Monday, October 6, 2014

Dusty Video Box Presents: The Syndicate of Carnality: Act Five

The Syndicate of Carnality
Act Five
By The Unknown Fan




The Mental Mistress was in a pool of black, on her hands and knees, head bowed, shimmering silver tresses teasing the dark water. She had been snatched into the astral plane without her permission, and trapped there against her will. Steely gray muscles tensed, statuesque body coiled in anticipation. Her puppeteer would reveal himself in mere moments; she wanted to overwhelm him with as much psychic sorcery as she could possibly command.

And then...the water began to transform, resembling a form like smooth, liquid metal. It morphed into a crowd of gray-skinned people.

Venusians.

The surroundings had appeared as well, a ravaged futuristic landscape, not far from the imagination of Earth's early science fiction writers. Jazmon's silver eyes peeked through her unkempt ivory mane, staring into the frenzied eyes and shouting mouths of the mob, impossibly silent.

And then the sounds came, turned up to the maximum volume. The mob was crying for help, crying for peace, crying for revenge. Ward. The four letter word was hurled at her with audible spears of venom, causing her to clamp her hands over her ears. But the sound was still there, the accusations of weaknesses, the blames for their deaths.

"There have been many mountains and valleys in your long life...hasn't it, Vixen From Venus?" an eloquent female voice surrounded Jazmon, drowning out the noise of the berserker Venusians.

Jazmon looked up again...only to find herself staring into the cold, dark eyes of her worst enemy, the devilishly handsome elf and world destroyer, Ward!

"By The Supreme Lord...you are not real..." the Gray One resisted a sob, closing her eyes and chanting her ad hoc mantra continuously. However, she felt his hands grasped her shoulders roughly. Her eyes snapped open. Now naked, he was drawing her to him.

"You are not real!!!" Jazmon screamed, on the verge of hysteria. "I escaped you!! You are not real!!"

But he drew her closer. The Venusian Vixen glanced down, a gasp escaping her silver lips. She was naked as well!

"Stop it! Please!" she cried, as Ward brought her ever so closer.

"You never escaped, Jazmon of Venus." the voice bellowed again. "Yes, physically, in reality...your body escaped him. But your mind...your beautiful, beautiful mind...will never escape. And that's what counts, right? Without the mind...the body is just a flesh shell, a lump of life..."

"Great Tor, face me!!" Jazmon screeched, her hands pressed harshly against Ward's face as she hysterically tried to escape his clutches. However, the Darkelf suddenly transformed again, into a thick, golden geletin-esque mass. Surprised, the Cerebral Champion fell to a sitting position, her large breasts bouncing from impact.

Suddenly, the golden jelly froze around her, trapping her in her position!

Then, she heard steps...sharp, dainty, steps of high heels. Approaching her was a woman, although she was not of the Earth. She was muscular, a true match if not a mirror duplicate of the Venusian Vixen herself. Her skin was red, however, while her ankle-length lovely locks were as green as any Earth leaf. She wore only a skimpy purple string bikini, a white, gossamer cape, and a small glistening purple crown on her pretty forehead.

What drew the attention of the Last Venusian, however, was her feet...transparent Enhancement Platform Sandals, exactly the same design as the Vixens'! From Jazmon's limited understanding of the Rave, their creators, no two pairs were alike.

So how did this...being...obtain a duplicate of Jazmon's own Sandals?

The woman stopped directly before the trapped Venusian, standing on the strange surface as if it was made of concrete. "They are not 'Enhancement' Sandals, darling...but 'Enslavement' Sandals."

" 'Enslavement' Sandals?" Jazmon repeated in astonishment. "But..."

"I can see you have a million questions, little one." the red-skinned beauty leaned down, caressing Jazmon's chin as a mother would to a curious child. "But...that is part of the game."

"This is no game!" the Vixen snarled, struggling to break free.

The crimson-hued female rose up, an arrogant smirk on her face. "My statements are usually law, Planetary Protector. I command wherever I step. Such the demeanor of a ruler..."

"A ruler?" Jazmon spat the word. "You delusional deviant!"

"Careful." the woman wagged a chiding finger. "You should not say such things. You have quite the reputation to maintain or...ahem, regain as Venus's Protector...I mean, former Protector..."

The mention of Venus drew a stark revelation to the forefront of Jazmon's thoughts.

"I...I thought...I was the last Venusian..." she whispered, inspecting the woman before her. It made perfect sense. Only another Venusian, empowered by the Rave's magical devices, could use her enhanced mental abilities to trap her in such a limbo!

The red-skinned woman's glowing silver eyes widened as she glared at the Mental Mistress, as if shocked that she guessed the truth. Then, a chuckle escaped her own silver lips. Soon, she had thrown her head back and laughed a hearty while, her giggles echoing in the dark void.

"And...you STILL ARE..." she guffawed, slapping her knee in continuous chuckling.

"Then...who are you?!" The Vixen asked incredulously.

The woman drew herself to her full height, heels and all. "I am the Martian Monarch, the complete and utter ruler of the Crimson Planet."

"Great Tor, that's impossible!!" Jazmon squealed. "Barsoom has been deserted for centuries! I know...my people and I assisted in the mass exodus to the Andromeda Galaxy!"

"Lies, you gray worm!" The Martian Monarch snapped. "My people are alive and well on Barsoom. There was never a mass exodus-"

"There was!!" The Vixen cried. "I nearly lost an arm in the conflict with the Planet Pirates-"

But there was something about her new adversary's conviction that struck her. Her vast mental powers, somehow in stasis, was detecting truth in the woman's words. But they were also discovering something else.

"You...you are from...another universe?" The Mental Mistress could not believe her own words.

"One that vibrates...on a different frequency than yours." the Monarch turned her back with a flick of her cape. "Your Barsoom is a dead world here, while my Mars is a dying world. But your Earth..."

"You leave Earth alone!" Jazmon growled, every steely gray muscle accented as she fought against her strange bondage.

"For Dejah's Sake!" The Martian Monarch whirled around with astonishing speed, kneeling down and grabbing the Vixen's defenseless throat with a single hand and tightening her grip.

"My servants will have a world where they can expand, Venusian creature." she snarled. "I have the resources and the power to see to that. Armies of perverted creatures at my command. Legions of fanatic worshippers at my beck and call. And yes...thirteen of the worst supervillains I could find...most assembled from remote galaxies...my Doom Legion...my Society of Monsters..."

"I...will...not...fail..." Jazmon gasped. "I...will...assemble...the greatest...guardians of good...ever...to fight...you....to protect...the Earth..."

The Martian Monarch only grinned. "Checkmate, Vixen of Venus."

Before Jazmon could react, she was engulfed in fire. However, as she screamed, her voice was silent. She could do nothing as the fire surged through every fiber of her astral being.


****************************

"I'm telling you, Tyler Durden was the greatest mastermind ever!"

" 'Project Mayhem'? Please! Keyzer Soze didn't have to be halfway nuts to outsmart the world."

A groan escaped silver lips as Venusian eyes slowly opened. Jazmon slowly rose to sitting position, frantically searching her surroundings. She calmed down when she realized that she was in Professor Swan's lab, sitting on two of the long wooden tables placed together.

"Great Tor, what happened here?!" she exclaimed, marveling at the wanton destruction.

Professor Swan uncrossed her arms, breaking her stare at Neptuna and grinning at the Mental Mistress. "It was like being in an episode of 'Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'! But, alas, no hunky Kevin Sorbo...Fishgirl had to do-"

" 'Fishgirl'?!" Neptuna growled, floating over to face the professor. "Do you know how racist that is?"

"Racism beneath the waves?" Swan chuckled in mock astonishment. "Really?"

The Marine Maiden balled a fist and held it to Swan's face. "You like living dangerously, don't you?"

"Please, you won't kill the one woman who can take your breasts down to normal..." Swan rolled her eyes.

The Grey One blinked her eyes rapidly at her Atlantean teammate. "You...you're healed?!"

"Give the alien a prize." Neptuna smacked her forehead exasperatedly. "Duh...well, obviously, not completely..."

She nodded at her huge naked bosom.

"Jazmon." Professor Swan grasped the larger woman's face and stared solemnly in her eyes. "You have someone else on your side. What do you guys see in Soze? Is it Kevin Spacey?"

"Lady Jazmon!" a bubbly voice filled the room as Angelus entered, followed by Crystal Century. The Winged Warrior instantly threw an embrace around her gray-skinned friend, hugging her hard.

"You came!" Jazmon squealed, smiling weakly. "I know you have missionary work-"

"I came as soon as I could, old friend." Angelus nodded solemnly, her ivory tresses bouncing. "It seems that your ranks were sorely depleted..."

All eyes went to the tanks, where the remaining five original Union members floated in stasis. The Venusian Vixen suddenly found herself remembering the horrifying encounter with her new enemy...The Martian Monarch.

"Crystal. Angelus. Neptuna. Vamp...where is Vamp?"

All eyes fell to the floor, with the exception of Professor Swan, who shook her head and wagged an accusing finger.

"Okay...which one of you executed that tramp behind Jazmon's back?" she asked, half-jokingly.

"She had vanished, along with the rest of the vandals, Vixen." Crystal reported. "For all we know, she has thrown her lot in with them-"

"I know she has cruelly wronged you in the past, my friend." Jazmon laid a comforting hand on Crystal's arm. "But...she would not betray me. Not now. Not after our deal..."

"Deal?" Neptuna looked from one face to the other. "What deal?"

"Yes, my Lady....what are you saying?" Angelus gave her a curious look.

The Vixen looked away, ashamed. Patting her shoulder, Crystal looked at the others.

"Vilnus 5." she said. "Jazmon promised her a galaxy far, far away, for her help."

"Jazzy...how could you?!" Neptuna growled.

"I was desperate!" the Vixen exclaimed. "And now...I have good reason to be!"

"There is no depth of despair that should make you run into the clutches of the devil!" Neptuna yelled. "Please tell us, great leader. Tell us the reason for teaming up with our worst enemy and selling out an entire galaxy of souls!?"

"The Martian Monarch." The Cerebral Crusader answered softly.

"The Martian what?" the others asked in unison.

"Riffster. Buffoon. They were working as a team. Two alpha personalities that would have never worked together otherwise. I met their leader on the astral plane...a beast of a woman if I've ever witnessed one."

"And Minatour." Professor Swan spoke up. "Don't forget him!"

"Our new enemy is using all three as part of a team, a legion of our greatest supervillains." Jazmon said in a horrified tone. "They knew when to hit us, at our lowest ebb, when Lotus and the others are out of commission..."

"I guess I did not show much promise as a Unionnaire..." Crystal Century bowed her head in shame.

"The way that criminal clown was frozen, girl?" Neptuna smiled. "You're an A+ Union babe in my book!"

"Look, my friends." Jazmon gave everyone the lookover. "Call me despicable. Call me a monster. But I planned to, as they say on Earth, 'cross that bridge when I approached it'. I am a Guardian of Good, a Unionnaire, a Champion of Justice. I never abandoned the people of that galaxy for a second. And I can't abandoned my adopted world here. An assemblage of our greatest enemies have come to take it from us. I need you all...to stand with me in this dark hour, to lend me your strength and skill, to defeat them and send their leader back to her dimension."

She was quiet for a few seconds before saying, "Please."

Angelus, Crystal Century, Neptuna, and Professor Swan exchanged glances before glancing at the tank, where the other five Unionnaires continued to be healed.

"I say John Doe." Angelus suddenly grinned wickedly, breaking the tension-filled silence.

"'John Doe'?" Professor Swan gave her a bizarre look.

" You were talking about cinematic masterminds, right?" Angelus crossed her hands behind her back and leaned forward, giggling. "From the film called 'Seven'."

"Hey, since when does an angel watch something so gory?!" Neptuna pointed an accusing finger at the Winged Beauty.

"Tyler Durden didn't need to be so bloody to get his point across!" Professor Swan laughed.

"I was always partial to Pinky...from 'Bitchslap'" Crystal Century licked her lips seductively. "Something about a lesbian criminal mastermind with an awesome katana-"

"Should have known the word 'lesbian' had something to do with it!" Neptuna growled playfully.

As the conversation deteriorated into a argumentative free-for-all, Jazmon could do nothing but smile, knowing that everything was all right for now. Her ad hoc team was with her, abet for now, and the others were slowly healing. She could still feel the Monarch's mental tendrils in her thoughts, a stink that would not go away anytime soon.

But she would defeat the Martian Monarch the next time they clashed.

She had not escaped from Ward to cower in fear forever.

THE END

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