CHAPTER XXVI
"When you have time return to the rig, all may not be as it seems, I think an old friend had been there" said the message on Kara's mobile. This was the very same phone she had kept since the day Selena set her free from her vengeful torture.
A grainy image of Mr Nordic appeared and Kara recognised him immediately. He had been there at her interrogation as she planted her lies, her Seeds of Deception. He and others including the former Miss Asia, Lucy, had been there too including the now deceased CrewCut.
Kara wondered what may have happened that she had missed but she glanced northward and sped off. The Pacific was enormous but punctuated by the occasional dot of land. Its warm blue waters teemed with life, the gulls, the flying fish, the leaping of dolphins and the blast of mist from the blow hole of a passing whale.
Onwards she pushed, the air getting cooler as rapidly coming into view were the stepping stone like Aleutian islands which lay across her path, the fishing boats with their broad booms playing out their nets. Soon the narrow straight separating East from West passed her by too and she was heading into the Arctic.
Further she went as the sun sank deeper to the horizon, the red sky ahead as the water beneath gradually transformed to slush then fields of white as she headed into the darkness. Now she was heading southward as she crossed over the roof of the world, the crisp ice gradually fading away as she passed by Greenland, Iceland and Svalbard.
Slowing, slowing, slowing, she passed over ships and oil rigs and then she saw the one she was looking for, its scarred flank a reminder of its recent fire. Kara landed confidently on the upper structure and looked about her. If Mr Nordic had been here it might merely have been to blow the place up, or something else entirely.
Kara walked calmly across the helipad deck and decided to explore. Her penetrating vision scoured the upper decks but as she looked lower into the bowels of the structure the view became grainy and obscured for some reason. She had seen this effect many times, many metals and radioactive sources could fritz up her vision to some degree. The worst metal was lead for blocking her line of sight but this was something different.
Kara looked for a way through to the lower levels and saw a pathway through a service module. Passing by a generator room Kara found a stairwell and descended further into the superstructure until she exited on the working platform. Here the various drill shafts and drill bits were assembled to be forced into the sea bed and it was this area that interfered with her powers.
Walking confidently into the cavernous open space she saw the lengths of bright fresh chain work that ran from the upper decks through the grated floor and into the drill shaft. Kara ran her hand over the chain, its clean shiny appearance making her wonder if this was the reason for Nordics visit.
"Impressive , isn't it ?" said a voice from nowhere.
Kara turned to face the voice, slightly unsettled by not having detected the person who it belonged to. Kara took in the sight of Kimberly Sanderson wearing oil rig workers overalls, a grey hard hat on her head, black steel toe capped boots on her feet.
Kara recognised Kimberly from the news. Regardless of whatever was going on at the rig the fugitive had to be apprehended.
"I wond....errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" began Kimberly as her words began to slow down to an incredible slow motion crawl. Her face contorted in a bizarre way as she started to speak, her eyes caught in a half blink. The Superheroine had begun to move lightning fast, the world around her slowing to a crawl.
Without effort Kara began to close the distance to Kimberly who continued to speak at her torturously slow pace.
"rrrrrrrrrred wheeeeeeeeeee...." Kimberly continued.
Kara started to slam on the brakes and ...
"Oh...no..." she thought as she suddenly felt like ...
"...en you'd get here.....oh....." Kimberly finished her words, her blink moment finished and the blond had vanished from in front of her.
DIFFDIFFDIFFDIFF
The metal grid floor shook, the metallic footfalls of the booted heroine stumbling behind Kimberly until the red caped heroine caught a support with one arm and pulled herself to a halt.
"Ooopsie...." Said Kimberly turning her head to one side.
Kara spun to face Kimberly her eyes wide open. She had felt this sensation before, that one time, the green rock in space that she had ...
"Stay back....." Kara ordered.
"Don't you like it ? I made it juuuuuuuuust ...." Kimberly started to say in slow motion in an almost innocent way as she produced something like a long thin metal wand a tiny spec of green glinting at its tip. She slowly began to hold the wand aloft and Kara could now sense its presence. Kara began to dash laterally from Kimberly, she needed to create some working space to manoeuvre in.
The green aura from the spec of dust began to invade into the space the two combatants were battling in. Kara was getting to speed as Kimberly drawled out her slow motion monologue again.
"....foooooooooooor" said the distorted sounding Kimberly at the former location of the heroine.
Kara had created just enough space that she was comfortable with and came to a halt to Kimberly's side. She had to act quickly, the green glow was...
"Ungh..." Kara grunted with discomfort.
"You!....Oh..now where ..." Kimberly flinched as once again the heroine had burst away at speed unseen.
Kara could feel her strength fading, she needed to get clear. Without thinking she took a short breath and began to blow a lung full of air against the powerful framed Kimberly. The muscular nemesis stumbled backwards as the momentary gale caught her by surprise, her free hand clamping her hard hat to her head as she leant into the wind, her other arm reaching out at the heroine, the green tipped wand glowing ominously.
Kara blew and blew until her lungs were spent, and Kimberly who had almost fell to her knees rose upright again. Normally she could have whipped up a tornado but Kara knew she was fading fast.
"Stay back Kimberly, I don't wish to harm you ....." Kara said between a gulp of air, stepping slowly back from the powerful woman in front of her.
Kimberly sensed the heroine was on the back foot and hissed wickedly as she maintained her wizard like stance, wand aloft and in front of her.
"I dooooooo" began Kimberly as with the raising of one foot Kara sensed the woman was starting to approach.
In that moment Kara decided to roll the dice one more time. She was in danger and it was time to do something drastic.
The searing red well of energy built up within her normally loving blue eyes and the beam emanated forth, its energy heating the air around it causing a slow motion crackle only Kara could hear.
"Oooooooont thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii......" continued Kimberly in slow motion as Kara saw the beam reach closer and closer to the target.
The beam struck the wand causing an eerie mix of colours to form as the beam split in half, deflected either side of Kimberly.
"......nk....sooooooooooooooo" finished Kimberly as her leg was just finishing its first step, Kimberly had started to approach the heroine.
Then it happened, the diffracted beam from Kara's eyes manifested itself into two forms, two men, twins perhaps.
"Caste Zor'El !!?? Save me from this nightmare.... don't you see.... I was telling the truth....! " said the first apparition.
"You will suffer for thissss injusssssstice ...." hissed the twin.
"Who are you .?" yelled Kara
"I am ... Vel Yor'Tel.....where is my new body....?" begged the first apparition.
" GIIIVE MEEEEEE A BOOOOOODY" screamed the second twin angrily.
Kara saw her beam of energy begin to strobe as her power wained, the apparitions emanating from the green dust fading from existence. Kara stumbled to the floor, spent, her deep red booted legs folded beneath her, head down, her cape over her shoulders.
Kimberly stopped walking, she towered over the fallen heroine, her green tipped wand of torment bathing the heroine in its emerald glow. Reaching down Kimberly took a handful of the blonds hair into her grasp and cruelly twisted the superheroines head to face her.
"Argghhhhhhhhhh" screamed Kara, her two hands clamping onto Kimberly's forearm, trying to release her head.
"It is time ...." said Kimberly coldly as she smiled, resisting Kara's attempt to break free.
"For what ...." Kara growled, teeth clenched.
"You'll see ....." Kimberly smiled as she dragged Kara to her feet.