The beam flashed and engulfed Thunderbeast. Everyone looked in shock as they saw what she had become. It certainly wasn't who she was before.
Two women stood there, looking at themseves and each other. They were both fairly muscled, but one was slim and athletic while the other was bulky. The slim one had creamy caramel skin and kinky dark hair styled in ringlets, and she wore a hide bikini
and beaded bangles as if she were a tribeswoman. Instinctively, she knew she could control both rain and wind. Monsoon... that was a most fitting name for her.
The other was built like a weightlifter: tall, but squat, with a thick layer of fat over her muscles. Her skin was dark, almost ebony, with a face that looked like she had been born in the deepest part of the Congo: a broad nose, prominent cheekbones,
dark, expressive eyes and large, sensuous lips. She wore tight, studded leather clothes that creaked and stretched over her bulging frame. Her head was hairless and smooth, like black marble... and she had a thick ivory horn growing from her forehead!
"What de fuck?" the burly woman gasped in a voice that rumbled like thunder. She felt her forehead and the horn... and she knew that she could channel lightning through it! She immediately thought of the name 'Thunderhorn.' That was what her tribe had
called rhinos, wasn't it?
"Don't do that again!" Jan shouted up at Cat's Shadow. Psychique gestured, making the petite ninja drop the device, and White Princess caught it. It seeemed that even though they were separated, they could still work together (sort of).
"This is getting us nowhere!" Jan stated. "We need to get back to the mansion and regroup. Maybe we can figure out what to do once we've got more clearer heads working on the problem."
There were glances and murmurs. Many of the new gestalt beings felt mistrustful of one another, especially the halved ones. Some of them wanted to take Stinger back and join up with her group... while others wished to return to a semblance of their previous
lives. None of them wanted to go back. ESPECIALLY after the little demonstration they just witnessed.
***
Scarlet Claw led her team into another hideout. The superladies all grumbled as they climbed out of the sewers.
"First things first," the supervillainess said, sniffing. "We get cleaned up. Second, we get back Stinger. Before this mess, I know she got at least two more melded, so we're gonna bring them all in. Hopefully they'll be eager to play on our team!"
"What then?" Governess demanded as they all walked to the showers and stripped, eager to wash the sewer-stink off.
"Yeah," Blackfin chimed in. "This is fun and all, but we should be makin' money and crackin' heads!"
The others nodded. Scarlet Claw switched on the showers and started soaping up. She pushed her thoughts of Spider-Man out of her mind and began to plan. It had to be somewhere they could find more recruits, but also where they could plunder for profit.
"Well, next, we're going to hit..."