"I really think that Father Ignatius held a good, inspiring sermon this afternoon", the first nun said when they were both well into their second cup of tea. The other nodded again, and then put her snowy-white hair properly into place. Obviously, it annoyed her that her habit had this life of its own - it just seemed to know just when it could become partially undone, and all... In the end, she decided that it wouldn't matter if a few of her white whisps of hair showed under the hood - it wasn't as if it would be a great infraction of the clothing regulations. "I especially liked the part where he cautioned against the Devil, and invoked the Great Thunder of God to strike down the infidels." The other chuckled. "You would like that part, dearie, wouldn't you? After all, it is much in your nature." The first smiled despite herself, but then frowned. "This is no place for levity, you know that." The other one continued to half-hiccup, half-laugh under her breath. Just as the other were about to make a clever riposte, a thunderous voice boomed outside, roaring a challenge. "I am the great Gargantu, destroyer of worlds... and of cloisters. My might is endless!" A roar punctuated this statement, and the two elderly nuns exchanged knowing looks.
"Well, dearie, it seems as if the Gifts of God come in handy... again. Really, I don't know what the world is coming to." The first clucked disapprovingly, and with a practiced gesture flipped her heavy, golden cross into her hand from its hiding place somewhere in the habit. "Could you help me with this shoelace, dearie?" the other one asked, awkwardly holding up a foot clad in a Nike shoe. "This trick back of mine is acting up again." The first let go of the cross, and tied the lace tight. The other smiled, and got up surprisingly fast, despite her age. She picked up her walking cane. "Well, sister Thunder, it seems that we are called upon again." The first grasped her cross again, but smiled to the other. "It seems so, Sister Lightning. After you." "But of course." With that, the other nun was off running with her walking cane held firmly in both hands, whooshing along at a speed just below that of sound, blowing out candles and disturbing curtains as she sped outside. The first bowed her head, and started whispering: "Pater Noster..."
Gargantu's first clue that something might be amiss, was the great thunderclap that suddenly split the skies, even though it was a clear, blue afternoon with a radiant sun. He paused from his work in ripping loose chunks of the ground and laying it ready to start his catapulting action against the lone cloister sitting on the top of a hill some distance away. Stretching his back, he looked around himself to see if some blasted super-hero or other had come to plague him again. He grinned, and cracked his knuckles at the thought. He had at least worked out lately, and had increased his personal best at weightlifting with four tons. Naah, nothing was around but that old nun standing there looking at him, leaning on her cane, so ... He bent down again, and started ripping loose huge chunks of topsoil, and then started a bit. Wait a second - a nun? He looked up again, but didn't se any old nun anywhere in sight. He shrugged, rippling his huge shoulders in the motion curiously enough universal in its meaning.
Sister Lighting zipped away, positioning herself behind the great, red boy destroying the wilderness gardens belonging to the cloister. My, but he was a big boy, wasn't he, she mused as she watched his huge muscles strain to tear the very ground from its roots. And that loin cloth certainly didn't hide much, she reflected, and then chuckled. That wasn't something an old lady should think about. Ah well, Sister Thunder should be along any minute now, and then they'd nicely ask the oaf to be on his way. And if he objected... well, neither she nor Sister Thunder could be held responsible if they defended the Maker's own house from this overgrown teenager.
A tiny, black and white spot appeared in one of the windows of the cloister, among the others who had gathered to watch the creature mindlessly destroying the countryside. It zoomed along, swiftly coming closer. Soon, it revealed itself as a beautiful young woman haloed in a heavenly radiance, clad in a rather revealing nun's habit, with wings of pure sunlight propelling her along. She hovered before the titan labouring mightily to tear loose a particularly resilient piece of real estate. Noticing nothing, he continued to excavate a trench around a rather large piece of a pasture in order to get loose a rather nicely sized, earthy projectile.
Suddenly, Gargantu noticed that it had become much more sunlight where he worked, and he looked up. The sight that met him almost made his jaw drop with amazement, but he shrugged it off, and straightened his enormous back.
Sister Thunder waited patiently as the huge man straightened himself before her. When she judged the timing was right, she concentrated to focus the powers that was lent to her by His grace, and thunderously declared: "Begone from this place, despoiler of nature, or face the consequences!" The red giant furrowed his brow, and scratched his chin. "No offence, babe, but I can't go until I've destroyed that castle over there. I got paid to do so, and I intend to uphold my end of the bargain." The heavenly apparition furrowed her young, beautiful brow. "So nothing would make you reconsider, not even the imminent threat of combat?" The great red man smiled, showing his immense, sharp teeth in a feral grin. "And who would fight me? You?" he said, and swatted after the young nun still hovering in front of him. Agilely, she dodged away, and resumed hovering some distance away.
"Not quite," an old crone in front of him croaked in her old woman's voice. "I will join her." And with that, the battle was joined.
Some time later, the unlikely duo stood on the chest of the giant, looking at the devastation he had wrought around them. "He evidently won't be unconscious long", the elderly nun said, whilst cleverly covering her face with her hood so that anyone with binoculars in the cloister wouldn't see her face. The beautiful young woman standing next to her frowned, and nodded. "I think so too. Wonder if he has come to his senses yet? A bang on the head seems to do that to some." She shrugged. "Perhaps common sense will prevail now?" The two nuns looked at each other. "Hmmm..." sister Lightning said. "It's worth a try."
"How are you feeling, dearie?" a nice, old lady asked Gargantu while she was busy trying to put a giant, wet blanket on his brow. Angrily, but dizzily he sat up and looked around for the incredibly beautiful, but powerful angel he had fought, together with the insanely fast old nun that had pummeled him so badly. The only other one he saw was another old nun, leaning on a cane while she was watching a giant kettle with water boiling over a campfire nearby. That cane looked familar, but... naah. He looked down, and smiled to the gap-toothed old lady standing there, holding her wet blanket. "I am a little dizzy, but I think it will pass." "Here, dearie, this may help," the nun offered, and held up the blanket to him.
"What's your name, then?" the other nun asked, while measuring up a humongous amount of Earl Gray in a bucket, and dumping it in the boiling water. "Well..." the red giant drawled. "I usually call myself Gargantu, but my name's Mark, really." "Delighted to meet you, Mark," the nun with the tea smiled at him, and he felt something give within him. "How can you be so nice to me? You don't know all the terrible things I've done!" he said in quiet anguish. "Well, you know, if you know it is wrong, then you may perhaps do penance for it," the nun with the blanket said to him. "You mean prison?" he said, startled. "No, nothing quite like that. You've made quite a mess here, and the cloister's roof need thatching, but it's so high we don't dare climb up there ourselves, and..." Mark smiled. "Oh, that's all right then. I'd be delighted to help you with your cloister and all."
With a casual gesture, he helped the caned nun place the great kettle of tea on some rocks nearby. She produced a bucket for him to drink of, and two cups for herself and the other nun. "That'd be extraordinary," the gap-toothed nun said, delighted that this young man would be willing to help after all.
Mark looked down at the bucket he was holding, and said: "You know, I don't have to be this big all the time. If you want, I could reduce myself to normal size - I mean, all that tea really isn't necessary." The other nun chuckled. "That wouldn't do at all. What would we do with all the tea then?" and then started laughing, great shuddering gales of laughter. The other nun first frowned, then joined with her own little giggles, and before long another voice joined in the general merriment with great booms of laughter.
Some months later, a centaur-like beast-man can jogging along toward the cloister he was hired to destroy. He stopped on a small, freshly tilled hill, and looked toward the great stone paraphets and all. He grew to his full combat size, and idly spun his giant trident. This would not take much time at all. Suddenly, a great thunder split the skies, and the giant centaur startled. The storm wasn't due to begin just yet? A faint coughing came from one side of him. An old nun was standing there, though he could have swore she wasn't there a few seconds ago. "And just what are you up to, then?" she asked innocently while leaning on her cane. "Why, I'm here to destroy that cloister over there," the centaur said innocently, and laughed at the magnificent joke. The gall of that nun, he thought admiringly. Asking me, why? Perhaps I won't kill her after all, he mused.
"Well, that may be so, but I also have something to say in that regard. I am Sister Thunder and the lady over there is Sister Lightning." With that, suddenly a great shape came leaping from the courtyard of the cloister, and thudded to the ground some yards in front of the centaur, and drew itself up, towering several feet above the giant centaur. "Not to mention Brother Atlas, of course," the great, rumbling voice declared. The centaur suddenly wasn't very amused. This would be more difficult than he had anticipated. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?" the little lady called Sister Lightning asked. The centaur frowned. He raised his trident. "Nothing can scare Great Lord Centaur, and noone is more powerful than Great Lord Centaur." The beautiful, flying nun sighed. "Here we go again, I suppose," she muttered to herself, then prepared to strike the brute with the powers she was given from Him. A fierce glow spread around her raised arms...
They all reside at a cloister situated somewhere in Italy, and someone apparently have a powerful grudge against them, as the cloister is repeatedly attacked by some supervillain or supervillain-team.
For now, Sister Lightning, Sister Thunder and recently Brother Atlas have sufficed to stop the attacks before any real damage has been done, but it seems that they sooner or later will have to venture out in the world to find this nemesis against their cloister and stop it permanently.
Both Sister Lighting and Sister Thunder manifested their powers late, when they were helpless bystanders in the first supernatural attack on their home. They managed to fend off Quake, and discovered their particular powers. Both have kept their powers secret, and both believe they have been granted these powers from God.
Sister Lightning is an amazingly spry old lady that seems to constantly see the humorous in any situation. She is fond of Earl Gray, a passion she shares with Sister Thunder, though Brother Atlas have been less than enthusiastic about it. Yellow Label, on the other hand...
Sister Thunder is unique in that she has a "battleform" she transforms to, instead of having her powers permanently, as Sister Lightning does. She transforms into something very akin to an angel, and can manifest a variety of lethal and non-lethal attacks in this form.
Brother Atlas is a Growth-man, but unlike some other bricks he have a good degree of control over his powers. He is an excellent combatant, and is capable of going toe-to-toe with many bricks. Before he became Brother Atlas, he was Gargantu, demolisher for hire. Under this name he committed many crimes, but feels that by working in the cloister he is able to pay for many of the wrongs he has done. Not to mention that he's become rather fond of the old ladies. It wasn't until recently he discovered that they were the two nuns that had defeated them, and asked if he could help them defend the cloister from the marauding supervillains that seems to constantly beleaguer the cloister. Sister Lightning and Sister Thunder were only too glad to have him on their side.