Miranda Sparks – MirandaSparks.com

Fang Force #42 – “Bad Blood: The New Faces of Evil” (Part 6)

“Father’s going to be mad.”

Vultera swallowed, hard. The two had searched for hours on end, combing all points of Crescent Valley, but to no avail. Their prey had slipped from their grasp.

Of course they could blame Fang Force for their failure – and likely would – but no excuse could temper Lord Nihilex’s legendary rage.

They pressed into the caves, hand in hand, ready to face the inevitable.

They could run, but to do so would only prolong the inevitable. Better to get it over and done with, and to suffer only a little before the end.

After a slow, dreadful march, the two came into the throne room, where Wiseman hunched in wait. He raised his head, but did not reveal the face under his hood.

“Vultera, Feareus,” he croaked. “Lord Nihilex has been expecting you.” Continue reading “Fang Force #42 – “Bad Blood: The New Faces of Evil” (Part 6)”

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Wonder Woman + Sailor Moon: “Under the Eye of Planet X” – Chapter 7

“I know my mother’s decree is difficult to accept,” Diana said. Her mother’s decree; nobody else’s.

One by one, she divided members of the Sailor Guardians from the pack, so that she might speak to them without the influence of the others. What she asked had to be measured against individual hearts.

She continued. “But you needn’t sit idly by. Usagi may be confined to Themiscyra, but you aren’t. If you feel your place is in the battle ahead, then I would be honored to stand by you.”

It was a difficult offer for any teenage girl, let alone those with the power of the stars. Fighting alongside Wonder Woman? They may not have shared the amazon’s thirst for honor and glory, but what an adventure! What a story for ages to come!

Yet Usagi’s brave face still lingered. Diana could read it on their thoughts, plain as day. She could also hear the words. “You should go with Wonder Woman. She needs you. Support her like you’d support me!”

The Golden Perfect warmed at her side. It was as sensitive to self-deception as any other. Continue reading “Wonder Woman + Sailor Moon: “Under the Eye of Planet X” – Chapter 7″

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Fang Force #41 – “Bad Blood: The New Faces of Evil” (Part 5)

In all the days of his near-endless existence, it was the closest Fantom had ever been to oblivion. Born from nothingness, he would soon return to it, crushed in the grip of his monstrous step-brother, whose hatred of him transcended realms.

It was pointless to resist. This fight found him knowing that he couldn’t win. At best the abyssal prince could reminisce on what was, what could have been, before the unlife was choked from him.

“Goodnight, Fantom,” Feareus snarled, “for the last time!”

“Not if I can help it!”

Red Fang launched into the monster’s back, planted her feet between his shoulders, and wrenched his chin. Her strength needn’t have to be greater; it was distraction enough for Feareus to loosen his hold.

The other heroes charged, tackling Feareus’ burly arms one at a time. They clung for all their lives as the monster threw them this way and that. Still they held tight, leaving Feareus little room to move.

“Get them off me!” he bellowed. Continue reading “Fang Force #41 – “Bad Blood: The New Faces of Evil” (Part 5)”

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Wonder Woman + Sailor Moon: “Under the Eye of Planet X” – Chapter 6

“We welcome our sisters from the Moon Kingdom in the name of love and friendship. May your time among the amazons be rich and joyful.”

Queen Hippolyta was equal in beauty to Diana herself, as were the other residents of Themyscira. Despite her longevity, her appearance was that of a woman at the precipice between youth and maturity. Her manner, however, spoke to a quality more refined than a single lifetime could provide; whether it was her poise, diction, or the ease with which she moved through the world, she was every inch the image of royalty.

Usagi drank in the powerful woman’s aura, and combed head to toe for any trace of flaw. Her purple robes, shining lips, and glistening gold bands were of a goddess personified, as were the lush, black ringlets pulled high under her crown. Yet for all her glamor there was a strength to her, tempered with compassion, equal to her daughter. Perhaps she’d more than shaped the princess, but imparted that piece of her also.

On the Queen’s right side stood Diana, all smiles, the very picture of diplomacy. She was brighter than she was before, and while it was no less genuine, Usagi didn’t recognise her as the woman she’d come to know. Continue reading “Wonder Woman + Sailor Moon: “Under the Eye of Planet X” – Chapter 6″

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Fang Force #40 – “Bad Blood: The New Faces of Evil” (Part 4)

It’s worth noting that while exposure to sunlight is not fatal to the living vampire, it remains an irritant; particularly to Drake, who while asleep on a branch fell into the gradual shifting of sunlight through the leaves. He woke with a groan, and swatted at the rays.

“Who put the sun there?”

Deciding that he’d slept long enough, the leather-clad vampire dropped to the ground on all fours. He stretched and he yawned, readying himself for the few hours until his next scheduled nap.

“Suppose I should check on the others,” he muttered to nobody.

Drake shuffled through the backstreets. There wasn’t much to see.

Every so often he’d come across a yard where a child, too young to know better, smiled up to him. His smirks were closer to sneers. It had been hundreds of years since he was a child; too long to remember how they worked.

He discovered his teammates in an empty lot. They weren’t alone, however, as a man clutched what he could only assume was his daughter to his chest. All six were fixated on something by the far wall. Continue reading “Fang Force #40 – “Bad Blood: The New Faces of Evil” (Part 4)”

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Wonder Woman + Sailor Moon: “Under the Eye of Planet X” – Chapter 5

“Were you to look upon Larisa one thousand years ago, you would not recognise her in the woman she’s become; quiet, bookish, good natured and curious. She was a lover of knowledge, brimming with wonder, with her head stuck in the clouds.

“On Themyscira she was an astronomer, often sleeping through the daylight hours and camping in the wilderness, where the light of civilization wouldn’t dull her vision. She, along with a band of sisters, dedicated themselves to recording the heavens, plotting their course across eternity.

“Then, one fateful night, an aberrant body appeared in the sky that Larisa did not anticipate. Her sisters urged her to turn away, sensing evil from the thing, but Larisa was fascinated. Planet X, which was then called Nibiru, had her in its grasp, and the Amazon was forever changed.

“The next night, Larisa abandoned Themyscira for man’s world, never to be heard from again – or so we thought. Continue reading “Wonder Woman + Sailor Moon: “Under the Eye of Planet X” – Chapter 5″

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Fang Force #39 – “Bad Blood: The New Faces of Evil” (Part 3)

For Fantom, moving through human civilization proved no mean feat. They were, after all, sensitive creatures, and prone to alarm. Thus he deployed subterfuge, traveling away from crowded population centers. Hiding spots were plentiful if one knew where to look, though served him for very long.

He found refuge in the bushes in an undeveloped lot. Garbage lay strewn in the grass. Who knew how long since this land was touched? It suited his needs, for the moment.

Fantom unclasped his armor, and with a sudden hiss of pain removed the plates. Viscous, incandescent purple flowed freely, stirring an icy fog. He pressed the wound, but it did little to stem the flow running between his fingers.

What a fool he’d been. Lord Nihilex proved more than his equal. Now he was paying the price.

The prince closed his eyes, for how long he couldn’t say. Thoughts melted into one another, never quite reaching culmination. Time lost meaning.

When he next looked he was not alone, and in the most unlikely of company. Continue reading “Fang Force #39 – “Bad Blood: The New Faces of Evil” (Part 3)”

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Wonder Woman + Sailor Moon: “Under the Eye of Planet X” – Chapter 4

Claws rang against Wonder Woman’s indestructible bracelets like a bell starting a title bout. Amazon and chimera grappled in a show of strength that cracked the earth beneath their feet. A putrid stink roared from the mutant’s jowls, but Diana of Themyscira did not waver.

“Sailor Moon!” she cried. “Get to safety! Now!”

But the heroine was frozen. She had to do more than run. How could she abandon an ally? She balled her fists, fighting to tear away. A part of her would love to hide, and cry, but her heart knew different.

But this was Wonder Woman asking! She was the real hero; smarter, faster, stronger in every sense. So why couldn’t Usagi just listen to her?

Planet X shimmered like a mirage, radiating discord on a cosmic scale. It emerged from the corners of the void more mysteriously than its intent, whether or not it was conscious. An ill wind blew, as though the elements themselves were attempting to flee. Continue reading “Wonder Woman + Sailor Moon: “Under the Eye of Planet X” – Chapter 4″

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Fang Force #38 – “Bad Blood: The New Faces of Evil” (Part 2)

It was by no means a novel sight, but no matter how many times she saw it, Lindsay couldn’t help but wonder, ‘how can he sleep like that?’

On this occasion Drake was on the sofa, balanced precariously on its back like a much smaller creature. She watched the vampire slumber, face rested on his hands, and feet folded to keep from falling. It was like something a child would do!

So fascinated was Lindsay that she did not register Vincent creeping behind her.

“It’s the ‘cat’ familiar that gives him the power to sleep anywhere.”

Lindsay clasped her chest to keep her heart from leaping out. “Give a girl a little warning next time!”

Drake stirred, but only slightly. He could sleep through most things. Continue reading “Fang Force #38 – “Bad Blood: The New Faces of Evil” (Part 2)”

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Wonder Woman + Sailor Moon: “Under the Eye of Planet X” – Chapter 3

There was a time – only minutes before, in fact – when Usagi’s biggest problems involved a low test score in English class. Oh, how she longed for so mild a struggle!

She sprinted down the hallway, driven by the flying beasts nipping at their heels. What were these things? And what did they want?

But there was no time for questions; not if she wanted to make it out in one piece!

Usagi jerked around a corner and vaulted down the stairwell. The part-bird, part-man, part-demon creatures broke away from the pursuit of her classmates, and concentrated their efforts on her.

Why?

Usagi cried. “I don’t want to be some bird-brain’s lunch meat!”

For every step she made they gained by two. Time was running short. Usagi wouldn’t even make the door! Continue reading “Wonder Woman + Sailor Moon: “Under the Eye of Planet X” – Chapter 3″

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