The girl stood in that city alleyway clad only in a bright orange and blue leotard. She was exceedingly beautiful, with long auburn hair and cobalt blue eyes. Tall for her eleven years, her figure was slender and fit. She was obviously a bit nervous, yet her determined gaze showed a certain confidence beyond what would be expressed by many in such a situation.
Surrounding her were three figures in black vestment robes, topped with masks and hoods that covered their faces except for the eyes. Each of them had a blood-red symbol emblazoned on the chest area of his garment -- an insignia made up of three inverted interlocking triangles. It is a symbol known as one of extreme and unmitigated evil; the symbol of the occult terrorist organisation known to eternal infamy as Spectral Paranormal.
The three figures then moved menacingly to-wards the young girl, each approaching her from a different angle, cautious but nonetheless secure in their idea that she could offer no resistance to whatever assault they intended.
It was then, at the very last moment before they reached her, that the girl went into action. She suddenly burst forth with a series of incredibly fast martial arts moves; a series of expert and perfectly executed kicks and punches that shocked and awed her three would-be attackers even more than physically affecting them.
They offered a show of resistance, but it was to no avail. Within a matter of moments, two of the black-clad figures were unconscious on the pavement, whilst the third began to run in fear down the alley away from the girl.
It was at that particular moment of that cloudy afternoon that I stepped out from my hiding place behind an old abandoned automobile and took down the last of the attackers. I quickly laid him flat with a blow of my fist. He hit the ground hard, obviously slipping into total unconsciousness.
I was clad in my usual finery, including a frilled poet shirt, purple velvet suit, jungle boots, panama hat, and of course one of my favourite opera capes. I straightened my clothing a bit from the slight disarray that had occurred from the hiding and then hitting the enemy agent. I checked that the other two were also insentient, and then I walked over to the girl. She is one of my adopted daughters.
“Excellent work, Zohara,” I approved. “Your first field training exercise is complete. Your usage of your abilities is growing, and with time you will be ready to join the fight against the powers of darkness in earnest. I knew those Spectral Paranormal agents would not be able to resist an attempt to kidnap you. Worry not, however. If you had not been in control of the situation, I would have taken over and kept you quite safe, hmmm?”
“Did I really do well, Tatteh?” enquired the young girl in her charming Israeli accent. “Oh, please tell me that I did it well. It means so much to me!”
“You did well indeed, my dear,” I assured her. “I can absolutely assure you that you did well indeed. You have more than begun to prove your worthiness to aid in the eternally ongoing battle against evil in this world and others, and most of all, you have continued to prove yourself worthy of the name -- Zohara Rumanos!!” …
My name is Doctor Daniel Rumanos. I carry within my blood the vastly superior genes of the mysterious Watchers of Algol, the most intellectually advanced race in all of the known galaxies, whose technology is so sophisticated it appears as magic to lesser beings.
Whilst most Algolites live in elitist seclusion from the rest of the Universe, I am an operative for an organisation known as the KOSMIKOS. Assisted by the beautiful Miss Millie Drake, I protect Earth from all manner of menace. I am -- The Daemon-Star!!! …
“So how is Zohara’s training going?” enquired Millie Drake.
“She is doing quite well indeed,” I replied, tossing my hat and cloak on a near by hallstand. “Quite the prodigy she is, hmmm?”
We were at our headquarters, located as it is inside the golden trapezoidal rooftop of a certain downtown skyscraper, the bottom floor of which is a take-away restaurant known as “The Pizza Gate”. Millie Drake is an exquisitely beautiful young lady; petite and perfect with luxurious chestnut hair, lovely violet eyes, and sun kissed skin. The purple dress she wore only served to highlight the wonders of her slender teen figure.
“It’s a good thing that we found her with those other young Israelis that had been kidnapped by the Palestinian terrorists,” said Millie. “Abilities like she has would be dangerous if left in the wrong hands.”
“You are quite right, my dear Mills,” I agreed. “Zohara and some of the others seem to be a sort of genetic mutation, likely the results of a secret experiment of the Israeli government in the ongoing struggles against terrorism in the region. Their parents were killed in the recent war in Gaza, leaving these young people as unfortunate targets for the enemies of Israel. Bringing her here to America was an excellent idea, since we were called upon to help with the operation due to our connections with Mossad and the Executive Security Force, hmmm? Today’s training exercise is one of many young Zohara Rumanos must undergo, but for now she has returned to Allentown to continue her Nakh studies, and we must get along with our next assignment.”
“That would be concerning that magician you told me about?”
“Quite so. His name is Anthony Ware, and our instruments here at HQ have detected certain strange emanations coming from him during his stage magic performances.”
“What sort of emanations?” queried Millie.
“That is what we must now find out,” I returned. “Kit-10, have you completed your analysis of the energies associated with Anthony Ware?”
“Of course, s--,” replied our mobile personal computer, which resembles nothing more or less than a small mechanical cat, in her simulated yet pleasantly feminine voice. “Results show emanations to be of certain forces referred to as ‘elementals’, actually being the mentalist essence of beings that existed upon this planet before the development of the human race. The particular type associated with stage magician Anthony Ware are beings that once ruled the western area of the African continent.”
(It should be noted here that Kit-10, along with her other feline characteristics, is possessed of the total inability to openly show respect to anyone. In point of fact, the closest she ever comes to it is by addressing me with a slight “s--” sound -- for “sir” -- and Millie Drake by “m--” -- for “ma’am“.)
“By the Daemonian Spires!” I swore “West African elementals. That would be the powers sometimes referred to as Black Juju.”
“Juju is also a sort of magical charm, isn’t it?” asked Millie.
“Quite so,” I affirmed. “It comes from a French term meaning ‘plaything’, and was used in the American South to refer to a dark religion practice by certain slaves -- a religion that involved curses and blood rites.”
“Oh my goodness!” exclaimed Millie Drake. “We had better do something about this right away!”
“Indeed so,” I agreed, fetching my hat and cape. “Kit-10, you had better stay here. It is likely the powers of the Juju could have a negative effect on your systems. Come along, Millie. We have work to do!” …
A short time later, just after sunset, Millie and I arrived at the long building in which is found the establishment known as the Royal Hotel.
“So this is where Anthony Ware is performing his magic show tonight?” questioned my companion.
“So it appears,” I said. “He has billed himself as ‘The City’s Greatest Magician’. That just sounds like typical showbiz bloviation, but it could have a more dangerous import due to his association with the Juju, hmmm?”
We were walking along the pavement, just approaching the hotel entrance, when Miss Millie Drake suddenly screamed in horror.
“Oh my gosh, Daniel!” she cried. “Look at that!”
I looked up to see what had so alarmed my friend and beheld a terror indeed. It was a large shapeless mass of darksome ebony black energy -- and it was headed directly for us!!
Then, as quickly as it had appeared, the awful conglomeration of energy vanished.
“Daniel, what was that?” asked Millie.
“It was a manifestation of the Juju powers,” I explained. “The forces we have come here to oppose are aware of us. That was a mere warning; an attempt to frighten us. Be aware, my dear Mills, that the actual demoniacal horror we will be facing is in truth far more powerful than what we have seen here.”
With this, Millie Drake and I entered the hotel in continuation of our mission. …
Inside the hotel’s theatre, Anthony Ware had begun his magic act. He stood on the stage, resplendent in his black tuxedo, gazing at the assembled audience -- mostly bored hotel guests with nothing else to occupy their time -- with a look of facetious amusement on his strong African-American features.
“Good evening, everyone,” he began. “My name is Anthony Ware, and welcome to my world of wonders! Tonight, right here on this stage, I will show you things like you have never seen before. I will show you acts of magic that are the greatest in this city, in this country, in this world! I will show you the powers of -- The Black Juju!!”
With this, Anthony Ware raised his arms and suddenly there did burst forth from him a surge of the ebony energies of eldritch terror. At this, some of the audience gasped in shock, whilst others simply stood up and left, thinking it all to be just a cheap illusion.
Millie Drake and I then entered the theatre, and beholding what the black magician was doing, boldly approached the stage area.
“Ah, it’s Doctor Daniel Rumanos and your little girlfriend,” chuckled Ware. “We have been expecting you. The powers of the Black Juju have told me of your opposition.”
“It is all over now, Ware,” I admonished. “As agents of the Kosmikos, we cannot allow you to bring forth the Juju powers on this helpless world. Cease from your actions immediately.”
“No, Doctor, that will not be. I am Anthony Ware the magician, and I will use the Juju powers to establish myself as the new ruler of this world. I shall have money, power, and influence beyond anything my ancestors ever even dreamed. I will conquer the white race and take their women! I will reign supreme, and nothing will stop me! Nothing, do you hear? Not even you!!”
And then Anthony Ware suddenly aimed his hands to-wards us, and the horrid powers of the Black Juju began to surge to-wards Millie and me!
“Now, Doctor Rumanos, your opposition is ending!” continued the terrible black magician. “Now, by the powers of the Juju I do declare that you shall die!!”
Tell me, my dear friends and readers, can you even begin to comprehend the absolute unspeakable horror, forsooth the unnameable terror of the situation in which we then found ourselves? There we were, my companion Miss Millie Drake and me -- Doctor Daniel Rumanos. There we were, in the theatre of the Royal Hotel. There we were, facing the horrid black magician known as Anthony Ware. There we were, as the full awesome power of the unholy force of the Black Juju rushed directly for us -- in truth an energy fully capable of bringing about an agonising death!
“You will now die, Doctor Daniel Rumanos!” repeated Anthony Ware. “You will now die, and I will be free to subjugate Earth to the powers of the Black Juju!”
“Millie,” I said, ignoring Ware’s taunts, “hold my hand. Close your eyes and hold my hand.”
She did so and I concentrated deeply on thoughts of love and light and joy. Then I spoke the prayer:
“Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam!”
With this intonation, all suddenly changed. The horrid force of the Black Juju that had been aimed at Millie and me changed direction -- and in stead focused itself directly to-wards the evil magician Anthony Ware.
“What!” he cried out in shock. “No! No!! Noooooooooooo!!”
The ebony powers of darkness surrounded Ware and, within a very few short moments, totally engulfed him before then suddenly vanishing. I looked around the room. There was no sign of Anthony Ware or of any of the eldritch horrors that he had attempted to bring forth upon the world.
“Jew beats Juju,” I mused.
“Daniel, what exactly happened?” asked Millie Drake.
“My invocation of the old Hebrew blessing worked,” I explained. “The worship of the One True God, which as you remember is based upon our own Algolitish technology, is a potent exorcism against things such as the Juju, hmmm? The dark forces then reversed against Anthony Ware and took him out of existence.”
By now, the few remaining audience members had left the hotel theatre, thinking the “show” was at an end.
“Well, my dear Mills,” I continued, “it appears that our work here is done, and now we can…”
“Daniel, look out!” my companion interrupted.
Before I could turn about to see what had alarmed Millie, I felt a blasting pain in my upper back area, this almost causing me to fall to the floor.
“By the Triple Star…” I swore. “What was… ?”
By now, I had managed to turn enough to face my attacker. I beheld that it was once again someone in the black hooded robe and insignia of a Spectral Paranormal agent, and he was holding an energy weapon blaster gun in his hand. His manner and elegance of movement showed that he was different from any of the agents I had encountered earlier, but there was nevertheless something familiar about him. The black mask covering his features, however, precluded any positive identification.
I started to move forward against him, but stumbled due to the pain I was still experiencing from being shot by the energy weapon. Then, as I watched, my attacker began to vanish in the shimmering light of a matter transportation beam. …
The glare from the beam covered the possibility of us noticing him removing the mask and revealing his face -- the visage of the arch-villain known as magister Don Wingus!
“Checkmate, Rumanos,” he said with a look of evil mirth whilst fading from sight. “Checkmate.” …
“Are you all right, Daniel?!” Millie cried concernedly.
“I… am not sure,” I admitted. “That energy weapon… It caused some internal damage. I should be… all right in time, but…”
“Who was that?” wondered Millie. “Do you think it could have been… ?”
Then, before my companion could finish her thought, we heard a familiar gasping and moaning sound -- at which materialised before us a shape like a Roman column with a round portal-like door in the front of it.
“The DiTraS!” said Millie Drake. “Daniel, what is it doing here?”
(The DiTraS -- pronounced “DYE-tress” and standing for Dimensional Transport Sphere -- is one of those amazing cosmic travel vehicles available only to our people, the Watchers of the Daemon-Star Algol.)
“The Kosmikos of Algol…” I stammered. “It seems they have sent it. We have a… new mission; a mission… that requires its use as a Space and Time… travel vehicle.”
“But Daniel, you’re wounded and need to rest!”
“I cannot, love. For the Kosmikos to send us on a mission… this way. It must be of… extreme importance. Come along… Millie.”
Wincing from the continued pain, I just managed to stumble through the portal of the DiTraS with my dear Millie’s help. Once we were inside, the doorway closed and, with the sounds of its engines again engaged, the combination Spaceship/Time-travel machine disappeared from the hotel theatre into the void.
***** DANIEL RUMANOS AND MILLIE DRAKE SHALL RETURN