General Mustafa Maksai smiles at the guests standing before him. He has gathered this presentation at the front of a training course that has been set up on the fringes of his compound. While there are a number of soldier training devices created from logs and rope, platforms suspended from the air, climbing walls, and climbing ropes, today's entertainment will be entirely in what his men have dubbed the Sand Pit, a forty meter circle of dirt where Maksai culls the strongest from his soldiers.
Today, he will be using this pit as a ring by which he will better feel out the combative value of his four newest additions, individuals who have offered their services to his efforts of establishing the Free Country of Zambesi on the ashes of the Democratic Republic that President Omar Uwalujai has been presenting to the world. With the power of all five totems of his home village of Tantunu, he will replenish the waning productivity of the country into a firm source of wealth, bounty and self-sufficiency that will be the standard across Africa. These four volunteers will be adding their supposedly considerable talents to his already prodigious military might.
"We are ready, General," Maksai's third-in-command, Colonel Jabari, says. The man is in his thirties – about a decade older than Maksai's daughter, Tabu – but content with his role thanks to Maksai providing him with sanctuary from the military in his homeland of the Central African Republic, where he was wanted for a number of black market gains that had resulted in an expensive bounty on the man's head. The man's wide nose is a little out of place on his narrow face, but he is a loyal servant, one who instills just enough fear in the troops to keep him in around.
"Thank you, Colonel," Maksai tells the man. At one end of the large dirt circle stands two dozen of his finest, twenty men and four women, stripped down into beige tank tops, green military pants and the heavy-soled boots of his army. Each one has a machete strapped to their hip, and they are currently standing at attention in the sweltering heat, seemingly unfazed as they were trained to be.
Opposite this two dozen stand his four guests. Of everyone who came to his invitational, these four are the only ones who have expressed any interest in staying on to physically help him with his ambitions of privatized power that would come from establishing the Free Country of Zambesi.
They are the most peculiar group of individuals that he has ever seen, considering that only one looks human despite the ugly black hangman's mask on his head. He is impressed with Guillermo Barrera's seeming ability to cover a huge portion of his body with bladed weaponry without impaling himself on any of the points, and hopes that he does not fatally wound any of the two dozen combatants he will be battling today.
The other three are far less human despite the claim of two to having been born human. Barbara Minerva, the Cheetah, has at least retained her human form, and what a form it is. Since her arrival, she has done little save for lounging by the pool, distracting every single member of his unit who walks along the wall surrounding the courtyard, or who patrols through the lush area. Indeed, even Maksai, himself, has been taken in by the arching of her back, the twists of her tail, or a subtle flirtatious glance. She was dangerous, this orange-furred beauty, and he could not help but be drawn to her as much as any other man in his force. Were it not for her reputation as both a deadly killer and an untouchable tease, he would have already found a way to see if her kisses were as sweet as the fluid arching of her furred body.
Here today, she has deigned to meet his request of dressing for combat, and has settled on a black tank top and pants, with her feet and hands completely free so that her claws could eviscerate any who get in her way.
The other female of the metahuman quartet is one that his daughter signed off on, though he finds himself wondering why Tabu would do such a thing. From the report she made from her interview, Hyena is a young woman cursed to a grotesquerie of human and hyena. Unlike the cheetah avatar, whose beauty has only been accentuated by the hybrid form, Hyena is hideous with the face of the eponymous scavenger and rough mane and fur stretching across a body that is every bit as lean, spotted, and stocky as the animal. He gags slightly each time he looks at her, especially considering her utter lack of feminine traits and a complete refusal to cover herself with any clothing like a decent person would. That revulsion is quickly followed by a hunter's yearning to unholster his pistol and shoot her between the eyes. She belonged with the rest of her scavenging ilk, near the bottom of the Serengeti heirarchy, just above steaming piles of manure.
Having one here, impersonating a human, but still so far from an actual hyena one, he tries his hardest to ignore her presence. Not even her story – of being a member of the Peace Corps before an attack from a similar were-hyena, and a desperate desire to somehow return to her human form – could possibly persuade him to feel anything even remotely nearing respect. Tabu's report made mention of some sob story about her father wanting her to be born a male, and certainly he has felt that way more than once about his own daughter, but at least Tabu was a competent leader, sniper, and brilliant second to his command. She was strong, independent, efficient, and utterly devoted to his cause. What more could a father want from son or daughter? At least Tabu was no whiny Westerner with the bad luck of being bitten by a monster.
As with Hyena, Maksai does not know what to make of the massive ape who is squatting at the end of the line. When Maksai first learned of Grodd, he heard of the ape as a mountain of strength and telepathic might. He thought the reports were exaggerated at least somewhat, but no, he is an ape, a real, authentic ape that many of his men have already been intimidated by. That he really is a monster of such great proportions actually gives some credence to the notion that he comes from a place where such intelligent animals live.
Standing before such a motley crew of individuals, Maksai is very curious as to how each one will fare when faced with the threat of his own men. Similarly, he is curious about his own men's abilities to fend off enemies far beyond the limits of humanity. He is not the only one. All around the Sand Pit, the most massive gathering of soldiers that he has ever brought here stands at attention, eager to see his combatants tested in physical combat. The several hundred soldiers look from one meta to the next, no doubt ogling Cheetah as much as inwardly gagging at Hyena's animalistic sexlessness.
"Welcome, my guests!" Maksai drawls to the four metahumans from under the portable sun tent. "You have each passed the interview, but my men are still unfamiliar with who you are and what you are bringing to our army. Today is an auspicious day in that we can do so. As you see, a host of our men have volunteered to test you. The rules are simple. Knock them out and we will formally accept you into our cause."
"Let us get this over with, shall we?" Cheetah asks, strutting forward.
The foursome step forward into the sand pit.
Across from them, their twenty-four opponents slide their machetes from their hips and stalk forward towards the newcomers.
Cheers erupt from the more bombastic observers. Maksai has been hearing complaints from his soldiers, whining that the metas have come, and their not wanting anything to do with them. Such complaints were the actions of petulant little children who feel threatened when a newborn has come into the house, worried about favoritism and a reduction of privilege. Despite Maksai's insistence that his soldiers would lose not a single privilege, the rumblings continued. This would finally be an opportunity to wear out their complaints in the best manner possible: with blood.
The first of which is drawn by Brutale, who hurls one of the tiny stilettos into the arm of one of the onrushing soldiers before ducking a slash from one of his compatriots. Spinning into the slash, Brutale pops a blade from a mechanic holster on his wrist and draws it across the soldier's belly. Even from where he is seated under the tent on the outside of the Sand Pit, Maksai gets a blast of intestinal foulness. The soldier drops into the hard ground. Around him, his compatriots look on in awe. They were told to win by any means necessary, but it is not until they witness one of their comrades striving to keep his guts inside him do they realize that this is no mere brawl.
It is a battle for life or death.
The soldiers' attack presses forth with far more enthusiasm, and as a quarter of the forces bears down on Hyena, the were-beast titters a horrible, whining laugh at them and hurls herself right into the group, kicking and slashing and biting and tumbling her way through them. As she kicks two of them away, her erratic tumble manages to throw off their slashing aim, and they cut through empty air. Tumbling back onto all fours, she titters at them again, only far louder than before. One of the men, who is a far deal stockier than his companions, accepts the challenge. He rushes her and slashes down at her, but she rolls onto her pointed back and slashes upward, catching his leg with her front claws.
The soldier groans as he feels the muscles of his thigh unraveling under her touch. The leg gives way and Hyena races around a sideways slash from one of the soldier's friends and wraps the injured soldier in a headlock.
"Surrender or his blood is mine," she growls at the other five. They do not speak English, and her words are wasted. As the other five try to outflank her, she hurls the injured soldier onto the one at the lead with such force that he is impaled on the leader's machete. Hyena leaps at the surprised man and as she soars, she kicks outward, driving both impaled and unhurt soldiers into the dirt. Flipping head over heels, she lands hard, pressing the impaled soldier deeper into the other, and knocking both to the ground.
Cheetah, meanwhile, is treating the assault as a dance. She has not yet touched any of the men, but is dodging their slashes with a lazy abandon. To her enhanced reflexes, the six soldiers are moving in slow motion to her enhanced abilities.
Grodd, on the other hand, has only entered the circle of the Sand Pit and looked at the men around him. None have since moved. They have all been overcome with a terrible fear of the massive ape, and none want to push forward.
Kill them? General Maksai hears in the back of his head. For a briefest moment, he wonders where the sound has come from. He looks around and even as one of his men hurtles through the air before him, he catches the gorilla's eye.
"Not unless necessary," Maksai says, trying to ignore the look of confusion on Colonel Jabari's face. He does not have to explain himself to anyone, not even if he appears to be mad enough to talk to nobody at all.
~
Grodd turns towards the six soldiers who have approached him. As one, they begin groaning, a sound which quickly devolves into a scream. They are all clutching at their heads and drop to their knees. The force of the mental assault is far more than their measly human heads can manage, and Grodd looks on in satisfaction as the six either collapse outright or throw up and then collapse. Most humans have no protection from telepathic assault, and within moments of the attack, all six are down and unconscious.
His task done, Grodd looks over at the three enhanced humans in curiosity. They are holding their own, though the one with blades poking out from every part of him appears to have his hands full against the remaining four of his attackers. He parries well enough, knocking back one slash and using the motion to lead into his next cut, but he is outnumbered. From what Grodd can see, he has no real strengths, not like his hairy, handsome self. The human is just another piece of weak meat with some skill with the metallic blades that so many humans love so much.
Still, Grodd is hungry, and Maksai said there would be a feast of bananas, passion, pineapples and other fruits along with a dessert of beans and rice and other delicacies. He figures that the sooner this ridiculous test of strength is over, the sooner he can get to enjoying himself as a king should.
Grodd grabs one of the unconscious soldiers by the leg and with strength that makes the action almost negligent, hurls the soldier into two soldiers lined up to strike the masked man. The body smashes into both humans with a dull thud and a solid crack as all three tumble onwards for a good five meters.
The masked man takes a step back and stares at the massive black-furred gorilla with eyes as wide as he has ever had. Grodd can feel the rippling of terror in the man's psyche. It is good.
Grodd has ever been one for a show of might, and to show himself off, roars with the heavy percussion of his fists against his barrel of a chest. Then he slowly turns and regards the legions of humans watching him. He drops to all fours and proceeds to creep his way forward to the edge of the circle. The soldiers closest to him retreat a good several meters as they should before their king.
~
Cheetah is still feigning boredom, though she has been watching Grodd's efficiency with satisfaction. She could dance with these professionals all day, though wonders at the point of the game. There is a lesson to be learned by the great ape, and she contemplates why she has not dealt with these poor sods outright.
"Ah yes," she reminds herself. "I am a cat, after all."
Chuckling to herself, she then proceeds to spin around the next cut, where she is able to grab the attacker by the wrist, and with a jerk of her wrist pops his weapon from his hand. Grabbing the handle of the machete before it can strike the ground, she spins it out to deflect another soldier's cut. Continuing the cut, she uses all of her momentum to pull the soldier in her right hand right over her head to smash him down into his compatriot. She hears the satisfying Clunk! of heads colliding as both tumble to the dirt. She has no time to celebrate, as the next pair have arrived with their weapons before them. But they fare no better, as she parries the first swipe with her stolen blade and then moves below the second cut and rises with an uppercut that sends the soldier straight off his feet and a good fifteen feet into the air.
~
Hyena sees the flying man and hurls herself toward him, catching him a moment from striking the ground, and kicking him back at his friends. As the upper-cut soldier smacks into his peer, Hyena is right behind him, growling. The soldier screams as she sinks her teeth into his arm, shredding the tendons that are holding his weapon. His machete drops into the dirt as she releases the arm.
~
Where before Maksai thought Hyena ugly, now, with her mouth stained blood and with flecks of the red liquid spotting her black nose, she has become outright grotesque.
"Do you think the men have had enough?" Maksai asks of his Colonel, who he has been watching out of the corner of his eye. For twenty years, Jabari has soldiered – first in the endless civil war of his homeland of the CAR, then with Maksai's own forces. He is no squeamish piglet who balks at the horrors caused in war. But Maksai has noted a slight tension in his third-n-command's jaw during the combat.
"As you wish, my General," Jabari answers quite politically.
"It is a tad one-sided, isn't it?" Maksai asks, more to his own indulgence than for Jabari's sake.
Maksai rises and picks up a megaphone from the small table beside his reed chair. "My friends!" he declares into the electronic amplifier. "My friends! I think that that is quite enough. We are not here today to witness the utter embarrassment of my forces, after all!" He then switches into his native language and repeats his words to his soldiers. Slowly, the beaten and bruised and bloody volunteers separate themselves from their opponents and, panting, regroup opposite the metahumans. The seriously wounded or dying have been left as they fell, to die or await their General's order to be healed.
The four metas retreat to the other side, looking none the worse for the wear. Brutale and Hyena are the most bloodied of the quartet. Hyena thanks to her decision to quench some thirst on the blood of the poor, hapless soldier; Brutale thanks to a lucky cut from a soldier that drew a slash of bright red across his left bicep. Cheetah and Grodd, however, are not even panting.
Maksai emerges from his collapsible shelter and gazes upon the metas with a satisfied clap of his hands. "You are everything I could possibly have hoped for! You are poetry in motion, death in your very touch, and I am most honored to welcome you to the cause."
Cheetah curtsies to the General as Brutale bows. Hyena, who has been on all fours, rocks back onto her haunches and bows her shoulders. Grodd, however, merely puckers lips into a sneer that reveals large, thick fangs.
To his soldiers, Maksai speaks in Zambesi. "My brothers, this was merely a test! Our brave volunteers will find a feast waiting for them tonight, as well as a night off to indulge in their heart's desires. Today, though they lost, they have brought honor to us because they showed us all just how dangerous an arsenal we have acquired with these four. With their aid, and with the love and devotion you showed her today, the Free Country of Zambesi will soon be in our grasp!"
With this announcement, his soldiers raise their fists to the sky with a rousing cheer.
~
"That was a priceless presentation," Maksai purrs as he sets a second sausage on his plate.
His dining room is boasting a feast that the aristocrat in Minerva enjoys. There are roasted game bird, a slow-cooked warthog that smells divine, soups of all sorts: from corn-meal-based to thick broth with gizzards soaking up the juices, to bowls of vegetable puree both hot and cold. Massive bowls of salad, a seemingly-endless supply of fruit, local pancake-like dishes rolled up around goat, rice dishes, bean and corn dishes, and even sausages rolled from a variety of wild animal all come together into a swirling mélange of delicacy that makes her stomach growl.
The room is long to match the buffet table set off to one side, though it is the three large circular tables where people dine, or so is implied by the napkins and fine white china plates set out on them. Maksai, Tabu, and their four guests: Barbara Minerva, Guillermo Barrera, Summer Day, and Grodd, have all gathered around one of the tables, where they can sip their various drinks and devour their own preference of dinner. Grodd is the only one without a chair, as he is too big to fit comfortably into one, and Minerva has dressed up in a white lace dress that matches her diamond necklace. Barrera has bandaged his arm up and is looking quite nice in his button-down cotton shirt and grey creased slacks. Hyena, as always, is completely nude, something that Maksai has frowned at, but has made no comment on.
~
"Of course it was," Minerva states. As she drags a knife across the dark flesh of the warthog meat she has heaped onto her plate, Maksai notes the perfect straightness of her back and the delicacy of her motions. He had heard she was far older than she looked, but this only confirms the aristocratic background. "Would we offer services far beyond the means of regular men if we were not going to deliver on such a promise?"
"It was a deed quite well done," Maksai says with a tilt of his head. "I hope my men appreciate my generosity with the survivors when they start thinking of the dead."
"It was only two," Barrera says, stabbing a fork into a china bowl filled with roasted beans. The silver utensil glints in the flicker of eight candles set out on the circular table. Above them, three crystal chandeliers dangle, spreading out far more light than just their tiny bulbs could possibly create by themselves. "Way I saw it, they needed a presentation. If we were to really show you what we could do, we would need to give them something to fight for, right?"
"Is that why you disemboweled my man?" Tabu asks the Hasaraguan. Like Minerva, she sits with a straight back, but her handling of the utensils is all military, and it lacks any of the fine motion of the Briton's background.
"Sometimes just a tiny bit of motivation is all they need," Barrera says though a mouthful of beans and meat.
"Will the man I bit survive?" Hyena asks. Maksai finds the effort she puts into her words disgusting, and would prefer it if she did not speak at all. If she was unable to speak, like Grodd, he might have a little more respect for the ugly beast, but to have her struggle through that long snout of hers to make the simple sounds of speech, he has to force his gaze to his plate of food.
"Yes," Tabu says for her father. "He might not be able to use the arm any time for a while, but he will survive. Was there no other way to disarm him?"
Grodd grunts in appreciation of Tabu's choice of words. Rather than settle for a single plate, he has set a platter before himself and is devouring entire handfuls of fruit and fresh vegetables.
"Sometimes, I lose myself to the beast. It's better now, having been stuck in this ugly shape for months. I can control the madness, but it's still there, and sometimes, it just takes over."
"When that happens, do you know the difference between friend and foe?" Tabu asks, continuing her interview of Hyena. Maksai would just as soon let the issue drop, as the less he has to think about the were-woman, the better.
"Yes. But when I fight, I fight to win, and hyenas are notorious for their tenacity. I fight to win," she repeats unnecessarily, glaring at Maksai in silent challenge.
"There, there, dear," Minerva says, putting one of her spotted hands over one of Hyena's spotted hands. Even as she does this, she catches Barrera's eye. "It is nothing to worry about. Such things are our lot in life, and they are to be appreciated, not belittled. Now, General, if you don't mind, I have some questions for you. Now that you have seen what we all can do, and after that not-unsubstantial donation that I have put forth towards the privatization of your country, just how do you plan to effect the changes you were talking about?"
"You said the other night something about five elements?" Barrera adds to Minerva's question.
"Why, yes!" Minerva says with false authenticity. "Just how would such elements – those of fire, water, air, earth, and spirit – fit into this great plan of yours?"
"What can you guess?" he asks the beauty.
"We could guess a whole lot, General, but we wouldn't think to waste your time in such a manner," Cheetah says, sliding a spoon into a small bowl of irio, made form mashed potatoes and peas and topped with corn. "I would expect you'd do us the same courtesy."
Maksai smiles. "Of course, my dear. Your answer comes from a tiny village that was once protected by five totems that bestowed upon their users magnificent powers. The spirit totem you mention had the shape of the fox, and it could give the wearer the gift of all animals. The one shaped like a mountain gave the wearer control of plants and the very dirt. The wave gave mastery of water. The spinning vortex gave powers over the air, and the one shaped like flame gave control over heat and fire.
"For many long ages, my ancestors used these totems to protect both themselves and their lands. But over time, those totems were stolen by outsiders. Eventually, two of these totems were returned to my homeland, but the other three were long missing. For many centuries, the five totems were separate, but in recent years, sightings of the other totems have been reported.
"More importantly, however, I have actually acquired two of these." He claps his hands and two servants enter the dining hall. Each carries a different item of value. The first carries an earthenware vase with a stopper at its top, decorated in a series of ancient designs that almost seem to have a hazy component to them. The other carries a silver case, though looking quite durable. Maksai wipes his hand on his bright white napkin and rises. There is a combination lock on the case and he rolls out the combination. That done, he withdraws two items on silver chains from inside. The first is decorated with a blue metallic wave, the second also has a stylized shape, but this one depicts a trio of mountains.
All four guests lean forward to get a better view of them. Even Grodd seems to appreciate the fine magic of them.
"So you have two of the five," Minerva says, her eyes sparkling under the light of the chandeliers. "You will, of course, forgive me for the obvious question. What of it? If you're trying to gather them all, you are still three short of the full set."
"If you were paying attention, you would know that we know where two more are. And while one of those totems was gone for many years, it has just recently returned to the village that I once called my home."
"So is the plan to go in, kill the people who hold them, and get out? How would these be able to help cure me of my curse?" Hyena asks, her attention as equally riveted as Minerva's.
"You are partially correct, my dear. We are seeking to get the totems – and yes, I do plan to retrieve the totems in order to help you with your unfortunate condition – but we are not going to kill the possessors."
"Keeping them alive might not be a great choice," Barrera points out. "Unless we have a good torture planned, that is."
"We have no choice. The nature of the totems is slightly more complex than you think. That means the two Keepers will have to be taken alive. The problem is that the Keepers are two young women who are both skilled with their fire and spirit powers. But that isn't the only complication. We have learned that the Keeper of the Fox totem has just returned to Zambesi with her individuals of a similar... enhanced nature. Some of whom, both Mr. Grodd, here, and Tabu have confronted."
Across the table, Grodd growls softly. He crushes a roasted plantain in his hand and licks it off his large fingers.
"That's not necessarily a problem," Minerva says. "There is little that a one can do against a strike they don't expect."
"Still. I want to know what we'll be up against," Hyena says in the disgusting way she has to work at her words. "How many are there? What are their powers?"
"Luckily, I think we have the means to find out," Maksai says, returning the two totems to the silver case. The other servant sets the earthenware jar on the large circular table at one of the empty seats.
"A jar? What's that going to do?" Hyena asks.
"Vase. And it's not the vase itself, it's who is inside the vase."
Maksai rubs the decorations on the side of the jar. As he runs his fingers over them, they seems to linger with a slight glow. He then pulls the top off of it. A wisp of smoke trails upwards and after a moment, the phantasm takes on the appearance of an adolescent girl draped in a cloak of grey mist.
"Whoa! What the hell is that?" Barrera asks, pushing his chair out from the table.
"Hello my little secret," Maksai says to the ghostly apparition.
"You. What do you want?" Secret asks with a voice that echoes throughout the room. The phantasm's mouth does not actually move as she speaks. Instead, it is more of a haunting of a sound that seems to seep into reality rather than project outward from a mouth.
"I need you to do something for me," Maksai says politely.
"Why would I ever help you?"
"Must we go through this every time I summon you? The mystical forces that keep you in this plane are also what bind you to this vase. So long as I possess this, you are my servant. And that means I can command you as I see fit. Most importantly, I am about to offer you a tremendous favor. So drop the attitude!"
"Unless you are setting me free, how are you doing me a favor?"
"How would you like to visit your homeland again?" the general asks the wisp of grey. "Who knows, you may even see one of your loved ones. But you are not to interact with anyone. You are there only as a phantasm, invisible and undetectable. While you are there, you are to learn how many visitors have come to the village, and who they are. They may have powers, so find out what you can about that, too."
"Is there anything else?" the ghostly Secret asks with very clear disdain in her ethereal voice.
"No. Now go."
Secret's human form dissolves into a fine mist and disperses, slipping into the ether.
"Insufferable adolescent," Maksai mutters, walking to the table of drinks. Here, he pours himself another glass of spiced rum.
"So now what?" Hyena asks.
"Now we wait for her to return. She might talk a good game, but she is bound to me, thanks to this vase. She will succeed in securing the intelligence we require. Then? Then we go in, capture the two with the totems, and I have a word with their nkosi."
"Their what?" Minerva asks.
"Chief. Me and my brother have long needed words. I think this is a good time for that."