Guides Batwoman’s Destiny

The deadly dot of hellishly bright sunlight shone between Batwoman’s feet against the carved Aztec calendar, the Sun Stone. She was conscious of sweat beginning to bead on her bare flesh as her fearful eyes maintained their focus. Irrationally, she wondered if the warmth of the room was the only reason her body had begun to glisten. Regardless, Batwoman took comfort from Flamebird’s absence. Beyond her obvious concern for the teen’s safety, she would not have wanted her niece to know she was afraid.

She knew human emotions could not be prevented—they were natural. Her fear might even prove advantageous, giving her the adrenaline she would need to escape when the time came. Of course, given the time the solar laser would need to complete its deadly cut, Batwoman felt time might serve her better if it were to come sooner!

She lacked Batman or Batgirl’s experience at death-defying escapes. Batwoman imagined they frequently recalled a similar situation from which they had previously escaped and simply repeated their tactics. For the most part, all she had were stories.

Batman had reportedly agreed to join Catwoman when she had threatened to let a gigantic mousetrap snap and cut him into equal parts. Montezuma and his curvaceous consort, Consuella, had already left Batwoman to her fiery fate, so bargaining with them would be impossible.

On another occasion, Catwoman had hoped to cook Batman and Robin like bugs on enormous grills beneath gigantic magnifying glasses. To free themselves, the Dynamic Duo had reached for the fiendishly focused lenses with their feet to redirect the sunbeams toward their bonds. Batwoman, however, would never reach the mirrors reflecting the single, sinister circle at her.

Batwoman had to be able to do more to free herself from Montezuma’s Sun Stone than scream for help! Indeed, Montezuma expected her to cry out in pain and terror. Her cries, when they inevitably came, would do little more than reinforce the terrible hold the cruel monarch had over his followers.

Beyond her desire to remain alive, Batwoman wanted to end the mad ruler’s regime. There simply HAD to be a means of escape!

Relying upon experience or stories of escapes from similar traps to suggest such a means would not work, so Batwoman decided to reassess her own deadly situation.

Batwoman lay spread eagled on the circular Sun Stone, her limbs stretched out as far as her muscles would allow, bound in place with stout ropes wound tightly and repeatedly around her wrists and ankles. No concession had been made for her comfort and the death chamber had grown quite warm.

She turned her head and let her cheek come to rest against the cold stone. “It’s sedimentary rock,” she said. The knowledge that the stone carvings beneath her had been etched in a rock formed as the Earth put pressure on its soil over the centuries was comforting to Batwoman. She knew the rock sometimes had sharp edges that could be used to cut through her ropes.

The warmth of the death chamber, as well as the danger she was in, had left Batwoman’s flesh glistening with sweat. This moisture enabled her to move her limbs more freely than she could when she had first recovered consciousness. She might be able to slowly work slack into her bonds without experiencing the intolerable pain her initial, exploratory movements had induced.

Slack would enable her to rub the rope encircling her limbs against the carved stone. While the friction would weaken the rope, many hours of continuous, torturous work would be required to free her from the stout restraints. As Batwoman began the task, she felt the stone against which she was rubbing the rope collapse and fall away. Suddenly, she saw the value of the debris her work would slowly create. She began the painstaking task of gathering larger chunks of this debris and piling it beside her right hand.

By the time she was satisfied with the amount of debris she had gathered, the deadly eye of hellish light had moved to a point half-way up her calves. The stout rope binding her wrists had begun to fray, but the ropes remained far too strong to allow sheer force to break her free.

While it might have been possible for her to shift her body and give her ankles the slack they needed to fray the stout ropes binding them, the idea of moving her groin closer to the approaching sunbeam seemed profoundly unwise. With the Sun Stone crumbling as fast as the stout ropes frayed, there might not be enough time for Batwoman to free herself before Montezuma’s solar laser began performing its terrible task.

She HAD to find a quicker means of escape.

Batwoman’s mind worked with the speed of a supercomputer, measuring distances and angles. Despite their strength and thickness, the ropes binding her were the obvious weakness of Montezuma’s trap. Was there another way to exploit them — to attack them?

Consuella’s jeweled pendant was the key to the deadly arrangement, because its jewel focused the solar laser beam. Batwoman took a piece of debris in her bound fingers and flung it at the overhead pendant. Her aim was true, but the distance was impossible, given the extent of her restraint. ‘It’s going to have to be one of the mirrors then,’ she thought.

Batwoman took her next missile and made sure of the grip. The distance was at about the limit of her range and she would have to be careful as to how she adjusted the beam. It could cut through her glistening flesh like a knife through high-priced spreads . . . and would, if she misdirected it.

“Okay,” she said. She flung the stone and heard the chink as it hit the mirror. The fiery eye of Montezuma’s solar laser shifted to a spot beside her left thigh. Her eyes widened as a wisp of steam began to curl toward the ceiling. ‘That was too close! Good thing I’m sweating,” Batwoman thought as she readied the next piece of stone.

She exhaled as the rock tapped the mirror, moving the deadly eye of the sunbeam to a more central spot between her thighs. Tension drained away from her as she relaxed, closing her eyes for a moment. She realized the place the beam had been felt cooler than it had seconds earlier. She did not know how much time had passed before her eyes opened again. In seconds, she realized she was once again closer to being cut to pieces than she had been before she had begun trying to escape. The slow-moving eye was mere inches from her groin!

Unreasoning fear made her take a few deep breaths. She was amazed that she was able to keep from hyperventilating and calm herself so that she could return her attention to her escape plans. She tried a third shot with additional arc. The stone hit the wall and caught the mirror as it bounced off. The deadly eye raced along Batwoman’s leg and came to rest a bare inch away from the ropes binding her ankle. “Not going to move it closer with the mirror,” Batwoman muttered. She gritted her teeth and bent her knee, drawing the rope into the sunbeam. After a moment she could feel warmth above her flesh and smoke began to curl upward.

With her muscles clenched as tightly as the taut rope, Batwoman knew instantly when the rope burned through. She pulled her leg away and felt her chest heaving with relief. Ordinarily, the free leg would have given her the opportunity to maneuver her boot into position where she could reach a blade concealed there, but her boots had been removed. She would have to adjust the mirror again and free her other leg.

Before lining up her next shot, she used her free leg to maneuver herself into a more comfortable position atop the Sun Stone, a position leaving slack in her remaining ropes. “Better,” she said, relaxing for a moment.

The sunbeam had moved from the smoldering ropes when Batwoman’s mind returned to the task of escape. “Let’s see if I can do this in one shot,” she said quietly. The stone impacted the mirror and made the sunbeam cut across the Sun Stone toward Batwoman’s other leg. Unfortunately, the beam was a few inches too high for her to maneuver the rope into the beam.

Batwoman inhaled and let her breath out slowly. “One more try,” she muttered.

She selected the smallest stone in her dwindling pile and hurled it at the mirror. The deadly sunbeam moved downward, past her foot. Batwoman scooted back toward her original position on the Sun Stone and stretched her arms to the limit to move the rope binding her leg into the deadly beam. She watched, holding her breath as smoke began to rise. Minutes later, she wrenched at the flaming rope and felt the binding fall away from her ankle. “Yes!”

Now that both of her legs were free, lifting them and guiding her feet through the deadly matrix of light above her was simplicity itself. She held a position with her legs above her upper body, parallel to the Sun Stone. Thrusting her legs backward from there and flipping herself further backward and into a standing position with her wrists still bound to the Sun Stone was also simple for her.

The danger of being cut in half had passed and Batwoman’s next problem was freeing her hands. Standing, of course, she had a much better view of the room. Her gloves, boots, belt, and Bat-kit had been left on a low table, previously outside her field of vision. She stretched a shapely leg toward the table and thrust her toes into one boot. A kick sent it spinning backward, towards her. It landed between her hands. Her next step toward escape required patience, because the process of drawing one of her well-honed blades took time.

When that was done, two quick slashes freed her. She next carefully sliced the remaining bindings from her body and put on her boots and belt; slipped the Bat-kit into its familiar position; and put on her gloves.

She put her knife away and waited for circulation to return to her limbs, before crouching beside the locked door. A tool from her Bat-kit made short work of the lock.

As Batwoman expected, no guard had been placed on her execution chamber. ‘Now, I just have to search these halls of Montezuma to find Jeffery, Zack and Senor Alvarez.’ The relief she felt from her escape caused a “Monty Hall” joke to flit through her mind, but she quickly dismissed it. ‘I’m a long way from out of the woods yet!’

Montezuma had confirmed her suspicion of where the prisoners were being held. In short order Batwoman made her way back to the end of the corridor where she had found the locked door with the barred window earlier. Two bare-chested guards stood at that door.

Batwoman took a cloth and a bottle from her Bat-kit and crouched out of sight from the guards. She peered around the corner.

“Psst.”

“What was that?” one guard asked.

“What was what?” the other replied.

Batwoman waited a full minute before summoning the guards to her with another hiss.

“I heard it again!”

“It’s your imagination,” the second guard told him. “The woman who snuck onto the island has everyone jumpy. Montezuma said her body would be on display tonight, following the screaming. Too bad he’s so bloodthirsty. I would have made her scream and the experience would have been pleasant for both of us.”

“You’d better not let him hear you talk like that.”

“Huh,” the second guard snorted. “If he’s really a god, it’s too late anyway.”

“You’d better watch what you say. I’ve seen him do things I can’t explain.”

“Like what, for instance?”

“Never mind that now. I’m going to check out that noise.” He walked toward Batwoman’s position. As he did, she retreated. The man turned the corner and stared at the apparently empty corridor. He ventured a couple of steps along the passage and turned to go, satisfied.

That was when Batwoman stepped behind him and clapped the liquid-soaked cloth over his nose and mouth. She pulled the guard against her body and held him as he grew weak and collapsed in her arms. Batwoman dragged him to and alcove and searched the body. She found handcuffs with which she shackled him and an ornate key she brought back to her position at the end of the corridor.

The single guard was standing with his arms folded, looking in the direction his partner had gone. “Where did he wander off to?”

After a few minutes, he unfolded his arms and took a step in the same direction. Then he hesitated, glancing behind him and moving toward where Batwoman waited, concealed.

“Manny,” the guard called. “Can you hear me?” No one responded. He continued to approach.

The guard offered no resistance when Batwoman seized his wrist and swung him into the wall beside her. He bounced off of it and raised his hands to defend himself a split second too slowly. Batwoman leapt into the air as soon as she released him and spun, bringing her heel crashing down onto the hapless man’s neck. The guard fell unconscious. “Was it good for you, too?” Batwoman muttered as she hauled the unconscious guard to his feet and began to carry him to the door the captured key opened.

The door with the barred window opened to reveal stairs leading downward. Batwoman heard footsteps approaching from the darkness below and waited until she could hear the creaking of the staircase ahead of her and the heavy breath of another approaching guard. The man climbing the stairs heard a moan a split second before something came hurtling down the stairs, knocking him off his feet. The guards fell down the stairs together in a tangle of arms and legs. Batwoman hurried after them quietly and spotted an approaching light.

She held her breath in the dark until the light revealed the fallen guards. The man with the light inhaled and set his light down before crouching over his comrades. He was surprised when a gloved fist collided with his chin, knocking him to the stone floor. Batwoman crouched over her latest victim and bounced his head off of the flagstones a couple of times. Then she retrieved the light and began searching for prisoners.

She found Katherine Kane’s personal assistant, Jeffery, and her Chief of Security, Zack. Otherwise, the subterranean cells seemed unoccupied.

“It’s great to see you, Batwoman!” Jeffery said gratefully. He was rather smitten with all of Gotham City’s masked heroines.

“Yes, but rather unexpected,” Zack agreed, a little suspiciously. “How did you find us?”

“I was in the neighborhood,” Batwoman said dismissively. She knew it was in Zack’s nature to question everything. It was part of his job . . . but there was no time for that now. “How would you guys like to get out of here?”

“Sounds good to me!” Jeffery enthused.

“I’d like the chance to smack a few of these Aztec goons around a little. I owe them,” Zack said.

“You might get your wish. Do you have any idea where Senor Alvarez is?”

“A couple of Montezuma’s thugs dragged him out of here earlier this morning,” Jeffery said.

“I think he sent a couple more after Katherine Kane,” Zack said. “I’m responsible for her safety, so if they got her, someone around here is going to get hurt.”

“Ms. Kane is safe,” Batwoman said. “She contacted me when she realized Montezuma had kidnaped both of you. I took steps to see to her safety before I came here to rescue you.”

“Thanks, Batwoman,” Jeffery said.

“How did Ms. Kane contact you?” Zack asked.

“She’s very resourceful. Shall we go, gentlemen?” Zack frowned at the non-answer to his question, but followed Jeffery and the Attractive Avenger up the stairs.

They slipped through the door, which Batwoman locked, leaving the key in place. Then, she led them toward the main entrance. The guard outside there had been doubled.

“Four of them,” Zack muttered. “They’re big.”

“They’re strong, too,” Batwoman warned.

“The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Let’s get ‘em.”

Zack and Batwoman began creeping forward until one of the guards turned, spotted them, pointed, and let out a shout. The heroine and her companion charged.

The punch Zack threw at the first guard made the big man smile and return the favor. Zack shook his head and jabbed at the man, slipping a punch and landing a combination of low body blows. Zack rose to the balls of his feet and prepared for an extended, bruising fight as the guard regrouped.

Meanwhile, Batwoman darted around her first opponent and reached back to snag his chin and pull him backward. The hapless guard felt his knees collapsed from behind and was driven headfirst into the turf. The hand on his chin lifted his head again and slammed it down a second time as Batwoman’s weight lent force to the second crack. Batwoman felt her shoulders grabbed from behind and lifted. She turned the situation to her advantage by lifting her legs and thrusting both of her feet into the third guard charging at her. As her feet returned to earth, an elbow shot back and she heard the man holding her grunt before he collapsed on top of her. Batwoman bent her knees and slammed the guard gripping her arms to the ground. She stomped on his nose to finish him off. Her hands settled on her knees as she regarded her third opponent, who was picking himself up.

Jeffery was feeling a little useless as he watched Zack and his opponent exchange blows and Batwoman combating the others. He spotted a large rock and reached toward it.

The man Batwoman faced swung at her and felt her foot slam hard into his ribs. He took her ankle in his hands and swung her toward the side of the pyramid. Stunned momentarily, following the impact, Batwoman watched him come for her, a wide smile on his face. She took a swing at him and felt a beefy hand grip her shoulder and force her back. “The master will be pleased when I place your broken body before him, but first, I think I’ll have a little fun.” The guard held her in place and moved slowly closer, pressing his chest inexorably against hers.

The enormous guard filled Batwoman’s vision so that she was not aware of the large rock hovering above his head until it impacted the pyramid’s distracted defender with a sickening crunch. The guard collapsed and Jeffery stood behind him. Surprised by her secretary’s heroics, all Batwoman could say was, “Thank you.”

“Any time,” her personal assistant responded with a grin. As they turned to Zack’s fight, the Networld Security Chief staggered the man with a blow to the face and followed up with an uppercut that put him on the ground and sent him to la la land.

“Nice work, Zack.”

“Thanks,” he said, rubbing his knuckles. “That felt good. Now, let’s go!”

As the trio dashed toward the shore, the cruel, modern-day conquistador and his curvaceous companion returned to Batwoman’s death chamber. Consuella was surprised when the door swung open in response to her initial touch.

“I thought I locked this,” she murmured. Together the diabolical duo stared at the Sun Stone with the severed ropes dangling opposite twin piles of ashes and the sunbeam shining in its center, perpendicular to the stone and the floor. “Batwoman is gone, master. Is that not impossible?”

Montezuma stood behind her with his head bowed into his hands. He raised his face to her and spoke quietly. “It is truly amazing, Consuella. You were right about Batwoman. She is a very impressive woman. You ask me what is possible and impossible. Truly I tell you, there are more things in Heaven and Earth, than have been seen in your philosophy.”

“The guards will hunt her. She will never leave the island alive.”

“Batwoman is more concerned about our prisoners than her own escape. Come, we must complete the sacrifice.”

“Will we not need Batwoman then?”

“She has earned her freedom and that of those for whom she came.”

“What of your plans?”

“The sacrifice is more important. Honor demands I complete it.” They hurried through the pyramid’s corridors. The guard on Montazuma’s throne room saluted as they appeared. “You,” Montezuma said, addressing him. “Go and sound the evacuation siren.”

“Master?” the guard said, hesitating.

“Now, you question me. Have I not taught you better? I need obedience now . . . more that ever. You do not know the terror that will come if the gods are dishonored after the centuries. There will be a rain of fire and rock unless sacrifice is complete. Go!” Montezuma propelled him from the corridor and led Consuella into his throne room. “Help me with the tapestry. Hurry.”

Together they crossed the room and tore one of the tapestries down from behind the throne. “What will we do now?” Consuella asked.

“Now, the other gods must be appeased. Our preparations are for naught. I underestimated Batwoman and all is lost.”

“We still have each other--”

Montezuma reached for her and gripped her by the back of the neck. Fiercely, he drew her mouth to his and kissed her deeply. “Listen to me, Consuella. There is nothing for you here. You have been mine since I laid eyes upon you. Now, I give you your freedom because you have served me well.”

“What will I do without you? How will I live?”

“Mister Alvarez has been separated from the other prisoners. Go to him. His life and his wealth no longer matter to me.” He thrust her away from him, flinging her to the floor.

“Why?” she asked, her eyes pleading as she stared up at him.

“You are free! Leave me!” Montesuma turned his back and walked toward the fallen tapestry.

“If I am truly free, how can you send me away?”

Montezuma stopped in his tracks and turned slowly to face her again. “This is so pointless!” he raged. “Very well, stay and die or go and live. You are free to do so because it is what you wish!” His voice fell to a whisper. “I do not want you do die. Please, Consuella. Go! Go before the wrath of the gods is visited upon this place!” His intense eyes locked upon hers as he flung out an arm, indicating the chamber door.

“You are asking me?”

“No,” Montezuma whispered. “I am begging you. Please go!”

Consualla stared at him, her eyes glittering and intense. “I hate you!”

A siren suddenly pierced the serenity of the lush island.

The wail of the siren spurred Jeffery, Zack and Batwoman toward the beach. Suddenly, Batwoman stopped. Her companions halted beside her and stared at the scene they had come upon. Three men were bound hand and foot, festooned on wooden poles that had been driven into the ground like fence posts.

“Oh my,” Jeffery gasped.

“Poor devils,” Zack said, approaching and beginning to examine them.

Batwoman recognized the man who had guarded Montezuma’s audience chamber before she had penetrated it the previous night. She guessed the others had guarded the entrance to the pyramid. She stepped to the nearest man and realized he was beginning to dehydrate and that his bare back had been lashed severely.

“Please help us,” the man whispered, barely audibly.

“Come on,” Batwoman said, supporting the man as she cut him free with her knife. Jeffery stepped forward to support him while the attractive adventuress moved to free the next and give him to Zack. She helped the third once she had freed him.

She halted suddenly when she reached the edge of the trail, holding up a hand to stop and silence the others. Jeffery and Zack led them into a thicket that concealed them all as a patrol raced past them moving at a very rapid pace. Once the guards were out of sight, Batwoman and her companions began to move again.

When they reached the beach, they lowered the men Montezuma had punished gently to the sand. “Thank you,” their spokesman said quietly.

“You’ll be safe enough here while we send help for you,’ Batwoman said. She, Jeffery, and Zack retreated and Batwoman led them toward the boats she had found on her way to the pyramid.

Reaching the speedboat, Zack and Jeffery leapt aboard. Zack began to get the craft ready for launch. “Is there an ax aboard that boat?” Batwoman asked.

“Here,” Jeffery said, extending the handle toward her.

“What are you doing?” Zack asked.

“Making sure you two aren’t followed and, I hope, keeping Montezuma and his merry men from escaping,” Batwoman said. She chopped a hole in the hull of each canoe and returned the ax to Jeffery. “Are you ready to go?”

“Aren’t you coming with us?” Jeffery complained. Not only was he concerned for her safety, he wanted to stay with her as long as possible.

“I’ve got to find Senor Alvarez and capture Montezuma. Stay safe.”

“I’ll make sure we do and when we get back I’ll send the Coast Guard out here. Come on, Jeffery.” Batwoman nodded and waved as Zack fired up the motor and steered the speedboat out to sea. Then she turned and ran back toward the pyramid. The siren that had spurred the Networld employees’ escape was still sounding.

Batwoman was a little surprised when she encountered no guard patrols as she ran back toward the pyramid. The main entrance was unguarded as well and there was no sign of the men she and her companions had defeated earlier. Batwoman dashed through the corridors to the double doors of Montezuma’s audience chamber, which was also unguarded.

The wailing siren echoing through the pyramid’s passages stopped suddenly when Batwoman stepped through the doors. The coincidence of these apparently unrelated events lent drama to the scene upon which Batwoman focused for the next several minutes.

A silken chord was suspended above Montezuma’s throne and the Mexican Monarch dangled from it. The throne itself had somehow tumbled from the dais. Only empty space separated the dais from Montezuma’s feet. Batwoman crossed the room and verified the villain’s neck had broken. She cut his body down and laid it on the dais. There was nothing more to be done for Montezuma. ‘Perhaps he really believed he was the historical Aztec ruler,’ Batwoman thought, ‘and he re-enacted his garotting at Cortes’s hands best he could. That would make him the world’s nuttiest would-be ruler since Hitler.’

Batwoman scanned the room. When she had fought the guards in this chamber, a pair of tapestries had been suspended behind the dais. Now, only one was in place and a door that had been hidden behind the other was revealed.

This door was unlocked. Batwoman could hear the unmistakable sound of liquid spilling beyond it. Her eyes widened when she looked into the secret room.

Inside were two stone basins with pyramids of barrels stacked behind them. Chemicals poured from holes apparently shot in the barrels and had already nearly filled the basins. From their smell and appearance, Batwoman instantly identified the contents of the barrels. She knew an explosion the pyramid could never contain would be unleashed the second the chemicals overflowed their respective basins and combined!

There was no time to search for Senor Alvarez now. Batwoman turned and began literally running for her life. She moved from the smooth floors of the pyramid to the uneven, root-infested forest floor without checking her speed. She dodged between trees and hurdled fallen timber until she burst onto the beach. That was when a deafening boom heralded the fireball that consumed the pyramid as it streaked skyward. Batwoman was thrown to the sand and lay still, covering her head as fire and debris from the pyramid rained down, setting the forest ablaze.

When the sound of the explosion had stopped reverberating, a cloud of smoke shrouded the island and flames swept rapidly through the forest. “Time to go,” Batwoman muttered, packing her gloves; boots; and Bat-kit into the backpack she had carried them in when she had swum over.

As Batwoman plunged into the water, she recalled where she had hidden her motorcycle, as well as the black athletic pants and jacket that constituted her disguise. She also slowly realized she had not slept and had been active for hours. Batwoman rolled onto her back and continued swimming, conserving her ebbing physical energy.

Sunlight streamed through the bedroom window of Katherine Kane’s hotel suite as she stirred. Something had awakened her from a deep, dreamless sleep. She realized it had been the telephone when the instrument rang a second time. She reached for the receiver and picked it up.

“Hello.”

“Good morning, Ms. Kane,” the too-cheerful voice of a hotel operator said. “Would you accept a call from Senor Alvarez?”

“Senor Alvarez,” Katherine Kane repeated drowsily. Her mind was beginning to function and she suddenly understood what was happening. “Yes, I will. Thank you.”

She reached for the pad and pen as a male voice came on the line. “Buenos dias, Senorita Kane. I’m delighted to learn you are safe and well after this business with Montezuma. Gracias for leaving me the message.”

Before crawling into bed the previous night, she had called him and said Batwoman had told her he might have escaped from Montezuma’s island. “I’m relieved to hear you are well, senor.”

“You have come a long way to see me, senorita, so I thought I’d invite you to breakfast. We can tell each other about our adventures, before moving on to business later this morning. That is, of course, if you’re up to it.”

“You’re very kind, senor. I can be ready in an hour.”

“Excellent. I’ll have something brought into the conference room, unless you’d rather eat in the restaurant?”

“The conference room will be fine.”

“Very well. I’ll see you in an hour. Adios.”

“Goodbye.” Katherine Kane slid from the bed and made her way to the bathroom.

“We are both very fortunate Batwoman was available when you contacted her,” Senor Alvarez said, greedily downing his huevos rancheros.

It felt strange to Kathy to be back in the conference room, where her adventure had begun less than forty-eight hours earlier. “I agree. Did she rescue you?” Katherine Kane asked, spreading jam on an English muffin.

“It is extraordinary,” he said between sips of orange juice. “I was taken to Montezuma’s throne room where that madman explained to me how I would be signing over all of my material wealth to him. After that, he had a couple of his guards take me away to start what he called ‘persuasion’. Fortunately, this involved a great deal of preparation designed to intimidate the victim, so they didn’t get very far when that siren sounded and the men who were supposed to work on me fled like cowards.”

“So, you escaped on your own?”

“Oh, no. I was securely strapped to some horrible torture device. Montezuma’s girl slave came a few minutes after the siren started and freed me. She led me to a boat--”

“Consuella rescued you?” Katherine Kane asked, her eyes narrowing.

“Si. She told me that madman had kidnaped and enslaved her when she was a little girl, but that had had given her freedom before he attended to his responsibility. Do you know what he meant by that?”

“No, I don’t.” Kathy wondered exactly how Montezuma had really died.

She turned from her suspicions and went back to Senor Alvarez’ tale. “Later, we recovered and found ourselves bobbing safely in a boat among the waves. The pyramid had blown up and attracted the authorities. I owe the young woman my life and plan to do my best to see that she is well taken care of.”

Despite any crimes Consuella might have committed, Kathy decided to do nothing about it. Consuella really had saved Senor Alvarez’ life and thus earned his thanks, in whatever form he chose to give it. “You’re a good man, Senor Alvarez,” the corporate executive said.

“I’m glad you recognize my generosity, Senorita Kane, because I have grave concerns about some of the provisions in the proposal you have submitted. I may give you cause to change your mind.” He was smiling, but she detected something serious his behavior was masking.

“Why don’t we talk about your concerns?” she suggested, favoring him with the same type of dazzling smile.

The games had begun.

That night, in a middle class suburb of Mexico City, a teenage bride woke up with a start. Her husband of less than a month was not at her side.

She looked around the darkened bedroom. A light shone from underneath the door of the adjacent bathroom.

“Jose?” she said groggily. In Spanish she continued, “What’s the matter? Are you alright?”

Montezuma looked at the handsome young face staring back at him from the mirror. “I’m fine, dear,” he replied. “Everything is just fine now.”

Katherine Kane set her coffee cup aside and looked at her list of morning e-mail. Unusually, a single message appeared on her screen. The leader of Networld read:

Katherine Kane,
I congratulate you on the successful conclusion of your negotiations with Mister Alvarez and will tell you it should be beneficial for you both. It seems your arrangement has come to be regarded as an observance of Xocotlhuetzin, which translates to mean the ‘fall of fruit,’ you’ll no doubt remember.
You should also know my associates, Tonatiuh and Xiuhtecuhtli, were well pleased by the honor done them after these few centuries. Finally, you helped me realize destiny still beckons to me. As one who keeps secrets, I know you will appreciate the importance of this revelation.
I have decided that you, like Consuella, are a superior woman and are therefore worthy of joining me to pursue my ultimate destiny. I would invite you to respond to this message when you are ready to become a queen. I know I cannot force you to do this, for, as you told me, slavery was done away with over a century ago on this continent.
I realize you are busy with your business and "other activities." When you have done what you want, I hope you will remember me and consider my offer. As you know, I do not take ‘no’ for an answer, but I will tell you I await your response patiently, even now.
I caution you, do not dismiss me without consideration. Your niece also has great potential and her attitude could easily be adjusted if the need were to arise.
We could do very well together in this new century. You or your niece could easily become a powerful, respected goddess. To do so, you must only wish it.
Regardless of your decision, Katherine Kane, there will always be my benevolence. To see what it can be like, I need only refer you to Consuella’s fate.
Again, I thank and salute you.
Montezuma

Katherine Kane sat in stunned silence. ‘He was dead! I'm sure of it!! . . . and . . . He knows!’ Otherworldly possibilities swirled through the corporate CEO's mind. ‘That’s impossible! Unless . . . .’

Her intercom buzzed, interrupting her thoughts. As she leaned across her desk, she realized the rest of her e-mail had just streamed across her screen. “Yes, Jeffery?” she said.

“The mail has arrived. You have time to look it over before your first appointment, if you’d like.”

“Is there anything interesting?”

“It’s mostly routine. Oh, there is a wedding invitation from Senor Alvarez.”

“Bring the mail in, Jeffery,” Katherine Kane said. “I’d like to see that invitation.” As she waited, she leaned back in her chair, a strange mixture of happiness, concern and wonder in her heart.

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