EVIL UNDER THE SUN

By: Danae Conrad

You will destroy them. You will submit to this. You cannot fight it any longer. She shook her head violently trying to clear the maddening thoughts from her consciousness. The fight had been hard and she was losing. The two personalities conflicting within her caused her mental patterns to twist.

"My dear, you look exhausted." Wysdom smiled with cloying sweetness. "Why don't you rest?"

"NO!!!!" Adena screamed, knowing her life depended on her resistance.

"You will lose, my dear." Aven motioned to Wysdom to keep silent while he dealt with an obnoxious child. "Give in while you can."

"NO. I said it once and I will fight you till the end.I don't want this creature in my head." She flew at Aven with her nails extended. He easily deflected her attack and threw her away from him. Her balance distorted, she fell and rapped her head on the wall behind her. That blow snapped her last contact with reality.

She turned and stood to face Aven, who sensed something drastically different in her person. "Ready to give in, vixen?"

"To a scum like you. Never."

Wysdom was furious. "How dare you address him like that?"

"I am The Enchantress. I do as I please. You're not much better, where's your scarlet A?"

Wysdom's hands flew to cover her shocked face. Aven turned livid with fury. He tried to grab The Enchantress, but she easily deflected him. He didn't even touch her, before her magic threw him and Wysdom to the floor.

The door opened and Archie walked into the room. Seizing the opportunity, Aven quickly fed in mental images of Blue's love for Adena.

"Adena," Archie began. "What are you doing?"

"Getting rid of you!" She was matter-of-fact and viscious now. She tossed him beside the two fallen wizards. "You are bigger fools than I imagined. Now, my demands... the Tiara, the Ring and I will attain anything else I want. I always get what I want. Throw the Keys into the corner - quickly!!"

As Aven cowardly did so, Wysdom hissed angrily, "Stop her! You said she was under your power!"

"She's broken free somehow! I cannot do anything!"

"You fool! You've released the New Plague upon us!"

"That is enough!" Adena spoke sharply and strode over to pick up the Ring. Placing it on her finger, she turned back to the wizards. "Stand up! Backs to one another."

They obeyed and through the supplemental power of the Ring, Adena wove bewitching coils around them. It drained their powers to her body. It seemed that she would succeeded in her warped plan.

Adena paced the room and came to stand in front of a mirror. "Green!?" she said in disgust. "That will never do." The wizards watched spellbound as her clothing paled and then darkened to a coal black satin. "Much better." She laughed visciously and then returned to the wizards.

"Now to plan an attack. What would be more destructive? Bronson, Enad, Iff...," she choked on the last word. Her lost conscience struggled to surface, but the damage seized hold once again. "Yes, Iffley. Total power through the Sceptre!! You were foolish indeed, but I thank you for giving me such a brillant opportunity."

Wysdom began to sob. "Please, don't do this! Not to us or them!"

"Pity!? You're asking me for pity? Take what pity I will give!!" Wysdom crumpled in pain as Adena's lasers hit. "They don't kill, just form agonizing, chronic pain." She laughed in triumph.

The hideous, tortured laugh seemed to resound and echo through space itself....

*********************************************************

Madison was standing on the bridge of the Madison when Bronson noticed him looking very concerned.

"Something amiss, Madison."

"Maybe, maybe. I cannot put my finger on it, but something seems to be very wrong in space."

"Can you even guess..."

The intership communications called for his attention. "URGENT MESSAGE COMING--REPEAT--URGENT MESSAGE."

Iffley and Dion appeared on the screen. "Something is very wrong with Adena." Iffley began. I can't give any details, but we have got to help her."

"Lead the way, Iffley," Bronson responded. "It's all for one and one for all now."

He didn't know how right he was.