Fic: Stained Glass I: Shattered (1/10)
Title: Stained Glass I: Shattered (1/10)
Author: BradyGirl-12
Pairings/Characters (this chapter): Steve/Diana, Goran, Galt
Genres: Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort
Rating (this chapter): R
Warnings (this chapter): Violence
Spoilers (this chapter): References to events in ”Until The Yellow Sun Blesses You Again…”.
General Summary: Diana and Steve’s love has always been strong, and they have always had each other’s back. Now they need that strength and teamwork when they are captured during a war on an alien planet.
Summary: Steve struggles to protect a drugged and powerless Wonder Woman after they are captured on the battlefield.
Date Of Completion: January 24, 2008
Date Of Posting: January 28, 2008
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, DC does, more’s the pity.
Word Count: 2665
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
Author’s Notes: Further Notes here.
All chapters can be found here.
I decided to use the aliens from "Until The Yellow Sun Blesses You Again...". Why waste good bad guys and their vicious winged pets? ;)
Yeah, I labelled this "One" as in first-in-a-series, because I think a sequel might be in order. If I don’t write one, I’ll just knock off the Roman numeral.
In an aside, I’m glad that we were taught Roman numerals in grade school, otherwise how could we know which Super Bowl it is? ;)
I
SUN’S GOLD
Sun’s gold,
Shines brightly,
‘Til the clouds
Drift lightly,
Blotting out
The sun.
Shadows cross
The bloody land,
Turning soil
To blowing sand.
Blood and tears,
Screams and fears,
Shadowed sun.
Old Toronian Poem
330 B.C.E.
Steve strained against the strong hands that held his arms. Fear rose up in his throat like bile, his legs trembling with more strain as they were held, too. The smoke of the alien battlefield nearly choked him with its acrid sting.
His Angel lay sprawled unconscious, completely naked except for her tiara, her arms up above her head…bracelets chained together.
By men.
A rough voice slithered into his ear, “She has come down far, hasn’t she, Yellow Hair? The Great Amazon Warrior, kicking male butt and thinking she is above us. No matter what species, our gender will always be superior to theirs.”
Steve remained silent, knowing it would do no good to rebut that statement. These aliens, the G’darrans, were a violent warrior people who scorned anything even remotely resembling compassion or gentleness. Wonder Woman had fought these people months ago with the JLA, and now she and Steve had ended up here on another world they were invading, practically kidnapped by the race currently under siege.
“We need you, Wonder Woman. You are one of the galaxy’s greatest Warriors. And your mate is essential to your well-being and is a Warrior himself, so we took you both by our teleporter and brought you here to aid us.”
Despite her fury at the kidnapping, his Angel had agreed to help, and Steve had agreed with her. There was no way in hell he was going to let her take on this task without him. They stood by each other, and he had her back, always.
So they had fought by the side of the Toronians, a race dedicated to peace and badly in need of those skilled in the arts of war. Their teleporter had only contained enough energy to bring two people, otherwise they would have kidnapped the whole JLA, and Steve hoped that Wonder Woman’s signal had alerted her colleagues to their plight before her communicator had been confiscated.
In the meantime, there had been war, and war was their business, after all, and they had fought long and hard, starting to beat back the wave of invaders.
Then they had been overwhelmed by fresh troops let loose from reserve, and now his Angel was down, bruises darkening her fair skin, and his own aching body in the clutches of G’darran Warriors.
And they were the lucky ones. Their Toronian companions had all been killed.
Or maybe the Toronians had been the lucky ones.
The G’darrans had stripped them both as was their custom with vanquished enemies, and they had chained Wonder Woman’s wrists together. His heart had dropped because he knew that when she was chained by males, she lost her strength.
Wary of her strength despite their avowals of superiority and not aware of Aphrodite’s Law, the G’darrans had drugged his Angel and Steve had tried to protect her…
& & & & & &
Shock nearly numbed Steve’s mind. They were prisoners, and his Angel was at his feet, drugged and chained. Goran, the G’darrans’ leader, stalked up to his prisoners with a grim smile. He placed a collar around Steve’s neck, ignoring the golden Medal of Athena that now disappeared beneath the golden collar, then placed a similar collar on Wonder Woman. He snapped manacles on Steve, then he tugged on the chain attached to Steve’s collar.
“Pick up your woman,” he growled.
Steve obeyed, holding his Angel as a cool breeze blew, shivering slightly.
Goran’s pale eyes were unreadable. He reached out a hand and lightly touched Steve’s hair.
“This sun color,” he rumbled. “Is it natural?”
Steve tried to retain as much dignity as he could while collared, chained, and naked in front of the G’darran Warrior, who wore shining breastplates and other armor, a blaster tucked in his belt, a sword at the other side.
“It is.”
Goran said nothing further, then mounted his horse-like creature and gestured to an aide to take the length of chain. Steve grimly realized he was going to be forced to walk barefoot over the rough roads while carrying his Angel.
He straightened his shoulders, getting a firmer grip on Wonder Woman, missing the look that Goran gave him.
He started walking as the G’darran aide tugged the chain.
& & & & & &
Laughter rolled around him as he stumbled, but he held on to Wonder Woman. He would not drop her despite his exhaustion, thirst, and hunger. His feet were cut and bleeding, his vision blurring as the sun’s rays beat down on his fair skin.
Great. I’ll probably get sunburn on top of everything else.
He almost laughed at the absurdity of it. Worriedly he looked down at Diana, who was still insensate. The drug she had been given was powerful. He missed her companionship.
He nearly cried out as he tripped after a hard tug on his chain, falling to his knees in the road. Stones cut his flesh and he gritted his teeth, not making a sound.
“Yellow Hair!” laughed Galt, leader of the guards, as he rode up. “Can’t you handle carrying your woman? Or has the Amazon emasculated you completely?”
He ignored the taunts, struggling to rise, joints protesting as he stood, arms aching and throat dry. He was grateful that the road was not too dry, saving him from a mouthful of dust.
They had been marching for hours, and he was worried that he was going to give out soon without rest. Goran rode back and stared at him. The sun was beginning to set, burnishing Steve’s hair to molten gold.
“Set up camp!” Goran barked, riding back to the head of the column.
The ranks broke and camp was set up very quickly, Steve forced to sit at the edge of the clearing while his chain was tethered to a stake driven into the ground. Goran walked over to him, drinking from a canteen. Steve licked his lips, ravaged by thirst.
“So, you are a Warrior back on Earth?”
“I am.”
“And the Amazon chose a man to mate with? I thought Amazons despised men.”
“Some do, and with good reason.” He remembered the Amazons’ history.
Goran looked angry for a moment, then asked, “Why are you so loyal to this female?”
“I doubt you’d understand.”
Goran laughed. “You’re right, I would not. No female is worth such devotion as you show, carrying her body while your feet bleed.”
Steve grimaced. His feet were burning, just like his muscles.
Goran took another canteen from his belt and tossed it to Steve, then turned and walked away.
For a second, Steve’s surprise kept him motionless, then he snatched up the canteen and tried to get water into his Angel before he drank.
& & & & & &
Galt’s eyes were pale gray, glinting with malice. Steve kept his eyes away from Wonder Woman, staring at the G’darran. The alien easily outweighed him by at least forty pounds and stood half-a-foot taller. Galt flexed his gloved hand, his other hand resting on his sword hilt.
“This JLA that the Amazon is part of. Why do the men in that League welcome women into their army? War is for men. Women are its spoils.”
Steve kept a check on his temper. “Wonder Woman and the other women in the League have proven worthy. The men in the Justice League welcome their skills.”
Galt laughed, a nasty sound. “I am sure they welcome their…skills…in all ways.”
Steve wanted to spit in his face.
& & & & & &
Another day of endless marching. Steve whispered, “It’s not overly hot, Angel. The terrain is rough but there are forests in the distance, and hills. I know you love the greenery, just as I do. I wish we could camp by a stream and have fresh water.” He wasn’t sure if she could hear him but he needed to talk to her. He had tried breaking her chains but they were iron-strong. He grimaced as yet another stone cut into his foot. At this rate he was going to be crippled. Wearily, he kept on walking.
& & & & & &
The camp was filled with jeering, foul-mouthed Warriors. Goran was in strategy session with his officers inside his tent, leaving the rest to revel in their victory. The translators implanted in their skin had allowed Diana and Steve to understand the guttural language, and Steve wished he couldn’t understand them. Their descriptions of what they did to prisoners did not exactly make him feel comforted.
He gently held his Angel, her head lolling on his shoulder. He was thankful that they had not drugged him as well as Wonder Woman. At least he could take care of her to some degree.
He shifted uncomfortably against the boulder his back rested against. Both naked, they were extremely vulnerable, especially with Diana’s powers gone. He rubbed his neck where the collar was secured, wishing he could touch his Medal.
Athena, watch over your Princess. I could use some help, too!
Diana moaned softly, still trapped in her drugged state.
“Shh,” he said quietly, brushing her hair from her face. “It’s all right, Angel. I’m here.”
It wasn’t all right, but he didn’t want her panicking in her drugged state. His hold on her tightened a little more as a Warrior approached.
This burly specimen was disgruntled at his duty of caring for the prisoners. He slammed down a clay pot of water and ambled off.
The G’darrans were thickset, shaggy hair from head-to-toe, huge teeth giving their grins a particularly frightening expression. Skin color ranged from pale yellow to gray to light-blue, and their eyes were all pale.
The hair on their heads were dark, no matter what the skin color, and one of the Warriors aside from Goran had touched Steve’s hair, fascinated by the yellow color.
Steve shivered at the memory. He disliked the thought of being without weapons, clothing, and having his hair touched by a violent soldier whose leer made his stomach flip.
At least he wasn’t touching Diana.
He took the bowl and brought it to his Angel’s lips. “Here, love, drink,” he coaxed, and he got some water into her. When he was satisfied with the amount, he drank some, his lips nearly cracked with thirst.
He set the bowl down, hoping that they would get some food to go with it. Finally the grumpy caretaker came with another bowl and set it down and left.
Steve wrinkled his nose at the sight of the food, a lumpy, starchy mess that was essentially tasteless, but at least it was food. He coaxed again, but could only get a few mouthfuls into Diana, and ate as much as he dared, still wary of what the alien food could do to their systems. He put a little more water past Diana’s lips, then drank himself.
The G’darrans feasted around the campfire, gnawing on freshly-killed meat and the starchy paste. The firelight danced off their horned helmets, illuminating bearded faces and ugly expressions as they boasted of their conquests.
Nearby the winged m’kattras snorted and pawed at the ground, tethered in a pen. Their handlers fed and watered them, baleful eyes causing Steve to turn away. Vicious creatures, they could rip a being to shreds in seconds.
They had done so to Superman, according to Wonder Woman. The Man of Steel had only been at half-strength on a world with an orange sun, and he had suffered badly.
Steve just hoped that they kept the creatures away from him and his Angel.
He touched the cold metal of his manacles. They resembled his Angel’s Bracelets of Submission, except that they were golden, not iron-colored. She wore this weight on her wrists every day, and if they were removed, trouble.
Raucous laughter accompanied bottles of alcohol, and Steve fervently wished that he and Diana could simply disappear. Drunken soldiers basking in victory usually meant trouble for their prisoners.
He kept a sharp eye on them, also scanning the camp. It would be difficult to escape with Wonder Woman in his condition, and he was not leaving her behind, but he had to keep trying, or his soul would shrivel up and blow away.
He tried not to think of their fates: experiments? Torture? Slavery?
Whatever their future, it was not going to be a good one, unless they managed to escape or the JLA rescued them.
Or the damned Toronians came through.
He tensed as a group of Warriors ambled over, the ringleader carrying a heavy stick.
“She ain’t much fun, is she, Yellow Hair?” he hissed. He raised his stick. “Let’s see how that fair skin of ‘ers bruises, eh?”
Drunken laughter echoed around the camp and the G’darran brought the stick down toward Wonder Woman. Steve twisted his body to cover Diana at the last second, gasping in pain as it cracked against his back, thankfully not on his spine. He tensed for the next blow, grunting as it smacked against his shoulderblade, keeping his Angel tight against his body.
“Stop!”
The roar was Goran’s voice. Steve turned around but still kept Diana away from his tormentors.
Goran strode forward, grabbed the stick, and flung it away. “Sleep off your drunkenness and be ready to move at dawn tomorrow!” The Warriors slunk away and Goran glanced at Steve, turning and marching back to his tent.
Steve allowed himself to tremble with relief, kissing his Angel’s dark hair and trying to ignore the throbbing in his back. She mumbled and he tightened his hold.
Just another addition to the aches and pains.
He didn’t see Galt grinning from the shadows.
Finally the camp settled down for the night, and Steve stretched out on the hard ground, gently bringing Wonder Woman down with him, curling up over her as he tried to keep her as warm as possible as the cold night air descended, his own body shivering…
& & & & & &
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she? Bet you enjoy her every night, don’t you?”
Steve wanted to scream out his fury but kept his expression as calm as he could. If they knew they could goad him, it was all over.
Aphrodite, please, protect your Princess. Don’t let any harm come to her!
He sent up a quick prayer to the Virgin Mary as well, desperation fueling him as he hoped they would tire of the taunting and leave him and Wonder Woman alone.
“Why aren’t you in the new battle?” he ground out, the sounds of explosions growing louder. His Medal was cold against his throat under the collar.
“We’re winning, Yellow Hair.” Galt grinned with a wide-toothed sneer. “The Toronians are peace-loving fools.” Steve gritted his teeth as a meaty hand ran down his chest. “So smooth. Don’t the males of your species have hair besides the top of your head or around your balls?”
Steve glared at him. “Some do.”
The G’darran laughed and then looked at Wonder Woman. “Both smooth, both fair-skinned.” He grabbed a handful of Steve’s hair. “What about this color? Is this common among your people?”
“No,” Steve answered, trying to keep the alien’s attention away from his Beloved. “Dark hair is more common.”
The G’darran reached out a boot and nudged Wonder Woman’s thigh. Steve instinctively tried to move and the Warrior laughed. His face was suddenly right up against Steve’s as he breathed, “How does it feel to be the mate of a female stronger than you, m’selia? Do you play the part of a woman in her bed?”
Steve spat out, “Go to hell!”
The G’darran laughed again. “Hell is what you and your woman are fated for, Human.”
The Warrior released Steve’s head and turned toward Wonder Woman…
this counter installed 11/19/09
Author: BradyGirl-12
Pairings/Characters (this chapter): Steve/Diana, Goran, Galt
Genres: Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort
Rating (this chapter): R
Warnings (this chapter): Violence
Spoilers (this chapter): References to events in ”Until The Yellow Sun Blesses You Again…”.
General Summary: Diana and Steve’s love has always been strong, and they have always had each other’s back. Now they need that strength and teamwork when they are captured during a war on an alien planet.
Summary: Steve struggles to protect a drugged and powerless Wonder Woman after they are captured on the battlefield.
Date Of Completion: January 24, 2008
Date Of Posting: January 28, 2008
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, DC does, more’s the pity.
Word Count: 2665
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
Author’s Notes: Further Notes here.
All chapters can be found here.
I decided to use the aliens from "Until The Yellow Sun Blesses You Again...". Why waste good bad guys and their vicious winged pets? ;)
Yeah, I labelled this "One" as in first-in-a-series, because I think a sequel might be in order. If I don’t write one, I’ll just knock off the Roman numeral.
In an aside, I’m glad that we were taught Roman numerals in grade school, otherwise how could we know which Super Bowl it is? ;)
I
SUN’S GOLD
Sun’s gold,
Shines brightly,
‘Til the clouds
Drift lightly,
Blotting out
The sun.
Shadows cross
The bloody land,
Turning soil
To blowing sand.
Blood and tears,
Screams and fears,
Shadowed sun.
Old Toronian Poem
330 B.C.E.
Steve strained against the strong hands that held his arms. Fear rose up in his throat like bile, his legs trembling with more strain as they were held, too. The smoke of the alien battlefield nearly choked him with its acrid sting.
His Angel lay sprawled unconscious, completely naked except for her tiara, her arms up above her head…bracelets chained together.
By men.
A rough voice slithered into his ear, “She has come down far, hasn’t she, Yellow Hair? The Great Amazon Warrior, kicking male butt and thinking she is above us. No matter what species, our gender will always be superior to theirs.”
Steve remained silent, knowing it would do no good to rebut that statement. These aliens, the G’darrans, were a violent warrior people who scorned anything even remotely resembling compassion or gentleness. Wonder Woman had fought these people months ago with the JLA, and now she and Steve had ended up here on another world they were invading, practically kidnapped by the race currently under siege.
“We need you, Wonder Woman. You are one of the galaxy’s greatest Warriors. And your mate is essential to your well-being and is a Warrior himself, so we took you both by our teleporter and brought you here to aid us.”
Despite her fury at the kidnapping, his Angel had agreed to help, and Steve had agreed with her. There was no way in hell he was going to let her take on this task without him. They stood by each other, and he had her back, always.
So they had fought by the side of the Toronians, a race dedicated to peace and badly in need of those skilled in the arts of war. Their teleporter had only contained enough energy to bring two people, otherwise they would have kidnapped the whole JLA, and Steve hoped that Wonder Woman’s signal had alerted her colleagues to their plight before her communicator had been confiscated.
In the meantime, there had been war, and war was their business, after all, and they had fought long and hard, starting to beat back the wave of invaders.
Then they had been overwhelmed by fresh troops let loose from reserve, and now his Angel was down, bruises darkening her fair skin, and his own aching body in the clutches of G’darran Warriors.
And they were the lucky ones. Their Toronian companions had all been killed.
Or maybe the Toronians had been the lucky ones.
The G’darrans had stripped them both as was their custom with vanquished enemies, and they had chained Wonder Woman’s wrists together. His heart had dropped because he knew that when she was chained by males, she lost her strength.
Wary of her strength despite their avowals of superiority and not aware of Aphrodite’s Law, the G’darrans had drugged his Angel and Steve had tried to protect her…
& & & & & &
Shock nearly numbed Steve’s mind. They were prisoners, and his Angel was at his feet, drugged and chained. Goran, the G’darrans’ leader, stalked up to his prisoners with a grim smile. He placed a collar around Steve’s neck, ignoring the golden Medal of Athena that now disappeared beneath the golden collar, then placed a similar collar on Wonder Woman. He snapped manacles on Steve, then he tugged on the chain attached to Steve’s collar.
“Pick up your woman,” he growled.
Steve obeyed, holding his Angel as a cool breeze blew, shivering slightly.
Goran’s pale eyes were unreadable. He reached out a hand and lightly touched Steve’s hair.
“This sun color,” he rumbled. “Is it natural?”
Steve tried to retain as much dignity as he could while collared, chained, and naked in front of the G’darran Warrior, who wore shining breastplates and other armor, a blaster tucked in his belt, a sword at the other side.
“It is.”
Goran said nothing further, then mounted his horse-like creature and gestured to an aide to take the length of chain. Steve grimly realized he was going to be forced to walk barefoot over the rough roads while carrying his Angel.
He straightened his shoulders, getting a firmer grip on Wonder Woman, missing the look that Goran gave him.
He started walking as the G’darran aide tugged the chain.
& & & & & &
Laughter rolled around him as he stumbled, but he held on to Wonder Woman. He would not drop her despite his exhaustion, thirst, and hunger. His feet were cut and bleeding, his vision blurring as the sun’s rays beat down on his fair skin.
Great. I’ll probably get sunburn on top of everything else.
He almost laughed at the absurdity of it. Worriedly he looked down at Diana, who was still insensate. The drug she had been given was powerful. He missed her companionship.
He nearly cried out as he tripped after a hard tug on his chain, falling to his knees in the road. Stones cut his flesh and he gritted his teeth, not making a sound.
“Yellow Hair!” laughed Galt, leader of the guards, as he rode up. “Can’t you handle carrying your woman? Or has the Amazon emasculated you completely?”
He ignored the taunts, struggling to rise, joints protesting as he stood, arms aching and throat dry. He was grateful that the road was not too dry, saving him from a mouthful of dust.
They had been marching for hours, and he was worried that he was going to give out soon without rest. Goran rode back and stared at him. The sun was beginning to set, burnishing Steve’s hair to molten gold.
“Set up camp!” Goran barked, riding back to the head of the column.
The ranks broke and camp was set up very quickly, Steve forced to sit at the edge of the clearing while his chain was tethered to a stake driven into the ground. Goran walked over to him, drinking from a canteen. Steve licked his lips, ravaged by thirst.
“So, you are a Warrior back on Earth?”
“I am.”
“And the Amazon chose a man to mate with? I thought Amazons despised men.”
“Some do, and with good reason.” He remembered the Amazons’ history.
Goran looked angry for a moment, then asked, “Why are you so loyal to this female?”
“I doubt you’d understand.”
Goran laughed. “You’re right, I would not. No female is worth such devotion as you show, carrying her body while your feet bleed.”
Steve grimaced. His feet were burning, just like his muscles.
Goran took another canteen from his belt and tossed it to Steve, then turned and walked away.
For a second, Steve’s surprise kept him motionless, then he snatched up the canteen and tried to get water into his Angel before he drank.
& & & & & &
Galt’s eyes were pale gray, glinting with malice. Steve kept his eyes away from Wonder Woman, staring at the G’darran. The alien easily outweighed him by at least forty pounds and stood half-a-foot taller. Galt flexed his gloved hand, his other hand resting on his sword hilt.
“This JLA that the Amazon is part of. Why do the men in that League welcome women into their army? War is for men. Women are its spoils.”
Steve kept a check on his temper. “Wonder Woman and the other women in the League have proven worthy. The men in the Justice League welcome their skills.”
Galt laughed, a nasty sound. “I am sure they welcome their…skills…in all ways.”
Steve wanted to spit in his face.
& & & & & &
Another day of endless marching. Steve whispered, “It’s not overly hot, Angel. The terrain is rough but there are forests in the distance, and hills. I know you love the greenery, just as I do. I wish we could camp by a stream and have fresh water.” He wasn’t sure if she could hear him but he needed to talk to her. He had tried breaking her chains but they were iron-strong. He grimaced as yet another stone cut into his foot. At this rate he was going to be crippled. Wearily, he kept on walking.
& & & & & &
The camp was filled with jeering, foul-mouthed Warriors. Goran was in strategy session with his officers inside his tent, leaving the rest to revel in their victory. The translators implanted in their skin had allowed Diana and Steve to understand the guttural language, and Steve wished he couldn’t understand them. Their descriptions of what they did to prisoners did not exactly make him feel comforted.
He gently held his Angel, her head lolling on his shoulder. He was thankful that they had not drugged him as well as Wonder Woman. At least he could take care of her to some degree.
He shifted uncomfortably against the boulder his back rested against. Both naked, they were extremely vulnerable, especially with Diana’s powers gone. He rubbed his neck where the collar was secured, wishing he could touch his Medal.
Athena, watch over your Princess. I could use some help, too!
Diana moaned softly, still trapped in her drugged state.
“Shh,” he said quietly, brushing her hair from her face. “It’s all right, Angel. I’m here.”
It wasn’t all right, but he didn’t want her panicking in her drugged state. His hold on her tightened a little more as a Warrior approached.
This burly specimen was disgruntled at his duty of caring for the prisoners. He slammed down a clay pot of water and ambled off.
The G’darrans were thickset, shaggy hair from head-to-toe, huge teeth giving their grins a particularly frightening expression. Skin color ranged from pale yellow to gray to light-blue, and their eyes were all pale.
The hair on their heads were dark, no matter what the skin color, and one of the Warriors aside from Goran had touched Steve’s hair, fascinated by the yellow color.
Steve shivered at the memory. He disliked the thought of being without weapons, clothing, and having his hair touched by a violent soldier whose leer made his stomach flip.
At least he wasn’t touching Diana.
He took the bowl and brought it to his Angel’s lips. “Here, love, drink,” he coaxed, and he got some water into her. When he was satisfied with the amount, he drank some, his lips nearly cracked with thirst.
He set the bowl down, hoping that they would get some food to go with it. Finally the grumpy caretaker came with another bowl and set it down and left.
Steve wrinkled his nose at the sight of the food, a lumpy, starchy mess that was essentially tasteless, but at least it was food. He coaxed again, but could only get a few mouthfuls into Diana, and ate as much as he dared, still wary of what the alien food could do to their systems. He put a little more water past Diana’s lips, then drank himself.
The G’darrans feasted around the campfire, gnawing on freshly-killed meat and the starchy paste. The firelight danced off their horned helmets, illuminating bearded faces and ugly expressions as they boasted of their conquests.
Nearby the winged m’kattras snorted and pawed at the ground, tethered in a pen. Their handlers fed and watered them, baleful eyes causing Steve to turn away. Vicious creatures, they could rip a being to shreds in seconds.
They had done so to Superman, according to Wonder Woman. The Man of Steel had only been at half-strength on a world with an orange sun, and he had suffered badly.
Steve just hoped that they kept the creatures away from him and his Angel.
He touched the cold metal of his manacles. They resembled his Angel’s Bracelets of Submission, except that they were golden, not iron-colored. She wore this weight on her wrists every day, and if they were removed, trouble.
Raucous laughter accompanied bottles of alcohol, and Steve fervently wished that he and Diana could simply disappear. Drunken soldiers basking in victory usually meant trouble for their prisoners.
He kept a sharp eye on them, also scanning the camp. It would be difficult to escape with Wonder Woman in his condition, and he was not leaving her behind, but he had to keep trying, or his soul would shrivel up and blow away.
He tried not to think of their fates: experiments? Torture? Slavery?
Whatever their future, it was not going to be a good one, unless they managed to escape or the JLA rescued them.
Or the damned Toronians came through.
He tensed as a group of Warriors ambled over, the ringleader carrying a heavy stick.
“She ain’t much fun, is she, Yellow Hair?” he hissed. He raised his stick. “Let’s see how that fair skin of ‘ers bruises, eh?”
Drunken laughter echoed around the camp and the G’darran brought the stick down toward Wonder Woman. Steve twisted his body to cover Diana at the last second, gasping in pain as it cracked against his back, thankfully not on his spine. He tensed for the next blow, grunting as it smacked against his shoulderblade, keeping his Angel tight against his body.
“Stop!”
The roar was Goran’s voice. Steve turned around but still kept Diana away from his tormentors.
Goran strode forward, grabbed the stick, and flung it away. “Sleep off your drunkenness and be ready to move at dawn tomorrow!” The Warriors slunk away and Goran glanced at Steve, turning and marching back to his tent.
Steve allowed himself to tremble with relief, kissing his Angel’s dark hair and trying to ignore the throbbing in his back. She mumbled and he tightened his hold.
Just another addition to the aches and pains.
He didn’t see Galt grinning from the shadows.
Finally the camp settled down for the night, and Steve stretched out on the hard ground, gently bringing Wonder Woman down with him, curling up over her as he tried to keep her as warm as possible as the cold night air descended, his own body shivering…
& & & & & &
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she? Bet you enjoy her every night, don’t you?”
Steve wanted to scream out his fury but kept his expression as calm as he could. If they knew they could goad him, it was all over.
Aphrodite, please, protect your Princess. Don’t let any harm come to her!
He sent up a quick prayer to the Virgin Mary as well, desperation fueling him as he hoped they would tire of the taunting and leave him and Wonder Woman alone.
“Why aren’t you in the new battle?” he ground out, the sounds of explosions growing louder. His Medal was cold against his throat under the collar.
“We’re winning, Yellow Hair.” Galt grinned with a wide-toothed sneer. “The Toronians are peace-loving fools.” Steve gritted his teeth as a meaty hand ran down his chest. “So smooth. Don’t the males of your species have hair besides the top of your head or around your balls?”
Steve glared at him. “Some do.”
The G’darran laughed and then looked at Wonder Woman. “Both smooth, both fair-skinned.” He grabbed a handful of Steve’s hair. “What about this color? Is this common among your people?”
“No,” Steve answered, trying to keep the alien’s attention away from his Beloved. “Dark hair is more common.”
The G’darran reached out a boot and nudged Wonder Woman’s thigh. Steve instinctively tried to move and the Warrior laughed. His face was suddenly right up against Steve’s as he breathed, “How does it feel to be the mate of a female stronger than you, m’selia? Do you play the part of a woman in her bed?”
Steve spat out, “Go to hell!”
The G’darran laughed again. “Hell is what you and your woman are fated for, Human.”
The Warrior released Steve’s head and turned toward Wonder Woman…
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