AUTHOR'S NOTE: I first posted this story in 2015...but took it down shortly after posting it. It's been updated since 2015. While I understand that not everything a reader reads, they will enjoy...still, no flames!

Disclaimer – I don't own the characters...Blah, Blah, Blah...don't sue me.

Two Hours in Ming's Cell

By Red Blaze 16

She shuddered. But Flash knew she was getting weaker. Tired. Time was running out. The last jolt was strong and may have knocked her heart back into normal rhythm, but Flash knew it wouldn't last long. Eventually, another volt would hit her and her heart would skip a beat. Maybe that's all it would do. Or maybe it would knock her heart back into an irregular rhythm. Flash wished it would end. He would give Ming almost anything, at this point, to make it stop, but the blond hero knew Ming wouldn't stop. He could hear that she was having difficulty breathing and he knew, if a rescue didn't happen soon, it would be too late.

Jedda was dying...

…...

2 Hours Earlier...

Slowly, Flash woke up. His head was pounding. His back and arms throbbed. Opening his eyes, Flash looked around. He was held against a wall. His arms were chained above his head, while his legs were pressed together. Manacles held his ankles to the wall. His feet weren't able to touch the ground, so his shoulders took all his weight, which accounted for the pain in his back and arms.

"Flash?"

Turning his head, Flash noticed he was not alone in the cell. Directly on his left was Jedda. Her eyes were closed and her chin almost touched her chest. It was obvious that she was still unconscious. Flash could see the beginnings of a bruise forming on her pale cheek. Next to Jedda was Lothar.

"I'm awake, Lothar," replied Flash.

"Jedda's still out," replied the other Defender, as he motioned his head toward the young woman between them. Like Flash, Jedda and Lothar were pinned to the wall with chains and manacles. Also, like Flash, their feet weren't able to touch the ground.

"Have you been awake long?" asked Flash, as he looked around their cell. It was empty, except for them.

"Maybe a minute or two," replied Lothar.

Nodding his head, Flash studied the young woman between them. Other than the bruise, Flash couldn't see anything wrong with Jedda. He didn't like that she was still unconscious and wondered if there was some other injury that he couldn't see.

"Awake finally."

They looked toward the doors of the cell. Ming the Merciless stood just outside the bars. He smiled at his prisoners and it wasn't a pleasant smile. The word that would best describe it would be evil.

"Release us now," demanded Flash.

"No," replied the villain.

He motioned toward the door. A guard stepped forward and unlocked the doors to the cell. Opening the doors wide for Ming, the green skinned man stepped through and into the cell. Ming stopped in front of Jedda.

"I see that the drugs are keeping her unconscious," said Ming. While his words were loud enough for the prisoners to hear him, it was obvious that he wasn't talking to Flash or Lothar. "Then again, no need for her to be awake, as she's merely a tool."

"What?" said the blond hero. He jerked at the metal bindings holding him to the wall. "What are you talking about, Ming?"

He shifted his attention away from Jedda and looked at the blond Defender. "Do you know what this is, Flash?" replied the green skinned man.

Opening his palm, Ming showed Flash a small silver disc. It fit easily in Ming's hand, as it was less than an inch in diameter. Flash knew what the device was. While Ming had never used the device on him, he had known many friends and allies who had been tortured with it. Some of those friends had even died.

"I know," replied the blond hero. He growled the words.

"Flash? What is that thing?" said Lothar.

"A simple device, Defender," said Ming, as he sneered the last word. "Similar to a Earthen pacemaker, it sends electrical bursts into the heart, when placed correctly."

"Leave her alone, Ming," demanded Flash. While the green skinned man hadn't specifically said he planned to use it on Jedda, Flash knew that that was the man's intention. It was the only explanation on why Jedda had drawn his attention when Ming had first entered the cell.

Raising his left hand, Ming motioned toward the guards waiting outside the cell. Quickly, the two guards entered the room and stopped near their green skinned leader. With a laugh, Ming passed the device to the nearest guard and then motioned toward Jedda. The guards moved toward the young woman.

"If you want to torture someone, torture me!" demanded Flash, as he stared at the two guards.

"Get away from her!" yelled Lothar, as he struggled to free himself.

Both of Ming's men ignored the Defenders. The guard not holding the device stepped forward and reached for the front of Jedda's black shirt. Taking out a dagger, the guard quickly cut into the fabric, creating an opening near her heart. As soon as the second guard saw bare skin, he stepped in front of the first guard. The second guard placed the device directly over Jedda's heart. Both of Ming's men then stepped back and exited the cell.

"The device will shock her heart, taking her into and out of normal rhythm," said Ming. "Eventually, her heart will fail, if her lungs don't give out first."

"Ming," growled Flash.

"Then again, a stroke is also an option," finished Ming. Hhe gently rubbed his thumb over the activation button on the remote.

"What do you want, Ming?" said Lothar.

"To make you suffer, of course," replied Ming, as he pressed the button the remote.

Almost immediately, Jedda's body jerked with the first electrical shock.

"Enough, Ming," said Flash. "Stop!"

"Of course, Flash," replied Ming, as he stepped toward the blond hero. "I could stop all this, if you want."

"What are the terms?" demanded Flash.

"What do you offer?" countered Ming.

"I'll take her place," replied Flash, without hesitation.

"And you, black man," said Ming, as he stepped away from Flash and walked toward Lothar. "Would you take her place?"

"Of course," replied Lothar.

Smiling, Ming said nothing. Turning away from the prisoners, Ming strolled toward the open cell door.

"Ming?" demanded Flash. "Turn off the device and you can torture me."

"But I already am," replied Ming. The green skinned man turned back to look at the heroes. "What do you think will kill her first? A heart attack or a stroke?"

Stepping through the doorway, Ming motioned for the guards to shut the cell door. With a laugh, Ming walked away from the prisoners.

"MING!" yelled Flash.

…...

The muscles around her eyes fluttered. Flash could only hope that the drugs that were keeping her unconscious were also keeping her from feeling any pain. The blond hero didn't want to give up hope, but he feared for the young woman next to him.

Helpless to stop the torture, Flash was beyond tears. Worry ate at him. Question after question rolled through his mind. If they stopped it right now, how much damage had her heart already taken? Was the damage survivable? Would a rescue be too late to save her?

"Flash?" said Lothar. His voice was hoarse from yelling. Lothar had yelled longer than Flash, hoping that Ming would return. "What's that noise?"

Raising his head, Flash heard it too. A loud noise, like a siren or an...

"It's an alarm," said Flash, as he recognized the noise.

"Phantom and Mandrake?" asked Lothar.

"Maybe?" replied Flash. He felt something, though he didn't know if it was hope or relief that it would be over soon.

Flash and Lothar looked at Jedda. "Hang on, Jedda," said Lothar

Both men prayed that the alarm meant that their teammates would be there soon. Both prayed that they wouldn't have to see the young woman die.

…...

1 Hour Earlier...

"I have another option."

Jerking their heads up, Lothar and Flash glared at Ming, who stood outside the cell.

"You son of a bitch!" said Lothar, furious. His voice was rough from yelling.

With the drugs keeping Jedda unconscious, the device was killing her silently, which almost seemed worse. The only thing that allowed Flash and Lothar to know that the device was working was the occasional body jerks, when another electrical charge hit her heart.

"Watch your tone," replied Ming, as he glared at Lothar. "I'm willing to offer you a chance to save the young woman's life. Not be insulted by the likes of you."

Turning away from the cell door, Ming took a step away. "Of course, if you'd rather see her suffer and die..."

"Ming! Stop!" yelled Flash. He worried what new terror Ming would suggest, but hoped it would be better than the current situation. "What option do you propose?"

With an evil smile, Ming turned back. "The device would be turned off and she would be released from her chains. I would even allow her to rest and recover from the current drugs that keep her unconscious."

"That sounds too good to be true," murmured Lothar, suspicious.

"What's the catch?" demanded Flash. The blond hero knew Ming too well after all these years to think that the villain wouldn't have something worse planned.

"She would be resting in my bed," replied Ming.

"No," said Lothar, so quietly that only Flash could hear him. Lothar's stomach tightened, sickened by what Ming was probably already thinking of doing to Jedda.

"And when she's recovered," continued Ming. "I would administer...a different drug."

"No," growled Flash, as he glared at his archenemy. He didn't need the green skinned man to explain which drug he meant.

"You should be quite familiar with it, Flash," replied Ming. The words were spoken casually, but confirmed Flash's suspicion. "I had planned to use it on your wife when you both first arrived on Mongo."

"I won't give you permission to rape her," snapped Flash vehemently. The blond hero refused to acknowledge the taunt regarding his wife. Because of Dale's quick thinking, she had tricked a servant into consuming the drugged drink. Dale had escaped from Ming's room and escaped from the fate Ming had intended for her.

"The device will kill her," replied Ming, with a shrug. "I will not. At least, not this time."

"The other Defenders will be here soon," snapped Lothar.

"And you'll be rescued?" sneered Ming. "The question you should ask yourself is, will they be here in time?"

Turning, Ming stormed away from the prisoners, just as another large jolt of electrical current hit Jedda's heart.

…...

"Flash? Lothar?"

"Here!" shouted the blond hero, as he recognized the sound of Mandrake's voice.

A moment later, Mandrake and L.J. stopped in front of the cell. Quickly, L.J. took out a lock picking kit from his pocket and, within moments, had the cell open.

"Mandrake," said Flash, calling the older man to him. "There is a device attached to Jedda. It's near her heart. Remove it. Quickly!"

The magician glanced toward the young woman and could see that her clothes were torn, from the neck to just where the valley would start between her breasts. Faintly, he could see something silver attached to Jedda's skin.

"Hurry!" yelled Lothar. "No time to explain!"

Mandrake walked up to Jedda. He placed two fingers and his thumb on the device and pulled. With a pop, the device was removed and in the magician's hand. Mandrake quickly dropped the object to the floor. He glanced at Jedda. The young woman was still unconscious and he couldn't see if removing the device had helped or not.

While Mandrake was removing the device, L.J. picked the locks holding his father prisoner. A moment later, Lothar was freed. Stepping away from the wall, Lothar stomped his foot down on the device and shattered it.

Lothar's son rushed over to Flash and picked the locks holding the blond hero. As soon as Flash was free, Mandrake passed him a gun. They slipped out of the cell and examined the hallway. In the hallway, the alarm was louder than it had been in the cell. Flash looked up and down the hall, but couldn't see any guards.

"Where is Phantom? And my son?" demanded Flash. He had a suspicion on why there was a lack of guards.

"They are providing the distraction for this rescue," replied Mandrake. "And Flash?"

Glancing back, Flash stared past his friend and watched as L.J. picked the locks that held Jedda chained to the wall. As the young woman was still unconscious, Lothar had his arms wrapped around her, so she wouldn't fall.

"Yes?" Flash shifted his attention back to Mandrake.

"I want to know what happened here," replied the magician.

Flash nodded his head, as he returned his focus to the hallway, with Mandrake guarding his back.

"I have Jedda," said Lothar. He held her in his arms and moved toward Flash and Mandrake, with his son following close behind.

"Let's get out of here," replied Flash.

Quickly, Flash and Mandrake led the others away from the cell. They escaped from Ming's ship and rejoined the Phantom and Rick.

At home, Jedda was provided with the medical attention. It would take time and testing to find out whether there was permanent damage to her heart. As a precaution, she was given a blood thinner. Though Jedda wouldn't remember what Ming had done, Flash and Lothar would never forget those two hours in Ming's cell.

THE END

A/N 2: Though I grew up watching Defenders of the Earth, I felt, years later, there was a level of "evil" that Ming wouldn't reach because Defenders of the Earth was a children's cartoon. That level of evil is hinted at in the 1980 Flash Gordan movie with Max von Sydow as Ming – which is where the scene I described regarding Dale comes from. I made the Ming character in my story more from the 1980 movie than the cartoon. With Max von Sydow's recent passing, I decided to re-post the story.