Daughter, Lover, Superheroine Ch. 05

Then, Barbara slipped up, and whiffed a punch, going off-balance slightly. She could not recover in time before the Troll raised both fists and brought them down together, on her back.

Cindy gasped with sympathetic pain as Barbara's body was slammed into the ground. She seemed stunned, and clutched at the Troll's hand as he grabbed her around the neck and held her up in a chokehold.

"Mom!" she cried out. "Look out - get out of there!"

But Barbara could only struggle in the Troll's vise-like grip, gasping for air, her feet kicking helplessly, as he drew back his massive fist, the monstrous arm muscles bulging like obscene tumors.

Then he began to pound Barbara's belly with hard right punches, close-range uppercuts. Punch after punch he landed on the helpless heroine's abdomen. Cindy was beside herself with frantic anxiety - she could see her mother's eyes bulging and watering, and she could tell how Barbara was flexing her abdominal muscles to resist the blows. The only consolation was that with her feet off the ground, the force of each punch was somewhat lessened by the swaying of her body.

Cindy trembled to see her mother used as a punching bag, held up like a rag doll. And when the Troll finally released Barbara and turned around to roar in triumph, parading around the circle of cheering monstrosities, it was all Cindy could do to hold herself back.

But she was gladdened to see her indomitable mother was not finished yet - Barbara coughed and gagged, but managed to stand up, albeit a little shakily. She wiped the spittle from her lips with a gloved hand, and blinked the tears out of her eyes. The resolute gleam in her eyes was still undimmed.

"Go Mom! You can do it!" Cindy yelled.

The front of the Supa-Troll's chest was now covered in angry dark bruises - with that amount of internal hemorrhage, the Troll's life was probably in serious danger. But Trolls like that lost almost all sense of long-term self-preservation. Perhaps if he were subdued, he could receive medical aid, and there was a small chance he could be rehabilitated.

But for now, he was a rage-fuelled beast, advancing upon her mother, with arms outstretched threateningly.

Fearless, gallant Barbara met the challenge full-on, raising her arms as well. Their hands came together tightly. There they stood, struggling, in a test of strength.

Cindy held her breath, watching with racing heart. This Supa-Troll was even bigger than the one from her recollection. She had faith in her mother's strength... but she had just received quite a pounding even for superheroines like them. Was Mom in trouble?

"Come on, Mom! You can do it! You're stronger!" she yelled, over the din of the noisome Trolls.

Then her eyes widened in dismay - she could see her mother's muscles trembling with strain, and with a daughter's sensitivity she knew her mother was weakening. Sure enough, Barbara's legs began to buckle, and her arms began to be pushed back.

There was a news helicopter overhead, capturing the entire fight for broadcast. As far as anyone could tell, Battler Babe was losing a test of strength to a Supa-Troll.

"What should I do?" Cindy said to herself, biting her lips.

Could her strong, beautiful mother show her strength to the city, or would she be overcome? What would happen if Battleborn were seen to be jumping to her mother's aid? What would happen if she didn't?

[TO BE CONTINUED]