Curiouser and Curiouser - Marvel: Earth-USB Saga (Part 12)

[rufusluciusivan]

The saga now comes with a characters description: viewtopic.php?t=10048

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Quick reminder. Be sure to read Tirepanted's side of Part 11 before reading this new chapter: viewtopic.php?t=10259

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Curiouser and Curiouser

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SwiftShift Logistics was a prominent shipping company of the Eastern Coast, but no more powerful than dozens of other companies. From the outside nothing set it apart from its competitors. Therefore, some were surprised by how prosperous SwiftShift Logistics actually was. There were many speculations on the causes of such wealth. Most agree it had to do with the business sense of the company’s owner.

And they were right, from a certain point of view. The shipping magnate at the head of SwiftShift Logistics, a ruthless businesswoman named Miranda Kalte, had simply figured out illegal smuggling was a perfect income complement. About half of the company’s profits came from the black market. Smuggling of rare or endangered species was her specialty, but she also dealt in historical artifacts and pieces of art.

Every burglar dealing in art thievery in New York had to go through SwiftShift Logistics some way.

Well, every burglar except Black Cat. Felicia wasn’t exactly on friendly terms with Miranda Kalte ever since she had mugged her once, and her eldest daughter twice. Long story.

But that was beside the point.

‘Team Nuisance’ most likely was not an exception. Hopefully, Felicia would find something about them in Miranda’s files. She was tired of these upstarts foiling her heists!

Dressed in her usual black cat burglar costume, Black Cat was thus about to pay a visit to the main compound of SwiftShift Logistics in New York City.

**************

Under the cover of the night, Felicia discreetly approached her destination.

She was very careful. New York City's SwiftShift Logistics compound wasn't your average warehouse complex. The area was patrolled by armed people. Officially, these sentries were part of a private security company. But since said company was actually owned by Miranda Kalte, they were effectively her thugs-for-hire. Most were complicit in her smuggling operations, and the few honest ones were not stationed around the warehouses. Felicia wouldn't have been surprised to hear snoops they caught were thrown into the bay with cement shoes...

Thankfully, the area was no secret base either, and officially was part of a perfectly legal operation. Miranda couldn’t add too much protection, or else people would start to suspect she had something to hide.

The cat burglar cut a hole in the fence around the compound and slipped through it. Felicia used the cover of the night to run from building to building, hiding in the shadows and behind the walls. Her black catsuit was perfect for camouflage.

There weren’t many surveillance cameras – they were only located near the most important parts of the compound. Avoiding their lines of sight was tricky sometimes, but far from impossible.

She had to hide several times to avoid patrolling sentries, but the guards weren’t on alert, and there weren’t many in the night shift to begin with – once again Miranda didn’t want to attract undue attention. So the feat was easier than avoiding the cameras.

Once she was near the administrative building however, Felicia decided she’d need a quick change of clothes. The two only entrances were each watched by a camera, and she suspected there wouldn’t be as many hiding spots inside in case she came across someone.

Luckily for her, Miranda Kalte believed in gender-equality when it came to her armed thugs. A good chunk of the security was made of women.

Felicia hid in a dark part of the compound, away from any pesky camera, and waited in ambush.

The first guard passing nearby was a man. She grimaced and didn’t move.

Then, fifteen minutes later, she lucked out when she heard lighter footsteps.

The henchwoman was wearing a black blazer jacket with grey collar and zipper, a red t-shirt, thick black trousers, and thick black shoes. A holster with a gun was strapped onto her brown leather belt.

The thug’s hair were dyed electric blue. Her skin was white, and her eyes were hazel brown. Her haircut was a messy bun with spiky ends. Felicia estimated she would be a decent fit – thinner and flatter than her, but she could work with it.

The thug passed near the cat burglar's hideout without discovering her presence.

Too easy.

Felicia almost felt offended. How could that girl not notice the sexy woman dressed in a black leather outfit?

Oh well. Triumph without peril brings no trouble.

Black Cat moved behind the guard's back.

One swift neck chop made short work of the blue-haired woman. The thug barely even grunted.

Felicia grabbed the unconscious woman’ by the waist as she was falling, and dragged her inside a nearby warehouse.

She laid the guard behind some crates, and got down to work.

Felicia slipped the blue-haired thug’s blazer jacket and t-shirt off, then took off the woman’s shoes, removed her belt, and slid her trousers off her legs.

The henchwoman was left clad in a black tank top with a bright blue skull, an electric blue triangle bra, a matching thong, and black socks with a pattern of yellow lightnings. Felicia tied up the guard’s wrists and ankles with electric cables, and gagged her with package tape. Both makeshift bondage tools were taken from the maintenance closet of the warehouse. A few layers of tape were also wrapped around the thug’s upper-arms, both below and above the breasts.

Many empty unused crates were stored in the warehouse.

Felicia dumped the bound-and-gagged underwear-clad woman into one crate with air-holes designed to carry wild beasts, and closed the lid to conceal her.

The cat burglar took off her catsuit, and put on her new set of clothes. Then, adopting the confident demeanor of an armed thug, she walked to the administrative building of the warehouse complex.

**************

With her disguise, Felicia was confident enough to walk in the open, but she still preferred to avoid walking across other sentries. The cat burglar unlocked the backdoor of the main building, and reached Miranda’s office room without encountering any trouble.

She sat behind the computer. Of course, there was a password.

She smiled to herself.

“Good thing I have this baby…”

She inserted an USB key-shaped device in the computer USB port. It was a little something she had stolen from SHIELD a while ago. Or maybe from Peter. She couldn’t quite remember. The neat gadget cracked the password for her, and gave her access to the files of the computer.

A quick search allowed Felicia to confirm her suspicions – Miranda and ‘Team Nuisance’ were indeed in contact. The shipping magnate had given them tips about some of the pieces of art they had stolen, in exchange of a cut of the profits.

Though Felicia noticed an odd detail. Their contacts were only sporadic. Team NOT-Awesome wasn’t on Miranda’s payroll. The notes concluded somebody else was backing the syndicate. The businesswoman didn’t know who, but she suspected he or she was powerful.

Curiouser and curiouser...

An other file taught her Miranda was also selling information to Taylor's team. And some of them sounded very interesting...

Oh… Oh… Would you look at that… Apparently, the CIA too is interested in Taylor and her crew… They’re even repatriating one of their Canadian agents… Felicia tapped her chin as she was studying a picture of said agent, a blond woman. Sophie Seccotine, living undercover as a travel agent called Josine Jolin. The cover story is that she’s taking a vacation in New York. And… would you look at that… A taxi driver is even supposed to pick her up! Hmmm… Maybe I should try and intercept her on her way… I bet she’s bound to carry useful information with her...

She kept reading the file. Apparently, Miranda had managed to get intel on the whole CIA operation.

… blah blah blah… secret operation… blah blah blah… make sure Canadian Secret Services don’t hear of it… blah blah blah… make sure FBI or SHIELD also don’t hear of it… Typical inter-service rivalry… Nothing interesting here...

I wonder how powerful all these agencies would be if they actually cooperated instead of always putting a spoke in each other’s wheel...

Not that she was complaining. She was content to let FBI, SHIELD, regular police, and private security companies get in each other’s ways while they were chasing her.

Felicia copied all the data on an USB drive.

Now, I have to make it look like I was after valuables and not information...

Felicia eyed all the precious artifacts in the office room, and the safe in the back wall.

She grinned.

Shouldn’t be too hard...

She began to steal everything that wasn’t nailed.

However, as she was about to leave after snagging a gold statuette of the cat goddess Bastet, Felicia heard footsteps getting closer to the office room’s door.

She kept her cool, closed the safe, dropped her loot in a corner, and hid in a b corner of the room. The door of the office room was unlocked and opened.

A lone woman entered and turned on the light. Hidden in the newcomer's blind spot, Felicia observed her.

Tall. In her mid-twenties. Pale white complexion. Sharp facial features. Icy blue eyes. Bobbed hair of a light blond color. And a long fringe covering much of the right side of her face worn swept behind her left ear.

Black Cat recognized Fiona Kalte, eldest daughter, heiress and personal assistant of Miranda. Also the daughter of Miranda she had mugged twice.

The cat burglar then noticed that Fiona’s gem-encrusted gold earrings and necklace were very expensive jewels, and her blue high-heels seemed to be a unique creation. Plus, the blonde was wearing a finely-crafted purple duffle coat with gold buttons.

Felicia had always had a soft spot for Fiona’s choice of coats…

The young businesswoman went to the desk, and froze when she noticed some of her mother’s artifacts were gone.

Felicia closed the door to give them some privacy.

Fiona turned, noticed the intruder, and gasped in fear. “Y- You?!”

Black Cat grinned.

Making it look like a robbery shouldn’t be too hard AT ALL...

**************

When she left the compound with her loot, Felicia knew she had just made Miranda even more determined to have her head…

The cat burglar had emptied her vault, stolen her most precious artifacts, and left her favorite daughter humiliated and robbed of her jewels, shoes and coat.

Fiona was gagged with tape from the office’s tape dispenser, and bound to the office chair with strips of her own night blue button-up business shirt, matching pencil skirt, and black tights. Therefore, the unlucky heiress was only clad in her white silk panties and matching full-cup silk bra.

But at least the shipping magnate would never suspect Black Cat had robbed her office room for information!

Felicia was painfully aware she didn’t have much for now. But she had hopes she would soon have enough knowledge to get rid of ‘Team Nuisance’, no matter what their end game was…

The next step was to schedule a meeting with CIA agent Sophie Seccotine when the latter landed at the airport.

The only question was… Under which disguise?

**************

Charlotte adjusted the ring-shaped Oscorp device strapped around her left shoulder, under her clothes. “I feel strange. It’s like my body is hypersensitive.”

“The device enhances your powers. I guess it’s logical it affects your body’s sensitivity as well.” Taylor commented. “Take it off the second you feel pain. Now, try again.”

Charlotte nodded.

She had been trying for quite some time to use the stolen Oscorp enhancers under Taylor’s supervision. Hopefully, they would make her shape-shifting mutant powers stronger. The team needed it for the next step of their plan. However, for now, the results were lukewarm at best.

“Well… Here goes nothing!” Charlotte exclaimed.

Taylor, Screwball, Trapstr, and Jenna were watching her. Sarah had isolated herself in an other room. They could hear the faint noise of the loud music she was listening to.

Charlotte’s face contorted into strange grimaces. Her body jerked in awkward directions.

“If anything, watching her is tons of fun.” Screwball remarked with a snort. Snugly slumped into an armchair, she was having the time of her life. “I wish I could film this...”

“I think I’m getting the hang of it this time! I think-”

Suddenly, Charlotte grew several inches taller. Her waist slimmed brutally. Her hair grew long and silver blond. Her eyes turned steel blue, her face thinned.

There was a beat.

The shape-shifter made the Victory sign with her fingers. “You may call me Silver Sable now!”

Her clothes hadn’t changed shape with her though. Therefore, Fake Silver Sable’s clothes were both too short and too large, loosely hanging on her frame. Her trousers fell onto the floor, revealing her candy pink knickers..

“You could have put on silver grey skivvies.” Screwball snickered. “Where’s your eye for details?”

“Looks like you still can’t shape-shift your clothes.” Trapstr added.

Charlotte blushed in a way the real Silver Sable would most likely have never had, and pulled up her trousers to protect her modesty. “Well, that’s because I’m not a cheater!” Having lost her concentration, she reverted back to her true appearance.

“Or maybe because Mystique will always be better than you…” Trapstr slyly remarked.

“Enough. We don’t need her to replicate clothes as well.” Taylor interrupted her. “We didn’t need it before, I don’t see why we’d need it now. We know the device works. After a bit of training, Charlotte will be able to use it during missions.”

The chubby woman beamed.

Screwball got up from the armchair, and stretched. “So I guess this means the real work begins now…”

“Almost. At first, I want to test this prototype in real conditions.”

“So an other minor unrelated heist?”

“I’m not saying that either. The mission itself should be low-risk, but its end goal will help prepare our next major operation.” Taylor explained. “Always plan several steps ahead. Always play several moves at once. That’s how the old man likes his plans.”

Trapstr and Jenna shared a glance. Taylor was pretty tight-lipped about the identity of their employer. Though they weren’t sure they wanted to know more. In their line of business, knowledge was a double-edged sword. Criminal employers who wished to remain anonymous didn’t hesitate to get rid of nosy minions.

Taylor looked at Charlotte. “Try again. We make our move in three days.”

**************

Sophie Seccotine was a light-skinned blonde with blue eyes. She was thin and slim, with a round-shaped face, and a healthy complexion. Her light blond hair were tied up into a high ponytail.

Clad in a dull orange blazer jacket, a white button-up shirt, a warm brown knee-long skirt, copper-colored tights, and light brown shoes, a yellow scarf wrapped around her neck. A briefcase in hand, the woman looked like any other traveler – a tourist or a businesswoman on a trip. Of course, it was a clever ruse to conceal her job as a CIA undercover spy.

In truth, Sophie was a trained agent, specialized in collection of information, and who had even infiltrated a Canadian government compound once – and that time she had shown several unlucky sentries her CIA training wasn’t just for show. More than one guard had been knocked out and locked up that night...

Sophie checked her wristwatch. A taxi was supposed to pick her up, but she still had the time to do a little detour by the restrooms. She knew a long briefing with her superiors was awaiting her. She certainly didn’t want to ask for a pee break in a middle of a meeting with the big shots!

Sophie hurried to the restrooms and entered a stall, carrying with her the briefcase containing all her files on Taylor Woodward and her gang. She didn’t dare leave it out of her sight for even one second! Hence why it wasn’t with her checked baggage in the first place.

Once her business was over, the CIA agent went to wash her hands.

Sophie didn’t pay much attention to the woman dressed as a taxi driver who entered the room. Maybe it was her chauffeur, who was looking for her?

As the blonde finished washing her hands, she saw out of the corner of her eye some movement in the mirror. The chauffeur. Behind her. About to strike.

Reflexively, the undercover CIA attempted to dodge. Mentally, she cursed the fact she couldn’t carry a hidden weapon on a plane.

Unfortunately for her, her mugger was faster. She pinned Sophie against the sink from behind, and clamped a smelly rag onto her nose and mouth. Sophie identified chloroform – as an undercover agent, she herself had had once to discreetly enter a restricted compound, after neutralizing a sentry with chloroform.

Expect this time, SHE was the one being chloroformed!

All her CIA training didn’t mean much in the heat of the moment. Sophie was unbalanced. Her legs and waist were blocked by the sink. Her mugger was in her back.

The water was still running in the sink, and therefore drowned out the noise of the fight. The CIA agent struggled, but only managed to splash futilely.

In her last moment of clarity, Sophie saw her reflection in the mirror. She saw her half-closed eyes, about to give in to sleep. She heard her own muffled moans. And she remembered that sentry she had ambushed during her first infiltration mission in Canada. A cute short brunette, with a heart-shaped face, a crown braid which made her look like a Disney princess, and the most gorgeous blue eyes Sophie had ever seen. Even her moans for help sounded cute. The blond agent had been happy that day that she was instructed to ‘play nice and non-lethal’ in Canada. That girl was so cute, it would have been a shame to hurt her! Sophie had felt strange that day, as she was zip-tying the sentry’s limbs, gagging her with tape, and locking her in a closet. Powerful... Excited... Alive.

The pleasant memory of the cute sentry accompanied the blond agent as she fell asleep.

The motionless Sophie was dragged into a stall by the undershoulders. Her briefcase was then swiftly retrieved, so was the fake ‘Out of Order’ sign stitched on the restrooms’ door, and the stall was closed and locked to give the mugger and her victim some privacy.

**************

Felicia left Sophie seated in a corner of the small toilet room, her head resting against the wall. She didn’t restrain her for now.

Black Cat had indeed chosen chloroform instead of a sleeper-hold or a neck-chop precisely because she wanted to have the time to search the briefcase in peace before deciding what to do with the CIA agent’s clothes. (And bringing a weapon-shaped device such as a dart gun inside an airport was too risky.)

“You know, I hesitated between your taxi driver and the airport’s janitress…” Black Cat told the unconscious woman as she was rummaging through the content of the briefcase. “I chose the chauffeur because I was afraid you wouldn’t go to the restrooms. Looks like I worried for nothing.”

The search of the briefcase was fruitful. Some important files – one was even labeled Taylor Woodward –, and a computer which was no doubt full of interesting data. As Black Cat was hoping, Sophie was carrying her important files in her carry-on baggage – those were too important to be left in her checked baggage.

“Jackpot!”

Felicia glanced at the slumbering Sophie – more precisely at the woman’s outfit. She pondered what to do. She was only after the agent’s briefcase – and the computer inside. Black Cat was a burglar first and foremost. She didn’t go out of her way to steal other women’s outfits if it wasn’t necessary.

However, the platinum blonde decided she would look more innocuous wearing Sophie’s casual clothes.

She stripped the ponytailed blonde – swiftly and efficiently. First, she removed the shoes, and shimmied down the tights. Then she slid the skirt down the legs. Next, she lifted the motionless upper-body, unzipped the blazer jacket, unbuttoned the button-up shirt, and peeled off the garments.

The undercover CIA agent actually looked quite cute and innocent, once she was down to her white t-shirt bra with a colorful flower pattern, and matching panties with a light pink waistband strap and a cute pink little bow.

Felicia cut the taxi driver outfit into strips to bind Sophie’s ankles, and cleave-gag her. She also tied a second strip of cloth over the mouth, though on this one she poured some chloroform to make sure the CIA agent would sleep for a couple more hours. She placed Sophie on the toilet seat, and tied her wrists behind the pipe.

Then she put on the fake tourist’s casual clothes.

After exiting the stall, Felicia broke the handle of the door. While it would eventually lead to the arrival of a maintenance agent, she suspected it would take them at least several hours to intervene. By the time Sophie was found, she’d be far away.

After she left the airport, suit case in hand, Felicia passed next to a parked taxi cab.

She smiled to herself.

Nobody would suspect someone was currently locked inside the cab’s trunk. A cute tanned-skinned short-haired redhead with golden brown eyes – bound with ropes, gagged with scarves, and stripped down to a sapphire blue push-up bra with white edges and straps, and lavender Brazilian panties with a dark purple waistband strap.

Felicia heard a THUMP!, and some muffled moans coming from the trunk.

“Oh. Looks like she woke up. Sooner than expected. Better not linger around here…”

Felicia found it amusing to call for an other taxi cab, and pay the trip with Sophie’s money.

She would spend the next few days holed up in her hideout. The time to read through all the files on Sophie’s briefcase and computer.

Black Cat was aware her foes would probably be active during these days. An idea which she didn’t like. These women were involved in something big, and Felicia didn’t want to give them too much of a head start. But at the same time, all her previous attempts against the Team had been foiled because she didn’t have enough information on the leaders of the group.

Screwball was a moron, Trapstr wasn’t a fighter, and Carpenter was just too plain. However, Taylor, Charlotte and their blond friend were clearly in a league above – each in their own way. But they were newcomers – from Canada apparently. Felicia knew next to nothing about them, and as her defeats had proven, she wouldn’t be able to get the upper-hand until she rectified that.

Black Cat grimaced to herself. Hopefully, her annoying rivals wouldn’t get too much ahead during the next following days...

**************

The house was one of the many wealthy properties in Westchester County. Many rich folks thought they’d be safer living in the suburbs around New York City.

Hazel finished cleaning the limo with a piece of cloth. Her employer, Emilia Waybright, and her daughter were supposed to attend to an important political gala organized by Robert Kelly, one of the country’s most influential politicians.

The limo driver was wearing shiny black shoes, black gloves, dark brown trousers, a white button-up shirt with a straight collar, a black tie, a dark brown suit jacket with golden buttons, and a dark brown chauffeur cap. She was a thin tanned-skinned woman, with hazel brown eyes and dark auburn hair.

Hazel took a few steps back, and admired her handiwork. Cleaning the car was the less interesting aspect of her job, but there was always the satisfaction of a work well done.

However, something then soured her mood.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Hazel suddenly noticed two female figures approaching. They were dressed in expensive casual clothes, but clearly weren’t guests of miss Waybright.

Hazel smiled nervously.

She could smell trouble miles away. And these two… smelled like trouble.

Door-to-door saleswomen. Sharply-dressed and wealthy-looking maybe, hence why nobody batted an eye when they saw them walking the neighborhood, but still door-to-door saleswomen. Or preachers. Or canvassers. Really, it didn’t matter.

Hazel dreaded these silver-tongued smooth talkers, who never took ‘no’ as an answer. They were like parasites, regularly touring the neighborhood to solicit its rich residents. The ones clad in expensive clothes were the worst – they were the smartest.

When the duo reached Hazel, the chubby woman was the first to talk. Of course she would be… With her curly light brown hair and big smile, she was the ‘cute’ one of the pair – the one supposed to charm the client. The black-haired one looked too stern, too serious, with her sharp bob cut. She’d step in once the pair would need to look like they were smart and knew what they were doing.

“Good day, miss. We wish to talk to Miss Waybright.”

Hazel resisted the urge to sigh. As an employee of Emilia Waybright, her manners reflected on her employer. And, like many wealthy folks, Emilia couldn’t appear ‘rude’ – at least not in public.

“Good afternoon. I’m sorry, but Miss Waybright can’t see you right now. She and her daughter are getting ready for an important political gala.”

“Oh, we already know that. In fact, we are here because of that.”

Something clicked in Hazel’s mind.

Of course… These two were sent by Robert Kelly’s political rival. Somehow, they’d learned the list of the people Kelly had invited in hopes of getting their sponsorship, and they were now trying to convince them to switch sides. Hazel wouldn’t be surprised to learn several guests of the gala were receiving similar visits right now.

“She still won’t have the time to see you. She must leave for the gala.”

The chubby girl smiled. “She got held up. We’ll fill in for her.”

Hazel frowned. Had the woman just said what she had heard? “I’m not quite sure… you two understand… the situation…” she attempted to reason.

It was her mistake.

The black-haired woman took advantage of her hesitation. In fact, it was the entire point of her partner’s quip. She suddenly struck. Hazel barely even registered what happened next.

The woman punched the chauffeur in the solar plexus. Hazel bent forward in pain, the wind knocked out of her. She was unable to call for help.

A neck-chop followed. Pain stopped. Numbness and darkness took its place.

Hazel was instantly knocked out cold.

**************

Taylor caught the chauffeur around the waist, and dragged the limp woman behind the car to conceal her.

“The garage.” she instructed her partner.

Charlotte took the woman’s keys, and unlocked the door of the garage. They then carried Hazel inside, and closed the door to have some privacy.

Taylor scanned the room. There was an other car – a Lincoln Navigator – and several shelves and lockers for the tools.

“Strip her off. I’ll grab something to restrain her.” she instructed her partner.

Charlotte went down to work. She grabbed the cap and gloves, unlaced and took off the shoes, unbuckled and peeled the trousers down the legs, and pulled off the jacket and shirt.

At the same time, Taylor searched the garage. She found a roll of duct tape and a few sturdy electric cables. Perfect!

By the time she came back, Hazel had been reduced to her burgundy racerback bra with white edges, white briefs with a blue waistband strap, and grey socks.

Taylor swiftly bound the woman’s limbs with electric cables. She wrapped a few layers of tape around the wrists and around the ankles as well. Finally, she gagged the woman with a rag and a few strips of tape.

Charlotte pulled out a small box with a few syringes filled with a knock-out drug. One injection made sure Hazel would sleep for the next hours.

“We leave her in the car. Don’t want her to crawl and find something to cut herself loose after she wakes up.” Taylor instructed.

They threw Hazel onto the backseats of the parked Lincoln Navigator, put the child safety on so that the doors couldn’t be opened from the inside, and locked the vehicle.

Then, Taylor took off her expensive-looking casual clothes, and slipped into the chauffeur uniform. Charlotte strolled in the garage, humming to herself.

Taylor adjusted her fancy driver cap last, and checked her wristwatch.

“She’s late.” the black-haired woman commented to herself. “We don’t have the time to wait for her. The targets could notice their driver disappeared any minute now.”

**************

In her personal bathroom, Alice Waybright applied a faint layer of red lipstick. She smiled at her reflection. Her make-up was perfect – it highlighted her features without looking gaudy.

“I’m finished, mom!” she announced.

Alice was a light-skinned green-eyed 22-years-old young woman. Her long brown hair were wavy, and curly at the bottom. She was letting them loose, with only a red ribbon adorned with a fake rose tied in them. Segmented bangs framed her face, and one curled lock of hair was resting on each of her cheeks. The only child of the Waybright family had had the luck of being blessed with a good-looking body. Her bun and breasts were naturally round, but without being too big either. She took pride in the fact she hadn’t had any plastic surgery, contrary to a lot of her friends.

She was clad in a bright red spaghetti-strapped long formal gown with frill designs, and white heeled sandals. She was also wearing gold earrings, a gold necklace, and a gold bracelet on each wrist.

Her mother was checking in the mirror of her own bathroom all her hair were in their rightful place.

“Good. Proper ladies should be fashionably late, but not too late either.” she joked.

Emilia was a mature woman with an average build. She was reaching her fifties. She had a fair skin, grey eyes, and dirty blonde hair tied in a top bun. There were a few wrinkles on her face and around her eyes, but she liked to think they added to her charm by making her look distinguished. She was long past her bachelorette days anyway… At least, pregnancy had been kind to her, and she had managed to regain a flat stomach and a slim figure after Alice’s birth.

Emilia wore a long green formal dress adorned with white lace around the collar and the cuffs, and brown high-heels. A blue sash was tied around her waist. She wasn’t wearing much jewels – only emerald-adorned earrings and a gold necklace. And her wedding ring, of course.

The mother and daughter exited their respective bathrooms at the same time.

“You look radiant indeed.” Emilia commented. “I’d swear you’re looking for a potential husband at the gala.”

Alice blushed. “Mom!”

Emilia chuckled, then called for her housekeeper: “Marisa! We’re about to leave. Is Hazel done with the limo?”

There was no answer.

Emilia frowned. Marisa was a good employee, but she had this bad habit of listening to music on earphones while working.

The house owner went to the stairs. Her daughter was following her.

“Marisa? You hear me? Is everything all right?” she called in the corridor.

Still no answer.

Mother and daughter entered the kitchen when they heard someone was inside.

“Marisa! Didn’t you-” Emilia interrupted herself. “Who are you?”

The young woman in the kitchen was wearing a housekeeper uniform: a light grey short-sleeved housekeeper dress with a white collar and white cuffs, a white apron, and white plastic clogs. However, she wasn’t Marisa. She had a white skin, freckles on her cheeks, blue eyes, and light brown hair tied up into a short bushy ponytail.

“What are you doing here? Where’s Marisa?”

The unknown woman had a sheepish expression. “For the record, I told them it was unnecessary. They made me do it. They said it was a safety precaution, in case somebody looked at the windows from the street.”

“What are you babbling about?!”

Behind her, Alice suddenly gasped in horror. “M- Mom!” she whispered. “There!”

Emilia looked at the place her daughter was pointing, under the kitchen’s counter.

All blood left the rich woman’s face.

An unconscious woman was seated there. She was a Latina, with black hair tied up into a functional ponytail, shallow cheekbones, and a pointy nose. And she was almost naked – only clad in light pink boyshorts with a white waistband strap, and a white t-shirt bra. Her hands were bound behind her back with thin white ropes. An other coil of rope was restraining her legs. She was gagged with a few kitchen rags tied together.

Marisa, their housekeeper. Robbed of her uniform, and trussed up like a turkey.

Emilia came to the realization it wasn’t some elaborate prank. She glared at the impostor. “You- You are-”

Her only answer were the sounds of a neck-chop, and her daughter’s soft moan as she collapsed into a mugger’s arms.

Emilia turned to face a black-haired woman wearing a limo driver uniform. Most likely Hazel’s. She was holding her limp unconscious daughter by the waist.

There was also a chubby cute woman waiting behind, bouncing on her feet with a huge smile on her lips.

The black-haired intruder looked Emilia in the eyes, sending shivers down the older woman’s spine. “Let’s not make any decision we might regret later.” she commented. Given the way she was holding the unconscious Alice, the threat was crystal clear.

Emilia felt deathly cold. The sight of her precious daughter in danger was unbearable. “You- My staff- My daughter- What do you want from us?”

“Not your lives. Not even your money. We just want to borrow your identities for a while.”

“I- I don’t understand… This- This neighborhood was supposed to be safe!”

“The key word being ‘supposed’.”

Emilia didn’t realize her mistake in time. She didn’t realize the black-haired woman was only distracting her to give her accomplice the time to strike. Emilia never should have turned her back on the woman impersonating her housekeeper.

For her trouble, she was hit in the back of the head by a bottle, and was knocked out instantly.

**************

Jenna caught Emilia by the waist before she fell onto the floor.

“Did I do it right?”

Taylor nodded, adjusting her hold on the motionless Alice. “You hit the spot perfectly. Of course she’ll have a headache, but that’s her problem. Give her to Charlotte, and keep pretending to do the chores. We’ll handle things from here.”

“But I already do the chores in our lair…” Jenna remarked.

Taylor’s sharp glare convinced her to drop the subject – and drop the limp Emilia into Charlotte’s arms.

The two women dragged their burdens into a lounge room without window, and laid Alice and Emilia onto the carpeted floor.

They carefully removed the two women’s garments – taking extra precaution to not damage or ruffle the expensive gowns. They also took off all the jewels, including Emilia’s wedding ring, since they were as much part of the general appearance as the dresses.

Alice was left clad in a scarlet red plunge bra, and matching lace hip-hugging panties. The upper-half of the bra cups were adorned with red lace flowers.

Emilia was left wearing a forest green full-cup bra without embellishment, clearly chosen for comfort rather than for feeling sexy. Her plain classic briefs were a matching green, with a dark green waistband strap. The undergarments were surprisingly plain. Apparently, Emilia didn’t feel the need to flaunt her money by buying ridiculously expensive underwear.

Taylor had brought some electric cables and strings from the garage with her. She used them to bind the two women. She didn’t bother with complex knots – a cross-tie behind the back for the wrists, a few layers of cables wrapped around the calves, an other few layers wrapped around the upper-arms above and below the breasts. She used kitchen rags and tape to gag the two women – stuffing a rag into the mouth, and wrapping tape over and around the lower face.

Charlotte grabbed two small syringes, and injected Emilia and Alice with the knock-out drug.

The mother and daughter were left seated in a corner of the lounge room, heads and shoulders resting against each other.

“So. Is this what they call a Mother-Daughter bonding moment?”

“Not now, Charlotte.”

Taylor checked her wristwatch.

“Not good. She should be here by now. The old man said she’d come. Why is she taking so long?”

“Because she wants to make a good entrance!” a woman suddenly announced behind her, in the doorway.

Taylor groaned in annoyance, and rolled her eyes. “FINALLY!

Charlotte nervously bit her lower-lip, and waved awkwardly. “Hello, Miss Mystique.”

“Mystique will suffice. Adding a ‘Miss’ feels redundant.”

The blue-skinned red-haired yellow-eyed shape-shifting mutant imperiously entered the room, acting as if she owned the place. And she indeed looked impressive, with her statuesque figure, stunning confidence, and regal-like bearing.

“You’re late.” Taylor commented. “I don’t think the old man will appreciate you jeopardizing the entire operation for a chance to flex your dominance.”

“I know he’ll forgive me. Besides, I needed to know if you’re as good as he thinks.”

“Satisfied?”

Mystique nodded. She eyed the underwear-clad mother and daughter in the corner, then their gowns neatly folded on the floor.

“Oh. I see you already took their clothes off. Adorable.”

Charlotte’s cheeks blushed slightly, and she avoided the blue-skinned mutant’s sight.

“Don’t worry, I’ll humor you. Wouldn’t want to make you feel inadequate.”

Mystique grabbed Alice’s set of clothes.

“I’ll leave the mother for you. Gotta see how good you are under the spotlight.”

Then her appearance changed to look like an underwear-clad Alice Waybright, and she started to put on the daughter’s dress, sandals and jewels. The red-haired mutant’s power was fast and smooth, honed by years of training.

Charlotte’s hands were shaking a little – and for once it was not because of her constant state of sugar rush. In a way, Mystique’s feat was impressive. Given Charlotte’s short attention span and out-of-touch perception of reality, few things made her lose her composure. And even fewer things made her lose her composure for more than three seconds.

“Don’t lose your cool.” Taylor intervened. “It’s your chance to prove yourself.”

Charlotte nodded, and took off her casual clothes. Reflexively, she tapped the enhancer strapped onto her shoulder. Then she took a breath, and changed shape. The feeling wasn’t painful – not exactly – but it was quite uncomfortable. Her body grew taller and slimmer, while jerking in weird directions. At the same time, a few wrinkles appeared on her face while her hair and eyes changed to match Emilia’s. The whole process was contorting her face into grimaces, and she couldn’t do anything about it. Ultimately, she became Emilia’s exact replica. But it had taken her longer than Mystique. Her awkward transformation was a telling reminder she was way below the blue-skinned mutant’s level, even with the help of the enhancer…

Charlotte slipped into Emilia’s discarded dress, then put on the woman’s jewels (including the wedding ring which now fitted her like a glove), and heels.

Mystique watched her silently the entire time. There was an amused glimmer in her eyes, and the ghost of a smile on her lips.

“All done!” Fake-Emilia announced with a decent imitation of Real-Emilia’s voice.

Taylor nodded. “Good. Why don’t you regroup with Carpenter while Mystique and I plan the next step?”

“Okay.”

When Charlotte closed the door, Mystique walked next to Taylor. “You have something to say.” she remarked.

“Keep putting the mission in danger by hazing her, and I will break your spine.” Taylor stated matter-of-factly.

Mystique was neither offended nor scared. “I trust you can. I heard of your reputation, Taylor Woodward. ‘Canada’s deadliest secret agent’ doesn’t sound fearsome, but I bet you can kill me as easily as any other elite assassin.”

“Former secret agent.” Taylor rectified.

Mystique approached the bound-and-gagged Alice and Emilia, deeply asleep, breathing slowly through the nose.

“And now, here you are... playing nice, being soft...”

She derisively rubbed Alice’s cheeks.

“You thought of everything. You even left them together so that mommy would know her pup is alive… I bet they'll even be able to free each other eventually, after they wake up...”

She left the two slumbering women alone, and stared Taylor down.

“I’m curious to know what turned you into a declawed cat. Is it because of the two stray kittens you took under your wing?”

Taylor’s eyes narrowed. “You’re venturing into dangerous waters.”

Mystique ignored the threat. “It has to be. I bet Charlie’s energy must be handy at something. In the privacy of the bedroom, perhaps? Though it’s with the other one you lucked out. Do you even picture how much Sarah is worth?”

“Don’t make the mistake to think I’m an underling you can push around.” the black-haired woman warned. “Or that I’ve become averse to the idea of killing.”

A short pause.

Mystique nodded. “Duly noted. Let's leave.”

**************

Impersonating Emilia, Alice, and their chauffeur at the gala ultimately wasn’t much of a challenge.

Taylor simply needed to look quiet and professional – something at which she excelled. Mystique was one of the best shams of the world – if not the best. And Charlotte, no matter what Mystique thought, was a talented actress too when she managed to focus and get in-character. The enhancer was also doing wonders – Taylor didn’t regret testing it today. Nobody would have guessed Emilia Waybright, her daughter, and her staff were currently trussed up and locked in their own house.

Among the guests, Charlotte was in the forefront, behaving and talking like a proper lady of the high society. It was eery to see how committed to her role the shape-shifter was, given her usual personality. ‘Au naturel’ Charlotte would be hard-pressed to stay focused on one topic for more than a few minutes, but when in-character she could play a role for hours without tiring.

Taylor felt greatly satisfied when she noticed Mystique actually had nothing to criticize about Charlotte’s performance.

The political gala itself was quite a boring event. At least the food was delicious – and deliciously expensive. However, the three impostors weren’t here to have fun. They were awaiting the main event...

… Said main event began when a group of technicians turned a giant screen on.

The image of a man filmed live appeared.

Robert Kelly, influential figure of the United States’ politics, mostly known for his anti-mutant crusade. For people like Mystique or Taylor, he was enemy number 1.

“Greetings everyone. I apologize I wasn’t able to come in person. Alas, my security advisor considered there was a potential threat to my life.”

You’re righter than you know... Taylor thought to herself. Had Kelly been here personally, she would indeed have had the perfect opportunity to snipe him.

Nobody batted an eye or felt offended – they all knew from the start Kelly wouldn’t be here in person. In a way, it was quite a smart move. Kelly’s political program revolved around increasing the country’s internal security – he was basically stressing his point.

“Some of you were invited because we share the same ideals. Others, because we don’t – and I hope my arguments will change their mind.”

Taylor briefly wondered which side Emilia was supposed to be on. She shrugged internally. In the grand scheme of things, it didn’t matter. Emilia and her daughter would have been mugged no matter which side they were on – they were a mean to an end. Two women who were living on their own, and who wouldn’t be accompanied by any family, friend, or even acquaintance. Two women about whom the other guests didn’t know much. The opportunity was too good to pass.

“Today is meant to be a turning point in our country’s history. And I trust the members of my campaign team will do their best to accommodate you during this grand event.”

This time, there were hushed whispers of anticipation. A campaign team? Things were becoming interesting!

“Indeed, I’m happy to announce you my candidacy to the upcoming presidential elections.”

There was a short beat, the time for the guests to process the reveal.

Out of the corner of her eye, Taylor noticed Mystique was using all her self-control to hide a grimace of utter hatred.

As Robert Kelly kept talking on the screen, Taylor whispered in her ear.

“This is what the old man was fearing. Maybe you should sneak around the building, to try and find more information. We may have a mole in SHIELD, but I’m quite sure Kelly’s campaign team has more details.”

Mystique nodded. “He won’t get away with it. That, I can assure you. I hope your team is ready. No more silly heists to collect money. The next time you strike, you’ll do what you were hired for.”

**************

The days following her heist at the airport, Felicia studied the data of the files and laptop she had stolen from Sophie.

She also compared her discoveries with some online newspaper articles.

One in particular caught her attention.

BREAKING NEWS!

House Assault in Westchester County!

Emilia Waybright and her daughter Alice Waybright were found bound, gagged, and robbed of their clothes by their neighbors in their own house in Westchester County. Their housekeeper, Marisa Sanchez, and personal chauffeur, Hazel Morris, were also assaulted for their outfits.

Several eye witnesses confirm that women bearing a striking resemblance with Emilia and Alice, as well as a woman dressed as their chauffeur, attended to Robert Kelly’s political rally in the County – a rally to which the real Emilia and Alice were invited. Police thinks these impostors assaulted the Waybrights and their staff to take their place, and spy at the rally. They don’t know however what was the motive behind their espionage operation.

By our correspondent Mary-Jane Watson.

Felicia scratched her chin.

MJ sure always ends up covering heists that involved clothes stealing… the cat burglar thought to herself. I wonder if it’s a deliberate choice of hers... Or is it a sick joke of her editor, since she was herself mugged?

Questions for later.

Felicia easily recognized the footprints in this case. Team Awesome – or whatever dumb name they called themselves now – was still busy.

However, the thought made her smile harshly.

So was she...

Next to her personal computer, there was a second one. A smaller laptop. Sophie’s. And the files this device contained were quite interesting....

By tallying the information she stole from Miranda Kalte with the one she found in the CIA agent’s laptop, Felicia had been able to learn interesting things about Charlotte’s team.

First, as Felicia suspected, the true leader of the team wasn’t Charlotte, but Taylor Woodward. Rogue agent of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. She was one of their best, but betrayed them out of the blue three years ago. No mention was made of her mutant powers on her official records. She most likely had kept them hidden from her superiors. I wonder why... Felicia thought to herself. Maybe this has something to do with the fact she doesn't like to use them... CIA didn't know about them too, so she either had never used them openly, or had made sure to cover her tracks. Both options were worrisome. The former meant she was purposefully holding back - not a pleasant thought given how quickly she was able to defeat me. The latter meant she had enough connections to erase official - and secret - records. Also not a pleasant thought.

Charlotte's profile was a lot more unusual. No secret agent training. No tragic backstory. Just a girl from a plain household, and with severe psychiatric disorders, who ran away from home to live her little fantasies and had been causing trouble ever since. A loose cannon. Not good. It meant Felicia had nothing against the chubby shape-shifter. No leverage at all.

The last woman of the gang was a girl called Sarah Summers. She was the pale blond girl, the one that had given Felicia the creeps. Sophie’s files were listing her as CIA’s top priority – to be captured alive at all costs. Unfortunately, Sophie didn’t have the clearance to possess thorough knowledge on this ‘Sarah’ chick, so Felicia didn’t know what the deal with her was – or why she was deemed more important than the gang’s leader or its main infiltrator.

At least she knew her hunch about the blonde was right...

The most important information she had managed to learn however was that these girls were in contact with interesting people, to say the least. And among them, there was a SHIELD Agent who was on their payroll – selling them information in exchange of money.

“Agent Dahlia Walker. Works in SHIELD Compound XLR-6.”

Felicia leaned back in her chair. The cogs of her mind were turning. She knew a bit about this secret compound. Gadgets weren’t the only things she tended to steal during her partnerships with do-gooders. She stole information too. XLR-6 was a recent compound, built near New York City.

What kind of petty thieves have a mole in the most secret US organization? Or are considered top priority by the CIA?

The kind who have a lot of secrets. And who probably are more than what they seem.

Hopefully, I’m going to learn a bit more about their employer.

There was still one last folder in the laptop Felicia hadn’t checked. This one was protected by an other password, and her stolen cracking device had had a lot of trouble unlocking it.

But now it was finally done…

The files were about Taylor’s boss. The one she called “old man”.

Felicia’s face fell. She paled.

“No way… It’s… It’s… him?!”

**************

The rendez-vous point was an old abandoned warehouse in the outskirts of the city.

Charlotte, Taylor, and Sarah warily entered the building. It was dark, and their footsteps echoed against the walls.

Jenna, Trapstr, and Screwball weren’t with them. Their boss didn’t like the idea of the humans of their team knowing his identity.

“You’re finally here.” a deep voice greeted the three mutants. “I was getting worried.”

It belonged to a man, who was hiding in the shadows.

“It’s only us. No need for theatrics, old man.” Taylor rudely exclaimed.

Said ‘old man’ didn’t lose his temper. He walked into the light, and considered the trio with a mixture of quiet patience and slightly condescending paternalism. Like a father with a bunch of rude children, or a mentor with thick-headed students. Which, given who they were and who he was, wasn’t exactly surprising.

Decades ago – a lifetime ago – the ‘old man’ was known as Max Eisenhardt, a Jewish boy with the bad luck of living in Nazi Germany. But nobody was calling him by that name anymore. Most people knew him under the alias of Magneto, master of magnetism, dark hero of mutantkind, wishing to subjugate humanity and to enable mutants, whom he referred to as Homo superior, to become the dominant species on Earth.

“I heard Mystique’s report. Your infiltration of the gala was flawless. She said you’ve managed to use the enhancers.”

Charlotte was beaming with pride. “Yes, sir! They are as exhilarating as you said!” She went to hand him the stolen prototypes, almost bouncing at every step. “There you go, sir.”

“Finally… After months of planning…” Magneto weighted the rings in his hands. “Devices to enhance mutant powers…” he commented. “Such power in the palms of my hands…”

“And also ropes specifically designed to withstand super-strength!” Charlotte added excitedly, proudly showing the other prototype they had stolen as a bonus.

Magneto looked at her.

“I knew I was right to trust you. Your track record has been flawless.” Had he wanted to sound more fatherly, he would have had to pat her cheek.

The shapeshifter somehow managed to grin even more widely. “It was easy!”

“I’m not surprised, given your abilities...”

Taylor didn’t hide her scoff.

Magneto gazed at her. “I heard you barely used your powers… and only did it when you had no other choice.”

Taylor huffed. “I don’t need them. I can be strong without them.”

Magneto sighed. “That attitude… That is the exact problem…” He looked Taylor in the eyes. “You’re thinking like one of THEM. Who says your powers are an unfair advantage? That using them is ‘cheating’... makes your victory less worthy?”

“I do.”

“Because they’ve influenced you... without you even realizing it. Your mutant powers are a part of you. You shouldn’t be ashamed to use them. You shouldn’t feel less of yourself because you rely on them. When a man is born taller than average, does anyone call him a cheater if he excels at basketball? You using your powers shouldn’t be any different.”

Taylor gritted her teeth. “We’ve already had this conversation. Stop rambling, old man.”

He ignored her. “Humans are jealous of you. Your powers make you better than them. And THEY refuse to accept it. So they try to demean you. To bring you down to their level.”

The black-haired woman lost patience. “I said... SHUT! UP!”

Sarah winced in pain. Charlotte lost her smile and stopped bouncing – for five whole seconds, which for her felt like hours.

But Magneto didn’t lose his temper. He simply shook his head with a sad expression. “In due time, you’ll understand.” He glanced once more at the ring-shaped prototypes. “Soon… things will change for the better…”

Taylor crossed her arms. “It means we’re finally going to perform the truly important heist?”

Magneto nodded. “All the other ones were merely stepping stones… We got money to buy information, we got the devices, and we distracted the police with fake art robberies...”

“You’re rambling again, old man.”

“I’ve contacted Agent Walker.” Magneto explained, mentioning their mole in SHIELD. “She’s given me all the information we need about Robert Kelly’s first speech as a presidential candidate. You will make it his last.”

**************

Felicia was feeling a bit conflicted. Magneto was way above her pay grade.

But at the same time, he seemed to be using ‘Team Awful’ merely to collect money through heists. If she managed to have them arrested without exposing her identity, surely he wouldn’t bother going after her...

And these upstarts were making things personal! Hijacking her heists was one thing… Even stealing the uniforms of the women she intended to mug, like those delivery women, she could forgive… But mugging HER and stripping her off the outfit she had just stolen?! That was a whole different level! Unforgivable!

It was personal! She would get rid of these pests!

Her option to learn more about Team Nuisance’s next move was to collect information at the source. That meant grabbing the mole on their payroll, and shaking her off for information.

The problem was that said mole worked in a SHIELD compound… Black Cat wasn’t exactly on good terms with Nick Fury currently, so asking him for help wasn’t an option.

I wish SHIELD wasn’t involved… Charlotte Beaulieu, I will make you pay for that!

Looks like the chubby shape-shifter had managed to become her nemesis after all… Felicia just wished it hadn’t been in such an obnoxious way.

Almost absent-mindedly, she noticed the newspaper article right after the one about the Waybrights was mentioning Robert Kelly had announced his candidacy to the upcoming presidential election. His first speech as presidential candidate would take place in New York.

“Maybe I should plan my infiltration the same day… SHIELD will be bound to have its attention distracted...”

Surely infiltrating a SHIELD compound wouldn't be harder than mugging an Avengers.

Right?

[rufusluciusivan]

Author's note: I rarely do that, but Alice and Emilia Waybright were inspired by this (sadly non USB-related) picture:

https://www.deviantart.com/molderpurple ... -875426725

[tirepanted3]

It's a bit tricky to review a story like this, since I had some prior knowledge of it beforehand (and helped out on a few details myself) yet also not enough to have had a clear picture going in. But I'll try my best.

Overall, I like how Felicia's attitude is depicted here - she's determined to fight Charlotte's team, and blasé about any evidence that seems extraneous.

… blah blah blah… secret operation… blah blah blah… make sure Canadian Secret Services don’t hear of it… blah blah blah… make sure FBI or SHIELD also don’t hear of it… Typical inter-service rivalry… Nothing interesting here...

And of course, she's still looking for excuses to indulge in her "thief" side.

Luckily for her, Miranda Kalte believed in gender-equality when it came to her armed thugs.

Seems to be a common trope among criminals in this universe - always looking for gender fairness when it comes to hiring security. Alas, the tables so often turn...

The scene at the Waybright mansion was a fun centerpiece for the chapter. I love a good chauffeur uniform steal, especially one where she is left bound and gagged in the back of her own vehicle (or an adjoining vehicle, in this case). Hazel's initial assumption that the women approaching were political solicitors was amusing as well.

I believe Alice Waybright is the second character in your stories to be modeled after Aerith Gainsborough (after Aeris from the Utopia saga). Perhaps she is the common thread in all these USB universes...

I did not expect to see Mystique make an appearance in the series, certainly not as an ally of Taylor's team, considering Charlotte's dislike of her. She seems less tough than she did in the comics - backing off from a confrontation with Taylor - and even agreeing to steal clothes rather than shapeshift them into existence. I suppose even she can't escape the influence of the USB universe.

I did know about the Magneto reveal in advance, but I found it to be a well-written scene that sets up intriguing things to come. Although it might be better if he had not been name-dropped earlier in the chapter (at the Robert Kelly function).

All in all, nicely done. To anyone wondering, I don't have any further Marvel stories planned at the moment, but I look forward to seeing how Rufus develops the saga.

[meditions142]

What a fun story. First off, loved Felicia's class sneak up behind a sentry and neck chop her. We also get a nice punch to double the victim over followed by a neck chop on Hazel. Very nice.

But my favorite scene was Sophie while being put out actually having a pleasant memory of her knocked out the cute little sentry in Canada. Fun that she actually was obviously a bit turned on when she had taken the women out and when she herself was under attack it came back as a fond memory. Really enjoyed that.

[rufusluciusivan]

It's a bit tricky to review a story like this, since I had some prior knowledge of it beforehand (and helped out on a few details myself) yet also not enough to have had a clear picture going in. But I'll try my best.

Overall, I like how Felicia's attitude is depicted here - she's determined to fight Charlotte's team, and blasé about any evidence that seems extraneous.

… blah blah blah… secret operation… blah blah blah… make sure Canadian Secret Services don’t hear of it… blah blah blah… make sure FBI or SHIELD also don’t hear of it… Typical inter-service rivalry… Nothing interesting here...

And of course, she's still looking for excuses to indulge in her "thief" side.

Luckily for her, Miranda Kalte believed in gender-equality when it came to her armed thugs.

Seems to be a common trope among criminals in this universe - always looking for gender fairness when it comes to hiring security. Alas, the tables so often turn...

The scene at the Waybright mansion was a fun centerpiece for the chapter. I love a good chauffeur uniform steal, especially one where she is left bound and gagged in the back of her own vehicle (or an adjoining vehicle, in this case). Hazel's initial assumption that the women approaching were political solicitors was amusing as well.

I believe Alice Waybright is the second character in your stories to be modeled after Aerith Gainsborough (after Aeris from the Utopia saga). Perhaps she is the common thread in all these USB universes...

I did not expect to see Mystique make an appearance in the series, certainly not as an ally of Taylor's team, considering Charlotte's dislike of her. She seems less tough than she did in the comics - backing off from a confrontation with Taylor - and even agreeing to steal clothes rather than shapeshift them into existence. I suppose even she can't escape the influence of the USB universe.

I did know about the Magneto reveal in advance, but I found it to be a well-written scene that sets up intriguing things to come. Although it might be better if he had not been name-dropped earlier in the chapter (at the Robert Kelly function).

All in all, nicely done. To anyone wondering, I don't have any further Marvel stories planned at the moment, but I look forward to seeing how Rufus develops the saga.

Dang it. Magneto's name being name-dropped at the Robert Kelly political gala is a typo, a leftover of the first draft in which Magneto's reveal was earlier in the story... I'll rectify that ASAP...

I'm glad you liked Felicia's portrayal. It's not the most exciting moment of the saga as far as she's concerned, but I tried to make it a bit memorable nonetheless by adding some details like Fiona's return or Sophie being an infiltrator herself, falling victim to a better infiltrator.

Alice Waybright is indeed modeled after Aerith. (I think I mentioned a few times Final Fantasy 7 is my favorite videogame. ) Though it wasn't planned in advance. But after finding this gorgeous picture, I simply HAD to turn it into a USB scenario...

Gender-equality is a stable of USB stories I think.

The scene at the Waybright mansion was the one I enjoyed writing the most. So I'm not surprised it caught your attention .

I confess I don't have much knowledge of Mystique's power scale. From what I remember of the cartoons I watched, she doesn't have super strength - though she is an accomplished martial artist. In Earth-USB at least, she's below Taylor in terms of combat prowess - especially if one takes the super-speed into account. Therefore, while she enjoys pushing other people's buttons, she's also smart enough to stop before things turn ugly.

Charlotte doesn't exactly hate her though. She's just green with envy... Mystique is not a sympathetic character by far in this saga, but she's meant to have many qualities Charlotte admires: she oozes with confidence, she's a mistress shapeshifter...

I like Magneto as a villain a lot, so I'm happy to be able to feature him.

The saga will soon reach it first climax, and I can't wait to show it to all of you.

What a fun story. First off, loved Felicia's class sneak up behind a sentry and neck chop her. We also get a nice punch to double the victim over followed by a neck chop on Hazel. Very nice.

But my favorite scene was Sophie while being put out actually having a pleasant memory of her knocked out the cute little sentry in Canada. Fun that she actually was obviously a bit turned on when she had taken the women out and when she herself was under attack it came back as a fond memory. Really enjoyed that.

At first, Felicia was supposed to walk in front of the sentry, say a one-liner ("Hello. Please don't scream.") then punch the sentry's lights out when the latter attempted to scream nonetheless, and she'd follow with an other quip ("Come on. I did say: 'Please'."). But I figured out it wouldn't fit her cautious personality to put the infiltration in jeopardy for a joke, and I went for a more classic neck chop from behind.

Hazel's scene (in general the whole moment with the Waybrights) were my favorite part of this chapter.

Sophie's scene has a special flavour - the one of an infiltrator (who usually is the one subduing sentries) getting subdued...

[meditions142]

Sophie's scene has a special flavour - the one of an infiltrator (who usually is the one subduing sentries) getting subdued...

I think what is such a fun touch of the scene is that while she is being subdued she is clearly getting turned on and thinking about her subduing a sentry. Love her thinking about how cute the sentry was. Great description "A cute short brunette, with a heart-shaped face, a crown braid which made her look like a Disney princess, and the most gorgeous blue eyes Sophie had ever seen. Even her moans for help sounded cute." Clearly Sophie was turned on by how cute the woman was.

And I liked her thinking to herself "The blond agent had been happy that day that she was instructed to ‘play nice and non-lethal’ in Canada. That girl was so cute, it would have been a shame to hurt her!" And that as tied the unconscious woman up she felt " Powerful... Excited... Alive."

Just a interesting touch that Sophie had those thoughts while being taken out herself.

[esercito sconfitto]

Rufus , pun intended, I am curious... it' s about a detail, the uniform of the" thug" ( or maybe thugette ) ambushed in the first scene...some details are so strange ( the red-shirt ) at the point of being revealing, are you describing some character from mainstream media?

Ps I love hating Magneto, thanks for bringing him to us

PPS a great piece, a great comic book crossover

[rufusluciusivan]

Sophie's scene has a special flavour - the one of an infiltrator (who usually is the one subduing sentries) getting subdued...

I think what is such a fun touch of the scene is that while she is being subdued she is clearly getting turned on and thinking about her subduing a sentry. Love her thinking about how cute the sentry was. Great description "A cute short brunette, with a heart-shaped face, a crown braid which made her look like a Disney princess, and the most gorgeous blue eyes Sophie had ever seen. Even her moans for help sounded cute." Clearly Sophie was turned on by how cute the woman was.

And I liked her thinking to herself "The blond agent had been happy that day that she was instructed to ‘play nice and non-lethal’ in Canada. That girl was so cute, it would have been a shame to hurt her!" And that as tied the unconscious woman up she felt " Powerful... Excited... Alive."

Just a interesting touch that Sophie had those thoughts while being taken out herself.

Indeed she felt a bit turned on when she subdued that sentry ... and then she was herself subjected to the same fate.

Rufus , pun intended, I am curious... it' s about a detail, the uniform of the" thug" ( or maybe thugette ) ambushed in the first scene...some details are so strange ( the red-shirt ) at the point of being revealing, are you describing some character from mainstream media?

Ps I love hating Magneto, thanks for bringing him to us

PPS a great piece, a great comic book crossover

No, she's not supposed to be a character from a mainstream media.

I didn't watch many X-Men properties, but Magneto has left an impact on me, so I appreciate featuring him among the cast.

Thanks for the compliment.