Penny Wise and the League of St. Claire

Chapter 16

Penny and her troops gathered at breakfast for the beginning of a new day. The League members give thanks in prayer before continuing.

Penny usually says the prayer. “Bess us, O Lord, and these your gifts, which we are about to receive from your goodness through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

They each made a sign of the cross before tearing into a breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast.

“What good deeds shall we do this day?” Milo asked.

“The time is ripe,” Penny said with her jaw set with determination. “O God of battles! Steel my soldier’s hearts: possess them not with fear; take from them now the sense of reckoning, if the opposed members pluck their hearts from them. Not-to-day, O Lord, O, not-to-day.”

They raised glasses of orange juice. “Hear, hear!”

Penny’s eyes widened for a brief moment before returning to a stoic stare. “We must go now. Peron is coming to the base.”

They arose and filed out of the cabin. Jordan gave his grandfather a reassuring smile before he joined the others in flight.

After flying across the land of the free, Penny led a formation of determined fighters over the desert. Below, Peron’s cavalcade, consisting of a large armored limo flanked by tanks and personnel carriers, careened across the desert kicking up billowing clouds of sand as it headed toward the fortress base. At first, soldiers in the tanks and carriers began firing antiaircraft shells at them, but Penny and her fighters easily avoided them. Jordan formed energy bubbles and hurled them down upon the tanks and personnel carriers, blowing them to flaming shrapnel.

Suddenly, the sky filled with flying demons, their evil eyes shooting energy beams at the League members. Penny ordered a split into two columns, she leading the first and Jordan leading the second. The two columns arched around to flank the demons and the battle was on.

Instead of trading energy beams with the demons, Penny and her soldiers found it easier to jump on them and rip their wings off, causing them to fall to the desert below. Milo preferred to just run into them at high speed, knocking them out of the sky. Harriett and Carmen jumped on them and twisted their ugly heads off.

Two demons intersected Penny. She fired lightening bolts at them, but a third one grabbed her from behind. Penny struggled in the death grip and appeared to be in trouble. Jordan arrived and grabbed the demon’s snout, separating its jaws before he snapped them apart. The action freed Penny and she and Jordan teamed up to smack the other two demons senseless.

Penny rewarded Jordan with as smile before flying off to do more damage. She joined Carmen and Harriett as they systematically attacked demons and destroyed them.

Jordan saw that Peron’s limo was almost to the fortress. He left formation and dived down to land on the long car, but the driver began to swerve the car back and forth in an attempt to knock him off. Jordan clung onto the car’s smooth roof like Spiderman.

Demons were falling out of the sky like hail. The remaining tanks and carriers fired more antiaircraft shells into the sky in a vain attempt to stop the flying humans from killing more demons. Harriett diverted the lethal ammo so that it hit the demons instead with spectacular results. Demons were exploding like popcorn.

Jordan was desperate. He had to do something to stop Peron, but he was unable to get the car to stop. His only option was to form a large energy bubble and use it to destroy the car, but he had a tough decision to make. If he jumped off of the car he would lose the opportunity because the car would enter the base and his energy bubble would be inefficient. He decided to detonate the bubble as soon as he formed it.

Penny saw what was happening down below and she gasped. The car exploded in a huge blinding fireball. Nearby tanks and carriers were caught in the conflagration and were vaporized. Mio led the rest of the League and Geoffrey and his friends down to finish off the rest.

When the smoke cleared, there was no sign of Jordan. Penny assumed that he had given his life to destroy the Beast and she was devastated by his apparent loss.

“Destroy the base,” she cried, her eyes filled with revenge. “I want no stone to stand upon another.”

Milo led the others on a wild destructive attack on the base. After pouring enough energy into it, the massive complex exploded, sending stone and steel flying into the air.

“Where’s Jordan?” Milo asked when he and the others rejoined Penny.

“I fear that he has paid the ultimate price. We must go now. This mission has been consummated.”

They returned to cabin and stood in a group to mourn their comrade.

Penny gave the eulogy prayer. “In company with Christ, Who died and now lives, may Jordan rejoice in Your kingdom, where all our tears are wiped away. Unite us together again in one family, to sing Your praises forever and ever. Amen.”

The others replied; “Amen.”

“Where’s Jordan?” George asked as he approached.

“He has paid the ultimate price, sir,” Penny said. “He destroyed the Beast and his own life. May his memory live forever.”

“What am I going to tell his parents?”

“We’ll tell them that he died in a accident.”

“They’re not going to believe that. There are no remains.”

Penny’s eyes flashed with realizations. “Yes, I hadn’t considered that.”

“He died a soldier’s death,” Milo said. “I will honor his memory forever.”

Suddenly, a bright light appeared, forcing everyone to shield his or her eyes. The light coalesced into a cloud and out of it stepped Jordan.

“He was dead and now he is alive!” Penny cried with her eyes streaming tears.

“What the hell happened, dude?” Milo asked.

“I’m not sure,” Jordan said. “I thought I was dead, but evidently the energy bubble explosion caused me to time shift. I saw this bright light, which I assumed was heaven, and I walked toward it, and here I am.”

Penny ran up to him and hugged and kissed him. “I am so happy that you have returned to us.”

Jordan smiled. “Indeed!”

Milo gave him a smirk. “Nice job, dude.”

“Did we accomplish our goal?” Jordan asked.

“We’re not certain,” Penny said. “We are not even sure that Peron was in that limo. However, I sense that he and his evil forces have retreated back into the abyss.”

“I saw him in the car right before the explosion,” Jordan said. “I’m certain that he was destroyed.”

“Then, we have achieved our goal,” Penny said. “Rejoice, for this is a day the Lord has made.”

Jordan turned to George. “I trust that you will not reveal what you have seen, grandfather.”

George replied with a smirk. “No one would believe what I have seen. They would put me in a straight jacket and lock me in a padded room.”

That elicited laughter, but it was relieved laughter.

“Well, I suppose we should return home,” Jordan said. “We have little time before school begins.”

“Yes,” Penny said. “But, I expect all of you to report for our usual meeting time.”

Each of them extended a fist and made contact together.

The League of St. Claire would remain to save the world.

Amen . . . for now.

AN: Thanks for reading this crazy story. I’m considering at least two sequels, telling how Penny and her League members mature and adjust to being super heroes fighting to save humanity from the forces of evil.