Cleopatra 2525; Echo of a Hero
By Tyval


Chapter 7:


   " Wait a minute, If Voice is Shiro and Shiro is a male scientist from
500 years ago, why have I always heard a female voice?," Hel asked.


   " G.O.L.D. equipment," Questar replied," It probably scrambled his
voice to protect his identity. Only the filtration of a
G.O.L.D.comm-link could reviel his true identity."


   " Questar, how can you be so calm?," Hel asked, her temper flaring,"
Shiro, Voice or whoever this is has obviously betrayed you and used me!"


   " Oh, I'm furious Hel, but Shiro was one of my best friends for over
60 years, if he betrayed me he had a good reason or he better have. And
I'm going to find out why," Questar said, barely controlling his own
temper," Whatever it was, Dragon had to be involved in it too and China
Dragon is my spirit brother."


   " It was not a betrayal Questar. It was what we had to do to save
your life and to save Earth," Shiro said," And Helen, I would never
callously use you. Your parents hid the truth from you in order to
preserve your life. Your name, the name you always thought was yours is
false. Your real name is Helen Ray!"


   " What?," Questar and Hel said as one. Hel did not know the
significance of that name, but the meaning of it was all too clear to
Questar.

  
   " Well, that's one piece of the puzzle," Questar said," Does she...?"


   " Yes. She's latent, but she has the power. I had hoped that Raina
could unlock her mind so that she could realize her potential. You of
course can do that far easier," Shiro continued.


   " Hel, even if you don't trust him right now, please trust me,"
Questar said," I'm in mental contact with him now and he's telling the
truth. You must believe that both of us would die rather than see you
hurt."


   " Now I'm really confused and pissed off," Hel angrily said," Are you
trying to tell me that everything I've ever believed, everything that's
ever happened to me is a lie?! And so what if my name is different from
what I always thought it was."


   " Hel, it was the only way to protect you from the Bailies until you
grew old enough and strong enough to take care of yourself. I was
helpless to protect you until you were finally old enough and close
enough to be one of my operatives," Shiro's voice was electronic, but
was still sad," If the Bailies had known who you were before your powers
manifesed or before Questar could protect you, you would have been as
good as dead. Helen, you are the direct descendant of Billy Ray."


   " Hero of G.O.L.D. and my friend," Questar added," Helen, you possess
his power and his name. The Bailies would have killed you as a baby just
for one of those reasons."


   " So, I'm a mutant?," Helen asked, she was calming down a little.


   " Technicly no. Your powers are actually inherited, although they
have skipped several generations," Shiro said," You will not be quite as
fast as Billy was, but you will be close enough to cause the Bailies
headaches. If they had headaches that is."  

   " Shiro, what the hell really is going on," Questar angrily said,"
You've gone to great lengths to bring me to this time and place. In
fact, I even see a pattern with you gathering 4 beautiful, talented
women and me together. I can't probe you very deep, but I'll know if
you're lying. I want some straight answers now!!"


   " It should be obvious. You 6 will be the core group of G.O.L.D. 4,"
Shiro would have smiled if he had a face," And G.O.L.D. will retake the
Earth."


   " Are you sure you can't smoke wacky weed in that jar Shiro? Because
now I'm confused and I need a whole shitload of answers that I'm still
not getting," Questar shook his head.


   " Wait a minute, 6? Even if he's talking about us, that's Questar,
Sarge, Cleo, Raina, and me. That's only 5," Hel said.


   " I'm number 6," Mauser said.


   " Your'e number 6? But your'e a robot Mauser, and not even a sentient
one from what the girls have told me," Questar said.


   " I'm not Mauser anymore. I haven't been Mauser for 3 days.
Deactivating hologram," Mauser said, his face and form shifting.  


   Questar's jaw dropped open in total surprise. Then a mask of anger
replaced that.


   " My name is Max, Max Starr. I'm Questar's brother," the hansome face
of Mauser/Max said. 


...............................


   Raina had taken a shower and was fast asleep, nude, on what had been
Tara's big bed, as Sarge finished her own shower. ' Between the bedroom
and the bathroom I never want to leave,' the nude Sarge thought as she
flopped down in a recliner. Sarge picked up a remote control from the
side pocket. ' How did Cleo use this before,' Sarge thought.  


   Cleo had showered in Questar's room and was dressed in one of the
pretty American Indian outfits once worn by Kestrel/Willow Twoswords.
Entering the room she smiled at Sarge, Cleo's nipples stiffened at the
sight of her naked friend. ' God, what a hardbody she is," Cleo thought.
Sarge smiled back. 


   " Cleo, how does this thing work?," Sarge asked," I wanted to watch
one of those things we saw earlier before I fell asleep."


   " Here," Cleo said, taking the remote.


   Cleopatra put on a video titled 'Tara and Felicia'. Felicia, a.k.a.
the (harmless) villainess called Dancer, had been a regular at the club
that Cleopatra had worked at. Felicia had also been one of Cleo's
favorite customer's and she had often gone home with the beautiful
lesbian villainess. 


   " Those girls really know how to eat pussy," Sarge purred as she
flicked her nipples to stiffness," Say, does that girl have pointed
ears? Wow, they make her even sexier."


   " This is making me sooo hot, but I'm so tired I'm about to pass
out," Cleo yawned," I'm going to bed."


   " What? Did Questar wear you out?," Sarge teased.


   " We didn't do anything," Cleo sighed.


   " You mean you didn't have sex with him?," Sarge asked amazed," I
prefer women, but I'd throw him down and fuck him any chance I got."


   " He's definately the only man I'd ever be intrested in," Cleo
sighed, staring at the celing.   


   " I don't believe it! You're in love with him! You are," Sarge
teased.


   " Oh sarge, I'm so confused," Cleo cried as she embraced Sarge.


   Sarge held Cleo tightly as Cleo laid her head on Sarge's strong
shoulder and sobbed. Cleopatra really was confused, she loved Hel and
Sarge so much and even felt strong affection for Raina. Why then did
Questar make her feel this way. Every second that she was away from him
was an eternity. Questar was like some kind of noble knight, paladin, or
Prince Charming, but with an attitude and a mean streak.


   " Shhhhh. It's all right sweetie," Sarge craddled Cleo's head," He's
so perfect it's hard not to fall in love with him. But you'd better
share." 


   " Sarge, if the legends about him are true, like everything else
about him is, he could wipe out all 4 of us in a sex contest and take
another 40 easy," Cleo grinned, her tears beginning to vanish," Uh,
Sarge, is 4 wives legal in this time?" 


   " Huh, why Cleo, uh, you know what, there are no rules about marriage
anywhere in the Underground," Sarge said surprised," It's usually one
man and one woman, but polygamy is not taboo and is legal everywhere in
the Underground as long as it's consenual. Cleo, you're a genius. We can
all have him and still have each other." 


   Sarge and Cleo kissed each other deeply as they embraced. The video
was forgotten as they walked hand in hand to the bed. 


   " Oh Sarge, I love you," Cleo whispered.


   " C'mon sweetie, let's get you out of those clothes and get some
sleep. I want to try this room out tomorrow," Sarge smiled.


..........................


   " No Questar! It's me! It really is me," Mauser/Max cried out as
Questar slammed him into the wall.


   " Whatever sick joke your'e trying to pull ends now," Questar
snarled.


   " Questar! Stop it!," Shiro shouted," I managed to transfer your
brothers mind, his very essence into a Mechas 4 brain before he died.
But I never had a body I could put him into. After the Bailies took over
I was able to capture a one of a kind super Betrayer. That robot became
Mauser. When the Bailies scrambled Mausers brain a few days ago I
finally had a body to put Max into. I've even been able to finally
modify his body so that he looks like he did when he was 18 and he's
even capable and able to enjoy sex."


   " Can you prove that?," Questar angrily said, his steel hard fist
only inches from Max's head.


   " Prove it?," Shiro asked, thouht for several long moments, then with
a sad tone," Questar, I-I can't. I just know, that everything Max was,
everything that he is, is in that body."


   " I can prove it," Max calmly said.


   " How's that?," Questar said, angry but curious. If Shiro was so
sure....


   " There's one thing that I know that Shiro never knew, that no
computer ever recorded, something known only to our parents, Billy Ray,
Dragon, and I," Max smiled," Something thatwould be impossible for
anyone to know that didn't you. YOUR real name." 
     

   Questar dropped the Max? robot like a normal man would drop a hot
potato. No one, not Shiro, not Tara, nor any other members of G.O.L.D.
knew that secret.


   ' Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," a familiar voice in Questar's
head told him,' I still even have some of my powers, not much, Raina's
more powerful.'


   ' Max,' Questar sent telepathicly.


   Max mentally said Questar's real name. Tears welled up in Questar's
eyes as he embraced Max. Robot or not, this really was his brother. Hel
gasped as she silently watched the tearful reunion. ' It must be true,'
Hel thought as water that simulated tears also came from Max. For
several minutes the man and sentient robot held each other.


   " Okay Shiro," Questar said stepping back, cleaing his eyes," Now I
want the whole story, what happened?"


   " It's a long story," Shiro sighed.


   " Yea well, it took 500 years so I figure I've got plenty of time,"
Questar said. 


   Shiro finally began his tale;


   The year was 2025, exactly 500 years before. It was the final
showdown between G.O.L.D. and Daemonus, the last of the evil Chaos
Lords. Daemonus had been the most powerful and tricky of the evil elder
gods that had plauged mankind before they had been driven off by the
good pantheons of gods and by man themselves. For years Daemonus had
escaped being brought to justice by G.O.L.D., but this time they had him
cornered.


   During the battle in the Nether-Sphere, China Dragon and Shiro had
became seperated from the others. To Questar and the others the two of
them had been gone only moments. For China Dragon and Shiro it had been
10 years. There were many hidden portals in the Nether-Sphere and they
had tumbled into one. 


   Landing in a strange diminsion China Dragon watched transfixed as
alterbate future after alternate future flashed before their eyes. But
in eery reality one thing was clear. The Bailies were destined to rule
the surface and the only chance that humanity had was if one particular
member of G.O.L.D. was alive in the year 2525. One man whocould rally
all of humanity and was capable of actually defeating Bailies.


   It could not be China Dragon, for while still alive he was destined
to be far away in the stars. Of all the other heroes in G.O.L.D. and
their close friends in the Alliance of Justice there was only one other
man capable of both fighting and leading, Questar. Questar would die in
any reality in which he chose to stand and fight before 2525, and while
Shiro had invented a time machine, time travel into the future was
impossible. 


   China Dragon and Questar both had traveled through time many times
and knew that that was true. The past was open if unchangeable, the
future simply hadn't happened yet. That left only one solution, cryo
chambers. Not just for Questar, but for as many members of G.O.L.D., the
Alliance, and every other hero and heroine that they could get. 


   Re-appearing in the heat of battle China Dragon deliverd the final
fatal blow on Lord Daemonus, thus finally ending the ordeal of the Chaos
Lords that had plauged mankind since the dawn of time. 


   Then it became a matter of resources and logistics. Especially since
China Dragon and Shiro could not tell anyone of their plans lest they
destroy their chance to save Earth. This however was an easy task when
one is the Chinese ' God of the Martial Arts', and is also owed favors
by Asgard, Olympus, and a dozen advanced alien planets.


   Eight cryo chambers were built. While they were being built China
Dragon and Shiro began 'kidnappig various G.O.L.D. members. Some, like
Pi Chen and Billy Ray died in battle before they could be frozen.
Others, such as the Olympian Golden Girl and the Gelatian's Emerald and
Peridot simply went home until they could be summoned. Sam Stone and his
grandaughter Sapphire went to live on Machas 4. 


   Mace could never be gotten into a position where they could kidnap
him and thus grew old and eventually caught radiation poisoning in a
battle against Vector #2. It took a long time, until 2050, to get
Questar in a position where they could get him into a cryo chamber.Each
chamber had been fully equiped for a full squad of G.O.L.D., but all the
beds they could fill were full leaving Questar aone in chamber 7. 


   With no one else that they could save, Shiro sacrificed his own, by
now ancient body, to try and preserve what he cold of humanity. If he
could still cry, Shiro would have wept a river of tears as he watched
helplessly as the unstoppable events proceeded. China Dragon fought
alone for years, but eventually had to forsake Earth in order to
preserve the universe. For if the universe died there would be no Earth
to save. 


   All this and much more did Shiro reviel. There had been no other way.
For mankind to retake the Earth one thing was clear. Questar had to
survive at all costs, even if they had to sacrifice his honor, because
Questar would have rather died fighting than be frozen.


   " You would have sacrificed yourself for nothing Questar," Shiro
said," This period of time is the strongest moent for the Bailies, but
it is also the time that they are most vulnerable. They no longer expect
more than token resistance from mankind. That is their fatal mistake. I
and the girls and all the others that still oppose them are little more
than 100 ants to 100 elephants. You are Godzilla."


   " Let's get some rest Hel," Questar smiled so evilly that chills ran
down Hel's spine," Tomorrow we start taking back the Earth!"