The line of mourners moved slowly past the open casket, each person taking, in turn, a final opportunity to look upon the brave heroine that had, for a brief time at least, protected their city from the forces of evil. The turnout was good, perhaps better than the city planners had expected, though it seemed that few tears were being shed. It was to be expected--the gallant champion of justice known as Ms. Marvelous had led a reclusive life and developed few emotional attachments with the citizens she watched over. Instead, the populace of Megapolis now paid their respects to the virtuous young woman in the respectful manner befitting that of a fallen police officer or fire fighter.
“She was a fine public servant,” the mayor said as he passed by the casket.
“A true hero,” the chief of police agreed.
“If only we had known her real name,” the district attorney commented.
The city dignitaries continued past and then grouped together near the altar. The Cathedral of
Saints had been gracious enough to make available their inner city sanctuary for the ceremony. Public donations had purchased the many bouquets of flowers. In all, it was a fittingly spectacular display of color and fragrance.
“Has anyone come forward to claim the body, yet?” the police chief asked.
“Not yet,” the district attorney answered.
The mayor rubbed his hands together anxiously and looked up at the vacant podium. “Do you
think I should say something? Should I make a speech?”
“And say what?” the district attorney asked dubiously. “That we are accepting interviews for the
position of city protector? That we need a new super-hero to step forward and volunteer to cleanup the city?”
The police chief frowned. “You make it sound like we don’t have any cops in Megapolis at all, George. I think we can do just fine without--”
“Without Ms. Marvelous?” the district attorney replied incredulously. “Shit, Jack, without her we would still be languishing under the thumb of the drug gangs. She single-handedly wiped out the Reavors, or had you forgotten?”
“And don’t forget the Gangrel,” the mayor added.
“And that’s not to mention any number of other, smaller gangs that at one time or another have terrorized our streets. Frigging Christ, Jack, your boys are scared to even go into the Dark Water much less do anything about the fucking criminals.”
The police chief shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. “Shit, George, watch the language-- We’re in a church for Christ’s sake. And it’s not all my fault, you know. What with the budget cuts and all.”
“And why did she have to get herself killed, now of all times? We were just starting to get things cleaned up.”
“There is just as much corruption in your department as mine,” the chief replied defensively. “You know damn well you got people that are being paid by the mob bosses.”
“Being paid by Don Refrain, you mean.”
The chief raised his hands as if to show that he did not want any part of the accusation. “You said that, not me. We got nothing on Refrain.”
“You’re a coward, Jack. You know damn well that Refrain is the mother fucker behind our problems. You just don’t have the guts to do anything about it.”
The mayor cleared his throat and glanced around to see if anyone might be eavesdropping on the conversation. “Unsubstantiated allegations will get us nowhere, George. Mr. Refrain has contributed a great deal to the city of Megapolis and--”
“You mean he has donated a great deal to your god damn political war chest!”
“Now, George, just simmer down. We all know how you feel about Don Refrain. But repeating rumors and innuendo without solid evidence is a dangerous game for us to play.”
“But how can I get evidence if the police won’t fucking get off their fat asses and search Refrain’s god damn house? We know that something is going on up there. Mother fucking Jesus Christ--”
“Cripes, George, we’re in a church! And you know damn well that I can’t search Othello Manor without a warrant.”
“Never happen,” the mayor declared with a shrug. “Refrain has got the judges in his back pocket. They would sooner declare themselves legally dead than issue a search warrant for the Manor.” The eyes of the district attorney shifted back to the casket and the beautiful young woman that
lay peacefully inside. “Ms. Marvelous wouldn’t need a search warrant. She knew that Refrain was guilty. She put his son in prison, remember? She was close to putting the father away, too. I’ll bet you it was him. I’ll bet you to fucking high heaven that he is the one that killed her.”
“We’ve still got Elle Mental,” the mayor suggested.
George rolled his eyes. “The woman is a fucking thief, Robert. Before teaming up with Ms. Marvelous, she used her mutant powers to rob the people of Megapolis blind. Would you really trust the fate of our city to Elle Mental?”
For once, the police chief was in agreement. “Her rap sheet is as long as my arm. I can keep my boys off of her case but the MCT wants her bad.”
“The Mutant Capture Team?” the mayor responded with a sparkle in his eye. “Thank god for them, at least. I don’t know what we would do without them, what with all the mutants running around since the jailbreak over at the Institute for Genetic Studies.”
You can say that again,” the chief agreed. “My department is simply not equipped to deal with the mutant menace. Having the MCT set up their headquarters here in Megapolis is like a gift from the gods.”
The district attorney was not so sure. “But now they roam the fucking city streets like they own the god damn place. Shit, one of their oversized vans nearly ran my limo off the road the other night. Right in front of city hall, too. It was almost like they intended to send me a fucking message or something.”
“I think we can put up with a bit of intrusiveness on the part of the Feds if it helps us get the mutants under control,” the mayor replied. “The MCT knows what they are doing.”
“Yes,” the chief agreed, “especially now, with all the murders taking place near the cemetery. Grisly business, it is, people turning up with their throats torn out. Almost seems like we have a vampire running around.”
“Surely you don’t believe in such things, do you?”
The chief shrugged. “Before Ms. Marvelous, I did not believe that a woman could fly through the air, either. In any case, we need the MCT now more than ever.”
“But with Ms. Marvelous out of the picture, the Mutant Capture Team will waste little time in going after Elle Mental.”
“That’s assuming that Don Refrain doesn’t get her first.”
The three men traded sad, knowing glances. “Either way,” the mayor said with a heavy sigh, “the M-Girls are as good as finished.”
The women in black stood at the front of the casket. They looked solemnly down on their deceased friend.
“She looks beautiful even in death,” the first commented.
“Like an angel,” the second agreed.
The pair were clothed in almost identical garb. Each wore a formal black business suit and a
white blouse. Each wore a black scarf wrapped over the shoulders. Snug-fitting skirts were hemmed three inches above the knee. Patterned silk stockings clung tightly to their long legs. Polished high-heels on their feet and wide-brimmed hats on their heads made the women seem taller than they really were. They were imposing figures, these two women, and though a few impatient grumbles could be heard from those waiting their turn to view the casket, none dared to order the women to move along.
“She was so young,” the first woman said from beneath a black silk veil. “I still cannot believe that she is really gone.”
“We must accept it,” the second answered from under her own veil. “She was a brave and powerful warrior but she got into something that was over her head. I suppose it may be a lesson for us both—Our powers, as great as they may be, do not make us invulnerable.”
The women, one a brunette and the other a blonde, silently paid their final respects to their departed friend. Finally, aware that they were holding up the line of mourners, they said goodbye to the young woman in the casket and drifted off toward a more private area of the cathedral.
“How did things go, today?” the blonde asked while reaching under her veil and wiping a tear away from her cheek. “Were you able to discover anything?”
“It could have gone better,” the brunette answered sheepishly. “But I was able to get Joey Malokovich to tell me what he knew. It is as you suspected—Don Refrain and his inner circle are to blame for the death of our friend.”
The blonde remained silent for several seconds. A bitter coldness seemed to resonate from her slender body. “Then they shall be made to pay, all of them. They shall be made to pay for the death of Solar Flare.”
Elle lifted the veil from her face. She moved close to her friend and gave her a gentle hug. Her wide brown eyes became moist with tears. “I am just glad that it was not you that died, Jody. I am just glad that I still have you with me.”
The tall blonde lifted her veil, as well. The coldness faded away as quickly as it had appeared. She sniffed back a sob of emotion and returned her friend’s embrace.
“Perhaps the M-Girls are destined to have but two members, Elle. Perhaps Solar Flare joining the team was not meant to be.”
“If only we had not left her alone,” the brunette suggested sadly. “If only we had not shirked our responsibility to--”
Jody placed a finger softly against her friend’s lips. “It was not our fault. We only left her alone for a couple of days. A quick vacation, remember? That is all it was. Even super-heroes need a break now and then.”
“But we should have taken Flare with us. We should not have left her alone.”
“It was her choice to remain behind. And in any case, how could we have known that she would do what she did? How could anyone have known?”
Elle nodded and looked deep into her friend’s enormous blue eyes. “Why did Flare do it, do you think? Why did she put on your costume and rush off to Othello Manor?”
Jody shook her head. “I do not know. I cannot imagine why she would have done such a foolish thing--”
“Then perhaps I can put forward a hypothesis?” a voice from behind interrupted. “After all, no one knew Solar Flare better than I.”
The women spun around to face the uninvited guest. He stood before them like a ghost, nearly hidden in the shadow of a pillar, his dark trench coat seeming almost to magically twist the light around him so that he could hardly be seen. His head was tilted forward and the wide brim of a black Yankee Crusher hid his face from view. His hands were buried in deep pockets, clutching secrets known only to him.
“Who are you and what do you want?” Elle demanded while taking a fighting stance and preparing herself for trouble.
The ghost-like figure of the man stepped forward and emerged from the shadow. Even still, his image seemed difficult to focus on, as if his body were encased in a blur. Elle rubbed her eyes to ensure that the tears she had shed for Solar Flare were not obstructing her vision. But the man remained out of focus, like an image seen through a low quality looking glass.
“Hello, Panther,” Jody said in a tone that Elle had never heard before. “I was wondering when you would show up.”
The man raised his head and revealed the blurry, unrecognizable features of his face. It was difficult to know for sure, but it seemed that he might be smiling.
“Hello, Agent 005. It has been a long time, has it not? I have actually been in the cathedral for a while, now, waiting for you. I thought it was time that we talked.”
“I am no longer one of your agents, Panther. I have my own life, now, separate from the Program.”
“Hmm, yes. I can see that. And Solar Flare? Did she have a separate life, as well? Is that why she died?”
Jody’s eyes narrowed. “Flare was beginning to make a new life for herself, yes. And like me, she was prepared to use her powers in the defense of good.”
“Powers that I gave her,” the man responded.
“You left her to rot in the Institute for Genetic Studies!” Jody snapped. “What good were her powers in that place? What good was she to you? No, you abandoned her and she responded by dedicating her life to the protection of Megapolis. She was a hero! She was a--”
“Is that what she was?” the man asked with a chuckle. “A hero? My dear, you really did not know her very well, did you? Imagine that-- A hero!”
“Excuse me!” Elle interjected while remaining at the ready. “Would anyone mind clueing me in as to what you two are talking about? Jody, who is this guy?”
The tall blonde glanced between the man and her dark-haired friend. “I’m sorry, Elle. Allow me to introduce Panther, leader of the Agent-X Program. Panther recruited me out of college. He promised me exciting missions working for a covert government agency in defense of the United States of America. He and his scientists injected me with an experimental serum derived from a synthetic element know as Caantonium. The serum fundamentally changed my genetic structure and made me what I am today. It gave me the strength of ten men. It greatly increased my endurance. It gave me the ability to fly. You might say that in a very real way Panther created Ms. Marvelous.”
“But you were never meant to be Ms. Marvelous,” the man corrected with a scowl. “You were meant to be Agent 005.”
“Yes, that’s right,” the beautiful blonde acknowledged. “I was but one of several people that Panther injected with the Caantonium serum. He used us to form a covert team of super-powered agents. Some of these agents, such as the nefarious Tommy-Z, were little more than ruthless thugs that had been given great power. The people directing the team, the secretive Council, were likewise little more than power-hungry zealots bent on achieving world domination. I discovered that rather than working in the defense of the country, the team was being used as a goon squad to squash all opposition to the views of Panther and the Council.”
“You make it sound so dramatic,” Panther said giddily.
“Over time, I discovered the true nature of the Agent-X Program, that it was not at all the force for good that I hoped it would be. Then, just as I was completing my training and preparing to join the team as a full-fledged member, the Program was struck by a disaster. The only other female on the squad-- and my only real friend-- was murdered. Agent 003 was a powerful warrior with the amazing ability to create objects of solid light. She was unmatched in combat but ultimately succumbed to the Sartak, a Caantonium induced condition that made her highly vulnerable to sensual stimulation. I later learned that her death was at the hands of Tommy-Z.”
“A shame, really,” Panther added. “Agent 003 was one of our finest people.”
“Not that much of a shame, I suspect, since despite his crime, Tommy was never punished and remains a member of the Agent-X team to this day. He even had the audacity to try and capture and return me to the Project not so long ago.”
“Agent 001—Tommy, as you call him—is also one of our best. It would have made little sense to sanction such an excellent agent. Losing one agent was bad enough, but two? No, it was better to keep things quiet. And I must admit that I was surprised by your victory over him, Jody. Had I known how powerful you have become I would have sent two agents instead of one to insure your return.”
Jody snorted in disgust. “Regardless, scientists at the Program eventually discovered that all females treated with the Caantonium serum, no matter how powerful they may be, are ultimately susceptible to the Sartak. Because he wished to protect me from befalling a similar fate, or so he said, Panther restricted my participation on the team to comparatively benign activities. In truth, he wanted to protect me from Tommy, a crazed rapist who clearly does not work well around women. You can imagine
how I felt—An unwanted member of a sinister group that I had no desire to belong to, without friends, without purpose—I ultimately decided to leave the Agent-X Program and begin a new life for myself in Megapolis.”
Panther chuckled. “Without my permission, I might add.”
“Yes, without your permission.”
“And now you are the great, albeit dead, super-heroine known and beloved by all as Ms.
Marvelous.”
“I assure you that I am quite alive, Panther. And the people of Megapolis will be told that I am
alive at the appropriate time. For now, it is better that certain people continue to believe that I am dead.” Panther’s gaze shifted to the slender brunette. “And is this the other half of the famed M-Girls,
the audacious Elle Mental?”
“You know me?” Elle asked in surprise.
“But of course, my dear. I know everything there is to know about you—Mutant super-fem,
trained ninja and thief, possessing incredible telekinetic powers that may only be channeled through a rope—Were you my own creation, I would be proud of you.”
“I am flattered, I think.”
“Elle does not wish to work for you any more than I do, Panther,” Jody interjected.
It was impossible to tell for sure, but the blurry man seemed to sizing the women up. His eyes
roved across their athletic figures lustfully. Thoughts of sex, of a tryst with the young beauties, flashed through his imagination.
“Whether you wish to work for the Program does not matter, Jody. I will have you back, one day, and perhaps sooner than you think.”
“Never!”
“But for now, I find myself missing yet another agent. All thanks to you, I imagine.”
The tall blonde’s stare was as cold as ice. “Solar Flare made her own choices, just as I did.” “Solar Flare was a brash and impulsive young woman,” Panther replied matter of factly. “Do you
wonder why she did what she did? Do you wonder why she threw her life away so needlessly?”
“You said something about a hypothesis?” Elle asked.
Panther looked toward the open casket at the head of the sanctuary. “You did not know her
well, did you? It is easy to think that because she was remarkably similar to Jody in appearance that she must also have had a similar personality. And in some ways they were alike, I suppose. Like Ms. Marvelous, Solar Flare loved to fight. She lived for the thrill of combat. She did not back down from danger. And like Ms. Marvelous, she often failed to understand the limits of her powers.”
The blurry man shifted his gaze back to the athletic blonde standing a few feet away. Despite the conservative garb, her body was a thing of amazing beauty. Her long legs were almost unbearably sexy beneath the short skirt. Her slender waist, gripped tightly by the jacket of the business suit, was so narrow that he could have wrapped his hands almost completely around her had he wanted. Her bosom was shapely and inviting. Her gorgeous, cover-girl face was like that of an angel. Her pouting lips were as soft as the softest velvet. Her eyes were as blue as the bluest sky.
“The Caantonium makes them beautiful,” he said to Elle while continuing to eye the leggy blonde. “Just as the serum grants our female agents the strength of ten men, it increases their outward beauty by an equivalent factor. Both Jody and Flare were attractive when they first came to us. But it was only after the treatments that they became the stunningly beautiful creatures that they are, or in Flare’s case, were.”
“So that explains why they look the same,” Elle said impatiently. “But why did Flare put on Jody’s costume and rush off to fight with Don Refrain and his goons?”
Panther paused before answering. “To understand that, you must understand what Solar Flare went through at the Program. You see, after the untimely death of Agent 003, I decided that it was too risky to put female agents in the field. My agents were expected to be invulnerable, after all, and the weakness of the Sartak was simply not acceptable.”
“And yet you eventually created Solar Flare. What changed your mind?”
“Yes, the policy against engineering female agents was eventually discarded so that we could conduct an experiment. You see, it was always thought that in addition to increased strength and
endurance, the Caantonium serum would produce a single special power in the subject. In the case of Agent 003, the special power was the ability to create objects of solid light. She could literally create things out of thin air-- projectiles, weapons, cages, floating platforms—Whatever she could imagine, she could create. In Tommy-Z’s case, the special power is the ability to discharge electricity from his hands. For Jody, the special power is the ability to fly.”
“So what was the experiment?”
“Due to the discovery of the Sartak, a condition that effects only females, we knew that the Caantonium serum works differently on women than it does on men. And while it was only possible to introduce one special power in male subjects, our scientists proposed that the serum had the ability to instill multiple powers in a female subject. Imagine what this meant! If true, it was now within our ability to create vastly stronger agents. Sartak or not, I felt it was worth the risk.”
“So you created Solar Flare?”
“Yes. And as hoped, Flare became, physically speaking, our most powerful agent. Not only did she have greater strength than our previous creations, she had multiple special powers. Like Jody, she could fly at speeds of up to eighty miles an hour. More than that, though, she could project beams of microwave energy from her eyes. She could discharge blinding flashes of light from her body. Her only weakness, other than the Sartak, was that the use of her powers would quickly deplete her internal energy reserves. Only by basking in sunlight could she replenish her energy.”
“So what was the problem?”
Panther sighed like a parent who has a troublesome child. “Flare was impetuous. She had little regard for authority. She was overconfident in her new powers. But more than that, she was envious of Ms. Marvelous.”
“Envious?” Jody asked in surprise. “But why?”
“You really do not know, do you? You do not know that you have become something of a legend back at the Program? You do not know that the staff, both scientists and agents alike, speak of you in hushed tones? Perhaps it is because you left the Program and have foiled our attempts to bring you back. Perhaps it is because they dream of doing what you are doing, of being a super-hero that protects the innocent while battling against evil. I do not know why they envy you, but envy you they do.”
“Perhaps they envy me because I am free,” Jody responded. “Perhaps they envy me because I am not a slave to an evil organization.”
“Perhaps,” Panther reluctantly agreed, “Whatever the reason, Solar Flare was affected most of all by the larger-than-life image projected by Ms. Marvelous. As the newest member of the team, not to mention the only other female, the envy she felt for Ms. Marvelous was very great.”
“It must have been difficult for her.”
“The fact that she looked like you did not help matters. You were both blonde. You were both beautiful. You were the same height, the same weight, and you both had the ability to fly. People naturally expected that she would be like you, that she would act and behave like you. But Jody Walker set a high standard to follow. Filling your shoes was no easy task.”
“I had no idea,” Jody said with sad glance back at the casket.
“In the end, it became Flare’s mission to outdo you in every way. She beat all of your marks during training. She beat all of your test scores in the classroom. Every day, she did her best to prove that she was superior to you. Every day, she did her best to prove that she was the more powerful agent.”
“I remember, now,” Jody said while thinking back to her first meeting with Flare. “She insisted several times that she was better than me.”
“Yes, Solar Flare’s first mission was to capture Ms. Marvelous and return her to the Program. I never saw her again after that—After being defeated at your hands, she fell into the clutches of Major Justice and the MCT and I have not laid eyes on her again until this day.”
“You left her to rot in that place.”
Panther shrugged. “I left her in the Institute for her own protection. I knew that if allowed to roam, Solar Flare would eventually get involved with something from which even her great powers could not save her. It would seem that I was right—In an effort to prove herself superior to the great Ms. Marvelous, Solar Flare donned your costume and threw herself into combat with your greatest enemy. I
can only presume that she hoped to display that she could accomplish in one fell swoop what you had been unable to do during your entire crime fighting career in Megapolis, that being the defeat of Don Refrain.”
Jody remained silent for a long time. The thought that she had in some way been responsible for the death of a disturbed young woman was almost more than she could bear. But despite the guilt she felt, she realized that she was not the bad one in all this. She could not have prevented the death of Solar Flare. If anyone was to blame it was Panther. He should not have sent an agent into the field that was mentally unprepared.
“What will you do, now?” she finally asked. “Will you take action against Refrain?”
Panther shrugged. “The Program has been aware of Don Refrain’s activities for some time. But he is a powerful man and has powerful friends. And in any case, squashing the mob has never been a priority for my team—We leave such things to the police and to super-heroes like you while we concentrate on foreign policy issues. But I am beginning to reevaluate that decision. We know that Refrain is stockpiling weapons in his home. Not just a few weapons, mind you, but enough to supply a small army. We believe that he hopes to execute a coup in the small Eastern European nation of Riberia.”
“Prince Lomac’s old stomping ground?”
“Yes, that is correct. Lomac is Refrain’s right hand man, now, but he used to be the ruler of Riberia. Ever since he was ousted from power, the flow of drugs out of Riberia has dwindled almost to nothing.”
“And Refrain’s organization could greatly benefit if that flow was reestablished?”
“Of course. But that will only happen if Lomac is returned to power.”
Jody’s eyes narrowed. “Sounds like a foreign policy issue.”
“We may end up working on the same side again, Jody,” Panther replied with a sinister laugh.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend, or so it goes.”
“We will never be friends, Panther. But I am not so prideful as Solar Flare. If the Program can
assist in bringing down Don Refrain then I welcome its help. Otherwise, stay clear of Megapolis.” “What she said!” Elle added coldly.
“Very well,” Panther said while fading back into the shadows. “You know how to contact me. Until we meet again--”
As if by magic, Panther was gone. Elle, no slouch at fading into the shadows herself, blinked her eyes and stared at the spot he had been standing only a moment before. “How does he do that? How does he just up and vanish like that?”
“The shadow cloak he wears bends light. Be cautious, he could still be nearby.”
With a final glance back at the casket, the M-Girls turned and began walking toward the exit. “Why don’t you let people know that you are still alive, Jody?” Elle asked. “I think this city could
use a boost in morale.”
The beautiful blonde sighed. “I would like to tell them very much. But maybe we can use the
reports of my death to our advantage. Maybe Don Refrain, thinking that his greatest enemy is dead, will lower his guard. Maybe he will make a careless mistake. That will be our opening. That will be when we move against him.”
The dark haired beauty nodded in agreement. “But first, a visit to our old friend, Quaren, might be in order, don’t you think?”
“The tailor? Yes, now that you mention it, Ms. Marvelous will require a new costume.” “Not to mention Elle Mental.”
“What’s that?” Jody asked in surprise. “Please don’t tell me that you ruined yet another costume!”
“What can I say?” the beautiful brunette replied with a blush. “My interrogation of Joey Malokovich got a bit rough. Things got torn.”
Ms. Marvelous, naked from head to toe, stepped into the small chamber and closed the glass door behind her. “Ready when you are, Quaren.”
“Good!” the painfully thin master tailor answered from behind the control panel. “Almost ready...”
Elle stood nearby. A freshly created, skin-tight, violet costume glistened atop her incredible, athletic body. “Do not screw it up, Quaren. Jody’s costume needs to be perfect, just as we discussed.”
“Yes, yes,” the eunuch responded impatiently. “There is nothing to worry about. I only need a few moments more to adjust the colors. We want the costume to be black and red, after all, and not gray and pink.”
Quaren poured a bottle of chemicals into a cylindrical shoot at the top of the panel. He flicked a series of switches. He looked toward the beautiful woman standing in the chamber to make sure that she was in position.
“The molecular molder will require a few seconds to warm up. Please stand on your tip-toes and remain perfectly still as the process begins or the fit of the costume will not be right.”
Jody did as she was told. The gorgeous blonde stood tall and peered back at the tailor from behind the curved panel of glass. She spread her feet slightly and held her arms out from her sides. She took a deep breath and waited patiently as the machine began to hum around her. The whirring noise gradually grew louder. A light, mist-like powder floated down from the ceiling and began to fill the chamber. In moments it was all around her, basking her slender figure in a warm shroud of brown vapor.
“Are you sure you got the colors right?” Elle asked from outside. “It looks a bit too light!”
“No,” Quaren assured the girl, “It is just as I planned. The different colored particles respond at different rates to the heat of the lasers. Behold--”
Jody closed her eyes as a series of lasers began to strobe across her magnificent, hourglass figure. The intense beams of light felt warm on her soft flesh. Gradually, she could feel a growing tingling sensation against her skin as the lasers bonded the molecules of the fine powder to her body. She could feel the fabric being molded onto her long legs. She could feel it solidifying around her round hips and slender waist. She could feel it wrapping around her curvaceous breasts and strong back. She could feel it encasing her muscular arms and broad shoulders.
The machine was whirring at top speed. The lasers were flashing across her lithe figure faster than the human eye could follow. Stiletto heels and protective soles took shape under her feet. Pliable cloth took shape around her fingers. A mask was molded onto her face.
The lasers slowed and then disappeared. The humming sound of the machine gradually spun down. The incredible super-heroine opened her eyes. She opened the chamber door. She emerged from the shroud of mist and stepped into the light.
“Well?” Jody asked while flexing her arms. “How do I look?”
Elle’s chin nearly dropped. “Oh my god, Jody. You look incredible!”
The beautiful blonde smiled and ran her fingers across the smooth fabric of her new costume.
The sheer cloth of the Tekskin outfit was not as light or comfortable as that of her original costume, perhaps, but it was close. The fabric hugged her body tightly. It showed off every line and curve of her amazing, 34-23-34, figure.
“Really?” she asked as if needing further assurance. “It looks ok?”
“Not just ok,” Elle confirmed. “Incredible!”
The full-length bodysuit was mostly black. It glistened in the light of the studio with an almost
metallic sheen. Bright red patches on the shoulders gave it some dazzle. Wide red vertical stripes ran from beneath the armpits, down and over the waist and hips, and down across the outside of the thighs. The stripes tapered to points just above the tops of her red, nearly knee-high boots.
“It is really tight,” Jody commented while examining the fabric more closely. “How in the world do I get in and out of this thing?”
“There is a micro-zipper down the front,” the tailor answered. “It is virtually invisible to anyone that does not know it is there. The tiny latch can be difficult to grasp but you will soon get the hang of it, I think.”
Jody confirmed the presence of the zipper. “Oh, I see. Very nice! Yes, I think I can manage it, ok.”
“I still think we should have included a cape,” Quaren said while inspecting his creation. “Since when did super-heroes stop wearing capes? What is sexier than a cape? Why wouldn’t you want a cape?”
Jody smiled and performed a series of acrobatic combat maneuvers to test the flexibility of the new costume. “A cape would just get in the way, Quaren. The last thing that a girl can afford to do is to give her opponents an advantage. And in any case, it is not about looking sexy.”
“Yeah, right!” Elle replied sarcastically from a few feet away.
“What?” Jody asked as if not hearing.
“Um, nothing!”
The beautiful blonde shot her friend a knowing smile. “It is about being able to fight at peak
efficiency. That means not having a costume that is going to get in the way. The reason we wear such skintight, revealing garb is because it allows us a full range of motion.”
Quaren was unconvinced. “A cape would have made a powerful fashion statement.”
Jody laughed. “It is bad enough that I allowed you to convince me to don these ridicules high heels! I swear, Elle, I don’t know how you fight in these things!”
“You will get used to them,” Elle replied while looking down at her friend’s feet. “And they make your legs look awesome!”
“But what if I lose a heel and stumble while in the middle of a fight?”
Quaren snorted. “Highly unlikely! Although not indestructible like your original costume, I can assure you that the Tekskin material of this new costume is quite durable. It should last you a very long time.”
“Excuse me?” Jody chided the pencil thin tailor. “It seems like Elle is back here every couple of weeks needing a new outfit. Just how durable can they be?”
The master tailor glanced at his favorite brunette and chuckled. “Is it my fault that the men she encounters always seem to want to rip her clothes off? Her costumes would last longer, I think, if she were not so beautiful.”
“If beauty alone is to be blamed for the questionable durability of your costumes, Quaren,” Elle replied good-naturedly, “then Jody’s is sure to explode from her body the moment she leaves your shop!”
Jody’s eyes narrowed. “It only needs to last until I recover my original outfit. If it can do that then it shall be money well spent.”
“So,” Quaren replied seriously, “you intend to challenge Don Refrain and take back that which is yours, do you?”
The beautiful blonde nodded. “Yes, though we shall not rush boldly to our deaths as Solar Flare thought to do.”
“You have a plan?”
“Don Refrain is too powerful an adversary to confront directly. But we know that he is up to something. Sources have told us that he is stockpiling weapons up at the Othello Manor. If we can acquire proof of his illegal dealings, we can likely convince the district attorney and the chief of police to take action. We shall catch Refrain in his own web of corruption and deceit.”
“But how shall you gather this evidence?”
The heroine looked toward her dark-haired friend. “Elle is an expert when it come to stealth. She will slip past Othello Manor’s security systems and recon the structure. Once she has confirmed the presence of the weapons cache, she will slip out undetected and report back. Together, we will approach the authorities and convince them to finally take action against Don Refrain and his crime family.”
“The Manor is a fortress,” Quaren said skeptically. “It may be difficult to enter, even for Elle.”
“I did it once before,” the glamorous brunette stated while glancing at her slender friend. “I think that I can do it again.”
“And what about you,” Quaren asked while looking at the tall blonde. “What will Ms. Marvelous be doing while her cohort is breaking into and entering Don Refrain’s home?”
A look of determination appeared on Jody’s face. “There is some other business to which I must attend. A vampire is on the loose and committing heinous murders near the cemetery. Her name is Oni Kamaha and she must be stopped!”