said:
"I was mad with worry. I couldn't face you."
"You had no reason to be afraid. It's not your fault I got hurt and as you can see, I got better."
"I'm so glad."
The doctor cleared his throat.
"I assume you won't be telling me what's going on."
The Colonel shook his head:
"I'm sorry, Hippocratic oath or not, this is too sensitive. But don't worry, we are very thankful for your help."
The short man nodded and sighed. The Colonel added:
"I'll accompany you to the door. Captain, if you would bring my daughter up to speed ..."
The Captain nodded and showed Gladys inside.

[pirateparag]

EPic story ... waiting for next update 

[El_Roy_1999]

EPic story ... waiting for next update 

Thank you!

[El_Roy_1999]

When she looked in her father's eyes, she could see that he was grieving. He was still shocked by the butchery that had just happened and several of the dead had been close friends of his. At the same time, he was rejoicing that she had returned. Ever since her disappearance, he had quarreled with himself and his fate, but now, he was released. For Gladys, it was evident that he was just thanking the heavens that she had been spared but that he also condemned himself for blinding himself to the suffering in the capital and all over the world. Through his channels, he had found out that the initially smaller attacks had turned into massacres after the Master's death. One that Gladys only slowly realized she had caused. Happily, the drugs, the lack of sleep and her surprise healing made her too groggy to even contemplate this.
Still, the situation was dire enough as it was. The major nations of the world were decapitated. All over the globe, rebellions had sprung up. Clearly long prepared, many colonies suddenly threw of the yoke of their rulers. The Master's agents were everywhere. At the same time, there was no one left to speak to, let alone to negotiate. As information poured in from all over the world, it became clear that the military was taking over and was now activating its own plans against the Master's troops and agents.
As the nations of the world reeled in shock, war was spreading quickly.
The Colonel showed Gladys and the Captain the last reports he received via teletype. As the Captain had told him, the armed forces had decided on mobilizing their supersoldiers and strike the head of the monster in Tibet. The Colonel sighed: For him, it was pretty clear that this was a suicide mission and he was certain that it would produce nothing more than humiliation. However, now that his political support had literally gone up in flames, he had to stand on the sidelines and watch.
Gladys asked:
"But what else should they do? They've got to show the world that they're still fighting, put up morale."
"Gladys, you are right. It's my opinion too. But they're going up against an enemy that is strong, well-prepared and largely unknown. Besides, the fortress is so isolated they cannot hop to get there in any useful time."
"Still, we've got to do something. I've been captured there. I could tell them about the place!"
The Colonel looked at the Captain. It was clear they were thinking about this. Then, he said:
"I would be very careful. I wouldn't be too certain that what you saw there wasn't directed by the Master and his friends. Their big strength is psychology, so it might be that they were showing you what they wanted you to see. Still, it can't hurt. It's better than nothing."
The Captain nodded slowly, but replied:
"Sir, I'm not too certain we should do this."
"Why? I'm aware that Gladys' information is probably corrupted and manipulated, but it's better than to send our boys in blind."
"Certainly, sir, but I'm not sure those are still our boys."
"You'll have to explain this, Captain. I don't follow."
"Well, as far as I'm concerned, our nation is now being led by a council of military officers. It will take some time to set up democratic foundations again, and since we are at war, the officers will take their time. I've seen it happen before."
The Colonel laughed sarcastically. It had been a tiring day:
"Are you suggesting we should wait until the next elections?"
"Of course not. It's just strange to witness what is happening all over the world: Could it be that we are on the wrong side of history?"
"You can't mean that the Master is right."
"I don't. Besides, he is dead. Whoever is his replacement is unarguably worse."
Gladys interrupted him:
"I know her. We've fought her before and she was there when I was imprisoned. She gives me the creeps. It's as if she can literally smell your fear. I don't think she means well. With the Master, I wasn't sure. Maybe he actually meant what he said. With her: No way. She'll just murder her way to the new world."
The Colonel looked at the Captain:
"You see, this is what we're up against."
"Still, I think the answer isn't 'either, or', it's should we? All the players are monsters or soon will turn into them. Whether they are destroyed by the Master's lapdog or turn into warlords just like in China, I want neither. And don't forget, this is happening all over the world!"
The Colonel had sat down and lit a cigar. He waited, thought about this , then said:
"I understand your point. We have to stop this now, before it escalates further."
"Exactly. We need to stop the Master's heiress and her troops and give the world a pause to recuperate. Otherwise, this is going to be a massacre and we'll end up with the Great War, but all over the world."
Gladys stood up and said:
"Fine. I understand and I'm in. I say we get in as fast as possible and either talk sense into that woman or kill her. Either we get them to chose peace, or we hamstring them in the same way as they did to us."
The two men stared at her. Gladys, standing straight at her full height, her powerful body showing off her incredible strength, was impressive to say the least. The Captain asked:
"Okay, but how do we even get there?"
"I have a plan. Father, I'll need your car, a gun and some new clothes. Mother will have to help us with the tailoring."
The Colonel almost stood to attention.

[jcboyd]

Strong ending coming... 

[El_Roy_1999]

Two days later, a couple arrived at the Master's compound in a robust car. The dusty wind of the Midwest blew hard around them. Even though the cult had expanded its orchards, hedges and fields and had stabilized the soil, it would still take years to recuperate. For Gladys, returning here took her back to her first mission. She had been small and weak then. Not like O'Hara. She thought of the huge Irishman and sighed. He had been a good friend and soldier. And yet, he was dead so long now, she barely remembered their time here. She hoped she'd be able to keep it short.
The Captain, driving the car, looked at her and asked:
"Are you alright?"
"Yes. It's been a lot lately."
"Certainly. Also, this plan is a little risky, even for me."
"Trust me. I've got an ace up my sleeve."
"And what would that be?"
She showed him the card Washington gave her. He looked at it for a second before returning to the road.
"What is that?"
"You'll like it. Don't worry."
They reached the gate of the compound. A squad of soldiers approached them. Gladys got out of the car. The black and red uniform made her look even larger and more intimidating. The guards were simple people in uniform, no highly trained professionals like at the Himalaya base. This was the local militia. They could probably call in reinforcements with powered armor in a moment, but Gladys wanted to evade a fight as long as possible.
Instead, she greeted them heartily, smiled a lot and told them of her part in the attack on the capital. Her plane had been shot down and she had enlisted the help of the man back there who had agreed to bring her here. He was sympathetic to their cause and wanted to join. She spiced her story with quotations from The Open and Closed Hand. Within moments, they were rather convinced but preferred her to talk to the compound manager. She nodded, called the Captain to her and went inside, finding her way from the last time she was around. The locals were surprised, but she explained she'd been there before. Someone even suggested she recognized her from then. Gladys just nodded and agreed heartily.
As they entered the main building, Gladys spotted Karel's terminal and gave the Captain a nudge. Instantly, he started a short commotion by asking loud and confusing questions about the nature of the Master. Gladys slid to the side, caught the machine's eye and showed it the card. Instantly, Karel was knocked out. The administrative personnel tried to fix it and disappeared to check on the machine's innards. Now, Gladys moved quickly.
She took the Captain with her and led him to the manager's office. The woman, a middle-aged bookish type jumped up in shock as the amazon stepped in. She was instantly assaulted with a barrage of orders, demands and confusing explanations to which she agreed just to get this creature out of her office.

When the pair was out of the building and heading to the airfield, the Captains said:
"That was amazing!"
"Thank you. It turns out that people just don't want to know."
"Sure, but you really pushed them."
"I thought that if they joined a cult, they wouldn't show too much initiative, wouldn't they?"
"True. Still, we don't have much time. If they check on your credentials, we're screwed."
"Yes. Let's take off quickly."
The compound had a few planes ready for aerial defense as well as one larger long-distance plane, probably for liaising with the main base. She pointed at the crimson machine.
"That's ours. Want to try flying it? It's incredible."
The Captain smiled:
"I was about to ask."
A bit of fast-talking later, they were ready in their flight-suits. The machine started and soon lifted off, racing through the sky. The Captain was indeed fascinated by the thing's speed and maneuverability. However, he asked:
"So, how long will it take until their thinking machine is back?"
"I don't know. I just hope they'll just accept it as it is and not involve themselves any further."

[El_Roy_1999]

Ruth smiled. Her armies were getting ready for the final blow. All over the world, the banners of the Open and Closed Hand were fluttering, delivering a promise of freedom and progress. A progress for which she was the perfect symbol. She had started out as a lowly clerk and now, there she was. A goddess. Her enormous body was resting on her new bed, her friends and guardians at her side. Their bodies too had been turned into epitomes of human perfection. She caressed Little Phoenix' shoulders. The former short woman had upped her training since her transformation and was covering herself in veins and striations at an alarming pace.
Ruth felt Hilde's tongue on her clitoris and sighed. The scientist had continued her research on the nature of female physiology and psychology and was now applying these findings. It was divine. Ruth had to concentrate not to crush her friend's head.  Her thoughts went to Gladys, the prototype to her amazonian self. What a pity the woman still clung to her weak, male ideals. How self-limiting! She was beyond any such dichotomies. No man was her equal, and no woman either.
With the power of science, she would create a perfect world. A world that would worship her.
She had the scientists already working on an improved version of the glands and organs that had given her this godlike body. She would go beyond this and leave her humanity and all its fears and doubts behind. Already, she could discern truth from falsehood by merely listening to the heartbeat of others or feeling the slight tingling of their skin. She wielded military power beyond that of any state in the world. Her might was so outrageous that their armies fell before her. She smiled sweetly and caressed Hilde's head as the older woman gave her a lick that sent her over the edge.
It was incredible to experience this.
Little Phoenix sighed next to her and whispered:
"Can I go next?"
Ruth nodded:
"Of course, my love."

[El_Roy_1999]

The landscape sped by below them. At this speed, reaching the secret fortress in the Himalayas wouldn't take long. They had refueled once on their way and had switched controls from time to time, but for the Captain, this was a tremendous experience. The sheer power of the engines was amazing. Flying a beast like this was incredible. Just for fun, he tried a few simple maneuvers and was amazed by the ease with which the plane handled. He said:
"I can't believe this. Seriously, the U.S. government should be glad they recruited me early. If the Master had shown me this thing back in the day ..."
Behind her mask, Gladys nodded. She felt the same. Somehow, the whole situation was uncomfortable. She was thinking of Washington. Somehow, he had been right. The idea was good and up until recently, it could have worked. But now, it seemed to be corrupted. Questioning her loyalties was hard, but she probably had to do it if this was going to work.
He asked:
"So, how are we going to do this?"
"I have a plan, but it's foolhardy and dangerous."
"I'm in. I trust you."
She beamed. That was good news.

The plane shot across the landscape. By now, occasional radio messages came in, asking them who they were. Gladys ignored them. There were threats, but for now, they were not backed up by violence. The callers were probably unable to do anything about the roaring beast in their skies. At least the British seemed helpless. At one point, a group of Great War-era planes appeared, but they couldn't even hope to keep up with them.
Then came the call from the cult's base. They asked for identification. Gladys stayed silent. The next call was harsher. Again, she showed no reaction. The third one was an open threat. Planes were to be launched, antiaircraft artillery prepared. Gladys continued. By now, the Captain was beginning to question his companion's decision, but he forced himself to ignore his gut feeling. He had to trust her on this, after all, she knew what they were up against.
At last, the fireworks started. Shells tore up into the sky, searchlights flashed through the air and a whole squadron of small, yet very fast fighters appeared.
Gladys looked to the Captain and gave him the signal.

Another shell detonated very close to the intruding plane. The shrapnel tore into its wings, making it trail fuel. The commander of the fighter squadron directed his pilots to attack. The plane was to be forced to the ground and if that proved to be impossible, destroyed.
The enemy pilot wasn't too shabby. He evaded their attacks quickly and elegantly positioned his machine so that the artillery could not get a clean shot at it. The commander nodded his admiration. Still, the plane was outnumbered and they knew the terrain perfectly. He could just outmaneuver it and destroy it as soon as the order came. For now, they managed to force it lower and lower.
Then, suddenly, something went wrong. Without warning, the intruder burst into flame and produced a thick trail of black smoke that completely obscured their vision. He saw the plane turn in the wrong direction and head for the rock face. He radioed a warning, but there was no response. Maybe the pilot was wounded, maybe he had lost consciousness. The commander dove to get a look at it, but it was too late.
The large red plane crashed into the mountain, producing a horrifying detonation. He would order a search party there, but there wasn't much hope. He did another circle of the crash site, no parachutes, nothing.
Whoever it had been, he was dead.

[El_Roy_1999]

The ground was roaring closer. For the Captain, that was the moment when he realized he had made a terrible mistake. Trusting this rookie was probably the worst and last idea he had in his life. They were both going really fast now and there was nothing he could do. He was strapped to Gladys' massive body, she herself had the parachute attached to her webbing and it still wasn't deployed. He thought of shouting something at her, something to vent his frustration or get her to at least open the parachute, but he was well-aware that it was pointless at this speed. If he opened his mouth now, all that would happen would be that it'd fill with dust and insects and that he'd probably freeze his mouth. He was forced to endure this.
For Gladys, the situation was hardly more comfortable. She had read about this technique in a journal on flying her father read. It was highly unclear whether this had ever worked. She just hoped this wouldn't just kill them. She glanced at her surroundings and decided she had to wait a few more seconds. The gorge was approaching. Wonderful. If she managed to land in there, they would be completely undetected. On the other hand, they could just as well be killed.
The planes above circled the area once more and sped off.
Now was the time.
She pulled the ripcord. Instantly, the parachute shot out, pulling them back up. For Gladys, it felt as if she was being ripped apart. The Captain just lost consciousness. She quickly pushed out her legs, trying to direct herself into the gorge by jerking around. The fall had slowed massively, but a look upside showed that the parachute was fast coming apart. They were out of the frying pan, but the fire was looming. She grabbed her knife, brought all her strength together, grabbed the cords of the parachute and cut them off while at the same time pulling the second ripcord. The remains of the first parachute flew off, the second one shot out, deploying abruptly and rather incompletely.
They struck the ground. The blow was hard and Gladys prayed her legs would hold up. She rolled, the Captain flailing helplessly as they tumbled over rocks and gravel. When they stopped, she sighed in relief.
She unhooked him and let him slump to the side before examining her bones. Nothing broken. A lot of bruises and cuts, but she was fine, considering the descent. With a slap, she woke him up.
He got on all fours and threw up. She said:
"Okay. We're here. Let's hope for the best."