Not-so-Peaceful Transfer of Power (Ch.4)

"For the benefit of those who've come in late..." the reporter started before staring directly into the camera, "...not long after our newest president Elena Machtig assumed power she inexplicably went to war with our greatest hero known colloquially as 'Uncle Sam'. With the help of one Dr. Rath they invented a machine that could extract Sam's powers and then imbued Machtig with them instead, thus making her superhuman.

Others tried to subdue her in the aftermath, like the 13, but she soon bent them to her will as well. Then, former vice president Lilly Arden who had previously tried removing the rogue commander-in-chief through legal means, escaped D.C. and allied herself with a general. Together they hatched a plan to free the country via a cybernetic super soldier and drone program called the Fifty Stars. The resulting experiment transformed the ex-VP into a new muscular hero, with both woman and machine determined to bring the president to heel. However, their scheme backfired and Machtig actually took control of the central command suit of armour worn by Arden, making herself even bigger and stronger than before. Now, with the Fifty Stars robotic platoon under her control, few if any can stand in her way. The questions we need to ask ourselves now, dear viewers, is why? Why has this madness taken hold of our president, and why is she creating havoc across the nation, and are any of us safe from-"

As they were about to finish, there was a sudden, terrifying crack from the roof of the building that halted the reporter in their tracks, and everyone in the studio was forced to look upwards. Much to their horror, the ceiling was torn open as if it were nothing more than thin cardboard, before being tossed aside, hurtling to the street below with a crash. When the dust settled and the last of the debris had fallen, the journalist and assorted colleagues noticed a single brawny figure floating over them with arms folded.

"The answer you're looking for," they bellowed, "Is NO! As in, no one is safe from me!"

Machtig then raised her arms out and gently landed herself into the large open room until they stood in front of the reporter. She was dressed in a white and tight pants suit which struggled to contain her muscular body and large chest. Wrapped around her arms, shoulders, and neck were the bare bones of her Fifty Stars mechanical exoskeleton, which was fashioned now to fit with the rest of her ensemble. Down her back an American flag was draped like a cape, and, above it, her hair flowed freely. Violently, she then jerked her large arm out, grabbing hold of the reporters throat and lifting them clean off the ground to the panic of the powerless watching crew surrounding them.

"And the answer to the previous question, about 'creating havoc', well, it's because I can, and because I enjoy it so so much."

She lifted the reporter higher then, before finishing:

"And to answer the very first question...it's because no one bests me. Not in beauty, not in strength, not in political power-"

"Err, w-what about in intellect?" asked the reporter, struggling to talk as the grip tightened around her neck.

"What?" asked a confused Machtig.

"Yes," replied the reporter, "Y-You surely lack the knowledge of others, the raw intellect?"

"You think there are those smarter than me?" cried Machtig, pulling them closer to her face.

"Yes. As a matter of fact there has been a spate of kidnappings recently of the sharpest minds on the planet. Considering everything you've told us, I suspected you were taking them out. That's why I even brought it up. It seemed the most logical conclusion..."

But Machtig knew nothing of this. So consumed was she with gaining and maintaining her power that certain world affairs had seemingly passed her by. She hadn't a clue as to who might be taking these people, or why.

It dawned on her then...

"Rath," she whispered to herself, though still loud enough for it to be picked up on the mics and for the nation to hear it as the broadcast continued uninterrupted. Uninterrupted, that is, until Machtig dropped the reporter to the floor before smashing the cameras with a number of punches in frustration.

"No one shall better me! Not in any way!" she cried, flying out through the open roof with frightening speed, leaving the disturbed tv crew behind. The president now sped her way through the air in the direction of a secret lab she'd actually promised Rath to do his research in; a sort of payback for his help in de-powering Uncle Sam. She rarely paid attention to him when he'd rant and rave about the ability to also strip the knowledge and intelligence from another in the same way one might take physical strength. But now, she would be all ears.

Yet, as she soared across American skies, the aforementioned ex-superhero Uncle Sam was himself visiting an old enemy-turned ally. After knocking on their door and being invited inside, Sam found them in the form of an elderly man. This was a ruse, however. The person in question was a touch-based shape-shifter of sorts. In other words, anything they touched they could replicate and transform themselves into. Even if it was an inanimate object, this mysterious stranger could become a living, moving version. For it was this creature, one who fell to Earth years before, that had accidentally granted Sam his powers, and it was from their ship that the advanced Fifty Stars armour had been developed.

Their existence was a secret until they escaped and quietly became a great threat to the country. That was until Sam managed to coax them into civility. Indeed, it wasn't long after when they took their present disguise to avoid suspicion and live a normal life. In reality, they had no gender. No human name. They were an alien through and through, one that didn't get involved in the affairs of humans. Yet, as they both watched the footage on television of Machtig invading the set and accosting the reporter, they realized something had to be done.

"You have to try now," claimed Sam. "My powers partly came from you, the radiation from your crash landing, remember? And now she has them. She's running amok with them. She's unstoppable. And with the armour to boot, she's become even more deadly."

"But how can I defeat her?" asked the alien.

"Maybe you could touch and replicate her? Fight fire with fire?" Sam suggested earnestly.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to get close before she kills me. The touch has to be maintained for hours before change takes hold. This form you see before you was taken from an old man close to death in a local hospital. I stayed with him, brought him comfort before he passed away. It isn't nearly strong enough to hold down Machtig."

"There has to be some way," said an exasperated Sam, lifting himself up from the armchair and staring out the window. He stood there for a moment in deep thought before slowly turning around to face the alien again.

"What if..." he started, " What if you turned yourself into something as strong as her? Then you could hold her down long enough for the process to work, or even just beat her outright in your new form."

"Maybe, but there's no one person anywhere close to her strength level that I could replicate instead."

"It doesn't have to be a person, though, does it?"

"No, but what could I possibly transform into that could pose a challenge to her?"

"Well, we're in Portland, right?" asked Sam rhetorically. "You've got that big statue here."

"The one of Portlandia? Yes, it's downtown."

"Exactly. It's huge. If you were to quietly hold onto it overnight, replicate and grow into a flesh and blood version, then your sheer size and strength might be enough to overcome Machtig."

"That's crazy. But, at the same time, it might actually work. There's one problem, though. Where can we find Machtig afterwards?"

"Well, you heard what she whispered on the broadcast. She is surely going to find Dr. Rath. If we get a report of where he's hiding or any sightings of her, then we might actually find Machtig."

As soon as these words left the lips of Sam in Portland, Machtig herself had landed on the roof of Rath's new lab in a rural part of Nevada; her presence indeed catching the eye of those nearby who alerted local authorities; though knew there was little they could do to stop her.

She clasped her hands together and delivered a double axe-hammer to the exterior of the building and soon a second roof of the day gave way to her now legendary might. This time, however, she didn't float to the ground, she instead threw her body down heavily, causing the whole facility to move ever-so-slightly.

"Rath!" she cried out. "I know you're here, and I have a hunch as to what you're up to. So you might as well come out before I tear this place apart."

"I knew you'd eventually figure it out, but sadly that reporter spoiled my fun and accidentally tipped you off," said a cold, sleazy voice emanating from the shadows. It was, of course, Rath.

"Literally trying to outsmart me, eh?" asked Machtig, her eyes darting around in an attempt to find him. "Is that why you kidnapped them all?"

"Something like that, I guess. Just as you grew and added muscular density to your body, I wanted my mind to expand and add far more depth to it. I wanted to accumulate huge amounts of knowledge contained inside of their heads. I want to enhance my intelligence. I want to become a super genius of sorts!" he declared with a cackle.

"Well, they do say that knowledge is power," Machtig quipped sarcastically.

"Indeed, and with it, I'll even gain power over you."

"Fat chance of that. Now, where are the couple of people you kidnapped?" she wondered.

"A couple?!" he scoffed before flicking a switch beside him. Suddenly lights turned on row by row, revealing waves of alcoves containing people inside. Each were strapped to a machine that seemed to be draining their minds. At the centre of the room there was a plunger-like rod with a hollow circular end that was being charged up by the intelligence currently being extracted.

"And they think I'm mad," said Machtig, shaking her head. "You're really planning on taking everything from them?"

"Yes, but the process isn't finished, my commander-in-chief. You've come far too early for my liking. Luckily, however, I have a plan-b."

"And what's that?" she replied, arrogantly throwing her head back.

He pressed a second switch then and began grinning from ear-to-ear. There was a loud hum and a light blasted down upon Machtig, capturing her in a bubble.

"It's a special shield that I cooked up," revealed Rath. "It becomes more powerful the more you attack it. Go on, try it."

True to from, Machtig started punching the invisible surface of the prison, and just as Rath had claimed, it only became more powerful. In fact, it shrank, trapping Machtig even more.

"See, I've already outsmarted you and I'm not even a super-genius yet!"

Machtig, in turn, was absolutely fuming inside this makeshift cage, but was also uncharastically concerned. How would she escape? Indeed, would she ever escape?

As she pondered this conundrum, the stranger from space and Sam had finally arrived at the Portlandia statue. It depicted a godlike, muscular giantess with long flowing hair, dressed in a toga that flowed off the right shoulder down the their left hip. In their hand was a massive trident, and, as it bent over, the statue seemed like it was already reaching its hand out to lift the stranger up. In reality, they had to climb up the massive plinth it sat upon themselves. Below, Sam could only stare up in awe as his extraterrestrial friend placed their hands upon the statue and their forehead against its copper surface. The former superhero knew that an awesome transformation was just hours away, and, as the process began, the sun duly set behind the high-rises of Portland; the dying light only helping to emphasise the ever brightening body of the stranger.

The physical soon gave way to the translucent, as organs could be seen inside of their body, only for them to then disappear completely. The elderly form they had replicated was no more. Something infinitely more incredible would replace it. They were leaving one life behind and taking on another. There was a hum also, but luckily the few night-time pedestrians that walked past during those hours never even noticed it. Luckily because disturbing the process could lead to an unforseen outcome. The alien stranger had in their mind exactly what they wanted to become: a powerful goddess that could traverse the land with ease.

As the process eventuallly neared its end, Sam rested upon a seat and turned his eyes to the accompanying plaque, and read part of the inscription aloud: "She kneels down, and from the quietness of copper reaches out. We take that stillness into ourselves..."

As he did so, he heard a cry from above. He looked up again, and to his shock yet excitement, there was a growing female form appearing over the plinth and beside the statue. He never took his eyes off of them while instinctively knowing to step back. In fact, with each growth spurt he was forced to take another step. Then another. And another. The change would be rapid, and the new behemoth let out painful moans as their body took its final mighty shape. Their breasts swole, their hair filled out, and their muscles bulged forth. When finished, they rose upwards, as if the statue had come alive and stirred itself from the spot. This living goddess stood atop of the plinth now with trident in hand, their toga bright white, their skin grey, and searched the dark horizon of the city with their powerful eyes. The neutral expression didn't change, however. It was only then that they heard a mere mortal shout out their name below.

"Portlandia, woo-hoo!" they cheered. It was Sam. The stranger remembered what had happened then. They remembered what had brought them here and why they'd morphed themselves. They needed to destroy President Machtig once and for all. With that, they lowered their gigantic leg onto the pavement below, and then the other. Sam couldn't believe what he was seeing. When crouched over the woman looked extremely tall, but now fully standing up they were at least fifty foot in height.

"Well," they bellowed down with a huge smile, "Are we going to take down this jumped-up bimbo, or what?"

Sam beamed back. "You got it! Word is they were spotted entering a facility in Nevada. I know the place and can show you the way, but it must be 600 miles from here. It's going to take us hours to get there-"

"Not for me, it won't," they replied, their booming voice surely waking up the population of central Portland. "Hop on. At this size I'll have us there in no time. I just hope she hasn't already left the scene."

With that, "Portlandia" reached their hand down, similar to the statue behind them, and Sam jumped on board. He was placed safely on her shoulder then and he grabbed hold of the toga as the giant slowly strode away; with each footstep causing the earth to shake, and car alarms to suddenly kick into action.

"Are we really going to walk all the way there?" asked Sam. "I know you're stride is incredibly long now, but it'll still be a while before we get there?"

"Don't worry," they replied loudly. "Why walk, when one can run and jump?"

Before spouting another word, Portlandia took off in a thunderous sprint. Faster and faster they became until they scrunched her new immense body down and sprung upwards through the air and straight out of the city. Sam was left aghast as it seemed like they were floating for ages before finally smashing down on a more rural part of Oregen with an almighty crack.

"Are you OK?" the goddess asked him innocently after they had landed.

Sam laughed in response. "Of course I am! But don't stop now. Head in that direction. At this rate we won't be long."

The giant continued running before diving up and down across the countryside, with their passenger full sure that they had discovered Machtig's bane this time.

Little did they realize, however, that Dr. Rath had possibly already uncovered it in the waiting facility in Nevada. Indeed, Machtig was on her knees now in deep thought. She had tried calling the Fifty Stars to her side but Rath had blocked all signals. She hoped the 13 might arrive, but they'd need to cover half the country quick and would likely be too late. No, she was alone.

"Still struggling?" a new voice called out to her. It sounded very familiar. She raised her head and watched as someone else entered Rath's lab and stood in front of the bubble, their face illuminated by the now rising sunlight.

"Rachel?" she said, stunned.

"Yes. It's me, Elena. Don't look so shocked. It was you after all that had me work with Rath in the first place. While you've been rampaging around the country, we've continued our collaboration in secret."

"You traitor," said Machtig.

"Maybe. Then again, you were so easy to manipulate. I realized early on that it'd be useful to have a wrecking ball like you around. For a while, at least. Encouraged and let loose you've wiped out entire braches of government and the safeguards protecting against a possible dictatorship. You've also removed Uncle Sam as a threat. Your VP. The 13. The Fifty Stars. The army. It all clears the path for a new order."

"Led by you?! You're not fit for that," cried Machtig. "You're just some advisor. One I should never have brought on board, should never have trusted."

"You're right. You should've listened to your previous advisor, whatever his name was. See, Elena, Rath is your intellectually superior, but I remain unmatched in treachery."

As she finished, the president became so full of rage she lifted herself from the floor and let out a cry: "'Elena'? I am Machtig!"

With that, she started punching the shield as hard as she could, causing the bubble to shrink around her, but she wouldn't stop resisting. Rath was confused as to what she was doing.

"It'll crush you," he explained to her, but she pushed back again.

"You don't understand, you fools," she replied, "I am incredibly robust, so let's see what gives out first: the irresistible force or the immovable object.

"My god..." whispered Rachel.

Machtig let a roar then as the shield shrunk so much it became like a second skin wrapped around her, squeezing every part of her body. But she wouldn't submit to it and tightened her muscles yet more until something finally gave way.

Boom!

Rachel, Dr. Rath, and the few technicians in attendence were all flung backwards by the explosion. When they gathered themselves again they saw the liberated mighty form of Machtig standing before them pumping her biceps over and over.

"Don't you see, you insects. You can't defeat me. And now, I will crush you all, for I am like a god compared to you, and I-"

As Machtig spoke, however, she felt a strange set of tremors now coming from below. There was a loud thump followed by another. It was like a light set of earthquakes delivered with the tempo of footsteps. And then, the burgeoning early morning light shining down from the open roof above suddenly dulled.

"What the hell?" she said, looking upwards. It was then that a massive foot appeared and thrust itself down onto the president, smashing her right against the floor. It didn't kill her and she was still mostly in tact, but the sheer force had caught her off guard and hurt her more than almost any other attack previously. Even worse for her, the foot came down again before she had even dragged herself off the ground. Two more times, she was booted throughly to the bottom of the lab.

In agony, she could do little as a giant hand came down next and dragged her skywards by her American flag cape. She opened her eyes again and was shocked to see a huge statuesque face staring back at her. And on their shoulders there was a man. Uncle Sam.

"Didn't think you'd see me again, did you, Machtig?" he joked.

"What is going on?!" she asked.

"That's none of your concern," he replied, "Now unless you stand down, my gigantic muscular friend here is going to crush you for sure."

"Never!" she replied defiantly, breaking free and attempting to fly clear.

It didn't take long, however, for Portlandia to grab Machtig again, and this time she started squeezing them in their enormous hand.

"Where did you find this monster?!" she cried, struggling to break free a second time. "I must know."

"I just heard you refer to yourself as a 'god' to the those below, and to them as insects. Well, I think Portlandia is an actual god, and in this scenario you're the insect. How does that make you feel, former madam president?"

Machtig gritted her teeth, and, powered by her anger, managed to budge Portlandia's grip just enough to slip free and fly downwards.

"I'll not be so easily crushed like that," she said, flying towards them again and landing an uppercut on the statuesque rival, yet it barely made them stagger. Bemused, Machtig threw more punches but they had little to no effect on the giantess who just kept turning their head back to face them. When Machtig eventually stopped their attack and hesitated, Portlandia landed a blow of her own and the force was such that Machtig crashed straight through the floor of the lab.

As this titanic duel unfolded before them, Rath noticed that the brain drain was complete and the rod was full. All he need do now was run across the floor and press it against his head, but the attempt would put him in harm's way. Even so, he risked everything and threw himself into the breach. As he was about to reach the device, however, a hand suddenly crashed through the floor and clutched his leg. Panicked, he tried to break free, but it wasn't long before the rest of Machtig broke through and flung him aside.

"Oh no, you're not taking this away from me," she told him while reaching out for the device. As she clutched it, Portlandia reached down to grab her, too. As she took hold and pulled Machtig towards, the president held the device to her head.

"What is that?" asked Sam.

"Something that will give me the smarts to come up with a plan to overcome you troublemakers," she joked excitedly. With that, she pressed the singular button on the long handle, and suddenly a huge charge passed through Machtig's body, and an unspeakable amount of knowledge and intelligence entered her brain. Preturbed, Portlandia let go of her and Machtig's body fell back to the lab below, causing a plum of smoke to billow up. When the dust had settled, however, there was no sign of Machtig.

"Damn, where did she go?" asked Sam, searching the vicinity.

"I don't know," boomed Portlandia. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have dropped her."

As they continued to search, what they didn't realize was that Machtig had already flown the coop. While her first instinct was always to fight, she suddenly thought differently now. In fact, she suddenly thought differently about a lot of things. Perhaps an early benefit of the process she had just put herself through? She realized that she couldn't defeat Sam's monolithic side-kick, Portlandia, and needed a new plan.

She needed their power, so had to develop a machine of her own to steal or create it. She knew she could invent one after all. She could invent anything now. She was a super genius. Indeed, if Portlandia were an American god, then the only way to overcome them was for her to become an American god, too. And she knew just where to start. The key to her final victory. And so the president headed straight to New York city.

To be concluded...