Part 3

Mera walked through the Hall’s gymnasium regally, head held high. She was the Queen of Atlantis and wife of Aquaman, co-ruler of the Seven Seas. Any intruders who dared to face her would receive their just comeuppance.

She glanced at movement near the center of the room and saw the tiny flying man that had attacked her and her teammates in the meeting room. The Genetixos it had called itself. The little green entity was hovering over the exercise equipment, seemingly waiting for something.

“Stay where you are!” Mera commanded. “You will answer for this trespass!”

“I answer to one alone,” answered the Genetixos. “And at last, he approaches! Behold Devouris the Conqueror and tremble as thy world dies!”

One of the windows of the gym shattered and a small figure floated through the opening. A being clad in elaborate gray armor levitated across the room to join his little green herald near the center. Mera eyed him curiously but couldn’t help but find the whole scene absurd. The little man was no more than a foot tall.

"I have come,” the dwarf declared solemnly.

“You’re Devouris?” said Mera. She tried to suppress a chuckle. “Surely this must be a jest.”

The Genetixos bristled with anger. “Call not the Conqueror by this name of ‘Shirley!’ Bow down to him, slave, and thy life may be spared! For he has come to destroy you all!”

“So you keep saying,” the queen acknowledged. “I would see this Conqueror’s power for myself. Does he dare to face me in single combat?”

The little green herald scoffed. “Devouris does not sully his hands with the likes of thou, Earthling. But if it is his will, I shall dispatch thee myself!”

Devouris inclined his head slightly and the Genetixos sprang into action. His flying sled carried him about the room at startling speed, sending forth bursts of electricity. Mera leaped about, dodging the attacks. Powerful Atlantean muscles strained with each jump, carrying her to Olympic-level heights. Mera concentrated intently and used her powers to pull moisture out of the air itself. She turned the room’s humid atmosphere into a weapon, coalescing the moisture into a construct of liquid. The queen increased the density of her construct until she had formed a large semi-solid broadsword made of water. As the Genetixos swooped nearer, she swung her sword with savage ferocity.

*SWISH* The tiny flyer swooped to the side as the sword swung past him. *SWISH* The Genetixos dodged the opposite direction as Mera swung the sword once more. With a cry of rage, the monarch dove towards her target. *SWISH-SPLATT* The water-sword connected with its intended victim, slicing the little green man in two.

The two halves of the Genetixos fell to the floor with a dull, wet thud. Mera stood triumphantly over the tiny broken thing and surveyed her work. But in moments, the deformed green globules started to squirm and writhe, regaining their shape. Each half expanded until there were now two Genetixos, each slightly smaller than the other. They took to the air and began to swoop about Mera’s head, assaulting her with bursts of laser fire.

Annoyed, she swung the sword through the air once more, carrying it in a sideways arc that sliced through both little men like a knife through butter. But once again, the Genetixos merely divided itself like a cell. Now there were four of them swooping angrily about her.

Changing tactics, she reshaped her sword into a shield, blocking the heralds’ attacks. Simultaneously, she drew more moisture from the air. As gas changed to liquid, Mera created more constructs to aid her. On either side of the queen, there now stood a warrior made of water. They resembled two beautiful Atlantean women clad in helmets of coral, seashell breastplates, and fish-scale chainmail. At once, her watery honor guard sprang to her defense. Mera’s shield became a sword once more and she joined their charge.

The queen and her guards swung their broadswords wildly, slicing and cutting the miniature assailants. But each time the result was the same. The pieces of the little herald reformed into smaller versions of itself. The redhead was soon surrounded by a swarm of tiny green beings, many of them less than an inch tall. The green specks swooped about on their flying sleds, slamming into each other and merging to gain mass. As their numbers dwindled, their size increased until there was once again a single Genetixos, seemingly no worse for wear. The herald resumed its attack.

As she contemplated her next move, Mera felt a sudden shift in the room’s temperature. It was getting hotter. She looked up curiously and saw Devouris tampering with the overhead lights.

“Thy strengths and weaknesses are known to us, Atlantean,” the dwarf said. “Thou requirest moisture to survive and to call upon thy powers. This dry heat shall be thy undoing. And thou shalt ne’er again see thy beloved oceans.”

The heat was now oppressive, reaching the level of a sauna. Mera felt her strength failing. Beside her, the watery warriors lost solidity and melted away into puddles. Her shield and weapon soon followed. Mera sank to her knees, parched and weakened, her body crying out for the water that sustained her.

* * * *

Jade lay immobilized on a cot in the infirmary. Her symptoms had gotten worse and she was so weak she could barely move. Her fever was almost at life-threatening levels, she had retched into a bucket more times than she cared to count, and her body was wracked with pain. With dreadful certainty, she knew that she was—

Dying, a chilling voice said inside her head. Yes, green one, you are dying. As all the Green Lanterns will. I see no power ring upon your finger but the energy you command leaves no doubt. You are a Lantern. And that means you are my enemy.

“Who…are you?” Jade muttered.

Yes, you should know who has defeated you, who is the instrument of your doom. I am Despotellis of the Sinestro Corps! A disciple of fear! I am your death!

A chill ran down Jade’s spine. She wasn’t sure if it was caused by her symptoms or her terror. She knew that name. Her ex-boyfriend, Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, had told her of Despotellis. The virus had claimed many lives, including that of Kyle’s mother. As horrifying as it was to know what had infected her, Jade took solace in one thing—at least now she knew her opponent. If she could find a way to purge Despotellis from her system, she might stand a chance.

Jade closed her eyes and concentrated her powers inward. Green energy began to flow through her veins. Theoretically, the power of a Green Lantern could do whatever its bearer imagined. Could it boost one’s immune system?

Jade was not technically a Green Lantern anymore but, genetically, she had inherited the powers of her father, Alan Scott, Earth’s first GL. If her will was strong enough, she could fight this. In her mind, she pictured her white blood cells becoming infused with green fire. The energy increased their strength and doubled their infection-fighting ability. Thus armed, she willed them to go forth and patrol her circulatory system like a microscopic Green Lantern Corps.

From its hiding place in one of her arteries, Despotellis could sense the approach of an eerie verdant light. It turned and saw an oncoming legion of “green blood cells” drawing closer.

Clever, woman. Very clever. But I do not fight alone. 

Yellow light radiated off of Despotellis as it summoned its army of spores. Sensing their master’s peril, they swam through Jade’s blood, converging on the virus’s location. Each resembled a slightly smaller version of Despotellis itself. The yellow cells and the green collided and began an epic struggle, each trying to consume or destroy the other. Green fire swept over a spore, burning it down to nothingness. Yellow energy assaulted a blood cell, tearing it to pieces. Back and forth the conflict went with each army claiming casualties.

As spores fell, Jade felt a little of her strength returning. She held out her hand and projected a beam of light towards the telephone mounted on the infirmary wall. It was a risky gambit dividing her power like this but she had to try. Her beam formed into a hand and pulled the phone off its hook, carrying it back to her. Desperately, Jade called for help.

She dialed the secret number for the Justice Society of America, hoping to reach Dr. Mid-Nite. She would need a physician’s expertise to defeat Despotellis for good.

“JSA HQ, what can I do for you, dearie?” said a kindly, motherly voice. It was “Ma” Hunkel, formerly the Red Tornado, now the caretaker of the Justice Society’s headquarters.

“Mid-Nite…” Jade whispered, still somewhat weak. “Need…Mid-Nite…”

“Dr. Mid-Nite’s off on a mission with the others,” Ma answered. “But I can take a message. Who may I say is calling?”

“J-Jade…”

“Jennie? How are ya, kid? You’ll have to speak up, sweetie, I think it’s a bad connection.”

Her strength spent, Jade’s energy construct dissolved, dropping the phone to the floor.

“Hello? Jennie? You still there?” Ma’s puzzled voice piped through the receiver but Jade could no longer hear her. Deep in her veins, Despotellis’ spores had renewed their assault.

* * * *

Tiny robotic warriors directed their steeds skillfully under and between Vixen’s legs as she leaped about. Holding the reins of their mousy mounts with one hand, each mechanical soldier held a plasma rifle with the other hand, adding to the barrage of energy blasting at the heroine.

“For Atomia!” they bellowed. “We must to the aid of our queen’s new consort!”

Queen Atomia would have balked to hear the Mouse Man described this way. The little scientist had perhaps stretched the truth just a bit. But he was prepared to do what he must to ensure the loyalty of the robot soldiers.

Even with her armored skin, Vixen was taking heavy fire from the miniature army. The beetle-like shell she had created could only withstand so much and her costume was now practically in tatters. The cat-like part of her mind wanted nothing more than to tear apart her little foes and feast on their flesh but the human part of her brain rebelled against this in horror. There had to be a way to end this without hurting any more of the creatures. After all they were innocent, victims of the Mouse Man’s mind control.

Mind control—of course! Vixen slapped her forehead when the solution occurred to her. Her totem linked her to animals in more ways than simply stealing their abilities. It allowed her to communicate with them as well. If she could establish a psychic link with the mice, maybe she could counteract the Mouse Man’s telepathy.

Vixen re-doubled her armor, blending the beetle’s traits with those of a rhinoceros. Her exo-skeleton took on a leathery gray tone and increased in thickness. Satisfied with this for the moment, she stood absolutely still, allowing the laser fire to bounce off her hardened skin. Concentrating intently, she could feel her mind begin to link with the Earth’s morphogenetic field, the vast web of life that connected all animals. She zeroed in on the swarm of angry rodents surrounding her and soon began to discern their thoughts.

‘Kill! Kill!’

‘Burn the two-legs!’

‘Help the boss!’

Vixen tried to appeal to the little creatures’ limited reasoning skills. ‘He’s using you! You don’t have to do this!’

‘Boss promised us cheese!’

‘Lots of cheese!’ 

‘And food pellets!’

‘I’ll give you all the cheese you want,’ Vixen insisted.

‘Pretty lady has cheese?’

‘We can has cheese?’

‘More cheese than you could dream of,’ she told them. ‘And cookies! Martian Manhunter keeps a stash of Oreos here. Hell, you can have free reign of the kitchen! But you have to stop trying to hurt me!’

Deep inside Vixen’s boot, Mouse Man could sense his hold on the mice beginning to weaken. Clinging precariously to the top of her foot, he cried out in rage and projected his thoughts once more into the minds of his army. But it seemed there was an interloper within that psychic web.

‘What do you think you’re doing?!’

Vixen turned towards the voice and was surprised to find that she was no longer in the Hall. Surrounding her was a seemingly endless void filled with swirling colors and lights. She stood upon a glowing ribbon of energy snaking through this void like a floating path. Just ahead, she saw a shimmery half-solid image of the Mouse Man – now standing as tall as she was.

‘Wow,’ she remarked. ‘That costume’s even more ridiculous-looking full-size!’ Vixen marveled when she realized that the words were not coming out of her mouth but were merely her projected thoughts.

‘I ask again, what are you doing? You think to break my hold on my minions?’

‘Where are we, some kind of psychic Twilight Zone?’ Vixen asked. ‘Manhunter tried to explain this stuff to me once but I wasn’t really listening.’

‘We are on the astral plane,’ the scientist answered haughtily. ‘At least the part of it our human minds can comprehend. You wished to invade the hive mind of my army so I thought I would oblige you. But I must warn you…the psychic realm is my domain.’

The image of the Mouse Man solidified and began to expand. Up and up his body grew until he towered above the bewildered beauty. In moments, he had become a fifty foot giant. Vixen found herself utterly dwarfed by him and dangerously exposed on the empty golden pathway. She craned her neck back and stared up at her opponent fearfully. A wicked grin crossed the Mouse Man’s face as he relished this rare reversal of fortune in his shrunken life.

‘Ah, I’d forgotten what it was like,’ he mused. ‘To be bigger, stronger, more powerful than all! To hold life and death in one’s hands and to have small creatures tremble before you! That’s your cue, my lady. Now tremble!!!’

He took a step forward on the shimmery pathway they stood upon, causing Vixen to retreat from his colossal boot.

The heroine fled as the enormous foot crashed down. With a booming laugh, the giant continued to move towards her. Vixen ran for her life, barely keeping ahead of the huge footfalls. As the Mouse Man’s boot hung poised over her head, a burst of terror caused her to leap forward into the air. The boot slammed down on the space she had previously occupied, missing her by inches. Vixen was amazed to find that she hadn’t come back down but was actually floating forward through space. Apparently, she could fly in this strange realm. She wondered what else she could do.

Vixen looked down at her body (or the residual self-image of her body. Whatever one would call it) and pictured it growing. Instantly, she felt herself getting larger. It seemed that her astral-self was limited only by her imagination in this place. As Vixen grew bigger and bigger, she turned around to face her enemy. Now she was once again level with the Mouse Man’s face. His expression of astonishment was priceless. With a playful smirk, she continued to grow. She doubled, tripled, and quadrupled her size, growing hundreds of feet high.

‘That’s more like it,’ she thought. Vixen had enlarged herself to such a scale that the Mouse Man was once again tiny in comparison. In fact, he now seemed smaller than ever, a mere insect-like speck by her feet. She felt like Godzilla towering over a helpless, minuscule citizen of Tokyo.

‘Try to step on me, will ya?!’ she snarled. Vixen lifted her own foot this time, slamming it down on the tiny figure. She expected to feel him squish under her weight or at the very least for his astral-self to dissipate, snapping them back to reality. Instead, she was surprised to find that the Mouse Man had caught her foot and was hoisting it up on his shoulders like a miniature Atlas. With incredible strength, he pushed it aside, causing Vixen to stumble backwards and fall. She landed on her back with a tremendous crash that threatened to crack the semi-solid energy path below them.

The Mouse Man fought to maintain his footing as the giantess collapsed. The pathway rumbled below, throwing him off balance. Rather than be thrown to the floor, he willed himself to levitate off the path. With his hands thrust forward, he flew over the vast, curvaceous landscape that was Vixen’s fallen form. He floated over her endless legs and the wide open expanse of her belly. Gaining altitude, he crested the rolling hills of her bosom and flew over her Mount Rushmore-sized facial features. With nimble accuracy, he landed on the tip of her nose.

‘Very impressive, my dear,’ he said. Vixen had to go cross-eyed to focus on him. ‘You’ve mastered the astral plane more quickly than I would have guessed. But your efforts are futile. Our powers are evenly matched in this realm.’

‘Oh yeah?’ Vixen answered. ‘We’ll see about that, Mickey!’

She reached up to grab him but the Mouse Man swooped away. Vixen only succeeded in slapping herself in the face. The tiny villain flew a safe distance away and landed on the path near Vixen’s head. Once again, he began to grow, expanding to his opponent’s size. Now they were both colossal giants and the energy ribbon below strained under their weight.

‘You see?’ Mouse Man said. ‘As the old song goes, anything you can do, I can do better.’

Vixen sat up and willed herself to grow again but the Mouse Man simply grew with her, matching her size. Up they shot, one after the other, as if on two rising platforms.

‘I can keep this up all day if I must,’ Mouse Man told her. ‘Though if we stretch ourselves much further, I don’t know if our minds can withstand the strain.’

‘I’m game to try if you are,’ Vixen challenged. And so they continued to grow, planets and stars and celestial bodies wheeling past them in the void as they expanded through the vast dimensional gulfs.

To be continued...