HOPE BRINGERS (Strong superhero women) (Mystical Slayers Book 2)

by Michael W. Huard

  "Chaya, stay near me and grab the spot behind that tree," Mahira instructed.

  The red and gray Corporation police bus slowly made its way up the hill and stopped when it reached the top. The girls eagerly waited in their designated positions. A few minutes later, the women all looked to one another in confusion as to why nothing was happening.

  A few more minutes passed by.

  Eventually, the police bots came rolling out. There looked to be at least eight of them, and they immediately started firing at the trees surrounding the area. The girls wasted no time in blasting back at them.

  A full-on shootout was going down.

  As a couple of the police bots dropped, it became clear that the women had their opponents' numbers lowering to a more manageable level.

  A loud scream from Chaya broke their momentum. "I'm hit…I took a shot in the neck. I'm bleeding. Really bad," she hollered out to her sisters. She needed help, that was for sure. Mahira rushed to her friend and tended to the wound.

  The others closed in to provide cover for Chaya and Mahira, but their movements gave the police robots a chance to close their distance, too.

  "Get over here!" called Mahira. "I need you guys to cover me. The shots are coming thick and fast, and these bastards are closing in."

  The gladiator pulled out a length of cloth and continued to try to stem the bleeding from Chaya's injured neck.

  Zaey and Raegan fired at the six bots still attacking and still advancing. But the enemy fire was overwhelming, so the two women had to drop behind the SUV for cover.

  Raegan motioned for them to stay down and let the bots come even closer. If they could draw them close enough for hand-to-hand combat, they could put a stop to their shooting once and for all. "We're running out of firepower here," announced Zaey.

  Mahira had the wound covered and the bleeding under control, so she motioned to Zaey to take over. Zaey crawled over to the gladiator on her hands and knees and took Chaya in her arms. "Keep this wrap around her neck. I have ammo left," said Mahira.

  Looking dazed, Chaya glanced up at Zaey as she tried to keep the wound covered and under pressure using the blood-soaked bandage.

  Mahira sprinted behind some trees to the left, shooting as she ran. The bots fired at her but had no luck with making contact. She drew their attention at least.

  The girls had been working on the production of a few grenades back home, one of which Mahira had brought on the trip. She knew there was no better time than right now to use it.

  She pulled the pin and chucked the grenade over the SUV. Her aim was good; an almighty blast saw two more bots blown to smithereens.

  Three women and now only four of Purcell's police robots remained in the fight.

  Raegan crawled over to Zaey. "How is she doing?" she asked.

  Zaey looked concerned. "I think I've got the blood stopped enough that it's going to be okay, but she keeps going in and out of consciousness."

  At that moment, Mahira bolted out into the open, charging and shooting at the remaining four bots. "Fucccccccck you," she screamed, getting their full attention. She cut left and then right, cutting diagonally towards the bots while shooting at the same time. She dropped another bot and dove behind it to use it as a shield.

  Raegan blurted out, "Holy crap, Mahira! So much for staying under cover," before making a sudden run at the bots, firing as she went. But it wasn't going to work that easily, so she backed up and used the SUV to avoid the barrage of shots coming at her.

  Several shots whizzed by Raegan's face, one just brushing her hair. It was a shot that almost ended the Mystical Slayer's life.

  The gladiator pushed her bot shield forward while firing around it.

  The remaining three bots spread out so as to shoot at her from the sides. The time had come for Raegan to make her move. Jumping out into the clearing, she blasted all three bots over and over.

  Mahira shot down one of the bots from behind her shield, but a second bot charged in for the kill. He lifted his rifle and pointed it right at Mahira. Worse still, she was out of ammo.

  If an evil metal robot could smile, it would've done exactly that as it pulled the trigger. But a single hollow click was all he heard.

  Mahira smiled back. Leaping to her feet, she disarmed the bot and smashed it over the head with its own weapon. The bot was strong, but Mahira had the sisterhood's drug formula flowing through her veins. After swiping at Mahira and tackling her to the ground, he was able to pin himself on top of her. This was a bad position for the Slayer.

  She tried to wriggle free and fight him off, but the bot was simply too heavy for her to shift. He raised his fist high in the air and started to rain punches down on her face. Seeing how he was sitting high on her chest, Mahira placed her hands under his armpits and flipped her legs up behind his back. She locked her feet under his arms and drove the robot forward, smashing his face to the ground and giving her an opportunity to spring free. Immediately spinning around, she jumped on top of the police bot and finally gained the upper hand.

  Laughing at the bot's bad luck, she pulled a knife from her boot and jammed the shaft deep into the bot's neck. The knife quickly found its way through wires and cables, with sparks of electricity firing up into the air. The bot fell limp under Mahira's grasp and soon fizzled out altogether.

  Raegan had one more bot bolting at her. She realized she had no ammo left as the thing rammed her into the SUV. He slammed her to the ground and came up on top of her, grinding his knee into her chest.

  Thankfully, she wasn't too dazed from hitting the vehicle, so she scooted her lower body away from the knee resting on her chest and whipped her left leg around in front of the bot's face. She hooked her heel around its neck and started to apply enough pressure to push the robot off of her, allowing her enough space to scramble back to her feet. The bot also got back to his feet.

  He came at her with a series of punches, which she parried, faded back on, and ducked under. She then climbed on the SUV and launched a show time flying super kick off the roof of the vehicle that smashed the metal man directly in his head. The force dropped him hard to the road.

  As he tried to get back up again, shots suddenly rained down from behind, which tumbled the bot back to the ground and landed him right in front of Raegan. Zaey called to her sister from behind and said, "You're welcome."

  The women then rushed to Chaya's side.

  Their friend's diamond studded gems about her cheek were now covered in red.

  Zaey offered some reassurance. "Chaya is going to make it. It's best we get back on the road and keep going. She's going to be fine." All sighed in relief.

  The ladies left the hilltop and went on with their trip.

  When Chaya awoke, she was still pretty out of it but at least her wound seemed okay. She began to panic as she came to on the back seat, but Raegan held her close and calmed her friend down. "Easy, it's okay. You were hit, but we already healed you with IHF. You're going to be just fine, so relax and stay calm. We're back on the road."

  Chaya had the best friends in the world. As she closed her eyes again to rest up, she was happy they were with her in her time of need.

  The women's SUV rolled on towards Los Angeles. Mahira later announced, "We're never going to be able to defeat Y-Wood by ourselves."

  Raegan answered her plea for reassurance. "You're quite correct. We need help."

  Chapter Twelve

  It was time for some serious martial arts training, and Jansa was the only top instructor left at the vineyard.

  Several of the older sisters in the community would assist her. A curly brown haired young woman named Brin, was often her demonstration dummy.

  As usual, some of the older children would also join in the training. One in particular was a young girl, perhaps thirteen at most, who had a fire inside her that was unlike anything Jansa had seen in many years. She had long blond hair and had joined the sisterhood not too long ago, after coming
all the way from New York. Mahira and Tyne Gem had decided to recruit her. Victory was her name. Having competed in various mock hand-to-hand combative fights already, Victory had lived up to her name and proved that no other kids could beat her.

  The thing was, however, she kept to herself and didn't have too many friends. Trust was her biggest issue, perhaps from the life she had lived before joining the Slayers in California.

  With everyone together, Jansa began the training session with some yoga-like stretching, then the trainees went for a run through the countryside. Jansa made sure to stress that fresh air was nature's way of making a person feel better and bringing one's spirits up. "We need to see the sun," she called out as they ran along the trail. "It makes us feel energized and invigorated. Soak it in, people. Feel the power of the sun!"

  Returning to their home base, everyone was tired but ready to continue with the rest of the session.

  Today, the women and youngsters would train on a move called a switch kick. This was a standing technique where they would move around on the balls of their feet, but instead of kicking with the rear leg, which held the most power, they would take a small step back with their front foot and then switch, kicking with the opposite leg for an equally great force. This was a deceiving trick, and opponents were often mesmerized by such a slick change. All the girls studied the move and practiced intensely.

  Another striking technique, the horizontal elbow, was up next. Jansa went on to explain, "The small bones in your hand, especially for women, can easily be broken when making contact with something hard, such as a person's face. But the elbow is strong. It is much more powerful and less likely to get injured. Look at the point of your elbow. Extend it forward. This can do heavy damage to an adversary's face. They'll be bleeding in no time," she added.

  Everyone proceeded to train on some elbow moves for the next half hour. D-Marge, a fun-loving woman, now joined the session as Jansa's new partner.

  Jansa loved grappling so had left it till last for the day's lesson.

  She spoke to all the students before her. "The one aspect I like about jiujitsu the most, is it's like a chess game in concept but like a science in application. You need to learn to outmaneuver an opponent, not just physically but also mentally, and try to find a way to use leverage to your advantage. This is particularly important for all us ladies, who can easily be overpowered unless we have the knowledge and skill to make such maneuvers work in our favor."

  She grabbed a partner to demonstrate. "Today, we train on headlock escapes. With someone who wants to bully you around, there's a good chance they'll wrap their arm around your head and squeeze. They may try to drag you down on the ground face first, or even just execute some punches at your face.

  "Watch the first situation. Say D-Marge here grabs me around my head and neck before she punches me or pulls me down. I grab her, place my leg behind her ankles and drop all my bodyweight back. This throws her back as well, which is when I roll myself on top of her."

  The crowd watched as she performed such a move.

  Back up on their feet, the pair went over the next aspect. "Now, let's say they head lock us and punch us in our face with their free hand. Stop the punch, duck under them, and lock their arm behind their back." Again, she showed the students how to perform such a nice counter move. The group broke into pairs and worked hard at practicing the move. Jansa made it a point to commend Brin for her form and skill level. The young New York woman, who had joined the team a few years back, was steadily improving.

  Lastly, the trainees learned how to roll with a headlock that is leaning too far forward. Jansa demonstrated dropping low and spinning around with her partner, again ending up on top.

  This time, though, she showed how to apply a pressurized point on their neck before grabbing their arm and stepping over them to apply a killer arm bar. She got up smiling, and everyone laughed as D-Marge grabbed at her arm in an overly dramatic show of pain.

  The training was always serious yet fun; everyone got to try all the applications and had a great workout at the same time.

  ***

  Later on, the women got back to normal. The younger girls had their chores to do, helping out with the various animals and their upkeep, and the older women all had their positions and stations to tend to, working in the labs, fields, and homes as needed.

  Jansa was on the move too, but a tap on her shoulder stopped the doc in her tracks.

  It was Victory. "Miss Jansa, I was wondering when I would be able to actually complete in a real event? I keep asking Miss Mahira the same question. She always tells me to be patient, but I've been putting a lot of extra time in with her and I never miss your lessons, so I was hoping that we could have some sort of real event soon."

  Jansa was appreciative of this young lady's courage, but the deadly matches beyond the vineyard were no place for a girl of her age. However, she knew Mahira would say otherwise.

  "The attack on the Corporation saw all of our sisters suffer great losses, and arena fighting has pretty much come to a halt. There are rumors that they're going to be opening back up at some point, but you have to realize, Victory, that fighting to the death is very serious indeed."

  She put her arm around the pretty blond, and the feisty young girl smiled up at her.

  Jansa walked her to the main compound, talking more as they went.

  "At your age, you're still a bit young to get in there and take any chances. You're too valuable to the sisterhood. So give it more time. Like Mahira has told you, be patient. I love your attitude and your skill is awesome, so one day, I'm sure you'll have your chance."

  They stopped in front of the main house and Jansa looked at Victory with a serious expression. "I've been noticing that you kind of stay away from most people. I'd like to see you mingle a little bit more and get to know everyone better. In fact, I have decided, since the others in our main house are out on the road, I'm going to invite you to stay with us here. I want you to get to know Karma and Sun a bit better. Both are around your age, and you three are very important young ladies in the Mystical Slayer sisterhood."

  Victory was pleased at the compliment yet still anxious to fight for real. The thought of having to deal with Karma and Sun didn't thrill her either.

  She hesitated with a reply. "Do I have to, Sister Jansa? Those two drive me nuts! They have been with you so long that they think they run the place. I'm not so sure we're going to get along."

  Jansa was laughing on the inside at the kid's words; those little buggers were a handful, yes, but in truth, these three needed to work things out in the long run.

  "That's my whole point. You're going to be something special, so you need to get to know more people and spread your wings. I want you at the house. I want you to get to know the other girls. I know they're full of it at times, but they're both awesome once you get to know them, I promise. Come on, pack your stuff and get moved in. It will be fun!"

  Victory sighed. She hoped it would work out. And, sooner than she realized, she would also be fighting for real.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The twin moons of Mars, that being Deimos and Phobos, were out in full bloom tonight, which was rare as of late. The brown-skinned woman crouched low, surveying the situation now visible under their light. The planet's colonization was expanding, but its vastness still allowed for much seclusion. If one chose to embark on a solo venture, they had better be self-sufficient and good at tracking and hunting.

  Paka was good at everything; she was a survivor and knew nothing less.

  That wasn't all that one needed to be good at. Soon after previous defiance in the region, the Y-Wood Mars Corporation had unleashed robot creations to patrol the cold planet, night and day. These metal dogs were immune to harsh climates, needing no oxygen to function normally or work their patrols twenty-four hours a day. If they spotted unauthorized things, such as people or any strange movement, the hunt was on, and it never ended pretty.


  The four legged beasts were fast and their maws could chew through steel. What made them even harder to deal with, was the reddish gas that came out from their mouths in jets; a gaseous cloud vapor that could suck the life out of anyone in mere moments.

  Paka was well aware of flying beasts about as well. Large brown pterodactyl-like birds were known to zoom down and grab an unsuspecting victim for dinner. Life on Mars was always wild.

  It had been years since the V-Net prison was attacked, yet the losses of her friends and fellow resistance fighters still lingered in her mind. Kanya had been such a great ally, a true sister, she thought, but now they were low on numbers and unable to put up any sort of good fight. The prison was back in order, and the Corporation here was stronger than ever.

  The one thing Paka took excitement in, bedsides the newest of her resistance friends, was the small creatures of the planet that she had encountered and become buddies with, almost treating them as pets. The purple cat-like critters, known as foxcats, were lean and amazingly resistant to Mars' unforgiving climate. They were the best of pets for her and the others, and today she had one with her.

  The prison was still active, but no one else was allowed to enter or leave Mars. She didn't know why, and she had no communication with the outside universe to seek out such answers.

  After a few years, some of the women that had survived the earlier massacre, along with a few others that had escaped at various times during the Y-Corp occupation, had joined together with her. She would never forget those who perished. She even had tribal markings painted on her body to represent the fallen.

  Today, she ran along the red planet with her trusted foxcat ally beside her. Akaboo, her favorite foxcat, could go without food for several days and still be fine, and his sense of danger had helped her many times. He also acted as a welcome companion out here in the open. The two of them were out on a mission.