One Final Aria - Overture - Marvel: Earth-USB Saga (Part 21)

[rufusluciusivan]

One Final Aria

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

Overture

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

“So, there are good news and bad news.” Gwen announced to her team.

Kate, Yuriko, and Jeanne exchanged a glance.

“Of course there are.” Kate dryly commented. “The bad news?”

“The whole country is white-hot, and New York City in on the verge of a civil war.”

“Fantastic. And the good news?”

“Things are way worst here than in the rest of the country. It’s not surprising. Jefferson and Magneto are focusing their efforts here. They know if New York City falls, the whole country collapses.”

Jeanne grimaced. “Ah. The Big Applesauce.”

“Peter, Miles, and I chose to stay here for a reason…” Gwen said, with an almost apologetic smile. “But it can work to our advantage. If we manage to get things under control here, the Avengers, the Government, and the States will be able to contain the situation elsewhere.”

“Easy as pie.” Kate deadpanned. “But I take it you have a plan?”

Gwen nodded. “We have three targets. First is William Jefferson. He’s as much part of the problem as Magneto. With him out of the picture, the anti-mutant agenda will be disorganized.”

Angelica showed the others a small USB flashdrive. “Jefferson may be the easiest part. Black Cat snatched some pretty interesting info about him when she rescued me. To beat William, we’ll speak his language. Threat and blackmail.”

“We’ll have to choose the best moment though. He’s planning something with the military. It’s best to sabotage whatever he has in mind first, and blackmail him second.”

“And the other two targets?”

“Second one is Sarah Summers. We can’t let her in Magneto’s hands. With her powers, he can cause as many riots as he wants.”

“The girl herself shouldn’t cause trouble. The problem will be to find her.” Yuri commented.

“It ties in to our last target. Taylor Woodward. She’s Magneto’s main field agent in New York. We can’t let her keep stirring trouble for him in the city. And if we get her…”

“… we also get Sarah.” Yuri finished.

“We’ve almost finished processing the data we’ve stolen from Orchis. We’ll soon be able to pinpoint the location of her hideout.”

“We’ll have to work faster.” Yuri intervened. “Because Taylor and Orchis won’t stay idle while we’re here. This afternoon there will be a pro-mutant protest. Things could easily spiral out of control. Plus, Jefferson is bound to find Taylor’s hideout soon. We maybe have bought some time when we deleted his data, but he can just ask his network again.”

Gwen nodded. “The next couple of days – nay the next couple of hours – will be critical.”

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

Sarah was sitting on her bed when Taylor entered the room.

“Mission briefing will begin soon.” the latter announced.

The blonde nodded.

“You sure you want to do this? The old man will never give us the inhibitor in time. It means our deal is off. We can sneak away with Charlotte.”

“Mr Eisenhardt says I can-”

“I don’t care what the old man says or wants.” Taylor gently interrupted her. “What do YOU say? What do you WANT?”

Sarah didn’t dare to look her in the eyes. “I don’t want to run away once more. I… I can’t… I can’t spend an other year on the road, always looking over my shoulder for agents after me…”

Taylor stayed quiet for a while, then nodded slowly. “If that’s what you want…”

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re free to choose, Sarah. I… wish I could have offered you more after I rescued you… more than the life of a fugitive…” Sarah could sense Taylor wanted to hug her, but neither Taylor nor she were comfortable with physical displays of affection.

Sarah shook her head. “Anything would have been better than the lab! I am grateful for what you did to me. It’s just… I’m so tired, Taylor. Tired of running. Tired of hiding.”

Once again, there was a beat.

“The others are waiting for you.” Taylor finally said.

Sarah got up. “I was thinking of the hostages.”

“Yes?”

“We won’t just let them go once we’re done. Right?”

The question was rhetorical.

Taylor didn’t answer. She wasn’t the kind of person who’d sugarcoat or bullshit things.

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

Felicia Hardy – aka Black Cat – was many things. A quitter wasn’t one of them.

Rolling on the floor of her cell, hands clutched on her belly, she was moaning and whining.

“Ow! My stomach hurts… I think I’ve got food poisoning…”

The trick was old, but Black Cat was a consummate actress. It had worked quite a surprising amount of time, all things considered.

However, Jenna wasn’t fooled.

“I know you’re faking it. I won’t open the door to check on you.”

Felicia immediately jumped back on her feet and complained. “Come on! You’re a henchwoman! Isn’t it, like, in your contract to fall for such tricks?”

“I’ll have you know Taylor is training me. You won’t push me around anymore.”

In the next cell, Mary-Jane groaned. “Yeah… You seem very happy to have upgraded from street gang to terrorist group…”

Jenna looked suddenly a lot more ill-at-ease. “I… This was not part of the plan… Things have gotten out of hand…”

“Don’t justify yourself. They’re playing you.” an other voice intervened.

Taylor entered the room.

“Regroup with the others, Jenna. We have a new mission.”

The brown-haired henchwoman left the room. She looked a bit relieved to not have to deal with Felicia anymore.

Taylor looked at the hostages. “I advise you two to behave better. Mystique is itching for an excuse to kill you, Black Cat.”

Felicia lost her smile and humour. “Oh, it’s great to be appreciated.” she deadpanned.

Taylor ignored her biting remark. She glared at Mary-Jane.

“What do you want?” the redhead barked.

“Sarah isn’t feeling well lately. It’s your fault.”

MJ’s face became bright red with anger. “My fault?! I’m not the one who drags her from heist to heist!” She shook her head. “You really are a piece of work! Don’t blame others for your actions!”

Taylor’s face didn’t flinch, though her fists clenched ever-so-slightly.

“Sarah deserves better than you! You belong to a jail cell!”

“In the name of what exactly? Your country? Mine? What legitimacy do they have?” Taylor looked Mary-Jane in the eyes. “I’m not the one who threw Sarah into a lab. I’m not the one who sent agents after her to put her back in a lab. These governments may preach about justice. But in the shadows, they send people like me to kill people like you when it suits their needs. Their justice system is a convenient charade, nothing more.”

“Because what you’re doing right now is fair and just, I suppose?”

“I don’t care about fairness or justice. I only care about Sarah, Charlotte, and me. In that order. Nothing else matters.”

Taylor didn’t wait for an answer, and left.

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

Ivy emptied her last spray can of garish pink paint on the wall, finishing her graffiti.

The street artist took a step back, and admired her work. Great! Too bad it was in an empty alleyway, but she couldn’t exactly tag a wall of the main streets in broad daylight…

Her cellphone rang. She checked the number. It was a video call from Pamela.

Ivy adjusted her asymmetrical sidecut of purple hair – her favorite dye.

“Yeah?”

“Ivy, where are you? The girls are gathering the placards. You’re still with us? Most people are already here. Protest is about to begin.”

“I’ll be there.”

A protest against Orchis, the anti-mutant agenda, and their increasing influence was supposed to begin in an hour. Ivy and her friends intended to join it.

“Cool. And by the way, nice haircut.”

“Oh. You noticed?”

“Purple’s my favorite.”

“I know.”

Pamela eyed her appreciatively. “You know, Ivy, I’m home alone tonight…”

“It’s a date then.”

“Great. Meet you at the protest.”

“Got it.”

Ivy put her phone in the front pocket of her hoodie, and checked her clothes. Her black baggy hoodie, dark blue studded jeans, and black studded boots would be perfect to conceal her identity, should push comes to shoves.

She knew Orchis pigs weren’t choir boys and girls… Sure, in the United States they had to play nice and by the rules, but she expected they’d come to blows at one point. Well, she was afraid of no fascist pig! She was ready to-

Her thoughts were interrupted when someone grabbed her by the hoodie, and pulled her out of sight.

“Guh?!”

In hindsight, maybe she shouldn’t have chosen an empty alleyway for her graffiti training...

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

Taylor didn’t give Ivy the time to call for help. Letting go of the hoodie, she wrapped snake-like arms around the unbalanced woman’s throat and neck. She locked her choke-hold, kicked Ivy in the back of the knee, and immobilized her victim.

Ivy gasped, fall on her knees, and squirmed her body wildly. Taylor tightened the sleeper-hold.

Then the tagger’s eyes rolled back in her skull, a muffled moan escaped her lips, and her body went as limp as a ragdoll in Taylor’s arms.

Taylor dragged the unconscious young woman by the undershoulders behind some dumpsters. The heels of Ivy’s studded boots were scraping against the ground.

Taylor laid the tagger onto the ground, and worked on removing her clothes.

The street artist was slim and white-skinned, with small breasts, flat curves, and light blue eyes. There were three rings in her left ear. Her hair were dyed purple, and her haircut was an asymmetrical sidecut. The left side of her head was shaved, while the right side was side-swept, wavy, and shoulder-long.

Taylor unzipped Ivy’s baggy hoodie, then lifted the slim woman’s upper-body and arms to pull off the hoodie. She also took off the black t-shirt with a blood red rose the street artist was wearing underneath. She unlaced and removed the studded boots, then unclipped the belt and shimmied the tight jeans down the legs.

The tagger was left clad in neon purple socks, a violet demi-bra adorned with lace around the cups and shoulder straps as well as one lace heart on each cup where the nipple would be, and a deep purple thong with lace around the waistband strap. Her navel was pierced.

Taylor zip-tied Ivy’s ankles together, and then her wrists behind the back. She gagged her with a few layers of tape.

Next, Taylor scooped Ivy’s trussed up body, and stashed her inside the dumpster to conceal her.

She also threw her current casual clothes in the dumpster with Ivy, and put on the street artist’s clothes. She used the hood to conceal her head and hair.

She then went to regroup with the crowd that was slowly gathering for the protest.

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

In a public park near the meeting point of the protest, Pamela ended the video call. She couldn’t help but feel hot in the collar. Nothing bested a long night of love-making after a protest.

Ivy had planned for their date, she had to. Pamela anticipated her friend-with-benefits had put on her favorite lingerie, just for her. Pamela smiled to herself. Well, Ivy was in for a surprise, because she too had prepared a little surprise for her lover. Ivy would be quite pleased after undressing her...

Pamela texted the rest of their band, who were still at their squat, instructing them to bring the placards.

The tall blue-eyed white-skinned brunette, whose shoulder-long hair were dyed blue, put her phone in the front pocket of her hoodie.

Then she put on her hood, and attempted to walk away.

Key word being attempted.

A police officer blocked her path. She was a fit Latin-American woman with black hair tied into a ponytail and a tanned skin.

“Ma’am. You’re gonna follow me.”

“What?”

The policewoman didn’t give Pamela the choice. She grabbed the young woman by the arm, twisted it, and led her to her police car, that was concealed behind bushes in a corner of the park.

“Hey! What’s the big idea?! The protest is legal!”

The officer ignored the girl’s complaints and insults. Once they were next to the police car, she shoved her against the vehicle.

Pamela massaged her arm. “Watch out, you fascist pig! I know my rights! I-”

The police officer socked her in the face with a mean right hook.

Pamela grunted, knocked out instantly. Her limp body hit the frame of the car, and she slid on the ground in a seated position, her back resting against the vehicle. Out cold.

The policewoman smiled. Her eyes briefly flashed and changed color.

Mystique opened one back door of the police car, and shoved the unconscious Pamela inside. The woman landed next to Sarah.

“Here you go. Give her the injection, take her outfit, and use the hoodie to hide your face. Then tie her up.” she instructed Sarah.

The blonde stammered. “I- I never…”

“Then it’s a perfect moment to learn. Taylor coddles you too much, I want you to toughen up.”

“I never tied...”

“Use the handcuffs. But if it’s too much trouble, I can just snap her neck-”

“NO! I- I’ll do it.”

“Good.”

Then she closed the door to give the girl some privacy.

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

Pamela’s face was already bruising.

Sarah took a few deep breaths. “You… You can do it… Mr… Mr Eisenhardt says you can make a difference…”

She stopped her hands from shaking, grabbed a syringe in a small box, and injected Pamela with the powerful sleeping drug.

“You can build a better world… for all mutants… One where… where you or Taylor or Charlotte won’t have to… won’t have to run anymore...”

Stripping the motionless body proved to be harder than she expected, but thankfully the garments were baggy and sturdy, so she didn’t damage them.

She stopped once Pamela was left clad in a burgundy g-string, and a hot pink push-up bra.

Sarah blushed madly at the implications.

“You can do it… You can make things better...”

There was a spare pair of handcuffs in the police car. She used them to tie the girl’s wrists behind her back. She also wrapped tape around her legs, and gagged her with a few strips.

Her hands were shaking again when she took off her own civilian clothes, and slipped into Pamela’s scarlet red baggy t-shirt, black sweatpants, and black hoodie, as well as her blue studded boots. She however kept her beanie.

“… make it so you’ll never be hunted again… never be… in the lab again...”

When Sarah exited the police car fully disguised, Mystique nodded at her. She then opened the trunk.

Inside, a fit Latin-American police officer with black hair tied into a ponytail and a tanned skin was lying curled up on herself. She was handcuffed, and with her legs and mouth taped.

Mystique smiled.

Then she fetched the trussed up Pamela, and threw her in the trunk with the policewoman.

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

Clara closed her phone. “Pamela sent me a text. She and Ivy will regroup with us at the protest. They asked us to bring the placards.”

Bree and Valentina nodded, then went gathering them. In a corner of the squat, a boombox was blaring loud music.

Clara’s hair were dyed pink, and styled into a pixie cut. She was light-skinned, with blue eyes. Bree had a white skin, green eyes, auburn hair, and a crew cut. Valentina – ‘Val’ – was a slim Latina with olive skin, brown eyes, and long brown wavy hair with a single red streak.

The three girls were ready for the anti-Orchis protest.

Clara was wearing red boots, red trousers, and a black t-shirt with red skulls. Val was clad in black sneakers, blue sweatpants, and a dark blue t-shirt. Bree was wearing grey studded boots, black jeans, and a red t-shirt. The three women were also wearing black baggy hoodies – similar-looking to the ones worn by Ivy and Pamela.

The ‘hoodie gang’, they were jokingly calling themselves.

The three young women finished grabbing all the placards.

“Okay, girls, here we go!” Clara exclaimed.

Suddenly, the backdoor of their squat was kicked open.

Two canisters were thrown inside the room. They released a thick smoke.

“The cops!” Clara attempted to shout in-between two coughs.

Then she realized it wasn’t mere tear gas.

Her mind was feeling foggy. It was sleep gas!

She panicked. Cops didn’t use sleep gas! But who were these people then?

She was already too dizzy for the answer to matter. Eyes teary, Clara staggered. Then her legs betrayed her, now too weak to support her.

The boombox was still playing. The neighbors had gotten use to the noise of their squat, so nobody would be alerted by the sounds of the attack.

Clara attempted to stand against the wall, but her legs betrayed her. She slid against the wall, falling into a seated position. Then she fell on the side, and began to snore lightly.

Nearby, Val and Bree also fell on the floor, face down, deeply asleep.

Faces covered with gas masks, Trapstr, Jenna, and Screwball entered the squat. They were satisfied to see the sleep gas had worked its magic.

They dragged the three unconscious hoodie-clad women outside. They had parked their van in the small backyard behind the squat. They loaded Clara, Val, and Bree inside the vehicle, and closed the doors to have some privacy.

Fifteen minutes passed, punctuated by faint noises muffled by the van’s metal frame. Motionless limbs and bodies being lifted. The rustle of boots, trousers, hoodies, and t-shirts being pulled off and removed. Tape being unwrapped and ripped. Zip-ties being tightened. Then three clothes thieves changing outfits.

Finally, the back door of the van was opened from the inside. Three new members of the ‘hoodie gang’ exited the vehicle. Screwball, Trapstr, and Jenna – now respectively dressed in the outfits of Bree, Valentina, and Clara – made sure their hoods concealed their heads, then closed the van’s back doors.

The three final members of the real ‘hoodie gang’ were now sharing the fate of Ivy and Pamela, and were left trussed up in the back of the van, with only their undergarments covering their modesty. Clara was wearing a neon pink t-string, with a matching demi-bra and matching short socks. Bree was clad in a pale green blouse bra with white lace, light blue classic briefs with yellow little chicks, and white socks. Val was wearing a black sports bra, matching boyshorts with a white waistband strap, and black sports socks. Each was zip-tied and gagged with tape.

Trapstr called Taylor. “We’re ready.”

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

The protest had been meant to defend mutant rights, but it was getting out of control. Orchis had deployed their armed vans to prevent the protesters from advancing further.

However, the crowd was getting bigger and bigger – and angrier and angrier. And it wasn’t an accident.

“It’s those bitches. The ones with the matching hoodies. They’re getting the crowd worked up.” Lynn cursed. “We can’t even grab them – they’re too slippery. If we charge, things will truly get out of hand.”

“Wish this was Africa.” Erin muttered in her beard.

Using violence was so much easier there…

Jill shook her head. “This isn’t just your normal angry mob. There’s something else. Something more.”

“Mutant powers?”

Jill nodded. “It seems Mr Jefferson’s lab rat has been set loose once again.”

The crowd’s anger reached its breaking point. They began to move.

“We won’t be able to contain them for long…”

Jill’s phone rang. She checked it, and grinned. “Got a message from Mr Jefferson. Tear gas grenades and non-lethal rounds are fair game. Doesn’t care if some ends up blind.”

Lynn and Erin shared her grin. “Now, that’s what I’m talking about!”

Orders were relayed. Grenade launchers were used. Soon, anger turned into panic, and chaos broke loose.

Jill grinned widely, shot an other tear gas grenade with her launcher, then grabbed a flashbang. “Now, that’s what I’m talking about!” she exclaimed.

“Reminds me of Congo!” Erin concurred.

“And trust me, fun is not over! Mr Jefferson told me he has an other mission in mind for the three of us!” Jill added.

The crowd dispersed in panic. Orchis kept firing tear gas grenades.

Nobody noticed the figures clad in hoodies who were fleeing discreetly through an alleyway...

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

The fallback plan was to split into two groups – Jenna, Screwball, and Trapstr would use the ‘hoodie gang’’s stolen van, while Taylor and Sarah would return to Mystique.

Thus, Taylor and Sarah regrouped with the shape-shifting mutant next to the police car, in an empty parking lot. Sarah was very pale, and Taylor had to almost carry her.

Mystique greeted them with a smile. “Good work. I followed everything on the radio. One more stunt like this, and we have our war.”

Taylor helped Sarah sit on the car’s backseat. “What about you?”

“Our dear officer and her punk friend are still napping in the trunk, but the police car has been reported as stolen. We better leave quick, because-”

“FREEZE!”

“… Speak of the Devil.”

It was a blond policewoman with shoulder-long hair, and a light skin.

Mystique took a step forward, arms open.

“Come on! Don’t you recognize me? It’s Renee.”

“This police car is reported as stolen!” The policewoman grabbed her shoulder radio.

Mystique smiled.

Then she kicked the woman.

The blond police officer didn’t have the time to react. Her neck was snapped instantly. She fell onto the floor like a ragdoll.

There was a short moment of silence.

Mystique looked very satisfied with herself.

Taylor angrily walked towards her, and grabbed her by the collar. “I didn’t give permission to go lethal!”

Mystique shrugged. “She was going to call for back-up. Plus, we want things to escalate, or what?

The two women were interrupted in their argument when they heard Sarah throw up nearby. The pale-skinned blonde fell from the car on her knees, and began to sob. “Oh God… Oh God… That’s what it is… That’s what it feels... This is even worst… worst than I thought…”

“First time you see a corpse?” Mystique chuckled indulgently. “Don’t worry. The cleaning crew will deal with that.”

She didn’t notice Taylor’s hate-filled glare.

Taylor took Sarah in her arms. “We leave.”

“We’re not done-”

“You think she’s in any state to use her powers right now?! I’ll call Jenna. She’ll pick us up with the van.”

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

The return trip was quiet and tense.

Jenna, Trapstr, and Screwball hadn’t witnessed the murder of the policewoman, so they didn’t know what had happened, but they could easily see Taylor was beyond livid, Sarah was half-unconscious, and their third teammate – whom they suspected was Mystique – was willing to punch in the face the first girl who’d look at her funny.

Jenna and Trapstr were exchanging silent – but meaningful – looks, and even Screwball knew better than to open her mouth.

At the hideout, Charlotte went to greet them. She was her usual bouncy self.

Taylor interrupted her before she could open her mouth. “Charlotte. Take Sarah with you. She needs to rest.” Her tone suffered no contradiction.

The chubby shape-shifter complied without a singly zany comment. Even she could see the red flags.

Taylor looked at her three other teammates. “You too. Take a break.”

Jenna, Trapstr, and Screwball didn’t need to be told twice. They almost ran out of the room.

Mystique stretched. “Newbies, am I right?” she joked once the other women were out.

Taylor moved so fast the shape-shifting mutant didn’t have the time to react. She backhanded Mystique in the face with enough strength to send her sprawling onto the floor.

The red-haired mutant shouted in pain. “What gives?!”

Mystique tried to get up, but Taylor grabbed her throat and released electricity. Not jolts powerful enough to knock the other woman out. Just enough to paralyze her body. Painfully.

“Next time you want to go for lethal, WARN ME first!”

Taylor ignored Mystique’s gurgles. She squeezed harder.

“Sarah can’t turn off her powers! Do you have any idea of what you did to her?!”

Mystique blinked. Clearly, she didn’t know.

“You stupid cow! She may never recover from the shock! Pull that shit up again, and I’ll kill you! I swear to God, if it weren’t for the old man, I’d crush your throat here and now!”

“Taylor that’s enough.”

Magneto was here.

“I understand your anger, but I won’t tolerate in-fighting. We must never forget who our real enemy is. Let her go.”

Taylor complied reluctantly.

Mystique massaged her throat and glared at the black-haired woman angrily.

“What I said is also true for you.” Magneto warned her. “I won’t tolerate any reprisal for what happened today. Taylor was in her right to be angry.”

He turned towards Taylor.

“I regret what happened to Sarah. I regret having to ask so much of her. But for the good of mutantkind… Sacrifices must be made.”

Taylor glared daggers at him. “Yeah. Preferably by other people.” she added bitterly.

The following silence was deafening. Magneto glared at her.

“Do not assume I never made sacrifices myself.” he finally commented, his voice as hard as steel.

Taylor didn’t back down. “I was a government pawn, old man. I know what it’s like to be used as a discardable asset. Don’t you dare pretend you’re not using us for your own ends.”

“I am. But I don’t consider my people expendable. I came here because I’m worried about you. Jefferson, Ghost Spider... several groups have you in their line of sight. I can’t stay here for too long, or it might attract the Avengers’ attention on you. I’m sending a few of my trusted people to secure this place.”

“Oh. So now we have wardens?”

“They’re not meant to be that, and you know it pretty well.”

While they were busy arguing, Mystique left the room.

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

Sarah was sitting on the bed, curled up on herself. Charlotte was buzzing around her, looking very uncomfortable. Her attempts to ease her friend’s mind – all of them involving snacks or series – were falling flat. The very fact she was able to stay focused on Sarah for so long was an achievement, but she wasn’t equipped to deal with emotional trauma.

And Taylor was still busy arguing with Magneto…

“Mr Eisenhardt says I can do great things… This is for the best… I can make a difference…” Sarah muttered to herself. “I can build a better world… One where we don’t have to run anymore...”

But all she could think of was that policewoman.

The snap.

The pain.

Why didn’t he tell me it would be so hard?

Mystique entered the room. Charlotte shifted nervously on her feet, but the red-haired mutant didn’t pay her any attention. Mystique saw the curled up blonde, and sighed.

“Seriously? You’re still crying?”

“I… I… I feel… feel… feel… their…”

“Listen, girlie. You need to toughen up. Taylor cajoles you way too much. She won’t always be there to hold your hand. The world is ugly and cruel. Either you’re part of the sheep, with them, or part of the wolves, with us.”

Sarah didn’t attempt to fight back or retort something. She just curled up on herself some more.

Mystique rolled her eyes. “Hopeless.” Then she left the room.

“Mr Eisenhardt says I can do great things… He says I can make a difference…”

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

Stephanie suppressed a yawn.

She hated it. She hated how she was forced to stay out of the action and guard this compound while there literally were fights in the streets. She was a soldier! It was her duty to serve and protect! And here she was, wasting time on dumb patrols away from the action.

Stephanie was tall, with an athletic frame, deep blue eyes, a white skin, and dark blond hair. The military sentry was wearing black combat shoes, grey camouflage army trousers with many pockets, a black weapon belt, a plain grey t-shirt, a grey army shirt, and a matching soldier kepi. She was carrying a machine gun. Her hair were tied up into a tight neck bun.

Stephanie resumed her routine patrol and inspection of the fence.

She walked around a corner, and passed next to a bunch of bushes.

A woman dressed in camouflage clothes, face concealed under a balaclava, jumped out of her hiding spot.

The intruder dazed Stephanie by slapping hard both her temples at the same time. A stomach punch followed. Then, a neck chop.

Stephanie wasn’t able to do anything – save for grunting “Ow!” “Oof!”, and “Urf!” Her unconscious body collapsed onto the ground.

The black-clad intruder grabbed the motionless soldier’s legs, and dragged her out of sight.

Stephanie was soon relieved of her duty – and uniform.

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

Erin tightly hog-tied the half-naked soldier, now only clad in a khaki green t-shirt bra and matching boxer undershorts, with a sturdy rope. She shoved a rolled up pair of socks into Stephanie’s mouth, and wrapped tape around her mouth and then around her eyes. Then, she left the defeated woman concealed in the middle of the bushes.

The Orchis mercenary then took off her camouflage outfit, and slipped into the soldier’s uniform.

She exited the bushes, leaving the unlucky Stephanie behind, adjusted her kepi and the shoulder strap of her machine gun, then headed to the main entrance of the base.

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

Inside the guard booth, Betty yawned.

The sentry – wearing the same uniform and equipment as Stephanie minus the machine gun – was a dark-auburn-haired brown-eyed woman of average size, slimmer than average thanks to her military training.

Her radio suddenly sprung to life.

“Betty. Come outside. You won’t believe what I just found!”

“Stephanie, I swear if this is an other dead squirrel…”

Betty opened the door of the booth.

Her face was greeted by a fist.

Betty received the full brunt of the jab. She was knocked out instantly, and crashed onto the floor of the booth with a thud.

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

Erin checked the area. Good. Nobody had spotted her assault.

The sentry was resting on her back, spread eagle and completely out cold.

She whistled briefly, then allowed Lynn to enter the guard booth, and closed the door to give her some privacy.

Lynn grinned to herself as she began stripping Betty of her combat shoes, equipment belt, army trousers, uniform shirt and t-shirt, and kepi. She was pretty content to steal a military outfit for once. She was tired of civilians, and their pink clothes!

She restrained Betty’s wrists and ankles with zip-ties, and gagged and blindfolded her with tape. The sentry was clad in scarlet red tanga panties, and a purple full-cup bra with flowers made of lace.

In the guard booth, under the table, there was a small cupboard. Lynn stashed Betty inside the cramped space. The unfortunate soldier was left seated curled up on herself, with her thighs pressed against her breasts.

Lynn grabbed her phone. “In position.” she told Erin and Jill.

“Good. I saw her car. She’s coming your way. Give her a warm welcome.” Jill answered.

“Roger that.”

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

Sandra was a military nurse, freshly assigned to the compound – it was actually her first shift. She was already wearing her uniform: black shoes, light brown camouflage army trousers and long-sleeved shirt, with a plain beige t-shirt underneath. Sandra was a woman with medium brown hair, hazel eyes, and a light skin. Her haircut was a ponytail.

She stopped her car in front of the access barrier.

“Name and business?” the sentry in the booth asked.

“Sandra Hawkins. I’m the new nurse.”

The sentry nodded. “We were expecting you. I see you’re already in uniform. May I have your ID?”

Sandra complied. The soldier looked at the pass card, and suddenly frowned.

“Ma’am. I need you to come with me.”

“Is there a problem?”

“Just a quick double-check. Can’t be too cautious with spies lately…”

Sandra nodded. Made sense.

The nurse exited her car, and followed the guard.

Inside the booth, the sentry gave a closer look to the card.

“Everything seems in order. Sorry for the inconvenience. Here you go- Oops!” The soldier made a wrong move, and dropped the card onto the floor.

Sandra bent forward to pick it up. “Here, let me do it.”

“So obliging.”

Sandra didn’t see the attack coming.

The soldier hit her on the back of the head with the butt of her handgun.

The nurse groaned, and was instantly knocked out.

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

Erin was still pretending to patrol nearby. She let out an other whistle.

Jill exited her hiding spot, and discreetly rushed inside the booth.

Lynn was in the process of stripping Sandra off her uniform. Jill gave her a hand. They stopped once the military nurse was reduced to white high-cut briefs, light pink seamless t-shirt bra, and white socks.

Jill then slipped into her disguise, while Lynn trussed up Sandra with zip-ties and gagged and blindfolded her with tape. She left the bound-and-gagged military nurse concealed lying curled up in a corner of the booth.

“Okay.” Jill said. “Secure the escape route, I’ll plant the bombs in the data room.”

"Boss will be pleased."

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

In his office, William Jefferson was reading the latest report on his computer. He was very pleased.

“It seems the US Army has finally agreed to my request. They’ll lend me their latest toys. The recent infiltration and sabotage of one of their bases convinced them.”

The businessman laughed to himself.

“They’re making it too easy…”

On his computer, there was the blueprint of US Army’s latest invention – the Juggernaut-3, a brand new tank enhanced with Oscorp technology to fire shells powerful enough to bypass super-resistance and enhanced with an anti-magnetic field making it immune to Magneto’s powers.

“I can’t wait to test these new toys.”

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

On the phone, Yuri sounded desperate – and given how collected she usually was, Gwen took it as a sign things were bad.

“This is a nightmare. An other riot broke out. That’s the second one in two days. And this one was worst. Orchis retaliated.”

“They’re using Sarah’s powers again.”

“One of my officers was murdered. Jefferson’s already milking it to get more powers for Orchis. US Army gave him the permission to use some of their heavy weapons. The bastard… He’s deploying them tomorrow morning. I think he also found out where they’re hiding.”

“I’m sorry.”

“She was a good woman. I’ll make sure her murderer gets punished.”

“Any clue?”

“We found two women – a civilian and an other officer – in the trunk. Bruised but alive. I read their depositions. I suspect it’s Mystique.”

Gwen grimaced. “We’ve pinpointed Taylor’s base. We must make our move tomorrow, at the same time Jefferson makes his. There may be open warfare in the streets by the end of the week if we let Jefferson and Magneto have their way.”

“I’ll be there.”

[meditions142]

Very, very intriguing story and great depth to the story. A lot of complex things going on.

Also, from a pure uniform stealing fan position you put in what I think is a near perfect scene with Lynn, Erin and Jill's infiltration. First we get the Stephanie scene with the perfect unsuspecting sentry on her patrol. And great action take out. First a hit to the temples to stun her, then a stomach punch to double her over, then a neck chop to knock her out. Then the team pretends to be Stephanie to lure Betty into opening the door and she gets a good old punch to the face to take her out.

Then, using the stolen uniform, tricks Sandra. And then does the trick of dropping the card and Sandra making herself an easy target and getting bonked on the head.

Great uniform steal scene. And I have to say a bit rough methods of knocking the women out.

[rufusluciusivan]

Very, very intriguing story and great depth to the story. A lot of complex things going on.

Also, from a pure uniform stealing fan position you put in what I think is a near perfect scene with Lynn, Erin and Jill's infiltration. First we get the Stephanie scene with the perfect unsuspecting sentry on her patrol. And great action take out. First a hit to the temples to stun her, then a stomach punch to double her over, then a neck chop to knock her out. Then the team pretends to be Stephanie to lure Betty into opening the door and she gets a good old punch to the face to take her out.

Then, using the stolen uniform, tricks Sandra. And then does the trick of dropping the card and Sandra making herself an easy target and getting bonked on the head.

Great uniform steal scene. And I have to say a bit rough methods of knocking the women out.

I'm happy you enjoy the story. It's always hard to balance non-USB plot and USB scenes. People mentioning they are also invested in the plot is the greatest reward!

Jill, Erin, and Lynn are both bad girls and bullies. Their rough methods and needless violence are a way to showcase their personalities.

[tirepanted3]

Three new chapters in the first week of April! Short ones, yes, but still quite prolific. (Meanwhile, I've been trying to finish the next chapter of "Madame Mayor" for weeks.)

A setup chapter here, but an interesting one, moving things in place for the climax. Good way to check in on various characters and see where everyone is currently holding.

Unique idea to have the villains mug some street artists/protestors. Good way for them to blend in with a crowd without showing their faces.

I like the touch of personality given to Ivy and Pamela (I wonder, is this somehow a DC/Poison Ivy reference?) during their phone conversation. And it's topped off by the amusing beat of Ivy being grabbed by her hoodie and pulled out of sight.

Jill, Erin, and Lynn continue to be great "love to hate them" characters, even as they're now mugging military personnel instead of civilians. Loved Lynn's relief at not having to steal pink clothes.

Mystique's killing of the police officer was a shocking moment, although given how quick and brief this chapter was, it didn't have a lot of time to register. Maybe that's for the best, since character deaths tend to cast a pall over things, but it was something that stuck out to me.

Looking forward to the next chapter... which is already available, so I should get to it shortly.

[rufusluciusivan]

Three new chapters in the first week of April! Short ones, yes, but still quite prolific. (Meanwhile, I've been trying to finish the next chapter of "Madame Mayor" for weeks.)

Quite prolific, but a lot of the climax has been finished for weeks (or even months for some of the epilogues) - except ironically the very part you've just read, which was the last thing I wrote. Not dwelling on my life story, but I'm moving next week, and I wanted to finish the Marvel Saga before that. So expect the next two (and final) parts soon.

I cut the different chapters based on the plot events, so they're rather unbalanced when it comes to length. Part 21 is indeed a setup chapter, before Parts 22 and 23 which will feature the heroines finally facing the main two threats of the saga.

Yes, I had too much time, and randomly got the idea to give these two extras names referencing Poison Ivy. Because why not. That plus their designs and *ahem* future plans for each other helped them stand out.

Jill, Erin, and Lynn are great antagonists but the more I feature them, the more I regret I wasn't able to do more with them. Clearly they're the ones who suffer the most from the high number of characters and antagonists in the saga. They'd deserve to have more screen time, and be a major threat in their own dedicated story, but here they play second fiddle to William Jefferson, Taylor, Mystique, the rest of Taylor's team, and Magneto.

Mystique's killing (which is a reference to the scene in Ultimate X-Men#62 Magnetic North Part 2) was planned from the start, it's even one of the first things I wrote for the arc. But I'm not very satisfied with the result. In-between the moment the plot development was devised and the moment the story actually reached this part, so many things were added that the murder itself lost its impact and was diluted in many other subplots. The saga wasn't originally supposed to reach this scope. For instance, Orchis was a very late addition to the plot during the development of the story, same with Gwen's rescue team. Taylor, Charlotte and Sarah were much more central characters in the early stages of the draft - I mean, they're still important, but if the saga had stayed on its original course neither Orchis nor Gwen's team of heroines would have been featured, so Taylor and her crew would have had a lot more screentime. Still, this murder is important for future character developments in the climax, so it had to stay.

Hopefully you'll enjoy the next chapter. (And the following ones, because they should also be out soon.)

[tirepanted3]

Jill, Erin, and Lynn are great antagonists but the more I feature them, the more I regret I wasn't able to do more with them. Clearly they're the ones who suffer the most from the high number of characters and antagonists in the saga. They'd deserve to have more screen time, and be a major threat in their own dedicated story, but here they play second fiddle to William Jefferson, Taylor, Mystique, the rest of Taylor's team, and Magneto.

I would love to see more of Jill, Erin, and Lynn in the future - they're interesting characters considering their "renegade" place in the story (working against both the heroes and the main villains), and in the way they always seem to have their escapades well-planned, well-coordinated, and efficiently executed. That coupled with their attitudes (rough bullies who clearly enjoy mugging women for their clothes) make them a nice contrast to the more complex characterizations of Taylor and her teammates.

Considering how there are indeed so many characters and conflicting story threads in this saga, it's always impressive when some newcomers manage to stand out.

Mystique's killing (which is a reference to the scene in Ultimate X-Men#62 Magnetic North Part 2) was planned from the start, it's even one of the first things I wrote for the arc. But I'm not very satisfied with the result. In-between the moment the plot development was devised and the moment the story actually reached this part, so many things were added that the murder itself lost its impact and was diluted in many other subplots. The saga wasn't originally supposed to reach this scope. For instance, Orchis was a very late addition to the plot during the development of the story, same with Gwen's rescue team. Taylor, Charlotte and Sarah were much more central characters in the early stages of the draft - I mean, they're still important, but if the saga had stayed on its original course neither Orchis nor Gwen's team of heroines would have been featured, so Taylor and her crew would have had a lot more screentime. Still, this murder is important for future character developments in the climax, so it had to stay.

I understand. It's difficult to get serious and dramatic moments to stand out in a busy story. I try to plan my stories out in advance, but the longer a story runs, the more tempting I find it to add more characters and storylines to keep it fresh and busy. (Especially since having more characters in a long-running story makes it easier to find reasons and opportunities for USB scenes.)

[rufusluciusivan]

I would love to see more of Jill, Erin, and Lynn in the future - they're interesting characters considering their "renegade" place in the story (working against both the heroes and the main villains), and in the way they always seem to have their escapades well-planned, well-coordinated, and efficiently executed. That coupled with their attitudes (rough bullies who clearly enjoy mugging women for their clothes) make them a nice contrast to the more complex characterizations of Taylor and her teammates.

Considering how there are indeed so many characters and conflicting story threads in this saga, it's always impressive when some newcomers manage to stand out.

Well, I can say Jill, Erin, and Lynn's part gets some closure in the next part - but it may be a bit different of what you're expecting. Let's just say you hit the mark when you mention they're bullies at heart, and keep it that way for now. No spoilers. We'll discuss it when we get to it.