Note: This story is a prequel to Fraulein Power's Trophies,  Fraulein Power's Trophies  and in the Fraulein Power chronology occurs after the evil Nazi defeated Superwoman, as recounted in It Runs in the Family,  It Runs in the Family .
 
 

Queen Deena the hereditary Monarch of Amazon Island, concerned about the continuing melancholy of her sister Superheroine, Amerizon, sought her friend out in the secluded Temple of the Suffering Goddess, Beletiva. "I know your pain for I once endured such a frightful ordeal!" Queen Deena told Amerizon. "Come Sister, I will recount my own misfortunes! Perhaps by sharing our sorrows, we may may better live with them!"

As they walked through the night forest, back to the Royal Amazon Palace from the lonely Temple, Queen Deena told Amerizon her own tragic story. The chaste moon, symbol of the Goddess, lit their path.

"Shortly after your terrible misfortune and imprisonment by the Nazi's, I persuaded my mother, Queen Hippolyta, who then ruled our island, to let me come to the World of Men, to fight cruelty and injustice, especially the evil of the Axis powers! After the War ended, I stayed on in America, only visiting home occasionally! My sister superheroines and I accomplished much good, in those years! Then in 1947, my sisters began to disappear! Some were killed outright, while others just vanished! Those of us who remained spent every waking moment trying to solve the mystery! Yet no matter what we did, our sisters continued to disappear! We who had helped so many were incapable of helping our own!"

"Who was responsible for this calamity? We who remained, had reason to suspect it was the work of a super powerful villainess, but who was she?"

"It wasn't until the Evil Devil crippled Superwoman that we knew any details about HER! That was a horrible tragedy; Superwoman's seven year old daughter, Little Clarice who became Super Lady in later years saw the whole thing! It made me sick to think about!"

Queen Deena bowed her head silently in sorrow, before going on.

"Superwoman was sure it was the fugitive Nazi, Gerda von Hipper, but now the Devil called herself 'Fraulein Power'! She was not only super strong, but wore a power mesh suit similar to that of Power Miss, who was the first Superheroine to disappear! You probably know von Hipper was a cousin of Elfrieda von Richtofen, the Black Valkyrie?"

Amerizon nodded sadly. "Yes they were much alike I believe, brutal and vicious, and utterly without mercy! It is said their family is descended from the Troll Princess, Erishka, who imprisoned and brutalized our beloved Goddess Beletiva!"

Queen Deena nodded. "Yes they are truly a family of devils!"

"Oh please go on; I didn't meant to interrupt!" Amerizon added.

"Aside from failure to find the von Hipper woman, my years in the World of Men, I may say, had been successful! Some called my career triumphant!  I suppose I had become complacent, perhaps even prideful at my success!  I believed no villain could ever be equal to a Princess of the Amazons!"

"Acting on the information Superwoman gave me, and using my government contacts, I, at last, tracked the evil woman down! Though every law enforcement agency in the world was hunting her, in her arrogance, she was living in the very heart of the Nation's Capitol, with no other protection than an assumed name!"

"It was late in the evening when I confirmed my suspicions! I could not wait a minute! In my eagerness to apprehend that Murderous Devil, I heedlessly hurried to her apartment alone, determined to end her reign of terror! Disdainfully certain of my own invincibility, I did not seek help from my sisters! Had Mighty Maid been with me that night, things would almost certainly have gone differently, and much death and suffering averted!"

Queen Deena wiped away a tear of remorse, as she continued her story. "As soon as I arrived at the apartment, I forced open the door, without stealth or heed! I paid for my conceit! Breaking the door lock gave Fraulein Power warning! She was waiting behind the door, as I rashly rushed inside! She struck me on the back of the head with a black jack! That is the one attack I am vulnerable to, even when wearing my Power Girdle! I fell to my knees half swooning!"

"Gerda seemed to know exactly what to do, as though she was ready for me, and planned it all! She instantly unsnapped my Amazon Girdle of Power, and snatched it from my waist, and along with it, the Lariat of Truth! While I was still on my knees, she disposed of the Girdle where I couldn't reach it! Another might have tried to use the Girdle, herself, in that situation, but she seemed to know it could only be of use to me! The Devil seemed to know as much about me as I did about her, perhaps considerably more!"

"Before I fully recovered, Gerda took my bracelets and my Tiara! Strangely enough, my one fear in that moment, was that without my bracelets, I might kill the Devil, rather than bring her to justice! Our bracelets were given to us by the Goddess to restrain our battle fury! Without them we fight in blind rage like the Norse berzerkers! I shortly discovered how foolish THAT concern had been!"

"I felt the red rage growing in my breast, as I rose to face Gerda von Hipper!  Before the blood lust fully consumed me, I saw she was in her undies! In my mad fury, I scarcely cared, but I suppose I was in luck that she wasn't wearing the power mesh suit that had become Fraulein Power's trademark! Without that suit, she couldn't fly and had no protection against my fists!  She might be incredibly strong, but so was I, even without my Girdle! Moreover, I was accounted the most skilled Warrior among my Amazon Sisters! Few men or women of the outside world can stand against me! I believe under the circumstances we were evenly matched, so I can offer no excuse for what followed! Had I been more cautious, I would have been warned when she discarded her blackjack, as though she no longer thought she needed it! Her arrogance proved justified!"

"Without the restraints of my Amazon bracelets, I never hated a foe, as I did that woman! I wanted to hurt her, and pay her back for the suffering she caused! My blind hatred was my undoing! That night in my blind rage, I forgot all my warrior's skill, and fought like a novice, relying only on brute strength!  In fury, I attacked her like a raging animal, while that devil fought coldly and deliberately!"

"Gerda was ready for me, waiting for my wild charge, and she coolly struck a foul blow that stopped me dead!"

"The wave of pain stunned me, and the Devil laughed at my pain!"

"Before I knew it, Gerda grabbed my arms, and rammed her knee into my crotch! Her knee did even more damage than her fist and near knocked me unconscious!"

"Paralyzed by pain, I just stood there, while Gerda grabbed me by the hair!"

"She jerked my head down, and rammed her knee into my jaw!"

"She took a step backward and kicked me in the same spot, not once, but twice!"

"I reeled backward, my head whirling in shock!"

'"While my arms dangled at my sides, Gerda took careful aim and snapped my head backward with a left uppercut!"

"No foe ever did so much damage to me in my life, and I hadn't even landed a blow! Pain cooled my rage as effectively as my bracelets could, leaving only cold hatred in my heart! Though my head was whirling, I resolved I would teach this Nazi Devil a lesson in Amazon Justice! Yet, I discovered that without the bracelets that I had worn since infancy, my arms were unbalanced and clumsy, or perhaps she had hurt me more than I realized! I swung wildly at her grinning, hateful face, but my punches flew gracelessly and erratically! The beast easily dodged them and taunted me for my seeming lack of skill!"

"When the Nazi struck back, her punches never missed! She was cool and skillful as an automaton! In justice, I must admit she was as formidable a warrior woman, as any Amazon!"

"At she punched me at will, the hatred in my heart was replaced by a growing uneasiness! Now I fought only to protect myself, but I wasn't even successful at that! The Devil battered me backward, until I reeled drunkenly!"

"Soon, I wasn't even able to try to defend myself! She grabbed my hair again and steadied my head! I saw her brutal fist coming, but there was nothing I could do to avoid it! I cried out, betraying my fear of her fist!"

"The Beast kicked me between the legs again! She delighted in the frightful pain such a foul low blow caused, I know!"