220 35613 <435het$5om@newsbf02.news.aol.com> article Path: ix.netcom.com!ix.netcom.com!howland.reston.ans.net!news-e1a.megaweb.com!newstf01.news.aol.com!newsbf02.news.aol.com!not-for-mail From: dinoraptor@aol.com (DinoRaptor) Newsgroups: alt.barney.dinosaur.die.die.die Subject: Michigan Ice Terrors Date: 12 Sep 1995 22:59:41 -0400 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Lines: 465 Sender: root@newsbf02.news.aol.com Message-ID: <435het$5om@newsbf02.news.aol.com> Reply-To: dinoraptor@aol.com (DinoRaptor) NNTP-Posting-Host: newsbf02.mail.aol.com This is the complete (all four episodes) of Jihad Tales-The Sleepers Strike. Enjoy. . . . . . . Jihad Tales-The Sleepers Strike #1 It was the first anniversary of the liberation of Michigan from the forces of B'harne. The main celebration was in the capital, Lansing, and the city was packed. People crowded the streets, restaurants and bars. But the main attraction was the evening's ice skating show. A famous Jihaddi heroine, the slayer of the B'harne minion Plush- cutus, would perform. The sun set as Sol Prime, leader of the Solar Ishtari, walked into the municipal arena and presented his ticket. He looked inside, seeing that the arena was now a huge ice rink. Sol Prime was large man, six foot six with the build of a wrestler with deep green eyes. His reaction times were a tenth of even the fastest human, and his psionic powers those of a superhero. But he looked just like a large, fit man. You would have noticed only two things unusual about him-his deep, wise green eyes and his overpowering presence. Both were because of psionic powers. Sol Prime scanned the area, finding no sign of B'harne agents. At least no active ones. But he still feared sleepers. Several had activated, with disastrous results. He looked up and across the ice and saw a box covered with red, white and blue bunting. Men in dark suits surrounded the box. The President was here. The speakers boomed, "Citizens of Lansing, loyal Jihaddi and the President! Here comes the main event." Down on the rink, a young woman in a shimmering white outfit shot from the far side of the rink. One quarter of the way down, she leapt into a double toe loop, following it with a triple toe loop. Coming out of the second loop, she gave the crowd a dazzling smile. The multitude went wild, jumping to their feet. Their cheers and shouts were deafening. Only Nancy, slayer of Plush-cutus, could skate like that. Nancy heard the crowd and almost blushed. This was better than Lillehammer! She went into the turn, using her crossover to gain speed. The next maneuver was tough, but a real crowd pleaser. She came out of the turn and mentally marked her takeoff and landing points. This would be close. She reached the jump point and leapt into a double axel. She came out of the axel, landing perfectly. The crowd cheered. She glided to a spot in front of the President's box, finishing with a spin and a graceful bow. The President and his wife leapt to their feet and clapped. The rest of his aides did so. Some Secret Service agents smiled at Nancy. Nancy skated backward until she reached the point she started. Once there, she spun 180 degrees. Four blood-curdling avian shrieks blasted from the speakers. To Nancy each shriek was distinctive, but to the audience they sounded the same. Four velociraptors skated onto the rink. There was a hush. The 'raptors wore virtual reality helmets. This enabled their handlers to train and control them. But these helmets were not combat models, but sleek and showy head gear for performance. Each helmet was shiny ebon black, with two stripes of metallic color running down each side and a gold center stripe. The side stripe color was unique to each 'raptor. Nancy was already in telepathic link with the 'raptors. -Arrow formation, Hillary.- she sent. Hillary, the 'raptor with twin fiery red helmet stripes, acknowledged. The troop formed into arrow, with Nancy as the point. -Follow me- she sent. -Olympic technical sequence on my command.- Nancy slowly circled the rink twice, letting the dinosaurs adjust to the crowd. At the end of the second lap, she acted. -Go!- she sent. The four 'raptors, Hillary, Jocelyn, Donna and Janet, followed their trainer. But their jumps were six to eight feet high instead of Nancy's two. Plus their tails whipped around, up and down as the dinosaurs balanced themselves. At the end of the sequence, Nancy and the 'raptors skated backstage. She felt their excitement quiver through the mindlink. An image of the four gutting a hadrosaur came to Nancy from Hillary. Nancy acknowledged it, hiding her human reaction. A pair of skaters whooshed onto the rink after they were in and started to dance. Sol Prime, normally reserved, had responded as the crowd did. He went from his seat to rinkside and walked to the performer's area. His security pass got him in the 'raptor area. Nancy stood there until workers had attended to the 'raptors. Then she went to dressing room. Sweat was threatening to ruin her makeup and she was thirsty. After she drank and fixed her makeup, she felt her landing leg. It was sore and she still had the Plush-cutus battle re-enactment to go. Someone knocked on the door and voice called out, "Someone from the Solar Ishtari, ma'am." "Send him in, please." she replied. The door opened and Nancy saw a huge man walk in. "I'm Sol Prime." he said. "Pleased to meet you." "The High Mage." said Nancy. Solar Warrior had described Sol Prime as awe-inspiring but gentle. He was right. She activated her aura sense and was further awed. His aura was like the noonday sun. "Sol, if you please." replied Sol Prime. "Solar Warrior has said much about you. His words fall far short of the reality." "Thank you." said Nancy, amazed at his manner. He spoke to her as if she was a president or queen. "Your landing leg is sore." spoke Sol. Nancy forced herself not to ask why. Sol Prime was a telepath. "Yes." she said. "Allow me to heal it." he responded, pointing his finger. Nancy felt a warm tingle start at her knee and spread throughout her leg. The pain and stiffness vanished. "Wow." she said. "Thank you." "My pleasure." he said. They fell to small talk. Then a voice called out, "Five minutes." "Thank you for your company." said Sol Prime. "You're welcome." replied Nancy. Sol Prime got up and looked directly at Nancy. His eyes became gentle and sincere. "You are a jewel among women." he said. "A rare, flawless gem." Nancy blushed slightly and said, "Thank you." Sol Prime went back to his seat knowing that he'd made Nancy feel good and feeling good himself because of it. A few minutes later the lights dimmed. Nancy and the 'raptors took to the ice. Then a holographic image of Plush-cutus appeared. Nancy and the 'raptors attacked the image as the music swelled. After a tense and dramatic finale, the house lights came on. Nancy and the 'raptors took their bows and skated offstage. The President's wife turned to him and said, "Please have that wonderful young lady sit with us." "Of course." he replied. "I should thought of that. Thank you." He turned to a Secret Service agent and spoke a few words. The agent went backstage. Nancy heard another knock on her door. She opened it and saw a Secret Service agent. "The President has invited you to his box." said the agent. "He wants me to escort you." Nancy smiled at the agent "That's very kind of both you and him." she said. "I'll be along shortly." Nancy searched through her clothes bag. This calls for a dress and pumps, she thought. And all I have is dance wear! She finally found a white leotard and dance slippers. She put them on and went to the agent. Joan was livid. The battle enactment was too violent. After all, it was only a purple dinosaur. Barney didn't do things like that. She jerked, feeling something growing inside her. Sol Prime saw Nancy go to the President's box and was even more delighted. She was getting the royal treatment. Well, she'd earned it. His psi senses screamed danger. He looked in the direction and saw a woman floating a few inches above the floor. Her hair was turning green and purple blotches were forming on her skin. Electrical discharges sparked from her finger tips. She rose above the crowd and pointed her finger at Nancy, loosing a bolt of lighting. But the bolt struck an milky white wall and splattered. St. Elmo's fire danced from exposed metal surfaces. Hair stood up. Jihad Tales-The Sleepers Strike #2 Secret Service agents closed in on the President and First Lady, forming a protective wall. They drew Uzi's and pistols, aiming them at the hovering B'harne sleeper agent. They quickly hustled the pair to the presidential limousine. Sol Prime shifted the shield to follow the President. At the same time he attacked the sleeper. The monster turned to Sol Prime, lashing him with lightning bolts. The bolts splashed against his shield, and jumped to exposed metal. Colors from brilliant blue to fiery red flashed as the electricity sought its way to ground. The sharp tang of ozone, mixed with sweat and fear odors, filled the air. Sol had no trouble holding the shield as he was barely exerting himself. The problem were bystanders. The stray bolts were lethal. Plus the charge was building to dangerous levels. If a dipole formed, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) could destroy electronics. Nancy charged through the crowd to reach the 'raptors. If their helmets were destroyed by an EMP it would be disastrous. Finally she reached the area. The 'raptors were restless, but their helmets still worked. She ordered the handlers to put the combat helmets back on. They were EMP-hardened. Sol Prime threw out a telekinetic tractor beam. It bounced. He tried again, fighting to synchronize the beam. But the sleeper's chaotic psi thwarted him. He gave up and threw and TK net around the sleeper. She still fought, but he could slowly force her out of the arena. Nancy ran to a locker and touched a plate. The locker opened, revealing several Solar Ishtari battlesuits. She started getting into one. Sol Prime reached out with his mind and turned on a cellular comlink at his belt. Using his mental powers, he patched into the security com-net. "This is Sol Prime of the Solar Ishtari." came a voice over the security chief's comlink. "Clear the area around the arena. I'm going to force the sleeper out. And get me a flying belt." "Acknowledged." replied the security chief. Next he sent a thought to Nancy -Put the combat helmets on the 'raptors and get into a battlesuit.- -Already done- returned Nancy. -Meet me at the front of the arena-he sent. -Roger.- returned Nancy. Nancy linked with Hillary and ordered them to follow. They complied, heading for the front of the arena. Sol turned to the sleeper. She was still pounding him with lightning bolts. He thought and a hole opened in the arena wall. Tightening the TK (telekinetic) net, he forced the sleeper toward the hole. She fought back, maniacally blasting him with electricity. The arena thundered with battle. Sol finally maneuvered her to the hole and pushed. The sleeper shot out the hole into the cold night. Deprived of a target, she rose up higher and flew off, seeking new prey. A security team leveled their weapons at Nancy and the velociraptors, but let her through when they saw her battlesuit. She reached Sol Prime and pulled off her helmet. "Things are heating up." she said. "Yes." replied Sol Prime. The Lansing police chief came up and introduced himself. Sol Prime quickly outlined a plan. Nancy and the 'raptors would be a ground search team and Lansing police would escort the 'raptors. The mayor would call for a Doberman Empire rapid deployment team. Off-duty police would be called back to guard power plants and telecom stations. "One other thing, Nancy and Sol." said the police commissioner. "We've had reports of increased B'harne activity in the city for the last six days. We thought it was random, but I'm beginning to think otherwise." "Perhaps." said Sol Prime. "Maybe it had something to do with my appearance here." replied Nancy. "I'm not a favorite of B'harne's." "It's irrelevant now." stated Sol Prime. Sol Prime buckled on the flying harness and took off. He wore a Solar Ishtari combat helmet, a spare from the 'raptors inventory. Once above the buildings, he probed with his psi sense, detecting faint traces of the sleeper, masked by tension and fear. He finally narrowed the location down to six blocks. "Nancy, search the area from the corner of 5th and Vine for six blocks." he said. "Roger." replied Nancy, issuing orders. The 'raptors fanned out. "Nothing in Jocelyn's or Donna's sector." reported Nancy. "Ok." answered Sol Prime. "The sleeper hasn't moved. Double team search." "Ok." replied Nancy. She sent Jocelyn and Donna to assist Hillary and Janet. Sol Prime descended, still psi-probed. Again a trace of the sleeper, slightly strong but too brief for localizing. "Report of a flying woman in Hillary and Donna's sector." said Nancy. "Sending Janet and Jocelyn to assist. Moving in" "Ok." replied Sol Prime. "Moving in." Hillary sniffed the air and so did Donna. The enemy scent was definite now. They fidgeted, wanting to close in and kill. Nancy felt their eagerness via the mindlink and persuaded them to stalk instead. "Hillary and Donna have the sleeper's scent." said Nancy. "Ok." said Sol. "Surround the place." Nancy acknowledged. Nancy looked at her helmet display. It displayed a vague electric field anomaly, probably a cracked power line insulator. Then she saw Hillary and Jocelyn. Three lighting bolts blasted from the sky. Nancy, using her figure skater's agility, dived behind a car. The bolt struck a manhole, melting it. Hillary and Jocelyn evaded the bolts meant for them, screaming in protest. The other two 'raptors, driven by pack instinct, galloped to help. "Are you OK?" asked Sol Prime. "I'm fine." said Nancy. She quickly checked the 'raptor displays. "The gals are OK, although Hillary and Jocelyn may have singed feathers." "Good." said Sol. "Now that I have a fix, I'm going after the sleeper. Follow me and stay back, both you and the gals. You're too pretty to get hurt and the 'raptors too expensive." Nancy smiled at the compliment. "Understood." Sol Prime ascended to attack the sleeper. Jihad Tales-The Sleepers Strike #3 Nancy ordered the 'raptors to hide, then did so herself. The lighting bolt intended for her had melted a hole in the pavement. The suit would stop such a thrust, but enough amperage would leak through to sting badly. Sol Prime threw a telekinetic (TK) tractor net around the sleeper and pulled. She felt the tug and attacked. Sol parried the shafts carefully, deflecting them upward. He swung the sleeper round like a ball on a string, fighting to maintain the tractor net. Round and round the sleeper spun. She fought Sol wickedly, blasting him with ball and forked lighting. Sol sensed an airliner near. So did the sleeper. She fired off two bursts, one at Sol and another at the airliner. Sol threw out a shield to protect the airplane. The lighting bolt splashed into an invisible wall a foot from the cockpit. The pilot veered hard left. The other lighting bolt struck Sol's personal shield. He moaned with pain as he expended more power to protect himself. The tractor net dissolved. Sol cursed. He'd told them to clear the airspace around Lansing! He dived, looking for the sleeper The sleeper plummeted toward earth, pulling up twenty feet above the street. She saw her target and readied a blast. Nancy saw the sleeper dive and sent a warning, -Run, Hillary, run!- Hillary sprinted from cover. The sleeper followed, blasting away. Nancy closed in, her battlesuit enabling her to keep up with Hillary. The three other 'raptors raced to help their companions. Hillary turned onto a side street. It was a dead end, with a four story building being the dead end. Hillary ran forward and leapt up, crashing through a second-story window. The sleeper emitted a horrific scream and rose up the second floor. Once there, she poured bolts into the second story. The lights went out as circuit breakers tripped. Actinic light flashed. Nancy felt Hillary's distress cry. She flashed the 'raptor a diagram of the structure's interior from her battlesuit scanners. Hillary, seeing the picture, hid behind a large desk and some file cabinets. The sleeper ceased her barrage and moved toward the shattered window. Hillary raced for the door, her tail toppling a chair. The sleeper heard the noise and fired a bolt at the fleeing 'raptor, barely missing her. Hillary ran to the stairs, the sleeper in hot pursuit. She opened the door and ran down. Seeing another window, she leapt through it, landing in the street below. The other 'raptors had now arrived. Nancy ordered them to surround the building. She next stationed herself to cover Hillary's escape. The sleeper shot out of the window Hillary had escaped through. A force-packet from Nancy slammed her back. A second followed, smashing her through a wall. A third followed, sending her through another wall. I hope this finishes it, thought Nancy. The sleeper, now on the other side of the building, sensed Jocelyn and Janet outside. She blasted out the window with a lighting bolt and dived toward the 'raptors. But she paused, confused by two identical mind traces. Nancy leap up and the suit antigravs cut in, carrying her over the building. Hillary and Donna raced to their companions. Nancy cleared the top and started down. She fired a force- packet at the sleeper. The bolt grazed the B'harne minion, spinning her around to face Nancy. The two collided, pushing the sleeper's face against Nancy's faceplate. Nancy swung an armored fist into the sleeper's stomach and tucked into a cannonball. The sleeper struck the pavement, cracking it. Nancy heard whooshing sounds as the battlesuit airbags inflated. She hit the pavement and bounced twice, landing on her feet. The sleeper stood several feet away, apparently unhurt. Her eyes glowed a fiery red, full of hate. She raised a hand, pointing it at Nancy. Janet and Donna attacked from both sides, while Hillary and Jocelyn attacked from the front. The minion charged Hillary and Jocelyn and the 'raptors jumped, emitting battle screams. The sleeper dived under Hillary's attack, grabbed her leg behind the sickle claw and tossed the 'raptor aside. Moving like a gymnast, she kicked Donna on the flank, sending the dinosaur flying. Jocelyn landed on the sleeper's back, digging both sickle claws in. The sleeper tumbled forward, tossing Jocelyn off like a rag doll. Hillary came in for a sidewise slashing attack. The sleeper jumped up and kicked her in the flank. A force packet struck the sleeper in the back. She turned and charged Nancy, emitting a savage scream. Nancy felt a powerful TK bolt pass her. It struck the sleeper, carrying her away like a leaf in a gale. "Are you OK?" he said. "Yes." replied Nancy. "Let's check the ladies." The 'raptors only had small cuts and minor bruises. "I can't believe what I just saw." said Nancy. "She fought off four 'raptors. Jocelyn ripped two cuts a half-inch deep and two feet long in her back and they healed in seconds." "Continue." replied Sol Prime. Nancy described the rest of the battle and finished with, "It was like something from an anime." Sol Prime smiled. Solar Warrior was a Japanese animation (anime) fan and Nancy's combat trainer. "I had not expected this creature to be so tough." he said. "Why did she hesitate like that?" asked Nancy. "Probably homing in your psi signature." answered Sol Prime. "And since I'm mind-linked with the 'raptors, she though there were two or more of me." said Nancy. "Correct." replied Sol Prime. "I have something that might help." said Nancy. Jihad Tales-The Sleepers Strike #4 "Please describe it" replied Sol Prime. "Solar Warrior and I made a battlesuit simulate skates with the suit antigravs." she said. "Interesting." replied Sol. "I'd be much more mobile." said Nancy. "Do it." replied Sol Prime. "Ok." said Nancy. "I'll tend to the 'raptors." responded Sol Prime. Nancy scrolled through the list of programs in the suit computers and found SIMSKATE. She loaded it and started to move around, smiling as she tested the responses. Then she toggled SIMSTAKE off and went to Sol. "How does it work?" asked Sol. "No silver or gold medals." she answered. "Possibly a bronze." "Very well." replied Sol Prime. "Where does that sleeper get her power?" asked Nancy. "B'harne modifies their DNA." he said. "He doesn't use human stuff, but DNA from the Old Ones." "Yes." she replied. "B'harne is a renegade Old One that came to Earth during the Cretaceous." continued. "The Old Ones have anime-type powers." "So he inserts Old Ones DNA in humans via tame viruses." replied Nancy. "These genes activate and give the sleeper superhero powers." "Exactly." said Sol Prime. "But it's a big drain on the person implanted." "If we drained her energy, might she revert to normal?" asked Nancy. "Maybe." answered Sol Prime. "It might knock her out long enough for a force field trap." "Fight a war of attrition and hope." stated Nancy. "I see no alternative." said Sol Prime. "It will be some time before the Doberman Empire team arrives. Solar Warrior is abroad, and the other mages are needed elsewhere." "Who said it was easy?" replied Nancy. "That's why I giving you the chance to quit now." replied Sol. "With no prejudice." "I'll stay." replied Nancy. "I didn't win medals by quitting." "Very well." said Sol. "To war." Sol mindlinked with Nancy, showing her how to access the Jihad surveillance net. They moved through the systems, finally accessing a network of solar-powered observation balloons. They floated high above the reach of aircraft, circling around their objectives on low- powered propellers. Sol took off. Nancy moved out, her legs moving as if she was skating. The 'raptors followed, still eager for battle. Jocelyn got a scent, and Nancy relayed it to Sol. The troop followed Jocelyn and the scent grew stronger. Sol got a faint psi trace. It was weak and unsteady, but definitely the sleeper. He sent the location to Nancy, and the image from the surveillance net blurred as she shift the view. The image stabilized and Sol grimaced. Nancy sensed his ill-feeling and said, "She's at the outskirts of the city." said Nancy. "Now we have a free fire zone." "Correct." replied Sol Prime. "I will try to keep her on the ground." "Me first." said Nancy. "OK." replied Sol. Nancy turned on the external speaker approached the sleeper. "I'm Nancy." boomed her voice. "Come and get me! B'harne's a nerd!" She followed the taunt with a non-ladylike gesture. The sleeper screamed and bore down on Nancy. She struck an invisible wall erected by Sol Prime. Nancy turned and fired. Sol Prime fired after her, immediately putting up the telekinetic net. Then the 'raptors struck. The sleeper dodged, moving like a gymnast. Nancy fired again, followed by Sol Prime. The two humans and four velociraptors harried the sleeper. After what seemed an eternity, the sleeper weakened. The final blow came from Nancy. A force packer hit the sleeper and she collapsed in a heap. Her body glowed, changing to that of a young woman a few years younger than Nancy. "She's down." said Nancy. "Stay back." replied Sol as he landed. Sol Prime approached the sleeper and probed. "It's safe." he said. Nancy removed her helmet and approached. "It's over." she sighed. "Thank heaven." Sol Prime went to over to the sleeper and felt for a pulse. There was none. The 'raptor transport van drove up. Sol ordered the handlers to cage the 'raptors and took Nancy aside, helping her out of her battlesuit. "She died." he said to Nancy. "I'm sorry." "I tried." said Nancy. "I tried so hard." Tears welled into her eyes. Sol Prime put his arms around her in a fatherly fashion. "I understand." he said. "I tried too." THE END