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

  Order and structure were high-level goals of President Purcell. Today's Ruthys, as always, carried deadly laser rifles resting on their shoulders as they marched out and readied themselves for action. This was not a simple bombing; it was a well-planned-out ground attack, headed up by President Berlin Purcell himself.

  A compound of rebels was the main target. The general walked out in front of his soldiers wearing a black metal breastplate and a silver helmet with a silver eagle on its top. His whole battalion looked more than a little intimidating. Galax came out next and strode across the ground in two giant steps to the side of his boss and commander.

  The president raised a fist and barked out his plan. "Soldiers, it is here where the defiant dwell. They disobey and take the law into their own hands. The good people of Texas, those who follow us and continue to work so hard for order here, have tried to warn these people. Yet no one has heard their plea. Today, we show them the Y-Wood way." He then raised his voice to a shout. "Take no prisoners! War is our calling!"

  With that, the fearless bots marched onto the compound before them. The Texans instantly tried to defend their homes. They fired and fought with many guns of old, but they were no match for the ruthless Corporation army. They only wanted freedom, a chance to have their own community, to live off the land. This is all the men, women, and children had ever asked for, but they were doomed to fall at the hands of the invading powerhouse. The homestead erupted in explosions, smoke, and fire. After no more than a couple of minutes, it was flattened to the ground.

  The robotic soldiers returned and boarded their ship. Galax sat down next to his general, showing minimal damage as he turned his metal head to Purcell. "I think if people would only listen, there would be much less killing."

  President Purcell nodded his head at these words. "That's the problem, Galax. People don't listen, so someone has to teach them a lesson every single time."

  Galax understood. He waited as the ship's turbulence rocked them up and down before taking flight. He liked to fly. He again looked to the man next to him. "Humans, they're an odd lot," he said as the ship flew off to its next destination, Washington D.C.

  Chapter Four

  There was always something to do at the sisters' secret hideout.

  A vineyard needed workers, and many of the residents did all they could to utilize the local resources. Jansa had been busy with her crystal relaxation program, and Mahira, of course, was busy training everyone in combative measures. She'd had to stop fighting in the various arenas as of late, so teaching and sparring kept her in good enough spirits and in decent shape. Many of the others had come from different places around the country, but all were being taught everything they needed to know for the sisterhood to thrive in the future.

  Some worked in the barns making the healing formula, while others worked diligently on Starigen 6280—the sisters' powerful enhancing drug application that was taken by the top echelon of women and used on a daily basis.

  Chaya's latest venture was that of a cyber hacker. She wasn't quite as good as Lomax was, but she was learning fast. With the help of a few new members with past experience, she was getting better and better. D-Marge was a stocky short-haired member of the sisterhood. She was older than most, perhaps in her forties, but she proved most helpful in lending a hand in Chaya's cyber training.

  Zaey became more of a mechanic than she had ever thought possible and found herself constantly working on the roadsters, ships, and vehicles about the homestead. She was getting to be a good cook, too.

  The new chapel was very important to Raegan, yet she still struggled with her visions and the heavy losses she'd suffered three years prior. When she announced it was time to get back out on the road and fight back, all seemed ecstatic to hear such news. Raegan's spirits seemed to be lifting as a result of the upcoming plans, which made them all even happier.

  Sinaye was spoken of very little as of late. The Mystical Slayer robotic scientist had taken leave from the sisterhood for reasons very few knew of. Shockingly though, she had never returned.

  Tyne Gem had also been missing, well, kind of. She just wasn't reconstructed as of yet, and with Sinaye gone since the days of the Boston and New York explosions, no one had been able to get their old pal back up and working properly.

  Pockets of sisterhood philosophy were still growing all about divided America. There were places in the country where the word of God had finally reached. Plus, those brave enough even hoisted an American flag up here and there. Despite all the positivity, it was well known that those who preached or proudly showed their country's colors, were simply not safe.

  Raegan knew where Y-Wood held their power, and after years of planning, she also knew the time to strike out again, was now. With the Marcou family line gone, this new order seemed to be all about fighting. In order to take that from them, the sisters would have to plan and carry out a series of mini strikes.

  As would be the case for any new infrastructure, to take out their main strength would hurt them dearly.

  The only problem was that no one could reveal where they were now operating out of. Still, they wouldn't let Y-Wood have any opportunity to strike back.

  It had been a while since the pretty blond leader of the Slayers had cried herself to sleep at night. At one time, she'd felt as though her tears would never stop. She found great faith in the word of God, and it was this that carried her forward.

  God's word gave her comfort. But, with everything she'd been through, even God's word wasn't enough by any means. Losing a dear husband and a son was something she would never wish on anyone. She'd made it her mission to make this world a place where no one else had to endure such tragedy, especially not one caused by the so-called leaders of it. Leaders were supposed to be givers of hope, bringers of the idea that the world can regroup, be better, and offer a good standard of living to all. Y-Wood did not represent any such leaders.

  Raegan was taking some time out for relaxation when she heard a cry for help. She rushed out of her room and into the hallway to investigate where the noise had come from. She saw her son, Johan, at the far end of the hall, reaching his hand out for her. "Mommy, where are you? I need you…something is not right…this is not me…can you help me?"

  It was a miracle! He was alive!

  And then she woke up.

  Sweat poured from her neck and chest as she gasped for air. She had dreamed of her boy before, but this time felt so real. Pulling herself upright in bed, her tears began to flow like rivers once again.

  In the morning, her pain had diminished slightly. To be a leader, meant to be strong enough to overcome the demons from within. She knew what she had to do.

  Everyone had gathered for a ceremony in the sisterhood's chapel. Sheltered by the gazebo, the chapel had a stage with rows of seats before it, and it was open in the front to allow people to sit outside on the hill and still have a clear view of the proceedings.

  Raegan addressed the entire community from the simple stage area, where a single cross served as a representation of the faith followed by all those gathered. The side walls had been painted by Jansa to depict scenes of trees, the ocean, flowers, and the sun. It was a serene setting for a talk on the spirit.

  The leader of the sisterhood stood tall. "I believe it is more reasonable to believe in God than not. To think that unaided matter made everything on its own, seems far more unrealistic to me." She walked toward the stairs at the edge of the stage. "Good morning to you all," she announced. The crowd all bid her a good morning in reply.

  "The understanding of right and wrong is before us here today. Also, to know what good and evil is, is something we all clearly understand. These abilities are proof to me of the existence of the Lord."

  She paused and scanned across the faces of all the wonderful people gathered. She saw the young girls, Karma and Sun, and knew her words had to mean something for those that represented the future. Right now, she represented the hope that needed
to be brought into this world. Her voice became much louder as she continued to deliver her message.

  "You and I may not be able to prove that God exists, but the evidence is clear. And, to be honest, it feels a whole lot better to feel the strength growing inside when we acknowledge there is more to life than science or some crazy, random birth of human existence."

  She raised her hands in the air, her voice growing louder still. "Life on planet Earth did not come about randomly, people. We are miracles of God. You, all of you," she said as she pointed out across the crowd, "are living miracles. Don't ever let anyone make you feel any different."

  She lowered her voice and added, "The time has come for the sisterhood to once again reach out and change the world. Here is my promise to you all." She then stepped down the stairs and walked up onto the hill. When she reached the crest of the such, she turned back to face everyone. "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Now it's your turn to say it!" The crowd recited this pledge, and the united sound roared like a pride of lions around the gathered sisterhood.

  Raegan was proud of what she heard, but she knew they had a tremendous amount of work to do. She began walking back to the stage. "My goal is to change the leadership. Our country, even the world, was not meant to be ruled by greedy men and robots. We need leaders that give equal opportunity to all."

  Everyone envisioned such a new world; it was all they had to hold onto.

  ***

  Mabel did not consider herself to be all that special. She lived in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where clans gathered and did the best they could. They lived with no real health care, and food was pretty scarce for those trying to lead a Corporation-free life. More often than not, people got sick, sometimes terminally so.

  So Mabel had decided to set up and run a small healing facility. The compassion in her heart led her onward.

  She did all she could to find the medications to heal her people, but she continued to witness the suffering and pain first hand.

  She certainly had a little rebellious blood in her, so when she got one of the sisterhood's American flags, she decided to travel quite a distance from her little facility one night to put it up on display. There was a trend going on these days, all thanks to these crazy sisters who had people putting old flags up as symbols of hope. She, for one, loved the idea. Flags like hers were all but extinct as of recent times, but she held onto hers with pride.

  She made her way to her chosen destination on a roadster bike with her brother and pulled up before a one-time tall stone building.

  Her brother waited by the motorcycle as she made her way inside this tall structure and climbed up to its top floor. She then hung her flag out over a broken window before weighting it down with some stones so all could see it displayed out front.

  It gave her a great sense of accomplishment.

  When she got back to her brother, he looked at her curiously and asked, "What are you trying to accomplish here, Mabel?"

  She held her head high and replied, "I'm trying to bring back hope in America. And, my brother, what I just did…it felt so good."

  Chapter Five

  Just as the leader finished her speech, the loud rumbling sound of a number of motorcycles could be heard approaching.

  It was a little late for anyone on watch to warn the women, and there was very little time to prepare for combat as one biker was already speeding straight toward the group. Eventually, all the bikes pulled up around the group and cut their roaring engines. Thankfully, no shots had been fired from either side—yet.

  The area descended into silence as most of the main sisters, fearing a fight, stood back to protect their people. For a moment, everything stood still. One of the men, who wore dark sunglasses and mostly black leather clothing, put his kickstand down and stood up off of his bike before starting to walk about, clearly scoping the crowd.

  Raegan and the other women were none too pleased at the people on watch; they should've been warned of the approaching group of bikers much sooner. The Slayer leader had a laser pistol already in hand, as did most of the inner circle of women.

  The motorcycle leader then removed his glasses, revealing a rather tanned handsome individual with a goatee, long dark sideburns, and brown eyes.

  He announced, "Sorry to interrupt the party. I have to say, you guys have quite a little group assembled here, but I got to ask, what is this place?"

  Jansa immediately came down from the stairway and walked over to where the bikers were all gathered. She guessed there were maybe about forty of these tough gangsters, so she knew this was a very serious situation.

  Chaya called out, "This is private property. I don't know what you guys are doing here, but it would be best if you were gone."

  The motorcycle leader flashed her a big smile. "That's no way to greet a possible new group of friends," he mocked. "Who's to say we can't all get along?"

  Raegan frowned at his last statement, figuring that was never going to happen, yet she had no idea how these bikers spotted their location or how they found them. Her only guess was that someone was followed back to their base. Either way, regretfully, this now had to be dealt with.

  The heavily tattooed bike leader called out to the group, "Listen, my name is Darren, and we're not here to hurt you. We're just checking out the situation at hand. I have to say, though, there's a few nice looking ladies here. In this day and age, there's nothing wrong with taking a peek, right?" Darren was clearly a cocky fellow. "You guys are grabbing at your weapons and looking all defensive, but let me say, just take a look around. There's a whole lot of us guys and not a single one in your group as far as I can see. You'll be making a mistake if any of you decide to take a shot at us."

  Seeing the stern expressions on these women's faces, he added, "Relax, people!"

  He then scanned about the crowd.

  "Perhaps you just let us grab a few women and we will be on our way, hmm?" His fellow bikers all voiced their agreement as to his last words.

  Darren seemed to be the charismatic type, but he had a lot of sarcasm in his voice that scared most listening, not to mention the fact that he had a small army with him.

  Mahira made her way up to Raegan and took a long hard look at this bad-ass biker guy. "We may not look like we can handle ourselves, but you might be surprised. I suggest you get the hell out of here, right now." Darren raised an eyebrow at her harsh words.

  "That's not very nice. Now you went and pissed me off," the biker leader announced. "I think we will take that one over there," he said, pointing to a nearby woman. "She's got a bit of a unique look, if I do say so myself." The girls all found themselves looking over to where he pointed, and saw it was at Zaey who was his apparent target. The look on her face suggested she was none too pleased at his selection.

  Mahira stepped up closer to him and answered the request. "I don't think so!"

  Then, someone in the sisters' crew, perhaps a new recruit, shot one of the men in the motorcycle gang. It was not a severe hit; she only clipped him in the leg, but as he screamed out in pain, many of the bikers drew their guns and knives. Chaos was about to erupt!

  The unexpected shot and subsequent reaction caused many of the lesser trained and newer sisterhood members to back away from the gang.

  The combative types, however, prepared for a rumble.

  Blades and guns were pointed at one another, ready for the inevitable skirmish that was about to break out.

  Darren screamed at the top of his lungs, "Woahhhh, boys, I told you guys we didn't come here looking for a fight. Calm the fuck down!" He then turned to the women, "You lot need to relax as well."

  The ugly gang around him looked more than ready to fight, and angry voices called out for revenge against such a shot on one of their own.

  Darren knew this would not be the end of it. "Okay, okay, I have an idea. Let us settle this by a single comba
t. One of you dolls versus me," he called out.

  Mahira winked at the sisterhood's leader, and Raegan's face lit up with a slight grin. They both knew that, now these men had found their location, this was likely to be an ongoing issue unless they settled it here and now.

  The current situation merited some sort of compliance, so she agreed with this bad boy's command. "All right. If this is how it's going to be, we will do it right here, right now, so everybody can see."

  Raegan was confident that Mahira could beat this rugged guy. Yes, he had the bulging muscles in his arms and chest, but Mahira was a Slayer. She then announced, "Sister Mahira will fight you. There shall be no interference from either side, and the first one to submit the other, wins."

  Darren laughed out loud. "I see it didn't take long for you to pick your best girl." He looked across the group of women and then back at Raegan. "That's not how it's going to be. I'm going to pick who I want to fight, and I see someone right now that interests me."

  He pointed to a curly-haired blond. As everyone else turned to look at her, Jansa immediately knew she was the one he was pointing at.

  Darren motioned to the crowd. "I like my women a little bit older, a little more mature. I like them looking like that one over there. Don't get me wrong, I see your muscles and if I do say so myself, you're gorgeous. I have a thing for curly blonds. Come on over, doll. You get to fight me."

  Raegan and Mahira raised their hands to object, but Jansa brushed off their concerns and started walking over to the biker guy.

  It now looked like a good old scrap was about to take place; the sisterhood's doctor against the biker gang's leader. As the anticipation rose across the Slayers' compound, both sides gathered in closer to watch.

  Chapter Six

  It was afternoon when the super robot turned to his general and said, somewhat out of nowhere, "Sir, I was wondering if you could take me to the ocean today? It's been an awful long time since we went, and I do enjoy the sounds and sights there. Ahhhh, and the feeling of looking out at the sea."