THE SWORD OF SHE-RA

BY

AIDAN CROSS

1/5/99

PART 5

The rebels fought hard against the evil troopers. Several troopers were smashed to pieces, but at the same time, several rebels were sustaining serious injuries.
Adam was struggling strongly against a small crowd of troopers, trying to drag him away with them. He was thankful that they did not know that it had been him who destroyed the slave plantation. He knew he could easily fend off all these troopers if he transformed to He-Man, but he would only do that once he felt it was the only way they could survive. He had to prove to these people, and himself, that he could be a hero as Adam.
With a swift kick, he knocked one trooper to the ground, then using all his strength he wrenched himself free from the others, then turned and ran, pretending to be scared. The troopers ran after him, but when they caught up with him he spun around and smashed the first trooper, who fell on top of the second, who fell on top of the third, who landed heavily on the ground, badly damaged.
"Good show, Adam!" said Glimmer, rushing up to him. "Hey, since these tin cans are programmed to drag us to the Fright Zone, how about we lure them there! We should all pretend to run away, but instead we'll run to the Fright Zone, where we can not only defeat these guys, but free the slaves who they've captured!"
"Good idea, Glimmer." replied Adam. "Let's go and tell Angella our plan- then we can put it into action!"

Meanwhile, at the Fright Zone, several bands of Horde Troopers were returning from Bright Moon, with cartloads of slaves. They were instantly sent down to the mines. Senador stood atop a tall tower, watching the slaves being transported by the Troopers. And sitting in a dark corner, watching the slaves, were a band of Hordak's hired thugs. One of these was a huge, green-skinned reptile creature, with suction pads on his hands and feet, and around his mouth. This was Leech, one of the reptile people of Etheria.
Another was an equally hideous creature, this one covered in thick, brown fur, with large red eyes and clawed hands. This was Grizzlor, a wild beast from the jungle. Alongside them was a strange-looking woman with a red scorpion tail and scorpion's claws for hands. She was Scorpia, a cross between woman and scorpion. By her side was her best friend, a very beautiful but also evil-looking woman, with long, black hair, wearing black eyeshadow and black lipstick. She wore a dark purple suit, and had a long, furry belt made from cat fur tied around her waist. She had long, cat-like fingernails, with black nail varnish. She was Catra, one of Hordak's most trusted warriors.
And each of these warriors wore one of the terrifying evil Horde bat symbols, to indicate their evil allegiance.
"Can't we just spring out and attack?" moaned Leech, in his squelchy, reptilian voice.
"I share your frustration." added Scorpia. "Why does Hordak have to give all the decent jobs to those heaps of junk he calls troopers? We'd strike way more fear into the hearts of those bastards if we could drag them along..... and torture them." she laughed menacingly.
"You're damn right, Scorpia." added Catra. "Why the fuck does he seem to think more highly of the troopers than us..... and I'm getting sick of being called a 'thug', or 'tug' as he pronounces it. I'm not that stupid, for fuck's sake. I'd love to claw those people's guts out....." she smiled evilly to herself.
"It's not Hordak's fault." growled Grizzlor. "It's that fuckin' bitch Adora. Just 'cause he's been like a father to her, and he brought her up, he reckons she should be in charge of us and have the right to boss us around. Damn, I doubt if she's even that strong..... I've never seen her hurt anyone. If I ever get the chance, I'll dig my claws into her intestines, and....."
Grizzlor suddenly stopped as a shadow fell across the space in which they were hiding. Force Captain Adora stepped towards them, brandishing her pistol. She was young and attractive, but also very rough and evil-looking, with long, straggly blonde hair, tightly clad in leather, wearing heavily applied red lipstick.
"You badmouthing me, you fur-faced cunt?" she said angrily.
"Hey, cool it woman!" answered Grizzlor. "Just getting it all off my chest!"
"You might have bossed me around as a kid, but now I'M in charge, you got that?! Keep your insults to yourself, fucker. I'm here to serve Hordak, and while I remain Force Captain, I can make you do whatever I want- so don't try to fuck with me!" She thrust her gun right in his face.
Backing off, Grizzlor said "Erm, yes, Force Captain. You're in charge."
"Keep on your guard, and only attack these rebels when you NEED to, right?! Save your strength for when we actually need it..... or I blast your fuckin' head off. You got that?!"
Each of the thugs backed away from Adora. She was in a greater position than them..... just that none of them really felt she deserved it.
All of a sudden, they saw several Horde Troopers seemingly falling from the sky, and crashing on the ground and breaking apart.
A band of rebels then burst into the street, armed with spears or guns. They were led by Princess Glimmer of Bright Moon, firing energy blasts at the troopers from the palms of her hands.
"Damn, they're here already!" exclaimed Adora. "Okay, you guys, get out there and KICK ASS!"
The thugs burst out from their hiding place, and into the crowd of rebels. The street was filled with the brutal sound of battle.
The rebels fought well, but they were heavily outnumbered by the amount of hordesmen there were. The villains were swiftly on their way to victory.
Carlos was felled by Senador, firing a laser bolt from an opening on his chest. Adam rushed forward to help him, but just then, a strange-looking creature, with four legs and a bug-like head jumped down from a tower. This creature did not look strong, so Adam threw out his fist to punch it, but to his shock he was hurled back by a beam from the creature's eyes, which popped out from its head on their long stalks. Adam was stunned, and fell to the ground. He tried to get up, but he kept falling over again- the beam was destroying his sense of balance! He was useless against this harmless-looking creature!
A few metres away, Carlos got to his feet. "You're not finished yet, Adam- I'll deal with Mantenna!"
He rushed towards the creature and grabbed hold of its rear legs, picked it up and hurled it over his head. The creature landed heavily in the midst of the battle.
"That was Mantenna," Carlos told Adam, "he's a spy, but he uses his eyes to fire beams too. He's more harmful than he looks. But it seems we don't stand much chance of winning at this rate. Just look how many of them there are!"
Adam looked over at the crowd of rebels, fighting furiously against the Horde. It seemed that with every man who was knocked out, another group of hordesmen would spring out from nowhere and make the battle even more dangerous for the rebels.
Adam had proved that he was not a weakling, and was stronger than people on Eternia thought, but he knew he was not strong enough to beat the Horde. He had no choice- he had to become He-Man.
"Excuse me a minute, Carlos- I must be going!" he said.
"Where?!" asked Carlos. "We may be losing, but we can't run away- the fate of Bright Moon is in our hands!"
"I'm not running away," said Adam, "I'm just going to get help!"
He ran from Carlos' view, and sneaked into a side alleyway. He drew the power sword, raised it high above his head, and shouted:

"BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL..... I HAVE THE POWER!"

The familiar flash of light emerged from the sword, pouring down on Adam and turning him to He-Man, mightiest man in the universe.
Just then, Carlos ran into the alleyway.
"By all Etheria..... you must be a real champion, Adam!"
Damn, thought He-Man, now how was he going to explain his secret to Carlos?
"Okay, Carlos....." he began, "you weren't meant to see my transformation, but in this form, I'm not Adam- I'm He-Man. I defend Eternia in this form. But you mustn't tell anyone!"
"Okay, your secret's safe with me. Now let's go and fight- we can't afford to waste time!"

He-Man, with Carlos at his side, rushed out into the streets and hurled himself into the fight. He struck at a team of Troopers, and had them sprawled on the ground within seconds, a crackling heap of scrap metal.
The rebels looked at him in astonishment.
"Who's that?" exclaimed Glimmer.
"I've no idea," replied Angella, "but thank the gods he seems to be on our side!"
At the same time, several members of the Horde backed away from He-Man as he swished his mighty power sword through the air.
Adora, from a distance, eyed him up angrily. She rushed up to Senador, across the street, and said "That must be the bastard who Hordak warned us about. The incredibly powerful being from another planet."
"We will destroy him." replied Senador, pulling out a pistol. "We will not let him interfere with the Horde!"
He-Man fought his way through the crowd of hordesmen, the rebels watching in amazement as he felled each one of them with no trouble. He-Man's main aim was to release the slaves, and find the crazy tyrant who was behind it all.
Several metres away, Adora shouted to him "Okay, tough guy- come and get me!"
He-Man rushed towards the young girl, brandishing his power sword. Adora leapt into a tall skyscraper. She intended to lead He-Man to a machine which would teleport him to Doom Tower, where he would perish.
He-Man followed Adora into the building. She led him into the room where the teleporter stood. Then she turned to face him, and snatched his sword from his grasp.
"Let's see how powerful you are without a weapon!" she laughed. "The forces of good can never destroy the rule of Hordak!"
"I still have another weapon on me!" said He-Man, and drew the sword of protection. And to his astonishment, the sword was glowing brightly. Just as the Sorceress had said it would when he found the right person. He held it closer to Adora, who seemed puzzled at the glow. The glow became even brighter. But surely this girl couldn't be the person he had come to find? She was clearly evil, and the sword was intended for someone on the side of good!
He-Man just stared at the sword in amazement. He had absolutely no idea what to do. And while he puzzled over it, Senador suddenly stepped into the room and struck from behind. He hit He-Man in the back with a laser bolt, and He-Man fell to his knees, clutching his back and dropping the sword of protection.
Adora picked up the sword. She stared at the glow.
"Hmmm..... this sword has something interesting about it." she held it alongside the sword of power. "These two swords look almost the same. I must take them to Hordak, so he can discover their connection..... and why this jewelled one is glowing."
"And we should take this man to Hordak too." added Senador. "He needs to be dealt with."
Just then, Carlos stepped into the room. "Let He-Man go!" he commanded. "No matter what you try to do, He-Man can stop you."
"No, Carlos." said He-Man. "I must let these evil warriors teleport me to their base- it may be the only way I can confront their master." He leapt forward, and seized the sword of power from Adora.
"I am telling, you, He-Man," said Carlos, "it is too dangerous even for someone of your strength! If Hordak knows you are in Doom Tower, he will do all he can to stop you! It is better to make a surprise attack on the Horde!"
He-Man turned to face Carlos. Okay then." he said. "I will leave this place. Let's go!" He-Man and Carlos turned and ran from the building.
Senador turned to follow them. "I will stop them!" he shouted.
"No-" said Adora, "chances are they may have a trick up their sleeve. We will teleport to Doom Tower with this sword. It seems like it could be a source of power for He-Man. We may find some way of draining its power!" She set the teleportation machine for Doom Tower, then she and Senador stepped inside and were instantly teleported, clutching the sword of protection.
Outside in the street, He-Man said to Carlos "I must continue my quest straight away. If they thought I was running away then, that's a good thing. They will think I am afraid of the Horde, and that I will be easy to beat. More importantly, they have the sword I have been given- so I must retrieve it so I can get it safely to the person it is intended for."
"But it was glowing..... and it was meant to glow when you found the right person! But that girl is Force Captain Adora- she is pure evil. Surely the sword can't be for her."
"I have no idea." replied He-Man. "It did seem very strange that the sword should glow in her presence. I must find out why it did..... there may be some connection between her and the sword."
"Then I shall tell the others that you must continue your quest. But first, let's clear the battle!"
He-Man and Carlos rushed towards the battle, and the hordesmen instantly fled in terror at the sight of He-Man. Catra and Scorpia rushed at him, but he threw out his fists, knocking them both to the ground, unconscious. Glimmer managed to writhe free from Leech's clutches, then turned on him and fired bolts at him, paralysing him temporarily.
"We've defeated this lot," said Glimmer, "mainly thanks to you, mighty warrior, whoever you are. But the slaves are still held captive!"
"I will continue my mission around here and try to free the slaves." said He-Man. "You should go back to Whispering Woods, and recover your strength. I will find a way of releasing the slaves and confronting the leader of the Horde. Don't worry about me."
"Thank you very much, stranger," said Angella, "but who are you and where are you from?"
"My name is He-Man, and I am a friend of Adam, as I am also from Eternia. Adam summoned me for help. He is somewhere around the city, searching for a way to free the slaves- so he will also stay around here to help me."
"It feels really good to have two new friends on our side- especially as brave as Adam and He-Man." said Carlos, carefully covering up for He-Man's secret. "We shall go back to the camp now- but good luck in your quest, He-Man."
He-Man and Carlos shook hands, then the rebels wished He-Man good luck, and left for Whispering Woods. He-Man sneaked into an alleyway, lifted his sword, said "Let the power return" and slowly became Adam again. Now it would be easier for him to carry out his task- he would sneak inside Doom Tower and pose as a Horde spy. He made his way carefully through the streets. He must recover the sword of protection- and find out who this 'Adora' really was- could the sword really be for her? He had no idea, but there was only one way to find out. He made his way eagerly towards Doom Tower.

PART 6: HE-MAN MUST BE DESTROYED

Adora and Senador materialised inside Doom Tower, and made their way to Hordak’s chamber, where their leader sat talking to Shadow Weaver.
Adora made her way towards her master, with Senador following behind. Adora held the sword of protection in front of Hordak.
"What is this you bring me?" Hordak asked her.
"I managed to steal this sword from a stranger whom I believe is the man who Shadow Weaver’s spells detected."
"Who is this man?" Hordak demanded, his red eyes lighting up with curiosity.
"His name is He-Man. He is indeed strong, and barbarian-like. But I still think we can stop him. He ran from us when a friend of his warned him about the dangers of Doom Tower, so chances are we may be one step closer to defeating him already."
"And what about the sword? It just looks like any normal sword to me, other than the jewel in the centre."
"I am positive that this sword has special powers. It was not the only sword he carried- he also had another which was almost identical, except it had no jewel. It may look fairly ordinary, but when he took it out it was glowing brightly. It must have some kind of magical property."
Hordak leaned forward, and took the sword from Adora’s grasp. He carefully examined it, running his fingers along its smooth edges. Then he looked up at Shadow Weaver. "Do you detect any magical powers, Shadow Weaver?"
"Yes, I do." the mistress of dark magic replied. "I sense a strong magical power….. and I don’t like it. It is all good! All the power contained within that sword is good- and can be used against us!"
Hordak looked up at Adora. "Why was the sword glowing when this He-Man took it out?"
"I have no idea, my lord. Even He-Man seemed puzzled as to the source of the glow."
"I think we should keep this sword safe….. and keep watching it." said Shadow Weaver, glaring evilly at the sword from her hood. "We do not know just what harm it could inflict upon the Horde." Then she turned to face Adora. "You have done well by capturing this sword….. next you must capture He-Man, along with the other sword he carried. Then we can stop him from trying to threaten our rule."
"Yes." agreed Hordak. "Senador- go and tell the thugs they must find where He-Man has gone. And they must bring him to me at once!"
"I will, master." Senador saluted Hordak, then turned and left the hall.

But a few minutes later, Senador returned to say that most of the thugs had been beaten in the battle and the rebels were nowhere to be seen- but most of the slaves were still held captive.
"Defeated?! Even Leech? Catra?"
"Yes, even they had undergone defeat, my lord. The rebels more or less beat them- but were seemingly unable to free the slaves."
"It looks as though we may have underestimated the power of the rebellion." Shadow Weaver said calmly.
"Underestimated?! Maybe slightly, but we are still more powerful!!! The rebels just stood a greater chance with He-Man on their side! I will order the troopers to flog the thugs for their failure, then I will make it clear that their main task from now on is to eliminate He-Man. Adora- go and recover them, wherever they are. And Senador- issue a warning from myself about the danger of He-Man! He thinks no doubt that he has come to our planet to destroy our rule….. but in the end, all he will find destroyed is himself!"
Senador and Adora left to carry out their duties, and Hordak and Shadow Weaver turned and faced one another, their red eyes glowing brightly at each other.
"We’ll have him, won’t we….." said Shadow Weaver, "we’ll have him….."
"Yes….. He-Man’s blood is within my grasp….."

PART 7: QUESTIONING ADORA

Adam made his way slowly around the exterior of Doom Tower. He was approached several times by troopers, whose sensors failed to recognise him, but he simply told them that he was a Horde spy, dressed in normal clothes to fool the rebels. He had to sneak inside and find the girl who had taken the sword of protection….. and see if he could confront the leader of the Horde.
Then, all of a sudden, a low, electronic voice sounded through a massive loudspeaker at the top of the building. Adam recognised the voice as that of Senador, the cyborg warrior.
"This is a Horde announcement." Senador’s voice spoke. "All members of the evil Horde are ordered by the mighty Hordak to keep a close lookout for a rebel warrior named He-Man. This man is thought to possess great strength and power which he intends to use to cause the downfall of the Horde. He is described as barbarian-like, of a large, muscular build, with heavily-tanned skin and blond hair. He also carries a sword which Hordak wishes to possess for himself. A great reward will go to the first Horde member who brings this man- dead or alive- to Hordak, along with the sword he carries. Over and out."
Adam smiled to himself. While the Horde were searching all over the place for He-Man, he would be able to remain inches from their grasp, without them even realising he was the man they were looking for. It was good to have a secret identity….. although for two years Adam had felt guilty about being unable to tell people he was He-Man, it did often come as an advantage….. and this was just one of those times.
Eventually, he found a door leading inside Doom Tower, he tricked the guard, telling him he was a Horde spy, and he went inside the evil fortress.
He could see at once that it was very different from Skeletor’s Snake Mountain, back on Eternia. It seemed virtually all electronic, with computers and electronic components surrounding nearly every wall, with robots zooming along from place to place. This was the centre of an evil empire which had taken control of a whole planet. How Skeletor would love to own a place like this! Snake Mountain and Skeletor’s army now seemed like only a minor force- it was no threat to Eternia compared to how this was to Etheria!
It would be hard for Adam to find his way around such a large and complex building- but he had to find the place where the sword was being kept, and find the girl whose presence had seemed to make the sword glow.
He wandered around Doom Tower, simply going random places, hoping that he would eventually find the sword. On his travels through the building, he saw many disturbing sights. There were scientists performing fiendish-looking experiments, some on innocent humans, and some of the Horde warriors he had done battle with earlier were now being beaten cruelly by a trooper with a whip. This was an extreme evil- which he must put a stop to. Eventually he caught sight of the girl who had taken the sword. She no longer had it, but he decided to follow her and try to find out more about her. He had to find if she really could be the person who the sword was intended for. Carefully watching her every move, he followed stealthily behind, making sure to sneak behind corners whenever she looked around. He tiptoed slowly and quietly behind her, making the greatest effort not to be seen or heard.
Eventually the girl reached a particular room, entered, and closed the door. Adam sneaked up to the door, and peered in through the keyhole. In the centre of the room the girl was talking to a woman whose body was completely enshrouded in a black cloak- and by them was the sword of protection, on a stand! It was no longer glowing, but Adam was sure he saw a faint light around it whenever the girl stood very near it.
"You have served the Horde very well." the shrouded woman was saying. "Hordak and I are very proud of you. I will use my magic to find out the secrets of this sword, while our warriors are out looking for this He-Man."
"Thank you, Shadow Weaver. Can I have He-Man to deal with when you find him? I’d really love to give that guy a good bashing. He interferes so much."
"I may allow you to deal with He-Man….. really it is Hordak’s decision. Adora, now I am going to train my apprentices in the magic of darkness. While I am gone, you must remain here and guard the sword- but do not touch it. You never know just what powers it may have or what damage it could do. And don’t let anyone else touch it either. It is for mine and Hordak’s hands only."
"Of course, Shadow Weaver. I understand."
Shadow Weaver then vanished in a cloud of black smoke, leaving Adora alone to guard the sword. Now was Adam’s chance! He could sneak in and speak to Adora, posing again as a Horde spy. He decided to wait a while before doing this, as Adora might become suspicious if he came in too soon after Shadow Weaver’s departure. He remained simply staring through the keyhole, observing Adora’s every action.
Adora paced the room a few times, but seemed to keep stopping, and staring at the sword. She clearly had some major curiosity about it. And this curiosity soon forced her to disobey Shadow Weaver, as she lifted the sword from its stand and began swishing it through the air as if battling an unseen foe.
Just then Adam took his chance, and opened the door to enter the room. Upon hearing him enter, Adora stooped and turned to face him.
"Who are you?" she asked. "What are you doing here? I haven’t seen your face around here before."
"I’m just a Horde spy." Adam replied. "I dress in normal clothing so I can fool the rebels. Man, I’ve had some fun hacking their heads off when they’re not expecting it!" He hoped his act was fooling her. It seemed it was, as Adora suddenly erupted into laughter, her mouth wide open.
"That’s one trick I really love." she replied. "But hey, your clothes look pretty rich….. does Hordak pay you a lot?"
"Pretty high, I guess. But I’m from a rich background anyway. I love serving the Horde."
"What you doing in here, then? What business you got?"
"I’m just inspecting the place." Adam replied. "Hey, what’s the big deal with this sword anyway? Just looks like any normal sword to me."
"It sometimes gives out this glow." Adora replied. "And Shadow Weaver senses it’s got heroic magic. She’s gonna drain the magic from it, hopefully, before it does any harm. But hey, heroic or not, I’d really love to fight with this sword. It just seems to feel….. just right for me. It’s like I’m drawn to it, in some way! I just can’t leave it alone!!!" She swished it through the air, in battle pose.
This seemed interesting to Adam. If she was so closely drawn to a sword that was supposedly heroic, could it possibly be because it was indeed intended for her? And if it was intended for her, then she couldn’t be truly evil. Adam decided he must find out more about Adora. She would not suspect anything if he questioned her….. she’d just assume he was attracted to her in some way. After all, a young, attractive blonde woman with such a rebellious and powerful nature must get a lot of attention from men.
"So how do you like serving Hordak, then?" he asked.
"I love it." she replied. "Hordak’s brought me up since I was a kid, you know. He and Shadow Weaver have been like parents to me….. they’ve trained me since birth to serve the Horde."
"And what about your real parents? Do you know them?"
"No. Hordak tells me they were killed just after I was born. I don’t really care about finding out who they were, though. They could never be as good as Hordak and Shadow Weaver have been."
"I see. So you’ve served the Horde all your life, basically. And now you’re force captain, aren’t you?"
"Yeah, I sure am. It’s a brilliant ranking in the army. I get to boss around all those fuckin’ gits like Leech and Grizzlor who treated me like some feeble little girl when I was a kid. I could kill any other member of the Horde, just about, and Hordak wouldn’t mind. He gives me loads of important jobs. And I just love to….. you know, rip people apart!" she touched the sword to her neck, and moved it along slowly, miming decapitation. Then she laughed aloud. "I love that stuff!!!"
"Have you ever had second thoughts about the Horde?"
"Second thoughts? Ha! No chance! I don’t care how much evil has been wrought by the Horde, ‘cause I am evil as fuck. And I’m stayin’ with the Horde….. there’s no better army in the universe. And have you ever hung around the Fright Zone at night?"
"No."
"Hey, you should man. The Fright Zone at midnight….. it kicks ass. It’s real luxury. They open up all the bars, you can drink until you’re sick, and you can get laid. You get all the whores on the street, but I’ve been puttin’ the whores out of business of late. Okay, I may not sell sex for money, but those tough guys in the Fright Zone sure prefer to have a piece of me."
"Damn, you slut!" Adam said, faking sarcasm.
"Hey, watch your mouth fucker! You go out there tonight man….. the whores’ll love a piece of you!"
"Maybe so." Adam said, laughing. "But anyway, back to that sword….. why do you like it so much, if it’s meant to be heroic?"
"Hey, I told’ya did I not? I just feel drawn to it man, I can’t explain it! As a weapon, it just rocks, I don’t give a fuck how heroic it is!" she slashed it through mid-air again. "Anyway, Shadow Weaver’s gonna drain its power hopefully….. then she’ll let me have it, and I’m gonna sever a few heads, fucker!"
Carefully, Adam observed the faint light around the sword. There was no mistaking that it became brighter whenever Adora held it really close. And if she felt so heavily drawn to it….. then it must surely be meant for her. She was the person he had come to find. But there was no doubt that she was evil. She was clearly sadistic and remorseless, yet sexy at the same time. Why would the Sorceress have wanted him to give the sword to a person like this? Obviously, he must be meant to turn her from the side of evil somehow….. but how would he go about that? If she found that he wasn’t really on her side, she’d probably try to kill him! How could he turn her against the Horde when she was so devoted to them? She’d spent her whole damn life working for the Horde! It would be incredibly hard to turn her against them. Of course, he could try to make her see things from an ordinary person’s point of view….. but she clearly loved being evil! She wouldn’t give a damn about how much suffering she’d caused! Was there any way he could persuade her to join the side of good?
He decided he should try to ask her if she’d ever felt remorse for the people whom the Horde tortured. He stepped closer to her, laid his hand on her shoulder, and said "Now listen, I must ask you something, and this is serious….."
"Hey man, I’m rushin’ towards no relationships now. I’ll fuck you if you really want me to, but I don’t need no man to help me live. I just need sex."
"No, that’s not what I’m asking, It’s just….. I wondered….."
Just then, he was interrupted by the door swinging open violently. He spun on his heel and stared into the doorway. There stood a small figure with a red, bug-like head and an incredibly thin body, with blue skin and four bony legs. It was Mantenna, the strange creature he had fought against earlier.
But by his side was a far more disturbing looking creature. This one was a tall, muscular figure, whose body seemed to be made mainly from metal. He wore the Evil Horde bat symbol across his chest….. only it seemed more striking and frightening than on any other warriors. His face was made from white metal, with red fangs and huge red eyes which shone brightly into the room. And he wore a long, red cape, which glided down from his back to the ground. Adam was not quite sure who this was….. but he was obviously very important in the ranks of the Horde.
The terrifying figure glared straight into Adam’s eyes. "Who are you?!" he bellowed, in a deep voice which echoed through the whole room. "What are you doing in here?"
"He’s….. a ….. rebel." hissed Mantenna, in a slow, rasping voice. "I….. fought….. him….. earlier. He….. has….. no….. place….. here."
"This man told me he was a Horde spy!" exclaimed Adora.
"A spy?!" bellowed the larger figure. "I have NEVER seen this man before! And if Mantenna says the man’s a rebel, I am inclined to believe him."
He threw his cape over his shoulders, and briskly advanced towards Adam. "Who are you to sneak inside Doom Tower and try to interrogate Adora?! Do you really expect you can do your pathetic rebellion any good? You have the mighty Hordak to answer to!"
Adam suddenly felt his heart jump in his rib cage, and pound against his ribs with thumping intensity. So this was Hordak! The deadly leader of the Horde!
"Erm….. I had to….. get the sword….." stammered Adam, pretending to be afraid in the hope that he could strike Hordak when unexpected.
"Get the sword?! The accursed sword which the infernal He-Man brought to this world? So He-Man has sent you here to recover the sword, because he is too afraid to do it himself? How I hate that man more by the minute! And you, you weak fool, will pay for obeying that bastard’s feeble instructions!" He held out his arm, and suddenly it began to whirr, and transform. Within a few seconds, it had turned into a cannon. Hordak aimed the cannon straight at Adam’s face, ready to blow his head off. Adam had no choice. Even if it meant revealing his secret identity, he had to turn to He-Man. He reached behind his back to grip the power sword…..
But then, all of a sudden, Hordak lowered the cannon, and transformed his arm back to normal. "No." he said. "I shall let you live- but count yourself lucky. I am only doing this because you may be of use to me for finding out the secrets of He-Man!" he turned to Adora. "You and Mantenna take this fool to the dungeons."
"Of course, master." Adora replied. Then Hordak took a glance at the sword of protection, and looked up at Adora angrily, his eyes lighting up brightly with rage and fury.
"What did Shadow Weaver tell you? She told you NOT to handle that sword!" He writhed the sword from Adora’s grasp, and slammed it back onto the stand.
"I’m….. I’m sorry, Hordak, I just….. couldn’t resist it."
"Fine, Adora. But do not handle it again- you do not know what damage it could do! Now take the rebel fool to the dungeon!"
Before Adam could react, Adora was gripping his arm tightly, and Mantenna rushed up to him and gripped the other. "Okay, you rebel fucker." said Adora. "You thought you could fool me into giving you that sword? That’s the last time I believe someone in plain clothes. I’m not gonna let fuckers like you fool me again. You’re damn well gonna pay for trying!" She wrenched his arm, and she and Mantenna dragged the struggling Adam to the dungeon of Doom Tower.
There they imprisoned him behind steel bars. Hordak followed behind, and called for Grizzlor. The hairy henchman stepped into the room, chewing on a bloody chunk of human flesh.
"This morsel sure tastes good." he growled. "What did you call for, my Lord?"
"Keep a close watch on this rebel fool." said Hordak. "He was sent here by He-Man to try to recover the sword, and almost tricked Adora- you must guard him carefully."
"I sure will, mighty Hordak."
Adora stepped up to the cage, and said "And next time you try to fool me so easily….. you get THIS!" she pulled out her pistol, and thrust it through the bars, right into his face.
Adam flinched back, just so that Hordak would think he was afraid. Then Hordak said "I will be back here soon, you fool. I must find out more about this ‘He-Man’. Come, Adora and Mantenna."
He left the room, with Adora and Mantenna following behind. Grizzlor then sat on a metal bench by the cage to continue chewing on the chunk of flesh. His sharp fangs were completely stained with blood.
The thought that the sword could be meant for Adora, clearly evil beyond belief, was beginning to sicken Adam. But he knew there must be some reason that the Sorceress had chosen to give it to her! Maybe deep inside, she was good? But even if that was the case, it would be incredibly hard to try to turn her from the Horde. And even worse, the Horde still possessed the sword- what if they found out its secrets, which even Adam didn’t know, and really did manage to drain its power? Adam would have failed in a really important quest! And then he remembered the schemes that Skeletor was probably getting up to, back on Eternia, with no He-Man to stop him. Perhaps Adam would return to find Eternia as poverty-stricken and war-torn as Etheria…..
He didn’t want to think any more. He just had to get out of this prison, and retrieve the sword, and try his best to find out more about Adora and how he could turn her against the Horde. And he had no worries about escaping from the prison….. when Grizzlor wasn’t looking, he would be able to turn to He-Man and make his own way out. It was going to be a tough task….. but Adam was a true hero, and he knew he could carry it out.

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