Superheroes Rush to Defend the Batcave and Yet Another Power Surfaces

When last I wrote we were headed for the shop and the Aviator's flying toy, which he has since named the Siren… (Dude, what were you thinking? A name like that just begs for trouble…)

When we reached it I saw that our metal controlling friend had most definitely been hard at work, the body of the machine was smooth, shiny, painted black and buffed to an incredibly high gloss. Although the Aviator looked down and shuffled his feet a little, it was clear to me that he was exceedingly proud of his work, and he was deserving of praise. I gave him a huge hug and told him that the Siren was the most beautiful flying machine I'd ever seen and I meant it absolutely…Though the machine part of the equation was a little off…technically the Siren was built for gliding, since the Aviator has no need of engine, fuel or a propulsion system of any kind.

The eerie silence of our lift-off was breath-taking in and of itself. Unlike a plane there was no deafening sound of engines blaring or screaming wind, the Siren cut through the air with the Aviator in the cockpit like a beautiful and deadly bird. Riding in her was absolutely exhilarating.

Soon enough, we reached a cruising altitude and began to lay our plans. Before leaving room 106 I had opened the secret panel in the bottom of one of my bookshelves and removed the sacred items in the hidden space. The bold colors of the Kraken's Eyes screamed out at all of us, and the Superheroes stared in wonder. Even Seymour was struck speechless… Though, having seen into my mind on more than one occasion, he better than the others knew what the Eyes were, how they could be used for both good and evil, and even where they had been hidden.

Wordlessly I placed the relics into my non-descript messenger bag and we filed out of the room. At this point we all began to revert to usual form, Seymour and the Aviator trying to out-do each other in creepiness, Shaggy making a running leap and Matrix-ing his way over the ramp railing, Boe sauntering like an Abercrombie model headed to a photoshoot and Lizzard silently walking ahead of us… In fact, I noticed that she was even quieter than usual, and it worried me…

Of course, in typical Pirate Queen fasion, my A.D.D. kicked in and when I saw the Siren I momentarily forgot my concern for my blonde dragon-form friend for a few minutes and it wasn't until we were up in the air that I returned to myself and asked her, "What's wrong Lizzard? You seem…perturbed."

She looked at me for a moment, then wrinkled her nose and shut her eyes momentarily. She then glanced covertly from side to side, checking to see if any of our male team-mates were watching… Naturally, Seymour and Shaggy had resumed their perpetual argument about "Hop" vs. "Hub" (don't ask, it's a private game between the two of them…), the Aviator was concentrating on his flying, Boe was lost in music with his iPod plugged directly into his cerebellum, and Fuzzy-B was taking the opportunity to catch a nap… Only myself and the Chameleon were listening to what she had to reveal…

It was a doozy.

It seems that a few days prior, after leaving Period One for the pain and suffering of a physical education course, she had run into ProfessorEmoBoy in the hall along with PhishMan. Naturally, she put her head down and attempted to avoid them but to no avail. The two cornered her before she could get to locker room and tried to talk to her. Using the time-honored Superhero tradition of putting her fingers in her ears and shouting, "LA-LA-LA-LA-LA!!" at the top of her lungs, she avoided any conversation…

She did not however manage to avoid the syringe that PhishMan had cleverly disguised with some flannel camouflage. After she felt the prick of the needle's point she freaked out and pushed past them, tearing full-speed into the locker room and falling to her knees in a stall where she first threw up the Cheerios she'd consumed for breakfast and then promptly passed out on the floor…

When she awoke she felt no different.

The next day was when the change began…It seems that she had developed an interesting new addition to her power. She found that if she concentrated hard enough she could now change not just into dragon form but also into inanimate objects and even into plants. The only undesirable side effect of this new power was that she was also changing color with regularity… Most often she found that she was taking on a slight teal tinge…Luckily, being a blue-eyed blonde, the color seems to suit her…

By the time she had finished her story we were nearly at the Batcave. Fuzzy-B had woken up, the Aviator was looking for a good place to touch down (he settled on my side yard near the peach tree), Boe had unplugged and Shaggy and Seymour had begun to play a rousing game of "I'm not touching you."

I couldn't help letting out a loud snort of laughter. (Who wouldn't love those two)?

All was well until we trooped through the snow and up into my house through the sliders on the porch.

There we found a note stuck to the side of my house with a pirate dagger. I immediately recognized the seal on the side as being one of my former Guild's…

The note read as follows:

_______________________________________________

To the Traitor Aikens,

For far too long you've laughed at us and our trusting nature; the time has come for you to pay. We have been watching and will arrive soon. If you refuse to return the Kraken's Eyes to us we will make you pay most dearly. We have seen how deeply you care for your pathetic "Superhero" friends…We won't lift a finger against them, however, their families are fair game.

By the time we are finished, every Superhero in your little band will curse you and the day they crossed your path of destruction… Believe that we can and will do this.

You will be forever ALONE Pirate Queen. The battle is joined. Do not cross us.

Sincerely,

Kenneth Andreas GWAD Guildmaster Elite
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My heart sank and for the first time in my life I felt my eyes well with unshed tears.

The loss of the Kraken's Eyes would be horrific, but bearable…Loss of my Heroes?

Not bearable at all.

The true battle was about to begin.