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This is a story I have wanted to read for a long time and since no one else was making it, I decided I would write it. As it stands, the story is completely finished but ended up being much longer than I anticipated. Therefore, I will be posting it in segments. Please bear in mind that this is my first attempt at story writing and I appreciate any and all feedback.
I want to extend a big thank you to sgz6 for his help in brainstorming, editing, picture creation, and for allowing me to use of several of his characters.
I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Supergirl: Hidden Agenda
As she enjoyed the gentle breeze running through her hair, Kara Kent, better known to the world as Supergirl, patrolled the city for signs of trouble. She was absolutely stunning in her skin-tight costume with her cape and beautiful blonde hair waving in the wind. As she flew over downtown Chicago, Supergirl reflected on the night’s events. It had been relatively quiet, a robbery at the 1st National Bank and a fire onboard a cargo ship. Although she had expected more, Supergirl wasn’t complaining. She loved cruising the skies over Chicago, and a quiet night like tonight allowed her to do just that. A light breeze, nothing above or below her but air, it was the ultimate feeling of freedom. Kara decided she’d patrol for about 15 more minutes and then head home. Her best friend Drew Prince a.k.a. Wonder Girl was supposed to be arriving the next morning. Kara had invited Drew to stay with her for a couple of weeks and Kara wanted to be home in time to tidy up her apartment.
On top of one of Chicago’s many office building, a shady figure waited patiently. He wanted to make sure Supergirl left before he started his night’s activities. The individual in question was dressed in black from head to toe. A black balaclava mask revealed only his eyes and the bridge of his nose. His chest and torso was covered with a form-fitting tactical vest with a tight t-shirt underneath. Black camouflage cargo pants, combat gloves, and soft-soled combat boots completed his apparel. To the untrained eye, he looked like some kind of Special Forces operator.
He decided to check his gear once more as he waited for Supergirl to clear the skies. A five-seven pistol with integrated silencer was in its holster strapped to his right thigh. An MP5-SD suppressed submachine gun was slung across his back. Extra ammo clips were in special pouches strapped to his left thigh. Occupying his chest pouches were a variety of grenades, gadgets, and one special item he hoped he would not need. He then slipped on what appeared to be a pair of tactical sunglasses and powered them on. A heads-up display came online and the shady figure switched the glasses to low-light mode. 10 minutes later, the Girl of Steel sped south and out of sight. Satisfied that it was safe, the “operator” opened the roof-access hatch and entered the office building.
Kara glided through the open window of her apartment located in the outskirts of the Windy City. It had been a gift from Bruce. He had bought her the largest apartment in one of his buildings. The apartment could easily fit five or six people comfortably if Kara ever had company over. He had also made some special renovations. Behind a hidden panel in Kara’s closet, Bruce had installed a room for Kara to store her costume and a spare. Past that, was a very large room that Kara called her “Mini-Fortress.” The door leading to the Fortress only responded to the touch of someone with Kryptonian DNA.
Landing with the grace of a ballerina, Supergirl was startled by a voice saying, “Keeping late hours are we?” Kara turned to see Drew Prince, Wonder Girl to the rest of the world, standing in the doorway to the kitchen.
“Drew!” Kara exclaimed as she ran over and gave her friend a hug.
“I was hoping to get home before you got here,” Kara explained.
Drew replied, “I decided to get here early and surprise you”
“I’m glad you did, let me go change.” Kara stated.
Kara walked into her bedroom to change out of her costume. First, she slipped off her red boots and placed them next to the closet. Next, she undid her cape and placed it on the bed. Then she removed her yellow belt and slipped out of her red mini skirt. Finally, Kara peeled off her blue leotard and skin-tone tights. She then slipped into a pair of black shorts and pulled on a white tank top. She stored her costume in the secret compartment hidden in the wall of her closet. Pulling her blonde hair into a ponytail, Kara headed back into the living room where Drew was waiting.
Drew had taken a seat on the couch and Kara sat down next to her.
“So,” Kara started, “we have a lot to catch up on.”
“We sure do,” Drew replied, “have any interesting stories to share?”
“As a matter of fact…” Kara started before her super-hearing picked up a rumbling sound and interrupted her chain of thought.
“Kara, what’s wrong?” Drew asked, seeing the look of concentration on Kara’s face.
“I’m not sure, hold on a second,” Kara said as she used her x-ray vision to look through the apartment wall towards the source of the noise. She spotted a rising cloud of smoke and dust in the middle of downtown Chicago.
“Something has happened downtown,” Kara explained to her Amazonian friend.
“Then we’d better get moving,” Drew stated as she headed for the guest room. Without saying a word, Kara went into her room to retrieve her costume.
Seconds later, Kara was back in the living room, dressed in her well-known blue, red, and yellow costume. Drew joined her half a second later in her equally iconic outfit. A red sleeveless unitard with white stars going up both sides showed off her fine curves, as well as a little bit of cleavage. Black boots, silver bracelets, and a gold belt completed the costume and her Lasso of Truth hung from her belt. Both women looked stunning as they flew out the apartment window and headed downtown.
As they neared the cloud of smoke and dust, both heroines could see that an office building was the source of the cloud. There was a rough hole in the corner of the building where it appeared that the outside walls of 3 or 4 floors had been blown out. The two super-powered friends flew down to the street where CPD had already set up a command post.
Wonder Girl spotted an officer holding a clip board and headed over to him. “Officer Miller,” she started, reading the officer’s name tag, “how can we help?”
The officer looked up from his board and was surprised to see who had addressed him. “Oh, well I’m not in charge here. But if you give me one second, I can get the guy who is.” Supergirl and Wonder Girl both nodded as the officer keyed his radio.
“Miller for Sergeant Randal…”
“This is Randal, go ahead.” his radio squawked back.
“Hey sarge, I’ve got two ladies over at the CP offering assistance.”
“10-4, I’m on my way,” was the reply.
About 20 seconds later, an officer with sergeant’s stripes on his uniform came jogging over. “Supergirl, Wonder Girl, I’m glad you two are here,” the 5’ 11” officer said.
“Is there anything we can do to help, Sergeant?” Kara asked politely.
“The weird thing is…” the officer paused midsentence as he noticed the growing crowd of reporters, “please walk with me.”
When Randal was satisfied that they were out of earshot of the reporters he continued, “The firefighters inside right now informed me that, although there was an explosion, the fire appears to have blow itself out. Furthermore, nobody was hurt by the blast.”
Supergirl noticed the officer had a grim look on his face, “You don’t seem very pleased by that report Sergeant, is something wrong?”
He looked at both super heroines for a moment before he answered, “Yeah, we found bodies on several floors.”
“But, I thought you said no one was hurt in the blast Sergeant?” was Drew’s reply.
“I did, these folks were killed by others means,” the officer explained. “About 2 or 3 of them have broken necks but the majority were killed by close-range gunshots to the head.” He continued, “It’s hard to say this early but, it looks like they were all attacked from behind, they never saw who killed them.”
“Exactly how many murders are we talking about here?” Supergirl asked.
“We don’t know, the search teams keep discovering more…” Sergeant Randal’s radio interrupted him, “Sergeant, we’ve got another on the 7th floor, shot in the back of the hand and head. A pistol was found about three feet away.”
Randal sighed as he keyed his radio, “Understood, keep me informed.”
“See what I mean?” he spoke to the two heroines.
Just then, a team of firefighters exited the building. The fire captain came walking over, “Hey Randal, it’s safe for you guys to go in now.” The officer replied, “Thanks Bill, you guys enjoy the rest of your night.” “Likewise,” the captain said as he headed for the fire engine.
Supergirl spoke up, “Sergeant, could we go in and take a look around?”
Randal replied as if he got asked that question all the time, “Sure, just don’t disturb anything for when the CSI team gets here.”
“We understand sir, and thank you,” Wonder Girl answered.
The girls spent about an hour searching through the office building. When they were finished, they thanked the police sergeant again and headed back to Kara’s apartment. They had a lot of information they needed to go over.
The first item Kara and Drew discussed was the explosion. Supergirl and Wonder Girl had seen enough bombings to know that tonight’s explosion was indeed caused by some type of explosive device. What they were curious about was the apparent placement of the bomb. Aside from the structural damage to the office building, all that appeared to be destroyed was a bank of computer servers.
Drew spoke up, “But if the servers were the target all along, why not just upload a virus, why the collateral damage?”
Kara replied, “Good question, you think someone was trying to make a statement?”
Drew perked up, “I hadn’t thought about that, maybe we should look at the rest of the evidence and see if that confirms it.”
The next topic they discussed was the murders. Every person who had been killed either had a pistol in close proximity to them, or had a shoulder holster concealed under their black suit jackets. They had all been dress in similar business attire which led the two friends to believe that the victims were security guards.
“You know,” Kara started, “this is the fourth incident like this to happen within the last month.”
“What do you mean?” her friend replied.
“I was going to tell you about it but we got interrupted by the thing downtown.” Kara explained.
“So tell me now,” Drew said eagerly.
“It started about a month and a half ago when a private military contractor established a facility about 100 miles west, outside of Chicago. At first, I didn’t give it a second thought. But since they moved in, there have been three incidents, four including tonight.”
“And they all share the same pattern?” Drew concluded.
“Yes, but I am still wondering if it is just a coincidence.” Kara replied.
“Hmm, maybe we should look at who owns the buildings that were attacked and see if that leads somewhere.” Drew offered.
“Good idea,” was Kara’s response.
After about 30 minutes of searching on Kara’s computer…
“Okay, so all four buildings are owned by the same company, it’s called The Patterson Corporation.” Drew read off the computer screen.
“Wait!” Kara exclaimed as she turned away from her cup of tea and looked at the monitor, “who is the corporation’s CEO?”
Drew went to the company website and clicked on the “CEO” tab. A photo appeared on screen.
“I was afraid of this,” Kara said. It was a photo of Mary Patterson, one of the heads of the Brain Trust criminal organization.
Drew spoke, “Alright, a series of bombings just happen to coincide with the arrival of a new PMC, and the buildings that were targeted just happen to be owned by the Brain Trust? I don’t buy it.”
Kara agreed, “One coincidence, maybe, but two? Something’s up.”
Kara was suddenly very glad that Drew was in town.
Supergirl: Hidden Agenda
Mary Patterson was enjoying the view from her office window. The Mediterranean was always beautiful this time of the morning. The gorgeous brunette loved working from the Trust’s French beach house. Her position within the organization definitely had its advantages. Mary was wearing a grey blouse and a black business skirt that ended just above her knees. A pair of dark nylons encased her shapely legs and feet. A pair of black high-heels completed her attire.
Suddenly, Mary’s phone rang, interrupting her chain of thought. She walked over to her desk and picked up the receiver, “Patterson,” she answered in a very business-like manner. As the voice on the other end started to speak, Mary’s demeanor and attitude quickly changed. When the voice finally stopped speaking, Mary was furious.
“Now tell me something Mitch,” she said, rubbing the bridge of her nose “what the hell am I paying you for!?”
“But Ms. Patterson…” he started.
“Shut up!” she cut him off, “I gave you more equipment, more security personnel, more funding, and this is the fourth fucking time!” She continued, “Get your shit together, and I mean right now.” By now, Mary’s tone had changed to one of absolute rage, “I’m flying down there this afternoon. If you fuck this up again I’ll have your head. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal,” came the reply.
With that Mary slammed the phone back in its cradle and slumped into her leather office chair. She slammed her fists on her desk in frustration.
“Problem’s with our Chicago division?” came a seductive voice.
Mary glanced up, Victoria Stackhouse was standing in the entrance to Mary’s office.
The look on Mary’s face told it all. It was a combination of embarrassment, frustration, and exhaustion.
“It happened again,” Mary admitted.
Victoria sighed, “That’s the fourth data center to be hit within the last two months.”
“I know,” Mary replied, “the pattern matches the others too.”
“It sounds like we have some competition trying to muscle in on us.” Victoria observed.
“Could be, I’m flying over this afternoon to take over personally.” Mary replied.
Victoria was taking care not to be hard on Mary. She could tell that Mary Patterson was doing her very best to combat the latest set of problems in Chicago. Which is why she offered her next suggestion to Mary. “You know, thanks to Amanda McQueen’s little power copying project, your niece was able to reacquire her abilities. Perhaps you should take her with you for some extra muscle.” Victoria offered.
“I think I just might do that,” Mary replied, a devious smile coming across her face. “I’m also looking at getting better people to handle security.” Mary continued, “A new PMC moved into town recently and I think they might be up to the task.”
“As long as you stay within your budget, knock yourself out,” was Victoria’s response.
…………………………
80 miles outside of Chicago, Brent Hunter handed his ID to the man in the guard shack. At 22 years old and 5’11”, Brent was in peak physical condition. He was no body builder, but the muscles on his arms, chest, abs, and legs quickly dissuaded anyone who had the notion to pick a fight with him. With short black hair and deep blue eyes, Brent was no model either, but he was far from an eye-sore.
Moments later, the guard returned the ID and gave Brent a polite nod, which he returned. The gate slide open and Brent drove his vehicle past the gate and onto the Black Talon PMC base. He chuckled to himself, “‘Black Talon,’ not the most original of names but it serves its purpose.” He parked his black Suburban SUV in the underground parking deck, located just past the facility’s entrance. He then took his duffel bag and got into one of the many black Hummers that the company provided for personnel while on base. It took Brent another hour and 20 minutes before he reached the center of the base where the main facility was located.
The Black Talon base was massive. Almost 150 square miles, it gave them plenty of room to do pretty much whatever they pleased, target practice, field exercises, etc. There was even enough room for the company’s pilots to practice maneuvers. Most importantly, it kept any prying eyes from discovering the true nature of the Black Talon Private Military Contractors.
Brent parked his Hummer in front of the base HQ. The huge building also served as an office building for employees. As Brent stepped out of the vehicle, he double checked that his personal M9 Beretta 9mm was secure in its holster on his right leg. His Five-Seven pistol and the rest of the gear he had used last night was in the bag he carried. On base, all personnel were allowed to carry firearms wherever they pleased unless otherwise instructed. Just one more reason why Brent loved his job. He exchanged pleasantries with the guard at the front door before he entered the building. Taking an elevator to the 7th floor, Brent headed for his office. As he opened his office door, Brent found his boss was waiting for him. “Good morning Andrew,” Brent spoke to his superior and life-long friend.
Andrew Steele was 24 years old and 6’1”. Brown hair, brown eyes, and a good physique made Andrew easy on the eyes, just like his friend. Today he was dressed in a grey business suit and had his briefcase with him.
“Yes it is,” was Andrew’s reply.
Brent dropped his duffel bag and walked over to a small fridge he kept by his desk. As he reached in and took out a Dr. Pepper, he offered one to his friend who gladly accepted it. As Brent sat behind his desk, Andrew took a seat opposite him and spoke up, “So business first, hell of a job last night.”
“Thanks. Although, they are starting to increase their security, not that it helped.” Brent said with a smile.”
“You’d better hope that continues because that data you retrieved last night revealed another location near the docks.” Andrew said as he opened his briefcase.
“Damn, can’t you cut me a little slack?” Brent joked as he took the file his friend handed him. “I’ll look through it later today,” he said as he put the file into a safe in his desk.
Andrew spoke, “Same orders as before, take your time, do it right, just don’t take too long. Details are in the file.”
“Sounds good to me, anything else?” Brent asked.
Andrew’s demeanor changed from light-hearted to that of a more serious nature, “There is one more thing or rather, one more person to discuss.”
Brent also became very serious, “Supergirl…”
“Yeah, odds are you are going to run into her sooner or later.” Andrew went on, “And now, at least for the moment, Wonder Girl is also in town.”
“Didn’t we discuss this before?” Brent asked.
Andrew replied, “I just want to be clear, these two super heroines cannot interfere with our operation. We’ve spent too much time and money for this to not succeed.”
“Understood,” Brent responded.
“Good, now on a less serious note…” Andrew paused, “It’s been, what, 16 years? Are you ever…”
Brent interrupted, “I swear, if you ask me about my eye again…”
“I’m just saying, they have the ability to fix it,” Andrew said with a grin.
The friends were referring to Brent’s left eye. There was nothing wrong with it, functionality wise. An incident that took place when Brent was five had simply rendered his eye partially bloodshot.
Brent explained, “I like it, it serves as a reminder…”
“I know, I know,” Andrew laughed, “I just brought it up to piss you off.”
“You ass,” Brent laughed as he chucked a balled-up piece of paper at his friend.
Andrew stood up, “Well, I’d love to stay and tick you off more, but I have an interview in an hour.”
“Interview? With who?” Brent asked, puzzled.
“Some reporter, a Miss Kara Kent, wants to ask a few questions about Black Talon,” Andrew explained.
“Just be careful what you let her see or hear. She could blow the entire operation if you handle this wrong.” Brent cautioned.
“Hey, are you forgetting how I got this position in the first place?” Andrew said with a smile as he left Brent’s office and closed the door behind him.
That left Brent alone with his thoughts. He quickly began to think about what Andrew had said about Supergirl. Brent had a lot of respect for the Girl of Steel. She always tried to help others, without ever thinking of herself. Anyone with any shred of humanity couldn’t fault her for that. Still, if push came to shove, Brent would not let her jeopardize their operation. If he had his way though, the two of them would never cross paths. Still, he wanted to be prepared. Walking over to his duffel bag, he took out the tactical vest he had worn last night. Reaching into one of the pouches, he removed something that resembled an auto-injector used by people with severe allergies. Holding it at eye level, he carefully inspected the object. The liquid inside had a slight green tint to it. Satisfied that it was in working order, Brent placed it back in his vest. He walked back to his desk to read the file on his latest mission.
Suddenly, Mary’s phone rang, interrupting her chain of thought. She walked over to her desk and picked up the receiver, “Patterson,” she answered in a very business-like manner. As the voice on the other end started to speak, Mary’s demeanor and attitude quickly changed. When the voice finally stopped speaking, Mary was furious.
“Now tell me something Mitch,” she said, rubbing the bridge of her nose “what the hell am I paying you for!?”
“But Ms. Patterson…” he started.
“Shut up!” she cut him off, “I gave you more equipment, more security personnel, more funding, and this is the fourth fucking time!” She continued, “Get your shit together, and I mean right now.” By now, Mary’s tone had changed to one of absolute rage, “I’m flying down there this afternoon. If you fuck this up again I’ll have your head. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal,” came the reply.
With that Mary slammed the phone back in its cradle and slumped into her leather office chair. She slammed her fists on her desk in frustration.
“Problem’s with our Chicago division?” came a seductive voice.
Mary glanced up, Victoria Stackhouse was standing in the entrance to Mary’s office.
The look on Mary’s face told it all. It was a combination of embarrassment, frustration, and exhaustion.
“It happened again,” Mary admitted.
Victoria sighed, “That’s the fourth data center to be hit within the last two months.”
“I know,” Mary replied, “the pattern matches the others too.”
“It sounds like we have some competition trying to muscle in on us.” Victoria observed.
“Could be, I’m flying over this afternoon to take over personally.” Mary replied.
Victoria was taking care not to be hard on Mary. She could tell that Mary Patterson was doing her very best to combat the latest set of problems in Chicago. Which is why she offered her next suggestion to Mary. “You know, thanks to Amanda McQueen’s little power copying project, your niece was able to reacquire her abilities. Perhaps you should take her with you for some extra muscle.” Victoria offered.
“I think I just might do that,” Mary replied, a devious smile coming across her face. “I’m also looking at getting better people to handle security.” Mary continued, “A new PMC moved into town recently and I think they might be up to the task.”
“As long as you stay within your budget, knock yourself out,” was Victoria’s response.
…………………………
80 miles outside of Chicago, Brent Hunter handed his ID to the man in the guard shack. At 22 years old and 5’11”, Brent was in peak physical condition. He was no body builder, but the muscles on his arms, chest, abs, and legs quickly dissuaded anyone who had the notion to pick a fight with him. With short black hair and deep blue eyes, Brent was no model either, but he was far from an eye-sore.
Moments later, the guard returned the ID and gave Brent a polite nod, which he returned. The gate slide open and Brent drove his vehicle past the gate and onto the Black Talon PMC base. He chuckled to himself, “‘Black Talon,’ not the most original of names but it serves its purpose.” He parked his black Suburban SUV in the underground parking deck, located just past the facility’s entrance. He then took his duffel bag and got into one of the many black Hummers that the company provided for personnel while on base. It took Brent another hour and 20 minutes before he reached the center of the base where the main facility was located.
The Black Talon base was massive. Almost 150 square miles, it gave them plenty of room to do pretty much whatever they pleased, target practice, field exercises, etc. There was even enough room for the company’s pilots to practice maneuvers. Most importantly, it kept any prying eyes from discovering the true nature of the Black Talon Private Military Contractors.
Brent parked his Hummer in front of the base HQ. The huge building also served as an office building for employees. As Brent stepped out of the vehicle, he double checked that his personal M9 Beretta 9mm was secure in its holster on his right leg. His Five-Seven pistol and the rest of the gear he had used last night was in the bag he carried. On base, all personnel were allowed to carry firearms wherever they pleased unless otherwise instructed. Just one more reason why Brent loved his job. He exchanged pleasantries with the guard at the front door before he entered the building. Taking an elevator to the 7th floor, Brent headed for his office. As he opened his office door, Brent found his boss was waiting for him. “Good morning Andrew,” Brent spoke to his superior and life-long friend.
Andrew Steele was 24 years old and 6’1”. Brown hair, brown eyes, and a good physique made Andrew easy on the eyes, just like his friend. Today he was dressed in a grey business suit and had his briefcase with him.
“Yes it is,” was Andrew’s reply.
Brent dropped his duffel bag and walked over to a small fridge he kept by his desk. As he reached in and took out a Dr. Pepper, he offered one to his friend who gladly accepted it. As Brent sat behind his desk, Andrew took a seat opposite him and spoke up, “So business first, hell of a job last night.”
“Thanks. Although, they are starting to increase their security, not that it helped.” Brent said with a smile.”
“You’d better hope that continues because that data you retrieved last night revealed another location near the docks.” Andrew said as he opened his briefcase.
“Damn, can’t you cut me a little slack?” Brent joked as he took the file his friend handed him. “I’ll look through it later today,” he said as he put the file into a safe in his desk.
Andrew spoke, “Same orders as before, take your time, do it right, just don’t take too long. Details are in the file.”
“Sounds good to me, anything else?” Brent asked.
Andrew’s demeanor changed from light-hearted to that of a more serious nature, “There is one more thing or rather, one more person to discuss.”
Brent also became very serious, “Supergirl…”
“Yeah, odds are you are going to run into her sooner or later.” Andrew went on, “And now, at least for the moment, Wonder Girl is also in town.”
“Didn’t we discuss this before?” Brent asked.
Andrew replied, “I just want to be clear, these two super heroines cannot interfere with our operation. We’ve spent too much time and money for this to not succeed.”
“Understood,” Brent responded.
“Good, now on a less serious note…” Andrew paused, “It’s been, what, 16 years? Are you ever…”
Brent interrupted, “I swear, if you ask me about my eye again…”
“I’m just saying, they have the ability to fix it,” Andrew said with a grin.
The friends were referring to Brent’s left eye. There was nothing wrong with it, functionality wise. An incident that took place when Brent was five had simply rendered his eye partially bloodshot.
Brent explained, “I like it, it serves as a reminder…”
“I know, I know,” Andrew laughed, “I just brought it up to piss you off.”
“You ass,” Brent laughed as he chucked a balled-up piece of paper at his friend.
Andrew stood up, “Well, I’d love to stay and tick you off more, but I have an interview in an hour.”
“Interview? With who?” Brent asked, puzzled.
“Some reporter, a Miss Kara Kent, wants to ask a few questions about Black Talon,” Andrew explained.
“Just be careful what you let her see or hear. She could blow the entire operation if you handle this wrong.” Brent cautioned.
“Hey, are you forgetting how I got this position in the first place?” Andrew said with a smile as he left Brent’s office and closed the door behind him.
That left Brent alone with his thoughts. He quickly began to think about what Andrew had said about Supergirl. Brent had a lot of respect for the Girl of Steel. She always tried to help others, without ever thinking of herself. Anyone with any shred of humanity couldn’t fault her for that. Still, if push came to shove, Brent would not let her jeopardize their operation. If he had his way though, the two of them would never cross paths. Still, he wanted to be prepared. Walking over to his duffel bag, he took out the tactical vest he had worn last night. Reaching into one of the pouches, he removed something that resembled an auto-injector used by people with severe allergies. Holding it at eye level, he carefully inspected the object. The liquid inside had a slight green tint to it. Satisfied that it was in working order, Brent placed it back in his vest. He walked back to his desk to read the file on his latest mission.
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Kara stepped out of the cab as it stopped in front of the main entrance. She wore a grey blouse that hid the blue Kryptonian fabric she had on underneath. She had on a darker business skirt that ended just above her knees, hiding a certain red mini skirt underneath. Although her skin-tone tights were visible, anyone who looked would mistake them for pantyhose. Her golden blonde hair was pulled back in a pony tail. On her face, Kara had a pair of stylish, wire-rimmed glasses.
The entrance consisted of a sliding chain-linked gate, a chain-linked fence that ran around the entire perimeter of the 150 square mile base, and a guard shack on either side of the fence. The perimeter fence was surrounded by neatly mowed grass. 50 feet inside the perimeter was a heavily wooded area that Kara assumed went all the way the to the facility’s center. Kara could have flown here, but a flying reporter would have probably aroused suspicion and Kara wanted to keep up appearances as she investigated this group called Black Talon. Paying the cab driver, Kara walked up to the guard shack. She noted that the shack located inside the fence had tinted windows.
A guard slid open the window, “Can I help you ma’am?” he asked with a friendly smile.
“Yes,” Kara replied, pulling out her press pass, “I’m Kara Kent from the Chicago Tribune, I have an appointment today.”
The guard took Kara’s pass, “Okay, give me one minute to make a call,” he said as he picked up the phone.
Several seconds later, the guard hung up the phone and handed Kara back her pass along with a visitor’s badge. “You’re ride will be here shortly to take you to the main facility Ms. Kent.” The guard continued, “I just need to give you a few bits of information and ground rules.”
“Okay,” Kara replied
“First, keep that visitor’s badge on while you’re on the property. Also, all visitors are required to have somebody accompanying them at all times while on base. But probably the most important rule I can tell you is that lethal force is authorized against any suspected intruders. But if you follow the first two rules, there is no chance of you being mistaken for an intruder.” The guard finished with a genuine friendly smile.
“Sounds pretty strait forward,” Kara replied, “Anything else?”
“Just more of a heads up, Black Talon employees are allowed to carry personal firearms on base, so don’t be alarmed if you see that almost everyone has a gun. That being said, I believe your ride is here,” the guard said, looking towards the gate.
A black Hummer had pulled up to the gate and a man with blonde hair and green eyes stepped out, “Kara Kent?” he called out.
“Yes,” Kara called back.
The man nodded to the inner guard shack and the gate began to slide open.
The man stepped through and extended his hand, “I’m Scott Connolly, and I’ll be driving you to the main building for your interview. Please, follow me,” he smiled. Walking back to the Hummer, Scott opened the passenger side door for Kara. Once they were both in, Scott turned the large vehicle around and they headed towards the center of the base.
Kara was first to speak, “Mr. Connolly, can I ask you a few questions?”
“Sure, I’ll do my best to answer, and you may call me Scott if you like,” he said in a very friendly manner.
“Okay Scott, how long have you been with Black Talon?” Kara asked.
“Just under three months now.”
“And what did you do prior to joining them?”
“I was a Navy Seal for four years before I signed on with Black Talon,” Scott answered.
Before Kara could ask her next question, the sound of approaching helicopters caught her attention. Looking out the windshield, she saw a pair of Blackhawk helicopters fly overhead.
“Looks like they started maneuvers early this morning,” Scott said as the helicopters sped out of site.
“Just what kind of equipment do you guys have?” Kara asked next.
“I honestly don’t know the whole list, you should probably save that question for your official interview,” Scott replied
“What was your specialty when you were a Seal?” was Kara’s next question.
“I was a demolitions expert,” Scott answered proudly.
Finally the trees began to part and Kara got her first glimpse of the base. It had a fully functioning airstrip, complete with an air control tower. There were several hangars and miscellaneous buildings around the strip. Scott parked the vehicle in front of a big office building. Kara noticed that there was a man in a grey business suit waiting by the entrance to the building.
He came over and opened Kara’s door for her, “Ms. Kent, my name is Andrew Steele. I’m the guy in charge of this facility.” Andrew helped Kara out of the Hummer, “If you would follow me to my office, we can get started.”
A few minutes later, they were seated in Andrew’s office, ready to begin the interview.
Kara started, “I guess the most obvious question is, what exactly does Black Talon do?”
“We offer services of a military nature to our clients,” Andrew explained.
“Could you be more specific?” Kara inquired.
“Mainly, we provide protective services for VIPs and other individuals who want protection.” Andrew paused before continuing, “We can also act as security advisors and contractors to companies and other groups.”
Kara decided to probe a little bit, “Would one of these ‘other’ groups include the Brain Trust?”
Although he didn’t show it, Andrew knew what the reporter was getting at, “I’m not familiar with this group, and I’m prohibited from divulging the names of clients anyway.”
Kara wasn’t looking for an answer but for a response, and she got one when her super-hearing picked up a slight increase in Andrew’s heart rate.
She decided to move on, “Never mind, exactly what kind of equipment does Black Talon have access to?”
Andrew decided to play along, “We have several different types of firearms and they range from handguns, submachine guns, and shotguns up to assault rifles and long range rifles.”
“What about vehicles?” Kara pressed the subject.
“You’ve seen our Hummers driving about the base, we’ve got several 2 ton transport trucks, and a few Blackhawk helicopters all on base right now. We are still waiting for all of our equipment to get here. The base is not fully operational yet.” Andrew explained.
Kara moved on, “Ever accept any contracts that have you working inside the U.S.?”
Andrew didn’t hesitate, “Oh sure, we’ve had several.”
Kara decided to go for broke with her last question, “Ever been contracted for anything illegal, like say in, downtown Chicago?” She heard Andrew’s heart rate increase again, Bingo she thought to herself.
Andrew replied, “No, nothing illegal.”
Kara noticed that he didn’t answer the last part of her question but she decided to end the interview there. “Well thank you for your time Mr. Steele,” she said getting up.
Andrew got up as well, “My pleasure Ms. Kent.” He walked her down to the main floor where Scott was waiting to take Kara back to the main gate. As Kara got into the Hummer she decided to use her x-ray vision to see what Andrew was up to now that she had left. She was surprised to find out that the entire building was lead lined. Now Kara was certain she had found what she was looking for.
After he had escorted Ms. Kent out of the building, Andrew got in the elevator and took it to the 7th floor. Finding the office he was looking for, Andrew knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Brent answered.
“How did the interview go?” he asked.
“She was probing for something,” his friend replied
“And?” Brent waited.
“She got my heart pumping with a few of her questions, but she couldn’t have known that unless she was Supergirl,” Andrew reassured him.
“Nevertheless, I assume I now have two assignments?” Brent concluded.
Andrew simply nodded.
The entrance consisted of a sliding chain-linked gate, a chain-linked fence that ran around the entire perimeter of the 150 square mile base, and a guard shack on either side of the fence. The perimeter fence was surrounded by neatly mowed grass. 50 feet inside the perimeter was a heavily wooded area that Kara assumed went all the way the to the facility’s center. Kara could have flown here, but a flying reporter would have probably aroused suspicion and Kara wanted to keep up appearances as she investigated this group called Black Talon. Paying the cab driver, Kara walked up to the guard shack. She noted that the shack located inside the fence had tinted windows.
A guard slid open the window, “Can I help you ma’am?” he asked with a friendly smile.
“Yes,” Kara replied, pulling out her press pass, “I’m Kara Kent from the Chicago Tribune, I have an appointment today.”
The guard took Kara’s pass, “Okay, give me one minute to make a call,” he said as he picked up the phone.
Several seconds later, the guard hung up the phone and handed Kara back her pass along with a visitor’s badge. “You’re ride will be here shortly to take you to the main facility Ms. Kent.” The guard continued, “I just need to give you a few bits of information and ground rules.”
“Okay,” Kara replied
“First, keep that visitor’s badge on while you’re on the property. Also, all visitors are required to have somebody accompanying them at all times while on base. But probably the most important rule I can tell you is that lethal force is authorized against any suspected intruders. But if you follow the first two rules, there is no chance of you being mistaken for an intruder.” The guard finished with a genuine friendly smile.
“Sounds pretty strait forward,” Kara replied, “Anything else?”
“Just more of a heads up, Black Talon employees are allowed to carry personal firearms on base, so don’t be alarmed if you see that almost everyone has a gun. That being said, I believe your ride is here,” the guard said, looking towards the gate.
A black Hummer had pulled up to the gate and a man with blonde hair and green eyes stepped out, “Kara Kent?” he called out.
“Yes,” Kara called back.
The man nodded to the inner guard shack and the gate began to slide open.
The man stepped through and extended his hand, “I’m Scott Connolly, and I’ll be driving you to the main building for your interview. Please, follow me,” he smiled. Walking back to the Hummer, Scott opened the passenger side door for Kara. Once they were both in, Scott turned the large vehicle around and they headed towards the center of the base.
Kara was first to speak, “Mr. Connolly, can I ask you a few questions?”
“Sure, I’ll do my best to answer, and you may call me Scott if you like,” he said in a very friendly manner.
“Okay Scott, how long have you been with Black Talon?” Kara asked.
“Just under three months now.”
“And what did you do prior to joining them?”
“I was a Navy Seal for four years before I signed on with Black Talon,” Scott answered.
Before Kara could ask her next question, the sound of approaching helicopters caught her attention. Looking out the windshield, she saw a pair of Blackhawk helicopters fly overhead.
“Looks like they started maneuvers early this morning,” Scott said as the helicopters sped out of site.
“Just what kind of equipment do you guys have?” Kara asked next.
“I honestly don’t know the whole list, you should probably save that question for your official interview,” Scott replied
“What was your specialty when you were a Seal?” was Kara’s next question.
“I was a demolitions expert,” Scott answered proudly.
Finally the trees began to part and Kara got her first glimpse of the base. It had a fully functioning airstrip, complete with an air control tower. There were several hangars and miscellaneous buildings around the strip. Scott parked the vehicle in front of a big office building. Kara noticed that there was a man in a grey business suit waiting by the entrance to the building.
He came over and opened Kara’s door for her, “Ms. Kent, my name is Andrew Steele. I’m the guy in charge of this facility.” Andrew helped Kara out of the Hummer, “If you would follow me to my office, we can get started.”
A few minutes later, they were seated in Andrew’s office, ready to begin the interview.
Kara started, “I guess the most obvious question is, what exactly does Black Talon do?”
“We offer services of a military nature to our clients,” Andrew explained.
“Could you be more specific?” Kara inquired.
“Mainly, we provide protective services for VIPs and other individuals who want protection.” Andrew paused before continuing, “We can also act as security advisors and contractors to companies and other groups.”
Kara decided to probe a little bit, “Would one of these ‘other’ groups include the Brain Trust?”
Although he didn’t show it, Andrew knew what the reporter was getting at, “I’m not familiar with this group, and I’m prohibited from divulging the names of clients anyway.”
Kara wasn’t looking for an answer but for a response, and she got one when her super-hearing picked up a slight increase in Andrew’s heart rate.
She decided to move on, “Never mind, exactly what kind of equipment does Black Talon have access to?”
Andrew decided to play along, “We have several different types of firearms and they range from handguns, submachine guns, and shotguns up to assault rifles and long range rifles.”
“What about vehicles?” Kara pressed the subject.
“You’ve seen our Hummers driving about the base, we’ve got several 2 ton transport trucks, and a few Blackhawk helicopters all on base right now. We are still waiting for all of our equipment to get here. The base is not fully operational yet.” Andrew explained.
Kara moved on, “Ever accept any contracts that have you working inside the U.S.?”
Andrew didn’t hesitate, “Oh sure, we’ve had several.”
Kara decided to go for broke with her last question, “Ever been contracted for anything illegal, like say in, downtown Chicago?” She heard Andrew’s heart rate increase again, Bingo she thought to herself.
Andrew replied, “No, nothing illegal.”
Kara noticed that he didn’t answer the last part of her question but she decided to end the interview there. “Well thank you for your time Mr. Steele,” she said getting up.
Andrew got up as well, “My pleasure Ms. Kent.” He walked her down to the main floor where Scott was waiting to take Kara back to the main gate. As Kara got into the Hummer she decided to use her x-ray vision to see what Andrew was up to now that she had left. She was surprised to find out that the entire building was lead lined. Now Kara was certain she had found what she was looking for.
After he had escorted Ms. Kent out of the building, Andrew got in the elevator and took it to the 7th floor. Finding the office he was looking for, Andrew knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Brent answered.
“How did the interview go?” he asked.
“She was probing for something,” his friend replied
“And?” Brent waited.
“She got my heart pumping with a few of her questions, but she couldn’t have known that unless she was Supergirl,” Andrew reassured him.
“Nevertheless, I assume I now have two assignments?” Brent concluded.
Andrew simply nodded.
That night, Supergirl and Wonder Girl had their hands full. Kara had told her friend what she had discovered in her interview. Drew had offered to keep an eye on the Black Talon base tonight so Kara could patrol the city. After agreeing with Drew’s plan, Supergirl sped downtown to start her patrol. It was quiet for the moment, but the night was just getting started.
Sitting on top of one of the many buildings located in the coastal district, Brent took note of his surroundings. To his east was Lake Michigan, which would make a good escape route if things got too hot. There were several buildings between him and the lake that were abandoned and scheduled for demolition. They would make great hiding places. To the west was downtown Chicago. Since Supergirl would likely be patrolling there, he would need to avoid that area. Satisfied with his escape plan, Brent prepared to enter the seven story building he was on. Thanks to the data he had retrieved last night, the information specialists at Black Talon had determined that this particular office building stored more of the Brain Trust’s data servers. Brent walked towards the roof access door that would take him inside the building. Time to take out the competition, Brent thought to himself as he opened the door and descended the stairs.
The stairwell was pitch black so Brent slipped on his “sunglasses” and powered them on. Now able to see in the dark, he continued his descent. He needed to get to the server room on the fourth floor. Unfortunately, the stairwell he was in ended on the fifth floor. Brent exited into a dark hallway with offices lining either side of it. He spotted a sign at the end of the hall reading “stairs” and walked quietly in that direction. Brent had almost reached the stairwell when he heard footsteps.
Thinking quickly, he ducked into a nearby office. Thankfully, the office was empty. The steps came closer and Brent realized he hadn’t shut the door all the way. He hid behind the door just as it opened. In walked a man dressed in a black business suit and pants. Brent noticed that there was a wire leading to the man’s ear and that he was holding a pistol. Brent acted instantly, withdrawing his Five-Seven while simultaneously grabbing the man’s left shoulder. Before the guard could react, a bullet to the back of his hand caused him to drop his firearm, while a second bullet to the back of the head ruined any chance of the guard calling for help. Brent exited the office and headed for the stairs, making sure he shut the door this time. He had to move quickly. Despite his weapon being suppressed, Brent estimated it would be five minutes tops before someone found the dead guard, and then all hell would break loose.
Kara was surprised that downtown Chicago was so quiet at this time of the night. She altered course towards Lake Michigan to patrol the coastal district. The sound of shouting soon reached her sensitive ears.
“He was last seen on the fifth floor, get up there!”
Supergirl concentrated on the sound, trying to find its source.
“No! No cops, just get up there and deal with him!”
Kara followed the shouting to an inconspicuous office building.
“Sir! We found a body.”
“Damnit, will somebody find and kill this son of a bitch!”
That’s when Supergirl saw him. A black clad figure emerged on the roof of the building, running towards the east end of the roof.
Brent had found what he came for. Now, it was time for him to disappear. He grabbed hold of a power cable and, using it as a zip line, slid towards one of the abandoned buildings. Brent hit the roof running. Still heading east towards Lake Michigan, he vaulted over a three foot gap onto an adjacent building. Taking cover behind an air conditioning unit, he drew his pistol and removed his glasses. The Moon lit up the night well enough that he didn’t need the specks. Satisfied that none of the remaining security personnel would be able to follow him, Brent started to stand up when he heard soft footsteps behind him. He sighed; he had not been able to avoid her after all.
Supergirl landed quietly behind the individual she had seen fleeing the office. She had been impressed by the man’s agility as he had left the building, but that didn’t mean she was going to let him go. Kara had a very strong suspicion that this man was personally responsible for all the recent bombings. Placing her hands on her hips and assuming her signature power pose, Supergirl was about to announce herself when the man spoke.
“Well Supergirl, I guess this meeting was inevitable,” he said holstering his pistol but still not turning to face her.
This caught Kara off guard. Most bad guys tried shooting her, despite the well known fact that bullets had no effect on her. She had never encountered someone who voluntarily holstered a weapon without any show of force on her part. She also wondered how he knew it was her behind him. She put that thought aside as she addressed him, “And who might you be?”
“Let’s leave names out of this for now,” he said, finally turning to face her. The two sized each other up.
It took every ounce of self control he had for Brent to maintain his composure. Seeing Supergirl this close for the first time there was no doubt about her. With her blonde hair, red cape, and red mini skirt fluttered in the wind and her S symbol prominently displayed on her impressive chest, she was absolutely stunning. He quickly snapped his mind back to the task at hand; he had to get away from Supergirl.
Kara sized up her opposition. Dressed in black and wearing a tactical vest, Supergirl thought he resembled a Special Forces soldier. A balaclava mask concealed his identity but left his eyes and the bridge of his nose visible. His eyes were what stood out to Kara the most. They were a very attractive shade of blue, but she noticed that his left eye was partially bloodshot. The man also had an air of confidence about him; Kara could sense that he was a professional. Activating her x-ray vision in order to identify her foe, the Girl of Steel quickly discovered that the man’s clothes had lead mixed in the fibers. This discovery concerned Supergirl. Has he been expecting me? Kara thought to herself.
Supergirl spoke, “Don’t you know that it’s against the law to break into someone else’s private property?”
The man spoke back, “Oh come on Supergirl, if you had done just a little digging you would have learned that the owner of that building is not nearly as clean and honest as, say, someone like you.”
“Be that as it may,” Kara replied, “It still doesn’t give you the right to break in and snoop around at your convenience. What were you trying to do, steal company secrets?”
“Do you really want to know?” her opponent inquired, “Step over here and I’ll show you.” He reached into one of the pouches in his vest.
Kara started walking cautiously towards the man. She had no idea what to expect from him. When she was about five feet away from the man, he dropped something. Supergirl was looking at it when in exploded in a blinding white flash and deafening ‘BANG’.
It had been a flashbang stun grenade that Brent had dropped. As soon as it went off, he darted past Supergirl, elbowing her in the back of the head as he went.
The blow hadn’t hurt Supergirl. Having been temporarily blinded by the stun grenade, the blow had just caught her by surprise and knocked her down. Kara’s vision recovered just in time for her to see her opponent drop over the side of the building.
Brent grabbed a water pipe and, using it like a makeshift fire pole, slid down the side of the building. Hearing Supergirl pick herself up, he pushed off the wall and dove through a window of the adjacent abandoned building.
Since the buildings in this area were so close together, Kara couldn’t take advantage of her super-speed. She flew after the fleeing fugitive.
Inside the building, Brent darted into a hallway and headed towards a stairwell, intending to get back to the roof. Hearing Supergirl closing in on him, he dropped another flashbang just as he got to the stairs.
Kara arrived at the stairs just as the second grenade went off. Okay, this is getting annoying she thought as she shook her head trying to clear her vision.
When he got to the roof, Brent dropped a smoke grenade at the top of the stairs and leapt across to another adjacent building. Taking cover behind an AC unit, his mind was racing. This had better work he thought as he removed two items from his vest.
Reaching the roof, Supergirl was enveloped in a cloud of white smoke. She spun in place, causing the cloud to dissipate. Looking around, she couldn’t see the man she had been chasing. Switching to her x-ray vision, Kara was frustrated to find that several of the air conditioning units on top of the adjacent buildings had lead parts, obscuring her vision. Why is lead such a popular building material? she wondered in frustration.
Suddenly, Supergirl heard the sound of someone running. She leapt onto an adjacent roof, following the sound. The source was really close by. Following the sound to the edge of the roof, something caught Kara’s eye. The item she saw resembled a hockey puck.
Supergirl discovered that the strange device was the source of the noise, just as an arm wrapped around her waist. Kara realized her mistake just as she felt a sharp, stabbing sensation in the side of her neck, causing her to cry out in pain.
Almost immediately, Supergirl was overcome by a wave of weakness and nausea. Her legs felt like jelly and her body wasn’t responding to any signals her brain sent out. The only thing keeping her upright was the person who had grabbed her from behind. Instinctively, Kara knew it was the man she had been chasing. The pain in Supergirl’s neck suddenly went away as her attacker gently lowered her onto her back. Kara could now see that the man was holding some kind of auto-injector that had a green-tipped needle.
Seeing the fear in her eyes the man spoke, “Relax Supergirl, the solution I just injected you with contained just enough kryptonite to make you susceptible to the sedatives and paralytics in the mixture, but not enough to kill you.” That didn’t make Kara feel any better. She was completely paralyzed and at the mercy of the black-clad professional. He continued to speak, “I’m not going to hurt you, but the drugs will last for several hours, giving me plenty of time to finish tonight’s activities. There is no point in trying to fight it; you might as well give in.” The man removed some kind of cloth from the back of his vest and began to drape it over Supergirl.
Supergirl was starting to feel sleepy as the man spoke.
“This is a special material designed to block out all of the Sun’s radiation,” he explained, “That way you don’t recharge that battery of yours prematurely.”
Kara was scared, direct sunlight would help get the kryptonite-laced drugs out of her system. No direct sunlight meant there was no telling how long she would be out. She desperately tried to move but no matter how much she willed herself to get up, her body simply didn’t respond. She was truly helpless.
“Consider this your only warning Supergirl,” the man continued, “things are about to get very ugly between the owner of that office building and the group I work for. Stay out of it. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee your survival if you and I cross paths again.”
Kara was now fighting to stay awake as her eyelids grew heavy.
The man knelt down next to Supergirl and leaned in close. As Kara’s eyes began to flutter, the man whispered, “But for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” He then pulled the sheet over Supergirl’s eyes and the Maiden of Might slipped into unconsciousness.
Three minutes later, Brent arrived at where he had parked his SUV. Climbing in, he removed his mask, thigh holster, and vest. He then put on a shoulder harness that held his M9 Beretta and put on a black parka, concealing the weapon. With Supergirl taken care of, the night was his. As he started up the Suburban, Brent decided that it was time to go see what he could dig up on this reporter Kara Kent.
Sitting on top of one of the many buildings located in the coastal district, Brent took note of his surroundings. To his east was Lake Michigan, which would make a good escape route if things got too hot. There were several buildings between him and the lake that were abandoned and scheduled for demolition. They would make great hiding places. To the west was downtown Chicago. Since Supergirl would likely be patrolling there, he would need to avoid that area. Satisfied with his escape plan, Brent prepared to enter the seven story building he was on. Thanks to the data he had retrieved last night, the information specialists at Black Talon had determined that this particular office building stored more of the Brain Trust’s data servers. Brent walked towards the roof access door that would take him inside the building. Time to take out the competition, Brent thought to himself as he opened the door and descended the stairs.
The stairwell was pitch black so Brent slipped on his “sunglasses” and powered them on. Now able to see in the dark, he continued his descent. He needed to get to the server room on the fourth floor. Unfortunately, the stairwell he was in ended on the fifth floor. Brent exited into a dark hallway with offices lining either side of it. He spotted a sign at the end of the hall reading “stairs” and walked quietly in that direction. Brent had almost reached the stairwell when he heard footsteps.
Thinking quickly, he ducked into a nearby office. Thankfully, the office was empty. The steps came closer and Brent realized he hadn’t shut the door all the way. He hid behind the door just as it opened. In walked a man dressed in a black business suit and pants. Brent noticed that there was a wire leading to the man’s ear and that he was holding a pistol. Brent acted instantly, withdrawing his Five-Seven while simultaneously grabbing the man’s left shoulder. Before the guard could react, a bullet to the back of his hand caused him to drop his firearm, while a second bullet to the back of the head ruined any chance of the guard calling for help. Brent exited the office and headed for the stairs, making sure he shut the door this time. He had to move quickly. Despite his weapon being suppressed, Brent estimated it would be five minutes tops before someone found the dead guard, and then all hell would break loose.
Kara was surprised that downtown Chicago was so quiet at this time of the night. She altered course towards Lake Michigan to patrol the coastal district. The sound of shouting soon reached her sensitive ears.
“He was last seen on the fifth floor, get up there!”
Supergirl concentrated on the sound, trying to find its source.
“No! No cops, just get up there and deal with him!”
Kara followed the shouting to an inconspicuous office building.
“Sir! We found a body.”
“Damnit, will somebody find and kill this son of a bitch!”
That’s when Supergirl saw him. A black clad figure emerged on the roof of the building, running towards the east end of the roof.
Brent had found what he came for. Now, it was time for him to disappear. He grabbed hold of a power cable and, using it as a zip line, slid towards one of the abandoned buildings. Brent hit the roof running. Still heading east towards Lake Michigan, he vaulted over a three foot gap onto an adjacent building. Taking cover behind an air conditioning unit, he drew his pistol and removed his glasses. The Moon lit up the night well enough that he didn’t need the specks. Satisfied that none of the remaining security personnel would be able to follow him, Brent started to stand up when he heard soft footsteps behind him. He sighed; he had not been able to avoid her after all.
Supergirl landed quietly behind the individual she had seen fleeing the office. She had been impressed by the man’s agility as he had left the building, but that didn’t mean she was going to let him go. Kara had a very strong suspicion that this man was personally responsible for all the recent bombings. Placing her hands on her hips and assuming her signature power pose, Supergirl was about to announce herself when the man spoke.
“Well Supergirl, I guess this meeting was inevitable,” he said holstering his pistol but still not turning to face her.
This caught Kara off guard. Most bad guys tried shooting her, despite the well known fact that bullets had no effect on her. She had never encountered someone who voluntarily holstered a weapon without any show of force on her part. She also wondered how he knew it was her behind him. She put that thought aside as she addressed him, “And who might you be?”
“Let’s leave names out of this for now,” he said, finally turning to face her. The two sized each other up.
It took every ounce of self control he had for Brent to maintain his composure. Seeing Supergirl this close for the first time there was no doubt about her. With her blonde hair, red cape, and red mini skirt fluttered in the wind and her S symbol prominently displayed on her impressive chest, she was absolutely stunning. He quickly snapped his mind back to the task at hand; he had to get away from Supergirl.
Kara sized up her opposition. Dressed in black and wearing a tactical vest, Supergirl thought he resembled a Special Forces soldier. A balaclava mask concealed his identity but left his eyes and the bridge of his nose visible. His eyes were what stood out to Kara the most. They were a very attractive shade of blue, but she noticed that his left eye was partially bloodshot. The man also had an air of confidence about him; Kara could sense that he was a professional. Activating her x-ray vision in order to identify her foe, the Girl of Steel quickly discovered that the man’s clothes had lead mixed in the fibers. This discovery concerned Supergirl. Has he been expecting me? Kara thought to herself.
Supergirl spoke, “Don’t you know that it’s against the law to break into someone else’s private property?”
The man spoke back, “Oh come on Supergirl, if you had done just a little digging you would have learned that the owner of that building is not nearly as clean and honest as, say, someone like you.”
“Be that as it may,” Kara replied, “It still doesn’t give you the right to break in and snoop around at your convenience. What were you trying to do, steal company secrets?”
“Do you really want to know?” her opponent inquired, “Step over here and I’ll show you.” He reached into one of the pouches in his vest.
Kara started walking cautiously towards the man. She had no idea what to expect from him. When she was about five feet away from the man, he dropped something. Supergirl was looking at it when in exploded in a blinding white flash and deafening ‘BANG’.
It had been a flashbang stun grenade that Brent had dropped. As soon as it went off, he darted past Supergirl, elbowing her in the back of the head as he went.
The blow hadn’t hurt Supergirl. Having been temporarily blinded by the stun grenade, the blow had just caught her by surprise and knocked her down. Kara’s vision recovered just in time for her to see her opponent drop over the side of the building.
Brent grabbed a water pipe and, using it like a makeshift fire pole, slid down the side of the building. Hearing Supergirl pick herself up, he pushed off the wall and dove through a window of the adjacent abandoned building.
Since the buildings in this area were so close together, Kara couldn’t take advantage of her super-speed. She flew after the fleeing fugitive.
Inside the building, Brent darted into a hallway and headed towards a stairwell, intending to get back to the roof. Hearing Supergirl closing in on him, he dropped another flashbang just as he got to the stairs.
Kara arrived at the stairs just as the second grenade went off. Okay, this is getting annoying she thought as she shook her head trying to clear her vision.
When he got to the roof, Brent dropped a smoke grenade at the top of the stairs and leapt across to another adjacent building. Taking cover behind an AC unit, his mind was racing. This had better work he thought as he removed two items from his vest.
Reaching the roof, Supergirl was enveloped in a cloud of white smoke. She spun in place, causing the cloud to dissipate. Looking around, she couldn’t see the man she had been chasing. Switching to her x-ray vision, Kara was frustrated to find that several of the air conditioning units on top of the adjacent buildings had lead parts, obscuring her vision. Why is lead such a popular building material? she wondered in frustration.
Suddenly, Supergirl heard the sound of someone running. She leapt onto an adjacent roof, following the sound. The source was really close by. Following the sound to the edge of the roof, something caught Kara’s eye. The item she saw resembled a hockey puck.
Supergirl discovered that the strange device was the source of the noise, just as an arm wrapped around her waist. Kara realized her mistake just as she felt a sharp, stabbing sensation in the side of her neck, causing her to cry out in pain.
Almost immediately, Supergirl was overcome by a wave of weakness and nausea. Her legs felt like jelly and her body wasn’t responding to any signals her brain sent out. The only thing keeping her upright was the person who had grabbed her from behind. Instinctively, Kara knew it was the man she had been chasing. The pain in Supergirl’s neck suddenly went away as her attacker gently lowered her onto her back. Kara could now see that the man was holding some kind of auto-injector that had a green-tipped needle.
Seeing the fear in her eyes the man spoke, “Relax Supergirl, the solution I just injected you with contained just enough kryptonite to make you susceptible to the sedatives and paralytics in the mixture, but not enough to kill you.” That didn’t make Kara feel any better. She was completely paralyzed and at the mercy of the black-clad professional. He continued to speak, “I’m not going to hurt you, but the drugs will last for several hours, giving me plenty of time to finish tonight’s activities. There is no point in trying to fight it; you might as well give in.” The man removed some kind of cloth from the back of his vest and began to drape it over Supergirl.
Supergirl was starting to feel sleepy as the man spoke.
“This is a special material designed to block out all of the Sun’s radiation,” he explained, “That way you don’t recharge that battery of yours prematurely.”
Kara was scared, direct sunlight would help get the kryptonite-laced drugs out of her system. No direct sunlight meant there was no telling how long she would be out. She desperately tried to move but no matter how much she willed herself to get up, her body simply didn’t respond. She was truly helpless.
“Consider this your only warning Supergirl,” the man continued, “things are about to get very ugly between the owner of that office building and the group I work for. Stay out of it. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee your survival if you and I cross paths again.”
Kara was now fighting to stay awake as her eyelids grew heavy.
The man knelt down next to Supergirl and leaned in close. As Kara’s eyes began to flutter, the man whispered, “But for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” He then pulled the sheet over Supergirl’s eyes and the Maiden of Might slipped into unconsciousness.
Three minutes later, Brent arrived at where he had parked his SUV. Climbing in, he removed his mask, thigh holster, and vest. He then put on a shoulder harness that held his M9 Beretta and put on a black parka, concealing the weapon. With Supergirl taken care of, the night was his. As he started up the Suburban, Brent decided that it was time to go see what he could dig up on this reporter Kara Kent.
60 miles south of Chicago, in a very large industrial building, Mary Patterson picked up her office phone.
Victoria was on the other line, “Mary, I just received a very upsetting report, give me one good reason why I should not have you replaced.” Victoria’s tone was very cold.
“Mitch, the so-called head of security, is being sent back to the estate via private airplane. Small aircraft have such a low safety rating.” Mary explained with a very sinister tone.
“You had better have more for me than that,” Victoria snapped.
“Don’t worry, I do.” Mary continued, “One of the office workers spotted a man fleeing the building.
“I’m listening.” Victoria replied.
“The worker reports seeing the man talking with Supergirl, but when he went to the roof for a better look, they had left.” Mary explained.
There was a pause on the line before Victoria spoke again, “I’ve had it with that blue and red bitch interfering with our operations. From now on Supergirl is your only priority, nothing else matters until she is dealt with, permanently.” Victoria continued, “I want this handled by our people, no outsourcing.”
“Understood.” Mary agreed, “Besides, that new PMC group I told you about is nothing but a bunch of lightweights. They lack the experience or the ambition to handle someone like Supergirl.”
“Then I take it you have someone else in mind?” Victoria inquired.
Mary hesitated for a moment, “My niece,” she finally said.
“Mary, we both know your niece is powerful, but she is obsessed. She lacks the ability to exhibit restraint.” Victoria warned.
“True, but considering how far back Supergirl has set us, is restraint really warranted in this situation?” Mary pointed out.
“Every so often Mary, you impress me. Alright, I’m giving you the green light on this, turn her loose.” Victoria said in a very sinister tone. The line went dead.
Mary headed towards the elevator and pressed the button that would take her to the underground portion of the mall-sized building. Jessica was going to be very happy with the news.
…………………………
Brent parked his SUV one block away from the apartment building. Making sure his weapon was well concealed; he exited the vehicle and headed towards the front entrance. As he entered the building, Brent’s phone beeped. A text message popped up, it was from Andrew, “data received, good work.” Brent pocketed his phone and walked towards the stair.
Three minutes later, Brent reached the top floor, floor 20. In another 15 seconds he had found the door he was looking for; the apartment of Kara Kent. He knocked on the door and waited 10 seconds, nobody answered. Convinced that the apartment was empty, Brent put his back to the door so he could keep a lookout and produced a set of lock picks from his pocket. He defeated the lock in 5 seconds flat and entered the apartment, locking the door behind him.
Reaching into the inside pocket of his parka, Brent pulled out his sunglasses, put them on, and activated their record feature. Now everything he saw would be recorded and digitally stored on a hard drive in his office back at base. Brent started looking around the very large apartment. At first, nothing stood out. There were bills on the dining table and a newspaper sitting by the couch, nothing unusual there. Then a notepad by the computer caught his eye. He pickup it up and started thumbing through it. It contained notes on Kara’s interview with Andrew. Brent took his time looking through the notepad, making sure his glasses recorded every page. A note on the last page caught his attention, Mr. Steele’s heart rate increased when asked about the Brain Trust and operating in Chicago, this group is likely responsible for the bombings.
Brent set the pad back where he had found it and wondered, How would a reporter know her interviewee had had an increase in heart rate? She’d have to have super-hearing or something… Brent’s eyes widened upon that realization and he made a bee-line for Kara’s bedroom.
Brent headed straight for the walk-in closet and stepped inside. Shifting clothes around, he looked for any kind of a secret door or compartment. His keen eyes quickly discovered a slit in one of the walls, but there was no sign of a handle or keypad. Then he had an idea and switched his glasses to thermal vision.
Now this is interesting, he thought. Next to the slit in the wall was a series of glowing squares arranged in the shape of a keypad. Upon closer inspection, Brent noticed that some of the “keys” were brighter than others. Brent pressed on the areas of the wall in order, from dimmest to brightest and rewarded by a satisfying ‘click’. A hidden pressure-sensitive keypad, clever, Brent thought to himself as the wall slid open and he switched back to normal vision.
On one side of the hidden room, displayed on a mannequin that appeared to be made from some kind of crystal, was the blue, red, and yellow costume of Supergirl. It was all there, the leotard with the red and yellow S, yellow belt, red mini skirt, cape, and boots (Kara’s spare costume). On the opposite side of the room was a similar crystal-based mannequin that was bare. “And this is why some reporter would be asking questions regarding the Brain Trust,” Brent said aloud to himself, obviously pleased with the discovery. He noticed that across from where he had entered, there was another door with what looked like a hand pad on it. Brent touched the pad, but nothing happened. Seeing no way to get past the door, he left it alone.
He exited the hidden room and took several minutes to ensure that the apartment was in the same condition as when he’d arrived. Satisfied that he had covered his tracks, Brent locked the apartment and walked towards the stairs.
Several minutes later Brent started his SUV and turned it in the direction of the Black Talon base. The night had been very productive.
…………………………
The doors opened and Mary stepped off the elevator. The lower level of the building was divided into two main sections. One section was dedicated to training the Trust’s meta-human operatives. The other, larger section was dedicated to research and development. Her heels clicked on the hard floor as she walked down a long white hallway. As she approached a set of sliding doors, Mary Patterson could feel the floor shaking. The doors opened and Mary stepped inside.
The room was huge, bigger than an Olympic-sized gym. The gym-like floor was littered with chucks of concrete and twisted steel. In the center of the room was a young brunette in black exercise shorts, a white sports bra, and tennis shoes.
A man in his late twenties, wearing a white lab coat, and holding a data pad spoke, “Now this time, try adding energy to it.”
The young woman stepped up to a five foot thick concrete wall and cocked her fist back, preparing to deliver a punch to the wall. Her hands started to glow red. The woman cried out, delivering a super-fast punch to the wall. It exploded, sending wall fragments all over the gym.
“Whoa!” Mary exclaimed as she ducked, a six inch chuck of concrete just missing her head.
“Glad to see your powers are back to normal,” Mary said as she picked herself up.
“I don’t need these tests to prove that,” Jessica Patterson a.k.a. Solar Flare replied coldly. She had been stuck down here for days running all kinds of tests and jumping through hoops for the damned doctors. What she wanted now, more than ever, was the chance to make Supergirl pay for playing God and stripping Jessica of her powers. And now that she had her powers back, Jessica was not going to stop until she had beaten that blonde bitch into a lifeless pulp.
“Are you going to let me out of here, or do I need to blast my way out?” Jessica asked her aunt in a very stern tone.
“That depends, Dr. York?” Mary turned towards the man in the lab coat.
“The results are off the charts,” he said with barely contained excitement, “her abilities are progressing at an astounding rate, she is even…”
“Doctor,” Mary cut him off, “you can give me the details later. All I want to know right now is if she is ready?”
Dr. York looked up from his data pad, “Yes.”
“Good,” Mary looked at her niece, “go take a shower and get suited up. Meet me in my office to receive your mission.” With that, Mary Patterson turned and walked out of the room.
Minutes later, Jessica stepped out of the shower in her private quarters. Grabbing a towel, she quickly dried herself off. Leaving the towel on the floor, she walked over to the closet where she kept her new costume. Jessica removed it from the closet and laid it on her bed.
First she slipped on a set of shiny skin-tone tights. Next, she slid into a black sleeveless leotard. Jessica then put on a black mini skirt that had a yellow trim. The skirt was held in place by a silver belt. She then slipped on a pair of black boots. Jessica next attached black gauntlets to her hands and forearms, the gauntlets also had yellow trimming. Finally she clipped a black cape to her neck. It was yellow on the underside and had a yellow trim. Jessica looked at her reflection in the mirror. She loved how the skin-tight material felt against her skin and how it showed off her curves. Her short, brunette hair came down to just above her shoulders. She smiled at her reflection, Solar Flare was back!
Minutes later, Solar Flare walked into Mary Patterson’s office. “Like the new look,” Mary said looking up from her computer, “let’s get started.”
Jessica sat in a chair opposite her Aunt’s desk and waited.
Mary started, “The recent attacks on our data centers have put the organization months behind schedule and cost us millions of dollars. Although we don’t think Supergirl is directly involved, we are certain that she knows who is.”
Mary continued, “Your mission is to capture Supergirl and bring her here by any means necessary.” Mary could see that her niece wasn’t happy.
“Jessica, I know what you really want, but we need information and Supergirl is the only one who has the information we need. You have my personal guarantee that as soon as we have what we need, I’ll let you get rid of her in whatever manner you see fit.”
Jessica sighed, this would have to do for now, “Fine, I’ll bring her in alive.”
Mary decided to give Jessica a little slack, “Look, I said I want her brought in alive, but I didn’t specify how alive she had to be.” A smile began to form on Solar Flare’s face.
“Before you go, there is one more thing” Mary got up from her chair and walked towards a painting on the wall. “Dr. York informs me that your powers are even stronger than they were initially,” Mary removed the painting, revealing a wall safe.
“Yes,” Jessica confirmed, “I can last twice as long in a fight before I have to recharge, and I can recharge in half the time.” She continued, “Even though I am stronger than before, I’m still not as strong as Supergirl. But adding energy to my physical blows can have devastating effect, as you saw tonight.”
“Indeed,” Mary said as she withdrew a box from the safe, “I have no doubt that you will be an even match for Supergirl, but I’m not interested in making this a fair fight.” Mary set the box on her desk, “I understand that your ability to absorb and replicate different forms of energy is also intact?”
“Yes…” Solar Flare paused for a second before her eyes lit up, “You want to expose me to Red Sun radiation again?” she asked hopefully.
“Not exactly,” Mary said as she opened the box. The room was instantly bathed in a green glow.
Victoria was on the other line, “Mary, I just received a very upsetting report, give me one good reason why I should not have you replaced.” Victoria’s tone was very cold.
“Mitch, the so-called head of security, is being sent back to the estate via private airplane. Small aircraft have such a low safety rating.” Mary explained with a very sinister tone.
“You had better have more for me than that,” Victoria snapped.
“Don’t worry, I do.” Mary continued, “One of the office workers spotted a man fleeing the building.
“I’m listening.” Victoria replied.
“The worker reports seeing the man talking with Supergirl, but when he went to the roof for a better look, they had left.” Mary explained.
There was a pause on the line before Victoria spoke again, “I’ve had it with that blue and red bitch interfering with our operations. From now on Supergirl is your only priority, nothing else matters until she is dealt with, permanently.” Victoria continued, “I want this handled by our people, no outsourcing.”
“Understood.” Mary agreed, “Besides, that new PMC group I told you about is nothing but a bunch of lightweights. They lack the experience or the ambition to handle someone like Supergirl.”
“Then I take it you have someone else in mind?” Victoria inquired.
Mary hesitated for a moment, “My niece,” she finally said.
“Mary, we both know your niece is powerful, but she is obsessed. She lacks the ability to exhibit restraint.” Victoria warned.
“True, but considering how far back Supergirl has set us, is restraint really warranted in this situation?” Mary pointed out.
“Every so often Mary, you impress me. Alright, I’m giving you the green light on this, turn her loose.” Victoria said in a very sinister tone. The line went dead.
Mary headed towards the elevator and pressed the button that would take her to the underground portion of the mall-sized building. Jessica was going to be very happy with the news.
…………………………
Brent parked his SUV one block away from the apartment building. Making sure his weapon was well concealed; he exited the vehicle and headed towards the front entrance. As he entered the building, Brent’s phone beeped. A text message popped up, it was from Andrew, “data received, good work.” Brent pocketed his phone and walked towards the stair.
Three minutes later, Brent reached the top floor, floor 20. In another 15 seconds he had found the door he was looking for; the apartment of Kara Kent. He knocked on the door and waited 10 seconds, nobody answered. Convinced that the apartment was empty, Brent put his back to the door so he could keep a lookout and produced a set of lock picks from his pocket. He defeated the lock in 5 seconds flat and entered the apartment, locking the door behind him.
Reaching into the inside pocket of his parka, Brent pulled out his sunglasses, put them on, and activated their record feature. Now everything he saw would be recorded and digitally stored on a hard drive in his office back at base. Brent started looking around the very large apartment. At first, nothing stood out. There were bills on the dining table and a newspaper sitting by the couch, nothing unusual there. Then a notepad by the computer caught his eye. He pickup it up and started thumbing through it. It contained notes on Kara’s interview with Andrew. Brent took his time looking through the notepad, making sure his glasses recorded every page. A note on the last page caught his attention, Mr. Steele’s heart rate increased when asked about the Brain Trust and operating in Chicago, this group is likely responsible for the bombings.
Brent set the pad back where he had found it and wondered, How would a reporter know her interviewee had had an increase in heart rate? She’d have to have super-hearing or something… Brent’s eyes widened upon that realization and he made a bee-line for Kara’s bedroom.
Brent headed straight for the walk-in closet and stepped inside. Shifting clothes around, he looked for any kind of a secret door or compartment. His keen eyes quickly discovered a slit in one of the walls, but there was no sign of a handle or keypad. Then he had an idea and switched his glasses to thermal vision.
Now this is interesting, he thought. Next to the slit in the wall was a series of glowing squares arranged in the shape of a keypad. Upon closer inspection, Brent noticed that some of the “keys” were brighter than others. Brent pressed on the areas of the wall in order, from dimmest to brightest and rewarded by a satisfying ‘click’. A hidden pressure-sensitive keypad, clever, Brent thought to himself as the wall slid open and he switched back to normal vision.
On one side of the hidden room, displayed on a mannequin that appeared to be made from some kind of crystal, was the blue, red, and yellow costume of Supergirl. It was all there, the leotard with the red and yellow S, yellow belt, red mini skirt, cape, and boots (Kara’s spare costume). On the opposite side of the room was a similar crystal-based mannequin that was bare. “And this is why some reporter would be asking questions regarding the Brain Trust,” Brent said aloud to himself, obviously pleased with the discovery. He noticed that across from where he had entered, there was another door with what looked like a hand pad on it. Brent touched the pad, but nothing happened. Seeing no way to get past the door, he left it alone.
He exited the hidden room and took several minutes to ensure that the apartment was in the same condition as when he’d arrived. Satisfied that he had covered his tracks, Brent locked the apartment and walked towards the stairs.
Several minutes later Brent started his SUV and turned it in the direction of the Black Talon base. The night had been very productive.
…………………………
The doors opened and Mary stepped off the elevator. The lower level of the building was divided into two main sections. One section was dedicated to training the Trust’s meta-human operatives. The other, larger section was dedicated to research and development. Her heels clicked on the hard floor as she walked down a long white hallway. As she approached a set of sliding doors, Mary Patterson could feel the floor shaking. The doors opened and Mary stepped inside.
The room was huge, bigger than an Olympic-sized gym. The gym-like floor was littered with chucks of concrete and twisted steel. In the center of the room was a young brunette in black exercise shorts, a white sports bra, and tennis shoes.
A man in his late twenties, wearing a white lab coat, and holding a data pad spoke, “Now this time, try adding energy to it.”
The young woman stepped up to a five foot thick concrete wall and cocked her fist back, preparing to deliver a punch to the wall. Her hands started to glow red. The woman cried out, delivering a super-fast punch to the wall. It exploded, sending wall fragments all over the gym.
“Whoa!” Mary exclaimed as she ducked, a six inch chuck of concrete just missing her head.
“Glad to see your powers are back to normal,” Mary said as she picked herself up.
“I don’t need these tests to prove that,” Jessica Patterson a.k.a. Solar Flare replied coldly. She had been stuck down here for days running all kinds of tests and jumping through hoops for the damned doctors. What she wanted now, more than ever, was the chance to make Supergirl pay for playing God and stripping Jessica of her powers. And now that she had her powers back, Jessica was not going to stop until she had beaten that blonde bitch into a lifeless pulp.
“Are you going to let me out of here, or do I need to blast my way out?” Jessica asked her aunt in a very stern tone.
“That depends, Dr. York?” Mary turned towards the man in the lab coat.
“The results are off the charts,” he said with barely contained excitement, “her abilities are progressing at an astounding rate, she is even…”
“Doctor,” Mary cut him off, “you can give me the details later. All I want to know right now is if she is ready?”
Dr. York looked up from his data pad, “Yes.”
“Good,” Mary looked at her niece, “go take a shower and get suited up. Meet me in my office to receive your mission.” With that, Mary Patterson turned and walked out of the room.
Minutes later, Jessica stepped out of the shower in her private quarters. Grabbing a towel, she quickly dried herself off. Leaving the towel on the floor, she walked over to the closet where she kept her new costume. Jessica removed it from the closet and laid it on her bed.
First she slipped on a set of shiny skin-tone tights. Next, she slid into a black sleeveless leotard. Jessica then put on a black mini skirt that had a yellow trim. The skirt was held in place by a silver belt. She then slipped on a pair of black boots. Jessica next attached black gauntlets to her hands and forearms, the gauntlets also had yellow trimming. Finally she clipped a black cape to her neck. It was yellow on the underside and had a yellow trim. Jessica looked at her reflection in the mirror. She loved how the skin-tight material felt against her skin and how it showed off her curves. Her short, brunette hair came down to just above her shoulders. She smiled at her reflection, Solar Flare was back!
Minutes later, Solar Flare walked into Mary Patterson’s office. “Like the new look,” Mary said looking up from her computer, “let’s get started.”
Jessica sat in a chair opposite her Aunt’s desk and waited.
Mary started, “The recent attacks on our data centers have put the organization months behind schedule and cost us millions of dollars. Although we don’t think Supergirl is directly involved, we are certain that she knows who is.”
Mary continued, “Your mission is to capture Supergirl and bring her here by any means necessary.” Mary could see that her niece wasn’t happy.
“Jessica, I know what you really want, but we need information and Supergirl is the only one who has the information we need. You have my personal guarantee that as soon as we have what we need, I’ll let you get rid of her in whatever manner you see fit.”
Jessica sighed, this would have to do for now, “Fine, I’ll bring her in alive.”
Mary decided to give Jessica a little slack, “Look, I said I want her brought in alive, but I didn’t specify how alive she had to be.” A smile began to form on Solar Flare’s face.
“Before you go, there is one more thing” Mary got up from her chair and walked towards a painting on the wall. “Dr. York informs me that your powers are even stronger than they were initially,” Mary removed the painting, revealing a wall safe.
“Yes,” Jessica confirmed, “I can last twice as long in a fight before I have to recharge, and I can recharge in half the time.” She continued, “Even though I am stronger than before, I’m still not as strong as Supergirl. But adding energy to my physical blows can have devastating effect, as you saw tonight.”
“Indeed,” Mary said as she withdrew a box from the safe, “I have no doubt that you will be an even match for Supergirl, but I’m not interested in making this a fair fight.” Mary set the box on her desk, “I understand that your ability to absorb and replicate different forms of energy is also intact?”
“Yes…” Solar Flare paused for a second before her eyes lit up, “You want to expose me to Red Sun radiation again?” she asked hopefully.
“Not exactly,” Mary said as she opened the box. The room was instantly bathed in a green glow.
- Attachments
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- Solar Flare's new look, courtesy of sgz6
- Solar Flare.png (21.23 KiB) Viewed 8187 times
C, another series of good updates. The use of the sound device to distract SG was a nice idea. Also glad to see Solar Flare is back. Keep it up sir!
Yes Supergirl, that's right its a necklace for you....What's the matter you don't like Kryptonite?
The Sun was just starting to rise as Wonder Girl made it back to Kara’s apartment. She had observed some interesting things at the Black Talon base that she was sure Kara would be interested in. Where is Kara anyway, Drew wondered. The apartment was empty and it looked as if no one had been in the entire night. Drew figured that her friend was still patrolling the city and decided to do some patrolling as well. Wonder Girl flew back out the apartment window and headed east, intending to start her patrol over the coastal district.
30 minutes into her patrol, Wonder Girl was getting worried. She should have come across Supergirl by now. As Drew flew over the docks, she looked for anything out of the ordinary. While scanning the rooftops, something red caught her eye. Flying over to it, Wonder Girl discovered that it was a piece of red cloth sticking out from under a black sheet. Drew lifted up the sheet and was shocked at what she found. “Supergirl!” she exclaimed. The Girl of Steel was out cold.
Wonder Girl tossed the sheet aside and gently patted Supergirl on the cheek, “Come on Kara, wake up.”
Finally being exposed to direct sunlight, her body quickly began filtering the drugs out of her system and the Maiden of Might began to stir.
“Ohh…what…Drew?” Kara moaned, her mind still foggy.
Drew breathed a sigh of relief, “Good, you’re okay.”
Supergirl blinked a few times and it all came back to her as she sat up, “What time is it?”
“About 7:30 in the morning,” her friend replied as she helped the Girl of Steel to her feet.
“What happened?” Drew continued.
“Let’s get back to the apartment and I’ll tell you,” Kara replied.
20 minutes later, the two heroines were back in Kara’s apartment sipping tea. Drew had on a red t-shirt and black shorts while Kara had slipped into a pair of red shorts and white tank top. Kara had just finished telling Drew everything about what had happened during the night.
“Well,” Drew spoke, “I think it’s safe to say that whoever you ran into last night was no amateur.”
Kara nodded in agreement, “I hope you had better luck watching the base.”
“I definitely saw a lot last night, but now I’m more concerned than ever.” Drew replied.
“What do you mean?” Kara asked.
Drew took a breath and began to relay what she had observed.
Initially, things had been quiet. A few vehicles had been driving back and forth between the different areas of the base, but nothing that raised Wonder Girl’s suspicion. At around 9:30 however, things changed. From that point on, aircraft started landing constantly. The majority of the planes that landed on the base were big C-130 transports. The big planes unloaded large unmarked containers and lots of personnel, both men and women. The constant landing and unloading of cargo and people went on nonstop until about an hour before sunrise.
“Do you have any idea what was in all those containers?” Kara asked.
“If I had to guess, I’d say equipment and aircraft parts; and based on the number of planes that came in, lots of them.” Drew replied.
“Exactly how many planes came in last night?” Kara inquired.
“Honestly, I lost count at 30,” was Drew’s response.
Kara’s eyes widened, “And they were all carrying people and cargo containers? Exactly how many people are we talking about here?”
Drew replied, “I don’t have an exact number but I can tell you that the number of personnel on the base effectively tripled overnight.”
Kara was silent. Drew noticed that her friend seemed to be staring off into space. After a few moments, Kara looked at her friend, “Drew, we are going to need help.”
…………………………
Andrew and Brent were sitting in Brent’s office, making small talk.
“Andrew, why do you always insist on bothering me when I’m in here?” Brent complained.
“Hey, you requested to have your office across from mine, you must suffer the consequences,” Andrew answered with a big grin.
“But seriously, outstanding job last night. That latest bit of intel gave us the location of the Trust’s Operations Center for Chicago,” he went on, “And that other discovery you made will prove invaluable in the coming weeks.”
Brent was about to reply when there was a knock on the door. He looked at the door quizzically.
“I wasn’t expecting anyone today,” he said as Andrew got up to answer the door.
Cracking the door open, Andrew spoke, “Oh good, you made it in safely I see.”
“Who is it,” Brent called to his friend.
Andrew stepped aside and opened the door.
In the doorway stood a tall, gorgeous 22 year old woman with raven black hair, deep blue eyes and a warm, friendly smile. She wore a tight black t-shirt and faded tight-fitting jeans that showed off her strong physique nicely. She had a pair of black sneakers on her feet and, like Brent, had an M9 Beretta strapped to her thigh.
“Kristen!” Brent exclaimed as he got up and walked towards her.
“Brent Hunter, it’s great to see you,” Kristen Redfield said as the two embraced.
After they broke their hug Brent spoke, “Have a seat, I haven’t seen you since we were both assigned to Delta.”
“Yeah, good times,” Kristen replied as she sat down.
“I had heard rumors that you’d joined our little outfit,” Brent went on, “glad to see they were true. So what is your part in our operation?”
“She is one of the team leaders,” Andrew spoke up.
“That’s awesome, we could use someone of her ‘caliber’ around here,” Brent said with a grin.
Kristen stuck her tongue out at him.
“But seriously, I’m glad to see the rest of our personnel and equipment came in last night. Why all at once?” Brent asked Andrew.
“I received a phone call yesterday,” Andrew explained, “Eagle One has given us the green light to begin the final phase.”
Brent became very excited, “Fantastic, it’s about time.”
“So when do we get started?” Kristen chimed in.
“There is a meeting for senior personnel this afternoon to begin planning, and that includes you two,” Andrew emphasized.
“But until then,” he went on, “we have some catching up to do.” He said as he closed the door to Brent’s office and took a seat.
…………………………
Early that evening, Drew and Kara were discussing all that they had learned so far when there was a knock on the apartment door. Kara got up to answer it. Standing outside were three lovely young ladies, all dressed in casual attire. Two of the young women had blonde hair and the other was a brunette. “Allison, Anne, Jessie, I’m so glad you girls came,” Kara exclaimed as she hugged each of her newly arrived friends. Earlier that morning, Kara had phoned Allison Madison, her sister Anne Madison, and Jessie Brooks, better known as American Star, American Dream/the hacker Athena, and Lightspeed respectively.
Kara and Drew had met the ladies several months ago when American Star had been captured by the Brain Trust. Anne had contacted Supergirl and Wonder Girl, asking them to help her and Lightspeed rescue her sister. The mission ran into a few snags but the girls prevailed in the end and had since become good friends. After hearing the Kara and Drew needed help, the three young heroines had rushed up to Chicago.
“We’re happy to help Kara,” Allison replied.
Looking at Allison’s younger sister, Kara smiled, “I see you couldn’t resist wearing it.” She was referring to American Dream’s nanosuit that allowed the normally wheelchair-bound woman to walk and granted her super-powers.
Lifting up her shirt and revealing the red skin-tight material, Anne replied, “Considering it allows me to leave my chair at home and speed over here, you bet I’m going to wear it.” The suit’s only limit was its limited power supply. Fortunately, Anne had been able to make a couple a backup power supplies that she could swap out when one was depleted, allowing her to stay on her feet longer.
“Glad to hear it,” Drew responded.
“So,” Allison spoke up, “what exactly do the two of you need help with?”
“You might as well make yourselves comfortable, this could take a while,” Kara answered.
Allison, Anne, and Jessie all took a seat as Kara and Drew relayed everything that had happened within the past week.
Once the new arrivals had digested all that had recently happened Jessie spoke, “Sounds to me like somebody is gunning for the Brain Trust pretty hard…”
Allison picked up the thought, “Which wouldn’t be a problem, except that the Trust is likely to retaliate.”
Anne spoke next, “And based on what you witnessed last night,” she nodded at Drew, “This Black Talon group is about to escalate things; and countless innocents could be caught in the crossfire.”
“Which is precisely why I asked for your help,” Kara explained, “This looks like it’s too big for just Drew and I to handle.”
“We’re more than happy to help,” Jessie spoke up, “Where do we begin?”
“Well unfortunately,” Drew began, “We can’t just go barging on to some group’s private property.”
“Why not?” Jessie asked.
“Because we need proof, we’d look pretty stupid if we busted into the wrong place,” Allison explained.
“So what do you suggest?” Jessie inquired.
“How about surveillance,” Anne suggested as she pulled her laptop out of the backpack she had brought along.
“Good idea Anne,” Kara spoke, “First, let’s see what the Trust is really up to…”
“Or I could multitask and check on both parties at once,” Anne said, smiling as her computer finished starting up and she got to work.
20 minutes later, Anne was still hard at work.
“Finding anything?” Allison asked her sister.
“Yep,” Anne replied, still focused on the computer screen, “it looks like the Brain Trust is currently operating out of a facility located about 60 miles outside of Chicago.”
“I should have access to the security cameras in another minute or so,” she continued.
“And what about our friends to the west?” Kara asked, referring to Black Talon.
“That is proving more… difficult,” Anne admitted.
“How so?” Drew asked.
“It seems that Black Talon’s company network is not connected to the internet in any way. It can only be accessed when on their base, which really limits my options,” Anne explained.
“The good news,” she continued, “is that I now have access to the security cameras inside the Trust facility.”
Kara started to speak, “Let’s see what they’re…” a loud ringing sound cut her off. She cried out, sinking to her knees and covering her ears.
“Kara, what’s wrong?” Allison rushed over to the Girl of Steel.
“Can’t you hear that?” Kara asked through clinched teeth.
“It must be so high-pitched that only she can hear it,” Drew theorized.
The ringing in Kara’s ears started to dissipate and was replaced by a woman’s voice. Hello Supergirl. Don’t worry; you’re the only one who can hear this. I’m going to give you a set of coordinates. Once I do, you will have exactly 20 seconds to get there or a series of bombs that I’ve hidden in the city will detonate. Do not try to contact the authorities or locate the devices yourself, I guarantee that even you are not fast enough to stop them all. A look of worry came over Kara’s face as she stood up. One more thing, if you bring anyone to the location with you, the city of Chicago will suffer dearly. The voice then gave the coordinates and then cut out.
Kara instantly changed into her costume.
“What are you doing Kara,” Drew asked her friend.
“I don’t time to explain. Just find out what the Trust is up to, and fast,” was all Kara had time to say before she bolted out of the apartment window, leaving Drew, Allison, Jessie, and Anne very confused.
30 minutes into her patrol, Wonder Girl was getting worried. She should have come across Supergirl by now. As Drew flew over the docks, she looked for anything out of the ordinary. While scanning the rooftops, something red caught her eye. Flying over to it, Wonder Girl discovered that it was a piece of red cloth sticking out from under a black sheet. Drew lifted up the sheet and was shocked at what she found. “Supergirl!” she exclaimed. The Girl of Steel was out cold.
Wonder Girl tossed the sheet aside and gently patted Supergirl on the cheek, “Come on Kara, wake up.”
Finally being exposed to direct sunlight, her body quickly began filtering the drugs out of her system and the Maiden of Might began to stir.
“Ohh…what…Drew?” Kara moaned, her mind still foggy.
Drew breathed a sigh of relief, “Good, you’re okay.”
Supergirl blinked a few times and it all came back to her as she sat up, “What time is it?”
“About 7:30 in the morning,” her friend replied as she helped the Girl of Steel to her feet.
“What happened?” Drew continued.
“Let’s get back to the apartment and I’ll tell you,” Kara replied.
20 minutes later, the two heroines were back in Kara’s apartment sipping tea. Drew had on a red t-shirt and black shorts while Kara had slipped into a pair of red shorts and white tank top. Kara had just finished telling Drew everything about what had happened during the night.
“Well,” Drew spoke, “I think it’s safe to say that whoever you ran into last night was no amateur.”
Kara nodded in agreement, “I hope you had better luck watching the base.”
“I definitely saw a lot last night, but now I’m more concerned than ever.” Drew replied.
“What do you mean?” Kara asked.
Drew took a breath and began to relay what she had observed.
Initially, things had been quiet. A few vehicles had been driving back and forth between the different areas of the base, but nothing that raised Wonder Girl’s suspicion. At around 9:30 however, things changed. From that point on, aircraft started landing constantly. The majority of the planes that landed on the base were big C-130 transports. The big planes unloaded large unmarked containers and lots of personnel, both men and women. The constant landing and unloading of cargo and people went on nonstop until about an hour before sunrise.
“Do you have any idea what was in all those containers?” Kara asked.
“If I had to guess, I’d say equipment and aircraft parts; and based on the number of planes that came in, lots of them.” Drew replied.
“Exactly how many planes came in last night?” Kara inquired.
“Honestly, I lost count at 30,” was Drew’s response.
Kara’s eyes widened, “And they were all carrying people and cargo containers? Exactly how many people are we talking about here?”
Drew replied, “I don’t have an exact number but I can tell you that the number of personnel on the base effectively tripled overnight.”
Kara was silent. Drew noticed that her friend seemed to be staring off into space. After a few moments, Kara looked at her friend, “Drew, we are going to need help.”
…………………………
Andrew and Brent were sitting in Brent’s office, making small talk.
“Andrew, why do you always insist on bothering me when I’m in here?” Brent complained.
“Hey, you requested to have your office across from mine, you must suffer the consequences,” Andrew answered with a big grin.
“But seriously, outstanding job last night. That latest bit of intel gave us the location of the Trust’s Operations Center for Chicago,” he went on, “And that other discovery you made will prove invaluable in the coming weeks.”
Brent was about to reply when there was a knock on the door. He looked at the door quizzically.
“I wasn’t expecting anyone today,” he said as Andrew got up to answer the door.
Cracking the door open, Andrew spoke, “Oh good, you made it in safely I see.”
“Who is it,” Brent called to his friend.
Andrew stepped aside and opened the door.
In the doorway stood a tall, gorgeous 22 year old woman with raven black hair, deep blue eyes and a warm, friendly smile. She wore a tight black t-shirt and faded tight-fitting jeans that showed off her strong physique nicely. She had a pair of black sneakers on her feet and, like Brent, had an M9 Beretta strapped to her thigh.
“Kristen!” Brent exclaimed as he got up and walked towards her.
“Brent Hunter, it’s great to see you,” Kristen Redfield said as the two embraced.
After they broke their hug Brent spoke, “Have a seat, I haven’t seen you since we were both assigned to Delta.”
“Yeah, good times,” Kristen replied as she sat down.
“I had heard rumors that you’d joined our little outfit,” Brent went on, “glad to see they were true. So what is your part in our operation?”
“She is one of the team leaders,” Andrew spoke up.
“That’s awesome, we could use someone of her ‘caliber’ around here,” Brent said with a grin.
Kristen stuck her tongue out at him.
“But seriously, I’m glad to see the rest of our personnel and equipment came in last night. Why all at once?” Brent asked Andrew.
“I received a phone call yesterday,” Andrew explained, “Eagle One has given us the green light to begin the final phase.”
Brent became very excited, “Fantastic, it’s about time.”
“So when do we get started?” Kristen chimed in.
“There is a meeting for senior personnel this afternoon to begin planning, and that includes you two,” Andrew emphasized.
“But until then,” he went on, “we have some catching up to do.” He said as he closed the door to Brent’s office and took a seat.
…………………………
Early that evening, Drew and Kara were discussing all that they had learned so far when there was a knock on the apartment door. Kara got up to answer it. Standing outside were three lovely young ladies, all dressed in casual attire. Two of the young women had blonde hair and the other was a brunette. “Allison, Anne, Jessie, I’m so glad you girls came,” Kara exclaimed as she hugged each of her newly arrived friends. Earlier that morning, Kara had phoned Allison Madison, her sister Anne Madison, and Jessie Brooks, better known as American Star, American Dream/the hacker Athena, and Lightspeed respectively.
Kara and Drew had met the ladies several months ago when American Star had been captured by the Brain Trust. Anne had contacted Supergirl and Wonder Girl, asking them to help her and Lightspeed rescue her sister. The mission ran into a few snags but the girls prevailed in the end and had since become good friends. After hearing the Kara and Drew needed help, the three young heroines had rushed up to Chicago.
“We’re happy to help Kara,” Allison replied.
Looking at Allison’s younger sister, Kara smiled, “I see you couldn’t resist wearing it.” She was referring to American Dream’s nanosuit that allowed the normally wheelchair-bound woman to walk and granted her super-powers.
Lifting up her shirt and revealing the red skin-tight material, Anne replied, “Considering it allows me to leave my chair at home and speed over here, you bet I’m going to wear it.” The suit’s only limit was its limited power supply. Fortunately, Anne had been able to make a couple a backup power supplies that she could swap out when one was depleted, allowing her to stay on her feet longer.
“Glad to hear it,” Drew responded.
“So,” Allison spoke up, “what exactly do the two of you need help with?”
“You might as well make yourselves comfortable, this could take a while,” Kara answered.
Allison, Anne, and Jessie all took a seat as Kara and Drew relayed everything that had happened within the past week.
Once the new arrivals had digested all that had recently happened Jessie spoke, “Sounds to me like somebody is gunning for the Brain Trust pretty hard…”
Allison picked up the thought, “Which wouldn’t be a problem, except that the Trust is likely to retaliate.”
Anne spoke next, “And based on what you witnessed last night,” she nodded at Drew, “This Black Talon group is about to escalate things; and countless innocents could be caught in the crossfire.”
“Which is precisely why I asked for your help,” Kara explained, “This looks like it’s too big for just Drew and I to handle.”
“We’re more than happy to help,” Jessie spoke up, “Where do we begin?”
“Well unfortunately,” Drew began, “We can’t just go barging on to some group’s private property.”
“Why not?” Jessie asked.
“Because we need proof, we’d look pretty stupid if we busted into the wrong place,” Allison explained.
“So what do you suggest?” Jessie inquired.
“How about surveillance,” Anne suggested as she pulled her laptop out of the backpack she had brought along.
“Good idea Anne,” Kara spoke, “First, let’s see what the Trust is really up to…”
“Or I could multitask and check on both parties at once,” Anne said, smiling as her computer finished starting up and she got to work.
20 minutes later, Anne was still hard at work.
“Finding anything?” Allison asked her sister.
“Yep,” Anne replied, still focused on the computer screen, “it looks like the Brain Trust is currently operating out of a facility located about 60 miles outside of Chicago.”
“I should have access to the security cameras in another minute or so,” she continued.
“And what about our friends to the west?” Kara asked, referring to Black Talon.
“That is proving more… difficult,” Anne admitted.
“How so?” Drew asked.
“It seems that Black Talon’s company network is not connected to the internet in any way. It can only be accessed when on their base, which really limits my options,” Anne explained.
“The good news,” she continued, “is that I now have access to the security cameras inside the Trust facility.”
Kara started to speak, “Let’s see what they’re…” a loud ringing sound cut her off. She cried out, sinking to her knees and covering her ears.
“Kara, what’s wrong?” Allison rushed over to the Girl of Steel.
“Can’t you hear that?” Kara asked through clinched teeth.
“It must be so high-pitched that only she can hear it,” Drew theorized.
The ringing in Kara’s ears started to dissipate and was replaced by a woman’s voice. Hello Supergirl. Don’t worry; you’re the only one who can hear this. I’m going to give you a set of coordinates. Once I do, you will have exactly 20 seconds to get there or a series of bombs that I’ve hidden in the city will detonate. Do not try to contact the authorities or locate the devices yourself, I guarantee that even you are not fast enough to stop them all. A look of worry came over Kara’s face as she stood up. One more thing, if you bring anyone to the location with you, the city of Chicago will suffer dearly. The voice then gave the coordinates and then cut out.
Kara instantly changed into her costume.
“What are you doing Kara,” Drew asked her friend.
“I don’t time to explain. Just find out what the Trust is up to, and fast,” was all Kara had time to say before she bolted out of the apartment window, leaving Drew, Allison, Jessie, and Anne very confused.
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Supergirl arrived at the indicated spot with 6 seconds to spare. It was an area south of the Windy City and appeared to be void of any buildings or man-made objects.
“I’m glad to see that you are still so predictable,” a familiar voice spoke.
Kara turned around and immediately went into her power pose, hands on hips and feet shoulder-width apart. She saw a woman dressed in a black and yellow costume hovering several feet off the ground. Supergirl was shocked when she recognized the woman’s face.
Kara was unable to hide the surprise in her voice, “Jessica? But how?”
“Don’t act so surprised Supergirl, I warned you that Solar Flare would return,” Jessica replied in a very sinister tone.
“But to answer your question, I have the Brain Trust to thank for that. Which brings us to the matter at hand,” Solar Flare landed about five feet from Supergirl.
“The Trust has a few questions and they are certain that you have the answers,” Solar Flare explained.
“Therefore,” Jessica went on, “I have been given the task of bringing you in for questioning.”
Recovering from the initial shock, Supergirl spoke confidently, trying to reason with Jessica, “Jessica, you don’t have to do this. You could help so many people with your powers…”
“Don’t you dare try to reason with me,” Solar Flare shouted, cutting Supergirl off, “you lost your ability to negotiate the day you decided that you had the right to strip me of my powers.”
Kara spoke in a calm voice, “You weren’t responsible, you hurt innocents…”
Solar Flare interrupted again, “Enough, the time for talking has passed. I’m taking you in. The only question is, what condition will you be in?”
Kara realized that she wouldn’t be able to talk Jessica out of this. She assumed a fighting stance.
“I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me Supergirl,” Solar Flare spoke as she assumed a fighting stance of her own.
Solar Flare made the first move. Pushing off with her back foot, she rocketed towards Supergirl intending to deliver a hard right hook. Kara ducked under the punch and brought her knee into Jessica’s stomach. Solar Flare coughed as the air was forced out of her. Not giving her opponent any time to recover, Supergirl delivered a punch to Solar Flare’s jaw that sent Jessica flying. Pushing off the ground, Supergirl flew after Solar Flare.
Jessica stabilized herself and saw Supergirl approaching. Solar Flare managed to dodge Supergirl’s next attack and delivered a one-two combo to the Girl of Steel’s stomach. She quickly followed with a kick to Supergirl’s head which stunned Kara. Seizing the opportunity, Solar Flare delivered a haymaker that sent Supergirl crashing into the ground, leaving a small crater.
Kara quickly picked herself up and brushed the dirt off her costume. Solar Flare landed directly behind Kara. She wrapped her arms around the Maiden of Might’s chest and lifted her off the ground in a bear hug, intending to squeeze Supergirl into submission. Kara felt the increased pressure around her chest, but being the stronger woman, it caused minimal discomfort. She elbowed Solar Flare in the side, causing the super villainess to break the hold. Supergirl then punched Solar Flare square in the jaw, sending Jessica tumbling along the ground leaving a jagged trench in her wake.
Solar Flare was picking herself up when she heard, “Jessica, this is pointless.” She looked up to see Supergirl floating a few feet away; hands on her hips and her hair, cape, and skirt fluttering in the wind.
The Maiden of Might continued, “Your skills have improved since we last met, but you are still not as strong as I am.” Kara wasn’t trying to sound cocky; she just wanted to bring this fight to a peaceful conclusion.
Jessica stood up, feet shoulder-width apart and fists clenched by her sides, “True Supergirl, you may have me outmatched in the strength department, but I’ve learned a few tricks since our last encounter.” Solar Flare’s eyes and fists began to glow with red energy.
Before Kara could react, twin beams of energy lashed out from Solar Flare’s eyes and struck Supergirl square in her S symbol. Kara cried out as the blast hit her and sent her flying. She crashed to the ground several hundred feet away from where she had been hovering. Kara grunted as she picked herself up, I don’t remember her blasts being that powerful, she thought to herself.
Kara spotted Jessica approaching. “Let’s try this again,” Solar Flare called out. Supergirl took off and accelerated towards her foe. Both super-powered women cocked a fist back and delivered simultaneous punches. The shockwave that resulted caused several nearby clouds to dissipate. Both women were sent flying backwards for several seconds before they recovered.
Damn, Kara thought, those energy punches pack a whollop. Jessica stabilized herself and smiled.
So she finally stopped holding back, this should be fun, the villainess thought as she flew towards the Girl of Steel, firing off energy blasts from her eyes. Kara dodged left and right, avoiding the blasts.
“Blast you, hold still,” Solar Flare called out as she threw blasts from her hands in rapid succession. Supergirl continued to successfully evade the attacks.
“Whoa!” she exclaimed as she stopped in midair, a blast passing just in from of her.
“Gotcha,” Solar Flare muttered to herself as she fired a blast towards the stationary Girl of Steel. Supergirl turned and saw the blast approaching. Rising an arm, Kara managed to swat the blast back towards Solar Flare. It just missed Jessica.
“Damn you,” Jessica screamed as she closed to melee range with Kara.
The women once more began trading blows, each landing several blows, but neither gaining the advantage. Finally, Jessica delivered a kick that Kara managed to catch. Holding on to Solar Flare’s skin-tone tight-covered leg, Supergirl spun at super-speed. Spinning at such a fast pace, Jessica became disoriented. Supergirl released her opponent and Solar Flare rocketed into the ground with a loud BOOM, leaving a 10 foot deep crater.
Jessica was slow to get up, disorientated from the spinning and sudden impact. Once the cobwebs had cleared, she spotted Supergirl hovering a few feet away; her arms up, ready to continue the battle.
“Alright, now I’m pissed,” Solar Flare spoke as her hands began to glow even brighter. Jessica unleashed a bright beam of energy from her hands. Supergirl cried out as the beam struck her abs and propelled her skyward. Jessica cut the beam off after several seconds and bolted skyward, pursuing the stunned Maiden of Might. She stopped several hundred feet above the still ascending Supergirl. Solar Flare delivered a devastating haymaker as soon as Supergirl reached her, which sent Kara rocketing into the ground. Supergirl was slow to get up.
Jessica landed near the crater as Supergirl managed to get to her feet and bring her fists up. Though she didn’t show it, the Girl of Steel wasn’t sure if she could continue this fight much longer.
Solar Flare charged again, intending to land another energized punch. Kara was able to avoid the attack and landed an uppercut to Jessica’s jaw that knocked the villainess off her feet and left Solar Flare seeing stars.
“Damn…her…” Jessica muttered to herself as she got up. The fight was beginning to wear on Solar Flare as well. Both women squared off once more, each showed obvious signs of fatigue.
“Well Supergirl, it’s been real fun, but it’s time to end this,” Solar Flare spoke in a sinister tone.
Kara‘s breathing was heavy, What is she up to now, she thought.
“There is one last trick I have up my sleeve,” Jessica began, “I acquired it just so I could guarantee your defeat here and now.” The glow on Solar Flare’s hands and eyes changed from red to green.
Supergirl’s eyes widened, “No…”
She didn’t have time to finish as wide green beams burst from Solar Flare’s eyes. “Arghh…” Supergirl cried out, overcome by pain and weakness as the green rays washed over her.
Jessica turned off the beams as Supergirl collapsed to the ground. “No… not like…this…” Kara struggled, trying to get her feet under her, her once formidable strength replaced by nausea and weakness. Supergirl managed to get up on one knee when she looked up and saw Solar Flare standing over her.
Jessica looked down at the defeated Maiden of Might. Kara’s blonde hair waved in the breeze, a few stray strands fell across her face. Ever the heroine, Supergirl still had a look of defiance on her face.
The green glow on Jessica’s hands grew brighter as she spoke, “Good night sweetheart.” With that, she delivered a right cross to the Girl of Steel’s face. The resulting explosion turned the night sky a brilliant green.
As the dust settled, Solar Flare stood over Supergirl. The heroine lay on her side, not moving. Jessica used a black boot to roll Supergirl onto her back. Kara’s head rolled to the side and her arm was draped across her chest. The glow surrounding Solar Flare’s eyes and hands dissipated as the villainess knelt next to the defeated heroine. Placing two fingers on Supergirl’s neck, Jessica felt for a pulse. She found it, it was slow and weak, but it was definitely there.
Jessica placed one arm under Supergirl’s neck and the other under the heroine’s flesh-tone tight-covered legs. As Solar Flare lifted Supergirl up, her head came to rest on her chest. Bringing her head close to Supergirl’s ear, Jessica whispered, “Sleep tight princess, your waking will be most unpleasant.” With that, she took to the air, cradling the unconscious Maiden of Might.
…………………………
Mary Patterson was sitting in her office, enjoying a glass of fine scotch. Looking out her window, she noticed an object that seemed to be flying towards her building. Retrieving a set of binoculars from her desk, Mary looked out the window. A smile spread across her face. Jessica was returning, and she had Supergirl with her.
Setting the binoculars on her desk, Mary exited her office. As she walked towards the elevator, Mary called back to her secretary, “Laurel, please page Dr. York and inform him that he is needed in the lab.”
“I’m glad to see that you are still so predictable,” a familiar voice spoke.
Kara turned around and immediately went into her power pose, hands on hips and feet shoulder-width apart. She saw a woman dressed in a black and yellow costume hovering several feet off the ground. Supergirl was shocked when she recognized the woman’s face.
Kara was unable to hide the surprise in her voice, “Jessica? But how?”
“Don’t act so surprised Supergirl, I warned you that Solar Flare would return,” Jessica replied in a very sinister tone.
“But to answer your question, I have the Brain Trust to thank for that. Which brings us to the matter at hand,” Solar Flare landed about five feet from Supergirl.
“The Trust has a few questions and they are certain that you have the answers,” Solar Flare explained.
“Therefore,” Jessica went on, “I have been given the task of bringing you in for questioning.”
Recovering from the initial shock, Supergirl spoke confidently, trying to reason with Jessica, “Jessica, you don’t have to do this. You could help so many people with your powers…”
“Don’t you dare try to reason with me,” Solar Flare shouted, cutting Supergirl off, “you lost your ability to negotiate the day you decided that you had the right to strip me of my powers.”
Kara spoke in a calm voice, “You weren’t responsible, you hurt innocents…”
Solar Flare interrupted again, “Enough, the time for talking has passed. I’m taking you in. The only question is, what condition will you be in?”
Kara realized that she wouldn’t be able to talk Jessica out of this. She assumed a fighting stance.
“I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me Supergirl,” Solar Flare spoke as she assumed a fighting stance of her own.
Solar Flare made the first move. Pushing off with her back foot, she rocketed towards Supergirl intending to deliver a hard right hook. Kara ducked under the punch and brought her knee into Jessica’s stomach. Solar Flare coughed as the air was forced out of her. Not giving her opponent any time to recover, Supergirl delivered a punch to Solar Flare’s jaw that sent Jessica flying. Pushing off the ground, Supergirl flew after Solar Flare.
Jessica stabilized herself and saw Supergirl approaching. Solar Flare managed to dodge Supergirl’s next attack and delivered a one-two combo to the Girl of Steel’s stomach. She quickly followed with a kick to Supergirl’s head which stunned Kara. Seizing the opportunity, Solar Flare delivered a haymaker that sent Supergirl crashing into the ground, leaving a small crater.
Kara quickly picked herself up and brushed the dirt off her costume. Solar Flare landed directly behind Kara. She wrapped her arms around the Maiden of Might’s chest and lifted her off the ground in a bear hug, intending to squeeze Supergirl into submission. Kara felt the increased pressure around her chest, but being the stronger woman, it caused minimal discomfort. She elbowed Solar Flare in the side, causing the super villainess to break the hold. Supergirl then punched Solar Flare square in the jaw, sending Jessica tumbling along the ground leaving a jagged trench in her wake.
Solar Flare was picking herself up when she heard, “Jessica, this is pointless.” She looked up to see Supergirl floating a few feet away; hands on her hips and her hair, cape, and skirt fluttering in the wind.
The Maiden of Might continued, “Your skills have improved since we last met, but you are still not as strong as I am.” Kara wasn’t trying to sound cocky; she just wanted to bring this fight to a peaceful conclusion.
Jessica stood up, feet shoulder-width apart and fists clenched by her sides, “True Supergirl, you may have me outmatched in the strength department, but I’ve learned a few tricks since our last encounter.” Solar Flare’s eyes and fists began to glow with red energy.
Before Kara could react, twin beams of energy lashed out from Solar Flare’s eyes and struck Supergirl square in her S symbol. Kara cried out as the blast hit her and sent her flying. She crashed to the ground several hundred feet away from where she had been hovering. Kara grunted as she picked herself up, I don’t remember her blasts being that powerful, she thought to herself.
Kara spotted Jessica approaching. “Let’s try this again,” Solar Flare called out. Supergirl took off and accelerated towards her foe. Both super-powered women cocked a fist back and delivered simultaneous punches. The shockwave that resulted caused several nearby clouds to dissipate. Both women were sent flying backwards for several seconds before they recovered.
Damn, Kara thought, those energy punches pack a whollop. Jessica stabilized herself and smiled.
So she finally stopped holding back, this should be fun, the villainess thought as she flew towards the Girl of Steel, firing off energy blasts from her eyes. Kara dodged left and right, avoiding the blasts.
“Blast you, hold still,” Solar Flare called out as she threw blasts from her hands in rapid succession. Supergirl continued to successfully evade the attacks.
“Whoa!” she exclaimed as she stopped in midair, a blast passing just in from of her.
“Gotcha,” Solar Flare muttered to herself as she fired a blast towards the stationary Girl of Steel. Supergirl turned and saw the blast approaching. Rising an arm, Kara managed to swat the blast back towards Solar Flare. It just missed Jessica.
“Damn you,” Jessica screamed as she closed to melee range with Kara.
The women once more began trading blows, each landing several blows, but neither gaining the advantage. Finally, Jessica delivered a kick that Kara managed to catch. Holding on to Solar Flare’s skin-tone tight-covered leg, Supergirl spun at super-speed. Spinning at such a fast pace, Jessica became disoriented. Supergirl released her opponent and Solar Flare rocketed into the ground with a loud BOOM, leaving a 10 foot deep crater.
Jessica was slow to get up, disorientated from the spinning and sudden impact. Once the cobwebs had cleared, she spotted Supergirl hovering a few feet away; her arms up, ready to continue the battle.
“Alright, now I’m pissed,” Solar Flare spoke as her hands began to glow even brighter. Jessica unleashed a bright beam of energy from her hands. Supergirl cried out as the beam struck her abs and propelled her skyward. Jessica cut the beam off after several seconds and bolted skyward, pursuing the stunned Maiden of Might. She stopped several hundred feet above the still ascending Supergirl. Solar Flare delivered a devastating haymaker as soon as Supergirl reached her, which sent Kara rocketing into the ground. Supergirl was slow to get up.
Jessica landed near the crater as Supergirl managed to get to her feet and bring her fists up. Though she didn’t show it, the Girl of Steel wasn’t sure if she could continue this fight much longer.
Solar Flare charged again, intending to land another energized punch. Kara was able to avoid the attack and landed an uppercut to Jessica’s jaw that knocked the villainess off her feet and left Solar Flare seeing stars.
“Damn…her…” Jessica muttered to herself as she got up. The fight was beginning to wear on Solar Flare as well. Both women squared off once more, each showed obvious signs of fatigue.
“Well Supergirl, it’s been real fun, but it’s time to end this,” Solar Flare spoke in a sinister tone.
Kara‘s breathing was heavy, What is she up to now, she thought.
“There is one last trick I have up my sleeve,” Jessica began, “I acquired it just so I could guarantee your defeat here and now.” The glow on Solar Flare’s hands and eyes changed from red to green.
Supergirl’s eyes widened, “No…”
She didn’t have time to finish as wide green beams burst from Solar Flare’s eyes. “Arghh…” Supergirl cried out, overcome by pain and weakness as the green rays washed over her.
Jessica turned off the beams as Supergirl collapsed to the ground. “No… not like…this…” Kara struggled, trying to get her feet under her, her once formidable strength replaced by nausea and weakness. Supergirl managed to get up on one knee when she looked up and saw Solar Flare standing over her.
Jessica looked down at the defeated Maiden of Might. Kara’s blonde hair waved in the breeze, a few stray strands fell across her face. Ever the heroine, Supergirl still had a look of defiance on her face.
The green glow on Jessica’s hands grew brighter as she spoke, “Good night sweetheart.” With that, she delivered a right cross to the Girl of Steel’s face. The resulting explosion turned the night sky a brilliant green.
As the dust settled, Solar Flare stood over Supergirl. The heroine lay on her side, not moving. Jessica used a black boot to roll Supergirl onto her back. Kara’s head rolled to the side and her arm was draped across her chest. The glow surrounding Solar Flare’s eyes and hands dissipated as the villainess knelt next to the defeated heroine. Placing two fingers on Supergirl’s neck, Jessica felt for a pulse. She found it, it was slow and weak, but it was definitely there.
Jessica placed one arm under Supergirl’s neck and the other under the heroine’s flesh-tone tight-covered legs. As Solar Flare lifted Supergirl up, her head came to rest on her chest. Bringing her head close to Supergirl’s ear, Jessica whispered, “Sleep tight princess, your waking will be most unpleasant.” With that, she took to the air, cradling the unconscious Maiden of Might.
…………………………
Mary Patterson was sitting in her office, enjoying a glass of fine scotch. Looking out her window, she noticed an object that seemed to be flying towards her building. Retrieving a set of binoculars from her desk, Mary looked out the window. A smile spread across her face. Jessica was returning, and she had Supergirl with her.
Setting the binoculars on her desk, Mary exited her office. As she walked towards the elevator, Mary called back to her secretary, “Laurel, please page Dr. York and inform him that he is needed in the lab.”
Consciousness returned slowly to Supergirl. She was aware that she was lying on a table of some type. Opening her eyes, Kara was treated to dark, fuzzy images. She tried to listen to her surroundings but the only thing she could hear sounded like the constant beeping of a heart monitor. Kara tried moving her arms and legs and was not surprised to find that she was restrained. She could feel restraints across her chest and waist as well. Supergirl strained against her bonds, but found that in her weakened state she was unable to break them. Her vision was beginning to clear and Kara could see that she was in a lab of some type; various kinds of equipment and data displays lined the walls. Details were sketchy because the lights were very dim. However, Supergirl could tell that she wasn’t alone.
A female voice spoke, “Dr. York, she’s awake.”
Looking to her right, Kara could see a man in his late twenties wearing a white lab coat.
The man spoke, “Thank you Nancy.” He walked over to a phone mounted on the wall and picked up the receiver.
After a few seconds, Dr. York addressed someone on the other end of the line, “Ma’am, she just woke up… understood, we’ll wait for you.” The doctor hung up the phone and went about his business.
Looking around, Supergirl could see several assistants around the lab, each focused on a different data display.
A voice called out, “Doctor, could you step over here for a minute please?”
Kara watched Dr. York walk over to a young man who was watching a very large computer display. With her eyesight back, Kara could see what looked like an EKG display on the computer screen. Turning her eyes back to the examination table she was on, Supergirl could see that electrodes had been stuck to her chest and sides. Now why would they want to monitor my vitals, Kara thought. She decided to try to get some answers, “Hey, mind telling me exactly what you’re up too?” The people in the room ignored her and continued their various tasks.
“Don’t make get up and ask again,” Kara was getting angry. She strained against her bounds again. She had a small amount of wiggle room but couldn’t break the straps holding her down. Why can’t I break these she though as she tried moving her extremities. Supergirl felt something pulling on her left hand. Managing to lift her head, the Maiden of Might was shocked to discover an IV had been placed in her hand.
Suddenly, the doors leading into the lab slid open and in walked a confident-looking brunette wearing a white blouse, black business skirt, dark nylons, and black high-heels.
Supergirl recognized the criminal CEO immediately. “Mary Patterson,” Supergirl spoke in a calm, relaxed manner.
“You recognize me, I’m flattered,” Mary replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“You won’t get away with this,” Supergirl said with as much confidence as she could muster, “when I get out of here…”
“Save your breath honey,” the villainess interrupted, “you aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.”
Walking up to the table that Supergirl was restrained on; Mary tapped a hanging IV bag that fed into Kara’s hand.
“This is a special cocktail worked up by our R&D department,” she explained, “It temporarily suppresses meta-human abilities.”
Mary continued, “Of course, in your case, we had to add one extra element to the mix.”
It was then that Supergirl noticed the faint green color of the fluid. But why haven’t I felt the effects of the kryptonite, Kara wondered.
Seeing the confusion on the Girl of Steel’s face, Mary spoke up, “Don’t worry, it isn’t enough to cause you any direct harm, just enough to make you susceptible to the suppressants.”
Supergirl couldn’t see any immediate way out of her current predicament so she decided to try to find out more.
“Since I’m not going anywhere, mind telling me what this is all about?”
“Cutting right to the chase, I like that,” Mary responded as she pulled a swivel chair up to the table Supergirl was lying on.
“Since you asked so nicely, I’ll tell you,” the CEO began.
“Over the past couples of months, someone has been attacking our office buildings in Chicago and killing our employees,” Mary started.
Running her hand up and down Kara’s tights, Mary continued, “Now you can imagine this makes it very difficult to conduct business.”
Supergirl squirmed, trying to get away from the CEO’s touch, but her bonds kept her in place.
“But what does this have to do with me,” Supergirl asked.
“Several nights ago, you met the person responsible for the attacks,” Mary explained.
Kara knew exactly who Mary was referring to, but tried to play dumb, “What are you talking about, I never…”
“Oh don’t try to deny it sweetheart,” Mary interrupted, “one of our employees saw you and the black-clad gentleman exchanging words on a nearby rooftop.”
Mary sat back down, crossed her legs, and folded her hands on top of her knee. “Now,” she continued, “I want to know who he is.”
Kara had suspected that the black-clad individual she had run into was connected to Black Talon, but she didn’t have any proof, and she certainly wasn’t going to tell this psychotic CEO.
“I have no idea who he is,” Supergirl spoke defiantly, “and even if I did know, what makes you think I would tell you?”
It was Mary’s turn to be surprised, “I never thought I’d see the day when the Girl of Steel would protect the identity of a fugitive.”
“How can I protect someone’s identity if I don’t know them?” Supergirl reasoned. If I can just keep her talking, maybe I can figure a way out of here, she thought.
“True,” Mary agreed, “but you must have your suspicions.”
“So what if I do, I’ll never share them,” was Supergirl’s defiant reply.
Mary sighed; she could tell that the “civilized” approach was going nowhere. She was going to have to be more aggressive.
“Dr. York,” she called out, “would you retrieve the Mark I kit from the safe please?”
Supergirl watched as the doctor walked over to a wall safe and dialed the combination.
As he opened the safe, Kara could see a green glow coming from inside it. Instantly, she knew that Mary had stored a chuck of kryptonite in the safe. Now Supergirl was worried. She did her best to hide it but her eyes betrayed her true feelings.
Mary saw the concern in Supergirl’s eyes. “You should know by now,” she spoke in a sinister tone, “I always have a piece of your home close by in case of emergencies.” Dr. York walked over to Mary and handed her a box he had retrieved from the safe. It was about the size of a cigar box. Before he walked away, the doctor bent down and whispered something into Mary’s ear. Despite the background noise of the lab, Kara was able to listen in.
When messing around with that IV line, make sure it doesn’t get clamped off. Those suppressants are only effective when they are administered constantly. If the line gets closed off for more than a few seconds, I suspect her powers will return quickly and I wouldn’t want to be around if she gets free.
Kara hid her excitement. She had just found her escape route.
Mary interrupted her chain of thought, “Since you are not in a talking mood, I guess I’ll just have to force it out of you.”
The CEO opened the box. Inside, there were several vials and syringes. Mary spoke as she picked up a vial and filled a syringe with its contents.
“This little solution is sodium pentathol, more commonly known as Truth Serum.”
She went on, “Of course, we added a little kryptonite to the mix so that it would work on you my dear.”
Supergirl gulped, If she injects me with that there’s no telling what she could force me to reveal.
As Mary flicked the syringe to remove the air bubbles, she continued, “The problem with adding the kryptonite is that it reduces the effectiveness of the drug slightly, meaning we have to give you a larger dose.”
“This leads to another problem,” she went on, “If we give you too much in too short of a time frame, then the amount of kryptonite in your system will reach lethal levels.”
“And if that happens, it’s game over for you princess,” Mary said in a seductive tone.
Kara struggled against her bonds, but they would not give.
“Aww, you poor thing,” Mary replied with fake sympathy as she stroked Supergirl’s cheek with the back of her free hand.
“Last chance,” she said holding up the syringe, “who is he? If you don’t know I’ll settle for what you think.”
Supergirl shot Mary a look of defiance.
“Suit yourself,” Mary said as she pushed the needle through a port in the IV line and depressed the plunger.
Kara felt a tingling sensation in her hand that slowly crawled up her arm. Her heart rate sped up, her breathing became labored, and she started feeling dizzy.
“Now Supergirl, who is the man you met on the roof,” Mary asked.
“No…not…going to…happen…” Kara said between labored breaths.
Mary smiled, “I am impressed Supergirl, but you are only delaying the inevitable.” The villainess filled another syringe with serum.
“Had a change of heart,” she asked.
“Never…” was the Maiden of Might’s reply.
“So be it,” Mary said as she injected the second dose.
Supergirl winced; her hand felt like it was burning. A wave of weakness soon followed. This combination of burning and weakness spread up her arm, through her chest, and radiated throughout her body. Her heart rate dropped, her breathing slowed, and her eyes partially glazed over. To Kara, the world seemed to be moving in slow motion.
Mary bent down and whispered seductively into the Girl of Steel’s ear, “Supergirl, who is he?”
Kara’s mind screamed NO, but her mouth betrayed her and she began to reveal what she knew.
…………………………
Late the next day.
Brent was in his office again, going over highlights of last night’s planning session when his office door opened and Kristen walked in.
She wore her usual attire, tight-fitting jeans, tight black t-shirt, Beretta strapped to her leg, and her beautiful black hair was pulled back into a ponytail.
“Good afternoon,” Brent smiled at his friend.
“I hope I’m not interrupting,” Kristen replied.
“Nah, just going over some logistical crap, it can wait,” was the response she got. Brent motioned for Kristen to have a seat as he retrieved two sodas from his mini-fridge and offered one to his friend, who accepted it.
“So,” Brent sat back down, “what can I do for ya?”
“I was hoping you could bring me up to speed on exactly what’s been happening within the past couple months,” Kristen replied.
Brent thought for a minute, “Why not, now’s as good a time as any.”
Brent was just going over his late night encounter with the Girl of Steel when his phone rang.
He sighed as he picked it up, “Hello…I see…yeah, we can deal with it…understood.”
Brent hung up, “We have a problem and Andrew wants it dealt with quickly,” he explained to Kristen as he picked up the phone again and dialed.
“Hello Gary? It’s Brent…Kristen and I have an issue that needs fixing…sending the details now…get the bird ready, we’ll be there in five minutes,” he hung up.
“We’d better get moving,” Brent said as he stood up.
“Not so fast,” Kristen chimed, “let’s flip for roles.”
“Okay,” Brent smiled as he took a quarter from his pocket and flipped it into the air.
“Heads,” Kristen called put as the two friends watched the coin bounce along the carpet. When it finally settled, the eagle was showing.
“Sorry,” Brent responded as he pocketed the coin and held the door open, “looks like your spotting today.”
“Oh darn, I never get to have any fun,” Kristen joked. The two friends got a kick out of the comment as they left the office and headed for the armory.
…………………………
Mary Patterson entered the surveillance room on the third floor of the Trust building. The room was filled with various displays, technicians, and communication and encryption equipment. It had been several hours since the Truth Serum had forced Supergirl to reveal her suspicions about the Black Talon PMC. Mary had acted on the Girl of Steel’s suspicion, sending one of the Trust’s operatives to observe and report on activities in the Black Talon facility. Mary paced next to some communication equipment, anxious for the observer to report in.
The radio beeped suddenly, “Ma’am, I’m in position and set up.”
Mary keyed the microphone, “Good, now go ahead and report what you see.”
The voice came back, “Yes ma’am, this place is massive. The airstrip and various support buildings rival most military installations.” The voice went on, “There seem to be no personal vehicles of any kind, all I see are Hummers that are painted black…and it looks like a Blackhawk helicopter is being brought out of one of the hangars.”
Hmm, that’s a pretty expensive piece of equipment for a PMC to be maintaining, Supergirl might be right, Mary thought.
The radio beeped again, “The flight crew appears to be going through the pre-flight routine, and a Hummer just pulled up. A man and woman got out. The woman is wearing jeans, the man is in all black, both have on body armor, and the man is carrying a very long case. They are too far away to make out facial features.
Kristen and Brent climbed into the Blackhawk on its port (left) side and put on headsets so they could talk over the aircraft’s intercom system.
“So how do you wanna do this,” the pilot asked.
“Fly us in an arc pattern Gary and stop at the location we discussed,” Brent replied.
“Roger that,” Gary replied in a very gung-ho tone of voice. He flipped some switches and the main rotor started turning. Kristen sat in one of the seats made of cargo netting while Brent laid down on a mat he had placed on the floor of the aircraft’s cabin.
“Okay, the helicopter has lifted off…appears to be flying in an arc,” Mary heard the observer report.
Brent opened the case he had brought along and removed the item stored inside, a Barrett M82A1 .50 caliber sniper rifle. He extended the bipod and set the weapon on the cabin floor. Removing the lens caps, Brent peered through the scope. Kristen brought a spotting scope to her eye and turned it on. Unlike how they had been in the office, Brent and Kristen were all business now as they spoke.
“One thermal target, grassy knoll,” Kristen spoke.
“Gary, hold her steady,” Brent told the pilot who eased the Blackhawk into a perfect hover.
“No target, switching thermal,” Brent flipped a switch on the scope, causing his view to turn into various shades of grey, but one bright white blotch stood out. “Eyes on,” he announced as his breathing slowed.
Kristen fed Brent range and wind speed data. He made the necessary adjustments and centered the crosshairs. “On…target…,” he spoke quietly between controlled breaths and applied slow pressure to the trigger.
The radio beeped again, “The helicopter appears to be hovering now…several hundred meters away.” Mary listened intently.
The man continued, “The woman is in a chair…man is lying down behind something…can’t quite tell…OH SH…” The voice was cut off by what sounded like a large watermelon exploding. The line cut out.
Mary walked out of the room and headed for her office. Now she was convinced that Black Talon was responsible for the attacks. She would act on this in due time but for now, she had to focus on the other bit of information Supergirl had revealed.
“Good kill,” Kristen spoke, having seen the red cloud explode from the “grassy knoll.”
“Thanks,” Brent replied as he packed up the rifle, they were back to friendly chatter again.
“You know what this means right,” Kristen started.
“I know, I know, you get the next one,” Brent grinned. “Hey Gary, could you patch me through to Andrew please,” Brent asked the pilot.
“Ten-fo, good shootin’ there buddy,” Gary replied as he started flipping switches.
“And nice flying to you my friend,” Brent answered with a smile.
After a few seconds, Andrew came on the line, “Hello?”
“It’s Brent, Kristen and I just dealt with the problem and we’re headed back.”
“Good to hear. However, something else just came to my attention. We may have to move sooner than expected. I need you both in my office ASAP,” Andrew’s tone showed a hint of concern.
“We are on our way,” Kristen answered as Andrew signed off. The two friends looked at each other. Based on Andrew’s tone, the shit must have hit the fan.
…………………………
“Drew, will you try to relax a little,” Allison spoke up.
“How can I relax, she’s been gone for over 12 hours,” Drew replied as she paced across the apartment.
Allison walked over and placed a hand on Drew’s shoulder, “This is Kara we’re talking about, she knows how to handle herself. Why don’t you go to the kitchen and get yourself something to drink.” Allison was speaking in a reassuring manner, hiding the fact that she was also growing concerned.
“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” Drew relented and disappeared into the kitchen.
Allison sat down on the couch next to her sister who was still focused on her laptop; Jessie was in another room grabbing a quick nap. Allison saw that Anne was looking through the various security cameras in the Brain Trust facility.
“Find anything,” the young blonde asked her sister.
Anne looked at her older sister and shook her head, “Nothing, I mean people have been moving boxes and equipment around, but I haven’t seen…” Anne’s computer beeped, interrupting her.
Looking at the screen, she saw she had an email. She was about to dismiss it when the subject line caught her attention, “Athena.” Now Anne was intrigued, Athena was her hacker alias and the fact that it was the subject of the email couldn’t be coincidence. Allison leaned in as her younger sister opened the message.
In case you need help.
It also included a phone number and email address.
Before Anne could find out who sent the message, she noticed motion in one of the camera feeds. She closed the email and enlarged the camera view. It was the camera in Mary Patterson’s office and the CEO had just walked in. Anne turned up the volume as Mary walked over to her desk and picked up the phone. The two sisters listened in as the villainess spoke:
Things are progressing nicely…first experiments show promise. That’s correct, Supergirl is secured in the underground section…The security system is working properly, anyone who enters her holding area while the system is active causes the kryptonite to be released…Not a chance, the control panel is on the 3rd floor…I plan on running a few more tests…Understood, we’ll get rid of her as soon as we’re done…Goodbye.
Allison looked at her sister, “I’ll go wake Jessie.”
A few minutes later, all four heroines were gathered in the living room.
Allison, now American Star, wore a long-sleeved leotard that was red on the sleeves and chest and turned white just below her breasts. There was a white star in the middle of her chest and smaller stars ran down her arms. Her shapely legs were covered by a set of blue tights. American Star wore a pair of red boots and her golden bracelets, the source of her powers, were clamped on her wrists. A pair of small red gloves went under the bracelets, giving her costume a seamless look. Finally, she wore a red mask that concealed her identity.
American Star’s partner, American Dream, wore a skintight suit. The top was composed of a red leotard with blue sleeves and gloves. A thin white stripe ran down each sleeve and three white stars ran diagonally across her chest. She had a pair of blue boots on her feet that matched her small blue gloves. Her legs were covered by what resembled a pair of blue tights that matched her sleeves. The material that covered her legs had been especially designed by Anne to power the nanomachines that she had injected herself with. This material, combined with the power pack on the front of her belt, is what energized the nanomachines, granting Anne her powers and the ability to walk again. She kept her spare power packs on the back of her belt. A small blue mask over her eyes concealed American Dream’s identity.
Jessie was now in her Lightspeed costume. Her costume was a blue long-sleeved unitard with white shoulders that came to a point just above and between her breasts. Her forearms were white with small blue gloves. Her boots were a darker shade of blue with white trim and made of a special material that allowed her traction at high speeds. Around her waist was her yellow accelerator belt and a small blue mask concealed her identity.
Finally, Drew was in her Wonder Girl costume. A red sleeveless unitard with white stars going up both sides showed off her fine curves, as well as a little bit of cleavage. Accessories included a pair of black boots, silver bracelets, and a gold belt around her waist. Her Lasso of Truth hung from her belt, completing the outfit.
American Dream gathered her laptop and a couple extra items into her backpack in case they would need on-site intelligence. All four super-powered ladies then left the apartment and raced south, dead set on rescuing Supergirl.
A female voice spoke, “Dr. York, she’s awake.”
Looking to her right, Kara could see a man in his late twenties wearing a white lab coat.
The man spoke, “Thank you Nancy.” He walked over to a phone mounted on the wall and picked up the receiver.
After a few seconds, Dr. York addressed someone on the other end of the line, “Ma’am, she just woke up… understood, we’ll wait for you.” The doctor hung up the phone and went about his business.
Looking around, Supergirl could see several assistants around the lab, each focused on a different data display.
A voice called out, “Doctor, could you step over here for a minute please?”
Kara watched Dr. York walk over to a young man who was watching a very large computer display. With her eyesight back, Kara could see what looked like an EKG display on the computer screen. Turning her eyes back to the examination table she was on, Supergirl could see that electrodes had been stuck to her chest and sides. Now why would they want to monitor my vitals, Kara thought. She decided to try to get some answers, “Hey, mind telling me exactly what you’re up too?” The people in the room ignored her and continued their various tasks.
“Don’t make get up and ask again,” Kara was getting angry. She strained against her bounds again. She had a small amount of wiggle room but couldn’t break the straps holding her down. Why can’t I break these she though as she tried moving her extremities. Supergirl felt something pulling on her left hand. Managing to lift her head, the Maiden of Might was shocked to discover an IV had been placed in her hand.
Suddenly, the doors leading into the lab slid open and in walked a confident-looking brunette wearing a white blouse, black business skirt, dark nylons, and black high-heels.
Supergirl recognized the criminal CEO immediately. “Mary Patterson,” Supergirl spoke in a calm, relaxed manner.
“You recognize me, I’m flattered,” Mary replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“You won’t get away with this,” Supergirl said with as much confidence as she could muster, “when I get out of here…”
“Save your breath honey,” the villainess interrupted, “you aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.”
Walking up to the table that Supergirl was restrained on; Mary tapped a hanging IV bag that fed into Kara’s hand.
“This is a special cocktail worked up by our R&D department,” she explained, “It temporarily suppresses meta-human abilities.”
Mary continued, “Of course, in your case, we had to add one extra element to the mix.”
It was then that Supergirl noticed the faint green color of the fluid. But why haven’t I felt the effects of the kryptonite, Kara wondered.
Seeing the confusion on the Girl of Steel’s face, Mary spoke up, “Don’t worry, it isn’t enough to cause you any direct harm, just enough to make you susceptible to the suppressants.”
Supergirl couldn’t see any immediate way out of her current predicament so she decided to try to find out more.
“Since I’m not going anywhere, mind telling me what this is all about?”
“Cutting right to the chase, I like that,” Mary responded as she pulled a swivel chair up to the table Supergirl was lying on.
“Since you asked so nicely, I’ll tell you,” the CEO began.
“Over the past couples of months, someone has been attacking our office buildings in Chicago and killing our employees,” Mary started.
Running her hand up and down Kara’s tights, Mary continued, “Now you can imagine this makes it very difficult to conduct business.”
Supergirl squirmed, trying to get away from the CEO’s touch, but her bonds kept her in place.
“But what does this have to do with me,” Supergirl asked.
“Several nights ago, you met the person responsible for the attacks,” Mary explained.
Kara knew exactly who Mary was referring to, but tried to play dumb, “What are you talking about, I never…”
“Oh don’t try to deny it sweetheart,” Mary interrupted, “one of our employees saw you and the black-clad gentleman exchanging words on a nearby rooftop.”
Mary sat back down, crossed her legs, and folded her hands on top of her knee. “Now,” she continued, “I want to know who he is.”
Kara had suspected that the black-clad individual she had run into was connected to Black Talon, but she didn’t have any proof, and she certainly wasn’t going to tell this psychotic CEO.
“I have no idea who he is,” Supergirl spoke defiantly, “and even if I did know, what makes you think I would tell you?”
It was Mary’s turn to be surprised, “I never thought I’d see the day when the Girl of Steel would protect the identity of a fugitive.”
“How can I protect someone’s identity if I don’t know them?” Supergirl reasoned. If I can just keep her talking, maybe I can figure a way out of here, she thought.
“True,” Mary agreed, “but you must have your suspicions.”
“So what if I do, I’ll never share them,” was Supergirl’s defiant reply.
Mary sighed; she could tell that the “civilized” approach was going nowhere. She was going to have to be more aggressive.
“Dr. York,” she called out, “would you retrieve the Mark I kit from the safe please?”
Supergirl watched as the doctor walked over to a wall safe and dialed the combination.
As he opened the safe, Kara could see a green glow coming from inside it. Instantly, she knew that Mary had stored a chuck of kryptonite in the safe. Now Supergirl was worried. She did her best to hide it but her eyes betrayed her true feelings.
Mary saw the concern in Supergirl’s eyes. “You should know by now,” she spoke in a sinister tone, “I always have a piece of your home close by in case of emergencies.” Dr. York walked over to Mary and handed her a box he had retrieved from the safe. It was about the size of a cigar box. Before he walked away, the doctor bent down and whispered something into Mary’s ear. Despite the background noise of the lab, Kara was able to listen in.
When messing around with that IV line, make sure it doesn’t get clamped off. Those suppressants are only effective when they are administered constantly. If the line gets closed off for more than a few seconds, I suspect her powers will return quickly and I wouldn’t want to be around if she gets free.
Kara hid her excitement. She had just found her escape route.
Mary interrupted her chain of thought, “Since you are not in a talking mood, I guess I’ll just have to force it out of you.”
The CEO opened the box. Inside, there were several vials and syringes. Mary spoke as she picked up a vial and filled a syringe with its contents.
“This little solution is sodium pentathol, more commonly known as Truth Serum.”
She went on, “Of course, we added a little kryptonite to the mix so that it would work on you my dear.”
Supergirl gulped, If she injects me with that there’s no telling what she could force me to reveal.
As Mary flicked the syringe to remove the air bubbles, she continued, “The problem with adding the kryptonite is that it reduces the effectiveness of the drug slightly, meaning we have to give you a larger dose.”
“This leads to another problem,” she went on, “If we give you too much in too short of a time frame, then the amount of kryptonite in your system will reach lethal levels.”
“And if that happens, it’s game over for you princess,” Mary said in a seductive tone.
Kara struggled against her bonds, but they would not give.
“Aww, you poor thing,” Mary replied with fake sympathy as she stroked Supergirl’s cheek with the back of her free hand.
“Last chance,” she said holding up the syringe, “who is he? If you don’t know I’ll settle for what you think.”
Supergirl shot Mary a look of defiance.
“Suit yourself,” Mary said as she pushed the needle through a port in the IV line and depressed the plunger.
Kara felt a tingling sensation in her hand that slowly crawled up her arm. Her heart rate sped up, her breathing became labored, and she started feeling dizzy.
“Now Supergirl, who is the man you met on the roof,” Mary asked.
“No…not…going to…happen…” Kara said between labored breaths.
Mary smiled, “I am impressed Supergirl, but you are only delaying the inevitable.” The villainess filled another syringe with serum.
“Had a change of heart,” she asked.
“Never…” was the Maiden of Might’s reply.
“So be it,” Mary said as she injected the second dose.
Supergirl winced; her hand felt like it was burning. A wave of weakness soon followed. This combination of burning and weakness spread up her arm, through her chest, and radiated throughout her body. Her heart rate dropped, her breathing slowed, and her eyes partially glazed over. To Kara, the world seemed to be moving in slow motion.
Mary bent down and whispered seductively into the Girl of Steel’s ear, “Supergirl, who is he?”
Kara’s mind screamed NO, but her mouth betrayed her and she began to reveal what she knew.
…………………………
Late the next day.
Brent was in his office again, going over highlights of last night’s planning session when his office door opened and Kristen walked in.
She wore her usual attire, tight-fitting jeans, tight black t-shirt, Beretta strapped to her leg, and her beautiful black hair was pulled back into a ponytail.
“Good afternoon,” Brent smiled at his friend.
“I hope I’m not interrupting,” Kristen replied.
“Nah, just going over some logistical crap, it can wait,” was the response she got. Brent motioned for Kristen to have a seat as he retrieved two sodas from his mini-fridge and offered one to his friend, who accepted it.
“So,” Brent sat back down, “what can I do for ya?”
“I was hoping you could bring me up to speed on exactly what’s been happening within the past couple months,” Kristen replied.
Brent thought for a minute, “Why not, now’s as good a time as any.”
Brent was just going over his late night encounter with the Girl of Steel when his phone rang.
He sighed as he picked it up, “Hello…I see…yeah, we can deal with it…understood.”
Brent hung up, “We have a problem and Andrew wants it dealt with quickly,” he explained to Kristen as he picked up the phone again and dialed.
“Hello Gary? It’s Brent…Kristen and I have an issue that needs fixing…sending the details now…get the bird ready, we’ll be there in five minutes,” he hung up.
“We’d better get moving,” Brent said as he stood up.
“Not so fast,” Kristen chimed, “let’s flip for roles.”
“Okay,” Brent smiled as he took a quarter from his pocket and flipped it into the air.
“Heads,” Kristen called put as the two friends watched the coin bounce along the carpet. When it finally settled, the eagle was showing.
“Sorry,” Brent responded as he pocketed the coin and held the door open, “looks like your spotting today.”
“Oh darn, I never get to have any fun,” Kristen joked. The two friends got a kick out of the comment as they left the office and headed for the armory.
…………………………
Mary Patterson entered the surveillance room on the third floor of the Trust building. The room was filled with various displays, technicians, and communication and encryption equipment. It had been several hours since the Truth Serum had forced Supergirl to reveal her suspicions about the Black Talon PMC. Mary had acted on the Girl of Steel’s suspicion, sending one of the Trust’s operatives to observe and report on activities in the Black Talon facility. Mary paced next to some communication equipment, anxious for the observer to report in.
The radio beeped suddenly, “Ma’am, I’m in position and set up.”
Mary keyed the microphone, “Good, now go ahead and report what you see.”
The voice came back, “Yes ma’am, this place is massive. The airstrip and various support buildings rival most military installations.” The voice went on, “There seem to be no personal vehicles of any kind, all I see are Hummers that are painted black…and it looks like a Blackhawk helicopter is being brought out of one of the hangars.”
Hmm, that’s a pretty expensive piece of equipment for a PMC to be maintaining, Supergirl might be right, Mary thought.
The radio beeped again, “The flight crew appears to be going through the pre-flight routine, and a Hummer just pulled up. A man and woman got out. The woman is wearing jeans, the man is in all black, both have on body armor, and the man is carrying a very long case. They are too far away to make out facial features.
Kristen and Brent climbed into the Blackhawk on its port (left) side and put on headsets so they could talk over the aircraft’s intercom system.
“So how do you wanna do this,” the pilot asked.
“Fly us in an arc pattern Gary and stop at the location we discussed,” Brent replied.
“Roger that,” Gary replied in a very gung-ho tone of voice. He flipped some switches and the main rotor started turning. Kristen sat in one of the seats made of cargo netting while Brent laid down on a mat he had placed on the floor of the aircraft’s cabin.
“Okay, the helicopter has lifted off…appears to be flying in an arc,” Mary heard the observer report.
Brent opened the case he had brought along and removed the item stored inside, a Barrett M82A1 .50 caliber sniper rifle. He extended the bipod and set the weapon on the cabin floor. Removing the lens caps, Brent peered through the scope. Kristen brought a spotting scope to her eye and turned it on. Unlike how they had been in the office, Brent and Kristen were all business now as they spoke.
“One thermal target, grassy knoll,” Kristen spoke.
“Gary, hold her steady,” Brent told the pilot who eased the Blackhawk into a perfect hover.
“No target, switching thermal,” Brent flipped a switch on the scope, causing his view to turn into various shades of grey, but one bright white blotch stood out. “Eyes on,” he announced as his breathing slowed.
Kristen fed Brent range and wind speed data. He made the necessary adjustments and centered the crosshairs. “On…target…,” he spoke quietly between controlled breaths and applied slow pressure to the trigger.
The radio beeped again, “The helicopter appears to be hovering now…several hundred meters away.” Mary listened intently.
The man continued, “The woman is in a chair…man is lying down behind something…can’t quite tell…OH SH…” The voice was cut off by what sounded like a large watermelon exploding. The line cut out.
Mary walked out of the room and headed for her office. Now she was convinced that Black Talon was responsible for the attacks. She would act on this in due time but for now, she had to focus on the other bit of information Supergirl had revealed.
“Good kill,” Kristen spoke, having seen the red cloud explode from the “grassy knoll.”
“Thanks,” Brent replied as he packed up the rifle, they were back to friendly chatter again.
“You know what this means right,” Kristen started.
“I know, I know, you get the next one,” Brent grinned. “Hey Gary, could you patch me through to Andrew please,” Brent asked the pilot.
“Ten-fo, good shootin’ there buddy,” Gary replied as he started flipping switches.
“And nice flying to you my friend,” Brent answered with a smile.
After a few seconds, Andrew came on the line, “Hello?”
“It’s Brent, Kristen and I just dealt with the problem and we’re headed back.”
“Good to hear. However, something else just came to my attention. We may have to move sooner than expected. I need you both in my office ASAP,” Andrew’s tone showed a hint of concern.
“We are on our way,” Kristen answered as Andrew signed off. The two friends looked at each other. Based on Andrew’s tone, the shit must have hit the fan.
…………………………
“Drew, will you try to relax a little,” Allison spoke up.
“How can I relax, she’s been gone for over 12 hours,” Drew replied as she paced across the apartment.
Allison walked over and placed a hand on Drew’s shoulder, “This is Kara we’re talking about, she knows how to handle herself. Why don’t you go to the kitchen and get yourself something to drink.” Allison was speaking in a reassuring manner, hiding the fact that she was also growing concerned.
“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” Drew relented and disappeared into the kitchen.
Allison sat down on the couch next to her sister who was still focused on her laptop; Jessie was in another room grabbing a quick nap. Allison saw that Anne was looking through the various security cameras in the Brain Trust facility.
“Find anything,” the young blonde asked her sister.
Anne looked at her older sister and shook her head, “Nothing, I mean people have been moving boxes and equipment around, but I haven’t seen…” Anne’s computer beeped, interrupting her.
Looking at the screen, she saw she had an email. She was about to dismiss it when the subject line caught her attention, “Athena.” Now Anne was intrigued, Athena was her hacker alias and the fact that it was the subject of the email couldn’t be coincidence. Allison leaned in as her younger sister opened the message.
In case you need help.
It also included a phone number and email address.
Before Anne could find out who sent the message, she noticed motion in one of the camera feeds. She closed the email and enlarged the camera view. It was the camera in Mary Patterson’s office and the CEO had just walked in. Anne turned up the volume as Mary walked over to her desk and picked up the phone. The two sisters listened in as the villainess spoke:
Things are progressing nicely…first experiments show promise. That’s correct, Supergirl is secured in the underground section…The security system is working properly, anyone who enters her holding area while the system is active causes the kryptonite to be released…Not a chance, the control panel is on the 3rd floor…I plan on running a few more tests…Understood, we’ll get rid of her as soon as we’re done…Goodbye.
Allison looked at her sister, “I’ll go wake Jessie.”
A few minutes later, all four heroines were gathered in the living room.
Allison, now American Star, wore a long-sleeved leotard that was red on the sleeves and chest and turned white just below her breasts. There was a white star in the middle of her chest and smaller stars ran down her arms. Her shapely legs were covered by a set of blue tights. American Star wore a pair of red boots and her golden bracelets, the source of her powers, were clamped on her wrists. A pair of small red gloves went under the bracelets, giving her costume a seamless look. Finally, she wore a red mask that concealed her identity.
American Star’s partner, American Dream, wore a skintight suit. The top was composed of a red leotard with blue sleeves and gloves. A thin white stripe ran down each sleeve and three white stars ran diagonally across her chest. She had a pair of blue boots on her feet that matched her small blue gloves. Her legs were covered by what resembled a pair of blue tights that matched her sleeves. The material that covered her legs had been especially designed by Anne to power the nanomachines that she had injected herself with. This material, combined with the power pack on the front of her belt, is what energized the nanomachines, granting Anne her powers and the ability to walk again. She kept her spare power packs on the back of her belt. A small blue mask over her eyes concealed American Dream’s identity.
Jessie was now in her Lightspeed costume. Her costume was a blue long-sleeved unitard with white shoulders that came to a point just above and between her breasts. Her forearms were white with small blue gloves. Her boots were a darker shade of blue with white trim and made of a special material that allowed her traction at high speeds. Around her waist was her yellow accelerator belt and a small blue mask concealed her identity.
Finally, Drew was in her Wonder Girl costume. A red sleeveless unitard with white stars going up both sides showed off her fine curves, as well as a little bit of cleavage. Accessories included a pair of black boots, silver bracelets, and a gold belt around her waist. Her Lasso of Truth hung from her belt, completing the outfit.
American Dream gathered her laptop and a couple extra items into her backpack in case they would need on-site intelligence. All four super-powered ladies then left the apartment and raced south, dead set on rescuing Supergirl.
The Sun had just set as the four super heroines were poised on a small hill. The vegetation on the top of the hill concealed the four girls as they observed the large Brain Trust building.
“So how are we going to do this,” Lightspeed asked.
“The first thing that has to happen is that the security system needs to be disarmed,” American Dream replied sitting on the ground with her laptop.
“Once it’s disabled, we can safely rescue Supergirl,” Wonder Girl added.
“We can also arrest one of the Trust’s top executives,” American Star spoke, referring to Mary Patterson.
“So we have three tasks to complete, and with there being four of us it should be a piece of cake,” Lightspeed spoke confidently.
“So the first question is, who takes care of the security system,” American Star asked.
“I can deal with that,” Lightspeed volunteered enthusiastically.
Allison nodded, “Since we don’t have the code, you’ll be able to crack it the fastest.”
“I’ll grab Supergirl once the system is disarmed,” Wonder Girl interjected.
“You won’t get any argument from me,” American Star replied, “I’ll deal with our criminal CEO.”
Looking at her partner, American Star spoke, “Sis, I hate to ask this, but…”
“You want me to stay here and feed you girls up-to-date information,” American Dream finished the sentence.
Allison nodded; she hated asking Anne to stay back, knowing that her sister liked being in on the action.
Seeing her sister’s discomfort, American Dream replied, “It’s okay, you’ll need someone with good computer skills and that’s me in this case.”
Anne reached into the backpack she had brought along, “Take these communicators, they’ll help us all stay in touch.” She continued, “I recommend you take the stealth approach, at least until Supergirl is safe.”
American Star nodded, “Unless anyone has anything else to say, I think we’re ready.”
“Just be careful,” American Dream said with a hint of caution in her voice.
Allison replied, “Always.” With that, American Star, Lightspeed, and Wonder Girl sped towards the large facility. Getting comfortable next to her laptop, American Dream removed a set of binoculars from her backpack and began observing.
…………………………
The next three events all take place at the same time.
Lightspeed zipped up to the third floor. Guided by American Dream’s instructions, she quickly found the room where the security panel was located. There were two guards stationed outside the room, but Jessie easily disposed of them. Opening the door, she peeked inside. The room was dark, accept for a plate-glass lined cubical that contained the control panel. Making a quick survey of the room, Lightspeed determined that it was safe to enter. As Jessie approached, a motion sensor mounted above the glass door caused it to slide open. Lightspeed stepped inside and stood in front of a glowing keypad. The word ‘armed’ blinked on the display. Jessie’s hand turned into a blur as she rapidly entered every possible number combination. A few seconds later, the word ‘disarmed’ blinked on the small screen.
Jessie activated the communicator in her ear, “Security system is disarmed.” As she turned to leave the cubical, the glass door slid closed. Before Lightspeed could accelerate and break out, a light blue glow enveloped the ceiling and floor of the cubical. Instantly, Jessie felt as if a whale had been dropped on her. Despite her best efforts, she sank to the floor.
“What…why can’t…I get up…what’s happening,” Lightspeed spoke to herself as she strained, trying to stand up. It was no use, Jessie felt as though her body weight had been increased by a factor of ten. She was worried; if she couldn’t get her feet under her she wouldn’t be able to utilize her incredible speed.
“Save your strength,” Lightspeed was able to turn her head and see a man in his late twenties and wearing a lab coat entered the room.
The man continued, “You must be Lightspeed. I’m Dr. York and I must say what a privilege it is to make your acquaintance.”
Jessie spoke with much less enthusiasm as she still tried desperately to get up, “What…did you…do?”
“Oh, you mean this little contraption,” Dr. York inquired, tapping on the glass that lined the cubical.
“Well, young lady, simply put, it’s a gravity generator,” he explained. “Once activated, the user can control how little or, in this case, how much gravity is experienced by a subject contained within.” Dr. York continued, “That little code you just entered activated the generator for me, so I guess I should thank you.”
Lightspeed’s eyes widened at this revelation. It was a set-up, she thought.
The doctor continued to speak as Jessie heard a faint hissing sound, “Enjoy your nap, I look forward to studying you and your special abilities.”
Lightspeed recognized the sweet scent of anesthetic gas. Despite her valiant efforts to stay awake, her eyelids began to flutter as she descended into unconsciousness.
American Star pushed past the secretary and kicked open the office doors, breaking them off their hinges. Sitting behind an expensive-looking desk, Mary Patterson was sipping a glass of red wine.
American Star assumed a heroine’s power pose as she spoke, “Mary Patterson, you have a lot to answer for.”
“Ah, American Star do come in,” the CEO was surprisingly calm as she addressed her secretary, “It’s okay Laurel, you can go back to work.” Turning her attention back to the young blonde heroine before her, Mary’s tone was very professional, “My attorney will contact you regarding the door, please have a seat.”
Allison was caught off guard by Mary’s seemingly carefree manner. “Spare me the pleasantries Patterson, where is Supergirl,” the heroine demanded.
“Why she’s been my honored guest,” the CEO replied smugly, “we had a lot to talk about, after some persuasion that is.”
American Star rushed around the desk and grabbed Mary by the collar of her blouse, lifted her off her feet, and pinned her against the office wall. “Enough stalling, what did you do to her,” Allison said in a calm but assertive manner. She failed to notice the villainess slowly reaching behind her back.
“I needed to find out who had been attacking our office building and I suspected she had the answer,” Mary explained. “After a little dose of kryptonite-laced Truth Serum, she started to sing like a canary. She also mentioned you were in town,” before Allison could react, Mary pulled a white cloth from the waistband of her skirt and clamped it over the young heroine’s mouth. American Star’s eyes widened as she instantly recognized the smell of chloroform. Allison released her hold on the evil CEO and tried to back away, but Mary wrapped her arm around the young heroine’s waist and pulled her in close. Their bodies rubbed together as American Star struggled to break from the villainess’s grasp, but the chloroform was causing her super-strength to fade.
As American Star’s struggles weakened, Mary brought her face close to the heroine’s, taking care not to inhale the chloroform herself.
Mary spoke in a quiet, seductive tone, “Under the effects of the Truth Serum, Supergirl revealed that you had hacked my network. So, I decided to put on a little show for you. There never was a security system guarding the so called Girl of Steel. It was all a ploy to split you girls up.”
Even as her eyelids grew heavy, Allison was able to come to the realization that it had all been a trap.
Mary continued in her low, seductive tone, “I suspected you were using my camera network against me, so I made a phony phone call. I knew that if I mentioned Supergirl was in peril, you and your team of college school girls would come running. Hook…line…and sinker.” The blonde heroine’s eyes rolled back into her head and she went limp in the sinister CEO’s arms.
“Security system is disarmed,” Drew heard over her communicator. She was in the underground section of the facility. Peeking around a corner, Wonder Girl spotted two guards with AK-47’s guarding a set of sliding doors. Anne had not been able to discover Kara’s exact location, so Drew figured that this was a good place to start. She rushed around the corner; the two men never stood a chance. She dropped one man instantly with a punch to the face while delivering a kick to the other man’s chin, stunning him. She wanted one of them conscious for the next part. Wonder Girl removed the lasso from her belt and looped it around the stunned guard.
Tightening the lasso, Wonder Girl questioned the guard, “Why are you guarding this set of doors?”
The man was compelled to answer, “We were told to make sure nobody got to Supergirl.”
That was all the information she needed, Wonder Girl ordered the guard to sleep and placed the lasso back on her belt. Sliding the doors open, she entered the room.
The room was very dimly lit. Scanning the room, Drew spotted a woman lying on an examination table. She darted over and gently placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder, “Supergirl?”
“Not exactly,” Solar Flare replied, opening her eyes and delivering an energized punch to Wonder Girl’s face, sending her crashing into the far wall. Drew was shaking her head as the lights came on, revealing the woman who had sucker-punched her. Wonder Girl instantly recognized Solar Flare. Kara had told Drew all about Jessica Patterson.
Drew was confused, “How are you here? My lasso compels people to tell the truth.”
“He did tell the truth Wonder Girl, at least in his mind,” Solar Flare explained. “Those guards had been told that they were guarding Supergirl, they had no clue I was in here waiting for you,” Jessica said with a sinister smile. Solar Flare assumed a fighting stance as she taunted Wonder Girl, “I wiped the countryside with your friend; I’m hoping that you will be more of a challenge.”
This set Drew off, she charged at Solar Flare. Jessica blocked the first shot but the second one, a kick, connected with her stomach. Wonder Girl pressed her advantage and soon had Solar Flare against the wall. Attempting to give herself some space, Solar Flare fired energy beams from her eyes at Wonder Girl. Drew managed to deflect the beams with her bracelets, but the force of the beams pushed her back, causing her boots to skid across the floor.
Solar Flare cut her attack and pealed herself off the wall. “Nice start, now let’s see if you can keep it up,” Solar Flare said as she launched a counter attack. The girls began exchanging blows, each one taking turns attacking and counterattacking the other. Eventually Solar Flare managed to get behind Wonder Girl and delivered an energized punch to the heroine’s ribs. Drew stumbled away, clutching her side. As Wonder Girl turned around, her eyes widened.
“Lose something,” Solar Flare taunted, holding up Wonder Girl’s lasso.
“You’ll pay for that,” Drew screamed as she charged. Unfortunately, her anger was making her sloppy. She threw a hard punch that Solar Flare managed to dodge. This left Wonder Girl’s flank exposed and Solar Flare slipped behind the heroine. Drew realized her mistake just as Jessica wrapped the lasso around Drew’s chest, ending the struggle.
“Such a disappointment,” Solar Flare gloated, just before she ordered Wonder Girl to sleep.
…………………………
Anne had watched all this transpire from her laptop. She was shocked; they had played right into Mary Patterson’s hands. American Dream desperately tried to think of a way to save her sister and her friends. After several minutes, Anne remembered the email she had received earlier. She opened the message back up and read it again. Well, desperate times call for desperate measures, she thought as she pulled a cell phone from her backpack.
…………………………
Mary Patterson was ecstatic, in less than 48 hours she had captured four enemies of the Brain Trust. She was in the underground section of the facility with her niece.
“Jessica, I’m so proud of you,” Mary said to the young brunette. “Tell you what,” she continued, why don’t you take the rest of the night off and have fun. Take as much time as you want to relax and when you get back, I’ll let you get rid of Supergirl.”
“You mean it,” Jessica asked her aunt, who smiled and nodded back.
“Thank you Aunt Mary,” Jessica replied as she, for the first time in months, gave her aunt a hug.
As Jessica headed out, Mary decided that she needed a shower. She would worry about Black Talon tomorrow.
“So how are we going to do this,” Lightspeed asked.
“The first thing that has to happen is that the security system needs to be disarmed,” American Dream replied sitting on the ground with her laptop.
“Once it’s disabled, we can safely rescue Supergirl,” Wonder Girl added.
“We can also arrest one of the Trust’s top executives,” American Star spoke, referring to Mary Patterson.
“So we have three tasks to complete, and with there being four of us it should be a piece of cake,” Lightspeed spoke confidently.
“So the first question is, who takes care of the security system,” American Star asked.
“I can deal with that,” Lightspeed volunteered enthusiastically.
Allison nodded, “Since we don’t have the code, you’ll be able to crack it the fastest.”
“I’ll grab Supergirl once the system is disarmed,” Wonder Girl interjected.
“You won’t get any argument from me,” American Star replied, “I’ll deal with our criminal CEO.”
Looking at her partner, American Star spoke, “Sis, I hate to ask this, but…”
“You want me to stay here and feed you girls up-to-date information,” American Dream finished the sentence.
Allison nodded; she hated asking Anne to stay back, knowing that her sister liked being in on the action.
Seeing her sister’s discomfort, American Dream replied, “It’s okay, you’ll need someone with good computer skills and that’s me in this case.”
Anne reached into the backpack she had brought along, “Take these communicators, they’ll help us all stay in touch.” She continued, “I recommend you take the stealth approach, at least until Supergirl is safe.”
American Star nodded, “Unless anyone has anything else to say, I think we’re ready.”
“Just be careful,” American Dream said with a hint of caution in her voice.
Allison replied, “Always.” With that, American Star, Lightspeed, and Wonder Girl sped towards the large facility. Getting comfortable next to her laptop, American Dream removed a set of binoculars from her backpack and began observing.
…………………………
The next three events all take place at the same time.
Lightspeed zipped up to the third floor. Guided by American Dream’s instructions, she quickly found the room where the security panel was located. There were two guards stationed outside the room, but Jessie easily disposed of them. Opening the door, she peeked inside. The room was dark, accept for a plate-glass lined cubical that contained the control panel. Making a quick survey of the room, Lightspeed determined that it was safe to enter. As Jessie approached, a motion sensor mounted above the glass door caused it to slide open. Lightspeed stepped inside and stood in front of a glowing keypad. The word ‘armed’ blinked on the display. Jessie’s hand turned into a blur as she rapidly entered every possible number combination. A few seconds later, the word ‘disarmed’ blinked on the small screen.
Jessie activated the communicator in her ear, “Security system is disarmed.” As she turned to leave the cubical, the glass door slid closed. Before Lightspeed could accelerate and break out, a light blue glow enveloped the ceiling and floor of the cubical. Instantly, Jessie felt as if a whale had been dropped on her. Despite her best efforts, she sank to the floor.
“What…why can’t…I get up…what’s happening,” Lightspeed spoke to herself as she strained, trying to stand up. It was no use, Jessie felt as though her body weight had been increased by a factor of ten. She was worried; if she couldn’t get her feet under her she wouldn’t be able to utilize her incredible speed.
“Save your strength,” Lightspeed was able to turn her head and see a man in his late twenties and wearing a lab coat entered the room.
The man continued, “You must be Lightspeed. I’m Dr. York and I must say what a privilege it is to make your acquaintance.”
Jessie spoke with much less enthusiasm as she still tried desperately to get up, “What…did you…do?”
“Oh, you mean this little contraption,” Dr. York inquired, tapping on the glass that lined the cubical.
“Well, young lady, simply put, it’s a gravity generator,” he explained. “Once activated, the user can control how little or, in this case, how much gravity is experienced by a subject contained within.” Dr. York continued, “That little code you just entered activated the generator for me, so I guess I should thank you.”
Lightspeed’s eyes widened at this revelation. It was a set-up, she thought.
The doctor continued to speak as Jessie heard a faint hissing sound, “Enjoy your nap, I look forward to studying you and your special abilities.”
Lightspeed recognized the sweet scent of anesthetic gas. Despite her valiant efforts to stay awake, her eyelids began to flutter as she descended into unconsciousness.
American Star pushed past the secretary and kicked open the office doors, breaking them off their hinges. Sitting behind an expensive-looking desk, Mary Patterson was sipping a glass of red wine.
American Star assumed a heroine’s power pose as she spoke, “Mary Patterson, you have a lot to answer for.”
“Ah, American Star do come in,” the CEO was surprisingly calm as she addressed her secretary, “It’s okay Laurel, you can go back to work.” Turning her attention back to the young blonde heroine before her, Mary’s tone was very professional, “My attorney will contact you regarding the door, please have a seat.”
Allison was caught off guard by Mary’s seemingly carefree manner. “Spare me the pleasantries Patterson, where is Supergirl,” the heroine demanded.
“Why she’s been my honored guest,” the CEO replied smugly, “we had a lot to talk about, after some persuasion that is.”
American Star rushed around the desk and grabbed Mary by the collar of her blouse, lifted her off her feet, and pinned her against the office wall. “Enough stalling, what did you do to her,” Allison said in a calm but assertive manner. She failed to notice the villainess slowly reaching behind her back.
“I needed to find out who had been attacking our office building and I suspected she had the answer,” Mary explained. “After a little dose of kryptonite-laced Truth Serum, she started to sing like a canary. She also mentioned you were in town,” before Allison could react, Mary pulled a white cloth from the waistband of her skirt and clamped it over the young heroine’s mouth. American Star’s eyes widened as she instantly recognized the smell of chloroform. Allison released her hold on the evil CEO and tried to back away, but Mary wrapped her arm around the young heroine’s waist and pulled her in close. Their bodies rubbed together as American Star struggled to break from the villainess’s grasp, but the chloroform was causing her super-strength to fade.
As American Star’s struggles weakened, Mary brought her face close to the heroine’s, taking care not to inhale the chloroform herself.
Mary spoke in a quiet, seductive tone, “Under the effects of the Truth Serum, Supergirl revealed that you had hacked my network. So, I decided to put on a little show for you. There never was a security system guarding the so called Girl of Steel. It was all a ploy to split you girls up.”
Even as her eyelids grew heavy, Allison was able to come to the realization that it had all been a trap.
Mary continued in her low, seductive tone, “I suspected you were using my camera network against me, so I made a phony phone call. I knew that if I mentioned Supergirl was in peril, you and your team of college school girls would come running. Hook…line…and sinker.” The blonde heroine’s eyes rolled back into her head and she went limp in the sinister CEO’s arms.
“Security system is disarmed,” Drew heard over her communicator. She was in the underground section of the facility. Peeking around a corner, Wonder Girl spotted two guards with AK-47’s guarding a set of sliding doors. Anne had not been able to discover Kara’s exact location, so Drew figured that this was a good place to start. She rushed around the corner; the two men never stood a chance. She dropped one man instantly with a punch to the face while delivering a kick to the other man’s chin, stunning him. She wanted one of them conscious for the next part. Wonder Girl removed the lasso from her belt and looped it around the stunned guard.
Tightening the lasso, Wonder Girl questioned the guard, “Why are you guarding this set of doors?”
The man was compelled to answer, “We were told to make sure nobody got to Supergirl.”
That was all the information she needed, Wonder Girl ordered the guard to sleep and placed the lasso back on her belt. Sliding the doors open, she entered the room.
The room was very dimly lit. Scanning the room, Drew spotted a woman lying on an examination table. She darted over and gently placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder, “Supergirl?”
“Not exactly,” Solar Flare replied, opening her eyes and delivering an energized punch to Wonder Girl’s face, sending her crashing into the far wall. Drew was shaking her head as the lights came on, revealing the woman who had sucker-punched her. Wonder Girl instantly recognized Solar Flare. Kara had told Drew all about Jessica Patterson.
Drew was confused, “How are you here? My lasso compels people to tell the truth.”
“He did tell the truth Wonder Girl, at least in his mind,” Solar Flare explained. “Those guards had been told that they were guarding Supergirl, they had no clue I was in here waiting for you,” Jessica said with a sinister smile. Solar Flare assumed a fighting stance as she taunted Wonder Girl, “I wiped the countryside with your friend; I’m hoping that you will be more of a challenge.”
This set Drew off, she charged at Solar Flare. Jessica blocked the first shot but the second one, a kick, connected with her stomach. Wonder Girl pressed her advantage and soon had Solar Flare against the wall. Attempting to give herself some space, Solar Flare fired energy beams from her eyes at Wonder Girl. Drew managed to deflect the beams with her bracelets, but the force of the beams pushed her back, causing her boots to skid across the floor.
Solar Flare cut her attack and pealed herself off the wall. “Nice start, now let’s see if you can keep it up,” Solar Flare said as she launched a counter attack. The girls began exchanging blows, each one taking turns attacking and counterattacking the other. Eventually Solar Flare managed to get behind Wonder Girl and delivered an energized punch to the heroine’s ribs. Drew stumbled away, clutching her side. As Wonder Girl turned around, her eyes widened.
“Lose something,” Solar Flare taunted, holding up Wonder Girl’s lasso.
“You’ll pay for that,” Drew screamed as she charged. Unfortunately, her anger was making her sloppy. She threw a hard punch that Solar Flare managed to dodge. This left Wonder Girl’s flank exposed and Solar Flare slipped behind the heroine. Drew realized her mistake just as Jessica wrapped the lasso around Drew’s chest, ending the struggle.
“Such a disappointment,” Solar Flare gloated, just before she ordered Wonder Girl to sleep.
…………………………
Anne had watched all this transpire from her laptop. She was shocked; they had played right into Mary Patterson’s hands. American Dream desperately tried to think of a way to save her sister and her friends. After several minutes, Anne remembered the email she had received earlier. She opened the message back up and read it again. Well, desperate times call for desperate measures, she thought as she pulled a cell phone from her backpack.
…………………………
Mary Patterson was ecstatic, in less than 48 hours she had captured four enemies of the Brain Trust. She was in the underground section of the facility with her niece.
“Jessica, I’m so proud of you,” Mary said to the young brunette. “Tell you what,” she continued, why don’t you take the rest of the night off and have fun. Take as much time as you want to relax and when you get back, I’ll let you get rid of Supergirl.”
“You mean it,” Jessica asked her aunt, who smiled and nodded back.
“Thank you Aunt Mary,” Jessica replied as she, for the first time in months, gave her aunt a hug.
As Jessica headed out, Mary decided that she needed a shower. She would worry about Black Talon tomorrow.
C great updates the takedowns of American Star and company were well done. Also the interrogation of Supergirl was nice. How are they going to get out of this one?
Yes Supergirl, that's right its a necklace for you....What's the matter you don't like Kryptonite?
Now American Dream was getting both worried and impatient. It had been nearly an hour since she had made the phone call and it was close to midnight. The voice she had spoken to had promised a prompt response, so where was it. As if right on cue, Anne’s laptop beeped, she had another email.
Again, the message had the subject title of “Athena.” Opening the message, Anne was treated to a list of instructions telling her to install an attached program. The message also contained a long number than Anne quickly deduced as being a radio frequency. It took her several minutes to install the attached software. During that time period she connected a set of ear buds to her computer so she could listen. The program finally finished installing and prompted Anne to input a frequency. The young heroine/hacker then realized that the program contained encryption software that would allow her to listen in on a private channel. Anne entered the frequency and waited.
For what seemed like forever, Anne heard nothing but silence. Eventually static started crackling through. A few seconds later, voices came through nice and clear:
…Griffon team is in position, over.
Acknowledged Griffon, break, Hitman what’s your status?
This is Hitman, holding orbit.
Understood, be advised, ground element is 8 minutes out, hold position until notified, how copy?
Hitman copies 5-by-5, maintaining holding pattern.
Anne was confused, who talks like that these days? She started scanning the sky, not quite sure what she was looking for. Then she saw it, or rather, saw them. She spotted four black dots in the sky, one located north, south, east, and west of the Trust building. Pulling out her binoculars, American Dream was able to identify the dots. They were Apache Gunships that had been painted black. The brunette heroine gulped when she heard the next transmission.
Hitman, this is Alpha,
Go ahead Alpha,
Ground element is 5 minutes out, you are cleared in,
Solid copy, Hitman is pressing the target, we’re in bound ‘n hot.
Anne frantically searched the skies as she heard the roar of jet engines. She finally spotted a low, fast moving object. As it got closer American Dream recognized it immediately, it was an F-15E Strike Eagle Tactical Fighter. The aircraft came in low and fast, screaming right over the Brain Trust’s building. Anne noticed that the jet had released a canister of some type as it passed. This canister now floated towards the building, slowed by a small parachute. When the canister landed on the building’s roof, American Dream heard what sounded like an electrical pulse. All at once, every light in the Trust facility went out. Anne was taken aback by this and was still trying to figure it out when another transmission came through.
This is Hitman, ordinance delivered on target, returning to holding pattern.
Understood Hitman, break, Griffon this is Alpha, you are weapons free.
Griffon Team copies…firing.
American Dream looked up. Twin white streaks had erupted from each Apache helicopter. Anne could only watch as the eight projectiles rocketed towards the building. When they were halfway to the facility, the missiles each split into 10 smaller projectiles. Now 20 miniature missiles raced towards each side of the Brain Trust facility. Anne had been braced for the worst, but was both surprised and relieved that there were no explosions. The projectiles had punched through the outside walls of the building and just stopped, each leaving about a 3 foot hole in the side of the building.
This is Griffon, fire mission completed.
Received and understood, break, all callsigns this is Alpha, we are go, execute execute execute.
Suddenly, Anne heard a low rumble. She frantically looked around, searching for the source of the noise. Looking east, American Dream was stunned by what she saw and thought, Who did I call?
…………………………
Mary Patterson had been relaxing in her office when what sounded like a jet roared over the building, causing her to jump in her seat. Seconds later all the lights and electronics in her office went out, leaving the room in total darkness except for the Moonlight coming through the window. Opening her office door, Mary looked at her secretary, “Laurel, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know Ms. Patterson,” the woman replied, “everything just stopped working.” Mary hurried into the hallway. Again, all the lights were out but the facility’s guard had begun laying out white light sticks, providing enough light to navigate. As Mary headed for the nearest stairwell, she grabbed a guard. “I’m going to the lab to check on something, spread the word to be ready for anything,” she ordered.
“Yes ma’am,” he replied before hurrying off.
The CEO quickened her pace, she needed to make sure Supergirl and the others were still secure.
Mary was passing the 2nd floor when she felt the building shaking and heard the sound of concrete and drywall crumbling. The villainess poked her head out of the stairwell to see what the racket was. She immediately noticed a small cylindrical canister that had obviously come through the outside wall. White gas was pouring out of the canister and there were several people lying unconscious nearby. Mary quickly ducked back into the stairwell; she needed to get to the lab.
Anne continued to watch in disbelief as a huge formation of helicopters approached from the east. American Dream managed to count a total of 30 aircraft in the formation. The group was made up of a combination of UH-60 Blackhawks and CH-53E Super Stallions, all painted black. The formation split into two groups. The first group, made up of 20 aircraft accelerated towards the facility while the remaining 10 began to orbit the Brain Trust building.
Six Blackhawks hovered over the large roof and dropped large, coiled ropes. Men and women dressed in black tactical gear, t-shirts, gas masks, and carrying highly modified M4 assault rifles began fast-roping to the roof. The rest of the first group, a combination of CH-53E’s and UH-60’s, landed around the building and unloaded more troops. Anne couldn’t hope to count them all; it looked like a small army had just rolled in.
The personnel on the ground began stacking up around all accessible doorways and planting charges on the outer walls of the facility. Some of the people on the roof had begun to do the same, but the vast majority had started repelling over the sides of the building, intending to enter the structure through the holes created by the earlier volley from the Apaches. American Dream watched with great anticipation as the black-clad soldiers, both men and women, repelled and blasted their way into the building.
Supergirl felt exhausted. The kryptonite in the Truth Serum combined with the meta-human suppressants that were constantly being administered, had left her weak as a kitten. In fact, Kara felt so weak in her current state that she feared she was just as vulnerable as the average human. However, she was aware that the power seemed to be out. Kara was able to see, thanks to the handful of light sticks that Dr. York had scattered around the lab, but it was still very dark in the room.
The lab doors slowly slid open. With the power out, Mary had to open and close the doors by hand. “Dr. York, what’s wrong with the power,” she demanded.
“It’s not the power that’s the problem. Look at your watch, the seconds hand isn’t moving. We were hit by an EMP,” the doctor explained.
“That’s not all, sleeping gas is being poured into the facility by some kind of canisters that were shot in,” Mary informed the doctor.
Despite her weakness, Supergirl listened to the entire conversation with as much interest as she could muster. Suddenly, Mary walked over to the wall safe and dialed the combination. Kara braced herself as best as she could, she knew what was coming. The criminal CEO took a pistol from the safe and tucked it into to waistband of her skirt. Next, she retrieved the chunk of kryptonite she had stashed in the safe. The Girl of Steel winced as a wave of nausea and weakness came over her. Mary walked over to the table Kara was restrained on and placed the deadly rock right next to her.
“Whoever caused this trouble tonight,” the villainess’s tone was cold and emotionless, “just signed your death certificate.” She then began walking back to the safe.
Suddenly, an explosion blew open the doors to the lab, knocking Mary and Dr. York to the floor. Supergirl looked towards the entrance to see several black-clad figures rush through the opening. The green beams from the laser sights mounted on their modified M4’s swept back and forth across the lab, looking for threats. One figure approached Supergirl.
As the figure got closer, Kara could make out more details. He reminded Supergirl of a SWAT team member. Black t-shirt, tactical vest, pants, knee pads, a pistol strapped to one thigh, spare magazines and grenades strapped to the other, tactical boots and gloves, and a gas mask covered his face. The face plate of the mask was tinted, concealing the man’s face. Kara realized that all of the new arrivals had on masks.
The man grabbed the chunk of kryptonite off of Supergirl’s table and tossed it to another operative. “Get that out of here,” he ordered, his voice distorted by his mask.
“Yes sir,” the other man replied as he quickly left the lab with the meteorite.
“NO!” a female voice screamed.
Kara looked in the direction of the voice and saw Mary Patterson lying on her stomach. Things seemed to move in slow motion as Supergirl realized that the CEO was pointing a pistol at her. The Maiden of Might realized that, in her weakened state, the bullets could actually kill her. Supergirl’s vision began to darken as two shots rang out.
Mary Patterson was about to fire again when the pistol was kicked from her hand. She looked up to see a black boot come down and knock her out cold.
Supergirl blinked; slowly she realized that her vision had not changed, something was blocking her view. She quickly discovered what it was. The man who had removed the kryptonite from the table had stepped between Supergirl and Mary Patterson, shielding the heroine. The man moaned in pain as he collapsed to a knee.
“Major!” another female voice called out. A woman with black hair tied in a ponytail rushed over to the fallen individual. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah…” the man grunted, “they didn’t get through.”
The black-haired woman helped the Major to his feet.
“Thanks,” he winced, “would you please take your team and make sure we have a safe path out of here.”
“Will do,” she replied as she turned and led 7 others out of the lab.
The man turned his attention to the Maiden of Might. “Sorry about that,” he spoke with a hint of pain still in his voice, “let’s get you out of here.” With that, he drew a knife from his vest and proceeded to cut the straps that had held Supergirl for the past 24 hours. Next, he gently removed the IV from Kara’s hand. The heroine felt an almost overwhelming sense of relief to be free again. However, her strength had not returned yet and the act of just propping herself up on her elbows nearly caused Supergirl to pass out. She lay back down on the table, her eyelids barely open. “Hold on, I’ll help you, just give me a second,” the Major said as he slung his M4 across his back and keyed the communicator that was wrapped around his neck.
This is Alpha, we have secured Angel, we’re on our way out.
He then wrapped his right arm behind the Girl of Steel, supporting her neck and shoulders. His left arm he slid under her skin-tone tight-covered legs. Cradling her, he gently lifted her up and started walking out of the lab.
Supergirl glanced up at him through half-open eyes, “Angel?” she asked.
He looked down at her, “It suits you,” he replied in a very friendly manner.
The Girl of Steel managed a weak smile, for the first time in what seemed like days, she felt completely safe.
Supergirl’s powers had returned as she walked out of the Brain Trust facility, escorted by the Major and his 8-person team. Kara took in what she saw. Black-clad soldiers, both men and women, scurried about performing various tasks. Isolated from everything else, and under heavy guard, were Mary Patterson and everyone who worked in the Brain Trust building. The Major spoke up, “We have a medic if you need one, otherwise it looks like your friends are waiting for you,” he pointed to where American Star, American Dream, Lightspeed, and Wonder Girl were standing. Supergirl politely declined the need for medical attention and walked over to her fellow super heroines.
Watching from several miles away was Jessica Patterson. She had come back from her night out to find the building swarming with individuals in black. Jessica had decided not to intervene; she had had enough of the Trust’s damn rules and following orders. From now on, she was making up her own rules. As she turned around and flew away she thought to herself, One day Supergirl…one day…
The Major was standing next to a blonde-haired guy who was crouched in front of some type of switch board. Supergirl and the others were standing several feet behind the two men. Kara was a little curious as to why none of the soldiers had removed their gas masks, but chose not to ask. A woman walked up to the Major, she was the same one who had helped him in the lab. “Sir,” she spoke, “the building is empty and everyone is in the safe zone.”
“Thank you,” the Major replied and nodded to the man by the console. The man began flipping switches and a rumbling noise started. The structure began to implode and was capped off by a bright explosion and a very loud ‘KABOOM!’
“Show off,” the Major said as he lightly slugged the demolitions expert in the shoulder.
“What,” the man replied, faking innocence.
The black-haired woman just shook her head as all three laughed quietly.
The Major keyed his radio, “Alright folks, let’s pack it up.”
The soldiers began loading back onto the helicopters. Mary Patterson and the rest of the Brain Trust workers were escorted onto some of the larger aircraft.
“Before I forget,” the Major said turning to the five heroines, “Could I ask you ladies to stay in town for a couple days? I’d like to meet with all of you and clear up a few things.”
The girls agreed, since they had a lot of questions that they wanted answered.
“Good, I’ll be in touch,” he said as he boarded the last Blackhawk. The entire formation took off and headed northwest.
“Wow,” Kara spoke, “what a week.”
“You’re not kidding,” Allison replied.
“Can we discuss it later,” Anne interrupted, “I’m hungry.”
Again, the message had the subject title of “Athena.” Opening the message, Anne was treated to a list of instructions telling her to install an attached program. The message also contained a long number than Anne quickly deduced as being a radio frequency. It took her several minutes to install the attached software. During that time period she connected a set of ear buds to her computer so she could listen. The program finally finished installing and prompted Anne to input a frequency. The young heroine/hacker then realized that the program contained encryption software that would allow her to listen in on a private channel. Anne entered the frequency and waited.
For what seemed like forever, Anne heard nothing but silence. Eventually static started crackling through. A few seconds later, voices came through nice and clear:
…Griffon team is in position, over.
Acknowledged Griffon, break, Hitman what’s your status?
This is Hitman, holding orbit.
Understood, be advised, ground element is 8 minutes out, hold position until notified, how copy?
Hitman copies 5-by-5, maintaining holding pattern.
Anne was confused, who talks like that these days? She started scanning the sky, not quite sure what she was looking for. Then she saw it, or rather, saw them. She spotted four black dots in the sky, one located north, south, east, and west of the Trust building. Pulling out her binoculars, American Dream was able to identify the dots. They were Apache Gunships that had been painted black. The brunette heroine gulped when she heard the next transmission.
Hitman, this is Alpha,
Go ahead Alpha,
Ground element is 5 minutes out, you are cleared in,
Solid copy, Hitman is pressing the target, we’re in bound ‘n hot.
Anne frantically searched the skies as she heard the roar of jet engines. She finally spotted a low, fast moving object. As it got closer American Dream recognized it immediately, it was an F-15E Strike Eagle Tactical Fighter. The aircraft came in low and fast, screaming right over the Brain Trust’s building. Anne noticed that the jet had released a canister of some type as it passed. This canister now floated towards the building, slowed by a small parachute. When the canister landed on the building’s roof, American Dream heard what sounded like an electrical pulse. All at once, every light in the Trust facility went out. Anne was taken aback by this and was still trying to figure it out when another transmission came through.
This is Hitman, ordinance delivered on target, returning to holding pattern.
Understood Hitman, break, Griffon this is Alpha, you are weapons free.
Griffon Team copies…firing.
American Dream looked up. Twin white streaks had erupted from each Apache helicopter. Anne could only watch as the eight projectiles rocketed towards the building. When they were halfway to the facility, the missiles each split into 10 smaller projectiles. Now 20 miniature missiles raced towards each side of the Brain Trust facility. Anne had been braced for the worst, but was both surprised and relieved that there were no explosions. The projectiles had punched through the outside walls of the building and just stopped, each leaving about a 3 foot hole in the side of the building.
This is Griffon, fire mission completed.
Received and understood, break, all callsigns this is Alpha, we are go, execute execute execute.
Suddenly, Anne heard a low rumble. She frantically looked around, searching for the source of the noise. Looking east, American Dream was stunned by what she saw and thought, Who did I call?
…………………………
Mary Patterson had been relaxing in her office when what sounded like a jet roared over the building, causing her to jump in her seat. Seconds later all the lights and electronics in her office went out, leaving the room in total darkness except for the Moonlight coming through the window. Opening her office door, Mary looked at her secretary, “Laurel, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know Ms. Patterson,” the woman replied, “everything just stopped working.” Mary hurried into the hallway. Again, all the lights were out but the facility’s guard had begun laying out white light sticks, providing enough light to navigate. As Mary headed for the nearest stairwell, she grabbed a guard. “I’m going to the lab to check on something, spread the word to be ready for anything,” she ordered.
“Yes ma’am,” he replied before hurrying off.
The CEO quickened her pace, she needed to make sure Supergirl and the others were still secure.
Mary was passing the 2nd floor when she felt the building shaking and heard the sound of concrete and drywall crumbling. The villainess poked her head out of the stairwell to see what the racket was. She immediately noticed a small cylindrical canister that had obviously come through the outside wall. White gas was pouring out of the canister and there were several people lying unconscious nearby. Mary quickly ducked back into the stairwell; she needed to get to the lab.
Anne continued to watch in disbelief as a huge formation of helicopters approached from the east. American Dream managed to count a total of 30 aircraft in the formation. The group was made up of a combination of UH-60 Blackhawks and CH-53E Super Stallions, all painted black. The formation split into two groups. The first group, made up of 20 aircraft accelerated towards the facility while the remaining 10 began to orbit the Brain Trust building.
Six Blackhawks hovered over the large roof and dropped large, coiled ropes. Men and women dressed in black tactical gear, t-shirts, gas masks, and carrying highly modified M4 assault rifles began fast-roping to the roof. The rest of the first group, a combination of CH-53E’s and UH-60’s, landed around the building and unloaded more troops. Anne couldn’t hope to count them all; it looked like a small army had just rolled in.
The personnel on the ground began stacking up around all accessible doorways and planting charges on the outer walls of the facility. Some of the people on the roof had begun to do the same, but the vast majority had started repelling over the sides of the building, intending to enter the structure through the holes created by the earlier volley from the Apaches. American Dream watched with great anticipation as the black-clad soldiers, both men and women, repelled and blasted their way into the building.
Supergirl felt exhausted. The kryptonite in the Truth Serum combined with the meta-human suppressants that were constantly being administered, had left her weak as a kitten. In fact, Kara felt so weak in her current state that she feared she was just as vulnerable as the average human. However, she was aware that the power seemed to be out. Kara was able to see, thanks to the handful of light sticks that Dr. York had scattered around the lab, but it was still very dark in the room.
The lab doors slowly slid open. With the power out, Mary had to open and close the doors by hand. “Dr. York, what’s wrong with the power,” she demanded.
“It’s not the power that’s the problem. Look at your watch, the seconds hand isn’t moving. We were hit by an EMP,” the doctor explained.
“That’s not all, sleeping gas is being poured into the facility by some kind of canisters that were shot in,” Mary informed the doctor.
Despite her weakness, Supergirl listened to the entire conversation with as much interest as she could muster. Suddenly, Mary walked over to the wall safe and dialed the combination. Kara braced herself as best as she could, she knew what was coming. The criminal CEO took a pistol from the safe and tucked it into to waistband of her skirt. Next, she retrieved the chunk of kryptonite she had stashed in the safe. The Girl of Steel winced as a wave of nausea and weakness came over her. Mary walked over to the table Kara was restrained on and placed the deadly rock right next to her.
“Whoever caused this trouble tonight,” the villainess’s tone was cold and emotionless, “just signed your death certificate.” She then began walking back to the safe.
Suddenly, an explosion blew open the doors to the lab, knocking Mary and Dr. York to the floor. Supergirl looked towards the entrance to see several black-clad figures rush through the opening. The green beams from the laser sights mounted on their modified M4’s swept back and forth across the lab, looking for threats. One figure approached Supergirl.
As the figure got closer, Kara could make out more details. He reminded Supergirl of a SWAT team member. Black t-shirt, tactical vest, pants, knee pads, a pistol strapped to one thigh, spare magazines and grenades strapped to the other, tactical boots and gloves, and a gas mask covered his face. The face plate of the mask was tinted, concealing the man’s face. Kara realized that all of the new arrivals had on masks.
The man grabbed the chunk of kryptonite off of Supergirl’s table and tossed it to another operative. “Get that out of here,” he ordered, his voice distorted by his mask.
“Yes sir,” the other man replied as he quickly left the lab with the meteorite.
“NO!” a female voice screamed.
Kara looked in the direction of the voice and saw Mary Patterson lying on her stomach. Things seemed to move in slow motion as Supergirl realized that the CEO was pointing a pistol at her. The Maiden of Might realized that, in her weakened state, the bullets could actually kill her. Supergirl’s vision began to darken as two shots rang out.
Mary Patterson was about to fire again when the pistol was kicked from her hand. She looked up to see a black boot come down and knock her out cold.
Supergirl blinked; slowly she realized that her vision had not changed, something was blocking her view. She quickly discovered what it was. The man who had removed the kryptonite from the table had stepped between Supergirl and Mary Patterson, shielding the heroine. The man moaned in pain as he collapsed to a knee.
“Major!” another female voice called out. A woman with black hair tied in a ponytail rushed over to the fallen individual. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah…” the man grunted, “they didn’t get through.”
The black-haired woman helped the Major to his feet.
“Thanks,” he winced, “would you please take your team and make sure we have a safe path out of here.”
“Will do,” she replied as she turned and led 7 others out of the lab.
The man turned his attention to the Maiden of Might. “Sorry about that,” he spoke with a hint of pain still in his voice, “let’s get you out of here.” With that, he drew a knife from his vest and proceeded to cut the straps that had held Supergirl for the past 24 hours. Next, he gently removed the IV from Kara’s hand. The heroine felt an almost overwhelming sense of relief to be free again. However, her strength had not returned yet and the act of just propping herself up on her elbows nearly caused Supergirl to pass out. She lay back down on the table, her eyelids barely open. “Hold on, I’ll help you, just give me a second,” the Major said as he slung his M4 across his back and keyed the communicator that was wrapped around his neck.
This is Alpha, we have secured Angel, we’re on our way out.
He then wrapped his right arm behind the Girl of Steel, supporting her neck and shoulders. His left arm he slid under her skin-tone tight-covered legs. Cradling her, he gently lifted her up and started walking out of the lab.
Supergirl glanced up at him through half-open eyes, “Angel?” she asked.
He looked down at her, “It suits you,” he replied in a very friendly manner.
The Girl of Steel managed a weak smile, for the first time in what seemed like days, she felt completely safe.
Supergirl’s powers had returned as she walked out of the Brain Trust facility, escorted by the Major and his 8-person team. Kara took in what she saw. Black-clad soldiers, both men and women, scurried about performing various tasks. Isolated from everything else, and under heavy guard, were Mary Patterson and everyone who worked in the Brain Trust building. The Major spoke up, “We have a medic if you need one, otherwise it looks like your friends are waiting for you,” he pointed to where American Star, American Dream, Lightspeed, and Wonder Girl were standing. Supergirl politely declined the need for medical attention and walked over to her fellow super heroines.
Watching from several miles away was Jessica Patterson. She had come back from her night out to find the building swarming with individuals in black. Jessica had decided not to intervene; she had had enough of the Trust’s damn rules and following orders. From now on, she was making up her own rules. As she turned around and flew away she thought to herself, One day Supergirl…one day…
The Major was standing next to a blonde-haired guy who was crouched in front of some type of switch board. Supergirl and the others were standing several feet behind the two men. Kara was a little curious as to why none of the soldiers had removed their gas masks, but chose not to ask. A woman walked up to the Major, she was the same one who had helped him in the lab. “Sir,” she spoke, “the building is empty and everyone is in the safe zone.”
“Thank you,” the Major replied and nodded to the man by the console. The man began flipping switches and a rumbling noise started. The structure began to implode and was capped off by a bright explosion and a very loud ‘KABOOM!’
“Show off,” the Major said as he lightly slugged the demolitions expert in the shoulder.
“What,” the man replied, faking innocence.
The black-haired woman just shook her head as all three laughed quietly.
The Major keyed his radio, “Alright folks, let’s pack it up.”
The soldiers began loading back onto the helicopters. Mary Patterson and the rest of the Brain Trust workers were escorted onto some of the larger aircraft.
“Before I forget,” the Major said turning to the five heroines, “Could I ask you ladies to stay in town for a couple days? I’d like to meet with all of you and clear up a few things.”
The girls agreed, since they had a lot of questions that they wanted answered.
“Good, I’ll be in touch,” he said as he boarded the last Blackhawk. The entire formation took off and headed northwest.
“Wow,” Kara spoke, “what a week.”
“You’re not kidding,” Allison replied.
“Can we discuss it later,” Anne interrupted, “I’m hungry.”
On a private stretch of beach on the Florida coast.
Kara reclined in a beach chair wearing a blue 2-piece bathing suit. Enjoying the view and late morning breeze, she let her mind wander. Anne and Allison were in the chairs to her right making small talk while Drew and Jessie mixed drinks.
“You’re awful quiet,” Anne said, looking at the blonde Kryptonian.
“Just getting a little impatient,” Kara smiled.
“I hear you, but he did say that it might take him a couple of days,” the cute brunette smiled back.
Less than 24 hours after a mysterious group had rescued the heroines from the clutches of the Brain Trust, they had received instructions that had led them to this private oceanfront property. The beach house was huge, rivaling most public high schools. It was situated right in the middle of 15 square miles of prime oceanfront property. The boundaries of the property were heavily guards by well-concealed guard shacks and plain-clothed guards. The guards had been expecting the heroines and the girls were allowed onto the property without incident.
The instructions that the girls had received explained that the house was well-stocked with food and beverages and that they had the entire property to themselves. It was also explained that the land was surrounded by secure airspace and water and the house had tinted windows so they would not be disturbed. They were encouraged to enjoy themselves until the contact could meet with them. Kara had made a quick sweep of the house and property and was both surprised and relieved to find no lead or surveillance devices of any kind.
The girls had been at the house for two days now and had been having a great time.
Suddenly, the sound of a phone ringing reached Kara’s sensitive ears. She sped into the house to answer it. A minute later Kara walked back out onto the beach. “Girls, we better clean up and get dressed, he’ll be here in two hours,” she announced.
90 minutes later, the girls were gathered in the large living room in full costume, including masks for American Star, American Dream, and Lightspeed. The room was located between the kitchen and the large glass windows in the front of the house and was well furnished with several leather sofas, love seats, and recliners all situated around a large glass coffee table. The layout of the room was designed to encourage conversation.
Looking out the windows, the five friends noticed a black Suburban approaching. The SUV parked in the driveway and a man stepped out.
He was 5’ 11” and in great physical shape. He had short black hair and wore a blue Hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts, and brown flip-flops. A pair of sunglasses covered up his eyes and he carried a small briefcase. There was a polite knock at the front door. Supergirl got up to answer it.
Kara opened the door for the man.
He had a warm smile on his face as he spoke, “Good morning Supergirl, may I come in?”
The Maiden of Might was caught off guard by the question, “Umm…yes, please do.”
“Thank you,” he said as he stepped inside, “let me get something to drink and then we’ll get started.” “Good morning ladies,” he addressed the other heroines as he walked to the kitchen. “Can I get anybody anything,” he asked as he grabbed a soda from the fridge. The five super heroines all politely declined. They were taken aback by the man’s polite and friendly manner, not surprising though, consider what they had been through within the past week.
The man set his briefcase on the coffee table and took a seat opposite the five heroines. “I suppose we should get started,” the man said, removing his sunglasses, revealing a set of deep blue eyes.
Supergirl’s eyes widened and she gasped in shock; the other girls had similar reactions. The man’s left eye was partially bloodshot.
The Girl of Steel was having trouble finding her voice, “You…” she managed to say.
Looking at the stunned expression on each heroine’s face, the man smiled, “I must say, you’re taking this much better than I expected,” he said, knowing full well why they were in shock.
“I guess I should introduce myself,” the man said as he took out his wallet and slid an ID card across the table, “Agent Brent Hunter, NSA, Talon Branch.” Supergirl picked up the ID and examined it. It was genuine, and the photo matched the man sitting before her. She passed the ID to American Star and with a mixture of surprise and confusion asked, “What is that, I’ve never heard of it.”
“Talon is a top-secret branch of the NSA created in response to the increasing number of super-powered criminals operating inside the United States. We have Presidential authorization to protect America’s citizens from these criminals by any means necessary,” he explained.
Supergirl still wasn’t convinced, “but what about all the bombing?”
Brent continued, maintaining his warm smile, “every building that was bombed belonged to the Brain Trust criminal organization.” He opened his briefcase and pulled out a folder. ‘Brain Trust: Chicago’ was printed on the folder. Brent handed the folder to Supergirl as he went on, “About three months ago, an NSA Third Echelon agent uncovered evidence that suggested the Brain Trust was attempting to become a stronger presence in the U.S., specifically Chicago. The Federal Government is tired of this group putting innocents at risk.” Brent paused and took a drink before continuing, “Therefore, we were called in. Posing as Black Talon Private Military Contractors, we established a base outside of Chicago, and you know the rest.”
Supergirl and the other heroines let this all sink in as they looked through the folder Brent had passed them. Everything Agent Hunter had said was confirmed by the official NSA documents contained in the folder. American Star was the first to speak, “Why did you feel you had to pose as a PMC?”
“We feared that if the Trust learned the U.S. government was gunning for them that they would start using civilians as hostages. However, if they thought a PMC was trying to move in on “their territory,” they would be less likely to intentionally bring innocents into the mix,” Brent explained. He continued, “Even with the attacks I made on their data centers, only Brain Trust workers were injured or killed, no collateral damage.” Allison nodded in understanding, she couldn’t argue with the fact that no innocents had been hurt.
“But what about that night at the docks,” Supergirl interjected, she still had trouble believing that the man who had defeated her that night worked for the National Security Agency.
Agent Hunter’s smile disappeared and was replaced by a look of regret. “That was not supposed to have happened,” he started, “you and I were not supposed to cross paths. We didn’t want to draw you into mess we had started. Unfortunately, I got sloppy that night and you ended up paying the price for my mistake. I’ll repeat what I said that night ‘for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.’”
Supergirl looked into his eyes; he truly did regret what he had done. She started to relax, Agent Hunter’s heart rate was steady, his breathing normal, he wasn’t sweating, and his pupils were regular sized. This all meant that he was telling the truth.
She managed a gentle smile as she replied, “It’s okay, we both made mistakes that night.” Supergirl was starting to believe that she could trust this man. He’s also cute, Kara thought.
Brent’s friendly manner returned, “Thank you, it means a lot.” He continued, “I’ll go ahead and let you know that our presence in Chicago is permanent. The base we have established allows us to cover the entire Midwest. We shouldn’t be conducting regular operations, but we’ll be close by if you ever need help, and that offer applies to all of you,” Brent told the five heroines.
He took another drink, “Before we continue, I’m obligated to point out that officially, Talon does not exist. Which means none of what we discuss today goes into tomorrow’s paper Ms. Kent.”
Of all the girls, Kara was the only one who wasn’t surprised. Instead she actually smiled and asked, “How?”
Brent was happy to explain, “My boss, Andrew Steele, noticed that you asked some pretty loaded questions during your interview. We needed to see if there was a risk of our cover being exposed.” He went on, “So after our little incident by the docks, I drove over to your apartment to see why a reporter would be asking about the Brain Trust. After discovering the compartment in your closet, it was clear that you were no security risk,” he winked at Kara, who smiled back.
Wonder Girl spoke next, “If you know about her, then…”
As if reading her mind, Brent replied, “Yes Ms. Prince, we know about you. As well as Ms. Madison, Ms. Brooks, and Agent Madison,” he nodded to American Dream, Lightspeed, and American Star respectively.
“Wait, you haven’t told anybody have you,” American Star asked, clearly worried about her position as a rookie agent with the FBI.
“Absolutely not, while we do have a pretty comprehensive list of the identities of the world’s heroes and heroines, most people join Talon with the understanding that they will likely never learn these identities,” he reassured the patriotic blonde. Brent continued, “That being said, I know the head of the Bureau, and he would take it as a complement to know that one of the country’s heroines works for his agency.”
Allison smiled, “I guess there’s really no need for this if you know,” she said as she removed her mask. Anne and Jessie followed suit, the three girls revealing their beautiful faces.
“Why would you need to know our identities,” Anne asked.
“In case you got into trouble and needed help,” Brent explained. “I mentioned that Talon combats criminals, but we also serve as unofficial backup to heroes in need.”
Anne put two and two together, “You’re the one who sent me the emails.”
Brent grinned and nodded, “Very good, at that point we knew that you girls had become involved in the situation and we wanted to make it clear that you had help.”
Supergirl also had an epiphany, “You’re also the one who shielded me from Mary Patterson’s gunshots.”
Brent nodded again, “Yep, that was me.”
Any remaining tension that Kara had built up inside her melted away; the same feeling of safety and security she had had the night that Brent had carried her out of the Trust Lab had returned.
“Oh, speaking of helping,” Brent pulled another file from his briefcase and handed it to Anne, “you might find this useful.”
Anne opened the file and could barely contain her excitement. It contained detailed information on research that had been done on nanomachines. With this information Anne could make dramatic improvements to the nanomachines she had injected herself with. She might be able to walk without wearing a special suit. The possibilities were almost too great to comprehend.
“Wow, thank you Agent Hunter,” Anne blinked back tears of joy.
“You are most welcome, and please call me Brent,” he smiled, almost getting emotional himself at seeing Anne’s joy. Brent turned to Lightspeed, “Lightspeed, you’ve been real quiet, is everything okay?”
The blonde speedster looked up, “It’s just a lot to absorb all at once.” Brent nodded in understanding as Lightspeed continued, “And since you know my name, you can call me Jessie.”
“I have a question,” Supergirl spoke next.
“Shoot,” Brent responded.
“I know that Andrew is your boss, but who does he answer too,” the Maiden of Might asked.
“His paycheck comes from the NSA, but he answers directly to Eagle One,” he replied.
“And who’s that,” Supergirl inquired.
“Oh, sorry,” Brent said, realizing his mistake, “Eagle One is the callsign of the President of the United States.”
Kara nodded in understanding.
Brent smiled and closed his briefcase, “I really appreciate you all agreeing to meet with me and I apologize for the difficulties that Talon caused you. Feel free to stay here as long as you like.” He stood up, “Now unless you have more questions, I’ll let you ladies enjoy your vacation.” The girls were disappointed; they were all just getting to know Brent and starting to like him. As if reading the minds of her friends, Jessie spoke up, “Is there any way you could stay for a day or two and just relax?”
Brent smiled, “Hold that thought.” He walked out to his Suburban and came back dragging a small suitcase. Drew grinned, folded her arms across her chest, and shook her head, “You came expecting to stay.”
“No,” Brent spoke sarcastically, “I came prepared for anything.” The entire group got a kick out of his statement.
Over the next two days, the group exchanged a wealth of information. The girls quickly learned that they could trust Brent, and he already knew that the heroines were trustworthy. They shared personal information, swapping stories, greatest challenges, etc. Brent even shared how his eye became bloodshot. It turned out that he had battled cancer when he was five. The radiation treatment he had received how made his eye permanently bloodshot. This experience also caused him to have a very positive outlook on life, something the girls greatly respected. They all hung out on the beach, went swimming, socialized, and had a great time. Eventually though, the vacation had to come to an end.
Brent was wearing another Hawaiian shirt and had left the front unbuttoned because the weather was so nice. He was about to get into his SUV for the drive back to Chicago when he saw Kara walking towards him in her Supergirl costume. Her cape, skirt, and golden blonde hair waved in the breeze. My God, she is beautiful, Brent thought to himself. The breeze caught the edge of his shirt, revealing two large bruises on his chest.
“What happened,” Supergirl asked, obviously concerned.
“Oh, Ms. Patterson left me something to remember her by,” Brent joked, referring to the two bullets that had been meant for Supergirl.
The two stood eye-to-eye as the blonde heroine spoke, “I never got to say thank you.”
“What for Supergirl,” Brent asked.
“For saving my life…” she leaned in and kissed him, right on the mouth. For the first time in years, Brent Hunter was taken completely by surprise, but he didn’t complain.
“…and it’s Kara,” the Girl of Steel said as she finally pulled away. “I’ll see you back in Chicago,” she said as she lifted off and headed north.
Wow, was all that Brent managed to think as he finally got in his SUV.
As Kara flew towards Chicago, she knew that she and her friends had just made a strong ally and a good friend. And for Agent Brent Hunter, the feeling was mutual.
The End
Kara reclined in a beach chair wearing a blue 2-piece bathing suit. Enjoying the view and late morning breeze, she let her mind wander. Anne and Allison were in the chairs to her right making small talk while Drew and Jessie mixed drinks.
“You’re awful quiet,” Anne said, looking at the blonde Kryptonian.
“Just getting a little impatient,” Kara smiled.
“I hear you, but he did say that it might take him a couple of days,” the cute brunette smiled back.
Less than 24 hours after a mysterious group had rescued the heroines from the clutches of the Brain Trust, they had received instructions that had led them to this private oceanfront property. The beach house was huge, rivaling most public high schools. It was situated right in the middle of 15 square miles of prime oceanfront property. The boundaries of the property were heavily guards by well-concealed guard shacks and plain-clothed guards. The guards had been expecting the heroines and the girls were allowed onto the property without incident.
The instructions that the girls had received explained that the house was well-stocked with food and beverages and that they had the entire property to themselves. It was also explained that the land was surrounded by secure airspace and water and the house had tinted windows so they would not be disturbed. They were encouraged to enjoy themselves until the contact could meet with them. Kara had made a quick sweep of the house and property and was both surprised and relieved to find no lead or surveillance devices of any kind.
The girls had been at the house for two days now and had been having a great time.
Suddenly, the sound of a phone ringing reached Kara’s sensitive ears. She sped into the house to answer it. A minute later Kara walked back out onto the beach. “Girls, we better clean up and get dressed, he’ll be here in two hours,” she announced.
90 minutes later, the girls were gathered in the large living room in full costume, including masks for American Star, American Dream, and Lightspeed. The room was located between the kitchen and the large glass windows in the front of the house and was well furnished with several leather sofas, love seats, and recliners all situated around a large glass coffee table. The layout of the room was designed to encourage conversation.
Looking out the windows, the five friends noticed a black Suburban approaching. The SUV parked in the driveway and a man stepped out.
He was 5’ 11” and in great physical shape. He had short black hair and wore a blue Hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts, and brown flip-flops. A pair of sunglasses covered up his eyes and he carried a small briefcase. There was a polite knock at the front door. Supergirl got up to answer it.
Kara opened the door for the man.
He had a warm smile on his face as he spoke, “Good morning Supergirl, may I come in?”
The Maiden of Might was caught off guard by the question, “Umm…yes, please do.”
“Thank you,” he said as he stepped inside, “let me get something to drink and then we’ll get started.” “Good morning ladies,” he addressed the other heroines as he walked to the kitchen. “Can I get anybody anything,” he asked as he grabbed a soda from the fridge. The five super heroines all politely declined. They were taken aback by the man’s polite and friendly manner, not surprising though, consider what they had been through within the past week.
The man set his briefcase on the coffee table and took a seat opposite the five heroines. “I suppose we should get started,” the man said, removing his sunglasses, revealing a set of deep blue eyes.
Supergirl’s eyes widened and she gasped in shock; the other girls had similar reactions. The man’s left eye was partially bloodshot.
The Girl of Steel was having trouble finding her voice, “You…” she managed to say.
Looking at the stunned expression on each heroine’s face, the man smiled, “I must say, you’re taking this much better than I expected,” he said, knowing full well why they were in shock.
“I guess I should introduce myself,” the man said as he took out his wallet and slid an ID card across the table, “Agent Brent Hunter, NSA, Talon Branch.” Supergirl picked up the ID and examined it. It was genuine, and the photo matched the man sitting before her. She passed the ID to American Star and with a mixture of surprise and confusion asked, “What is that, I’ve never heard of it.”
“Talon is a top-secret branch of the NSA created in response to the increasing number of super-powered criminals operating inside the United States. We have Presidential authorization to protect America’s citizens from these criminals by any means necessary,” he explained.
Supergirl still wasn’t convinced, “but what about all the bombing?”
Brent continued, maintaining his warm smile, “every building that was bombed belonged to the Brain Trust criminal organization.” He opened his briefcase and pulled out a folder. ‘Brain Trust: Chicago’ was printed on the folder. Brent handed the folder to Supergirl as he went on, “About three months ago, an NSA Third Echelon agent uncovered evidence that suggested the Brain Trust was attempting to become a stronger presence in the U.S., specifically Chicago. The Federal Government is tired of this group putting innocents at risk.” Brent paused and took a drink before continuing, “Therefore, we were called in. Posing as Black Talon Private Military Contractors, we established a base outside of Chicago, and you know the rest.”
Supergirl and the other heroines let this all sink in as they looked through the folder Brent had passed them. Everything Agent Hunter had said was confirmed by the official NSA documents contained in the folder. American Star was the first to speak, “Why did you feel you had to pose as a PMC?”
“We feared that if the Trust learned the U.S. government was gunning for them that they would start using civilians as hostages. However, if they thought a PMC was trying to move in on “their territory,” they would be less likely to intentionally bring innocents into the mix,” Brent explained. He continued, “Even with the attacks I made on their data centers, only Brain Trust workers were injured or killed, no collateral damage.” Allison nodded in understanding, she couldn’t argue with the fact that no innocents had been hurt.
“But what about that night at the docks,” Supergirl interjected, she still had trouble believing that the man who had defeated her that night worked for the National Security Agency.
Agent Hunter’s smile disappeared and was replaced by a look of regret. “That was not supposed to have happened,” he started, “you and I were not supposed to cross paths. We didn’t want to draw you into mess we had started. Unfortunately, I got sloppy that night and you ended up paying the price for my mistake. I’ll repeat what I said that night ‘for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.’”
Supergirl looked into his eyes; he truly did regret what he had done. She started to relax, Agent Hunter’s heart rate was steady, his breathing normal, he wasn’t sweating, and his pupils were regular sized. This all meant that he was telling the truth.
She managed a gentle smile as she replied, “It’s okay, we both made mistakes that night.” Supergirl was starting to believe that she could trust this man. He’s also cute, Kara thought.
Brent’s friendly manner returned, “Thank you, it means a lot.” He continued, “I’ll go ahead and let you know that our presence in Chicago is permanent. The base we have established allows us to cover the entire Midwest. We shouldn’t be conducting regular operations, but we’ll be close by if you ever need help, and that offer applies to all of you,” Brent told the five heroines.
He took another drink, “Before we continue, I’m obligated to point out that officially, Talon does not exist. Which means none of what we discuss today goes into tomorrow’s paper Ms. Kent.”
Of all the girls, Kara was the only one who wasn’t surprised. Instead she actually smiled and asked, “How?”
Brent was happy to explain, “My boss, Andrew Steele, noticed that you asked some pretty loaded questions during your interview. We needed to see if there was a risk of our cover being exposed.” He went on, “So after our little incident by the docks, I drove over to your apartment to see why a reporter would be asking about the Brain Trust. After discovering the compartment in your closet, it was clear that you were no security risk,” he winked at Kara, who smiled back.
Wonder Girl spoke next, “If you know about her, then…”
As if reading her mind, Brent replied, “Yes Ms. Prince, we know about you. As well as Ms. Madison, Ms. Brooks, and Agent Madison,” he nodded to American Dream, Lightspeed, and American Star respectively.
“Wait, you haven’t told anybody have you,” American Star asked, clearly worried about her position as a rookie agent with the FBI.
“Absolutely not, while we do have a pretty comprehensive list of the identities of the world’s heroes and heroines, most people join Talon with the understanding that they will likely never learn these identities,” he reassured the patriotic blonde. Brent continued, “That being said, I know the head of the Bureau, and he would take it as a complement to know that one of the country’s heroines works for his agency.”
Allison smiled, “I guess there’s really no need for this if you know,” she said as she removed her mask. Anne and Jessie followed suit, the three girls revealing their beautiful faces.
“Why would you need to know our identities,” Anne asked.
“In case you got into trouble and needed help,” Brent explained. “I mentioned that Talon combats criminals, but we also serve as unofficial backup to heroes in need.”
Anne put two and two together, “You’re the one who sent me the emails.”
Brent grinned and nodded, “Very good, at that point we knew that you girls had become involved in the situation and we wanted to make it clear that you had help.”
Supergirl also had an epiphany, “You’re also the one who shielded me from Mary Patterson’s gunshots.”
Brent nodded again, “Yep, that was me.”
Any remaining tension that Kara had built up inside her melted away; the same feeling of safety and security she had had the night that Brent had carried her out of the Trust Lab had returned.
“Oh, speaking of helping,” Brent pulled another file from his briefcase and handed it to Anne, “you might find this useful.”
Anne opened the file and could barely contain her excitement. It contained detailed information on research that had been done on nanomachines. With this information Anne could make dramatic improvements to the nanomachines she had injected herself with. She might be able to walk without wearing a special suit. The possibilities were almost too great to comprehend.
“Wow, thank you Agent Hunter,” Anne blinked back tears of joy.
“You are most welcome, and please call me Brent,” he smiled, almost getting emotional himself at seeing Anne’s joy. Brent turned to Lightspeed, “Lightspeed, you’ve been real quiet, is everything okay?”
The blonde speedster looked up, “It’s just a lot to absorb all at once.” Brent nodded in understanding as Lightspeed continued, “And since you know my name, you can call me Jessie.”
“I have a question,” Supergirl spoke next.
“Shoot,” Brent responded.
“I know that Andrew is your boss, but who does he answer too,” the Maiden of Might asked.
“His paycheck comes from the NSA, but he answers directly to Eagle One,” he replied.
“And who’s that,” Supergirl inquired.
“Oh, sorry,” Brent said, realizing his mistake, “Eagle One is the callsign of the President of the United States.”
Kara nodded in understanding.
Brent smiled and closed his briefcase, “I really appreciate you all agreeing to meet with me and I apologize for the difficulties that Talon caused you. Feel free to stay here as long as you like.” He stood up, “Now unless you have more questions, I’ll let you ladies enjoy your vacation.” The girls were disappointed; they were all just getting to know Brent and starting to like him. As if reading the minds of her friends, Jessie spoke up, “Is there any way you could stay for a day or two and just relax?”
Brent smiled, “Hold that thought.” He walked out to his Suburban and came back dragging a small suitcase. Drew grinned, folded her arms across her chest, and shook her head, “You came expecting to stay.”
“No,” Brent spoke sarcastically, “I came prepared for anything.” The entire group got a kick out of his statement.
Over the next two days, the group exchanged a wealth of information. The girls quickly learned that they could trust Brent, and he already knew that the heroines were trustworthy. They shared personal information, swapping stories, greatest challenges, etc. Brent even shared how his eye became bloodshot. It turned out that he had battled cancer when he was five. The radiation treatment he had received how made his eye permanently bloodshot. This experience also caused him to have a very positive outlook on life, something the girls greatly respected. They all hung out on the beach, went swimming, socialized, and had a great time. Eventually though, the vacation had to come to an end.
Brent was wearing another Hawaiian shirt and had left the front unbuttoned because the weather was so nice. He was about to get into his SUV for the drive back to Chicago when he saw Kara walking towards him in her Supergirl costume. Her cape, skirt, and golden blonde hair waved in the breeze. My God, she is beautiful, Brent thought to himself. The breeze caught the edge of his shirt, revealing two large bruises on his chest.
“What happened,” Supergirl asked, obviously concerned.
“Oh, Ms. Patterson left me something to remember her by,” Brent joked, referring to the two bullets that had been meant for Supergirl.
The two stood eye-to-eye as the blonde heroine spoke, “I never got to say thank you.”
“What for Supergirl,” Brent asked.
“For saving my life…” she leaned in and kissed him, right on the mouth. For the first time in years, Brent Hunter was taken completely by surprise, but he didn’t complain.
“…and it’s Kara,” the Girl of Steel said as she finally pulled away. “I’ll see you back in Chicago,” she said as she lifted off and headed north.
Wow, was all that Brent managed to think as he finally got in his SUV.
As Kara flew towards Chicago, she knew that she and her friends had just made a strong ally and a good friend. And for Agent Brent Hunter, the feeling was mutual.
The End
Caniac, that was a great story. Enjoyed the perils for the supergals and the ending was a nice twist. Although was hoping for a rematch between Solar Flare and SG, I guess that is what sequels are for :-D
Excellent stuff sir.
Excellent stuff sir.
Yes Supergirl, that's right its a necklace for you....What's the matter you don't like Kryptonite?