by S. J. Delos
With any luck, the EAPF would be able to cut him free for transport. Otherwise, they were going to have to haul him downtown in a minivan. I patted the unconscious villain on the cheek and grinned.
“Better luck next time, big guy,” I said to my defeated opponent.
I stood up, brushed off my hands, then turned around to see that Halloween had come early.
The woman stood in the middle of the quad about twenty feet away, her hands planted on her hips. Her head tilted back in what I assumed was a deliberate pose. Long, wavy red hair—several shades lighter than mine—stopped just above her waist, the bangs framing a face painted with far too much makeup. Thick kohl surrounded both eyes, and her over-glossed lips were way beyond fire engine red.
It was her attire, however, that made me blink twice. Her legs were encased in what appeared to be shiny black latex stockings connected to a matching bodysuit with bright red garters. The cuffs at the end of the unitard’s sleeves were the same color as the garters and decorated with pointed silver studs that twinkled in the morning sun. A silver choker around her neck was equally spiked.
As her eyes fixated on me, her red lips parted to reveal a set of gleaming white teeth, and the expression on her face couldn’t have been happier if she’d just hit the jackpot.
“Well, hello there, Kayo,” she said in an annoying purr. “I’ve so been looking forward to meeting you.”
I arched a brow, crossing my arms over my chest. “You know, I used to think Omega-Girl wore some ridiculous outfits, but even her skankiest uniform would be a nun’s habit next to… that.” I nodded at her attire. “Who are you supposed to be?” I asked. “Fifty Shades of Lame?”
“Oh, you’re funny.” Those gleaming emerald eyes narrowed at me. “It’ll be even funnier when you’re on your knees licking my boot and calling me Mistress.”
I snorted. “Bitch, you must be dreami—”
Punch yourself in the face.
My fist came up the moment the voice sounded in my head, slamming right into my nose. The action ignited a whole Fourth of July extravaganza of fireworks in my vision as I staggered backward. The pain was sudden, intense, and completely unexpected. It wouldn’t have been unusual for me to be so stunned I would remain right where I was.
However, the years of experience working for Martin took over.
Before the woman could issue another command, I rocketed into the sky as hard and as fast as I was able, shooting wide open toward the stratosphere. All telepaths have a distance limit to their control. Getting out of the pseudo-domme’s range was my only hope in remaining my own free-willed self.
I didn’t slow down until I was at skyscraper height. Then I stopped to hover directly above the park. I reached up, gently massaging my sore nose. “I really hate telepaths,” I grumbled aloud.
“Are you okay?” Major Freedom asked as he flew down to me. Starlight’s unconscious body was draped over his shoulder.
I ceased my tender examination, and pulled my fingers away, surprised to see no traces of blood on them. I had punched myself as hard as I could, something I’d never tried before. Was it possible for my indestructible fist to actually damage my invulnerable body? Or was I just as nearly-impervious to myself as I was to everything else?
That would be an experiment for another day.
“Yeah,” I said, giving the Justice Brigade’s leader a thumbs-up. Then I pointed down at the tiny figure in the center of the grassy park. “I didn’t know Miss Fashionably Challenged was a telepath. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been so flippant.”
He nodded, though the look in his eyes seemed to say that he doubted I would have been less flippant, even with the proper foreknowledge. “She’s one of their newest members. Calls herself ‘Coerce’.” He looked back up at me. “I’ve not faced her myself yet, but the evaluation report from the EAPF rated her mental control of others as at least Class Three.”
“Coerce, huh?” I shook my head. “That’s a stupid name. What’s her control limit?”
“According to her file, approximately three hundred feet,” Contriver answered. “It’s a hard limit.”
“Hard limit?” Major Freedom asked.
“It means that her power doesn’t fade out with distance,” the voice in our ears answered. “If you’re in her range, she’s got full control. If you’re not, you’re free.”
I glanced back down at the scene below.
Superior Man was standing next to the telepath, only instead of using his burning gaze to turn the latex loser to a briquette, he was firing at Scarab. Her metallic form protected her from the worst of the attack, but the ricochets were damaging property all around her.
“She’s got John,” Freedom said.
“I see that,” I snapped. “But look at the way he’s jerking about. He’s fighting the mind control.”
I admit I was a little impressed. It wasn’t an easy task to peel yourself from the machinations of a powerful telepath. However, if the eye-blasting hero continued resisting for much longer, he would end up giving himself an aneurysm.
What I needed to do was get down there and rescue Cassandra and John, but I could just imagine how much worse the situation would be if Coerce managed to take control of me as well. What I needed was a way to take her out before she could dominate me.
I turned a slow circle in the air, studying the area below us, particularly the ground around Coerce. My mind drifted back to the fight with Princess Snow. I wondered…
Freedom tapped me on the shoulder. “I can see you’re putting a plan together, Kayo. What are you thinking?”
I shook my head as the final details of a really—I mean really—horrible idea solidified in my mind. It wasn’t a plan, per se. Not even close. More like an eyes-closed, last minute, Hail Mary pass.
“I’m thinking that this is probably going to hurt,” I sighed. “Wish me luck.”
Before he could say anything else—or try to talk some sense into me—I shot straight up into the air, climbing for the clouds above. The iconic cityscape fell away below as I kept repeating the merits of my insanity over and over.
When I reached what I guessed to be around six thousand feet, I slowed to a stop, stretching out prone as I looked down. The park was a green circle, appearing barely more than a dime in size. I could still make out the blinking blue flash of Superior Man’s attacks, and that became my target.
“Kayo,” Contriver said, a worried tone in her voice. “What are you about to do?”
“Incoming!” I yelled, then upended, stretching my arms straight out before me as I dove toward the ground.
The whoosh of the wind past my face changed pitch, going from a dull roar to a whining scream. The spot of green went from being a dime-sized, to a quarter, to a paint bucket lid. The whistling around me reached a crescendo, then stopped, leaving me bathed in silence as I went supersonic. If Contriver was screaming at me, her voice got lost in the shuffle.
Coerce noticed my approach while I was still a thousand feet out. She looked up at me, placing her hands on either side of her head. I didn’t know if she was attempting to increase her power’s strength or its range. Regardless, I didn’t hear her in my mind until I was nearly on top of her.
Stop! Now!
I rolled over immediately, switching my direction from down to up so fast that I almost got whiplash. Instantly, my only desire, the one commanding urge that superseded all others, was halting my descent.
However, I still have to play by the laws of physics. Even if I’m being controlled by a telepathic bondage queen.
I was probably still coming down at over two hundred miles per hour when my boots slammed into the soft grass a yard or so from the latex-clad puppet master. The shockwave from the impact immediately deafened my ears, and momentum dropped me into a crater several feet deep. My legs buckled, dropping me on my back, staring up at the blue sky. Every molecule in my body seemed to be vibrating from the collision.
“Shit,” I groaned. “That was probably
the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.”
After a few minutes, when the empty sound in my head changed to an annoying ring, I crawled out of the crater, flopping on my side. I was sure I would be fine after a period of rest. Say, five or six hours’ worth. The bells chiming in my head sounded like an emergency call to Mass, while my legs and feet tingled something fierce.
I turned my head to see Coerce sprawled on her back on the grass nearby. Her chest rose and fell slowly, but otherwise, she wasn’t moving. I hoped I hadn’t ruptured any of her vital organs, since I assumed Major Freedom would frown on me killing an opponent. John was on his knees a couple of yards farther along, shaking his head as if trying to clear away the cobwebs.
A shadow passed over my face, and I glanced up at Scarab.
She was back into her non-armored form and wore an amused smirk on her face. “Nice tactic,” she said, as she reached out a hand to help me up. “Did Mister Manpower teach you that move?”
I let her pull me to my feet, groaning at the soreness in my knees and hips. While I doubted there were any actual bruises, my body informed me—rather loudly—that it didn’t share Scarab’s appreciation of my tactics.
“No,” I said with a tiny shrug. “I learned that one from watching cartoons.”
Her eyes glimmered, the smirk turning into a full-on smile. “Well, regardless of where you got the idea, it was certainly an effective move. Maybe we should call it ‘Meteor Strike.”
“Sure,” I agreed, leaning over to massage my knees. “Only someone else can do it next time.” I nodded toward the unconscious telepath. “Is there something we can do to keep her from waking up and putting the whammy on us again?”
Scarab reached into one of the pouches on her belt and pulled out what looked like a plastic strip with some Velcro and circuitry attached. She walked over, knelt down, and wrapped the band around the woman’s head. When she pressed a button next to the wiring, a series of green lights began to blink.
“There,” she said, standing up. “That should keep her snoozing until the EAPF can get here with a synapse scrambler.”
I arched a brow, nodding at the other girl. “What is that thing?”
“Oh, it’s this new thing we’ve been testing out. It’s called a Delta Wave Inducer. It’s supposed to keep the bad guys out cold until they can be transported to jail.” She glanced over to where Doctor Destructor was tied up and pulled another strip from the pouch. “Oh, looks like Doctor Dumbass is coming around.” She waggled the band with a grin. “Better go send him back to sleepy time.”
As she walked off, I strolled over to Coerce. Squatting down, I examined the device keeping her mind-controlling ass asleep. The band around her forehead was solid black and non-reflective, standing as a stark contrast to her porcelain skin. The lights blinked in a steady pattern, blue-green-blue-blue-green-yellow.
Right before I looked away, something on part of the band, near her ear, caught my eye. When I looked closer, I recognized it immediately. An infinity symbol inside of a circle inside a triangle.
The Delgado Corporation logo.
I stood up, whirling around to look for Scarab. In the process, I nearly knocked over a civilian right behind me. He was dressed in a pair of black slacks and a bright purple dress shirt, unbuttoned at the collar. I took a step back and held up my hand.
“Sorry about that,” I said, smiling. “I didn’t see you there.”
“That’s quite alright.” His voice rang with a slight European accent.
“You really should move back, sir,” I said as I gestured to the woman on the ground. “She might look harmless, but I promise you she’s a very dangerous criminal.”
“Yes, she is,” he said with a nod. “But she’s a wildcat in bed.”
I blinked, tilting my head to the side. “How would you know… shit!”
“Later, Kayo,” he said as he reached out and touched my shoulder.
The scenery around me warped, twisting violently, and my stomach rolled with nausea as a burst of pure formless white filled my vision. For what seemed to last about five seconds, I got the sensation of being nowhere. There was no discernible up or down. Front or back. Hell, for all I knew, I was falling through nothingness.
The world crashed back into existence around me. I hit the ground at a bit of speed, tumbling across a bed of smooth grass. After skidding to a stop, I jumped up, fists balled, and spun around to examine my surroundings.
The steel, glass, and concrete of downtown Chicago was gone, replaced by a large meadow, about the size of a couple of football fields, surrounded by yellow and gold-leafed trees. The formerly bright blue sky of mid-morning was now the fiery reddish-orange hue of early evening.
A dark ribbon of asphalt bisected part of the meadow, emerging from a gap in the trees on one side and vanishing into an identical opening on the other. A pair of metal poles holding up a sign jutted out of the ground beside the road. I floated over toward it.
I landed, standing there for a few moments, staring at a white lettering on the green face of the sign. I sighed, glanced up at the setting sun, then looked at the sign again. For confirmation, I rose up into the air until I was higher than the trees around me.
“You’ve got to be shitting me,” I said aloud to the empty air as I stared at the backlit silhouette of the Eiffel Tower a few miles away. It looked like the fight back in Chicago would be long over before I managed to return.
I shot into the sky, turning toward the west. I kept my speed subsonic until I was out over the Atlantic. Once I was sure I was out of French airspace, I broke the sound barrier, promising myself that I was going to hurt that little teleporter the next time we met.
It was well past dark by the time I spotted the Tower. I swooped down to land on the observation deck with a thud. My shaky legs reluctantly carried me to the sliding door. Once the scanner confirmed my identity, I stepped inside to find Major Freedom standing in front of the view screen, tapping on the tablet in his hands. When he heard me enter, he set the device down and hurried over to me.
“Karen,” he said, looking past me to the world outside the open doorway. “Where have you been?”
I stumbled over to the nearest seat, which happened to be the leather sofa. I flopped down and leaned back, aching in places I didn’t even know existed. “I got blind-sided by some asshole teleporter.”
The hero nodded. “Calls himself Transport. He’s their travel guy. Scarab reported that she saw him send you away before vanishing with Coerce. He also made off with whatever the Harbingers were after.” He gestured at the machine across the room. “Sometimes there’s a residual electromagnetic footprint to his jaunts. I was trying to track them to see if I could find out where they went.” He gave me a curious glance. “Or where he sent you.”
I shrugged, really too tired to care that the trashy telepath had escaped. “Well, in case you were wondering, Paris is beautiful this time of year.”
“Paris?” he responded. “Well, at least it wasn’t the moon.” Then he tilted his head, looking at me sideways. “Wait, did you just fly all the way back from Paris?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I would have been back sooner, but I got a little off course coming across the Atlantic. Ended up in Colombia.”
“South Carolina?” he asked.
I sighed. “South America.”
CHAPTER 27
IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD
When I awoke late the next morning, I was starving.
I had only eaten a light breakfast before Hank and I went to Gary to check out the Harbingers hideout. By the time I finally finished a more than four-thousand-mile flight back from my impromptu trip to the French countryside—and been debriefed on the battle—I was far too tired to do much more than strip out of my uniform and pass out.
I rolled out of bed and searched for some clothing to throw on. The sweatpants and t-shirt from my bag were finally dry, though they did still smell like lavender and citrus. I ignored the scents and pulled them on anyway. My h
unger was a vicious beast, snarling for sustenance. I wouldn’t have given a crap if I was forced to go in search of food dressed in only my bra and panties.
I guess once you’ve fought a bad guy in your underwear, your sense of shame isn’t quite what it used to be.
Miss Amazing was in the kitchen standing next to the toaster oven when I entered. She nodded a little a hello as I made a bee-line for the coffee pot.
“Welcome back,” she said, giving me a little grin. “I heard Transport sent you on a journey to Paris.” She effected an annoying, overly dramatic French accent and performed a little flourish with her hands.
I poured a cup of inky black goodness into a dark green mug. “He did,” I grumbled. “I’m going to break his damned spine the next time we meet.”
“Don’t feel too bad about it,” she said with a shrug. “He got the drop on Cassandra a few months ago and sent her to the middle of Tibet. Fortunately, her metal form is pretty immune to the weather. But she bitched for weeks about having to walk nearly a hundred miles to get to someone who owned a phone.”
“I also heard he got what the Harbingers were after,” I said, repeating Hank’s words from the previous evening. “Do we even know what it was?”
She shrugged again, walking toward the door. “Nope. At least, not that anyone’s told me.” She pointed at the doorway on her left. “You can always ask Contriver. She might know, or at least have a guess.”
After she left the room, I rummaged around in the cabinets, looking for something quick to eat. When I discovered a box of strawberry breakfast pastries, I did a little happy dance, promptly shoving two of them in my mouth, one right after the other. I’m sure I could probably use something more substantial, and less fattening, than the overly sugary, processed tarts, but I didn’t care.
I convinced myself that flying nonstop across an ocean burned more calories than the deliciously evil pastries contained, so I was still coming out on top.
