Footloose

Alexa had gathered what she could from the shipwreck into a satchel, bringing it with her back to the city’s library to catalog the contents and get a better understanding of their use and meaning. Placing the items on a marble table, the red-haired woman began her study. The first she dismissed were what were obviously spare clothing, a jacket, additional footwear too small for an adult and an unusual hat that caught her attention. Picking it up in both hands she found the brown coloured, bowl-shaped headwear fascinating as she placed it on her head.

“Hmm, I know a few sisters who would have loved one of these while spear fishing…”

Quickly taking off the fly-fishing hat, she then turned her attention to a bundle of items strapped together in a small pouch, pulling out each item they had finely written instructions and ingredients to their contents, along with what appeared to be a small baton or pen. Setting them down, she scribbled the information they displayed word for word as she then turned her attention to the rest of the satchel’s contents.

There were a series of packaged items with brightly colours lettering, and a few containers and jars with contents she scribbled over into her scroll. Listing their contents so that she can present her findings to the queen. Then she finally came to the small item that caught her interest when she brought it all with her back to the library. It was rather confusing, it felt like it was made from fine crafted and polished wood, yet it was heavier than wood, and there were… symbols on the one side, divided up with geometric shapes. Running her thumb over the buttons, she pressed down on one of them. The moment she did, she noticed a faint noise coming from the two threads protruding from the object.

“Curious…”

Bringing one of them to her ear, her eyes widened to find… MUSIC coming from it. Placing both buds into her ears, she sat, listening to the soft jingle play. Slowly she began to sway to the pleasant melody, a smile forming on her face as she listened to the soft jazz and went right back into her studies.

*

The obstacle course was just that in name. In actuality, it was a massive structure filled with pylons, ropes, podiums and arches that stood several meters above the ground over coarse sand and mulch. In most obstacle courses, the punishment for failure would be to simply trying again. THIS was nothing less than a **** trap only the most skilled and agile could ever hope to survive let alone finish. To the amazons, who have used the course for centuries, the test is but child’s play. To the laymen…

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…”

Gary was more than a little apprehensive seeing the course in front of him. A cold numbness climbing up his legs the longer he stared up at it. Looking over to the three generals who were arguing with Wonder Woman, the man grimaced at his prospects when it seemed Diana wasn’t winning the little debate, they were having in whether he should go or not. Turning his attention to his father, the older man wheezed, looking up at the overelaborate **** trap and shook his head.

“Y’know son, I’m thinkin maybe I should have offered you both a trip to a restaurant to help ya two instead of goin fishing for the day.”

“Yeah… Yeah…”

Seeing Diana cross her arms and step back, Ocypete marched towards him and practically loomed over the man, her face a poxed, and leathered mask of age, ruin, and pure spite. Pointing over to the course, the elderly crone of a warrior sneered down at the man with a cruel grin.

“Go… PROVE yourself, and maybe we’ll let you eat something other than the horse feed we give our draft horses.”

Giving the course one last look, Gary immediately got cold feet. “Uhm… IS there another challenge that proves I’m a warrior? Maybe write out some logistics or…”

Her face growing more enraged, Ocypete stamped the pommel of her spear onto the ground and immediately four amazons aimed their spear tips to the man’s neck. Getting the message, the slender looking man nodded and raised his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay, I get it… hmm…”

The spears lowered to give him room to move, and Gary made his way slowly to the ladder that would bring him to the start of the obstacle course. Phin kept his grandson close, watching his son head up to the top while the majority of amazons cat called and brayed words of discouragement, shuddering as their appearances worsened. Worried, the man felt a gentle hand rest on his shoulder, finding Wonder Woman giving the man a caring look as she turned her attention to the poor man making his way up.

“Give it to me straight, can he make it?”

“No…” Worried Diana, finding her sway meant nothing to the Queen’s military staff to change their minds. “But if we’re lucky, he may come out of this alive, injured, but alive.”

“COME ON GARY! YOU CAN DO IT!” Cheered out Dhala, surprising everyone in earshot as she gave words of support to the man. Seeing everyone preoccupied with Gary finally reaching the top of the first podium and shaking like a leaf alone up there, Dhala stepped back to disappear into the crowd.

Joining her sisters in arms, Ocypete smiled back at Aello and Alkyone, the two waiting as their sisters chanted back at the man to finally start the course.

“This will be most enjoyable!”

“Indeed sister, with this we can test the mettle of man against our martial prowess.”

“And if he loses…”

“WILL lose!” Corrected Aello. “Then we will be rid of one more male from our paradise.”

“I must admit Alkyone, your soldier was rather creative in having us deal with the men in a way that our princess could not intervene.”

“Yes…” Smiled Alkyone, her red eyes diverting from the obstacle course where the man clung to the arm rail of the ladder like a lifeline, too terrified to move. “I must thank her for the idea when… Ah.”

Spotting her personal guard, Alkyone gestured for Dhala to approach.

“You have done well Dhala, when this is over, perhaps I shall promote you when the males have been dealt with.”

Scratching her head in confusion, Dhala looked around, not know where she was or how she had gotten there. “A promotion?... Uhm… My general, where am I?”

“Where are…? Dhala what in Hera’s name is wrong with you?”

A collective gasp filled the crowd as Gary finally found the nerve to start the obstacle course. Jumping from the first podium to land on the next, then to the next, and the one after that. The man gracefully moving from each post to the next, perfectly keeping his balance as he hopped back and forth. The amazons knew which polls to land on to progress, having done so often to the point of muscle memory. Keeping their eyes on the man as he looked down at each pillar to step on, he stopped dead in his tracks at the middle of the first round, seemingly stuck. But then he started to go back, practically dancing from one podium to the next, as if he were dancing. Even more confusing… He began to sing.

“Been working so hard… I'm punching my card… Eight hours, for what? Oh, tell me what I got.”

Jumping off the last podium to grab hold of a rope to swing to the next stage, the man instead twirled his entire body around the length of the rope, expertly climbing his way upwards, propelling himself up to where the ropes were fastened.

“I gotten this feeling… That time's just holding me down… I'll hit the ceiling… Or else I'll tear up this town…”

Expertly showing off his footwork as he danced over the rope railing, the Amazons were stunned silent, transfixed as the man skipped and spun over the thin wooden banister before cartwheeling towards the next stage with a clap of his hands and using footwork they had never seen to traverse the moving, rope bound platforms.

“Tonight, I gotta cut loose, footloose…Kick off your Sunday shoes… Please, Louise… Pull me up off my knees… Jack, get back… C'mon, before we crack… Lose your blues… Everybody cut footloose!”

Diana crossed her arms and covered her mouth with her free hand as the rest of the amazons watched the man’s performance. Playfully dancing between the swinging guillotines, playing hopscotch over the netted ropes and doing summersaults around blades spinning over an uneven route. The warrior women had never seen a sight as Gary did a one-man performance through each level of the course with ease before ending with a triple spin flip to land on his feet with his arms out. Smirking, Gary regained his full height and lowered his arms, seeing everyone look back at him in pure shock. His father silent with his mouth open while his son hopped on his toes.

“Pfff… Bush league, I used to do lapse like that when I was a kid in the circus.”

Blinking and shivering, Gary looked around confused to find himself on the opposite end of the obstacle course, with no memory of how he got there. Rushing towards the man, the amazons surrounded Gary, each voicing words of astonishment and curiosity as they huddled around him. Realising he wasn’t in any danger, the man found himself chuckling to himself, even as his son came to hug at his leg, asking just how he was able to do that.

Nubia and Diana exchanged looks with a smile, turning to the three generals who fumed along with their sisters in arms, nodding back to her mother’s advisors.

“The wager has been met sisters; it would seem they can eat with the rest of us.”

Bristling at the loss, Aello frowned and looked back to the Thracy family with contempt.

“No!” She yelled out, causing the rest of the amazons to fall silent. “He CHEATED! Like ALL men do!” Unsheathing her broadsword, the crone pointed its tip at Gary’s head. “They will be sent back to their cells until WE decide what to do with them!”

“You have LOST your wager Aello, it must be honoured.” Declared Nubia, resting a hand on Harper’s shoulder, standing close to Gary who blinked back at the beautiful woman standing by his side, supporting him. “The visitors can eat with us, AND they will be living in the princess’s quarters.”

Turning to the family, Diana smiled, resting a hand over Gary’s shoulder. “Mr. Thracy, I will show you to my quarters so you can get settled, hopefully with Alexa’s…

A battle cry roared out as Aello charged towards the distracted man, his son still hugging his leg as time seemed to slow down, catching the raging woman’s attack in slow motion. To slow to react, he could see the polished blade come down to strike at his head, only for a gauntlet to come up and block the sword blade dead in its tracks with a spark of light. Steely focus filled Diana’s eyes, just as Aello’s opened wide with shock when Wonder Woman immediately disarmed her, slipping the broad sword out of her hand in one quick gesture and kicking the general back to tumble and land in front of Ocypete and Alkyone.

As one, the Amazons under Nubia’s command brought their shields and spears to bear on the three women and their forces, issuing a battle cry of their own to protect their guests. Diana flipped the blade to be grasped by its handle and pointed it back at its original owner.

“You have shamed me Aello and brought shame to the Queen.”

Hissing out in barely contained rage, the elderly looking Amazon got back to her feet, shoving away the helping hand of one of her guards as she stared icy daggers back at the princess.

“HOLLOW WORDS COMING FROM THE WHORE OF MAN’S WORLD!” Screamed Aello, when suddenly her eyes went wide and her whole body began to convulse, falling to her knees to the sound of her bones crunching, she looked down at her hands. Her arms were elongating, the skin becoming more riddled with festering blisters as the flesh on her hands bubbled and withered. Aello stared down helplessly, finding flecks of dried skin falling off her fingers just as they suddenly grew massive and oversized, her chipped and overgrown nails curving into talons better found on a predatory bird as her new claws took shape. Gasping and looking down at her talons in horror, she found all the amazons looking down at her in shock, before she and the rest of her sisters in arms quickly left the obstacle course, the woman shambling like a hunch back on all fours as she shoved away the aid of her sisters to keep up her pace.

Turning her attention to Nubia, Diana was just as shocked as she was.