Another welcome surprise to see another chapter of yours appear, I can't wait to get into it.
Amazing start, I love the whole main villainess confronting the main protagonist scenario, absolutely incredible, very well written and the whole scene had be aching for more, well done indeed!
The next scene was great, again whilst none of the infiltrators technically heard her say it, Sofia's poor choice of wording certainly came back to bite her in the backside, plus light blue hair is a win / win in my book!
Also I see that once again a couple of chefs have been mugged for their uniforms, okay note to self if I ever find myself in one of these locations of yours.....Be wary of the restaurants, hahaha
Well, well, congratulations, having a woman who has the award results be replaced.........Another original idea, blooming heck, literally you've done it again, another profession I would never have thought of, outstanding stuff!
Also, Darla's pun..........Heck YES!
The following scene with Bridget and Felicia was very nice, we know that Felicia will always stand by Bridget's side no matter what and it'll be interesting to see how all of this unfolds once, it's someone has thrown a giant tinder box into the room......So many henchwomen, so many heroines, such high stakes here........All it takes now is someone to just light the match.....This will be good.
Hahaha, I loved Bobbi's analysis of women in uniform, it's true, every word she said is true and especially with all the unique uniforms you keep conjuring up, no profession is safe.
Classic Bobbi returns and in all fairness, Katie got exactly what she deserved if we are being honest. It was pretty neat seeing Bobbi try to change her mindset and just let it slide, but Katie had to keep pushing didn't she, it was also nice to see Bobbi being honest and explaining of how she's not a criminal and leaving Katie's wallet and phone. I also really appreciated the whole takedown and the bonding being viewed from Katie's eyes and we see things how she is seeing them and feeling them, quite a rarity, so I appreciated that.
I chuckled a little bit at Moira with the tipsy drunk hiccups haha.
You can really feel the tension in Bridget building as this continues, you have a genius way of making the reader almost feel the exact same type of pressure and anxiety that Bridget herself is going through, I'm going to lie......IT'S GREAT! Because that way it really makes us feel the weight that Bridget is currently carrying right now, I really do like it.
I loved the "Kiss The Cook" underwear on Sofia, nice touch.
Excellent scene overall and if I'm being honest, I quite enjoyed Sonja and Chandra's little rabbit and carrot quips. Well that appears to be all the FBI agents out of the way, although even when the dust settles and smoke clears, they're still going to be after Bridget herself, this has me very curious.
Heck yeah, having Ashley back in the fray properly is certainly a welcomed thing and now she's partnered with Eleanor, something tells me we are in for a treat with their upcoming scenes and I was wondering when the "Spinnerettes" were going to appear, I saw your foreshadowing earlier on in the chapter.
Another amazing scene with Lora and Violet getting taken down by Meredith and Linda, well better luck next time Violet, I mean after all they say all bad things come in three's so who knows maybe the fourth time she won't get her uniform stolen............But then again, I haven't seen any pigs flying lately hahaha. Honestly this was a fantastic scene.
I'm really enjoying all these scene's featuring Bobbi, they really are bringing her character to life in so many new and interesting ways, her scene's are incredibly rewarding and I'm have an absolute blast reading through them, her journey is one of the most memorable one's, that's for sure.
HAHAHA, aaahhh WOW, that sudden surprise with Robyn being the winner! Seriously I can't wait to see how all of this unfolds with Dr. Chen now, someone has really mucked up here (or have they), Darla's got some explaining to do......Seriously what a curve ball to throw at the last second, great twist, outstanding!
So it's Lucinda who's being sent to kill Prema, fitting I guess, seeing as how this is what she wanted all along, although with her wife Meredith and Linda hopefully arriving on the scene soon, I get the feeling like we're in for some truly wonderful scenes.
Well, this was certainly a delight to read through and was even more wonderful to get lost in your world once more. The characters were once again written to perfection. Dr. Chen and her mindset to destroy Bridget mentally was to be expected and needed, this is my opnion is what makes a true villainess, it's not enough to destroy the heroines, no, no, they need to break them down until their nothing and truly make them suffer, she is a truly memorable character and Dr. Chen will be a character I remember for years and years to come.
As I say, I sense spectacular scenes on the horizon and I think I can guess which way some of these characters are leaning, having so many characters, with different goals, working together in different groups, all surrounding each other, just waiting for the inevitable it's great.......It makes the heart pump with excitement and eagerness, because I always want to read more and more and I always sigh when I reach the end because I always want to know what's going to happen next........This of course is nothing but praise and praise to you, I love it when a story truly gets me hooked and I know you've done an outstanding job!
All in all, I was a little bit excited when I saw your new chapter appear on the updates page and you certainly didn't disappoint, everything in this chapter just screamed greatness and I had so much fun reading through it!
Rufus: Yes, that was precisely my intent with the opening Chen/Bridget scene. Chen relishes the idea of making her enemies suffer, and she loves the idea of ruining Bridget professionally (just as Bridget ruined her). And it's also a way of forcing Bridget to confront the tougher side of her career - that a lot of her best work is accomplished through illegal and unprofessional means. I didn't want to get too detailed in the scene, but it was important to plant these seeds here and reveal Chen's plans.
Bobbi's character is a delicate balance to maintain - she's a complicated woman who needs to be both sympathetic and have a pronounced cruel streak. Katie is certainly not a nice person, which helps make Bobbi's behavior toward her more palatable, but she's still an innocent woman out for a jog. It's fair to say that Felicia is more in the right than Bobbi, although I don't want Bobbi to come off as truly wrong either.
Ashley is finally starting to come into her own, it seems. She was simply too popular to do otherwise. Her conversation with Eleanor was incredibly fun to write - she's been a unique and funny character, and I'm happy to expand her role in the story beyond USB victim in this volume.
I figured people would appreciate the dyed blue hair and "Kiss the Cook" bra. Little details, I feel, add a lot to minor characters. Ditto the continuity of bringing back USB victims from prior volumes - the dialogue flows easily.
It does seem to be an unlucky story for the gourmet crowd, doesn't it? In fairness, fancy gala events put a lot of emphasis on the food - so with the security guards replaced, they were the next in line.
It's true, the FBI doesn't accomplish much beyond mugging innocent women for their clothes. But I'm sure many would agree that's a worthwhile activity.
Don't lose hope for a Bobbi/Ashley meeting just yet - there's still a fair bit of story left. And characters are constantly bumping into each other in this series.
The Bridget/Robyn mix-up will be explained in a later chapter. There's a lot of plot to resolve, and a lot of uniforms left to steal, so don't worry, your patience will hopefully be rewarded.
Trackman: I love the hero vs. villain confrontations as well, and I tried to make this one worth the wait. Bridget and Chen have not seen each other since Volume 2, so this meeting has been a long time coming.
Indeed, restaurants are not the safest place in this series. Though most areas that require uniformed employees seem to be unlucky. Glad you liked the dyed hair; I've been trying to incorporate that element a little more often.
I believe accountants have been replaced in other USB stories (including at least one of yours), but perhaps not in these circumstances. I was a little inspired by the Oscars here, which always try to keep the winners secure.
Part of the Bobbi scene is told from Katie's perspective in order to make Katie a little more sympathetic (and thus not let Bobbi off the hook for her behavior).
The FBI is mostly out of the way, although already Eleanor has escaped... they're pretty much the "wild card" third team in the story, and you can bet we haven't seen the last of them.
Lora and Violet weren't originally going to be in that scene (I at first wrote it for two nameless cops), but I decided it would be a fun bit of continuity to bring them back. (Though not so fun for Lora and Violet, obviously.)
The Lucinda/Prema antagonism is finally coming full circle, in a sense. As I've mentioned before, I really love writing sympathetic villains in these stories, and Meredith and Lucinda are two of my favorites.
So glad Dr. Chen is leaving an impression - she's one of the most wicked characters in the series, but that doesn't mean she can't still be interesting, and her plans deliciously evil.
Thanks again for your praise. There are certainly a lot of characters and a lot of conflicting goals; hopefully they will remain investing till the end. I will try to keep a good pace with the next few chapters, as I wouldn't want to leave these cliffhangers dangling for too long.
Robyn sat, dazed and perplexed, as the applause rang in her ears.
"--byn! Robyn, stand up!"
"Huh?" The blonde looked up at her sister in confusion.
"Robyn, you won!" Chloe beamed. "Go up to the stage and collect your trophy... You've earned it!"
Robyn blinked. She slowly looked toward the stage, where Mr. McElroy was holding up a trophy, and looking right at her.
"Um... all right..." Robyn slowly stood up. She still wasn't quite sure if this was a dream, but the sounds of people beckoning her to the stage sounded real enough.
Bridget watched Robyn walk towards the stage with a mixture of confusion and relief. Had Dr. Chen been lying, or...?
Felicia patted Bridget on the back. "Hey... you'll get it next year."
Bridget nodded, slowly. She glanced around the room; Haleema had disappeared.
Chloe caught Bridget's eye and gave a sympathetic smile. "Hey... I think you probably were the real winner... And definitely deserved it. But... I think Robyn really needed that win."
Bridget nodded again. But her mind was swirling with multiple thoughts. If the award reveal had been a miscalculation on Chen's part, then there was still danger in the air. This was no time to let her guard down... or let her friends out of her sight.
She turned to Felicia, concern all over her face. "Where's Moira?"
Felicia shrugged. "She stepped out for some fresh air, I think. Should be back soon." She caught sight of Bridget's expression. "Don't worry... Moira's a bit drunk, but she can take care of herself."
Bridget was about to respond, but several people in attendance began shushing the audience, as they prepared to let Robyn give her acceptance speech.
At that moment, Bridget's phone buzzed.
She glanced down. The text message was from an "unknown caller."
'You're not playing by the rules... So now you have to pay the price.'
Bridget could easily guess who this text was from. She was contemplating a response, but Dr. Chen buzzed in with another text.
'Stay right where you are. Await further instructions. Do not use your phone to make any calls or texts. Make ANY suspicious moves and Prema will die immediately.'
Bridget knew this was not an idle threat. Dr. Chen's plans had been thrown off-kilter, and she needed time to recalibrate. Unfortunately, Bridget couldn't make any moves to stop her.
Well... perhaps there was one move she could make. A long shot, but it could work.
While still pretending to read Chen's message, Bridget made a brief modification to her phone. Then she slipped it back into her handbag.
Now, all she could do was wait.
"I'd, um, like to thank the Society..." a flustered Robyn began.
***********************
Prema ached all over. Her wrists were sore. Her ankles were strained. Her mouth was dry. And she was cold.
Being bound and gagged in a car trunk had that effect, of course. But beyond that, she simply felt... sick. She was sick and tired of always being the damsel in distress. The helpless girl. The default victim.
But what could she do? She had been kidnapped so often in the past few weeks that it was becoming part of her regular routine.
In frustration, Prema kicked again at the top of the trunk. The reinforced metal held fast, absorbing her blow with a muted THUD.
I hope Nita's okay... Prema felt sorry for her secretary. An innocent girl who had been quite literally roped into trouble. At least she hadn't been kidnapped alongside her boss.
Prema heard footsteps approaching from outside the car trunk. For a moment, her hopes perked up. Had someone heard her bangs for help?
The trunk clicked, then popped open.
Prema's heart immediately sank. Standing above her, a triumphant grin on her face, was Lucinda.
Damn it... Why me...
Lucinda chuckled. "Dear, dear, Prema," she said with savory anticipation. "We have to stop meeting like this."
Prema wanted to say something angry, something inflammatory. But all the came out from behind the gag was a furious "MMMPPHH!"
Lucinda laughed. "You know, Prema... you're a very lucky woman," she said. "In the past few weeks, I've tried to kill you... twice. Yet you're still alive. Still an irritating thorn in my side."
She pulled the gun from her jacket. Prema froze.
"Twice I've failed..." Lucinda mused. "But you know what they say about the third time being the charm."
She aimed the gun to Prema's head. The young woman began to whimper in fear.
"I made a promise to Meredith," Lucinda said, her voice turning serious. "I told her we'd get our happily ever after. But we can't get any happily ever after until I've settled some old scores. And you..." She pressed the gun to Prema's forehead. "...You're an old score that needs to be settled."
Prema was too scared to move. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she was too frightened to even blink.
Lucinda's communicator buzzed to life. "Lucinda, do you have eyes on the hostage?"
Lucinda responded. "Yeah, boss, got her right here. No one's coming to rescue her."
"Good," Dr. Chen replied. "Keep her alive for now. I'll let you know if her status... changes."
"Copy that, boss."
Lucinda turned back to Prema. "Looks like I'm not killing you just yet, honey," she smiled. "You're still useful to Chen's plans. Enjoy your life... or at least the few remaining hours of it."
She shut the trunk with an air of satisfaction.
It was only then that the doubt began to creep back into her mind. An image of Meredith's face... the last time Lucinda had seen her. Abandoned at the side of the road, while Lucinda drove off on her revenge scheme with Dr. Chen.
Lucinda could still remember her wife's sorrowful eyes... Watching her... Judging her as though she'd made a huge mistake.
Lucinda quickly pushed these thoughts out of her mind. Focus, woman. There's no mistake here. You're doing what needs to be done.
She leaned against the car trunk, and tried to keep her attention on other things.
********************
Eleanor knocked softly on the door to the dressing room, and held her breath.
No response. She opened the door and beckoned to Ashley. "Come on, let's get inside before someone sees us!"
Ashley followed her inside, and looked around as Eleanor shut the door.
The dressing room was empty, but well-furbished. On one side of the room were three chairs set up by three side tables, each with a mirror. On the other side was a makeup compartment, plus a rack of clothes and costumes.
Ashley had been working for Chrysalis for only a few days now, so she wasn't too familiar with all the rooms. She whistled, impressed. "They really know how to treat the entertainment well here."
"Where are the dancers?" Eleanor asked. "Intel - plus that poster - indicated the Spinnerets would be here."
"They might not have arrived yet," Ashley reasoned. "Or if they have, maybe they were first taken to one of the employee lounges for refreshments. Sort of a warm-up to the show."
"Well, they'd better show up soon. We need their costumes."
"Need their costumes?" Ashley asked. "You mean... steal them?"
"Of course," Eleanor nodded. "How else will we get out to the main event without the crooks catching wise?"
"Well..." Ashley gestured to the costume rack on the wall. "Maybe we can take a couple of those costumes. Nobody's wearing them now."
"But people are expecting the Spinnerets onstage," Eleanor countered. "Not dancers wearing any of those outfits."
Ashley sighed.
Eleanor looked at her in surprise. "Oh... You've never stolen another woman's clothes before, have you?"
Ashley shook her head. "I get my uniforms stolen all the time," she explained. "It's awful. Why would I want to inflict that pain on someone else?"
Eleanor nodded sympathetically. "I understand. But if you're not going to work with me, you'll need to stay out of my way. Find someplace to hide..."
"No!" Ashley interrupted. "I... I want to work with you. I want to stop Chen and Bridget. I... I don't mind stealing some clothes."
"Well, if you're sure..."
Eleanor didn't have time to finish, as a noise from outside alerted her. "Footsteps! Hide!"
The two women quickly scampered behind the costume rack. They peeked out from behind the wardrobe as the door opened.
"I'm just saying, would it kill them to give us some actual food?"
Two women entered the dressing room, shutting the door behind them. They were dressed in the signature outfits of the scarlet Spinnerets - a magenta leotard over pink tights; lavender gloves that extended past the elbow and matching low-heeled, knee-high boots; a pink feathered headdress; and a rose-colored domino mask. The leotards were covered in sequins, and the headdress was adorned with glittering rhinestones.
"If they don't give us some real nourishment, we'll waste away to nothing," the first woman continued. She had light skin and blonde hair, and the slight twang in her accent suggested she was from the Midwest.
"It's the price we pay," the second woman mused. She had porcelain skin and black hair, and was a few inches shorter than her friend. "Gotta stay slim if we want to keep getting these gigs."
"Oh, come on, Myrna," the blonde rolled her eyes. "Any slimmer and we'll be a pair of shoelaces."
"It's not that bad, Callie," Myrna laughed, seating herself at one of the side tables. "So you have to give up donuts. There are worse fates."
"It's not just donuts... I can't even overindulge on carrot sticks." Callie sighed. "So glad this job pays well."
She approached the costume rack and began scanning it. "Have you seen my feather boa? Was hoping to use it onstage tonight."
Myrna had her back turned to the costume rack, her eyes focused on the mirror as she applied a fresh round of makeup to her face. "I haven't seen it... and before you ask, no, you can't borrow mine."
Callie rolled her eyes. "I said I was sorry for losing the last one." She walked alongside the costume rack, examining each item in turn.
Then, curiously, she thought she detected movement from behind the rack. She moved a pair of coats aside. "What the..."
Before she could say another word, a hand had shot out and planted itself over her mouth; another hand grabbed her arm and pulled her into the dark space behind the costume rack.
"You say something, hon?" Myrna was busy applying eyeshadow and thus had her eyes closed. "It's nothing personal. I just don't like it when my stuff gets lost."
Hearing no response, she opened her eyes again. "Cal?"
She looked around. The room appeared empty.
"Callie, where are you?"
At that moment, a lavender-gloved hand poked itself out from behind the costume rack and beckoned at her.
Myrna sighed. "Callie, I don't have time for silliness. What are you up to?"
The hand beckoned her again, more frantically this time.
Myrna sighed as she stood up and approached the costume rack. "Okay, I'm coming. But this had better be good. What do you... EEP!"
That brief exclamation was all she had time for before she was pulled through the folds of the costume rack.
She could see Callie lying on the floor, unconscious. One of her gloves was missing. It was currently being worn by the hand that now gripped Myrna.
"Who are you?" Myrna gasped. "How dare you attack my friend and steal her glove?"
"Oh, we'll be stealing a lot more than that," Eleanor replied. She dealt a quick judo chop to the side of Myrna's neck. With a moan, the dancer lapsed into unconsciousness.
Ashley watched from nearby. She felt a bit sorry for these dancers, but decided not to comment on it.
"Well, don't just stand there." Eleanor laid Myrna down on the ground. "Start stripping this one. She looks closer to your size. I'll take care of her friend."
Ashley nodded and knelt down beside the fallen dancer.
"Let me know if you need any help," Eleanor commented as she pulled the other glove off the blonde dancer.
Ashley rolled her eyes. "I've seen other people utilize the clothes-stealing process plenty of times. I think I can handle it myself."
The two women worked silently and diligently, removing the gloves, boots, headdresses, masks, tights, and leotards from the two dancers. These clothes they were soon pulling onto their own bodies.
Ashley adjusted her feathered headdress and reached for the boots. "Wow... stealing another woman's outfit is... exciting. I can definitely see why it's become such a popular tactic."
Eleanor gave her a funny look. Ashley shrugged. "Although I'd appreciate if people stopped doing it to me."
Eleanor rolled her eyes. "That's a common sentiment," she mused. "Uniform stealing is fun, so long as you're not on the receiving end."
She was currently in the process of binding Callie and Myrna back-to-back with a couple of pink feather boas and gagging them with purple sashes. Both women had been reduced to their elasticized pink bras and lavender bikini panties.
After testing the bonds to ensure their tightness, she stood up and brushed off her new uniform. "Well? How do I look?"
"Like you're ready to dance," Ashley chuckled.
"Unfortunately, tonight's not a night for dancing," Eleanor replied, covering the two unconscious women with a blanket. "At least not until after the FBI's case is closed."
She stepped out again from behind the costume rack. Ashley followed. They were just in time, as more footsteps were approaching the dressing room.
Four other costumed Spinnerets entered the room, chatting merrily with one another. One of the women, seemingly the team leader, gave Eleanor and Ashley a nod.
"Let's get dolled up, girls," she announced. "We're onstage in fifteen minutes!"
The other girls began prepping themselves for the show. Ashley and Eleanor exchanged a brief nod, then did their best to follow along.
*******************
Moira took a few generous gulps of fresh night air. "Ahhh..."
It was a cool night, but not a chilling one. Just the sort of temperature Moira needed to sober up.
"Not that I'm drunk in the first place," she said out loud to no one in particular, striding on semi-wobbly legs down the sidewalk.
True, she had not imbibed much alcohol... yet still she felt a bit funny. As though there had been something beyond alcohol in her drink. But that was ridiculous - the sommelier who poured her wine was a professional; she wouldn't allow any outside chemicals into the bottle. Would she?
Moira was feeling more sober - yet she was still inexplicably dizzy. She focused her vision on a nearby street lamp, trying to stay alert.
Then, as she rounded the corner, she caught sight of something that alerted her better than any bright lights could.
Standing beside an old black sedan, arms folded and keeping a vigilant watch, was a woman that Moira had hoped not to see again.
"Lucinda?" she blurted out, before she could stop herself.
Lucinda turned and stared at Moira in shock. Then her eyes narrowed. "You."
"What are you doing here?" Moira tried to ignore the pain in her temples. "The last I saw you, they were taking you to jail."
"The last I saw you," Lucinda replied venomously, "you kicked me in the head. Knocked me unconscious."
"You were trying to kill me and my friends," Moira retorted.
"You got lucky last time." Lucinda reached into her jacket. "Not anymore... HEY!"
Moira lunged at Lucinda, nearly knocking her over. "Don't know... what you're doing here," she panted, "but you're going right back to jail."
"I'm going nowhere." Lucinda regained her balance and pulled out her gun. "But the only place you'll be going is a graveyard plot, unless you surrender immediately."
Moira braced herself, ignoring the woozy feeling in her head. "You're not gonna shoot me. Gimme that gun."
In the back of her mind, she knew it was the wrong thing to say - but in her semi-lucid state, that did not stop the words from coming out of her mouth. Nor did they stop her from lunging at Lucinda once again.
Lucinda snarled. Her finger tensed on the trigger...
...Then she paused, and remembered Chen's orders. She was not to kill any of Bridget's friends without direct permission.
She glared at the oncoming Moira. "You live... for now."
Then she brought the butt of the gun down onto the young woman's head.
With an "Uurrkkk..." Moira pitched forward to the pavement. Her world quickly blurred, then faded to darkness.
Lucinda glared down at the unconscious Moira. "Pathetic. That was almost too easy."
She hoisted Moira up and popped open the trunk. Prema looked up in fear and surprise.
"Brought you a little playmate," Lucinda chuckled, dropping Moira into the trunk beside Prema.
She didn't bother stripping Moira, but she did use some spare ropes from the trunk to tie her up, and two strips of tape to gag her. Prema could only watch helplessly as the unconscious blonde was restrained and silenced.
"Have fun," Lucinda chuckled at Prema as she stood up again.
Before Prema could protest, Lucinda had slammed the lid down again.
********************
Darla's head swirled as she stepped through the backstage exit and emerged in a side hallway.
What had gone wrong?
She had been given a paper and instructed to switch it with the one inside the award winners' envelope. She had carried out the plan as instructed. And yet, somewhere along the way, there had been a mix-up.
As Darla tried to puzzle out what had gone wrong, an irate voice sounded behind her.
"You idiot."
Darla turned to the voice, and immediately felt sick. A seething Dr. Chen approached her, flanked by a menacing-looking Haleema.
"You idiot," Chen repeated. "You had one simple job. Switch the envelopes. Make sure Bridget wins the award."
"But..." Darla tried to protest.
"And now, because of your incompetence," Chen fumed, "my whole plan has been shot to shit!" Her eyes narrowed. "Or... was is merely incompetence?"
Darla tried to find her voice. "Boss, please... I don't know what happened. I switched the envelopes like you asked. I would never betray you!"
Chen now stood inches from Darla, menace in her eyes. "Wouldn't you?" she whispered.
Darla was no stranger to intimidating employers - she had once worked for Sloane, after all. But the look on Dr. Chen's was legitimately unsettling.
"I..." Darla swallowed. "I would never betray you. I hate Bridget Baxter. She put me in prison. Of course I want revenge on her."
"Then what the hell happened?" Chen growled.
"I... I don't know," Darla admitted. "I intercepted the woman with the award results... Knocked her out... Stole her clothes and suitcase... Switched the papers in the envelope. I swear, I don't know what went wrong!"
Dr. Chen motioned to Haleema. The Arab woman grabbed Darla's arm and held tight.
Darla looked at Dr. Chen, a note of fear in her eyes. "Please... please don't kill me."
"Perhaps I should," Dr. Chen intoned. "Weeks of planning and plotting, and you may have put my whole plan in jeopardy, with your incompetence."
Darla swallowed. "I swear, I won't screw up again."
"Indeed you won't." Dr. Chen nodded at Haleema.
Haleema suddenly wrapped her arm around Darla's neck, applying a tight sleeper hold.
"I believe you when you say you genuinely wanted to follow my orders," Dr. Chen explained as a struggling Darla began to grow weak. "But you were incompetent. And I can't have incompetent people working for me."
"Urghh..." Darla's eyes fluttered closed as she lapsed into unconsciousness.
Dr. Chen turned to Haleema. "Strip her out of those clothes. Then tie her up and toss her into a closet. As of this moment, she's no longer part of my team."
Haleema nodded. She dragged Darla into a nearby side room and shut the door.
Dr. Chen was left in thought, and they were seething thoughts indeed.
Darla had appeared to be telling the truth - either that, or she had given an Oscar-worthy performance. Clearly, she had not intended for the announcer to give the award to someone other than Bridget.
That meant that perhaps there had been an outside, external force that Chen had not accounted for - something that would have upset her plans no matter what.
Or...
Chen's eyes narrowed. Or it meant that one of the girls on her team - someone other than Darla - was working against her. A traitor in her midst.
Chen clenched her fists. Whatever was going on, she intended to get to the bottom of it.
*******************
Bobbi's jog took her along the perimeter of the park - a scenic route, even at night, albeit an uncrowded one. No matter; she felt like being alone.
She slowed her pace as she approached a park bench, allowing herself to sit and rest.
"That was fun," she mused aloud.
No response, of course. Bobbi shrugged and pulled out her phone.
No calls... no texts... nothing. Felicia hadn't reached out to her. Neither had Bridget. This was a surprise - Bridget typically considered herself a peacemaker between her two young friends, and probably would not want their animosity to linger.
Bobbi still didn't feel like talking to Felicia... but perhaps reaching out to Bridget would help soothe things over. She navigated to Bridget's number on speed-dial and hit the call button.
The phone rang once... twice... thrice. Then it went to voicemail.
"Hi, you've reached Bridget Blake Baxter. I'm unavailable right now. Please leave your name and number..."
Bobbi raised an eyebrow. It was not the first time that she had heard Bridget's voicemail message. But something seemed different this time...
Bridget had used her middle name.
Months ago, following their initial NASA escapade, Bridget had established a set of parameters for the girls to follow in case any of them were ever caught in a dangerous situation where they could not use their phone to alert the others. It involved setting up an alternate voicemail message with a middle name.
Bobbi dialed the number one more time to confirm she had heard correctly. Yes, Bridget was using the code.
She was in danger.
Bobbi's mind raced. Where was Bridget now? She recalled hearing something about a gala event hosted by the National Journalism Society. Could that be it?
A quick Google search told Bobbi that the event in question was being held at the Chrysalis Hall. Bobbi used her phone to track Bridget's location. Indeed, her friend was at Chrysalis.
It had to be a false alarm... Perhaps Bobbi's thirst for adventure had made her want to see trouble where there was none. Then again... was the life of her friend worth the risk?
A little more phone tracing told Bobbi that Felicia was at the event as well. Could she be in danger too?
Bobbi didn't want to risk making any more calls. But she had to investigate further. She stood up from the bench and began walking toward the nearest park exit.
Chrysalis Hall was located in an upscale part of town, nearly six miles away. Bobbi would have a tough time getting there on foot, particularly after all her jogging. Public transportation would also be difficult - the buses were rather unreliable at this late hour.
As Bobbi exited the park, she glanced down the street. Her eyes lit up as they fell upon a sleek black motorcycle chained to a lamppost.
Perfect.
Bobbi approached the cycle, studying the lock with satisfaction. It was one of the old mechanical locks, probably purchased on the cheap. Bridget had taught her how to pick locks like this, should the need arise.
Bobbi knelt down beside the bike and removed a pin from her hair. She kept such pins around less for fashion than for situations like this.
She worked quietly, dexterously, jimmying the lock with the pin without getting it stuck. Just a little more work, and she'd be the proud owner of...
"What are you doing?"
Bobbi froze. She slowly turned around.
Behind her stood a tall young woman, arms folded, an irritated expression on her face. She had tan skin and brown eyes. Her hair had been dyed mint-green and arranged in an asymmetrical pixie cut. The girl wore a black leather riding jacket with metal studs along the collar, over a white cotton tank top. Her black cargo pants had been tucked into a pair of knee-high black leather low-heeled boots. She also wore a pair of fingerless black patent leather motorcycle gloves, showing off her green-painted fingernails.
Bobbi stammered out her words. "Sorry, I... I was just..."
The angry girl pointed a gloved hand at Bobbi accusingly. "Are you trying to steal my bike?"
"No, I..." Bobbi gulped. "I thought this was my bike."
"Bullshit." The girl pulled out her phone. "You can try telling that to the police."
That was the last thing Bobbi needed. She couldn't waste time tangling with the cops, especially not when her friends were in danger.
"Don't try to run away," the cyclist said, dialing her phone. "I'm not in the mood of chasing y... Hey!"
Bobbi had no intention of running. She needed the bike, and didn't want to waste any more time. She dove at the cyclist, shoving the girl into the bushes that lined the park.
"Get the hell off me!" the girl growled. Luckily for Bobbi, they were on a quiet street; across from the empty park were a few abandoned tenements. No one else was around.
"I just want your bike," Bobbi explained, pinning the girl to the ground. "I'm not even trying to steal your clothes or anything. It's not a big deal."
"You're crazy!" The cyclist glowered. In a surprise move, she rolled over, pushing Bobbi to the grass.
Bobbi winced as the girl pressed her into the dirt. The cyclist was stronger than she looked.
"Think you can steal my ride?" The biker pulled a gleaming penknife from her jacket. "I'm always prepared for creeps like you."
She held the knife-blade a few inches from Bobbi's neck. "Do you give up? I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you don't surrender."
Bobbi started to cry.
"I'm... I'm sorry..." she stammered. "I know I shouldn't have... I was wrong." She swallowed. "Please don't hurt me... Please..."
The biker's expression softened, and she loosened her grip slightly. "Okay... No need to cry. We'll let the police... urrk!"
She doubled up in pain as Bobbi kneed her in the stomach. Another push by Bobbi sent the girl onto the grass.
Reeling from the blow, the biker tried getting to her feet. But Bobbi was too fast. She wrapped an arm around the biker's neck and held tight.
"Fooled ya," she sang.
The biker squirmed and writhed in Bobbi's grip, but the dark-haired woman refused to let up. She continued applying pressure to the biker's neck, waiting the long seconds until her reflexes began to slow. The woman's strength ebbed away. Her eyelids fluttered closed, and she slumped in Bobbi's grip.
Bobbi let the unconscious girl slide to the grass, then took a few moments to catch her breath.
That had been a close call. If not for her long hours of practice at squeezing fake tears out of her eyes, she would have been on the losing end of that fight.
Bobbi glanced down at her tracksuit, and frowned. The outfit had been badly torn in the struggle. It had served her well in her jogging, but would no longer do.
She glanced over at the biker. They were about the same size.
Bobbi shrugged as she reached for the woman's boot and began to unlace it. "Sorry, girlfriend, but you brought this on yourself..."
Before long, Bobbi was lacing up the boot and its twin. She had already donned the biker's tank top, jacket, and pants. The fit was adequate, assuming her bike ride would not last too long.
Bobbi pulled on the fingerless gloves, admiring the feel. They were designed to give traction to the wearer, without interfering with her grip. Perhaps she would hold on to these gloves; they could prove useful in her line of work.
Bobbi used some spare duct tape from her handbag to bind and gag the cyclist. The young woman was now down to her indigo sports bra and mauve boyshorts. She stirred slightly as Bobbi smoothed the tape over her lips.
Bobbi smiled sympathetically down at the biker, who was waking up in shock. "I meant what I said earlier, Jordan." She had gotten the girls' name off her motorcycle license. "I didn't intend to steal your clothes. But you left me no choice."
Jordan growled something from behind her gag and pulled against her bonds. No use - Bobbi had taped her wrists tight.
"I promise you, I'm doing this for good reasons." Bobbi stood up, brushing off her new clothes. "Don't know if that's a comfort, but it's the truth."
Jordan struggled angrily as Bobbi stepped out of the bushes. She grumbled in frustration. Then her eyes fell on her penknife, which had fallen a few feet away.
Carefully, Jordan maneuvered herself across the grass, approaching the small knife. The blade could easily cut through her bonds. She reached out with her bound wrists...
"Oops! That's a no-no."
Bobbi had returned to see what the sounds of motion were all about. She picked up the penknife and tucked it into her jacket. "Sorry, honey. But it's better if you stay like this for a while."
Jordan moaned in dismay as she saw her one hope of escape disappear inside Bobbi's jacket - or rather, her own jacket. She pounded her feet into the grass.
"Hey, hey... don't hurt yourself," Bobbi said. "You're not the first biker I've mugged for her clothes... but you seem to be nicer than the other one. Don't want you to injure yourself unnecessarily."
In her mind's eye, Bobbi could remember the first time she mugged a motorcyclist for her clothes and bike. A few months ago, in an airport restroom, when Felicia and Bridget had been kidnapped. That was the first time she had remembered enjoying stealing another woman's clothes - the sense of superiority and self-preservation it brought her.
It was a sweet memory... but Bobbi didn't have time for reminiscing. With a last glance at the glowering Jordan, she exited the bushes once more.
The bike stood still, silent and gleaming, waiting for its rider. Bobbi used Jordan's keys to unlock the chain. She picked the helmet out of the rear basket and fitted it over her head. Safety first.
Hopping onto the bike, she gunned the engine, enjoying the powerful roar of the motor.
Despite the presumed danger she was headed for, Bobbi couldn't help but feel a thrill tickle her spine as she roared the cycle onto the road.
After all, danger was now a welcome part of her life.
********************
Her speech finished, Robyn returned to her table. She still appeared to be in a daze.
As she sat down, Chloe hugged her. "You were great, sis. I knew you could do it."
"Um... yeah." It took a moment for Robyn to register the hug, after which she quickly did her best to squirm from her sister's grip.
"Congratulations." Felicia smiled. "First woman to win the award. Well done!"
Then she cast a glance at her friend. "Er... sorry, Bridget. I know you probably expected to win."
Bridget nodded wordlessly. Felicia was correct, though she didn't quite know it.
She glanced down at her handbag. Was it too much to hope that Bobbi had gotten her message? Indeed, it was probably too much to hope Bobbi had even called. Perhaps Bridget could try using a codeword to alert Felicia, but Chen's women were probably watching... It was too risky.
Think, woman, think. Bridget's brow furrowed in concentration. You've outsmarted Chen before. You can do it again... somehow.
But try as she might, Bridget could not think clearly. Chen knew her weakness - her concern and safety for her friends and close confidantes - and was exploiting it. She was an even savvier and more dangerous foe than she'd been in their last encounter.
Bridget's thought process was interrupted by the emcee's voice once again.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, we proudly present tonight's entertainment... the Spinnerets!"
Applause filled the hall as the dancers filed onstage. Bridget paid them little attention as they bowed and the music began to play.
It was only when the dancers began to glide across the stage that Felicia nudged her friend. "Hey, Bridge... check it out. They're pretty good."
Bridget glanced up at the stage. The dancers appeared to be polished and professional.
And... was it her imagination, or was one of them looking at her?
Bridget turned back to her table. Her mind was clearly working to distraction.
********************
The police car was an outdated model, and the occasional sputters from the exhaust pipe indicated it hadn't been tended to in a while. Still, it had four wheels and an engine, which was all that Linda and Meredith needed.
Dressed in their stolen police uniforms, they did not attract any undue attention from any nighttime pedestrians as Linda steered the vehicle through the shadowed streets. She had set the car's GPS for directions to the city airport, where she would make her getaway.
It was a pleasant ride, and the first time in several hours that Linda could comfortably relax.
Meredith, however, still seemed discomfited. Linda glanced over at her in the passenger seat. "So... feeling better?"
Meredith shrugged. "A little," she admitted. But her eyes still betrayed a glum, fallen expression.
The beeping of the dashboard's GPS caught Linda's attention. "At the next stop sign, turn left."
Meredith smiled benignly at the little electronic screen. "I wish I could use one of those on my own life," she mused. "A little device to tell me which way to go. I'm just so damn lost right now..."
Linda nodded sympathetically. She wanted to offer some words of comfort, but she still wasn't very good at sort of thing.
"God, what if she's dead?" Meredith continued, a look of worry on her face. "I should have said something... Stopped her from running off with Dr. Chen. If anything happens to Lucinda, I... I'll never forgive myself."
"You really love her, don't you?" Linda asked.
"Of course." Meredith held up her left hand and gazed at the gold wedding band on her ring finger. "I've lost my job... my reputation... my friends. She's all I have left... and I'm not even sure I still have her."
Linda nodded again. She was trying to think up some real words of sympathy when her thoughts were interrupted by the police radio.
"All units, we have an anonymous tip of a wanted felon being sighted in the downtown area..."
"Ignore it," Linda commented. "Just the usual police crap."
She reached over to turn off the radio, but Meredith stopped her.
"No, wait... listen!"
"We have unverified reports that Dr. Julia Chen has been spotted at the Chrysalis Hall in downtown Miami. Possible other criminals in the area as well. A SWAT team is being deployed to investigate, but local units should stay on alert..."
"Dr. Chen!" Meredith gasped. "At Chrysalis! If she's there, that... that's probably where Lucinda is as well!"
She turned to Linda, her voice still trembling, but with a new air of confidence. "I think... I think it's a sign. I know where Lucinda is... and I have a chance to find her. Rescue her before anything bad happens!"
"Are you sure?" Linda asked. "Seems risky to..."
"No riskier than what she'd do for me," Meredith said. "Chrysalis is only a few miles away. Can you take me there?"
Linda hesitated for a moment. Then she nodded. "Who am I to stand in the way of true love?"
She turned the steering wheel and skidded around a corner.
Meredith took a deep breath and settled back into her seat. "Hold on, Lucinda," she whispered. "I'm on my way."
******************
The Spinerrets finished their dance to rapturous applause. The six women bowed politely and exited, stage right.
Eleanor lagged behind the others, motioning for Ashley to stop.
"I had a good chance to scope the room during the dance," she whispered. "Bridget was there, Table 12."
Ashley nodded. "I saw her, too."
"She probably doesn't suspect we're here," Eleanor continued. "We need to keep that element of surprise."
"What about Dr. Chen?" Ashley asked. "Did you spot her, or any of her thugs?"
Eleanor pondered. "I may have seen one of them. That woman in the suit and bowtie... the one who was pushing the cart with all the wine bottles..."
"The sommelier?"
"Gesundheit," Eleanor replied. "I think I recognized her. Worked for Karima al-Bariqi. She was in federal custody for a few days, before we had her transferred upstate to WCI."
"There are probably others," Ashley reasoned. "Goodness knows how many Chrysalis employees have been knocked out and stripped of their uniforms tonight."
Secretly, though, she was relieved to learn she was probably far from the only one.
As they passed by the doorway leading to the kitchen, Eleanor absent-mindedly glanced inside. She saw the two chefs working there, and gasped.
"What is it?" Ashley almost forgot to keep her voice to a whisper.
Eleanor pulled her around the corner. "I recognize those women as well," she explained. "The ones pretending to be chefs. FBI files pegged them as Chandra Patel and Sonja Baranova. Had a run-in with them last week. But... they're supposed to be in jail!"
"So are a lot of people, it seems," Ashley said dryly.
The two women kept themselves hidden as the chefs exited the kitchen and headed down the hall, chatting and laughing with one another.
"Think we should find the sixth agent as well?" Sonja was asking. "Lucinda said she left her in an alley."
Chandra shook her head. "Not necessary. She's out of the picture... and we've taken care of her five friends."
Eleanor felt her heart freeze. What did she mean by "taken care of"?
Once the coast was clear, she beckoned Ashley to follow her into the kitchen.
"Was she talking about your teammates?" Ashley inquired.
"Shh!" Eleanor held up a hand. She pointed to the rear of the kitchen, where sounds were emanating from behind a pantry door. Muffled sounds.
Eleanor quickly approached the pantry and flung open the door with an excited smile.
But her smile quickly faded as she saw the two bound-and-gagged women on the pantry floor, neither of whom were fellow agents. They appeared to be the real chefs. The two Latinas ceased their moaning and struggling, gazing up at Eleanor hopefully.
But Eleanor just sighed and shut the door, prompting more squeals of protest to emanate from within. "Sorry, girls... no time to rescue you. Besides, you're probably safer spending the night in there."
"Hey." Ashley pointed to a broom closet, which was also giving off a few muffled struggling noises. "Maybe that's what we're looking for."
Eleanor approached and swung open the broom closet door. She smiled, this time with good reason. One the floor of her closet were her five teammates, bound and gagged and underwear-clad, but relatively unharmed.
Eleanor knelt down next to Josie. "Boss, are you okay?" She peeled the tape off the dark-haired woman's lips.
Josie coughed. "Eleanor... thank heavens you're all right. I was worried they'd gotten you too."
"They did... but I managed to escape," Eleanor explained as she began untying Josie's bonds. "This is Ashley, by the way. Ashley, meet my team."
Ashley waved, a bit shyly.
"Charmed," Josie said. "Think you could help untie us?"
Ashley nodded. She knelt down and began untying Parker's bonds.
"What the hell happened?" Josie asked. "This was supposed to be a routine op. Who were those women who attacked us?"
"Turns out nothing is routine in our lives," Eleanor replied. She quickly explained about Dr. Chen and her henchwomen.
By the time she was done, most of the other FBI agents had been freed from their bonds.
"This is serious," Josie said. "We're not only trying to catch Bridget Baxter, but now we have a whole team of dangerous criminals to contend with. We need to get moving, girls."
"We need to get dressed," Bella corrected her.
Josie nodded. "Some new clothes are necessary." She glanced again at Eleanor and Ashley. "Where did you get those dancer outfits?"
"From the Spinnerets," Eleanor explained. "the dance troupe performing tonight."
"Are there any more of them available? We could use the new look, with the masks... now that Chen and her crew know what we look like."
Eleanor nodded. "The other Spinnerets are probably relaxing in their dressing room now, before the next performance. I'm sure we can... persuade them to loan us their costumes."
"In that case, get moving. We don't have much time."
*******************
Dr. Chen silently weighed her options.
Bridget was still staying put... for now. However, Chen had not invested so much time and effort into her scheme without discounting the cleverness of her foe. As of the moment, Bridget may appear helpless... but Chen knew that the wily reporter, if given enough time, could eventually think up a way to fight back.
Then there was the matter of Bobbi. The final member of the team, who had not shown up at Chrysalis. For now, Chen did not consider the young woman to be a problem... but that could change as well.
Situated in a quiet sector of the hall, Chen picked up her radio and spoke into it. "Lucinda. Status update on our prisoner?"
Lucinda, still standing beside the sedan outside, smiled confidently as she replied. "Prema is still trapped... and I've got her friend as well."
"Her friend?" Chen asked, a bit confused.
"Moira... she tried to rescue her, but it didn't go so well." Lucinda chuckled. "I guess the sleeping drugs that Haleema slipped into the wine did a number on her."
Chen nodded, but her face was thoughtful. She now had two of Bridget's friends in custody. Her advantage over the journalist had grown faster than she'd expected.
"Want me to kill them?" Lucinda asked.
"Not yet," Chen replied. "Leave them for now. Come back inside and resume your position."
"Copy that."
Chen switched off the radio. Lucinda had been working with her for a while now... yet Chen was on her guard. It was possible that the woman was still pining for her wife, Meredith, and hadn't liked the way Chen had treated her.
There was a chance that Lucinda was the traitor in Chen's gang. There was no solid evidence yet, but Chen needed to be on her guard and consider all possibilities.
A clear head, a cautious mind. She needed to keep both if she wanted to succeed.
*****************
Lucinda knocked on the metal cover of the car trunk. "Hey, girls... sit tight, you hear? I'll be back before long. Count on it."
From inside the trunk, Prema could hear Lucinda's footsteps receding. Despite her situation, she felt a little better without that woman guarding over her.
Prema pulled against her bonds for what seemed like the millionth time. No good. Chen's girls had not left her any slack.
A sound alerted her. She glanced over at Moira, who was beginning to regain consciousness. Prema felt a bit relieved at this... She was no longer alone.
As Moira awakened, she pulled at her bonds, trying desperately to get free. No luck. Then, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she noticed that a similarly restrained Prema was lying beside her.
Just the sight of her friend helped put Moira's mind at ease. She gave Prema a small nod. A nod which said, Don't worry. We're going to get out of this.
Prema nodded back. She wanted to believe Moira... but right now, their predicament didn't seem too favorable.
Moira, however, had forced herself to stay calm, and was looking for something sharp on the floor or in the side of the trunk. Something she could cut her bonds with.
*******************
The Spinnerets were professionals, and rising stars in the dancing field. They had established themselves as a team three years ago, and typically managed to earn two or three high-profile dancing gigs per month. It wasn't much, but the gigs paid handsomely, and the girls usually had fun.
Most of the shows were pretty routine, and the Spinnerets had grown accustomed to the paces and rhythms of each job. They even had a special coach bus to transport them to each of their events. The women had accepted the job of performing at Chrysalis for the journalism ceremony, assuming it would be a calm and laid-back event.
Now back in their dressing room, four of the Spinnerets chatted idly as they freshened their make-up and brushed down their costumes.
"Oof," Darcie sat down in her chair and propped her feet up on the dress table. "My feet are killing me." The young woman had light skin and auburn hair, and an assortment of freckles dotted her face.
Susan frowned. "Get your feet off the table, Dar. We're not on vacation." She was slightly taller than her coworker, with dark skin and stringy black hair.
Darcie blew a raspberry. "They gave us this dressing room, we can use it as we want."
"Yeah, but any damages are coming out of our pay," Margaret pointed out. The youngest of the Spinnerets, she had light skin and curly hair, dyed a deep magenta color.
"I'm not gonna damage anything," Darcie replied. She crossed her legs on the desk, accidentally bumping against a small mirror as she did so.
"Whoopsie!" Vera, standing right nearby, caught the mirror before it could shatter on the ground. The team leader, Vera was the tallest of the group, with tan skin and brown hair that was typically tied back in a sophisticated ponytail.
Darcie breathed a sigh of relief as Vera returned the mirror to the table. "Thanks, Vee. Seven years of bad luck averted."
Vera shook her head in exasperation. "Just try to be more careful."
Margaret raised her domino mask and brushed up on her eyeshadow. "Anybody see Callie and Myrna? Seems like they got lost after the performance."
"It's weird," Susan noted. "They were a bit... strange onstage tonight. Like they didn't remember the dance moves, which we'd practiced a thousand times."
"Maybe they had a little too much to drink before the show," Darcie chuckled.
At that moment, the door to the dressing room opened, and two more women in Spinneret costumes entered.
"There you guys are," Margaret smiled. "What was the holdup? We were starting to get worried."
From behind her face-concealing mask and headdress, Eleanor smiled. "Had to pick up a few items from outside," she said in a notable imitation of Callie's voice.
"What sort of items?" Vera asked, without looking up from her mirror.
Eleanor caught Ashley's eye, and winked. "These."
She held up a pair of silver cannisters and tossed them in the center of the room. They broke open on contact with the floor and began spreading a sweet-smelling gas across the area.
"What the...?" Susan started.
Eleanor and Ashley swiftly donned gas masks to protect themselves. Ashley also shut the door, to ensure that the knockout chemical would remain confined to the dressing room.
Margaret felt herself growing dizzy. "What... what's happening..."
Darcie yawned. "I... I think I need a nap..."
Susan reeled. "It's a trap... Don't breathe in..." But she was already slumping forward in her chair.
Vera looked at Eleanor and Margaret in shock. "You two... You're not from my group..."
"You catch on quick," Eleanor replied. "No, we're not really dancers... but we do need your costumes. Sleep well."
"No..." Vera managed to get to her feet, but her knees were rubbery. She pitched forward towards the floor.
Ashley quickly rushed up, catching the unconscious woman before she could hurt herself. "Oof! Got you!"
She turned towards Eleanor. "You said this would be harmless."
"It is," Eleanor replied. "No long-term effects from breathing in the gas."
"This woman could have hurt herself falling," Ashley retorted.
"Okay, okay," Eleanor sighed. "But she's fine now, isn't she? Come on, let's start stripping them. We gotta move quickly. My teammates are waiting for us back in the kitchen, and they desperately want some new clothes."
She laid Susan down on the ground and began pulling off her costume. After a moment's hesitation, Ashley started doing the same with Vera.
After a few moments' silence, she spoke up.
"Y'know... you're right."
"About what?" Eleanor asked.
"It is more fun when I'm not on the receiving end."
Eleanor laughed. "You learn quickly, girl."
It took only a matter of minutes for Eleanor and Ashley to reduce the four Spinnerets to their underclothes. Similarly to Callie and Myrna, they all wore elasticized pink bras and lavender bikini panties.
"I just love when underwear comes in a set," Eleanor chuckled.
Then, upon noticing Ashley's look of apprehension, she cut the jokes. "Er, let's get these ladies tied up and squirreled away..."
They used pink ribbon tape to bind the four women, in pairs, back-to-back. The gags were decorative sashes; their thick threads made for effective mouth packing. Finally, the women were dragged behind the costume rack to join their two coworkers in a private nap.
Eleanor scooped up two of the fallen costumes, then motioned for Ashley to do the same. "Come on, let's get these outfits back to my teammates."
Ashley gave one last sympathetic glance at the costume rack, then followed Eleanor's lead.
*********************
Cassandra leaned back in her chair and took another sip of coffee. Her eyes carefully scanned the security monitors.
"Still nothing... of course," she murmured.
The security cameras around Chrysalis were not as thorough as she would have liked. Although it displayed the various hallways around the building, it did not show the interiors of most of the smaller rooms. No doubt Chrysalis valued the privacy of their employees.
From the broom closet behind her came a string of muffled sobs. The real security guard was still struggling to get free of her bonds.
"Pipe down in there," Cassandra said aloud, without diverting her eyes from the flickering monitors. "Just stop whining and enjoy the night off."
She drained the last contents of the coffee thermos and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. Not particularly ladylike, but no one was around to judge her.
It had been a boring evening so far, being confined to the security room. Cassandra wanted to step outside for a cigarette, but Chen had ordered her to remain put. Apparently, something had gone wrong with the plan, and the boss needed to re-strategize.
Cassandra sighed and checked her watch. She considered radioing for updates, but did not want to risk annoying Chen.
From the corner of her eye, Cassandra detected movement on one of the upper-right monitors. She squinted and focused her attention on it.
The monitor projected the goings-on in the front lot right outside Chrysalis. Currently, they showed two large black vans pulling up in front of the building. Cassandra immediately recognized the "SWAT" logo emblazoned on the side of each van.
"Damn it!"
Cassandra picked up her radio. "Boss, do you read? We have a situation."
A moment's pause, and Chen's voice responded apprehensively. "What sort of situation?"
"The police are here," Cassandra explained, keeping her eyes fixed on the monitors. "I don't know how... Someone must have tipped them off."
"What?!" Chen gave a start. "Are you serious?"
"Dead serious." Cassandra watched the rear doors to the vans open, and several officers in black body armor filed out. "It's a whole SWAT team. And they're dressed for combat."
Chen swore under her breath. She was more convinced than ever that there was a spy in her midst.
But she forced herself to stay calm. "How many of them are there? And are they men or women?"
"I count over a dozen officers," Cassandra noted. "Hard to tell with all the armor, but it looks like most of them... maybe all of them... are women."
Chen's mind raced. Then she spoke. "Okay... I think I'm getting an idea."
"Boss?"
"These officers can help us," Chen explained with a sly smile. "Whether they want to or not."
Then she adjusted the channel on her radio to address all the members of her team. "Listen up, ladies," she said. "In a matter of minutes, a group of SWAT officers will enter the Chrysalis building, presumably with the intent to arrest us. Now, a simple question: Will they succeed?"
A few moments of silence as her henchwomen processed this new info. Then a resounding chorus of "No!" echoed through the radios.
"Good," Chen grinned. "Now this next part is going to be tricky, as we didn't plan it out beforehand. So listen close."
From across the building, Chen's henchwomen listened silently and eagerly as she began explaining the new phase of her plan.
Gotta say, these latest chapters are hard to get through... because I can't wait to see how everything will resolve!
The suspense keeps building up. Bridget's thinking of a plan and managed to warn Bobbi, Moira's captured, Meredith's reunion with Lucinda seems to be nearing, Chen's alliance is weakened (I don't see all her henchwomen accepting easily the callous way she discarded Darla), a SWAT team arrives (poor them! )...
As far as uniform stealings were concerned, the scenes with the Spinnerets took the cake. Atypical costumes, masks, makeshift bonds using dance costumes, Eleanor's way of luring the first two, and sleeping gas the second time... The hiding place behind the costume rack was a nice idea.
A few other good moments, especially surrounding Eleanor's and Ashley's discovery of the high number of people mugged in the building. I always appreciate when some character stumble across mugged victims but just apologize and say they can't rescue them yet. Plus Ashley taking relief in the fact that she was far from the only woman to lose her clothes tonight! Nice use of continuity.
Once again, the paradigm is in full display, as Ashley completes her transition. Not gonna lie, I was expecting her to be more reluctant to steal innocent people's uniforms, and moreover I was expecting her to not like it so quickly, given her past experiences. The needs of the story's pace outweighed the needs of the inner-monologues maybe? Still, she's shown to be more concerned about the women's well-being than your average uniform stealer, a little detail but a good way to highlight her personality and different attitude and background.
Speaking of details, Eleanor's indifferent reaction to Ashley's retort ("This woman could have hurt herself falling.") reinforces me in my feeling. While they are supposedly on the side of the law, I find the FBI characters definitively unsympathetic. It probably has something to do with the fact that they are supposed to be protecting the citizens... but are mostly shown mugging them, and most of the time with an unapologetic attitude to boot. I appreciate a lot the moral greyness of the story, but I'll admit that the more morally grey the story becomes, the harder it is to truly root for one group in particular... (Though I'll admit that we're talking here about subjective feelings, not about the writing of the characters which is solid - since this moral greyness is intentional. However, your stories have hit their stride long ago and their writing is very solid by now, so all that's left to discuss is the subjective reactions to these characters.)
Bobbi's appearances are scarce in these transition chapters, but I'm alway looking for them. Still on her dangerous path, using villainous tactics. The fake cries. Sarah would approve so much... As for me, still waiting to see how this will be solved.
For now, the story is letting her having it easy ever since she started to question herself, having her mug women who antagonized her first, giving her an excuse to retaliate. Though I'm noticing a pattern: the first woman definitively was antagonistic because she was a jerk, but the second had a justification to antagonize her... Is there a gradation planned here?
I'm still wondering if she will truly be challenged in her beliefs at some point... Her saying to Jordan that she brought this upon herself sounded a little hypocritical, I wonder if that's the point? Plus, she clearly admits to herself that she enjoys the sense of superiority, not exactly a positive feeling... So many questions... Perhaps I should wait until the story is over before reading further? Oh, who am I kidding. I will never be able to keep that resolution!
This is going to be amazing, now I did see that Rufus has already left feedback but I haven't read any of it as I don't want to know any spoilers before I've had my turn, so I do apologise if I ask any similar questions.
Haha, amazing opening and I'm still very curious to know how Robyn came to be the winner, hhhmmm, I must be patient, all will be revealed.
Aaahhh Lucinda, I can truly hear the horns of redemption being blown, but will the vision of her wife's eyes sorrowful eyes with a hint of betrayal (maybe) be enough, I must admit I keep playing several scenarios over in my head with how things will go for Lucinda and Meredith, I can't wait!
I loved the entire scene with Ashley, Eleanor, Myrna and Callie. Extremely well executed and I liked the trick of secretly using Callie's hand glove to lure Myrna over, very well done. All in all a fantastic USB scene, plus let's give a massive hand to Ashley for finally......FINALLY. Getting a taste of life of the mugger side of a USB scene rather than the mugged side.
So that's Moira down too, things are starting to get intense now.
Damn I loved this next scene, so it seems that, that's Darla out of action for now too, I must admit I'm curious and before Dr. Chen said anything I too was thinking that maybe someone on her team is trying to sabotage her plan, so many theories and so many ideas running through my head, I'm quite enjoying seeing if I can put all the pieces together in my head.
Once again, another truly brilliant scene with Bobbi and to be fair, she meant what she said, she did originally only want Jordan's bike, oh well never mind, can't say she didn't warn her haha. The entirety of Bobbi's scene was amazing, her reflection of her past and her ability to quickly deduce that Bridget was in danger, when she arrives she's truly going to be powerhouse and this build up is only making it that more powerful.
See I feel sorry for Meredith, I know people say that no news is good news......But is it? I mean our minds have a habit of racing to the worse case scenario each and single time. I actually really feel for Meredith of where everything is playing out in your mind......What could I have done? What can I do? How are things now? It doesn't look like it but that's a really painful feeling.........Damn, I think she's becoming one of my favourites.
Plus, did I see a SWAT team get mentioned, is this a teaser for USB scenes to come.
That was a really neat scene too, seeing Ashley getting introduced to the rest of Eleanor's team and it seems that the rest of the Spinnerets are due for a stripping too, well I guess it is only fair.
I quite like watching Dr. Chen try to solve the conundrum over what has happened with her plans and it seems she's just as curious as I am too as to what actually happened. It pleased me to see Moira somewhat letting Prema know that she is going to get out of this safe and sound, I know that after the evening Prema has had, she needed that.
It was interesting seeing things from Ashley's point of view when it came to the group takedown of the rest of the Spinnerets, I mean Ashley knows full well what it's like to have her uniform stolen so the fact that she cares about what happens to the victims, like when she catches Vera's body before she hit the floor and potentially hurt herself was a really nice touch, she's one of these rare instances of where she knows what it feels like to be the one of the inside looking out rather than just simply looking in all the time (if that makes sense) and it was really nice to see. Ashley is so awesome, she's such a fine character, every scene she's been in so far has just been tremendous.
WOW! This next with Cassandra was amazing and I think I was right, it seems Dr. Chen and her team are indeed getting ready to replace one of the SWAT teams that has just rocked up to the scene, this is going to be amazing.
This next scene is..........Wait, what?............OH NO I'VE REACHED THE END!
Damn, this was simply amazing, I loved this new instalment through and through, I loved everything about it, the character developments, the USB scenes themselves, the dialogue, everything was just so perfect, you've once again brought this brand of writing style that only someone like you can bring to the table, sometimes I feel like my words in my reviews never do your stories enough justice, I just really hope that you do believe me when I say that your stories are absolutely phenomenal, they're some of the greatest stories I've ever read and I appreciate whole heartedly each and every single one of them. They truly are amazing!
Rufus: A part of me feels bad about letting the suspense build up for so long, since I know people are eager to get to the climax. But I have a lot of characters and story threads to coordinate, and I want to make sure they all receive their due. But give it some time, and all will soon be revealed.
It's a lot of fun to test the strengths and loyalties of the characters' alliances, particularly Chen's team - I don't see her as quite as vicious toward her henchwomen as Karima, but she still has a low tolerance for incompetence.
I had fun writing the Spinnerets and giving them personalities of their own, before they inevitably became the latest USB victims of the saga. It was also a good way to spotlight Ashley's character. I wanted to make her empathetic to the victims she and Eleanor knock out, but also give her a sense of independence and willingness to go along with the muggings (more so than someone like Carolyn, for example). Ashley's had a tough time these last few stories, so she's probably not quite as hung up on moral questions as she otherwise should be.
It's true that the FBI agents are less sympathetic than most of the other characters (including the villains! ) I think this is partly by design. I try to have characters play against type, and the federal agents - who you'd expect to be sympathetic due to their altruistic intentions - are in actuality pretty selfish and have little problem with mugging innocents when the need arises. This makes them less sympathetic than some of Chen's henchwomen, who are expected to be evil yet still show signs of remorse now and then. I wish I could say that the FBI women will improve their demeanor in future chapters, but alas...
Bobbi's scene with Jordan was another way of testing the limits of her sympathy. Despite the immorality in stealing Jordan's bike, she firmly believes she was in the right, and doesn't mind resorting to underhanded tactics when she eventually decides to steal her clothes. I regret that I can't include more of Bobbi in these last few chapters, but I think it's good character exploration to have her isolated for a little while, and it seems to be working so far.
Trackman: No worries about asking similar questions, I don't mind responding to multiple comments. A good way to get feedback.
The Ashley scenes in this chapter were great fun to write, and I'm glad you liked them. I've had fun watching her grow from a one-shot character to a breakout hit to a recurring role, and now she finally enters the USB mugging pantheon. Quite a journey indeed.
Indeed, I'm trying to build up some mystery with Chen's team, Robyn's win, etc. Certainly some theories worth pursuing, but all will be revealed before long.
Making Meredith into one of the series' most sympathetic characters has also been very liberating. She's still ostensibly a villain, but I've tried to make her feel more human than a lot of the more "heroic" characters in the series. Glad you like her.
Good catch with noticing the SWAT team. Yes, it seems they might have something of an unlucky night...
Yes, Ashley has had quite a time on both sides of the USB fence now. She's probably more relatable than a lot of the characters who have simply been USBs from day one. An outsider finally let in - that's a good way to put it.
Haha, yes, that was the end of the chapter. I'd make it longer, but I wanted to get it posted, since it had been a few weeks since I'd posted the previous one. Future developments are coming, though - hopefully I can pick up the pace with the next chapter.
Thank you very much for your comments - these stories take a lot of time and energy (as I'm sure your stories and Rufus' do as well), so it's great that people enjoy them. Much appreciated!
Well, these parts are good at what they do (building up the suspense), so there's no need to feel bad. Or maybe just a little.
I wanted to make her empathetic to the victims she and Eleanor knock out, but also give her a sense of independence and willingness to go along with the muggings (more so than someone like Carolyn, for example).
The story highlighted the difference well , though I wouldn't mind her inner-thoughts emphasizing it even more to really set her apart from the other characters.
Bobbi's scene with Jordan was another way of testing the limits of her sympathy.
And you're doing it perfectly. I'm still hoping that things will turn out for the best, given the fact that she's looking more and more like a villainous character. (Still hoping that someone will finally clearly spell out to her the inherent callousness of her attitude.) However, either outcome would be realistic given how you're writing it. (The transition feels smooth, a testimony of the quality of your writing of her.)
I try to have characters play against type, and the federal agents - who you'd expect to be sympathetic due to their altruistic intentions - are in actuality pretty selfish and have little problem with mugging innocents when the need arises. This makes them less sympathetic than some of Chen's henchwomen, who are expected to be evil yet still show signs of remorse now and then. I wish I could say that the FBI women will improve their demeanor in future chapters, but alas...
... alas karma will finally catch up to them? I cross my fingers! It is true that, outside the "evilest" villains such as Chen, they are among the most unsympathetic ones personality-wise. I mean, Chen's henchwomen are criminals, but they don't pretend to have the moral high-ground. Characters like Bridget or Bobbi won't hesitate to mug innocent bystanders for their own personal (selfish?) goals, but their job isn't to protect the citizens, and when push comes to shove, they showed themselves ready to act to stop dangerous criminals not only out of self-preservation, but also to remove the threat of these criminals.
This aside allows me to share a thought I'm starting to have more and more as installments go by: While I appreciate a lot the moral greyness and the three-dimentional characters, I'm starting to think that eventually it may end up desensitizing about wanting one side to emerge victorious. Now, I of course haven't reached that point of view, as I still want Bridget and her friends to come out alive and unscathed. However, honestly, after the last few volumes I'm starting to feel like their uniform stealing shaenigangs being made public would be karma at that point.
As you mentioned, when it comes to attitude, there aren't many differences anymore between the protagonists and Chen's tamer henchwomen. (Though the remaining differences are key differences, of course, what with them involving willingness to murder people and all that.) And some of the antagonists come out as more human than the 'heroic' characters. When it comes to uniform stealings for instance, Bobbi's or Bridget's attitude isn''t very different from the one of most of Chen's henchwomen. With the deconstruction of Bridget's, Felicia's and Bobbi's characters and the FBI playing against type, only minor characters such as Carolyn or Ashley remain (mostly) unambiguously positive, and they are forced by the narrative and the other characters to go along with the flow. However, personally, I think that the protagonists need to come out as better individuals than the antagonists, or else the outcome of the story woud lose part of its interest. Now, I'm here sharing my personal taste only. I'm aware that some people will disagree with what I said, but that's something I wanted to share.
I'm still hoping that things will turn out for the best, given the fact that she's looking more and more like a villainous character. (Still hoping that someone will finally clearly spell out to her the inherent callousness of her attitude.) However, either outcome would be realistic given how you're writing it. (The transition feels smooth, a testimony of the quality of your writing of her.)
Yes, the most important aspect for me is ensuring the character development is smooth and believable. While I want the outcome to be satisfying, I also think the journey is an important aspect of the story, and Bobbi's journey has been quite interesting to write and develop.
... alas karma will finally catch up to them? I cross my fingers! It is true that, outside the "evilest" villains such as Chen, they are among the most unsympathetic ones personality-wise. I mean, Chen's henchwomen are criminals, but they don't pretend to have the moral high-ground. Characters like Bridget or Bobbi won't hesitate to mug innocent bystanders for their own personal (selfish?) goals, but their job isn't to protect the citizens, and when push comes to shove, they showed themselves ready to act to stop dangerous criminals not only out of self-preservation, but also to remove the threat of these criminals.
I guess I just like having characters play against "type" - not all the heroes are virtuous, not all the villains are evil, and the main heroines tend to wrestle with demons of their own. I guess my main focus is not whether the characters are fulfilling their archetypes, but whether their problems feel human and believable with their established personalities. I start with the characters and their interactions and let everything flow from there.
This aside allows me to share a thought I'm starting to have more and more as installments go by: While I appreciate a lot the moral greyness and the three-dimentional characters, I'm starting to think that eventually it may end up desensitizing about wanting one side to emerge victorious. Now, I of course haven't reached that point of view, as I still want Bridget and her friends to come out alive and unscathed. However, honestly, after the last few volumes I'm starting to feel like their uniform stealing shaenigangs being made public would be karma at that point.
As I said, I love stories like this, where the main characters commit questionable acts and are at times forced to be introspective about their own actions. And I think it fits the format of the board. Main characters who steal uniforms to carry out their tasks will doubtlessly resort to hurting innocent bystanders at some point - the same tactic that the villains in those stories use - so I like leaning into and exploring it.
As you mentioned, when it comes to attitude, there aren't many differences anymore between the protagonists and Chen's tamer henchwomen. (Though the remaining differences are key differences, of course, what with them involving willingness to murder people and all that.) And some of the antagonists come out as more human than the 'heroic' characters. When it comes to uniform stealings for instance, Bobbi's or Bridget's attitude isn''t very different from the one of most of Chen's henchwomen. With the deconstruction of Bridget's, Felicia's and Bobbi's characters and the FBI playing against type, only minor characters such as Carolyn or Ashley remain (mostly) unambiguously positive, and they are forced by the narrative and the other characters to go along with the flow. However, personally, I think that the protagonists need to come out as better individuals than the antagonists, or else the outcome of the story woud lose part of its interest. Now, I'm here sharing my personal taste only. I'm aware that some people will disagree with what I said, but that's something I wanted to share.
I hear what you're saying, but when I write these stories, I don't necessarily focus on which characters come out as better individuals. Some of them obviously have more heroic goals, and some have more evil plans, but in the end, they're all characters that I enjoy writing and finding uniform-stealing scenarios for. Perhaps the problem here is that Bridget and her friends have been more passive in this volume (so far) and thus have not been as focused on the action? (Don't worry, that will change.) The villains so far have carried the weight of this story, since their plan is driving the main plot. Plus there are a lot of women on Chen's team, so a lot of opportunities for different emotional perspectives. In any event, I think the protagonists will ultimately come out as better individuals than the antagonists - but even if some of the villains end up being more sympathetic, that's just part of the fun.
Well, as I said this is purely personal here, I simply realize that the more time passes and the more the stories explore the moral boundaries of the uniform stealing concet, the harder it is for me to root for characters when they display certain behaviours. But that's related to my own views. On that point, I guess we have different opinions.
Perhaps the problem here is that Bridget and her friends have been more passive in this volume (so far) and thus have not been as focused on the action? (Don't worry, that will change.)
Maybe? In the sense that this made the story focus more on the unpleasant parts of their personalities, since they're not shown directly fighting off against the villains, and Bobbi's shown basically mugging people for dubious reasons/watching people being mugged for dubious reasons while the story highlights that she has an unapologetic attitude. (This 'Don't worry, that will change.' spells so many good news. )
I guess I just like having characters play against "type" - not all the heroes are virtuous, not all the villains are evil, and the main heroines tend to wrestle with demons of their own.
That's really something I appreciate with your characters. This three-dimentional aspect.
I guess maybe that feeling is because, outside of Bobbi and Felicia's subplot who's rather out of focus as of late, the main heroines aren't shown wrestling with their demons of their own? They aren't shown questioning themselves, their motivations or their beliefs. They aren't challenged in what they do. (Again, if I exclude Bobbi's subplot - and even then we only had Zuhal's intervention as of now.) It's hard to explain the cause of that feeling. Anyway, I'll wait for the next part.
Maybe? In the sense that this made the story focus more on the unpleasant parts of their personalities, since they're not shown directly fighting off against the villains, and Bobbi's shown basically mugging people for dubious reasons/watching people being mugged for dubious reasons while the story highlights that she has an unapologetic attitude. (This 'Don't worry, that will change.' spells so many good news. )
Volume 5 has thus far been about the villains enacting their plans, so detailed to the point that the heroes are helpless to stop it. I've tried to give Bridget and Felicia more of a passive role so far, to underscore how they want to have "a night off" from their usual craziness, but Chen and her squad have other plans. Hopefully that will make it more liberating when the heroes get the chance to take a more active and combative role.
I guess maybe that feeling is because, outside of Bobbi and Felicia's subplot who's rather out of focus as of late, the main heroines aren't shown wrestling with their demons of their own? They aren't shown questioning themselves, their motivations or their beliefs. They aren't challenged in what they do. (Again, if I exclude Bobbi's subplot - and even then we only had Zuhal's intervention as of now.) It's hard to explain the cause of that feeling. Anyway, I'll wait for the next part.
Again, I'm aiming for a "show, don't tell" philosophy with these stories. I want to explore the main characters, and challenge them, but not in every chapter, and not in the form of speeches or monologues. I also want to spotlight some of the villains, who could also use some challenges of their own. But there's plenty of room to give everyone a chance for self-reflection, they just need some time.
It was pretty neat seeing Bobbi try to change her mindset and just let it slide, but Katie had to keep pushing didn't she, it was also nice to see Bobbi being honest and explaining of how she's not a criminal and leaving Katie's wallet and phone. I also really appreciated the whole takedown and the bonding being viewed from Katie's eyes and we see things how she is seeing them and feeling them, quite a rarity, so I appreciated that. 
Her saying to Jordan that she brought this upon herself sounded a little hypocritical, I wonder if that's the point? Plus, she clearly admits to herself that she enjoys the sense of superiority, not exactly a positive feeling... So many questions... Perhaps I should wait until the story is over before reading further? Oh, who am I kidding. I will never be able to keep that resolution!