Wednesday, January 29, 2014
William Tell Overature
Sarah had once estimated that she was 'Mazing Girl maybe 25% of the time. This was a good balance, she thought. It allowed her a job, a bit of a life, and while one could abstractly say that these were distractions, she felt at least without perspective she would have been a very bad 'Mazing Girl. Though that's kind of a contradiction in terms, if one took, as was commonly thought (mazing was a contraction of amazing) and not as she maintained (that mazing was its own word). However, she thought she'd found the fine line.
So most of the time she was just a normal woman living in LA.
She had however several elements of her life that weren't normal.
- Sarah hadn't been to a dentist since she was 13. Her teeth were perfect. No cavities, no tooth decay. She did brush her teeth, but did so more for cleanliness...when she remembered to. She was, for all practical purposes, invulnerable - including her teeth. Which affected her in a lot of ways. She vaguely remembered going to dentists, and did occasionally get toothbrushes as presents, but didn't really have any fear of them, or any notions of them. They were for other people. Dentists were one of the weird exotic people she went to appear like other people, and who she occasionally met socially. She had a very brief relationship with one, right out of college, that never evolved more then 5 dates and 2 fucks. She remembered the brief relationship mostly for his comment of how pretty her teeth were. When he mentioned that, unlike a doctor, he could legally treat her, Sarah had wondered if that would become a problem later. But it all sorted itself out when she learned he laughed a too little loud at movies.
- Sarah was fairly pale. When people quizzed her on it, she said she had Irish blood in her - which was true - but in truth, no amount of sun would cause her to tan. In fiction there are stories of perfect maidens of might flying off into the cornea of the sun. That seemed like an awful bother, and she could be kind of lazy. Better to look quasi-goth. Except she had red hair.
- Sarah's skin prevented her from getting any tattoos. In college Sarah liked tattoos on guys, and gotten several temporary ones - but nope. Her skin didn't let it work at all. Which was okay. It was ironic, as she worked in one of the few professional industries where a lot of visible tattoos is not going to hurt your employment
- Same for piercings. She didn't have earrings. When she she did wear them they were clip-on. For an art geek she had fairly limited knowledge of it. Both of these together were why she had never seriously gone punk. It would look kind of silly on her.
-Sarah's metabolism was kind of screwy. She ate a fair amount, and had at times tried to diet, but how much she did eat rarely effected her that much. Sarah tended to gain and loose about 15 pounds and two pants sizes with some frequency - sometimes within a month, going from 'plump', to the 'large side of average'. She usually tended to stay at rubenseque, and yes over the last 5 or six years she had gained more - but she attributed it to her superheroing and the constant constant excretes that entailed (on an average night she ran maybe 100 miles) to her gaining a lot of muscle - but some was certainly fat.
- This was particularly noticeable on her boobs. For those who have paid close to the stories, you will note that her boobs are sometimes described as D cups, or E. This isn't a mistake. Her breasts, sometimes on a day by day basis, grew and shank. Not dramatically, but noticeably on her foundation garments.
-This meant she had actually three sets of clothing that she took in and out of storage on a regular basis. It was one of the reasons that, for the most part, none of her outfits were all that expensive. It would get to her. However, she could rotate things better this way, so for a woman some of her clothing was fairly old for a 27 year old.
- It also meant that she looked to be maybe a 160 pounds to the average person. She actually weighted 320. Her muscles were very big, and very strong. But that was just a number.
These were the things she primarily noticed day to day. However, the stuff you might think, her strength, her stamina, didn't weigh on her mind so much. Average society had cars, trucks-it encouraged a kind of sedentary lifestyle which meant one rarely actually lifted very much weight. Sarah lived in a city and in an industry that encouraged a kind of bodybuilders mentality, of lifting 100s of pounds to achieve sweaty perfection. The shows producer, Robert Haskins, looked damn swollen, like someone out of a muscle of fitness magazine. But how much did he actually use this sitting behind a desk?
This was despite the fact that her job did involve a certain amount of lifting, it was never that much. The definition of a prop was something someone lifted - which meant it was liftable. Or if not liftable by an average person, lighter. The guns she used where mostly fake ones that weighed maybe a pound. Boxes labelled 'Heavy' were just empty boxes.
Once, when they did an episode of the show in a gym, she posed for a photo carrying a 500 pound weight over her head, with one hand, laughing.
Of course, it really weighed maybe 5 pounds.
Now this was abstractly not all that funny. A stupid sight gag. Out of something from Johnny Carson.
But to her it was hilarious! It had been the wallpaper on her computer for a couple of months. Which was perhaps yet another sign how different she was from other people.
However, her wallpaper was eventually replaced with a picture of her cat, so it all worked out in the end.
All of this meant one thing: That when Sarah was out and about - as she was one day when she went shopping in a Target store at Manhattan Beach - that when circumstances required her to have superpowers - it sometimes forgot her.
(Note for non-American audiences: Target ia a large retail chain, selling stuff like clothing, children's bikes, garden supplies - things you wouldn't find in a grocery store. Except recently it had moved very heavily into groceries. It was a store that lacked a lot of focus. Also technically speaking, it ruled about 1/3 of Canada. However, this rarely came up)
Sarah was shopping there for things one bought at Target. Her list included bras, oil for her car, soda, and possibly some jeans if she was in the mood.
None of these items were in her cart.
She was in fact in the DVD section. Target had a fairly good selection actually. In an industry that was drying up the target selection was pretty much the place to go if you wanted actual DVD's, and didn't want to go to Amazon - no more Blockbusters, Barnes and Nobles, or Sam Goodies - just, well... This was somehow heartening really - yep, it still existed.
And there was a copy of the movie Lone Ranger in Sarah's hand.
Sarah hadn't seen it, which was slightly troubling. The Lone Ranger was a superhero movie, and she usually watched pretty much every one of them that came out (and Sarah would have been interested to know there had been 60 in the last 10 years). Yep, she had watched them - even Super Capers, a movie that played about 20 theatres, stared the star of Dungeons and Dragons, and was pretty, cheapily, terrible) But she hadn't seen that one yet.
She knew that it didn't review well, though, and she had heard it was mostly an excuse to give Johnny Depp to play Weird Redface. She was still going to watch it.
The question was: Would she spend 25 bucks for the privilege, to own a physical copy she could watch any time?
She considered it.
The DVD case itself was pretty nice, and she had thought the second trailer was kind of visually interesting in a western way without going too heavily into steampunk, which was getting a tad tiresome in mainstream movies.
So she considered a little longer. Definitely not the Blueray. She didn't like paying extra for Blueray.
It was at this time that a loading truck hit one of the aisles, an aisle that wasn't properly bolted to the ground, and knocked it over. The aisle holding a great quantity of decorative rugs...
And there was suddenly a great amount of screaming in the store.
Which is where the story came to a fore. Sarah went from busy reading the DVD copy about a superhero, to actually being a superhero.
She shook her head.
Sarah reached into her grocery cart, and pulled out her costume bag.
And looked around.
People seemed to be lost in a panic, and it wasn't that crowded, which was good.
Because she was starting to hum the William Tell Overture...
Sarah grabbed her bag and ran into the pet food section. "Dah dadadh dahdadha, dah dadah dahdahdha, dah dadadahd dahdadh, dahdahddhahdah..."
The pet food section was empty. She was pretty quick at this, and in a few seconds she was down to her bra and panties.
She was going to get a new set actually. Should she slip over and take one? No, no...that would be dishonest. These would have to do.
She pulled up her pants and tugged on her boots - but just as she was going to put on her top an old man walked in.
"What the...?"
"Can you excuse me?" asked Mazing Girl. "I could use a little privacy here!"
And he turned and walked away. Which was pretty decent of him.
"Dah dadadh dahdadha, dah dadah dahdahdha, dah dadadahd dahdadh, dahdahddhahdah..."
'Mazing Girl ran through the store.
The aisle was half on its side, hitting the other side as it did. People were crawling out underneath.
Sarah grabbed hold of the 5 tons of plastic and steel (and semi quality carpeting) and pulled it to the side. It was stable enough now.
She looked in. There appeared to be someone buried in pillows. Though probably he or she had hit their head.
"Do dedededo do, Do dedededo do"
She ran over towards her (it was obvious about 20 feet that it was a woman) though she looked to be kind of punkish lesbian where one might initially be confused, like when Sarah's vision was slightly out of focus from taking off her glasses off, or you where being homophobic(and given sarahs recent life decisions...ahh). what she was doing in the throw pillows aisle at Target wasn't sure.
She pushed the pillows off to see her face - the woman was out of it, unnnscious from a pretty bad concussion. She was, however, breathing.
"Someone call an ambulance!" suggested someone who came up behind her.
"Good idea!" agreed Sarah. "You do that."
"I came to buy a new cellphone. I lost mine yesterday at Jewish delicatessen"
Sarah seethed slightly. The fact that it was a Jewish delicatessen wasn't something she needed to know. I mean, was there even such a thing as a non-jewish delicatessen, to serve unkosher meat? She supposed that Halal was kind of the same thing, but not really. And anyway, markets weren't called delicatessens, but were typically just called markets.
And there she went thinking stupid stuff. What kind of adventure was this?
Badah bum.
"Hey!" another man said. "Something weird is going on at the front of the store."
"Dah dadadh dahdadha, dah dadah dahdahdha, dah dadadahd dahdadh, dahdahddhahdah."
Sarah rushed forward...and then tripped on some pillows.
"Dah dadadh dahdadha, dah dadah dahdahdha, dah dadadahd dahdadh, dahdahddhahdah..."
She got up and looked at her knee. It wasn't skinned or hurt, it just looked normal - which was something that was slightly shocking to her, but still...
"Do dedededo do, Do dedededo do, do dedoedeodeodedoedeodeo.....dooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"
This was the back of the store, the ceiling was 20 feet tall - not really enough space to jump. But all Target outlets have a huge menacing aisle that usually held strollers and Nature CD's. She jumped over it in a quick leap, bending her head slightly.
Badad bum.
She saw what the guy was talking about. 10 or so thieves - not wearing masks and white stripped shirts - (again, not with the shirts) were at the cash registers. They had guns. The security guard had probably heard the commotion in the back - which they had caused - now they're free to do their business. Except...
"dah dadadh dum dum dud, dah dadah dadumdum, dah dadadahd dummmmmm, dahdahddhahdah"
She spoke loudly in the middle of the aisles, where according to probability theory the most traffic was, "Stop you thieves! Or..."
One of the thieves very quickly put a gun to a cashiers head.
"Or what?" he asked.
Dededededededededed de de de de deeeeeee de de dedeeeh de dede dedede de do do do do.
She just played the tune in her head, as humming at this point would be kind of crass.
Sarah felt that talk would be useless now, as well.
So she grabbed a pair of jeans off a nearby rack - not her size, they were just convenient.
DEDEDED DEDED DEDEDEDEDE. Ded du...
Then she paused. This wasn't going to help..
The thief looked perplexed, and he moved his gun ever so slightly..
DE de dede deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee,ded dededededededede.....
Sarah saw a shopping cart and pushed it forward, springing a large amount of merchandise everywhere...as it hit the guy straight in the chest.
dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah..dah dadada. Dadadaha.da da dad dada dadad dadaddada ......
He hit a cash register and was knocked out.
The other robbers all looked at each other, and raised their hands in surrender.
daha dad da dah dah dah ded dededed de ded dedd.........
DUmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmM!!!!!!
And Sarah looked around looking for cheers at the end of the music. except no one was actually hearing it except her.
******
That night Sarah did buy the DVD, even if she ended up picking her backpack up and going to another Target. The movie was actually very good. Arnie Hammer was a good actor, and he had the chops to play an action hero better then a lot of big actions heroes. He seemed to realise that his career as a leading man was at stake, and had given it a good college try. The box office takings, and some of the other performances that didn't live up it, notwithstanding, it was good, fun movie.
And when they played William Tell Overture, she hummed so loud her cat left the room.
But it was fun, because no matter what powers she possessed, anybody could hum the William Tell overture, and be human. just like her.
Despite the fact that she forgot to brush her teeth that night and suffered no ill consequences whatsoever.
None.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Soylent Green is...
Sarah felt trepedation, more so then she had in a fair amount of time. Calling it fear would be a little far, but giddy would be too far in the other direction. Trepidation.
She was about 90% sure that she was going to have sex tonight.
Now this was reasonably rare for her. She had had sex in the last year or so - as recently as last week, in fact, with her likely sex partner. About 6 times either way. But never at 90 percent. Never with the sense of, 'yeah, this is going to happen tonight'.
But she was not...absolutely sure.
And which did she want?
It was a Friday night, and Sarah had had a decent day at work. She had gotten a fair amount done on props for a medical office, which were always fun. Two days before Lana had called - using a phone, something Sarah was sure that the Eternal Flame would never deign to use - it would interfere with her mysteriousness - but yes, apparently by pressing a series of numbers on a keypad Lana could call her and speak to her, asking her if she wanted to do anything Friday night. In so many words.
Sarah knew the game. This 'being a superhero' game. It could be mind bogglingly busy: A crisis was always coming up, and 'Mazing Girl always had to save the city. Or somedays, ehh. You had go out and look for trouble, and often (but not always) find it but, yeah: she could take a night off. Of course, predicting which night was which...
But Sarah said yes.
And so it was decided that, after going to the art musuem the week before, Sarah would come over and they would watch Soylent Green.
For those not familiar Soylent Green: It's a movie about overpopulation. Soylent Green is, in some ways, kind of dated...but interesting. Soylent Green...made in the period between Planet of the Apes, which was a huge hit, and Star Wars, which was a bigger hit...in a period where big budget sci fi movies could be about ideas. Soylent Green is visually interesting, occasionally hammy in spots, and some of the sci fi ideas are a tad dated in places, prescient in others (the virtual reality scene at the end was a trip). Soylent Green is, probably, the movie that invented Cyberpunk, without having any cyber or punk.
Soylent Green...was a movie she had on Blue Ray. Even though it had never been released on Blue Ray. Because, well, she was amazing, and she had the kind of connections to make that happen.
(Actually, it had been released on Blue Ray in a limited edition, but Sarah did not have the power to know that. She could toss around cruise ships though, so best not to take that away from her)
But as she sat in her her car wearing normal work clothes - or, in fact, slightly better and sexier then normal work clothes, that to a casual eye would look like work clothes - and spent a couple of minutes doing her makeup. She wondered if Lana (the dark mysterious avenger called the Flame, who went through the city burning things) would be impressed. Sarah was a pretty-ish curvy girl, who had a tad of earthiness to her. She was the most powerful woman in the city, and an behind-the-scenes person in the TV industry, though she didn't have any tattoos. She had a cat, an apartment and...
She was a she.
That shouldn't really get her she thought but there you go.
Sarah had, 3 times, what might be called sexual contact with women, counting the previous weeks escapade. Prior to that it had happened twice. It had all, as the expression went, made sense at the tim. Or, more correctly, alcohol and laughs had made it make sense at the time. This didn't quite make sense.
But here she was, with a fellow superhero, nonetheless. Well, life was funny. At some point a comics company (not DC, or Marvel, but Boom. You can be forgiven for not hearing about them) had come to her and suggested Her own Comic book. Turning it down had been the hardest thing in her life, 'cause well, without her secret identity, what was there to her life? 'Mazing girl was kind of a bland, pleasant hero, for the most part, who tried to save the day. It felt slightly detached. Also because her agent had pointed out that the comic involved giving away some of her life rights if they ever wanted to make a movie about her, which he thought someday could get top dollar.
But the point was: her life was funny. I am not sure why I went on that tangent.
Sarah climbed out of her car and walked to the door, going through Lana's very large front yard. Looking at the house - the word mansion may not describe it...but, well...the English language didn't quite contain the words otherwise. Sarah looked into a driveway and saw a Lexus. She looked over a landscaped space that looked fairly impeccable, in a vaguely Tudor way. She looked on at a piece of property in the heart of Los Angeles that was impeccable and beautiful.
And here she was in jeans and a nice-ish shirt/blouse type thing, holding a DVD and a Little Caesar's Mushroom Pizza. She felt a little weird, like a delivery woman instead of someone who was 90% likely going to have sex with the owner.
Which she had almost forgot.
Mentally it had been a long two minutes.
But she knocked on the door and heard distinct weird buzzing noises...and the door was open. Like weird things unlocking and...
There was Lana. There was the Flame. Wearing a camisole style tanktop and yoga pants. She looked...slightly less dressed then Sarah. Huh?
"Whats that?" asked Lana.
"What?"
"The pizza box."
"Little Caesar's."
Lana paused. "That's vaguely familiar. They sell two pizzas, and they have a man in a toga as there mascot."
Sarah paused. "No. Well...maybe was that the case. Anyway, this was one of those pizza's, if you go over, they have ready. I picked some up..."
Lana considered. "I can't recall the last time I had pizza like that. Or really any. This will be fun."
Sarah shook her head. Huh?
They entered, and went to a living room that wasn't really the size of her condo. That would be unfair to her space. She had two bedrooms after all. This one was maybe...60%. That sounded right. It was however very nice, with lots of soft woods, and house plants, and shit. A good space. With a large TV and a really large couch, which sitting on Sarah got the distinct impression had never been sat on before - not that it was new, and this was entirely an elaborate rouse to capture her and take over...but well...it just hadn't been used.
She looked at Lana, who sat on the other end of the couch. Who was she?
They put the video in, and it started...straight into the movie, as legal - but not studio issued - Blue Ray played.
Soylent Green took some time to setup its story. Soylent Green is, basically, a murder mystery set in an over-populated future, a world that appears to be going through something similar to the Greenhouse Effect, though that term didn't exist when the film was made. Prescient.
Sarah watched it...but she also watched Lana.
She also ate pizza.
And so did Lana, who, Sarah watched eat pizza. It was dainty. She wasn't a pizza blotter, but she ate it..and it...it was something. Sarah wasn't a watcher of food but this was something.
This was getting to be a complicated event.
Lana, of course, had never watched the movie, so it was new to her. This wasn't an action movie, really, and definitely not a comedy - so there wasn't a lot of thrills, chills or laughs.
Yet after the pizza was over, Lana moved over and put her arms around Sarah.
"So, what is the secret of the Soylent Green?" asked Lana as they leaned together.
"You really don't know?" asked Sarah.
"No," said Lana. "As I mentioned, I never watched the movie before...but it's interesting."
"A heatwave all year long...a greenhouse effect..." Charleston Heston was saying in the movie.
No...wait. This was made in 1972. Sarah thought that the greenhouse effect wasn't something they discovered until the 80's. Damn, this was prescient. But there was a question...
"Oh. Soylent Green...lets watch the movie."
Lana nodded. "It's fun to watch movies. I don't really do it much. I fell out of the habit at some point.
"The movie looks neat," said Sarah.
"You work in that industry, don't you?" asked Lana.
"Props," said Sarah, "I do props"
Sarah looked on ,feeling a shoulder next to her. "I came into art design - it's kind of movies like this that caused me to get into it - it's an evocative world. Richard Fliesher the director was never all that great with actors or anything, but he's good at making the movie look interesting."
Lana nodded."It's a take on what people in the 70's would call today. Not so much the future but, today."
"Doctor Doolittle, Conan, The Fantastic Voyage...he just had an eye for visual detail."
Lana nodded "This isn't a painting, but it's something to see."
Which Sarah felt. And she put her arm back around her and drew Lana into her. Lana didn't object. And she really couldn't object, now, could she? Sarah was a thousand times stronger then her.
They sat for almost an entire act in silence. Two people together.
"I wanted to be an art director," said Sarah. "But other then some porn, and a couple of other really low budget stuff, I never got into it, so I went into props. It's easier to do with my other life."
Lana nodded.
"Know the feeling."
And then she kissed her.
Sarah hadn't remembered if they had actually kissed before. It was perhaps a shame of their relationship - if that's what they had. Sex was still a blur to her, the simple bit where their lips met had never quite happened.
But it happened now. Lana was a good kisser. It wasn't sweetness, it wasn't passion, but it was there. There was a power to the kiss, a sense that Sarah was vaguely connecting something to somehow that was tangible. Sarah was with someone. and that's what it was. Now there was no question. Something existed...
And as Lana felt her arms...then nuzzled her head in her boobs with strange passion for a passionless woman, it was very sexual.
Now Sarah was up to 91...94%...
Now that was a hand undoing her pants. This was a go.
******
They stopped the movie. Sarah was simply holding Lana in her arms a bit. It was a weird sensation, one that she felt wasn't bad. Some of the tension was gone. Now she definitely knew. Lana wasn't a friend in the same industry who she'd had a one-time fling with. That was a weirdly cheery sensation. To think beyond any thoughts of girlfriend or fuckbuddy, or any other words one would asscribe, now they definitely weren't that.
Which kind of removed some of her power.
Sarah had once read that supergirls gained a lot of the power from their costume, from their attitude. To simply take off there clothes and have sex with them - to remove their mask took that away. That, hell, that was true of just about any woman to a degree. A nude woman was a nude woman. A nude woman, in this case, with an extremly large bush. This was sexist and dehumanizing, but it was a falacy to say a woman couldn't do that. She tickled Lana's pubic hair. It was fuzzy. A rats nest, but fuzzy. Huh.
Sarah smiled. Was there any pizza left?
Then...she felt something.
"Need to go," said Sarah abruptly.
"What?"
"Superhero stuff now."
And Sarah got up.
And realised that she had left her superhero bag in the car.
And she was naked.
She grabbed her shirt, and was out of the door in like 2 seconds, before realizing she had parked on the street about 40 feet away...and well, doing anything more would remove the immediate emergency that was needed. despite the fact that she was pantsless, i repeat pantsless.
Well, she put her costume on when she got to the car.
Because she was going....
*****
'Mazing landed 10 miles out to sea.
"Mazing girl!" said a guy, probably the Captain. "I never expected this."
Sarah stood in the crows nest.
"Oh! You're Amazing Girl!" said a sailor with a greek accent. "I excepted someone taller!"
'Mazing Girl got that occasionally. But very rarely, as she was a decent hight.
And ever more rarely on ships that were swarming with pirates.
Actually, 'swarming' may have been overstatement.
"There's about five of them," said the Captain. "We were parking off the harbour, ready to get into port tommorow. We put out a call to the Coast Guard, but they're coming."
'Mazing Girl nodded. The Coast Guard was loud...she wasn't.
She heard automatic fire. Well, Sarah thought, she had surprise on her side, but that was gone now.
"Normally with pirates, they try to take the crew," the Captain told her.
"Is there anything valuable, on the ship or anything?" said 'Mazing Girl.
"Dunno," said the Captain. "We don't have a manifest."
Sarah didn't know that, but would read that the next day. Most ships these days litterally had no idea what was being carried in order to avoid thieves. Fun fact. Except for the pirates. and who knows, pirates could be fun.
Especially when sarah looked down from the raised dais to see that at least one of the pirates had an impressive beard.
"I got everyone on board up here," said the Captian.
"Theres only 8 of you," observed Sarah.
"Standard crew size these days."
Sarah read a lot the next day about the modern day transport industry. It was neat. Her granddad was a sailor.
That was it. He sailed.
But in the meantime
"Stay here," said Sarah "We'll try to get our pirate friends."
"They're no friend of me," said the Greek sailor.
"It's an expression."
***
Sarah casually jumped 30 feet down from the nest to the main floor, making a loud thump.
She walked over.
She saw a boat with a guy in it.
Best to cut off their escape. She had a working theory. There was something really valuable onboard. These pirates were there to get it. In Los Angeles Harbour, which wasn't exactly Somalia. Find it, get out. Smash and grab.
Sarah jumped, and landed in what looked to be a speed boat.
And then went through the bottom of the not-as-strong-as-you-might-think boat.
Damn.
Sarah didn't go all the way through. She grabbed the bottom with her arm but, she was still half in the water when she did.
The guy in the boat was looking very surprised, but got himself together and started to shoot at her with an AK-47.
Fuck.
This was hurting.
And then she felt bellow her that a shark bit her.
Fuck.
The shark cinched her legs a bit - not in a painful way.
But then he let go. Sarah knew that sharks tended to attack by taking a bite, letting go, and waiting for you to bleed out. Except she wasn't bleeding all that badly in the scheme of things. It was more like a scrape on her knee than a wound normally inflicted by sharks teeth.
It was the AK that was hurting.
She let go of the top of the boat and was underwater. The bullets were no longer hitting.
The shark -who dimly looked like some kind of reefer, not a great white, but a reef shark - was away with a kind of smug, 'any minute now I am going to have human flesh' kind of way.
Sarah punched him for being stupid. He quickly swam away.
Then Sarah grabbed the edge of the small boat, and overturned it and the guy. He dropped his gun and screamed.
******
Sarah grabbed the guy (not leaving him for the sharks) and with one arm climbed up a rope to the main deck of the boat. She took the rope afterwards, and tied him up.
"So, where are the rest of your guys?"
"No hablo...no speak English."
"Oh, come on, you're clearly Greek," Mazing Girl observed.
"And that makes me speak english?" the guy demanded.
Sarah sighed.
Then Sarah scanned the deck, and she saw Beardy. She liked Beardy.
She ran up to him at about 50 miles an hour, and then politely taped his shoulder.
"Drop your gun."
He did so.
Nice guy, Beardy.
She picked him up and ran 50 miles an our back to the other guy, and used more of the rope to tie Beardy up. She didn't bother questioning him, as she liked him to much to be annoyed.
Okay 2...that was 3 more and...
She heard shots.
On the far side of the boat someone was shooting. No...wait...was it a boat or a ship? She knew there was a diffrence.
Again, next day: Wikipedia.
But now, she walked toward the gunman with a moment of caution. He didn't nearly have a beard - but he did keep shooting.
And shooting.
it's fun to say that 'Mazing girl got shot and shot dozens of times before his gun ran out of bullets. And they did run out...but none of them actually hit her or anything.
It's hard to shoot a gun at, what...10:30 already?
He looked down to reload.
She grabbed his gun and turned it into make-shift handcuffs - she needed a funny name for them, like a Coney Island white fish, or something.
Then she noted something...why he was shooting.
There were about a dozen boats. Some of which looked like they carried Navy Seals.
What were they carrying on this ship?
Was it soylent green?
Ahh...she didn't care.
***
The first Coast Guard came 5 minute latter aboard ship. There were two more guys on the ship, theoretically, but she left them for the Coast Guard. She and Navy Seals had a thing she didn't want to get into, 'cause of that one time...with the noodles. Not a good scene...besides...
She jumped 10 miles over the harbour. The water was pretty at night.
She thought about going home. But she had her stuff back at Lana's...including her car and her wallet. And..
The entire thing had taken 45 minutes by the time she knocked on Lana's door, still in costume.
More weird noises, and Lana came down and opened it.
Lana had dressed agian as well. "'Didn't know if you'd come back."
Sarah nodded. "Left my stuff."
"I took the liberty of folding it neatly for you," said Lana, "If you want to come in."
Sarah did see that Lana had cleaned up. The space was once agian immaculate, clean whites, nice spaces.
Sarah got dressed in another room, putting on her street clothes. She didn't have her costume bag, but that was clearly enough.
"So," said Lana.
Was this the end? Of the date - and they had sex, so it probably was a date. Was it the end of the them?
And Sarah realized the most important revleation of the night.
She didn't want it to. She wanted to spend some more time in this weird imaculate house, and watch movies with Lana...and be.
She was people. Lana was a real person who was very, very, different from Sarah, but had something.
"Do you want to watch the rest of the movie?" asked Sarah.
"Sure."
And so they sat down and watched. And had two peices of cold pizza. They only had, like, 20 minutes of a very trippy, weird climax. The movie was known for its ending. But that was actually the second act break, as Charleston Heston tried (and failed) to save to the day. It wasn't great..
But Lana was...people. The movies where people, and for the time being at least. Lana was her... people.
And that was the secret of Soylent Green.
.......
"Oh! they're all cannibals!" said Lana after it was over. "That's pretty dark."
The End...
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
A Delightful Day at the Musuem...and Nothing Else
Sarah opened her eyes. There wasn't alcohol clouding them but somehow she felt confused. She wasn't in her own bed, that much was for sure. This room had light coming in through windows that weren’t covered by thick curtains, in general it was lighter...more refined, with an air of subtle sophistication. The room was judging her and she hadn't spent a conscious minute in it. That was unfair.
Sarah then looked over. A shoe was about to drop she knew. Someone was next to her, under sheets that Sarah could already determine smelt a bit like sex and fear. Despite herself and her foggy mind Sarah found this rather enchanting. It was a mystery...a wonderful surprise in a way. Who was this enchanting delight that was part of her delightfully fucked up life? One of the treats.
Next to her, wrapped up surprisingly tight in blankets, was the Flame. Her long brown hair was put over Sarah’s shoulder and she wore a smile of contentment. Flame was nude of course, and Sarah got a look at her very flat narrow back. In a way it was pretty. As were her arms that looked like tent-poles compared to Sarah’s.
Eternal Flame: ‘Mazing Girl’s superhero cohort; the psychic who created fire from nothing. The Flame the eerie looking girl who saw right through Sarah. The Flame...the gingham dressed heroine that frankly looked like something from a Tim Burton film. Woman. Female. Possessor of Oviares. That Flame. As Sarah looked around the room, she had thought it would be gothier. There was a lot of tasteful white furniture and subtle colors.
Sarah had a sensation there were several options here. Though in the last couple of months they had grown to know each other a bit, she still... well, Sarah was kind of creeped out by the girl who talked in a singsong voice that suggested murder. Yet here Sarah was, with a vigina that felt gushy...obviously something had happened that she had no reason to forget, but her mind wasn't quite remembering. Perhaps a little panic would help.
But she couldn't quite work her way up to panic. Instead she decided to be more neutral. She leaned over and hugged her new lover from behind, wrapping her arms around the woman who was as flat chested as a board. She nuzzled into her. Sarah cupped her breasts - or what there was of them. Flame had the kind that suggested yes, this was a breast...but nothing more. Sarah traced her stomach and several ribs, finding the smallest hint of abdominals. I mean she had to work out to be a hero...how could she be this thin? Then a finger went between her legs.
"It’s too early," said Flame’s voice. And Sarah agreed with that.
She closed her eyes and tried to remember...
********
Last night she had been thrown roughly into the room...her arms tied behind her back, her body beaten, her spirit had been crushed. Well, it was a hard spirit to crush, but it had been given a pounding.
She had been patrolling the city, feeling rather happy with herself, when she got shot in the ass. Normally that was a pain...in the ass, but this one was a very strong dart, that injected her with what she had been told was enough tranquilizer to bring down a pack of elephants.
The force of the hit disrupted her jump, and as she spiralled into the side of a building. The impact didn't do wonders. She landed on the ground in a heap...and while she tried to get up she was starting to feel really ’Mazingly groggy. Alcohol did affect her, but she was feeling worse now then she ever did in her life.
A group of thugs - anything more then their groupness and their thugness was lost on her - came at her and beat her up some more. Frankly the drugs were taking effect and she really didn't feel most of it as she half heartedly put up a fight.
She remembered throwing up on one of the thugs shoes. Take that shoes. That’ll fuck em...
She found herself being brought into a building -again a building – and into an office.
"Ahh!” said a man waiting in the office. “The mighty ‘Mazing woman,"
"Wait till I get your hands on me," said ’Mazing Girl, almost instantly aware that hadn't really made a lot of sense.
"Charming as always," the man observed. Did she know the voice? She thought she did. Her eyes just weren't working properly.
"Set the chain," the man ordered.
She felt her hands being brought behind her back, and something put around that the informed was: "Tripple strength titanium based alloy. That strut could hold up the Empire State Building."
"So. Come on...tell me your evil plan," urged ‘Mazing Girl. It was good to fall back on what you know.
"You'll figure it out. It does involve you staying alive, so that’s something in your favor. You’re worth a lot to me alive...well, worth more to other people."
Then she put it together. "Kraygen."
"Yeah we've met" he said
Kraygen was a mercenary. She hard heard from various sources that he used to work for the Canadian government, in their secret service, which really made her give it up for Canada. He was somewhere between a thug and a criminal mastermind, depending on the day of the week. He was the kind of the guy who could, say, shoot down a flying superheroine with a high powered dart and capture her and take her to a building. It all added up.
"Put her in the room," he said. "You look like you lost some water in the process. We’ll get you some. Don't worry, I want you alive and healthy.”
By this time ‘Mazing Girl was only just shy of unconsciousness. Still she soldiered on and managed to step on the foot of the thug behind her. There was no real power in it, but that will show em. His shoes must be really messy.
*****
So she was thrown in a small storage room. Most stories like this featured an abandoned warehouse. This looked more like a small office space. She was tossed on the floor.
"who is that?" a voice asked quietly.
This voice Sarah was able to identify more readily.
"Flame! You’re the Living Flame!"
"eternal flame," said the voice. "but points for effort."
The Flame looked Sarah over. “’mazing girl. good finally they got you."
"What?" said ‘Mazing Girl, really not feeling it.
"captured...brought here. Ttey got me two days ago when I was on patrol, the wretches. dart to the back of the neck. It put me down, but only for a short time. been fully conscious for a day or so and planning my escape. however, a big part of my plan was for them either to capture someone else like you, or..."
“How did you know they were going to?"
"i am a telepath."
Then the voices outside Sarah’s head stopped, and the voices in her head started.
((we should probably communicate this way anyway, it’s safer. as I was saying, i'm a telepath. i can read that beast Kraygen’s thoughts. such a ghastly inhuman sort. he has made come contacts in what might be called the white slave trade in asia and wants to sell heroes there for some type of underground setup.fighting maybe, sex...even he’s not sure. but he wants to get about five of us. I knew his next target was you.))
"That was your plan?"
((talk like this)))
((That was your plan?)) ‘Mazing girl thought. ((Have me get captured?))
((to help me. I know your groggy. they probably plan to keep you like that. their plan for me was to tie me up and keep me in an inflammable room, however i think with both our powers together, we can escape.))
((How?))
Just then she heard and felt drums in her ear, something coming close to her... moving. She opened her eyes to see that Flame was over her. Flame’s hands and legs where both bound up.
((i need straight contact with your skin to do this. it’s not going to be pleasant, i’m afraid. But be a good sport and buck up.))
Flame leant down as if to kiss her...however all she really did was nuzzle her neck with her face. Rather awkwardly, as she felt a nose somewhere.
It was then she felt it...a huge rush of chemicals going through her mind as if every alcoholic drink she had ever experienced was rushing through at once. It was incredible. It only lasted about a second...and then Sarah fell unconscious.
***
She then woke up, opening her eyes.
"What happened?" she asked, looking around. She felt fine now. Dehydrated, but as if the cloud was gone. Also, she had peed her costume.
((i helped you clear your mind. i have the power to get inside your head a bit...your body. i sped up the drugs about a 100 fold. it hit you hard, but you should be fine now. Now use your super-strength and we can effect an escape.))
‘Mazing Girl smiled and laughed just a bit. She felt her hand. she had been told the metal was designed to hold up the Empire State Building.
However, she had found that with enough pressure metal of any kind was really sort of weak when she pushed it. Well...after about twenty seconds of tugging and grunting...she was free.
“okay,” Flame said "they have a camera. get me, and let’s get out of here before they come in.”
‘Mazing Girl grabbed the manacles holding Flame’s hands together. They were a standard set of handcuffs. She just broke the chain, she would worry about the cuffs later. She did the same with Flame’s feet
"You okay?"
"stiff, but workable" Flame told her as she got up, moving and stretching her arms. "there. they almost certainly have more of those tranquilizers they got you with before, so be careful."
Mazing girl nodded. She approached the metal door.
"stop!" Flame warned. "i can read their minds. they’re waiting for us to bust through the door to get us. there’s five of them. kraygen. can you do me a favour?"
"Sure."
"i want you to make a small hole in the door...maybe 6 feet up. I want to see in there."
‘Mazing girl punched the door near the top, making a small hole. A bunch of bullets blasted at it, but the metal door stopped them.
Flame went over. "give me another hand. A hand up."
‘Mazing Girl leant down and made a bridge for the diminutive heroine in gingham. She noted she was just wearing a gingham dress. It wasn't a fake made of Kevlar like most superheroes wore. It was just maybe a 1/8 inch of clothing. And yes, underneath she was wearing panties. Very sensible ones.
Flame looked through the hole. And then ‘Mazing women heard a cry. And the sound of fire.
"making the room more cozy. i forgot to ask. I myself am quite fireproof, but what about yourself?”
"I'll do. And I got an idea."
"then effectuate it partner."
‘Mazing girl grabbed the door handle, and pushed. The hinges gave way pretty quickly, pulling free even as she kept pushing.
Within a second the door wasn't in the wall, and she had a shield.
The room was on a lot of fire. Flame of course didn't actually set any of the men on fire...but several desks, plants, and other things weren't so lucky. Sarah felt the almost deafening impacts of felt like rockets hitting the door. Must be the launcher.
She moved up and swung the door at the source, and the man. Both flew to the side. Another met the same fate. Flame was, despite her size, good enough in a fight. She managed to disable one of the men with what looked to be very precise use of judo, even as another fled the room with his toupee on fire.
That left Kraygen. He pulled out a gun.
‘Mazing girl dropped her shield.
“I'll shoot," Kraygen threatened.
"Oh come-on. Why don't you just stop now and throw the gun at my face?" ‘Mazing Girl suggested.
"I’ll shoot her!" He then turned, and he did pull the trigger. But the gun exploded in his hand.
‘Mazing girl punched him as he dropped the gun in shock.
"lots of very flammable things in guns, i’m afraid" said Flame. "dull sort, I have done that before. I would assume it was on a fact-sheet somewhere."
****
They waited for the police to come up, put the rest of the thugs in a more presentable order...and well, talked a bit. Sarah had thanked Flame. Then Flame thanked Sarah. Both, it turned out, felt indebted to the other for others help in their predicament. It wasn't the debt, it wasn't that precisely. Or drink. ‘Mazing Girl felt, if anything, too sober. As if reality had taken an extra sheen.
Well, it somehow ended up back in Flames house in the mid Wilshire Distrct, where they had spent quite a few hours eating each other out. Very well, in fact. I mean...that was a hell of a tongue on that woman.
Which lead to some real good sleep. which she undoubtedly needed. And eventually it lead to her waking up. And then Flame waking up with Sarah holding her.
"Good morning," Flame offered, when at last she fully waked up.
This was good as Sarah really wanted to go to the bathroom. Yet somehow she didn't want to leave Flame in bed by herself. No, a part of her really really wanted to go right now, but another part of her felt that would be seen as rude, and she didn't want to insult a woman who could burn her up with her mind.
"I’m going to the bathroom. Is that alright?" asked Sarah.
"Of course," said Flame. "First door on the left.”
Sarah got of bed gingerly separating their limbs as she did. They were rather entwined, in fact.
She went in and pissed like a mother. She had drank a lot of orange juice after another and not all of went into curing her dehydration.
"May I ask you what your real name is?" inquired Flame through the door. "I apologize...you may have offered it last night...but I don't remember."
"Can't you just read my mind?" said Sarah. Then paused. This was a step. A big step. But...
"My name is Sarah."
"Nice name," said the Flame. "Reliable. Strong. Just like you. My name is Lana, but you can probably find that from all the magazine subscriptions in there."
Sarah left the bathroom. She looked at the still nude Lana. "Do you want a robe? They will probably fit you though you are a...”
"Much bigger girl then you."
“Didn't want to say, but these tend to be one size fits all. I have this very nice kimono," Lana explained as she went to her closet. "Picked it up in Japan several years ago.”
Lana returned with the Kimono. Sarah looked at her...well what was she? Associate...that much was obvious. They worked in the same field. At times there had been moments where they had been friends-but the kind of friend you don't actually know the name of. They now fucked each other. Lana herself, whatever her last name was, was still so small and tiny. Sarah admired her. Even without her ’Mazing strength she could have broken her in half. Her waist must have been 17 inches and not a lot of her body was that much more shapely than that. She was a small girl of bone and sinew. From the brown hair on her head to down bellow. That Flame did smile at her suggested friendliness, so at least there was that.
Lana handed over the silk kimono. It did fit well enough, covering Sarah in rish light blue cloth. "You look rather smashing, I must say. Charming even."
Lana put on a light blue robe of her own. "I must admit: I have always thought you were rather beautiful ‘Mazing...well, Sarah. Not a fake model, but your curves, the wash of your face, yes...I must say your gorgeous in a healthy way. I myself can't gain an ounce of weight with my metabolism, but I do envy your curves."
Sarah blushed. That was sweet. She had no idea how to end this encounter, and had the desperate desire to do so, but this was sweet, even if her eyes still looked through her.
"You look nice to."
"Thank you, from an old stick and bones," said Lana. "I can make you breakfast if you want."
Sarah paused. A million things went through her mind. This was a superhero. She made a rule never to fuck superheroes. Or supervillains for that matter. She wanted a separate, uncomplicated, life and secret identity. Of course, these were words; titles. And Sarah did sleep around a bit. Now she was sleeping round, but this...Nighthawk would know. Everyone would know. And they would whisper. And that would be no good. The fact that she was a girl too wasn't going to help anything either.
She lowered her head. "Sure."
"Are you okay?" Lana asked. The Flame, if anything, was good at keeping her emotions in check. what she was actually feeling, if anything, was a mystery to Sarah. She could be thinking the same thing, or the exact opposite. This was a mistake Sarah knew...but a person like this you didn't want to tell. You didn't want to make a person mad when they could set the house on fire with an angry thought. But something in Lana’s character told Sarah she would never do that...and besides it was Flame’s house.
And a very nice house at that. They walked down to a large airy kitchen, full of pale whites and tasteful furniture. It looked like a mansion or a mini version of that.
"Hope it’s clean enough," said Lana "I don't have any housekeepers or anything, I don't want to risk them finding anything."
Sarah paused. The flame wore no kind of mask. She wore a kind of costume one could wear anywhere, in fact, in a look normal enough kind of way. How did she actually keep a secret identity? It was a question she never actually got a decent answer to.
And the house itself looked cleaner then she ever could possibly imagine any real property looking. Fuck what a tidy fucker.
Sarah shook her head. "You have a beautiful house."
"Oh thank you," said Lana, as they walked into a kitchen of steel and light paints. "Bought it a couple of years ago. It’s serviceable. Works as a house...sometimes as an office, and I suppose my lair. I sometimes call it my candle." She shook her head. "I don't have people over often."
Sarah, as a woman of a certain moral repute, and age, in the city of Los Angeles...had woken up in some real shit houses. With guys doing blow in the bathroom. Not today. This could be considered a treat. An awkward treat. But, well...
Sarah sat down at a breakfast table. "Do you have any coffee?"
Lana nodded and went to a grinder that looked more expensive then Sarah’s car. "Oh, I get Sumatra beans from a shop in silver lake. Do you want a French grind or something smoother this morning? I want a bit of thickness, I need the caffeine, as if you couldn’t tell."
Lana looked, well, energetic was the wrong word, but if the one setting on her motor was functioning properly.
"That sounds good" said Sarah. She got her coffee from a can pre-ground. Though she did use little white filter cups, thank you.
"What do you want for breakfast? I usually eat granola bit of fresh fruit, but now I’m entertaining a lady caller for this meal, so perhaps I should get more elaborate."
"Do you have any eggs? And, like, some bacon?"
"I am vegetarian, but I do have some eggs I think still. Buy them from the farmers market." She opened the refrigerator "Scrambled? Poached? An omelette with some fresh tomatoes and basil?"
"That sounds good," said Sarah. This was really odd. The sex, the house everything.
Lana busied herself prepping ingredients behind Sarah.
"Do you need any help?" asked Sarah.
"No, I can manage," said Lana. "You know I get The Times - both the local and the New York version. Do you want to read the paper? It’s Sunday.”
It was Sunday. Sarah had no excuse...no work to go to. Which was okay, as she probably would have been late already.
"I bet it probably has some account of our exploits. How do you feel about reading your own stories? It always makes me feel a bit awkward I’m afraid."
"me too," Sarah agreed with genuine solidarity. "It’s such a weird thing. And I just don't know how to talk to the press.”
"It’s not natural for me either. Still the press loves you, and thinks me perhaps rather odd. Like I am some ghost from Chatswim. That is the effect I am going for. Still the world does need us so we must oblige. you get to be supergirl, I guess I’m The Shadow."
Within a couple of minutes there were omelettes on the table. And toast. And Orange juice. They ate in silence for a few moments.
"You know," said Lana, "It is Sunday, and I have a membership to the county museum of art. Would you like to go today?"
"I went there a couple of years ago, they had an exhibit on Jack Kirby’s art."
"No, I think you’re confusing the county with the museum of contemporary art. MOCA. That’s different, though with the problems they've been having maybe not for long."
Sarah paused, and thought, as she ate what was a very good omelette.
"You know, I came here in my costume. And I can't very well wear that to the museum.”
"Nothing I have would fit you," said Lana. "That isn't an insult, except to me."
What was she thinking? Perhaps there was just a glimmer of hope and disappointment. Or it could have been Sarah’s imagination.
Clearly the invitation meant that this wasn't a mistake. Breakfast could be a curtesy. A trip to the museum was not. The Flame thought they were enough of something to go to the museum together, enough of a ...what precisely?
Sarah realized that this could be a mistake. This entire episode had been a mistake.
But what the hell? She didn't have any plans for the day.
"I'll go home and change, then meet you there at let’s say...what time is it?"
"11:00"
“11? Jesus. Say 12:30 then?"
"That sounds like quite a lot of fun," said Flame. Yes...it was a smile, as big as this strange person sitting across from Sarah at the table could give.
Sarah smiled back.
And they spent a happy afternoon walking through the museum, looking at art from Mesopotamia, old European masters, and Japanese contemporary pieces. It was one of those things in LA that you would never quite do without company.
(to be continued)
Sarah then looked over. A shoe was about to drop she knew. Someone was next to her, under sheets that Sarah could already determine smelt a bit like sex and fear. Despite herself and her foggy mind Sarah found this rather enchanting. It was a mystery...a wonderful surprise in a way. Who was this enchanting delight that was part of her delightfully fucked up life? One of the treats.
Next to her, wrapped up surprisingly tight in blankets, was the Flame. Her long brown hair was put over Sarah’s shoulder and she wore a smile of contentment. Flame was nude of course, and Sarah got a look at her very flat narrow back. In a way it was pretty. As were her arms that looked like tent-poles compared to Sarah’s.
Eternal Flame: ‘Mazing Girl’s superhero cohort; the psychic who created fire from nothing. The Flame the eerie looking girl who saw right through Sarah. The Flame...the gingham dressed heroine that frankly looked like something from a Tim Burton film. Woman. Female. Possessor of Oviares. That Flame. As Sarah looked around the room, she had thought it would be gothier. There was a lot of tasteful white furniture and subtle colors.
Sarah had a sensation there were several options here. Though in the last couple of months they had grown to know each other a bit, she still... well, Sarah was kind of creeped out by the girl who talked in a singsong voice that suggested murder. Yet here Sarah was, with a vigina that felt gushy...obviously something had happened that she had no reason to forget, but her mind wasn't quite remembering. Perhaps a little panic would help.
But she couldn't quite work her way up to panic. Instead she decided to be more neutral. She leaned over and hugged her new lover from behind, wrapping her arms around the woman who was as flat chested as a board. She nuzzled into her. Sarah cupped her breasts - or what there was of them. Flame had the kind that suggested yes, this was a breast...but nothing more. Sarah traced her stomach and several ribs, finding the smallest hint of abdominals. I mean she had to work out to be a hero...how could she be this thin? Then a finger went between her legs.
"It’s too early," said Flame’s voice. And Sarah agreed with that.
She closed her eyes and tried to remember...
********
Last night she had been thrown roughly into the room...her arms tied behind her back, her body beaten, her spirit had been crushed. Well, it was a hard spirit to crush, but it had been given a pounding.
She had been patrolling the city, feeling rather happy with herself, when she got shot in the ass. Normally that was a pain...in the ass, but this one was a very strong dart, that injected her with what she had been told was enough tranquilizer to bring down a pack of elephants.
The force of the hit disrupted her jump, and as she spiralled into the side of a building. The impact didn't do wonders. She landed on the ground in a heap...and while she tried to get up she was starting to feel really ’Mazingly groggy. Alcohol did affect her, but she was feeling worse now then she ever did in her life.
A group of thugs - anything more then their groupness and their thugness was lost on her - came at her and beat her up some more. Frankly the drugs were taking effect and she really didn't feel most of it as she half heartedly put up a fight.
She remembered throwing up on one of the thugs shoes. Take that shoes. That’ll fuck em...
She found herself being brought into a building -again a building – and into an office.
"Ahh!” said a man waiting in the office. “The mighty ‘Mazing woman,"
"Wait till I get your hands on me," said ’Mazing Girl, almost instantly aware that hadn't really made a lot of sense.
"Charming as always," the man observed. Did she know the voice? She thought she did. Her eyes just weren't working properly.
"Set the chain," the man ordered.
She felt her hands being brought behind her back, and something put around that the informed was: "Tripple strength titanium based alloy. That strut could hold up the Empire State Building."
"So. Come on...tell me your evil plan," urged ‘Mazing Girl. It was good to fall back on what you know.
"You'll figure it out. It does involve you staying alive, so that’s something in your favor. You’re worth a lot to me alive...well, worth more to other people."
Then she put it together. "Kraygen."
"Yeah we've met" he said
Kraygen was a mercenary. She hard heard from various sources that he used to work for the Canadian government, in their secret service, which really made her give it up for Canada. He was somewhere between a thug and a criminal mastermind, depending on the day of the week. He was the kind of the guy who could, say, shoot down a flying superheroine with a high powered dart and capture her and take her to a building. It all added up.
"Put her in the room," he said. "You look like you lost some water in the process. We’ll get you some. Don't worry, I want you alive and healthy.”
By this time ‘Mazing Girl was only just shy of unconsciousness. Still she soldiered on and managed to step on the foot of the thug behind her. There was no real power in it, but that will show em. His shoes must be really messy.
*****
So she was thrown in a small storage room. Most stories like this featured an abandoned warehouse. This looked more like a small office space. She was tossed on the floor.
"who is that?" a voice asked quietly.
This voice Sarah was able to identify more readily.
"Flame! You’re the Living Flame!"
"eternal flame," said the voice. "but points for effort."
The Flame looked Sarah over. “’mazing girl. good finally they got you."
"What?" said ‘Mazing Girl, really not feeling it.
"captured...brought here. Ttey got me two days ago when I was on patrol, the wretches. dart to the back of the neck. It put me down, but only for a short time. been fully conscious for a day or so and planning my escape. however, a big part of my plan was for them either to capture someone else like you, or..."
“How did you know they were going to?"
"i am a telepath."
Then the voices outside Sarah’s head stopped, and the voices in her head started.
((we should probably communicate this way anyway, it’s safer. as I was saying, i'm a telepath. i can read that beast Kraygen’s thoughts. such a ghastly inhuman sort. he has made come contacts in what might be called the white slave trade in asia and wants to sell heroes there for some type of underground setup.fighting maybe, sex...even he’s not sure. but he wants to get about five of us. I knew his next target was you.))
"That was your plan?"
((talk like this)))
((That was your plan?)) ‘Mazing girl thought. ((Have me get captured?))
((to help me. I know your groggy. they probably plan to keep you like that. their plan for me was to tie me up and keep me in an inflammable room, however i think with both our powers together, we can escape.))
((How?))
Just then she heard and felt drums in her ear, something coming close to her... moving. She opened her eyes to see that Flame was over her. Flame’s hands and legs where both bound up.
((i need straight contact with your skin to do this. it’s not going to be pleasant, i’m afraid. But be a good sport and buck up.))
Flame leant down as if to kiss her...however all she really did was nuzzle her neck with her face. Rather awkwardly, as she felt a nose somewhere.
It was then she felt it...a huge rush of chemicals going through her mind as if every alcoholic drink she had ever experienced was rushing through at once. It was incredible. It only lasted about a second...and then Sarah fell unconscious.
***
She then woke up, opening her eyes.
"What happened?" she asked, looking around. She felt fine now. Dehydrated, but as if the cloud was gone. Also, she had peed her costume.
((i helped you clear your mind. i have the power to get inside your head a bit...your body. i sped up the drugs about a 100 fold. it hit you hard, but you should be fine now. Now use your super-strength and we can effect an escape.))
‘Mazing Girl smiled and laughed just a bit. She felt her hand. she had been told the metal was designed to hold up the Empire State Building.
However, she had found that with enough pressure metal of any kind was really sort of weak when she pushed it. Well...after about twenty seconds of tugging and grunting...she was free.
“okay,” Flame said "they have a camera. get me, and let’s get out of here before they come in.”
‘Mazing Girl grabbed the manacles holding Flame’s hands together. They were a standard set of handcuffs. She just broke the chain, she would worry about the cuffs later. She did the same with Flame’s feet
"You okay?"
"stiff, but workable" Flame told her as she got up, moving and stretching her arms. "there. they almost certainly have more of those tranquilizers they got you with before, so be careful."
Mazing girl nodded. She approached the metal door.
"stop!" Flame warned. "i can read their minds. they’re waiting for us to bust through the door to get us. there’s five of them. kraygen. can you do me a favour?"
"Sure."
"i want you to make a small hole in the door...maybe 6 feet up. I want to see in there."
‘Mazing girl punched the door near the top, making a small hole. A bunch of bullets blasted at it, but the metal door stopped them.
Flame went over. "give me another hand. A hand up."
‘Mazing Girl leant down and made a bridge for the diminutive heroine in gingham. She noted she was just wearing a gingham dress. It wasn't a fake made of Kevlar like most superheroes wore. It was just maybe a 1/8 inch of clothing. And yes, underneath she was wearing panties. Very sensible ones.
Flame looked through the hole. And then ‘Mazing women heard a cry. And the sound of fire.
"making the room more cozy. i forgot to ask. I myself am quite fireproof, but what about yourself?”
"I'll do. And I got an idea."
"then effectuate it partner."
‘Mazing girl grabbed the door handle, and pushed. The hinges gave way pretty quickly, pulling free even as she kept pushing.
Within a second the door wasn't in the wall, and she had a shield.
The room was on a lot of fire. Flame of course didn't actually set any of the men on fire...but several desks, plants, and other things weren't so lucky. Sarah felt the almost deafening impacts of felt like rockets hitting the door. Must be the launcher.
She moved up and swung the door at the source, and the man. Both flew to the side. Another met the same fate. Flame was, despite her size, good enough in a fight. She managed to disable one of the men with what looked to be very precise use of judo, even as another fled the room with his toupee on fire.
That left Kraygen. He pulled out a gun.
‘Mazing girl dropped her shield.
“I'll shoot," Kraygen threatened.
"Oh come-on. Why don't you just stop now and throw the gun at my face?" ‘Mazing Girl suggested.
"I’ll shoot her!" He then turned, and he did pull the trigger. But the gun exploded in his hand.
‘Mazing girl punched him as he dropped the gun in shock.
"lots of very flammable things in guns, i’m afraid" said Flame. "dull sort, I have done that before. I would assume it was on a fact-sheet somewhere."
****
They waited for the police to come up, put the rest of the thugs in a more presentable order...and well, talked a bit. Sarah had thanked Flame. Then Flame thanked Sarah. Both, it turned out, felt indebted to the other for others help in their predicament. It wasn't the debt, it wasn't that precisely. Or drink. ‘Mazing Girl felt, if anything, too sober. As if reality had taken an extra sheen.
Well, it somehow ended up back in Flames house in the mid Wilshire Distrct, where they had spent quite a few hours eating each other out. Very well, in fact. I mean...that was a hell of a tongue on that woman.
Which lead to some real good sleep. which she undoubtedly needed. And eventually it lead to her waking up. And then Flame waking up with Sarah holding her.
"Good morning," Flame offered, when at last she fully waked up.
This was good as Sarah really wanted to go to the bathroom. Yet somehow she didn't want to leave Flame in bed by herself. No, a part of her really really wanted to go right now, but another part of her felt that would be seen as rude, and she didn't want to insult a woman who could burn her up with her mind.
"I’m going to the bathroom. Is that alright?" asked Sarah.
"Of course," said Flame. "First door on the left.”
Sarah got of bed gingerly separating their limbs as she did. They were rather entwined, in fact.
She went in and pissed like a mother. She had drank a lot of orange juice after another and not all of went into curing her dehydration.
"May I ask you what your real name is?" inquired Flame through the door. "I apologize...you may have offered it last night...but I don't remember."
"Can't you just read my mind?" said Sarah. Then paused. This was a step. A big step. But...
"My name is Sarah."
"Nice name," said the Flame. "Reliable. Strong. Just like you. My name is Lana, but you can probably find that from all the magazine subscriptions in there."
Sarah left the bathroom. She looked at the still nude Lana. "Do you want a robe? They will probably fit you though you are a...”
"Much bigger girl then you."
“Didn't want to say, but these tend to be one size fits all. I have this very nice kimono," Lana explained as she went to her closet. "Picked it up in Japan several years ago.”
Lana returned with the Kimono. Sarah looked at her...well what was she? Associate...that much was obvious. They worked in the same field. At times there had been moments where they had been friends-but the kind of friend you don't actually know the name of. They now fucked each other. Lana herself, whatever her last name was, was still so small and tiny. Sarah admired her. Even without her ’Mazing strength she could have broken her in half. Her waist must have been 17 inches and not a lot of her body was that much more shapely than that. She was a small girl of bone and sinew. From the brown hair on her head to down bellow. That Flame did smile at her suggested friendliness, so at least there was that.
Lana handed over the silk kimono. It did fit well enough, covering Sarah in rish light blue cloth. "You look rather smashing, I must say. Charming even."
Lana put on a light blue robe of her own. "I must admit: I have always thought you were rather beautiful ‘Mazing...well, Sarah. Not a fake model, but your curves, the wash of your face, yes...I must say your gorgeous in a healthy way. I myself can't gain an ounce of weight with my metabolism, but I do envy your curves."
Sarah blushed. That was sweet. She had no idea how to end this encounter, and had the desperate desire to do so, but this was sweet, even if her eyes still looked through her.
"You look nice to."
"Thank you, from an old stick and bones," said Lana. "I can make you breakfast if you want."
Sarah paused. A million things went through her mind. This was a superhero. She made a rule never to fuck superheroes. Or supervillains for that matter. She wanted a separate, uncomplicated, life and secret identity. Of course, these were words; titles. And Sarah did sleep around a bit. Now she was sleeping round, but this...Nighthawk would know. Everyone would know. And they would whisper. And that would be no good. The fact that she was a girl too wasn't going to help anything either.
She lowered her head. "Sure."
"Are you okay?" Lana asked. The Flame, if anything, was good at keeping her emotions in check. what she was actually feeling, if anything, was a mystery to Sarah. She could be thinking the same thing, or the exact opposite. This was a mistake Sarah knew...but a person like this you didn't want to tell. You didn't want to make a person mad when they could set the house on fire with an angry thought. But something in Lana’s character told Sarah she would never do that...and besides it was Flame’s house.
And a very nice house at that. They walked down to a large airy kitchen, full of pale whites and tasteful furniture. It looked like a mansion or a mini version of that.
"Hope it’s clean enough," said Lana "I don't have any housekeepers or anything, I don't want to risk them finding anything."
Sarah paused. The flame wore no kind of mask. She wore a kind of costume one could wear anywhere, in fact, in a look normal enough kind of way. How did she actually keep a secret identity? It was a question she never actually got a decent answer to.
And the house itself looked cleaner then she ever could possibly imagine any real property looking. Fuck what a tidy fucker.
Sarah shook her head. "You have a beautiful house."
"Oh thank you," said Lana, as they walked into a kitchen of steel and light paints. "Bought it a couple of years ago. It’s serviceable. Works as a house...sometimes as an office, and I suppose my lair. I sometimes call it my candle." She shook her head. "I don't have people over often."
Sarah, as a woman of a certain moral repute, and age, in the city of Los Angeles...had woken up in some real shit houses. With guys doing blow in the bathroom. Not today. This could be considered a treat. An awkward treat. But, well...
Sarah sat down at a breakfast table. "Do you have any coffee?"
Lana nodded and went to a grinder that looked more expensive then Sarah’s car. "Oh, I get Sumatra beans from a shop in silver lake. Do you want a French grind or something smoother this morning? I want a bit of thickness, I need the caffeine, as if you couldn’t tell."
Lana looked, well, energetic was the wrong word, but if the one setting on her motor was functioning properly.
"That sounds good" said Sarah. She got her coffee from a can pre-ground. Though she did use little white filter cups, thank you.
"What do you want for breakfast? I usually eat granola bit of fresh fruit, but now I’m entertaining a lady caller for this meal, so perhaps I should get more elaborate."
"Do you have any eggs? And, like, some bacon?"
"I am vegetarian, but I do have some eggs I think still. Buy them from the farmers market." She opened the refrigerator "Scrambled? Poached? An omelette with some fresh tomatoes and basil?"
"That sounds good," said Sarah. This was really odd. The sex, the house everything.
Lana busied herself prepping ingredients behind Sarah.
"Do you need any help?" asked Sarah.
"No, I can manage," said Lana. "You know I get The Times - both the local and the New York version. Do you want to read the paper? It’s Sunday.”
It was Sunday. Sarah had no excuse...no work to go to. Which was okay, as she probably would have been late already.
"I bet it probably has some account of our exploits. How do you feel about reading your own stories? It always makes me feel a bit awkward I’m afraid."
"me too," Sarah agreed with genuine solidarity. "It’s such a weird thing. And I just don't know how to talk to the press.”
"It’s not natural for me either. Still the press loves you, and thinks me perhaps rather odd. Like I am some ghost from Chatswim. That is the effect I am going for. Still the world does need us so we must oblige. you get to be supergirl, I guess I’m The Shadow."
Within a couple of minutes there were omelettes on the table. And toast. And Orange juice. They ate in silence for a few moments.
"You know," said Lana, "It is Sunday, and I have a membership to the county museum of art. Would you like to go today?"
"I went there a couple of years ago, they had an exhibit on Jack Kirby’s art."
"No, I think you’re confusing the county with the museum of contemporary art. MOCA. That’s different, though with the problems they've been having maybe not for long."
Sarah paused, and thought, as she ate what was a very good omelette.
"You know, I came here in my costume. And I can't very well wear that to the museum.”
"Nothing I have would fit you," said Lana. "That isn't an insult, except to me."
What was she thinking? Perhaps there was just a glimmer of hope and disappointment. Or it could have been Sarah’s imagination.
Clearly the invitation meant that this wasn't a mistake. Breakfast could be a curtesy. A trip to the museum was not. The Flame thought they were enough of something to go to the museum together, enough of a ...what precisely?
Sarah realized that this could be a mistake. This entire episode had been a mistake.
But what the hell? She didn't have any plans for the day.
"I'll go home and change, then meet you there at let’s say...what time is it?"
"11:00"
“11? Jesus. Say 12:30 then?"
"That sounds like quite a lot of fun," said Flame. Yes...it was a smile, as big as this strange person sitting across from Sarah at the table could give.
Sarah smiled back.
And they spent a happy afternoon walking through the museum, looking at art from Mesopotamia, old European masters, and Japanese contemporary pieces. It was one of those things in LA that you would never quite do without company.
(to be continued)
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
A Young Womans Guide to Warhammer 40k and Random Hookups.
Warhammer 40k, for those who are uninitiated is British game that combines element of classic wargaming in the Napoleonic style, mixed with Tolkienesque fantasy and the movie Aliens (also for some reason you can play a Terminator from the movie of the same name).
Many people think it's a lot of fun.
Sarah Jennings kind of agreed with them.
There were basically four parts to the game.
1. You had to buy the collectible figurines from Games Workshop (this was important - you couldn't ever ever use any figurines not from Games Workshop, or make your own).
2. Paint them, as they all came as kind of grey pewter mess. Paint them in exotic colors to make them really look great.
3. Play the actual game.
4. VICTORY!!!!!
Sarah was a crafts person by profession, but still dabbled a bit as a hobby. She liked the second part a lot. There was a lot of fun to be had spending hours painting detailed little models of cool alien creatures, and Sarah found it enjoyable, as it wasn't amazingly exacting...but exacting enough for someone who worked in the movies. And well when you get thrown threw buildings your life doesn't have to be 24/7 adreneline.
However, to get a real game going, you needed about 30-50 pieces...which was a lot. Some of them where kind of big too. And kind of expensive.
To play the actual game, which was the point (well victory was the point), the actual game...ehh. It was fun but slow. Each turn took maybe 10-20 minutes, occasionally longer, and a game took about 3-4 hours, as it involved lots of measuring with constant referencing of rules and arguing about things. Warhammer may have been a lot of fun if it was a computer game. Actually it may have been a blast. But, for reasons probably involving the fact there'd be no expensive miniatures to buy, no one had ever made a warhammer computer game.
(Okay there was Starcraft, but that's another story)
So Sarah was left with her respectable-ish Tyranid army. The army idea was really really blatanly stolen from the movie Aliens. However, a kind of organised battle against aliens was a neat idea. As a superheroine there was something fun of playing an army of tentacled monsters overwhelming beleaguered foes.
"Urrgh," Sarah said as set them up. "Conquer...must destroy the evil humans with their feelings and emotions."
"Quit it," said John.
Sarah was at an event - where Warhammer games usually happened. Groups of about 15 guys setting up 8 matches into a mini tournament. The winner made 20 bucks. You would play a game, and then watch the rest and drink semi-heavily. This was all happening in a very large garage downtown, the type that you occasionally found in LA.
John was a friend of Sarah that she never saw outside of things like this. Actually, friend was perhaps a bit of a strong word. He was someone she knew.
Sarah was going to play against his army of Space Marines, who were an army of hulking seven foot musuclar men, the ultimate of human condition, with superpowered organs and vitals. They were also, if you looked carefully at the fiction, sterile and presumably impotent...something she found amusing
And so they were off. Sarah knew just enough about the game to dangerous. She knew the principals of the Tyrandis, which was rushing as fast as you could to some place the enemy was weak-in a kind 'zerg rush' (except not). Just enough...or perhaps not.
Becuse that was the trick of the game. You l dice and there was a fair amount of luck involved. And after about 4 turns, the Space Marines really whipped her ass.
"Die you space vermin! Die in the name of Emperor!!"
Well, there went that battle.
Out in the first round, Sarah could either bail or drink. She really should be patrolling, and fighting crime, but it was a kind of drabbish drizzly January night so she decided agianst it. Plus someone had bought a case of Heineken. She checked her phones. No major emergencies, and if one came up, well.
So she watched the second round. It was an Eldar Army (space elves) fighting an Ork army (spaces....well, orcs with weird spelling). She knew the Ork guy, Laurence, from college, and knew that for an army that had a reputation of being kind of a joke, if you used the right strategy and rolled well you could do some damage. He was, thought it was taking some time.
She sat next to a guy. He smiled at her. she looked at him some more.
He was hot. Well, hot in the kind of 'he's obviously a nerd, but still abstractly kind of hot' way. It was like someone wearing black at a goth club. Goth. Black outside...maybe not. Guy with a scraggly beard at a warhammer event. Nerd. But still abstractly hot.
The guy turned out to be named Rick. Rick Hastings. He had come to LA to work for Sony, with hopes of becoming an executive, and he was in the most abstract sense, in that sony had a lot of executives - he just didn't have an actual office. He smiled at her. She smiled at him.
They drank some beers and chatted.
Games take awhile.
By the third turn it was clear they where paying more attention to each other than the game. Then he smiled and they walked outside to get some air.
******
About three minutes later they were making out.
"You taste good," Rick told her.
"I salted and buttered myself before the event," said Sarah.
"I like a little butter," Rick confessed as he slapped her ass.
"Keep at it."
She turned towards him in the street and he slapped her some, agian and agian. This would be technically described as a spank.
He lifted up her sundress and rubbed her booty. Sarah giggled. Then her spanked it, watching the flesh of her posterior fly. It didn't really get red but if was fun.
"Oooh! Nice buttery ass..."
Sarah looked around. There was either an alley or something that looked like an alley...and maybe she'd had too much to drink, but she walked in.
He followed and she breathed. She turned and kissed him for a second. She then lifted up her skirt over her waist and turned around, placing her hands on the wall
"My my," whistled Rick. "Someones wearing a thong."
"For a time being," said Sarah...and the thong fell to her knees.
Rick dropped his pants. She didn't want to speak. That was part of the fun. This wasn't a foreplay kind of night. She heard him fumble.
"I got a condom...just a sec."
"Aren't you thoughtful," said Sarah. Yeah, she should have probably thought about it, but Heineken was a good drunk for her.
It took a minute as she waited. Her ass was getting cold. She twitched a bit
"Hurry!!!" She shook her booty impatiently side to side.
"Aren't you something," observed Rick.
And then she felt it. She couldn't tell how long it was but as something pushed agianst her pussy, it was something.
"Urg," said Sarah.
And then he began. He was moving fast agianst her semi dry-opening, but it was getting wetter with each thrust. His hands grabed her breasts roughly.
And this was going well.
She wanted this...needed it. She was a good superhero, and deserved an orgasm now and then. But Rick wasn't possessed of an amazing amount of stamina. Sarah concentrated, closing her eyes. Sarah had...the power is the wrong word, but the skill that she could speed herself a bit if she had good stimulation - which this was. She was getting very close herself...she could feel it.
Rick licked her neck. She giggled and opened her eyes for a second.
Only to see, further down the alley, a girl was being grabbed by another guy who was putting his hand over her mouth.
It was moments like this that showed who she was, what she really had in her life. Who she really was. She was a girl with a guy up inside of her, in an embarassing siutation, just about to cum...but...
She screamed. She screamed really really loud. Sarah just let out as big a screem as she could made as much noise as could possibly come...which for someone with slightly superpowered lungs was a lot.
Rick let go of her, pulling out.
The rapist, or mugger maybe, ran away from the girl taking flight as fast as he could, running off into the night as the women (who Sarah could clearly see was an African American in her 50s) collected her breath.
"What the fuck?" Rick demanded.
"I saw something," said Sarah.
"What the fuck," Rick looked around.
"It was nothing."
And she started to lean down immediately, and grabbed him in her mouth and started to suck him.
When about 5 people from the game came around the corner and into the alley.
"Hey! What happened?" John inquired.
There was a pause.
"Oh."
The group turned.
********
Sarah thought about chasing the mugger down but realised that she didn't get a great look at him, and it was a dark night. Not worthwhile odds for a crime that she couldn't really prove without the woman, which was...yeah, Sarah thought, just drop it.
Besides, she felt it very important that she should go back into the game like nothing had happened.
And so they both went. Rick had cum (at least after the audience left) in a second, and she was okay. He moved around the room, looking at guys with knowing looks and receiving a couple of high fives. Well, let him, she thought. She had the distinct impression that she would never see him again. A very distinct impression.
She watched the game. Terry won, taking out the last match agianst John. The silly, stupid, lovable Orks beat the big Space Marines. She assumed that much partying was involved, excpet for the facts that Orks, too, had no genitalia.
She did though. After a beer or so came a small sense of moroseness. She was feeling a little guilty about how she let her urges effect her. But how was that different from anyone? She could be 'Mazing Girl. have amazing adventures, and still drink, fuck, and play overpriced British wargames. She could still do all those things.
But she couldn't fall in love. That was the trick.
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