Chapter 6

And aboard the scout ship of Captain Torg, things were going poorly.

“The entire cube is gone,” Torg said carefully, his red eyes glinting with barely suppressed rage.

“Yes,” Grot said. “When I went down to give our captive something to eat and drink, the spot where her specimen cube should have been was empty. Missing along with the human female.”

Grot endured Torg’s elaborate cursings without resentment; it was just his older brother’s way of expressing his displeasure with the circumstance. After venting his frustration on his crewmates, Torg felt better, and his mind was clear, as it always was.

“Join Gort and Trog. Help them repair Kull’s ship so they can return to the fleet. We will go back to Earth and get as many human females as our ship can hold. We must save face before the Warmaster’s eyes,” Torg said.

“And what of Kull’s missing brothers?” Grot asked.

“They are likely lost and dead by now, broken and starving in some cavern or pit in those ruins they blundered into. Now go. We have much to do.”

In the gallery of Merlin, the Martian Magician Dawn Beaumont gawked in open-mouthed wonder at the marvels she was being shown. Crystals that flowed like water at a touch, paintings that looked like you could walk into them, animals from forgotten epochs of Earth’s history, statues of aliens that lived in the Solar System millions of years ago. But the final two specimens brought a laugh to Dawn’s lips.

“Are those what I think they are?”

Dawn observed the two Zoolians hissing and sulking around an enclosure of light blue glass. In the corner were piled some furs that looked like coats. Unlike the aliens who had earlier abducted her (how long had it been since she had been on Earth?), these two weren’t yellow. In contrast to the lean, hard yellow Zoolians who had kidnapped her, these creatures were dark gray with red stripes all over their backs and arms. They also had a rather chubby appearance.

“They came here on a ship and were exploring the ruins of the city above us. They set off an alarm, and they were transported here. I’m not sure what to do with them,” Merlin said.

Dawn paused for a moment to think. These creatures’ fellows had ravished her like a cat house whore, and she still wasn’t sure how she felt about it. It had been terrifying, exhilarating, humiliating, and glorious. It was strangely appealing to her to enter the enclosure and let them have their way with her. The image of being pressed between these two gray lizard-like beings sent a thrill through her, but she took a step back and focused on the cold, hard facts. These creatures were going to wreak havoc on Earth and enslave humanity. And she had to stop it.

“Tell me, Merlin,” Dawn said finally. “What will this transformation accomplish? How will I be changed to stop the Zoolians?”

Merlin turned to face her, his odd eyes penetrating hers intently. “I can turn you into the most powerful mortal in all of creation. You will be practically indestructible. You will be able to move at supernatural speeds. Your senses will be so acutely sensitive—both internal and external—that you will be able to perceive the forces of the cosmos.”

Dawn took a breath. “What you’re describing is incredible! Can you really do that?”

“I will show you.”

Merlin once again took Dawn’s hand, and she found herself whisked away to a new place entirely. The room had a high ceiling and was squared with a raised circular area in the center. The walls were of polished green stone that reflected her and Merlin. Dawn could see no door or window, and she wondered how they could have entered.

“Stand there, Dawn,” Merlin said with a nod.

Dawn did so, and Merlin slid back, raised his strange arms above his head, and stood taller on his coiled tail.

“Prepare yourself, Dawn,” Merlin said, his voice had changed, becoming incredibly deep and sonorous, “for from this day forward, you will no longer be a mere woman of the earth. But an Ultra Woman!”

Merlin threw back his head and spoke five times, and all around the room, the sound of bells ringing filled the air. And with each syllable the tiny figure uttered, an ear-blasting vibration seemed to beat deep within creation itself.

Dawn lost her sight and hearing with the first blast. With the second, she felt her sense of orientation in space and time had been destroyed. With the third, Dawn felt her body breaking apart in various places. The fourth blast struck her in the heart, and she attempted to gasp and scream but could not. The final explosion hit her between the eyes, and she lost consciousness.

There was nothing around her, no body, no light, no up or down, hot or cold.

There was just her in an infinity of black nothingness.

Then, the sounds of enormous bells rang again, and she felt herself returning to reality with each blast of sound and vibration. The first blast allowed her to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. The second delivered her to her position in the universe. Third, she could feel her body around her again. On the fourth, her heart began to pound furiously in her chest. And with the final blast, her mind and body reunified.

Dawn took a deep breath, and it felt like she inhaled for a long time, as if her lungs were much larger. She looked around the strange room and noticed the magician curled up in a coil on the floor, his head resting in his arms. She took a step, shot up several feet, collided with the ceiling, and fell to the floor, balancing on the balls of her feet.

Dawn looked up and scratched her head. She had felt no pain from cracking her head against the stone.

She looked down at her arms and marveled at them. Her skin was as smooth as marble and glistened in the light. Her muscles were more defined and toned. She looked down at her flat stomach, toned legs, and even larger breasts and realized she must have grown several inches taller. She twisted her incredibly supple body and looked back at her backside. Her ass was about the same size as before but more muscular and toned, like the rest of her body.

Dawn felt a great thrumming power, like electricity ran through her veins.

She walked past the sleeping wizard and looked at her reflection in the polished green stone. It was still her face, but it was more refined. Her jawline was more defined, her cheekbones were more prominent, and her lips were fuller. Her brilliantly blue eyes appeared to glow with a deep, more vibrant hue. She brushed her fingers through her platinum blonde locks extending to her lower back. There was a sensuousness to her features that gave her an air of sensual mystery and allure.