Secret Origins: Fleur-de-Lis

Death’s Head Revisited

by Libbylawrence

A moonlit night along the chateau’s of the Loire naturally invoked romantic images to most tourists who visited the lovely countryside between Orleans and Angers; however, to one particular visitor the nocturnal scene was illuminated in an eerie red glow. This was because he saw the scenery through highly sophisticated infrared night sensors built within his oddly inhuman mask. The blue mask gave him a vaguely robotic look; however, beneath the disguise he interpreted all he saw with a human’s passion and concern. He moved gracefully across the night-shrouded streets with the speed and agility of an athlete or perhaps, more accurately with the relentless purpose of a hunter. His name was Mark Shaw, but the American preferred to be known only as the Manhunter when he donned the colorful red and blue costume and placed the special mask over his features.

Manhunter frowned and gazed up at the nearest building. He noticed the stately elegance of the building. He understood the nuances of its design and had a passing familiarity with the lavish events that occupied its majestic rooms and carefully styled gardens in the golden days when the area became associated with the leisure hours of the very wealthy. Still, he paid far more attention to the four men who skulked around the perimeter.

Sentries. They blend in with their surroundings very well. I’d almost say they were taught in Japan. Still, their prowess leaves something to be desired when confronted with my enhanced perceptions. Their heartbeats are like drum solos thanks to the technology within my mask, he thought.

He stepped out into the moonlight and allowed them to see him. They gasped in surprise and raised weapons with silencers gleaming on the ends.

Manhunter merely raised his own weapon. It was a slender baton. He aimed it in a precise manner and touched a hidden switch. A bolt of blue-hued energy erupted out of the baton and created a temporary shield that deflected their bullets. The shield flickered out of sight in moments but by that time, the Manhunter had extended the baton into a staff and he had vaulted across the courtyard to land directly in their midst. He spun around and sent two of them crashing to the ground as his extending staff buckled their knees. He whirled the staff again and stunned them both before rolling aside to allow the remaining pair to shoot each other in their efforts to strike the fleet figure.

He bent over them and nodded approvingly. Their flak jackets absorbed the impact. They will live but be very, very sore tomorrow! He glanced down and saw a weird emblem on each of their uniforms. The symbol consisted of a stylized skull. He knew that odd crest from his past days as an agent of the robotic agents who originally formed the Manhunter cult eons ago.

La tete de la mort… the Death’s head! That proves I was right about the viper behind this whole mess. Professor Cadavereux’s ego is too large for him to let his pawns go around without his precious symbol branded on them in one way or another!

He thought of the evil genius and how much misery his crimes had inflicted upon the unsuspecting people of France and of the world. He considered how brilliant the mad scientist was and how his gifts could have benefited humanity had he turned his inclinations from the acquisition of power to the improvement of society as a whole. He pondered these things but only briefly. There was no time for intellectual speculation or moralizing. He may have rededicated his life to serving justice in its purest form but Mark Shaw the Manhunter also was given over to the hunt and this hunt was very personal. He crossed the courtyard and recalled how the whole thing had started.

He had been a visitor to France with his businessman father Elliot and his brother Jamie. They had become involved with the vengeful schemes of a super villain named Déjà Vu when that twisted rogue had abducted the elder Shaw in an effort to prevent a business conference from succeeding in uniting American and French industries in various ventures. Mark Shaw had rescued his father with the help of a former lover Noelle Avril, also known as Fleur-De-Lis! She had been many things in her young life. She had been the costumed heroine of France as a member of the Global Guardians; however, she was independent and had resigned from that team of champions to go her own way and occasionally accept assignments from the secret governmental agency known only as Gamma Department. This was fitting since the platinum blonde beauty had started her heroic career years before for that same agency.

In any event, Noelle had aided Mark in his efforts to free Elliot Shaw from Déjà vu, and during the course of their battle, he had achieved two objectives. He had made peace with his own past and gained a renewed determination to forge his own destiny and regain some self-respect by being a Manhunter created in his own image and not that of the distorted and alien cult. He had also managed to sow the seeds of forgiveness for his past conduct toward the fiery French woman. They had parted abruptly years before after he first joined the Manhunter cult and their insidious brainwashing had robbed him of his sense of self. He had felt that there was no room in his life for anything beyond his obsessive devotion to the Manhunter cause. She had tried to make him see the error of his ways but he had been stubborn and their romance had ended. Following their successful teaming against Déjà Vu, Mark had hoped that perhaps, they could eventually mend their damaged relationship in some small way.

That fond wish was now in serious jeopardy as was Fleur-De-Lis.

Merely hours before, the Shaws had been at the Paris airport ready to return home to America when a strange little man had stopped them in their tracks. Mark could still see his odd features clearly. He had worn a rather limp felt hat with a patched overcoat. is eyes were clear and blue and his face had a freshly scrubbed gleam about it that belied the scruffy effect of his coat and hat. He had peered up at them over the railing near the luggage checkpoint.

“Mark Shaw? We require your help mon ami or rather a fair damsel in distress requires you to serve as her knight in armor,” he had said in a surprisingly deep voice and in perfect English.

He had raised his small hand to reflect the light from a flat but shiny ring with an odd engraving on the center. “The Greek alphabet letter Gamma. I know Noelle’s Gamma Department works with some curious types but this takes the cake!” mused Mark as he drew closer to the small man and his brother Jamie sighed in annoyance.

“Really! The nerve of the beggars of this city! Can’t the airport do something about them!” groaned the lawyer as their father frowned silently.

Mark had whispered to the small man in insistent tones. “I know you by reputation. Dupin? That is the name you go by. Certain associates have mentioned you to me in the past. I also know for whom you work. Is Fleur-De-Lis in trouble? She was fine not long ago. We had just captured the man called Déjà vu!”

Dupin tipped his hat to one side and said, “She is in peril. Please, accompany me, oui?”

Thus, with a hasty word of explanation to his family, Mark Shaw had followed the small espionage agent to a waiting car. The car had taken them to a rather nondescript house just outside the city.

“Mr. Shaw, we thank you for coming. Noelle Avril means much to both of us. She was abducted shortly after you parted. We know this because she managed to hit a panic button in her penthouse. We arrived to find her gone and her rooms in disarray. Noelle works for us on occasion and we take the paternal pride in her accomplishments since she started with us long ago, ” Dupin had said.

Mark had listened with concern. He knew how skilled Noelle was and he prayed that she was still alive. “I’ll help. You know that. If you know so much about Noelle and me then you know that for a fact. Still, why recruit me? You have other agents. What of the D’Aramis twins? The Musketeer? The Iron Maiden? Harrier?”

Dupin had spread wide his arms and sighed. “Ah! They are a handful. Some are not associated with us. Harrier is a wild card. The Crimson Fox , how shall we put it? We fear for all their many charms and assets, they lack your skill. We will blush at the notion but we do in fact lack anyone who is as capable or as much the fatal man that you are. You see our foe is very likely to be a most deadly rogue long believed to be the single most ruthless criminal mastermind in all of Europe.” Mark had nodded resolutely as the little man had taken him into a huge lab within the old house.

“We will equip you and tell you all we know! As soon as we learned of your arrival here, we asked the lovely Arabella Mathiene to work her ever so magnificent magic on your behalf. We suspected that you might be of help to us but little did we dream that we would need you so swiftly and for such a matter of personal and national importance!” Dupin had gestured to a very attractive petite woman with short blonde hair and clear-framed glasses. She wore a short blue dress with a matching hair band and heels. She blushed as the small agent flattered her shamelessly.

“Arabella, your beauty grows like the delicate blossom ever refreshing to behold and always a welcome addition to comfort both man and beast!” he said. Arabella had smiled and turned her head slightly to conceal said smile.

“Dupin, I have completed the work you requested for Mr. Shaw. I have altered the design of the original mask and added some rather stimulating new features! The baton was one of the originals as well. I wonder how the department acquired it. Oh well, it was a delight to examine. I think the modifications I made are really improvements thought I hesitate to appear boastful!” she said softly.

Mark frowned as he picked up the blue mask and the baton. “You actually have the skill to improve on the science of the Manhunters? No offense, but that’s a bit remarkable!”

Arabella glanced down demurely and said, “I have had a rather extensive experience with alien sciences. You see my father was not of this world!”

Mark had taken the device and a new costume that combined the colors of the Manhunters with a more individualistic style of his own. He had listened as the shy Frenchwoman explained the new features of both and Dupin added details about Noelle’s disappearance. “She was abducted. That much is certain. We suspect that the man behind it is a most dangerous foe. His nom du crime is Professor Cadavereux!” he had said.

Mark had been surprised. “No wonder you wanted help! He hates Noelle! For years after their first encounter she believed him to be dead. When he popped up a while back, she took the time to contact me because although we had not been together in years, she felt that his hatred for her was great enough that he might try to strike at anyone who had ever been close to her. That conversation was the last time we spoke before our meeting during this visit. He never did try to get me. Still, Noelle was the national heroine of your country for years. She has dozens of enemies. Why do you think he is the one who took her?”

Dupin had sighed and shrugged. “He resurfaced of late in the wine country. He killed an entire village with a potent toxin. No one else could have designed such a weapon and used it with such ruthless and senseless efficiency. Those deaths served no purpose that we can detect except to announce to the world that Professor Cadavereux had returned. His personal symbol, the Death’s head, had been burned into the ruins of the village. It could be seen by aerial view. Shocking!”

Thus, Manhunter had gone after the mad man. His trail took him to the exclusive Loire area where an informant had claimed to see both shipments of weird equipment and many strangers. The rumor had turned out to be based on fact as Manhunter’s clash with the guards had proven. Now, he approached the chateau and peered through an ornate glass window. He saw a scene of horror.

Within the ancient chateau a high tech lab had been installed and within that lab he saw a struggling Fleur-de-Lis. She was fully costumed and an intricate web of tubes and wires linked her to another woman. Both of them reclined on elevated tables while Noelle Avril fought helplessly against her restraints, the other black haired woman seemed to relish the experience.

Noelle did indeed try to free herself, but she could not! She watched helplessly as the machine channeled her blood through a complex series of tubes and irradiated funnels into the other woman. She remained calm as befitted her steely courage and she remembered her first meeting with the evil Professor Cadavereux. She would never forget those odd events since they formed what could truly be called “the secret origin of Fleur-De-Lis!”

 

***

 

Noelle Avril’s childhood had been dominated by an ever-pervasive sense of the past. The power of the present lacked much of a hold on the girl since in every room of her home, in the faces that stared regally down upon her from the walls of the gallery, from the family crest on the mantle, and from the silent respect paid by all to her grandfather, her life was full of a sense of history. The Avrils had played a major role in French history dating back to the Middle Ages. The line was connected intimately with the throne and their family crest contained the fleur-de-lis in a very deliberate and prominent manner.

Young Noelle remembered one summer afternoon in which her stout, bearded, ever benign grandfather Henri Avril had entertained her with the story of their proud heritage.

“Ma petite, you were born on Christmas Day. That is why you were given the name Noelle. Your birth was a present to us all. You know that much. But, I have never told you about our surname. Avril or Avrill may be translated as April. Thus, you combine the pleasures of the spring with the introspection of the winter. I would always have you thus. Your bright mind delights me while your winning beauty pleases all! You are my pride and joy. Your late parents would have been thrilled to see how special a child you have become. I am saddened still when I think about what they have missed. That accident robbed us all of much pleasure, ” he had said.

Noelle climbed up on his lap and gazed into his clear blue eyes with a child’s adoration. He was the only family the child had ever known. “Grand-pere, why does our family have the flower on all of our china, paper, and the large crest?” she asked.

He chuckled as he said, “Noelle, that flower is called the fleur-de-lis. It means more than you know. You see Clovis the ancient King of the Franks received one from an angel! The flower came to represent much to that noble ruler. It stood for his own Christian faith and for the promise of victory to him in a battle for all of France as long as he remained faithful! The flower is a symbol of light, life, and perfection. It also has traditionally been linked to royalty. In the 12th century when King Louis VII became ruler of France, he adopted it as part of his official coat of arms or family shield. We have worn it proudly ever since. The Avrils have been tied to the royal families by blood and by service.”

Noelle said, “Did you know Louis VII?”

Henri laughed and said, “No, my child. Your grand-pere is not as venerable as he may appear! Still, the connection to the Kings of France is something we have always been proud of. When the French Revolution occurred the fleur-de-lis became a mark of shame to many. Those who wore it were clearly marked as aristocrats. They met early deaths and lost their heads. Avrils survived those dark days. Many went to England. Still, in time order returned and so did our ancestors. We do not condone the actions of some of our ancestors. Just as there is good in all people so may be found that which is bad.”

Noelle said, “I wish to be good!”

Henri replied, “And so you are! You will also do much good. You must work hard and never take what we have been given by the Bon Deiu for granted. Study. Read! Pray! Become a woman who will change things for the better and carry that which is France with courage and skill and mercy! The true sign of a noble mind is a giving heart. Public service is our duty and our privilege.”

Noelle had never forgotten the old man’s words. She became a true scholar. She embraced learning and mastered a variety of skills. She excelled the most at information gathering and her research skills impressed even her tutors and her grandfather. She also developed many talents including fencing, equestrian skills, linguistics, gymnastics, and martial arts! Henri guided her and gently led her along certain avenues of study until she truly became an amazing young woman. In the debutante circles in which she was raised, Noelle became an unpopular figure. Her beauty and intellect and her serious demeanor set her apart from her peers. Being raised by an elderly man shaped her as an atypical young girl. She had no interest in superficial things and no time for those whose sole interests centered on romance or glamour.

Still, she was a stunning beauty, and Henri beamed with pride on the night of her coming out party. She was a lovely girl and he saw her mother’s charm and grace in her manner. He also provided well for her. She was given every resource to enhance her learning and spark her interests.

She studied computer science and criminology at a college near the wine country. She had not fully decided how she could best utilize her skills and her interests but criminal justice and research appealed to her. At a seminar open to both the public and the students, she met a handsome American named Mark Shaw. He was a successful attorney; however, he had such a strong desire to change the system and protect the weak that he lost no opportunity to acquire more knowledge. Thus, he was touring Europe for the summer, and he was working with the law enforcement agencies of several countries. His time in France allowed him to take in the special seminar where he met Noelle.

She was drawn to him for many reasons. He was smart, handsome, and passionate. He seemed devoted to justice. She later realized that much of what attracted her to the American lawyer came from the traits he shared with her beloved grandfather! Both men saw social justice as a burning cause around which to rally their talents, courage, and time!

“Noelle, I want to bring justice down to the little man. I want every citizen to receive the full benefit of the law. I don’t want to see the law used for the rich at the expense of the poor. My father…. actually my stepfather is a businessman. He is totally honest and lives his life by a strict code of personal integrity but he does has wealth and I can’t see myself giving my career over to making things better for those who are already well off. I want to help the helpless. I hate to see justice as an idea without any practical application in the daily life of the ordinary guy!” he had said one evening as they strolled along the Seine.

Noelle had fallen in love with him and during their summer together they planned the life they could have together after she finished her own studies. They saw their romance as one built upon shared values and a call to public service. They also felt what any young couple might feel. They enjoyed each other’s company and found trust, humor, and security with one another!

That blissful time ended all too soon. Mark Shaw had returned to the States and earned a position in the D.A.’s office; however, he soon found disgust at being tied by red tape and legalities that seemed to serve the crooked and bind the just! He raged against the frustration he felt during many calls to his French lover.

Then, the calls abruptly ceased and Noelle grew worried. She finally managed to reach Mark only to learn a fantastic development in his life. He had been brought into a secret organization dedicated to bringing justice to those in need. The group was an alien cult. The Man hunters served no cause except for a twisted and long altered programming that truly did nothing more than build their own power. Noelle only learned these facts long after Mark broke up with her. Still, at the time of that bitter phone call, all she could do was plead with him to not embrace this new and radical group so fervently.

“I can’t serve the Manhunters effectively if I am bound to you. I have to be dedicated totally to their cause. It is a higher calling and it is one you would respect. In time, you’ll understand. I’m not Mark Shaw anymore. I’m more than that. I’m also less than that. My identity is tied up with a larger group. I serve them and I serve justice. I am sorry. I’ll always care for you but I belong to them now!” he had said.

Noelle had responded with tears, curses, anger and deliberation. She had tried to learn more about the secret group but even her own skills could only produce a few veiled rumors and the feeling that something sinister lurked behind the cold blue masks of the cult members. She was hurt as well. She felt that she needed to forge a new life for herself and perhaps, one day she would be in a position to expose the cult if they did in fact turn out to be as dangerous as they sounded.

That is why Noelle was receptive when Henri’s old friend Andre Chavard came to visit with a strange offer. The dashing Andre was well known for his war era exploits as a child and member of the informal group of Allied youths called the Boy Commandos. He had connections to the French government and had first met Henri many decades before.

Noelle sat with Henri and Andre around a small antique table. She smiled winningly as Andre recounted one of his many adventures. He held their interest with an exciting tale of danger and courage and ended with a note of absurd humor. “And Brooklyn came into the camp wearing a dress!” he concluded as they laughed politely.

Henri smiled. “You lived a glorious life as a boy. You continue to live a noble one as a man.”

Then, suddenly Andre’s features grew clouded as he leaned forward and looked intently at Noelle. “That life is what brings me here. Noelle, I spoke to Henri before coming here. He is aware of what I am going to ask. He insisted that I explain it all to you myself. He and I are old comrades and I value his opinion. He has told me about you. He has convinced me that you are up to what I am going to ask.”

Noelle frowned and looked from one man to another. Henri said nothing but nodded slightly.

Andre said, “I work for the Department called Gamma. It is a highly secret organization dedicated to the security of France. My background and perhaps some of the things Henri may have suggested to you in the past may have prepared you for this revelation. What neither of us anticipated was the formation of an insidious group dedicated to empowering its founder. The man in question is known only as Professor Cadavereux. He runs a school of sorts that he calls “Dames de L’amble” or the ladies of the night. That hint of covert allure is fitting since the place is a training ground for female spies. They all serve their mentor and his purposes are simply defined as the acquisition of personal power.”

Andre said, “You can realize our problem. The only means we have of learning fully just how extensive his organization extends and how many possible projects are in the works so to speak is to have an agent infiltrate the school. I feel he recruits from colleges such as your own. At this time we have no female agents of an appropriate age or background. Noelle, Henri is respected by my agency. His word carries great weight. He says you could pull this off for us.”

Noelle said, “I admit that I can handle myself in most situations but this is beyond anything I ever experienced. You want me to be a “girl spy”? It sounds like something from the cinema.”

Andre said,” And yet truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Cadavereux is a mad genius on a grand scale. He thinks in such epic and colorful ways. He feels his mind separates him from the common man and the ordinary rules of civilized society are beneath him. Girl spies or agents that do his will are most definitely par for the course for the man.”

After several additional hours of discussion, Noelle agreed to help. Henri remained silent but she knew the old man’s views well. Public service defined his very nature and confidence in Noelle allowed him to involve her in even such a deadly pursuit. He simply believed she could handle herself superbly.

Weeks later after undergoing some specialized training with Andre’s personal supervision, Noelle walked across the campus of the Universite DeValenciennes Hainaut-Cambresis. She returned to the college and quickly become known as an outspoken critic of French government and society as a whole. The guise of spoiled wealthy rebel against the culture that had given her family such privilege was a plausible one. Noelle made it more so since she was a capable actress.

In time a member of a radical student group who attended the college as well approached her. Andre had warned her that her seemingly tranquil campus was a recruiting ground for the type of woman who might be agreeable to the doctrines of Professor Cadavereux.

Noelle met and had drinks with a fiery young woman named Eleanor Moiré. They talked and political views were exchanged as the passionate Eleanor raged against the system. “The narrow minded people who run this nation are no better than their ancestors- be their ancestors aristocrats or revolutionaries. They are complacent and they are resigned to accept the injustices of daily life. They think in terms too small to envision radical social change. Only a man with a mind of uncommon brilliance could shake them from their slumbering apathy!”

Noelle nodded. “I know! My family stands for everything that kind of numbing acceptance of the status quo produces. They think money is all one needs.”

Thus, the two women became friends and Noelle’s deception enabled her to fool Eleanor whose desire to hear herself speak blinded her to much around her. Noelle was appalled by her “friend’s” cold calculating views. She cared about social change but only from within the system. She knew Henri had given most of his life to making things better. Andre had fought a war to do the same. They were not numb or blind to the realities of life. They merely did what they could to improve things. She saw a lot of pain behind Eleanor’s passion and felt sorry for her at the same time that she deluded her.

One day Eleanor offered to take Noelle to meet someone she called an uncommon mind! “He has such a forceful personality. He could lead our nation into a truly modern revolution.”

Noelle agreed readily. She was very interested in meeting a man who could inspire such extremes in people. Eleanor saw him as a heroic agent of change while Andre condemned him as a scheming madman! She accompanied Eleanor to a huge building in the wine country. The structure was apparently a village hall that had been damaged during the war. It remained as a silent reminder of a former era.

Noelle said, “Very quaint. Surely, your Professor meant for you to come to the new hall that replaced this one years ago.”

Eleanor smiled and shook her head. “No. You must not limit yourself by seeing only with conventional perceptions. Beneath this façade of the relics of our oppressors, you will find the home … no… the incubator of change!” She led Noelle down a narrow path that lay between a fallen wall and an open space. No one had bothered to repair or remove the rubble since a new hall had been built closer to the heart of the small community and post war recession prevented any large-scale renovations.

The women entered a passage that took them down to a hidden flight of stairs. The stairs in turn ended in a passage that led to a large complex beneath the ground! Noelle gasped as she gazed left and right at the strange edifice. She was certainly committed now. Eleanor would not have brought her here had she believed her friend would oppose her mentor! They emerge to see a group of busy women at work at various pursuits. The entire complex looked like something out of the novels of Fleming or Charteris. Noelle said, “What is this place?”

Eleanor explained as she brought her friend to an elegant chamber that set apart from the rest of the buildings. “I want you to meet the most remarkable man I had ever know. He created this base and from it he will change the world!”

Noelle entered as Eleanor whispered hurriedly to women who guarded the doors. She saw a room decorated with antiques and fine art. She saw a cultured and refined looking man sitting at a desk. He was balding and had a large head. His eyes were small but piercing in their intensity. He wore an elegant suit, which was old fashioned in nature but clearly custom made in design. “Spirit of beauty that doth consecrate! You are truly welcome here!” he said as he stood up to greet the women.

Noelle said, “It is odd to hear Shelley in a strange place like this.”

He smiled and nodded slightly. “Indeed? You know the poem? I relax my mind with such sublime words. I rest my faculties with poetry and art and things of beauty. I am Professor Cadavereux. Eleanor, who is this young lady? While such a lovely woman needs no invitation and glamour and grace ever make a home in each enlightened heart, you know I frown on visitors.”

Eleanor shook her head and rushed forward to appease the old man. “No, you must not misunderstand! Noelle is one of us. She shares our vision. She aches to achieve change of the type you alone can make manifest!”

Professor Cadavereux rubbed his hands together and said, “Your enthusiasm delights me. Still, I must learn more about this enchanting child.”

Noelle said, “I am Noelle Avril. Eleanor and I have often talked about the problems we see in the society around us. My own family is blind to the need for change. I have grown up longing to find others who feel as I do!”

Professor Cadavereux smiled again and Noelle felt a sense of loathing. The old man was clearly brilliant, charismatic and persuasive but he also repelled her. He made her think of a predatory animal. His eyes darted left and right and his smile hid malice so great that the perceptive girl could almost imagine it as a palpable entity! “We will talk. Come with me, ma petite!” he said.

He touched Noelle’s arm and she fought her desire to pull away as he drew closer; she smelled the scent of mint. “Forgive my desire for privacy and security. You are welcome here but you must understand that this place is a cradle of sorts. It holds all my hopes for the future. Those hopes are fragile and newly formed and like a baby must be protected and nurtured. I do not wish this nursery of possibilities to change into the crib of Hercules if you understand my allusion!”

Noelle said, “The infant Hercules faced two serpents within his baby cradle. I get your drift.”

Professor Cadavereux had chuckled mirthlessly and replied by saying, “Very good. You are a woman of culture and refinement. You crave learning? I will teach you many things if I deem you fit to join my little school. You will remain here as my guest until I decide what is best for us both!”

The next few days passed swiftly as Noelle played her part to perfection. She had to act to conceal her disgust at something unseen in his nature but she soon gained a grudging admiration for the evil man’s intellect. He was a viper but a charming and seductive one at that. Still, Noelle knew that evil had an appeal for the unwary or the naïve.

The crisis came on her sixth day in his school when she failed a test. The Professor had arranged for some of the pupils to demonstrate their marksmanship. The women he trained were experts in combat and weaponry. Noelle was their equal in every way; however, her compassion betrayed her. When a woman missed the target with her gun, the Professor scowled and showed his true nature. “Monica, you displease me. You failed again. I do not suffer fools lightly nor will I sanction such blatant ineptitude. Noelle, you may prove yourself to me and achieve my favor by a display of your own skills wit a gun.”

He handed her a gun and gestured broadly. “Demonstrate your prowess, ” he said. “Your teachers say you are wonderful!” Noelle nodded and aimed the gun at the distant target.

Professor Cadavereux clucked slightly with his tongue. “No, no. You shall aim your gun at Monica not an inanimate object. Kill her. That is the test that shall make or break you. If you belong here then your every action shall be as I determine. You will obey and you will prosper.”

Noelle gasped as Monica pleaded for mercy. “I will not shoot her. I will prove that I am a superior shot but surely killing or harming her would be a waste of your resources!”

Professor Cadavereux approached her silently and his small smile never left his face. “Ladies! Mademoiselle Avril needs to be disciplined. Take her to the Study!” At that moment, three of the women grabbed Noelle and carried her into the bookcase lined study. “Strap her to the table. I will chastise her.”

Noelle struggled but she had been taken by surprise, and she soon found herself bound to the elevated table. She choked as a powerful sedative was injected into her arm and the room began to spin around before her dazed eyes.

Professor Cadavereux leaned closer and the scent of mint became sickeningly oppressive. “Noelle, I am disappointed in you. Still, you will serve the cause by giving your body to science. My experiment will either end your life or change it forever. Thus, will you contribute to the crusade and thus, do I owe you my thanks.”

She gasped and knew no more.

Hours later Noelle awakened to find herself floating within a clear tube and a green liquid. Her mouth and nose were covered with a breathing device and various devices strapped to her body recorded her vital signs. Professor Cadavereux watched and smiled as he saw her eyes widen with horror. “Ah! You return to the waking world as a dream forgotten by the erring sons of Hypnos! Know that I forgive you for your rebellion. Know that I have dealt with Monica and with Eleanor as well. They failed me and they died. The experiment that killed them hours ago had not robbed you of your life. That means I was right when I first felt that destiny marked you as one apart from the common herd!”

Noelle felt her body tremble as waves of nausea assailed her. She knew that she had been drugged and could only speculate about what other procedures had been performed on her slumbering body. As the liquid drained from the tube, she was gently lifted out by three of the other pupils.

As the devices were removed from her body, Noelle recovered her composure. She wore a black bikini and noticed her arms had several red marks from injections. When the sickness passed, she felt calmer and began to plan her escape. “What have you done to me?” she asked.

He laughed again and said, “What have I done? Why, ask not what I have done to you? Rather, marvel at all I have given you! Am I not like a father who has bestowed a new life upon his child! Like Zeus and Athena, you and I stand here like a proud creator and the offspring of his mind fully realized!”

Noelle said, “Forgive me if I feel more like Aphrodite than Athena! May I have some additional clothing?”

He said, “Wit in the face of change. I admire that. You will have plenty of time to adorn yourself for your new role. Still, that will only be possible after we educate you more fully. You must undergo a mental change to go along with the physical changes I have wrought!”

Noelle said, “What exactly did you do? I feel strange.”

He said, “Strange? How utterly mundane a term for your new powers and gifts!” He gestured again and four women charged her from each side. Noelle spun around and caught one woman with a swift kick to the face. She followed that up by dropping low and flipping a second one into the third attacker. Before the last woman could reach her Noelle brought her palm up to knock her cold.

“How did I do that? I mean I always could fight but my reactions were like something super human!” she asked.

The evil Professor Cadavereux plucked at his silk smoking jacket and said, “Your speed, endurance, strength, and recovery time have all been increased. The process that has killed every other subject has given you physical abilities beyond any Olympic athlete!”

Noelle realized he was right. She was a changed woman. She hoped her new abilities could enable her to escape from the mad man. She knew that Andre was aware of her contact with Eleanor and she knew that she had failed to report to him or one of his agents in days. She hoped he would arrive with help but she also knew that her life might just not be as important as learning enough to defeat the evil man and spoil his many plans.

Noelle decided to bide her time. She could handle herself in this crisis. It would take some thinking and some luck but she had courage and was determined to make her grandfather proud.

Professor Cadavereux’s next remark changed her plans on the spot. “Take her and tame her mind. Make her mine in mind and soul!”

Noelle realized that she could not trust her own resolve against his science. If he could transform her physical attributes then what could he do to her mind?

She saw one of the guards standing nearby and before she could react, Noelle tackled her and grabbed her gun. She aimed it carefully but not at Professor Cadavereux. She fired it at the clear tube of chemicals that stood across from the one in which she had been encased.

The glass shattered and the green liquid within poured out to engulf the Professor where he stood! He screamed as the strange chemicals covered him. Noelle still had no idea what it was within her own metabolism that had left her unharmed by the chemicals but clearly the evil genius lacked such protection!

His women rushed forward but his tormented screams and convulsions left them at a loss.

Noelle watched in horror for a moment then flipped through the air to land just beyond them. She fired the gun again into the wall of machines and saw a fire erupted from the damaged devices!

Got to get out and hope that Department Gamma can close the place down now! I know I failed to uncover the nature of any plans the Professor has already hatched but maybe by catching him, his school of spies and his scientific findings, they can do some real good! she thought as she fought her way through the women who came near her.

Most of the pupils were so devoted to their master that his plight occupied them more than stopping the agile Noelle.

She gasped as she crawled out of the rubble to emerge into the air above and the ruined village hall. When she came out a squad of around three dozen men rushed forward to and charged passed her into the fire below. Andre himself appeared and embraced her.

“We traced you this far but when you failed to report in, all we could do was wait. I had confidence that you would escape or signal us if at all possible. I was reluctant to raid the place since I knew you might have been killed in such an effort. I also feared that any such action could result in Cadavereux’s unleashing some destructive weapon that would take us all down with his base!”

Noelle said, “He is hurt. I think I may have killed him. I just wanted to distract them all. She waited as the agents emerged with the captured women.

“I think we got them all. The lab and the rooms below are completely destroyed. We didn’t find Cadavereux but in that inferno it would be easy to miss anything!” said one worried agent.

Andre said, “Well done. We crippled his resources. We stopped him from using his female agents on the world. I’d say that was a victory. He may return. He may be dead. Still, I take what victory I can! We owe this to you, young lady!”

Noelle said, “I am sorry for the lives he ruined. Poor Eleanor was so deluded. Her pain made her easy prey for him. If these skills he gave me last, then I want to use them for you and for the ideas Grand-pere values. ”

The tests conducted by the Department Gamma labs revealed that Noelle Avril was unharmed by her ordeal and her newly enhanced physical abilities were permanent. After a few days of rest and deliberation, the platinum haired woman stood before Henri Avril and Andre in her family home.

“I have come to a decision. I want to work for Department Gamma. I want to make society better and serve the public good like we’ve always talked about. I want to be what the flower came to mean to Clovis and Louis VII. I want to embody justice, mercy, and life for all of France. That’s why I’ve made this costume. I’m going to become a living symbol of the things I value. I am Fleur-De-Lis!”

She removed a coat to reveal a one-piece tight white body suit with a fleur-de-lis on the chest. Beneath her white cowl that covered her upper face, Noelle wore a long blonde wig. “I’ll use wigs and this costume to keep my true identity a secret. I’ve always worn my own hair rather short so the long wigs of various colors will add to my security, ” she explained.

Henri beamed proudly and raised a wine glass. “To Noelle, or should I say France’s newest heroine Fleur-De-Lis!” he said.

Andre raised his own and smiled. “To Fleur-De-Lis!”

In the years following her transformation, Noelle Avril had made a name for herself as the national heroine of France and she had joined with the Global Guardians as well. Still, eventually she left the team to concentrate on her solo work and for cases for Department Gamma. She had also discarded her original cowled costume for a vibrant red costume and her natural hair. She no longer cared about a secret identity since Henri had passed away in his sleep one sad night.

 

***

 

Noelle remembered all these events in the blink of an eye as she struggled in the present and saw Professor Cadavereux watching again as he conducted a new experiment upon her and another woman! “You are awake? Good. I want you to experience your death in every vivid detail. Your unique body chemistry has always eluded my attempts to duplicate it. Still, my newest protégé matches your blood type and other genetic data as far as is humanly possible. I had to shape her structure carefully through long years of tests and painful experimentation. Still, I think she will also gain your powers and live. I believe at long last I will have both a true child of my brilliance and my revenge upon you!”

Noelle noticed that the dark haired woman was smiling even as pain shook her body. “You wonder about me? The chemicals you dosed me with almost killed me. Still, I survived and escaped and nursed my wounds and my hatred for you. In some ways you have made me very proud. I deduced early on in your career that the woman who defended France so well was my creation!”

At that moment, Manhunter crashed into the lab and shattered the tubes connecting the woman. “Get away from her!” he shouted as he fired the baton’s energy again and swept back several of the guards. “Fleur, are you hurt? I came as quickly as I could!” Guards rushed forward, and Manhunter cradled Noelle in one arm as he prepared to fight.

“Manhunter! We’ve got to stop meeting like this!” murmured Fleur-De-Lis as she struggled to regain her own balance. She whipped out a sharp shurkien and hurled it across the room to slice through the hand of a sniper who aimed at them from above. He yelped and dropped his gun even as Manhunter smashed his way through several other guards.

Professor Cadavereux said, “I will not lose again! I know the lessons taught of years of suffering. I have my new successor, and I need nothing more from you but your death!” He pressed a button and the lab erupted into flames.

“Manhunter! He’s crazy enough to destroy his own men to escape!” said Fleur-De-Lis as she kicked a guard aside.

Manhunter said, “I know. Your pals told me more than I wanted to know about the freak. Let me get you to safety and then I’ll bring him in!”

Fleur-De-Lis pushed him back and said, “I’m a big girl. I fight my own fights though I appreciate the save!” She ran forward and flipped through the air over the flames to land safely beyond them. She saw the old man and his loyal female aide running ahead of her. “Stop! This ends here!”

She charged forward and gained on them. Even though the dark haired woman clearly had gained powers and speed equal to her own, Noelle knew the Professor slowed her flight. She tackled her and punched her as they struggled on the ground. “You are not going to get away!” she said as she wrestled with the other woman.

“I am Noir! That is the name my creator has given me!” hissed the black haired fighter.

Fleur-De-Lis realized that she was facing someone who shared her powers, but she had beaten super human foes for years and she would never give up! She elbowed her foe in the face and back flipped to crash into Professor Cadavereux. He reached into his coat and drew out a vial of powder. He twisted off the top and raised it over his head.

Fleur-De-Lis hurled a throwing star and shattered it so its contents dropped on to his head. He gasped as the toxin reacted with his skin, and Noir ran to his side only to receive a stunning punch from Noelle. As she crashed to the ground, Noir was scooped up by Manhunter who had vaulted forward through the smoke and fire to join the heroine.

“Grab him and let’s get out!” Manhunter said.

Fleur-De-Lis smiled as she connected with Cadavereux with a spinning heel kick. She caught him as he fell and together she and Manhunter escaped from the burning chateau. They left the stunned pair in front of the chateau as lights filled the night and vehicles pulled up to the courtyard.

Sirens filled the night as police and fire emergency vehicles pulled to a stop and their crews jumped out to take charge. Manhunter adjusted his mask and with telescopic night vision sensors, he saw a few familiar faces from Gamma Department leading out the beaten Death’s Head members. Noir and Professor Cadavereux were among the bound villains.

He turned to Fleur-De-Lis and said, “Dupin told me you had been grabbed. I had to help. I owe you so much. I mean that I owe you for more than just taking down Déjà Vu. I have a lot of ground to recover in terms of mending relationships that the cult cost me. I think I’ll start here. I’m staying in France if you don’t mind.”

Fleur-De-Lis hesitated and then leaned in to embrace him. “I think this might be the start of a beautiful friendship. You see I’m still a fun date!”

Manhunter nodded and behind the impassive mask, Mark Shaw smiled.