Collaborative Fiction: Monsters of Rural Colorado, Part II – Highlander, Tempest, Ace come together again?

Highlander remained slumped at the bottom of his cylindrical cell. Every time he tried to resist – or even move – Revenge zapped him. Even if immortality did protect him, constant physical abuse could cause damage to him and make the rest of his immortal life quite uncomfortable, even very painful.

He wished he had psychic powers; he could reach out to Astra or Fiona, or maybe even make contact with Starmaster. Why didn’t his league leader help him now, like he did before? Instead, he just stood there, facing the wall.

Obviously, Highlander would need to help himself. Tempest, Ace – he imagined he had seen them just before the dinosaur smashed him with its tail. That was the last thing he remembered before coming to here – wherever here was.

But it didn’t do any good simply to try to resist. The pains throughout his body were evidence of that. He needed a plan.

Great. Planning was not his strong suit.

What to do?

What to do?

Where was Ace, Fiona – all the rest – when he needed them?

Starmaster had bided his time, waiting for an opportunity to break free of Revenge's grip on him. With the spirit focusing its attention on Fiona and the others, he hoped he had the strength to regain control of his body.

He had been able to listen in on all the conversations had between the Revenge spirit and the others. It fed the drive to harm someone or something that had done harm. At the moment, it feasted on Fiona's rage at Arcane Ace and Infinite Tempest. She subconsciously blamed the two of them for not arriving sooner.

The urge for revenge was primal. Hammurabi nailed it with his tenant of an eye for an eye. Starmaster knew he harbored desire for revenge against past foes, especially Krampus and the government of North Onnutangu.

He drew in his thoughts, focusing in on the only thing he knew of that could negate a heart that sought retribution.

"Krampus, I won't let you go unpunished for what you have done, but I..."

As powerful as his mind was, Starmaster couldn't bring himself to the thought. It would be a betrayal of Chase. A betrayal of the promise of life stolen by the nameless child. But he couldn't allow himself to dwell any more on the feelings those memories incurred. And in truth, they were not the enemy he needed to cope with.

"I forgive myself for not being strong enough to stop these people from harming you both. I cannot control the world, but I AM in control of myself, and I FORGIVE myself for being unable to stop what happened."

The red bonds encasing him swelled, allowing him to shift.

"I forgive. I must let the hate go and forgive."

The bonds around his psychic-self broke away and he returned to his body.

He turned away from the wall he faced and found Highlander trapped in a cylindrical cell. Using his telekinetic powers, he shattered the container, then lifted Highlander free from it.

Highlander. You must let your wife know you are alive.  Starmaster said mentally. Let me link your minds."

Highlander, for the most part, was in really bad shape because of his dealings with Revenge. It was up to Starmaster to initiate whatever contact he could with the rest of the party. Highlander possessed no powers other than his physical gifts, impressive though they were.

And the big man was heavy. Well over three hundred pounds, the giant was a tough load to move about. It would help if he knew how to use what little shape shifting ability he did possess to at least lighten Starmaster’s load. But, combined with the fact he was barely conscious, the big Scotsman wasn’t a lot of help to his teammate.

Fortunately, Starmaster did possess powers that greatly assisted in that regard. He just needed to get the two of them away from Revenge and reconnected with the other three. Starmaster reached out into the mindscape and was successful. He connected with Fiona.

‘I’ve got him, Fiona. He’s in bad shape, but alive. I’m not sure he’s going to be much help to us. Revenge did a real number on him.’

‘Thankfully, he’s still alive,’ her thoughts said. ‘Where can we find you?’

Starmaster gave her a beam to home in on, and the trio of Fiona, Ace and Tempest made haste for a rendezvouz.

The trio followed the beam sent forth by Starmaster and found the heroes who had escaped Revenge’s clutches. Fiona tended to Highlander, who was recovering thanks to a healing spell from Arcane Ace. Infinite Tempest was also doing much better, thanks to the arcane artist.

Ace posed a question to Starmaster, “What do you feel we should do know?”

Starmaster replied, “We need to get more help. We’re not a match for Revenge.”

Starmaster’s response prompted an answer from the now conscious Highlander. “You fellows bring more troops. I’m going back to that cabin. I have a score to settle.”

“No! You can’t go back there without help,” Fiona said. “We’re over-matched as a group. You alone? It’s suicide.”

“”I’m going back. Revenge needs to be stopped.”

“But, we need more than just us,” Fiona pleaded.

“There is no one,” Highlander said. “It’s just us. No one else is coming. We asked for help. Astra didn’t make it. We sent word to Star Force. No one came. We’re the only hope these people have. Star Force ignored us; BADGE ignored us. Fiona, you go for help. Get anyone who will come. I’m going back. I have to stop him.”

“You’re not going alone,” Ace said. “We’re in this together, You, me, Tempest. We’ll take him on ourselves if we have to. You may need Starmaster to find help, Fiona. I’m going with Highlander.”

Ace turned to Infinite Tempest.

“Are you in with us, or do the big man and I go it alone?”

"Highlander, stand down," Starmaster, leader of the Star Force said. "Acting rashly isn't going to help. That is exactly what the spirit of Revenge wants. Anger, fear, pain, these are all opportunities that it seeks to exploit."

Highlander huffed, further irritated by being admonished. He punched at a stone wall, shattering a large section into small bits. "We can't stand here and do nothing while we wait for more help that won't ever show up."

"I don't think more is better in this case. More people here will only get Revenge a bigger source of people to overtake." Starmaster pointed out. "We need to outsmart this creature, not overpower it."

Fiona moved to her husband's side and took his hand in her own. "I think he is right. Revenge has been maneuvering us ever since the beginning. He called for the three of you to come out here, but not Astra or I. He wanted people without psychic abilities. In fact, he put up a barrier that Astra has been working to cross in an attempt to keep her away."

She made a good point. Highlander relaxed a bit. "So what do you have in mind."

"Based on what you told me about your previous encounter here with the spirit of Torment, or Torment demon, it needed a host or focus. It kept the wives of the doctor and others trapped in a basement. I think Revenge is trying to do the same. Imprisoning the three of you to use to build its power. It took control of me for a time when I left myself vulnerable to it when I searched mentally for it on the Mindscape."

"Yeah, that kind of sucked, boss," The Infinite Tempest said.

"I'm sorry. I don't use my Mind Blade often for just that reason. It's hard to change people's behavior if you fry their nervous systems first." Starmaster dipped his head low. "It is a weapon of last resort for me, as it can kill. I'm sorry that he was able to take advantage of me like that, Tempest."

"Meh," I.T. said as he shrugged. "That's what the hazard pay is for, right?"

Highlander looked at Fiona and nodded.

“Okay. You’re right, boss,” he said to Starmaster. “I tend to act without thinking at times. A question – can you guys prevent him from changing from his solid form and keep him immobile? If you can, I can get behind him and bear hug him. I have enough power to crush him, or at least disable him, for you to finish him off. Just banishing won’t help, we need to finish him. For good.”

Fiona put her hand on her hubby’s huge arm,  "Just take it easy, big guy. Starmaster can formulate a plan. Brute strength isn’t always the answer. Your desire for vengeance is what fuels this monster.  We’ll stop it. It will be put out of action. We just need a plan. That’s Starmaster’s strength.”

“Thank you, Fiona,” Starmaster said. “We have enough varied power to take Revenge down. We’ll each do our part. Highlander, your part may be to draw his fire, so to speak. I want everyone to listen closely. Here’s what we’ll do.”

Starmaster continued," I know you're not going to like this much, but I think we need to kill the three of you."

Fiona, Infinite Tempest, Highlander, and Arcane Ace froze in their footsteps, startled by the suggestion.

*****

The Spirit of Revenge sought out its prey, only to discover the group of heroes fighting amongst themselves.
Astra had found her way into the protected zone, breaking through the barrier with repeated mental blasts. She, Starmaster, and Infinite Tempest stood in combat against Fiona, Highlander, and Arcane Ace.

"He's still under Revenge's control. Take him down so we can get to that lame-ass spirit and shove it back where the sun don't shine." Highlander yelled while hurling a boulder at Starmaster.

Deflecting the projectile with a telekinetic shield, Starmaster and Astra focused their wills together to create a mental one-two punch against Highlander. He screamed in pain as his synapses burned from the overload of psychic energy to his system.

Fiona stepped in front of her husband, projecting a mental shield and dissipating the assault on her husband. "I knew it was a mistake for him to put his trust in you."

Infinite Tempest called down bolts of lightning against Fiona, Highlander, and Arcane Ace. The mental shield took the damage for Fiona while Highlander shrugged it off with ease.

"Is that the best you've got, Sparky? I've felt a bigger charge dragging my feet on the carpet." Highlander boasted.

Arcane Ace wasn't at flippant. The electrical charge sailed through his arcane defences and left him unconscious and chared. Smoke drifted up from his motionless body.

"ACE..." Fiona shouted out. She snarled and sent a semi-solid bolt of mental energy at I.T. "I hope this hurts, you son-of-a-bitch."

His system still reeling from Starmaster's earlier mental blade, Infinite Tempest shuddered in place for an instant and dropped to the ground. He struggled to stand up, but seemed to barely have the will to move.

As Fiona stepped up her efforts against Starmaster and Astra, Revenge materialized on the outskirts of the battle, reveling in the barrage of emotions promulgated by the combatants. His hideous form smiled in delight and he closed his eyes, raising his face skyward as he absorbed the energy.

His arrival didn’t go unnoticed. A furious Highlander saw him and looked around for a weapon. The big Scotsman raced to a nearby stand of trees and seized upon a large oak. Wrapping his arms around the trunk, he wrested the tree loose from its moorings, uprooting the huge object, and holding it like a baseball bat, he swung at the demon.

Concentrating on the pleasure derived from drinking in the emotions, Revenge didn’t see the attack coming. The ominous, thunderous crack from the tree crashing into Revenge’s skull resounded through the glen, breaking the demon’s mental hold on the heroes. Those still standing looked in the direction of the extreme noise, just in time to see the demon drop to the ground, and Highlander raise the tree over his head and deliver a crushing blow like a lumberjack on a fallen tree. The big man tossed the tree aside and proceeded to rain blows with the force of jackhammers onto the fallen demon’s head.
     
Revenge feebly attempted to rise from the attack, but even the nature of the demon was unable to resist the savage pummeling from the enraged giant. Blow after blow, the attack continued and intensified as Highlander’s rage increased and his own desire for revenge became more than even the demon could absorb – or endure.

Fiona screamed at Highlander and Starmaster raced toward the giant. Astra turned her attention to the fallen Tempest and Ace in an attempt to revive. She grabbed Fiona’s arm to gain her attention, and the pair ministered to their fallen comrades.

Starmaster reached Highlander’s side and stared in disbelief at the now unrecognizable form that Highlander was beating. He seized control of the big man’s mind and struggled to gain control of the fury-laden intellect. After a few moments, he succeeded, bringing the attack to a stop, and calming the enraged giant.

Starmaster dropped to a seated position, nearly exhausted from the efforts of the initial fight and the struggle to regain control of Highlander.

“Easy, big man,” Starmaster projected into Highlander’s mind. “Easy, it’s over … I think.”

"Not quite yet. Can you send the spirit back, Ace?" Starmaster asked.

"I should be able to, but what's going to stop it from coming back some day?" Ace stretched his arms out wide and cracked his neck audibly.

"My take on what happened here is that the spirit entered the world because it desired revenge against the three of you for your efforts the last time you were here." Starmaster said. "That created a strong psychic link between him and you all, which allowed him access to our realm."

"So we need to excise it." Astra said.

"I was hoping that if our performance left the spirit believing Ace, Tempest, and Highlander were dead, it would depart on its own." Starmaster glanced at Highlander. "I didn't expect that Highlander would be able to supercharge Revenge's appetite."

"The demon done pissed me off," Highlander said unapologetically.

"You did good, dear." Fiona hugged her husband and planted a sloppy wet kiss on his forehead.

"With Revenge out of it, I think the three of us could plant the idea that they are dead in its head," Astra said.

"We should just kill it." Highlander pulled Fiona close to him. "Or at least lock it up somewhere where it doesn't bother anyone else."

    "From what Futurina has told me," Astra began, "you can't actually kill a demon.  If you kill its form here, it returns to hell, or the abyss, and can't come back for thirty of our days.  Excising would be for at least a few centuries.  I'm not sure what we could do to imprison it?"
    Arcane Ace perked up, "I think there is a way to imprison it through magic."  He pulled out a card, "We trap it in a card and bind it.  We would have to make sure the card was never damaged or it will escape, but it could work."
    "Is there anything a little more sturdy that we could use?" Starmaster questioned.

“I have to admit, folks,” Highlander said. “All of this stuff you’re talking about is over my head. I have no idea how to deal with this demon, other than to eliminate him by whatever means necessary.”

“No, there’s a better way to do it,” said Starmaster. “Imprisoning him is the thing to do, likeb Astra says.”

“Then I would suggest someone do it, or I’ll do things my way.”

Fiona spoke up,” No, let them do it.”

“Why, they’re as bad as politicians,” Highlander objected. “Nothing gets done while they stand around trying to impress each other with their ideas. I say, we kill it while it’s in no position to put up a fight.”

“Stand down, Highlander. That’s an order,” Starmaster admonished.

“Stand down? Then you better do something while you can still stand up,” Highlander said menacingly.

“Don’t push me, big man,” Starmaster responded. “I’m still in charge,”

“Only as long as I’m in Star Force. And that could change very quickly, buddy.”

"Nobody is in the league against their will," Starmaster said, "and Highlander knows it."

Highlander lifted into the air, leaping with his full might at the leader of the Star Force.

"Duncan, don't," Fiona shouted as she tried to calm her husband.

Before Highlander connected with Starmaster, a blue field of psychokinetic energy surrounded him and kept him from moving any closer.

"What's wrong with him?" Astra asked as she moved up beside a distressed Fiona. "He's been bullheaded, but never like that."

"I don't know, but I plan on finding out," Starmaster prepared to passively survey Highlander's mind but paused before opening up his mind. "Actually, Fiona, I think you would be better suited to doing this. You know how his mind works better than any of us."

Fiona nodded. She touched Highlander's mind and found resistance there to her efforts. Familiar with his rage, she maneuvered around his blocks and went deeper than his surface anger. Many familiar pathways existed within him, which made her feel slightly better, until she noticed a dark fog obscuring a section of his mind that she never found before.

Considering all that he had been through with the previous trip to Colorado, she and Highlander spent several days bolstering his mind. There were few secrets left in his psyche for her. "There is something new inside of him that wasn't there before. A dark shadow clinging inside his subconscious."

"Can you tell us anything about it?" Starmaster asked.

Fiona sent a tentative probe at the mass. It recoiled at the slightest touch of her awareness. "It's acting defensively when I try to engage with it."

"Don't force it. Whatever you're doing is effecting Highlander," Starmaster said as the red-clad hero began to convulse.

"I don't believe it." Ace chuckled as he placed his hand over his stomach. "Highlander is pregnant."

"What!!!" Infinite Tempest and Astra shouted in unison.

"Revenge was planning for the long game. It planted a bit of itself into Highlander in case we defeated it." Ace waved his hands and a magical circle surrounded both the form of Revenge and Highlander. "That is why is was baiting Highlander to come here. It wanted to breed more like itself."

"Can we get it out of him?" Fiona asked. She concentrated on the trembling mass within her husband's mind, fearing the worst.

"I think we can trap both of them." Ace gestured at Fiona's hand, specifically at her engagement ring. "A diamond would be perfect. I know this spell that a dark sorceress used to trap victims of hers within. It should be strong enough to bind them both with some wardings."

"The get to it," Fiona said, glad to hear that the trouble they had been enduring might be close to an end.

    Astra went to fetch a diamond.  In a flash of red psionic energy she reappeared with three diamond of various sizes and quality.  She handed them to Arcane Ace.  "Take your pick," she stated, "but we're running out of time.
   
    "Where'd you get these?" He asked studying them with a keen eye.

    "From Futurina," she replied nonchalantly.  "You should see her treasure room."

    "This will do," Ace stated as he took the mid sized one.  "You should return the others before she gets mad at you."

    "Oh, I asked before I took," Astra assured him.  She smiled and made sure to let him know it was fine.

    "Most heroes have a trophy room, not a treasure room," Starmaster corrected.

    "Hers is more a treasure room, gold coins, rings, gems, necklaces, bracelets, you name it and it there," Astra stated.  "She told me most of it comes from adventures, and former suitors.  She looks at it fondly but also with sorrow."

"One of these days I'm going to have a long talk with Futurina. I bet she has some very interesting stories." Arcane Ace said as he began to place wards on the outside exterior of the diamond. "There are three things I'm going to need. One, a circle drawn in around the spirit and Highlander. Two, a piece of rope to use to tie Highlander, and three--"

"Why do you need to bind him?" Fiona cried out as she stroked the cheek of her suspended husband while he floated in air within Starmaster's psychokinetic hold.

"No, it isn't what you think," Ace said. "Magic has a lot to do with intent. The way the mind conceptualizes reality. The rope is meant to signify that he is meant to stay here, not go into the stone. I mean, if you want me to put him in there..."

"Funny, magic-man," Fiona rolled her eyes at Ace. She placed her hand over Highlander's own. "I'd like to keep him here, if it isn't too much to ask."

"Good. Last thing I need is a bit of juice." Ace said.

"I can provide that." Infinite Tempest said as he rubbed his hands together. Sparks of electricity flew from them as if he held a bit of metal against a spinning grindstone.

"Sorry. I mean 'juice' juice. Apple, orange. I'm parched."

"You've got to be kidding me." Astra said. "You're spell needs a Snapple?"

"No, not really." Ace chuckled. "I need each of you to be as happy as possible. Smile, laugh, tell jokes. It doesn't matter, but the more foreign your mind is to vengeful thoughts, the easier this will be." Ace broke into song, his baritone voice rather pleasing to the ear. "La-la-la-la-Lasagna."

"How did I know it would be Weird Al," Starmaster said. He brought up a finger up to his temple. "If you don't mind, could you hurry. Highlander is quite strong and he's fighting my hold."

Together, Astra and Fiona tied a bit of wild grapevine to Highlander's wrists and ankles. Infinite Tempest used a large branch to create a circle around their targets.

Once completed, everyone stepped out from the spells area of effect and watched as Arcane Ace tapped into his supernatural abilities and cast the spell. Each of them concentrated on happy memories, pushing away any dark thoughts. Astra and Starmaster hummed, startling one another when they realized they both were singing along to "Word Crimes" by Weird Al Yankovic.

The body of the Spirit of Revenge disappeared. Highlander stayed the same, except for a brief instant when a shadow seemed to pass over him.

Fiona, who had never left mental contact with him, could see the black infection within him wash away, leaving his psyche as it was before they arrived in Colorado.

Ace closed his hand around the glittering diamond and spoke a final word as a barely perceptible roar of defiance faded into the ether.

The group exchanged glances, uncertain of what had happened.

"Did it work?" Fiona asked.

"Well? Ace? Did it work," Fiona asked.

Arcane ace sighed, and he raised one eyebrow, "I hope so. it appears it did."

"How do I get my husband back? What do we do next?"

Astra placed a hand on Fiona's shoulder.

"We need to take him and get out of here," Astra said. "We take the diamond and secure it somewhere. Somewhere out of sight, out of mind. where it can never be found. far away."

Fiona nodded, "We'll find a place."