Z7

Defenders of the Earth: This Is Their Story

By Marzena

Plot: Season 2, Episode 28

Chapter 7: Protection

She was a princess of Mongo, dammit. She was a Royal Highness, a woman of power, a woman of status. Or at least, she had been. Now, she was just a prisoner, being held in a cell down at the lower levels of Monitor, while the great heroes up there couldn't decide what to do with a friend-turned-traitor-turned-out-princess. It just sucked, all of it.

Yes, she'd made a choice, just as her sister had advised her to. And now she had to live with the consequences. She'd turned her back on her father, had sided with his enemies. He'd never forgive her that. There was a price on her head now for sure. She'd had no choice but to surrender to his enemies, her former friends, because being their prisoner was the safest and best way for her to ensure protection. However, she hadn't expected to be rotting in a cell. Okay, so rotting was a bit exaggerated. She had a toilet, water to wash herself with, a bed, something to drink and three meals a day. It could be worse.

It was worse enough. Both Flash and Rick hadn't bothered to show up to talk to her. She hadn't expected them to, but she'd hoped for some kind of opportunity nevertheless. She'd even begged Mandrake to tell Flash she wanted to talk to him once, but the magician had refused to do so.

"He's not interested," he'd said.

"But I need to explain!" she'd cried.

"You've had all the time in the world to do so, my dear. But you chose to lie to us until you no longer could. I think this pretty much speaks for itself, doesn't it?"

He'd left and she'd turned away from the food and had concentrated on holding back her tears instead. Yes, she got it, Flash was pissed, disappointed, hurt. And rightfully so. She deserved his hate, she deserved to get shouted at, to get blamed. But didn't she at least deserve a chance to explain herself as well?

April had stopped by the cell, and surprisingly, the woman whose sharp tongue and accusations she'd feared most hadn't really said that much at all.

"I get it. You were trying to protect your sister, and in the end, you did the right thing and helped us to escape," she'd said.

Of course. April was quick to judge and quiet bad-tempered at times, but she was also very much into justice and family matters. Regaining hope, Sheila had pleaded with her to get Flash to come down here for a talk. But April had merely shrugged.

"I'm sorry," she'd said. "But I can't help you out here. This is between you and dad, and even though I understand your actions, they were still bad. You hurt my dad pretty bad, and it's entirely up to him what he's going to do about it. After all, your dear father didn't order you to have an affair with him, or did he?"

Sheila had just shaken her head, and April had nodded, a grim expression on her face. "Whatever we're feeling right now it nothing to what dad's going through," she'd stated before leaving the cell.

And so the time had passed, and by now, even the royal palace far away on Mongo, under her father's merciless command, seemed more welcome than this empty cell on Monitor's lower levels.

A sudden crack made her look up, and to her utter surprise, her half-brother, Krotan, suddenly appeared in her cell. Jumping to her feet, she eyed him suspiciously. The Royal Five had quiet a history with each other, and mostly none to be proud of. Krotan didn't look like he'd stopped by to bring her some clean clothes and a toothbrush either. In fact, he looked rather pissed. She smelled trouble on a big scale.

"Hi there, brother dear," she said, not taking her eyes off him. "How nice of you to stop by. Unfortunately, the Defenders won't like you teleporting around here. Their computer system will pick up your mongonian lifeform immediately. They'll be down here in a second."

"They're busy fighting off a fleet of roboships," he replied curtly. "So it's just me and you, sis. And unlike me, you can't leave this cell. Means no escape for you. Oh, this is going to be way to easy!"

"What do you want?" she asked, standing still, trying to figure out what he wanted and what his plan was. She didn't like the look in his dark eyes.

"To defend the family honor," he icily answered back. "You betrayed us, and now you pay for it. Thought you're safe here, didn't you? Ha! I got news for you, sis. Nowhere to run, no place to hide."

"Did father put you up to this?"

"Of course father sent me! Do you think I'd waste my time with a bloody traitor like you otherwise?"

"Krotan, I'm your sister!" she cried, noticing the gleam in his eyes she'd seen so often, mostly just before one of his violet outbursts.

"No sister of mine betrays the family like that!" he shot back.

He aimed his telekinesis at the bed in the corner, lifting it up. It was big, solid and heavy, which slowed the action down a bit and gave her time to react. Turning invisible, she let herself fall on the floor and hurriedly rolled into another corner. Only seconds later, the bed crashed where she'd been standing only a few moments ago.

"Bitch!" he growled. "Yes, stay invisible all you want! I'll just slam what's left of this bed in every direction. It's gonna hit you sooner than later. And once your concentration breaks, you're doomed."

She knew he was right. The moment he started slamming pieces of wood, metal and the heavy mattress about, she started to run, jump and roll out of the way, desperately trying up concentrate on staying invisible. As long as he couldn't see her, he was basically flying blind. He had no target to direct his powers and his anger towards. But the cell wasn't exactly big, and there were pieces of junk lying around everywhere now. Even if she wasn't hit by something, she could still trip over something, or ...

A flying piece of wood hit her shoulders and tore a hole in her sleeve. It hurt, and she could feel turning back into her visible form. He laughed at her.

"You're finished, bitch!"

Pointing his finger at the large bedframe, he simply lifted it up and guided it swiftly through the air, dropping it right onto her. She could barely create a force field in time. Shielding herself, she crouched down on the floor, and the bedframe collided with the force field, breaking in two in the process. Krotan still laughed.

"Doesn't matter. I can do this a thousand times over."

"So can I," she replied, not letting her guard down for even one second.

It was a tiring fight. Their powers equaled each other, but hers were defensive powers while his were offensive ones. And they were both getting tired. It was a matter of whose concentration would break down first, on who'd make the first mistake. Sadly, it was Sheila.

She'd been sticking close to the walls, always on guard, trying to avoid a situation where Krotan could teleport behind her. He didn't teleport behind her. He teleported on top of her, dragging her down before she could direct her protective force field at him and before she could turn invisible.

"Now I'm killing you," he said, smirking, placing his big green hands around her neck.

Was there a bit of panic in his eyes, a tiny bit of hesitation, of sadness, any emotion at all? She tried to scream, but the Phantom's large shadow falling over both of them startled her as much as it did him. He jumped up, lifting his hand, ready to defend himself. She stayed down, trying to catch her breath again, her heart thundering at an alarming rate, her body drenched in sweat.

"Stay out of this!" Krotan growled at the Phantom.

"Not likely. She's our prisoner."

"She's a goddamn traitor!"

"True. Our goddamn traitor."

She heard other noises, and looking up, she saw the rest of the Defenders of the Earth standing outside her cell. Both Lothar and LJ were flanking her open door, and April had her lasergun ready in her hand. Flash and Rick were there as well. Rick stood in the back, avoiding having to look at her. Flash didn't look at her either. He was watching the Phantom and Krotan, his expression stoney.

"Your brother just tried to kill you?" the Phantom asked, ignoring Krotan and looking over at Sheila who was just getting on her feet again, steadying herself by grabbing a piece of the broken bedframe.

"No, we were just having a party and trashed the place", she shot back, glaring at him. Right now, she didn't care that she had to remain in their good graces. She was pissed. Mostly with herself for letting Krotan have an advantage over her.

"I see. You do this often?"

"Once in a while," she replied, trying to shrug, but her shoulder hurt, so she gave up on that again. "We're not exactly what you'd call close."

"We could be, if you weren't a bloody traitor!" he snapped at her. "Thanks to you, father's making my life a living hell up there!"

"Your army of roboships lies scattered all around Monitor," Lothar scornfully interjected. "So I guess that won't be of any further help in your relationship with your father, Prince of Mongo."

He growled again. "You've not seen the last of me, bitch!" he spat at her. "You've made your choice against us, now you live with it. Next time, your friends can pick up your broken bones."

"We're not her friends," Rick's icy voice stated, and looking up, Sheila received the hateful, hurt and disappointed look she'd feared all along.

"Good. Then it will be even easier," Krotan smirked.

"No, it won't." The Phantom stepped up again, blocking Krotan's view at his sister. "Because from now on, your sister is under my protection. You hurt her, I'll hunt you down myself."

Stunned silence greeted this announcement, and no one was more surprised than Sheila herself. Leaning against the wall, her every bone aching, she blinked, wondering if she'd heard correctly.

"Phantom? Are you sure?"

"She's the enemy!"

"She's in our care, and she's nearly been killed. By her own brother. Doesn't that tell you something? I'm a firm believer in second chances. I'm also a firm believer in fairness and justice. And whatever Sheila might deserve, it isn't being chocked in a cell down here by her own brother", the Phantom firmly said.

Again this was followed his silence, and then Krotan laughed maliciously.

"Yeah, go ahead, protect her for all I care!" he said. "In the end, even you can't protect her forever. And in the long run, Phantom, whose side will you chose – those of your teammates and friends or those of my traitorous older sister?"

Closing her eyes, Sheila already knew the answer, and obviously, Krotan thought he knew it too, because he didn't wait for the Phantom to answer. He just teleported out of the cell and out of Monitor, leaving Sheila and the Phantom behind in the wrecked cell. And somehow, Sheila had a feeling that her problems had only just begun.

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Article

Author

Chapters

1: Death

April and the other Gordons face a tragedy.

2: Beautiful

Mandrake is reunited with a romantic interest.

3: Peace and Quiet

Flash is thrown into an unexpected struggle.

4: Nightfall

Sheila and Flash continue to bond.