Maid of Steel – Blow Up!

Kelly let out a loud and heavy sigh. With her face turned towards the sky she rolled her eyes and said, “I don’t have time for this.” Refocusing on the woman in front of her she put her hands on her hips. “Look, so far you have proven that you have Harbor City’s best interest at heart. Due to what is happening at the moment, I have little choice but to trust you.”

Vivian’s face morphed into a wide smile and dinner plates for eyes. Her hands clapped, and she hopped up and down. “You can trust me. You can trust me.”

“Let’s go,” Kelly said and took to the air.

“Yes!” Vivian did a fist pump, then followed.

“I’m ready,” Scimitar said out loud to nobody.

“Good,” Prophet’s voice said in Scimitar’s ear. “Just wait for them to show and then when they least expect it, shoot ‘em.”

“I know the plan.” Scimitar shook his head. “I can’t wait to get this over with and get you outta my ear. Like a damn gnat.”

“If you pull this off,” Prophet said. “Both of our problems will go away.”

“Not soon enough.”

Both women landed outside the last bank, and the doors burst open. Five dark clad men charged forward shouting the same battle cry, “My love will conquer all!”

“Sidewalk,” shouted Kelly and bent down.

“Got it,” replied Vivian and imitated the senior hero.

Both women gripped the edges and yanked it up in a whipping motion. The subsequent wave catapulted all five men and in random directions. One landed headfirst into a nearby designated parking sign and didn’t move. Another flailed back and connected with the low roof covering the sidewalk. He also didn’t move. The last three landed sprawled in the nearly vacant parking lot and scrambled to their feet.

“That was slick,” Vivian said. “Keeps the numbers down.”

Kelly pushed off the curb and zoomed at the cluster of men. Leaning with an open hand, she shoved her palm at the first man. This produced a cascading effect, and he connected with the second man and both went flying further back into a parked van.

Vivian took the hint and floated towards the last man standing and punched him in the jaw, knocking him out.

“That should do it,” Vivian said with a smile on her face.

“All banks are secure,” SYMON said. “The police have their suspects in custody.”

“Great,” Vivian said. Her eyes scanned the immediate area. “Now all we have to do is figure out the distraction part.”

“There is a forty-five percent chance the distraction was to cover up the theft at Hagger Chemical.” SYMON cycled through several colors. “A break-in was reported one point seven five hours ago.”

“Do you know who broke in?” Vivian held SYMON level with her head.

“What was stolen,” Kelly interrupted. “The who doesn’t matter so much.”

“A man wearing a domino mask,” SYMON said. A hologram of Scimitar hovered over the bracelet as it spoke. “He used a power blade that extended from his hand to disable the security measures.” The hologram disappeared and a video of the same man cutting a locking mechanism displayed.

“That guy looks like he means business,” Kelly said. “You wouldn’t happen to have a name, would you?” Kelly looked at the gray bracelet.

“SYMON!” Vivian held her arm out as if it offended her. “How did this happen?” Her other hand went to her face and her eyes spread wide.

“What?” Kelly stepped towards Vivian. “Who is that?”

“It’s Scimitar,” Vivian said straightening. “He’s from my time and he’s probably here to kill me.”

“Why?” Kelly arched an eyebrow at the new information. “What did you do to him?”

“Nothing,” Vivian said, tears forming in her eyes. “My parents are supposed to testify in the tribunal that will put him in stasis.”

“Is that why you traveled to this time?” Kelly put a hand on Vivian’s shoulder. “Like witness protection.”

“Exactly,” SYMON said. “The enforcers sent Vivian, Amethystia, here to protect her and her parents. If Scimitar is here, it means only one thing.”

“He knows where I am,” Vivian said, the tears streaming over her cheeks and off her chin. “He also knows where my parents are.”

“Amethystia!” Kelly shook the shoulder she held. “He can’t take out both of us?”

“Assuming we know where he is?” Vivian sniffled and dried her face with the back of her gloved hand. “SYMON, find potential locations of Scimitar.”

The orange bracelet glowed. “There are three likely locations. One is on the other side of the city getting other equipment. But there have been no reported robberies.” SYMON paused a second. “The second would be trying to find one of his ancestors to influence them of some nefarious crime. However, the closest ancestor of him is over three hundred miles away.” SYMON’s color changed to bright pink. “The last location would be—”

“Right here.” Scimitar walked across the empty parking lot towards the two women. His power extended past his left hand. Two silver straps went around his body. The upper strap wound under his arm while the lower encircled his waist. “Nothing like the present to deal with your future.”

Both women shifted to face the advancing brute. Kelly glowed a light crimson as she activated her protective powers. Vivian touched the buckle of her belt and a violet glow covered her body.

“What’s he got on his back?” Kelly asked with a looked at Vivian.

“I don’t know,” Vivian answered. “I’ve never seen it before.”

“There are an increased amount of Delta particles emanating from Scimitar,” SYMON said loud enough to be heard by both women. “This means he has found a way to enhance his already formidable powers.”

“A SYMON unit.” Scimitar flashed a greasy smile at Vivian. “That explains a lot. Like how you know about the current timeline.” He jumped into the air and swung his blade in a downward arc as he touched the faded asphalt. A dark crack zig-zagged across the open space and under Vivian’s feet. The gap spread wide enough to hold a large luxury car.

As Vivian fell, she activated her flight suit and hovered just over the dark scar on the ground. “He’s psychotic!”

As the crack traveled the last few feet, Kelly launched from a standing position to horizontal in the blink of an eye. Fisting her hand, she zoomed through the four yards separating her and Scimitar. The crack of her fist connecting with jawbone echoed in her ears. Scimitar’s head jerked to the left, then righted itself to face Kelly as she flew past him a few feet.

“Better get this out of the way now,” he said as he punched Kelly in passing. “Prophet wants you out, and he provided me the means, so I hafta uphold my end o’ the agreement.”

The punch was well aimed and timed to connect with Kelly’s nose. She reeled from the blow and staggered to ground. The protective barrier kept Scimitar from breaking her nose or skin. With small white dots dancing in her eyes, Kelly used her hands to get to her feet. “I felt that.”

“Good,” Scimitar said with a chuckle. “Cause I didn’t feel a thing.”

“Amethystia,” SYMON shouted. “You need to get out of here.”

“What?” Vivian took floated away from the crack and landed on the paved parking lot. “Why?”

“Scimitar has a molecular augmentation device rigged on his back,” SYMON said. “That cylinder thing is synced to his system. See the green lights?”

“Yeah,” Vivian answered. “How do we stop him?”

“We don’t,” SYMON answered. “No one in recorded history ever has. The wearer usually just explodes.”

“That’s not that big of a deal,” Vivian said and shrugged. “We just have to wait for time.”

SYMON shouted, “the explosion will cover—”

Scimitar barreled towards Vivian, forcing her to dart to a side and roll to her feet. “Damn, that was close.”

“The explosion will cover thirty plus miles,” SYMON repeated.

“What did that thing say about an explosion,” Kelly shouted as she refocused on the villain they were fighting.

“The device I’m wearing will explode in under one minute,” Scimitar said, a sneer spoiling his handsome looks. “Even if you beat me, you don’t have time to do anything.”

Maid of Steel – Team-Up

Scimitar walked the length of the plain white hall. He stopped in front of the door marked LAB 18. His eyes rolled to the small black panel next to the door knob. The narrow beam extended from his hand and with a flick of his wrist the panel fell to the floor. Sparks spat from the hole and a wisp of smoke floated towards the roof.

Scimitar deactivated his power, then pushed the door open. Inside, he saw three stainless-steel tables holding different devices and other equipment. At each table, two people looked up from what they were doing. They straightened from their stools and moved to the opposite end of the tables. “Good. You’re all well educated.” A greasy smile spread over the stubble-faced Scimitar. “I was afraid I was gonna have to educate you.”

A man with a wreath of silver hair inched a step forward. “P-p-please, just d-d-don’t hurt anyone. T-t-take whatever you w-w-want.” His meaty hands waved to the tables. “M-m-most of it is b-b-beyond our underst-st-standing anyway.”

With languid steps, Scimitar walked to the third table, furthest away from the group. He touched a large cylinder object with four odd shapes embossed on it. “This is all I need.” The group of lab technicians huddled closer together and sighed. In a fluid motion, Scimitar scooped up the item, waved to the scientists, and walked out the way he came.

In his truck, he touched his ear. “I have the device. How do I operate it?”

Prophet’s voice came into his ear. “Good. You have to configure it by turning the four dials.”

“You mean the things poking out of the sides?” Scimitar moved the device until all four of the dials were facing him.

“Precisely,” Prophet said. “First, the device has to be calibrated to the wielder. That is gonna require a fluid transfer.”

“A fluid transfer?” Scimitar’s eyes scrunched as he set the device on his lap. “So I just spit on it?”

“Not quite that simple,” Prophet answered. “But you have the right idea. It will require your blood. A small gash will do. Touch each dial and when they turn green, it is synced to you.”

“Sounds easy enough.” Scimitar extended his power from one hand and ran the edge over his other palm. He sucked air in through his teeth, making a hissing noise. The smell of burning meat filled the cabin of his truck. A tendril of smoke curled up from the self-inflicted wound and rolled up into Scimitar’s nose, making it wrinkle. “Damn!” Without clenching his fist, he ran the dripping hand over the dials of the device on his lap. Once his blood smeared the last icon, he gripped his fingers closed and reached for a wad of napkins on the seat next to him.

The first dial changed colors from orange, blue, pink, red, a deep purple, then held at day-glow green. The second dial changed in color as well, holding them longer than the first. Like the first one, it too stopped on the day-glow color. The third cycled through colors so fast that Scimitar had to turn his head away. When it stopped, it showed the same green as the first two.

The fourth dial was a deep black. It seemed to be a combination of thick motor oil and midnight.

Scimitar stared at it. His breath rasped in and out of his nose as his eyes widened. Without seeing it, the color of the fourth dial changed to the green of its companions, startling Scimitar. “Done.”

“That is very good news,” Prophet said. “Very good news, indeed.”

“You have thwarted two of the bank robberies,” SYMON said to Vivian. “The local police have managed to quell three of the other bank robberies and Cobalt has four down. That leaves seven. Police are still dealing with three more, and Cobalt just engaged her fifth. Might I recommend you deal with the next one faster.”

“I would love too,” Vivian said as she launched into the air. “They are all using the same tactic and so it should be easier.”

SYMON chirped and turned a bright purple. “You were paying attention. Good. Now, just go.”

“Stupid computer,” Vivian muttered shaking her head.

She doubled her speed and zoomed to her next destination. The four men inside were leaving the bank as a lone police car pulled up. Vivian set down between the robbers and the police. “Give up. Your love is not strong enough.” She rolled her eyes as she said this.

“You will see how strong my love is,” one of the dark clad figures screamed and charged Vivian. He put his head down as he approached and extended his arms.

Stepping forward, Vivian reached for an outstretched arm and grabbed it. Twisting her body as she moved, she tossed her combatant at the remaining three robbers. The flailing body collided with two others and all three went to the ground. The fourth member pulled a handgun and leveled it at Vivian. His finger flexed over the trigger.

Two rapid shots barked behind Vivian and the last robber dropped. The two police officers advanced next to the female hero. One continued on pulling out handcuffs. “You’re Amethystia, aren’t you?”

“Yes officer, I am.” Vivian turned to face the middle-aged man. “Glad to be of service.”

“I’m glad you both are here,” the cop said. “Between you and Cobalt, we are taking the robbers out quick.”

“It’s a team effort,” Vivian said with a flat smile. “Speaking of Cobalt, do you know where she is?”

“Yeah,” the cop said. “Dispatch said she just left her last location. She flew off towards the Fourth and Spruce location.”

“Thank you, officer.” Vivian reached a hand to the officer.

The officer shook her hand. “By the way, don’t you find it odd that all these guys are robbing different banks at the same time?”

Vivian paused with her knees flexed. “Now that you mention it, yes. It is odd.” Holding her position, her eyes moved as her brain processed the information.

“Distraction,” SYMON said in a quiet tone.

“For what?” Vivian jerked her arm to a stop, keeping it near her side.

“What?” The police officer looked at Vivian. “Did you say something?” He grabbed a cuffed robber and held him in place.

“Oh,” Vivian said. “No. Just thinking out loud.” She waved then finished her jump into the air and sped off towards Fourth and Spruce.

“Why would anyone need a distraction of this size?” Vivian held her wrist near her face. “I don’t get it.”

“That is the point of distractions,” SYMON said. “All questions will be answered if we answer the root question.”

“What?” Vivian zigged a quick left and aimed for the ground.

“Who is causing the distraction?”

Kelly descended towards the next location. As she touched down, she saw a figure land on the sidewalk close to the bank branch. The uniform was unmistakeable. “Amethystia.”

At that moment the front door of the building burst open and four black-clad men bolted from the shade covered walkway.

“Freeze ‘em,” Kelly shouted.

“No liquid to freeze,” Vivian shouted back.

“Well, so much for that,” Kelly muttered as she spread her arms. Tilting her torso forward, her feet left the ground and she darted at the clump of men.

“Ohhh…Good idea,” Vivian said imitating the senior hero.

Both heroes scooped up two men each and pushed them towards a nearby chain link fence. Kelly grabbed a support pole and wrapped it around two of the men. Vivian, once again, copied her idol and interlaced the pole with the first one.

When it was evident that the prisoners weren’t going anywhere, Vivian turned to Kelly. “Cobalt, you do realize this was a distraction, right?”

“Hmmm…” Kelly cocked put both her hands on her hips and looked at the gray pavement. “Who would put on a distraction this large?” Kelly’s masked face lined up with the other hero.

“I don’t know,” Vivian answered.

“Neither do I,” Kelly said. “So since I don’t have an idea of what to do next, I am just going to take out the bank robbers.” She squat down and put a fist over her head.

“Wait,” Vivian said. “You don’t think it’s odd that every robber is male and goes on about the power of his love?”

Kelly stood and sighed. “You have a point there.” Kelly tapped her chin with a finger. “And robbing anything more than two banks at the same time would be a distraction.”

“Especially since there are two superheroes in town,” Vivian added, showing a wide, toothy smile. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“Yeah,” Kelly said rolling her eyes and shifting her feet. “I guess so.”

“Oh, come on.” Vivian looked at Kelly. “Surely you have a string of super villains that might want to come after you for something.”

Kelly looked up for a beat, then shifted her head. “Nope. They are all in The Tank or Karl Pence.”

Vivian’s mouth opened as her eyes widened. “All of them?”

“Yup.” Kelly nodded as she spoke. “I make sure the bad guys go away and don’t come back.”

“What about Bartholomew Harris?” The synthetic voice said.

“Who said that?” Kelly looked around and stepped closer to Vivian. “How do you know about Bartty Harris?”

“I d-d-don’t,” Vivian said looking at her bracelet. “SYMON said it. He knows.”

“What?” Kelly followed her eyes and spotted the pulsating band around Vivian’s wrist.

“I am SYMON,” SYMON said. “Not a he.”

“Now is not the time for hair-splitting,” Vivian said. “Tell us what you know.”

“What is that thing?” Kelly grabbed Vivian’s arm. Her grip clamped down like a vise, forcing Vivian’s fingers to curl.

“It’s my digital assistant,” Vivian stammered. “That is the closest thing I can relate it to.”

“Is this the source of your powers?” Kelly shook Vivian’s arm. “You’re don’t really have super powers, do you?”

“I do,” Vivian said. “Technically. Or at least comparatively.”

“Explain,” Kelly spat.

“I’m from the future,” Vivian said. She sucked in air through her teeth and put a finger under Kelly’s hand. Lifting one finger from her arm put a heavy strain on her strength. “You’re stronger than initially reported.”

“What?”

“I told you,” Vivian said. “I’m from the future. I know all about you. Your life has been turned into holo-dramas spanning two-hundred episodes. You inspire others to take up the mantle and make the World a safe place.” Vivian grunted as she exerted more pressure on the fingers around her arm. “My hand is turning blue.”

Kelly jerked her eyes to Vivian’s arm. Seeing the loss of circulation spreading to the wrist, she slacked her fingers. “What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know how to explain it better,” Vivian said as she flexed her fingers. “I’m from the future, and you are from my past. I traveled here to meet you.”

“Amethystia, that is not the entire truth,” SYMON said.

Maid of Steel – It’s a Trap!

In the predawn hours, Kelly ran her customary fifteen miles. As she turned the corner, she sprinted for the front door of her apartment building. Once passed it, she stopped running and walked. Huffing and puffing Kelly reached the far corner, then turned around and walked back to the door. The silence of the city washed over her and a gentle breeze cooled her body. When she reached the door this time, her breathing returned to normal. Sweat poured down her face and neck, staining the battleship gray shirt dark.

“I may have gained weight, but I’m still in shape,” she muttered as she trudged the three flights of stairs. “That accident when I was twelve gave me special abilities, but I still have to workout to stay in shape.”

After her shower, she dressed and grabbed her protein shake. As the shaker bottle touched her lips, her computer emitted a loud steady beep.

“I set the scope of my trouble alarm to only the important things,” Kelly said as she lifted the lid of her laptop. “Great Ceaser’s ghost!” The messages on her screen displayed sixteen robberies in progress. “That is all four major banks, plus three of their branches each.”

Touching a finger to a message the screen switched to the camera of the branch bank. It showed five heavily armed men moving through the small building to the vault. They placed a series of devices on the steel door and stepped back.

“Amethystia,” SYMON’s mechanical voice shouted. “There are sixteen felony bank robberies in progress at this moment.”

“MMmmmmunghwha?” Vivian slid her feet over the edge of her bed and sat up. “How’sat pobile?”

“The men are all dressed identically,” to robotic voice said. “This appears to be a co-ordinated attack. Now is your chance. Cobalt has to respond to at least one.”

“Right!” Vivian stood and touched a small spot on her neck. Her clothing, mussed and wrinkled, morphed to her super suit as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “I need a stimulant or something.”

“Your coffee dispenser is set to deploy a mug in two seconds,” SYMON said. “Be careful, it is hot.”

Grabbing the cup under the spout, Vivian pursed her lips and blew a cooling breath over the surface of the dark, steaming liquid. A thin layer of frost appeared, and she tipped it to her lips. The cooled beverage poured into her mouth, then down her throat.

“Ugh!” Vivian grimaced as she drained the cup. “That stuff is terrible.”

“Tradition dictates that you should add sweeteners and other items to adjust the flavor,” SYMON said.

“Whatever,” Vivian responded and moved to the skylight. With three quick tugs on the chain, she opened the horizontal window and jumped. “Where’s the closest robbery?”

“One point three miles northwest of here,” SYMON answered. “Cameras indicate that Cobalt has responded to one as well.”

“Which one?” Vivian’s tone brightened as her eyes went wide.

“At the moment, that is irrelevant.” The band that held SYMON turned purple. “Please continue on to the closest destination.”

“Fine.” Vivian rolled her eyes as she fisted her hands and darted for her designated destination.

Scimitar affixed the domino mask over his eyes. Flexing his fingers, he yanked on the door to Hagger Chemical and Composites. “Are you sure this is the last stage?”

“Positive,” the voice of Prophet said. “With all the other equipment you have, this will be the ammunition to take out Cobalt once and for all.”

“That’s well and good,” the dark-clad figure said. “Amethystia needs to go down, too.”

“I am aware of your fixation on the young woman,” Prophet said.

“It’s not a fix-”

“Whatever it is,” Prophet interrupted. “The same weapon will also hinder Amethystia to the point that you can do what you do best.”

Scimitar’s right fist glowed a dull silver color. A narrow beam extended and widened as it progressed. “Excellent!” Scimitar punctuated his word with a swipe across the electric locking mechanism of the door. Sparks flew, and the door shifted as the lock disengaged.

Cobalt landed outside the demolished doors. She saw the small lights each man wore on their forehead. “These guys don’t look like amateurs.”

Dashing in, she grabbed the first man and lifted him from the ground.

“Cobalt’s here,” he shouted. “My love will conquer all.” The man raised a pistol and pointed it at Cobalt’s face.

With her free hand, Kelly crunched the device. Her maneuver mangled the fingers holding the weapon.

The man didn’t scream. He just grabbed the hand holding him and kicked. The steel toed boots bounced off Cobalt’s abdomen with hollow thumps.

Cobalt flicked the debris of the weapon to the ground. She spotted the other four men encircling her. Sending in a rapid slap, the man she held suspended closed his eyes. Cobalt let him fall to the ground in a heap.

The next man charged with a battle cry. “My love will conquer all.” He swung a knife in a series of deadly arcs. When he set for a backhand strike, Cobalt blocked his arm at the elbow. A quick jab dropped the man where he stood. She took the knife as he fell.

With blurring speed, Cobalt flicked the knife at the foot of the next man. A crisp thunk, and the knife pinned the foot to the tiled floor. “My love will conquer all,” the man screamed as his progress was halted. He dropped his knife and fumbled for the pistol at his side.

The next man ululated and followed with the same words. His knife melted as the red beams that shot from Cobalt’s eyes connected. “Come one guys,” she said. “This is ridiculous.” She punched the man in the forehead as he punched her. The man dropped after a quick flip.

Turning to the last man, she cocked her head. “Your love is not that strong.”

“How dare you,” he screamed. Like the rest before throwing himself at the superhero, he uttered the same phrase. Cobalt treated him like the first but held back on the power of her slap. It dazed the man and put him on the floor.

Moving to the man pinned to the floor, she grabbed him by the shoulders. His face was the color of chalk and the red veins in his eyes looked like spiderwebs. “This isn’t right.” She slapped the man unconscious.

Maid of Steel – Flip Flop

Scimitar pulled into the parking lot, then drove around back. He backed the truck into the open storage shed, then locked it. Walking to the main gate, Scimitar opened the door on the compact vehicle. His general shape looked too big to fit into the small car, but he slid in with ease. Once settled behind the wheel, he drove off to a bar several miles away.

Walking inside, he nodded to the bartender and slid into one side of a booth halfway down. The near pitch black of the room made it hard to see, let alone recognize anyone. “You’re on,” Scimitar said to the woman across the table from him. “You start next week.”

“Good.” The woman sipped through the straw in her azure colored drink. “As long as the check clears, I’ll do what needs to be done.”

“Then we have an accord.” Scimitar extended his hand over the table, palm up.

A chime sounded, and the woman looked at the smartphone in her hand. The soft glow of the message made her pale skin ghostly. Her obsidian lips curled in a smile that reached her violet eyes. “We do.” She tapped the open hand offered, then pulled her gloved hand back. “It’s a pleasure doing business with you.”

Scimitar nodded once, then left the way he came in.

---

“Move over Cobalt,” the newscaster said, with a chuckle. “It seems that we have a new hero in town and her name is Amethystia.” A small window displaying the footage of the shipyard rescue appeared over the newscaster’s shoulder. “She has a different power set than our beloved Cobalt and knows how to use it save the day.” The footage jumps to the workers running across the hardened surface of the deadly goop.

“They got my good side, and I didn’t stall during the interview,” Vivian said out loud to no-one.

The mechanical voice of SYMON spoke from her wrist, “There is no bad side of you. Your brain processes information at thirty-four times that of a normal, intelligent human.”

“SYMON,” Vivian said. “You’re so analytical.”

“Yes.” The voice went quiet.

“All I have to do now is continue on my current track.” Vivian stood from the couch and walked to the open kitchen. She put several dishes away and slowly organized the silverware. “I just wish it could last forever. I’m only here for the year.”

“That was the length of the contract,” SYMON said. “Once your year is up, you can return to the fifty-first century and resume your normal life.”

“I like the normal life here,” Vivian said, her voice taking on the whine of a machine.

“You don’t belong here.” The bracelet on Vivian’s wrist turned a dark shade of red. “You belong with your parents and brother.”

“I do miss them,” Vivian said, her voice taking on a more sorrow tone. “It’s just that Scimitar vowed to get even with my parents. Once this mess with his trial and execution is dealt with, then I will gladly go back.”

“That is why you are here for the year. He can’t come for you here.” SYMON switched to the soft blue color. “Your parent’s and brother’s testimony should be enough to put him in the chemical destabilizer.”

“Then why did they encode extra information in my DNA?” Vivian threw a spoon into the drawer. “It’s not fair and they won’t tell me what it is.”

SYMON paused several beats, then turned the color of butter. “Your parents did what they did as a precaution. They arranged with the time patrol for you to hang out here for a year. The information on your DNA is in case Scimitar jumps through loopholes again to get off. When you go back, we get the information and indict him again.”

“Fine,” Vivian sighed. She finished sorting the rest of her silverware, then moved onto the plates.

---

Kelly parked her car in the designated spot and went up the stairs to her apartment. Humming a song to herself, she went in and plopped on the couch. Pointing the remote at the TV, she turned it on and scanned for a movie. As the menu appeared, she flipped through the internet on her phone and found a pizza delivery. Placing an order for a large sausage and anchovy pizza she set the movie to start. Twenty minutes later, her cell chimed saying the delivery person was a block away.

“My first pizza in fifteen years!” Kelly sprang from the couch and flew down the stairs. The delivery guy’s fist didn’t touch the door when she yanked it open. “Here,” she said, thrusting a twenty dollar bill at him. Snatching the pizza box he held in his other hand, she sniffed over the cardboard. “Heavenly.” With her foot, she closed the door and turned to head upstairs. The pizza delivery guy saw the money and the receipt. Paid with debit was blazoned across the bottom. Pocketing the twenty, the dashed back to his car and drove around the corner.

Stopping by the fridge, Kelly grabbed a diet soda and went back to the movie. Pulling a melting slice from the box, she bit and savored the taste. “Oh, man!” Her eyes rolled into the top of her head. Touching the remote, she unpaused the movie.

BEEP!

“Ignore!” Kelly didn’t even look at her computer as she scarfed the first slice in just four bites. She washed it down with a large swallow of the soda.

BEEP BEEP!

“I said ignore,” Kelly shouted then settled back to the movie and stuffed another pizza into her face.

BEEP BEEP!

“Let the newbie handle it,” Kelly said as she jumped from the couch. Moving to the laptop on the table, she looked at the screen. It was covered with several messages about different events. The majority were speeding cars, domestic disturbances, and a small brush fire.

Tapping on the icon for her scanner program, she adjusted the settings. She limited the span of trouble to that of bank robbery, violence, or super humans. “That should take care of it.” With a smile, she went back to her movie still in progress.

Over the next few days, Kelly ignored the news mostly. She paid attention to the random appearances of Amethystia. On a few occasions, she even muttered different curses under her breath.

Heading downstairs, she dumped several pizza boxes, soda cans, and even ice-cream containers into the garbage bin. Arriving at her storage shed, she picked up her bag and retraced her route home.

Upstairs, she hung her suits on their hangers. While she bent over, she noticed her pants were snug around the waist. A small bead of skin extended over the belt and caught her eye.

“Oh no.” With eyes like dinner plates, she stripped down and pulled on a super suit. It fit but was tight and hard to move in. “It’s all the pizza. Dammit.”

Hanging the suit back up, she made a solemn vow to cut the stuff she liked out, once again. “I need to be in shape to fight crime. Even if there is another hero here.”

---

When Saturday arrived, Vivian didn’t wake up until noon. “SYMON, we need to adjust the level of urgency on the trouble notifications.”

“You wanted to be Cobalt’s sidekick or even her partner,” the voice said from her bracelet. “We have to get her attention. What better way than to be in the public eye?”

“She hasn’t contacted me yet.” Kelly went to the open kitchen and put several fruits and vegetables into a blender. She dropped several pellets into the container before turning on the device. Once the items were blended into a drinkable conception, she downed the contents. “I don’t know what else to do?”

“It is a high percentage guess that she has decided to vacate the city,” SYMON said. “Since you are first at every response and have the situation under control within only a minute. She probably has seen that you are significantly better than her. Your popularity is increasing.”

“That’s great,” Vivian said. “But it isn’t helping.”

“Understood.” The mechanical device stopped talking.

---

In a dark building, Coquette walked down the line of men gathered. Their eyes sparkled as they followed her down the line. “Gentlemen, we are just about ready,” she said, running a finger under one man’s chin. “You all have your targets and the weapons are over there.” Her arm waved in a random direction. “Monday, seven am. Be ready and be thorough. Or I will be displeased.” She cocked a hip and put a fist on it. The men’s face took on a sad look.

“We aim to please you, love.” All the men spoke in unison. “We love you with all our heart, soul, and body.”

Coquette tossed her head back and laughed her dark, rich laugh. Tendrils of purple mist rolled from her and caressed each man, making them shudder and display a drooling smile. “Good.” Turning from the men, she walked out, her black boots and cape making her disappear in the lightless room.