100.jpg)
It has been a bit slow on the story board...here's something I've been working on...
The Curse of Copycat Part I.
A lovely young policewoman, a shapely brunette who really filled out her standard issue blue uniform, waited patiently inside the office of the Metro City Chief of Police, Stanley O'Reilly. Chief O'Reilly, a handsome and trim middle aged man, looked over the files on his desk and reviewed them quickly before turning his attention to the pretty officer before him.
"Policewoman Mooney?," the Chief addressed the young officer. "It's a pleasure to meet you. The reports from your superiors are outstanding, so I called you in to help with a special assignment."
"Th-Thank you, Chief O'Reilly," Policewoman Mooney nervously replied. "It's great to finally meet you as well...and I must say it is an honor to be called in by you personally for any assignment."
"Well, let me get straight to the point," the gruff Chief grunted, surveying the lovely young officer before him. "A priceless book has been donated to the Metro City Library, a book of original sketches done by Leonardo DiVinci."
"A book of DiVinci skectches?," exclaimed the confused young officer, fidgeting a bit in her tight long sleeved shirt and matching blue short skirt. "I wasn't aware the library had something of such great value in their possession."
"Everything about this book has been kept top secret to keep any potential thieves from trying to remove it from the library," replied the Chief, still looking intently at the file on this priceless treasure. "The idea is that the trustees at the library kept the details on the acquisition of the sketches quiet as not to arouse any suspicion. They even asked that the police keep a low profile around the library to give the impression that nothing valuable was being stored inside."
"What do you need from me, Chief O'Reilly?," asked the eager Policewoman Mooney.
"I want you to visit the main branch of the library tonight," explained the Chief. "Despite my objections, they only have one security guard on-site during the evening hours. I want you to check in with him and scout the area for any suspicious activity."
"Do we know where the book is being stored?," asked Ms. Mooney.
"If this file is correct, the book is being stored in a safe in the library's basement," replied Chief O'Reilly. "I've tried to convince the trustees of the library that increased security is necessary, but they seem to think that keeping the whole matter quiet is the best way to go. Besides, those trustees are the wealthiest citizens of Metro City and the Mayor goes along with just about whatever they say."
"Sounds simple enough, Chief," Policewoman Mooney said confidently. "Just to be safe, are there any reports of any 'supervillain' activity lately? Metro City has certainly seen it's share of them and they would be the ones bold enough to attempt such a heist."
"No, nothing in the last few weeks," smiled Chief O'Reilly. "Since Hypergirl and Hornette teamed up with Atomic Girl to stop Mastermind and his army of female furies, things have been pretty quiet. I've already been in touch with Hypergirl and she's be available if anything strange happens."
"Hypergirl!," boomed the excited young officer, forgetting her formal manner in her excitement. "Is she going to be working with me? What 'bout Hornette? or even Atomic Girl?"
"Relax, Policewoman Mooney," smiled the understanding Chief. "Hypergirl is on call if anything out of the ordinary occurs. From what she tells me, Hornette is unavailable and Atomic Girl is back in southern California. Your prescene is simply a precaution and I doubt any of the criminal element of Metro City are aware of the existence of this DiVinci book. I asked you here because, according to your superiors, you are someone that can keep your cool and keep things quiet."
"Sorry about the outburst." apologized the downcast Ms. Mooney. "I'm just such a fan of Hypergirl...anyway...thank you, Chief, I won't let you down. And I understand that everything we've talked about stays in this office."
"Good, see that it does," answered the Chief, returning to the pile of paperwork on his desk. "Call me personally at this office if something goes wrong."
"Will do, Chief O'Reilly," smiled the proud policewoman as she turned to exit the office. A wry knowing smile crossed her pretty face as she departed.
Meanwhile, at the off-campus apartment of Metro City University students, Serena Chou and Kim Miller, preparations for mid-term exams are in full effect. The floor of their small living room is covered with papers and opened books as Serena feverishly cross references her notes with an open textbook.
"This psych mid-term is going to cover the first sixteen chapters of the text...plus all the labs," exclaimed the harried Serena, the stunning Asian coed who lives a double life as the costumed crimefighter Hornette.
"Funny, I just re-read chapters one through sixteen," joked Kim, the slim blonde speedster known as Hypergirl, as she walking in from the kitchen with a sandwich. "In fact, I just read those chapters again...and again."
"Yeah, yeah," laughed Serena, lounging on the floor in long comfortable night shirt, "don't rub your super-speed in my face...not while I'm this stressed out. And do you really need to keep eating?!?"
"You know how my metabolism works," Kim mumbled with a mouth full of food, "it works at super speed just like I do."
"Just another reason to hate you, dear Kim," giggled the sarcastic Serena. "You can study at super speed and eat as much as you want without gaining an ounce."
"Don't be jealous, Serena," cooed Kim, looking ready to retire for the night clad only a oversized 'Metro City University' t-shirt. "Besides, just think how much trouble you'd be in on these mid-terms if Mastermind was able to activate the mind erasing device in that helmet his female furies jammed on your head."
"Geez, don't remind me," groaned Serena. "If you hadn't knocked the remote control from Mastermind's hands, I'd probably be one of his female flunkies right now."
"Anyway," giggled Kim, "I'm just glad that when Atomic Girl crushed the helmet with her bare hands, your head wasn't still inside of it."
"Ha ha," scoffed Serena. "Now if you're done with your comedy routine, why don't you just go to bed and give me time to study."
"Well, if you must know," Kim noted, "Chief O'Reilly called and asked if Hypergirl and Hornette were available tonight...something about a book of DiVinci sketches at the main library downtown."
"The Chief?," gasped Serena. "What does he want? And a book of Divinci skectches...I don't even think a value could be estimated on something like that."
"Relax, hun," Kim said reassuringly, "there's nothing to worry about. The Chief just wants one of us available in case something strange happens. I told him Hornette was out of service tonight and I'd gladly help in anyway I can."
"So this is just a 'just in case' assignment?," asked a weary Serena, worried that something much more sinister is afoot in Metro City.
"The whole thing is some big secret," explained Kim, "and there hasn't been any signs of supervillain activity for weeks. Everything is just fine."
"Well, I appreciate you covering for me so I can study," Serena sighed, "but you call ASAP if you need any help, understand?"
"Yes, mom," joked Kim, "you'll be the first one I call...especially since Atomic Girl is back in California."
"Nice, kick me when I down," laughed Serena, turning back to her books. "Now you have libraries to guard and I have psychology to learn, so beat it."
"Well, first I'm going to finish my sandwich and then I'll read chapters one through sixteen again," Kim taunted, "...and then I'll head downtown as the world's fastest female, Hypergirl."
Serena rolled her eyes and continued studying as Kim quickly turned to a blur, devouring her sandwich and disappearing into her bedroom for a quick change into her yellow leotard and shiny tan tights.
A few hours later, as the clock approached midnight, Policewoman Mooney approached the front door of the main downtown branch of the Metro City Library. The library was completely dark inside as Ms. Mooney looked in, still looking stunning in her dress blues. She pulled her cell phone from her purse and placed a call to the security guard inside. Policewoman Mooney called the guard to alert him to her prescene outside and her wish to come inside. The gruff voice of the guard on the line sounded less than thrilled with this intrusion, but agreed to let the cute young officer inside. A flashlight in the distance that drew closer, as seen by Policewoman Mooney from the glass entrance door, let her know the guard was coming. Impateintly, the policewoman tapped the billy club from her holster on the door to let the guard know she was waiting.
"You must be the policewoman the Chief sent over," grunted the elderly security guard, looking old and lumpy in his drab brown uniform as he turned the key to open the front door. "Not that I need your help, missy."
"Just following orders, Sir," hissed the sarcastic policewoman, not pleased by the rude reception she was receiving. "Now, Chief O'Reilly asked that you show me where the priceless book is located and then I'll be out of your hair...whatever little hair you have left anyway."
"Great, they not only sent a female cop," growled the guard, "but they send one with a smart mouth. This whole city is going to hell in a handbasket..."
"Save the commentary, rent-a-cop," Policewoman Mooney shot back, "just show me where the book is and I'll set up down there...then you'll be free to go back to sleep."
"Errr....," the guard groaned, narrowing his tired eyes with a jarring stare at the pretty young officer, "follow me."
The old man led Policewoman Mooney out of the main lobby of the library on the first floor down the staircase to the basement below. Once inside the musty stacks of old books and documents, the guard walked the young lady over to a large wall safe.
"That's where the book is," the security guard said, pointing to the thick metal safe door with his flashlight.
"Are there any entrances to this room other than the stairs?," asked Policewoman Mooney, suddenly acting much nicer to the gruff old man.
"There's a passage the electricians use," replied the guard. "Down that small hallway next to the wall safe and up to the steps to a grating that opens on the sidewalk."
"Aren't you worried that this entrance is not exactly what I'd call secure?," noted the concerned officer. "Anyone could sneak in without anyone knowing it."
"The grating on the sidewalk is bolted shut," replied the guard, "plus the passageway is rigged with cameras and alarms...no one goes down there without someone seeing it."
"OK, but what about the safe?," inquired Policewoman Mooney. "I don't see a dial or anyway to open it."
"Well, you don't need to open it," snapped the guard, tiring of the line of questioning, "you just need to watch it. If you must know, it opens with a key that only I, and a couple of bigwig trustees, have."
"Hmmmm, that's all I need to know," Policewoman Mooney noted calmly, drawing her police issue billy club from her holster. "Just like I said, now that you've shown me the safe, you can go back to taking a nap."
The insulted guard turned toward the smiling policewoman to see the black police baton was being held just below his chin. Startled that the pretty officer might do him bodily harm, he stepped back as Ms. Mooney squeezed the handle of the club. A blast of cool air shot forth in his face, along with a generous amount of green sleeping powder. The guard old wrinkled face cringed as the powder blast struck his nose and mouth as he quickly fell backwards and dropped to the basement floor sound asleep.
"Pleasant dreams, moron," scoffed the imposter policewoman as she put her sleep powder spraying baton back in her holster. She knelt down and frisked the sleeping guard before finding the specially made two-pronged key for the wall safe. Once the safe key was in her hands, Officer Mooney reached for what appeared to be a police walkie-talkie to notify an unseen partner of her status.
"Policewoman Money to Limpit, am I legible?," the officer asked as she used her free hand to see if the key she lifted from the guard fit the safe.
"Yes, officer," the unseen sweet voice on the other end purred. "Are we in the safe yet?"
"Just a quick minute...," Ms. Mooney continued, turning the key in the wall safe door to see the key worked perfectly. "Yes, we're in and it looks like we're happy."
"Is the book there?"
"Yes, I've got it," the policewoman replied, grabbing the old and tattered leather bound book. "Now, are you going to come get me?"
"Certainly, do I have any surprises on my way in?," asked the voice answering to 'Limpit.'
"Nah, the guard is the only one here and he's sleeping off your knockout powder," explained Officer Mooney. "The passage we talked about to the basement from the grating on the sidewalk is a go...do you want me to take care of the lock and meet you out front?"
"No, I'll take care of that and meet you inside," Ms. Limpit answered. "Don't forget, I want the cameras in the hallway to catch both you and I on the way out."
"Sorry, I forgot," the young officer said. "Now hurry, bring the van out front."
"A few hours in a police uniform and you're barking the orders now," scolded Limpit. "I've got the Bookmobile around the corner and I'll meet you in the library basement in a couple of minutes."
"You're the boss," Policewoman Mooney spat sarcastically. "Anyway, is the 'Bookmobile' rigged for our next challenge?"
"Absolutely," Ms. Limpit giggled, giddy with anticipation, "Hypergirly is the only heroine in play on this, correct?"
"Yeah, I've heard of no changes there," the policewoman said. "Hornette and Atomic Girl are unavailable. Anyway, I think the police have tapped into the security system here at the library...as soon as we depart, Hypergirl will be notified."
"Just as we hoped, Limpit out..."
In the driver's seat of a seemingly normal panel van, a striking young statuesque woman places her walkie-talkie down and drives around the corner to the front of the main downtown branch of the Metro City Library. Exiting the van, the beautiful brunette amazon, with her long dark hair tied in a bun, surveys the sidewalk for the locked grating, allowing access to the basement below. In a skin tight red bodysuit and a white belt and boots, the lovely image of the former moll of the villainous Bookworm, Ms. Lydia Limpit arrives in her customary sexy but studious attire. Once spotting the lock, Ms. Limpit pulls a skeleton key and quickly opens the steel plates that leads to the stairwell down to the basement. Tiptoeing down the stairs, Lydia spots Policewoman Mooney and blows her a kiss before signaling her to run up the stairs with her to the waiting Bookmobile.
"Make sure the cameras get a good shot at your lovely face, officer," ordered Ms. Limpit, almost posing in front of the cameras focused on the stairwell.
"Gotcha, now let's fly," Policewoman Mooney said in a rush as she clutched the book of DiVinci sketches and quickly followed Lydia up the stairs. "Hypergirl will be on our tail very soon...along with the rest of the Metro City Police."
Flashing up the stairs and jumping into the Bookmobile, Lydia climbed into the passenger seat and pointed Officer Mooney to the driver's side. As they pranced up the stairs, the motion sensor alarms were set off, releasing a high pitched siren. In sleek, rehearsed motions, the ladies sped off from the library and drove down a side street.
Chief O'Reilly was working late as usual and was watching a monitor set up in his office to watch the bank of cameras set up inside the downtown branch of the Metro City Library. From the camera set on the stairwell leading to the basement, the Chief gets a shocking eyeful of the disasterous events that took place. His own officer, Policewoman Mooney, was dashing out of the building with the notorious henchwoman, Lydia Limpit, with the very book she was sent to protect. With a note of surprise and despair, Chief O'Reilly grabs his cell phone to place an urgent call to his on-call heroine, the fleet-footed spandex super-speedster, Hypergirl.
"Hypergirl, where are you?," Chief O'Reilly huffed impatiently into the phone. "We've got a big problem."
"I'm downtown, Chief...maybe three blocks from the library," answered Hypergirl, in full costume and ready for action. "What's the emergency?"
"The officer I sent down to the library to help watch the safe, Polcewoman Mooney, stole the book," shouted the irate Chief. "Plus, she fled the library with Lydia Limpit, the evil gal-pal of the Bookworm."
"Policewoman Mooney?!?," gasped a surprised Hypergirl, her hair tied into a blonde ponytail with her goggles barely obscuring her lovely face. "I know her...she's a highly regarded officer. Why would she...? And Lydia Limpit...isn't she still in jail for the schemes she and the Bookworm tried to pull in Gotham a few months back? Is Bookworm behind this?"
"I'm blindsided by this betrayal, nothing worse than a crooked police officer," said Chief O'Reilly, with a hint of hurt in his angry voice. "Ms. Limpit was released for good behavior from the Gotham State Prison for Women a week or so ago...Bookworm is still behind bars as far as I can tell."
"Branching out on her own, I see," hissed the disgusted Hypergirl. "Ms. Limpit is has evil and cold-blooded as her dorky mentor. Anyway, consider me on the case...I'll take a quick scan of the area and get that DiVinci book back before the library knows it's missing."
"Gotcha, just keep me posted," Chief O'Reilly responded. "Every available officer will be on the lookout as well."
Under a street light, the dazzling Hypergirl looks at the street signs around her to gain her bearings and to map her quick dash to the library for any clues. In her bright yellow leotard, red boots and gloves, yellow tinted goggles, and shiny tan hose, Hypergirl was ready for her speciality, hot pursuit. Before she rushes off, the blonde sexy speedster makes a quick call to her roommate Serena, via a slim communicator bracelet on her gloved wrist.
"Serena, can you hear me?," Hypergirl whispered into her wrist device.
"Yeah, any problems," replied Serena, still a bit distracted by her studies.
"That DiVinci book," Hypergirl explained, "the officer sent to watch the library ran off with it...with the help of Lydia Limpit."
"Lydia Limpit?!?," gasped Serena, "the Bookworm's henchgirl?"
"One in the same," the blonde flash replied. "I'll call if I run into any trouble...just a routine robbery as far as I can tell."
"Nothing is routine if the Bookworm is involved," insisted a concerned Serena. "Let me suit up and meet you out there."
"Nah, you've got mid-terms and Bookworm is still behind bars," Hypergirl countered. "I can handle a henchwoman and a crooked cop without much trouble. I'll call if something bigger is brewing."
"Not so fast," Serena interrupted. "Hornette will be there as soon as I can fly down there."
"Suit yourself," answered Hypergirl with a flappant tone, "but I'll have the book in hand and the crooks behind bars before you can make it out here."
"Fine, I hope it goes that well," Serena steamed, "but Hornette will be there. I'll see you in ten minutes."
Just as Hypergirl concluded her call with her roommate and crime-fighting comrade, a panel van sped by with the words "Bookmobile" embossed on the side, along with cartoon images of characters reading oversized books. Hypergirl could only roll her eyes at how easy Ms. Limpit was making it to find her and the corrupt Policewoman Mooney.
"Don't these villains ever learn?," Hypergirl muttered under her breath. "Do they all have to be masters of the obvious?"
With a giggle, Hypergirl dashed off in pursuit of the Bookmobile, closing quickly until the van made a sharp and dangerous turn down a narrow, but long alley. Inside the van, Policewoman Mooney shouted to Lydia, asking why she wanted her to turn so abruptly.
"What's the deal?," Ms. Mooney grunted angrily. "Is Hypergirl around?"
"She's right behind us...we passed her just a moment ago," noted Ms. Limpit, strangely calm as the speedster closed the gap. "Look for the yellow and red blur with the blonde ponytail trailing behind in the side mirror."
Sneaking a peek, Officer Mooney saw the blur drawing closer as the end of the alley approached.
"Great plan, we're running into a dead end," shouted the policewoman.
"Exactly," giggled Lydia, reaching for a switch under the glove compartment.
As Hypergirl sped behind the van, she wondered why the criminals turned into the alley, knowing there was a brick wall waiting at the end. Did they panic in her prescene? It really didn't matter to the blonde speedster, she would catch the van before it reached the end. Anyway, if these amateur thieves wanted to corner themselves, why try to stop them.
Just as Hypergirl got almost close enough to the speeding Bookmobile to open the back door, Lydia Limpit flipped the switch and jet nozzles under the rear bumper of the van started to spray a yellowish brown gooey substance on the street below, right under the boots of the sprinting superheroine. The sticky goop spewed back in a thick sheet on the street, bringing Hypergirl's blinding pursuit to a sudden and disorienting halt. Before Hypergirl knew what hit her, the blonde heroine was flat on her goggled face, arms and legs swimming in the gooey mustard colored muck. Sudden stops at full speed affected her almost like a swift surprising punch in the face, sending her into a dull daze. The Bookmobile stopped, just before the dead end, so Policewoman Mooney and Ms. Limpit full view the effect of their surprise sticky spray. Walking back, they could hardly contain their glee of the captive crimefighter stuck in their tacky trap.
"Bookworm's specially formulated book-binding glue," Lydia beamed as she walked toward her captured quarry. "A touch of epoxy makes it perfect for meddling speed merchants like our Ms. Hypergirl."
"Wha?!?," gasped the stunned policewoman, "She's really stuck...Hypergirl ran right into that stuff."
"Of course, why do you think I had you get the status of those super-chicks around Metro City from the Chief?," kidded the confident Ms. Limpit. "With the advance notice, I had the perfect trap set for the spandex speed queen."
Standing just outside the strip of book-binding glue, the villains watched as a groggy Hypergirl squirmed in the goopy glue. The glue was soft and thick enough to cushion the heroine's face first fall, even at high speed, but the thick slop held the heroine squarely in place. In a futile struggle, Hypergirl tried to pull her head, arms, and legs up in the sticky muck, but the glue would only give slightly and stretch an inch or so before contracting back. Trying to regain her bearings after the sudden stop wasn't going much better as the dazed heroine pulled her head up to see and almost pulled of her goggles.
"Lyd...Lydia Lim...pet," the stunned Hypergirl muttered, fighting the cobwebs and the glue that pinned her to the alley pavement. "Wha...what's the...meaning...of...this?"
"Simple, Hypergirl," Lydia Limpet crowed, arms crossed confidently across her ample bosom. "I wanted to accomplish two things tonight...steal a priceless book of DiVinci sketches, which contain the plans for a device that will bring Metro City to it's collective knees...and also to capture one of Metro City's famed superheroines, namely you, my dear."
"Looks like your stuck in a sticky wicket, Hypergirl," laughed Officer Mooney.
Hypergirl tried to turn her head to see where that voice was coming from, but was unable to do so with her face and goggles coated in the gooey glue. She could only groan as she realized just how helpless she was, unable to move and even unable to signal Hornette for help. Hypergirl still tugged, almost out of reflex, to move her arms and legs, but the yellow paste refused to budge. The blonde speedster's only hope was that Serena was on the way and would hopefully find her before these villainesses could spirit her off...or worse.
"I'm flattered that you recognize me, Hypergirl," Lydia continued. "Most of my best work was done in Gotham City."
"You think...being some...dorky supervillain's...flunkie is your 'best work'," hissed the captive heroine, beginning to regain her senses.
"Such a sharp tongue on this young lady," Lydia Limpit replied. "In your position, you should be much nicer to me and my associate. However, I do agree, Lydia Limpit does rank pretty low on the supervillain food chain..."
With that statement, 'Lydia Limpit' removed the thin flesh colored mask off her face, peeling it off slowly as she removed the brunette wig from her head. This wasn't the recently released Lydia Limpit, the evil librarian working under the Bookworm, this was the noted mistress of disguises, the one-time partner of False Face, Blaze. With a nod from Blaze, 'Policewoman Mooney' also removed the thin elastic mask from her face along with her police hat and brunette wig, revealing a pretty face framed by a long mane of red hair.
"You may remember me as Blaze," announced the villainess, "but I've decided to try my hand at this supervillainess game. You can call me Copycat...and I'd like you to meet my little sister, Flame. My stint in the Gotham State Prison for Women was quite an educational experience. With all the villainesses and henchwomen there, they shared their tricks, secrets, technology, etc. Plus, I was able to craft incredibly life-like masks of these ladies, allowing me to slip into their personas. With each crime, a different villainess will emerge, sending the costumed crimefighters like you chasing their tails. Of course, my sister and I can also adopt the identity of superheroines as well. I think my li'l sister would make a fantastic Hypergirl."
Still woozy, Hypergirl could hardly process the bizarre scene around her. A sudden switch found her trapped and at the mercy of these master impersonators. This stirring change only strengthened Hypergirl's resolve to break free, but the Bookworm's sticky book-binding glue left her struggling like a fly stuck in flypaper. Blaze then grabbed a long 2 by 4 board and set it down across the spilled goop, allowing her to get closer to the gummed speedster without getting stuck herself. Walking carefully over to look into Hypergirl's goggled face, she reached into her brown hair to remove the hairpin that held her hair back in a bow. The pin, buried deep in her long hair that fell free to her shoulders, was similiar to the one False Face had presented to her when they worked together in the past.
"Nooo...can't end...like...this," Hypergirl moaned in a soft, weak voice.
"Hypergirl, as much as I'd love to sit here and chat," Blaze purred in a sinister tone, "we really must be off. After such a taxing evening, a young lady should really get some shut-eye..."
Leaning in with the hairpin and positioning it under the nose of the glued heroine, Blaze (or Copycat), croutched down on the board and squeezed the bulb to unload a sleepy payload of green knockout powder in Hypergirl's face. The liberal amount of powder coated her face and worked almost instantly. Too weak to even cringe, the powder shower sent the struggling spandex superchick off to a drowsy dreamland. The struggling stopped and Hypergirl's lithe shapely body went limp and the tell-tale signs of a peaceful slumber was worn on the heroine's beautiful face.
"Quickly," barked Blaze, ordering her sister into action, "get the solvent and get Hypergirl into the van. The police or some of her superheroine friends will be here shortly."
"Great, but won't she wake up pretty fast?," asked a skeptical Flame, a college aged cutie herself, shaking an areosol can of super solvent. "Hypergirl can process that sleepy stuff pretty fast in that revved-up system of hers."
"I've already thought of that, little sister," boasted Blaze, pulling a respirator mask from her bag of tricks. "This little mask releases a steady stream of sleepy dust...a little gadget I picked up from the Sandman's moll, Sleeping Beauty. Once you get her loose, I'll slip it on that pretty face of hers...and then we can start on that Hypergirl mask for you. I'm sure Atomic Girl or Hornette will enjoy being reunited with an old friend."
"Hey, if you're going to be Copycat," Flame inquired as she sprayed the solvent around the slumbering Hypergirl, "why can't I have a cool villain name too?"
Working quickly, Blaze and Flame released the heroine from the gummy clutches of the book-binding glue and hoisted the KO'ed speedster into the Bookmobile. Before leaving, the sleepy dust mask was placed over Hypergirl's face and the stickers on the side of the van, announcing the arrival of the Bookmobile, were removed to leave the sides a simple white.
Left behind, in the sticky muck, were Hypergirl's bright red boots. A tidy little clue for the crimefighter that happened upon the scene of the capture. The unmarked van was off, blazing out of the alley with the DiVinci sketches and a captive superheroine in tow.
Minutes after Blaze and Flame left the alley with their ill-gotten gains, a winged young heroine flew as quickly as possible toward the area of the Metro City Library. There had been no word from Hypergirl and repeated attempts to contact her via the wrist radio went unanswered. Worried, Serena Chou, now clad in her crime-fighting costume of Hornette, the winged insect wonder girl, flew above the downtown city streets to find her friend. Hornette, in her black leotard with yellow sleeves, yellow tights with black gloves and boots, used her anti-grativy disc in her yellow belt to get airborne and her mechanical wings attached to her back to control the direction and speed of flight. The raven haired heroine struck an impressive figure in the moonlit sky above Metro City and her arsenal of dart-like stingers and a well of sticky 'honey,' a quick hardening golden colored glue, was at the ready to be shot forth from her yellow wristbands at a moments notice. Her eyes darted about, under her identity concealing goggles, looking for any sign of Hypergirl or any sign of trouble. It didn't take long before a strange puddle of muck in a quiet, empty alley attracted her notice from the air. The puddle looked much like the 'honey' glue Hornette used to paste ne'er-do-wells in place as she drew closer, making an unpleasant discovery just before landing in the alley. Hypergirl's red boots struck an shocking contract to the gummy mustard colored goop they were planted in as Hornette walked up to investigate. She quickly saw that a sticky glue trap had been set for the speedy Hypergirl and the specks of green powder along with the indentation of Hypergirl's curvy frame in the goop made that sad conclusion crystal clear.
"Damn you, Hypergirl," a distraught Hornette said softly to herself, "you couldn't wait for me...you had to do it all yourself."
Hornette's thoughts raced, confusion mixed with sadness and anger, clouded her mind until the sexy Asian crimefighter realized that she'd have to call Chief O'Reilly. Chief O'Reilly had sent her on this mission and he might have the only clues to find Hypergirl's captors. Lydia Limpit and the book-binding glue made sense, but little else did. How would a simple henchwoman devise a plan such as this, to steal a priceless book of sketches and then kidnap a superheroine? After pulling Hypergirl's boots from the mess, taking a sample of the glue used to ensnare the speedy superheronie, Hornette took to the air again. A short flight to the Chief's office would hopefully answer some puzzling questions.
TO 'BEE' CONTINUED....
Curse of Copycat
Curse of the Copycat Part II.
After a quick flight to the Metro City Police Headquarters, Hornette raced into the office of Chief O'Reilly to view the footage from the security cameras. From what they both could see, the corrupted police officer, Policewoman Mooney, and the former henchwoman of Bookwork, the statusque amazon beauty Lydia Limpit, had conspired to steal the priceless book of DiVinci skectches. The giggling ladies all but posed for the security cameras as they ran off, seemingly an open and shut case. The angry Chief O'Reilly's mood turned to somber with the news that Hyperspeed had been captured in pursuit of these two bold criminals. All available officers had been dispatched to find the rogue Policewoman Mooney and Lydia Limpit, recently released from prison and supposedly living in Gotham City. Hornette had kept the clues that she found at the scene, Hypergirl's boots with liberal amounts of the yellow glue on the soles and a small sample of the glue sprinkled with a mysterious green powder. Our winged superheroine wasn't concealing evidence per se, she just knew of a lab with better equipment to analyze the clues at hand. Hornette's next stop, the Dunsmoor School, a private school where she and Hypergirl learned the tricks of the superheroine trade. Ms. Victoria Winters, the headmistress and mentor to many young heroines, could be the best person available to help find Hypergirl and stop the insidious Ms. Limpit.
Meanwhile, as Hornette flew to the outskirts of town to meet with Headmistress Winters, a van arrived at the abandoned 'Cromwell Copiers' warehouse in the industrial area of Metro City. Hiding the vehicle inside the massive darkened warehouse, Blaze exited with the book held carefully in her hands as Flame cradled the K.O.'ed Hypergirl in her arms. Hypergirl, thanks to her super-fast metabolism, usually did not take long to recover from a doze of sleeping gas or powder, but she was kept docile and drowsy by the continuing knockout powder blasts being cycled through the respirator mask secured over her nose and mouth. Flame placed the slumbering super-speedster on a waiting hospital gurney, securing her to the gurney with damp leather straps, specially treated for Hypergirl. If the speedy superfox tried to rev-up the molecules in her body to heat up the straps, the damp leather would contract upon the generation of heat, making the binds even tighter on her shapely frame.
Once the straps were tied across Hypergirl's shoulders, waist, upper thighs, and ankles, Flame joined Blaze at a simple kitchen table to view the priceless collection of DiVinci sketches, unlocking the next faze of their sinister plot. The villainesses were still clad in their disguises of Policewoman Mooney and Lydia Limpit, sans their amazingly realistic masks, as they returned to work.
"There it is, Flame," Blaze boasted, pointing to a specific sketch, a basic diagram of a bizarre looking machine. "In DiVinci's time, the technology wasn't possible to realize his dream. A power source with the enegry to power such a contraption didn't exist...but now it does."
"What the heck is this thing?," Flame asked with a look of great confusion on her face. "This thing looks like a mechanical phone booth, like something from Dr. Who."
"It only existed in the realm of science fiction and in the mind of one of the most brilliant inventors mankind has ever know," Blaze purred. "Do you remember villainess Black Widow?"
"Yeah, sure," Flame scoffed, "but what does that old woman have to do with this?"
"She and I spent a great deal of time in the prison library, racking up brownie points by helping other inmates with the college degrees," Blaze explained. "Black Widow was working on such a caper, telling me in detail of how the machine was to work, but the location of the sketches were unknown. The exact details were missing, however, an atomic powered energy source could bring it to life."
"Bring what to life?!?," shouted an exasperated Flame.
"Do you want the scientific name or do you just want to tell you what it does?," joking teasing her little sister.
Flame simply crossed her arms and the redheaded villainess in training sneered at her sinister sister.
"OK, since the scientific name won't mean anything to you," Blaze laughed, "this machine is a virtual copy machine."
"Great," snapped the flummoxed Flame, "we went to all this trouble to build an atomic powered copy machine. Shouldn't we have just called Xerox? I hear they deliver nowdays."
"You don't understand, little sis," Blaze continued, now deadly serious, "this 'copy' machine can copy anything we desire. The atomic power in the TransRepicator can change the chemical structure of any material...turning lead into gold, newspaper into 100 dollar bills, you name it."
"So that's what that stupid book was for," Flame nodded with a broad smile. "But do we have anyone that can put this 'machine' together according to the design? And...it's not like we can buy an atomic power source at a grocery store."
"What do you think I was doing with my time in the Gotham State Prison for Women?," cooed Blaze with an evil tone. "When I wasn't befriending and becoming a trusted confidant to a variety of villainesses and henchgirls, learning their secrets, I was studying mechanical engineering. I should be able to snap this thing together in a snap."
"Yeah, I saw the paper from Gotham State University," Flame insisted, "but how are we going to get an atomic powered energy source?"
"That's our next step," reasoned Blaze, "Are you aware of Wally Watchbert's House of Watches?"
"A big clock shop in downtown Metro City, so..."
"On the wall, an atomic clock keeps the exact time for every time zone," Blaze giggled like a giddy schoolgirl. "An atomic powered clock...with just the type of energy source we need."
"OK, how do you want to get in there to snatch it?," asked an impressed Flame.
"First, we get an impression of our captive little heroine's face and get you outfitted in speed-girl's skimpy little spandex suit," Blaze explained, nodding in the direction of the KO'ed and bound Hypergirl, peacefully sawing logs on the gurney Flame had secured her to. "Then I will borrow from another of my prison friends...the lady who would most likely be planning a clock themed caper."
"Won't Hypergirl's friend, Bumblebee Woman, be looking for us?," Flame inquired with a hint of concern.
"Hornette, the winged girl wonder, will be looking for Lydia Limpit and Policewoman Mooney," laughed Blaze. "We must not forget that the super-powered tower of strength, the famed blonde bombshell, Atomic Girl, will likely be here soon once she hears that Hypergirl has disappeared."
"Atomic Girl?!?," Flame gulped, "I don't think I'd want to anger a woman that could rip us limb from limb."
"You worry too much, sister," Blaze replied with a comforting tone. "I'm hoping Hornette and Atomic Girl will be tracking us. With the element of surprise and a little information I have collected from my girlfriends at the Gotham State Prison, we won't have any problems dealing with them...now relax and let's get down to business."
Walking over to the gurney where Hypergirl was sleeping off the forced forty-winks from Blaze's knockout powder mask, Flame grabbed a glob of waxy modeling clay as Blaze positioned Hypergirl's head for the application of the mold for her mask. After inserting a couple of straws, allowing Hypergirl to breathe normally, the clay was applied to Hypergirl's face. As the clay was drying, Blaze heated up a latex mixture under a simple sterno can as Flame retrieved a collection of small paint bottles. Once the mold of Hypergirl's face was complete, the latex mixture would form an incredibly life-like mask as the proper flesh tones and facial coloring would be carefully painted on. A replica of Hypergirl's yellow leotard, along with her red gloves, boots, and belt, was waiting in a large costume closet mere feet away from this sinister scene of stolen identity. The busy villainesses worked swiftly as they prepared for the heist at Wally Watchbert's House of Watches...while also preparing for their confrontation with Hornette and Atomic Girl.
As Blaze and Flame's evil scheme moved forward, a distraght Hornette flew in the late evening hours to meet with her mentor, Ms. Victoria Winters. Stashing Hypergirl's boots and the samples of the glue used to trap her in a small knapsack, Hornette arrived at the front door of the mansion of the headmistress, nestled on the tree lined campus of the Dunsmoor Acamedy.
"Hornette, I'm glad you called," Victoria Winters, a still stunningly beautiful redheaded woman in her early 40's, meeting the winged insect heroine at the door in a long red robe. "Please, come in...I saw the piece on the library robbery on the news just after you called."
"Ms. Winters," Hornette sighed, grabbing the headmistress in a warm embrace, "I need your help...its Hypergirl, she's been kidnapped."
"I know, the theives set a trap for her once she tracked them from the library," Victoria said calmly. "Do we know for sure that this was the work of Lydia Limpit and a crooked cop? This is a bit ambitious for someone of Ms. Limpit's criminal background and Policewoman Mooney is a highly respected officer. None of this is adding up."
"Exactly," Hornette agreed, removing her goggles for a moment, "I must admit that this whole thing with Hypergirl has clouded my thinking to a degree...I just can't help to blame myself in some way. Kim offered to patrol the library at the request of Chief O'Reilly while I stayed home and studied for mid-terms. I was on my way to meet her once she was in pursuit of the book theives, but I got there too late."
"It's not your fault, Serena," comforted Ms. Winters, placing a reassuring hand on Hornette's shoulder. "For all we know, those villains likely had a trap set for you as well."
"That's what has troubled me," Hornette reasoned, pulling Hypergirl's glue covered boots from her knapsack, along with the glue sample sprinkled with green powder. "Lydia Limpit and the cop had a trap set especially for Hypergirl, like they knew she was going to be the heroine in pursuit."
"If the policewoman was in on the caper," Victoria thought aloud, "then the Chief probably gave her all the information needed about which heroine was waiting as back-up."
"On the surface, yes, but what good is a book of DiVinci sketches to Lydia Limpit and Policewoman Mooney?," Hornette continued. "Its not like a small timer like Ms. Limpit would have the criminal contacts to sell the item. And why would they set a trap to capture Hypergirl?"
"Are these the samples you called about?," asked Ms. Winters, taking the glue sample and the boots from Hornette. "I can do a chemical analysis of the glue and cross reference that with the criminal database...we'll at least know what the substances are and which villains used similiar types of tools in the past. From first glance, this does look like the bookbinding glue Bookworm used in the past, but we'll know more once I can analyze it."
"What are we going to do?," Hornette cried, breaking the calm manner of Headmistress Winters. "Hypergirl is in trouble and I feel like there is nothing that I can do to help."
"Serena, getting a handle on your emotions has always been a problem," lectured Victoria. "I care for Kim as much as you do. Keeping our cool and follow the clues is the best way we can help find her. Please, I took the liberty of calling in an old friend..."
"Atomic Girl?," Hornette gasped. "You spoke with her?"
"I called as soon as you told me about Hypergirl's disappearence," Ms. Winters explained. "She insisted on coming back to help...she'll be here in a couple of hours."
A buzzing sound from Hornette's wrist interrupted Victoria's announcement of Atomic Girl's arrival. The winged heroine's wrist communicator alerted to a call from Chief O'Reilly. Hornette held out hope that the Chief might have some good news about Hypergirl.
"Chief, Hornette here, what have you got?"
"Hornette, this case just got very strange," the voice on the receiver exclaimed. "We located both Policewoman Mooney and Lydia Limpit."
"That's fantastic," gushed Hornette, "Have you found Hypergirl too?"
"No, that's where this gets weird," the Chief sighed. "Policewoman Mooney was found at her parents house in Roseside...she had been at a church function and plenty of people can verify her prescene there. Lydia Limpit was a guest of Warden Crichton's at a seminar in Gotham about the importance of educational funding for the state's prisons. Both were at least a hundred miles away from the robbery with air-tight abilis."
"Well, who were the two people captured on the on the security cameras?," asked a downcast and confused Hornette.
"I have no idea," shouted the excited Chief O'Reilly. "I had spoken to Policewoman Mooney earlier this afternoon and now I find out that she actually wasn't anywhere close to Metro City. All I can figure is that the theives are a couple of imposters."
"My goodness, talk about starting back at square one," groaned Hornette. "Atomic Girl is coming back to town and she and I will be on the case...although I have no idea where we'll start looking for Hypergirl and the book crooks."
"Atomic Girl?," the Chief asked cheerfully. "That's great news...we could really use her now. I'll keep you posted on any new that crosses my desk."
"I'll do the same, Hornette out."
The Asian insect heroine placed her hands over her face, starting to sob softly, growing even more fearful now that the identity of Hypergirl's captors were completely unknown. Victoria threw her arms around Hornette's shoulders and drew closer to the terrified superheroine.
"Everything is going to be O.K.," Ms. Winters whispered into her ear. "You and Kim have been in tougher situations than this. You've always got my help and we'll have a much better idea as to who has Hypergirl once we analyze the samples you found. Plus, if the villains stole the DiVinci sketches and went to the trouble of capturing a superheroine, they have much bigger plans. They will make the next move...and you and Atomic Girl will be there to stop them."
The winged girl wonder cast her damp but hopeful eyes on Victoria's kind face. No words were necessary as the look on Serena's face said 'thanks.'
"Did you hear the Chief mention something about 'imposters'?", asked Hornette, suddenly snapping back into detective mode.
"Yes, in fact, when I cross-reference the criminal database," Ms. Winters added, "I'll check the villains and villainesses that make extensive use of disguises..."
"Plus, there seems to be some connection to Gotham City," Hornette interrupted. "Policewoman Mooney started as a police officer in Gotham City...and Lydia Limpit helped Bookworm attempt various heists in Gotham."
"OK, OK," Victoria laughed, happy to see her former pupil focused on facts of the case and controlling her emotions, "let's get into the lab and by the time we have some answers, Atomic Girl will be here."
"Let's go," shouted Hornette, as the winged bee heroine practically jumped out of her boots for the short walk to the Headmistress' basement crime lab.
TO BE CONTINUED...
After a quick flight to the Metro City Police Headquarters, Hornette raced into the office of Chief O'Reilly to view the footage from the security cameras. From what they both could see, the corrupted police officer, Policewoman Mooney, and the former henchwoman of Bookwork, the statusque amazon beauty Lydia Limpit, had conspired to steal the priceless book of DiVinci skectches. The giggling ladies all but posed for the security cameras as they ran off, seemingly an open and shut case. The angry Chief O'Reilly's mood turned to somber with the news that Hyperspeed had been captured in pursuit of these two bold criminals. All available officers had been dispatched to find the rogue Policewoman Mooney and Lydia Limpit, recently released from prison and supposedly living in Gotham City. Hornette had kept the clues that she found at the scene, Hypergirl's boots with liberal amounts of the yellow glue on the soles and a small sample of the glue sprinkled with a mysterious green powder. Our winged superheroine wasn't concealing evidence per se, she just knew of a lab with better equipment to analyze the clues at hand. Hornette's next stop, the Dunsmoor School, a private school where she and Hypergirl learned the tricks of the superheroine trade. Ms. Victoria Winters, the headmistress and mentor to many young heroines, could be the best person available to help find Hypergirl and stop the insidious Ms. Limpit.
Meanwhile, as Hornette flew to the outskirts of town to meet with Headmistress Winters, a van arrived at the abandoned 'Cromwell Copiers' warehouse in the industrial area of Metro City. Hiding the vehicle inside the massive darkened warehouse, Blaze exited with the book held carefully in her hands as Flame cradled the K.O.'ed Hypergirl in her arms. Hypergirl, thanks to her super-fast metabolism, usually did not take long to recover from a doze of sleeping gas or powder, but she was kept docile and drowsy by the continuing knockout powder blasts being cycled through the respirator mask secured over her nose and mouth. Flame placed the slumbering super-speedster on a waiting hospital gurney, securing her to the gurney with damp leather straps, specially treated for Hypergirl. If the speedy superfox tried to rev-up the molecules in her body to heat up the straps, the damp leather would contract upon the generation of heat, making the binds even tighter on her shapely frame.
Once the straps were tied across Hypergirl's shoulders, waist, upper thighs, and ankles, Flame joined Blaze at a simple kitchen table to view the priceless collection of DiVinci sketches, unlocking the next faze of their sinister plot. The villainesses were still clad in their disguises of Policewoman Mooney and Lydia Limpit, sans their amazingly realistic masks, as they returned to work.
"There it is, Flame," Blaze boasted, pointing to a specific sketch, a basic diagram of a bizarre looking machine. "In DiVinci's time, the technology wasn't possible to realize his dream. A power source with the enegry to power such a contraption didn't exist...but now it does."
"What the heck is this thing?," Flame asked with a look of great confusion on her face. "This thing looks like a mechanical phone booth, like something from Dr. Who."
"It only existed in the realm of science fiction and in the mind of one of the most brilliant inventors mankind has ever know," Blaze purred. "Do you remember villainess Black Widow?"
"Yeah, sure," Flame scoffed, "but what does that old woman have to do with this?"
"She and I spent a great deal of time in the prison library, racking up brownie points by helping other inmates with the college degrees," Blaze explained. "Black Widow was working on such a caper, telling me in detail of how the machine was to work, but the location of the sketches were unknown. The exact details were missing, however, an atomic powered energy source could bring it to life."
"Bring what to life?!?," shouted an exasperated Flame.
"Do you want the scientific name or do you just want to tell you what it does?," joking teasing her little sister.
Flame simply crossed her arms and the redheaded villainess in training sneered at her sinister sister.
"OK, since the scientific name won't mean anything to you," Blaze laughed, "this machine is a virtual copy machine."
"Great," snapped the flummoxed Flame, "we went to all this trouble to build an atomic powered copy machine. Shouldn't we have just called Xerox? I hear they deliver nowdays."
"You don't understand, little sis," Blaze continued, now deadly serious, "this 'copy' machine can copy anything we desire. The atomic power in the TransRepicator can change the chemical structure of any material...turning lead into gold, newspaper into 100 dollar bills, you name it."
"So that's what that stupid book was for," Flame nodded with a broad smile. "But do we have anyone that can put this 'machine' together according to the design? And...it's not like we can buy an atomic power source at a grocery store."
"What do you think I was doing with my time in the Gotham State Prison for Women?," cooed Blaze with an evil tone. "When I wasn't befriending and becoming a trusted confidant to a variety of villainesses and henchgirls, learning their secrets, I was studying mechanical engineering. I should be able to snap this thing together in a snap."
"Yeah, I saw the paper from Gotham State University," Flame insisted, "but how are we going to get an atomic powered energy source?"
"That's our next step," reasoned Blaze, "Are you aware of Wally Watchbert's House of Watches?"
"A big clock shop in downtown Metro City, so..."
"On the wall, an atomic clock keeps the exact time for every time zone," Blaze giggled like a giddy schoolgirl. "An atomic powered clock...with just the type of energy source we need."
"OK, how do you want to get in there to snatch it?," asked an impressed Flame.
"First, we get an impression of our captive little heroine's face and get you outfitted in speed-girl's skimpy little spandex suit," Blaze explained, nodding in the direction of the KO'ed and bound Hypergirl, peacefully sawing logs on the gurney Flame had secured her to. "Then I will borrow from another of my prison friends...the lady who would most likely be planning a clock themed caper."
"Won't Hypergirl's friend, Bumblebee Woman, be looking for us?," Flame inquired with a hint of concern.
"Hornette, the winged girl wonder, will be looking for Lydia Limpit and Policewoman Mooney," laughed Blaze. "We must not forget that the super-powered tower of strength, the famed blonde bombshell, Atomic Girl, will likely be here soon once she hears that Hypergirl has disappeared."
"Atomic Girl?!?," Flame gulped, "I don't think I'd want to anger a woman that could rip us limb from limb."
"You worry too much, sister," Blaze replied with a comforting tone. "I'm hoping Hornette and Atomic Girl will be tracking us. With the element of surprise and a little information I have collected from my girlfriends at the Gotham State Prison, we won't have any problems dealing with them...now relax and let's get down to business."
Walking over to the gurney where Hypergirl was sleeping off the forced forty-winks from Blaze's knockout powder mask, Flame grabbed a glob of waxy modeling clay as Blaze positioned Hypergirl's head for the application of the mold for her mask. After inserting a couple of straws, allowing Hypergirl to breathe normally, the clay was applied to Hypergirl's face. As the clay was drying, Blaze heated up a latex mixture under a simple sterno can as Flame retrieved a collection of small paint bottles. Once the mold of Hypergirl's face was complete, the latex mixture would form an incredibly life-like mask as the proper flesh tones and facial coloring would be carefully painted on. A replica of Hypergirl's yellow leotard, along with her red gloves, boots, and belt, was waiting in a large costume closet mere feet away from this sinister scene of stolen identity. The busy villainesses worked swiftly as they prepared for the heist at Wally Watchbert's House of Watches...while also preparing for their confrontation with Hornette and Atomic Girl.
As Blaze and Flame's evil scheme moved forward, a distraght Hornette flew in the late evening hours to meet with her mentor, Ms. Victoria Winters. Stashing Hypergirl's boots and the samples of the glue used to trap her in a small knapsack, Hornette arrived at the front door of the mansion of the headmistress, nestled on the tree lined campus of the Dunsmoor Acamedy.
"Hornette, I'm glad you called," Victoria Winters, a still stunningly beautiful redheaded woman in her early 40's, meeting the winged insect heroine at the door in a long red robe. "Please, come in...I saw the piece on the library robbery on the news just after you called."
"Ms. Winters," Hornette sighed, grabbing the headmistress in a warm embrace, "I need your help...its Hypergirl, she's been kidnapped."
"I know, the theives set a trap for her once she tracked them from the library," Victoria said calmly. "Do we know for sure that this was the work of Lydia Limpit and a crooked cop? This is a bit ambitious for someone of Ms. Limpit's criminal background and Policewoman Mooney is a highly respected officer. None of this is adding up."
"Exactly," Hornette agreed, removing her goggles for a moment, "I must admit that this whole thing with Hypergirl has clouded my thinking to a degree...I just can't help to blame myself in some way. Kim offered to patrol the library at the request of Chief O'Reilly while I stayed home and studied for mid-terms. I was on my way to meet her once she was in pursuit of the book theives, but I got there too late."
"It's not your fault, Serena," comforted Ms. Winters, placing a reassuring hand on Hornette's shoulder. "For all we know, those villains likely had a trap set for you as well."
"That's what has troubled me," Hornette reasoned, pulling Hypergirl's glue covered boots from her knapsack, along with the glue sample sprinkled with green powder. "Lydia Limpit and the cop had a trap set especially for Hypergirl, like they knew she was going to be the heroine in pursuit."
"If the policewoman was in on the caper," Victoria thought aloud, "then the Chief probably gave her all the information needed about which heroine was waiting as back-up."
"On the surface, yes, but what good is a book of DiVinci sketches to Lydia Limpit and Policewoman Mooney?," Hornette continued. "Its not like a small timer like Ms. Limpit would have the criminal contacts to sell the item. And why would they set a trap to capture Hypergirl?"
"Are these the samples you called about?," asked Ms. Winters, taking the glue sample and the boots from Hornette. "I can do a chemical analysis of the glue and cross reference that with the criminal database...we'll at least know what the substances are and which villains used similiar types of tools in the past. From first glance, this does look like the bookbinding glue Bookworm used in the past, but we'll know more once I can analyze it."
"What are we going to do?," Hornette cried, breaking the calm manner of Headmistress Winters. "Hypergirl is in trouble and I feel like there is nothing that I can do to help."
"Serena, getting a handle on your emotions has always been a problem," lectured Victoria. "I care for Kim as much as you do. Keeping our cool and follow the clues is the best way we can help find her. Please, I took the liberty of calling in an old friend..."
"Atomic Girl?," Hornette gasped. "You spoke with her?"
"I called as soon as you told me about Hypergirl's disappearence," Ms. Winters explained. "She insisted on coming back to help...she'll be here in a couple of hours."
A buzzing sound from Hornette's wrist interrupted Victoria's announcement of Atomic Girl's arrival. The winged heroine's wrist communicator alerted to a call from Chief O'Reilly. Hornette held out hope that the Chief might have some good news about Hypergirl.
"Chief, Hornette here, what have you got?"
"Hornette, this case just got very strange," the voice on the receiver exclaimed. "We located both Policewoman Mooney and Lydia Limpit."
"That's fantastic," gushed Hornette, "Have you found Hypergirl too?"
"No, that's where this gets weird," the Chief sighed. "Policewoman Mooney was found at her parents house in Roseside...she had been at a church function and plenty of people can verify her prescene there. Lydia Limpit was a guest of Warden Crichton's at a seminar in Gotham about the importance of educational funding for the state's prisons. Both were at least a hundred miles away from the robbery with air-tight abilis."
"Well, who were the two people captured on the on the security cameras?," asked a downcast and confused Hornette.
"I have no idea," shouted the excited Chief O'Reilly. "I had spoken to Policewoman Mooney earlier this afternoon and now I find out that she actually wasn't anywhere close to Metro City. All I can figure is that the theives are a couple of imposters."
"My goodness, talk about starting back at square one," groaned Hornette. "Atomic Girl is coming back to town and she and I will be on the case...although I have no idea where we'll start looking for Hypergirl and the book crooks."
"Atomic Girl?," the Chief asked cheerfully. "That's great news...we could really use her now. I'll keep you posted on any new that crosses my desk."
"I'll do the same, Hornette out."
The Asian insect heroine placed her hands over her face, starting to sob softly, growing even more fearful now that the identity of Hypergirl's captors were completely unknown. Victoria threw her arms around Hornette's shoulders and drew closer to the terrified superheroine.
"Everything is going to be O.K.," Ms. Winters whispered into her ear. "You and Kim have been in tougher situations than this. You've always got my help and we'll have a much better idea as to who has Hypergirl once we analyze the samples you found. Plus, if the villains stole the DiVinci sketches and went to the trouble of capturing a superheroine, they have much bigger plans. They will make the next move...and you and Atomic Girl will be there to stop them."
The winged girl wonder cast her damp but hopeful eyes on Victoria's kind face. No words were necessary as the look on Serena's face said 'thanks.'
"Did you hear the Chief mention something about 'imposters'?", asked Hornette, suddenly snapping back into detective mode.
"Yes, in fact, when I cross-reference the criminal database," Ms. Winters added, "I'll check the villains and villainesses that make extensive use of disguises..."
"Plus, there seems to be some connection to Gotham City," Hornette interrupted. "Policewoman Mooney started as a police officer in Gotham City...and Lydia Limpit helped Bookworm attempt various heists in Gotham."
"OK, OK," Victoria laughed, happy to see her former pupil focused on facts of the case and controlling her emotions, "let's get into the lab and by the time we have some answers, Atomic Girl will be here."
"Let's go," shouted Hornette, as the winged bee heroine practically jumped out of her boots for the short walk to the Headmistress' basement crime lab.
TO BE CONTINUED...
he Curse of the Copycat. Part III.
A bright, clear Metro City morning approached and at the lair of Copycat, previously known better as Blaze, the abandoned Cromwell Copier warehouse, as final preparations were being made for the day's dirty deeds. Flame, the curvy little redhead, was trying on her new costume after a brief but refreshing nap. As the sexy sister of the villainous Blaze squeezed her body into the familiar bright yellow leotard and red gloves and boots of Hypergirl, she admired the way her shapely frame looked in the skimpy outfit made famous by Metro City's super speed queen. Flame's legs shined in her clinging tan hose with the bright flourescent overhead lighting raining down from high above the warehouse. As the phony Hypergirl smiled at the reflection looking back at her in the full-length mirror, she brushed the hair of the blonde wig and tied it back into a ponytail. The paper-thin, expertly crafted latex mask of Hypergirl's pretty face was secured seemlessly against Flame's face. Once the blonde wig was maincured to the exact style Hypergirl wore her hair, long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail in the back, Flame slipped it on to complete a stunning transformation into the sexy spitting image of the speedy superheroine.
"Well," addressing her sister, who was busy selecting her costume in the rather large costume closet, "How you I look?"
"Oh my," cooed Blaze, peeking around the edge of the closet door, "the disguise came out better than I could have ever imagined. You fill that tight spandex out as well as our sleepy little speedster....don't forget the goggles."
"Oh...oh yeah," Flame stammered, beaming with happiness on how well she looked in Hypergirl's costume and mask. "There (slipping on the yellow goggles)...now, I present you Hypergirl."
"Perfect," chirped Blaze, "you would fool Hornette herself."
"Well, I certainly hope so," giggled Flame, standing in front of the mirror in a heroic hands-on-hips stance. "Our plan hinges on that."
Blaze emerged from the closet with a brunette wig with the long hair brushed back and curled at the shoulders in a bob. She wore a tight striped sweater, striped in light pastel colors of pink and blue. Her luscious gams were highlighted in a light blue micro-mini skirt with hot pink tights. The 60's go-go girl look was complete with the baby-blue go-go boots. The only clue as to her identity were the large circular earrings, modeled to look like the face of a watch.
"Who better to engineer a heist at a Clock Shop than the Clock King's former gal-pal, Millie Second?," Blaze announced, holding her arms out to allow her sister to drink in the entire costume. A perfect replica mask of Millie's face was slipped on snuggly to complete the transformation.
"Wow, you do look like Millie," gasped Flame. "I'm guessing she spent some time with you in Gotham State Prison for Women."
"Absolutely...and lucky for me she was a sound sleeper," Blaze joked. "It can be difficult to get these bad girls to pose for mask fittings."
"Well, now that we're dressed," insisted Flame, "when are we going to snatch that atomic clock at Wally Watchbert's House of Watches?"
"In a few minutes, my costumed crimefighter," Blaze said. "Let's prepare the van for the trip...and make sure we review our plan. Remember, Millie Second will be the only one entering the clock shop first..."
"What about the real Hypergirl," interrupted Flame, gesturing toward the still sleeping superheroine secured to the gurney. "Are we just going to leave her alone?"
"She's not going anywhere, not with the damp straps and my sleepy mask," Blaze noted with glee. "Even if she wakes up, the wet leather straps will keep her from using that speed to burn through her binds."
"What do you say we wake her up and let her see how good I look in her costume?," Flame snickered with an evil laugh.
"No, let her sleep," countered a serious Blaze. "No use in tempting fate...and we have work to do. Besides, we'll deal with Hypergirl once we get back."
"Aww, you're no fun," kidded Flame, striking a seductive pose in her suggestive costume. "I guess the fun will come later."
Blaze, in full Millie Second attire, retrieved a large cuckoo clock that was stashed deep inside the costume closet. The clock, decorated like a Bavarian chalet, with a large door at the top near the shingled roof was fairly heavy and slightly larger than a bread box. Lugging the clock and loading it into the back of the van, still parked inside the warehouse, Blaze motioned for her sister to enter the wehicle.
"I know you said that I'd get the details of your plan on a 'need-to-know' basis," inquired the surprised Flame, "but what's the story with the big clock? I thought we were stealing a clock, not delivering one."
"Another little trick I picked up from the real Millie Second," Blaze explained. "With my mechanical engineering acumen, I was able to replicate one of Clock King's favorite criminal contraptions. Think of it as a 'Trojan Horse' attack."
"What's a 'Trojan Horse'?," replied a dumbfounded Flame.
"Nevermind, just get in the back of the van and stay out of sight until we get the Watch store," Blaze sighed, rolling her eyes at her sister's ignorance.
'Millie Second' climbed behind the wheel of the white van as 'Hypergirl' hid herself in the back. With a quick turn of a key, the villainesses roared off and began the second phase of their sinister plot.
After some late night research at the underground lab in Ms. Victoria Winters' manor, Hornette, at Ms. Winters' insistence, retired to the couch for a quick nap. The glue found on Hypergirl's boots was the very same chemical composition of the book-binding glue Bookworm had used in the past. Victoria had some trouble isolating the green powder trapped inside the glue sample Hornette had secured. After sending the winged girl wonder off for a little shut-eye, Ms. Winters was able to analyze the powder and made an odd discovery.
"Serena, wake up," Victoria whispered as she emerged from the high-tech secret lab below, coming back to the living room. "I think I know what this green powder is...and there's another Gotham City connection."
"Wha?!?," groaned the sleepy Hornette, still in costume, sans her wings and goggles. "What are you talking about?"
"The green powder you found sprinkled in the glue, right by where Kim's face fell in that sticky trap," Ms. Winters continued. "It's the same chloroform-based powder used by many criminals, but this particular type has a specific chemical make-up."
"Meaning what?," asked the drowsy heroine, still blinking to shake the sleep from her eyes. "The villain used this powder to knock Hypergirl out?"
"Yes, that's what the powder was used for," Victoria reasoned, "but the powder itself is unique. After finding out exactly what it was, I checked the criminal database to see which villains used this particular type of knockout powder. The only one that used that used this powder was Gotham's own False Face."
"False Face?!?," gasped Hornette. "That criminal master of disguises gave Batwoman and Flamebird a lot of trouble a couple of years ago. Do you think he's behind all of this?"
"You remember what Chief O'Reilly talked about...figuring the people posing as Lydia Limpit and Policewoman Mooney were imposters," Ms. Winters thought aloud. "This certainly fits the M.O. of False Face. Now, he's still behind bars back in Gotham, but his old accomplice, Blaze, has been free for several months."
"Do you think this is the work of Blaze?," Hornette inquired. "And if Blaze is the one responsible, who is the other woman working with her?"
"I can't be sure now," Victoria sighed. "Whoever is doing this is borrowing heavily from the methods of Gotham City's supervillains."
This brainstorming session was interrupted by a knock at the front door. Both Ms. WInters and Hornette had a good idea who was doing the knocking. Victoria jumped up, still wearing only her robe, to see a tall statueque blonde at her front step. Looking glamourous as always, even wearing a simple tank top and jeans, Julie Marks smiled at her friend and mentor. The beautiful blonde model, sporting a year-round tan from her time on the beaches of southern California, Julie Marks, was equally high-profile in her crime-fighting alter-ego of Atomic Girl. The 6'1 amazon beauty was the super strong heroine, gaining her unparalleled power from exposure to atomic energy as a child. Instead of poisoning Julie, her body absorbed the atomic energy, turning her into a powerhouse blonde bombshell. After exchanging hugs and greetings with Ms. Winters and Hornette, Julie was debriefed on the situation as she changed into her red, white, and blue body hugging spandex suit.
"So do we have any idea as to where this villainesses is keeping Hypergirl?," asked Julie, now clad in her Atomic Girl costume, a bright red leotard with blue sleeves. The atomic symbol of overlapping ovals, outlining in white, was worn at the center of her extrordinarily ample chest. Royal blue boots and belt almost completed her patriotic look. Shiny tan pantyhose were worn on her long legs as she held her red eyemask in her red gloved hands.
"Nothing yet, Julie," Victoria confessed. "I think we may have to wait for the villainess, or villainesses, to make the next move."
"I have to say, even with the clues Serena found," Atomic Girl huffed with frustration, "there doesn't seem to be much to go on. Has Chief O'Reilly called with anything new?"
"No, nothing since last night," Hornette reported. "Just the news that the real Lydia Limpit and Policewoman Mooney were both out of town at the time of the crimes."
"Well, I didn't come all this way to sit around and wait," insisted Atomic Girl, slipping her red eyemask over her face. "Let's get down to police headquarters and see what they've got."
"Always impatient, the both of you," Ms. Winters said with a note of exasperation. "Before you go, just remember that we may be dealing with a master of disguises. Trouble can appear in the most unlikely of places by the people you least expect."
"I understand, Ms. Winters," Hornette conceded, slipping on and securing her bee wings and attaching the goggles over her eyes, "but now that Atomic Girl is here...it's time to hit the streets and find Hypergirl."
"I've got the motorcycle," Atomic Girl giggled. "Do you want a ride into town, bee girl?"
"It's much safer to fly," Hornette sighed, "especially with the way you drive."
Ms. Winters followed the two heroines to the door and saw them depart, Atomic Girl by ground and Hornette by air. Forever the mother hen, she shouted for both of them to be careful and to call if they need her help.
As Hornette and Atomic Girl fast approached the downtown area of Metro City, a plain unmarked white van pulled into the alley alongside Wally Watchbert's House of Watches, located in the toney shopping district of Metro City. In these morning hours, as the commuters raced off to work, the streets were full of people, but the stores were virtually empty. Wally Watchbert's House of Watches would not, in fact, be open for another couple of hours. Only Mr. Watchbert and his lovely auburn-haired saleslady, Ms. Belinda Bulova, were in the store, preparing the store for opening. 'Millie Second,' the tight sweatered, short skirted, brunette 60's swinger, parked the van and looked about for any unexpected visitors. "Looks like the coast is clear," Blaze reported, whispering to her sister posing as Hypergirl in the back. "I see Wally Watchbert's BMV parked down the block, so I'm sure his waiting inside."
"When should I join you inside?," offered the eager Flame.
"When I signal you," ordered Blaze. "The red belt you're wearing has a little buzzer in the buckle. I'll activate that from the clock you're lying next too. Stay under the blanket until I call...do not show your face until I say."
"OK, OK," Flame huffed, "you've always been bossy, even for an older sister."
"And you've always been whiny," Blaze countered, "even for a baby sister."
Blaze, as Millie Second, hopped out of the driver's side of the van, walked around to the back of the van, and opened the swing doors to grab the large cuckoo clock. Cradling the heavy clock, 'Millie' kicked the doors shut with her ankle high go-go boots and walked to the front entrance of the House of Watches.
"Hello...hello," Blaze shouted, tapped the glass of the front door, struggling with the heavy clock in her arms. "Are you open yet?"
Mr. Watchbert peeked out from behind the counter, seeing a lovely young brunette trying to knock on the door while fighting to keep from dropping an oversized cuckoo clock. He rushed to the front and opened the door, offering his help by placing his arms under the clock.
"Please, allow me," Wally Watchbert, a balding middle-aged man, impeccably dressed in a conservative navy blue suit. "This thing sure looks heavy."
"Thank you, thank you so much," gushed Millie. "I see that your sign says 'closed,' but I was on my way to work and this is the only time I have to run by."
"No, not a problem, Miss," the polite Mr. Watchbert said, now holding the big clock. "We don't open for another hour, but I have time to see you now. Now, what's the problem? Do you need this clock repaired?"
"Exactly," cooed Millie Second, "you must be a mind reader. This cuckoo clock belonged to my grandfather and is something of a family heirloom. However, the darn thing is always broken...the little bird doesn't come out at the start of each hour."
"This certainly is, well, a unique item," Wally Watchbert explained, looking over the oversized wall clock, "but I think I should be able to get it working properly, little bird and all."
"Oh, that's fantastic, Mr. Watchbert," an appreciative Ms. Second responded. "How long do you think it will take to fix it?"
"It might be something simple, but I can't tell until I take a good look at it," Wally said as he walked over to the main counter, placing the cuckoo clock down for a closer examination.
Belinda Bulova, a smarty dressed exotic beauty, marched over to see what Mr. Watchbert was working on and why he had opened the store early without notifying her. Once she arrived, Ms. Bulova stood next to Wally Watchbert, who never noticed her arrival as he looked over the clock.
"I wasn't aware we were opening early this morning, Mr. Watchbert," Belinda offered with a haughty tone, clearly peeved at the owner's good deed. "We do have much to finish before opening this morning."
"Hmmm, I can't see anything wrong and the clock sounds like its running OK," Wally Watchbert announced, concentrating on the clock and ignoring the snooty attitude of his saleslady. "I'll have to take the back off of it to see if everything is working properly."
"Hmmm, this certainly doesn't look like an antique clock," huffed Ms. Bulova, crossing her hands and staring down at the oversized clock. "It looks like something you'd win at the county fair."
"Forgive me, I certainly didn't mean to be a bother," Millie apologized, ignoring the rude behavior of saleslady. "I was on my way to work and Mr. Watchbert was nice enough to open early to allow me to drop off my clock."
"Yes, Mr. Watchbert is always eager to aid a damsel in distress," sneered Belinda.
"By the way, what to do keep in that glass case over there?," Millie said, gesturing to a display case filled with wristwatches and antique pocket watches.
"Those...those are the more expensive items," Mr. Watchbert answered, still focusing on the clock as he grabbed a small screwdriver from under the counter. "It stays locked up to prevent theft and that case is rigged with alarms."
"I'm not sure those watches are in your price range, my dear," added the bitchy Ms. Bulova.
Millie kept a sweet smile on her face and simply nodded as Wally Watchbert began unscrewing the small screws that held the back of the cuckoo clock in place. Once the back was completely removed, Mr. Watchbert drew closer to the mechanical gears of the clock to take a closer look. Even a curious Ms. Bulova peered in closer to see the guts of the large timepiece.
"By the way, I didn't catch your name, Miss," a busy Mr. Watchbert politely stated, still looking over the maze of tiny intermeshed gears.
"My name?," Millie chirped, pulling a hankerchief from her purse, "Millie...Millie Second."
"Millie Second...," Wally thought aloud as that name did seem vaguely recognizable. "Didn't you use to work with...Clock King?!?"
Mr. Watchbert froze for a moment, knowing that the criminal Clock King made a career of stealing expensive timepieces and realized that this whole scenario was some type of set-up. Millie placed the hankerchief over her nose and mouth, concealing a small gas mask, as the back of the clock began to hiss. Before Wally and Belinda could pull away, a noxious red gas spewed from the back of the clock, engulfing the watch store owner and saleslady. The victims of this sudden gas attack waved their hands and staggered back, coughing profusely as the sleep inducing fumes filled their lungs. The coughs grew softer and their movements grew unsteady just before the two blacked out. Mr. Watchbert and Belinda Bulova fell atop one another as their knees buckled and both fell into a smoky slumber. The mist of the red knockout gas still hung heavy in the air as 'Millie' gleefully watched the two slowly pass out, keeping the mini-gas mask over her face.
In a few moments, as the gas began to clear, Millie hurriedly reattached the back of the gas rigged clock as she scanned the room for a heavy, blunt object. Spying a small fire extinguisher behind the main counter, Millie stepped over the slumbering Mr. Watchbert and Ms. Bulova to retrieve it. Once the extinguisher tank was in hand, Millie walked over to the glass case full of expensive wathces and dropped it, causing a loud crash of shattering glass and the high waled pitch of an alarm. Instead of reaching inside to grab the precious timepieces, Millie merely walked back behind the counter and took her position behind the trick cuckoo clock. The atomic clock wasn't visible, but the disguised Blaze wasn't looking for it.
"If that doesn't get the superheroines of Metro City into action," the disguised Blaze thought to herself, looking directly it to the security camera mounted above the door, "nothing will."
Tapping her belt buckle to signal her sister, waiting in the van in the spandex costume of Hypergirl, Blaze thought it was now time to tell Flame of her role in this scenario. A weakened super speedster looking to escape her captors at just the right moment would best serve Blaze's sinister plot.
TO BE CONTINUED...
A bright, clear Metro City morning approached and at the lair of Copycat, previously known better as Blaze, the abandoned Cromwell Copier warehouse, as final preparations were being made for the day's dirty deeds. Flame, the curvy little redhead, was trying on her new costume after a brief but refreshing nap. As the sexy sister of the villainous Blaze squeezed her body into the familiar bright yellow leotard and red gloves and boots of Hypergirl, she admired the way her shapely frame looked in the skimpy outfit made famous by Metro City's super speed queen. Flame's legs shined in her clinging tan hose with the bright flourescent overhead lighting raining down from high above the warehouse. As the phony Hypergirl smiled at the reflection looking back at her in the full-length mirror, she brushed the hair of the blonde wig and tied it back into a ponytail. The paper-thin, expertly crafted latex mask of Hypergirl's pretty face was secured seemlessly against Flame's face. Once the blonde wig was maincured to the exact style Hypergirl wore her hair, long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail in the back, Flame slipped it on to complete a stunning transformation into the sexy spitting image of the speedy superheroine.
"Well," addressing her sister, who was busy selecting her costume in the rather large costume closet, "How you I look?"
"Oh my," cooed Blaze, peeking around the edge of the closet door, "the disguise came out better than I could have ever imagined. You fill that tight spandex out as well as our sleepy little speedster....don't forget the goggles."
"Oh...oh yeah," Flame stammered, beaming with happiness on how well she looked in Hypergirl's costume and mask. "There (slipping on the yellow goggles)...now, I present you Hypergirl."
"Perfect," chirped Blaze, "you would fool Hornette herself."
"Well, I certainly hope so," giggled Flame, standing in front of the mirror in a heroic hands-on-hips stance. "Our plan hinges on that."
Blaze emerged from the closet with a brunette wig with the long hair brushed back and curled at the shoulders in a bob. She wore a tight striped sweater, striped in light pastel colors of pink and blue. Her luscious gams were highlighted in a light blue micro-mini skirt with hot pink tights. The 60's go-go girl look was complete with the baby-blue go-go boots. The only clue as to her identity were the large circular earrings, modeled to look like the face of a watch.
"Who better to engineer a heist at a Clock Shop than the Clock King's former gal-pal, Millie Second?," Blaze announced, holding her arms out to allow her sister to drink in the entire costume. A perfect replica mask of Millie's face was slipped on snuggly to complete the transformation.
"Wow, you do look like Millie," gasped Flame. "I'm guessing she spent some time with you in Gotham State Prison for Women."
"Absolutely...and lucky for me she was a sound sleeper," Blaze joked. "It can be difficult to get these bad girls to pose for mask fittings."
"Well, now that we're dressed," insisted Flame, "when are we going to snatch that atomic clock at Wally Watchbert's House of Watches?"
"In a few minutes, my costumed crimefighter," Blaze said. "Let's prepare the van for the trip...and make sure we review our plan. Remember, Millie Second will be the only one entering the clock shop first..."
"What about the real Hypergirl," interrupted Flame, gesturing toward the still sleeping superheroine secured to the gurney. "Are we just going to leave her alone?"
"She's not going anywhere, not with the damp straps and my sleepy mask," Blaze noted with glee. "Even if she wakes up, the wet leather straps will keep her from using that speed to burn through her binds."
"What do you say we wake her up and let her see how good I look in her costume?," Flame snickered with an evil laugh.
"No, let her sleep," countered a serious Blaze. "No use in tempting fate...and we have work to do. Besides, we'll deal with Hypergirl once we get back."
"Aww, you're no fun," kidded Flame, striking a seductive pose in her suggestive costume. "I guess the fun will come later."
Blaze, in full Millie Second attire, retrieved a large cuckoo clock that was stashed deep inside the costume closet. The clock, decorated like a Bavarian chalet, with a large door at the top near the shingled roof was fairly heavy and slightly larger than a bread box. Lugging the clock and loading it into the back of the van, still parked inside the warehouse, Blaze motioned for her sister to enter the wehicle.
"I know you said that I'd get the details of your plan on a 'need-to-know' basis," inquired the surprised Flame, "but what's the story with the big clock? I thought we were stealing a clock, not delivering one."
"Another little trick I picked up from the real Millie Second," Blaze explained. "With my mechanical engineering acumen, I was able to replicate one of Clock King's favorite criminal contraptions. Think of it as a 'Trojan Horse' attack."
"What's a 'Trojan Horse'?," replied a dumbfounded Flame.
"Nevermind, just get in the back of the van and stay out of sight until we get the Watch store," Blaze sighed, rolling her eyes at her sister's ignorance.
'Millie Second' climbed behind the wheel of the white van as 'Hypergirl' hid herself in the back. With a quick turn of a key, the villainesses roared off and began the second phase of their sinister plot.
After some late night research at the underground lab in Ms. Victoria Winters' manor, Hornette, at Ms. Winters' insistence, retired to the couch for a quick nap. The glue found on Hypergirl's boots was the very same chemical composition of the book-binding glue Bookworm had used in the past. Victoria had some trouble isolating the green powder trapped inside the glue sample Hornette had secured. After sending the winged girl wonder off for a little shut-eye, Ms. Winters was able to analyze the powder and made an odd discovery.
"Serena, wake up," Victoria whispered as she emerged from the high-tech secret lab below, coming back to the living room. "I think I know what this green powder is...and there's another Gotham City connection."
"Wha?!?," groaned the sleepy Hornette, still in costume, sans her wings and goggles. "What are you talking about?"
"The green powder you found sprinkled in the glue, right by where Kim's face fell in that sticky trap," Ms. Winters continued. "It's the same chloroform-based powder used by many criminals, but this particular type has a specific chemical make-up."
"Meaning what?," asked the drowsy heroine, still blinking to shake the sleep from her eyes. "The villain used this powder to knock Hypergirl out?"
"Yes, that's what the powder was used for," Victoria reasoned, "but the powder itself is unique. After finding out exactly what it was, I checked the criminal database to see which villains used this particular type of knockout powder. The only one that used that used this powder was Gotham's own False Face."
"False Face?!?," gasped Hornette. "That criminal master of disguises gave Batwoman and Flamebird a lot of trouble a couple of years ago. Do you think he's behind all of this?"
"You remember what Chief O'Reilly talked about...figuring the people posing as Lydia Limpit and Policewoman Mooney were imposters," Ms. Winters thought aloud. "This certainly fits the M.O. of False Face. Now, he's still behind bars back in Gotham, but his old accomplice, Blaze, has been free for several months."
"Do you think this is the work of Blaze?," Hornette inquired. "And if Blaze is the one responsible, who is the other woman working with her?"
"I can't be sure now," Victoria sighed. "Whoever is doing this is borrowing heavily from the methods of Gotham City's supervillains."
This brainstorming session was interrupted by a knock at the front door. Both Ms. WInters and Hornette had a good idea who was doing the knocking. Victoria jumped up, still wearing only her robe, to see a tall statueque blonde at her front step. Looking glamourous as always, even wearing a simple tank top and jeans, Julie Marks smiled at her friend and mentor. The beautiful blonde model, sporting a year-round tan from her time on the beaches of southern California, Julie Marks, was equally high-profile in her crime-fighting alter-ego of Atomic Girl. The 6'1 amazon beauty was the super strong heroine, gaining her unparalleled power from exposure to atomic energy as a child. Instead of poisoning Julie, her body absorbed the atomic energy, turning her into a powerhouse blonde bombshell. After exchanging hugs and greetings with Ms. Winters and Hornette, Julie was debriefed on the situation as she changed into her red, white, and blue body hugging spandex suit.
"So do we have any idea as to where this villainesses is keeping Hypergirl?," asked Julie, now clad in her Atomic Girl costume, a bright red leotard with blue sleeves. The atomic symbol of overlapping ovals, outlining in white, was worn at the center of her extrordinarily ample chest. Royal blue boots and belt almost completed her patriotic look. Shiny tan pantyhose were worn on her long legs as she held her red eyemask in her red gloved hands.
"Nothing yet, Julie," Victoria confessed. "I think we may have to wait for the villainess, or villainesses, to make the next move."
"I have to say, even with the clues Serena found," Atomic Girl huffed with frustration, "there doesn't seem to be much to go on. Has Chief O'Reilly called with anything new?"
"No, nothing since last night," Hornette reported. "Just the news that the real Lydia Limpit and Policewoman Mooney were both out of town at the time of the crimes."
"Well, I didn't come all this way to sit around and wait," insisted Atomic Girl, slipping her red eyemask over her face. "Let's get down to police headquarters and see what they've got."
"Always impatient, the both of you," Ms. Winters said with a note of exasperation. "Before you go, just remember that we may be dealing with a master of disguises. Trouble can appear in the most unlikely of places by the people you least expect."
"I understand, Ms. Winters," Hornette conceded, slipping on and securing her bee wings and attaching the goggles over her eyes, "but now that Atomic Girl is here...it's time to hit the streets and find Hypergirl."
"I've got the motorcycle," Atomic Girl giggled. "Do you want a ride into town, bee girl?"
"It's much safer to fly," Hornette sighed, "especially with the way you drive."
Ms. Winters followed the two heroines to the door and saw them depart, Atomic Girl by ground and Hornette by air. Forever the mother hen, she shouted for both of them to be careful and to call if they need her help.
As Hornette and Atomic Girl fast approached the downtown area of Metro City, a plain unmarked white van pulled into the alley alongside Wally Watchbert's House of Watches, located in the toney shopping district of Metro City. In these morning hours, as the commuters raced off to work, the streets were full of people, but the stores were virtually empty. Wally Watchbert's House of Watches would not, in fact, be open for another couple of hours. Only Mr. Watchbert and his lovely auburn-haired saleslady, Ms. Belinda Bulova, were in the store, preparing the store for opening. 'Millie Second,' the tight sweatered, short skirted, brunette 60's swinger, parked the van and looked about for any unexpected visitors. "Looks like the coast is clear," Blaze reported, whispering to her sister posing as Hypergirl in the back. "I see Wally Watchbert's BMV parked down the block, so I'm sure his waiting inside."
"When should I join you inside?," offered the eager Flame.
"When I signal you," ordered Blaze. "The red belt you're wearing has a little buzzer in the buckle. I'll activate that from the clock you're lying next too. Stay under the blanket until I call...do not show your face until I say."
"OK, OK," Flame huffed, "you've always been bossy, even for an older sister."
"And you've always been whiny," Blaze countered, "even for a baby sister."
Blaze, as Millie Second, hopped out of the driver's side of the van, walked around to the back of the van, and opened the swing doors to grab the large cuckoo clock. Cradling the heavy clock, 'Millie' kicked the doors shut with her ankle high go-go boots and walked to the front entrance of the House of Watches.
"Hello...hello," Blaze shouted, tapped the glass of the front door, struggling with the heavy clock in her arms. "Are you open yet?"
Mr. Watchbert peeked out from behind the counter, seeing a lovely young brunette trying to knock on the door while fighting to keep from dropping an oversized cuckoo clock. He rushed to the front and opened the door, offering his help by placing his arms under the clock.
"Please, allow me," Wally Watchbert, a balding middle-aged man, impeccably dressed in a conservative navy blue suit. "This thing sure looks heavy."
"Thank you, thank you so much," gushed Millie. "I see that your sign says 'closed,' but I was on my way to work and this is the only time I have to run by."
"No, not a problem, Miss," the polite Mr. Watchbert said, now holding the big clock. "We don't open for another hour, but I have time to see you now. Now, what's the problem? Do you need this clock repaired?"
"Exactly," cooed Millie Second, "you must be a mind reader. This cuckoo clock belonged to my grandfather and is something of a family heirloom. However, the darn thing is always broken...the little bird doesn't come out at the start of each hour."
"This certainly is, well, a unique item," Wally Watchbert explained, looking over the oversized wall clock, "but I think I should be able to get it working properly, little bird and all."
"Oh, that's fantastic, Mr. Watchbert," an appreciative Ms. Second responded. "How long do you think it will take to fix it?"
"It might be something simple, but I can't tell until I take a good look at it," Wally said as he walked over to the main counter, placing the cuckoo clock down for a closer examination.
Belinda Bulova, a smarty dressed exotic beauty, marched over to see what Mr. Watchbert was working on and why he had opened the store early without notifying her. Once she arrived, Ms. Bulova stood next to Wally Watchbert, who never noticed her arrival as he looked over the clock.
"I wasn't aware we were opening early this morning, Mr. Watchbert," Belinda offered with a haughty tone, clearly peeved at the owner's good deed. "We do have much to finish before opening this morning."
"Hmmm, I can't see anything wrong and the clock sounds like its running OK," Wally Watchbert announced, concentrating on the clock and ignoring the snooty attitude of his saleslady. "I'll have to take the back off of it to see if everything is working properly."
"Hmmm, this certainly doesn't look like an antique clock," huffed Ms. Bulova, crossing her hands and staring down at the oversized clock. "It looks like something you'd win at the county fair."
"Forgive me, I certainly didn't mean to be a bother," Millie apologized, ignoring the rude behavior of saleslady. "I was on my way to work and Mr. Watchbert was nice enough to open early to allow me to drop off my clock."
"Yes, Mr. Watchbert is always eager to aid a damsel in distress," sneered Belinda.
"By the way, what to do keep in that glass case over there?," Millie said, gesturing to a display case filled with wristwatches and antique pocket watches.
"Those...those are the more expensive items," Mr. Watchbert answered, still focusing on the clock as he grabbed a small screwdriver from under the counter. "It stays locked up to prevent theft and that case is rigged with alarms."
"I'm not sure those watches are in your price range, my dear," added the bitchy Ms. Bulova.
Millie kept a sweet smile on her face and simply nodded as Wally Watchbert began unscrewing the small screws that held the back of the cuckoo clock in place. Once the back was completely removed, Mr. Watchbert drew closer to the mechanical gears of the clock to take a closer look. Even a curious Ms. Bulova peered in closer to see the guts of the large timepiece.
"By the way, I didn't catch your name, Miss," a busy Mr. Watchbert politely stated, still looking over the maze of tiny intermeshed gears.
"My name?," Millie chirped, pulling a hankerchief from her purse, "Millie...Millie Second."
"Millie Second...," Wally thought aloud as that name did seem vaguely recognizable. "Didn't you use to work with...Clock King?!?"
Mr. Watchbert froze for a moment, knowing that the criminal Clock King made a career of stealing expensive timepieces and realized that this whole scenario was some type of set-up. Millie placed the hankerchief over her nose and mouth, concealing a small gas mask, as the back of the clock began to hiss. Before Wally and Belinda could pull away, a noxious red gas spewed from the back of the clock, engulfing the watch store owner and saleslady. The victims of this sudden gas attack waved their hands and staggered back, coughing profusely as the sleep inducing fumes filled their lungs. The coughs grew softer and their movements grew unsteady just before the two blacked out. Mr. Watchbert and Belinda Bulova fell atop one another as their knees buckled and both fell into a smoky slumber. The mist of the red knockout gas still hung heavy in the air as 'Millie' gleefully watched the two slowly pass out, keeping the mini-gas mask over her face.
In a few moments, as the gas began to clear, Millie hurriedly reattached the back of the gas rigged clock as she scanned the room for a heavy, blunt object. Spying a small fire extinguisher behind the main counter, Millie stepped over the slumbering Mr. Watchbert and Ms. Bulova to retrieve it. Once the extinguisher tank was in hand, Millie walked over to the glass case full of expensive wathces and dropped it, causing a loud crash of shattering glass and the high waled pitch of an alarm. Instead of reaching inside to grab the precious timepieces, Millie merely walked back behind the counter and took her position behind the trick cuckoo clock. The atomic clock wasn't visible, but the disguised Blaze wasn't looking for it.
"If that doesn't get the superheroines of Metro City into action," the disguised Blaze thought to herself, looking directly it to the security camera mounted above the door, "nothing will."
Tapping her belt buckle to signal her sister, waiting in the van in the spandex costume of Hypergirl, Blaze thought it was now time to tell Flame of her role in this scenario. A weakened super speedster looking to escape her captors at just the right moment would best serve Blaze's sinister plot.
TO BE CONTINUED...
he Curse of the Copycat. Part IV.
Just as Hornette and Atomic Girl arrived at the police headquaters in downtown Metro City, a call was placed to Chief O'Reilly office from the Ace Security Company, the most prominent alarm company in Metro City. What seemed to be a routine false alarm turned out to be something much bigger. With Millie Second appearing in view of the security camera at Wally Watchbert's House of Watches, the Ace Security Company findings were reported promptly to the Chief. Just as Chief O'Reilly planned to contact Hornette, the winged insect girl wonder and Atomic Girl burst through his door. At least he wouldn't have to waste any time on the phone call.
"Hornette...and Atomic Girl, boy, is it nice to see you both," the Chief breathed with a heavy sigh. "I was just going to call...something else has occurred and it may be related to the library heist and Hypergirl's disappearence."
"What is it, Chief?," Hornette asked earnestly, knowing the villain was making the move Ms. Winters predicted. "Is it another 'Gotham' related caper?"
"How did you know?," gasped Chief O'Reilly. "A robbery at Watchbert's House of Watches...and the thief was identified as a one Millie Second."
"Millie Second?," Atomic Girl inquired, almost giggling at the silly name. "What is her Gotham connection?"
"Millie Second was the female accomplice of a Gotham-based villain, Clock King," Hornette interjected before the Chief could answer. "How long ago did this occur?"
"Just a couple of minutes ago," Chief O'Reilly replied. "The alarm at Wally Watchbert's shop was set off and the alarm company called...but how were you so sure this was related to Gotham City?"
"I'll explain later," Hornette offered, growing antsy as any delay might give Millie Second a chance to flee. "Atomic Girl and I will head over there now and grab her before she disappears."
"Right," Atomic Girl boomed, slamming her gloved right fist into her open left hand. "Catching Ms. Second Hand, or whatever, might help get us to the bottom of this confusing caper."
"Well, do you at least want some sqaud cars down there as backup?," Chief O'Reilly shouted as Hornette and Atomic Girl had already turned to leave his office.
"No, I don't want any police prescene to spook her," Hornette yelled as she continued to move forward toward the exit. "If Millie Second flees too soon, we might miss our best opportunity to catch her."
Atomic Girl and Hornette practically sprinted to the front entrance to make the short trip to the clock store, only a few city blocks from police headquarters. The blonde bombshell climbed aboard her customized Japanese racing motorcycle parked out front and turned to Hornette, just preparing to get airborne.
"Hornette, do you think this is the same imposter posing as another of Gotham's bad girls?," Atomic Girl asked, finally understanding the plot Ms. Winters had explained on her arrival.
"It sure looks like it," Hornette answered, "but there were two imposters in last night's robbery at the library. Will there be another waiting for our arrival in some sort of disguise?"
"They may have a surprise waiting for us," Atomic Girl reasoned, "but we have a surprise waiting for them. No one knows that I am back in town...they are probably waiting for you. Since you can patrol the air, I'll surprise Ms. Clock Chick inside the store and you can monitor the building from above in case another imposter shows herself."
"Well, if we don't move quickly," Hornette scolded her friend, "we won't have to worry about any surprises because they'll all be gone."
Atomic Girl simply nodded and departed at high speed on her souped-up motorcycle. Hornette used the anti-gravity disc in her belt to get off the ground and her mechanical set of wings flapped furiously as our Asian bee heroine joined the blonde superfox in pursuit. It was a race against time, in Hornette's mind, and they couldn't afford to be late. Who knew when these masters of disguise would show themselves again?
Atomic Girl's motorcycle screeched to a halt in front of Wally Watchbert's House of Watches. Hornette wasn't far behind as she watched Atomic Girl gracefully roll one long leg over the other to quickly jump off the bike. The super-strong blonde amazon looked up to locate Hornette's position in the air and once locating her, she turned her head in the direction of a white van suspiciously parked in the alley alongside the store. Wasting no time, Atomic Girl approached the front entrance and rocked back to deliver a powerful kick to the door. As her right leg came forward, the resounding crach could be heard from blocks away as metal framed glass door was torn completely from the hinges. Feeling invincible, which she practically was, Atomic Girl loved making a shocking entrance. Usually a great display of super-strength was enough to force a common criminal to surrender immediately and this appeared to be no exception. The Clock King's former henchgirl froze in fright as the 6'1 blonde powerhouse stood before her with the hands-on-hips pose, looking both sexy and intimidating at the same time.
"Freeze, Clock Girl," Atomic Girl announced, sneering coldly at the cowering Millie Second. "Just put the clock down and surrender...or else I might do to you what I did to the door."
"Ohmagawd," gasped the scared Millie Second, cradling the large cuckoo clock in her arms and standing beside the counter. "Atomic Girl? I was ah..., I mean, I was going to..."
"Stop struttering and put the clock down, then keep your hands where I can see them," ordered Atomic Girl, pointing a scolding finger at the frightened thief.
"OK, OK...putting it down," stammered Millie Second, setting the clock cautiously on the counter. "I'll surrender...just please, don't hurt me."
"Geez, these criminals from Gotham give up pretty easily," kidding the smug Atomic Girl. "Before you try anything cute, you might want to help me with the whereabouts of a certain superheroine friend of mine, Hypergirl. Her kidnapping had a Gotham connection and if you don't start talking...I just may have to hurt you."
"Hypergirl?!?," Millie Second shouted in a near panic, "I don't know anything about that. I just came for this clock, honest."
"Hmmm, I find it hard to believe that you don't know anything about Hypergirl's capture," Atomic Girl growled with a menacing calm, walking toward the shaking Millie in purposeful strides. "I can be quite persuasive when it comes to getting a criminal like you to tell the truth."
Millie appeared to quiver in the advancing prescene of the super-powered blonde bombshell. Luckily for her, the gassed Mr. Watchbert and Belinda Bulova were still sleeping silently behind the counter, out of the view of Atomic Girl. Millie Second remained stationed behind the cuckoo clock, sitting harmlesly on the counter.
Closing the gap between her and her quarry, Atomic Girl stood before the cowering villainess with only a counter (and cuckoo clock) separating them.
"Now I think you might like to know that I prefer to handle these exchanges up close and personal," threatened the blonde bombshell, towering above the petite Millie.
Just when it appeared that Millie Second would break down and reveal anything Atomic Girl demanded of her, the small bird door of the cuckoo clock flipped open and released a barrage of uncoiling watch springs in the direction of the red-white-and blue spandex-clad amazon. The springs shot forth with a loud **BOOOINGGG** sound that startled the confident heroine. Before Atomic Girl knew what hit her, her torso was wrapped neatly by the unsprung watch springs that pinned her powerful arms to her side. The blonde bombshell squirmed and quickly tried to make sense of this surprise attack as she looked down to see the thin silver wiring wrapped about her shoulders, arms, and waist.
"What the...!?!," Atomic Girl shrieked, "metal coils...all wrapped up..."
"Watch springs to be exact, Atomic Girl," crowed the now confident Millie Second, rapidly changing from victim to victor. Being a master of disguise also meant being a skilled actress, feigning fear to lure the super-strong heroine into her trap.
"Whatever you call them," spat the defiant Atomic Girl, able to collect herself quickly. "Do you really think these coils can hoo...hold mmmmme?"
Atomic Girl suddenly felt incredibly weak. The tired and sluggish feeling that overcame her hit in waves, growing more intense with every moment. Metal strands that she could easily snap with a minimum of effort felt unbreakable as the blonde masked amazon meekly attempted to move her arms. The sinister watch coils felt has if they were siphoning her energy, making her weaker and pushing her to the point of exhaustion.
"To answer your question, blonde bimbo," giggled the malevolent Millie, "I really do think these coils will hold you. You see, these wires designed to draw the atomic energy from that super-powered bod of yours. As they drain the atomic power, you will get weaker and weaker. I did my homework on you, Atomic Girl, and I knew just how to lure an overconfident masked beauty like you in my trap."
As the coiled Atomic Girl felt her power slipping away, she staggered on long uneasy legs as her movements grew slower. Her eyes fluttered under her red eyemask as she wobbled like a punch-drunk boxer about ready to fall. Atomic Girl fell to her knees with a loud thud and rolled to her side almost immediately as the weight of her upper body was too heavy for the drained heroine to support. The energy draining coils that held Atomic Girl snuggly had worked exactly as Blaze, or Copycat, had hoped they would. The blonde powerhouse, so vital and strong mere moments ago, rested in a limp mass as she fought mightly to simply keep her eyes open.
"Why?," groaned Atomic Girl weakly, defeated and drowsy. "Wha...What is...the...meaning...of...this?"
"This whole clock caper was merely a ruse to draw you out," explained Millie, standing over the weakened blonde wonder. "I needed an atomic energy source for my latest invention and you, Atomic Girl, fit the bill perfectly. Now I'm not exactly sure what happens once I siphon all the atomic energy out of you, but it'll be a lot of fun to find out."
Atomic Girl only caught part of Millie grand declaration as the energy draining coils finally sapped enough power to render her unconscious. Completely exhausted of her atomic power, the blonde bombshell rested peacefully after a futile struggle. Since the cells of Atomic Girl's well-toned and shapely body had been atomically charged, she would continue to generate atomic energy from within. As long as the power draining coils remained attached, Blaze would have a never-ending atomic energy source.
With Atomic Girl captive and completely subdued, Millie tapped the large belt buckle on her mod-60's outfit to signal the phony Hypergirl to finally make her appearance. Hornette would be lurking from the sky above and the appearence of her missing crime-fighting partner would surely flush her out.
Acting on the signal of her sinister older sister, Flame pushed open the back door of the van fell limply to the street below. In her guise as Hypergirl, she collected herself on all fours and attempted to gamely crawl away from the vehicle. Appearing weak and trying to plot a feeble escape attempt, Hornette immediately spotted the familiar bright yellow leotard far below. Racing down with reckless abandon, the lovely Asian winged heroine flew to the aid of her best friend and crime-fighting partner. Emotions were mixed as Hornette descended from the sky. She was happy to finally locate Hypergirl, but she also fearful of what these villains might have done to her to leave her almost too weak to crawl. The concern Hornette had minutes ago as to what was taking Atomic Girl so long inside the clock shop had completely vanished.
"Hypergirl, are you OK?," shouted Hornette, landing next to the staggered Hypergirl and kneeling close to her fallen ally to place her arms over her shoulders. "What did they do to you?"
Hypergirl nodded emphatically, indicating that she was indeed OK. Still resting on her hands and knees, Hypergirl moaned and pointed to her throat, trying to gesture that she was unable to speak.
"Do they do something to you?," a almost hysterical Hornette asked. "Why can't you talk to me?"
"Mmmmm....nnnaaahh," Hypergirl groaned with a closed mouth, shaking her head to show that nothing had been done her her. The weakened blonde speedster began to humm and making dramatic head gestures, sticking her chin out and turning her head to the right. Hornette realized instantly that Hypergirl simply wanted to get out of that area right now.
"Oh, man," breathed Hornette, still worried and panicked, "of course, let's get you out of her."
The hurried insect heroine scooped up the limp body of the depowered Hypergirl and took to the air. Concerned only with getting her friend to safety, Hornette did the best she could to carry her costumed partner to a safe area a couple of blocks away, but she had trouble gaining altitude or speed with the extra weight she was holding carefully. Her wings were designed to control the flight of a petite, 100 lbs. heroine, not 210 lbs. Knowing she couldn't go on much further, Hornette engineered a clumsy landing a half-block away from the van and quickly scampered into a small opening between the buildings, still cautiously cradling the woozy Hypergirl. Setting her down softly in a place out of sight, the winged insect heroine took a peek back down the street in the direction of Wally Watchbert's House of Watches. Much to her surprise, Atomic Girl was leaving the clock shop with Millie Second. However, the super-strong blonde amazon wasn't leaving in the condition she expected.
Millie peeked out through the opening that was the front door of the shop before attempting to lift the coiled and unconscious Atomic Girl into her arms for the short trip to the van. From Hornette's vantage point, she could see the metal coils wrapped around Atomic Girl's upper body and her head slumped forward. The blonde model's long mane of blonde hair obscured her face as she was clearly helpless and in the clutches of Millie Second. Millie strained and struggled with the 6'1 curvy amazon resting under her outstretched arms. As the villainess finally was able to set the KO'ed Atomic Girl inside the back of the van, sirens could be heard as a fleet of Metro City Police cars were descending on the scene. Clearly, bad news travels fast as the security cameras recorded every moment of the dastardly deed. In a rush, upon hearing the police car sirens, Millie quickly closed the back doors and dashed to the front to jump behind the wheel for a hasty escape.
Upon seeing the removal of captive Atomic Girl, Hornette was clearly torn between getting help for Hypergirl or attempting to stop the van of the blonde bombshell's captor.
Hypergirl was too weak to be left alone and could possibly need immediate medical attention. However, as the van sped by, Hornette was in a perfect position to follow the mysterious villainess and bring a halt to her insidious plan. From the shaded area between the buildings, Hypergirl sat up, still resting on the cold sidewalk, and pleaded in a weak murmer to go. Nodding her head in the direction of the van, Hypergirl let her friend know that there was only one thing she could do...rescue Atomic Girl.
"I'm going to radio Chief O'Reilly to pick you up and get your medical help," Hornette insisted as she prepared to stand, still clutching the shoulders of the weakened speedster.
Hypergirl simply smiled and draw Hornette into a warm, friendly embrace. With her hands around the shoulders of the unsuspecting winged girl wonder, Hypergirl placed a small metal disc, about the size of a watch battery, at the base of her mechanical wings. Once magnetic sphere, placed at the point where the two wings met at her back, was secured, Hornette turned swiftly and leapt forward to take to the air. With the white van still in view, the flying insect heroine flew off rapidly in hot pursuit.
Once Hornette was gone, the phony Hypergirl stood up and retrieved a small walkie-talkie device from her red replica belt. Stepping back further, going deeper into the darkened enclosure to stay out of sight, Flame radioed her sister to report her status.
"Blaze, Flame here," Flame whispered, "do you copy?"
"Loud and clear, I think I slipped out before those dullards at the Metro City Police caught sight of the van," Blaze reported. "Did you get the jamming device on the bumblebee's wings like I asked?"
"Yes, went off without a hitch," boasted Flame, proud of her success. "Do you get the atomic clock?"
"Well, no," conceded Blaze, almost giggling at her naive little sister, "the atomic clock doesn't run on atomic energy, silly. It was a little trick to trap Atomic Girl. Now she is definately a source of atomic energy."
"What?!?," gasped Flame, almost shouting loud enough to attract attention. "You captured Atomic Girl? She could rip your into pieces."
"Well, I knew tangling with the someone with the strength of mighty Atomic Girl would make you a little nervous," Blaze explained as she sped recklessly through the streets of Metro City. "I didn't tell you my plan to lure in Atomic Girl because I didn't want to worry you."
"More like you lied to me," huffed Flame, insulted by her sister's lack of faith in her, "if we're going to be partners..."
"If you want to argue," interrupted Blaze, "we can continue this discussion behind bars because that's where we're heading if you continue to act like a child...now, do you have the change of clothes stashed in the utility belt?"
"Yes," spat an indignant Flame, "and I'm going to remove the mask and change into regular clothes just like you said."
"Good, just see that you do," Blaze insisted, angry at her baby sister's petulance. "I'm sure you can hear the sirens...so change discreetly and you'll be able to walk out just like some innocent bystander."
"Yes, I remember that from the first twenty times you told me last night," Flame hissed. "By the way, the winged bee girl is tailing you. I think she caught a look at the van before you raced off."
"Perfect, that's precisely why I wanted you to plant that disc on her wings," Blaze noted with an evil laugh. "In fact, I see the winged pest in my rearview mirror now."
"Why didn't you just have me capture bee girl when I had the chance?," asked Flame. "She never would have seen it coming."
"Arrghh, all your questions," Blaze groaned. "Do you think I could have carried Atomic Girl to the van and then stopped off the pick up Hornette as the police are breathing down our necks. Besides, I prefer to handle these delicate matters personally, since one small error leads to five-to-ten in the State Pen."
"Fine," sighed a disgusted Flame, "now how am I going to get back to the hideout?"
"I've arranged for a car," Blaze explained, "a friend is picking you up a couple of blocks down the street...a certain supervillainess you might be with. Anyway, stop gabbing and get changed before the police spot the missing Hypergirl...I've got an insect problem I have to deal with..."
As Hornette sped above the Metro City morning downtown traffic, she was able to keep the white van she was pursuing in sight. Aware that the van might be rigged with a surprise or two, much like the one used to trap Hypergirl, the winged girl wonder kept a little distance between her and the speeding van. Her first impulse was to fire one of her dart-like stingers from her metal wristband at one of the tires, but blowing out one of the tires would likely cause a traffic accident. Hornette hung back, content to follow the van undetected, hoping it would lead her to the villainess' hideout. One thing that bothered her as she maintained pursuit was the prescene of another imposter. There were two of them last night and only a 'Millie Second' appeared today. When was this other criminal chameleon going to show herself? Unbeknownst to Hornette, she had already encountered the other imposter and the villainess driving the van was fully aware that the bee heroine attempt to tail her to an unknown location.
TO BE CONTINUED....
Just as Hornette and Atomic Girl arrived at the police headquaters in downtown Metro City, a call was placed to Chief O'Reilly office from the Ace Security Company, the most prominent alarm company in Metro City. What seemed to be a routine false alarm turned out to be something much bigger. With Millie Second appearing in view of the security camera at Wally Watchbert's House of Watches, the Ace Security Company findings were reported promptly to the Chief. Just as Chief O'Reilly planned to contact Hornette, the winged insect girl wonder and Atomic Girl burst through his door. At least he wouldn't have to waste any time on the phone call.
"Hornette...and Atomic Girl, boy, is it nice to see you both," the Chief breathed with a heavy sigh. "I was just going to call...something else has occurred and it may be related to the library heist and Hypergirl's disappearence."
"What is it, Chief?," Hornette asked earnestly, knowing the villain was making the move Ms. Winters predicted. "Is it another 'Gotham' related caper?"
"How did you know?," gasped Chief O'Reilly. "A robbery at Watchbert's House of Watches...and the thief was identified as a one Millie Second."
"Millie Second?," Atomic Girl inquired, almost giggling at the silly name. "What is her Gotham connection?"
"Millie Second was the female accomplice of a Gotham-based villain, Clock King," Hornette interjected before the Chief could answer. "How long ago did this occur?"
"Just a couple of minutes ago," Chief O'Reilly replied. "The alarm at Wally Watchbert's shop was set off and the alarm company called...but how were you so sure this was related to Gotham City?"
"I'll explain later," Hornette offered, growing antsy as any delay might give Millie Second a chance to flee. "Atomic Girl and I will head over there now and grab her before she disappears."
"Right," Atomic Girl boomed, slamming her gloved right fist into her open left hand. "Catching Ms. Second Hand, or whatever, might help get us to the bottom of this confusing caper."
"Well, do you at least want some sqaud cars down there as backup?," Chief O'Reilly shouted as Hornette and Atomic Girl had already turned to leave his office.
"No, I don't want any police prescene to spook her," Hornette yelled as she continued to move forward toward the exit. "If Millie Second flees too soon, we might miss our best opportunity to catch her."
Atomic Girl and Hornette practically sprinted to the front entrance to make the short trip to the clock store, only a few city blocks from police headquarters. The blonde bombshell climbed aboard her customized Japanese racing motorcycle parked out front and turned to Hornette, just preparing to get airborne.
"Hornette, do you think this is the same imposter posing as another of Gotham's bad girls?," Atomic Girl asked, finally understanding the plot Ms. Winters had explained on her arrival.
"It sure looks like it," Hornette answered, "but there were two imposters in last night's robbery at the library. Will there be another waiting for our arrival in some sort of disguise?"
"They may have a surprise waiting for us," Atomic Girl reasoned, "but we have a surprise waiting for them. No one knows that I am back in town...they are probably waiting for you. Since you can patrol the air, I'll surprise Ms. Clock Chick inside the store and you can monitor the building from above in case another imposter shows herself."
"Well, if we don't move quickly," Hornette scolded her friend, "we won't have to worry about any surprises because they'll all be gone."
Atomic Girl simply nodded and departed at high speed on her souped-up motorcycle. Hornette used the anti-gravity disc in her belt to get off the ground and her mechanical set of wings flapped furiously as our Asian bee heroine joined the blonde superfox in pursuit. It was a race against time, in Hornette's mind, and they couldn't afford to be late. Who knew when these masters of disguise would show themselves again?
Atomic Girl's motorcycle screeched to a halt in front of Wally Watchbert's House of Watches. Hornette wasn't far behind as she watched Atomic Girl gracefully roll one long leg over the other to quickly jump off the bike. The super-strong blonde amazon looked up to locate Hornette's position in the air and once locating her, she turned her head in the direction of a white van suspiciously parked in the alley alongside the store. Wasting no time, Atomic Girl approached the front entrance and rocked back to deliver a powerful kick to the door. As her right leg came forward, the resounding crach could be heard from blocks away as metal framed glass door was torn completely from the hinges. Feeling invincible, which she practically was, Atomic Girl loved making a shocking entrance. Usually a great display of super-strength was enough to force a common criminal to surrender immediately and this appeared to be no exception. The Clock King's former henchgirl froze in fright as the 6'1 blonde powerhouse stood before her with the hands-on-hips pose, looking both sexy and intimidating at the same time.
"Freeze, Clock Girl," Atomic Girl announced, sneering coldly at the cowering Millie Second. "Just put the clock down and surrender...or else I might do to you what I did to the door."
"Ohmagawd," gasped the scared Millie Second, cradling the large cuckoo clock in her arms and standing beside the counter. "Atomic Girl? I was ah..., I mean, I was going to..."
"Stop struttering and put the clock down, then keep your hands where I can see them," ordered Atomic Girl, pointing a scolding finger at the frightened thief.
"OK, OK...putting it down," stammered Millie Second, setting the clock cautiously on the counter. "I'll surrender...just please, don't hurt me."
"Geez, these criminals from Gotham give up pretty easily," kidding the smug Atomic Girl. "Before you try anything cute, you might want to help me with the whereabouts of a certain superheroine friend of mine, Hypergirl. Her kidnapping had a Gotham connection and if you don't start talking...I just may have to hurt you."
"Hypergirl?!?," Millie Second shouted in a near panic, "I don't know anything about that. I just came for this clock, honest."
"Hmmm, I find it hard to believe that you don't know anything about Hypergirl's capture," Atomic Girl growled with a menacing calm, walking toward the shaking Millie in purposeful strides. "I can be quite persuasive when it comes to getting a criminal like you to tell the truth."
Millie appeared to quiver in the advancing prescene of the super-powered blonde bombshell. Luckily for her, the gassed Mr. Watchbert and Belinda Bulova were still sleeping silently behind the counter, out of the view of Atomic Girl. Millie Second remained stationed behind the cuckoo clock, sitting harmlesly on the counter.
Closing the gap between her and her quarry, Atomic Girl stood before the cowering villainess with only a counter (and cuckoo clock) separating them.
"Now I think you might like to know that I prefer to handle these exchanges up close and personal," threatened the blonde bombshell, towering above the petite Millie.
Just when it appeared that Millie Second would break down and reveal anything Atomic Girl demanded of her, the small bird door of the cuckoo clock flipped open and released a barrage of uncoiling watch springs in the direction of the red-white-and blue spandex-clad amazon. The springs shot forth with a loud **BOOOINGGG** sound that startled the confident heroine. Before Atomic Girl knew what hit her, her torso was wrapped neatly by the unsprung watch springs that pinned her powerful arms to her side. The blonde bombshell squirmed and quickly tried to make sense of this surprise attack as she looked down to see the thin silver wiring wrapped about her shoulders, arms, and waist.
"What the...!?!," Atomic Girl shrieked, "metal coils...all wrapped up..."
"Watch springs to be exact, Atomic Girl," crowed the now confident Millie Second, rapidly changing from victim to victor. Being a master of disguise also meant being a skilled actress, feigning fear to lure the super-strong heroine into her trap.
"Whatever you call them," spat the defiant Atomic Girl, able to collect herself quickly. "Do you really think these coils can hoo...hold mmmmme?"
Atomic Girl suddenly felt incredibly weak. The tired and sluggish feeling that overcame her hit in waves, growing more intense with every moment. Metal strands that she could easily snap with a minimum of effort felt unbreakable as the blonde masked amazon meekly attempted to move her arms. The sinister watch coils felt has if they were siphoning her energy, making her weaker and pushing her to the point of exhaustion.
"To answer your question, blonde bimbo," giggled the malevolent Millie, "I really do think these coils will hold you. You see, these wires designed to draw the atomic energy from that super-powered bod of yours. As they drain the atomic power, you will get weaker and weaker. I did my homework on you, Atomic Girl, and I knew just how to lure an overconfident masked beauty like you in my trap."
As the coiled Atomic Girl felt her power slipping away, she staggered on long uneasy legs as her movements grew slower. Her eyes fluttered under her red eyemask as she wobbled like a punch-drunk boxer about ready to fall. Atomic Girl fell to her knees with a loud thud and rolled to her side almost immediately as the weight of her upper body was too heavy for the drained heroine to support. The energy draining coils that held Atomic Girl snuggly had worked exactly as Blaze, or Copycat, had hoped they would. The blonde powerhouse, so vital and strong mere moments ago, rested in a limp mass as she fought mightly to simply keep her eyes open.
"Why?," groaned Atomic Girl weakly, defeated and drowsy. "Wha...What is...the...meaning...of...this?"
"This whole clock caper was merely a ruse to draw you out," explained Millie, standing over the weakened blonde wonder. "I needed an atomic energy source for my latest invention and you, Atomic Girl, fit the bill perfectly. Now I'm not exactly sure what happens once I siphon all the atomic energy out of you, but it'll be a lot of fun to find out."
Atomic Girl only caught part of Millie grand declaration as the energy draining coils finally sapped enough power to render her unconscious. Completely exhausted of her atomic power, the blonde bombshell rested peacefully after a futile struggle. Since the cells of Atomic Girl's well-toned and shapely body had been atomically charged, she would continue to generate atomic energy from within. As long as the power draining coils remained attached, Blaze would have a never-ending atomic energy source.
With Atomic Girl captive and completely subdued, Millie tapped the large belt buckle on her mod-60's outfit to signal the phony Hypergirl to finally make her appearance. Hornette would be lurking from the sky above and the appearence of her missing crime-fighting partner would surely flush her out.
Acting on the signal of her sinister older sister, Flame pushed open the back door of the van fell limply to the street below. In her guise as Hypergirl, she collected herself on all fours and attempted to gamely crawl away from the vehicle. Appearing weak and trying to plot a feeble escape attempt, Hornette immediately spotted the familiar bright yellow leotard far below. Racing down with reckless abandon, the lovely Asian winged heroine flew to the aid of her best friend and crime-fighting partner. Emotions were mixed as Hornette descended from the sky. She was happy to finally locate Hypergirl, but she also fearful of what these villains might have done to her to leave her almost too weak to crawl. The concern Hornette had minutes ago as to what was taking Atomic Girl so long inside the clock shop had completely vanished.
"Hypergirl, are you OK?," shouted Hornette, landing next to the staggered Hypergirl and kneeling close to her fallen ally to place her arms over her shoulders. "What did they do to you?"
Hypergirl nodded emphatically, indicating that she was indeed OK. Still resting on her hands and knees, Hypergirl moaned and pointed to her throat, trying to gesture that she was unable to speak.
"Do they do something to you?," a almost hysterical Hornette asked. "Why can't you talk to me?"
"Mmmmm....nnnaaahh," Hypergirl groaned with a closed mouth, shaking her head to show that nothing had been done her her. The weakened blonde speedster began to humm and making dramatic head gestures, sticking her chin out and turning her head to the right. Hornette realized instantly that Hypergirl simply wanted to get out of that area right now.
"Oh, man," breathed Hornette, still worried and panicked, "of course, let's get you out of her."
The hurried insect heroine scooped up the limp body of the depowered Hypergirl and took to the air. Concerned only with getting her friend to safety, Hornette did the best she could to carry her costumed partner to a safe area a couple of blocks away, but she had trouble gaining altitude or speed with the extra weight she was holding carefully. Her wings were designed to control the flight of a petite, 100 lbs. heroine, not 210 lbs. Knowing she couldn't go on much further, Hornette engineered a clumsy landing a half-block away from the van and quickly scampered into a small opening between the buildings, still cautiously cradling the woozy Hypergirl. Setting her down softly in a place out of sight, the winged insect heroine took a peek back down the street in the direction of Wally Watchbert's House of Watches. Much to her surprise, Atomic Girl was leaving the clock shop with Millie Second. However, the super-strong blonde amazon wasn't leaving in the condition she expected.
Millie peeked out through the opening that was the front door of the shop before attempting to lift the coiled and unconscious Atomic Girl into her arms for the short trip to the van. From Hornette's vantage point, she could see the metal coils wrapped around Atomic Girl's upper body and her head slumped forward. The blonde model's long mane of blonde hair obscured her face as she was clearly helpless and in the clutches of Millie Second. Millie strained and struggled with the 6'1 curvy amazon resting under her outstretched arms. As the villainess finally was able to set the KO'ed Atomic Girl inside the back of the van, sirens could be heard as a fleet of Metro City Police cars were descending on the scene. Clearly, bad news travels fast as the security cameras recorded every moment of the dastardly deed. In a rush, upon hearing the police car sirens, Millie quickly closed the back doors and dashed to the front to jump behind the wheel for a hasty escape.
Upon seeing the removal of captive Atomic Girl, Hornette was clearly torn between getting help for Hypergirl or attempting to stop the van of the blonde bombshell's captor.
Hypergirl was too weak to be left alone and could possibly need immediate medical attention. However, as the van sped by, Hornette was in a perfect position to follow the mysterious villainess and bring a halt to her insidious plan. From the shaded area between the buildings, Hypergirl sat up, still resting on the cold sidewalk, and pleaded in a weak murmer to go. Nodding her head in the direction of the van, Hypergirl let her friend know that there was only one thing she could do...rescue Atomic Girl.
"I'm going to radio Chief O'Reilly to pick you up and get your medical help," Hornette insisted as she prepared to stand, still clutching the shoulders of the weakened speedster.
Hypergirl simply smiled and draw Hornette into a warm, friendly embrace. With her hands around the shoulders of the unsuspecting winged girl wonder, Hypergirl placed a small metal disc, about the size of a watch battery, at the base of her mechanical wings. Once magnetic sphere, placed at the point where the two wings met at her back, was secured, Hornette turned swiftly and leapt forward to take to the air. With the white van still in view, the flying insect heroine flew off rapidly in hot pursuit.
Once Hornette was gone, the phony Hypergirl stood up and retrieved a small walkie-talkie device from her red replica belt. Stepping back further, going deeper into the darkened enclosure to stay out of sight, Flame radioed her sister to report her status.
"Blaze, Flame here," Flame whispered, "do you copy?"
"Loud and clear, I think I slipped out before those dullards at the Metro City Police caught sight of the van," Blaze reported. "Did you get the jamming device on the bumblebee's wings like I asked?"
"Yes, went off without a hitch," boasted Flame, proud of her success. "Do you get the atomic clock?"
"Well, no," conceded Blaze, almost giggling at her naive little sister, "the atomic clock doesn't run on atomic energy, silly. It was a little trick to trap Atomic Girl. Now she is definately a source of atomic energy."
"What?!?," gasped Flame, almost shouting loud enough to attract attention. "You captured Atomic Girl? She could rip your into pieces."
"Well, I knew tangling with the someone with the strength of mighty Atomic Girl would make you a little nervous," Blaze explained as she sped recklessly through the streets of Metro City. "I didn't tell you my plan to lure in Atomic Girl because I didn't want to worry you."
"More like you lied to me," huffed Flame, insulted by her sister's lack of faith in her, "if we're going to be partners..."
"If you want to argue," interrupted Blaze, "we can continue this discussion behind bars because that's where we're heading if you continue to act like a child...now, do you have the change of clothes stashed in the utility belt?"
"Yes," spat an indignant Flame, "and I'm going to remove the mask and change into regular clothes just like you said."
"Good, just see that you do," Blaze insisted, angry at her baby sister's petulance. "I'm sure you can hear the sirens...so change discreetly and you'll be able to walk out just like some innocent bystander."
"Yes, I remember that from the first twenty times you told me last night," Flame hissed. "By the way, the winged bee girl is tailing you. I think she caught a look at the van before you raced off."
"Perfect, that's precisely why I wanted you to plant that disc on her wings," Blaze noted with an evil laugh. "In fact, I see the winged pest in my rearview mirror now."
"Why didn't you just have me capture bee girl when I had the chance?," asked Flame. "She never would have seen it coming."
"Arrghh, all your questions," Blaze groaned. "Do you think I could have carried Atomic Girl to the van and then stopped off the pick up Hornette as the police are breathing down our necks. Besides, I prefer to handle these delicate matters personally, since one small error leads to five-to-ten in the State Pen."
"Fine," sighed a disgusted Flame, "now how am I going to get back to the hideout?"
"I've arranged for a car," Blaze explained, "a friend is picking you up a couple of blocks down the street...a certain supervillainess you might be with. Anyway, stop gabbing and get changed before the police spot the missing Hypergirl...I've got an insect problem I have to deal with..."
As Hornette sped above the Metro City morning downtown traffic, she was able to keep the white van she was pursuing in sight. Aware that the van might be rigged with a surprise or two, much like the one used to trap Hypergirl, the winged girl wonder kept a little distance between her and the speeding van. Her first impulse was to fire one of her dart-like stingers from her metal wristband at one of the tires, but blowing out one of the tires would likely cause a traffic accident. Hornette hung back, content to follow the van undetected, hoping it would lead her to the villainess' hideout. One thing that bothered her as she maintained pursuit was the prescene of another imposter. There were two of them last night and only a 'Millie Second' appeared today. When was this other criminal chameleon going to show herself? Unbeknownst to Hornette, she had already encountered the other imposter and the villainess driving the van was fully aware that the bee heroine attempt to tail her to an unknown location.
TO BE CONTINUED....
Curse of the Copycat. Part V.
Hornette kept a safe distance behind the white van, fleeing the scene of the capture of the seemingly invincible Atomic Girl. Knowing that the weapons at her disposal would likely do greater harm than good if she used them to disable the van in busy downtown traffic, the winged avenger hung back patiently. As the van left the downtown shopping area toward the industrial section of Metro City, Hornette closed the gap between herself and the speeding vehicle. A signal sent to the Chief, altering the police to aid Hypergirl, eased her mind somewhat, but a confrontation between 'Millie Second' and perhaps another surprise visitor to save Atomic Girl heightened her awareness. The white van slowed at an abandoned warehouse, the old Cromwell Copiers building. As the vehicle came to an abrupt stop, Hornette drew closer and assumed a dive bomber posture, speeding forward like a human missile to launch a surprise attack upon Atomic Girl's captor...
TO BE CONTINUED....
While the beautiful bee heroine tracked Blaze, Flame drew deeper into the darkened area of the enclosure between buildings. She was a half-block away from the scene of the crime and the sounds of sirens and oncoming squad cars attracted the attention of the confused passersby. Pulling the latex mask off and wiggling out of the yellow leotard, red gloves, and blonde ponytailed wig, Flame quickly changed into regular street clothes. The pretty redhead shed her Hypergirl costume and emerged from the enclosure in a red tank top and skirt denim skirt, with matched nicely with the shiny tan hose and red boots, the last reminants of the replica costume that she kept on in the change. Flame walked out amid the chaos of the people that milled about as the police arrived. Ignoring the scene, the junior villainess strode in the opposite direction to the street corner as ordered by her sister, Blaze. Waiting for but a couple of minutes, a long black town car pulled alongside Flame and a shadowy figure in the back seat rolled down the car window and signaled the young redhead to join her.
"You must be Flame," the throaty, sexy female voice noted.
"Oh my goodness," Flame gasped with shock and surprise, "Blaze said a famous supervillainess was picking me up, but I had no idea it was you. Long way from Gotham, eh?"
"Indeed," the voice replied curtly, annoyed at the gabby nature of the young girl. "Why don't you come inside and I'll give you a ride to your sister's hideout."
"This...this is truly an honor," Flame gushed, still lingering outside the now opened car door. "My sister and I have long been admirers of your..."
"Darling, please get inside the car," the female voice interrupted, eager to depart the suspicious scene. "I have an interesting business proposition to discuss with you and your sister, but we can discuss that on the ride over."
Flame happily bounced into the car, climbing into the backseat with the famed villainess. Once the car door slammed shut, the luxurious town car sped off toward the industrial section of Metro City. Blaze would be waiting for them at the abandoned Cromwell Copiers building, but she had a small matter to attend to before discussing any business deals.
Blaze, still clad in her Millie Second mask and costume, looked back in the side mirror of her parked white van to see the attacking Hornette fast approaching. An evil smile crossed her lips as she grabbed a remote control device from the dashboard of the vehcile. Looking much like the remote device used for controlling model cars or airplanes, the dual joystick controller with a small antennea rested comfortably in her villainess' eager hands as the winged bee heroine drew closer. Flipping a switch with her right index finger, activating the controller, Blaze pressed her thumbs upward to push both joysticks forward. Enjoying the view form the mirror as she spied the sneak attack, the villainess saw the flying Hornette suddenly jerk upward, gaining altitude with a sudden movement.
"WHA...?!?," exclaimed the shocked Hornette, racing upward and realizing that her mechanical wings were no longer under her control. "Wi...wings...not responding..."
Try as she might, Hornette could not regain control of her wings, powered by a sonic energy pack. The pack in her belt allowed Hornette to control the direction and speed of flight, but the wings were not reacting as directed. The Asian insect heroine grabbed the energy pack in panic as she shot toward the sky, but the wings still acted as if they had a mind of their own.
An amused Blaze stepped out of the van with the remote in hand, looking upward with delight at the out of control heroine. The small metallic disc Flame had slipped onto the base of Hornette's wings was a gift from the Toymaster's infamous henchgirl, Barbie. With the use of the remote control device, the disc allowed Blaze to control any mechancial device, overriding the commands from Hornette's sonic energy pack. Controlling the heroine's wings and movements, the master of disguise controlled the flight of the stunned Hornette much like a child flying a toy airplane. The giddy Blaze flipped the dual joysticks up and down, sending the airborne bee into a series of sense shattering loops.
"Can't...control...flight," a dizzy Hornette grimaced through clenched teeth, watching the blue sky above and street below spin into a incomprehensible swirl as her lithe tight body was flipped about. "Ooo...out...of...con..control."
The jerking motions on the remote device were mimicked in the air by the now nausous and disoriented flying heroine. Going up suddenly, then twisting into a nosedive, followed by a loop removed Hornette from her senses. The panic she first felt in losing control of her wings was soon replaced by the dizzying discombobulation of this free falling roller coaster ride.
"Nooo...move...moving too...fast," Hornette barely muttered under her labored breath, almost too woozy to speak. "Bla...blacking...out..."
The flying heroine's shapely frame appeared limp as the rapid and sudden changes in direction had taken their toll. Blaze, noticing that there was little fight left in winged girl wonder, decided to end the stomach churning aerial show with a show-stopping grand finale.
"As much fun as it is to play with my new toy," Blaze giggled, maneauvering the controls to send Hornette on a downward path into the building, "I need to put my toy away before company comes."
Hornette's remote controlled wings sent her speeding downward at a rapid speed, much like the dive bombing position she had tried earlier in surprising the awaiting Blaze. Through half-opened eyes, the bee heroine saw she was on a direct path with the roll-up garage door by the main entrance of the building. Still too dizzy to process the stunning turn of events, recognition of this grim fact came slowly. Barely conscious and unbale to brace her arms for impact, Hornette seemed sure to go splat against the unforgiving metal door.
With a press of a button on the remote control, Blaze opened the garage door, which rolled up rapidly as the helpless Hornette sped forward. A large cargo net had been strung up behind the door, ready to catch the young heroine racing downward in it's path. The garage door was completely open upon impact as Hornette involuntarily dove into the net from above. Hitting with a soft thud, the edges of the net released as the Asian flying superfox crashed into it. Entangling her as she went into the net, Hornette was neatly netted before hitting the padded floor of the warehouse, a floor padded with layers of soft mattresses. The net covered cutie barely made a sound as she struck the soft floor, ending the tortuous air show engineered by Blaze. The woozy heroine was in no condition to struggle as she tried to regain her bearings. Hornette still wondered how she avoided hitting the building as she helplessly clawed at the strands of the cargo net. Almost instinctively, the disoriented heroine tried to stand, but the heavy net blanket, along with the cobwebs clouding her mind, made that impossible. In her go-go boots of the Millie Second costume, Blaze stepped gingerly on the bouncy mattresses to check on the status of the pest problem in her midst. Hornette could only squirm meekly under the net as Blaze approached.
"The landlord told me this building had an insect problem," joked Blaze, leaning forward toward Hornette's exposed face. "Looks like I have to spray for hornets..."
With that, Blaze drew upon an old original trick, the hairpin, which she removed from the brunette wig. Barely moving and unable to comprehend the peril she was in, Hornette succumbed swiftly to the green powdery sleeping spray from Blaze's trusty hairpin. Coating her nose and mouth, Hornette's eyes flickered softly under her yellow goggles before shutting. The winged heroine slept peacefully as another victim of Blaze's identity switching games.
"Sleep tight, bee girl," Blaze purred, kneeling forward to blissfully gaze upon the heroine's powdered sleepy face. "I have much to prepare before my guests arrive."
As Flame and a mysterious villainess drove toward the Cromwell Copiers' warehouse, Blaze was making the preparations for their arrival. Atomic Girl had been removed from the van, still bound and weakened by the atomic energy draining coils wrapped about her upper body. The still unconscious blonde powerhouse was placed in a containment tube, kept standing upright by metal cuffs strapped around her shoulders, waist, and ankles. With the thin coils removed, the metal cuffs were treated to drain Atomic Girl's atomic power. Now, in the containment tube, a constant source of atomic power, thanks to the atomic energy generated by the heroine's super-powered body, was available for Blaze to power the TransReplicator as designed by DiVinci centuries ago. In addition to serving the purpose of drawing a stable, constant flow of atomic energy, the energy draining metal cuffs kept the dangerous Atomic Girl weak and helpless.
The real Hypergirl remained strapped to a gurney, still sleeping off the mind-numbing effects of the sleeping powder cycling through the respirator mask attached over her nose and mouth. She was soon joined by Hornette, strapped face down to a similiar gurney, where her wonderous wings were on full display. The golden bracelets that allowed Hornette to shot her stinger darts and sticky 'honey' glue had been removed and placed on a table, right beside the book of DiVinci sketches. The Asian heroine was still out cold from the spray of knockout powder she received while netted inside the warehouse.
Working quickly, as her sister, Flame, and a potential business partner were due to arrive in mere moments, Blaze removed her 'Millie Second' mask, wig, and costume to change into her normal garb, a form-fitting red spandex bodysuit. Acquiring the materials to build the TransReplicator would be the next order of business now that Metro City's premier heroines had been subdued and now kept captive and helpless in her hideout.
The towncar pulled up out front and Blaze opened the garage door to allow the car inside the warehouse. Once inside the safe haven of Blaze's hideout, the luxury automobile drove in with Flame and a major supervillainess. Blaze was playing in the big leagues now, or so she reasoned. No longer a sidekick or henchwoman, Blaze saw herself as the master criminal Copycat, a major player in the realm of supervillainy.
Hornette kept a safe distance behind the white van, fleeing the scene of the capture of the seemingly invincible Atomic Girl. Knowing that the weapons at her disposal would likely do greater harm than good if she used them to disable the van in busy downtown traffic, the winged avenger hung back patiently. As the van left the downtown shopping area toward the industrial section of Metro City, Hornette closed the gap between herself and the speeding vehicle. A signal sent to the Chief, altering the police to aid Hypergirl, eased her mind somewhat, but a confrontation between 'Millie Second' and perhaps another surprise visitor to save Atomic Girl heightened her awareness. The white van slowed at an abandoned warehouse, the old Cromwell Copiers building. As the vehicle came to an abrupt stop, Hornette drew closer and assumed a dive bomber posture, speeding forward like a human missile to launch a surprise attack upon Atomic Girl's captor...
TO BE CONTINUED....
While the beautiful bee heroine tracked Blaze, Flame drew deeper into the darkened area of the enclosure between buildings. She was a half-block away from the scene of the crime and the sounds of sirens and oncoming squad cars attracted the attention of the confused passersby. Pulling the latex mask off and wiggling out of the yellow leotard, red gloves, and blonde ponytailed wig, Flame quickly changed into regular street clothes. The pretty redhead shed her Hypergirl costume and emerged from the enclosure in a red tank top and skirt denim skirt, with matched nicely with the shiny tan hose and red boots, the last reminants of the replica costume that she kept on in the change. Flame walked out amid the chaos of the people that milled about as the police arrived. Ignoring the scene, the junior villainess strode in the opposite direction to the street corner as ordered by her sister, Blaze. Waiting for but a couple of minutes, a long black town car pulled alongside Flame and a shadowy figure in the back seat rolled down the car window and signaled the young redhead to join her.
"You must be Flame," the throaty, sexy female voice noted.
"Oh my goodness," Flame gasped with shock and surprise, "Blaze said a famous supervillainess was picking me up, but I had no idea it was you. Long way from Gotham, eh?"
"Indeed," the voice replied curtly, annoyed at the gabby nature of the young girl. "Why don't you come inside and I'll give you a ride to your sister's hideout."
"This...this is truly an honor," Flame gushed, still lingering outside the now opened car door. "My sister and I have long been admirers of your..."
"Darling, please get inside the car," the female voice interrupted, eager to depart the suspicious scene. "I have an interesting business proposition to discuss with you and your sister, but we can discuss that on the ride over."
Flame happily bounced into the car, climbing into the backseat with the famed villainess. Once the car door slammed shut, the luxurious town car sped off toward the industrial section of Metro City. Blaze would be waiting for them at the abandoned Cromwell Copiers building, but she had a small matter to attend to before discussing any business deals.
Blaze, still clad in her Millie Second mask and costume, looked back in the side mirror of her parked white van to see the attacking Hornette fast approaching. An evil smile crossed her lips as she grabbed a remote control device from the dashboard of the vehcile. Looking much like the remote device used for controlling model cars or airplanes, the dual joystick controller with a small antennea rested comfortably in her villainess' eager hands as the winged bee heroine drew closer. Flipping a switch with her right index finger, activating the controller, Blaze pressed her thumbs upward to push both joysticks forward. Enjoying the view form the mirror as she spied the sneak attack, the villainess saw the flying Hornette suddenly jerk upward, gaining altitude with a sudden movement.
"WHA...?!?," exclaimed the shocked Hornette, racing upward and realizing that her mechanical wings were no longer under her control. "Wi...wings...not responding..."
Try as she might, Hornette could not regain control of her wings, powered by a sonic energy pack. The pack in her belt allowed Hornette to control the direction and speed of flight, but the wings were not reacting as directed. The Asian insect heroine grabbed the energy pack in panic as she shot toward the sky, but the wings still acted as if they had a mind of their own.
An amused Blaze stepped out of the van with the remote in hand, looking upward with delight at the out of control heroine. The small metallic disc Flame had slipped onto the base of Hornette's wings was a gift from the Toymaster's infamous henchgirl, Barbie. With the use of the remote control device, the disc allowed Blaze to control any mechancial device, overriding the commands from Hornette's sonic energy pack. Controlling the heroine's wings and movements, the master of disguise controlled the flight of the stunned Hornette much like a child flying a toy airplane. The giddy Blaze flipped the dual joysticks up and down, sending the airborne bee into a series of sense shattering loops.
"Can't...control...flight," a dizzy Hornette grimaced through clenched teeth, watching the blue sky above and street below spin into a incomprehensible swirl as her lithe tight body was flipped about. "Ooo...out...of...con..control."
The jerking motions on the remote device were mimicked in the air by the now nausous and disoriented flying heroine. Going up suddenly, then twisting into a nosedive, followed by a loop removed Hornette from her senses. The panic she first felt in losing control of her wings was soon replaced by the dizzying discombobulation of this free falling roller coaster ride.
"Nooo...move...moving too...fast," Hornette barely muttered under her labored breath, almost too woozy to speak. "Bla...blacking...out..."
The flying heroine's shapely frame appeared limp as the rapid and sudden changes in direction had taken their toll. Blaze, noticing that there was little fight left in winged girl wonder, decided to end the stomach churning aerial show with a show-stopping grand finale.
"As much fun as it is to play with my new toy," Blaze giggled, maneauvering the controls to send Hornette on a downward path into the building, "I need to put my toy away before company comes."
Hornette's remote controlled wings sent her speeding downward at a rapid speed, much like the dive bombing position she had tried earlier in surprising the awaiting Blaze. Through half-opened eyes, the bee heroine saw she was on a direct path with the roll-up garage door by the main entrance of the building. Still too dizzy to process the stunning turn of events, recognition of this grim fact came slowly. Barely conscious and unbale to brace her arms for impact, Hornette seemed sure to go splat against the unforgiving metal door.
With a press of a button on the remote control, Blaze opened the garage door, which rolled up rapidly as the helpless Hornette sped forward. A large cargo net had been strung up behind the door, ready to catch the young heroine racing downward in it's path. The garage door was completely open upon impact as Hornette involuntarily dove into the net from above. Hitting with a soft thud, the edges of the net released as the Asian flying superfox crashed into it. Entangling her as she went into the net, Hornette was neatly netted before hitting the padded floor of the warehouse, a floor padded with layers of soft mattresses. The net covered cutie barely made a sound as she struck the soft floor, ending the tortuous air show engineered by Blaze. The woozy heroine was in no condition to struggle as she tried to regain her bearings. Hornette still wondered how she avoided hitting the building as she helplessly clawed at the strands of the cargo net. Almost instinctively, the disoriented heroine tried to stand, but the heavy net blanket, along with the cobwebs clouding her mind, made that impossible. In her go-go boots of the Millie Second costume, Blaze stepped gingerly on the bouncy mattresses to check on the status of the pest problem in her midst. Hornette could only squirm meekly under the net as Blaze approached.
"The landlord told me this building had an insect problem," joked Blaze, leaning forward toward Hornette's exposed face. "Looks like I have to spray for hornets..."
With that, Blaze drew upon an old original trick, the hairpin, which she removed from the brunette wig. Barely moving and unable to comprehend the peril she was in, Hornette succumbed swiftly to the green powdery sleeping spray from Blaze's trusty hairpin. Coating her nose and mouth, Hornette's eyes flickered softly under her yellow goggles before shutting. The winged heroine slept peacefully as another victim of Blaze's identity switching games.
"Sleep tight, bee girl," Blaze purred, kneeling forward to blissfully gaze upon the heroine's powdered sleepy face. "I have much to prepare before my guests arrive."
As Flame and a mysterious villainess drove toward the Cromwell Copiers' warehouse, Blaze was making the preparations for their arrival. Atomic Girl had been removed from the van, still bound and weakened by the atomic energy draining coils wrapped about her upper body. The still unconscious blonde powerhouse was placed in a containment tube, kept standing upright by metal cuffs strapped around her shoulders, waist, and ankles. With the thin coils removed, the metal cuffs were treated to drain Atomic Girl's atomic power. Now, in the containment tube, a constant source of atomic power, thanks to the atomic energy generated by the heroine's super-powered body, was available for Blaze to power the TransReplicator as designed by DiVinci centuries ago. In addition to serving the purpose of drawing a stable, constant flow of atomic energy, the energy draining metal cuffs kept the dangerous Atomic Girl weak and helpless.
The real Hypergirl remained strapped to a gurney, still sleeping off the mind-numbing effects of the sleeping powder cycling through the respirator mask attached over her nose and mouth. She was soon joined by Hornette, strapped face down to a similiar gurney, where her wonderous wings were on full display. The golden bracelets that allowed Hornette to shot her stinger darts and sticky 'honey' glue had been removed and placed on a table, right beside the book of DiVinci sketches. The Asian heroine was still out cold from the spray of knockout powder she received while netted inside the warehouse.
Working quickly, as her sister, Flame, and a potential business partner were due to arrive in mere moments, Blaze removed her 'Millie Second' mask, wig, and costume to change into her normal garb, a form-fitting red spandex bodysuit. Acquiring the materials to build the TransReplicator would be the next order of business now that Metro City's premier heroines had been subdued and now kept captive and helpless in her hideout.
The towncar pulled up out front and Blaze opened the garage door to allow the car inside the warehouse. Once inside the safe haven of Blaze's hideout, the luxury automobile drove in with Flame and a major supervillainess. Blaze was playing in the big leagues now, or so she reasoned. No longer a sidekick or henchwoman, Blaze saw herself as the master criminal Copycat, a major player in the realm of supervillainy.
Curse of the Copycat. Part VI.
Once the car was parked safely inside the warehouse, the main garage door was closed to conceal the activities inside from curious eyes. The cute plain clothed Flame, sans any of her sister's carefully constructed disguises, bounced out of the back seat with a winning smile, giddy with the excitement of meeting one of her idols. The shadowy figure also climbed out of the back seat, wearing a long beige overcoat and matching wide-brimmed floppy hat. Even though this villainess was outside of her native Gotham, the risk of exposing her identity to local authorities required a disguise. Once outside the car, the mystery villainess shed her coat and hat to reveal her voluptuous body in her trademark skin-tight green spandex bodysuit. Lavender gloves, booties, belt, and eyemask almost completed her signature attire, but the black question marks dotted all over the green bodysuit left little doubt as to the idnetity of this celebrity villainess. The raven-haired Baffler, with long flowing dark locks hanging well past her shoulder, smiled at her old friend and former cellmate Blaze. The Baffler cut an imposing figure, standing 5'10 with a ridiculous hourglass frame, a large bust and hips that looked much larger in contrast to her tiny belted waist. When it came to notorious supervillainesses, few could match the brazen reputation of the Baffler.
"Baffler, looking better than ever, my dear," smiled Blaze, sharing her friend's love of skin-tight colorful spandex bodysuits. "I'm so glad you could make it all the way out to Metro City."
"Blaze, I must say that we look much better in our normal outfits than those drab orange jumpsuits we were issued at the Gotham State Prison for Women," Baffler laughed, surveying Blaze in her red costume. "But you didn't call me out here to talk fashion, did you?"
"No, I have a couple of things to show you...along with an interesting business proposition," Blaze boasted, proud of how well her first solo venture in crime was progressing.
"Well, I see three of Metro City's most famous heroines bound and helpless," purred an impressed Baffler, surveying the area. Seeing Hypergirl and Hornette sleeping and strapped to gurneys was an impressive feat, but the sight of a subdued Atomic Girl securing in a containment tube really caught the Baffler's attention. "Hypergirl...Hornette...and the mighty Atomic Girl, quite a triple play, Blaze. You must tell me how you accomplished this."
"Divide and conquer, just as you taught me," Blaze replied. "I learned quite a bit from the other villainesses and henchwomen in jail. A few tricks, a couple of disguises, blah, blah, blah."
"I guess you'll give me the full story later," the Baffler responded coldly, not pleased that her potential partner was already concealing information.
"By the way, who is the driver of your car?," Blazed asked suspiciously. "I know how cautious you are when it comes to outsiders."
"Relax, do you think I had some guy from the car company bring me to a secret location?," smirked the Baffler. "You know me better than that."
Just as the Baffler turned her head toward the car, a younger girl bounced out from behind the wheel clad in a costume similiar to that of the Baffler. A college-aged young woman with brown hair tied in shoulder length pigtails emerged in a clinging purple bodysuit with green gloves, booties, belt, and eyemask. She too had question marks in green scattered across the purple spandex suit, which highlighted a tight, athletic body.
"You brought Puzzle Girl," Blaze reasoned aloud, "but she doesn't look like your sidekick from the past."
"You have a good eye, Blaze," grinned the beautiful Baffler. "Good help can be so hard to find. The old Puzzle Girl fell in with a bad crowd in jail, the Peace Corps. I think she married a pastor and is working on an irrigation system in the Congo."
"How awful," interrupted Flame, making a disgusted face. "I guess that can happen to the best henchwomen."
"Indeed," sighed the Baffler. "However, this young lady was quite an upgrade. While working on her masters in both chemistry and engineering at Gotham State U., she managed to make a great deal of money by stealing and selling industrial secrets from her professors contracted as outside consultants by multi-national corporations. Puzzle Girl is both smart and sinister."
"Yeah, if it wasn't for Batwoman and Flamebird getting me kicked out of school," added the new Puzzle Girl. "I'd be graduating to real white collar crime next month."
"Well, that's another story for another time," Baffler interjected, hoping to address the real meaning of this meeting. "Blaze, you've impressed me by capturing Metro City's finest heroines. What do you need from Puzzle Girl and myself? It looks like you've already done the hard part."
"Well, do you remember Black Widow and her story about a Leonardo DiVinci sketch?," Blaze explained. "A blueprint for a device that could replicate any substance."
"Yes, I do remember the ramblings of that old fool," scoffed Baffler. "She was full of those silly science fiction stories."
"I thought the same thing, until I did a little research," Blaze continued. "DiVinci did design a replicating device, but it required an energy source to power it that did not exist in his day. With a constant supply of atomic energy, the device can actually work."
"Is that how you spent your time in the prison library?," Baffler laughed. "I thought all that mechanical engineering stuff was to make brownie points with the warden."
"Well, luckily you have someone with an engineering background to review the sketches we stole," Blaze crowed, almost looking down upon the Baffler's willful ignorance. "Let Puzzle Girl look them over and you'll see that I'm right."
With a knowing glance from the Baffler, Puzzle Girl marched over to the table where the DiVinci sketches were set out. Blaze quickly joined her to point to the specific sketch in question.
"One thing still baffles me," the Baffled thought aloud. "If you have the sketches and removed the city's most dangerous heroines from the equation, then what do you need from me?"
"The materials required to build this device aren't exactly the kind you find in a local hardware store," explained Blaze, looked back over her shoulder as she stood next to Puzzle Girl by the table. "The metals that house the replication chamber are the type you find associated with top secret defense department projects...plus the atomic energy powered laser requires a rather large gem to filter and focus the light patterns, something along the lines of a 50 plus karat diamond."
"I see, you need a master thief for the rest of the materials to complete this...device," Baffler reasoned. "Most of that is relatively easy...it seems that you've already done the heavy lifting. How much are my services worth to you?"
"Well, I'm not sure," paused Blaze, still pointing to the various details of the sketch being reviewed by Puzzle Girl. "Once this replicator is complete, the bounty will be limitless...you thinking a fifty-fifty split."
"Fifty-fifty, huh?," Baffler announced. "With Hypergirl, Hornette, and Atomic Girl out of commission and a priceless book of DiVinci sketches in hand, I guess I'd be a fool to turn that deal down."
"For your services in securing the essential materials needed to finish out little project," Blaze answered with a note of confidence, "I think you'll find the price agreeable."
"Puzzle Girl, not that I doubt the word of my friend Blaze," Baffler asked, "does this replicating machine look like it might actually work in your educated opinion?"
"Hmmm, I'd never believe that such a machine would be possible," chirped the enthusiastic Puzzle Girl, "but this blueprint looks workable. Given the right device, in this case, a diamond, to refine the light particles from the laser, this replicating machine could be operational."
"Perfect," purred the Baffler, "it looks like we might be able to do some business, Blaze. Where should we begin?"
"Well, the military base where experimental new jets are being built is only 25 miles away," snapped the impatient Flame, eager to enter the conversation. "Should I join Baffler or Puzzle Girl..."
"Pardon my little sister," apologized Blaze, shooting an evil eye in Flame's direction, "she tends to speak when she'd be better off listening."
"That's O.K., Blaze," replied the Baffler with a sympathetic tone. "Sidekicks can be so tough to train...all of my past Puzzle Girls have been willful creatures until they learn their proper place."
A petulant Flame merely crossed her arms and scowled at her sister, not pleased by the dismissive tones of Blaze and the Baffler. The lovely Puzzle Girl seemed to ignore the sidekick comment and continued to look through the various priceless skecthes from the purloined DiVinci book.
"Ms. Flame does have a valid point, however," chimed in the Baffler to break the uncomfortable silence. "We really should start preparing for the next step in this caper. I'm assuming you've already begun the planning..."
"Of course," smiled a confident Blaze, "I've already done my research on the personnel at the Warrington Air Force Base...security tags, fingerprints, eye scans...the costumes and masks of a couple of very attractive secretaries in the building have been created to get access to the specially treated titanium warehoused in their top secret facility."
"Wonderful," sounds like a great place to start," cheered the chipper Baffler. "I'm guessing you figuring my expert work in handling alarms and security systems will help once you and Flame gain access into the base."
"That's exactly what I was thinking," giggled Blaze, "plus a little of your patented Puzzle Gas seems to keep those nasty armed guards docile and dumbfounded."
"Yes, they do make unreliable witnesses once they get a sniff," Baffler kidded, grinning broadly. "It isn't called Puzzle Gas for nothing...leaves 'em, well, puzzled."
"You do take such vicious pleasure in your work, Baffler," Blaze snickered. "I almost forgot that Puzzle Girl is additional ally we hadn't counted on. I'm sure you and I will be able to put her villainous talents to good use...and she should be quite helpful with her educational background in constructing the replicator."
"Gee, thanks, Blaze," Puzzle Girl cheerfully responded, turning to flash a pretty smile in Blaze's direction before seeing the disapproving glance from the Baffler. The pretty young masked sidekick quickly turned back to reviewing the sketches as expected.
"By the way, I address the question I've long waited for you to answer," Baffler asked as she paced around the room. "What exactly did you plan to do with these captive superheroines in our midst? I'm guessing they serve some purpose in our plan...since they are still here."
"Ah, Atomic Girl IS the atomic energy source required to power the replicator," stammered Blaze. "Her cuffs were created to drain her precious energy while keeping her helpless and weak. As for Hypergirl and Hornette, I have to say I haven't given it much thought other than they both make for a pretty darn good insurance policy."
"While I can appreciate Atomic Girl's value in this caper," explained the Baffler, "leaving loose ends like Hypergirl and Hornette around is both foolish and dangerous."
"Relax, Hypergirl is fitted with a special mask to keep her under the influence of False Face's sleepy powder and Hornette has had her wings, belt, and bracelets removed, rendered her less than super," Blaze answered curtly, not liking to have her methods questioned, even by someone she considered a mentor.
"Fine, this is your show and I'll let you run it as you see fit," snapped the Baffler, "but I don't need to take any unnecessary risks if I don't have to."
"Hmmm, I guess you must mean those loose ends in Gotham City, like Batwoman and Flamebird," Blaze shot back, armed with a comment to cut the Baffler to the core. "That seemed to work out well, at least until they arrested you."
"A mistake that I won't be repeating, Blaze," countered the angry Baffler, clearly fed up by the arrogance of her former cellmate. Blaze had merely been the accomplish of a supervillain, the infamous False Face. Now she was acting as if she had some sort of track record as a criminal mastermind.
"Listen, let's not let some petty sniping ruin a perfect partnership," Flame interrupted again, this time in the role of peacemaker. "Together, we can't be stopped and we all can become rich beyond our wildest dreams."
"Your sister, while impetuous and more than a little bit corny," Baffler sighed, "is absolutely right. Petty bickering will get us nowhere, except back to jail. Let's put this behind us and get to work...are we looking to steal the diamond or the titanium first?"
"The titanium at Warrington Air Force Base," replied Blaze forcefully. "Stealing the diamond will be child's play compared to grabbing top secret materials off a military instillation."
"Sounds good," Baffled agreed with improved spirits, "but I imagine the details of the diamond heist will not be revealed until later."
"I have identified the location of the diamond we need," Blaze insisted, but with a coy teasing tone, "but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it...besides, your expertise in handling complex security systems in needed first."
"I guess real trust in a relationship takes time," Baffler replied wistfully. "Now the fingerprints should be easy for you with the latex you so skillfully craft...I'm guessing the eye scan is the real problem."
"You got it," Blaze chimed in, comforted in knowing that the Baffler had not lost her touch in getting past the toughest security systems. "I have the retinal scans direct from the government doctors...implanting those characteristics onto a contact lense has been tricky."
"Hmmm, a common issue," Baffler thought aloud, "but I think I have the perfect device to take care of that. Puzzle Girl, take a break from those blueprints and go play with Flame...leave the grown-ups alone to talk."
The pigtailed Puzzle Girl, looking younger than she truly was with her DynaGirl-esqe hairstyle, simply nodded and cast a look toward the disgusted Flame. Looking into Puzzle Girl's sad eyes, Flame felt a kinship with the unappreciated sidekick, relegated to a role of a glamourized gofer by another pompous supervillainess.
"Puzzle Girl, let me show you our makeup area and costume closet," Flame offered, forcing a slight smile despite her anger at the present working conditions. "Maybe we can even try giving Hornette's wings a spin."
"Very well, that sounds like fun," replied the meek Puzzle Girl as she followed Flame deeper into the large darkened warehouse, retreating back into the large costume closet.
"Play nice, you two," kidded the Baffler as she stepped away briefly to retrieve a suitcase from the trunk of her towncar. "Blaze, I have just the thing to create contact lens containing the identical retinal patterns of the person you're impersonating."
"I was hoping you'd say that," Blaze said cheerfully. "I knew you've had some experiences getting around the most complex security systems in the world. What exactly did you have in mind?"
"If you have the retinal scans handy," Baffler offered, emerging from the trunk with a black pair of wrap-around goggles, "I can use these to create the contact lenses that fit your eyes and mimic the retinal patterns of the secretary you plan to impersonate."
"I have them right here," Blaze answered, holding a thin strip of x-ray film. "Now what do I have to do?"
"Simple, hand me the scans," Baffler smiled, holding out the black goggles to Blaze, "and put these on. Once the fiber-optic scanner reads your eyes, the retinal scans here are superimposed over them to create a pair of contact lenses that would trick even the latest government eye scan technology."
"O.K.," Blaze agreed, handing over the scans and grabbing the goggles from the beautiful brunette Baffler. "Just slip these on...and over the ears too?"
"Yes," grinned the Baffler, watching Blaze secure the goggles over her eyes and ears. "Make sure the fit is snug so we get a good picture."
"Gotcha," Blaze replied, eyes and ears now covered with the Baffler's special black goggles. "Now what?"
"Just wait for the flash, dear Blaze," giggled the Baffler with a sinister grin as walked over to touch Blaze's goggled face. "Only a second or so more..."
Over at Blaze's costume closet, Flame was taking her new friend, Puzzle Girl, on a brief tour of the various masks and costumes in their impressive imposter collection.
"Hmmm...the red leotard of the masked phony, the Flamebird," Puzzle Girl muttered as she pulled a replica costume of Gotham's famed Girl Wonder. "Have you posed as her in the past?"
"Ah, no, not yet," Flame stuttered. "This is really my first time...involved in something this big, anyway. Although, I would love to lure Batwoman into a trap in this Flamebird costume."
"That is something I'd truly love to see," sneered the pig-tailed purple bodysuit clad Puzzle Girl. "Nothing would be sweeter than getting revenge on Gotham's dynamic duo."
"Revenge?," gasped Flame. "What exactly happened back in Gotham?"
"Well, I'd rather not get into the details," Puzzle Girl sighed, playing it close to the vest, "but Flamebird stuck in nose in where it didn't belong and ruined a fool-proof plan extort millions from various large corporations...and Batwoman saw to it that I was expelled from Gotham State University."
"I see," Flame said softly, not pushing for details. "Well, after we're done here, I'm sure we can address the issue of Batwoman and Flamebird...my sister has been waiting for the right time to surprise the dynamic duo. She got an extended stay at the Gotham State Prison for Woman, thanks to them."
"Well, I have just the thing to deal with the 'Girl Wonder,' Puzzle Girl hissed, simply seething at the thought of Batwoman's blonde shapely sidekick. "I only wish I had this the first time we crossed paths...the Baffler's special concoction of concentrated Puzzle Gas."
"Puzzle Gas!?!," asked the curious Flame. "How does it work?"
"Simple," Puzzle Girl explained as she reached into her belt for a small perfume atomizer, "just a quick squirt in the face will leave Batwoman befuddled and Flamebird flummoxed."
"Holy confused caped crusaders," kidded Blaze's kid sister, mocking Flamebird corny quips.
"Holy captive caped crusader, you mean," added Puzzle Girl, sharing a good laugh, just before spraying the unsuspecting Flame in the face with a mind altering gas.
The gorgeous petite redhead had no time to react to the sneak attack. After inhaling a healthy dose of the sinister spray, Flame's eyes opened wide as a look of complete jaw-dropping shock crossed her face. Her lithe young body grew rigid, almost freezing up completely, as Flame's look of surprise turned to a silly, sloppy grin. The gassed redhead could barely keep her eyes open as she softly blinked and collapsed to the floor. A dazed look of a girl trapped in a land of daydreams was worn on the fallen Flame's face as her half opened eyes stared off into the distance and mouth formed a soft smile. A grinning, self-satisfied Puzzle Girl stood over the drugged and incapacitated young woman, knowing her surprised prey would be lingering blissfully in dreamland for the next couple of hours. Content that Flame was out of the way and out for the count, Puzzle Girl waited patiently and silently in the costume area. The Baffler's double-cross of her former cellmate Blaze was almost complete.
Blaze took a seat, as guided down by the ever helpful Baffler, with the black eye scan goggles firmly wrapped around her face. Blinded temporarily by the apparatus attached to her head, the reassuring tender purple gloved hand of the Baffler put Blaze at ease.
"Just relax and keep your eyes open," purred the Baffler, now sporting a coy, knowing grin. "This will only take a moment."
Baffler tapped the side of the bulky goggles, producing a brilliant flash in the eyes of Blaze and producing a loud high-pitching squeal into her covered ears. The blinding burst of light combined with the eardrum piercing noise was a painful enough combination to swiftly overload Blaze's senses and render her unconscious. Blaze could only grimace briefly under the goggles before mercifully slumping forward in a sound sleep. The Baffler's device didn't cause any permanent damage, but it did work quickly enough to send it's subject into a mind-dulling nap before he or she cuold make a sound. With Blaze blasted into a fitful forced rest, the Baffler surveyed her evil handiwork as she prepared to call for her sidekick's attention.
"See, that wasn't so bad, Blaze," purred the Baffler, smilingly broadly over her gullible friend. "You knew I didn't work well with partners."
"How is the scan coming?," Puzzle Girl called from the closet, unsure the Baffler's dirty double cross was complete.
"Everything went perfectly," answered the Baffler. "And how was your time alone with Flame?"
"Flame is sufficiently puzzled," laughed Puzzle Girl, "thanks to a dose of puzzle gas."
"Outstanding, villainy on a grand scale cannot be carried out by amateurs and dreamers," reasoned Baffler. "There is no way that hare-brain scheme Blaze was trying to sell would ever work, that replicator nonsense. However, if Blaze and her dim witted sister wanted to take care of all the dirty work, who are we refuse such good fortune?"
"The whole DiVinci replicator is a myth," Puzzle Girl explained, coming out from the costume closet to join her partner. "You'd be better off chasing the Lost Treasure of the Incas than building that machine. I think your friend Blaze got her mechancial engineering degree from a community college."
"Let's not speak too poorly of my former cellmate," cautioned the Baffler. "After all, she delivered us a priceless book of sketches, three helpless heroines, and a city that is wide open for us to pillage and plunder."
"Not to mention that she was stupid enough to bring us here and never suspect that we'd take it all for ourselves," sneered Puzzle Girl, surveying the goodies Blaze had left for them.
"Henchwomen should stick to what they know," added Baffler, "following orders."
"What should we do with them now?," inquired Puzzle Girl, having not been briefed on the next stage of their plan. "Neither Blaze nor Flame have any value to us now."
"Very true, Puzzle Girl," announced the Baffler, sporting an evil grin. "I think I know the best way to extinguish a Blaze or a Flame, plenty of water."
"I hear you, the plastic tube Atomic Girl is trapped in serves that purpose nicely," Puzzle Girl thought aloud, "but what about Atomic Girl? We don't want to release her from those energy draining cuffs. She's the most dangerous heroine here."
"Ah, dear Puzzle Girl," Baffler responded with a soft but condecending tone, "do you think I haven't already figured that out? You obviously forgot the little presents I had prepared for Batwoman and Flamebird. Two tiny mind control chips borrowed from the Black Widow herself...they are miniature versions of her brain short-circuiting device, just more portable. Blaze wasn't the only one who picked up a few tips from her prison stay."
"Hmmm, imagine a mind controlled Atomic Girl and Hypergirl helping us carry out our nefarious schemes," Puzzle Girl wondered aloud. "We'd be unstoppable."
"I already have imagined it, Puzzles," the Baffler countered. "Why do you think we came all the way to Metro City?"
"Well, what should we do with Hornette?," Puzzle Girl asked. "Hypergirl and Atomic Girl are the ones with real powers. Hornette is a normal woman without her wings and wrist weaponary."
"You're the engineer," spat the Baffler, annoyed at her sidekick's ignorance. "Find out how those lovely wings work so I can wear them. But first, we have a couple of more urgent matters to clean up."
Inside the warehouse of Cromwell Copiers, Baffler and Puzzle Girl went to work on securing the services of Hypergirl and Atomic Girl and eliminating the wannabe villainess Blaze and her sister. The tiny brain short-circuiting devices were inserted into the ears of Hypergirl and Atomic Girl before releasing them from their restraints. Both super-powered heroines were still unconscious as the KO gas mask was removed from Hypergirl's face and Atomic Girl was freed from her atomic energy draining cuffs. While the now mind controlled heroines recovered, Blaze and Flame were squeezed into the plastic containment tube designed for Atomic Girl. Soon, an airtight lid would be placed over the tube and it would start filling with water. Hornette, still strapped face down on her gurney, was beginning to stir. The green sleepy powder Blaze had administered after her out-of-control roller coaster flight was starting to wear off. Still woozy, the activity around our bee heroine was both frightening and confusing. Hornette wisely decided to play possum, not that she could move with the straps pinning her down, until she could make sense of the situation. All that she could figure now, restrained to a gurney and reasoning with a clouded mind, was that the situation was bleak.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Once the car was parked safely inside the warehouse, the main garage door was closed to conceal the activities inside from curious eyes. The cute plain clothed Flame, sans any of her sister's carefully constructed disguises, bounced out of the back seat with a winning smile, giddy with the excitement of meeting one of her idols. The shadowy figure also climbed out of the back seat, wearing a long beige overcoat and matching wide-brimmed floppy hat. Even though this villainess was outside of her native Gotham, the risk of exposing her identity to local authorities required a disguise. Once outside the car, the mystery villainess shed her coat and hat to reveal her voluptuous body in her trademark skin-tight green spandex bodysuit. Lavender gloves, booties, belt, and eyemask almost completed her signature attire, but the black question marks dotted all over the green bodysuit left little doubt as to the idnetity of this celebrity villainess. The raven-haired Baffler, with long flowing dark locks hanging well past her shoulder, smiled at her old friend and former cellmate Blaze. The Baffler cut an imposing figure, standing 5'10 with a ridiculous hourglass frame, a large bust and hips that looked much larger in contrast to her tiny belted waist. When it came to notorious supervillainesses, few could match the brazen reputation of the Baffler.
"Baffler, looking better than ever, my dear," smiled Blaze, sharing her friend's love of skin-tight colorful spandex bodysuits. "I'm so glad you could make it all the way out to Metro City."
"Blaze, I must say that we look much better in our normal outfits than those drab orange jumpsuits we were issued at the Gotham State Prison for Women," Baffler laughed, surveying Blaze in her red costume. "But you didn't call me out here to talk fashion, did you?"
"No, I have a couple of things to show you...along with an interesting business proposition," Blaze boasted, proud of how well her first solo venture in crime was progressing.
"Well, I see three of Metro City's most famous heroines bound and helpless," purred an impressed Baffler, surveying the area. Seeing Hypergirl and Hornette sleeping and strapped to gurneys was an impressive feat, but the sight of a subdued Atomic Girl securing in a containment tube really caught the Baffler's attention. "Hypergirl...Hornette...and the mighty Atomic Girl, quite a triple play, Blaze. You must tell me how you accomplished this."
"Divide and conquer, just as you taught me," Blaze replied. "I learned quite a bit from the other villainesses and henchwomen in jail. A few tricks, a couple of disguises, blah, blah, blah."
"I guess you'll give me the full story later," the Baffler responded coldly, not pleased that her potential partner was already concealing information.
"By the way, who is the driver of your car?," Blazed asked suspiciously. "I know how cautious you are when it comes to outsiders."
"Relax, do you think I had some guy from the car company bring me to a secret location?," smirked the Baffler. "You know me better than that."
Just as the Baffler turned her head toward the car, a younger girl bounced out from behind the wheel clad in a costume similiar to that of the Baffler. A college-aged young woman with brown hair tied in shoulder length pigtails emerged in a clinging purple bodysuit with green gloves, booties, belt, and eyemask. She too had question marks in green scattered across the purple spandex suit, which highlighted a tight, athletic body.
"You brought Puzzle Girl," Blaze reasoned aloud, "but she doesn't look like your sidekick from the past."
"You have a good eye, Blaze," grinned the beautiful Baffler. "Good help can be so hard to find. The old Puzzle Girl fell in with a bad crowd in jail, the Peace Corps. I think she married a pastor and is working on an irrigation system in the Congo."
"How awful," interrupted Flame, making a disgusted face. "I guess that can happen to the best henchwomen."
"Indeed," sighed the Baffler. "However, this young lady was quite an upgrade. While working on her masters in both chemistry and engineering at Gotham State U., she managed to make a great deal of money by stealing and selling industrial secrets from her professors contracted as outside consultants by multi-national corporations. Puzzle Girl is both smart and sinister."
"Yeah, if it wasn't for Batwoman and Flamebird getting me kicked out of school," added the new Puzzle Girl. "I'd be graduating to real white collar crime next month."
"Well, that's another story for another time," Baffler interjected, hoping to address the real meaning of this meeting. "Blaze, you've impressed me by capturing Metro City's finest heroines. What do you need from Puzzle Girl and myself? It looks like you've already done the hard part."
"Well, do you remember Black Widow and her story about a Leonardo DiVinci sketch?," Blaze explained. "A blueprint for a device that could replicate any substance."
"Yes, I do remember the ramblings of that old fool," scoffed Baffler. "She was full of those silly science fiction stories."
"I thought the same thing, until I did a little research," Blaze continued. "DiVinci did design a replicating device, but it required an energy source to power it that did not exist in his day. With a constant supply of atomic energy, the device can actually work."
"Is that how you spent your time in the prison library?," Baffler laughed. "I thought all that mechanical engineering stuff was to make brownie points with the warden."
"Well, luckily you have someone with an engineering background to review the sketches we stole," Blaze crowed, almost looking down upon the Baffler's willful ignorance. "Let Puzzle Girl look them over and you'll see that I'm right."
With a knowing glance from the Baffler, Puzzle Girl marched over to the table where the DiVinci sketches were set out. Blaze quickly joined her to point to the specific sketch in question.
"One thing still baffles me," the Baffled thought aloud. "If you have the sketches and removed the city's most dangerous heroines from the equation, then what do you need from me?"
"The materials required to build this device aren't exactly the kind you find in a local hardware store," explained Blaze, looked back over her shoulder as she stood next to Puzzle Girl by the table. "The metals that house the replication chamber are the type you find associated with top secret defense department projects...plus the atomic energy powered laser requires a rather large gem to filter and focus the light patterns, something along the lines of a 50 plus karat diamond."
"I see, you need a master thief for the rest of the materials to complete this...device," Baffler reasoned. "Most of that is relatively easy...it seems that you've already done the heavy lifting. How much are my services worth to you?"
"Well, I'm not sure," paused Blaze, still pointing to the various details of the sketch being reviewed by Puzzle Girl. "Once this replicator is complete, the bounty will be limitless...you thinking a fifty-fifty split."
"Fifty-fifty, huh?," Baffler announced. "With Hypergirl, Hornette, and Atomic Girl out of commission and a priceless book of DiVinci sketches in hand, I guess I'd be a fool to turn that deal down."
"For your services in securing the essential materials needed to finish out little project," Blaze answered with a note of confidence, "I think you'll find the price agreeable."
"Puzzle Girl, not that I doubt the word of my friend Blaze," Baffler asked, "does this replicating machine look like it might actually work in your educated opinion?"
"Hmmm, I'd never believe that such a machine would be possible," chirped the enthusiastic Puzzle Girl, "but this blueprint looks workable. Given the right device, in this case, a diamond, to refine the light particles from the laser, this replicating machine could be operational."
"Perfect," purred the Baffler, "it looks like we might be able to do some business, Blaze. Where should we begin?"
"Well, the military base where experimental new jets are being built is only 25 miles away," snapped the impatient Flame, eager to enter the conversation. "Should I join Baffler or Puzzle Girl..."
"Pardon my little sister," apologized Blaze, shooting an evil eye in Flame's direction, "she tends to speak when she'd be better off listening."
"That's O.K., Blaze," replied the Baffler with a sympathetic tone. "Sidekicks can be so tough to train...all of my past Puzzle Girls have been willful creatures until they learn their proper place."
A petulant Flame merely crossed her arms and scowled at her sister, not pleased by the dismissive tones of Blaze and the Baffler. The lovely Puzzle Girl seemed to ignore the sidekick comment and continued to look through the various priceless skecthes from the purloined DiVinci book.
"Ms. Flame does have a valid point, however," chimed in the Baffler to break the uncomfortable silence. "We really should start preparing for the next step in this caper. I'm assuming you've already begun the planning..."
"Of course," smiled a confident Blaze, "I've already done my research on the personnel at the Warrington Air Force Base...security tags, fingerprints, eye scans...the costumes and masks of a couple of very attractive secretaries in the building have been created to get access to the specially treated titanium warehoused in their top secret facility."
"Wonderful," sounds like a great place to start," cheered the chipper Baffler. "I'm guessing you figuring my expert work in handling alarms and security systems will help once you and Flame gain access into the base."
"That's exactly what I was thinking," giggled Blaze, "plus a little of your patented Puzzle Gas seems to keep those nasty armed guards docile and dumbfounded."
"Yes, they do make unreliable witnesses once they get a sniff," Baffler kidded, grinning broadly. "It isn't called Puzzle Gas for nothing...leaves 'em, well, puzzled."
"You do take such vicious pleasure in your work, Baffler," Blaze snickered. "I almost forgot that Puzzle Girl is additional ally we hadn't counted on. I'm sure you and I will be able to put her villainous talents to good use...and she should be quite helpful with her educational background in constructing the replicator."
"Gee, thanks, Blaze," Puzzle Girl cheerfully responded, turning to flash a pretty smile in Blaze's direction before seeing the disapproving glance from the Baffler. The pretty young masked sidekick quickly turned back to reviewing the sketches as expected.
"By the way, I address the question I've long waited for you to answer," Baffler asked as she paced around the room. "What exactly did you plan to do with these captive superheroines in our midst? I'm guessing they serve some purpose in our plan...since they are still here."
"Ah, Atomic Girl IS the atomic energy source required to power the replicator," stammered Blaze. "Her cuffs were created to drain her precious energy while keeping her helpless and weak. As for Hypergirl and Hornette, I have to say I haven't given it much thought other than they both make for a pretty darn good insurance policy."
"While I can appreciate Atomic Girl's value in this caper," explained the Baffler, "leaving loose ends like Hypergirl and Hornette around is both foolish and dangerous."
"Relax, Hypergirl is fitted with a special mask to keep her under the influence of False Face's sleepy powder and Hornette has had her wings, belt, and bracelets removed, rendered her less than super," Blaze answered curtly, not liking to have her methods questioned, even by someone she considered a mentor.
"Fine, this is your show and I'll let you run it as you see fit," snapped the Baffler, "but I don't need to take any unnecessary risks if I don't have to."
"Hmmm, I guess you must mean those loose ends in Gotham City, like Batwoman and Flamebird," Blaze shot back, armed with a comment to cut the Baffler to the core. "That seemed to work out well, at least until they arrested you."
"A mistake that I won't be repeating, Blaze," countered the angry Baffler, clearly fed up by the arrogance of her former cellmate. Blaze had merely been the accomplish of a supervillain, the infamous False Face. Now she was acting as if she had some sort of track record as a criminal mastermind.
"Listen, let's not let some petty sniping ruin a perfect partnership," Flame interrupted again, this time in the role of peacemaker. "Together, we can't be stopped and we all can become rich beyond our wildest dreams."
"Your sister, while impetuous and more than a little bit corny," Baffler sighed, "is absolutely right. Petty bickering will get us nowhere, except back to jail. Let's put this behind us and get to work...are we looking to steal the diamond or the titanium first?"
"The titanium at Warrington Air Force Base," replied Blaze forcefully. "Stealing the diamond will be child's play compared to grabbing top secret materials off a military instillation."
"Sounds good," Baffled agreed with improved spirits, "but I imagine the details of the diamond heist will not be revealed until later."
"I have identified the location of the diamond we need," Blaze insisted, but with a coy teasing tone, "but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it...besides, your expertise in handling complex security systems in needed first."
"I guess real trust in a relationship takes time," Baffler replied wistfully. "Now the fingerprints should be easy for you with the latex you so skillfully craft...I'm guessing the eye scan is the real problem."
"You got it," Blaze chimed in, comforted in knowing that the Baffler had not lost her touch in getting past the toughest security systems. "I have the retinal scans direct from the government doctors...implanting those characteristics onto a contact lense has been tricky."
"Hmmm, a common issue," Baffler thought aloud, "but I think I have the perfect device to take care of that. Puzzle Girl, take a break from those blueprints and go play with Flame...leave the grown-ups alone to talk."
The pigtailed Puzzle Girl, looking younger than she truly was with her DynaGirl-esqe hairstyle, simply nodded and cast a look toward the disgusted Flame. Looking into Puzzle Girl's sad eyes, Flame felt a kinship with the unappreciated sidekick, relegated to a role of a glamourized gofer by another pompous supervillainess.
"Puzzle Girl, let me show you our makeup area and costume closet," Flame offered, forcing a slight smile despite her anger at the present working conditions. "Maybe we can even try giving Hornette's wings a spin."
"Very well, that sounds like fun," replied the meek Puzzle Girl as she followed Flame deeper into the large darkened warehouse, retreating back into the large costume closet.
"Play nice, you two," kidded the Baffler as she stepped away briefly to retrieve a suitcase from the trunk of her towncar. "Blaze, I have just the thing to create contact lens containing the identical retinal patterns of the person you're impersonating."
"I was hoping you'd say that," Blaze said cheerfully. "I knew you've had some experiences getting around the most complex security systems in the world. What exactly did you have in mind?"
"If you have the retinal scans handy," Baffler offered, emerging from the trunk with a black pair of wrap-around goggles, "I can use these to create the contact lenses that fit your eyes and mimic the retinal patterns of the secretary you plan to impersonate."
"I have them right here," Blaze answered, holding a thin strip of x-ray film. "Now what do I have to do?"
"Simple, hand me the scans," Baffler smiled, holding out the black goggles to Blaze, "and put these on. Once the fiber-optic scanner reads your eyes, the retinal scans here are superimposed over them to create a pair of contact lenses that would trick even the latest government eye scan technology."
"O.K.," Blaze agreed, handing over the scans and grabbing the goggles from the beautiful brunette Baffler. "Just slip these on...and over the ears too?"
"Yes," grinned the Baffler, watching Blaze secure the goggles over her eyes and ears. "Make sure the fit is snug so we get a good picture."
"Gotcha," Blaze replied, eyes and ears now covered with the Baffler's special black goggles. "Now what?"
"Just wait for the flash, dear Blaze," giggled the Baffler with a sinister grin as walked over to touch Blaze's goggled face. "Only a second or so more..."
Over at Blaze's costume closet, Flame was taking her new friend, Puzzle Girl, on a brief tour of the various masks and costumes in their impressive imposter collection.
"Hmmm...the red leotard of the masked phony, the Flamebird," Puzzle Girl muttered as she pulled a replica costume of Gotham's famed Girl Wonder. "Have you posed as her in the past?"
"Ah, no, not yet," Flame stuttered. "This is really my first time...involved in something this big, anyway. Although, I would love to lure Batwoman into a trap in this Flamebird costume."
"That is something I'd truly love to see," sneered the pig-tailed purple bodysuit clad Puzzle Girl. "Nothing would be sweeter than getting revenge on Gotham's dynamic duo."
"Revenge?," gasped Flame. "What exactly happened back in Gotham?"
"Well, I'd rather not get into the details," Puzzle Girl sighed, playing it close to the vest, "but Flamebird stuck in nose in where it didn't belong and ruined a fool-proof plan extort millions from various large corporations...and Batwoman saw to it that I was expelled from Gotham State University."
"I see," Flame said softly, not pushing for details. "Well, after we're done here, I'm sure we can address the issue of Batwoman and Flamebird...my sister has been waiting for the right time to surprise the dynamic duo. She got an extended stay at the Gotham State Prison for Woman, thanks to them."
"Well, I have just the thing to deal with the 'Girl Wonder,' Puzzle Girl hissed, simply seething at the thought of Batwoman's blonde shapely sidekick. "I only wish I had this the first time we crossed paths...the Baffler's special concoction of concentrated Puzzle Gas."
"Puzzle Gas!?!," asked the curious Flame. "How does it work?"
"Simple," Puzzle Girl explained as she reached into her belt for a small perfume atomizer, "just a quick squirt in the face will leave Batwoman befuddled and Flamebird flummoxed."
"Holy confused caped crusaders," kidded Blaze's kid sister, mocking Flamebird corny quips.
"Holy captive caped crusader, you mean," added Puzzle Girl, sharing a good laugh, just before spraying the unsuspecting Flame in the face with a mind altering gas.
The gorgeous petite redhead had no time to react to the sneak attack. After inhaling a healthy dose of the sinister spray, Flame's eyes opened wide as a look of complete jaw-dropping shock crossed her face. Her lithe young body grew rigid, almost freezing up completely, as Flame's look of surprise turned to a silly, sloppy grin. The gassed redhead could barely keep her eyes open as she softly blinked and collapsed to the floor. A dazed look of a girl trapped in a land of daydreams was worn on the fallen Flame's face as her half opened eyes stared off into the distance and mouth formed a soft smile. A grinning, self-satisfied Puzzle Girl stood over the drugged and incapacitated young woman, knowing her surprised prey would be lingering blissfully in dreamland for the next couple of hours. Content that Flame was out of the way and out for the count, Puzzle Girl waited patiently and silently in the costume area. The Baffler's double-cross of her former cellmate Blaze was almost complete.
Blaze took a seat, as guided down by the ever helpful Baffler, with the black eye scan goggles firmly wrapped around her face. Blinded temporarily by the apparatus attached to her head, the reassuring tender purple gloved hand of the Baffler put Blaze at ease.
"Just relax and keep your eyes open," purred the Baffler, now sporting a coy, knowing grin. "This will only take a moment."
Baffler tapped the side of the bulky goggles, producing a brilliant flash in the eyes of Blaze and producing a loud high-pitching squeal into her covered ears. The blinding burst of light combined with the eardrum piercing noise was a painful enough combination to swiftly overload Blaze's senses and render her unconscious. Blaze could only grimace briefly under the goggles before mercifully slumping forward in a sound sleep. The Baffler's device didn't cause any permanent damage, but it did work quickly enough to send it's subject into a mind-dulling nap before he or she cuold make a sound. With Blaze blasted into a fitful forced rest, the Baffler surveyed her evil handiwork as she prepared to call for her sidekick's attention.
"See, that wasn't so bad, Blaze," purred the Baffler, smilingly broadly over her gullible friend. "You knew I didn't work well with partners."
"How is the scan coming?," Puzzle Girl called from the closet, unsure the Baffler's dirty double cross was complete.
"Everything went perfectly," answered the Baffler. "And how was your time alone with Flame?"
"Flame is sufficiently puzzled," laughed Puzzle Girl, "thanks to a dose of puzzle gas."
"Outstanding, villainy on a grand scale cannot be carried out by amateurs and dreamers," reasoned Baffler. "There is no way that hare-brain scheme Blaze was trying to sell would ever work, that replicator nonsense. However, if Blaze and her dim witted sister wanted to take care of all the dirty work, who are we refuse such good fortune?"
"The whole DiVinci replicator is a myth," Puzzle Girl explained, coming out from the costume closet to join her partner. "You'd be better off chasing the Lost Treasure of the Incas than building that machine. I think your friend Blaze got her mechancial engineering degree from a community college."
"Let's not speak too poorly of my former cellmate," cautioned the Baffler. "After all, she delivered us a priceless book of sketches, three helpless heroines, and a city that is wide open for us to pillage and plunder."
"Not to mention that she was stupid enough to bring us here and never suspect that we'd take it all for ourselves," sneered Puzzle Girl, surveying the goodies Blaze had left for them.
"Henchwomen should stick to what they know," added Baffler, "following orders."
"What should we do with them now?," inquired Puzzle Girl, having not been briefed on the next stage of their plan. "Neither Blaze nor Flame have any value to us now."
"Very true, Puzzle Girl," announced the Baffler, sporting an evil grin. "I think I know the best way to extinguish a Blaze or a Flame, plenty of water."
"I hear you, the plastic tube Atomic Girl is trapped in serves that purpose nicely," Puzzle Girl thought aloud, "but what about Atomic Girl? We don't want to release her from those energy draining cuffs. She's the most dangerous heroine here."
"Ah, dear Puzzle Girl," Baffler responded with a soft but condecending tone, "do you think I haven't already figured that out? You obviously forgot the little presents I had prepared for Batwoman and Flamebird. Two tiny mind control chips borrowed from the Black Widow herself...they are miniature versions of her brain short-circuiting device, just more portable. Blaze wasn't the only one who picked up a few tips from her prison stay."
"Hmmm, imagine a mind controlled Atomic Girl and Hypergirl helping us carry out our nefarious schemes," Puzzle Girl wondered aloud. "We'd be unstoppable."
"I already have imagined it, Puzzles," the Baffler countered. "Why do you think we came all the way to Metro City?"
"Well, what should we do with Hornette?," Puzzle Girl asked. "Hypergirl and Atomic Girl are the ones with real powers. Hornette is a normal woman without her wings and wrist weaponary."
"You're the engineer," spat the Baffler, annoyed at her sidekick's ignorance. "Find out how those lovely wings work so I can wear them. But first, we have a couple of more urgent matters to clean up."
Inside the warehouse of Cromwell Copiers, Baffler and Puzzle Girl went to work on securing the services of Hypergirl and Atomic Girl and eliminating the wannabe villainess Blaze and her sister. The tiny brain short-circuiting devices were inserted into the ears of Hypergirl and Atomic Girl before releasing them from their restraints. Both super-powered heroines were still unconscious as the KO gas mask was removed from Hypergirl's face and Atomic Girl was freed from her atomic energy draining cuffs. While the now mind controlled heroines recovered, Blaze and Flame were squeezed into the plastic containment tube designed for Atomic Girl. Soon, an airtight lid would be placed over the tube and it would start filling with water. Hornette, still strapped face down on her gurney, was beginning to stir. The green sleepy powder Blaze had administered after her out-of-control roller coaster flight was starting to wear off. Still woozy, the activity around our bee heroine was both frightening and confusing. Hornette wisely decided to play possum, not that she could move with the straps pinning her down, until she could make sense of the situation. All that she could figure now, restrained to a gurney and reasoning with a clouded mind, was that the situation was bleak.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Curse of the Copycat. Part VII.
Hornette wasn't the only heroine stirring about a prolonged rest. With the brain
short-circuiting devices firmly inserted in their right ears, Atomic Girl and Hypergirl were
awakening and ready to follow the commands of their new master, the Baffler. Hypergirl
recovered first as her hyperactive metabolism processed the sleeping powder through her
system quickly after the mask was removed. It took Atomic Girl a short while longer to
recharge once she was released from the power draining coils and cuffs that kept her
captive. Now under the hypnotic power of the Black Widow's brain short-circuiters, Metro
City's most powerful superfoxes were the playthings of Gotham City's queen of crime. Unlike
the usual robotic movements and blank stares associated with being placed under hypnosis,
the Black Widow brain short-circuiters left Hypergirl and Atomic Girl relaxed, cordial, and
downright casual. Their calm demeanor was a striking contrast as our super-powered heroines
were no mindless instruments of evil under the command of the Baffler.
Hornette, awake but still bound and without her wings and wrist weaponary, continued to
keep quiet while horrific events swirled around her. She could see Hypergirl and Atomic
Girl were free, but making no attempt to help release her. Hornette could also see the
famed Gotham villainess, the Baffler, pacing about. Since the former henchwoman of False
Face was likely behind these crimes, it was tough to tell who was really who.
"Another villainess from Gotham?," Hornette thought to herself. "First Lydia Lympet,
then Millie Second, and now the Baffler. Is that Blaze disguised as the Baffler? Or is the
Baffler working with Blaze? And seeing Hypergirl and Atomic Girl moving about carelessly,
are they imposters too? Talk about mistaken identities."
The winged girl wonder kept her mouth shut and her eyes partially open. She didn't
want to arouse any attention, at least not until she could figure out what was going on.
Atomic Girl and Hypergirl had taken a seat and were having a nice conversation with the
Baffler, looking like a friendly chit-chat. This seemed to be a clue that Blaze and another
imposter were likely posing as Hypergirl and Atomic Girl, but it was tough to tell. Was
that the real Baffler? Were there more than two masters of disguise involved in this caper?
And where were the real Atomic Girl and Hypergirl? Back at Wally Watchbert's clock store,
Atomic Girl had been captured by 'Millie Second' and Hypergirl had escaped the clutches of
her captors. These troubling questions kept popping up in the fearful Hornette's mind, much
more questions than answers for now. Just out of Hornette's view was the captive Blaze and
Flame, held in a clear thick plastic containment tube. Puzzle Girl had found a water pipe
on Baffler's orders and was preparing to flood the tube with water before the evil imposters
could awaken.
"They took my wings and bracelets," Hornette mumbled under her breath, "but at least
they left me my goggles. I just hope the real Hypergirl and Atomic Girl get here before
these criminals realize I'm awake."
The real Hypergirl and Atomic Girl were there, but they were in no condition to help
their crime-fighting friend. Under the influence of the brain short-circuiting earplugs,
the sexy speedster and the blonde bombshell were having a lovely conversion with their new
BFF, the Baffler. Seated together in a circle, our heroines shared their thoughts on the
best opportunities to plunder the defenseless city. Despite being rendered a touch ditzy
from the mind control devices, their insider tips proved quite insightful for the visitor
from Gotham City.
"You know, the best bank to rob is the main branch of First Metro City National,"
Hypergirl offered. "All that lovely money for all their local branches goes through the
main branch."
"Oh my god, you are so right," added the bubbly Atomic Girl. "This afternoon, all the
old money goes out and the new money from the federal reserve comes in. The big armored
trucks come...but it's all a big secret, so don't tell anyone we told ya."
"Well, I guess we can keep that our little secret," Baffler giggled, enjoying that all
the secrets of the Metro City authorities were being revealed by these giddy girls. "Now
how would you two go about stealing all that money?"
"Well, Atomic Girl could rip the door off the vault and I could run in and grab
everything in sight," Hypergirl reasoned. "...or maybe Atomic Girl could just smash the
trucks?"
"Oh boy, smashing trucks is fun," Atomic Girl cooed. "But ripping the door off the
vault is much scarier...lets everyone know that I might crush them if they decide to
interfere."
"Why do you get to do all the scary stuff?," huffed Hypergirl. "Using my speed, I can
smack all the guards on the head in seconds. You know how much everyone would freak if all
the guards fell unconscious at once..."
"Let me worry about the planning," Baffler insisted with a soothing tone. "I have a
little experience in this department. But don't worry, each of you will get to strut your
stuff."
Both Hypergirl and Atomic Girl looked happily at each other, happy in the knowledge
that they'd get to have some fun with this assignment.
"Ms. Baffler," Atomic Girl inquired, "can I ask you a question?"
"Certainly, Atomic Girl," smiled the Baffler. "We are all friends here."
"Why is that purple girl hooking a hose up to that plastic tube?," Atomic Girl asked
curiously.
"...and who is that girl in the purple?," interrupted Hypergirl.
"Two very mean people are inside that tube," explained Baffler, "and my friend Puzzle
Girl is making it possible for me to fill that tube up with water. Once the tube is full,
those mean people won't bother us anymore."
"Ummm, how delightfully clever of you, Baffler," purred Hypergirl. "Can we watch?
That sounds like fun."
"Yeah, can we watch?," insisted Atomic Girl. "Please."
"I'm sorry, but the both of you have work to do," Baffler scolded. "Your considerable
skills are needed to getting some travelling money before going back to Gotham."
"You're sooo mean, Baffler," pouted Hypergirl.
"My dear Hypergirl, I have such a fun assignment for you and Atomic Girl," Baffler
replied sweetly. "Besides, I can let you take care of another little pest, namely Hornette,
as a reward."
"Do I get to crush the bug, Baffler?," Atomic Girl earnestly asked.
"No fair," shouted Hypergirl. "Why does she get to do all the good stuff?"
"Relax, you two," Baffler warned, growing tired of the childish bickering. "First
there is the issue of First Metro City National. When do you think those big trucks will
arrive to exchange all that money?"
"Leave that to me," offered Hypergirl. "If I call the bank president and tell him that
Atomic Girl and I need to be on hand for the exchange since, say, some evil doers are
threatening to rob them. He'll give us the time of the exchange and open the doors for us."
"Wonderful, why don't you make that call," Baffler beamed with joy. "You get the time
of the money exchange and I'll see how my friend is doing with the new aquarium. In fact,
use my cell phone."
Baffler handed a cell phone to Hypergirl and left her alone her to place a call to the
First Metro City National bank president. Making her way over to Puzzle Girl and the large
plastic tube holding Blaze and Flame, the Baffler stopped by the bound bee heroine,
Hornette. Hornette still appeared to be unconscious, lying face down on the gurney, as the
green bodysuited villainess approached from behind. Running a purple gloved index finger on
the back of Hornette's thigh, the Baffler drew closer and leaned in to examine the captive
heroine.
"Playing dead, my dear," whispered Baffler, not fooled by Hornette's possum ploy.
"Easedropping is such a rude habit."
"Working with Blaze, Baffler?," Hornette asked calmly, careful not to show any fear.
"Unless you are Blaze masquerading in that clown suit."
"Ah, you recognized that it was Blaze behind this caper," Baffler replied. "Color me
impressed. But I am the real Baffler...live and in the flesh. I was working with Blaze and
her sister, but that partnership ended badly. I'd like to think of it as a wash-out."
"It doesn't look like things are going badly," Hornette hissed. "They're parading
around in Hypergirl and Atomic Girl costumes as far as I can tell. Where are Hypergirl and
Atomic Girl? What have you done with them?"
"I'm afraid you've been sleeping too long to make such an assumption," kidded the
sinister Baffler, spinning the gurney Hornette was strapped to around to see Blaze and Flame
trapped in a tube. "The heroines you saw were the real Hypergirl and Atomic Girl...the
imposters you and your friends were chasing are right over there. Blaze and Flame are about
to do their impression of Aquawoman and Aquagirl because the tank their trapped in is about
to fill with water."
"You vile vixen," Hornette steamed, seething with anger. "What an unspeakable way to
go...and just what have you done with Hypergirl and Atomic Girl? Why are they helping
someone as horrible as you?"
"In your position, my dear," Baffler answered in a sweet, yet menacing voice, "you
should really watch the name calling. Atomic Girl and Hypergirl are under the influence of
brain short-circuiting devices that place them under my control. They should prove most
helpful in raiding Metro City of its riches before heading back to Gotham to settle a little
score with Batwoman and Flamebird. Having two superpowered allies should help in my quest
to dispose of Gotham's dynamic duo."
"Hypergirl and Atomic Girl will break your spell over them," the bound Hornette bravely
boasted. "Once they snap out of it, you'll be heading back to Gotham...behind bars."
"I just love the courageous chatter from you costumed super-chicks, so brave and heroic
in the face of danger," Baffler giggled, gently stroking the Asian heroine's raven hair. "I
just may be convinced to keep you as a little insurance policy, rather than allowing Atomic
Girl and Hypergirl to, well, exterminate you. A pretty little hostage, particularly a
famous superheroine, can come in handy in my line of work."
"Convinced?," Hornette replied incredulously. "I'm convinced you're crazy if you think
I'll do anything to help you."
"I'm so sorry to hear that," Baffler answered sarcastically. "All I wanted was for
your to share your secrets of flight with me...maybe show me how I can use those wonderous
wings of yours. A small price to pay...unless you'd rather have Atomic Girl squash you like
the insect you are."
"Never," shouted Hornette, "I'd rather join your friends in the water tank than show
you how to use my wings."
"Very well then," sighed a discouraged Baffler, turned to the table nearby with two
aerosol cans (one white and one red) and grabbed the red one. "I'm growing tired of this
banal banter...perhaps you should sleep on this decision..."
With that, the Baffler sprayed a quick blast of sleeping gas over Hornette's face. The
hiss of the sleepy spray quickly escorted the winged bee wonder into dreamland as her stiif
posture went limp and her drowsy head crashed back down onto the pillow.
"Good thing I grabbed the right one this time," joked Baffler. "I always confuse the
sleeping gas with the awake gas...can be so embarrassing after making a cryptic sleep remark
and spraying a heroine with the wrong can."
After making the phone call to the First Metro City National Bank president, the cheery
duo of Hypergirl and Atomic Girl bounced over to meet with the Baffler. They could barely
contain their excitement as they had good news to deliver to their new master.
"Oh Baffler," Hypergirl announced grandly, eager to gain the approval of the green
bodysuited vixen. "Everything is a go...the armored trucks arrive at three o'clock...and
yours truly and Atomic Girl will be there to make sure nothing bad happens to all that
cash."
"Yeah, the bank president flipped out when we said that some shadowy supervillain was
plotting to rob the money exchange," Atomic Girl added, sounding more like a ditzy teen than
a mature heroine. "He practically begged us to be there to help 'protect' the shipment."
"Excellent," purred the Baffler, "you two have done a wonderful job so far. I can't
wait to see everyone's faces when you both overpower the guards and make off with the loot
yourselves."
"Hmmm," Hypergirl wondered aloud, looking down at the bound and knocked out Hornette,
"Who's that? Why is she sleeping?"
"Oh, that's a nosey little heroine named Hornette who was sent to stop us," Baffler
explained. "She was acting a little cranky, so I decided that she needed a little nap."
"This must be the bug you wanted me to crush," Atomic Girl grunted, pointed to her
captive former ally. "Would you like me to take care of that now?"
"No, not right now, Atomic Girl," Baffler replied. "I need to have a word with her
later...and you have an important appointment to keep with a certain bank president."
"Very well, perhaps later," sneered the evil Atomic Girl as the blonde bombshell
angirly ground her clenched right fist in her open left hand. "That exchange of cash will
take place in an hour or so...do you have a way to get me down there?"
"I don't need a car," mocked the silly superspeedster Hypergirl, "I can run faster than
any stupid car."
"Take the van," ordered the Baffler, ignoring Hypergirl's inane remark. "You'll need
something big to haul all of that money out of there."
"Won't the van be easy to follow?," countered Hypergirl. "The Metro City Police are
stupid, but not that stupid."
"Two super-females with super speed and strength cannot handle a few clowns in blue
uniforms," Baffler insisted angrily. "You truly disappoint me. Besides, don't forget who
the boss is here."
"I'm sorry, Baffler," apologized the brain-altered Hypergirl, "we won't disappoint
you."
"I know you won't, sweetie," Baffler responded with a broad smile. "After the money
grab this afternoon, we will quickly be off to Gotham. I simply can't wait to get back home
to test my new toys against Batwoman and the Girl Wonder."
"Well, time's wasting," huffed an impatient Atomic Girl. "The money exchange takes
place in less than an hour...just let me know where the keys to the van here and we'll get
to work."
"I like your attitude, Atomic Girl," Baffler beamed, flipping the keys to Blaze's van
to the super-strong blonde powerhouse. "Just remember to collect the incoming and outgoing
shipments and don't be afraid to use force to deal with the authorites...deadly force if
necessary."
The brainwashed duo nodded knowingly and quickly departed, Hypergirl on foot and Atomic
Girl by van. The unsuspecting bank president of the First Metro City National Bank belived
he was expecting a helping hand from Metro City's most acclaimed and powerful heroines in
protecting a dangerous exchange of millions of dollars in cash. Instead, he was getting two
mind controlled super-beauties intent on using any force needed to rob the shipment from the
Federal Reserve.
As Baffler's brain addled heroines left to do her bidding, Puzzle Girl had completed
her assignment of rigging a water pipe directly to the plastic tube that held the still
motionless Blaze and Flame. Blaze was unconscious from the light and sound blast from
Baffler's gimmacked goggles as Flame remained in a daze from a dose of Puzzle Gas.
Mercifully, the two amateur villainesses would not likely be awake as the tube filled with
water, bringing a sudden end to their budding criminal careers.
"The water tank is ready, Baffler," Puzzle Girl grunted, wiping her brow just above her
eyemask. "Would you like to do the honors?"
"Absolutely," Baffler announced grandly. "I would love to..."
The Baffler walked over to the wall next to the pipe and twisted the metal valve
quickly. With that, a steady stream of water began to flow inside the tube.
"So long, Blaze," Baffler said quietly, addressing the KO'ed and tubed master of
disguise. "Its been a long, strange trip, but the road ends for you and your sister today.
Nothing personal, but just as I told you many times...never leave any loose ends."
The rushing water began to pool at the souls of Blaze and Flame's boots. The noise of
the splashing water and the damp cold of the liquid at their ankles did not create any stir
in the occupants inside the tube. Unaware of the danger around them, the zoned out Blaze
and Flame stood together, packed tightly inside a plastic tomb, simply waiting for the water
to rise.
"With that done," Baffled noted with a smug. satisfied smile, "that only leaves bee
girl and her magical wings...once I strip her of her false bravado, she will be more than
willing to share her secrets of flight."
Pacing back to the gurney where Hornette slept, the Baffler grabbed the white aerosol
can from the table. With a quick squirt of awake spray in Hornette's face, the insect
heroine blinked quickly and snapped out of her forced slumber.
"Wakey, wakey, bee girl," Baffler hissed, growing tired of the Hornette's stonewalling.
"I tried reasoning with you, but I think the time for talk is over. You will tell me how to
operate those wonderous wings of yours...and you will tell me now."
"You again," scoffed the drowsy Hornette. "Do you really think I'll ever tell you how
to steal my wings?"
"Cocky girl," snapped the angered Baffler. "You will happily tell me in a few moments.
I was hoping to avoid this, but your insolent attitude leaves me no choice."
"Where are Atomic Girl and Hornette?," spat the groggy Hornette, ignoring the Baffler's
menacing threats. "What have you done with them?"
"They are just fine and on their way to rob the First Metro City National Bank for me,"
laughed Baffler. "Besides, you have much bigger concerns than your brain-washed friends.
If you don't start cooperating, namely by showing me how your wings work, I'm afraid you'll
be sorry."
"What are you going to do?," Hornette asked with a defiant tone. "Are you going to
hypnotize me as well?'
"No, nothing like that," Baffler smiled, grabbing a velvet bag and retrieving a golden
question mark, no bigger than 8 inches tall. "Just a little present I received from my
felonious phantom friends, Doe, Rae, and Mimi...Chandell's henchgirls. Blaze wasn't the
only one learning new tricks during her lenghty prison stay."
"Threatening me with a golden paperweight, Baffler," scoffed the angry heroine, "let's
say I'm less than impressed. Perhaps a letter opener might make me talk too."
"It's not a paperweight, boisterous bee girl," Baffler snapped. "It's a tuning fork
capable of producing a symphony of pain...and produce a tune that will certainly have you
singing..."
"Ha...you're bluffing, Baffler," interjected Hornette, just as the Baffler gently
flicked the crooked tuning fork with a gloved finger, releasing an ear-piercing screech.
"You really think...ARGGHHHH!!!"
Hornette let loose a high pitched scream, almost as high pitched as the sound coming
from the vibrating question marked shaped fork. The ambushed heroine gritted her teeth and
closed her eyes to deal with the painful noise filling her ears, squirming helplessly
against the straps that still pinned her down. Hornette tried desparately to pull her hands
over her ears, but the straps simply wouldn't budge. Not that it would have helped much,
the heroic bee girl was defenseless against the sonic onslaught.
"Please...make...make it stop...," Hornette groaned as the sound from the vibrations
burned her eardrums and made her head throb. "Pl...Please...turn...it..offfff..."
Puzzle Girl giggled loudly as she shared a knowing smile with the Baffler. Both were
protected from the sinister sound by the sonic screening earplugs they were wearing. The
shared smile came as a result of Hornette's pleas, knowing it wouldn't take long for break
the once confident costumed superchick.
"Oh, is this bothering you?," the Baffler asked sarcastically. "This little
paperweight packs quite a wallop, eh?"
"Stop it...stop it now," whimpered Hornette as her boastful heroic voice now turned to
sobs. "I...I'll talk...any...anything you want."
The Baffler waited, staring down at the struggling heroine, knowing the sound was
growing unbearable.
"You know what I want," Baffler sighed. "All you heroines must play your little games
before finally giving me what I want. The wings...how do they work?"
Hornette found it more difficult to speak as the demonic humming from the Baffler's
tuning fork. Her lithe body grew almost paralyzed in pain as her head pounded and her
eardrums flet as if they were close to bursting. SHe heroically fought through the intense
pain to grunt the words that could bring this sonic attack to an end.
"My...my belt," Hornette squealed. "Annn...anti-gra...gravity...disc...in
my...b-b-belt."
The insect heroine was close to passing out as the Baffler softly grabbed the curved
tuning fork, preventing the fork from vibrating further and muffling the maddening melody it
produced. With the tortuous tune muted, only the shallow breathing of the recovering
heroine could be heard. Although the sonic eardrum assault did no permanent damage,
Hornette struggled to catch her labored breath and cautiously rested her pounding skull on
her pillow. Our fearless bee girl would be of little help to anyone for a good while,
thanks to the musical mayhem that came courtesy of Doe, Rae, and Mimi's gift. It really
made no difference now as the Baffler had the answer she was looking for. Without
hestation, Baffler carefully unclasped Hornette's belt and pulled it out from under the
heroine's limp, exhausted body.
"Now, see, was that so hard," cooed the giddy Baffler, replacing her utility belt with
the one worn by the flying winged wonder girl. Just as advertised, the silver disc, the
anti-gravity disc Hornette spoke of, was centered at the buckle. With the belt and disc
secured, the Baffler slipped on Hornette's amazingly light bee wings. The thin titanium
wiring that constituted the framework of the insect wings and the remarkably delicate silky
fabric stretched over the framework was a marvel of engineering that even impressed an evil
inventor of Baffler's stature.
"My goodness," Baffler noted with great surprise. "How do these light, little wings
support a fully grown woman? And how do they allow her such speed and mobility in flight?"
"These wings are simply remarkable," gasped an equally impressed Puzzle Girl, walking
over to inspect the wings personally. "Whoever designed them is years ahead of any
aeronautical engineer working today...something that light, supporting that much weight,
fluid and rapid movement...unreal!"
"Well, before we fall all over ourselves as to the design of these bee wings,"
interrupted Baffler, "we need to know how I'm going to get airborne. Let's see if Hornette
has regained her shattered senses and is ready for round two..."
Puzzle Girl lightly tapped the face of the embattled heroine, struggling to keep her
eyes open and merely speak after enduring a full dose of Baffler's sonic screeching tuning
fork. The docile daredoll was meek, but conscious enough to know what was coming next.
"The first vibrating blast from the sonically enhanced tuning fork can be quite
painful, as you just experienced, but the effects are relatively harmless," explained the
now winged Baffler. "I cannot promise that a second sonic dose will be as harmless...why
don't you tell me how to get off the ground?"
"Press the disc firmly," muttered a defeated Hornette, keeping her head down to avoid
eye-contact with the Baffler and her sidekick. "A firm push will get you in the air..."
An ashamed Hornette could barely look as Baffler followed her advice. With a hard push
upon the anti-gravity disc on the stolen belt, the Baffler could feel herself floating
upward. The great secret to Hornette's power of flight had been discovered by the master
villainess Baffler. With Hornette's wonderful wings and Hypergirl and Atomic Girl under her
evil command, it seemed that little could stop the Baffler.
TO BE CONTINUED....
Hornette wasn't the only heroine stirring about a prolonged rest. With the brain
short-circuiting devices firmly inserted in their right ears, Atomic Girl and Hypergirl were
awakening and ready to follow the commands of their new master, the Baffler. Hypergirl
recovered first as her hyperactive metabolism processed the sleeping powder through her
system quickly after the mask was removed. It took Atomic Girl a short while longer to
recharge once she was released from the power draining coils and cuffs that kept her
captive. Now under the hypnotic power of the Black Widow's brain short-circuiters, Metro
City's most powerful superfoxes were the playthings of Gotham City's queen of crime. Unlike
the usual robotic movements and blank stares associated with being placed under hypnosis,
the Black Widow brain short-circuiters left Hypergirl and Atomic Girl relaxed, cordial, and
downright casual. Their calm demeanor was a striking contrast as our super-powered heroines
were no mindless instruments of evil under the command of the Baffler.
Hornette, awake but still bound and without her wings and wrist weaponary, continued to
keep quiet while horrific events swirled around her. She could see Hypergirl and Atomic
Girl were free, but making no attempt to help release her. Hornette could also see the
famed Gotham villainess, the Baffler, pacing about. Since the former henchwoman of False
Face was likely behind these crimes, it was tough to tell who was really who.
"Another villainess from Gotham?," Hornette thought to herself. "First Lydia Lympet,
then Millie Second, and now the Baffler. Is that Blaze disguised as the Baffler? Or is the
Baffler working with Blaze? And seeing Hypergirl and Atomic Girl moving about carelessly,
are they imposters too? Talk about mistaken identities."
The winged girl wonder kept her mouth shut and her eyes partially open. She didn't
want to arouse any attention, at least not until she could figure out what was going on.
Atomic Girl and Hypergirl had taken a seat and were having a nice conversation with the
Baffler, looking like a friendly chit-chat. This seemed to be a clue that Blaze and another
imposter were likely posing as Hypergirl and Atomic Girl, but it was tough to tell. Was
that the real Baffler? Were there more than two masters of disguise involved in this caper?
And where were the real Atomic Girl and Hypergirl? Back at Wally Watchbert's clock store,
Atomic Girl had been captured by 'Millie Second' and Hypergirl had escaped the clutches of
her captors. These troubling questions kept popping up in the fearful Hornette's mind, much
more questions than answers for now. Just out of Hornette's view was the captive Blaze and
Flame, held in a clear thick plastic containment tube. Puzzle Girl had found a water pipe
on Baffler's orders and was preparing to flood the tube with water before the evil imposters
could awaken.
"They took my wings and bracelets," Hornette mumbled under her breath, "but at least
they left me my goggles. I just hope the real Hypergirl and Atomic Girl get here before
these criminals realize I'm awake."
The real Hypergirl and Atomic Girl were there, but they were in no condition to help
their crime-fighting friend. Under the influence of the brain short-circuiting earplugs,
the sexy speedster and the blonde bombshell were having a lovely conversion with their new
BFF, the Baffler. Seated together in a circle, our heroines shared their thoughts on the
best opportunities to plunder the defenseless city. Despite being rendered a touch ditzy
from the mind control devices, their insider tips proved quite insightful for the visitor
from Gotham City.
"You know, the best bank to rob is the main branch of First Metro City National,"
Hypergirl offered. "All that lovely money for all their local branches goes through the
main branch."
"Oh my god, you are so right," added the bubbly Atomic Girl. "This afternoon, all the
old money goes out and the new money from the federal reserve comes in. The big armored
trucks come...but it's all a big secret, so don't tell anyone we told ya."
"Well, I guess we can keep that our little secret," Baffler giggled, enjoying that all
the secrets of the Metro City authorities were being revealed by these giddy girls. "Now
how would you two go about stealing all that money?"
"Well, Atomic Girl could rip the door off the vault and I could run in and grab
everything in sight," Hypergirl reasoned. "...or maybe Atomic Girl could just smash the
trucks?"
"Oh boy, smashing trucks is fun," Atomic Girl cooed. "But ripping the door off the
vault is much scarier...lets everyone know that I might crush them if they decide to
interfere."
"Why do you get to do all the scary stuff?," huffed Hypergirl. "Using my speed, I can
smack all the guards on the head in seconds. You know how much everyone would freak if all
the guards fell unconscious at once..."
"Let me worry about the planning," Baffler insisted with a soothing tone. "I have a
little experience in this department. But don't worry, each of you will get to strut your
stuff."
Both Hypergirl and Atomic Girl looked happily at each other, happy in the knowledge
that they'd get to have some fun with this assignment.
"Ms. Baffler," Atomic Girl inquired, "can I ask you a question?"
"Certainly, Atomic Girl," smiled the Baffler. "We are all friends here."
"Why is that purple girl hooking a hose up to that plastic tube?," Atomic Girl asked
curiously.
"...and who is that girl in the purple?," interrupted Hypergirl.
"Two very mean people are inside that tube," explained Baffler, "and my friend Puzzle
Girl is making it possible for me to fill that tube up with water. Once the tube is full,
those mean people won't bother us anymore."
"Ummm, how delightfully clever of you, Baffler," purred Hypergirl. "Can we watch?
That sounds like fun."
"Yeah, can we watch?," insisted Atomic Girl. "Please."
"I'm sorry, but the both of you have work to do," Baffler scolded. "Your considerable
skills are needed to getting some travelling money before going back to Gotham."
"You're sooo mean, Baffler," pouted Hypergirl.
"My dear Hypergirl, I have such a fun assignment for you and Atomic Girl," Baffler
replied sweetly. "Besides, I can let you take care of another little pest, namely Hornette,
as a reward."
"Do I get to crush the bug, Baffler?," Atomic Girl earnestly asked.
"No fair," shouted Hypergirl. "Why does she get to do all the good stuff?"
"Relax, you two," Baffler warned, growing tired of the childish bickering. "First
there is the issue of First Metro City National. When do you think those big trucks will
arrive to exchange all that money?"
"Leave that to me," offered Hypergirl. "If I call the bank president and tell him that
Atomic Girl and I need to be on hand for the exchange since, say, some evil doers are
threatening to rob them. He'll give us the time of the exchange and open the doors for us."
"Wonderful, why don't you make that call," Baffler beamed with joy. "You get the time
of the money exchange and I'll see how my friend is doing with the new aquarium. In fact,
use my cell phone."
Baffler handed a cell phone to Hypergirl and left her alone her to place a call to the
First Metro City National bank president. Making her way over to Puzzle Girl and the large
plastic tube holding Blaze and Flame, the Baffler stopped by the bound bee heroine,
Hornette. Hornette still appeared to be unconscious, lying face down on the gurney, as the
green bodysuited villainess approached from behind. Running a purple gloved index finger on
the back of Hornette's thigh, the Baffler drew closer and leaned in to examine the captive
heroine.
"Playing dead, my dear," whispered Baffler, not fooled by Hornette's possum ploy.
"Easedropping is such a rude habit."
"Working with Blaze, Baffler?," Hornette asked calmly, careful not to show any fear.
"Unless you are Blaze masquerading in that clown suit."
"Ah, you recognized that it was Blaze behind this caper," Baffler replied. "Color me
impressed. But I am the real Baffler...live and in the flesh. I was working with Blaze and
her sister, but that partnership ended badly. I'd like to think of it as a wash-out."
"It doesn't look like things are going badly," Hornette hissed. "They're parading
around in Hypergirl and Atomic Girl costumes as far as I can tell. Where are Hypergirl and
Atomic Girl? What have you done with them?"
"I'm afraid you've been sleeping too long to make such an assumption," kidded the
sinister Baffler, spinning the gurney Hornette was strapped to around to see Blaze and Flame
trapped in a tube. "The heroines you saw were the real Hypergirl and Atomic Girl...the
imposters you and your friends were chasing are right over there. Blaze and Flame are about
to do their impression of Aquawoman and Aquagirl because the tank their trapped in is about
to fill with water."
"You vile vixen," Hornette steamed, seething with anger. "What an unspeakable way to
go...and just what have you done with Hypergirl and Atomic Girl? Why are they helping
someone as horrible as you?"
"In your position, my dear," Baffler answered in a sweet, yet menacing voice, "you
should really watch the name calling. Atomic Girl and Hypergirl are under the influence of
brain short-circuiting devices that place them under my control. They should prove most
helpful in raiding Metro City of its riches before heading back to Gotham to settle a little
score with Batwoman and Flamebird. Having two superpowered allies should help in my quest
to dispose of Gotham's dynamic duo."
"Hypergirl and Atomic Girl will break your spell over them," the bound Hornette bravely
boasted. "Once they snap out of it, you'll be heading back to Gotham...behind bars."
"I just love the courageous chatter from you costumed super-chicks, so brave and heroic
in the face of danger," Baffler giggled, gently stroking the Asian heroine's raven hair. "I
just may be convinced to keep you as a little insurance policy, rather than allowing Atomic
Girl and Hypergirl to, well, exterminate you. A pretty little hostage, particularly a
famous superheroine, can come in handy in my line of work."
"Convinced?," Hornette replied incredulously. "I'm convinced you're crazy if you think
I'll do anything to help you."
"I'm so sorry to hear that," Baffler answered sarcastically. "All I wanted was for
your to share your secrets of flight with me...maybe show me how I can use those wonderous
wings of yours. A small price to pay...unless you'd rather have Atomic Girl squash you like
the insect you are."
"Never," shouted Hornette, "I'd rather join your friends in the water tank than show
you how to use my wings."
"Very well then," sighed a discouraged Baffler, turned to the table nearby with two
aerosol cans (one white and one red) and grabbed the red one. "I'm growing tired of this
banal banter...perhaps you should sleep on this decision..."
With that, the Baffler sprayed a quick blast of sleeping gas over Hornette's face. The
hiss of the sleepy spray quickly escorted the winged bee wonder into dreamland as her stiif
posture went limp and her drowsy head crashed back down onto the pillow.
"Good thing I grabbed the right one this time," joked Baffler. "I always confuse the
sleeping gas with the awake gas...can be so embarrassing after making a cryptic sleep remark
and spraying a heroine with the wrong can."
After making the phone call to the First Metro City National Bank president, the cheery
duo of Hypergirl and Atomic Girl bounced over to meet with the Baffler. They could barely
contain their excitement as they had good news to deliver to their new master.
"Oh Baffler," Hypergirl announced grandly, eager to gain the approval of the green
bodysuited vixen. "Everything is a go...the armored trucks arrive at three o'clock...and
yours truly and Atomic Girl will be there to make sure nothing bad happens to all that
cash."
"Yeah, the bank president flipped out when we said that some shadowy supervillain was
plotting to rob the money exchange," Atomic Girl added, sounding more like a ditzy teen than
a mature heroine. "He practically begged us to be there to help 'protect' the shipment."
"Excellent," purred the Baffler, "you two have done a wonderful job so far. I can't
wait to see everyone's faces when you both overpower the guards and make off with the loot
yourselves."
"Hmmm," Hypergirl wondered aloud, looking down at the bound and knocked out Hornette,
"Who's that? Why is she sleeping?"
"Oh, that's a nosey little heroine named Hornette who was sent to stop us," Baffler
explained. "She was acting a little cranky, so I decided that she needed a little nap."
"This must be the bug you wanted me to crush," Atomic Girl grunted, pointed to her
captive former ally. "Would you like me to take care of that now?"
"No, not right now, Atomic Girl," Baffler replied. "I need to have a word with her
later...and you have an important appointment to keep with a certain bank president."
"Very well, perhaps later," sneered the evil Atomic Girl as the blonde bombshell
angirly ground her clenched right fist in her open left hand. "That exchange of cash will
take place in an hour or so...do you have a way to get me down there?"
"I don't need a car," mocked the silly superspeedster Hypergirl, "I can run faster than
any stupid car."
"Take the van," ordered the Baffler, ignoring Hypergirl's inane remark. "You'll need
something big to haul all of that money out of there."
"Won't the van be easy to follow?," countered Hypergirl. "The Metro City Police are
stupid, but not that stupid."
"Two super-females with super speed and strength cannot handle a few clowns in blue
uniforms," Baffler insisted angrily. "You truly disappoint me. Besides, don't forget who
the boss is here."
"I'm sorry, Baffler," apologized the brain-altered Hypergirl, "we won't disappoint
you."
"I know you won't, sweetie," Baffler responded with a broad smile. "After the money
grab this afternoon, we will quickly be off to Gotham. I simply can't wait to get back home
to test my new toys against Batwoman and the Girl Wonder."
"Well, time's wasting," huffed an impatient Atomic Girl. "The money exchange takes
place in less than an hour...just let me know where the keys to the van here and we'll get
to work."
"I like your attitude, Atomic Girl," Baffler beamed, flipping the keys to Blaze's van
to the super-strong blonde powerhouse. "Just remember to collect the incoming and outgoing
shipments and don't be afraid to use force to deal with the authorites...deadly force if
necessary."
The brainwashed duo nodded knowingly and quickly departed, Hypergirl on foot and Atomic
Girl by van. The unsuspecting bank president of the First Metro City National Bank belived
he was expecting a helping hand from Metro City's most acclaimed and powerful heroines in
protecting a dangerous exchange of millions of dollars in cash. Instead, he was getting two
mind controlled super-beauties intent on using any force needed to rob the shipment from the
Federal Reserve.
As Baffler's brain addled heroines left to do her bidding, Puzzle Girl had completed
her assignment of rigging a water pipe directly to the plastic tube that held the still
motionless Blaze and Flame. Blaze was unconscious from the light and sound blast from
Baffler's gimmacked goggles as Flame remained in a daze from a dose of Puzzle Gas.
Mercifully, the two amateur villainesses would not likely be awake as the tube filled with
water, bringing a sudden end to their budding criminal careers.
"The water tank is ready, Baffler," Puzzle Girl grunted, wiping her brow just above her
eyemask. "Would you like to do the honors?"
"Absolutely," Baffler announced grandly. "I would love to..."
The Baffler walked over to the wall next to the pipe and twisted the metal valve
quickly. With that, a steady stream of water began to flow inside the tube.
"So long, Blaze," Baffler said quietly, addressing the KO'ed and tubed master of
disguise. "Its been a long, strange trip, but the road ends for you and your sister today.
Nothing personal, but just as I told you many times...never leave any loose ends."
The rushing water began to pool at the souls of Blaze and Flame's boots. The noise of
the splashing water and the damp cold of the liquid at their ankles did not create any stir
in the occupants inside the tube. Unaware of the danger around them, the zoned out Blaze
and Flame stood together, packed tightly inside a plastic tomb, simply waiting for the water
to rise.
"With that done," Baffled noted with a smug. satisfied smile, "that only leaves bee
girl and her magical wings...once I strip her of her false bravado, she will be more than
willing to share her secrets of flight."
Pacing back to the gurney where Hornette slept, the Baffler grabbed the white aerosol
can from the table. With a quick squirt of awake spray in Hornette's face, the insect
heroine blinked quickly and snapped out of her forced slumber.
"Wakey, wakey, bee girl," Baffler hissed, growing tired of the Hornette's stonewalling.
"I tried reasoning with you, but I think the time for talk is over. You will tell me how to
operate those wonderous wings of yours...and you will tell me now."
"You again," scoffed the drowsy Hornette. "Do you really think I'll ever tell you how
to steal my wings?"
"Cocky girl," snapped the angered Baffler. "You will happily tell me in a few moments.
I was hoping to avoid this, but your insolent attitude leaves me no choice."
"Where are Atomic Girl and Hornette?," spat the groggy Hornette, ignoring the Baffler's
menacing threats. "What have you done with them?"
"They are just fine and on their way to rob the First Metro City National Bank for me,"
laughed Baffler. "Besides, you have much bigger concerns than your brain-washed friends.
If you don't start cooperating, namely by showing me how your wings work, I'm afraid you'll
be sorry."
"What are you going to do?," Hornette asked with a defiant tone. "Are you going to
hypnotize me as well?'
"No, nothing like that," Baffler smiled, grabbing a velvet bag and retrieving a golden
question mark, no bigger than 8 inches tall. "Just a little present I received from my
felonious phantom friends, Doe, Rae, and Mimi...Chandell's henchgirls. Blaze wasn't the
only one learning new tricks during her lenghty prison stay."
"Threatening me with a golden paperweight, Baffler," scoffed the angry heroine, "let's
say I'm less than impressed. Perhaps a letter opener might make me talk too."
"It's not a paperweight, boisterous bee girl," Baffler snapped. "It's a tuning fork
capable of producing a symphony of pain...and produce a tune that will certainly have you
singing..."
"Ha...you're bluffing, Baffler," interjected Hornette, just as the Baffler gently
flicked the crooked tuning fork with a gloved finger, releasing an ear-piercing screech.
"You really think...ARGGHHHH!!!"
Hornette let loose a high pitched scream, almost as high pitched as the sound coming
from the vibrating question marked shaped fork. The ambushed heroine gritted her teeth and
closed her eyes to deal with the painful noise filling her ears, squirming helplessly
against the straps that still pinned her down. Hornette tried desparately to pull her hands
over her ears, but the straps simply wouldn't budge. Not that it would have helped much,
the heroic bee girl was defenseless against the sonic onslaught.
"Please...make...make it stop...," Hornette groaned as the sound from the vibrations
burned her eardrums and made her head throb. "Pl...Please...turn...it..offfff..."
Puzzle Girl giggled loudly as she shared a knowing smile with the Baffler. Both were
protected from the sinister sound by the sonic screening earplugs they were wearing. The
shared smile came as a result of Hornette's pleas, knowing it wouldn't take long for break
the once confident costumed superchick.
"Oh, is this bothering you?," the Baffler asked sarcastically. "This little
paperweight packs quite a wallop, eh?"
"Stop it...stop it now," whimpered Hornette as her boastful heroic voice now turned to
sobs. "I...I'll talk...any...anything you want."
The Baffler waited, staring down at the struggling heroine, knowing the sound was
growing unbearable.
"You know what I want," Baffler sighed. "All you heroines must play your little games
before finally giving me what I want. The wings...how do they work?"
Hornette found it more difficult to speak as the demonic humming from the Baffler's
tuning fork. Her lithe body grew almost paralyzed in pain as her head pounded and her
eardrums flet as if they were close to bursting. SHe heroically fought through the intense
pain to grunt the words that could bring this sonic attack to an end.
"My...my belt," Hornette squealed. "Annn...anti-gra...gravity...disc...in
my...b-b-belt."
The insect heroine was close to passing out as the Baffler softly grabbed the curved
tuning fork, preventing the fork from vibrating further and muffling the maddening melody it
produced. With the tortuous tune muted, only the shallow breathing of the recovering
heroine could be heard. Although the sonic eardrum assault did no permanent damage,
Hornette struggled to catch her labored breath and cautiously rested her pounding skull on
her pillow. Our fearless bee girl would be of little help to anyone for a good while,
thanks to the musical mayhem that came courtesy of Doe, Rae, and Mimi's gift. It really
made no difference now as the Baffler had the answer she was looking for. Without
hestation, Baffler carefully unclasped Hornette's belt and pulled it out from under the
heroine's limp, exhausted body.
"Now, see, was that so hard," cooed the giddy Baffler, replacing her utility belt with
the one worn by the flying winged wonder girl. Just as advertised, the silver disc, the
anti-gravity disc Hornette spoke of, was centered at the buckle. With the belt and disc
secured, the Baffler slipped on Hornette's amazingly light bee wings. The thin titanium
wiring that constituted the framework of the insect wings and the remarkably delicate silky
fabric stretched over the framework was a marvel of engineering that even impressed an evil
inventor of Baffler's stature.
"My goodness," Baffler noted with great surprise. "How do these light, little wings
support a fully grown woman? And how do they allow her such speed and mobility in flight?"
"These wings are simply remarkable," gasped an equally impressed Puzzle Girl, walking
over to inspect the wings personally. "Whoever designed them is years ahead of any
aeronautical engineer working today...something that light, supporting that much weight,
fluid and rapid movement...unreal!"
"Well, before we fall all over ourselves as to the design of these bee wings,"
interrupted Baffler, "we need to know how I'm going to get airborne. Let's see if Hornette
has regained her shattered senses and is ready for round two..."
Puzzle Girl lightly tapped the face of the embattled heroine, struggling to keep her
eyes open and merely speak after enduring a full dose of Baffler's sonic screeching tuning
fork. The docile daredoll was meek, but conscious enough to know what was coming next.
"The first vibrating blast from the sonically enhanced tuning fork can be quite
painful, as you just experienced, but the effects are relatively harmless," explained the
now winged Baffler. "I cannot promise that a second sonic dose will be as harmless...why
don't you tell me how to get off the ground?"
"Press the disc firmly," muttered a defeated Hornette, keeping her head down to avoid
eye-contact with the Baffler and her sidekick. "A firm push will get you in the air..."
An ashamed Hornette could barely look as Baffler followed her advice. With a hard push
upon the anti-gravity disc on the stolen belt, the Baffler could feel herself floating
upward. The great secret to Hornette's power of flight had been discovered by the master
villainess Baffler. With Hornette's wonderful wings and Hypergirl and Atomic Girl under her
evil command, it seemed that little could stop the Baffler.
TO BE CONTINUED....
Franco I just got through all the parts, this has to be one of your best stories ever. One heck of a cliff hanger there. Loved the capture of Atomic Girl and the use of Copy Cat and different bad girls. Awesome stuff Trap Master!
Yes Supergirl, that's right its a necklace for you....What's the matter you don't like Kryptonite?
I was really hoping that Blaze & Puzzler,co. would infiltrate the Warrington AFB.KO Gassing or Chloroforming those two female secretaries/or officers that had been security I.D.,fingerprinted,retinal scanned.Thus allowing them to swipe the titanium they needed.This was a very good story,but this would have been the best part,period!
-
CaptainBoiz
- Neophyte
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 12 years ago
- Location: USA
- Contact:
You got a good story down there.franco99 wrote:It has been a bit slow on the story board...here's something I've been working on...
The Curse of Copycat Part I.
A lovely young policewoman, a shapely brunette who really filled out her standard issue blue uniform, waited patiently inside the office of the Metro City Chief of Police, Stanley O'Reilly. Chief O'Reilly, a handsome and trim middle aged man, looked over the files on his desk and reviewed them quickly before turning his attention to the pretty officer before him.
"Policewoman Mooney?," the Chief addressed the young officer. "It's a pleasure to meet you. The reports from your superiors are outstanding, so I called you in to help with a special assignment."
"Th-Thank you, Chief O'Reilly," Policewoman Mooney nervously replied. "It's great to finally meet you as well...and I must say it is an honor to be called in by you personally for any assignment."
"Well, let me get straight to the point," the gruff Chief grunted, surveying the lovely young officer before him. "A priceless book has been donated to the Metro City Library, a book of original sketches done by Leonardo DiVinci."
"A book of DiVinci skectches?," exclaimed the confused young officer, fidgeting a bit in her tight long sleeved shirt and matching blue short skirt. "I wasn't aware the library had something of such great value in their possession."
"Everything about this book has been kept top secret to keep any potential thieves from trying to remove it from the library," replied the Chief, still looking intently at the file on this priceless treasure. "The idea is that the trustees at the library kept the details on the acquisition of the sketches quiet as not to arouse any suspicion. They even asked that the police keep a low profile around the library to give the impression that nothing valuable was being stored inside."
"What do you need from me, Chief O'Reilly?," asked the eager Policewoman Mooney.
"I want you to visit the main branch of the library tonight," explained the Chief. "Despite my objections, they only have one security guard on-site during the evening hours. I want you to check in with him and scout the area for any suspicious activity."
"Do we know where the book is being stored?," asked Ms. Mooney.
"If this file is correct, the book is being stored in a safe in the library's basement," replied Chief O'Reilly. "I've tried to convince the trustees of the library that increased security is necessary, but they seem to think that keeping the whole matter quiet is the best way to go. Besides, those trustees are the wealthiest citizens of Metro City and the Mayor goes along with just about whatever they say."
"Sounds simple enough, Chief," Policewoman Mooney said confidently. "Just to be safe, are there any reports of any 'supervillain' activity lately? Metro City has certainly seen it's share of them and they would be the ones bold enough to attempt such a heist."
"No, nothing in the last few weeks," smiled Chief O'Reilly. "Since Hypergirl and Hornette teamed up with Atomic Girl to stop Mastermind and his army of female furies, things have been pretty quiet. I've already been in touch with Hypergirl and she's be available if anything strange happens."
"Hypergirl!," boomed the excited young officer, forgetting her formal manner in her excitement. "Is she going to be working with me? What 'bout Hornette? or even Atomic Girl?"
"Relax, Policewoman Mooney," smiled the understanding Chief. "Hypergirl is on call if anything out of the ordinary occurs. From what she tells me, Hornette is unavailable and Atomic Girl is back in southern California. Your prescene is simply a precaution and I doubt any of the criminal element of Metro City are aware of the existence of this DiVinci book. I asked you here because, according to your superiors, you are someone that can keep your cool and keep things quiet."
"Sorry about the outburst." apologized the downcast Ms. Mooney. "I'm just such a fan of Hypergirl...anyway...thank you, Chief, I won't let you down. And I understand that everything we've talked about stays in this office."
"Good, see that it does," answered the Chief, returning to the pile of paperwork on his desk. "Call me personally at this office if something goes wrong."
"Will do, Chief O'Reilly," smiled the proud policewoman as she turned to exit the office. A wry knowing smile crossed her pretty face as she departed.
Meanwhile, at the off-campus apartment of Metro City University students, Serena Chou and Kim Miller, preparations for mid-term exams are in full effect. The floor of their small living room is covered with papers and opened books as Serena feverishly cross references her notes with an open textbook.
"This psych mid-term is going to cover the first sixteen chapters of the text...plus all the labs," exclaimed the harried Serena, the stunning Asian coed who lives a double life as the costumed crimefighter Hornette.
"Funny, I just re-read chapters one through sixteen," joked Kim, the slim blonde speedster known as Hypergirl, as she walking in from the kitchen with a sandwich. "In fact, I just read those chapters again...and again."
"Yeah, yeah," laughed Serena, lounging on the floor in long comfortable night shirt, "don't rub your super-speed in my face...not while I'm this stressed out. And do you really need to keep eating?!?"
"You know how my metabolism works," Kim mumbled with a mouth full of food, "it works at super speed just like I do."
"Just another reason to hate you, dear Kim," giggled the sarcastic Serena. "You can study at super speed and eat as much as you want without gaining an ounce."
"Don't be jealous, Serena," cooed Kim, looking ready to retire for the night clad only a oversized 'Metro City University' t-shirt. "Besides, just think how much trouble you'd be in on these mid-terms if Mastermind was able to activate the mind erasing device in that helmet his female furies jammed on your head."
"Geez, don't remind me," groaned Serena. "If you hadn't knocked the remote control from Mastermind's hands, I'd probably be one of his female flunkies right now."
"Anyway," giggled Kim, "I'm just glad that when Atomic Girl crushed the helmet with her bare hands, your head wasn't still inside of it."
"Ha ha," scoffed Serena. "Now if you're done with your comedy routine, why don't you just go to bed and give me time to study."
"Well, if you must know," Kim noted, "Chief O'Reilly called and asked if Hypergirl and Hornette were available tonight...something about a book of DiVinci sketches at the main library downtown."
"The Chief?," gasped Serena. "What does he want? And a book of Divinci skectches...I don't even think a value could be estimated on something like that."
"Relax, hun," Kim said reassuringly, "there's nothing to worry about. The Chief just wants one of us available in case something strange happens. I told him Hornette was out of service tonight and I'd gladly help in anyway I can."
"So this is just a 'just in case' assignment?," asked a weary Serena, worried that something much more sinister is afoot in Metro City.
"The whole thing is some big secret," explained Kim, "and there hasn't been any signs of supervillain activity for weeks. Everything is just fine."
"Well, I appreciate you covering for me so I can study," Serena sighed, "but you call ASAP if you need any help, understand?"
"Yes, mom," joked Kim, "you'll be the first one I call...especially since Atomic Girl is back in California."
"Nice, kick me when I down," laughed Serena, turning back to her books. "Now you have libraries to guard and I have psychology to learn, so beat it."
"Well, first I'm going to finish my sandwich and then I'll read chapters one through sixteen again," Kim taunted, "...and then I'll head downtown as the world's fastest female, Hypergirl."
Serena rolled her eyes and continued studying as Kim quickly turned to a blur, devouring her sandwich and disappearing into her bedroom for a quick change into her yellow leotard and shiny tan tights.
A few hours later, as the clock approached midnight, Policewoman Mooney approached the front door of the main downtown branch of the Metro City Library. The library was completely dark inside as Ms. Mooney looked in, still looking stunning in her dress blues. She pulled her cell phone from her purse and placed a call to the security guard inside. Policewoman Mooney called the guard to alert him to her prescene outside and her wish to come inside. The gruff voice of the guard on the line sounded less than thrilled with this intrusion, but agreed to let the cute young officer inside. A flashlight in the distance that drew closer, as seen by Policewoman Mooney from the glass entrance door, let her know the guard was coming. Impateintly, the policewoman tapped the billy club from her holster on the door to let the guard know she was waiting.
"You must be the policewoman the Chief sent over," grunted the elderly security guard, looking old and lumpy in his drab brown uniform as he turned the key to open the front door. "Not that I need your help, missy."
"Just following orders, Sir," hissed the sarcastic policewoman, not pleased by the rude reception she was receiving. "Now, Chief O'Reilly asked that you show me where the priceless book is located and then I'll be out of your hair...whatever little hair you have left anyway."
"Great, they not only sent a female cop," growled the guard, "but they send one with a smart mouth. This whole city is going to hell in a handbasket..."
"Save the commentary, rent-a-cop," Policewoman Mooney shot back, "just show me where the book is and I'll set up down there...then you'll be free to go back to sleep."
"Errr....," the guard groaned, narrowing his tired eyes with a jarring stare at the pretty young officer, "follow me."
The old man led Policewoman Mooney out of the main lobby of the library on the first floor down the staircase to the basement below. Once inside the musty stacks of old books and documents, the guard walked the young lady over to a large wall safe.
"That's where the book is," the security guard said, pointing to the thick metal safe door with his flashlight.
"Are there any entrances to this room other than the stairs?," asked Policewoman Mooney, suddenly acting much nicer to the gruff old man.
"There's a passage the electricians use," replied the guard. "Down that small hallway next to the wall safe and up to the steps to a grating that opens on the sidewalk."
"Aren't you worried that this entrance is not exactly what I'd call secure?," noted the concerned officer. "Anyone could sneak in without anyone knowing it."
"The grating on the sidewalk is bolted shut," replied the guard, "plus the passageway is rigged with cameras and alarms...no one goes down there without someone seeing it."
"OK, but what about the safe?," inquired Policewoman Mooney. "I don't see a dial or anyway to open it."
"Well, you don't need to open it," snapped the guard, tiring of the line of questioning, "you just need to watch it. If you must know, it opens with a key that only I, and a couple of bigwig trustees, have."
"Hmmmm, that's all I need to know," Policewoman Mooney noted calmly, drawing her police issue billy club from her holster. "Just like I said, now that you've shown me the safe, you can go back to taking a nap."
The insulted guard turned toward the smiling policewoman to see the black police baton was being held just below his chin. Startled that the pretty officer might do him bodily harm, he stepped back as Ms. Mooney squeezed the handle of the club. A blast of cool air shot forth in his face, along with a generous amount of green sleeping powder. The guard old wrinkled face cringed as the powder blast struck his nose and mouth as he quickly fell backwards and dropped to the basement floor sound asleep.
"Pleasant dreams, moron," scoffed the imposter policewoman as she put her sleep powder spraying baton back in her holster. She knelt down and frisked the sleeping guard before finding the specially made two-pronged key for the wall safe. Once the safe key was in her hands, Officer Mooney reached for what appeared to be a police walkie-talkie to notify an unseen partner of her status.
"Policewoman Money to Limpit, am I legible?," the officer asked as she used her free hand to see if the key she lifted from the guard fit the safe.
"Yes, officer," the unseen sweet voice on the other end purred. "Are we in the safe yet?"
"Just a quick minute...," Ms. Mooney continued, turning the key in the wall safe door to see the key worked perfectly. "Yes, we're in and it looks like we're happy."
"Is the book there?"
"Yes, I've got it," the policewoman replied, grabbing the old and tattered leather bound book. "Now, are you going to come get me?"
"Certainly, do I have any surprises on my way in?," asked the voice answering to 'Limpit.'
"Nah, the guard is the only one here and he's sleeping off your knockout powder," explained Officer Mooney. "The passage we talked about to the basement from the grating on the sidewalk is a go...do you want me to take care of the lock and meet you out front?"
"No, I'll take care of that and meet you inside," Ms. Limpit answered. "Don't forget, I want the cameras in the hallway to catch both you and I on the way out."
"Sorry, I forgot," the young officer said. "Now hurry, bring the van out front."
"A few hours in a police uniform and you're barking the orders now," scolded Limpit. "I've got the Bookmobile around the corner and I'll meet you in the library basement in a couple of minutes."
"You're the boss," Policewoman Mooney spat sarcastically. "Anyway, is the 'Bookmobile' rigged for our next challenge?"
"Absolutely," Ms. Limpit giggled, giddy with anticipation, "Hypergirly is the only heroine in play on this, correct?"
"Yeah, I've heard of no changes there," the policewoman said. "Hornette and Atomic Girl are unavailable. Anyway, I think the police have tapped into the security system here at the library...as soon as we depart, Hypergirl will be notified."
"Just as we hoped, Limpit out..."
In the driver's seat of a seemingly normal panel van, a striking young statuesque woman places her walkie-talkie down and drives around the corner to the front of the main downtown branch of the Metro City Library. Exiting the van, the beautiful brunette amazon, with her long dark hair tied in a bun, surveys the sidewalk for the locked grating, allowing access to the basement below. In a skin tight red bodysuit and a white belt and boots, the lovely image of the former moll of the villainous Bookworm, Ms. Lydia Limpit arrives in her customary sexy but studious attire. Once spotting the lock, Ms. Limpit pulls a skeleton key and quickly opens the steel plates that leads to the stairwell down to the basement. Tiptoeing down the stairs, Lydia spots Policewoman Mooney and blows her a kiss before signaling her to run up the stairs with her to the waiting Bookmobile.
"Make sure the cameras get a good shot at your lovely face, officer," ordered Ms. Limpit, almost posing in front of the cameras focused on the stairwell.
"Gotcha, now let's fly," Policewoman Mooney said in a rush as she clutched the book of DiVinci sketches and quickly followed Lydia up the stairs. "Hypergirl will be on our tail very soon...along with the rest of the Metro City Police."
Flashing up the stairs and jumping into the Bookmobile, Lydia climbed into the passenger seat and pointed Officer Mooney to the driver's side. As they pranced up the stairs, the motion sensor alarms were set off, releasing a high pitched siren. In sleek, rehearsed motions, the ladies sped off from the library and drove down a side street.
Chief O'Reilly was working late as usual and was watching a monitor set up in his office to watch the bank of cameras set up inside the downtown branch of the Metro City Library. From the camera set on the stairwell leading to the basement, the Chief gets a shocking eyeful of the disasterous events that took place. His own officer, Policewoman Mooney, was dashing out of the building with the notorious henchwoman, Lydia Limpit, with the very book she was sent to protect. With a note of surprise and despair, Chief O'Reilly grabs his cell phone to place an urgent call to his on-call heroine, the fleet-footed spandex super-speedster, Hypergirl.
"Hypergirl, where are you?," Chief O'Reilly huffed impatiently into the phone. "We've got a big problem."
"I'm downtown, Chief...maybe three blocks from the library," answered Hypergirl, in full costume and ready for action. "What's the emergency?"
"The officer I sent down to the library to help watch the safe, Polcewoman Mooney, stole the book," shouted the irate Chief. "Plus, she fled the library with Lydia Limpit, the evil gal-pal of the Bookworm."
"Policewoman Mooney?!?," gasped a surprised Hypergirl, her hair tied into a blonde ponytail with her goggles barely obscuring her lovely face. "I know her...she's a highly regarded officer. Why would she...? And Lydia Limpit...isn't she still in jail for the schemes she and the Bookworm tried to pull in Gotham a few months back? Is Bookworm behind this?"
"I'm blindsided by this betrayal, nothing worse than a crooked police officer," said Chief O'Reilly, with a hint of hurt in his angry voice. "Ms. Limpit was released for good behavior from the Gotham State Prison for Women a week or so ago...Bookworm is still behind bars as far as I can tell."
"Branching out on her own, I see," hissed the disgusted Hypergirl. "Ms. Limpit is has evil and cold-blooded as her dorky mentor. Anyway, consider me on the case...I'll take a quick scan of the area and get that DiVinci book back before the library knows it's missing."
"Gotcha, just keep me posted," Chief O'Reilly responded. "Every available officer will be on the lookout as well."
Under a street light, the dazzling Hypergirl looks at the street signs around her to gain her bearings and to map her quick dash to the library for any clues. In her bright yellow leotard, red boots and gloves, yellow tinted goggles, and shiny tan hose, Hypergirl was ready for her speciality, hot pursuit. Before she rushes off, the blonde sexy speedster makes a quick call to her roommate Serena, via a slim communicator bracelet on her gloved wrist.
"Serena, can you hear me?," Hypergirl whispered into her wrist device.
"Yeah, any problems," replied Serena, still a bit distracted by her studies.
"That DiVinci book," Hypergirl explained, "the officer sent to watch the library ran off with it...with the help of Lydia Limpit."
"Lydia Limpit?!?," gasped Serena, "the Bookworm's henchgirl?"
"One in the same," the blonde flash replied. "I'll call if I run into any trouble...just a routine robbery as far as I can tell."
"Nothing is routine if the Bookworm is involved," insisted a concerned Serena. "Let me suit up and meet you out there."
"Nah, you've got mid-terms and Bookworm is still behind bars," Hypergirl countered. "I can handle a henchwoman and a crooked cop without much trouble. I'll call if something bigger is brewing."
"Not so fast," Serena interrupted. "Hornette will be there as soon as I can fly down there."
"Suit yourself," answered Hypergirl with a flappant tone, "but I'll have the book in hand and the crooks behind bars before you can make it out here."
"Fine, I hope it goes that well," Serena steamed, "but Hornette will be there. I'll see you in ten minutes."
Just as Hypergirl concluded her call with her roommate and crime-fighting comrade, a panel van sped by with the words "Bookmobile" embossed on the side, along with cartoon images of characters reading oversized books. Hypergirl could only roll her eyes at how easy Ms. Limpit was making it to find her and the corrupt Policewoman Mooney.
"Don't these villains ever learn?," Hypergirl muttered under her breath. "Do they all have to be masters of the obvious?"
With a giggle, Hypergirl dashed off in pursuit of the Bookmobile, closing quickly until the van made a sharp and dangerous turn down a narrow, but long alley. Inside the van, Policewoman Mooney shouted to Lydia, asking why she wanted her to turn so abruptly.
"What's the deal?," Ms. Mooney grunted angrily. "Is Hypergirl around?"
"She's right behind us...we passed her just a moment ago," noted Ms. Limpit, strangely calm as the speedster closed the gap. "Look for the yellow and red blur with the blonde ponytail trailing behind in the side mirror."
Sneaking a peek, Officer Mooney saw the blur drawing closer as the end of the alley approached.
"Great plan, we're running into a dead end," shouted the policewoman.
"Exactly," giggled Lydia, reaching for a switch under the glove compartment.
As Hypergirl sped behind the van, she wondered why the criminals turned into the alley, knowing there was a brick wall waiting at the end. Did they panic in her prescene? It really didn't matter to the blonde speedster, she would catch the van before it reached the end. Anyway, if these amateur thieves wanted to corner themselves, why try to stop them.
Just as Hypergirl got almost close enough to the speeding Bookmobile to open the back door, Lydia Limpit flipped the switch and jet nozzles under the rear bumper of the van started to spray a yellowish brown gooey substance on the street below, right under the boots of the sprinting superheroine. The sticky goop spewed back in a thick sheet on the street, bringing Hypergirl's blinding pursuit to a sudden and disorienting halt. Before Hypergirl knew what hit her, the blonde heroine was flat on her goggled face, arms and legs swimming in the gooey mustard colored muck. Sudden stops at full speed affected her almost like a swift surprising punch in the face, sending her into a dull daze. The Bookmobile stopped, just before the dead end, so Policewoman Mooney and Ms. Limpit full view the effect of their surprise sticky spray. Walking back, they could hardly contain their glee of the captive crimefighter stuck in their tacky trap.
"Bookworm's specially formulated book-binding glue," Lydia beamed as she walked toward her captured quarry. "A touch of epoxy makes it perfect for meddling speed merchants like our Ms. Hypergirl."
"Wha?!?," gasped the stunned policewoman, "She's really stuck...Hypergirl ran right into that stuff."
"Of course, why do you think I had you get the status of those super-chicks around Metro City from the Chief?," kidded the confident Ms. Limpit. "With the advance notice, I had the perfect trap set for the spandex speed queen."
Standing just outside the strip of book-binding glue, the villains watched as a groggy Hypergirl squirmed in the goopy glue. The glue was soft and thick enough to cushion the heroine's face first fall, even at high speed, but the thick slop held the heroine squarely in place. In a futile struggle, Hypergirl tried to pull her head, arms, and legs up in the sticky muck, but the glue would only give slightly and stretch an inch or so before contracting back. Trying to regain her bearings after the sudden stop wasn't going much better as the dazed heroine pulled her head up to see and almost pulled of her goggles.
"Lyd...Lydia Lim...pet," the stunned Hypergirl muttered, fighting the cobwebs and the glue that pinned her to the alley pavement. "Wha...what's the...meaning...of...this?"
"Simple, Hypergirl," Lydia Limpet crowed, arms crossed confidently across her ample bosom. "I wanted to accomplish two things tonight...steal a priceless book of DiVinci sketches, which contain the plans for a device that will bring Metro City to it's collective knees...and also to capture one of Metro City's famed superheroines, namely you, my dear."
"Looks like your stuck in a sticky wicket, Hypergirl," laughed Officer Mooney.
Hypergirl tried to turn her head to see where that voice was coming from, but was unable to do so with her face and goggles coated in the gooey glue. She could only groan as she realized just how helpless she was, unable to move and even unable to signal Hornette for help. Hypergirl still tugged, almost out of reflex, to move her arms and legs, but the yellow paste refused to budge. The blonde speedster's only hope was that Serena was on the way and would hopefully find her before these villainesses could spirit her off...or worse.
"I'm flattered that you recognize me, Hypergirl," Lydia continued. "Most of my best work was done in Gotham City."
"You think...being some...dorky supervillain's...flunkie is your 'best work'," hissed the captive heroine, beginning to regain her senses.
"Such a sharp tongue on this young lady," Lydia Limpit replied. "In your position, you should be much nicer to me and my associate. However, I do agree, Lydia Limpit does rank pretty low on the supervillain food chain..."
With that statement, 'Lydia Limpit' removed the thin flesh colored mask off her face, peeling it off slowly as she removed the brunette wig from her head. This wasn't the recently released Lydia Limpit, the evil librarian working under the Bookworm, this was the noted mistress of disguises, the one-time partner of False Face, Blaze. With a nod from Blaze, 'Policewoman Mooney' also removed the thin elastic mask from her face along with her police hat and brunette wig, revealing a pretty face framed by a long mane of red hair.
"You may remember me as Blaze," announced the villainess, "but I've decided to try my hand at this supervillainess game. You can call me Copycat...and I'd like you to meet my little sister, Flame. My stint in the Gotham State Prison for Women was quite an educational experience. With all the villainesses and henchwomen there, they shared their tricks, secrets, technology, etc. Plus, I was able to craft incredibly life-like masks of these ladies, allowing me to slip into their personas. With each crime, a different villainess will emerge, sending the costumed crimefighters like you chasing their tails. Of course, my sister and I can also adopt the identity of superheroines as well. I think my li'l sister would make a fantastic Hypergirl."
Still woozy, Hypergirl could hardly process the bizarre scene around her. A sudden switch found her trapped and at the mercy of these master impersonators. This stirring change only strengthened Hypergirl's resolve to break free, but the Bookworm's sticky book-binding glue left her struggling like a fly stuck in flypaper. Blaze then grabbed a long 2 by 4 board and set it down across the spilled goop, allowing her to get closer to the gummed speedster without getting stuck herself. Walking carefully over to look into Hypergirl's goggled face, she reached into her brown hair to remove the hairpin that held her hair back in a bow. The pin, buried deep in her long hair that fell free to her shoulders, was similiar to the one False Face had presented to her when they worked together in the past.
"Nooo...can't end...like...this," Hypergirl moaned in a soft, weak voice.
"Hypergirl, as much as I'd love to sit here and chat," Blaze purred in a sinister tone, "we really must be off. After such a taxing evening, a young lady should really get some shut-eye..."
Leaning in with the hairpin and positioning it under the nose of the glued heroine, Blaze (or Copycat), croutched down on the board and squeezed the bulb to unload a sleepy payload of green knockout powder in Hypergirl's face. The liberal amount of powder coated her face and worked almost instantly. Too weak to even cringe, the powder shower sent the struggling spandex superchick off to a drowsy dreamland. The struggling stopped and Hypergirl's lithe shapely body went limp and the tell-tale signs of a peaceful slumber was worn on the heroine's beautiful face.
"Quickly," barked Blaze, ordering her sister into action, "get the solvent and get Hypergirl into the van. The police or some of her superheroine friends will be here shortly."
"Great, but won't she wake up pretty fast?," asked a skeptical Flame, a college aged cutie herself, shaking an areosol can of super solvent. "Hypergirl can process that sleepy stuff pretty fast in that revved-up system of hers."
"I've already thought of that, little sister," boasted Blaze, pulling a respirator mask from her bag of tricks. "This little mask releases a steady stream of sleepy dust...a little gadget I picked up from the Sandman's moll, Sleeping Beauty. Once you get her loose, I'll slip it on that pretty face of hers...and then we can start on that Hypergirl mask for you. I'm sure Atomic Girl or Hornette will enjoy being reunited with an old friend."
"Hey, if you're going to be Copycat," Flame inquired as she sprayed the solvent around the slumbering Hypergirl, "why can't I have a cool villain name too?"
Working quickly, Blaze and Flame released the heroine from the gummy clutches of the book-binding glue and hoisted the KO'ed speedster into the Bookmobile. Before leaving, the sleepy dust mask was placed over Hypergirl's face and the stickers on the side of the van, announcing the arrival of the Bookmobile, were removed to leave the sides a simple white.
Left behind, in the sticky muck, were Hypergirl's bright red boots. A tidy little clue for the crimefighter that happened upon the scene of the capture. The unmarked van was off, blazing out of the alley with the DiVinci sketches and a captive superheroine in tow.
Minutes after Blaze and Flame left the alley with their ill-gotten gains, a winged young heroine flew as quickly as possible toward the area of the Metro City Library. There had been no word from Hypergirl and repeated attempts to contact her via the wrist radio went unanswered. Worried, Serena Chou, now clad in her crime-fighting costume of Hornette, the winged insect wonder girl, flew above the downtown city streets to find her friend. Hornette, in her black leotard with yellow sleeves, yellow tights with black gloves and boots, used her anti-grativy disc in her yellow belt to get airborne and her mechanical wings attached to her back to control the direction and speed of flight. The raven haired heroine struck an impressive figure in the moonlit sky above Metro City and her arsenal of dart-like stingers and a well of sticky 'honey,' a quick hardening golden colored glue, was at the ready to be shot forth from her yellow wristbands at a moments notice. Her eyes darted about, under her identity concealing goggles, looking for any sign of Hypergirl or any sign of trouble. It didn't take long before a strange puddle of muck in a quiet, empty alley attracted her notice from the air. The puddle looked much like the 'honey' glue Hornette used to paste ne'er-do-wells in place as she drew closer, making an unpleasant discovery just before landing in the alley. Hypergirl's red boots struck an shocking contract to the gummy mustard colored goop they were planted in as Hornette walked up to investigate. She quickly saw that a sticky glue trap had been set for the speedy Hypergirl and the specks of green powder along with the indentation of Hypergirl's curvy frame in the goop made that sad conclusion crystal clear.
"Damn you, Hypergirl," a distraught Hornette said softly to herself, "you couldn't wait for me...you had to do it all yourself."
Hornette's thoughts raced, confusion mixed with sadness and anger, clouded her mind until the sexy Asian crimefighter realized that she'd have to call Chief O'Reilly. Chief O'Reilly had sent her on this mission and he might have the only clues to find Hypergirl's captors. Lydia Limpit and the book-binding glue made sense, but little else did. How would a simple henchwoman devise a plan such as this, to steal a priceless book of sketches and then kidnap a superheroine? After pulling Hypergirl's boots from the mess, taking a sample of the glue used to ensnare the speedy superheronie, Hornette took to the air again. A short flight to the Chief's office would hopefully answer some puzzling questions.
TO 'BEE' CONTINUED....
Franco, incredible story my friend, definitely one of your best ever. Really enjoying Hornette's peril and being forced to reveal her secrets.
So, more please. Soon.
(And I've made something for you, hopefully to act as an inspiration...)
So, more please. Soon.
(And I've made something for you, hopefully to act as an inspiration...)
- Attachments
-
- Metro City's airborne defender
- Hornette.JPG (82.77 KiB) Viewed 8523 times
Can't move... This device... holding me by my... sheer tights... has me powerless!