Part 2

Jade floated down the corridor, bathing everything in an eerie emerald glow. The fire of the Starheart blazed within her, causing tendrils of green flame to lap along her body. Whoever these intruders were, the shadows would not be their allies. Like her father before her, she would shed her light over dark evil. For the dark things cannot stand the light of the Green Lantern.

At least, that was the plan. So far, she hadn’t actually found anyone.

Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a tiny object hovering behind her. It was no bigger than a fly but it flitted to and fro with a speed greater than any normal insect. It also seemed to be wearing a minuscule cape. Curious, Jade made ready to stun it with an energy burst when the small shape shot right past her, grazing her shoulder. She cried out in pain as something sharp cut her.

Whatever the little thing was, it had somehow gotten through her personal force field and managed to draw blood. It was only a tiny wound but still disconcerting. Jade knew her powers were vulnerable against wood but what sort of bug attacked with a wooden stinger?

* * * *

At superhuman speed, Lesla-Lar had swooped towards the green-skinned giantess, clutching a toothpick in her hands. Moving faster than perception, she landed on the wide smooth surface of a giant shoulder. The trunk of a huge neck loomed behind her and dark green hair hung like vines above her head. Lesla slashed downward with her pointed weapon, slicing Jade’s skin. A small gash opened in the fleshy ground beneath her. Before the giant woman could react, the little Kandorian was gone, blasting away like a speeding bullet.

Lesla activated the com-link in her ear. “Wood! What an absurd weakness! I’ve cut her, Despotellis. She’s all yours.”

Indeed. You’re mine, green one, the virus’ shrill voice whispered. Once more microscopic and unseen, Despotellis floated towards the cut on Jade’s arm. From its sub-atomic perspective, this tiny gash seemed like a huge fissure of the earth. Blood gushed from the depths like bubbling magma. Despotellis dove into the cavern and entered the vast tunnels of Jade’s bloodstream. At once, it began to replicate itself, sending forth a legion of spores to spread its poison.

As Jade searched for the strange insect that had bitten her, she felt an odd sensation come over her. Her face felt a bit warm and beads of sweat soon dotted her skin.

“Hmm. Must be coming down with something,” she muttered to herself. But there was no time to think about that now. Turning a corner, she floated down the next hall and continued her search.

* * * *

With the first part of her assignment completed, Lesla-Lar shot down the hallway seeking her true target – her old enemy Supergirl. Revenge upon the Kryptonian heroine was what had enticed her to join this motley band and she was eager for a rematch. The fact that she was now only a fiftieth of the size of her opponent did not daunt Lesla in the slightest.

She finally came upon her in the monitor womb where the Justice League’s equipment scanned for crisis points around the world. Lesla watched the gargantuan blonde fly about the room, searching in vain for the intruders. Supergirl floated lightly from place to place, with her long golden hair, red cape, and miniskirt billowing behind her. Even at such a grotesque, cyclopean scale compared to the little half-inch Kandorian, the Girl of Steel had a grace and beauty that made Lesla hate her guts more than ever.

The shrunken criminal’s rage built to a breaking point and she projected herself at Supergirl like a tiny guided missile. Closer and closer she flew until that colossal visage filled her entire field of vision. With fists outstretched, Lesla-Lar collided with the vast wall of Supergirl’s cheek.

The heroine recoiled when something small smacked into her face. Supergirl looked around in confusion. Before she could figure out what had happened, another blow struck her on the opposite cheek.

“What the—?” Supergirl began but a swift-moving speck swooped in and punched her in the chest, knocking the wind out of her. Like an angry hornet, it buzzed past her this way and that, slamming into her body with tiny but painful impacts. Supergirl moved at super-speed, trying to catch it, but the little thing seemed to move as fast as she did. Try as she might, her hands closed around empty air when she attempted to grab it.

As the speck swooped towards her once again, Supergirl pursed her lips and blew. A gust of cold air shot forth with the force of a tornado, sending her tiny opponent flying.

Lesla found herself in a tailspin, flipping uncontrollably through the air. She struggled to regain control of her flight. Chilling super-breath filled the area around her, causing small icicles to start forming on her limbs. Her hair and cape stiffened as if assaulted by winter’s frost. Soon a layer of ice covered her whole body. Frozen like a statue, she began to plummet.

Seizing the moment, Supergirl pursed her lips again but this time decided to change tactics. She began to suck air in with her powerful lungs, creating an inescapable vacuum. Her tiny enemy’s fall was paused in mid-air and its trajectory changed. It was now being drawn towards her as if caught in the pull of a black hole.

Supergirl didn’t want to risk actually inhaling the thing for she was still unsure what it was. Judging from the force of its attacks, it might shatter her teeth or do damage to her insides if she pulled it into her mouth. She hoped she could at least throw it off balance and catch it as it approached her.

As Lesla was pulled ever closer, she saw the looming gates of her opponent’s giant lips. Did the heroine mean to consume her? Then she saw the huge hands poised on either side of the cliff-like face, ready to strike. So that was her game. She was being drawn into a trap. Lesla narrowed her eyes and projected her heat vision, melting the ice on her head. Just as she was nearing the girl’s gargantuan face, she released another blast, aiming for her lip. Supergirl cried out as she was singed and the vacuum ceased. Freed once more, Lesla swooped away from the grasping fingers, melting ice from her body as she flew.

The miniature creature was now circling Supergirl’s head like a satellite orbiting the Earth. Around and around it swooped, picking up speed with every circuit. The heroine was getting dizzy trying to follow it. She held up a hand to try and stop it but it nimbly dodged her fingers once again. The creature arced its way around her head, grabbed hold of her hair, and yanked hard. The Girl of Steel stumbled in surprise as her whole body was pulled backwards and flung against a wall. Whatever this little thing was, it was very strong.

Chuckling at her sport, Lesla swooped under Supergirl’s legs, flying straight up her skirt. Above her loomed the mighty hills of the heroine’s backside in a pair of silken red panties.

‘What’s that Earth expression?’ she thought to herself. ‘I see London, I see France…’

Lesla’s eyes released two more beams of heat vision, scorching the surface of the enormous rump. Supergirl yelped and leaped into the air as the tiny woman shot back out into the open, laughing hysterically.

As her super-hearing picked up the sound of this distant, tiny laughter, a scowl came over Supergirl’s face.

“Oh, you want to fight dirty, huh?” she muttered. “Fine!”

When the speck shot past her again, Supergirl slapped her hands together swiftly, trying to swat it like a bug. Given the force with which it had been hitting her, she was reasonably sure the little creature would survive (though at this point, she was starting not to care). Once more, her little enemy was too fast however. Slap after slap missed their mark. Shockwaves spread out from Supergirl’s hands with each clap, doing more damage to the room around her than to her little buzzing foe. Chairs and tables went flying, monitor screens cracked, and equipment shattered from the force of the vibrations. Supergirl frowned. This was going to come out of her Justice League stipend.

The tiny dot dive-bombed at her once more and slammed into her stomach. The cut of Supergirl’s costume left her midriff bare and unprotected, though this was usually not an issue for the invulnerable Kryptonian. Whatever was attacking her now however was strong enough to hurt even her. The tiny flying thing came back again, pummeling the young woman’s abdomen over and over.

Lesla was so enjoying the battle that she became a bit sloppy. On her last assault, she misjudged her impact point and flew straight into Supergirl’s navel, crashing headfirst into a wall of flesh. Grunting in pain from this collision, Supergirl lurched forward and clutched a hand to her belly. Giant fingers suddenly covered the opening of Lesla’s alcove, trapping her inside.

“Let me out of here, you gigantic brat!” she shrieked, awkwardly trying to stand in the tiny cave. Reddish-tinted darkness enshrouded her and she could feel the giantess’s body heat emanating off the walls. Behind her, Lesla could hear the loud gurgles of the girl’s stomach digesting whatever she’d had for breakfast. As Supergirl doubled over with pain, the flesh of her belly folded in on itself, threatening to crush the miniature criminal. Pinned between the floor and ceiling, Lesla screamed defiance and let loose another burst of heat vision at the barrier of fingers.

Supergirl cried out in surprise when something burned her. Bewildered, she reached two fingers into her belly button and pulled out whatever had been thrashing around in there. She held the object up to her eyes and her mouth dropped open in shock. It was a tiny woman, less than an inch tall.

The Maid of Might squinted at the bug-sized being struggling between her thumb and forefinger. She used her telescopic vision to zoom in on the little woman’s face and got another surprise.

“Lesla-Lar?”

* * * *

Vixen crept down the hall, seeking signs of the invaders. Whoever they were, they had cut the power in this part of the building, forcing her to hunt through the shadows. It didn’t concern her. The hunt was where Vixen felt most alive.

Through the power of the Tantu Totem hanging around her neck, she was channeling the abilities of a bloodhound. Everything around her was a potential clue on the trail, every scent led her closer and closer to her prey. Her tan jumpsuit rustled quietly as she slipped around a corner, eyes darting to and fro. She caught an unusual smell in the air but could not quite place it. It seemed vaguely human but was mingled with other scents that were rodent-like. 

With her sense of smell baffled, she tried another tactic. Vixen called upon the echolocation of a bat, sending a shrill almost imperceptible cry into the dark. The vibrations that bounced back to her told her that something was moving up ahead. But her foe was much smaller than she had expected. She channeled the night vision of an owl, trying to locate him.

At last, she sighted movement in the shadows. She was about to attack when she realized it was only a small mouse darting out of a hole. The little critter stopped when it saw her and seemed uncertain what to do. Finally, it resumed its travels. Vixen could hear the skittering of its tiny legs as it moved towards her. She watched with bemusement as it scurried directly over to her, finally stopping next to her foot.

“Well, hello, little one,” she said. “You’re awfully bold.”

Slowly, so as not to frighten it, Vixen lowered herself to a crouching position. She peered down at the mouse curiously and suddenly did a double take. It was not a mouse at all but a tiny man dressed in a gray, furry mouse costume!

“So you’ve found me, hero,” the little man said. “Very well. Our game of chase is at an end. You face now the wrath of the maleficent Mouse Man! Have at thee!”

The little villain pulled an equally tiny metal rod from somewhere in the folds of his uniform. He thrust it against the side of Vixen’s ankle, sending a surprisingly strong electric shock up her leg.

“Yowtch!” she cried. The crouching heroine was taken by surprise and lost her balance, tumbling backward onto her butt. One leg kicked out wildly in front of her, connecting with the Mouse Man’s body and sending him flying. He careened down the hallway and skidded a few times along the tiles like a stone on the surface of a lake.

Once he came to a stop, Mouse Man picked himself up and brushed the dust from his clothes. “Well struck,” he said. “You are a formidable opponent. But our dance has just begun.”

As Vixen sat back up, the Mouse Man hurried back to her, tiny Taser in hand. He began prodding the side of her leg, zapping her again and again.

“Ow! Ow! Why, you little—” After suffering a similar attack from the small green man in the meeting room, Vixen was getting really tired of being electrocuted by tiny people. She moved to grab him but her small opponent was too quick. The Mouse Man leapt out of the way, dodging the long nailed fingers that closed inches behind him. Vixen jumped to her feet and prepared to give chase. She reached for her totem amulet and summoned up the abilities the most appropriate animal she could think of – a cat.

Vixen’s eyes seemed to glow in the dim light as she stalked forward, slowly and deliberately. She could see the Mouse Man scurrying just ahead of her and the sight of the tiny frightened thing summoned up a predatory instinct in her. She dropped down to the floor and began crawling after him on hands and knees. When he was a short distance away, Vixen arched her back and wiggled her backside ever so slightly. Then when the moment was right, she pounced.

Vixen leapt forward with a snarl and made another attempt to catch him. Mouse Man doubled his pace as the gigantic form descended towards him with arms outstretched. He stayed barely out of her reach once again and she crashed against a nearby wall, landing in a heap. Vixen whirled around and hissed. The impact tremor of her fall had caused him to stumble and the Mouse Man was frantically trying to scramble back to his feet. Just as he stood up, Vixen slammed her hand down on top of him, pinning him to the floor.

After a moment, she carefully lifted her hand and looked at the tiny stunned creature. Mouse Man was in too much pain to move and simply groaned weakly into the linoleum. Playfully, Vixen batted him back and forth from one hand to the other like a toy. Soon bored of her game, she took hold of the tail of his costume and hoisted him up into the air. The Taser dropped from his hands to clatter on the floor below. The Mouse Man found himself dangling upside down in front of a giant beautiful face that regarded him coolly. The heroine once more felt the instincts of the predator rise up within her. Vixen stared intently at the little man and licked her lips subconsciously.

She lifted him higher and tilted her head back, opening her mouth wide. Mouse Man stared fearfully down into the woman’s cave-like maw. He could see the wriggling pink tongue and the rows of perfect white teeth extending back into the darkness. In the distance, a black gullet yawned expectantly. He could even see the reddish uvula dangling above it. Hot breath swept over his body and the tiny scientist began to panic.

“You—you wouldn’t!” he cried in a feeble squeak that sounded much like his namesake. In answer, the giant woman released his tail and let him plunge into her mouth, snapping her jaws shut behind him.

Blinded by the sudden dark, Mouse Man found himself under assault by a gigantic wet tongue that tossed him back and forth. It slithered up and down his body, tasting him curiously. He rolled around inside her mouth, feebly trying to fight back. Had she so chosen, Vixen could have easily swallowed the little man in a single gulp. But the predator in her was out for blood. The tongue pushed him forcefully to one side and positioned the Mouse Man on her lower incisors. The upper row of teeth hung suspended above him, ready to slam downwards and bite him in two. Mouse Man gave a scream of primal terror.

The sound of the scream suddenly shocked Mari McCabe back to reality. In an instant, she remembered who she was and what she was doing. Horrified, she spat the Mouse Man back into her hand. She held him in her palm and looked with pity at the small, shivering, wet thing.

“Wow, that was intense,” Vixen said breathily. “I almost gobbled you up, little guy! That cat and I were a little too simpatico, I guess.”

“You show mercy. An admirable trait perhaps,” Mouse Man said. “But also a sign of weakness. It will prove your undoing! I had hoped to defeat you myself but I shall have to rely on my underlings, it seems.”

Placing a hand to the side of his head, the Mouse Man sent forth a telepathic command to his minions. A moment later, several small brown mice scurried out of a hole in the wall and began to approach Vixen. They seemed to have some sort of devices strapped to their heads.

The heroine looked down at them with a smile. “Well, aren’t you just precious? What’s that you have there, little mousies?”

After another silent command from their master, the mice tipped their heads upward and focused their metal headpieces towards the tall woman. The front of the devices suddenly glowed bright red and, with a high pitched whine, tiny beams of light projected forth, striking Vixen’s legs.

“Ouch! That stings!” she cried. More little things shooting at her, she thought ruefully. She was going to need a lot of ointment after this caper. 

“Hang on. Mice with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads?” Vixen burst out laughing. “I hate to break it to you, little fella, but Dr. Evil you’re not.”

“Yes, that’s it, mock me, you fool,” Mouse Man said, still sitting in her hand. “We’ll see who’s laughing soon.”

With hands on his temples, the little villain released more telepathic messages into the ether. More and more mice began to crawl out of holes and wall ducts and ventilation shafts. In moments, the hallway was swarming with them, a tiny furry militia, armed to the teeth. There were even a few of Queen Atomia’s Neutron Robots riding the mice like small blue knights on their noble steeds, serving as commanders of smaller battalions. The rodent army surrounded Vixen on all sides, unleashing dozens of laser blasts at the heroine.

“Ow! Yow! Cut it out!”

Laser fire swept over her, burning little holes into her costume and singeing her skin. Mouse Man ducked his head as a stray blast flew past her hand. Seeking cover from the attack, he ran onto her arm, slid to the crook of her elbow, and scurried up to her shoulder. As Vixen tried to shield herself from the lasers, Mouse Man leaped down her collar, vanishing inside her jumpsuit.

“Hey! You little pervert!” Vixen exclaimed as she felt him slide down her body. She hadn’t time to fish him out for the laser attacks were intensifying. “What do you think you’re—Ow! Ow! Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!”

By now, there were so many tiny red energy beams striking her that they were no longer simply an annoyance. They were doing real damage and causing severe burns. The mice seemed intent on frying her to a crisp. The Tantu Totem glowed as Vixen summoned the traits of a scarab beetle, giving her skin an extra layer of natural armor. A dark, shiny exo-skeleton began to grow over her body.

Deriving her powers from the animal kingdom, Vixen was a great lover of nature and was loath to harm the little mice. But it was looking like it was them or her. She called upon feline attributes again and leapt into action. Vixen hissed and spat as she lunged about, swatting the tiny mouse commandos around the hall. Mice and robot warriors went flying around her as she unleashed her fury.

In the mid-section of her jumpsuit, Mouse Man could only hold on for dear life as she jumped about. He was pressed tight between the tan material and the wall of her belly (not as smooth a surface as one would surmise, thanks to the beetle-like carapace that had grown over Vixen’s skin). A sudden jerk of movement caused him to slip under her belt and he felt himself tumbling down into one of her leggings. The little man slid down her thigh, over her knee, and along the length of her shin, finally coming to rest somewhere inside her boot. He clung to the top of her foot desperately as the woman charged about and continued the battle.

* * * *

Jade stumbled her way into the infirmary, head swimming. Her skin felt like it was on fire and not from the mystic green flame of her powers. A fever had come over her, followed by chills and cold sweats. Her stomach roiled and her vision was blurred. What was happening to her? Was it the bug bite? Had it infected her with something? It couldn’t have been a real insect, it had to be some sort of micro-sized weapon. Whatever it was had made a biological attack. And if she didn’t do something to stop it, it very well might kill her.

She rifled through the cabinets, looking for medicines that could fight infection. But her knowledge of such things was limited. How she wished her old friend Dr. Mid-Nite was here. If she couldn’t prevent what was happening to her, was there time to contact the superhero physician? Would she last long enough?

The fever intensified and another wave of pain swept over her. Dizzy and disoriented, Jade collapsed onto a nearby cot. Somewhere in the vast tracts of her bloodstream, Despotellis was laughing.

To be continued...