Madeline woke up and each time she closed her eyes, she could still see poor Quincy's head rolling on the ground. She buried her face into her pillow, trying to block out the memory. Put it behind you. Forget it. You have bigger things to contend with. It's all that damn Heckel Casey's fault. Everything is his fault.
"Good morning, Madeline," a familiar voice said. Barker, shit. What in the hell did he want? Not the best voice to wake up to.
She pulled her head out from the pillow and sat up.
"Don't you ever knock?" she queried, pulling the sheet up to cover her chest.
"There's no time for formalities. I'm here to give you instructions."
Great, now what? Madeline just stared at him, showing him no emotion. He began his usual pacing. Oh for crying out loud. Here we go again.
"Madeline, you have garnered some impressive numbers to serve you."
She continued to just glare at him, waiting for him to finish and hopefully leave quickly. He really gives me the creeps, and besides, I really need to pee.
"Though you most likely have the sheer numbers to crush Heckel's ragtag army, we feel you need a bit more help."
"What?"
For the next fifteen minutes, he instructed her on how to boost her chances for success. She listened intently, asking questions when something wasn't clear.
When he was done, he flashed that quirky grin and said, "Have a good day, Madeline."
She was relieved to see him leave the bedroom.
After taking care of the morning necessities, she poured herself a glass of orange juice and spiked it with Pendleton. "Hmm, not bad, but vodka would have been better. I need to stock up on more vodka." She opened the side window, leaned her head out and barked a command for someone to get her breakfast. Her personal chef came running up and said he'd bring scrambled eggs and sausage immediately. "Wonderful. I'm starving."
As she waited for the meal, she reviewed the business that Barker just laid out. She had no more doubts. No weakness. With this transmogrification, victory was hers with no chance of defeat.
She practically inhaled the breakfast. With each mouthful she became more energized and excited about the ensuing battle and the edge that Barker promised.
After eating, she showered, powdered her body and went to the closet. All her clothes looked boring until she spotted a pair of bright-red knee-high leather boots with a menacing spiked heel made of silver. "Lovely. I'll build my ensemble around those. Black goes so well with red. Hmm…let's see."
She kept riffling through the closet. On the floor, she spotted a black shirttail leather skirt. "I have just the belt for it," she said, sliding a wide leopard belt with a shiny buckle off a hook inside the closet. "I haven't worn this in years. Perfect. Now for a top." After finding a black satin blouse, she got dressed.
Jewelry was easy. A stunning diamond necklace with matching earrings called out to her.
Now hair is a problem-up or down? Which one said I'm a badass the loudest? "Absolutely no ponytail or braids. That would look too high school," she muttered. She decided to wear it down, slightly curled, pulled back from her face and laced with dark-red hair extensions.
After taking care of her hair, she used bold smoky eye makeup and applied dark-red lip-gloss. Madeline stood in front of a full-length mirror. "Stunning. Go make an army from hell."
Stepping out of the motor home, she was immediately greeted by five men. They all fussed over her, throwing compliment after compliment, which she noted as absolutely invigorating. She flashed her best teasing smiles and told them to gather all the men together in one hour. They grovel so well and are so easy to control. That little dick between their legs is so susceptible to getting a woman what she wants. And who said women were the weaker sex? Ha!
"Excuse me, Ms. Madeline," a voice from behind her said. Madeline turned around to see one of her generals standing at attention.
"Yes."
"Can I ask what this is all about?" he quizzed calmly like a kid who knows all the answers.
"You'll see. In fact, for that matter, when I meet with the men, I want you by my side to watch. Make sure all is ready."
He stood there with a querying face. She put up her hand and a small tinge of blue light emerged. Immediately he bowed and backed away.
For the next hour, the instructions that Barker had left with her raced across her mind. A soft knock at the door signaled that her audience waited.
"Miss Madeline, the men are ready," a voice said.
A rush of adrenaline bolted throughout her body; she could feel her face flush and the hairs on her arm stand up. Energy was building in her veins, igniting every pore in her body. She jumped off the sofa and went to the door. She inhaled deeply and reveled in the power. My mojo is brewing!
As she passed the driver's seat to go down the steps of the motor home, a picture of Quincy sitting at the wheel flashed across her eyes. She touched the wheel tenderly.
Stop it! a voice in her head commanded.
Barker?
She turned quickly and immediately descended the steps out of the motor home.
A deafening roar greeted her as she walked to the edge of the crowd. Men raised an assortment of weapons in the air and shouted her name. What a frickin' rush! She took several minutes to soak it in as well as let the men marvel at her badass appearance.
Madeline walked to the steps of a small platform raised off the ground a few feet. Two men held out their hands to assist her climb. When she reached the top, Madeline struck a commanding pose. The crowd roared even louder. She put up her hand to silence them.
"Good morning," she shouted. Her voice sounded amplified even without a microphone. It surprised her at first and then she thought of Barker. Obviously, his doing.
"You men are the future of our world." A roar ensued with more fists in the air and weapons waving. "Tomorrow, we will take the world and it will be ours."
More shouts and cheers.
Madeline went on for about fifteen minutes more, giving them a speech that rivaled any would-be dictator. Hitler and Hussein came to mind as well as a host of other selfish assholes. All she needed was a funny hat like some of them wore. Gaddafi, in particular.
It was time.
Slowly, she elevated off the platform. Her body went up into the air a good ten feet and hovered. The sea of people in front of her went completely silent. Awesome.
"Do not be afraid for I am your goddess who will lead you to victory. Along with your fists and your will, the power I bestow on you will render our enemy defeated."
A roar erupted from below her as she glanced across the field. The cheers from five thousand men were more addictive than any drug. Madeline felt her insides seethe with power.
"With a wave of my hand and powerful words, I will make you stronger, bigger and meaner than the most vicious predators on the planet. You will be gods among men."
More cheers. She was sure they all thought she was speaking metaphorically. Slowly, she lifted her hands and raised them high above her head. Little by little, the palms turned bright red and small spikes of lightning flew outwards. The adrenaline-soaked, testosterone-filled mass in front of her stared in awe. Grinning, she closed her eyes and as the force in her hands built to a crescendo, she uttered the words that Barker taught her. They sounded like gibberish to the men below. Either the recitation was some ancient language or it was a language unknown to mankind or maybe it was all for show and simply just nonsensical rants. Madeline spoke them as if they were her mother tongue. With each phrase, she waved her hands from one side of the crowd to the other.
At first, Madeline heard soft groans, then gradually louder snarls. Slowly, she opened her eyes. What she saw almost made her stumble backward. All five thousand men had been transformed into grotesque demons. Each man had grown to a height of nearly seven feet. Their muscles had clearly been strengthened and enlarged as though they had been injected with an enhanced steroid cocktail. Their facial features were turned into a distorted, monstrous appearance that rivaled any Hollywood Rick Baker creation.
Initially, Madeline just stared in part shock and part awe until a thunderous roar erupted. It was menacing and intimidating; it sent icy waves throughout her body. "Now you are invincible!" she exclaimed, lowering her hands. "You are my warriors!"
This time the roar from below her caused her to throw her hands up in the air and discharge two massive blue energy balls high up in the sky, initiating her own fireworks.
More roaring!
Without hurrying and definitely milking the moment, Madeline lowered herself back down onto the platform. The general that had bothered her earlier with his questions was now a formidable demon himself.
His grunts, along with generous spittle, confirmed his enthusiasm. With some difficulty because of the large fangs, he said groveling, "I apologize for questioning you, my goddess. You have blessed us with your power. The men will fight to the death."
"Good. I would expect nothing less."
"When does the battle begin?" he asked.
"Tomorrow at dawn."