by J. Judkins
Her host selected a cardboard box from a stack of six. Its contents felt important, but Kim couldn’t say why.
Kim let out a gasp as the world rushed back into crystal clarity.
“You went completely unresponsive within a minute,” Angel was saying; her voice sounded distant. “Without a satisfying conclusion, how can that be efficient? I’m also of the opinion that the complete loss of sensation defeats the purpose. We’ve been calling it a sex toy, but in my opinion, the device was never intended for sexual gratification.”
Kim shot Angel a glare. Once certain her legs would hold, she pushed herself to her feet.
“Was the experience enjoyable?” Angel slipped the device into her jacket pocket. “Would you like to continue now, or later?”
Her fingers trembled as Kim started to dress. “Later,” she rasped. “I mean, we’ll talk about it later.”
They had their next clue.
Guess it was a plot device, after all.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Now that they had a frame of reference, she and Angel quickly discovered that the scaffolding could be manipulated. They shifted it closer to the obelisk, until they could reach the covering and pull it away.
The plaques turned out to be names. Hundreds of them, if not thousands. All neatly arranged in alphabetical order.
“That’s it?” Kim couldn’t keep the disappointment from her voice.
“What were you expecting?” Angel asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe dates, or summaries, or something. I got the impression the obelisk was supposed to be some sort of memorial. You get more facts from an average gravestone.”
Kim pulled out her cell phone and walked a slow circle around the obelisk, snapping pictures as she went. The names might make more sense given time and more information.
“You mentioned flattened cardboard boxes, as well,” Angel reminded her.
Kim jumped down from her perch and went directly to the spot from her vision. One box remained. It looked identical to the others, wider than it was tall. Kim bounced from one foot to the other, elated with the find.
Angel folded back the lid while Kim looked in from the opposite side. The box was filled to the brim with thin pamphlets. Their cover design suggested tourist attraction information, like the booklets one might expect to find at tourist traps, or hotel registration desks.
Giant red words were superimposed over what appeared to be a half-flooded city. “Ravenwood,” it proclaimed. “Remember the Fallen.”
Nothing about the image seemed out of the ordinary . . . except for the very out of place spacecraft depicted hovering in the corner.
“Have you ever heard of Ravenwood?” Angel asked.
Before Kim could answer, the entire box erupted with a flare of blinding light and a backwash of heat. She stumbled away with a cry. All she could see were spots.
Two arms wrapped around her, and Kim felt herself picked up and moved a short distance away. The relative darkness seemed to suggest she’d been placed behind some sort of cover.
Tears streamed down Kim’s face. She blinked furiously until her vision cleared.
Naomi West, receptionist and personal assistant to Joseph Friedman, could now be seen standing confidently and proudly upon one of the workman’s desks, looking down upon them through her librarian-style glasses. She wore a light business suit with a skirt that left her long legs bare. Long black hair flowed freely past her shoulders. One hand extended, palm outward, as if she were a character from Dragonball Z, ready to incinerate them with an energy blast. The long, winding trail of smoke emanating from her open hand helped reinforce the image.
An unknown woman with blonde hair stood next to her, gaping like a landed fish. Her eyes were darting to the remains of the smoldering box, back to Naomi, to the box, and back again.
“That will be enough of that,” Naomi announced haughtily. She waved a silver-armored hand, then looked irritated when the hand-waving only served to spread the smoke around rather than disperse it.
“How did you do that?” Kim managed with a gasp.
Naomi folded her arms and smirked. “You were correct in your assumptions. As the four of us are alone, I can now reveal my true self. As you’ve surmised, my associates and I are supervillains. That attack was a mere demonstration of my full power.”
“Hold on,” Naomi’s companion interrupted. “Being a supervillain is your cover?”
“Told you,” Angel said.
Chapter Twenty-Four
This was supposed to be the moment. Angel and her timid companion were finally within her villainous, evil clutches. After a sufficient amount of verbal and physical intimidation, Naomi would have all the leverage she needed to extract Angel’s secret of independence. And once those secrets were hers, she’d finally be free.
Unfortunately, the intimidation part wasn’t working out as planned. Naomi had expected fear. Perhaps a little shock and awe.
She was not expecting open doubt.
“If you’re really a supervillain, then why aren’t you out robbing banks or something?” Kim demanded, her hands on her hips. She sounded exceptionally dubious, as if she weren’t at all convinced she’d witnessed a superpower demonstrated firsthand.
“Robbing banks?” Naomi scoffed. “Why bother? There are other, more lucrative, less high-profile ways of making money.”
She lowered her hand as she made her point, taking advantage of the distraction. Blasters fit like oversized gloves, designed for convenience, not intimidation. Waving an open hand made her feel ridiculous.
“What about world domination schemes?” Kim asked. “Have you got a world domination scheme?”
“We do have a world domination scheme.”
“Yeah, right.” Kim rolled her eyes, an expression Naomi recognized as open doubt. “Of course you have one.”
“How dare you question me! My brethren and I will be in control of your entire planet in the not-too-distant future. Or should I say, your past? Mwahahaha! But enough laughing.” Naomi waved a hand, cutting herself off.
“Nope. Still not buying it,” Kim said. “What about a deathtrap? Villains are supposed to have an elaborate deathtrap to throw people into.”
Naomi hadn’t heard of the deathtrap requirement. “A transparent ploy designed to confuse me. I don’t need a deathtrap.”
“If you’re going to be a supervillain—”
Angel jumped into the verbal fray. “Kim, stop giving her ideas!”
“Enough!” Naomi stamped her foot to show her impatience. “Your pathetic attempts to sidetrack me have failed. Now, back to the matter at hand.” She pointed at Angel. “You! Tell me how you escaped!”
“You have to throw us in the deathtrap before we can escape from it,” Kim pointed out.
“I’m not talking about the deathtrap!” Naomi cried. “Forget the stupid deathtrap! Tell me how Angel escaped!”
“You just said—”
“Are you referring to why I changed sides?” Angel interjected.
Naomi pointed and grinned at Angel. “That’s right, yes!”
Kim did a double take. “She is?”
“I changed sides after I met Kim.” Angel turned to address Kim directly. “Is it permissible to tell her I fell in love?”
“Oh, sure! Why the hell not?” Kim tossed her hands up into the air, a gesture which momentarily threw Naomi into confusion. Either Kim was elated, or she was expressing exasperation. Probably the latter.
“If it makes you uncomfortable . . .”
“Just don’t share the details, okay?”
“No details,” Angel agreed with a nod. “It all started in a deserted parking lot, several months ago.”
“One month ago,” Kim corrected.
“One month ago.” Angel nodded again. “Our meeting was accidental. We engaged in conversation; Kim became enamored with my beauty and invited me home. Our attraction for each other deepened and grew over time. We kissed, shared romantic moments together,
and enjoyed several meaningful dates. After making love to Kim over a magical weekend, I came to realize—”
“Stop!” Kim cried.
“I’m sorry?”
“How is that not sharing details?”
Angel looked somewhat annoyed at the interruption. “Those weren’t sex-life details. Those were highlights.”
“What does being in love have to do with it?” Naomi interjected, hoping to speed things along.
“Being in love makes sex with your partner much more enjoyable,” Angel said. “When you’re doing your best to bring pleasure and fulfillment—”
“No,” Naomi cut her off. “What does being in love have to do with your escape?”
“Oh.” Angel’s eyes took on a faraway look, apparently lost in thought. “After discovering my history as an alien scout, I formally renounced my mission out of love for Kim. Love changed me into what I am now. Love gave me the mental strength necessary to resist my evil alien masters.”
Naomi frowned. Evil alien masters? She might consider her boss Brandon unreasonable and a bit of a jerk at times, and she’d certainly rather not have him around, but she’d never once thought of him as evil.
“And now, I work to prevent my former allies from taking over the world,” Angel finished.
Naomi’s brow furrowed to better convey her confusion. Angel’s explanation hadn’t made a lot of sense. “That’s it? You were in love, and your evil alien masters just let you go?”
“Love supersedes old loyalties. I believe in the power of love.”
“I see,” Naomi said. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
“So, we’re friends now?” Kim ventured.
“Not at all,” Naomi told her. “You’ve been very helpful, but I’m likely to have further questions that require clarification. I can’t allow you to leave.”
Kim and Angel exchanged glances.
Naomi lowered the timbre of her voice in an attempt to sound more sinister. “And there’s still the matter of the theft of a certain, specific item that belongs to me.”
Kim fidgeted in place. “I don’t have any idea what you’re—”
“Are you referring to the sex toy?” Angel volunteered.
Everyone in the room gave Angel varying looks of incredulity. The variety of expressions ranged from surprise to open horror.
Naomi recovered first. This was a fortunate turn of events! She hadn’t a clue how any sentient life-form could misidentify a modulator as a sex toy, but if that was the case, she would certainly capitalize on it. “Yes!” she cried. “You are exactly correct! You and your friend stole my perfectly ordinary and not at all unusual sex toy from my office this afternoon.” Her smile became cold. “And while it may not be important to me in any way, as I personally consider it to be a substandard piece of junk, it is unique, irreplaceable, and therefore valuable in a way I don’t care to talk about. I want it back. Return the sex toy at once!”
“I doubt you’ll want this one back,” Angel said dubiously. “We’ve used it twice.”
“If you’ll excuse me,” Kim spoke in a meek voice, “I’m going to go find a dark corner and die of embarrassment now.”
Naomi raised her hand. It burned with an ominous, fiery light, more than enough to arrest Kim in her tracks. “You’ll do no such thing. Return the sex toy, or I’ll burn you to ash where you stand.”
“You’re bluffing,” Angel said. “You can’t risk such a devastating attack without knowing which of us is carrying the sex toy, for fear of damaging it.”
Naomi smirked. Angel’s words rang true, but she’d planned ahead. “Then I’ll have to persuade you.”
Her hand blurred, catching Melanie off guard and pulling her into a tight embrace. An iron hand wrapped around her throat. “Return what you’ve stolen, or the hostage dies.”
“What?” Melanie squeaked.
“Another bluff!” Angel cried. “She’s one of your coworkers. I recognize her from your office!”
“It doesn’t matter where she’s from!” Naomi shouted back. “I needed a beautiful hostage to enforce my demands.”
Melanie stood frozen. “Let me go right now, or I’m going to hurt you,” she said, her voice low.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
“No, I’m going to hurt you.”
Naomi tried to keep her tone neutral, conscious of her audience and not wanting to give herself away. “That’s not the way this hostage thing works,” she whispered. “You’re doing it wrong. I’m hoping to trick them.”
“Start explaining,” Melanie hissed, as if speaking through clenched teeth.
“Tell them the following. ‘Do what she says. I don’t want to die.’ I’ll handle the rest.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Tell them.”
“That’s not going to work.”
“It will. Trust me.”
Melanie offered one last glare before calling out. “Please, do what she says. I don’t want to die.”
“Yeah, right,” Kim called out. “Do you honestly think anyone is going to fall for such a lame—”
Angel stepped out into the open, fists clenched. “You twisted, evil fiend! Let her go! Your fight is with us!”
Perfect. Naomi grinned. She formed a mental link to the tangler attached to her wrist and ordered it to fire, adding a dramatic flick of the wrist to make it all look authentic.
Angel stepped to her right. The shot sailed through where she’d been standing, bursting against the wall behind her in a spray of yellow, viscous fluid.
Naomi fired a second time, and then a third.
Angel smirked as she casually dodged each attack. “What is that weapon supposed to do, assuming you’re able to hit your target?”
“It’s meant to immobilize you.” Naomi attempted to fire again, but the weapon had jammed and she lacked the free hand to clear it. “Worthless thing,” she swore. “Old technology. I don’t need it. The fact remains, I have a hostage. Are you going to surrender? Or do you think I’m bluffing?”
“Being a supervillain doesn’t mean you get to do whatever you want,” Angel said.
Kim raised a hand. “Actually . . .”
“Be quiet for a moment, Kim. After you gave Miss Naomi the idea for it and set her upon this dark path, I researched the concept of supervillains.”
Kim threw her arms skyward again. “Oh, sure. Go ahead. Blame me for everything!”
“As it turns out,” Angel continued, “masterminds almost never do their own dirty work. That’s what their minions are for.”
Naomi mentally activated another link and snapped her fingers for effect. “Interesting you should say that.”
Four muscle-bound sentries stepped out of the shadows. Each stood six-and-a-half-feet tall at the shoulder, purposefully designed for maximum intimidation and minimal backtalk. Their black bio-armor was considered “armor” only in the loosest definition of the word, designed for infiltration, not protection. Naomi thought it would prove sufficient, in that it hid their identities and made them look authentic.
Angel hadn’t finished her speech. “Minions are meant to fulfill a variety of purposes. In this case, they’re meant to cover their master’s escape after the heroes arrive.”
Naomi couldn’t help but smile. “Oh? Is that what you are? Do you fancy yourselves heroes?”
“Can you doubt it? Since our investigation started, we’ve acted for the public good, but done so with blatant and willful disregard for public property rights and due process. In addition, heroes are only held accountable by other heroes. Given that we’re the only heroes in the city—”
“The world,” Kim muttered.
“—it follows that we’re permitted to do whatever we want while in the pursuit of justice, however we see fit. Heroes can’t be arrested for breaking and entering, for example, or fined for willful destruction of private property.”
“Your research is flawed,” Naomi mocked. “A hero wouldn’t dare call a villain’
s bluff when the villain has a weapon to someone’s head.”
Angel’s smile became curt. “You admit you’re bluffing?”
Naomi blinked. “Irrelevant. I can still kill you, if I want.”
“A mastermind wouldn’t. Not personally,” Angel said.
That brought Naomi up short. “I . . . I’m inclined to agree.”
“Thank you.”
“Minions! Subdue them at once!”
The minions in question looked at each other. “You think she means us?” one of them said.
Naomi released Melanie and spun her blaster to bear on him. “Yes, I mean you! Get in there, and take both of them prisoner!”
The minions advanced.
“Wait! I’ve changed my mind. You two”—Naomi waved at the two minions closest to her—“come with me. The rest of you, subdue the prisoners! Bring me the sex toy!”
Even her own people seemed to be glaring at her from behind their masks. Naomi took this as a sign of a job well done. She was well on her way to becoming an established supervillain.
Naomi gave little thought toward the mission’s success. The longer the modulator stayed out of her hands, the better her situation. All that mattered was the illusion of competence, not the reality.
She slung a protesting Melanie over her shoulder and vaulted from her perch. “Farewell, heroes! Don’t try to follow me. I’ll have the sex toy soon enough! Hahahaha!”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kim whirled on Angel. “Dammit, Angel, why did you call it that?”
Angel’s lips pressed into a fine line. “Because calling it the Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator sounds too much like a made-up thing.”
“I didn’t make it up. I took the name from a Bugs Bunny cartoon.”
“Got it,” Angel said, who clearly hoped she’d ended the conversation.
One minion circled to Angel’s right. The other continued straight ahead, hands stretched out to either side as if preparing himself for anything.
